Confessions of a Grandma

  The Last Resort is a look at the history, present, and future of the beach vacation industry. The author gives insights to a wide range of aspects of tourism -- financial, social, cultural, political, and environmental impacts. All the impacts are considerable. I was most taken with the story of Fiji. Pre-resorts and it's discovery by the tourist industry there were clans, some fishing based and some farming based. Totems for the clans included the flora and fauna of the shore and forest. Turtles nested on the beach. The clans were interdependent and cooperative, a self sustaining society living under the Fijian concept of solesolevaki, translated as "the direct opposite of individualism." Not quite paradise because the area was prone to seasonal cyclones, but the community preserved and stored food and supplies sufficient to get all the people through the storms, Then the developers came. The clans living near the beaches were promised a regular income for allowing ho

  Hey, how about a little service here! Thant's more like it! Thank you! Now how about we put it on the floor? Next time will be after first hair cut. Maybe his eyes will actually show up.

  My father used to say: if you want to cry, I'll give you something to cry about.

 Once in a while Don tunes into the Vermont local weather app. It actually startles me to hear the familiar weather reporter predicting snow or "warming temperatures" maybe reaching into the 40's (F)! It seems normal to have warm and sunny days, to be out biking and walking, to not have to put on socks. The hibiscus was slightly damaged in the hurricane, but it is looking good in recovery. I had given a good pruning last year. Don goes out to pick a blossom every day. He did a super job trimming the pineapple palm. It would cost $75 to have the tree service do the same thing. Waiting for the yard waste pick up. We also trimmed the orange scented jasmine away from the house. Branches had torn the screen in the hurricane so I took that to the hardware store to be rescreened. Since hurricane damage to my house was little lthings like a shredded screen, I consider myself most fortunate.

 Don has wanted a puppy for a couple of years, but I always said "absolutely not!" Too much work, too much mess, too expensive. But so much love, so much fun . No, no, no. Well, okay but it will be entirely your responsibility. Then I learn the true meaning of puppy love.

 This about sums it up for us: