Follow your heart

I have found the secret to peace of mind.  Listen to your heart.  It has taken me 70 years to really get it and try to begin practicing it, but I learned I don't need to live with regrets for the opportunities missed if I act on what my heart is telling me I should do.  It isn't that I'm a lesser person if I don't, but I find that when I get that nudge in my heart and I act on it I have a much  greater peace of mind. Then I can go on with my life without having to look back to the would haves, could haves, and should haves. Therefore a greater sense of well being and peace. I can't go back and undo the many times in my past that I didn't follow through on a notion that I lived to regret, but with the last years of my life maybe I can change some of that going forward.  That's the least any of us can do, I think.

Had a good bike ride to Hernando with a swim following that really felt good after the hot ride.  Now the pool warms up!

Ah, Florida!

I was noticing how some of the Florida babes love to tan, especially before they return to the north, to show off their bronzed bodies to their northern living friends and family.  I was thinking how much they look like beautifully, browned roasted turkeys, all crisp and leathery looking.  To each their own.  Tans are lovely on the young flesh, but not so on the old, I'm thinking.

By next week half of the people in Florida will be on the roads heading north.  The neighborhood is going to feel like a ghost town for those left behind.  Their summer heat has started early this year, too.  The humidity is what gets you.  Back from our morning runs, we look like we just got out of the shower, but we don't feel fresh like we did.  The rest of the day we spend inside with the air on pretty much. 

The trail was pretty crowded today, with all of those spidery looking recumbents traveling in clusters and taking up the trail. They are a happy lot, tho, enjoying their comradery with each other as they whip along. The rest of us just have to be on guard so we don't get run over. Guess you have all kinds of energy when you're riding along while lying down as you peddle. Been tempted to ask for a ride a time or two.

Update

Well, we went on our shopping expedition and what a day it was.  We (the kids are girl 13, boy 11, girls 9and 8) started out at Mc Donalds first for lunch then to Walmart and it looked like it was going to be a delightful, easy task.  Another lady, who offered to buy the girls dresses to go with the shoes came along.  Can't believe that Walmart had so little selection, so needless to say we didn't accomplish much there. Jimmy was easy. He found a pair of shorts and a tee quickly.

Then it came to the girls.  Nothing was the right size or style.  Why don't they make cute little girl clothes any more?  Anyway we gave Walmart up and headed to Beals.  Four kids going in four directions.  We would get a pair of shoes picked out, find a dress and have to go back and start over with the shoes.  Then to TJ Max when those dresses didn't work right.  Then to Payless shoes which didn't have anything so back to TJMax. Dottie, the other woman, was still working on dresses for the little girls and thought she had found one that was cute and that Sara would like. 

We finally thought we were all done(I had taken Jimmy home earlier) and had the girls in the car to go home and found Sara crying.  I asked what was wrong but she couldn't tell me.  So I figured out she really didn't like the dress Dottie had picked out and wanted the one from Beals(which really wasn't flattering).  I tried to convince her how cute she looked in the other, but she wasn't buying it.  So we hunted down Dottie and after apologizing, told her the truth.  So she tossed the dress to us in the car and after 4 hours we arrived back at their gramma's house.  Everyone happy with their new clothes.  Whew!

Some think I'm "churchy"

Guess I fit the stereo typical retired old lady.  I go to church often, teach Sunday school, etc. I don't worry about that.  My image just doesn't bother me with my friends, etc when they chide me about being "churchy".  I just do what I feel I want, need to do and don't worry about whether it's too much, too little or if it's what others think is necessary. 

But, it does cause me to tune in to others' needs a bit, which is what it is about anyway.  Jesus set the example and I must say I fall sooo short of following it.  However, I did notice a family of kids who go to my class sporadically.  Their shoes were in horrible states(toes sticking out, etc.) and their socks didn't match, if they had any on. The dad is raising them(4 kids) on his own, has lost his job, was evicted, lost his aide for his kids for various reasons of not meeting regs, etc. Anyway, the dad can be a redneck jerk, but the kids are really sweet.  They have been looking so sad lately.  So I figured a new pair of shoes might brighten their day.  The dad said he needed brake fluid, a new tire, a gas card etc..  He will always have needs, I'm sure.  But, the kids deserve better than the break they have been given. 

So tomorrow we're going to go buy new shoes and stop at McDonalds for lunch.  It's not a big thing by anyones needs.  But, for those kids it just might brighten their day, put a smile on their faces and make their Easter a little bit more special as they wear their brand, new shoes to church.

It's heating up!

Can't believe what a difference a few degrees and higher humidity can do to your get up and go.  I did my 5 miler this morning alittle earlier than usual to try to beat the heat. Actually, at that time it really wasn't too bad, considering the humidity.  But, by now one gets to feeling pretty sluggish and it takes some effort to get going.

So you say,  "then turn on the air."  We seem to see who cries "uncle" first.  Problem is I want to be on the lanai to paint, yet we want to be cool inside.  So, tomorrow night we are having a dinner party.  It would be nice to eat on the lanai for ambiance and the dining area in he kitchen gets direct sun even with the air.  But the lanai will be hot, too.  Oh, the problems of a socialite!

So it's too hot here and too cold up there. So where is this limbo we need to be at this time of year?

What I've learned along the way

I know that if you have an aching back when you get up in the morning that the best thing for it is a slow run of 4 miles or so and some good long stretching.  Really does loosen it all up.

I know that most everything on TV isn't worth my time. It's either people showing how stupid they are, people killing other people or people sharing their ignorance about a topic they should just keep to themselves.

I know that not making a phone call in a timely manner can get you into trouble with some people.

I know that it really isn't a good idea to experiment with your cooking on your company.  It's best to experiment first on your husband.  Then you watch his reaction.  No reaction tells you to try again because this dish just isn't the one. 

I know that if I want to become a better artist I need to paint a lot more.  So I must go now and paint.

Foget being pioneers

OK, so we didn't pass the pioneering test.  One night was enough for us to call it quits.  The mosquitoes were ferocious, the raccoons (they got our Sun Chips in a blink of an eye) were aggressive and the heat was oppressive. A deflated air mattress during the night was the deal breaker.  I could handle doing dishes hunkered by a cold water faucet on the ground just fine.  I could handle cooking steaks, potatoes, mushrooms on a griddle on the camp stove at the same time just fine.  I could handle showering in a bath house balancing on one foot to dry just fine.  I could even handle squatting in the bushes during the middle of he night.  But the deflated air mattress just wasn't worth it.

So we enjoyed our kayaking (even had a small porpoise swim under my kayak), watching the huge fish jumping all over, almost seeing a beautiful sunset( didn't get back from biking in time for the whole show),biking around the island and eating our delicious oatmeal.  But, when it got to be evening we decided there was no reason on God's green earth why we shouldn't spend that night in our own bed at home.  So after one last kayak ride, we packed it up and headed home. 

You never really appreciate life until you have washed off the layers of bug spray, sun screen, dirt and sweat in your own shower and climbed into your own cozy bed and had a great nights sleep.

Here we go acampin'

Today we are finally packing up our bikes, kayaks, tent and sleeping bag and heading out on our long anticipated camping trip to Desoto Park, St Petersberg.  We'll pitch our tent at a camp site right on the shore of the gulf with lush vegetation hiding us from our nearest neighbor.  No rain predicted and temp in the 80's.  Food packed for oatmeal breakfast, steak dinner and lots of fruit to keep things going. 

Sounds great.  Let you know the reality after we haul up and strap on the kayaks, combat the raccoons and potty in the bushes for two nights. I'm really thinking hard about the transition to a nice camper with a wc and real bed and coffee on the stove in the morning.  This trip will be the deciding moment. 

Results and evaluation follows in a few days.  Until then, adieu.

Art update

I haven't talked about my watercolor painting for a while, in case anyone wants to know how it is coming along.  Well, I can see the improvement.  That's why I don't throw any of my attempts away.  Not that I think they are masterpieces worth framing or anything, but they give me a reference point when I want to go back and critique them with my ever increasingly critical eye.  I have all the books, CDs and tapes I can find checked out of the library. They are really helpful and I can replay them if I didn't get it the first time.  One book is about comparing what people like me do wrong when we paint and how to correct it.  I have loads of self made material to use since most of my stuff looks just like the wrong side of art.  On the day of my last art lesson for the year my teacher said she was going to get really tough on me.  That was the biggest compliment yet.  She is really taking me seriously and thinks I have potential now. 

Oh well, I'm in my zone when I'm painting.  Can't get much better than that.

Well, the snowbirds are feeling the heat and humidity here lately so getting time to fly north again. Whew!

Best

So everyone knows what's best for us.  Parents know what's best for their kids, of course. There's always a lot of angst when they can't get their point across to the all wise kids who are bound to find out that parents know best after the fact. And kids know what's best for their parents but can find it difficult to say.  Actually they worry about how their elders will take this advice a lot more than they need to. Friends know what's best for friends and enjoy letting them know. It's about pointing the finger at you to keep it from pointing back at them. Oh the self satisfaction of being able to say you know better than they about what looks best on them or the best hairdo, etc.

One party knows what's best for the country as equally does the other.  The problem is that since they each know what's best they aren't going to settle for less than what they "know".  That's just politics and has nothing to do with what's really best for the country.

Sometimes I think maybe we should just settle for good enough and everyone will be happier in their own little reality.

Happy Birthday, Kathy!

Forty eight years ago today was an unforgetable day for me.  I was having labor pains, ten minutes apart and told Kathy's day he probably had better drop me off at the hospital on his way to school that day.  We had arrived a month before in Chicago when I was eight months pg where he was beginning school at DeVry Tech. 

Once I was checked into the hospital at 8:00am, a student nurse was assigned to me.  I thought that was pretty nice, getting all that extra attention. Until things got down to business.  She had brought out all the charts and books to show me how we get babies and the whole process.  Needless to say I had a hard time concentrating with other more pertainent stuff going on at the time. 

Since my water hadn't broken, the nurses took care of that then things speeded up big time and Kathy arrived by noon. So there she was all wiped off and swaddled in a bassinette next to me as they finished up.  And I know without doubt, that she looked straight at me and we connected from that moment on. I didn't say we always saw eye to eye while she was growing up, but the bond was made at that moment.

A daughter is a special blessing that has no equal and I thank God for that blessing every day.

Now do you think she'll take good care of me in my old age?