Bits and Pieces

 * February is one very cold month. We are past the days of sub zero temperatures/wind chills. (Rachel and I took a winter walk one frigid Sunday afternoon.) Possibly a March blizzard, because that normally happens, and then we can begin to hope for warmer days and increasing sunshine.

* My new job has been going well. I'm settling in, I think, although there are still days when I feel strangely out of place. I felt like that on Monday a little while before my boss told me, "You're a rock star!" I also saw a few familiar customer faces and found a friend's daughter smiling at me through the drive up window. It's been a good change.

* This month marks 43 years since my brother's passing, and today is the 12th anniversary of my mom's graduation to heaven's shore. Time doesn't slow down at all. It just keep gaining momentum. It really is a long strange trip...

* I had some fun felting a sleeping mouse a couple of weeks ago. I put it to bed in a piece of China on a ball of upholstery stuffing. It makes me smile but I haven't bothered to make him any friends. (I have an ample supply of upholstery fuzz due to having my new loveseat repaired... More mice are sure to arrive in the future and they'll all have soft nests.)

* I am headed out of town tomorrow. Going out to breakfast with my sisters, and then on to Connecticut overnight. I'll be back again on Sunday. A rather whirlwind trip. Maybe I'll take a picture or two. 

Another Florida Christmas

I didn't make it to Florida in December of 2024. I had already been in March and again in September, and with my then new job at Dunkin, taking time off in December just didn't seem prudent. And then I went through 11 months of 2025 without a plan to go. Jim had visited here alone in August, and then again with the family at Thanksgiving. It just didn't appear to be in the cards for me to go there. Then our managers slashed work hours just before Michele sent the invitation for a Florida Christmas. I jumped at the chance!

Jim and Jonah picked me up at the Orlando airport early last Friday afternoon. We stopped at Gideon's Bakehouse in Winter Park for some cookies on the way home and I spent a leisurely week of holiday fun with my Florida family. There was a little bit of shopping (at Walmart), several dinners at Grammy and Granddad's house, a trip to the Orlando Science Museum, and a whole bunch of crafting! There was also a ton of gift giving. So much fun!!!

I arrived in Orlando with a slight cough and a hoarse throat. I kept thinking whatever it was was going away, but it kept returning. (Most colds start in my head and drop into my chest. This appeared to do just the opposite. A slight wheeze on the exhale for a week prior to my departure, finally reaching my sinuses by Christmas two weeks later.) I rarely ever get sick and can't even believe I am when it happens. I never got a fever, never felt sick to my stomach, didn't have a headache other than from missing my cup of coffee. Just the loss of my voice and a nonproductive cough that made lots of noise. (It's a little more productive now... like you need to know.)

We had three Christmases in Florida. The first was Christmas Eve morning because Santa arrives early at my son's house, leaving time to stop at Grammy's later on that night. We did not go to church this year (maybe more on that later... maybe) but there was a Christmas Eve dinner at Grammy's where the family all received new pajamas and stayed overnight in order to be there on Christmas morning. We stayed all day. They opened their gifts, we played games, ate junk food, and finally went home when it got dark out. That's when Southwest sent me a text about bad weather in the northeast and letting me know I could cancel my flight or book an alternative.

I ended up just watching the weather. It snowed all day Friday in Rochester, NY but Saturday looked precipitation free. I opted to keep my flights in place. Jim and I got up early and arrived at the airport as the sun was coming up. My flight was already slightly delayed, maybe by an hour so I didn't feel terribly rushed. We boarded the plane at about 9:30am, pulled away from the gate, and got in line to take off. That's when the Captain informed us we were number 10 in line. LOL! We were finally cleared for departure at 10:44am. Thankfully my flight out of Baltimore was also delayed and the assigned gate wasn't three miles away. I was able to grab a coffee and a raspberry croissant at a Dunkin on my way from one to the other. Hannah was waiting for me by the baggage claim on my return to snowy Rochester.

I unpacked my bags last night, did my laundry, and am thoroughly enjoying my loveseat in the corner of my living room. I slept like a baby in my own bed, grateful for a week of Florida family fun and sunshine. I don't go back to work until Tuesday morning.

Revisiting the Bucket List

I enjoy my job and like my coworkers. The customers are mostly wonderful. I feel comfortable in my surroundings, even if I am "the older lady." (How did that happen anyway?) I have worked 6 am until 2 pm since mid May (37 1/2 hours) and have been very aware that our hours could be reduced come January when winter closes in, people venture out less often, and we are all paying off holiday expenditures. I did not expect a slash in available work hours mid holiday season. I did not expect to be scheduled to work next Friday when I will be on my way to Florida. Our manager had okayed my absence and if we are slow, then surely someone will be looking to fill their schedule. I was taken aback by seeing my Wednesday entirely off next week.. "I don't make the schedule..." said the assistant manager, but her "best friend" is working my Wednesday... I am grateful for a loving landlord (LOL! It's me!) and bills that are paid. My car payment isn't due until mid January and I'm not a big spender, but I do need a job and full time employment is preferred. I expect something will come along, but I really don't enjoy the possibility of needing to find another job. I'm tired just thinking about it!

This week has been more stressful than normal. Or more "exciting!" as one of our customers would say. My homeowner's insurance was cancelled due to a late payment... except it's been withdrawn from bank account and is presently in limbo who knows where... (They're presently trying to track it down as it doesn't appear anywhere in their system.) I've spent way too much time haggling with automated voices on the other end of the line, speaking with agents or their representatives, pacing the floor at the credit union, and listening to elevator music. I'm now waiting for a follow up email to see what happens from here. 

Work produced a little panic on Monday morning when the manager informed me I would be working in the drive through window. In the past year I have seldom worked that position and then only for brief moments of time. "I do the work of two people," says Leigh, who is typically in the window. It is her favorite place, but her hours have also been cut and she was not present on Monday. The headset beeps when a car comes to order. Then we take the order through the headset, which involves pressing little buttons up on the side of your head so you can hear back and forth, while simultaneously covering one ear to block out extra noise and typing in the order. Everyone else in the establishment can hear everything you say even while you struggle to hear a thing. LOL! Then the order must be transferred to the actual register. Other team members fill the orders and bring the items to the drive through where the drive through person must sort them out, add straws/napkins, ring out the customer when they arrive at the window, and pass the food out without dropping or spilling anything (Think credit cards, change, dollar bills, food, drink...) all while the headset continues to beep because new customers keep pulling in. (I forgot to mention mobile orders and that the drive through person is also responsible to either retrieve donuts/baked goods, or call them out to another team member, along with placating irate/impatient customers. Fun times! I like making coffee and drinks better. Ha ha!

I'm looking forward to visiting my Florida family for Christmas. They already took the Christmas blankets home, hidden in a big, red, fabric bag when they left after Thanksgiving, so I don't have to pack presents in my bags. I long to see my son and his family again, sit outside with a morning coffee, and rest my bare feet on the pavement. The tension melts away just thinking about it.

Oh, yeah... The Bucket List. That's what is going to help me decide where to go from here if my present job totally tanks. 

Thoughts from Ocean City, Maryland

I don't know exactly what kind of closure I thought visiting ocean City might bring. There was no rush of emotions, although I'm sure I could have worked them up if I tried. Ha ha! That would have been a pointless waste of emotional energy. Instead a took in my surroundings, imagined what it might have been like 45 years ago, and breathed out past yearnings.

Another childhood friend, an earlier love of mine, when he found out we'd eaten dinner at Hooters on the beach (Hey. it was walking distance from our hotel and open when most places were closed...), suggested their crabcakes but I'm not eating crustaceans. His response, "Well there's still pit beef, Thrasher’s fries and Smith Island Cake!!" Gail and I didn't find pit beef or Smith Island Cake this trip, but we did share an order of Thrasher's Fries and they were not only an Ocean City original but fabulous too (with vinegar on top)!

Gail wasn't interested in walking down the old fishing pier or across the sand to the water's edge. It was cold and windy, and she was tired. While she sat on a bench on the boardwalk with her book, I took a walk by myself. I didn't walk all the way out the pier by myself, instead I walked as far as the steps down to the sand and underneath, like I imagined we might have done at 14... 

Had it been warmer I'd have taken my shoes off and put my feet in the water. Had I been more relaxed I'd have sat in the sand and gazed out over the ocean... Instead I picked pieces of shells and pebbles from the line of debris left by the waves and tucked them into my pocket and, just for old times sake, wrote a note in the sand... One like we used to write in the snowbanks along the creek during the winter we spent together in 3rd grade. And then I scuffed it out with my foot.

"The box" is is pretty much packed, the memories, hopes, and wishes tucked inside. The box has a cover but it isn't quite sealed up. I haven't yet found the perfect ribbon with which to tie it shut... but I know that's coming too.

Ocean City 2025

Ocean City, Maryland has been a long awaited destination. I have waited 46 1/2 years to get there.

I was just 14 years old in the fall of 1978 when my father's late-in-the-year, October vacation took us south to Virginia where we went camping near Williamsburg for a week. I'd been asking for months prior, even as far back as summer, "Can we go to Maryland?" I asked over and over and over again, but it wasn't Ocean City on my mind back then... My wish was to find my childhood friend Joey, the boy I'd met in 3rd grade, the one I'd been writing to for five years. I was a young girl in love with a dream.

Part of our vacation took us to the Manassas Battlefield, the Battle of Bull Run, and one day we took a ride to Washington DC where we visited the National Mall, Lincoln Memorial and Smithsonian Institution. It was on that day that my parents drove to the little town of Clinton, Maryland and found the home of my special friend. He wasn't home but his step dad told us where to find him at a little pizza parlor down the road... 

Back at Joey's house our parents visited over coffee while we played board games in the living room and laughed at the antics of our sisters and his dog. We visited twice (I think) and on one of those visits Joey said he wanted to take me to Ocean City. It was one of his favorite places. I'm honestly not sure if he wanted us to come back another time during that trip, or if he was hoping for a whole new visit when the season began anew, but it was not to be. Mom and Dad felt like they had "worn out their welcome" and we headed home with no plan to return.

Joey and I continued to write letters. A few letters one year and a few the next, until James came into my life and my dreams of one day (possibly) being with Joey again faded away forever. It was an impossibly difficult dream to release. My dreams today are obviously no longer the same, but the hope of one day reaching Ocean City never went away. This was one of two pieces to finally completing the process of bringing closure to my childhood love story.

Home, Safe, and Overwhelmed

Hurricane Helene sent some rain and a little bit of wind to Sanford, Florida and utterly decimated Eastern Tennessee and Western North Carolina. As we watched the storm system swirl closer and closer to land on Wednesday I couldn't help but think of those who would lose their lives when she made landfall and moved inland. I never imagined such destruction.

It didn't feel prudent to start for home in the midst of a hurricane so I sat out Thursday and considered leaving Florida on Friday, but the hurricane was drawing enough wind off the Atlantic and over the east coast, that I opted to wait once again. I honestly don't love traveling in a driving rain. My halfway point, where I'd thought to find a hotel, Rocky Mount, North Carolina, was hit by a tornado Friday afternoon. I'd been wise to stay put once again.

The weather in Sanford was beautiful on Friday. Jim suggested I might like to visit Harry P. Leu (Botanical) Gardens. It was a good choice. The gardens were amazing and I enjoyed the tour of the house as well. Being the only individual on the tour was wonderful. I wandered the paths on my own, took pictures, and soaked in the scenery. A few hours later I drove up the road and found some cookies at Gideon's Bakehouse, and stopped at the A&T store on my way back to Jim and Michele's house. What do you know?! I can use the GPS in my phone!!!

I woke up early enough on Saturday morning to catch a shower before heading toward Daytona and Flagler Beach where I found Marty. We sat and talked for a while and he helped me get Siri set up on my new phone and we put in a request that she get me home. I left the beach at about 11:10 am and started up I-95 North. I could have (and should have) stopped in North Carolina to stay with a friend, but I hadn't put her address into my itinerary and drove right past I-40. (Not the washed out part in Tennessee, but the part closest to I-95.) I drove another 3 hours to Chester, Virginia where my sweet daughter and son in law used Marriottt points to book me a room at the Fairfield Inn. A bed never felt so wonderful! I'd have slept like a baby had my entire body not been "buzzing" from the long hours on the highway. After breakfast on Sunday morning, I continued north toward home and pulled into my own driveway at about 5:30 pm., tired but safe. It was a long drive but I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. 

Yesterday morning I went to put gasoline in my car and the scrubbing, grinding noise I'd heard in Pennsylvania the day before returned, along with another sound I can't presently identify. I decided to stop at Klem's Garage and leave my car there in the lot. Hopefully they get some time to look at it before next Tuesday's appointment. For now I am home with Killian and we'll be walking if we want to get out.

It's been 5 months now since I've had a regular job and two weeks since I've had any income at all. If I'm honest, I am more than a little terrified on the inside. I have a looming CPS hearing (on January 6, 2025) and should talk to a lawyer because I don't know how to do this alone, a "probably significant" car repair bill coming up, and all my regular expenses as well. No one is going to "take care of me" any more than they already have been. (I am grateful for those who live here with me in my house. They make staying here possible.) I have money in my bank account that would cover my bills, but it's also supposed to cover my taxes come spring. God has always provided for my needs, however I can't help but feel anxious.

Our north east summer has come to an end. Today, for the first time in over two weeks (at least!) I put on a pair of jeans and a long sleeved shirt. I'm not ready to admit it is autumn, even though I've always said it's my favorite. I haven't yet donned socks and shoes... Maybe I should have gotten a job in Florida... LOL!

PS. It warmed up and I'm back to shorts and a sleeveless top.

Playing Catch-up

 * The long weekend vacation to New Hampshire (we also drove up into Maine) was fabulous. There is nothing quite like like getting away from the everyday and exploring someplace new. On our way to Hampton Falls, Gail and I detoured to Whitinsville, Massachusetts where our friend Beth met us at The West End Creamery. I have been wanting this for years. It was such a wonderful hour of remembering childhood and catching up on the present day.

* Our friend Linda, who was already in Boston, met us in New Hampshire and we spent the next couple of days going to a sea glass festival, a rummage sale, gift shops, restaurants, and exploring the coast. It rained Sunday afternoon and we took a drive up along the coast as far as Kennebunkport, Maine and the Bush Estate. Vacations are always too short and on Monday morning, when it was finally sunny again, we turned west and headed for home.

* I returned to the hair salon on Tuesday evening and saw my new favorite hair stylist, Anna. The appointments weren't double booked this time and we laughed about the mix-up that happened in March. "I'm glad you decided to come back to me," she said. 

* The Webster Museum was doing a little presentation on Wednesday afternoon during my lunch break. My neighbor and I were the keynote speakers... They are highlighting our little neighborhood of National Homes which were built in the early 1950's. It has long been affectionately dubbed "Indian Village" for the street names, Pontiac, Seneca, Mohawk, and Iroquois. I should have asked for more than just the hour as I had to rush back to work as soon as it was over. Before I left, I was approached by a woman who said she had gone to school with me, and there was my old friend Melissa, who not only graduated with me but was also in my kindergarten class, along with Beth who I had just seen in Massachusetts. How fun is that?

* It was a stressful week at work. Something felt off with my present coworker all week but there was nothing I could put my finger on aside from a slight coolness that didn't seem to be there the week before. The children have been crazy, as usual. On Friday afternoon, just after returning from a very late lunch, I sat down to draw with a few of the children, most of whom did not take a nap, and were now running around the classroom. It went well for a very short time and then several decided it was a good idea to eat the crayons. When I stood up to take the crayon from one small child, he took off running, crayon in hand. I chased him down, caught him by the shoulder, and took the chewed on crayon out of his hand. In the process, I accidentally left a large scratch on the side of his neck. (I am as horrified as anyone else. Probably more so.) Everything is on camera and I would never, ever purposely hurt a child, but my boss, who reviewed the footage insists that I pulled him backward by his sweatshirt. This happened at 2:30 pm just 20 minutes after I had returned from my break. At 4:30 pm I was called into a meeting and sent home on "administrative leave." I am absolutely sick.

* In the early hours of Saturday morning my sweet daughter got up and took her best friend, my son in law, to the airport with a one-way ticket to El Paso. He is now in Mexico. On Friday he has an appointment with im mig ration. It is our hope and prayer that he will be looked upon with favor by those in authority and return home by the end of May. Needless to say, stress levels are at an all time high. All your prayers and good thoughts are appreciated.

* Yesterday was Mother's Day. My sweet children all reached out and made the day very special. Six came over with the fixings to make subs, and one called from Florida to let me know he loves me too.

Wildly Wonderful!

 I flew into Orlando on Saturday, March 16.

Sunday, March 17- Jim and I took a walk at Black Bear Wilderness Area in Sanford where I saw my first in the wild alligator.

Monday, March 18- Jim and Michele took me to Disney World! It was fantastically fun! I loved all of it!!!

Tuesday, March 19- We stuck close to home and met up with my long lost brother in law and his wife at Hollerbach's German Restaurant in downtown Sanford. It was Jim's first time meeting Uncle Stan.After lunch Jim got a haircut across the street and we walked the 3 miles back home. 

Wednesday, March 20- Jim and I went to Epcot together. It was fabulous! We ate our way around the world, checked out all the gift shops, and enjoyed a myriad of rides through various countries. Guardians of the Galaxy is the best ride ever. I think I dreamed of it in childhood.

Thursday, March 21 (today)- I got up at 5:15 am, drove to the coast and met my friend Marty for sunrise and breakfast on the beach. 

Back home in Sanford, we were surprised by a visit from Jim's friend Dan and his wife Rachel.

And then we watched a rocket launch from the driveway.

What an amazing week!

The Week Flew Past

Florida...

* We spent Sunday afternoon at the other Grammy's house. Relaxing family time with snacks, tree decorating, Christmas movies, and a dip in the pool.

* There was a scheduling conflict on Monday which prevented us from going into Magic Kingdom as planned. Instead we took the time we did have and visited the life sized gingerbread house at Disney's Floridian Resort.

* We also had some late afternoon time for a stop at Disney Springs for something to eat and a few pictures. ("Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!"

* In all honesty, I was very disappointed in not being able to visit the park itself. Previous to the trip I had surprised myself by feeling quite excited about going, so it was hard to change gears. My sweet son and daughter in law felt terrible and I have been promised a trip on my next visit which we are planning for spring. I'm looking at tickets now.

* On my return home I discovered the Orlando Airport is a wild place! The lines are astoundingly long and slow and everyone is late for their flight. (I was grateful to make it through security without any snags this time.) If one is flying out of Orlando it would be a good idea to be there three hours ahead of departure. I was there two hours ahead and felt a bit of anxiety over whether I would make the flight. Several people did not make it to the gate before the doors were closed.

* My flight left Orlando at noon. I had a 3 hour plus layover in Baltimore (and didn't know about the rocking chairs...) which turned into a little more when someone on the aircraft that was our connecting flight, had a medical emergency. Once they were taken care of and the plane disinfected, we made our way to Rochester.

* I was all tucked into my center seat when a familiar face came down the aisle. It was one of our daycare dads! I have five little ones in my "care group" and there was Levi's daddy on my plane! Ha ha! (I talked with his mommy about it just yesterday afternoon.)

Home again...

* I went back to work the morning after arriving home. I haven't been paid for any time off work since giving my 2 week notice at Tot Spot at the end of July, so I needed to get back right away. I jumped in with both feet. Everyone (home included) has been struggling with the respiratory virus that has been ravaging the planet. (I don't really know where it's been. I am being dramatic.) Cough, congestion, sore throats, ear aches and misery. So far I have escaped. Fingers crossed.

* I visited my therapist Thursday evening. More on that later.

* Finally, my eldest daughter and I were blessed to attend a Singer Songwriter Showcase at the Seed and Stone Cidery last night. (She gracefully gifted me with an egg roll ahead of our arrival as I went directly from work to her house and was  starving.) My son Nathan and a few friends were sharing stories and their original music. I am so happy to see him plugged in and doing what he loves. (That's him in the dark shirt on the left.)

And this is the end of my long and rambling post.
Thanks for listening.

Not Enough Time in the Days

It been a whirlwind of a week! Last Thursday my son and his band had their first official show when they opened for Glass Cannon at the Iron Smoke Distillery in Fairport, NY. They did a phenomenal job and I am looking forward to more music outings in the not too distant future. 

On Friday morning my friend Gail and I took off for a weekend in New Jersey. She had some deliveries to make and some family to see. In the midst of the visits and errands we had some fun. We went out for breakfast and dinner, walked a couple of beaches, collected a few treasures, and I stuck my feet in the ocean. It was entirely fabulous!

I just do not have enough time in my life to work and do all the playing I would like. Ha ha! Who does?

Updates (Kind of like Bits and Pieces)

 * My doctor answered the message I sent and agrees it sounds like I had an allergic reaction while on vacation in Cape Cod. He has referred me to an allergist.

* I am never quite ready to come home from vacations even if it rains, which it did. In spite of the rain, and sometimes ocean mist, we had some fabulous beach days.

Cockle Cove Beach- 8/12

Morris Island Loop Trail- 8/13

Chatham Pier and Fish Market- 8/13

First Encounter Beach- 8/13 (sunset)

Marconi Beach- 8/14

Head of the Meadow Beach- 8/16

Provincetown Pier- 8/16

Nauset Beach- 8/17

 

Breakwater Beach- 8/18 (sunset)

* My friend Lisa, who lives on Cape Cod, was able to come visit me Friday morning. We shared coffee and a long talk. She moved back to the Cape 19 years ago! I can't believe it's been so long already. 

* I started my new job on Monday. It's been mostly training so far with a little time in a few classrooms. The first child I was asked to sit by was on a cot attempting to take a nap. God really does have a sense of humor. It was the one little girl whose name I happened to know, although I had never met her or her parents. She is the 2 year old cousin of the twins I just left behind at the other daycare.

* I walked to work Monday morning. Today I took my car and came home for lunch. Such a change from what I've been doing the past six years.