What Will I Do All Day? A Week Later

It was -17 when we got up this morning.  It is -15 now at 7 pm and it will be -22 at 8 am tomorrow.  Schools were closed.  Newspaper and mail delivery was cancelled.  We were asked to stay off the roads unless it was an emergency or we had to get to work.  We dressed very warmly and set the furnace at 65 degrees, three degrees lower than usual and we felt plenty warm because it was running often.

Jim took the car out for a few rounds in our neighborhood  to keep the battery charged.  I walked around the cul-de-sac twice to experience -17 degrees for a few minutes.  The sun was shining brightly and at dusk, the purplish glow was breathtaking.   How could it be so beautiful outside and yet so deadly?

We had nothing on the schedule for today.   So in many ways it was like a week ago and yet so different.  And being home, there is always plenty to do especially because we are trying to get rid of things in this house.

I sorted through boxes in Dan's room and after going through three of them, decided I'd had enough.  I did find a $50 bill however--and lots of change--and a lovely essay he wrote on the topic of "Covenant" in which Jim and I came out looking pretty good in our encouraging him and loving and accepting him as he was.  Maybe not so good however when he wrote about how his part of the covenant was needing to respect us even though we were hopeless (in his opinion!) when he tried to help us with our computer concerns.

I sorted through old toys and dumped a box of very little Playmobile odds and ends.  I looked through my organ books and will copy a few  isolated numbers and then give several books away.  I posted a photo of some silverplated items from my mother and found homes for them.

I read through another chapter of Jim's work on RH Charles and read several chapters of a very enjoyable The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell, a bookstore owner in Wigtown, Scotland.

We did a Friday NYT puzzle while drinking wine before supper. Now once again, it's probably sports on TV and time for reading.

What Will I Do All Day?

This morning Jim returned our rental car to the Hertz kiosk across the street from our resort.  We went without a car for the first three days here and are going without for the last three days--a two week rental out of the three weeks we are here.   We had made a few trips (Dali Museum, The Sunken Garden, John's Pass, Pass-a-grille, Treasure Island Golf, two church services) and there really was nothing else on my list of things to do. But I felt confined without the option of using a car.

 I had worked through the books I had brought along and another one that I had purchased from the St. Pete Public Library sale.  I was almost finished with Maggie-Now by Betty Smith and was sorry to see it end.

We are using up the food we have purchased and did not plan on eating out today.

I had slept well (and that is not a given) and had plenty of energy and wondered what I was going to do with myself all day.  I was restless.

Plus steps to the Tiki Bar--1000 plus

But now when I look back on this day, I know I was not bored but enjoyed it thoroughly.

Jim and I went for separate walks--mine down 55th Avenue, a finger of reclaimed land with lovely homes.  I listened to Laura's Best of Both Worlds podcast and that made me feel like I had company.  At one point, I laughed aloud!  We both kept trying to further our 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle of the scene right outside our patio but we fear we may not finish it.  Why did I choose a photo with so much sky?!

I finished Maggie-Now with regrets and looked for a few more books in the resort office. I fixed supper (a hamburg-pasta-canned tomato mixture that my mother used to call spaghetti) with minimal ingredients and put it in the refrigerator for later.   I went for a swim in late afternoon after the sun worshipers had left the pool and enjoyed a few minutes alone in the hot tub.

Jim took me out for a mango margarita at the Tradewinds Resort's Tiki Bar across the street.  We listened to live music and watched the sun go down.


After supper we decided we really wanted dessert so we walked the half mile to Publix and got some New Orleans Caramel Praline ice cream. It was pretty soft by the time we got home but it was delicious.

So now it's TV sports for Jim and some more reading and maybe a crossword puzzle for me.

Today was the warmest one we have had here.  Tomorrow will be ten degrees cooler and I really don't know what I will do tomorrow either!  I hope to be as relaxed as I was today and at least we will be thankful when we remember how cold and wet and icy it is back home in South Bend!

Getting Along with Less

For two weeks in December, Jim and I lived in two rooms at Homewood Suites in Princeton.  We had a full-sized refrigerator and a stove which could better have been called a hot plate.  We ate with family often, at restaurants several times, and made do other times.  My greatest attempt at cooking was grilled cheese sandwiches.

We came home for two weeks over Christmas.  Our house seemed huge and almost burdensome.   Laura and Michael and family spent one night with us.  Then the house was the right size!  But otherwise we never use the living room or the dining room.  Jim has moved the computer to the family room so that is where he works, not in his basement studies.  Sadly, this is not the season for the three season room.

We used to have graduate groups from church or from Notre Dame over for meals or meetings.  We even did the church welcome lunches.  Now our entertaining usually means inviting another family or couple to go out to eat with us.

We have been in St. Pete Beach for two weeks in a two bedroom condo with a dining area, kitchen area, and two sitting rooms.  We have more room than we need.  The cupboards were bare except for salt and pepper shakers.  So the cooking we have done has been pretty creative and minimal.  Again we have gone out to eat several times and enjoyed leftovers from those meals.  Our life has been simplified and it has been fine.

Jim had done his research and writing daily using the resources he brought with him and electronic resources.  He got along without all his books--at least for the time being.

I find myself thinking about new homes for our furniture and many household goods.   I might make a list room by room.  Susan said she'd like our dining room set.  Laura will take the piano if we don't have room for it.  We have very few keepsakes from our parents and grandparents.  I hope the next generation will take them and treasure them.   I'm sure Restore or Goodwill or Salvation Army will take a truckload--or we could venture to have an estate sale.  I definitely will do another church book give-a-way.

Living more minimally for four weeks has helped me realize we can do it in the years ahead!

A Typical Day at Sunrise Resort (for the 70 plus set)

Maybe today will be a fairly typical one.  I slept well for which I am grateful because there have been a few nights lying awake until the wee hours.  I threw some clothes on and walked across the street to Tradewinds Resort to get my free Tampa Bay Times.  Our resort has an arrangement with them so that we can use their facilities-some free, some at 10% off.

Breakfast was basic--cereal and coffee.  I read the paper and checked online for more news.  I did a load of laundry.  (It takes some trial and error to learn to use other machines.) The 1000 piece jigsaw puzzle is always there to challenge us.  We walked about a half-mile to The Dollar Tree and Publix for some fruit, milk, and other sundries.  Our lunch was sandwiches and fruit.

 I read a chapter of Jim's RH Charles manuscript and made a few comments  and then wrote a review of Gilead on Goodreads having finished it last night.  I read a Wikipedia article on Dali after visiting the Dali Museum yesterday and read what others said about Gilead.

Jim talked about doing a nine hole golf course at Treasure Island later today but decided a week day might be less busy.  He wrote more on his RH Charles manuscript, one of the projects he brought along

I read The Buffalo Coat by Carol Ryrie Brinks (author of Caddie Woodlawn) and practiced mindfulness trying to relax and slow down that heart rate!   We "puzzled" some more and then drove to a public park where we successfully fed the parking meter with a Visa card.  We were proud of our success because we have been challenged
by this in the past. We had a lovely, peaceful walk in a less commercial area.


Supper of leftovers (take-out fried chicken for Jim and last night's Snapper Sea Grill stuffed flounder for me) was as good as the first time around.  Tonight it will be sports on TV and Washington Week in Review.  We'll try to do a NYT crossword puzzle online together but on separate laptops. We often take an evening walk on the Tradewinds Resort's paths to the Gulf--just getting in a few more of our 10,000 steps goal.



So this is the beach life when you are 72 years old.  We revel in the beauty around us--the views of sunrises and sunsets, the changing color of the water in the bay, the deep blue sky of mid-day, and the warm temperatures.  We walk every day. We got along without a car for a few days but have rented a deep blue Nissan Maxima from Hertz right across the street and are exploring the area a bit more.  At first we wondered if we would get bored and three weeks would be too long of a stay.  The longer we are here the more I think it may not be long enough!

Reflections on 2018

 For the last two years I posted  reflections on 2017 or 2016 on December 31.   I was not in the mood last night.  But today is not too late and I can include this last entry in my Blog2Print for 2018.

  The year started out well with our time in St. Pete Beach.  Then I began to struggle again in the spring to find the right medication to deal with insomnia and resulting depression.  I found it with the suggestion of Patty, the dental assistant who checked my "Somnimed" in Elkhart,  and Dr. Blechl's agreement.

We have many good memories from the summer with two separate weeks on Lake Michigan and a trip to the east coast.

Then all the medical problems began.  My aborted cataract surgery (the only time it ever happened according to those who made the error), the two subsequent cataract surgeries and all the doctors' appointments to try to correct the resulting problems, and then the diagnosis of tachycardia which forbade the "right medication" and meant several medical tests which so far have all come out within normal range.  I am not finished with either situation and may need further tests for the rapid heart rate and further procedures for the eyes.  And then again, I might just refuse either.

We prayed for much of the year for six friends or acquaintances with cancer.   Morgan Bolt and Gary Knoppers  died in the last two weeks.  Both were great losses of good men aged 27 and 62.  Howard Cole, a friend our age, died earlier this year.  Also a great loss for his wife and our church.  It has been sobering.

We began to think seriously of moving to the east coast to live nearer our children and grandchildren.  Jim preferred Princeton and I probably did too--for the proximity of the university and seminary and train station so we could get to New York City easily.  I started purging the house last summer but took a break from that this fall.  We just spent two weeks straight in Princeton to get a feel for life there.  Jim said he felt better about the move after the two weeks than before.  We gathered information about possible rentals and locations.  Upon our return home, the house seemed too big and all of our stuff a burden.  Our next step is to talk to a realtor here.  We will keep getting rid of stuff.  Jim gave away three books yesterday.  I photographed some dresses that that give me sentimental memories and packed them up to give to Goodwill.

One more grandchild left for college--James for Rensselaer Polytechnic
 Institute.  The others continued to grow and give us joy.   Little A is no longer in diapers, sleeps in a real bed, and gave up his pacifier.

Dan introduced us to A and we really enjoy her company. How will that relationship go?  We hope it will go well.  Dan scares us with his rock climbing. Laura turned 40 and Michael turned 50 and we celebrated with both of them. Jeff and Susan made us feel welcome in Princeton.

The political news continues to be disheartening. (As I posted in 2016 and 2017.)  President Trump continues in his egotistical ways with daily insults on Twitter for those who disagree with him. He offers his own "alternative facts"  and seems to govern on the basis of what he hears on Fox News and not on the advice of his associates.  One after another the top men and women in his administration have quit or are asked to resign.  Right now there is a shutdown of 25% of the government because the Democrats will not fund the useless "wall" he is demanding.  And he won't sign a budget without it.  I despair that many evangelicals continue to support him. I understand their liking his nominating conservatives for the courts but this included a  dubious Judge Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court who, whether or not he was guilty of sexual misconduct, was guilty of not acting very judicial during his hearings.

What will 2019 bring?  I feel well and am trying to tolerate the eye problems.  Jim's shoulder hurts enough today for him to take Aleve and ask for help getting into his jacket.  The RA does strike every once in a while but is usually under control.  Will we move this year?  What friends will we be praying for in particular this year?  Will our children and grandchildren be safe and healthy?  I look forward to a longer stay in Florida and more two week stays in Princeton--until the eventual move.

  I need a stronger faith and trust in God but even at my age I have many questions and doubts.  I want to believe and I need to believe. I want to feel that my prayers are more than just words.  I think that it is so important to me and that I want it to be important to my children and grandchildren is a sign of God's faithfulness and claim on my life.