Golf Theresa's Style

Sunday and a free afternoon with 85 degree temperature and golf at a nearly free price. Our municipal golf course was having a special with golf for two with a cart for forty dollars. That is over half price and after I asked Theresa to get moving and have some fun she agreed. Theresa has not played so far since we came to Florida and I felt it was time. We got a tee time for 1.12 and we were off. We became a twosome & with no one to push us we could have a good time . Theresa was off to a start that would not be good if we had partners, but she improved with every swing.

The only problem with the game was that Theresa saw every bird and animal that crossed our path. After a few holes I became a little concerned and asked her to play golf and leave the flora and animals to another time.. Eagles flew over as I tried to drive the fourth hole and Theresa yelled for me to look, as my ball rolled into the small lake to my left.

She was sorry but right after that she saw a raccoon running to a tree near us and as she gathered her camera I reminded her that there was a couple following who wanted us to keep up.

Theresa took the picture and I became a little frustrated but understood that golf for Theresa was a nature hike. We played for 15 holes and I suggested it was too hot and I was ready to go home. She agreed and we drove down the last fare ways with a happy Theresa with camera in hand taking pics of squirrels, birds and any form of life that moved.

That is golf , Theresa style and I might as well get used to it because it will not change. I only pray that her style will not be played when we have partners who are serious golf players.

Cooling Off

Our weather person has been reading the temperatures every night and there has hardly been a time when record has not been mentioned. For some reason our temperatures have been 5 to 8 degrees above normal. For we who are from up north it is uncomfortable as we are not used to 95 degree weather feeling like 100+. We never complain as we have seen full sun since we arrived and that's why we call this paradise. However our weather person predicts a cold front coming our way and that will mean temperatures in the mid eighties.

For growing the heat is wonderful and our garden had tripled in size in 8 days. Keeping up to the grass cutting and tree trimming is friendly work and a dream come true for those of us who love gardening. At the market today all the fruits and vegetables were prime and talking to the vendors they are very happy with the their gardens. It has been some time since our last hurricane but the frost last year whiped out the tomato and strawberry crop for some with great financial loss.

With all this heat coming our way we never needed to heat the pool but there was no financial gain as we have had our air conditioner on every day. Again no complaints as we swim every day. Locals close up their pool about now and think we are foolish to swim in the wintertime. All the stores a getting ready for Xmas but Halloween comes first and it is a big deal here. Stores devote large sections of their retail space for this day. The economic impact is quite large and the amount of candy sold staggers our imagination. The dentists association are buying candy from the kids and donating it to the armed forces and food banks.

Finally we see the winter clothes filling up the racks in stores and extra warm clothes are sold. We from the north think it strange that you could be cold in this climate. The outside workers pile on the clothes when the temperature goes below 70 degrees and the weather people warn people to bundle up because a cold front is coming and it is cooling off.

New Toy

As a person who loves to write there can be no greater happiness than to have a new tool to help make the task more enjoyable. Well...I finally have my new computer up and running. An HP all in one with a 20 inch flat screen and wireless everything. We have this new device as the result of a store unable to get our new computer going. After nearly two days of technician work our purchase frustrated us to the point where we were unable to look at it in a positive way. We insisted on a new one so the manager upgraded us and made us happy with this machine.

It is compact and neat with all the bells and whistles and we hope it will improve my spelling and syntax as I resume my writing.Things change so quickly that a device you buy today is out of date in a few years. In our short 10 years we have bought 4 computers and the difference from the first and our last purchase is day and night.

During the three days when I was out of commission I felt that something was missing and as I sit here today a certain joy has returned to my daily routine. Some of my friends who do not own a computer have a dozen reasons why they don't experience the joy of owning a using a computer. For older people I feel the internet opens up a whole universe and had a way of keeping you young and up to date. I could not imagine life without my computer and my new toy makes it all come true .

Frustration

I just returned home from JJGREGS store empty handed. Theresa and I decided to buy a new computer and went shopping. We were impressed with an all in one with a 22 inch screen and all the bells and whistle. Built in camera and many features we have not used before but wanted to try.

We had the technicians at the store complete all the installations and we just had to take it home and plug it in and enjoy. Well !!! We did all that and when we unpacked and plugged in we could not get hooked to the net. We did all the usual and finally phoned our Comcast people and after what seemed like a lifetime we hung up.

Not to be discouraged, we called the people who make the darn thing and after one hour and twenty minutes she suggested we phone the store. We did and after many attempts we decided to take it in next morning. As I left for the store at 10 am, I told Theresa I would get everything straightened out.

These people were nice and Nick the service man did his best. I finally had it and insisted on a new fresh computer. The manager agreed with reservations and I sat while they went through the whole start up thing again. The moment arrived and the teck guy with a smile on his face said that I could start it up.

His smile turned to a shocked look when the computer read, Internet will not open this page. It was 2 pm and I was fuming. Everyone knows that I have an abundance of patience but this moment was not one of them. They were going to make everything OK but not then. They needed it overnight when their chief tech would be there to correct the matter.

With glaring eyes I decided to go home and wait for the call. My words betrayed my real inner thoughts as I thanked the tech man for his help and looked forward to his call not later than 10 am. I left and drove home under control but barely. Three days to get a expensive computer to work... maybe I should take out my pencils and sharpener and do my writing. Am I frustrated? Yes but tomorrow when I get my new toy I will be happy.

Flashback 1944

I was watching a news clip from the CNN war zone and without trying my mind jumped backwards to 1944. This summer Theresa and I visited Cape Breton and my home town, and we stopped the car along the shores of Sydney Harbour. I got out and surveyed the landscape and the ruins of a once vital defence station during WWII. I was surprised to see the foundations of the naval guns still intact and the living quarters underground there where they were 66 years ago.

As a young child I remember clearly the naval gun placements along the shore line in Sydney Harbour, and along Lockman's beach in particular. During the war there was a huge net across the harbour entrance, opened and closed by two small tugboats to guard against enemy intrusions. One day I was on the beach with my Dad when one of the huge naval gun fired a shell out into the ocean; a practise round, but it scared me and shook the ground around us. Dad explained their need and said to be unafraid. That same day on the way home with a load of shore coal, we passed a bog where parachutes were dropped from a plane and soldiers were firing machine guns at these miniature chutes. We even got one and took it home.

That evening I talked to my Mom about the war and all the noise and war activity, and during our talk there was a blackout signalled by a siren. This took the war close to home and for years after I played in the old war facilities along our shore and wondered about war in general. Without a clear understanding of why there were wars, I began to formulate my feelings about aggression.

I was an aggressive young person, often engaged in fights and conflicts but never knew why. Years later I came to the conclusion that I was some of the problem, as I carried strong feelings about most things, and defended my beliefs with physical force on occasion. Perhaps my life was a microcosm of the world, and countries acted like people. As I was 8 years old at the time, that thought was good enough for then, but there were bigger issues and later in life I would explore them.

This problem we have with aggression in schools and in the world is of grave concern to me in my elder years. If only the UN could really take on the designed task and be the government of the world and solve those contentious issues before they become open conflict. I guess it is things that cannot be resolved like who owns the oil and diamonds and in the future, who owns the food and water.

Panic Attack

In a lifetime we all have times when an event will be so overwhelming that we panic..a panic attack. Yesterday was one of those days. Theresa and Doris were going shopping for a while and I thought it would be a good time to run several errants. I had to get supplies for the pool, a new outside tap for the hose, yellow beans for the garden and a gadget for the computer. Everything started off well until I went to the pool warehouse and realized I left my wallet at home.

I apologized to the lady who analyzed the water and told her I would be right back.I drove home quickly and returned to the store with wallet in hand. With a cart full of salt, chlorine, tabs and a hand full of recipes and advice I left the store and began to load the stuff. My keys were in a bad location so I put everything down and opened the van rear door. Since I have hid away seats I had to make some more changes to load my stuff but finally sat behind the wheel with all those papers and my wallet and tossed them on the empty seat.

I next drove to Lowe's for the tap and bean seeds an found a place right next to the store door. Luck was back with me. I got out and through force of habit I reached for my wallet. Not there !!!!. No problem I must have tossed it on the seat so I returned to the van and it was nowhere to be seen. I panicked and searched the compartment where I placed my supplies, the front seat, under the front seat and turned out my pockets. Now I was scared. In my wallet was everything I need to exist in a foreign country besides some cash.

With my panic escalating I reached back to a night some 14 years earlier when I was called to the hospital and had to remove my suit coat to put on a gown. After my visit I went to pick up my jacket and I knew my wallet was missing. At the time I had $2200 there to pay for carpeting the next day. It was gone along with numerous cards etc. At the time I felt empty and violated. This feeling was returned to my older and less capable brain and I was in a panic mode. I raced back to the store and hoped that my wallet was there but it was not. I searched the area and again no wallet.

I drove the 3 miles home and stored away the chlorine and supplies. I racked my brains to go over every step. I sat down and decided to start calling the bank and so on when I thought of Theresa returning home to news like this. I had a ice water and returned to the van to exactly replicate my actions. As I opened the rear door of the van I saw the place where I put the chlorine and remembered I had to flip it open to have a place for the supplies. I also had a hand full of papers and maybe my wallet.

I closed the space and with a hand full of papers I re-opened the space flipping the recipes on the empty seat. There through the corner of my eye was a corner of the lost wallet stuck in under the front seat. Just as I panicked when I lost the wallet I burst with joy on seeing that little black wallet with my life's history packed on to half a dozen plastic cards. This time I went into the house and instead of ice water I had a large rum and Pepsi. It tasted so good that I closed my eyes and when I opened them again the world looked beautiful, wonderful and a safe place for an old fellow who panicked over a little black wallet which was misplaced for fifteen minutes.

Home Again

Theresa and I had a perfect drive here with weather and traffic all in order. We managed the 17 hour drive the first day covering 1634 km and finishing the trip with 8 hours the second day and only having to go 910 kms. Our home was in good order but we had the first day work of getting the place livable. Taking off some shutters to bring in the light, trying to get the water to run as we have a well and septic and sweeping up the dust and dead bugs from our fumigating when we left. After a few hours we had the power and hot water working and the beds made so we decided to sit and enjoy the warm evening sunlight and welcome our return to paradise with a cool drink.

There was much more to do but with a little encouragement I sat and talked of the plans for the next few days. I wanted to put the garden on a high priority but was overruled and the shutters and vacuuming won out. It is exciting to make our move every 6 months but there are times when more stability and less change could be welcome. I look forward to buying a new computer and getting down to some serious writing in the weeks ahead. We both look forward to our daily bike rides to see our eagles and the swim afterwords. There is little down time here and we love. We are back home again.