Traffic

We reserved a timeshare in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for December 27, thinking
that traffic two days after Christmas would be light.  When we go to Florida, we
like to leave early so we can lunch at O’Steens in St. Augustine, one of our
favorite restaurants to enjoy fried shrimp.

We were on the road on the day after Christmas by 6:15 a.m.  Traffic was light
and we congratulated ourselves for planning ahead.  Then we hit South Carolina
at about 10:00 and came to a halt. I-95 was packed with cars and everyone
was in a rush.  We passed an accident about every 20 miles, some serious,
others were fender benders. We didn’t reach Savanna until after 12:00.  I-95
is three- laned in Georgia. We usually drive at 75 mph in a 70 mph speed
zone, but cars would come behind us and honk their horn, some drivers
giving us the finger.  We changed to 80 mph and still cars zipped by going
at least 90. And some of them didn’t get far. We passed a lot of accidents
in Georgia.

Instead of getting to our restaurant before 2:00 p.m. we arrived at 4:00 and
were then told the wait for a table was 40 minutes.  We waited. The good
news is that the fried shrimp was as good as ever.

We stayed near St. Augustine and then drove to Fort  Lauderdale the next day.
Again, traffic was light until mid-morning and was then bumper-to-bumper
with more accidents.  We were exhausted when we finally got to our condo.

We used to make this trip in one day.  Now, we’re so old we’ll take three
days rather than two.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Christmas Concert 2019

The Music Makers, a choral group of 50 singers in Carolina Preserve, practicing twice weekly since early September, presented their annual Christmas Concert on December 13 and 14 to a sellout audience of over 200 people each night.  I attended on Friday night.  It was wonderful.

Aloma, singing soprano, was positioned in the center of the first row.  She looked beautiful and confident.  Not only did she sing with the entire group, but she also performed in a select group of eight singers.  This was a surprise for me, the highlight of the evening.  I am so proud of her.

Before the concert, I hosted 15 friends and cousins for drinks, appetizers and sandwiches.  Even though it was a simple party, I was nervous that I would forget something.  Thanks for lists for my lists, the party worked out fine.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it.

The weather did not cooperate.  It rained most of the day.  We usually walk from our home to Bradford Hall for the concert, but most of us drove because of the rain.  It didn’t matter.

Thanks, Aloma, for the beautiful music and a reason for friends and cousins to get together.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Soccer 2019

We completed our fifth year of watching high school soccer a few days ago.  We started watching Ben play at Raleigh Charter High School when he was a freshman.  Jack joined the team as a freshman three years ago, so until this year, we had two grandsons on the varsity team.

Our expectations were low this year because it was a young team, a new coach, players small but fast.  Raleigh Charter lost three early games and then came together winning the rest of the regular-season games.  Grandson, Jack, was one of the two high scorers on the team and had a great year.  We were at most games to cheer for Jack and the team.

The North Carolina State sectional tournament started two weeks ago.  Raleigh Charter had a bye and won the next three games handily.  We were in the semi-finals playing Franklin, one of the best teams in the state.  Unfortunately, our third round game was postponed so we played on Monday, the day before the semi-finals.  The boys were beat-up and tired.

Franklin was rested, had superior athletes, tall and fast, aggressive (six yellow cards vs. zero for us).  But we had spirit and fight.  Jack had one goal called back because of an offsides penalty and was fouled in the box and another player scored the penalty kick.  Then Jack tied the score 3-3 with a great goal, but Franklin scored again and we couldn’t match that goal.  Franklin won the next game, winning the state championship. 

We are proud of the team, and especially, Jack.  He was so sore the next morning that he told his mom that if they had won, he probably couldn’t play the next game.

Jack, you and Raleigh Charter were great this year.  We are proud of you.  And we had so much fun watching you play.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail. Com

Marion Fearn R.I.P.

Aloma and I returned to the Lake Norman area a few days ago for a service celebrating the life of Marion Fearn.

Aloma met Marion Fearn soon after we moved to North Carolina over 20 years ago at a Newcomers Club meeting.  They became friends and stayed in touch over the years.  

I went with Aloma to a Newcomers dinner and met Brian, Marion’s husband.  We and another man, Andy, discovered we played golf and decided to play together.  We were working at the time, so we played on Saturday mornings every three weeks.  We had a great time.

A few years before we moved to Cary, Brian, Andy and I, with our wives, went to Cashiers, North Carolina for a weekend, staying at the High Hampton Resort.  Aloma and Marion had us laughing all the time.  The ladies shopped and drove to Highlands while we played golf.  My brother had a summer house in Cashiers and joined us for a round of golf.

Eventually, we all retired and others joined us for golf twice a week.  This became the golf group that became so important to me over the years.

Marion Fearn was a beautiful and classy lady.  We will miss her.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Global Warming

We believe in global warming, at least in the short run.  And we have no doubt that humans are contributing by burning fossil fuels, removing forests, building cities, flying airplanes, and overpopulating.  From fossil records, we know that the earth’s temperature is always changing.  What we are less sure of is the direction of longer-term climate changes.  Are we moving toward a 1000 year warming period or are we moving toward a mini or full ice age?

We try to do our part in the short run.  We carefully recycle; we keep our thermostats at reasonable levels, and, while we don’t own electric or hybrid cars, our cars get good gas mileage and we avoid unnecessary trips.

But we blew it last week.  We bought a propane patio heater.  We enjoy sitting on our patio in the evenings.  Aloma will sit out in cold temperatures, wearing a heavy jacket and covered in a blanket.  The patio heater creates a warm space.

So we are heating the planet.  To monitor our contribution, I’m monitoring satellite images of the Arctic and Antarctic ice caps as well as tracking a couple of glaciers.  If I see a significant change in the next few weeks, we’ll cut back on heating the air in North Carolina.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Baseball

I used to love baseball.  Dad would hit me grounders and fly balls in our front yard most evenings.  I played third base in the Babe Ruth League (ages 13 -15) in Ocala, Florida, and we won the State Championship but lost in the Regionals in Tennessee.  I planned to play baseball in high school, but I had surgery on my knee in the spring during my sophomore and junior years.  I used to listen to games of the Gainesville G-Men and sometimes even kept a detailed scorecard while I listened.

My favorite major league team was the Boston Red Socks.  I kept up with the other major league teams and knew most of the players.  I was glued to the radio during the World Series.

As I got older, I began to lose interest in baseball.  It lost its magic for me.  Maybe it was because of television?  The games seem to go on forever.

This year I didn’t watch the playoff games, but I did try to watch the World Series.  They were great games, but to me, they were so slow.  I would record them and, after watching an inning or two, I would fast forward until someone got on base and then I would watch the rest of the inning.  And I went to bed before the games were over.

That’s no way to watch baseball.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

NC State Fair No. 6

Every year I look forward to the North Carolina State Fair.  It’s only a 20-minute drive from our home; I go alone so I can do what I want to do and come home when I’m ready.  And it’s free for senior citizens.

This year I didn’t think I was going.  I got into some bad food on vacation a few weeks ago and have not been feeling good.  But on Wednesday, I woke up feeling better and decided to go to the fair. 

Promoting the fair, the local newspaper had several articles about new foods this year.  It seems to me that most people go to the fair to eat.  Most everything is fried, slathered in butter or has BBQ sauce on it.  In other years, I bypassed the food.  This year I could barely look at it.

I walked around, watched some judging of some steers, checked out the biggest pumpkin (1,500 pounds) and watched kids enjoy the animals.  I did ride the Skygazer, the tallest ferris wheel to ever hit Raleigh (so they say).

Last year, I didn’t pay attention to where I parked, and I spent an hour looking for my car.  I learned my lesson and this year went right to it.

My only problem was walking.  I haven’t had any exercise in weeks, and I suffered from being on my feet for a couple of hours.  I did take a break and sat and listened to some bluegrass music.

I’m already looking forward to the North Carolina State Fair next year.  Maybe I’ll be in the mood to eat some fried fat.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Mountains-To-Sea

The Mountains-To-Sea Trail is a long-distance (1175 miles) trail for hiking and backpacking that transverses North Carolina from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean.  Aloma and I did it in six days.

No, we didn’t hike.  We drove.  We enjoy spending a week in the mountains in late July to get a break from the summer heat.  This year, Jennifer planned a beach outing to celebrate Ben’s starting college.  Since it was at the same time we had scheduled the mountains, we rescheduled for September.  We already had reservations for the beach in September, so we returned home from the mountains and six days later drove to North Myrtle Beach.

In past years, our week vacation at Cashiers, NC included daily hikes to the many waterfalls in the area.  Now, we mostly sit on the deck of our condo enjoying the cool mountain air, enjoying lunch at different restaurants and taking short walks.

At the beach, we lay by the pool but mostly sat on our ocean-front balcony watching the ocean and people on the beach and the pool.  I love to swim in the ocean and did get in a few times.

While we were gone, summer continued in Raleigh with temperatures in the nineties for most days.  So we did get a break from the summer heat.

Seasoned Man           

stevelem117@gmail.com

Football Season

I look forward to football season every year.  For some reason, I’ve been slow to get excited this year.  But we’re in full swing now and I’m getting psyched.

My schools are Georgia Tech (underrate) and U. of Florida (graduate school).  Last week, my TV recording ran out with one minute to play and Florida ahead by 1 point but with Kentucky moving and in range of an easy field goal.  I went to bed thinking Florida had lost.  Next morning, I read that Kentucky missed the field goal and Florida, running out the clock, had a long run for a touchdown.  Florida won by eight points.

Fortunately, I was returning from the mountains when Georgia Tech was beaten by Citadel.  How could that possibly happen?

I also pull for teams from the Triangle.  Unfortunately, UNC and NC State lost games they should have won.  Only Duke won.

Each year I seem to have less interest in the NFL, except for the Carolina Panthers.  The Panthers have looked awful and are 0 - 2.

Oh, Well.  Football season will pick up even if I had to adopt new teams.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Water Issues

Jennifer asked us to house sit and stay with Jack while they took grandson, Ben,
to college at Brown University in Rhode Island.  We looked forward to a change
and the opportunity to spend more time with Jack.

On the morning they left, Jennifer called and told us the water heater started
leaking badly and they had to shut it off.  We volunteered to coordinate the
installation of a new water heater with their plumber while they were away.
But it was Labor Day weekend, and the plumber couldn’t install the new
water heater until Tuesday.  

After a night without hot water, we decided to go back to our home for the
night.  Jack took a bath in our walk-in tub, but when he finished, the
water for the tub wouldn’t shut off.  I couldn’t find a shut-off valve
for the tub, so I turned the water off to the house. I would turn it on
again when we needed to do laundry or fill the toilet tanks.

The next three days we alternated between houses, carrying food
back and forth, showering at our house, enjoying cold water
all the time at Jennifer’s.  

We were dead tired by the time the water heater at Jennifer’s
was installed and she and Peter returned home.  Then the next
day, our tub was repaired and a shut-off valve was installed for
the tub. What a relief.

While the house sitting didn’t go as we expected, we did have
quality time with Jack.  He even went with me to fly my model
airplane, and he flew it perfectly and seemed to enjoy it.

I’m now going to turn the kitchen faucet on and off just
because I can.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Sleep

When I was younger, I would wake up in the middle of the night and look at the clock and say to myself “oh, no, only four more hours to sleep.”  Now, I wake and look at the clock and say “oh, no, I have to stay in bed another four hours.”  What a change in perspective!

I know older people usually don’t sleep as well as when they were young.  I remember my dad telling me that he would be awake at night and turn on radio talk shows.  He had a pillow speaker so the radio wouldn’t bother my mother.  Older friends tell me that they roam the house at night because they can’t sleep.

I go to bed around 11:00 and usually go right to sleep.  Then I wake up an hour or so later.  If I’m comfortable, I’ll relax in bed.  Or if I’m restless, I’ll get up and move to a recliner in the family room, cover myself with a blanket, and try to relax.  Usually, I’ll go to sleep within 30 to 40 minutes.  When I wake up, I go back to bed and sleep the rest of the night.

My primary care doctor told me I needed the same amount of sleep that I did when I was younger-- seven to eight hours.  I asked her about sleeping pills, but she nixed that idea.  She instructed me to not watch television within an hour of going to bed and to stop taking naps in the afternoon.  Of course, I’m ignoring her advice.

Sweet dreams.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Radio Controlled Airplanes

When I’m not playing golf, working in Aloma’s garden, reading, or going to a doctor, I fly radio control model airplanes.  I started flying about 15 years ago, joining a club in Statesville.  I wasn’t a natural and flew on a buddy box for a year before I could fly by myself.  But I loved it and made many friends.

When we moved to Cary, I joined a club in Holly Springs, about 30 minutes south of our home, and I fly on Saturdays or Wednesdays. The membership of the club is mostly young men that have accepted me and are always willing to help.  Of course, I’m the oldest member of the club, and I fly erratically.  Saturdays are crowded with flyers and three or four planes are in the air at the same time.  Too many for me and I get nervous.

A year ago, a couple of us retired flyers agreed to get together on Wednesdays to fly in a more relaxed setting.  Now there are ten or eleven in the group, not all showing up each Wednesday, and all very interesting men with fascinating backgrounds.  I look forward to every Wednesday, not just for the flying, but to talk with the other guys.

I bought a new plane this spring with Safe technology.  It has GPS and returns to the take-off position if it goes too far away.  If I get disoriented and take my hands off of the controls, the plane will straighten out and fly level.  I can also push a button and the plane will circle above the field until I’m ready to take back control.  I love this plane and feel comfortable flying it.

But bad things can happen to models.  A man, who had a plane identical to mine, flew it into the ground the other day and broke it apart.  Last week, I flew terribly and was lucky to bring the plane back in one piece.  This week, it flew great.  You never know.

I feel so fortunate that I can still fly and have some great people to fly with.

Seasoned Man

stevelem17@gmail.com

Fourth of July

Growing up in rural north Florida, the Fourth of July was just another holiday.  The most exciting memory was when a couple of cousins bought some firecrackers and roman candles in Georgia and fired them off.

Things changed after I married and we had children.  We would take the kids to a local park to watch the fireworks.  We would arrive early with a picnic basket and a blanket and join the huge crowd waiting for dusk and the fireworks.  It was great fun.  We always got caught in a traffic jam afterward and wouldn’t get home until late.  It didn’t matter.

After we moved to Lake Norman, we quickly learned that a spectacular fireworks event was held over the water at Queens Landing, an entertainment and boating complex.  And it was right across from the entrance to our neighborhood.  We would walk there in less than five minutes, spread a blanket and watch the wonderful fireworks over the lake.  We would be amazed when we looked past the docks to the hundreds of boats anchored to watch the fireworks.  It looked like the movies of D-Day.

Jennifer and her family used to visit us on most Fourth of July holidays and we would spread two blankets and bring snacks for our grandsons.  What great memories.

Now that we are older and live in Carolina Preserve, we don’t even think of leaving the house to watch fireworks.  We host our neighbors for a BBQ cookout.  I get up early, fire up the grill, and cook a large pork shoulder for over eight hours on low heat.  Our neighbors bring appetizers and desserts, and we have a grand time.  Of course, some wine and a few beers make the evening even more fun.

When everyone walks home, I turn on the TV and watch the Capitol Fourth celebration on television.  I love the patriotic music.

Our traditions have changed as we age, but we still enjoy the Fourth of July and look forward to it every year.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

What

The title of this blog is one of my most used words.  “What?”  My hearing has been bad for years, but I think it’s getting worse.  I go out to lunch or breakfast with my three neighbors, one is turning 90 this month and the other two are 86.  They all wear hearing aids and our conversations are sometimes weird because we can’t hear each other.  But my hearing is much worse than my friends.

I wear expensive hearing aids and get them adjusted regularly.  Last week, I decided to go to UNC Hearing, rather the audiologist I normally go to.  I got a hearing test, and a word recognition test.  I told the doctor about my condition and said I was interested in discussing a cochlear implant.

After the tests, the doctor said my hearing hasn’t changed in the last year (my hearing aids remember the results of the last test).  My word recognition was 75%.  Not that bad.  A cochlear implant is not even considered unless the word recognition is below 45%.

The doctor cranked up the volume of my hearing aids and said I need to work on hearing strategies--facing the speaker and watching his/her lips, using the different programs in the hearing aids when in a restaurant or auditorium, and asking people to speak louder.

I’m disappointed.  I guess I’ll have to continue to use my favorite word--”What.”

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Procreation

Aloma and I were talking about some close friends of ours.  “They have exceptional children and grandchildren.  The kids are good looking, motivated, excellent students and suburb athletes.  These are the kind of people who should have more children.  The world would be a better place.”

“What if we encouraged them to have more children?” I asked.

“Steve, they are in their seventies,” Aloma said.  She paused and then added, “Well, miracles do happen.  Maybe we could help.  How about setting them up with a fabulous dinner and a weekend in a swanky resort?  Then let nature take its course?”

“Great idea,” I responded.  “Let me work on it.”

Two days later, I approached Aloma.  “I’ve got a plan worked out.  I’ve got a room for four hours in a Motel Six and two gift certificates for $10 each at a nearby McDonalds.  That should do the trick.”

Aloma glared at me and said, “Let’s forget the whole idea.”  She walked away.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Graduations

We are so pleased that two grandsons graduated in the past few weeks:  Dawson Cowen, with a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences from the University of Florida, cun laude, and Ben Balint-Kurti from high school at Raleigh Charter, summa cun laude.

In addition to his degree, Dawson received an accommodation from the President of the University of Florida for a community project.  He had an idea for placing trauma kits in strategic locations around the University of Florida campus in case of a terrorist shooting.  He got approval for the idea, secured funding and placed 77 trauma kits.

Dawson plans to take the exam for medical school in November.

Ben had a successful high school experience making excellent grades, playing four years on the varsity soccer team and leading the team as captain his senior year.  Ben had the distinction of achieving a perfect score on his ACT examine, only one of about 2000 in the country.

Ben plans to go to Brown University this fall.

Dawson and Ben, we are so proud of both of you.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Fauna 2019

One of our favorite pastimes is sitting on our deck looking at our plants and talking about how they’re doing and planning what to do next with them.  Almost as much fun as watching the plants grow is watching the antics of the wildlife.

We have a suet feeder that the Mockingbirds claim as their own. Other birds that visit regularly are Blue Birds, Brown Thrasher/Wood Thrush, and Robins.  We love them all except for Starlings/Grackles (we don’t know which) that come in flocks, driving the other birds away.  When they come, I bring the suet in.  The Mockingbirds know where I put it and come onto the patio looking for it.

Two young rabbits are driving us crazy.  Aloma asked me not to bond with them as I did last year.  They would come on the patio and sit next to me and look at their next meal.  This year I’m shooting biodegradable pellets at them with a slingshot but rarely come close enough to scare them.  When I throw the slingshot at them, they get the idea that I'm serious.  I’ve put plastic mesh around the plants they like so that’s keeping them from wiping us out.

Deer come at night, but Liquid Fence (smells terrible) seems to keep them from eating plants and shrubs.

Lizards (actually, Chameleons) run across out deck and have no fear of us.  I was sitting on the deck next to a plant and one hopped onto my shoulder and just sat there looking around.

A green tree frog lives in our Hibiscus vine and announces to us that rain is eminent.  He is so loud.  Aloma can mimic him and he answers her.  When you see Aloma, ask her for her best frog call.

Last year, we had a Carolina Worm Snake that spend a couple of weeks under one of our bushes.  This year, I was blowing leaves off of the deck, and a three-foot Black Snake slithered out from under a chair.  I wish he would eat one of the rabbits.

Every day, the wildlife will do something that brings a laugh to us.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Spring Concert

The Music Makers, the Carolina Preserve coral group, with the Carolina Preserve dancers, presented their spring concert on May 17 and 18.  Both concerts were sold out, 150 paying attendees for each show.

The group was already practicing when we returned from Florida in mid-March.  Aloma had some catching up to do.  She is always placed in the front row, in my opinion, because she looks so great and has such an outgoing personality, even when she sings.  I am so proud of her.  Two of the songs I liked best were, “When the Saints Go Marching In,” and “I believe.”

The Carolina Preserve dancers are a hoot.  Think of dancers in their 60’s and 70’ and a couple in their 80’s, in costumes, and tap dancing to lively music.  Everyone in the audience was smiling.

The Christmas concert is scheduled for December 13 and 14.  Aloma will begin practicing in September.

I’m already looking forward to it.

Seasoned Man

Statues

I remember reading a couple of years ago that confederate statues were taken down in New Orleans.  Recently, a confederate statue was taken down at Duke University in Durham.  The University of North Carolina is now embroiled over a statue of a civil war soldier, Silent Sam, identity unknown.  My reaction was one of sadness.  After all, the statues are a memorial to the young men who fought and died in the Civil War.

Last week, I read a book by Mitch Landrieu, “In The Shadow of Statues.”  He was the mayor of New Orleans and the force behind the removal of the statue of Robert E. Lee and two other Confederate statues.  I tried to read the book without bias and concentrate on his reasons.

Landrieu reasoned that the statues are a symbol of the war the South fought to maintain the way of life that was based on a slavery economy, not on States Rights.  He said the intent of the statues when they were constructed was to glorify the culture of the old South.  He strengthens his argument by quoting a young African-American girl visiting New Orleans and on seeing the Statue of Robert E. Lee, said, “Why does New Orleans have a statue of a general who fought to keep us slaves?”

I brought this subject up at dinner last night with our daughter and her family.  My grandson, a high school senior, said he was taught that the intent of the statues was to glorify the old South based on slavery.  However, I feel most people think of them as honoring the soldiers who fought and died.

Statues and other memorials honoring the soldiers who fought and died in World War I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the War against Terrorism are present in most towns in all 50 states and in our nation’s capital.  If German-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Korean-Americans or Arab-Americans, feel uncomfortable, should the memorials be removed?

So where do I come out thinking about the issue?  I can see the point of view that some people view confederate statues as a symbol of the fight to keep slavery.  I also side with my friends who say the statues represent the history of a war between the States and memorialize the brave men who fought and died.

My son-in-law, Peter, loaned me another book to read, “Confederates in the Attic.”I will continue to read and think about it some more.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Challenging The Eighties

I am pleased that I have lived long enough to celebrate my 81st birthday.  However, when in my seventies, I had a vision that my eighties would be similar to my seventies.  After all, I’ve worked out regularly my whole life, my medical chemistries are good, and I’ve been fairly active mentally.

So far, life is not working out exactly like I envisioned.  My stamina is not what it was two years ago; my balance has deteriorated and my naps are longer.  My muscle strength is a fraction of what it was only a few years ago.  In fact, I can’t remember where my biceps used to be.  I am very disappointed that words are becoming harder to recall.  Sometimes, I can’t remember whether or not I’ve taken my pills.

Last year when I turned 80, I blamed my condition on the accident I had in January.  Now it’s been 15 months since the accident and I can hardly blame it.

I’ve haven’t given up.  I’m walking regularly and have a plan to get my workout weights back up to pre-80s.  I’m working in Aloma’s garden again and starting home projects that were put off.  I’m flying my radio controlled airplanes regularly and am playing a par-3 golf course.  My goal is to play a regular golf course before the summer is over.  The material for my third book of the Turkey Grove series is on my desk but hasn’t been opened yet.  I will start writing again.

I’m determined to make my 80s just another decade.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Racing Spring

When we arrived in Naples, Florida in December, winter flowers were in full bloom and were beautiful.  In January, we noticed that bushes along the roads were turning green and oak trees were losing their old leaves and putting out new green leaves.  As we were leaving Naples at the end of February, we talked about leaving Spring behind.

But Spring was still with us for the first week in March in Orlando and stayed with us as we drove north to Savannah.  In previous years we measured Spring on our drive north by blooming Yellow Jasmine.  As we were going through North Florida, Aloma mentioned that she didn’t see any Yellow Jasmine.  I suggested they might have already bloomed.  We might see them north of Savannah.  And we did.

As we passed South of the Border and entered North Carolina, bushes and trees along I-95 were turning green and some trees (wild cherry, we think) were blooming.  I told Aloma, “I think Spring has beaten us to our home in Cary.”

As it turned out, we could have walked the rest of the way to our home and still have beaten Spring to Cary.

When we arrived home, wild cherries were blooming and a few bushes were showing new green leaves, but most bushes and trees didn’t show signs of Spring.  I thought, “Give it a couple more days and Spring would be bursting out all over.  Not!!

Unusually cold weather kept Spring contained.  We did have beautiful daffodils and blooms on our Quince shrub, but we still waited.  Finally last week our neighbor’s Cherry tree bloomed as did Redbud trees in the neighborhood.  And I saw my first Yellow Jasmine.  Spring had finally arrived at our home.

Seasoned Man           

stevelem17@gmail.com

Cooking

About 25 years ago, we started vacationing for one or two weeks in timeshares with modern kitchens.  We would eat out a couple of times a week, but eat in the rest of the time.  Aloma never complained about cooking, but I realized this was certainly no vacation for her.  I offered to do the shopping and meal preparation while we were on vacation.  I didn’t have to offer twice.

I went shopping at least every other day, getting up early, visiting a WalMart, getting back to our condo by 8:00 a.m.  I enjoyed it.  Meals were simple.  Most condos had gas grills so I would cook burgers, hot dogs, chicken and pork chops.  Inside I would cook omelets, BLTs and meatloaf or Tacos.  No problem.

This year was different, vacationing for two months.  I still enjoyed the shopping early in the morning, but after two weeks, I couldn’t think of what to prepare.  The hardest part was to establish a menu.  We had a gas grill in the garage, but it was difficult to move out to the driveway so I didn’t feel like cooking out as much as we did at home.  Aloma didn’t want beef very often, so I didn’t have a clue what meals to offer.  But we got through 10 weeks of my cooking.

Neither of lost any weight.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Flora and Fauna

During our two and a half months at Wiggins Lake in Naples, Florida, we enjoyed the
flowers, shrubs and trees and the varied wildlife.  During our walks, we would point
out to each other the oak trees shedding their old leaves and putting on new ones. We
loved the hibiscus shrubs blooming continuously; the large banyan trees and the
different types of palm trees were especially interesting.  Even though Aloma is a
Master Gardener, we could not identify most of the shrubs and plants. They are so
different than the ones we have in North Carolina.

Most of the wildlife we could identify.  A bald eagle, and later an osprey, swooped
over the lake.  An anhinga fished the lake by diving under the water for minutes
at a time.  Egrets and a blue heron patrolled the shoreline. Otters roamed the five
lakes and Aloma saw four in our lake at one time.  I saw a medium size alligator
sunning on the bank. Ducks and turtles were around every day. The most
unusual turtle sighting was at our front door.  I heard a banging and thought
it was a UPS delivery tossed against our door. Wrong. It was a huge turtle,
the largest I’ve seen. I stepped outside and he slowly crawled along the side
of the condo.  I guess he was changing lakes and wanted a shortcut through our condo.

We developed a relationship with a squirrel that I named Nubbin because half of
his tail was missing.  Nubbin would sit in the oak tree next to the lanai and talk
to Aloma. One day, Aloma was reading in the lanai and looked up and saw a
raccoon a few feet on the other side of the screen.  She spoke to it (Aloma talks
to everything and everyone) and it retreated a few steps, then continued
exploring next to the screen

We always enjoy nature.  It was fun to see so much while sitting in our Lanai.

Seasoned Man

stevelem117@gmail.com

Wiggins Lakes

Our condo in Naples, Florida overlooked Wiggins Lake, one of five similar lakes created
when this development was built in the late 1980s.  While in North Carolina we might call
it a pond because of its small size, only about 200 yards long and 75 yards across, to us
sitting in our lanai only 15 yards from the lake, it was magical.

Our lanai had screens and sliding glass doors so we were comfortable during hot weather
and cool evenings in January.  We sat in comfortable chairs reading, snacking and
watching and listening to the big fountain in the middle of the lake and enjoying the
antics of the ever-present wildlife.  

During the two months we were there, we watched two full moons rise over the lake.  
We watched the oak trees around the lake drop last year’s leaves and show off their bright
green new leaves.  We watched the palm trees send up straight slender stalks and then
days later bend over to meet the other branches as the fronds weighted the stalk down.  
We watched the hibiscus bloom continuously for the entire time. We were amazed when a
northeast breeze would create small waves that acted like tiny lenses to reflect tiny points
of light from the morning sun.

The best part was our sitting together pointing out happenings on the lake to each other and
talking about our lives and feelings.

We feel blessed to have spent time at Wiggins Lakes.

Seasoned man

stevelem117@gmail.com

SWF Eagles

Last year I discovered a 24/7 on-line camera of an eagles nest in Fort Myers, Florida.  While I was in the hospital and later back in North Carolina, I enjoyed watching them develop and finally fledge and leave the nest.

This year I checked in on the eagles while mom and dad were sitting on two eggs.  I watched them hatch and have enjoyed seeing them grow, developing feathers, exercising their wings, learning to walk, trying, without much success so far, to feed themselves from fish and animals brought to the nest by the adults.  I expect them soon to learn to feed themselves, hop up on limbs on the nest tree and finally take their first flight.  A few weeks after that they will leave the nest and not be seen again.

I'll check in on them every day until they are gone

If you would like to see them, the website is:

https://www.dickpritchettrealestate.com/eagle-feed.html

Enjoy.

Seasoned Man
stevelem117@gmail.com