CRAPPY NEW YEAR

As each year winds to a close, people everywhere celebrate the onset of the new year. They seem happy and excited that a new year is upon us. I think I can remember that feeling but certainly not lately. The idea that a new year can be filled with wondrous anticipation of great things to come seems foreign to me. I get asked what my plans for New Year's Eve are and, I have to say that I wait by the door close to midnight so that I can kick the old year in the ass on its way out.

Now I look to a new year with dread. I wonder what tragedy will transpire in the coming twelve months. This feeling is not unfounded. The past three years have been challenging at best. Honestly, if we wipe October off the calendar permanently, I'd be thrilled. October 2016 brought us Hurricane Matthew. My house was destroyed with three feet of water in the house making it uninhabitable for five months. The clean up was huge and exhausting. I was lucky to be able to move into a small, RV trailer in my yard while the house was under rehabilitation. The holidays that year were spent at restaurants and inns as there was no way to have family over or cook big meals. Spring brought renewal and a move back into the house accompanied by a feeling that I had survived a major disaster. I began to believe that this was a once in a lifetime event and I could breathe easier knowing that this time had passed and I could look to the future with hope to regain a 'normal life'. People kept telling me that, while the experience was bad, “it could have been worse”.

October 2017 brought us Hurricane Irma. Once again, my house flooded, although not as bad as Matthew, but still required major clean up and loss of personal belongings. Having lost my good buddy of 16 years (my little dog) just the month before, I was once again devastated. Two hurricanes in 8 months seemed unreal. Once again I watched my neighbors drag wet, ruined belongings out of their homes and pile them in the front yard for trash removal. My lovely yard, which was just beginning to recover the damage from salt water the previous year, died a long slow death. Also, unlike Matthew, Irma brought wind damage and the debris from tree limbs, leaves, vines and more was piled up waist deep in my yard. My heart sank as I undertook yet another major clean up and restoration. While the interior of the house survived intact, except the garage and everything in it, I was consoled by friends and family with the “it could have been worse” advice. At this point it started to sound more like a curse than an empathetic statement.

New Year's 2018 started with that feeling of anticipation and trepidation a new year brings. I had hopes for a hurricane free year and this proved true. But once again, October 2018 brought another disaster. I had almost made it through the month unscathed, but on the next to the last day of the month, I fell and severely broke my leg and dislocated my right shoulder. I wound up in the hospital needing surgery to install a plate and screws in my leg with stern restrictions from the doctor to stay completely off the leg for three months. I am now in the the third month of this latest set back with a long recovery ahead.

Now as I look at 2019, I am tempted to refuse to move forward. I'd like to just re-set the year back to 2018, minus October. I know for certain that the coming October will be spent locked in a closet for all of the 31 days trying to avoid another horrible event. And for everyone who would like to say that “it could be worse”, well it sure as hell could have been a lot better!

Hope your New Year is filled with everything good. I will be happy for one that is uneventful.

Tribute to my buddy, Bentley

I loved you from the moment I saw you.  Even though people said you were funny looking with that long tail, big head and tiny body. I loved you even then.

You always thought you were larger than you were, fearless next to much bigger dogs, pushy to most people. We had a tough time adjusting to each other; we each thought we were the boss. People told me you were a handful, and at times you were. I loved you through it all.

We went everywhere together were almost inseparable. You were great on the long car trips I dragged you on, always ready to go even though in the beginning you were often car sick. You were a trooper, a steady buddy and best friend. I loved you even more.

The times I had to clean up after you when you were learning 'housebreaking', when you got sick in the car, or just plain sick, were challenging. Not to mention those many times you got mad at me for leaving you home alone and knocked over the trash can spreading messy garbage all over. But still I loved you.

You were my constant companion. You snuggled with me when I was sick or hurt. You kept all my secrets and held many tears I cried onto your furry coat as I held onto you for comfort. You were always free with kisses and never judgmental. Of course I loved you.

The years wore on and we both grew older.  Our hair grayed, eyes got dim, hearing was difficult and joints became stiff.  You didn't want to play any more, mostly wanting to nap the day away. I knew our time together was getting short. I held onto my love for you for all it was worth, never wanting you to leave.

Now you have moved on ahead of me. The house is empty and I miss you so much my furry friend. I will think of you running in a grassy field. chasing squirrels and birds looking back to see if I am there waiting for you like you always did.  I send my love with you to carry on, but keep looking back my boy, one day I'll be there, walking toward you, still loving you.

Eclipse!

I had never seen a total solar eclipse. When I heard that an opportunity to see a total solar eclipse would happen this month, I decided that it was a once in a lifetime (my lifetime) event not to be missed.

As soon as I heard about the eclipse, I started researching locations within the path of totality.  From viewing the map of the path, I determined that the closest place would be Charleston, S.C.  Numerous phone calls to hotels in the area resulted in a list of very discouraging no vacancies . Luckily, with perseverance, I was able to find a room in Savannah, GA which is only a short drive to Charleston. This was exciting! I was going to be able to see the eclipse!

Oh, wait. I needed some of the special eclipse glasses.  I thought that would be easy as surely every place in town would be selling them. Of course, since this whole trip was somewhat last minute, I couldn't find any glasses.  They were either sold out or the stores never got them in the first place. A check on line showed glasses available for $20 a pair. Ouch, some dark film and cardboard didn't seem to warrant such a high price.  But fate would step in and a local television station announced they were going to give away free glasses on a particular day within a 2 hour time frame.  I made sure to arrive early and, as anticipated, the line was fairly long even at an hour and half before the event was to start. Still, I was able to get the free glasses and was all set!

Sunday morning I loaded up the car with a cooler, picnic blankets, snacks, drinks, solar glasses, the dog (of course), camera and everything I could think of to take to the eclipse. A quick stop along the way to obtain last minute items finalized everything.  I had heard that due to the large numbers of people planning to view the eclipse, cell service might be interrupted.  I stopped to get an old fashioned, paper map at the Welcome Center in case my GPS stopped working. I was afraid that traffic would be bad heading up to Savannah, but all was clear on I-95.  A check on weather leading up to the eclipse showed partial cloudiness along the southern east coast.  This might prove a problem for eclipse viewing.  I was glad I got that map as I could look to see if there was a location that was better, weather-wise.

Sunday evening, at the motel, I again checked the weather. It didn't look good for Charleston.  I found the map of the path of totality on the computer, and with my paper map, looked for another place to see the eclipse. Parameters for choosing a place were: not too far to drive, within the path, good weather forecast, some place not too populated to avoid traffic issues and, if at all possible, in an area with some elevation. I settled on Edgefield, S.C. A look on Google Earth showed a small town to the west of the coast accessible by back roads. It looked perfect!

6:00 AM Monday morning I was re-loaded the car and got an early start to avoid any traffic. Fortunately, I-95 was mostly clear and a short drive lead to the exit toward western South Carolina. The day had dawned partially cloudy and up-dated weather forecasts warned of thickening clouds and possible rain in the Charleston area. I was glad I had an alternative plan.

GPS indicated that the drive to Edgefield would take approximately 3 hours. I had left plenty of time in case of traffic, which wasn't necessary as it turned out.  The eclipse was due to happen around 2:30 PM eastern time and I arrived in Edgefield at 10:30 AM.  The town square was already filling up with people setting up tents, telescopes and chairs to view the eclipse. A quick look around showed parking to be filled up and people were still streaming into town. I decided to drive out of town and find a better place to set up.  While driving around, I noticed that the day was beginning to cloud up.  Darn!  I pulled out the map and decided to head further west.  I re-set the GPS and headed for Saluda, SC.

Much like Edgefield, Saluda's town square was full of people and I drove out of town and found a great place to watch the eclipse at a church parking lot.  Other people had gathered there as well and the sky cleared up allowing us to get a clear view of the eclipse.  Here is what we saw:

 

The day began to darken as the shadow of the moon started to cross the sun as you can see in these photos.

As the moon's shadow moved across the sun, it left a small crescent of the sun showing.

Once the shadow centered on the sun, and the eclipse reached totality, the aura around the edges was visible.  At this point you could remove the eclipse glasses and look with your naked eyes.

Darkness fell all around us, the temperature fell and crickets, confused by the nightfall, began to chirp. Everyone stood in awe looking at the sky.  It was an awesome sight and I was so happy I was there to see it!

The entire eclipse only lasted a little over two minutes and it was all over.  With a long drive ahead, I hit the road and then did find that traffic I had dreaded earlier in the day.  Part way home, it started to rain and at one point, a double rainbow appeared in the sky. What a day!

It's a little faint, but you can see the extra rainbow to the left of the brighter one. Traffic as heavy and I didn't arrive back home until almost midnight. The long day was worth the trip and I was happy to have been able to experience the eclipse.  The next one is in 7 years. Maybe I'll get to see it.

Sleepless in St. Augustine

It seems that as we age, the amount of sleep we need or get seems to lessen.  I remember reading a Stephen King book, Insomnia, quite awhile back.  The main character in the book is a 70 year old man who sleeps less and less as time goes on.  I can relate.  I am becoming well acquainted with the early hours of the morning.  A typical night for me now goes something like this:

                      9:00 pm       I fall asleep on the couch watching TV.  I awaken and decide
                                           to go to bed.  Often I can fall asleep fairly easily. Sometimes not.

                    12:00              I wake up throwing the covers off as I am burning hot.

                      1:30 am        Having woken up in an attempt to cool off, I am still
                                           trying to go back to sleep.  I attempt reading or perusing
                                           Pinterest online until I feel sleepy and can sometimes fall
                                           back asleep. Sometimes not.

                       3:00 am       I wake up cold and put the covers back on only to have various
                                           parts of my body realize I am awake and they demand my attention.
                                           The bladder wants a trip to the bathroom, my stomach decides it is
                                           either hungry or having a bout of heartburn or indigestion necessitating
                                           a trip to the kitchen or medicine cabinet.  Other parts decide to chime
                                           in with aches and pains. I make attempts to quiet all these bothersome
                                           naggers.

                       3:30 am       My dog, who is himself quite old now, decides to get in on the act
                                           and demands to be let out.  Ignoring this request is futile. He will
                                           increase his vocal demands to ongoing barking at full volume. While
                                           letting him out, I think about taking a sleep aid and decide its too late
                                           and I will wind up sleeping until noon and feel hung over when I do
                                           wake up.

                       4:00 am       Lying awake wondering random crazy stuff.  What is the meaning of
                                           life?  Who created the universe?  What was the combination of my
                                           locker in 8th grade?  Just what the hell is wrong with me? Ugh

                       5:00 am       I realize I am not sleeping and that this night will result in yet
                                           another "bad night".  I debate whether to just get up and do something
                                           as continuing to lie in bed seems pointless.

                       6:00 am       I notice that the quality of darkness in my bedroom has changed
                                           indicating the arrival of daylight. I have never been able to sleep
                                           when its light out.  Like the opposite of vampires, I need to be in my                                                      sleeping place and asleep while it is still dark.  Once daylight hits, that's it.

                        7:00 am      I drag myself out of bed for another tired day.

After several nights like this, I become so over tired I am like a 2 year old who has missed their nap; I am cranky and out of sorts.  And please don't write me with suggestions for sleep. I think I have tried them all. Some occasionally work, although leave me feeling groggy the next day.  One of my sisters had a great experience a while back. She needed some minor surgery and when I called to inquire as to how she was feeling, she replied, "Great! Best sleep I've had in years".  The doctors had used the same drug that was administered to Michael Jackson to help him sleep to put her under.  She slept very soundly for a long and much needed nap.
She decided that more surgery might be in order just to get some good sleep.  I may have to see what I need done. ha ha.

Kayaking and Camping O'Leno State Park

My friend, Beverly, and I spent this past weekend kayaking and camping around O'Leno State Park. This is located near Gainesville, FL and provides for easy access to the Sante Fe River and its springs and tributaries.

We took the little camper which is very comfy and has all the comforts of home, well except tv, Although Bev brought the dish she was disappointed when no signal was available (too many trees)

We spent a chilly night on Friday but were warm with a space heater. I felt sorry for the people who were tent camping as it got down to 37 degrees that night!  Saturday morning Beverly made pancakes and bacon to feed some of the other kayakers who were on this same trip as they came by to warm up.

I layered on shirts and jackets as we headed out to the river as the morning temps were still only in the 40's.  The trip began by putting the kayaks in at a boat ramp near the top of the Sante Fe river. There were approximately 20 people in our group so this was no small endeavor.  Beverly took her dog Tex, a long hair doxie/papillion mix (you can see him in the photo above).  He is a good kayaker!

The plan was to paddle down the river for approximately 13.5 miles. This was my first time out this year and I think that was a little more than I would have liked, but along we went. Here is a map of our route:

The Sante Fe River is really beautiful but the water level was low due to lack of recent rain.  I got stuck on rocks a few times along the way.  We saw hundreds of turtles sunning themselves on logs.

                                   

There are many spring which feed into the river.  We paddled up into a few of them to check them out.  At Lily Springs, we were warned of a local oddity, "Naked Ed".

Naked Ed owns the land adjacent to Lily Springs and as a protest to development in the area, walks around naked. You can find more on Naked Ed in an on line search, we didn't find him on Saturday.

With such a large kayak group, I found it difficult to keep up with the pack and ended up at the back along with a few others.  The paddling was strenuous and my arms certainly noticed the work out.

We did stop for lunch along the river bank before venturing further and visiting Blue Spring.


As you can see, the water is an amazing clear, blue.  The spring bubbles out of the ground near the dive platform shown above.  It was a bit difficult paddling against the flow up into the spring, but worth the effort to see this beautiful water!  Blue Springs Park is a popular attraction and even on this early March day was fairly well attended by swimmers.  The water in the springs stays at about 72 degrees year round which attracts manatees who come in from the colder waters off the coast to stay warm.  We had recently had a warm spell and so no manatees were around.

Leaving Blue Spring was much easier as we floated down the current back to the river.

On the next leg of the trip we encountered some small rapids.  I easily traversed the first set, but got stuck on some rocks near the second and set and in getting off the rocks managed to get turned around in my kayak and ended up being swept backwards into the rapids.  Luckily it was a small set of water and I was quickly sent through.  I was also glad no one was around to see me do that!

We ended the day around 3:00 and were happy to get off the water and back to camp and hot showers. It had been a long day and we were both tired.  We ate dinner and were in bed around 8.

On Sunday, we headed out again, this time to kayak the Ichetucknee Springs.  This was a more leisurely trip, only a little over 3 miles.  The group was taking a longer route (10 miles) but we decided to take the shorter leg of the trip.  The Ichetucknee is another beautiful spring winding through a low land area bordered by cedar trees, palms and some lovely spider lily:

Here are photos of this trip:

America's Favorite Comfort Food

I just read an article showing that, according to a Harris Poll, the favorite go-to food for your soul is: Pizza. Won out at the top of the list at 15%.

Now, I like a nice slice as much as anyone, but unfortunately, it gives me heartburn. Like nuclear heartburn. Like a volcano has erupted in my stomach. So, for me, I will forgo the pizza.

The second favorite comfort food eaten by us Americans is chocolate followed by ice cream at 7% each. I personally like chocolate ice cream, so maybe with a combined total of 14%, my favorite is right under pizza.

Mac and cheese came in at fourth place with 5% with chips coming in 5th with 4%. I hear Lays is coming out with yet another new potato chip flavor and it could be mac and cheese, so by combining those two things they could edge up on chocolate ice cream.

Hamburgers and steak both came in with 3% each. But really, what is the difference, aren't they really the same thing in different forms?

The list rounded out with a tie for last place (3%) between popcorn, pasta and Mexican food. Not sure what items encompass "Mexican food".  Are we talking tacos? nachos? Everything else on the list is a specific food.  And what about Chinese food? They didn't even make the list? Seriously, I love Chinese food. In fact, when I feel stressed or depressed, I eat some egg rolls and some chocolate ice cream.  Great combo.

I bet all those poor folks snow bound in their homes are having a hay day on the comfort food. In fact since the giant blizzard arrived just in time for the final play off games to determine who will go to the superbowl,  the pizza delivery places made bonus-won the lottery type cash.

Um, now I'm hungry, Catch you later.