12 Oakdale

We had a beautiful red sky Friday morning, which indicated the proverbial storm and that sailors should take warning. A minimal yet very wet tropical storm was coming across the Gulf of Mexico towards south Florida. It boded badly for our drive over to Bob’s funeral mass, and even worse the next day for Stephanie’s end of the school year party with 2 (!) inflatable slip and slides that took up her whole back yard. For us, much ado about nothing. It was sprinkling after mass when we walked from the church over to the social hall for the reception. A few paper towels, and we were dried off. Saturday, the sky was dark gray, but barely a drizzle just a couple of times, and no lightening. The party goers enjoyed being completely waterlogged from their water play. My rain gauge showed < 1/16”. I ran the sprinklers. On the other hand, south Florida was flooded. Patten figured he got at least 9”, since he measured 2 1/2” before he emptied his gauge at bedtime. The next morning, the 5” gauge...

  A day off from yard work to go fishing. We contracted with guide Steve Spatafora from iOutdoors for a 2-hour fishing trip on Lake Tohopekaliga, Lake Toho to the locals. Up at o’dark hundred to pick up Clara and drive to Kissimmee, which Google Maps said took 40 minutes when I checked the day before, but was only 20 at 6:00 Sunday morning. For once, we were early to an event.  We had worried all week about whether to cancel this venture, because Tropical Storm Fred was working its way up from Cuba, projected to head directly up the west coast of the Florida peninsula. Not too much wind, but lots of rain. We had until Friday afternoon to pull out, or we paid the whole price. I hemmed and hawed, however Grant thought we should go. Fred moved westwardly, and the weather was beautiful.  Clara got the first bite and reeled in a nice bass soon after we stopped. I had several bites but couldn’t get the hang of setting the hooks. Several shiners later, I had a massive pull and m...

  As if we needed more rain, tropical storm Elsa went over Windermere during the early morning. Rain is supposed to fall all day. The Cuban tree frogs are croaking away. I had planned to buy bagels from Jeff’s Bagel Run, a new shop a couple of miles away in Ocoee. From a home business started from their kitchen in August, 2019, the owners have set up a brick and mortar shop which claims to have New York style bagels. They sell out by 9:00 each morning which either means the bagels are good, or locals don’t know any better. The only good bagels we’ve had south of NYC is at Sage Deli in Hallandale, which brought their oven, brick by brick, from their northern location. Unless the rain let’s up in the next hour, I’ll put off our test to another day. Grant ending up spending 36 hours in ER while cat scans were done and teams of trauma, neuro, and cardio doctors conferred. A second scan showed his subdural hematoma had not grown, but all agreed he should be admitted as soon as a bed wer...