Happy New Year

  ~Desiderata~
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
And remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible, without surrender,
Be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
And listen to others,
Even to the dull and ignorant;
They too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons;
They are vexatious to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
You may become vain or bitter,
For always, there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble,
It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
For the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
Many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere
Life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love,
For in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
It is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
Gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
Be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe
No less than the trees and the stars;
You have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
No doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with your higher power,
Whatever you conceive it to be.
And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life,
Keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
It is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.


Namaste, Happy New Year and the Brightest of Blessings,

Love, LizzieAlone 

I saw this old girl in her jeep outside the Winn Dixie yesterday, Jimmy Buffet blasting on the radio, not a human in sight.

Sue and I drove up to the Miccosukee Indian Village for their annual arts festival where we met up with Gloria, David, Marilyn and Maryann. I am not naming names here but we got hopelessly lost and it took hours to get there due to someone thinking she knew where she was going. She didn't.  I'm just saying...  Anyhoo, they have world champion dancers from Santa Fe, from Saskatchewan, from all over the U.S. and Canada and they are just fabulous. Here are some pictures for your perusal . . .

These guys were the drummers and singers for the dancers. I was practically deaf by the time I left. They were awesome.

 

An observation: The women have the most boring dances, can't even move their arms, just get to make their fringe swing, which apparently the men think is something to brag about. Ooooh, buckskin dancers... while the men get the best outfits, the best feathers and the best dances. hmmmmm

I must say though, the obvious pride these people take in their heritage and their desire to share it with others is really inspiring.

Sweet grass braids, white sage (I got a bundle), lavender (G and M bought me some-thanks!), and every herb, bark and berry you could think of and then some. Smelled heavenly.

Unlike the food on offer. Spam and tomato. Really?? The food totally sucked. I had the Indian Taco. Don't ask.

ya think??

And finally, I like to think this gator and the turtle are snuggling up together in the cold Florida weather (20 degrees below normal today, but I'm not going to complain even a little about a high temp of 66 degrees -- I watched the news this morning. Zoiks!)  So, all in all a fun day - in spite of all the driving. Let's not go there again . . .   Sue.

The girls and I went for a walk before bed tonight. Christmas night. Kind of tough to look through lighted windows in the neighborhood and see people celebrating, hear the music, the laughter, around a table, tree lit up, and not think of years past.

My husband and I celebrated together, just the two of us, every single year for 27 years. Over half of my life - and his.

Now, don't get me wrong. Karen and Chuck, Mary, all invited me to their homes last night, Lu and Tom for tonight; Leslie and Tom brought by lobster ceviche on their way to Miami today; Gloria and David and Marilyn came by for a swim.

A secret Santa left flowers on my stairway.

I opened presents from my mom and dad, my sister, and Rita and Sue.  Family called from Chattanooga, Michigan and Massachusetts.

I feel incredibly lucky. And ridiculously sad.

just can't help myself

It's impossible to avoid Christmas. Everywhere you go, all over the TV, on the radio, you are bombarded with it. Probably why I have this song stuck in my head - just can't turn it off . . .
 
XXXX'snuts roasting on an open fire . . .

So many kind, compassionate and loving people here in the Fabulous Florida Keys, and as always, some  extra help needed for the doggies and kitties so here is what I've been up to.  --Ok, so I have to dish . . . the perfectly lovely lady who does the baking is generous enough to provide little recipe cards gratis - ONLY if someone buys the baked good, of course. So, my first day I was looking thru them and here is the one to hand out if someone buys a yummy brownie:

BROWNIES

1 box Dncan Hines Brownie Mix (plain)

Follow recipe on box

Use all ingredients noted

Add 1/2 cup ground nuts to the recipe

Bake as directed on box

I am so deliriously happy reading this

Tripping down to Key West

My Daddy wrote me and said he missed reading my blog post. Oops - my bad. Once again losing sight of the here and now, silly me. Looking forward to the holiday passing without participating and then maybe, just maybe, escaping this purgatory that has become my life. SO, here I sit with a cup of peppermint tea and Clannad singing in the background . . .
(Will we treasure all the secrets with life's changing scenes
Where our hearts were warm with love, so much love
Will the flowers grow again as I open out my hand
Precious time, time for healing
The beauty of this land)
BUT I DIGRESS . . . Well, I had a free night at a Westin about to expire so I called up the folks in Old Town Key West and made a reservation. The fabulous Florence, one of a handful I trust to stay with the girls, was available and off I went. I always loved the trip down and never having done it by myself, savored every moment. I stopped off at Ann's Beach in lower Matecumbe:

 

Did you know there are 42 bridges connecting more than 100 islands over a distance of 126 miles and that 15 percent of the total travel time is spent on bridges? (I didn't either; I saw it on Wikipedia.) Anyhoo, how beautiful, right?

 Here's a shot of the 7-mile bridge while I'm going over it - woohoo! (no worries, Mom, totally safe-hardly any oncoming traffic.) I arrived in Key West in time to walk to our - no, make that MY - fave lunch spot: Alonzo's. The BEST margarita and crab salad lunch ever. I spotted Appledore on my way there (used to see her in Boothbay Harbor, Maine), 

shot a picture of these pelicans begging for fish while I caught up with all the news in the Key West Citizen, 

 and almost hurled when I spotted this hairy back. 

OMG, I mean seriously, does he have a clue? Typical male, probably doesn't care and thinks we'd all benefit from gazing upon the disgusting pelt sprouting from his back. I personally would be willing to finance a (hideously painful) waxing session. Hearing his agonized screams would be music to my ears. Woopsie, I seem to be getting carried away. . . so gross     I did the Duval Street Crawl and stopped at some of my favorite places, most notably Fast Buck Freddy's, the Wyland gallery, and Fresh Produce.

I checked into my hotel and I want to show you my view. I was on the ground floor which was totally convenient because I could access the pier right outside my door. Here was the view when I checked in and here is what I saw when I woke up the next morning! wow

Of course, I went to Sunset Celebration and I present here for your amusement, the sword swallower and the juggler guy. Both have been a part of sunset since we started coming to Key West. (Sword swallower said it was his 60th birthday but I think he might have been lying. For one thing he was trying to up his tips and also, he looked more like 72, although I guess swallowing swords every night might age you prematurely. Would also like to say that he had no front teeth so I'm sure that helped with his act- doh! or maybe that's how he lost them.)

The juggler guy is playing with fire and I love this picture with the bird in the background. The star of the show of course, was the sunset and here is one of the many conch shell blowers on hand to celebrate it.

I went off to Kelly's for dinner out in the garden, well known for being the birthplace of Pan American Airlines, dontcha know - the first tickets were sold out of this building in 1927 and the inside bar is actually the wing of a plane - not sure if it's real though . . .

It was fun visiting so many favorite places, albeit kind of bittersweet. I like to think I was making these places my own now and I look forward to going back soon. Ok, Dad? That's all for now.

I was going to talk about how this nightmare I'm living in began 17 months ago and there is still no end in sight. How, I try to REALIZE DEEPLY that the present moment is all I ever have and I need to make the Now the primary focus of my life but how the Now just feels like living in limbo these days. I was also going to talk about how I decided it was time to stop the sleeping pills and antidepressants (resulting in 1.) three sleepless nights in a row to the point I am practically incoherent,  and 2.) the realization I am not ready to go off the antidepressants.) And, I was going to talk about how much I miss my husband and my old life . . .
BUT, instead I will tell you about the hawk with the broken wing that Sophie flushed out of the grass at 6:00 this morning. Poor thing couldn't fly and tried to hop away. I'm sure I woke up the neighborhood screaming at Lucy to leave it alone. I ran home and called the Wild Bird Center and woke someone up, waited while she found a pencil to take the info, and within a half hour, a guy showed up and rescued my bird. Yay.
So, the moral of my story?  Heck if I know. But I'm so happy about the bird and it's rescue and it snapped me out of the pity party I was having.
If you're looking for a worthy charity, why not give a little somethin somethin to the Wild Bird Center in Key Largo this holiday season?

Well, it is bone chilling cold here in the Fabulous Florida Keys. 40's the last two mornings! Yesterday when we went for our walk, there were buzzards circling above and I figured they were up there waiting for Sophie to keel over from the cold since she is now naked. Oh, I felt so guilty!! She slept under a blanket last night...

So, yesterday I went with the Red Hats for a tour of the gardens at Kona Kai and a look at their art gallery. Well, I have a new fave artist. I love his paintings. He is from the Netherlands, resides in France and is Dirk Verdoorn. The show dealt mostly with his paintings of the Miami River but also included one of a barge in France and one of the Spiegel Grove in Key Largo (that's the ship they sunk to make an artificial reef.) Anyhoo, Think hyper-realism on the water. This was my favorite and the photo doesn't do it justice. Gorgeous paintings.
Beautiful day but  cold at the Kona Kai. 






Afterwards, we all went to Snapper's for lunch which was wonderful, as always.

I would also like to report that it was my BFF's birthday! You go Leslie!

And, just one more: Look at this cute little Hanukkha gift I made. Sweet!

Elizabeth Edwards died yesterday. The last years of her life, the only life she'll ever have, were marred by that filthy cheating, lying pig of a husband and that slut who, let's face it, should be ashamed to call herself a woman, exhibiting such a complete and utter lack of moral fiber or respect for another woman. I can only trust that they will suffer as much as she did. In my opinion, neither deserve to walk this earth.

I heard on the news this morning that Elizabeth Edwards is on her death bed. I've perhaps mentioned her situation in the past. It makes me sick. Let's review, shall we? Her husband, Jon Edwards, is a cheating lying pig who deserves to have his you know what hacked off and stuffed down his throat, but enough about him. I want to bring up Rielle Hunter (real name, Lisa Druck) once more because I just can't wrap my mind around her behavior. What kind of evil witch sleeps with another man's wife (and let's not even go into the fact that she had been diagnosed with cancer at the time?) What in the world could cause a woman to treat another woman this way? And, how does she live with herself, especially today? Why is it that she hasn't opened a vein and gone for a dirt nap by now? Actually, that would be too good for her. She deserves to suffer, like Elizabeth Edwards is suffering, before she checks out.
Just wondering, that's all.

Another feeding frenzy on Saturday when the Florida Keys Quilters held their annual holiday party. And, there were some fabulous gifts, let me tell you,  many handmade, all sewing related. Heaven. Some of the ladies went to Edna's house earlier in the week to do the decorating and the whole house looked so fabulous. We met at 10am on Saturday to lay out the food and do the cooking and schmooze. Then, everyone is organized in a big circle in the living room, with their own present in their lap. Edna perches in her chair and starts to read: Confessions of a Fabric-holic. Very funny book and every time the word "fabric" comes up, you pass your gift to the left. Until the end, at which time the gifts have gone around 40 or so women about one and a half times. At the end of the book, the gift you get is the one in your hands. Lots of laughs and fun when we all open presents and then, the feeding frenzy begins.
 So, we are having record cold temps here in the Keys. Only in the 50's this morning and, in the 40's tomorrow morning which is unheard of here!! I. Feel. So. Guilty.  What a time to have Sophie shaved. Poor baby is naked! I wish I were a faster knitter, I'd knit her a sweater.

Very traumatic morning. Lucy and I left Sophie in the capable hands of Debbie. My baby's first haircut! Debbie wouldn't let me stay and it took three hours to shave it all off. So, Lucy and I went shopping, took a walk and watched the clock. Well, here is the little princess with her hairdresser and then giving me the goo goo eyes. She still has the hair on her head and on her tail. How cute is this girl!!!

This afternoon, I picked up Sue and Elizabeth and then drove down for Carol Ann's holiday party. Her decorations were great and the food, OMG the food. So much, so good, so full. At one point, Carol Ann disappeared and Santa appeared (coincidence? I don't think so.) Santa had a gift for each and every one of us. So generous. Here she is, surrounded by her legion of fans.

Last Straw!

This morning was the LAST STRAW! My electric toothbrush is dead! When is this run of bad luck going to end? Honestly!

So, yesterday I went to the annual holiday luncheon for Mariners Hospital. Fun to see old friends and catch up. We sang Christmas carols and had a really nice lunch at Braza Lena in Islamorada. I did NOT win the raffle basket which put a slight damper on the afternoon.  hmmmmph

Well, I get home and this is what my neighbor across the street is up to:

 Ok, I don't think too much about it -- until dark. OMG, it's like Wrigley Field is right across the street! Thankfully, my bedroom is on the other side of the house AND I don't need a flashlight when I walk the dogs at night!

And, finally, I did not mean to be alarmist with my last post. Just wanted to share the information. My friend Karen emailed me this morning to say that her father-in-law had the same thing, had to leave his practice early because of it, but then lived to 103.  Woohoo!

So I spent a good part of the day at the hospital yesterday. Those of you who see me regularly are almost as entirely sick of my cough as I am. Well yesterday, I finally got a diagnosis. I'm on a waiting list to see a pulmonary specialist now.

David gave me my spirometry and pulmonary function tests. He wouldn't let me take his picture but he took mine. This tube I'm sitting in? They call it the "body box."  Zoiks!!
So you know how I always said if they gave me 6 months to live the first thing I'd do is go out and buy a carton of cigarettes?  The irony here is if comes to that,  I won't be able to summon the breath to smoke!! Life is just SO not fair!
Anyhoo, here's the 411 on my diagnosis:

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Chest X-ray showing emphysema	Flow volume curve in emphysema

---

General Information on COPD

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is an umbrella term for two respiratory illnesses - chronic obstructive bronchitis and/or emphysema. There are 16 million Americans who have been diagnosed with COPD, of whom 14 million have chronic bronchitis and 2 million have emphysema. COPD results primarily from smoking tobacco. Smoking causes damage to the airways and the lungs. This lung damage continues to progress with the use of tobacco. Average current and former smokers will likely not notice or acknowledge symptoms for several years as this is a slowly progressing disease, characterized by a decreased ability of the lungs to provide the body's oxygen demand and remove carbon dioxide.
Affected individuals typically notice their first symptoms (shortness of breath) when they reach their 40s or 50s. However, earlier signs of COPD are often present. These include chronic cough and increased mucus production. Recognizing these early signs is important because lifestyle modifications, such as smoking cessation and avoidance of respiratory irritants, may prevent additional damage to the airways.

COPD affects the patient’s quality of life significantly. Patients alter their lifestyles because they become short of breath after minimal exertion. Physical activities take longer to complete. Also, fatigue, frustration and depression can become a problem.

This is where the girls and I greet the dawn each day. Sunrise never disappoints, is always spectacular, always different, always there! And the sun comes up to the accompaniment of the neighborhood roosters screeching away. I love it.

And, here is a sweet little bag I whipped up yesterday. How cute is that?!

Guess what?

I backed into a car in the Walgreen's parking lot this morning. What the H-E double toothpicks is going on here??  Phase of the moon? Wha???

I can't believe it. I just can't believe it. Today I got a ticket for speeding. Don't get me wrong, I speed all the time. It's a miracle I haven't gotten stopped before. But, not in the Keys. Nope, I set the cruise control and go the speed limit here. So today I was going up Card Sound Road and didn't notice when the speed limit went from 55 to 45 for a short period of time. Busted. 54 in a 45mph zone. Dam it. Dam cop.  So, now I have had three tickets in the period of three weeks, after 30+ years with none! It makes me so dam MAD arrrrrghghghgh.

I have to say that it was a lot easier to ignore Thanksgiving last year when I was in Ireland. Here, it is everywhere. Do I feel sadness and loss? Yes. Thanksgiving was always special for my husband and me. Alone and forgotten? Only for about 5 seconds. Then, my mom and dad, my sister and niece, and my friends, Leslie and Lu, all called me. Most of all today? I feel grateful, thankful. So lucky to be alive in this beautiful world with my wonderful family and friends. Next Thanksgiving will be even better. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Got blond again today and straightened. Some guys selling flowers came in to the shop while I was there. These roses? $5 for a dozen! I bought them for myself. Because they are beautiful and I am worth it.  They even smell wonderful. Bonus!!

  Finished the Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. Can't believe they got back together. Wrong!

Is this what I look like??

Good morning!

Here is what morning looks like on my street.