Three friends take fancy tea break

We went to Camella Rose yesterday for tea. I don't know if it was "high" tea. I don't think so because it was at 1 p.m. I think high tea is later in the afternoon but what do I know. It was an experience (expensive). It was a treat for me though. A break from walking dogs and stripping my kayak. My hands hurt from the stripping and sanding so giving them a break for a day was a good idea. The food on that three tiered serving piece was "light" to say the least. The deserts on the bottom shelf were excellent and also small portions. The tea flowed freely, all you could consume. We tried different selections from the 45 offered. I think my favorite was the Blueberry that Sharon had. Each tea pot and cup and saucer are different. The hats are placed all around the cafe so one can choose the appropriate one. It was fun.

I came home - was exhausted and laid down for an hour. My eyes, especially my left one, are drooped nearly closed. I drove the trip to Plant City and back. That was alot for me at this stage. It will be another week before I see much of a change. I have been taping them open for short drives. That works pretty well but then they are tired afterwards. We don't realize how much concentration our eyes have to do while we drive. With most Blepharospasm patients, driving and watching TV are the most challenging. I couldn't drive at all or watch TV for several years after I was diagnosed in '98. Actually, there was an 8 mos. period when I couldn't do much of anything for myself. That was a difficult time but many neighbors and the NC Assoc. of the Blind came through for me.

Check out the Painting on Tour Blog since I have added several new ones.

Thought for the day -

Be at peace and see a clear pattern and plan running through all your lives.

Nothing is by chance.

Ladies at tea - Camella Rose

Tuesday

Ahhh! Sunny and warm at last. It has been cooler than normal here all winter. Today is very refreshing and life giving.

I am off to tea today with two ladies. An historic tea room, the Camelle Rose. I will write more and hopefully have some pictures to post later today.

Yes, my eyes are not fully open and yes, I am wearing my "very chic" scotch tape on my left eye lid to hold it open. Sunglasses top off the picture. As my friend, Alice, describes me - "I am still a hottie". I do have people stare at me but I think they are just wondering, what in the world?

I am thinking maybe some Donald Duck tape or something dressy?????

More later -

Monday

I was supposed to go for a mammogram this morning but opted out because I was dizzy. I had botox injections a week ago and both eyes have drooped down. I am resorting to the "old tried and true, scotch tape remedy". Yesterday, Sunday, I took all three dogs in my small car to the Mango Dog Park. What a hoot! There were lots of dogs there and my guys ran with the best of them. All except, old Mr. Wisdom, Sebastian. He does not see the need to run around banging into each other. He goes off by himself, sniffing and peeing on everything, When the dogs come too close, he bars his teeth and growls. They leave him to himself. When he tires, he comes to me and stands close by for protection from the maurauding packs of very large, very speedy dogs. The three dogs I carried back in my car were not the energetic three I carried over. A good time was had.

I drove up to the MH, Bearfoot, in storage yesterday to take back some things I had carried down here earlier. I am starting to repack. Bearfoot started right up, both engine and genset. I put more borax around the wheels and mudflap. Didn't see any ants this trip. I feel so at home when I step back in our rolling home. I probably should think about selling it but I can't bring myself to do so yet. There is unfinished business there.

February will go fast even with the extra day. My grandson, Travis has a birthday this year on the 29th. He is doing well in the Army Corp at Tech. I plan to stop in on my way northward to see him. Tech allows us to camp out in their parking lots providing there are no large events.

Bash and I are going down to Naples next week to visit with my Sis. We need a break. He is tired and cranky from the big dogs and I am people lonely. My winters have always been active and filled with laughter and dancing. This has been quite a challenge for me.

I saw two Sand Hill Cranes out in a field yesterday. Couldn't stop on I 75 to take a picture. That is the second pair I have seen this season. Two came swooping in here to the pond right behind the house a few days ago. They are quite rare.

This has been a cooler than most winter this year. It may be because Tampa is cooler than Naples but I think in general it has been cool. We had some nice weather in early Dec.

Have you looked at my two other blogs? Scroll down on this one to the side bar where it says "view my complete profile", there you should find the new blog for my healing practice and the other blog where I have posted some paintings of mine. If you can't get there from here then just enter http://www.move1.blogspot.com

I didn't mention that I am in the process of stripping my wooden kayak deck. The hull is gelcoated but the top deck is or was high gloss poly. It had blistered very badly for some reason. I am taking it all the way down to the bare wood. What a job! I need to make a trip to a marine store to get their recommendation for the finish when I am at that stage. You can see - I have projects that will keep me busy. Never bored just lonesome.

Check it out

My newest blog, http://move1.blogspot.com is online now. Please check it out. Feel free to comment in the comment section or email me. Please note there is another email address available: move1@globalweb.net

I hope this venture will lead to bigger and better things.
One thing to note about this new blog is the order seems backward because the first post is the Q & A - Scroll down on the left to About Me and work backward - in other words from the oldest post to the most recent.

I received Botoxin for my eyes two days ago and already there is a change for the better. I have a bit of a droop in my left eyelid but sometimes that happens for awhile. I just can't tell you the relief I feel since I am without pain, irratation and squinting.

Two huge Sand Hill Cranes (I think) just flew in here to the pond. What racket they made. There was Great Blue Heron out here too at the same time. The pond is very full and brown with the recent heavy downpours we have had. All the spring birds are singing.

I am about to begin stripping the deck of my wooden kayak. I have the materials needed but am waiting for the very large boat that occupies the garage to be gone today. Then I will put down my drop cloth, don my mask, safety glasses and gloves to begin. Wish me luck. I have never done this before. Thanks to Lowe's who gave me advice. When it is finished and looking good again, I plan to sell it. I think a plastic one will be more useful for me and certainly easier to maintain. This is a fantastic boat though and will be difficult to let go.

Sunday in Tampa

I have begun the new blog site which will offer and explain the Distance Healing work I do. There is one page completed and soon there will be another. Please feel free to comment on either of these pages or my 3rd page which showcases my paintings for sale. They are all listed under "view complete profile" or should be.

I am in a state of transition and have been since I purchased my home in Hartford. "Bear" with me please. My Highest Angels, the Guidance I rely on totally is bringing me full circle. The circle will be complete when I move myself and Sebastian into our little cottage in March '08. I am being guided to reestabish my healing practice through Distance Healing. I have been working on and off while on the road but not with any consistency. Now it is time. Check the MOVE1 blog for details on how this type of healing works.

In the meantime, Sebastian and I continue to love and serve in Riverview, FL. He has learned to be a pack dog, one of the three. He has never been very comfortable around other dogs and has chosen to ignore them for the most part. He does socialize with his cousin, Rosie though. He wrestles with Sugar, the alfa female here in this house. He lays close to the very large Chance, another male. He has learned to chew a real beef marrow bone. His jaws tire quickly and the other dogs end up with the bone. But at least he is chewing which is something he has always declined to do. He is lucky to have such strong and white teeth at the age of 12.

We had at least 4" of much needed rain last evening. We had tornado watches and one did touch down nearby but we just experienced a hard T-storm here. I had gone earlier to the RV supershow at the State Fairgrounds for awhile. It was crowded and let's face it, "you see one, you see them all". I did manage to speak with a couple of techs that I have wanted to see. I went out the wrong gate, ended up walking for what seemed like a couple of miles to the other side of the fairgrounds, took a short shuttle and then walked another mile to where I thought I had left my car. Well, as you know, when you go into a parking lot in the morning and come out in the afternoon, the entire landscape has changed. I thought I had landmarked my car but try as I might, I could not find it. Many were having the same difficulty. Car alarms were beeping all around but still not mine. Finally, I enlisted the help of a young parking attendant. We circled and walked as I pressed the Alarm button on my key ring. Finally, he gave shout and there it was. I was very happy to sit down. It was one of those moments similar to our life journey, when you just want to sit down in the field and cry but you carry on, hauling your baggage with you. Your shoulders hurt, you feet hurt, your hands hurt, you are thirsty and tired and just want to quit but you ask for help. Help is always there when we ask with an open heart.

Found this little quote in my journal today: Love people not things, use things not people.

New web site coming up

I am in the midst of designing a new web site here on Google that will advertise the availability of my healing work. Last year I began building a Distance Healing business that utilizes my former training,abilities and 16 years of experience to assist others in coming to a place of health. Distance Healing is a process of intense focus through intuition and the use of pure quartz crystals that allows the client and therapist to "communicate" at the Highest level of Universal Energy. The process involves an email request from the prospective client. Then I will respond either by email or phone whichever is preferred. An appointment time for the session will be set up. This time requires 1 hr. of time and requires the client to lie down in a quiet place. After the session, we speak again. I answer questions and offer feedback. I like to follow-up my sessions with the use of plant essences. A few drops of flower or plant essences that are taylored to the client's particular issues in water and sipped throughout the day. Follow-up is offered at this point. The name of my healing business is M.O.V.E. (Magic of Vibrational Energy)

I will post the name of the new site as soon as I complete it. Please note that you should be able to post comments on this page now without joining anything. You may have to leave your email address. Let me know if you have a problem.

2008 - Jan. 15, Tuesday

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year's Eve. Here we are already two weeks into 2008 - who would have "thunk" it. I have been to Hartford, NY to see my family, friends, check on my sweet house and establish my New York residency. I was born in New York, left at age 18 - now 50 years later, I am back. Everything goes full circle. The weather was mild while I was there for the week. We even had some sunshine off and on. Then Sunday, we heard of a pending snowstorm beginning late sunday night and into Monday. My flight was scheduled for 6:10 a.m. Monday morn from Albany. I did a quick plan change and got a ride down to my daughter's house sunday night. We got up at 4:30 a.m. and Theresa drove me to the airport in the snow. The lines in the airport were horrendous through security. I kept thinking about the coffee I never had as the time of departure loomed closer. I had my parka, a heavy one, slung over my shoulder when I went into security. I stuck it in the required bin and moved on through. I left there and almost ran to the coffee shop, got a quick coffee to go and sped to the loading airplane. My seat was in the back of the plane. Just as I started to sit down, I realized I did not have my parka. I did the "swim upstream" trick and found a flight attendant. She couldn't help me but the co-pilot took me back into the terminal. They held on my boarding pass and I ran to the coffee shop - no jacket; to the security terminal there to find my jacket hung up in a secure closet. I took my coat and ran for the plane slipping into my seat just before the door closed. Flew to JFK and sat for an hour or so waiting for my flight to Albany. No hitches this time. On the return flight, we had to be de-iced in Albany, it took an hour. We were late getting into Cleveland. As I checked my connecting flight, I found it was all the way across the airport in a different Concourse. Again, I ran across and through a tunnel at least a half mile maybe more. Again, I just slipped in before the door shut. No time for a potty break. Bummer! Another de-icing experience and we were off for Florida. Actually, the pilot was able to make up time and we came in about 20 mins. late. Sharon was waiting in the cell phone parking lot, my bag was on time and although the temperature was in the high 50's, it was good to be back in the sun.

Sebastian kissed me over and over. He adjusted well with Sharon and Brent while I was away - sleeping in a king size bed with them. But was he ever glad to see his best friend back.

Today, I removed the FL tags from both my vehicles and replaced them with New York tags. It is official.

My little house was cozy and everything I remembered it being. My family came to see me over the weekend. It was rushed but sweet and cherished. Jill had purchased some wonderful warm L.L. Bean boots for me which I didn't need while I was there. Since she didn't make it over until Sunday just before I left, it's a good thing. Matt and Kellie and the girls bought me a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas. I used it a few times while I was there and liked it. I had already received Christmas gifts from Theresa and Lisa. Theresa brought supper up for Colin, herself and me on Saturday. Friday night, Matt, Kellie, Emily and Lil, Pete and I went out to LuLu's diner. Interesting!!!!

During the week, Pete and I had dinner with my niece, Colleen and her family. It was really nice to see them although Chanleigh who is a senior in HS came in just as I left. I did get a sweet hug though. I also got to hear a drum solo by my nephew, Lucas. He certainly has potential.

I got to visit with Mark and Mary Beth and their huge dogs, Otis and Suzette. Otis is the size of a large pony at only 8 mos. They are Newfoundland's.

I went to the Fort Ann Post Office and introduced myself to the post master. I am going to put in a rural mailbox at the end of my drive as soon as the ground thaws.

I guess I accomplished all that I went up there for and more. Now I am here until March 1st. I applied for a job as a greeter at the RV fair here in Tampa. Didn't get it. I have applied for several jobs and been turned down. It has been a lesson for me since I had never previously applied for any job I didn't get. I hope I have better luck back up in Hartford.

I never too one picture while up north. Hard to believe.

2008 - Jan. 3 - Thursday

It has been a while since I have posted. Sorry! I have been in Naples at Lake San Marino Rosie sitting for my sister and bro-in-law while they flew up north for Christmas. I returned here to Riverview yesterday afternoon. Wow, is it cold??? The heat in our house was not working last night. The beautiful flowering hibiscus just outside my window froze even though a put a sheet on it. It was loaded with light coral blossoms. It will come back but will take awhile. I wonder about the alligators who are supposed to inhabit our pond. They must be deep in the muddy bottom. When I drove by the Manatee River a few miles down the road from here yesterday, I stopped and went by the hydro-electric plant to see if manatees were there. They consider it their spa since the spilled water from the plant is 80 degrees. They are extremely sensitive to cold air and will die quickly from exposure. As with many life forms, they know ahead of time when the cold is coming and swim to the nearest warm water area up the creeks. I didn't stay long but what I saw was a thrill to my heart. There were at least 30 manatees right there near the viewing platform. See the attached photos. You can see the water is steaming.

The Harmon dogs were very happy to see Bash and me. They have been teasing for a walk today but I went up to visit Bearfoot in the storage area. That was enough cold exposure for me. I picked up some appropriate clothing while I was there though. The engine wouldn't start at first but I ran the generator for awhile then was able to start it up. I feel like staying right there each time I visit but instead filled the car with my winter clothing and left.

Monday, the 7th I am to fly to Albany, NY where I will be picked up and taken to Hartford, NY. I want to see my family and have numerous New York State offices to visit in order to change my residence from Florida to New York. I also have to see the town assessor to qualify for tax relief benefits and see the man who is setting up health insurance for me. Lots to accomplish in just a week. I have done some prep work and as long as I have all the appropriate papers, it should all fall in place.

It was fun in Naples. I rode 50 miles on my bike in three rides. One was alone, one with a dear friend and the other with the bike club, Pelican Pedlars. The beaches were as always spectacular. The weather just grand until the cold snap and the howling winds came in. New Year's Eve was a memorable event for me. A group of us packed up a gourmet picnic supper with table, candles and wine. We arrived shortly before the sunset. Check the photos. After we had dined, the fireworks began from the Naples Pier. What a show! It is hard to believe that was just 3 days ago. I sat there in my chair listening to the surf and the booming fireworks in my shorts and sleeveless shirt. Now I am bundled up in sweats, wool socks and two jackets. But I will never forget that evening.

Time for some photos. Please note, I won't have a computer with me on my trip north. Although I may be able to log on using a friends computer. But don't really expect much from me for the next week as I travel. I really want to go but I dread the cold weather.