148th Day

 On the 148th day, since last I wore my wedding ring, seeing it on the bathroom tray I decided to see if I could slip it on. Hurray! Success at last and just in time for tomorrow's 48th wedding anniversary.

And on the 149th day I had it cut off.

In what has seemingly become my luck of late, that was not a good plan because this morning when I woke up, my finger was swollen and the ring was stuck. As in no soap or lotion would even budge it. Bruce suggested he cut it off, but as he was heading to do more work at the church, I figured we could wait. With that in mind, I joined the ladies for the water aerobics class and I am happy to report, my arm worked pretty well. Not perfect yet, but much improved. My finger, on the other hand, was getting red so once home I gathered my wet hair into a pony pin up (!!!), put on a dress, and headed to Michigan Jewelry just up the street. Oh my goodness, were they ever nice. 

Finishing his conversation with another patron first, the jeweler came and took a look. Yes, he could make it happen.

This device is like a tiny saw that he began the process with. 

This is not my original wedding ring because maybe 15 years ago or so, I discovered one night before bedtime, that the solitaire diamond had fallen out, unbeknownst to me. Naturally I was heart sick, thinking back to when we were so very young and Bruce paid cash for the ring in the time before credit cards were the norm. Around this same time, I'd become aware of diamond mining practices that left me a little cold so instead, after some months, we bought this Trinity ring. This is not to say that I don't think diamonds are beautiful and there are lots of things that if we knew more about how it got into our hands would leave us cold! Anyway, three intertwined bands are meant to symbolize, "love, friendship and fidelity" which spoke to our relationship, so I was sold. On the other hand, while it broke my heart to have it cut apart, my finger means more to me than a ring!

At first he thought cutting one band would do it, but in the end cutting all three was a necessity.

Hopefully, in another couple of months, when all the swelling has FINALLY abated, he can once again join the circles.Being an optimist definitely has its advantages but sometimes you just have to face reality. 😔

Our son Bill is entering the upcoming pickleball tournament at the USTA campus in Lake Nona , in just a few weeks time, so we took a drive out there to see what it is like. What it is like is very, very impressive.

Situated basically behind the airport, there is a lot of plane traffic for one thing. It is a really beautiful campus that mostly has tennis courts, however, they have added dedicated pickleball courts where we came across the woman who has taken over the classes. Did I tell you it was hot as blue blazes? I should have.

Having taught tennis for twenty years, she's made the switch to pickleball which is common because the sport claims to be less stress on your body. Hmmm....another of our regular players took a tumble on Sunday morning and she too, broke her wrist! Oy vey!

Speaking of wrist fractures, Lisa stepped up the game on Monday having me try lifting a two pound weight.

I know you would love to hear how well I did with it, but the truth is, we had to move back down to one pound because it was just too painful. While I am using my hand regularly there are still things that I just can't do, or if I can, I look darn clumsy while doing so. As I began this post yesterday afternoon, Matt and Tom called via Facetime and Tom noticed my hair was pulled up, wondering if I'd done it myself. Why yes I did, albeit with somewhat messy results. So there's a victory for you!

In a case of what retired people will do to amuse themselves, we visited the brand new Publix on Orange Ave, located in the former Lucky's grocery store. A mini version of the one across the street. In a nod to the former tenant, or maybe it is just something Publix is giving a try, they have a bar. Yup, a bar where you can order beer/wine, specialty coffees, and craft sodas. 

Surprisingly they have Caymus on tap, a delicious, expensive wine, for $30 a glass! We took advantage of their offer of a sample. Because every place I go, for the most part, there are few employees around, it was almost weird how many we encountered there. It appeared as if all the managers in a 20 mile radius were in the store greeting people. Time will tell how things go with a Publix on two corners across from one another.

Another store we visited was Boca Bargoon, looking for fabric. We'd already been to Joanne's where there were loads of empty rolls and about three employees in the huge store. For what, you ask? After giving us ten years of excellent use, the thrones are needing an update. The problem is that I love the fabric that is on them so much,  most others pale in comparison. The helpful employees laid out the fabric on chairs to give us an idea on how they would look.

The above is okay, but the green is not really right. The one below is also okay, but I didn't really like the texture. Although they have a large inventory, in the end, none of them did we really love. In a shocking move for me, I'm considering solid, although I've yet to put that idea into action. 

Rainy afternoons are the best for working on puzzles....this one was super fun.

The cheerful card is from Mary Jo, the church administrator, who Bruce sees several times a week. I suspect he has given her updates on my slow but steady progress and she figured I could use a little cheering up.

Did I tell you that Fallon has completed her Nurse Practitioner course work? Forgive me if I've already done so, but we are super proud of her hard work. Up next--boards, followed by putting all she learned into practice at a place that is yet to be determined. 

As each day passes I become more and more confidant doing normal things on my own. Like taking a walk around the beautiful property.

Ah, the wonderful fragrance from a blooming Plumeria tree.

Shocking pink Oleanders in bloom.

I came across the newly installed bench in memory of Elizabeth, the long term resident who passed away suddenly while on vacation. She worked tirelessly for years and years, trying to make our community a more beautiful place to live.

In world news Covid-19 is still wreaking havoc on all manner of things, from school mask debates to supply chain problems to ever increasing job openings. One shopping plaza we drove through had help wanted signs on the windows of every single store. Matt and Tom were explaining some new coronavirus vocabulary terms currently in use in England, including "Covid secure" and "pingdamic" which refers to pings on a persons phone should they have come in contact with an infected person. When I began writing about this, back in March of 2020, I never could have imagined I'd still be doing so in August 2021. Maybe I should have when you consider the Spanish Flu outbreak lasted for several years. 

On a brighter note, Monday night we watched a wonderful film on AppleTV+ named CODA. Have you heard of it yet? If not, I suspect you will as it is moving and powerful in a quiet way. Speaking of the arts, Patti took my suggestion and read The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. Loving it so much, she's passed it along to four other women who loved it as well. Highly recommended!

Someone you know was up early...

Following church, where I must mention, the crowds are thin and we are back to mask wearing, we returned for lunch at Prato. Again we sat at the bar and are getting to know the bartenders, both of whom are long term employees who know the menu well. There are so many delicious items on the menu that each week we try something different even though the pull of that mustard spaghettini is strong. When I mentioned that I was thinking of getting a dessert to celebrate our upcoming anniversary, Meghan suggested we try the olive oil cake. Sure, why not? To say that it was delicious is putting it mildly. Oh my!

The lemon sauce, the blueberries, the cake--heaven in a dish. What happened next was so sweet and surprising that I burst into tears when two glasses of rose champagne arrived. Happy tears? For sure. Although if the truth be told, there were some sad ones mixed in because these last months have been such a struggle. Not in any way between the two of us, but I would be lying if I said this setback has been anything but miserable. Looking on the sunny side though, at least none of our loved ones have had Covid-19 so there is that to celebrate!

Here's to a long and happy marriage! 

your friend,

Gail

The Birds!

If ever our children resort to holding an estate sale of our belongings, they will surely get a chuckle, or so I hope, over all the bird related stuff I have around the house. Today I'm adding, or make that Bruce is adding, to my collection with a tiny anniversary gift; some little birdhouse salt and pepper shakers.

It's really not all my fault, although I do take some of the blame; it's just that whenever people buy me gifts they know I'll swoon over little birdie stuff, such as the other set of salt and pepper shakers given to us (!) by Nadav and Crystal, after we watched their dog a bit ago. I say, keep 'em coming! Watches, too, I'm a nut for watches.

This summer has been such fun going to the beach once a week. I swear, Bruce has been to the beach more times this summer, than for the last ten years put together, and I think I'm not exaggerating. That will happen to a person who works 24/7 for years on end. Just when you thought he WAS NOT working, he's been crazy busy doing handyman stuff for various people. So, needing to pick up two large pieces of stainless steel from a fabricator in Oviedo, determined our beach destination, allowing us to pick it up on the drive home.

When last we visited Playalinda, in early July, the waves were doing some crazy stuff, beating us up like mad. In case you missed that post, check out the link. In case you don't care--don't.

This visit could not have been more different, the water was so calm, you would have thought we were on the Gulf of Mexico!

Almost nothing!!

Leaving Orlando under gray and grim skies, I was so hoping our drive would be worthwhile, and indeed it was. We do our best to arrive early, hoping to avoid the sun's hottest rays. Then too, if it were any other beach, the crowds roll in around 11, however, it has been our experience that this stretch of the Atlantic is anything but crowded. At least with people, anyway!

Because the water was SO calm, immediately I could see the dolphins doing their thing away from shore! Plus, there were more shells than I generally find; I concentrated my efforts on finding the tiniest, perfectly formed shells, of which there were many.

So, there weren't so many folks, but by golly there sure were lots of dragonflies!

And loads and loads of turtles nests, marked with the yellow sticks, and crab holes. Goodness they were everywhere!

Snuck in a little birdie prints....

I only saw one of the sand crabs, and one of this kind of crab, which I think is a blue crab?

Just as I was crouching down for a better shot, the tiny wave came up, and off he went! Maybe it's the time of the year, I have no reference point on that, but I've seen fewer shore birds this summer than I was expecting. The ones we saw that day were just hanging out really close to us, and of course, this made me very happy.

I've just got to find out what kind of birds these are! So fashionable with their little red shoes, and black and white hat! Well, I have just discovered that it appears to be a Rudy Turnstone, not necessarily a name that rolls easily off the tongue! They seem to get along just fine with the sandpipers, and seagulls.

Seagulls! As if you've never seen any before!

Although, duh, I think this is the first that I've noticed their webbed feet. :)

The water temperature was slightly cooler than the last few weeks--super invigorating. While the waves were puny, the swimming and floating was nice, as was the body surfing! Imagine that. Do not ask me how that works because I have no answer for you. Some of my best rides came last Friday--a complete mystery because the above photo shows you the extent of them.

Mostly staying under his umbrella, Bruce has been captivated, when he has the time, by "The Game of Thrones" book he is reading. Many people love reading at the beach, and I would if I could, however, years ago I decided it seemed silly to be enjoying a new experience, at the same time as you are in another world from a book. Of course, some folks argue the same about a camera, however, it is with this notion that I must disagree.  And here he is, safely under the umbrella, glued to his book.

How about them clouds, not to mention the rain in the distance? Some of the beaches we've visited have super wide swaths of sand, not so much here, because most of the sand is in those giant dunes!

More exciting clouds....

Yes sir, it did get pretty dark, prompting even Mrs. Optimist to suggest we pack up, except, guess what? Nothing, at least in the way of rain, happened! However, something exciting happened on our drive home, and, you guessed it, a bird was involved.

It is quite a long drive, maybe 10 miles or so, off the mainland before you come to Playalinda Beach. Most of your time is spent passing through the Merritt Island National Wildlife Reserve with occasional wildlife crossing signs beside the roadway. Coming in, I laughed with Bruce over the 25MPH sign for the Scrub Jay nesting area. Okay, I can drive 25 MPH, but really, are they worried the birds will fly into your car? I will say the above pictured dragonflies were really something on our drive home, swarming like mad over the road.

Well, guess what? We saw one of the Scrub Jays driving back through the slow as molasses portion of the road!! Pulling over, I was lucky enough to get a shot....

The link above will tell you all, and probably more then you'll ever need to know about Scrub Jays. I will say, however, that they are native to Florida only, AND the population is in danger, making our sighting all the more thrilling. Not that they are endangered but because it was so unexpected!

Lest you think these two lovebirds are not celebrating their anniversary, think again. No major gifts involved----details tomorrow.

The Last Laugh

Remember how last week I was getting all high and mighty, in particular warning you against believing everything you read online? I told you this was our 38th wedding anniversary, and by golly, it was our 39th!!! Furthermore, Miss, trying to act like a kid again, now has water in her left ear from her handstands! I laughed at myself, but I'm ceding the last laugh to you dear readers. :-)

Things have been busy, busy, around here, some of which happened last week, but I never got around to telling you about it. On facebook I saw someone post that a curator needed some work for the monthly Third Thursday because their artist canceled at the last minute. Well now. I sent him a message telling him I had some pieces that were just hanging around after coming home from the Church Street gallery--we agreed to meet to see if they would work for his space. They did. I drug myself downtown to show support on Thursday night ,and fortunately I ran into some friends who accompanied me to the space. (they will hang there for a month--a blessing because I won't have to store them myself!)
Lots of color right? I did a little gallery hopping, however, it's really not my thing, so I didn't stay too long. Heading back to my car, I came across these guys setting up for the evening along Orange Avenue in front of a way-too-long, vacant lot.

I suppose every city has their own version of both the drummers, and vacant lots but I wish that weren't so. I'm all for the drummers, in fact, they were making great sounds, however I wish the city would just go ahead and turn this space into an impromptu park until the economy improves, and a tenant is found. We can dream can't we?

Walking up to my parking space, I saw this terrific cloud formation as the sun was setting:

 I told you I've been obsessed with the sky of late!

What I really wanted to be doing was reading my novel which I finally finished this afternoon. Stones from the River by Ursala Hegi, a book I got from Bev, was yet another in a long line that I've read about the Holocaust, however this one was very unique. Told from the perspective of a young woman, beginning in early childhood, who just so happens to be a Zwerg, the German word for dwarf. Set in a small town in Germany, she relates the lives of her fellow townsfolk, and how Hitler's rise to power affected everything and everyone. Because I've spent some time reading this, last week at bridge I asked Willie, our Dutch friend, when she came to America. As it turns out, the beautiful woman I've now known for a year, was deeply affected by the war because she is way older than we all thought. Living in Amsterdam as a young girl, she can still recall the German troops coming onto her street with machine guns, taking her Mother's best friend away. Incredible to imagine isn't it? Sadly, my innocent question brought her to tears, and needless to say, that was the end of our bridge game for the day.

Because something work related came up late Friday evening we never made plans for our anniversary. Between Bruce having to sleep off his red-eye flight, and the work problems, the timing wasn't great for a celebration. Instead we took it easy, meaning Bruce did NO work on Saturday which is really a celebration in and of itself. We moseyed. The weather was dreary. Our plans to purchase a new garden bench to replace the rotting one I have in the yard didn't work out either. Although we tried both garden centers in College Park, neither one had anything suitable.

So we went to Dubsdread. What's that Gail?

Here's the scoop: 14 years ago, Bruce's parents threw a 25th wedding anniversary party for us at Dubsdread without consulting us. I pouted. I ranted. I was ridiculously ungrateful! "Why didn't they ask us where we wanted a party?" "What were they thinking???"  They were thinking that special occasions are meant to be celebrated, that's what they were thinking. The older I get, the clearer I see that they were right. Year after year they wanted to take us out to dinner, and there were many times that I just didn't want to. Shame on me! The party turned out to be fun, and for years and years, I couldn't bring myself to give away the shoes I bought for the occasion. Ladies amongst you will surely understand.

Anyway, Dubsdread is our city golf course, and back then, it needed some revitalizing. It now has it. We had lunch and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

I knew that this photo with Bruce sitting by the window would be difficult, but I still like it. He's sporting his anniversary gift around his neck. We then came home and napped for two hours which is pretty much unheard of around these parts. Nice. As we played canasta through the evening and night, we ate pretzels with ranch dip and popcorn. That was dinner. We were acting like we were kids again. Actually, when you've been dating since you were 13, in some respects, we will always be kids in each others eyes, no matter how old we become!

We skipped the market on Sunday! I cleaned! Bruce worked! I had a nice chat with Matt except for the internet connection was spotty because while moving furniture around I knocked the extender off. Duh!

Sunday night I got a little more creative with dinner, making the above. What the heck is it Gail? Well, the skillet holds corn, scraped from the cob, poblano peppers, charred in the oven, three kinds of diced tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and cilantro. The tray behind holds some spiced pumpkin seeds and honey, do I mean spiced! The recipe is from the Flying Biscuit Cafe cookbook from Atlanta. Somehow I got some of the cayenne pepper on my hands causing some serious burning all through the evening. Oftentimes I've read to wear gloves while chopping peppers, which I never do, but that advice came to mind as my hands felt like they were on fire! Pasta in the last pot. Very tasty concoction.

So, I spotted a new bird in the jatropha tree, and despite poring over the Audubon guide, I can't figure out what kind it is.

Right profile and here's the left. Don't get upset with me for posting two, they will probably never appear again in "Camera Crazy."

We've discussed how birds are molting so perhaps there's some of that going on? Mrs. Cardinal is looking pretty spiffy these days as she sits on the fence:

Much improved appearance, don't you agree? This morning as I was hanging the sheets on the line, a hawk flew overhead, landing on the same post as the Osprey from a few weeks ago. Those mocking birds are fearless, antagonizing the larger birds.

How about that for a size difference?

While I was on Facetime with Matt, I told him that while cleaning I decided to do something different with the coffee table. I turned the camera around so he could see what I'd done. He wasn't impressed. Eventually we settled on this arrangement:

Okay, I admit, I'm including the above to show off Baxie. Let's get a closer look shall we?

With Bruce's help I took this glass top off, cleaned both sides and rotated the rug. What you are seeing is the cleanest the living room has been since Nancy visited last summer. Obviously, cleaning is not my thing. You and I both know I'd much rather be writing and taking photographs. Nancy will surely call me tomorrow to get more details as she loves cleaning.

As we sat in Dubsdread and I told Bruce I'd written the story about his pool cleaning days,  I realized the error of my dates. I laughed and laughed and I hope you will too.