Weather Report

Thayne sent me a phone picture of snow on the ground in Arapahoe this morning. I'm taking full credit for this storm in Florida. I was up early hand watering and putting Miracle -Gro on the greenery. Then the day took off: went to cardio-rehab early so I could go to Lake Worth and pay David at the storage yard and see if the RV would start. I was galloping the 20 miles home so the cleaning ladies wouldn't be sweltering in the driveway because my vicious dogs wouldn't let them in. Made it just barely-they had just pulled up. I loaded up the dogs to take them for a ride. It started to rain while we were in Lighthouse Point. We got 2 inches in about an hour. The neighborhood kids had a blast-the rain is warm. The officials soon got the storm drains opened. We really needed the moisture.

We walked the dogs in the cooler aftermath of the storm and noted the high water marks throughout the neighborhood. Smaller storms tonight. I heard the lightning sirens for the first time this afternoon. They seemed redundant to me. Supposedly they sense the buildup of electricity in the atmosphere before the lightning strikes. Thunder works for me.

Kissed by the Guru

Lori's friends, the Benrrubi's, sent out invitations to attend a Satsang with guruji Sri Vast. We decided we would either see a "Medicine Show" or learn something so we went. We learned something though I had to struggle to hear-felt like I was on technical assistance for the soul at times. Among the high points for me were his illustrations of how we fit into the continuum of ecology and how astonishingly we do not experience the "natural world." We don't touch flowers, feel the ground under our (bare) feet, etc., very often. We are perhaps the only creatures on the planet that deprive ourselves of feeling the planet. That we are estranged and exploitive is no coincidence. He amused when he asked us to feel our noses with our hands-the noses became real-we are not aware of our noses most of the time. Touching makes things real to us. On the way out I decided to shake his hand to make him "real." He hugged and kissed me-a big smooch on the cheek, and likewise Lori. It did all become real and I have spent quite a little time thinking of his talk last night. He is a big deal in other parts of the world and is as "graceful" as advertised.
http://www.srivast.org/

Spontaneity and not



Steve is animated-very funny



Spur of the moment Thursday Jason got a text from Steve: "oyster bake at his house at 7:00, would we be interested?" We were working on washing and re-finishing my fence and thought this invitation an excellent idea. Small party-an Italian couple, Ricardo, a bike rider, and Mariela, Stephen and Jason. The Italian couple, being Italian, brought food-steaks and baked potatoes, I brought fruit, cheese, bread and devilled eggs. Voila! A feast on the water with no particular notice. Fun.



Ricardo and Bob





Blossoms on my neighbor's tree.



Easter Sunday was not all that spontaneous. I was ready to cook Easter dinner for we three humans and assorted dogs but the time was not set in stone. I had it all done by 1:00. Pork roast, bread, pan baked spuds, carrots, gravy, applesauce, salad-and it turned out good! I haven't lost the knack but it seemed a little more labored. Part of what keeps the kids coming over is the fact I have sidewalks and Juneau likes to walk on them with his buddies. I colored eggs for Juneau's Easter Egg Hunt- he really is good at it. The doggies are very entertaining and keep me moving on the days I don't have cardio-rehab. And I enjoy seeing the kids always. They are wonderful people.

04162011 FL Pompano Seafest

A web album of the Pompano Beach Seafood Festival can be accessed by clicking on the thumbnail.

Pompano Beach Seafood Festival



Lori and the O.F. in our new hats.

Jason took us to the Seafood Fest  in Pompano (on Pompano Beach). It was jammed. I wished there were a way to unobtrusively photograph because the people watching was phenomenal. I am sporting my new shades. The  old eyes are still pretty sensitive to bright light. Jason is just back from an annual conference in Orlando. He was gone three days. Lori and I walked dogs over here-my neighborhood has sidewalks and we love scoping out the houses. At one time this was probably "tract housing" but folks have really put their indiividual modifications in landscaping and facades in place. Great fun for man and beast.



Sister Hazel was one of the bands

 We wandered from one end of the long venues on the beach to the other end. Lots of touristy stuff to bring out the shekels. A lot of stuff to admire and a lot of stuff that is pretty funny. The food was terrific as it is all local and restaurants use this event as an advertising technique.

Fixing food



We'll see if these pictures post. Google says it is fixed.

Testing the Water

According to a post on the Blogger help pages, the posting picture problem was Google's, not mine. So I will test the water. This is a cigar maker at the shop where I took Matt to pick out his birthday present(s). Not the right picture of course but I am trying a "workaround" described by another blogger.

My Pictures aren't Posting!

This is another attempt to post the ones for the last Blog Entry.

Posies

This is the bougainvillea I rescued from the trash over by the kid's house. A little TLC and Miracle-Gro and it is showing its gratitude in profusion. Below the Frangipani are blooming. I have an aromatic one-not all of them have perfume.

They are kind of fragile and appear to be short-lived. But they are pretty, waxy, blooms kind of like Gardenias. Fun

By my front doorstep the Jasmine bush is almost overwhelming in dispensing it's aroma. Fortunately I like it. This means that summer is here-way early. It has been pretty toasty. Of course the Air Conditioner blower gave out. That operation has been replaced/upgraded with a more energy efficient model. It works well. My visit to the Opthamologist revealed nothing alarming which is kind of alarming. My doctor is going to consult with a peer who specializes in neurology but my tests showed all good results-optic nerve, macular area, retina, etc., So I guess there is a point to carrying my organ donor card after all. The eyes are worth passing on even with very mild cataracts. I can provide a longer list of "don't bother" organs. Dr. Mitchell was very kind, very thorough, and communicative as were his assistants. Kevin took my old glasses which are still on track for acuity and did a refurb in front of my eyes: new ear piece covers, new nose pieces, tightened and adjusted, I still see "purple fringeing" and strong light seems to have a wave length. Best guess is my med Amiordione is the culprit. It is an annoyance but now it is off my worry list. The doggies are doing all right-they seem to have assimilated and are pretty happy. They love to go on walks. We go early to beat the heat.

Bottoms Up!

Met Lew and Greg at Green Cay and we did one of the loops, taking pictures and visiting. Then I took them to lunch as planned. Greg had called when I was on the road in Nebraska. The hospital started down the call list in the cell phone and got Greg who told them the names of my kids. It was more complex than that but he got them set on the right trail. Lew is having prostate issues and is going to Tampa for robotic surgery in early May. As my friend Delores says "I hate this getting old business we are all tarnishing!"

That is an alligator covered by duckweed. He was just waiting for unsuspecting creatures. Green Cay is a man-made "natural area." A farmer left the land he had grown peppers on for years to the county to be returned into a natural area. It is used to percolate and purify water from the Palm Beach sewage plant in its final stage before recycling.

There is a wide assortment of wildlife to be seen and photographed. It is also a very peaceful place to be- less busy than Wacodahatchie which is closer but not so big. Enjoyed the day before it turned very windy and rainy.

Catching U Up

From my front window you can see the Bougainvillea have made a spectacular recovery. My own is less spectacular but encouraging. They did an echocardiogram down my throat prior to the Cardioversion. Dr. Cohn shared the results: Every valve in my heart leaks (bad news) a little (good news). My aorta is so enlarged it does not bode well for the Cardioversion "sticking." Still, my ejection fraction was measured at 20% which is an improvement over 15%. He thinks a road trip to Wyoming this summer is reasonable. My longevity is reasonable as long as my regimen is followed. A trip to the Opthamologist this week-my outlook is getting even more peculiar.

 I've had a couple of days just being a householder. This has been nice-my "stuff" is finding homes in places that are not the van, nor the garage. The bad part of this is illness is precipitating the "down time." Jason has been bowled over by "THE BUG." Lori and I have easier cases though we did not escape. I am thinking the Flu shot did reduce the severity of mine-and I am sure Lori takes one too. Jason has felt miserable-I was worried. Too much company for too long this year contributed to it, I think. They get worn out. Not that it wasn't all fun because it was. I am getting squared away for company. Perhaps I can relieve some pressure on them.

The accommodations here are very nice but admittedly not as spectacular as "over there." Finally- Greg and Lew and I met here for a visit. They are staying until May 15th. I am glad as most of my other cohorts have called it a season and headed for home. I am going to meet Lew and Greg at Green Cay for a field trip today. Good wildlife photo opportunities. Greg has been taking some great photos this year. He stepped up to a Canon 30x camera. I am outgunned.