12 Oakdale

I am so dang tired of hurting. My shoulders, my hands, my butt. Enough already. I know this too shall pass, patience is a virtue, blah, blah, blah. On the other hand, I am making progress against the weeds. I’ve finished with the front plot to the north of the driveway, only getting bitten by fire ants once, when I foolishly stepped in just to cut out another maypop vine. Only took about 3 seconds, but long enough for ants to attack. I was wearing flip flops. By the time I’d flung them off, 5 ants managed to bite me in a line up the top of my foot. One little bugger got me between my toes. Obviously, no, I will never learn. The weeds did get a break when I took Friday morning off so Grant and I could attend a Canine Companion doggie graduation where friends and eight other people got their new service dog. The dogs had had 6 months of intense training at a beautiful campus just 20 minutes north of us in Calcona. Our friends spent 2 weeks there being trained to know how to use all that ...

The vibrating massage ball being rubbed on my sore tendon at physical therapy seems to be helping. Or it’s a darn good placebo. Either way, I’m happy and have signed up for 6 more sessions over the next 3 weeks. I am also being sure to sit on a big, soft pillow every time I sit down, working in the yard, dragging it to restaurants, etc. I am actually starting to feel better. On Sunday, we drove to Weeki Wachee Springs to see Clara perform at Mermaid Camp, a 2-day affair at the state park. Her show was after the regular mermaid revue, this time the story of the Little Mermaid. Why, in this day and age, we have to still be celebrating a 15 year old wanting to change her body for guy is beyond me. I had hoped there would be a modern twist, but no. Well, Weeki Wachee was created in 1947, so I guess there is still a retro vibe, but still, really? In any case, the girls had fun and lots of exercise. Swimming as a mermaid is definitely a core workout. Because the attraction is now a state par...

I looked it up: the last movie we’d seen in a theater was Knives Out  on December 1, 2019 at Sunset Cinema when we lived on Key Biscayne. 31 months ago! (We’d spent the $30 gift card Patten gave us a few Christmas before that I found when I was packing for our move from 14th Court. Serendipitous.) This time, we saw the new Top Gun  at West Orange Cinema, just up Maguire Road. Amazingly, ticket prices were about the same. We indulged with draft Highstepping IPAs from Crooked Can Brewery and a small popcorn, light butter. I’d gotten spoiled with reclining loungers at our old movie houses, but the chairs were comfortable, and the sound level great. We may get Covid yet, but we’re willing to take the chance. BTW, Top Gun  has to be the best Navy recruiting film ever. Of course, not enough women’s roles, but to be expected in an action film.  Even though we’re back home 11 days, I’ve only worked in the yard one morning. The weeds are ecstatic. Over the weekend, we drove t...

Friday I thought I was scheduled for an X-ray and MRI of my left upper thigh and my right shoulder since the former still hurts from my February lifting injury and the latter has gotten progressively more sore with my using my arms to help myself out of chairs, off toilets, and getting up in general. Turned out, I was right about the two X-rays, but only was going to have MRI of leg. Since I’d already taken 1 of my anti anxiety pills and assumed I would be going only part way into the tube, I opted not to take the second tablet and left it in the locker with my clothes. Mistake. The technician assured me that I would have to be slid all the way in to take the picture. Only about 20 minutes lying in a small, confined space. Gulp. Surely I could do that. I’ll take a nap. Would I like a mask? No. Mistake #2. Would I like earplugs? No. Haven’t decided whether a mistake or not. What kind of music would I like? Don’t care. I laid down, the technician put earphones on me and placed a big mat ...

The kitties were happy to see us when we dragged in last night about 10:00. Both wanted lots of kitty pets and lots of room on the bed, which involved our shoving them around and their fighting over space. Annie especially wanted to sleep on my pillow, a bad habit our apartment sitter Kelsi encouraged when we went to Okinawa. It’s a toss up whether her chewing on my hair or my using my sore shoulders to drag her fat butt off is more annoying. Deciding that I didn’t want that habit restarted, I pushed her off one more time than she tried to get back. I’m sure tonight we will battle again. After Acadia and one night in a hotel, we stayed with Jamey and April for three nights since we didn’t get to see them on the way up. Jamey was over Covid, and April didn’t catch it, the reverse of when she was sick in the spring. So odd. Originally, I had thought about trying to go to New York City for museums and perhaps a show, but we preferred having a relaxing visit with family instead. Besides, t...

Acadia stuck me as a mirror to the Everglades: one has to find the majesty in subtly. Nothing particularly took my breath away, yet there was much to enjoy at a micro level. We did get up early enough to see the sunrise from Cadillac Mountain, albeit not from the top. Rather than parking in the west lot and hoofing it up to the summit, we opted to retreat a little down and used a pullout all to ourselves. We sat on boulders, having the truck as a wind barrier. It was our second time up the mountain, so we weren’t concerned about walking around on the paths at the top. We took a carriage ride with Mike as our guide and his granddaughter Sally driving most of the time. Horses Charlie and Charmer did the work, pulling the wagon on roads built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., beginning, I believe, in 1904, continuing until the start of World War II. Mike claimed his operation of 26 horses puts $100,000+ each year into the Mount Desert economy, hiring locals to work in the barns and drive the ...

We must have the shadiest campsite in the park, A10. Normally good; bad for using our solar panels to charge our Jackery battery. I said, after dealing with ice at Yellowstone last year, I was buying a Dometic camping fridge. Which we did, using an Amazon card for a 5% rebate and having a 20% off coupon. Still about $1500 for the setup. Not having soggy cold food: priceless. Fortunately, the Tacoma has an AC outlet in the bed, so we plug either the fridge or the battery in when we drive. We can also charge phones, iPads, and Grant’s hearing aides from either battery or car. Not exactly camping like my parents did. We have cell service at our site. I suspect this is more a bleed over from all the nearby towns rather than the National Park Service having added towers. This means I can read downloaded library books on my iPad while lying on my cot. Yes, we’ve added cots to our baggage, thank goodness, (even though I find mine pretty uncomfortable), because there is no way I could get up f...