The colors of my world

I love my winter home. I've had several people ask me why I adore Buttonwood Bay so much. Just a few weeks ago someone was looking at the place next to ours that was for sale. "What do you do with all these old people?" she asked. I pondered just a moment. I asked if she knew what I was doing just before I came out to talk to her. "No", she replied. "I was trying to nap in my chair as these old people will run your ass ragged!" I told her. "What EXACTLY do you do?" she again queried. "Well, I play cards 4 nights and 1 afternoon a week. I play Mah Jongg Wednesday & Friday afternoon. I go to coffee hour Monday morning. I go to floor exercises M-F. There's bocce, bowling, biking, shuffleboard, and golf. There are book clubs, computer clubs, and a theater group. We have tai chi, water aerobics, and a gym. We've got 2 gorgeous swimming pools that I love to be in and around. We go to pool parties and dances and community dinners. I've got wonderful, excellent, awesome friends here. I love driving past a friends house and having them yell out the window and stopping for an impromptu visit. It's fun to pop over for a glass of wine and a game of dominoes in the evening. The camaraderie, the weather, the activities. It's a whole package for me here and I love every single bit.

My absolute, positive, very favorite part of each day is my golf cart ride. Either Ian or Den will chauffeur me around the park and onto our nature trail and then onto our cart path that runs next to the canal. We go up and down the streets with the sun on my face and the breeze in my hair. I haven't a care in the world. We chat sometimes. Sometimes the only sound we hear is the sound of nature. It's peaceful. It recharges me for the multitude of activities to come. I love all the colors and scents of my world. Nothing is as calming as a palm tree swaying in the breeze against an azure sky dotted with a few puffy white clouds.

Welcome to my world.

Cooking for one

Yesterday was a lazy day. It was quite hot here and I just didn't fancy doing much of anything. I had a rest in the chair, I visited friends, I read, I just enjoyed my day really.

Let me reiterate, it was hot. It rolled around to late afternoon and I could feel the little teeth of hunger begin to gnaw my tummy. I'd planned pork loin Parmesan for dinner with homemade pasta sauce. Ian and I were sitting outside on our new concrete patio barely moving. Den was inside sleeping as he works midnights. Even Pixie was just laying listless on the living room floor. A few ambitious people rode past on their bicycles. It took a lot of effort just to wave. One couple said we looked comfy. I replied that we were waiting for someone to stop by and offer to cook us dinner. The lady quipped back 'let us know when they arrive'. We waited. Nobody wearing a chef hat, carrying a case of sharp knives showed up on our doorstep. I tossed around the idea of going out for dinner. I have $3 to last until next Friday so that put quite a crimp in the going out idea. I finally realized that heat or no, I must move. Nobody was going to fix my supper for me. I've had a good 5 day run of being OP (on program for you non Weight Watcher people), and I didn't want to ruin that. Into the kitchen I went.

Man it was hot in there. I stood for a minute or two and then thought I could make this difficult, or I could make this pleasurable. I got out my ingredients and put a classical music station on and began to chop and dice. I snipped fresh basil and parsley from my herb garden. I washed fresh baby spinach. I chopped onions, garlic, and mushrooms. I realized I was really enjoying myself! I took my aggression out by pounding the lean pork loin chops to the thickness I required. I put the sauce together and left it to simmer while preparing the pork for the oven. Popped the pig into the proverbial poke, (OK so it was t'oven but poke gave better alliteration), and got a spoon to take a taste of my sauce. Oh my it was wonderful! I put the whole wheat pasta on to boil and took the pork out to let it rest. The meal was coming together nicely.

If it was hot in there before, it was really scorching now with both the stove top and the oven going. I decided I'd really love a glass of wine with my dinner. I'd put effort into this meal all for myself. I realized that it felt good to do something so nice just for me. Den was of course going to take some to work, but he'd take anything. No, this was a selfish endeavor and I so enjoyed it. I got the bottle of wine out and found I'd left my wine opener back in MI! I called my friend Mary, no answer. I called my friend Marty, no answer. I thought a minute, grabbed the bottle of wine and started going door to door! The neighbors opened my bottle for me AND gave me a recipe for a tasty sounding chicken pot pie. I love the place we live in!!!!

I came back home, measured out my wine. Yes, I really did. I told you I have been perfectly OP and I wasn't going to ruin it. Turns out that 1&1/4 cups of wine is equal to 4 Weight Watcher points. I had 8 left for the day so I was golden there. I carried my plate and my glass of vino to the lanai. It was lovely and cool out there. Windows open, fan on, just perfect. I lit a candle and relaxed and enjoyed every morsel of my dinner. Ian started his stir fry after I vacated the kitchen and he joined me on the lanai just as I was finishing up. I sipped my wine while he ate his dinner. What an enjoyable evening. I shall do it more often.

We, I think, tend to do things more for others and not ourselves. I learned last night that it's good to be selfish now and then. I felt so special eating that meal. I'd put a lot of time and effort into the meal. I did it just for me. Nobody else. I praised myself highly, and that is praise indeed.

Tonight I'm thinking tiny meatballs with fresh herbs in some of the left over sauce. A crisp, green salad, and of course, another glass of wine. The bottle IS open after all.

Why do you want to live with a bunch of old people?

That's a question my girlfriend Sherry has asked me. I got it again just yesterday. The place next to ours is for sale and there was a couple looking at it. Of course, being the neighborly type, I said hello. The woman was worried about living here with a bunch of old people. This couple won't retire for 2 years yet. She looked at me and said 'You look young' (thank you very much) 'what do you DO with these old people?'. I looked at her and wondered where to begin. I started by asking her if she knew what I was doing before I went over to say hi to them. She, of course didn't. I was resting in the chair I told her. These old people will run your ass ragged!

Today I went to floor exercises at 9AM. I assumed, (yes I know) that it would be a bunch of oldies sitting in chairs waving their feeble arms about. 'I can do that' I thought. I walked in and there were toning bands sitting on the table. The lady pointed at 3 in the back that were old and told me I might want to use those...they're stretchier and easier to use. Hrumph, I'm the youngest one here I thought, I need the new, tight ones! I compromised by taking the medium stretch ones. We all went to the middle of the room and waited for our leader to start us. All of a sudden on the big screen TV Richard Simmons started to yell at us. We'd start with a warm up I was told. Oh sure, no problem. Finished that and I was praying it was nap time! Oh no, that was not to be. Now we're going to tone our legs. We stepped on the band and pulled the stretchy thing taut. Watching the screen, trying not to fall on my ass, my thighs were screaming 'STOP YOU STUPID BITCH THIS HURTS!!!' Just when I thought I couldn't do more, I found we were now going to start toning our backs. Good Lord the contortions I put myself into. I was lucky to not black my eye with the toning bands. Who needs a toned back anyway???? We went from there to toning our arms and other body parts. I thought I was going to die. My arms and legs felt like Jell-O. It was finally time to cool down. That part was even hard! I just wanted to crawl home and take a hot shower. Knees hurt, arms hurt, even my eyelids hurt. I'm getting ready to leave and one lady says 'Ohhhh don't leave now! Grab your suit it's time for pool exercises!'. Holy shit Batman I don't think so!

So, what do you DO with the oldies? You do what you can to keep up and take lots of naps!

Where the hell did I put my Aleve????

Tag you're it

God I've not heard those words since grade school!

I was tagged. Do I need medicine? A shot? No, I just need to do the following:

And here are the rules:
1. Link to your tagger and list these rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself - some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.

I've got a problem, I don't have 7 people to tag. I can do number 1 though. Katherine who draws really great pictures and takes some gorgeous snapshots, writes a blog I like to read. She did this to me.

As for number 3, she suggested I tag Silverback, but since he's sitting right here next to me, I'm not sure I dare. Shhhhhhhh Silverback, tag you're it! She also suggested I tag someone new. I'm not sure that's fair, but what the heck. All is fair in love and meme's eh? So, suga-lemon, it's all Katherine's fault! I know that's only 2, but it's the best I can do.

Number 2. Seven facts about myself, some random, some weird. Hmmmmm

1. My second toe is much, much longer than my big toe. It wears holes through all my socks and makes shoe buying difficult.

2. I have tinnitus. I used to think it would be the worst thing in the world to deal with. Constant ringing in the ears, what could be worse? It's very, very loud. If it let it, it could control my life. I have to sleep with a fan next to my bed to drown out the ringing or I just can't sleep. Right now as it's quiet in here, it's very loud. I have to make a conscious effort to make myself hear something else. I have to take my mind off it, away from it or it would drive me berserk. Someone told me that I just couldn't do that. Well, you can do anything if you set your mind to it. I just figure God gave me this instead of something else He knew I really couldn't handle.

3. I have a ganglion cyst on the top of my hand just below my wrist. Ian and I call it my tumor. It's ugly and I feel deformed looking at it. People keep telling me to whack it with a book. I just won't do that but I'd sure like it gone.

4. I could do somersaults at 368 pounds.

5. I have 3 tattoo's and plan on getting a 4th this winter. A pixie on my right inside ankle. She'll be done in pinks and purples. I'm thinking a diaphanous gown and gauzy wings.

6. Crisp bacon is my favorite food.

7. I have a plan to reform welfare and control illegal immigrants. The powers that be don't ask my opinion. I'm pretty sure they'd never let me shoot anyone anyway.

There ya go. C'est moi.