The Attic

I accomplished a lot in the attic today. I must have been up there for at least 6 hours. It was rather warm, as you might imagine for south Florida at this time of year. If I was really organized, I would have done this in the winter! What can I say, obviously I'm not that organized. I went through boxes I haven't even seen for 10 years! It's amazing the stuff we keep, think we can't live without and then years later the only question that comes to mind, is "why did I keep this?" and worse yet, "why have I been dragging it around all these years?". I'll give you an example, I found all of the RSVP cards in their little envelopes, from my first marriage, all rubber banded together into a nice little bundle. Now, obviously you need them initially so you know how many people to tell the caterer to prepare for, but 20 years after the divorce, what possible use would I have for them? I'm sure at the time I thought I had some sort of use for them, but I guess I've changed so much over the years that I can't even begin to fathom what it might have been! I could go on, I would guess I had every birthday card I've ever received - you should see the pile of trash sitting on the curb waiting for tomorrow's trash pickup! It is very freeing clearing out so much clutter from my life. I also have a car full of stuff for The Salvation Army. The worst part is, I'm probably only a quarter of the way through the attic, but there is actually a lot of empty space in that quarter! Hopefully tomorrow I'll take some pictures, I forgot to bring the camera with me today and by the time I finished, I was so hot and sweaty all I wanted to do was jump in the shower, so there was no way I was going back up there to take pictures.

Well, I can tell you one thing, I will sleep well tonight, I'm exhausted and somewhat achey! I don't think it would have been quite so bad if I could stand up, but the hunching over so I don't hit my head gets to you after awhile! That being said, it's time for me to go to sleep! Sleep well everyone, sweet dreams.

Remembering

As I was driving along this afternoon, it suddenly occurred to me what this weekend is - this is the anniversary (I believe 18 or 19 years) of when I was on a flight that someone tried to hijack. I say "tried" to hijack, because we never actually left the United States, he finally surrendered while we were sitting on the trams in Miami. That was a harrowing experience! Certainly not one I'd care to repeat, but I must say it was fathering enlightening. When the hijacker got on the plane ( he was sitting in the row behind me)my inner voice told me to get off the plane. To this day I have no idea what it Was about him that caused me to feel that way, but on some level I knew to be alarmed. Unfortunately, society programs us to ignore this inner voice, for fear of offending someone or taking a chance on looking foolish, which was the case with me. Since there was nothing I could put my finer on that caused me to have that feeling, I could only imagine myself having to explain to family and friends why I was stranded in the Dallas airport because I had chosen to get off my flight! I hope I've learned enough that if I ever get that feeling again, I will take heed.

It's funny, most people go to the beach this weekend, but I'm avoiding it, to avoid the crowds. I'll be back on my beach schedule starting Tuesday. Meanwhile my big celebration for tomorrow is to get up early and work on cleaning out the attic. This is by no means a one day job, but it should allow me to at least put a dent in it! It's amazing how much "stuff" I have managed to accumulate during my life. Sad part is I've gotten rid of a lot of "stuff" but it reproduces as a faster rate than I dispose of it. Actually I accumulate much more rapidly than I dispose! I've really been trying to work on that one, and I'm making progress, but I must admit I still have a long way to go! I'll keep you posted on my progress, maybe I'll even take some photos! Do I dare show photos of the massive clutter to the world? I'm going to have to think about that one. You'll find out tomorrow. Meanwhile sleep well!

Jury Duty

OK, today I was selected for a jury, a very simple civil trial which only lasted one day. It was actually interesting. Actually I don't mind jury duty, it's more the thought of it, seeming like it's taking time I need for something else, which isn't the case, it's just that mindset. Once I get there, I generally enjoy it because i find the legal system interesting, I guess I find being at the courthouse interesting, and Palm Beach County has a beautiful courthouse with views of the Intracoastal and ocean beyond - what more can you ask for? Plus, unlike Dade and Broward counties, the traffic getting there isn't a hassle. I even learned something interesting, when you are sued, you don't have to show up for court or respond to the notices, I never realized that, although I think failing to do so is a bit ignorant, but each to his own!

In some ways, I think I'm getting back to my old self, so perhaps I'm finally going to be able to sort of merge my old and my new lives and connect with who I am now. That would be great! It's nothing major, in fact this probably sounds very lame, but I've actually been polishing my fingernails for the last couple of weeks - it's been years since vie had polished nails, it makes me feel more like me! Crazy, huh? Well, time for me to turn in. Let's see what tomorrow brings.

Enjoying the Beach

Well, I believe it's safe to say, summer is upon us! We have actually been going to the beach everyday for a quick swim. We don't stay that long and certainly don't go when the sun is the strongest at midday. It's just enough to give us a break in the day, get a little exercise, cool off and take in some of that great ocean energy. I've lived here all my life and this is the first time I'm actually taking advantage of the beach, better late than never I guess.

Tomorrow, I've been summoned for jury duty - I'll find out after 5 this evening if the anticipate needing my services. I don't really mind jury duty, if they would adjust the air conditioning so you don't feel like you waiting in the deep freeze! That for me has always been the worst part, I feel like I have frost bite by the end of the day. I guess the reasoning behind it is to keep everyone awake or something - but I don't think it's terribly effective on me. I'll just bundle up, bring a good book and see what happens.

On that note I'm going to run, my exercise files just finished downloading for the online tutorial I'm taking. Wish me luck, these are so fascinating, it's a great way to learn new software. Check it out for yourself at Lynda.com

Excellent Play

This evening we saw the last play of this season at Florida Stage, it was phenomenal! When the Sun Shown Brighter was by far the best show of the season. To quote another theater goer, it was Broadway quality. We had actually been rather disappointed with this years plays, but this one made it all worthwhile. Anyone in the South Florida area would be well advised to go see it, just check it out. I really can't recommend it enough.

All in all today turned out OK, although it was rather shaky for awhile. The morning started off fine, then early afternoon brought about arguing with the phone company and bank, which means the quality of the day digressed rapidly! But I guess it's true, all's well that ends well and today ended well. Now if the cats would learn to sleep on the corner of the bed rather than disrupting my space and making it nearly impossible to get any rest. I hate to admit it, but that was one of the good things about the Bahamas, I slept really well because there were no finicky felines disturbing me. I love my cats, but I also need my rest!

Well, I've started the crepe paper crown, it isn't nearly as difficult working with the crepe paper as I expected, however, it is a slow process. Mainly because I'm taking my time being very careful so the paper won't tear. I'm getting sort of excited about experimenting with other unusual materials. I'll keep you posted, including pictures, of my progress! Well, once again it's time for sleep.

Finally Finished!

I did it - I completed my first knitting project, a scarf for my sister. It came out rather well, I think. See for yourself.

Noe I start my crepe paper crown, which looks pretty interesting.  I found the pattern in "Alterknits."  It looks really cool, I'm not sure what its going to be like, knitting with crepe paper, but I'll soon know.  I found a picture on line of one that someone else made, see what you think.  After the crown i'm going to try knitting with wire.  That book has all kinds of projects that are outside the box as they say.  I'm looking forward to trying a few to get my head in a different space so I can start coming up with my own innovative ideas, rather than thinking knitting means yarn and either sweaters or socks!  The possibilities are limited only by my imagination.  So I'll keep you posted on my progress.

We went back to The Greenwave Cafe for lunch - it was awesome, we had raw veggie burgers.  They were the best I've had anyplace, including California!  That says a lot.  It's a bit of a drive to Plantation, but it is well worth it.  We certainly can't forget the raw vegan ice cream - it's on par with Baskin Robbins.  Anyone in the Fort Lauderdale area should certainly stop by and check them out.  You'll be glad you did.  well,  I've got to run, there's a crown waiting for me.

Perfect South Florida Day

Today was one of those perfect south Florida days; sunny with a great breeze! Ideal weather for sailing, which is exactly how we spent the afternoon. It was great, we just sailed along the Intracoastal Waterway soaking up the sun while admiring the houses on boats of Palm Beach. It's such a relaxing way to just get away from it all. Yesterday it was a swim in the ocean, which was also amazingly exhilarating; although I got spoiled in the Bahamas, our beach isn't nearly as clean and beautiful. But I'll suffer through it!

I finally finished the scarf I was knitting for my sister, well, all except the fringe. I intend to complete the fringe tomorrow and then start on a knitted crepe paper crown - it looks really awesome! We'll see how it goes. It should be fun if nothing else! Well, gotta run, it's really late and I must get some sleep or I won't have enough day left by the time I wake up to finish the fringe, much less start anything else. Good night, sweet dreams!

Green Wave Cafe

Today we had lunch at a great raw food cafe in Fort Lauderdale, it was delicious! I had a burrito which was excellent, but it paled when compared to the raw chocolate ice cream. It was every bit as good as Baskin Robbins chocolate ice cream, in fact if I didn't know it was raw & vegan, I would have thought it was Baskin Robbins. It was so incredible that I pigged out and had two bowls of it. I felt stuffed all the way home, but it was worth it. I made up for it by going for a walk in John Prince Park after we got back. It was a perfect time for it, since it was overcast and there was quite a breeze, it was quite cool, rather than stiflingly hot as has been the norm recently. It's safe to say summer has arrived! We've actually been running the air conditioner in the bedroom at night since it's so hot. We figure it's more environmentally conscious to just cool the bedroom, rather than the entire house. We also removed the Tempurpedic mattress topper to see if that helps. It may be that without that we won't require the air conditioner. I'll keep you posted. Well, it's getting late so I'm going to sign off, hopefully I'll figure out how to post images from my iPad soon, otherwise I'll have to do my blog posts from the computer which isn't as convenient. More on that tomorrow.

I almost forgot, I discovered the coolest yarn shop in West Palm Beach, today, it's like right out of "The Friday Night Knitting Club" or one of Sally Goldenbaum's knitting mysteries complete with the big table surrounded by chairs in the back room!  The yarn selection was to die for - it took every bit of self control I could find not to come home with a carload with absolutely no idea what I would be using it for!  I will however, be returning to purchase some when I have a project selected.  I'm also going to take some of their classes.   Well, just had to add that little bit, now it really is time for sleep.

Home Again

Well, I'm home again. I had a brief visit in Marsh Harbor with Tara and Chris, which was fun.
We went to see a Blue Hole, I'm still not totally sure exactly it is, other than a hole in the limestone formation, filled with freshwater and apparently there are cave formations below the surface. It sounds like they are rather popular with cave divers and such. It was pretty though.

After the Blue Hole, we drove down to Cherokee and walked around. Cherokee is a quaint little town that reminds a little of Everglades City, although I'm not really sure exactly why. There was one house that was absolutely adorable. It had bright colored wooded butterflies and dragonflies adorning the trees.

I would have loved to see what the backyard looked like, but that would have been invading their privacy, so I'll just have to wonder about it. I have no doubt it is quite whimsical back there, after seeing the front yard. Somehow places like that seem to have an almost magical quality which I find I'm drawn to like a moth to the flame! Other than a bit of shopping, we didn't do too much else other than visit and relax, which I think we all needed.

And with that, my trip is over and I'm back home chilling out trying to get back in the groove! Wish me luck.

Saying Goodbye

Well, it's almost time to leave Hope Town - I feel like I'm leaving a friend. I read somewhere that islands have a soul, much like people, which is what makes them so special. I am inclined to believe it's true. I already am beginning to feel a sense of loss, I've only been here a little over a week, but it seems like this is a different lifetime altogether. It's been so unlike my "regular" life - vacations are always different because the everyday stresses and mundane details are temporarily suspended, but somehow this is different than even that. I feel like I'm looking at life differently and I guess truth be told I'm a little afraid that I could lose this altered outlook when the ferry pulls away from the dock. This is where trust comes in, believing that what needs to be, will prevail. I can only hope that what needs to be is indeed my new outlook on life and thus, as the ferry is departing the dock rather than leaving something behind, I will be embarking on the start of a "new" life or a changed one! I guess I will know soon enough. The mixture of anticipation and dread is a bit overwhelming, but this too shall pass, I must simply go with the flow. On that note, I'm going to sign off because going with the flow at this moment entails completing my packing, closing up the house and saying goodbye to Hope Town as I head to the ferry dock.

Where's Teddy?

Teddy and Steph left yesterday. It was so sad watching the ferry pull away from the dock with the two of them onboard. Teddy was crying, so he felt it too! Of course, I miss Steph, we had a great time, but I didn't expect to miss Teddy as much as I do. I have never encountered a dog like him, he's quiet like a cat, so many times one, or both of us, would jump up and look around to be sure he was still in the house. It wasn't all this constant barking and jumping around like most dogs, but he would lie down next to me when I was reading, sigh, put his head down and sleep or just relax; and in true dog fashion, come up to greet me, or just put his nose on my arm while I was sitting to say hello, how're you doing, I like you! That's one thing about dogs, they tend to be devoted and give unconditional love, whereas cats are more about what's convenient for them. It has been a long time since I've actually had a dog, I think I had forgotten that. Although I realize a dog doesn't fit into our lifestyle, we just don't have the time to devote to one and it is a reciprocal relationship, it would be wrong to just take and not give! Although our cats are a bit more like dogs than the average cat - most of them talk and they all have their distinct personalities; it's really fascinating when you pay attention to the little details. I guess that's what gives life it's color, otherwise everything would just be black and white!

Well, it's about time to get up and get moving before I let one of my remaining days totally pass me by! I am going to miss this little island, there's just something so special about being on an island - I can only imagine how fabulous it would be to actually live on one. Maybe that's why all my favorite books seem to take place on islands! OK, I'm signing off now, will try to post again later. I had forgotten how refreshing it was to blog, it makes you stop and look at life from a different perspective, which I find makes me appreciate things a bit more, rather than just letting everything pass by without notice.

Hope Town

Finally, I have returned from my lengthy sabatical.  I believe it's important for me to return to blogging in order to again grasp some type of authenticity in my life.  An authenticity that otherwise seems to elude me in my day to day doings.  I'm currently in the Abacos, Hope Town specifically; it's wonderfully refreshing - life moves at a slower pace here and I've adjusted to stay in time with it.  I didn't even bring my watch with me, the day, the time is irrelevant to me here, I'm just completely relaxed in a way I never seem to be able to achieve at home.  There are so few distractions or perhaps I just don't need them at this point in my life - I don't even really feel a need or a desire to shop; which is completely out of character for me.  It was almost a chore to find the couple of souveniers I needed to bring back for people.  Normally I wouldn't be able to keep myself out of the shops and the only thing that typically limits my shopping is space in my suitcase, even lack of funds can be overcome with plastic.  I hope that somehow I will be able to retain what I've found here when I return home.  They say you take your mind with you, which in the past has meant I brought it from home to here, so hopefully it works in reverse and it will go from here to home!  I'll know soon enough.  I think I'll have lunch soon and then go for a walk on the beach and a swim if the wind has died down a bit.  I don't feel it's terribly prudent to swim alone with no one else on the beach - I certainly know how to swim, but given I have a problem with my right shoulder, it's foolish to test fate. 

I finally feel at peace, which has never been the norm for me.  I almost think in part it's because I've finally found a friend who truly understands me, perhaps because we're so much alike.  I feel safe to be myself, no pretenses, no feeling judged or misunderstood - we could almost finish sentences for each other. There's certainly something to be siad for being understood, being able to connect on a very deep level with another human being - it mitigates the isolation that tends to surround us all to varying degrees.

It's amazing how tranquil watching all the boats anchored in the harbor feels.   Hopefully if I get a base tan we can start sailing, if we get out during the week the waterway shouldn't be frantic with boaters like it is on the weekends.  Maybe I'll even learn to sail - this isn't the ideal time, heading into a south Florida summer, but as they say, there's no time like the present, never put off until tomorrow what you can do today, and all that jazz!  Actually, that's what I've always done, put off until tomorrow because I'm always waiting for the perfect time, for all the planets to be aligned and all loose ends to be neatly tied up; which I've finally realized will never be - that's simply a fantasy that only exists in Camelot!

Well, I think it's time to pull myself out of this chair and head to Vernon's grocery for some bandaids and then wander over to the beach.  I finally saw pink sand, it's beautiful; made of sand and crushed shells, I'm not sure where it came from but there were scattered patches on the beach.  I believe I'll miss the beach more than anything, a pristine, deserted expanse of sand and sea that's just steps from town - it's hard to fathom  the contradiction; it's so close yet seemly so removed.  We have beaches at home, but none this clean and absolutely none this empty.  I doubt the estates on Palm Beach are this private!