Out to Sea

Gezur Krislinjden

Hey There Little Lady

Well hey there little lady.  Can you pull a sleigh?

Sea Day

I don't know where I am right now or what I'm doing.  But whatever it is, I'm certain I'm enjoying myself because it is a sea day.  A time for lounging, reading, relaxing, and casinoing.

In honor of the occasion I thought that you should have a sea day too.  Take a break from the hustle and bustle of Christmas and enjoy the sights.  When you're finished......











do a little lounging, reading, relaxing and casinoing of your own.

Doing The Most Good

Feliz Natal

kala Christouyenna

The View from the Top

Every once in awhile the bureaucrats get it right, the men and women sitting on tall, leather chairs in the semi-circles of small town authority.  Sadly, more often than not ambition far outweighs wisdom and common sense.  But this time, this time they got it right.



I wasn't a fan of the project.  It seemed overkill to have four lanes of traffic zipping on and off our little slice of paradise.  But as usual the powers that be turned a deaf ear and the project went forth as scheduled.  Following a year of gnarled traffic and much inconvenience for those living within a block or two of the project (that would be us), our new bridge was christened.  (On budget and ahead of schedule, how often does that happen?)





Now that I'm back on the island and enjoying life in the sun again I see the value.  No longer will traffic on and off island come to a stand still for hours on end when at 4:30 p.m. at the height of season there is a fender bender on the top of the bridge.  But more importantly, the bridge is beautiful.  The landscaping on both approaches is understated and welcoming.  And the best part of all....the walkway.  For the first time ever you can walk from one side of the bridge to the other and not fear for your life.  And someone, somewhere had the brilliant idea to strategically space benches along the walk allowing residents to sit a spell and savor the sunset.





And the view from the top, nothing short of spectacular.





One night last week our dinner guests had the bright idea that we should walk the bridge.  Since none of us had had the opportunity to experience the pleasure yet, it seemed like a good thing to do.  The hour was late, around 11:00, but we weren't to be discouraged. Okay, so maybe The Kid was discouraged but the remaining members of the party were determined.  (Our lovely daughter (in-law) was impressed.  She thinks we still have a little spunk left for our advancing years.  And number one son was concerned we might be arrested.  So glad we didn't consult him prior to the journey.)  At any rate we headed out and were completely smitten with the new structure.  The view from the top was spectacular.  (Have I mentioned that before?)  The island lights sparkled in the night sky and glistened off the water.  We didn't get hauled off to jail and enjoyed the experience so much that The Kid and I walked it the next evening to enjoy the sunset.



And the view I might add..... was spectacular.

Mele Kalikimaka

I hope I didn't miss the boat.

More Greetings

Bon Voyage

Santa has that far off look in his eyes.  Visions of lapis blue water, steel drums, and island girls in bikinis have replaced sugarplums dancing in his head.  He has decided that a little pre-Christmas vacation to the Caribbean is needed to calm his frayed nerves before the big night.  (Those elves can be trying.)  And..... he has invited The Kid and I to tag along.  Imagine that!

And so internet friends I bid you farewell as the three of us pack our bags and prepare to set sail for seven fun filled days at sea.

But do check in while we're away.  You never know who might pop in.

Bon Voyage.

God Yul

Victory

Quick, someone draft the peace treaty.  Break out the bubbly.  I'm declaring victory in the war of the Christmas lights.

It has been two entire evenings, twelve blissful hours of uninterrupted outdoor holiday magic.  (Sorry Aud.)  After seven strands of lights and a consult with the palace electrician (who had no answer for us), it was a offhand comment from the lovely Sharon that turned on the lights.  Permanently.

Apparently 18 strands of Christmas lights strung together running off of one extension cord is one strand too many.

Who new?

An Unwelcome Visitor

It's not exactly like having a mouse scampering about the house.  There was no standing on furniture.  No screaming.  There was however, a lot of jumping and yelling.  There was a broom involved.  And we may (or may not) have run into each other a couple of times.  Yet it got away.  Twice.  And now it resides somewhere beneath the couch.

Internet friends, there is a gecko on the loose in paradise.

The chaos began when I decided to hose off the lanai.  Apparently I dislodged it from wherever it was calling home.  After finishing my work for the day I was kicked back in comfort enjoy what remained of the afternoon.  The doors were standing wide open allowing the gentle gulf breeze to drift through the house.  That's when I spotted him, standing just inside the pool doors.  "Oh no you don't," I commanded.  "Just turn around and head back outside; you're not welcome in here."  For some unknown reason Mr. Gecko refused to obey the command.  Does he not know who's in charge around here?  Not only did he not listen but he darted across the floor making it safely to the sun room carpet before I could jump into action.

I yelled for The Kid and grabbed the dog's bone (hey it was the closest thing) in an attempt to steer him back through the doorway from whence he came.  It was all working out just fine until he made a u-turn and scampered underneath The Kid's favorite chair.  I poked with the bone.  The Kid prodded with the broom.  We turned the chair upside down.  We shook the chair.  But that little rascal was holding on for dear life.  "Just let it go, he'll come out when he's ready," my dear husband advised.  And so I did.

I settled in once more and got back to the task at hand.  Eventually his little gecko face came out of hiding and the chase was on.  Off he ran, under the dining room table, his tiny little head turning this way and that searching for the next safe haven.  "There he goes," I yelled as it scampered across the floor and under the buffet.  The next thing we knew it was climbing up the wall.  The Kid grabbed a bucket from the garage and I manned the broom.  If I could steer him closer perhaps I could knock him into the bucket and The Kid could quickly get it outside.  At least that was the plan.  But you know what they say about plans.

Mr. Gecko had his own agenda.  He jumped over the bucket and disappeared beneath the chair cushions stacked at the doorway waiting for the newly cleaned lanai to dry.  "Can't you just sweep him out the door," The Kid demanded.  (And not in a polite and calm manner I might add.)

After a few more minutes of chaos and a little more shouting (okay, a lot), The Kid grabbed the broom from me.  "I'll get him," he stated.  I'm not certain exactly what ensued next.  All I know for sure is this.  There was a lot of scuffling, sweeping and jumping.  And then our little visitor darted past the door, evading both The Kid and his broom vanishing underneath the couch.

And that's where he remains.

I just hope he doesn't decide to come out of hiding while our dinner guests are here tonight.

This Means War

Five strings of lights in one day.  Yes, you read that correctly.  We replaced FIVE strings of outside lights in one day.  Three of them in the same location.

The battle line has been drawn.

We're standing our ground.

We will not be defeated.

Operation Lights On has commenced.

A Perfect World

In a perfect world:

• Henna wouldn't run away.
• My laundry would always be clean and folded.
• The Kid would stretch his own hammies.
• My grandchildren could spend the day whenever I wished.
• Cookies would be diet food.
• Procrastination would be considered a degree of excellence.
• Christmas lights would stay on.
• The Steelers would win every Sunday.
• Toilet paper rolls would be replaced when empty.
• The cottage would grow an extra bedroom.
• Exercise would be fun.
• Traffic would always be light.
• The Post Office would forward Pottery Barn catalogues.
• Bathrooms would be self-cleaning.
• The sun would keep the pool a pleasant 84 degrees year round.
• My coffee would be fresh brewed and waiting for me every morning.

It's not too much to ask.  Is it?

Lights Out

Yesterday, bolstered by Christmas music humming in the background and a joyful heart, I completed the holiday decorating..... inside and out.  If you have been reading this blog for awhile (and I know how faithful the ten of you have been), you know I have struggled with this for the past couple of years.  But this year I determined things would be different.  The nudge to go "all out" coming from the highly anticipated arrival of house guests on Christmas Eve.

I battled the crowds at the local Wally World purchasing scented candles, yards of ribbon, and new wreaths for the windows.  The outside lights had been carefully placed before we went north for Thanksgiving.  Yesterday was all about ribbons and bows and wreaths and batteries.  (Would someone please explain to me how you can test the lights on the pre-lit wreath at the store but once you get it home and out of the box you find it won't work.  That it needs four D sized batteries, which of course means another trip to the store.  They should tell you these things....shouldn't they?)  We persevered and sometime mid-day proclaimed it finished.

As daylight faded we stood back to admire our handiwork.  Little white lights wound their way around palm trees and twinkled on the shrubbery We were proud of our accomplishments (remember we havent' done this in several years).  So proud that we strolled across the street and knocked on our neighbor's door.  Surely they too should witness the great light-up.  Soon a bottle of vino was uncorked and we drank a toast to our sparkling corner of paradise.

An hour later as I settled in for the evening, a contented smile firmly in place,  the telephone rang.  "Hey neighbor," the voice said.  "Your lights are out."  The lights.  Out!!  Already?  Surely not.

The spell was broken.  The mood was shattered.

When your lights go so goes your holiday cheer.

Bah Humbug.

Herding Cats

Herding Cats:  An idiomatic saying that refers to an attempt to control or organize a class of entities which are uncontrollable or chaotic.    (Thank you Wikapedia.)

There are only five of them.  How difficult could it be?  That thought ran through my mind when the request was made to get a picture of the great-grandchildren on my side of the family, the second generation of cousins.  It had been five years since their last photo session together.  Allie was a baby and the G-man wasn't even a glimmer in his Mommy's eye.  It was time.

The plan was to snatch them early, before dinner and before the Turkey Bowl.  It was the only way to guarantee their cleanliness.  We missed the mark by a meal, fortunately there were no gravy catastrophes.

Getting them to get close wasn't a problem.  Getting them to keep their hands off of each other was.  At one point the G-man decided he was no longer in the mood for family photos and began waging his own private war.  Quick thinking Mom remembered the M&Ms in her purse and a crisis was averted.  But he wasn't happy.



Patch grimaced from the pain of it all.  Logan decided to take control of the art direction;



and apparently all of them had more important things to do with their time than look at the camera.



Ah, Allie.  Gabe.  Camera's this way.



This just might be the best one of the day from my end.  (Hope you fared better B.)



Looks like it wasn't a minute too soon.



The cats are on the loose.

And I love each and every one of them.

The Day in Pictures

One week ago today we celebrated Thanksgiving.  From pecan pie to the Turkey Bowl traditions remained in tact.  And this year, unlike last, I captured the day in pictures.































Tomorrow....herding cats.

Even the Coffee Tastes Bad

Was it something I ate or something I contracted along the way home?

I can't blame the grands.  I was only able to wave to them as we zipped past their exit on I77.

I know I ate too much for lunch.  I blame The Kid for that one.  He insisted we skip fast food and opt instead for a local diner.  This one on a back road in the middle of Florida offered up a smorgasbord of all you can eat southern fried goodness.  I ate all I could eat....and more.  But that was hours before the storm.

Was it an errant bug clinging to a door handle in a gas station or rest stop?  Lying in wait for an opportunity to hitch its wagon to my digestive tract?  Whatever it was, it was brutal.

Awakened at 1:30 a.m., the rumbling in my abdomen heralded a long night ahead.  I staggered out of bed and began the vigil of ridding myself of whatever was ailing me.

This morning.  This morning, even the coffee tastes bad.