Dear Debbie

We were watching the weather station at home last night like it was a prime time show.  I went to work shortly after and what was on the TV? A baseball game.  I suggested we keep an eye on the weather, in keeping with the flooded roads I'd had to avoid on the way and the tree limbs scattered all over the neighbor's yard. So we did watch the radar reports of  the storm bands as they swirled around Debbie and up our coast - under a coastal flood watch, a tornado watch, and a severe thunderstorm watch all at once.  How exciting.  And the setting for this drama?  A smallish frame house that sits at the very edge of a coastal bayou surrounded by huge old trees. This place was built way before safety codes were in place and is so close to the water that normal tides occassionally go under the house.  It has flooded a couple of times in the past. We were being warned of tides 2-4 feet higher than normal.

Is it any wonder that when I finally got my quadriplegic client put to bed and laid myself down it was a little hard to drop off to sleep? My little cot is right under a window on the bayou side of the house and everytime I'd hear a crash in the wind I'd shine the flashlight out there to see what it was. The window awnings were flapping, the boat cover ripped and blew off, the mangroves were slapping the house and the wind was roaring constantly and roaring even louder as each storm band went over us. It was creepy. Tons of rain. Things that had floated under the house were bumping and knocking on the floor as the waves washed under.  It could have been a hurricane on top of us as far as I was concerned.

But since there was really nothing I could do about it, except stare at the ceiling with my flashlight in hand and shoes on, I did doze off for about 30 minutes.  And here is the dream I had.   I was looking under my bed, watching the tide rise into the house and through a hole in the floor I saw a piece of fabric which I pulled on - it was a shirt on a person, a drowning person. Actually there were two people and I pulled them up into the house and one of them got into my bed. The other one seemed dead and I decided I had to wake up my client and tell her I was going to call 911.  I went into her room and she was no longer there! Her house had become full of elderly people and surgical patients with nurses taking care of them. Thank goodness I only had to endure this for half an hour - I'm just giving you the bare bones account.

So it was a very high tide. About 4:30 am I started to hear the little sounds like water slapping on the bottom of a boat, coming from the floor of our "house"boat. Thankfully it stayed dry on our side of the floor.  For those of you who have seen this property - the tide was two feet above the retaining wall, level with the front deck, and probably 15 feet up into the yard. 

It continued to rain this morning, and the wind is still here this afternoon although it is milder. We have seen a glimpse of the sun also. This is what it looked like when I left this afternoon.



flooded courtyard on side of house away from bayou




umbrella and chair on a dock that can no longer be seen...




yew trees pretty much destroyed in this yard




walkway to boat now underwater




one side of boulevard impassable




note the high water mark on house 



Weather Talk

Our first taste of hurrican weather came yesterday and today - nonstop rain and grayness. Today there is wind and a few tornado reports. The oneacrewoods is waving it's arms wildly - you'd never know the trees were that flexible to look at them.  And of course, I have to drive out to the beach for work tonight.  I've been told I should drive the truck because the water is high on the road, and the tide is as high as it has ever been without having to evacuate.  This should be an adventure. 

Spent all day Saturday at the condo cleaning and painting (I do both unlike my friend who says painting IS cleaning and is all you need to do). One more day will finish it and then I need a new renter.  Please come and live in my condo, quickly. It is nice there and every time we go in and get ready for someone new I imagine myself living there and want to do all sorts of cool decorative stuff. 

I think I'm hungry. I should go now.

This Would Be Better with Pictures, I Know

I think I'm doing incredibly well during this very busy week (in spite of my new awareness of sensitivity to overstimulation - more about this to come, I hope) and it's nearly over. I have only two, maybe three obstacles left to conquer. It was a tremendous help that I was not asked to work for the last three days.  I'll get all my remaining hours tonight and tomorrow morning as I do a double. (shoud have had a picture of me ready for work...)

The finished task is VBS, Vacation Bible School.  I just have to say that things have sure changed since I was a kid.  My memories of VBS (although we never called it that back then, it was just Bible School ) are pretty good yet.  I remember being taken there and left along with my siblings who were old enough to go - no parents hanging around that I can remember.  Now, parents and helpers are everywhere. There seemed to be a grownup or a big kid with every three or four little kids. And instead of being like a regular school day, 9 - 3 with a lunch at noon, it's maybe two and half hours long. The one I was helping with had a 5:30 dinner for everyone before activities started and that was my duty station - serving food.  It was a good opportunity for me to meet new people and work with them long enough to remember who they were. We had some interesting menus, but I have had my fill of pasta in crock pots for a while. (should have had a picture of me picking noodles off my shoes...)

I survived babysitting on Tuesday, rather, the children survived me babysitting them. They made it very easy for me by happily staying in their pajamas all day and watching Netflix cartoons most of the time. I feel a little guilty for not entertaining them better, but I did right by the little guy and sang him to sleep for his nap. I find that "Frog Went A Courtin" is an ingenious tune because it repeats the first line three times with a lot of  mmhmms in between, giving me plenty of time to think of an ending rhyme. I sang at least 30 verses before the eyes stopped popping open.  Sugery went fine for the parent. (should have had a picture of still anesthetized parent being helped into house...)

I was even able to insert an unplanned visit to the eye doctor into my schedule on Wednesday. I'm not sure what is happening to my eyes. The doctor wasn't sure either, but I'm on some antibiotic and antiinflammatory drops and no wearing of contact lenses for a few days. I have found that my eyes look really, really green when the white part is really, really red.  It's quite a strange picture and a bit scary. I'm better now.  (should have had a picture of me... no, probably not)

Now to get through the weekend and the remaining hurdles without being overcome. 

Too Much Book Stimulation

I've been reading about highly sensitive people and have decided I am one.  I feel like going to bed and pulling the covers over my head.  "The Highly Sensitive Person" by Elaine Aron

You Slug

Recently slugs and snails have come to my attention - who would have thought?  I always have a problem with them when I mulch with oak leaves, or wood mulch because it seems to give them safe places to stay when it's hot and dry. Some things you need to know to outsmart these guys.  They build their own highways - those silvery trails they leave behind - that smooth the way for their travels to dinner (your plants). Did you know that it takes about 15 days for a snail to travel a mile? Slugs can do it in only eight days having no shell to slow them down. They cannot stand dry conditions and they do not like to crawl on things that hurt their soft bellies. A little barrier of sand, wood ashes, cinders or slaked lime around your plant bed can often deter them. They like to feed at night mainly and look for places to shelter during the day. So give them some places to hide like a shingle or something similar and surprise them during the day and finish them off. They like a more acid soil too so if you can get some worm castings or other additive that make the soil less acid they will prefer to go elsewhere. Some experts say that the slugs prefer wilted weeds to growing plants, and who doesn't have some weeds around to lay in their path. And if all else fails, get some snail bait at the garden store. It works fairly well . My info comes from the Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, copyright 1959 (but slugs haven't changed much since then).

Bed

I usually work 5 hours on four days of the week.  I've more than doubled that this week, finishing up with a 16 hour shift last night and today.  Is it called a paradox, or something like that, when you are glad and sad at the same time over a situation?  The work is meaningful, appreciated, financially compensating and within my ability so that makes me glad.  I'm sad at the same time to see my client so dependent on so few people - what a risk for her. And I am sad that it sometimes is so hard for me to serve her and have a life of my own.  My "in the moment" thought is that I am so thankful to be going to sleep in my own bed with no expectation of being needed by anyone for the next 8 hours.  Good night world.

Plan Ahead

This is the exciting time of the year when I get to start a brand new calendar/planner. I somehow got started with school year planners so it's normally a July to July notebook sized affair. Shopping for the next one has always been fun for me because there are so many styles, decorative twists, extras for students or busy moms, or business schedules. I enjoy looking them over and deciding.  The last few years I've opted for plain jane weekly pages with room to write a summary of the day. Since they can be quite expensive (up to $20 for really cute ones) I was thrilled to find this one at the drugstore for $4.97. What a bargain! And the nice thing is, it goes to December 2013 so I can get back on a yearly schedule. 

I have saved these calendars for years along with my journals. They are like a history of my life and it's fun to read the older ones and re-live times I've entirely forgotten.
They are also a handy resource. In a minute I'm going to look for the date our last tenant began to rent from us and try to figure out whether we owe him a security deposit.  It's also fun to look at my old "to do" lists and see what the stresses of the day were. Planning ahead actually helps me live one day at a time (see previous post) because I write the appointment in and then don't think about it until that day arrives.  I just have to REMEMBER TO LOOK AT THE CALENDAR.  Excuse me now while I go put some dates to remember in my new book.

One Day at a Time

I had a burst of energy recently, short-lived, but while it was around it played havoc with my to do list.  One result was I now own a couple of online courses that I'd thought about before but resisted.  Ever since high school graduation I've been so happy to be free from obligatory years of schooling servitude.  In my nightmares, I'm back in school wandering endless hallways searching for my locker (can't remember the number) and looking into classrooms where I realize I'm supposed to be (but can't remember the last time I attended). So why buy courses now? Because they're 80% off regular prices, and in actuality they are no different than reading a book or listening to a CD at home.  No real pressure. Lots of great subjects to learn about. Check it out.   http://www.ordergreatcourses.com/

To satiate my writing appetite I'm studying " Building Great Sentences: Exploring the Writer's Craft".  It's twenty four lectures by a professor from the University of Iowa, which, as we all know, is one of the nation's top writing schools (really?)  I haven't started that one yet.  The other is "The Life and Writings of C.S. Lewis".  I've known about him for years but other than Chronicles of Narnia, I don't think I've ever made it all the way through any of his books.  He wrote in so many different genres and was successful in all of them so I think I can learn something from him about writing. I've listened to two of those lectures and didn't fall asleep until the last 5 minutes of the second one. But that was only because I worked last night and am tired.

In and of themselves the courses are not overwhelming, but in the context of the rest of my life I'm feeling the pinch.  We are very short of help at work so I'm having to do nights - a couple every week. Our condo renter just moved out and I have no replacement for him yet. I have until the end of June to get the place ready for another renter and I deeply desire to have someone in there in July. Every month that it's empty is going to be a financial strain on us. I'm being pressed (nicely) into playing keyboard at Sunday church. They haven't heard me play yet - I've only been singing so far. I'm not sure I want to "open this box" since they are much more hi tech than anything I've done so far. Performance anxiety is a big worship killer for me. 

That's three things. For some reason (the burst of energy) I volunteered to help serve the evening meal at VBS all next week. Amy asked me to be with her kids next Tuesday while she stays with Josh who is having surgery for a torn rotator cuff. Who is going to walk my husband and water my plants? I'll have to hire someone. And looming ahead in less than 4 weeks is the trip to Atlanta. My only defense against panic is to live in the moment, attending to whatever I know I'm to do today, this hour. I know that God will not give me more to do than he knows I can get done, with his help. My trouble is signing up for stuff on my own. I guess he can save me from those mistakes as well.

Here are my blackberry bushes!

not lovely yet but hoping they will flourish

Activity

Three years ago when I started my present job, my thinking was that it was a very physically active five or six hours each day.  I didn't really need or want any more exercise.  I could handle a walk once in a while and a weekend workout in the oneacrewoods but other than that, let me rest.  I'm seeing things a little differently now.  I don't really exercise all of me equally at work - parts of me are beginning to bother.  I've always loved dance, rhythm and music so I looked up zumba videos on the internet and ordered The Ten Minute Solution, Fat Blasting Dance Mix.  It came today so I watched it to kind of "get in the mood".  I got really tired watching those three girls bounce around, sweat and get out of breath so in addition to just watching (not doing) I needed nourishment and ate my rice pudding while watching. I'm starting out in the negative, so to speak.

I'm determined to learn each of the 5 ten minute workout/dance routines if it takes me forever.  The very hardest thing for me whether it's a video or a class situation is interpretting left and right.  The instructor is speaking left or right, but of course, she is facing those she is speaking to so her moves are visually opposite their left or right.  When I'm trying to concentrate on feet that are going back and forth and hopping I just can't make a quick translation between what I hear and what I see. Get what I'm saying? I'm sure that if I watch enough times I'll quit needing to watch so closely and can just have fun with all those really cool moves.  Or I could just do everything in the same direction she is doing it and not listen to what she is saying, which is ok when I'm home alone but very embarrassing in a class full of people who aren't expecting a contact sport.
 

whole brood of hungry ducks
 await our arrival

Dennis and I  have been walking lately.  We needed to make some changes in the direction of not being so tired all the time.  Dennis has a sedentary job and at home it's not much different except for the walk out to the squirrel tree a couple times a day.  I would like to convince him that the couch is our enemy.  So we walk down the road to Plantation Grove where the streets are quiet and do a couple rounds.  It's not very strenuous, especially when we sit and feed the ducks for ten minutes, but it's a nice wind down for our day.  Last night I took a bag and we filled it with trash from the roadside which slowed us down even more, but we won't have to do that every time.


I want this plant.  I take pictures of people's yards
( and hope not to get arrested. )

I dug out my pedometers and bought new batteries for them.  Our nightly walk is about 4,000 steps.  I think it's 10,000 steps daily that are recommended for fitness so we're a little short.  But are you convinced that we are giving healthy exercise a try?  Hold us accountable every now and then!

Get On the Train

doing the nines

Seeing spots before your eyes?  I do not know why Mexico gets the credit for this game because I actually did ride on a train to Mexico City back in the 70's and it was nothing like our game night (except for the somewhat annoying sound when you press the center of the above contraption - wooo wooo, chuga chuga chuga x forever). But we like this game because everyone can play it, from the person just learning to count, to the person who's forgetting how or can't see the dots, or can't keep track of who's turn it is or when their train should go up or which trains they can play on. And in the picture below you will see at least one of each of these kinds of players. I'm not in the picture of course but I was playing, even though I'm not really a game sort of person as a rule.  The winning duo is on the left. I'm thinking they won because there were two of them, maybe an unfair advantage?  However, no one should ever have to feel bad losing a round of Mexican Train because so much depends on the luck of the draw.  There is some skill and strategy which can be brought into play but we keep our dominoes to ourselves so noone ever knows if we are being skillful or not - what a good idea!

So why do we play if there's no skill involved? Mostly because it gives us a chance to sit down and be with people we love and do a good bit of laughing at/with them.  An excuse for togetherness, if you will.  Oh and there's the nibbling on snacks and the beverages.  But be sure to watch your more elderly players - the little train engines do look a lot like gummy bears and we don't want them to get eaten by mistake... 



Everything goes better with Coke - but not necessarily when playing Mexican Train



You Know You're OLD When...

- you routinely leave a heating pad plugged in and under your pillow when you make the bed.

- people under thirty start calling you "honey" at the bank

- you can't remember how many barbecue grills you've had and thrown away

- your shoes are so old they crack, fall apart and leave a trail of rubber chips

Confession

The truth is, I don't really remember lines from movies the way I sometimes pretend to do. I remember one quote from "Star Wars", "the Force be with you", or at least I think that was said there. I remember several things I loved from "Princess Bride" but I can't quote them exactly, something about a peanut, and something about the RUS's. I remember the shrubbery in "Monte Python's Holy Grail" and the blood spurting hand (which I've tried to forget and can't). "UHF" is responsible for my love of enterociters (spelling?).  Lastly, I remember laughing till my sides hurt during "Three Amigos" but I've watched it since and couldn't quite relive the experience. I sort of remember being sick and having a fever while watching it the first time and that may have accounted for it seeming so funny. That's it. That's all.

I do enjoy a good movie and can get caught up in a thought provoking plot, if it's not too weird and unbelievable and if the characters are compelling and I do have an emotional memory of how I was affected by most movies. I rarely choose to watch a movie a second time (exception - Princess Bride). I guess I just don't want to clog my neuron pathways with most movie content when I have trouble remembering my own life that I'm actually living. And then there's the actors ... I put them in the same boat with sports figures. They simply get paid too much for what they do, even when they do it well. If they're a high salaried actor it should be part of their job to go feed starving people in Africa with a lot of their money. It's ridiculous, and no wonder so many of them end up getting disillusioned with life in general. That being said, you must be aware that this is an opinion and you are entitled to feel differently. 

Significance of the Ordinary

All week I've been looking about for something significant to write, but I've actually been too busy thinking and reading to put something together.  It's times like this that I need to drum up some resolve to make myself write. That's what people who are real writers do - they just make themselves write. When does something ever grab you by the neck and scream "I'm significant! Write about me!"?  Almost never.

There were some different events this week that kept me on my toes (why do people say that?). For one, my work schedule was unusual. Normally I work 4 day shifts of 5-6 hours each for a total of 20 -24 hours.  This week I worked Monday day shift, Monday night shift, Thursday day shift and Thursday night shift for a total of 30 hours.  I don't like working nights but there were some good things about it this week, namely being able to go home at 7 am instead of staying to do a double.  Both days, Tuesday and Friday, I was able to go home, get a nap and carry on fairly well after my short night sleeps. It was like getting a bonus day off.  When working nights, there might or might not be a chance to sleep - it's hard to predict how things will go - but, if it does get boring I don't have to fight to stay awake.  Sleeping is allowed if possible.

Today after breakfast I crawled in bed (it felt so good) and slept until Dennis turned off the TV and went to work. The quiet woke me up. I started thinking about my newest project in the oneacrewoods and got a sudden burst of energy which made it impossible to go back to sleep. It's remarkable how being motivated can banish sluggishness.

Yesterday I followed up on a sale bulletin and bought some blackberry plants, thorn less ones.  We'd been discussing where to put them, but when you only have one or two sunny spots you pretty much know where they have to go.  They also need support so the fence was the logical location. However the fence was already inhabited by two large bougainvillea bushes which had been there for a loooong time. They were given to me by a good friend when we first moved to Florida and I had nursed them through several bad seasons. In a way I had bonded with the thorny rascals.  Upon deeper consideration, I realized that they had been growing on the fence for at least 10 years and had never turned red and flowery like they're supposed to. They grow branches 7 or 8 feet long in as little as a month and have barbs up to an inch long which are horribly sharp.  Every time I trimmed then or mowed around them I came away bleeding.  All in all, what about these plants would I miss? I spent all morning cutting, sawing and chopping them out of the ground and off the fence.  I was going to take a picture of the blood streaming down my forearm, for the blog, but one thing led to another and I didn't. Tomorrow, if it doesn't rain all day, the blackberry plants are going in. I will take a picture.

Many things this week were just nice and ordinary. However I find significance in that - that ordinary is enjoyable, even comforting.  I am blessed with a home I love, a job I enjoy, many meaningful things to do and interesting people to do them with. All for now because I'm saving some things for tomorrow when I make myself write again.

A perfectly good, green Saturday morning

A good cup of coffee, a quiet house, over an hour of reading and reflection with an awareness of sharing it with God, a good (mentally stimulating) two hour breakfast and walk with a special girlfriend, a leisurely finish on the lawnmower touring the oneacrewoods.  If nothing else goes right from here on out, it will still have been a great day. 

One full day of rain on the oneacrewoods has made it this luminescent shade of green - the color that is responsible for making green my favorite color.  Our oak trees make this spacious canopy over the center of our back yard that is like a huge room with sunlight dapples all over the floor.  To go back and forth, viewing it from all angles, seeing it's freshly cut path behind me with all it's glowing green-ness is like getting recharged and refreshed for me.  And since everything was still damp there was no dust! I'm still flesh colored and recognizable.  Today I'll have to find some other way to get dirty.