A Small Step for....

A Small Step for Man...er, I mean "for the Mays"

Success!  I actually went up to Mother's house yesterday and got started on going through things.  I'm being very careful not to make any major decisions on things because I don't want to get rid of anything that Phil or Anita might want. 

They did say they aren't interested in any of the novels and I've read most of them.  Hence, I packed up 4 boxes of books.  I've also been advised that old panty hose and underwear often have bad elastic so I parted with the really ancient, stretched-out ones.  

Every time I turned around or opened another drawer I found more family photos.  At least I'm trying to get them all in one place.  Then we'll have to figure out what to save and how to preserve them.  If you're reading this and have suggestions, please let me know.

 

I felt much better last evening at having made a teeny dent in a vast task.  This small step for man (the Mays) will become a giant step for mankind, right?

Discombobulated Am I

Here we are back in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.   We've been here almost a week and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.  

First, there has been tons of rain so everything is green -- especially the weeds that are trying to overtake my flower beds.  I know that the Lymes disease last fall and my ankle break during the winter have taken their toll and I simply must give up some beds and make others smaller, but where do I begin?

Secondly, Mother's house is full of the "stuff" from three generations.  My grandparents moved there in 1920, my dad was born in the house and we grew up there.  My brother in Texas and my sister in Ohio both work so it is my intention to get started with the organizing and getting ready to empty the house.

Every day I procrastinate.  Why?  I don't know but maybe all this rain (it's rained every day since we got here) is making me hurt more, plus I feel so tired.  Basically I feel depressingly discombobulated.  This too shall pass, right? 

Carry Me Back to Old Virginny

Our state song is "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" and that's how I felt as we traveled up the road.  

Yes, I know Florida is our residence now and that we stay there 7 months of the year.  And, yes, I do like our little abode there and all the activities in our community.   But that doesn't dictate the yearnings in my heart for Old Virginny and my feelings that this is my "real" home. 

We arrived last evening with Pepper and Blanche intact.  Our housesitter, Maggie, left this place just perfect -- as if we had walked out yesterday.  What a nice welcome home touch.    Stay tuned for updates as we settle in.

Missing Mother

This is my first Mother's Day without Mother. It's comforting to know where she is but I do miss her.

 ♥¸¸.•*"Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ"*•.¸¸♥  ♥¸¸.•*"Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ"*•.¸¸♥

If flowers grow in heaven Lord, then pick a bunch for me.
Place them in my Mom's arms and tell her they're from me.
Tell her that I love and miss her, and when she turns to smile,
Place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for a while.
♥¸¸.•*"Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ"*•.¸¸♥  ♥¸¸.•*"Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ"*•.¸¸♥

Our new friends, Bonnie and Cliff McDonnell, invited us for lunch and that helped me get through the day smoothly.  They took us north about 45 minutes to Vero Beach to The Driftwood Resort and Waldo's Restaurant, which was right on the beach. This resort and restaurant has quite an interesting history.

Waldo Sexton built the original house as a beach retreat for his family in the1930's.  It was built entirely from ocean-washed timbers and planks that have withstood many hurricanes.  (Waldo Sexton  was instrumental in furthering the citrus, cattle and tourism industries in Indian River County.)

 A nice lunch + outside + sunny + 80 degrees + breeze + new friends = a great combination!

Thank you, Bonnie and Clyde....er, Cliff!

We got back to Savanna Club just in time to go to the Mother's Day Concert at our theater.  This was a musical program by our chorus and other musicians.  All the songs were about love and, though they drew a few tears, it was a very enjoyable program.

♥  Happy Mother's Day.  I love you, Mother!  ♥

A Random Surprise

We hadn't been to Ed's favorite restaurant (The Golden Corral) since before I broke my ankle, which was February 23rd.  We decided to go this evening.

In front of us in line there was a family with a guy, his wife, his parents, and his children.  He was by the cash register and stood back to count how many people were in their party.  Ed's, being his usually kidding self, raised his hand, pointed to himself and shook his head yes.

When our turn came to pay, the cashier said the people before us had paid for us.  We were absolutely stunned!  Ed tried to pay the fellow but he wouldn't hear of it.

I can't begin to tell you what joy we experienced!  I've heard of random acts of kindness but having it happen to you is quite a lift!  This restores our hope for humanity!

So, instead of paying them back, we'll "pay it forward" and perform some random acts of kindness soon.

(If I see you trying to get behind us in line, I'll know you read this post!)

Festival Fun at Savanna Club

I was curious about this festival because it has been a main topic of business for a couple of months at the clubs I attend. 

It seems all clubs are expected to participate and the profit money goes to the Homeowner's Association (HOA).  I wondered why people joined in so willingly but it turned out I enjoyed the day and the people who manned the booths and ran the activities seemed to have fun, also.

Some of the money made on a previous festival purchased the booth tents, which made everything attractive and organized.

My Craft Club leader made the signs for all the booths.

Here's Lois at the Craft Club booth with various past and future projects.

Are the Garden Club members sitting down on the job?  (Keep in mind that this is a 55+ community so "oldsters" need to pace themselves.)  They gave some demonstrations on how to make a container garden.

Ed and Cliff had a big pow wow, consult and lesson with his fishing club buddies.  Ed was tickled to buy a nice rod for only $10....however, the reel to go on it was at Wal-mart for a mere $38.

Our new board member had quite an initiation!  Maybe they want to be sure he knows he's wet behind the ears when it comes to board business?

No detail was overlooked, right down to the cute popcorn machine.

Who would have thought about a generator to supply power for the slow-cookers?

I thought the American Jewish Friendship Club had the most work with making the hamburgers and hotdogs.

But, they smiled as they worked together.

There was a large tent where people could eat and sit in the shade to hear the music.

There were various singers (mostly karaoke style), a few numbers by the Savanna Club Chorus, and Elvis's little (not necessarily younger) brother was there!  He was cute!

 

I got so involved watching that I didn't take pictures of the ballroom dancers.  It must have taken a bit of extra effort to waltz on tarmac and the same went for the tap dancers.

I always get a kick (no pun intended) out of the Tappettes --- partly because they have such good choreography and costumes but mostly because they have the spunk and energy to get up there.  This was their "Singing in the Rain" number. 

Bonnie and I also had fun just watching people.  

I had to get a shot of this creative hat because my sister does lots of plastic canvas work.

And what event isn't complete without a few old cars?

The Festival was yet another well-done Savanna Club activity that makes us glad we moved here.  We're amazed at all the charities that are supported by SC volunteers and funds.    

p.s.  I excused myself this year since my ankle is still healing and it swells if I'm on it too long.   This was my time to get an overview of what was going on.   Maybe next time.....but NOT the dunk tank!