Confessions of a Grandma

It was Florida cold last Friday when I had a trip planned to Clearwater Beach. Fortunately, I was meeting a friend for lunch, not planning to sit on the beach in my bathing suit soaking up some sun. The Gulf was a gloomy grey and clouds covered the sky while the wind howled. There was a lifeguard patrolling the empty beach --  dressed in what I would consider appropriate wear for Alaska, not an inch of exposed skin. The sand is so fluffy and white it did remind me of a freshly fallen snow. I took some pictures and scurried inside. I can't say I wasn't disappointed to drive that distance and not be able to enjoy a long walk on this gorgeous beach, but the company was good and the lunch was delicious.  No day is wasted.

Allow me a moment to rant. Not too many people read my blog anyway but i can't keep this inside. Florida Senators introduced a resolution honoring the 17 victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two years ago. In his statement Sen. Scott said, "we must do everything in our power to honor the memory of the victims and ensure no family has to go through this pain again.” The resolution passed unanimously but I have to point out "everything in our power" does not seem to include working on any kind of meaningful gun control. I wonder how much comfort the families take from this gesture. It's not worth nothing, but it sure falls short of the mark of what could be done. In his same newsletter, Scott also did not miss the opportunity to kiss Trump's behind: “I applaud President Trump for working with the Florida delegation to commit to fight for $250 million in federal funding for Everglades restoration projects this year. This fundi...

I attended a two woman reading of the play Nineteen by a local (Sarasota) actress, Katherine Tanner, who wrote the script, music and lyrics for the show  and then acted in it (some people have all kinds of talent). It traces the history of the suffragist movement from Abigail Adams' letter urging her husband to include "the ladies" in the writing of a new Constitution through passage of the 19th Amendment which finally gave women the right to vote in 1920. It was very well done -- entertaining and informative. This play was selected for the the empowHER reading series that was held in New York last December, presented with three other one-act plays and short screenplays by Clutch Productions, which has a focus on nurturing emerging female writers.  The program was presented by the Venice Area Historical Society. I never imagined myself involved with an historical society. Actually, I am not a member, but they do put on some very interesting programs that are alw...

I went to a poetry reading at the gorgeous Selby Library in Sarasota . The tickets were free online but I would have happily paid.  Poetry readings are to me what musical concerts are to some. The poet for this event was Richard Blanco who was the inaugural poet at Obama's second, well attended inauguration. He immigrated from Cuba with his family at the age of 45 days. Fortunately, children were not locked in cages in those days. His poetry came after a first career as a civil engineer -- not a combination I would have ever imagined but he made it work. And he is not hard to look at /listen to.

I saw an ophthalmologist. I was very pleased with the quality of care he provided. He was personable and friendly. I felt he took the time to get to know a bit as a human being. He was also professional with the examination. He took his time and explained everything he was doing, why he was doing it, what his assessments were, and what each meant. It's not unusual for an allergy to the Alphagan drops to develop over time, but he was excited to hear that I had stopped using them for a period to allow my eyes to clear up and then used them again to see if that was really the cause of the reaction -- said I was a scientist to have done that. (I am thinking not such a smart scientist since it definitely did trigger more pain and redness. But how else would one know?) Now I have a protocol for clearing up the redness and painful itch and will see him again in a couple of weeks when he will probably prescribe a new medication for glaucoma. In the meantime, I feel encouraged and am no...

As I write this, it is 7 degrees at my condo in Vermont (outside temperature) and this was the view of my deck yesterday: Note the brilliant color of the sunset in upper right. (Enjoy, Patti) It is a wintery morning here in Florida with a morning temperature of 54 F. I am not complaining although I will be bundled when I head out for my walk. There was a gorgeous sunset here last night. The entire sky turned pink. to the west  the south  the east  and the north. Location, location, location! I know that every place has pluses and minuses, but I am grateful for that FL sunset.

My Vermont doctor retired last June. Now my primary care physician is a new doctor at the same practice so I did not have to go through a search for a new PCP and transferring records. I do see a nurse practitioner in Florida so she gets to do my annual wellness visit. By the way: It took two weeks for my eyes to clear up. Then I thought the real test would have to be trying the Alphagan® drops again. Red eyes again this morning so I am going with a need for a new prescription rather then environmental allergy. I will see the ophthalmologist on Friday. I got some recommendations from friends here and did research on line. I noticed that all the websites are using the pronouns they, their.  I would never have such a change to be embraced in Florida. I guess I need to work on my own prejudices. Anyway, this was my annual wellness visit day. I got an all thumbs up on blood work, screening for memory, wellness habits, etc. and the usual visual inspections. She did make commen...

I totally stole this from Margaret's blog . Lady Justice: #metoo But remember, Karma can be a bitch.