Miscellaneous

Finally, some trip pix:
Grandsons, Marshall and Jared with "Nana", Ocala, FL

Approaching the Sunshine Bridge, Tampa, FL...spectacular sky!














Daughter Anne & husband, David at Juniper Springs in the Ocala National Forest. We enjoyed a beautiful walk there and saw the natural boiling springs.










LM and MLM at Juniper Springs















We met this little sandpiper on the beach in Naples, FL














LM & MLM at Cape Fear, NC on the way home!














A very cold day at Marco Island, FL, south of Naples...
at the Snook Inn where we shared a lovely lunch with friends from the Cape.















No excuse, just no inclination to write lately. Settling back in to life as usual after the FL trip has been interesting to say the least. Quite a flow of emotions and I have just decided to let them happen. First it was very tearful being apart from LM after two solid weeks of being together day and night. We both had an adjustment to that!! In the meantime, I got really sick....kicked that and have finally caught up on rest, and all the other real life chores.
My grandaughter, Samantha is about to celebrate her 1st birthday, she has taken her first steps and is such a sweet child.

Some worry as Dad got a cold, too and it has been very hard on him....bronchial cough, some blockage in the esophagus and extreme exhaustion. Each time he gets sick we all wonder f he will be able to weather the rigors it puts on his frail 95 year old body. He is not out of the woods with this one yet but he is being watched and is comfortable so that is all we can ask....day to day. I worry and I find myself struggling not to be distraught over it. My SIL is just wonderful and is checking daily to see his progress. So hard for all of us who are far away. I will get there Saturday and hope to see improvement.

LM and I are finding that our time together is very short and often filled with family obligations. We need to carve out time just for us. What time we do have continues to be amazingly wonderful, happy and rewarding and each time we are learning more about each other. He is so open and easy to talk with and he doesn't agonize even about things which could be the cause of a lot of anxiety. He just deals and moves on. His ability to stay in the moment when he is with me, is one of my favorite parts of this journey we are on. No matter where we are or what distracting situation we might be in, he reaches out to touch me or give me a knowing glance so that I know he is keeping the thread of our love taut. LM has a 39 year old handicapped daughter, KM, whom I have become very attached to....we are working on ways to help her have more social contact and perhaps live in a place where she has more people around her. Working through the "system" to effect this for her is not easy so we must persevere. Her mother is not well and LM is concerned for the future. I am happy we can talk about this and perhaps work together for a solution. Everyone has their life challenges. I can see where having KM has made LM into a much more tolerant and loving person. He has had to be selfless with this situation and he has handled it very well. It fills my heart with love to watch him in action.

On Tues I came home to find LM had been to visit Ms G while I was at work (it is another hot love affair with those two!) and brought me a fun gift...a wireless weather station. It is all up and running and a great thing to have here in unpredictable New England.

The Cape was hit with a surprise blizzard on Sunday and we were out driving in it....very bad conditions and the drifts and wind were very scary. Nonetheless we got home safely and the next morning LM had my car all dug out and ready for me to get to work on time....living only a mile from the office helped. Many did not get in that day.

I am trying hard to exercise more and eat a bit more healthily. I really let my healthy habits slide while on vacation and I can feel it, plus my knees have stiffened up from the cold. The more I move the better so on with the show to better flexibility.

Sunday we will watch the Super Bowl with LM's friend, Bob and I plan to make a dinner...I love to cook so much and have planned a nice chicken dish which I found in Eating Well Magazine.

Trying to plan time with girlfriends as I so much want to keep balance in my life and exchanges with other women are so important to me....so much still to learn about life.

Doing a bit of knitting, too. Making wash cloths and scarves, nothing too challenging. I truly want to learn how to make socks but I just cannot get the hang of casting on with double pointed needles. I need to try using two circular needles instead...it is on my goal list. One of my goals for the last few years has been to purge possessions and I have been keeping up with that really well...every few days I tackle another place in the house and weed out. Paperwork, especially is now at a bare minimum and clothing and shoes have been sorted. It feels so good to pare down and have life more simple. I also find that I divest myself of some emotional baggage by ridding myself of "stuff" I do not need.
That is about it for my sort of quiet life these days...work is very busy and we are grateful as the economy is so bad here.....no shortage of people who wish to have a VERY high end second home, though. Many builders have no work.

Ms G now has her full quota of love....spoiled baby!