Confessions of a Grandma

Time in Florida would not be complete without a trip to the Marie Selby Gardens in Sarasota. Even the gift shop is a treat: Just a fraction of what there is to look at in the gardens:

Magnolia blossoms I adore having a sense of smell most of the time.  I stop to smell the roses, the lilacs, the magnolias, the gardenias.  I love to have an essential oil infuser working in my home.  Certain soaps and the aroma of baking bread take me right back to my grandparents' house.  I think life would be so much sadder without the sense of smell. Which is not to say I don't understand that scents can be an irritant resulting in severe sensitivities. I get sick to my stomach just walking by a candle store myself.  But I would hate to live in a scent free world.  Even noxious smells tell us something -- stay away. I don't douse myself with perfume to go out in public.  I don't need my sheets and towels to  smell like detergent for weeks. Warm air and sunshine work for me. On the other hand, if you object to the smell of  orange or eucalyptus in the air, best stay away from my house.

Today is Earth Day, 2018.  Did you know that we have former President Nixon* and the 1970 Congress to thank for the original Earth day?  They also created the Environmental Protection Agency that same year. The focus this year  is plastics, specifically ending plastics pollution: From poisoning and injuring marine life to the ubiquitous presence of plastics in our food to disrupting human hormones and causing major life-threatening diseases and early puberty, the exponential growth of plastics is threatening our planet’s survival. One small step suggested-- give up plastic drinking straws.  (Actually, this will be a huge step for me.  My grandchildren have actually accused me of owning my own straw manufacturing plant. 😞) Our consumption of plastic straws in the United States alone equals enough straws to  wrap around the earth's circumference 2.5 times a day .  We are smothering the planet. I recycle and compost religiously but I ...

There are new signs at the beach. From what I can observe rules do not apply across the board though. Some people reserve the right to walk and dig where they want and let somebody else worry about the erosion on the beach. But to be fair: Most of this erosion was done by Mother Nature for reasons of her own.  A couple of years ago the dunes extended out to the end of this walk way.  Thee were a number of picnic tables to the left.  Far longer ago there was even a pavilion. It was destroyed in a hurricane and never rebuilt because so much of the land was lost.  Now the distance from te gulf and the intracoastal waterway is less than the length of a football field. And nature is discouraging anyone from walking on what is left. This sign is not at the beach, but beside a pond I pass on a frequent walk/bike I do. Never been tempted to feed alligators or snakes. I know they have to eat to, but I think they can manage on their own. I did co...

The weather -- yikes.  The gods must be crazy.  But in Florida -- granted a bit cooler than one expects for this time of year -- still, pretty close to perfect. The first glimpse of the gulf water, and it is always hard to  believe it is real: It doesn't matter how you get to the beach. It's beautiful Looking up or down. Paradise

I had planned to take some more painting classes this year but I somehow never got around to it.  I have signed up for an afternoon workshop entitled "Painting Your Destiny."  No previous experience or talent required. I have been dabbling a bit though. It is on my list of to do for next winter -- take some classes.

It's almost time for me to make my return trip to Vermont and I haven't yet railed about Florida traffic laws yet.  Well, let me correct that now. I don't know that these are official part of the Florida traffic codes.  In fact I am pretty sure they are not.  And yet there are a few things that I observe routinely. 1.  Perfectly okay to drive while blind.  I kid you not.  I am not a very social person and I don't have a huge circle of acquaintances, but I know four people whom I know for a fact to be legally blind.  And they drive.  I have to believe that if I know four such people, there are a lot more out there. 2.  Most places have right turn on red, but why not add a little adventure to your life and try left turn on red -- regardless of whether or not there may be oncoming traffic.  I've seen that more than once. 3.  Pedestrian crossing signals are put up only to dare pedestrians to attempt crossing.  They have no im...