Monday, March 18, 2024

Our Basketball Teams

 

Last week the Notre Dame women won the ACC basketball tournament.  We enjoyed watching freshman Hannah Hidalgo who was named the ACC tournament MVP.  She is so feisty and steals the ball from opponents.  If she is double-teamed, she finds her teammates and gets an assist. So now we get to watch them again in the NCAA tournament beginning on Saturday.

And we watched the NCSU men surprisingly take the ACC tournament championship after playing five games in five days to do so.  They beat Duke, Virginia, and Carolina.  When they were playing Virginia, we turned the TV off when it looked like a lost cause--and then they tied the game at the last second and won in overtime.  We decided it was good luck for them if we turned the game off.  

So when they were playing UNC and were not doing well, we turned it off again.  And then UNC's star player, RJ Davis, stopped hitting all his shots and NCSU's star player DJ Burns (the body of a football center with the feet of a ballerina) continued to do his thing and they won!  Thus they were able to be in the NCAA tournament--winning was their only chance to do so.  So we can watch them later this week too!

March Madness is always fun and now we have two teams we care about that we can cheer on to victory--unless we decide again that we bring them bad luck and thus have to turn the games off.

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

The Saga of the Hips

Four and a half years ago while we were in the process of packing up 27 years of life in one house, I was having a lot of pain in my left hip.  I could hardly walk across the parking lot of the Air BnB where we were living temporarily.  I asked my South Bend doctor if he could give me a cortisone shot to get me through the next month of moving to Princeton. He said that only a specialist could do the shot. However it was easy to get an x-ray in his clinic so I had one done immediately.  He showed me that I had arthritis in my hip and warned me that in one to four years I would need a hip replacement.  Meanwhile, I could take Tylenol and Aleve every six hours for relief.  He told me not to stop when it felt better but to keep on for a while for more permanent relief.

For four years my hip gave me no trouble even though I was no longer taking pain medications. And then it started up again this fall with a dull ache down both of my legs and sometimes a feeling like my left leg was caving in on me. My primary care provider in Princeton warned me against taking more than two Aleve a day. I dreaded the thought of surgery.  A good friend had complications with her hip replacement surgery and had to have it done a second time.  So did my South Bend doctor who had to have his redone as well.  I knew rehab would be a problem with our living in a second floor apartment.

I did very little walking during our time in Florida not only because of my hip issues but also some balance issues.  I felt sturdier hanging on to Jim's arm.  He was kind enough to say that he actually liked it when I did so.  When we got home,  I began a routine of taking one Aleve in the morning and one at night.   I also found some exercises for issues with limping on Youtube and began doing them daily.  

And to my great relief, the dull ache down my leg is gone.  There is no pain at night when I am trying to sleep.  I feel some sensitivity when I walk but no feeling of my leg caving in.  Something is working!  My body is coping and maybe even healing.  I can live with this small amount of discomfort and am relieved not to feel like a hip replacement surgery is my only option.  

Wednesday, February 7, 2024

My Reading Life

 

I just spent an hour or more going over the books I read and recorded on Goodreads this year and last year.  I wanted to find all the books I rated five stars and then to look for more books by those authors.  In the last month I have rejected at least ten books that I brought home from the library or downloaded for my Kindle app. Sometimes I just take those rejected books off my "to read" list on Goodreads or the "For Later" list at the Princeton Library.  Sometimes I shelve them as "abandoned" on Goodreads and then write a "private note" as to why I abandoned them.  I never rate a book one or two stars.  If that is all it was worth to me, I probably abandoned it.  I know authors look at these reviews so I don't want to disparage any books publicly. 

Goodreads statistics show that I read over 1400 books in the last ten years.  I abandoned 140.  10%!  I know however that I give up on more than 10%.  Recently I came home with six books from the Princeton Library and I read two of them.  

I found 59 books in 2023 and 2024 that I rated five stars.  I jotted down the names of the books and the authors.  My next project will be to find other books by those authors.  Sadly, I have read everything Nicholas Rhea wrote before he died.  I will have to wait for more mysteries by Martin Walker or memoirs by Niall Williams and his wife Christine Breen. Hal Borland wrote many years ago.  

I wondered if I had recorded reading Jim's biography of R. H. Charles when it was published a year ago.   I had neglected to do so!  So I rated it five stars and wrote a review--the first reader to do so.  I think probably the target audience for such an academic book does not use Goodreads.  So the average rating as it stands today is "five stars."  

Goodreads saves me from rebuying books.  I get lists from EarlyBird books in my email and when I check to see what Goodreads readers think of a book before I make a purchase, I see that I have already read it--or rejected it.  I put books on a request list at our wonderful Princeton Public Library or if it is not there, I can often find out of print books at Better World Books or the used book list on Amazon.  I purchase a few books from Amazon every month for my Kindle app--for 99 cents or $1.99 or $2.99. 

In my retirement, I have plenty of time to read and am grateful to have ways to find books that I enjoy and appreciate.  

One more thing about my reading.  In the last year or so I have found email addresses for several authors and let them know how much I appreciated their work.  I have had lovely responses from each one making me realize it was worth the effort to find a way to contact them.  


Monday, January 29, 2024

Blog2Print and the Joys of Being Home

Since getting home, I have been aware of three folks who read my blog posts from Florida.  10 to 14 folks are usually recorded as readers but I have no idea of who these readers are.  I don't blog for my readers although I am happy to have readers!  I blog for Jim and me--as a record of our lives.  And then in January I make a Blog2Print book of the previous year.  We now have more than 10 years of these books and they are great for our memories.  We both keep journals and diaries but these books have photos.  

Life is back to normal.  Jeff has returned our plants.  We shopped for groceries and went to CVS for prescriptions on Friday which left Saturday strangely free.  It was rainy and cold yesterday so we did church via livestream again instead of having to walk from the municipal parking deck to the sanctuary. (Nassau Church has no parking lot.)

We do our NYT spelling bee in the morning until we get to genius--even if it takes many hints about initial letters for words.  We do a NYT crossword puzzle in the late afternoon, often going back into the archives to find ones we haven't done.  Thursday, Friday, and Saturday are days that we can do the puzzle of the day. Jim does Sunday from the magazine.  The puzzles earlier in the week are not usually challenging enough to do them together--although often plenty difficult enough for me to do alone.

We watch a lot of sports on TV and are happy to manage our own TV with minimal challenges. Yesterday it was two great NFL playoff games with surprising winners going into the Super Bowl next month. 

I miss looking out at the beautiful Boca Ciega Bay but we both really do like our spacious and comfortable apartment.  There is a requested book for me waiting at the Princeton Library and Jim has one to return to the University Library (which Susan checked out fof him.)  I have cooked meals for the last three nights and didn't find it so burdensome after a break from meal preparation. 

 I am contented enough to feel that maybe we should wait to pursue living at Stonebridge, the senior living community we had looked into.  But we have to remember that we need to commit to that while they are still willing to take us as "independent" seniors.  


Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Days 9, 10, 11, and 12

 

My sister said a friend of hers who comes to Florida every year said this was the coldest January in memory for her.  I would feel worse about that if I had any more energy for long walks or exploration. Walking has been difficult for me and I have been happy to take my husband's arm for support.  I have been quite content to sit in the condo and enjoy my books and enjoy sports on TV.  And to enjoy looking outside at the beauty of the bay at any time of day or night and checking out the pink sky over the Gulf at sunset.


We decided to enjoy a restaurant we have visited every year--Agave.  It is a very untouristy Mexican place with inexpensive margaritas and tasty meals.  It is noisy and crowded and it was great again.
 

The weather was a bit warmer today--and will get warmer each day with the warmest day this week the one in which we hope to be heading home.  

Our prayers this week have been with Laura who is struggling with pretty bad hip pain and has spent a lot of time in bed.  And for Susan's dad who had a heart attack and now has had complications from his treatment and is back in the hospital.  

Day 10  We made a quick trip to Publix and Dollar Tree before getting gas and returning the car to the Hertz kiosk across the street.  Jim put in a grand total of $2.64 worth of gas to fill the tank.  We had not gone far at all and the car was a hybrid.  

Today is the warmest day thus far.  I may even venture to the fishing deck on the bay and enjoy the sunshine.  I have just spent an hour perusing books on my "want to read" list on Goodreads and have downloaded a few of them.  We have some frozen lobster bisque for supper--I couldn't find any fresh servings which I knew they had last week.  Jim is always glad to have the rental car returned safely.  I always feel constrained without wheels.  But just one day and a half and we head home.  I checked the flight status and it is still a go on Thursday.  May that continue!

-------Day 11  

Yes,  that is Jim in shorts and sandals for the first time since we got here 11 days ago.  And we have just downloaded our boarding passes for tomorrow's flight at 12:14 pm.  It is a beautiful 76 degrees outside and we enjoyed sitting by the bay for a while.  We are having great weather just in time for us to leave!

On our last evening it was warm enough to enjoy drinks at the Tiki Bar across the street at Tradewinds.  A meal of jumbo hotdogs and french fries from the Food Truck next to it was perfect! 

I am so glad we have our boarding passes and am optimistic that things will go better heading home than they did getting here--with our delays of day after day.  I am eager to be home and yet feel a bit melancholy because I really do think we will not do this again.  Travel was difficult and stressful.  I am finding it hard to walk anywhere without taking Jim's arm.  Life gets to be more and more limited and I am thinking that is OK.  I like home and will be happy and I hope contented to be home soon.

------------And after listening to the news tonight, I am thinking that I am not going to fly anywhere again. There were too many air incidents. May we have safe travel tomorrow!  I am saying my prayers.  

------------Day 12  Home at 4:40 pm.  Our flight was uneventful and landed early in Newark. We had to wait to deplane because there was a medical emergency mid-flight and an ambulance was there to pick someone up.  Newark is a big airport and it was a long walk to ground transportation and lots of traffic where we were waiting for our Uber.  Six minutes away--now four minutes--now five minutes!  Four Uber rides for this vacation--and all went well.

So glad to be home!  Thankful for the beauty of St. Pete Beach and for the good eating and drinking we enjoyed.  But home is best!  

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Days 6, 7, and 8

It is cold here in Florida.  And today it is rainy.  Yesterday our only outing was to get supplies at Dollar Tree and Publix--toilet paper, tissues, toothpaste, cookies for Jim and chocolate for me.  Plus more fruit and sandwich meat to make up a healthy supper that we could eat at our condo.

Today we ventured farther to John's Pass where we have our annual late lunch at the Pirate Grub and Hub.  We found the municipal lot and then ended up paying a whopping 23 dollars for parking because we couldn't seem to regulate the kiosk to do less.  It was drizzling so we ate inside but we enjoyed our beers and hot dogs in spite of the rain.

I got a phone call this morning from Jessie asking us if we wanted to reserve a place for next year.  I said that we did not want to commit to that.  I will have to remind myself next June or July that this really does need to be our last time here.  Once again, travel was so stressful--for far different reasons this year than last.  I find it difficult to walk any distance at all.  And the January weather is not great--even if we do appreciate being here when rates are less and restaurants are not busy.

But as always, the view of the bay is so lovely--early this am with big clouds over it--at dusk when it is all purple and the white buildings of St. Petersburg gleam in the distance--and then at night when the lights over the bay are twinkling.  

We did better with finding the TV sports Jim wanted last night--in the living room.  Jim is very patient with trial and error--and we enjoyed lots of NBA games and even one college game with Bronny James playing for USC.

Day 7  We walked across the street to the Gulf and sat on a bench that was coincidentally inscribed "Mary's happy place."  The sun was shining and it felt almost warm.  We took off our winter jackets!  

We left for an early dinner and drove to The Wharf in Pass-a-Grille.  We sat outside looking at the bay and ordered our tropical drinks and meals.  Jim was suddenly surprised by a sea gull tapping him on the shoulder and aiming for his bag of potato chips.  The waitress had given us a bottle of water to squirt at the menacing birds and Jim used it more than once during our dinner.  

Day 8  We enjoyed breakfast (55 and over menu) at IHOP--as we have done every year on a Saturday morning.  The sun is shining but it is a chilly 48 degrees.  Florida in January is not warm but it is not the blizzard like conditions folks are having in Indiana and Michigan and New Jersey. The plan for the rest of the day is another Publix trip and lots of playoff football.  


Tuesday, January 16, 2024

Days 3 and 4

 The view from our condo is lovely and for that I am grateful.  Because I have not left the premises since the first few hours after we arrived.  Yesterday I was just so glad to not have to walk through airports and today something disagreed with my digestive system and I stayed put.  So we didn't rent a car or make dinner plans.  Toast and cheese was good enough and Jim had another frozen Lean Cuisine.  He walked to Publix both days to get supplies. 

When I went out on the little porch I looked down at the green palms and noted the variety of green color from bottom to top--dark to light.  I had never noticed that before.  So it was my little bit of joy in an otherwise somewhat dreary day.  Plus the lovely orange and yellow buildings--colors we don't see in New Jersey!  

Of course, there is plenty of football--with wildcard games.  We could not get the living room TV to work but we succeeded with the bedroom TV so we have had happy hour and supper sitting in bed.  

I hope tomorrow is a day to rent a car and find some good seafood to enjoy.  

----------Tuesday: Jim rented a Corolla from the Hertz kiosk right across the street and we drove to Pass-a-Grille where we have eaten many times before.  We parked behind the Hurricane Restaurant and thus chose to go to Hurricane--eating inside because it is cold and windy.  I had a crab cake sandwich and Jim had a shrimp dinner--so we got our Florida seafood.  We ate early like the old folks that we are and came back to the condo for our daily Key Lime Pie dessert--our usual purchase from Publix.  

The news is about the Iowa caucases in which Trump won easily with Haley and DeSantis well behind and pretty much tied with each other.  I despair.  How can the Dutch Christian Reformed folk from our heritage in NW Iowa go for a man who is so unChristian in his life and actions and words?  

I am thankful to feel better today.  I wish the weather were warmer but it is not the blizzard conditions they are having in Michigan and the snowy condition in New Jersey.  I sat out on the deck and enjoyed a bit of sunshine and a warm breeze. 

We were frustrated trying to get sports on TV.  Someone came to help us use the living room TV but it was still difficult.  Jim was very patient and kept trying things--and finally got TNT so we can watch NBA tonight from the living room--not the bedroom.  Ah, there are many good things about home and our easy, comfortable life there!