Ah, Friday Night

I have been to FL and back. The teaching sub jobs were many. I accepted a job as a teaching assistant for pre-K special education class. There were 12 students and after spending a large portion of the day on the floor with them, I am resting at home tonight. Pete and I were supposed to go to a concert and dance but I begged off due to many vague symptoms that tell me to go to bed rather than out in the cold rain. I'm usually the first one out the door when someone yells "party" but not tonight. This rain is going to switch to snow later on when the temperature drops down into the low 20's. I stopped for much-needed groceries on my way home, getting soaked between the store, car,car and house.

I thought you might like the picture of the Naples Pier with the gull at sunset. We had dinner on the docks, sitting outside surrounded by green plants and flowers. Naples is very beautiful with it's flowers and palms. I wasn't able to ride bike with the club at Lake San Marino because my eyes are suffering the effects of the recent Botoxin injections. They are all fluttery and the blinks are too long. Riding with a group would be dangerous. I did lead a small group of my dear gal friends, the Buoy Biking Babes, on a 6 mile jaunt for lunch and back. That was great fun. Leading was safer than riding behind someone. I rode in the annual night bike parade the night I arrived but the aftereffects of the treatment hadn't really hit me yet. Now I am struggling to drive the 11 miles to work in Glens Falls. The good part of this whole picture is it will get better in a couple of weeks for the next couple of months.

My dear friend, Sharon, came down for the day while I was in Naples. We went to lunch and walked on the beach. She is in the picture with me. Another picture is of my sister Gloria and me with the Banyon tree (ficus). I am working hard now to lose the 20 lbs I have gained in the last couple of years. My body is telling me to return to normal for health reasons. Exercise, exercise and more exercise. We now have 12 hours of daylight so Sebastian and I can walk when I get home from work.

Enjoy the photos -

greetings from Naples

I can't tell you how lovely it is here. The sun and all the green grasses and palms are spectacular. I had easy flights down here. Arrived at midnight on Monday night. Gloria, Em and Rosie picked me up. I have been reconnecting with old friends since I arrived. Last night we went to the "Hoss Races" at the community hall. I realized how little it takes to entertain retired people. The night before we had the annual lighted bike parade. The entire day was spent decorating our bikes and our helmets. There were approx. 60 riders who showed up at dark to parade around our park. People lined the streets and clapped and cheered enthusiasticaly as we passed. There were others blowing their airhorns with gusto to support our nighttime endeavors.

But last night, as I watched 50 people place their bets on stick horses with colored heads of pink, purple, cream, brown, white and dark brown, I was able to see the connection between the children in my fourth grade class and the "recycled teenagers without parents" who reside here in paradise. It doesn't take much to entertain us really. The dice are tossed by each person and the horses move by floor tile squares until they reach the finish line. I managed to win back $5 of the $7 I had bet.

A friend loaned me a bike and helmet for my stay. Today, four gal friends and I road up to Bonita Springs for lunch. The wind blew us up there but was in our faces on the way back. But it felt just wonderful to me.

Tonight we are going to a surprise birthday party for a friend and then to a street dance in the park. February is very socially busy here. Parties, dances, bike rides, golf games, shuffleboard, swimming and plenty of gaming. There is a sign at the entrance that reads, "Slow, Grandparents at Play".

I am going to try to load a picture of Lake San Marino with our resident swams. There is an Iguana here too who resides in the top of a fir tree. By the way, an Eagle few right over my head on the bike ride back from Bonita today. I plan to ride to the beach soon.

Bashey has been sick since I left. He and I have not been separated for a long while. But I think he has adjusted as of last night. Please keep him in your thoughts.
I remain - soaking up the sunshine.

Sunday b4 going South

We have bright sunshine again here in NYS. I must say we have had a lot of sunshine inspite of the severe winter conditions we have had since the 1st of Dec. The snow is shrinking away but I am still amazed at the high banks along the roads and streets. Speaking of which we now have potholes and frost heaves that will swallow my little car and offer me flight if I am speeding along. Bone cracking, jaw clenching stuff. The snow is grey and dirty but people are out and about now. Funny thing is, during the most of the winter, I rarely saw anyone out in their yards now people are moving around, walking and biking.

Tomorrow I am off to Florida to visit with my sister, brother-in-law and old friends. I am very excited to be going. Pete is keeping Bashey for me. They are good buddies. Pete will allow Bash to sleep with him and put up with Bash's thrashing about while he dreams. He dreams quite a bit actually. My friend Evie is driving me to and from the airport. The weather looks good for the trip. I do have to fly to Charlotte, N.C. for a connecting flight.

I got my de-humidifier ready to go in the 1st basement in the event of water. So far, so good. The snow has melted slow enough into the earth and hasn't come into the basement yet. I am sad to leave my yard birds without an alternative food source but if I fill the bird feeders and then go away, an army of squirrels comes by. In no time flat, the food is gone. I did put out the suet for the woodpeckers.

I hear from my VA and NC friends that the daffodils are up and blooming. I loved spring in both those states. It came early, loudly and profusely. Our spring will be held off until towards the end of March. We often have huge snowstorms in March too. There are a few folks up here who have begun making maple syrup.

I won't be posting until I return in a week. If I am able to do so remotely, I will.

See ya in a week.

Feb. Sunday Morn

Good Morning my friends
I awoke in the night feeling too warm (what a switch?). I got up checked the thermostat set at 60. Checked the outdoor thermometer - doubled checked and then checked again - it read 42 degrees! A warm breeze blows, the eaves drip, and best of all, the snow is slowly leaving. Of course, it will take days but it is a beginning. Next week is going to be colder again but we will take today. To my friends and loved ones in Florida - How are the strawberries faring? I watch in horror as the thick ice from the sprayers coats the plants and the fruit. Buying berries in February at the Farmers Mkt is one of my favorite things. One more week and I will be there! I won't believe it until the wheels touch down on warm earth.

I have this little book called Prayers From The Heart by Richard Foster. I refer to this special little book of prayer often. Here is one I wish to share with you:
Open wide the windows of our spirits, O Lord, and fill us full of Light. Open wide the doors of our hearts, that we may receive and entertain thee with all our powers of adoration and love. Amen
That little prayer seems appropriate for my location today since we can literally open the doors and windows for a bit.

I made fondue for part of the Jones family last night. Pete gave me a fondue pot for Christmas since I had expressed a desire to make it again after many years. It was a fun evening and we found we ate slowly and didn't consume as much food as we normally do. It felt a bit like cooking over a campfire. Maybe I am stretching a bit. I used beef and chicken with mustard and horseradish sauces. I also melted cheese for dipping some crusty Italian bread chunks. Then I made sweet coleslaw which was a nice foil for the rest of the meal. Yummy and fun!

I worked all week so didn't have any time to post or even read my email. I have one job so far for this coming week. So many varied experiences in the different schools. Some very rewarding, others not so. The FBI finally did my background check since my fingerprints are unattainable. I guess I checked out because they approved me to work in Warren/Washington Counties.

The pictures here are from last Sunday's snowshoe adventure in West Fort Ann. We left the truck on the road while we climbed the mountain.

Have a joyous Sunday!

More skiing shots

Monday

I played in the snow much of the weekend. Saturday, I went cross country skiing in deep new snow on a friend's land here in Hartford. The ski was crystalline blue in the bright sunshine. But you'll see that in the pictures I took. I hope you enjoy them. I had to break trail (bush wacking) which was a vigorous workout. I went through the woods and along a frozen creek that I could hear gurgling under the ice. It felt wonderful being in the woods and I lost track of time. I was low and in order to get back on the old log road, I needed to get up higher. That required herringboning and diagonally stepping up the steep side hill. Then as I returned along the high ridge, I found two huge trees across my path and needed to go lower. I started down, tripped and fell. If you have ever fallen in deep snow then you know it is kinda like falling in pudding. I couldn't get my feet back under me and I couldn't reach my bindings to remove my skiis. I kept slidiing down the hill filling the back of my jacket and gloves with snow. Did I mention the temp was pegged at 18 degrees? I struggled and floundered about like a fish out of water. Finally I poked my pole into my binding and released the skiis. As I stepped up, my feet sank into almost hip deep snow. The challenge was to get the skiis back on. There was no way I was going to walk back in that deep snow. Then there was the final climb up to reach the meadow before skiing down to the road and my car. I managed to fall a couple of times on the way up the hill. Sweat was rolling down my back and my hair was soaked with it. Waves of nausea swept over me and I thought, "Don't tell me I may have to call Pete again". Pete rescued me 2 summers ago when I had heat stroke out on my bike. This time he would have to come on snowshoes and bring a sled. I chuckled to myself, felt better and moved on. Home to a hot bath and a large cuppa cocoa. Lesson learned: I am not who I was 22 yrs. ago. I knew that but like so many other things, I forgot.

Now on Sunday, Pete and I snow shoed up a mountain in West Fort Ann where he goes deer hunting in the fall. Am I crazy? Probably. We went for about 2 hours. Actually, I felt less sore after using those muscles again than I did before the trip. It was beautiful up there. We saw lots of deer tracks. All the critters in the woods are very hungry now. They are eating bark, burrdocks and weed seeds. I hope our snows leave soon but not too fast or we will float away.

Today I went to sub at a special education class in primary school. The same school I went to last Thursday but a different class. The weather was cloudy today but the temp went up to 40 degrees. We lost a bit of our snow. Up here we call it settling. I finally tried out the YMCA but only for an hour since Bash was waiting for me at home. I did sneak in a sauna and a steam bath though for these achy muscles.

That is the end of my escapades for now but I want to share my pictures.

Monday