Halloween and More

I have to learn the all words to the US armed forces hymns. It seems Central Florida is very patriotic, and at every musical event, a medley of the different military songs, including the Coast Guard’s, is played. I can sing the first line or two of all of them, except the Coast Guard’s, then I “humble”, Rev Amy’s word for humming and mumbling, which she rightfully claims most people do in church when they don’t have a hymnal. In any case, the military medley was played by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra at last night’s Music Among the Lakes, a free concert sponsored by Windermere Wine and Dine, with an opportunity to donate funds for Second Harvest Food Bank via a QR code. Very efficient. When the $10,000 goal was met, we all got to light up our free wrist bands to blue, (at half way, we turned them on to glow white). We’d already made our annual gift to Second Harvest, but decided to cough up $50, since we liked event and wanted it to happen again. 

The show started with the Orlando Youth Orchestra’s jazz combo playing old standards. I’m glad they are getting a good musical foundation, but I’d hoped they would play something a little avant-garde. Good to know “Stomping at the Savoy” and “A Train”, but…that seems what the organizers ordered, because the OPO’s program ranged from West Side Story to Star Wars. We started with the “Star Spangled Banner”, which, when I stood and sang along, made tears come to my eyes. My doubts for our country are rising. I drowned those feelings in the 2 bottles of wine from Tim’s Wine Shop, (tucked into an insulated backpack), and the picnic basket dinners I bought from Emmy Lou’s BBQ and the Dixie Cafe, which were offered as part of the event. 

I’m back from a week in Chula Vista, celebrating Bella’s 5th birthday and going trick or treating with them at 3 outdoor malls, a trunk or treat at the Naval base, where a tooth fairy sat and checked his phone on an amphibious vehicle, and walking around their neighborhood on Halloween for one last candy opportunity, at least 10 pounds of candy all total, much of it nice chocolate. Remi loves lollipops, and even stuck out eating a SourPop, since it was his favorite color, blue. 

Bella was an axolotl, and Remi may have been a Pokémon character, I not knowledgeable enough to be sure.

Note: picture shows just part of the candy haul.

This was the first trip I haven’t finished a project while I was there, but since my right shoulder and left hamstring still ache, I’m trying to give them as much rest as possible. Extremely frustrating, because Mary had bags and bags of mulch, which normally I could have hauled and put down in the back yard. Not this time. We did come up with landscape plans for the front yard which includes some small native trees on the southwest corner which would block the view of the utility pole in the swale but would still have room for a driveway on the south side of the house. Mostly, I sat and watched the birds, especially a male Allen’s hummingbird, which came each morning to feed and sit right next to the living room window.