Moving On

These last days were moving days and Theresa and I were busy trying to keep up with the action.We were fortunate to divest ourselves from all the stuff we collected over the last ten years. We thought it would be sad to close the door on such a wonderful place but another door opened at the same time.

Our fond memories will be in our minds eye forever and the friends we shared time and events with have enriched our lives. As we watched the men carry out Theresa's beautiful mint green leather couches she did react by establishing her right to new ones when we furnish our new home. This evening as we prepared supper compliments of our real estate agent we realized that things are just that - things.Memories are real.

Our van is overweight , more than full and groaning under the strain of all the goodies we have decided to take home. You could not even attempt to stuff another golf ball in that van. We will travel home more slowly this year savoring the sights along the way . We may not pass by this way for some time so we will take advantage of this opportunity to fill up our minds with pictures we have seen many times but not like this.

The weather is getting very hot, like nineties and it is time to return to home and family so here we come filled with great hopes of a wonderful summer.

Anniversary

Anniversaries are days set aside to celebrate or mark events both personal and historic. Wedding anniversaries are special as they call upon us to recognize and celebrate another year of sharing your life with your partner.Theresa and I are celebrating our special day with a very busy schedule. We plan to make all the simple things special as we prepare to return to Oakville.

Celebrating this anniversary is like sitting in your car. If you want to look back you have to use the small rearview mirror to see a limited view of the past but if you want to see the future you look out the large , clear windshield and you have unlimited vision to plan the future. The past is important and remembering the happy and sad events of the past year help us to view the future.

We have always planned our life ahead but the best plans can be changed by events which impact you. The past years of our life have been filled with adventure and excitement We have lived a full and happy marriage  blessed by sharing our time with family and friends. Looking ahead we plan to continue travelling to exciting places but sharing more time with our family  at home.

We try to be good role models for our children and grand children and live a healthy life. This past year we became more aware of our need to keep active so we used much of our day in physical activities. Golf,swimming, bicycling and many hours at the fitness center became our routine and we plan to continue this.

Marriage anniversaries are a personal thing and Theresa and I plan a quiet day where we communicate and mull over the life we live and the future we face.

I love my wife and life and look forward to many more years of celebrating both.

Furniture Sale And Gratitude

Theresa and I decided to divest ourselves of the household furniture in a way which would be easiest and fair. We decided to give away many of our items to neighbors and friends. Things like bicycles , generator and dishes were quickly given and we then advertised the big items.

Furniture ,the car and expensive items were of interest to many people and we met many very nice and interesting people in the process. We never asked enough for the items so they would be sold quickly but not one person asked us to lower the price. We decided if any items would be unsold they would go to the home for battered women or the Salvation Army.

We could not suffer the yard sale where everyone asks for less than offered so be took many van loads away to avoid the problem. We feel real good with our decision as every time we take a load to these places we get the advantage of the joy of giving.

Theresa and I have had ten years here and the price for this gift was partially paid with the manner in which we were able to leave. Wonderful days and evenings around our pool and weather that made us shine every day. Being grateful is a gift that some have and those that have it are enriched in so many ways. Theresa and I are grateful for our years here.

Home Inspections

When a home is about to be sold the buyer should have a qualified inspector to go over the home in a proper way to guarantee there are no surprises . If the buyer is in need of a mortgage then the lender, usually a bank will send out its own inspector to guarantee that the property will support the money needed by a buyer. One would think that this should be a fair and equal event.

During the last few days I sold a home and the buyer is getting a mortgage . The buyers inspector was very careful to attend to all the details. He charged the young man $250 for the job and another $100 because there was a pool. Everything was perfect except for a small ten year old water mark in the bathroom. Actually we never noticed the mark. The inspector demanded that a roof inspector check to see if there was a problem. $350 later he saw a one half inch cut in the lead pipe surrounding the bathroom stack. He would not permit a correction,a band aid would do but he asked for the removal of the stack and a repair using two bundles of shingles.

A contractor was summoned and at a cost of $360 the work will be completed. Such a pile of #@^%*&+ garbage. Interesting enough the sales person and the inspector are brother and sister in laws. I am sure the contractor fits in there somewhere. My costs are small but the system smells so badly that abuses will occur on a regular basis. In this case it is better to be quiet and go away quietly because you are living in their house.

It is frustrating to see nonsense but until all the dots and marks are completed I will stay quiet then I will be able to make a noise and that we will do. We will be happy to go home and deal with our real estate woes Canadian style.

Some Times You Are Lucky

We went Grouper fishing yesterday 65 miles out into the Gulf of Mexico. The weather forecast was for 2 foot waves and wind at 5 to 10 mph. We began our adventure with calm water in the sound but as we entered the gulf  the north east winds made our trip very rough. Waves of five and six feet soon caused some of us to get very seasick.

We headed out to water that was fifty feet deep to catch bait fish which were plentiful and half a pound in weight. Fifty bait fish were caught with difficulty as the boat rocked and rolled.. We decided to go out to 130 feet and 65 miles from home in spite of the water being in a rough condition.

Three hours later we arrived at our location and began to drift fish. I was fortunate to hook a grouper in the first minute and it proved to be the largest for the day. A 30 inch,14 pound beauty. Right there my day was made. The boat was so rocky that it made fishing almost impossible . After several hours and three legal fish we decided to go home.We caught sharks and smaller grouper along with several varieties of fish but overall it was not a good day for us when it came to keepers.

Going home against the north east wind was very difficult and it took four hours to get home. I was a little sad that this would be my last day deep sea fishing for a while.There is never a bad days fishing as true fishermen can accept the fact that some days there are poor catches. I believe that the presence of the sharks scared of the Groupers off.

As we divided our catch there was enough for every one to have a grouper meal. Theresa and I are going to share ours with good friends tonight. I will have the memories shared with my friend Carl who invited me on so many great trips on the gulf and taught me the the secrets about catching this delicious white fish.

Last Game With the Golf Friends

I have been playing golf with my friends for nine years and today was the last for some time to come.We are a mix of people from all across America and we share few political views but share a bond when it comes to golf. There are so many common social issues and things that we agree on it is always a pleasure to get together every Tuesday.

Carl, Ron and Len are all better golfers than I but they put up with my play because scoring and winning is not the object of our group. We laugh about errand drives and missed putts and cheer for the good shots we make on occasion.

Golf is like that, the games forces people to socialize and respect the game. Golf is an honorable game and scores are accepted and recorded on each players word. Senior moments are accepted and kind help when forgetting your exact  score is routine.

I shall miss this Tuesday and the wonderful moments I experienced during the past years. I was rather sad today when we said our best wishes for the future and I really feel a loss already.

Tomorrow one of my golfing buddies is taking me out deep sea fishing for a final Grouper feast. Carl is a gentleman who loves to fish and share the joy with his friends. For two days I shall have to say goodbye to two of my favorite pastimes , golf and now fishing.

The reward for these losses is the returning to my family and friends back home. In the next few days Theresa and I will drive the 2282 kms back to Oakville and a return to our life among family. In retrospect that is not a bad trade off

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Big Problem

Theresa and I are faced with a huge problem. We have a large van which under normal circumstances   is capable of holding all the belongings that have to be moved from Florida to Ontario. This year we have to take all of our treasures in one load. That means that ten years of gathering things has to be compressed into the volume of the van. By a conservative  guess we now have about three times the things for the space. Fishing gear, golf equipment and tools are my priority but Theresa places shoes, shorts,tops and bottoms as her choices.

We are laying everything out and will have to decide which items make the final cut. Forced house cleaning  will be a blessing in the long run but oh how painful to see that extra sand wedge leaving the favorite list by losing out to a pair of peddle pushers.

I added 6 pounds of air to the vans tires to withstand the extra hundreds of pounds of baggage we will be carrying.I will have to shine the side mirrors up as there will be no using the main mirror as the van will be filled to the roof. We might have to tie the dozen fishing poles to the roof racks if they are going to make it to the border.

It was a real adventure opening up some of the boxes only to discover items that went missing 8 years ago.Well I must get going before Theresa has used up all the available space with her women stuff. Life is an adventure and packing a van for home can rate right up there with the best.

Mocking Birds 1--- Henry 0

We have two pair of Mocking Birds in on our property. These beautiful, noisy birds are very territorial and fight every time a bird crosses that imaginary line which marks their property line.Yesterday I decided to look in the nest from which I heard peeping.

I carefully looked around to make sure the owners of the nest were busy somewhere else before approaching for a look. I reached up to grasp the branch holding the nest when I felt a sharp crack to my head. The angry owners were not pleased with my curiosity and attacked me with force.

I did see that four little birds were sleeping  before the attack but must have awakened by the turmoil created with the attack. I covered my eyes to avoid injury and backed away. The birds were still on the attack until I reached the safety of the garage. They proceeded to stand guard for some time all the while giving everyone in the neighborhood the word that they put the run on Henry and a warning to any other force who wished to get the same treatment if they invaded their space. Birds 1---Henry 0.

Soaring Eagles

The last few weeks we have been interested in the progress of our family of Eagles. Today we were driving around in our neighborhood and there was the family enjoying high flight. Mom and pop were smooth and professional as they had twenty years of experience and there was junior.

Black in color and looking tattered and rumpled from near misses on his landings but brave and proud just to be an eagle. The inexperience showed when the gusts of wind gave him a problem but he managed. As we watched we saw the family regroup and all in a beautiful ascending motion quickly left our view. We could hardly see them as several thousand feet in the blue sky they performed their marvelous dance in the thermos.

The wood storks, buzzards and hawks seem to fill the sky these days and it is a real treat to see the natural beauty of the soaring birds.While I was golfing this morning I was treated to a flock egrets and ibis having their turn to entertain the golfers who for the most part completely oblivious to nature and its wonders.

I get in some trouble  pointing out the various birds and animals which abound on our course. We even have a panther which crosses the eighth hole on a regular basis. Perhaps the time I share with nature is the reason my handicap is higher than it should be. It feel it is a small price to pay to be one with the great force of nature.

Thinking About Ontario

When April comes along I begin to think about Ontario and my trees and gardens. I was talking to my friend Doug the other day and he said he was getting his spray for his trees ready and I realized it was time for me as well. Being late three weeks can be really bad as this spray will kill the crawling bugs who want to get up the flowering trees and have a feast.

Actually this spray will protect your trees from insects which will embed themselves in the fruit at an early stage of development. Looking after trees is a specialty that one has to learn about to be successful. I relied on two of my friends over the years, John and Doug. I cannot say with any authority that are specialists but compared to me they are OK.

At this time of the year the flowers which were planted  or were yearly begin to sprout and new life unfolds. The last few years I was late arriving home so I missed the mystery of life after winter. My tulips and daffodils  were over their best when I get home in May.

The garlic which I planted at Xmas will be a foot high and the strawberries will stand tall and begin to flower. I miss this early part of spring as I see the magic of nature. I try to make up for this and devote my time to make any of my short falls seem unimportant.

In any case I miss Ontario in the spring as it is the most dramatic agricultural area in North America.

Neighbours Come Calling

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Our neighbours and we share corner lots  and over the years we planted greenery to offer some privacy from the road and each other. Little did we realize that the plants we chose would offer both of us a most private homestead. We hear each other performing the daily tasks of maintaining our lawns, pools and other routine matters but rarely see each other.

Last evening all that changed as we shared the whole evening with dinner, drinks and stories. Our neighbors are a most interesting couple , coming from Cuba the hard way and settling in Florida to make a new and free life for themselves and their son.

After a nice supper and dessert we settled down for many hours of conversation. The topics always come to politics and Cuba. Theresa and I have been treated to a history of the country and became more knowledgeable  of the complex problems facing the people who live there under a dictatorship  Our conversation turned to raising children and religion and late into the evening we solved all the problems of the world.

It is so rewarding to meet people who have a rich understanding of what it is like to seek freedom from a dictatorship  and how they value the simple things that come with the free life here in the USA Friends for eight years here and plans for a Canadian visit in the future guarantees a close bond for years to come. The other side of the coin is that when Cuba is once again free Theresa and I will travel around their Island homeland with Gus and Yvette.Something to look forward to.

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Golf,Banquet and Dancing.

During the past eight years I have been golfing with the same partners. We are the ones that insist on tee times which correspond to the time the sun rises.The latest we started our game was last week when there was heavy fog on the course. The fog made it impossible to see down the fairway but it did not seem to matter as we managed the first three holes with the same scores we would have had were there clear skies.

All the rest of our 75 member group begin at 11 o'clock just as we are finishing. We early birds number eight and there seems to be some advantage in playing early. Firstly the temperature is cool so we don't have to suffer the high eighties by noon. The one problem is the grass is always wet so we do not have the advantage og the long rolls of the dry fairways.

We are more than golfers as we have become quite good friends. From this association I met a fisherman who loves to deep sea fish and I have been a member of his party every time he goes out.This the golfers had their rewards night and our wives came along to the banquet and dance. It seemed strange to see the golfers all dressed up instead of in their golf clothes and leg braces and arm bandages and all sorts of equipment to aid the old fellows to keep them mobile and able to enjoy the game.

Our group comprises a banker,a manufacturing plant owner, a fireman and an educator. A varied group for sure and interesting discussions come from different perspectives. On this social night with the ladies we never talked our usual topics but just enjoyed the company and the opportunity to share an evening together. Golf can lead to dancing after all.

Violent Weather

Southern and central America is subject to violent weather during the spring and summer months. Here in Florida we were basking in 85 degree weather when a cold front moved in two days ago. The skies darkened and billowing clouds filled the air. The weather men warned of inpending danger and put all of southern Florida under a tornado watch.

The rain came in great amounts and the wind blew to strengths just below hurricane force. Our pool began to fill and ditches filled with water in a matter of a few minutes. Mother nature knew what she was doing as a 20,000 acre fire was burning out of control in the everglades.

This everglade fire situation is a necessity and every few years the burning provides nourishment for the saw grass. This fire was out of control so the rain aided the firefighters. Because the lower half of Florida was experiencing a drought  phase the water from the storm filled the lakes, rivers and canals.

The lightning and thunder shows the power of weather and for we here in Cape Coral there was a light show for over 24 hours..There is a unique connection between weather and the environment and here it is so critical to the health of the everglades. The balance of fresh water and salt water is also an issue so man tries to make sure that everything is kept in order. I believe if man did not cause the problem in the first place we would not have to allocate huge amounts of our resources to corect the problems we caused .

Nature needs a little help sometimes but if left alone to its own resources all would be fine.

Harvest Time

 Here in Florida it is time for we Snowbirds who plant gardens to clean things up. This year we had a exceptional year with three plantings of green beans and we still have some in the fridge.Our tomatoes were slow at the start but are still producing and I think I will pull out the old plants days before we come home. Carrots are our best and most prolific. This year I did not even thin them out. I just pull out a handful and there they are. It seems we eat them every day .

I prefer carrots and beans raw and I am sure that they are better for you that way. Since I planted a pot garden, not to be confused with a " POT Garden" we had really good results. That would be the way to go if you owned a condo or had limited space.

When we go home in a month I will be confused as we plan to make a change in our life. I  usually clean out the van and plant my garden. I already planted the garlic at Xmas and the rhubarb will be up and with all the fruit trees in bloom and there I will be. I will make sure that everything is just right for the new owner and hope they will have a clear understanding that gardening is a way of life that leads to joy at being one with the natural order of things.

Perhaps the closing out of our home here in Florida is a dress rehearsal for our task at home. We have already taken many trips to the Salvation Army and plan many more. We could not bear to have a yard sale and have people buying our treasures at low prices only to have them saying,would you take $.25 for that pot. I would go bananas. We decided to give everything that is worth anything away to people who need and appreciate it.

All these changes have a reward in as far as our Mother In Law who is 95 will be coming home to stay with us again. She will will add much to our quality of life and we will not have to worry if she is getting the proper and necessary care she deserves.

There seems to be a circle effect here and I seem to think this move will complete it for Theresa and Doris.