Confessions of a Grandma

Wow.  Yesterday was a stormy day!  Lightning and thunder storms rolling through right on through the night.  So I guess it was kind of a good thing since I was not wishing I was at the beach or out on my bike while I was cleaning and packing. We are just about ready for an early departure tomorrow morning (Saturday).  We are getting tired of the long drive and have been talking about getting a small car to leave down here.  Of course we are not crazy about air flights these days, but at least it is over within one day...usually. I am anxious to get back to see the grand kids.  The librarian where I volunteer has already asked me to come in on Tuesday.  I doubt that will happen since we won't be home until Monday afternoon, but it is nice to have something that makes me feel useful. I will miss our Florida life style though.  Life seems simpler here.  Among the things I will miss (in no particular order): 1.  Sunshine.  ...

The T. Mabry Carlton, Jr. Memorial Reserve is a 24,500+ acre area  used for nature studies and recreation.  There is a clipboard on this little building where people can enter the flora and fauna spotted.  There are horse back riding trails, biking trails, hiking trails, orienteering and geocaching activities.  There is a moonlight hayride sceduled for the next full moon. Panthers have been photographed here and one was noted on the day's list for Sunday, but we did not get to see anything that exciting. Still, it was a pretty day for a walk. It has been very dry.  The small ponds that are usually filled with wading birds were pretty much dried up.  You have to go to a golf course to see the water fowl in times like this.  Fire danger is high right now and it is not hard to imagine a field like this turning tinder.  They do call it dry prairie for a reason. We went on to the Sleeping Turtle Preserve nearby.  It is ...

  There was a fine art show at the Venice Art Center this weekend.  I am always in awe of artists, especially painters.  The selection at the show included oil. pastels, watercolors, acrylics, mixed media, pottery, photography, and jewelry. I did not linger over the jewelry.  It was beautiful, but I seldom wear jewelry and so I already own more than I really need.   But, oh, my, there were some breathtaking works on exhibit.  Photographing was not allowed.  I was not feeling very wealthy, but I did get myself some prints. The matted print was done by a woman on my street who was a crafter for years but then took watercolor painting lessons after a bout of cancer.  Her work is lovely, so filled with spirit.  I plan to take that one home with me. The beach chair, done by another artist, will go over my computer desk in the Florida house.  The same woman did the wedding pavilion, located at the Bay Pr...

As with so many old railroad beds across the country, Florida has converted a line to the Legacy Trail.  Currently, the trail reaches from Venice to Sarasota and covers ten miles.  To the south, it connects with the Venetian Waterway Trail, another ten miles that is divided on both sides of the Intracoastal Waterway. So far I have covered all of the Venetian Waterway Trail.   I have ridden about six miles of the Legacy Trail, making it to the Oscar Scherer Park, but that is trip in itself just to get to that trail without having to cross major highways.  I doubt that I will make it all the way to Sarasota on my bike unless I arrange some kind of pick up for theway back. I had a bike in Vermont, but I was not particularly heartbroken when it was stolen years ago.  Vermont is a whole lot hillier than Florida.  Also, it is so much easier to breathe at sea level, I swear! I am getting a lot of use out of my bicycle purchase.   Dona Bay ...

Mike was waiting for me to get ready for the morning trip to the beach and he decided to get in a little bit of early morning yard work. Here he is wielding his “shovel.” He is moving some grapefruit around. We spent a lovely morning on the beach.  I guess he deserved it after all this intense labor.  Almost all of our snowbird friends are back.   It feels kind of like home.  Good thing, because probably all my northern family and friends are not talking to me right now. I have not been picking up shells on my trips to the beach, but I have been picking up driftwood.  I feel a project coming on. The weather is droopy just north of us and I suppose we will get the foggy, rainy weather tomorrow.  Oh, well.  I do need to do some housework and I am sure I can find a project or two for Mike if we have to be indoors for a day.

Refrigerator magnets Message board magnets and push pins (not shown here) Bookends Or just decoration on the TV stand

Yesterday was a great day for shells on the beach.   Since we like to spend time on the Florida beaches, it's only natural that we would decorate our Florida home in that theme. This is hanging in the car port. Sand dollar and sea fan Experiment with glitter Give me some shells and some glue and I can keep myself amused for a long time.

Yes, they are around. Really, though, you kind of have to put some effort into looking for them around here. They look like rubber pool toys. They appear really slow and lazy.  It wasn't lunch time. This turtle was not afraid to swim among them. The dry prairie of Florida around Mayaka Lake. Really dry...although we have since had some heavy rain.

It is no longer quite as easy for me to stroll through the historic section of Venice (FL) now that we are off the isle and across the main highway. The traffic at nearby intersections is a bit intimidating.  I swear the crossing lights are timed to maximize the possibility that pedestrians will be flattened by oncoming cars and trucks.  There is no audible signal and the "Walk Now" flashing guy last about two seconds--just enough time to get half way across the road.  Right turns are never not allowed, making it all that much more of a challenge. Still, I did manage to make it two miles down the road to an athletic park that features a fitness trail. It's a well marked trail through pines and cabbage palms with twenty exercise stations spread out along the length of it. Doesn't this hanging vine make you want to grab hold, swing out, and then drop into the water?  Actually, it made me want to have a second cup of coffee even though it was 80 degrees today. ...

 According to the local Herald Tribune , Venice has the highest median age in the United States, around 68, if I remember correctly. Only about 30 percent of Venice (FL) residents have jobs--not so much due to the bad economy, but due to the number of retired people who live here. So you see a lot of people fishing.   Of course, some have to fish for a living.  I missed the picture of the crab boat, but this pelican was hard at work diving for fish. I no longer have a job, nor am I crazy about fishing, but I do enjoy a quiet walk on the beach. This was way quiet and the water, very calm.  It was still early, though. The "dead tree" has always been a landmark for beach walkers and shark tooth hunters.  I don't know how much longer that will last. I told someone recently that I did miss walking in the snow.  That was a fleeting feeling.  I don't really miss it that much.

Yesterday morning:      Jericho temperature--minus 1      Venice temperature--60 and sunny This morning:      Jericho--34 degrees, freezing rain      Venice--62 degrees, partly cloudy There are certainly many who love the Vermont winter, who rejoice in snow for skiing, or who relish the darkness as a period of drawing inward. I don't happen to be one of them.  However, with deep gratitude, I can now say that winter is my favorite season. A place down the street, decked out for Christmas. I have never seen so many things in bloom at this time of year. The community pool has a decidedly un-Christmasy look. There have been plenty of kids making use of it during this holiday vacation week.

The house we bought came "partially furnished."  This means that there was a furnished master bedroom. spare bedroom, living room, dining area, and all the major appliances.  There was a patio set of table and four chairs and a few decorative items.  But of course we want to make the place our own and then are are the little things we needed to furnish for the kitchen and the stuff of life. We have a budget and a set of priorities.  We want to be able to cook and clean before we start adding some decorative color.  We wanted to use the one completely empty room for an office/work space.  But we find that we have to be flexible.  Venice, Florida is a good place to score deals at consignment shops and charity resale shops.  They are everywhere.  Some places are like dumpster diving and others are so high end we can't even afford the used stuff.  So we might set out looking for one thing (a bookcase for the office) and come home with some...