12 Oakdale

Our trip has not gotten off to the best start. While showering the first evening, Grant slipped. Fortunately, he was not hurt, however he was stuck in the bottom of the bathtub. After a few minutes, he was able to swing his legs over the side, then scoot his bottom up on the edge. And there he was, lying on the edge of the tub. I grabbed him by the waist, and between the 2 of us, he was able to get to a sitting position, then stand. That evening, my left shoulder hurt and my hamstring twinged, but my back seems fine. My last nerve is shot. Next up was my losing my glasses. We’d swum on the bayside, showered, then walked a short distance along the ocean beach. I was wearing my sunglasses and had tucked my others in my bra top. They were gone when we got back to the car. We have searched and searched the beach, the shower area, the car. Gone. All I can figure is someone picked them up, and I hope will turn them into the rangers. So far, they have not. On the positive, we watched a yellow...

Monday, after taking Peg’s truck to not 1, but 2 mechanics to find out why the check engine light kept coming on, she and Betsy arrived in time for dinner, still not sure what the problem was. I had made the lentil salad we’ve enjoyed, this time with the suggested radicchio, and a lemon pie using the can of cocoanut cream left in the fridge when Spaulding came and made piña coladas. Both delicious, although I’m unlikely to recycle the pie recipe. Key lime is still our favorite. They had been up in Gainesville, organizing more of Jen’s things, so Barton can decide what to do with them when he is ready. The other project was building a cat-proof fence in the backyard so his kitties can spend outdoor time. I’m sure the cats are grateful.  Tuesday, we dropped Betsy at the airport for her many-hour trip home, via Atlanta and LAX. So glad to have so much time with her, so very sad to say goodbye. Visiting next year is on my agenda, even as I keep looking at a Nile River cruise. That even...

Betsy arrived from Switzerland Thursday evening. We picked her up after attending a dedication of a statue in a pocket park along the West Orange Trail that is maintained by Bloom and Grow members. Amazing how beautiful an area can be if 5-6 women work on it every week. Inspiring, but beyond my ability, even with CC’s help every 2 weeks. But with that in mind, Betsy and I weeded out the area by the boat house fence, laid newspapers, and mulched with pine straw. Looking good. We also went to Target to get her a bathing suit and a SIM card and data for her phone. Back to Target: somehow neither of us noticed she’d bought the wrong bathing suit, having placed the one she actually liked, and looked good in, back on the rack. The home is calling us. Plus, the SIM card wouldn’t work. Wrong suit returned, right suit bought, and tough luck on $40 data, no returns allowed. We moved on to Verizon, where Nick tried and tried, but couldn’t get the SIM card to do its thing, in the phone Betsy has u...

Sunday, Mary and Ryan left at o’dark hundred so we said goodbye the night before. Never long enough. Up at my usual 5:00, I did my morning rounds of make coffee, feed cat, exercise. Then fill bird feeders. No watering, because the sprinklers run Sunday mornings. At 6:45, after making my daily little drawing, I went to the grocery store to stock the larder for Grant. He will be on his own for the first time since his fall. The drive began in heavy rain, which we desperately need, but couldn’t it wait just another hour? The northbound Turnpike was shut down 20 miles into my trip, so Google rerouted me through Mineola, sending me through a part of central Florida new to me. Back on the Turnpike, just as the rain stopped, I had to drive through a deep puddle in a construction area, which threw mud up on my freshly washed and now rained upon car. It has mud streaks all over. And of course, no more rain predicted for the week. I’d made a PBJ to eat when I got to S...

I hesitated to get on the scale. Yes, the 5 pounds I gained on our Christmas market cruise have been joined by new friends from our 4 days of cabin camping. Too much wine, desserts, and hearty breakfasts. My only consolation is the joy I had spending time with friends. This year we (Kristine, Diane and David, Donna and Bob, Scott, and us) were joined by Deb and Rob, Paige, Scott’s daughter Katie, and visited each day by Tina and Ken, members of themUU church when Steph and Mary were in elementary school. Grant and I mostly lazier around (why I’m not shocked about my weight gain). One day, the others took the glass-bottomed boat ride. This year, no manatees. They had already left the river for summer digs. Another morning, the healthier ones rented kayaks. I’d thought about joining them when the option was just a float downstream. When they decided to take a shorter trip that involved paddling back upstream, I opted out. My shoulders just aren’t strong enough for that. next year? I did ...

We are home after spending the night at Sally’s. Saturday, we drove up to visit and attend Gainesville’s 2nd annual Fly Pig parade, organized by the man who created the King Mango Strut in Coconut Grove 40 years ago as a protest to his not being allowed to participate in the King Orange Parade.  My first memory of the KMS was 1989. We had a 9 passenger Suburban, and Grant had long gray hair. He; Betsy with Kristina and baby Emily; Sally or Marjorie; and me with Stephanie, Mary and baby Patten were heading back to the car, Grant leading the group of women, kids and strollers following. Traffic was slow, and someone yelled over “Where you in the parade?” “Yes,” Grant answered, “we are the Polygamist Society of South Florida.” And so we called ourselves whenever we did a group event, mostly because often Grant was the only husband to attend. There was talk of a flag, but no one ever made one, The Flying Pig was cute, but not as political as the Strut. It may evolve. The next morni...

It has begun to cool in the evenings. Each morning, I open the bedroom and dining room doors, then put up the living room window so Gracie can enjoy looking out. When I hear the AC turn on, I close up the house. Today, the AC never started up. It was 70° outside when we went to bed. It’s Fall. Tuesday, CC and I weeded around the tomato ring. Wednesday, I planted 3 Big Boys, 1 heritage Purple Cherokee, and 1 Florinada around it. At least that’s what I think I planted. All of my labels were faded. I’d started the seeds in pots before we went to New Zealand, and I had anticipated coming home to lush plants. Didn’t happen. After 3 weeks of solid rain, I’d had Steph turn off the mist system. The next 3 weeks were bone dry. I came home to almost bare sticks. Crossing my fingers and planting the little tomatoes deep, I hope we will have some fruit this year. I cobbled together an anti-bunny fence of screen held up with bamboo stakes around the ring. I don’t know if bunnies eat tomatoes, but s...

It was cloudy and rainy here most of Wednesday. Our red shouldered hawk was stoic. Hurricane Milton came ashore 8:30 at Siesta Key as a category 3 with winds of 120 mph, then crossed the state below Orlando, exiting into the Atlantic early Thursday morning with winds down to 85 mph. Still a hurricane, but the tornadoes on its front edge seem to have particularly deadly. For us, it meant we got winds from the southeast that pushed rain under our garage door. We mopped and put down towels for a while. I realized we could run them through the washer’s spin cycle to get them ready to sop up more water. Much easier than trying to wring by hand. After doing it for a couple hours, and the water not getting more than about 3’ into the garage, I’d had enough. We made sure everything was up on shelves and called it a night. I read until about 1:30 AM; Grant played his computer game until 2:30. I prefer hurricanes that come during the day like Irma, so I can watch what is happening. I tried using...

3 1/4” was the final tally on the rain yesterday. Tuesday, we got 1 1/4”. The yard and frogs are happy. Of the later, I saw a little thumbnail sized one this morning when I went outside to check the rain gauge. Yesterday, when I did my daily early morning inspection walk around the pool, Grace was watching what I would call a garden toad jump in the same place against the pool screen, over and over and over. It was still fruitlessly hopping there when I came back with a plastic box to capture it for its ride to the outside and freedom. Gracie wandered off. I have been working like crazy to get the yard as ready as I can for the 6 weeks we will neglect it while we are in New Zealand. I’m having CC come every Tuesday to help me. I’m trying to figure out what I can have her do while I’m gone. She loves to deadhead salvias. I want torpedo grass dug out. A management problem. Grant has been assigned to Roundup the edge of all the beds every Friday. That is making it easier for us to spend t...

Easy flight to San Diego, upgraded to first class, with me in a window seat on the front row, and Grant back in the last. A chance for me to see if the bulkhead seat makes me claustrophobic. Wouldn’t be my first choice, but an upgrade is an upgrade. Welcome to the fun chaos of a household with 2 active children. Grandma, grandma, grandma. Music to my ears. I had written to the San Diego Audubon Society for birding ideas, and Peter answered with a suggestion of the Tijuana Estuary, a place to see ridgeway rails.  At the crack of mid morning, we were there. Little legs didn’t move very fast or cover much ground. After a while, Grant, toting the scope, offered to sit on a bench with Remi while Bella and I walked to the end of the path. She and I saw great egrets, black-necked stilts, a peregrine falcon kiting in field, and more, but no rails. We were assured by a woman we met, they were there, including some chicks. I was skeptical we’d see one since rails are notoriously shy. Yet, af...

Trying to fit in all our travel needs and desires. Yes, I know, a first world problem, but it is my situation. How to fit in trips to see Spaulding and Mary into our summer schedule? Then it dawned on me: combine them. Duh. That meant flying Delta, since Frontier would be the only other choice direct to Salt Lake City. Comfort+ out, first class red eye back. No more small seats for us. June 27-July 2, we were in Salt Lake City, charmed by Teddy who now has 2 bottom teeth and was fairly stoic about getting 2 uppers that were just about to break through. Friday, Molly worked from home, so Spaulding, Grant, and I went down town to Caffe d’Bolla where Spaulding had made reservations for a coffee tasting experience. Thank goodness there was a mix up, and we only had 1 seat reserved (total of 3 spots for event, and the other 2 were taken by the production manager and head of visuals for a touring DJ whose name I’ve forgotten, but Spaulding and Molly knew). This was way over my head and taste...