I'm BACK

Did you miss me? No? Well...

I returned from a great time in Florida on Monday the 18th, scooting through Atlanta and Dulles just in front (or was it behind, or between?) a bad storm system. If I had picked THIS weekend to go, I'd probably still be at an airport, somewhere.

I haven't flown since, um, 2004, when we flew to Vancouver to go on an Alaskan cruise. At any rate, not since all these "security" measures were put in place. It was surprising how difficult it was to find specific information on the TSA website about what you could carry on the plane. For instance, I wanted to know if prescription drugs needed to be in their original bottles? Because I keep mine in those one-day-at-a-time dispenser thingys. The answer is no, if you're wondering. I got all flusterpated when I left Ft. Myers in the wee hours, all the people in the security check-in line kept edging me ahead, and I didn't put my laptop in a separate bin, and I forgot to take my shoes off, and then I laid my boarding pass in the bin with my coat, and thus had to be "patted down" while in the scarecrow position, I mean really, you could see my boarding pass there on top of my jacket, but after it went thru the Xray thing they wouldn't let me pick it up to show that yes, I actually was trying to get to Morgantown WV on purpose, until I had been searched. Sigh. I got up at 2:45 am to get to catch a 6 am flight. Once I struggled into my way-in-the-back window seat, a nice lady got in the aisle seat and then disappeared completely when the 400+ pound man came and sat? or crammed? into the center seat. Waaay too much infringement on my personal space. I can only hope the lady in the aisle seat survived and went on her way, since I certainly never saw her again. Maybe she wondered the same about me. Xanax to rescue, and claustrophobia more or less vanquished.

I haven't been back to Florida since 1983, when I went to visit my folks in Ft. Lauderdale with a three-year-old, a two-year-old, and a plaster cast with steel pins through it on my left arm. Have you ever had to change diapers in an airplane john with only one arm? Anyway, I am glad I went in February, the weather was perfect, the sky at dawn and sunset and star-studded night were glorious, and the company was well worth the effort. I missed my friend the minute I left her, we still had so much catching up to do. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times we have gotten together in the 40 years since I graduated from North Miami Senior High.

Here we are:



Not bad for a couple of old broads, huh?

Better Late Than Never

Gosh, I hadn't realized it had been so long since my last post. There isn't much new here, we're just trying to stay warm (low last night of 8 degrees) and get stuff done.

When I worked full time, I did a certain amount of "housework", but I had a regular house-cleaning service come every other week. When I retired, I stopped having them, partly because they weren't doing a very good job, even by my slacker standards, and "things" were turning up "missing" too often. And really, if I were home all day every day, I could easily do it all myself, right?

But I had no idea what a time-consuming chore it would become. Before, three women would come for 2 hours each = 6 hours. Maybe I'm being more thorough, but I would guess I spend a good 12 hours per WEEK on housework. And the worst of it is, it's all to do over again in a week or so. Here's an example:


That's mud, tracked in on ONE pair of boots to the landing by the front door, a couple of hours after I scrubbed every inch of it. The whole outside world is mud.

I'm off to Ft. Myers Florida tomorrow for a swell weekend with my BGFF. Taking WAAY too much stuff with me, hope I can lift the suitcase. I promise to post after I return!