Dilemmas

Today is our 39th wedding anniversary. We'll be entertaining some friends for dinner. The menu? Alphabetically: asparagus, coleslaw, cornbread, garlic/rosemary potato fingers, ribs and cheap red wine. Dessert? Who knows what M is bringing but it's bound to be good!

Last night we played cards with 2 couples: one in their 80's, the others in their 90's. Amazingly sharp people. Now I have new role models! Both couples have been married longer than I've been alive. It gives one pause. Also puts into perspective our 39 years together, and gives me hope we'll have 39 more! After all, I'd only be 96 then! It's wonderful to see how these couples treat each other...he looking over her hand of cards, could see a play which she couldn't. He gently encouraged her "You can do better than that....keep looking" while not giving anything away. She persisted, then saw the play. They shared a special glance, and a smile.

*************

Hubby's just waking up. I'd better slip on my swimsuit for the inpool exercise class (which I've been meaning to join, like forever, but never got there until today!). So...gotta run! But...

in honour of our anniversary, give that special man or woman in your life a nice firm hug, a long soft kiss and a deep meaningful gaze. These moments matter. They really do.

Decorating with Plates

I have a penchant for filling walls with things, you name it: paintings, wall hangings, plates, musical instruments, birdhouses, masks. When I get home, I'll post some pix of what I throw up there in an effort to reveal the inner me whilst simply aesthetically pleasing myself (and, I hope, others) immeasurably.

The nice thing is: I'm not alone. This blogger "The English Muse" does it too. And this website gives some excellent ideas too. What are YOU waiting for?

I took these question from "Someday I'll get there" whose blog title seems to describe my life but who also swiped these 20 questions from Dawn's blog. Confession: I changed one question to one of my own. Find it if you care to.

1. When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I wanted to be a ballerina. Then that changed to psychiatrist. So what did I end up being? A bureaucrat in the federal government which required some adept moves and skillful psychological assessments of the upper, middle and lower echelons. So, in a funny, way I guess I got what I wanted. BTW, I still dance!
2. What have you done in the past week to help someone else? I helped the librarian put away books. This is not as simple as you would think as the shelves are limited, more books are being added to the tightly packed shelves, so when you add one book you have to shift about 15 shelves' worth!
3. Who is the best-dressed person you know? My oldest and youngest sisters are the best dressed people I know. Altho I have a sister-in-law whose not too shabby either since she's retired her hobby farm shift!
4. What is on your nightstand? A stack of books to be given to the librarian, alarm clock, lamp, some weird but wonderful home-made Floridian pain salve that works on sore arms, Kleenex and a little flashlight.
5. If you were a cat, what kind of a cat would you be? I would try to emulate my adorable old (now deceased) cat, Dolly, who gave us so many years of laughter, pleasure and joy.
6. If you lived in a house surrounded by acres of trees, what particular type of tree would you want flourishing on your land? Now that's a hard question but right now I love the bottle bush trees down here and in Australia. The red blossoms decorate the ground in a wonderful way whilst the red "bottles" of blossoms add such cheery touches of colour to the street. I could go on and go about more trees so I'll stop now. Ok. I'd also have a few Norfolk pines.
7. What do you find to be very overrated? Television - so much of it is dreck. It's like sifting a sewer for gems. Second would be sex. It's like the outside world sends the message we are all fixated with it (likely we all are else we wouldn't reproduce) but the "sexiness" factor in advertising pushes a falseness whereas I think we should remember the wonderful intimacy good sex provides translates to love not profits.
8. How many email addresses do you have? More than I care to admit. But let's see. One for family & friends. Another for business junk. Another for fitness, physical well being. Another for my blog. Does Twitter count? I think that's it.
9. Have you ever felt replaced? Not only felt it but I was!
10. Would you rather watch football, baseball, or hockey? What a stupid question! None of the above.
11. What is the wallpaper on your phone? Are you kidding me? I'm an old lady...my cell is basic and I barely understand it enough to answer the damn thing let alone add wallpaper or text - jeez!
12. Name a lyric from the song you're listening to. "...drown in love's debris....I'll never learn to be just me first, by myself..." Carly Simon
13. Do you use a feed reader? Yup. iGoogle. Real Age.
14. What chocolate do you always leave in the box? The hard chewy ones but I'll eat even those when I'm in a sugar high.
15. Do words hurt you? Yes, on occasion but I always try to remember that it is I who chooses what to feel and oftimes the speaker did not mean it the way I took it.
16. Are you a talker or a listener? I'm both. Sometimes an excellent listener. Sometimes a non-stop talker. I try to be aware so that it's balanced as I hate being stuck in only one of those modes, myself, or with others.
17. Have you ever walked on the beach at night? Yes, in Daytona.
18. Who is your favorite professional athlete? Tiger Woods: he's such a wonderful role model for children, men and women. He's opened up golf in so many new ways. His self-discipline appears extraordinary. I know he's just a man, but his pedestal can't help but keep growing ever upwards.
19. Which TV show have you seen pretty much every episode of? Hmm. CSI.
20. Who presents the most challenges to you in life? Sometimes it's my husband, for with him, I must have patience. Sometimes, it's my daughter, for with her, I must learn to listen, not judge. Sometimes, it's with certain in-laws, as with them, I must simply accept. Sometimes, it's friends as I struggle to understand them. Mostly I am challenged by myself as my higher self expects so much while my baser self tries to wriggle away from creativity, self-expression, honesty, commitment, and self-discipline. It's always a struggle. But I do -- really I do -- try.

35th Annual Tarpon Springs Fine Art Festival

Today a dear friend advised me of an Arts Festival being held over the weekend in Tarpon Springs at Craig's Park on the Bayou. Doesn't that sound fantastic? Well, I thought so too so hubby & I careened on down there, finding a parking spot for $5, thanks the local Boy Scout Troop!

To quote the Chamber of Commerce: "This two-day festival has become one of Florida's premier juried art festivals and will feature over 240 artists from across the nation...one thing that makes this show so great is that there is something for everyone. Since this is a juried Festival, it is all fine art. Unlike many shows, much of our art, creations and jewelry are affordably priced. The venue couldn't be prettier, with the Festival wrapping around Spring Bayou and Craig Park. This is also manatee season in Tarpon Springs. Besides the crème de la crème of art, the Festival will ply you with a huge variety of food (yes, there will be kettle corn! and other strange and wondrous stuff you won't find in Canada), drinks and fabulous entertainment." www.tarponspringschamber.com

So whaddja buy, you wanna know? Well, a place like that is irrisistible to someone as weak-willed as me. But given our 39th wedding anniversary is rising over the horizon, it behooved me to plead for a few nice things: a lovely Swarofsky crystel bracelet (which I might never take off), 2 ugly but colourful fish to hang on the hot tub wall, a gift for a friend (this has to remain mysterious) AND a piece of cedar driftwood with 3 very bright red fish attached for the lanai I'll soon be renting or owning (or maybe not).

It was a very windy day which saw vendors hanging onto their tents, some in terror. I saw a very expensive work of glass in pieces at one vendor's tent. It was touch and go but everyone persisted, the gawkers showed up en masse, the music was rousing and the food and beer excellent. I'm so glad hubby was with me as there's no telling what else I would have come home with! I'll try to post pix soon.

We hurried home as the community was having a poolside picnic: free beer (who could resist?), hot dogs, hamburgers and salads! It was lovely and we socialized a lot with the many new friends we've made. The wind was still making his presence known by tossing chairs into the pool. We hope the M's of whom we're quite fond, will return again next year. It was all a little bittersweet as the coming weeks will see the snowbirds take to road and air to return to cooler climes.

Here's my ode to the Tarpon Springs Art Festival, that I may have the chance to revisit it!

White tents, white caps, all wind tossed
Tropic suggestions all painted, high gloss
Jewels, and treasures, and women agape
Men all quite bored; they dawdle, they wait
Imagination abounds, creativity too
How can so many things come in so many hues?
My eyes are like bees flitting flower to flower
How can colour, shape, glitter hold so much power
to mesmerize, tantalize, tranquilize, freeze?
Til credit cards shimmer like sin in the breeze.
And the Bayou is there to assuage your sore feet
It's waters a balm, its vistas so sweet
Come again to Craig Park and all its fine arts
Next year in the spring, when March departs.

Florida Snippets

Gators snoozing by the banks of golf ponds, unknowingly protecting the many balls golfers would love to retrieve....

A little squirrel runs up a tree by the 2nd green, out on a limb already occupied by a hawk. She stops, looks up at him. He looks at her. They're an inch apart. I'm sure there's about to be carnage. Off the limb she scampers and he lifts off. Safe for another day.

I walk by someone's lanai to retrieve my husband's golf ball and notice the entire bottom portion of her screen door is punctuated with many, many golf-ball-sized impressions. I vow not to buy a house on a golf course!

A 93 year old lady golfer in front of us makes a lovely shot then confides, as she clambers onto her cart, it's all due to her new driver which she just bought yesterday. Now that's optimism! I hope to be just like her!

The couple we play with are brother and sister, obviously enjoying each other's company. Nice to see. They're pretty good players too!

You'd think it was fall the way dead leaves accumulate by our door. I sweep them up every day, and it reminds me of home.

Geckos peek at you from everywhere: between the A/C slats, between the privacy fence slats, from under leaves as you walk down the pathway, from the lanai screen as they scuttle about for bugs. I just love these little guys! Boy, are they fast!

At night, in the hot tub, we watch toads, little ones, big ones, hop about in search of their evening meal on the cement floor near the pool. Seated in the hot tub, we observe them at eye level. So far, none has joined us (thank Heaven).

Two male mallards run up from the lake and walk deliberately to the swimming pool then stand stock still as they realize we're watching them from the hot tub. In a flurry of wings, they take off instead of jumping in the pool.

A black crow chases a hawk which has snagged in its claws something (a mouse?) hidden in a bunch of Spanish moss. It flies low in a ditch and ditches its hungry follower.

The sun seems to pool and puddle on the horizon when it finally sinks into the Gulf of Mexico. But this is my favourite part: everyone on the beach applauds.

We can't get over how nice and friendly people are to us. It's truly joyful to be here. In a parking lot, I sneeze repeatedly; a young man cruising by in his big old truck says "God bless you!"

We neet a couple whom we've admired on the dance-floor. Turns out, although they've lived most of their lives in the States, both have Canadian roots (French Canadian and Maritimer) - they can't hide their joie de vivre! Somehow I just knew it!

Our upstairs neighbour, knowing we love golf, brings us discount golf coupons snipped out of the paper. We pass on the favour and share our 4-some cheapie coupon with an astonished vacationing German couple.

Gracie and Burt introduce us to the elements of the American tango.

Vi checks in on us periodically to provide information and keep us abreast of "happenings"...wine tastings, concerts, casino trips, condos for sale, parties, and so on. She is truly a walking encyclopedia on our community (who walks twice daily, the first walk at 6:30am)!

The Lady Lakers welcome me for an interesting and challenging 9 holes at the Forest Hills golf course while the guys take hubby to Gulf Harbours for a round. A particularly watery hole gives us trouble and the 3-some ahead leave us with a hole open. The marshall chastises us but our intrepid Lorraine laughs and simply tells him to "stuff it!" Such chutzpa!

Sometimes, resourceful black crows thoroughly investigate your golfcart for food as soon as they see you on the green. They hop from the front window to the steering wheel to the seat, into the open glove box, onto the back basket then onto your clubs then fly to the next cart and repeat.