Summer is upon us

It is only half way through May and it feels like July. We have had really hot weather for the past two weeks and very high humidity. The tomato plants love it as do the flowers and fruit trees. Summer breezes toss my hair as I water the flowers The yard is teeming with life birds are singing and building nests The key lime tree has become home for a pair of loving Cardinals The male bird gets seeds from the feeder and shares with his mate He stands guard and is ever watchful while she carefully builds a nest God is good and all is right with the world. That's how I feel today. We have so many family and friend visits upcoming. We have not seen some of our Georgia friends in several years so I am excited to be able to plan for them to stay at least 3 days. We bought a horseshoe set that we will put out back. We have bicycles and golf clubs, tents for the beach and food in the freezer. John just cleaned the grill and we are so ready. Herb and his girlfriend, Nancy, will be here on Monday for a round of golf and steaks on the grill. Pitcher of margaritas icing in the freezer while salad of fresh Florida veggies is being tossed and potatoes ready for baking. Yes indeed, we do live in paradise.

Catching Up

I was told by a very dear friend that I should start writing in my blog. I am going to start with some small thoughts that might be of interest to my friends and family. It has been raining for most of the day here and we never really gave it much thought and went over to Destin to see the new "Planet of the Apes" movie as it is Senior Citizen's Day and we can get in for $6 each. We were almost not able to even get in the parking lot it was so packed! Duh. The beaches are empty and every vacationer wants to go to the movies! We are to remind each other NOT to try to go over to the island if it's a rainy day! We have put the boat up for sale over at Legendary Marine in Ft. Walton Beach and needed to take the extra life preservers and other items that go with it, so we ventured over there instead of going to the movie. It was interesting to see that Big Kahuna's, the Putt putt golf courses, the go-cart rides and bumper cars were deserted, but the lines were around the block at Bubba Gump's! We have noticed that there are more vacationers this year than in the past 3 or 4, since we moved to the area. I think folks were fed up with the long and cold winter this year and are coming down here in droves! As we pulled into the Legendary parking lot, I noticed that there was a red Lotus parked by the door. I had to check it out up close as I don't think I have ever seen one up close. It is an awesome car. We sent in and our salesman was the only person in there. I asked him it it belonged to him and he told us that it did. I said "Business must be pretty good". He said that it wasn't that, it was the fact that all of his kids were grown and on their own. Yeah, right. We got back in the truck and John commented that having the kids out of the house would not allow him to buy a Lotus and that he must be doing pretty good in the boat business. He sold us our boat and he is going to make a nice profit selling it for us. Guy's got to make a living, right? I had a wonderful "catch-up" lunch with Kelsey yesterday at Tommy Bahamas, where Nancy and I had lunch a few years back. They REALLY think a lot of their food and drinks there. Yikes. But it was a special occasion and we had a very nice visit. She went over to Mobile to sleep over at Alex's last Monday and had lunch the next day with some of her buds in Fairhop eand didn't hear a peep out of Bert. We surmised that he must have a girlfriend as he has quit stalking her. She invited John and I for lunch at the Aegean (love it) on Friday after she picks Bart up at the airport. They are going up to Evergreen to see Daddy and Sandra after our lunch. She is in love with Bart and says that he is the "one". She deserves to be happy after the miserable time she was having at Bert's hand. We are going over to Tallahassee on the 25th to spend a couple of days with Nancy, Michael and Jim. We certainly have a lot of catching up to do as I have not laid eyes on her since they got back from Italy. We will be going up to Evergreen on August 7th to see Daddy and Sandra, spend the night and then I have a "Girls of EHS" luncheon the 8th. I have not seen the "girls" since our luncheon back in February of 2013. We just pick it up where we left off. It's wonderful to have reconnected with them, actually because of Facebook. It's a great way to get in touch and share pictures, recipes and the like. Our next adventure will be August 15th as we travel up to Griffin, Georgia to visit with Claire and Big Al and take them to dinner. Next morning we will meet Nancy Edmundson and her hubby Eric for brunch and will get caught up on all the Alston & Bird news. She actually works at the Carter Center now, but stays in touch with the old "crew". Sunday we will travel north to Demorest, Georgia to visit with Jimmy and Marie Dean our old friends from Forsyth. Then on to North Carolina to visit Linda Calhoun and Dana Smith, whose house is almost on the tip top of a mountain and the air is about 10 degrees cooler than it is at the base. I will welcome the cooler temps and enjoy sleeping with the windows open under a ceiling fan. Ahhhhhhh. Step-brother Darwin Nix is in Evergreen staying in Len Price's guest house and he and Len, along with brother, Richard Nix, are making a memorial painting for Mr. Sonny, who passed away recently. I don't know if he will still be there when we go up in August, but if so, we will be glad to visit with him as well as with Richard, Zebbie and Davis. Kelsey will be at Troy already, but I saw her on her birthday. She has become quite outgoing which surprised me. She always seemed to be so shy. Not any more! She definitely has her own opinion about everything. Our visit with Joe and Linda Nix last month was just wonderful they stayed with us for 2 nights and we really had a chance to get caught up with them and their boys and grandson. They visited with each sibling separately, except that Kelsey came over for dinner the first night they were here and then we met up at AJ's the following day. It is always good for the soul to be with family. Kitty will be coming to Evergreen for Thanksgiving again this year. We are all getting way too old to make that trip to Louisville. We have to change planes and it makes for an all day ordeal just to get there and back. The trip we made in the spring was a fact finding trip more than a social call, although we did have Kitty stay with us at the hotel one night and that's always fun. She loves to get the little bottles of shampoo and lotion! One of her caregivers will be driving her down to Montgomery where someone will pick her up and then take her back to Louisville after her visit. So there. I think I have caught up with everyone and will be writing something in here every day. I will attempt to write a poem or two and maybe a short story. Who knows where this will lead.

Gulf Oil Spill

I was asked by a dear friend to give my impressions of how the gulf oil spill has REALLY affected us here in Destin, Florida. To many of you that may not be familiar with Destin, I will explain first that it has not always been such a tourist mecca as is Panama City Beach and Pensacola Beach, but was originally a fishing village with the best deep sea fishing captains in the southeast, in my opinion and that of many others I am sure. There is little left of the original village but the flavor still remains. Our favorite spot to hang out and watch the boats come in Destin Harbor is AJ's which is a Destin favorite for watching the boat traffic and enjoying a cold beverage and listening to some very laid back rock n roll performed by local talent.

More Healthy Eating

Crab-Vegetable Soup
Ingredients:
2 frozen crab cakes (lump meat)
1 large red potato, in one inch dice
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup sliced carrots
½ cup frozen shelled edamame
½ cup frozen corn kernels
1 Tbsp. Salmon seasoning
½ tsp. powdered ginger
Dash salt and pepper
1 can diced tomatoes in juice
½ tsp. honey
1 Tbsp. Lemon juice
1 cup chicken broth
2 Tbsp. Cottonseed Oil

Sauté first six (6) ingredients in oil; add salmon seasoning, ginger salt and pepper, continue sautéing until crab cakes are thoroughly thawed and mixed with vegetables (use large skillet or wok)

Pour mixture into soup pot and add tomatoes in juice, honey and lemon. Stir until mixed. Add chicken broth. Bring back to a boil and then lower temperature and simmer for 5 – 10 minutes.

Serve with crusty whole grain bread.

Living Healthy

Breakfast Cereal

1 cup oat cereal (Cheerios or store brand)
1/2 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
Small dash of Truvia or Stevia powder
1 Tablespoon Flax Seed Meal
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients and heat in microwave for 2 minutes on high

Stir and ad 1/2 - 1 cup no sugar added soy milk (plain)

Enjoy a filling and healthy start to your day

Earthquake in Haiti

I was proud of my President as he moved swiftly and efficiently to help our neighbors in Haiti after the horrendous earthquake on January 12, 2010. I had expected the same from our President Bush after Katrina, but he was woefully late in coordinating rescue and assistance efforts. It was 3 days before he got up and acted. Again, I am proud of my President.

Life at the Beach

After our vacation in May, we decided to try living at the beach for a while, to see if we would like it. I know, you are thinking, what’s not to like? But as is sometimes the case, when you live in a place for a while, you take things for granted and the gulf may not be as transfixing as it is while on a short vacation and a walk in the sand not so inviting. We decided to move temporarily at the beginning of July, to see if we could tolerate the heat at this time of year. John’s partner on the State Patrol, David, and his winsome, lovely wife, Sandra, have rented us their condo on Panama City Beach with an understanding that we would try it for a year. We have a balcony overlooking the beach and gulf and one day is so different from the next. The tides change the sandbars; the sea life comes and goes, as do the sun worshipers. We have had scores of new neighbors and groups and each is unique.
The first group were the little league play-off teams. There is a walk-over Highway 98 from the parking garage and the main building and it was filled with static in the mornings as the teams and their parents left for their game. But in the afternoon, as we approached the walk-over, you could tell by the slumping shoulders and the dejected gait that these were the losers and the skipping and yelping and flushed faces were those of the winners.
When we realized that we didn’t have to rush to go swimming, or read on the beach or play golf, we got into a slow and laid back routine. As luck would have it, the fireworks display on the 4th of July was to be on the pier close to our building. We grilled and sat on our balcony and watched the show in comfort, without having to leave. We decided that night that this is where we want to be.