Happy Birthday Princess !!

Isn't she lovely ?? We are all proud of Lizzie's accomplishments with awards
in Twirling and the opportunity to be an escort in the state Miss Colorado pageant. She is poised and talented. We are very proud and wish we were there to help
her celebrate her 12th birthday on July 1st. OK, you can stop growing up now. !!

Summer doldrums seem to have set in with nothing much going on. We have been playing golf, mostly early in the day and it is quite tolerable. The pool is a real treat and I use it as a bribe to get up in the dark and walk each morning, knowing I will come home and jump in to cool off and enjoy a coffee over the morning paper on the lanai. It's surprising how lively the neighborhood is at dawn.

I gave in to my conflicted feelings and actually bought a KINDLE. When amazon reduced the price, I was sorely tempted and then it showed up in Target and I capitulated. I'm still not 100% sold and find it not necessarily a good substitute for a real book. I'm talking about hard covers or large paperbacks.....there is something solid and tactile about a book and knowing how much is left and using an old favorite bookmark. Lately, the paperbacks have gotten much smaller in size and print. The Kindle seems more impersonal and not that easy to read in dim light, altho I love being able to change the size of the font. On occasion, I try and turn the page instead of pushing the button. And it is kind of cool to be able to sync to my iPhone or Mac and just continue reading. BUT, what I think I would really like is an iPAD...... it just seems a bit too expensive for an e-reader and a bit redundant if I have a computer. But like the iPhone, it just feels good. I'm still undecided but while I ponder this dilemma, I think I'll order another book for the Kindle.

Memories

Once upon a time, in a place far far away, a family of 6 3/4 had a great week together in a most beautiful place. Ouray, Colorado, in June of 1988, found the Miller clan with one very pregnant Jenna high into the rugged San Juan Mtns. Known as the "Jeeping Capitol of the World", we spend many days high up on goat trails in

rarified air, bouncing along in jeeps. It was grand, it was amazing and it was terrifying. The wild flowers and waterfalls were at their peak. We bounced over boulders, climbed vertical stretches and clung, just barely, to the paths as we crept along sheer clifts. It was truly one of the most beautiful and breathtaking experiences ever. (Nicholas arrived one month later, none the worse for wear after being bounced around so rudely).

And this week, Jon and Marybeth and Mason and Andy are high up in the San Juans, recreating those memories. MB sent these via text message on her phone so hoping Jon will send more from his camera.
The altitude is near 14,000 feet on some of the passes. I think we need to do this again. Maybe, looking 'older' now, we could get away with taking oxygen along.

Meanwhile, down at sea level, it is still WINTER. Well, mostly just from 9 am to about 6pm and then it seems to become more tolerable. We both played 9 holes of golf yesterday with our respective groups and it wasn't awful. Part of the ability to survive a couple of hours is to drink, drink, drink. Hydrating really helps the body stay cool enough. Down here, we all have our Tervis Tumblers.
They are actually made somewhere near here (doesn't make them any cheaper tho) and come with various logos. They are dual walled and will keep ice from melting for at least 4 hours (time to complete almost 18 holes of golf). They come with a straw and a cover and we have several. I went through 3 of the big ones during my round.....and still didn't need to ...........I was sweating it off.

The other day, there were storms skirting the area and altho we got no rain, we did get this ..... there were actually several that afternoon, one a complete one. This was taken
thru the screening so the color is diminished somewhat.

We are in the talking stage of considering a trip north in the motorhome. Just thinking for now but even that helps to make it cooler.

Oops......I was a bit high in my estimate of the altitude.....I should have said nearly 13,000 ft. I think a thousand feet makes a bit of difference.

Winter has arrived

I am always amazed at the ability to fly. To get from here to there in a few shorthours is just miraculous. Altho it is not calm, nor comfortable, nor relaxing, it is better than riding a horse.

We came north to see two cute kids play in the warm rain.
And on the first day in the cool refreshing air, I joined some long time friends and went to the NY Botanical Gardens. It is a majestic place. Aside from the flowers and plantings and gardens, the magnificent trees are humbling. Because I am neither a botanist nor a photographer, I have no words or pictures capable of describing this haven. You really need to go there.
In the Conservatory was a presentation of Emily Dickinson's poetry and a depiction of her garden. It was well done but not a focal point in my opinion.
It was good to return to the state where we lived for 34 years. It was cool and soothing and a wonderful respite. And watching Mason don his old shoes, his gardening hat and gardening gloves and taking up his shovel, sized for a 4 year old, was worth the trip. He enjoys everything about gardening and is very helpful. Andy..., well I think he got my gardening genes.

It was a very quick trip....just long enough to see a bad movie (Marmaduke, avoid it at ALL costs), watch them play soccer and remember it was just a few short years ago when their dad ran on those fields, and relish the weather.

But now we are home and I have named this miserable hot and humid weather.... WINTER. It is a time for staying inside and indulging in activities that don't get done when the outside is calling. Like drawing and painting and knitting and reading. There are heat advisories most days, the heat index is 105-110. The laborers are working with damp towels over their heads and the golf courses are mostly vacant in the heat of the day. Be happy you didn't plan a trip to Disney. I don't remember it being this hot last year. We are to play golf tomorrow and I'm not sure I'm up to it....... that's how bad it is !!

Speaking of reading. Recently, I read a popular blog and she asked her readers to name their favorite book. Hundreds, if not thousands of replies later (yes , she gets thousands of comments),the results were the usual; classics, Harry Potter, the Bible etc., but one of the most popular was called "Outlander". Now , I had never heard of this so went to amazon.com to read reviews. Well, it turns out that it is a series of 7 books, written over the last 15 years. It has been hard to label but is called a romance, a time travel, a mystery and a historical novel. Considering that I am somewhat of a book snob (yes, one of my few faults) I wasn't sure I wanted to associate myself with anything that smacked of a romance novel, I had P pick it up at the library to preview. The book arrived looking grungy . I washed the plastic cover and then gave it a thorough swipe with hand sanitizer. I began reading and was disgusted at the filth on the pages......NOT the words, but the goo and ick on the paper. I couldn't go on even tho by now I was interested. So I broke down and bought the book and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was escapism to be sure but a good story and yes, a bit of a bodice ripper too. I'm now beginning the 2nd book...... I look forward to the rest of WINTER.

Escape

We are in Connecticut for a few days.....it is gloriously cool and just delightful.   Unfortunately, blogger is misbehaving and the pictures aren't coming through.     I will try later.        Flannel pj's feel real good up here.  

What did you say?

Last night we were having dinner  with friends and one of us ordered a GLASS OF WINE.   

And this is what we received........

From the land of sweat

Can you imagine exploring Florida, or Mexico or anywhere south of Canada wearing this garb.    If they came in their flotilla today, they would die quickly of heat stroke....after they were laughed off the beach by     the welcoming ?? local natives in their loin cloths.      We are in the dog days of spring.    It is hot hot hot.     And humid (not sure what color humid is) and they say the heat index is 105 degrees.    It was 80 at 7am this morning.       Way too hot for anything more strenuous than a walk to the refrig for a cold one to take out to the pool.

I'm trying out a new blogger gadget and not really understanding what it does.    Supposedly, I should be able to rearrange pictures easier........well, so far it is just a confused jumble.    Whereever these pictures land is where they are staying.  

A couple friends and I made the trek down to the Millennia Mall in Orlando.   It is a very nice place with a fabulous restaurant called Brio......someone said it might be a chain but I've never heard of it .......if you do find one, order the risotto.    I could have eaten a pail full.

There is a Neiman Marcus there and we wandered in .......found a really cute sleeveless ( yes, at my age I DO wear things that expose the flabby appendages)     silk flowered top with ruffles....(.yes, at my age I DO wear ruffles).    It was a mere 350 Dollars......but it's always fun to browse.

Anyway, the store has a large atrium in the middle and there were these millions of feathery, filmy butterflies hanging by clear thread.    They ruffled in the breeze and were just wonderful.     There is no way I could capture the whimsy of it all.   

Every Friday, about 16-20 of the neighborhood ladies play golf at one of the Executive courses.    We range from bad to worse most of the time but it is fun and we get to know each other better and about once a month or so, we follow it up with lunch.      We've decided we need a name and color to be identifiable  on the course.      Lately, we've been known as Chix with Stix but I think that is a brand name for women's golf accessories .     Someone suggested Babes with boobs and balls..........I shortened it to Babes with Balls and contacted the World Famous Custom Design company, called PJ Creations in Highlands Ranch , Colorado for some suggestions and prices to outfit us.    I think they do all of their promoting on Facebook.      Go order a glitzy T shirt.  

  I  just know that followers of this blog are much more creative than I and can come up with some other suggestions (Rian, this means YOU)  for a unique name and logo.     

By the way , on Friday, we played one of the easiest courses in TV and several of us managed to shoot a 31....par is 27 so it was a good day.    I'm sure I would have had at least a 24 if I'd  had my new pitching wedge and the greens hadn't just been aerated and sanded.........or maybe not.

   

Hot summer news.............

If this couple can't make it, what hope is there for the rest of us??????

Meanwhile, it is hot down here. Golf continues but now there is one more thing to have to contend with on the courses.......SINKHOLES. A maintainance guy was swallowed up by one yesterday.....just opened up and grabbed him. ( He is fine) It was about 2 ft wide and 6-7 ft deep. Believe it or not, we have sinkhole insurance on the house.....but until now, didn't think we needed it for ourselves.

I broke down and bought the 3rd Stieg Larsson book. The author , or his reps since he died before any were published, decided to end the 2nd book in a real cliffhanger requiring the purchase of the expensive hard cover to continue the saga. I couldn't wait a year for the paperback, didn't want to read it on my phone or computer and I'm still not ready to get the Kindle, so I sprung for the cheapest copy I could find, at Sam's for $16. I know plenty of people who will gladly read it after me so it will get good mileage. I was reluctant to read the first , found the second to be a better read and now regret that there are only 3. Altho........his

girlfriend of many years reportedly has a 4 th book on his computer. There was no will (he died at 50 after walking up 7 flights of stairs) so his estate goes to his brother and father who are squabbling with the girlfriend. Moral of the story; exercise, don't smoke and leave a will......

On a sad note, even sadder than dying after walking up 7 flights of stairs......

The mandevilla has been overrun by WHITEFLIES. aggghhhhh . I am sad. It just happened all at once. We have sprayed, and sprayed and watched the leaves turn brown and fall off and the flowers wilt. But if it doesn't make it, we will chop it down and start over. We will try and be brave.
And this is what lurks in the shrubs. A razor snake. Paul has seen it (this is a wikipedia picture, not the actual creature) and agrees that it is large. It moves about the yard. We bought moth balls and sulfur as possible repellents but we are now in the rainy season and suspect they will just wash away.

Paul mentioned it to our neighbor , who is as bad as I when it comes to slithering things and he said he will kill it if he comes across it. I feel bad about that because it is a non poisonous variety but as long as it has taken up residence , I will not weed or walk in that area.

On a happier note, unless you are Andy.............. He came to his parents and said he had an eraser in his ear .... (at 7 he seems a bit old for this but .....) It had been there for about 2 weeks and now he was convinced it was going into his brain!! Mother, being an Obstetrician and used to (well, I won't go with that thought), attempted to retrieve the object while Dad held the flashlight. Andy was wailing and crying and finally said " I want a REAL doctor !!" The operation was not a success so he will get his wish. Well, yes, his mother is a REAL doctor but I suspect he will need to see a specialist in eraser removal. Jon said that Mason watched with curiosity and dread.

So, between heat, lightening, sinkholes, bad golf, grandchildren with items in orifices, white flies and snakes, I think it is time to consider a trip somewhere.....any suggestions. ?

Update: The operation was a success.

Golf and more golf

Once I thought I could play golf. Paul didn't play as much as I did because he worked so that I had the financial support to spend my afternoons on the lovely course. Of course, I worked also but not enough to support my various habits. Then we moved away from my golf and then life got in the way and then I played no golf.

Then, we moved to the golf capital of the WORLD. Populated by old people who were good golfers, those who used to be golfers, those who had never been a golfer and those who could care less about being a golfer. We started playing again, we took a few lessons, we bought some clubs, we spent time at the driving range (not enough), one of us bought some cute golf clothes and we played a lot of golf. We improved and we had fun. But of course, if you are a golfer, you never, ever feel like your game is good enough. So what to do...................??

We are back to square one and have started over with new lessons. A new golf school has opened up, one not on Village property. The owner has a long and impressive resume in the golf world. AND, he grew up just down the road from us in Ct. He has worked with Tom Kite and was Nancy Lopez's swing coach. He has another PGA instructor with him, also well credentialed. We attended a free seminar for 90 min the other day and came away quite impressed and did what they wanted us to do after giving us something for free.....we signed up for a lesson. We had the lesson yesterday.
It was simple and basic and understandable and doable. He didn't make us feel stupid or hopeless. He doesn't want us to come back until we've mastered the the first step .......I think we can do this. I have hope.

And then on the course, we saw this........do you think its a sign ????

Florida naturally

What would you do if your brother was running around on the field and your were bored with the whole thing ?????

When tourists first set eyes on Florida, one of their early comments is about the screening around outdoor living spaces. I remember when I first saw them and just couldn't believe that people put pools and such under enclosures. After all, what was the point if you couldn't sit around in the sun and enjoy the pool.

Maybe this poor picture will give you some indication of what life around a pool might be like, au naturale. Normally, we have very few bugs.....I am rarely bitten by a mosquito unless playing at one of the marshy courses. I never use insect repellent. We have nothing inside the house. (We do have a pest control service that sprays regularly.) In May and September, we have love bugs but even this month, they have been scarce around here. But we have been invaded by these tiny white pesky things.....by the gazillions. It is hard to open a door and keep them out. They are covering the birdcage. Someone called them blind mosquitos and I think I have been bitten when I walked into a cloud of them. I'm hoping this too shall pass.....but in the meantime, I'm very happy to be outside under my birdcage.

The flowers are in full bloom around TV. I especially like the masses of these in the town square.
Yesterday, we opted for a late day 9 holes on the Hibiscus course with the Scotts. It is a beautiful place with gorgeous million dollar homes. But most of it is just a
wonderful natural area and makes the golf even better. I was pleased with my 3 pars but really need to do some serious practicing.

We ended the day with a couple of these and a light meal outside at Cane Garden CC and then headed to the square for some good toe tapping music. There is LIVE entertainment 365 evenings a year on both of the Town Squares and much of it is very good.
I was going to end this with a picture of Mr Snake who surprised me this morning while pulling weeds but I didn't stick around long enough. All I know is that he was large, all coiled up and creepy. I assume it was a garden variety and probably the same one I saw a couple weeks ago in the bushes in the front of the house. I can tolerate most of nature's creatures but not snakes. Not sure what I'll do now about grubbing around in the yard. Volunteers welcome...........

Procrastination..............

My ability to procrastinate extends to all areas of my life. It has been a life long issue and I suspect that at my age, it is incurable. That being said, one of the results is my continual failure to contribute to this blog. Granted, I do it mostly for me. It is my way of remembering and capturing life. If it were truly personal, obviously I wouldn't publish it, so it is mostly just the trivia of our daily lives. And for all of you that follow along, I apologize for living such a mediocre existence. It is regretful that I am not writing of climbing mountains, transforming the lost and woe-be-gone souls of the world, sharing haunting poetry or delighting you with stunning photography and pithy observations. Instead......................
.........you get an unedited pic of some guy's bald head taken at a lovely Symphony Under the Stars last week. The concert was in Ocala and was quite lovely and capped off with the 1812 Overture and glorious fireworks.

And all the tedium of covering and uncovering the mandevilla during Florida's coldest winter ever, paid off with this glorious display. I think it is the only mandevilla to survive the winter around here. Many are coming back but none are this showy and large. Paul is training it to trail along wires over the entry. Stay tuned...it may just take over.

Our morning was recently "shattered" when after we heard a strange noise, we investigated and found this mess out on the lanai. Luckily the pile of glass missed the pool and we were happy the cover prevented a few stray pieces from falling in.
The table was aging but it was a good size and served us well. We found a replacement without glass.

Forty four years ago today, the cutest little guy arrived. Happy Day Jeff.

Just finished reading Anna Quinlan's latest "Every Last One" . I have read most of her books , this not one of my favorites but quite compelling and haunting.

Enough chatter......it's time to go climb some mountains and help the masses so I have something to write about.