Cappy's Corner

A GREAT DAY WITH THE GRANDKIDS

2011-11-20T21:58:00.000-05:00

A person would think that having 5 kids in a house that is reserved for the elderly would be a massive cloud of mayhem, but you would be wrong. It seems that grandparents have the great opportunity to see the children as perfect little people, even teenagers act like humans. I worked last night late and came home ready to take care of some kids, but I didn't have to do a thing. Pure exhaustion led them to a peaceful sleep.

The next morning I woke late, almost 10am, the kids quietly entertaining themselves, I started the day with only two boys, Sam and Max. Without saying a word I went to the kitchen and made Nana's famous Sunday morning pancakes, I always do something special to keep them surprised. Today's pancakes was a brown sugar, cinnamon batter, topped with chocolate drizzle, mini chocolate chips and powdered sugar. They started eating them before I even got the syrup out. Sitting at their TV tables I didn't hear a word. They watched a morning movie, afterward it was time to make holiday pies. I placed the ingredients in two bowls for my peanut butter pie, and handed Sam and Max the bowl to begin blending, the peanut butter, cream cheese and sugar. In the meantime I was busy making the Key Lime Pies. Time management is essential, by the time I was done with my portion and whipped cream, the boys were ready for me to add to their bowl, whipped creme and mini chocolate chips. Putting the Key Lime pies in the oven, I proceeded to whip more cream for the tops of the pie. The boys poured their ingredients into the pie shells, licking the spoons was the best part for them. I put the whip creme topping on the pies and put them away for the holiday, promising the boys one of the pies for a treat.

After playing outside and giving the menagerie of cats some needed attention, we were ready to start a holiday project for their parents. Newspaper spread out on the living room floor, paints and glue ready for us, we began our projects. In the meantime I was trying to figure out something for my soon to be arriving 2 additional grandchildren, Jazzy and J.T.. As soon as they walked in, their eyes lit up with curiosity, I then prepared their projects. Giving them a piece of pie first and they were off doing their projects. I can't say what the projects are, but it will take a couple more visits to Nana's house to complete. I always have some good homemade gifts that become heirlooms. Just before we completed our work for the day the last of the grandchildren arrived. Without a moment to waste she headed to the frig for her snack and she spotted the pie, promptly sliced off a piece. You would think that the kids would be on a sugar high, but the pie is so rich they sat quietly and I enjoyed the peace.

Grandparents have it made, and if they act up, I simply make a phone call.

AN EVENING OF FUN

2011-10-31T22:32:00.000-04:00

I belong to this fantastic social group, The Upper Keys Sons & Daughters of Italy. Most everybody is Italian or of Italian descent. We allow a ten percent social membership, just for fun. And they are all fun. We have young members and old. This is our third Annual Dinner Dance and it is my second time attending. The group was only established a mere 4 years ago and our membership is over 200 strong. I danced the night away, the music was old and new, Italian and everything in between.

I spent most of the evening dancing and enjoying the company of my friend Tony, my Dad and his friend Marlene, my sister and brother-in-law. Dad was my guest, but if you didn't know, he was just like a part of the chapter. We had the dinner at the Big Chill, a Jimmy Johnson restaurant. They do a fantastic job, the wine flowed like water, courtesy of the chapter. Our servers had to be the best, all you would have to do is think of what you wanted and it magically appeared. I danced so much that I lost the soles of my new shoes, they just flew off. By the end of the night, it turned into the old people version of Dirty Dancing. The best we could do with our decrepit bodies. Romance in the air, love and slow dancing. A night out for the chapter membership is without a doubt some of the best fun ever.

The music was so familiar that one could not help to sing a-long, as you can see my Dad was doing. Everybody danced and sung, the best song had to be "We are family" by Sly and the Family Stone. Every person was on the dance floor, even the ones who didn't dance the whole night. This was the song to bring it on down!

I find it so easy to play the Italian way, it is an opportunity to be back where your heritage began, but in Key Largo. I remember when I was growing up and visiting Boston, where most of my extended family lives, there was always this closeness and family was always number one. Being in a community of Italians, is like going home. I will fondly remember the fruit carts and the accents along the city streets where all the Italians lived in East Boston. The Sons & Daughter of Italy is like that, are monthly meetings, full of food, special events, and bocce balls.That's not what happens when it gets cold, it's a game. I am still smiling from all the fun, I could use more days like this.

TO ALL OF US BORN BETWEEN 1925 - 1970

2011-10-27T16:34:00.000-04:00

I got this in an email and thought that it would be a pleasant reminder to all of us, I wish I knew who wrote it, I can't think of anything more perfect. Does the future really hold promise for our children?

TO ALL THE

KIDS THAT SURVIVED

THE 30'S, 40'S, 50'S, 60'S, & 70'S

First, we survived

being born to mothers who may have smoked and/or drank

while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin,

ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then, after that trauma, we were

put to sleep on our tummies

in baby cribs covered with bright colored

lead-based paints.

We had no

childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets,or toilet seats.

Imagine using a two holer.

and, when we rode our bikes,

we had baseball caps, not helmets, on

our heads.

As infants and
children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes..

Riding in the

back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water

from the garden hose and not from a bottle.

We shared one

soft drink with four friends, from one bottle, and no one actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes,

white bread, real butter, and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar.

And we weren't overweight.

WHY?

Because we were

always outside playing...that's why!

We would leave

home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was

able to reach us all day.

--And, we were

OKAY.

We would spend hours building

our go-carts out of scraps

and then ride them down the hill,

only to find

out we forgot the brakes.. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem..

We did not

have Play Stations, Nintendos and X-boxes. There were

no video games,

no 150 channels on cable,

no video movies

or DVDs, no surround-sound or CDs,

no cell phones, no personal computers,

no Internet and no chat rooms.

WE HAD FRIENDS

and we went

outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut,

broke bones and teeth,

and there were no lawsuits

from those accidents.

We would get

spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping-pong paddles, or just a bare hand,

and no one would call child services to report abuse.

We ate worms, and mud pies

made from dirt, and

the worms did not live in us forever.

We made rubber guns and shot one another with

red rubber from car inter-tubes. We were given

BB guns for our 10th birthdays, 22 rifles for our 12th, rode horses,made up games with sticks and tennis balls, and

-although we were

told it would happen- we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes

or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them.

Little League had tryouts

and not everyone made the team.

Those who didn't had to learn

to deal with disappointment.

Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing

us out if we broke the law was unheard of.

They actually sided with the law!

These generations have

produced some of the best risk-takers,

problem solvers, and inventors ever.

The past 50

to 85 years have seen an explosion of innovation and new ideas..

We had freedom,

failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.

If YOU are

one of those born

between 1925-1970, CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want

to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids before the lawyers

and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are

at it, forward it to your kids, so they will know how brave and lucky their parents were.

Kind of makes

you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it ?

~~~~~~~

WAR...THE END?

2011-10-23T18:58:00.000-04:00

With all the talk about the end of the war, I couldn't help thinking about what would happen to all the men and women who returned from the war. I am a product of the 60's and 70's where we always protested war. I have always seen war as a useless way to resolve conflict. Not to mention the drain on the countries resources. If we ran our homes the same as the country, there would be families and communities killed because we didn't like the way they raised their kids.

Granted people who do wrong should indeed be found and punished. How do we justify the killing of people who had nothing to do with the initial problem. Then we turn around and tell them how their country should be run. All people should start by taking care of themselves, those who can not should be helped, not with arrogance and war. Our country should not think that they are the shinning example to the world, because it is not. Freedom is not having someone else tell you what to do!

I can't help thinking about what we call the "Civilized World". As I wander back in time to the Neanderthals, are earliest man. Have we really progressed more than them? Besides standing on two feet and wearing clothing we still haven't moved forward enough to just be at peace with each other. Technology has advanced to amazing heights, the human intelligence is vast and always expanding. So why is that compassion and understanding have not reached this amazing level? This should be our goal, not murder. On a small scale we do it, the family unit for example, small communities manage to live a peaceful existence. Why can't we expand this to the world. When a catastrophe occurs, we all step up as a group from all over the world, we put together volunteers and money and take care of the needs of the victims. How about the tsunami in Asia, the worst in history, the world was there to lend a hand along with the earthquake in Haiti. Millions were donated and people were there to help. We did these things as people not governments, united by the need to help and to just do the right thing.

I continue to think about the rise of unemployment and homelessness as our troops return. Thinking about where they would be had there been no conflict, and had all the trillions of dollars spent on this war remained home. I began doing research into this very thing and have found what you will read next:

Brown University Watson Institute for International Studies
© 2011 Watson Institute
Has this military spending created more jobs than other kinds of spending? Usually not. In fact, public funds would have created more jobs in the past decade if they had been invested in such industries or sectors as home weatherization, construction, healthcare, or education.

A million dollars of spending would create 15.5 jobs in public education, 14.3 jobs in healthcare, 12 jobs in home weatherization, or about the same number of jobs in various renewable energy technologies. A million dollars spent on construction (residential and non-residential structures) creates 11.1 direct and indirect jobs.

Investments in renewable energy such as solar, wind, or biomass, would create just as many jobs as military spending. Efficiency programs such as weatherization of homes and public buildings would create about 1.5 times as many jobs, and federal support for healthcare and education would create twice as many as the same level of military spending.

Alternatively, the federal government could have increased its support for energy efficiency programs such as weatherization of homes and public buildings, or increasing the infrastructure and operations for mass transit. $130 billion per year in these efficiency programs would have created a net increase of about 500,000 jobs each year. Spending in renewable energy programs would have created approximately the same number of jobs as the military, but would have contributed to combating climate change and building a more sustainable energy infrastructure.

Well, I think that says it all, doesn't it? These results are just this country, other countries would benefit the same and perhaps we wouldn't be in debt with a Communist country. I see that when we need something other political and social groups are willing to help, without conflict.

I have rambled enough for now, I really get worked up when I think about what is happening around me, even if I don't see it with my own eyes, how the world is effected. So many ways to resolve problems without war, lets see if our goal one day can indeed be "World Peace".

HANGING WITH THE FAMILY

2011-10-23T11:39:00.001-04:00

A day at the shooting range. I haven't really shot a gun for 25 years or so. This was a learning experience. Off to a private range to shoot some skeet. It was my first time with a 12 gauge shot gun and we were going to shoot moving targets. What! I did better than I expected, yes I did hit some. Learning to hold this monster shot gun was the hardest part, my arms are just not long enough. The guys were teaching the girls using step by step instructions. It was much easier in theory than to follow through with their instructions. The weight was more than I expected. I understand that the guys wanted us to learn the safety procedures and loading the gun all by ourselves. For us it was like trying to put a square peg in a round hole, a bit impossible. The competitive nature of my family supersedes the impossible. After a couple of clay targets went flying into the trees we began knocking the sh..t out of them.

What motivated this family outing was the fact that the guys just bought some new weapons and wanted to try them out.

My granddaughter, Shy-Anne, amazed us all. Here she had just cut down a bush with the shot gun after we ran out of moving targets. The smile on her face signifies great pride in a job well done. The adrenaline rush from the power of these weapons, makes me understand why people own them. So much to think about when operating weapons, safety, sighting, stances, and a bunch of other s's. I know Jason has been shooting on a regular basis and his skill at hitting the moving targets was very natural. It is a great way to sharpen your skills. I have confidence now that if someone enters my home unannounced, they will have no chance to change their mind. That means they should have never walked through the door in the first place.

After shooting a several hundred rounds at the skeet range we wanted to try out the hand guns, Glocks! Seems to be a popular weapon, just like shoes, they are in style right now.

I know one thing, this hobby is a bit expensive, its a shame too, because if more people knew more about operating weapons, there wouldn't be so many accidents. We were out for about six hours, in a real environment doing something as a family with respect for each other. Anytime a family is together learning new things, even if it is just about each other, it makes the day worthy of an event to remember.

Here Jeff stands watching over Shy, because after the weapon is loaded a teenager still forgets it is a gun and tends to sling it around. Shy kept us amused with some of her comments. As Jason was showing her how to load the shot gun she says "I can't it will ruin my nails", we laughed, girls will be girls. As the day progress Shy stood empty handed and shouted back, "Hey, someone give me a gun". She finally stopped making excuses and focused more on just having fun. A must admit she is a pretty good shot! (By the way this picture appears to be shooting over water, it is an illusion, it is a cross road)

Looks like I have been doing this forever, doesn't it? I am loading the 22 which is a really easy to handle rifle, without all that kick that bruised my shoulder earlier in the day with the 12 gauge. We were shooting heavy rounds with the shot gun, they were given to us for free, a bit too much kick for me.

After the day was over we headed back to Jason's house and enjoyed conversation about our day together. I think I have the greatest family ever, we do so many things together and I feel like the luckiest person on earth, I find myself so content most of the time.

EVERYBODY NEEDS ENCOURAGEMENT

2011-10-21T23:10:00.000-04:00

I have been writing letters lately to two people that I love very much. Unfortunately they are incarcerated. I have been sending them encouragement and hopes. The both of them are there in the “Big House” for hurting no one, but themselves. I can’t help thinking about how the punishment should fit the crime. I look at the news and see how people are walking the streets after rape, attempted murder, assault, child molestation & murder.

I just don’t get it, my two loves are on government vacation for growing some herbs and the other for who knows what, none of it makes sense to me. All I know is that we the taxpayer are spending money for their food, housing and education. What they were convicted of didn’t hurt anyone. Does this government really have the brains to do the right thing?

I am sick of watching people who don’t belong on the planet walking the streets right next to me and the people who have a non-violent crime locked up behind bars. What is wrong with this picture? I say if you know someone who is like these two, drop them a line and give them some words of encouragement. For certain tell them that it is a great opportunity to read those books, get their GED, or start their college or vocational education. Tell them if they are stuck there, then by all means use the government to get what you need to be a success when you leave the confines of that God forsaken place.

These people could be your family or friends, let them know what is going on and keep them part of your life as if they were there. Before you know it, they will be home and I imagine more violent than when they were put there. For these people incarceration does them more harm than good. A letter from you could mean a few minutes with a smile on their face and perhaps a feeling that they have something to look forward to.

TWO MORE TO GO....

2011-10-21T22:26:00.001-04:00

...to get their Black Belts. Monica and Jason with Senior Master, and our instructors Isaacs, at their Black Belt ceremony in June. Went to yet another graduation ceremony at Integrity Martial Arts on Tuesday. The testing was unnerving, yet a proud moment. I saw my 3 grandchildren work the hardest they could to surge toward their Black Belts. Jonathan, finally out of Tiny Tigers and now a Green Belt. Jasmine, with awesome kicks over her head, is now a Blue Decided Belt. So close to their goals after a little more than a year.

This is Sam getting his Black Belt tied on by his brother and me, what an honor! That has been 4 months already. Sam gave a fantastic speech, along with my daughter and son,(who made the instructor cry).

Just this week Max received his Black Belt and what he told his instructors was that he was going to get his 4th Degree Black Belt and take his job. Even though Max knows he has to wait until he is 18 years old. Max will be nine next month, 9 more years to go. He is now working toward his 2nd Degree Black Belt as we speak. I guess I better get on the band wagon and work on getting my 2nd Degree, it has been far too long, waiting for my not so perfect joints to perform. I will just have to do what I can, I have my family to cheer me on, of course, along with my Integrity Martial Arts family.

I don't know if my body can keep up with the gruelling work-outs, but I know just being at the IMA school lifts my spirits so high, it feels like I can do anything.

My TaeKwondo Family

2011-10-17T01:52:00.001-04:00

My TaeKwondo family. I can’t help being proud of my family and their accomplishments. The little ones are learning things that they don’t even know. They are learning respect, confidence, and a whole plethora of wonderful and admirable traits. When I look around and see that these traits in today’s children don’t really exist. I am proud to say that, “My grandchildren and children are the best!” I am always proud to introduce them to the world.

It was great to see Grandpa show up to see the kids testing. The gang was so happy to see him and show off for him. The boys and Jasmine doing their splits for Grandpa. I know Grandpa was amazed at the grand kids and their abilities.

Max tested for his Black Belt, he has been in TaeKwonDo since he was 4 years old. Most of his life, and I think it makes a real difference. Jonathan, will be another that starts really early. If you could only see the 4 of my grandchildren do their stuff.

Each time I go to a rank testing or their graduation ceremony, I am brought to tears. I have watched my grandchildren grow in a direction that will take them to another level when they become adults.

The school is a place that a person wants to go to. When I walk in the door, I am greeted with smiles and looking around all I see is people of all ages, talking and smiling at each other, like a family. I wish that all sports had the support that TaeKwondo has. There are rules of course, the first and most important is to support each and every student, and the second is never to coach on the side lines. Unlike soccer and other sports, coaching from the side can disqualify the competitor immediately. I have seen lots of sports and competitions. I never remember seeing how proud the people are just to compete. The kids are taught that to be a winner is just to participate and give it all you got. Who could ask for more!

WORKING HARD OR HARDLY WORKING

2011-10-16T23:00:00.001-04:00

Working hard or hardly working? I love my personal assistant job. I started out as a driver. Taking my client from place to place. We then adjusted our relationship as we went along. Today, I am sitting at the Hilton in Boca Raton, after a fantastic meal at the City Fish Market. Wow! What a place, the service was beyond excellent. I felt as if I was the only person in the restaurant.

I started the day by picking up my client to take her to Boca for an event. Arriving on time as always, we checked into the Hilton with her dog, Nikita. Then shortly after check-in we venture to her event. Dog in tow, of course. Dropping off my client for her evening, I was now the personal assistant of the dog. After a cup of coffee, we ventured down to the lake with fountains and swans. A paradise if I do admit myself. A relaxing walk along the paths that surround the lake, a doggie paradise. So many places to explore on the property and yet there was a sense of peace and serenity. I don’t know how these places stay in business sometimes; it seemed to me that the place was deserted. Not that I really minded, but it was just an FYI. After I received a phone call from my client, she had adjusted my duties and I had the rest of the evening off. She doesn’t get up very early, so I can sleep in.

Motivating her is the hardest part of the job, which I somehow wiggled into. Between remembering what she should bring and what not to forget, I am exhausted. Try working with someone who has a serious case of OCD. I mean serious, but charming at the same time. I love our time together, it is never boring and I get paid for it.

The next morning arrives after quite a restful sleep. I find myself wandering about, looking for something to do. Thinking about what I need to get done at home. I have the yard work and house work to do, that has been so ignored, since my increased work load. I know that I have walked the grounds here at the Hilton for what seems like hours. Already, had numerous cups of coffee and still waiting for the princess to get up. I sat in front of the elevators, watching people exit the hotel. It is when I realized that this place is indeed pretty full. The one person I am hoping will come out of the elevator is probably tucked in her king size bed. She probably won’t be coming out of the elevator until I send someone up to get her stuff, this could take hours. Still waiting for her reply from my text message, so far it has been an hour.

I am anticipating our drive home, which is only about an hour. I can’t help giggle, when I recall our ride up to Boca Raton. With my client and her dog in the back seat, and her bellowing instructions, such as “watch your speed, that car is coming in our lane, take the turns easier,” and it goes on and on. I now know why drivers have glass between them and their passengers. Tinted glass, so that the passengers can’t see the sneers the driver makes every time a passenger makes yet another ridiculous statement or request. I can find the humor in these interruptions to a mostly normal weekend.

At this point in my life, it would be utterly stupid to not take any and all work that comes my way. I think about others who have it much more difficult than I do, and it seems to me that I have it pretty good. I work hard at hardly working.

LIFE IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES....

2011-10-05T20:55:00.000-04:00

....you never know what you are going to get. One thing is, that it is always sweet. I have been a little down in the dumps. I guess like the rest of the country with reference to work. It only lasted about three days though. Not really enough time for much of a break. Now, I am back up to a good schedule.

I have heard from some long lost friends and that always cheers me up. It seems that when things are at there lowest I find myself at that happy place soon after. I never forget what a wonderful family and friends I have. For some reason the timing is always just perfect. I love my life and the people in it, I go through each day like I am special, it doesn't hurt that I think I am special too.

I went to the grand opening of my TaeKwonDo school, they moved to a new location and the festivities were fantastic. So impressed by the ceremony I began to practice at the school once again. I thought I would be in pain after the work out, but instead I felt fantastic. I will go to class twice a week to start with, perhaps I can firm up a bit, and get my heart back to a healthy state. Cardio, cardio. I have spent the last two years without much exercise, except working in the yard at my sons and my house. It just wasn't enough to get my energy level back up. I have accepted the fact that my knees are not going to get better without surgery, so all I can do is move through the pain and discomfort and push ahead. The positive energy in the TaeKwonDo school is enough to make anyone feel good, even the people who are standing by watching.

Life is just like a box of chocolates...sweet and mixed up at the same time.

REPLY TO A COMMENT

2011-10-05T16:21:00.000-04:00

I wrote a brief story of my life and relationships. I noticed that I had a comment awaiting moderation. I was flattered to see that an X of mine's wife had replied. It seems that she still finds me as some kind of threat, why else would she go through so much trouble to find me and monitor my blog. Anyway, I thought I would let everyone get a glimpse of her comment:

Linda said...

c'mon if ur gonna tell the story at least get it right mary!andy left you after thanksgiving and we married 2 months later and he was in the delivery room the day our son was born i have pics to prove that ! i got everything you ever wanted from andy in a matter of months his baby and a wedding ring ! my x took you skydiving and you ran out of the dive shop crying !yeah he cheated but i understood he had to grow up with me and you know what 20 yrs later he has worked his ass off for our family he's my best catch!as for changing the sheets we never did it in your bed,just your couch ,livingroom floor and best of all your boat several times!why did'nt you add how he helped you get off crack !i told him about your blog he thinks ur pathedic! if you're gonna tell the story get it right ! lmao !!!!

Well let me address her comment, just as a matter of clarification. First of all let me say that my blog is my version of my life, not anyone else, just read my Disclaimer. Lets start with what I wanted from Andy, well it was no more than fun. I would never consider him as spouse material. My kids hated him and it doesn't take more than that for me to decide on a person. I am glad that he has grown up and finally took responsibility for himself. I can't help to wonder why my words are so important to Ms. Linda. Andy, was not the only person in my life, granted he was around for awhile. Linda had to read quite a bit of content to get to the places where he was mentioned, and she calls me pathetic! As for skydiving, her X was not there at all. Where did you get that from? I can understand why she dumped her X, talk about boring. My daughter and I spent the day together, I have film to prove that. The dive shop incident, I didn't run anywhere, those people are still my friends and they don't remember the alternate version of the event at all. I continued working at that dive shop and Ms. Linda was no where to be found after that day. As for Andy getting me off drugs, that is the biggest joke of all, he only dated me because I had drugs. When I no longer shared them is when the relationship went to the shitter. Seriously his drug problem is what lead him to loose his captains license, not mine, we took the same drug test, only I passed. After he departed from my life, things became so much simpler and I have done all the things that I have wanted to do. I have traveled the world and have friends around the globe. What more could a person want. I have everything that I need.

Life has it's ups and downs, My life has no exception. I can honestly say that my relationship with Andy was a learning experience which I prefer not to relive each time his wife has a comment or moment of insecurity. I hope Ms. Linda gets over me, because I have gotten over her. Water under the bridge!!!! I hope that everybody takes this opportunity to send a comment to this post. I am certain that Ms. Linda will be monitoring my site until I have died.

Just think, do you know anyone who stalks their husbands X girl friends? Cyber stalking is a crime, only because they don't have a life.

CHILDRENS STORY #7

2011-10-04T22:36:00.001-04:00

This story was inspired by two very special rats and two very special children who had them as pets. The rats passed away of old age, Mama, but she had a life of adventure. Taylor was loved and will be missed also. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

RATS AREN'T YUCKY

It all started in a little pet shop, where two baby rats named Sloan and Jack were living. People would come to the pet shop looking to adopt animals, some people would look through the glass and see Sloan, Jack and the other baby rats and they would always say, "Rats are yucky". Sloan didn't like that kind of talk, because she knew she was special. Jack didn't really care, he was too busy playing and having fun with the others.

One day a lady named Miss Jane peeked through the glass and pointed at Sloan and Jack, after a couple of minutes the store caretaker came back and took Sloan and Jack out of the cage and put them in a dark little box. They sat in the box very quiet, it was a bumpy ride, but then the box opened and a gentle hand picked them up and put them in a brand new home.

Sloan and Jack were so excited, there were toys and treats of all kinds. Jack said, "Sloan it's the lady from the pet shop". Miss Jane thought that they were cute and her children would just love them.

When the children got home from school they ran to see what their Mom had brought home for them. The children looked down into the cage to see Sloan and Jack. Sloan didn't know what to think about these small people, but they didn't call us yucky, and that was good. Rats have feelings too.

Days went by and the children would play with Sloan and Jack everyday. Sloan was always cleaning herself, because she wanted to look pretty like a princess. Sloan and Jack were allowed to run around the whole house, they would follow the children because they always seemed to drop crumbs of food to eat. There was also a dog at their new home, the dog was named Scruffy and he would play with the little rats too.

Scruffy would pick up Sloan and they played together on the couch. Sloan would run across Scruffy and tickle him, they played hide and seek. Jack was more adventurous, he was always climbing up somewhere and always falling off of things. Jack was a clumsy rat, not like Sloan who was always busy making herself pretty.

The little rats were so happy, they lived in a home that didn't call them yucky, but once in awhile a visitor would come over and call them names. Calling anything a bad name is not nice, even if they are rats.

Sloan and Jack were very smart little rats, when they got tired they would go back to their cage and rest and other times they would follow Miss Jane out to the garden where they could play in the yard.

One day Scruffy took Jack outside and he got lost, Jack didn't know how to find his way back into the house. Jack climbed up on things and into little holes he found, but still couldn't find his way back into the house. Then night time came and Jack was all alone, he was very brave and knew Miss Jane would look for him soon. Jack found a nice little hole and curled up to go to sleep.

The next day Jack still didn't find his way, so he looked for help, he found a cat. Jack didn't know that cats eat rats. So he went right up to the cat and stood up asking, "Can you help me find my way, I am lost." The cat was so surprised to see a rat like this, it just looked down at Jack. At that very moment Miss Jane was outside looking for Jack and noticed the cat was looking at something. Miss Jane ran as quickly as she could to see and there was Jack, she picked Jack up and gave him a kiss. Miss Jane was so happy to see Jack, she brought him back in the house and to the cage where Sloan was. Sloan was so happy to see Jack, they played for hours.

Miss Jane and the children made sure that Sloan and Jack were always cared for and that visitors understood they were part of the family. Even though they were different, they were always loved.

THE END

END OF HUMILIATION

2011-09-09T18:21:00.001-04:00

How did all begin, well it was over 9 years ago now. I had been living the life, a wonderful husband, children close by, boating and fishing almost weekly. Then there was a day that we were out on the boat, my husband, my daughter and myself. Coming out of the Bimini channel after a day of boating and having fun. When suddenly my husband throttles down on the boat in the middle of the channel, he then says "This is where I want my ashes scattered", I replied with a yeah, yeah, lets get going before it gets too late. I really didn't think anything of it, hell he was only 47 years old at the time. Not noticing other things either, or perhaps just not putting them together. He had lost his sobriety, but to the extreme, then he would take pain pills until he passed out. I didn't really do anything but get angry with him. I also noticed that we would argue, usually over really stupid things, but I was convinced that the marriage was just falling apart. I began packing my boxes in plans of moving on, somewhere else. Calm as could be he says to me, "don't move out I will be dead soon". Again, I let this information just pass.
It wasn't three days after the trip to Bimini when my life began changing, my husband was put in the hospital and was told he would only live 30 days. Hard for me to believe, I began getting him to treatment centers and daily doctor visits. To no avail, he passed away in the estimated time.
Before he passed he asked me if I would be alright, and ,of course, I said I would. I thought that I could do it. Time passed and I really didn't worry about money, he left me some money, which allowed me to travel and still maintain the household. My daughter helped out a bit and we were doing just fine.
To move up in time to about 3 years ago, things went down quickly, I became dependant on credit cards to make ends meet, work was slow, from two or three clients a day and the horrible crash of the US economy, things got tight. I was still able to afford my credit cards, paying over the minimum every month. Then suddenly without warning I noticed the credit card company raised my 4 percent to almost 30 percent in a single statement, then the next credit card followed suit. I don't understand why exactly, but then I tried to work with them. Their terms were ridiculous, I felt like I was involved with loan sharks. What to do now? I talked to a friend who had knowledge of someone going through the same predicament. He said to just file bankruptcy. How humiliating I thought, now I must admit that I am a complete failure to myself. As I did more research and ended all my attempts at working out a solution with the creditors, this sounded like my only solution. So, I hired an attorney, and that was a special day. The first things they told me to do was to stop paying all my credit cards, and maintain the bills that I wanted to keep, like my home. I was told that if they call just give them my attorneys phone number and if they continue tell them they will be sued. All that sounded like a great relief to me. Work became slower and I starting to suffer with knee problems. I could no longer exercise or even enjoy my life, I became so depressed.
I looked at myself in the mirror and said to self, get your ass up and smile, there are so many people who care about you. I continued in a happier place and put the aches and pains down as old age, its just part of what happens. I would have been a lot better if I could afford doctors, again I just moved on with a smile and I am convinced that everything happens for a reason.
Now, finally present day, I have my court date to disburse my debt and begin my new life. I found Vocational Rehabilitation (thanks to sister) and they are going to help me find doctors to fix what ails me and to help pay for further education. This way I can do something more than odd jobs to make ends meet. Don't get me wrong, physical labor I find very rewarding. The fact that I can still do physical labor is probably the most rewarding. I now look forward to the future with excitement. I am again starting a new life, with some goals and perhaps without daily pain. I have found that my humiliation was simply in my head, there is no one who treats me like a failure or even thinks that way. Life is always evolving and changing and if I stay in one place then I guess life will just pass by. I have a new life about to begin, who wants to join in on the party?
I guess I spoke prematurely, I am back from my hearing, even more confused than before. My attorney said that I did fine. I am not certain that I did. But, what is the worst that could happen! Jail time! I answered the questions to the best of my knowledge, that is with my nerves at their ends. Now, the wait is on for their deliberation, it will be a matter of two weeks or so.
Patiently waiting, the time came and the humiliation is nearing its end, it took over a month, but now I still have to wait until all matters have completely dissolved, until that time, I await yet another new beginning. I can't complain, according to my attorney, there is no humiliation, because there is countless people doing the same thing. It a way to start over without the pain and stress of bills.
I recommend this to anyone who has been screwed by the credit card companies. It is well worth the money and effort.

MY STORY 2000 to 2010

2011-08-27T14:53:00.001-04:00

Hardly touched on all the details of my life, but I don't want to bore the hell out of my readers. Perhaps I will recall stories now that I am caught up. Life passes by so quickly, it feels like each blink of my eye, time passed. In reality it has, making each blink of my eye count is the hard part.
The new millennium starts with a very happy life and at 45 years old I still feel 25. I am in fantastic shape, tanned and tight. A great husband and a great family. I am surrounded by love and it makes waking up every morning a new adventure. Still out on the boat every chance we get and heading to Bimini as often as possible, which is a lot.
My customers understood that if the day was good, I would not be working, but fishing instead. The routine for my life was far from routine, but exciting and always happy. This was the year that I became grandma for the second time. I so enjoyed my granddaughter, the excitement of another would be twice as grand.
My husband and I had this 3 bedroom house, so it didn't bother us to take in a couple of room-mates. My son and my nephew. It was good for the guys to have each other, they watched sports together and it all seemed to be harmony for the most part. Now there was even more people to go out on the boat and have fun with.
Another year passed when I came home to find my husband standing in the middle of the house looking around as if a tornado had hit. Our wonderful happy home had been violated, someone had broken in and taken anything they could carry, destroying and throwing things everywhere. The things they took, really didn't matter except for the watch my now sick mother had just given me. We did recover about two thirds of our belongings, but none of that seemed to matter. It was the sick feeling I had that someone had violated my home. Someone came in and destroyed the comfort and warm feeling a home has. The thieves were caught and convicted, but it was too late to change anything. The only way to protect ourselves from this happening again would be to get a big dog. That is what we did, a 110 pound bull mastiff, named Scooby, and his partner Baby, who is still around.
In the meantime I was battling with the thought of loosing my mother. Her diagnosis was bleak, and my last visit with her I knew would be the absolute last. Remembering the drive home from visiting mom, my brother and I talking about not ever seeing her again. The horrible truth was what had happened. A few days later I had lost my wonderful mother and confidant. I was so lucky to have Steve and my brother close by. I don't know how I could possibly pick myself back up alone. Every time I picked up the telephone I had to remember that my mother was no longer there to answer my daily phone calls. She was not there to answer my crazy questions and give me those famous recipes. It was as if I lost a leg or an arm or both. My brother gave me a couple weeks to morn, when he grabbed me by the arm and said he would take me to work himself if I didn't get moving. This is when I began to start my life again. There isn't a day that goes by where I don't miss her and sometimes I look at her beautiful face on my wall and tears fall down my cheeks. I miss her so much. I do know that she watches over me. I would hear mom call me in the weeks and months after she died, she has a very strong spirit. She was watching over the whole family and the spooky things that happened only prove it. She told me before she died that she would always watch over all of us.
Life moves on as always, even though there are hiccups along the way.
Things were becoming different in my marriage, we were fighting, over things that did not make sense, Steve also began drinking after 6 years of sobriety. I didn't really understand what was happening.
Now, my nephew is moving on to his own place and not so long afterward my daughter moves in, after a drama in her life, then again that is her story to tell. I had both my kids with me, now not as parent and child, but as best friends, unconditionally. A couple of little children running around was adorable too. Steve and the kids had a very special relationship, he was so good with them. Like a warm cuddly Santa would be.
It was a full house on weekends, when his children would visit. Yet things were tense, Steve would have more and more out bursts of anger, that I simply could not understand. The drinking getting worse and worse, he drank until he passed out.
My children moving out and getting their very own home, just a couple of blocks away. My son finding a woman to love and my daughter dating and having a good time. We got together for another fishing trip, all went well, until we arrived home and Steve and I had a argument over who was going to clean the fish. Which is always me, I walked to the kitchen and he followed me, still angry he pushes me through a glass door. My son grabbed Steve and stopped him, that was when I began packing my bags and boxes, moving myself to the spare bedroom. My kids kept a real close eye on me after that and would come by often. My boxes packed and piled up in the living room I was ready to leave. Steve looked at me and said not to bother he wasn't going to live much longer anyway. I thought he was tying to get me to forgive him, I was not willing to go through another relationship with violence. Things got calmer and once again back on the boat, this time to Bimini with my daughter as a passenger.
We had a great time, fishing and visiting friends, but it was time to go home. Suddenly Steve pulls back on the throttle of the boat in the middle of the Bimini channel. He says to us, "this is where I want my ashes sprinkled", I replied with, "yeah, yeah, lets go, its late". I didn't have another thought about it. Was I just not paying attention to the signs, or how would I know or think about what would happen next.
Three days later, Steve was having problems breathing, so I took him to the hospital. Numerous tests and one doctor after another, they finally have a diagnosis for Steve. What I thought was horrible heart burn was so much more. The doctors stood in the room explaining all the medical terms, which didn't mean anything, the words that stuck in my head was "30 days to live". Oh my, are you kidding, he is only 47 years old. In all this horror the only thing he worried about was if I would be alright. Steve tried all the treatments and without fail he passed in the same time, with or without chemo. I know that the chemo ruined his chance for quality last days. How could anyone think it would be good to take those last days and squander them with doctors and treatments. I waited with him, holding his hand, hours passed and I would never let go, until he did. I could feel the minute that he moved on, I reached over and took his ring with me holding it close to my heart.
I don't know how I got home, I was so dazed. I had lost my mother and husband in less than a year. By the time I arrived at home my sister was there to help with all the arrangements, she knew exactly what to do. My brother was there with my children also. Everything happened so quickly, I just wanted time to morn. Steve had wished for a party and cremation, and that is what he got. You don't know how many friends you have until someone passes away. Steve born on the 4th of July, dies on St. Patrick's Day, a man celebrated. The party was fantastic, all his friends telling stories and making me feel loved. They made me think about all the fantastic adventures we had on the motorcycle and the boat, and they told me stories of how much he loved me. What could be a better tribute to my soul mate.
My sadness abruptly interrupted by his x-wife, who kept calling for child support checks and wanting half of everything in the name of his children. I had to fight and claw my way through the children and family examinations and the financial turmoil. I never got to morn the passing of my husband, a year had past when I finally got a chance to honor him properly. I started remembering the things he talked about, one of which was where he wanted his ashes spread. I got the whole family together, which was by now my son and his pregnant wife, my pregnant daughter and the two grandchildren. We spent a week in Bimini and spread his ashes in a special private moment, first flower petals to mark the spot, and each of us spreading a piece of him where he wanted to be.
It wasn't all of him that went to Bimini that day, he always wanted to be close to me, so he also requested that I put his ashes into the boat compass, to always act as my guide. After that the boat would always steer directly to Bimini, as strange as that sounds, I have witnesses.
He also talked about going to Australia, so I saved some of his ashes for just that thing. I plastered pictures of him all over the walls of the house, so I could always be reminded of his smile.
My son moved away with his wife and my daughter and her two children now living with me, things were easy. I wasn't alone, the kids made life so happy, because that is all they knew.
The year had not ended when I was gifted with two more grandchildren. Exactly nine months after the passing of my husband, we all have different ways to morn. Another year had passed when I decided it was time to fulfill my dream, and take my husband with me. Even though he was inside a baggy tucked into my bra. I was headed to Australia. The trip of a life time. My outback adventure, Strapped on my backpack and jumped on a plane.
My first stop was New Zealand in September 2003. I jumped off the Sky Tower in Auckland and traveled the countryside, taking in all its beauty. Then it was off to Australia--Sydney, Tasmania, Ayers Rock and the Olga's, Alice Springs and the Mac Donnell Ranges. I also traveled to Darwin in the Northern Territory, where I rented a car and drove for days seeing the wonders of the Outback.
In Queensland, my final destination, I drove the coastline and went diving on the Great Barrier Reef, which became the final resting place for my husband's ashes. It was the adventure of a lifetime--and beyond. I never felt alone or scared as long as Steve was with me. A month of wonders and unforgettable visions.
I wanted to share some adventure with my father after my adventure and we traveled to Bimini for a week or so and he now knew what I found fascinating on the islands. Except for the boat ride back, Dad had a great time.
2005, June was my trip to East Africa, 20 days with my sister-in-lawn. Boy I thought Australia was fantastic. Here is a collection of some of my stories. Sky Tower Jump ,Serengeti, Monkey Business, Pee Pee Dance
2006 came and it was time for another trip. I told my Dad I was considering a trip to Costa Rica, on the plane we went, sight seeing and fishing up tons of sailfish. Another fantastic adventure.
Now it was time for me to do a little something different, something to improve my health and give my grandsons something to do with me. I had put on a bit of weight and my vanity got the best of me, I had to do something to break up the hum drum days that were passing me by.
I took up Tae Kwon Do, I shopped around looking at various schools, peeking through windows while the students worked out. I finally found a school that looked good to me. I went in and talked to the people inside, at the same time asking about my grandsons. They told me to come back the next day and just give it a try. That is what I did, and am now and forever in love with my new family. I starting loosing those extra pounds and in no time at all I was competing in tournaments. Met some fantastic people making life long friends. I accomplished State Champion two years in a row, but on my last tournament I got hurt, bad. I shredded my hamstring and destroyed my knees. I continued to take classes, my abilities were diminished, I was in pain, knees wrapped in bandages. I love karate so much I just couldn't leave. My whole family was participating at this point. My son and daughter, my two grandsons, granddaughter and myself. We were all obsessed with this activity.
Then the big set back, the economy, I could no longer afford to continue to pay for the tuition to continue. My friends at the school just couldn't stand to see me stop before getting my black belt. I disappointed my family, because we all had to quit now. My karate family was relentless, I made arrangements to clean the school to pay for my tuition, which was what happened and I got my Black Belt, with pride. I could no longer endure the pain in my knees and had to drop out. All the things I did to stay in shape I couldn't do, no more karate or spinning classes. I could hardly walk anymore.
My finances were depleted and I had to cut the budget to make ends meet, I had to accept help from friends and family, it was a time that I was at my lowest. I gained 40 or 50 pounds, now still struggling with. Thank goodness I still had work, things were very much at their lowest level and the stress of my daughter and her family living with me was too much to bear. I know it was because I was unhappy, it had nothing to do with her. I love my children so much and now I felt like I let them down again.
Time as always passes and I had to make decisions that would help me get back on my feet. Like always I had to start all over again. I should be an expert by now, wouldn't you think? I snapped out of my depression and began to do things I could physically handle, which wasn't much. I had to get over how I felt about myself. I was determined to get back in touch with friends, join a social group and learn how to be a middle aged woman. I actually had to slow down. Things happen and I just have to enjoy the special love I have for the people in my life, for without them I would simply be alone.
I have so much more to talk about, but for now I would call this the highlights and I will be better about telling my story. For each life is special in it's own way, I can say that I could disappear from this life and have no regrets. My life has been fantastic and I look forward to more.
After seeing my story in print, I realize that life travels in cycles, with ups and downs, just like the earth we live on. Mountains are made only to crash into the sea, it makes a person realize that change is part of everything around us.

MY STORY 90's to 2000's

2011-08-27T11:09:00.000-04:00

Still living in Key Largo, on the sailboat alone. I found a friend who was kind enough to hide my boat behind his house on a little canal. I was tiring of the live aboard life and moved into a little apartment. I was not alone for long, the man I kicked off the boat, continued to look for me and with the help of his girlfriend's car he located my boat, by driving down every single street. He waited and waited until I showed up there to check on the boat. He begged to be forgiven and said that "Things would be different". Can you believe I actually bought that story. So, I let him move back on the boat. He though we would be together again, I didn't mention to him that I was no longer living on the boat, that I had my own apartment. He stayed on the boat, just waiting for me to come home. He finally found me again at my job. He seemed to want forgiveness, but the relationship was damaged to say the least. We worked together as a couple and moved into another place on the water after getting kicked out of my apartment because of his dog, who trashed the place. The dog was suppose to be a replacement for "Charm" my beautiful springer spaniel, but it was nothing but a nightmare. This dog broke everything, and escaped from the apartment to find me, crossing the highway to do it. I had to give the little guy credit, he was determined.
Now living in a little efficiency on the bay, it was a great view, with no one to bother me. Except that dog, he broke everything in the new apartment. I can't say what happened to him after that, I just don't remember. Things were going great, my boyfriend was working and the money made life so much easier. Things were good, so we moved again, to a place on the water where I bought a little power boat, called the "Little C". Everyday after work we would go out with friends and the kids, who were there a lot now, we would water ski, swim, fish and just have a great time. I thought things were great, I was happy, my daughter had moved back to live with me and I enjoyed her there. My boyfriend didn't exactly care for my daughter and was constantly giving her a hard time. As far as priorities go, the daughter and the son are #1, not the cheating boyfriend.
Life was great, worked on the water, played on the water, everything was again perfect. Too bad it never lasts. Out of a job again, the boyfriend and I begin fighting constantly, I was tired of carrying the load. It just didn't seem worth it. Our arguments got more violent, I thought that he might give me a punch or two. Well, now I already learned this lesson, no one, I mean no one was going to lay a finger on me again. He was sharpening the fishing knives when he went into a rage and punched the wall, I just figured I was next. As he began to approach me I grabbed one of the knives and began swinging it. If your wondering what happened after that, I got a nice slice in. It just seems funny that when men get hurt, they turn into big babies, and he called me crazy and left the house for awhile. Never did he try that again, and things calmed down a bit. I had to get a second job to pick up the slack and pay his way, once again.
I came home one day and saw him cleaning sheets, I was too tired for confrontations at that point, so I let it go, what guy cleans sheets, come on!
My sister called me and said she had stopped by and saw a girl and my boyfriend going out on my boat. Now that is crossing the line! Still not in the mood for confrontation I let it go, but finally he pushed one of my buttons while I was driving down the road. I got so angry that I pulled the car over and told him to get out. I don't know what came over me, but when he walked in front of the car, I put it in drive and hit him. I felt good, I didn't kill him or anything like that. I do think that I got my message across. Shortly after that I found out that the girl was one of my married friends, so I threw him out. I don't know why, but I was devastated. I cried and cried, I just thought that my fun lifestyle was over and I was just tired of all the failed relationships. Seven years together and now time to start over again. The first thing I had to do was move again, so he couldn't find me. On my road to recovery I thought I would have to do something radical, so I went sky-diving. It somehow gave me a new prospective, my daughter floated down from the sky right after me.
My daughter and I got a great little place together, further down the keys. I began dating and not worrying about relationships, just having fun and living the Keys life. Now working at Chica Lodge in Islamorada as a scuba instructor making the big bucks. Lots of money to do what I wanted. Which, of course, that meant I was going to Bimini, Bahamas every few weeks. Living in the Keys and going to the Bahamas, almost where I want to be. My son was working summers at the lodge and having a great time too. It was nice to have my kids with me and enjoying the fun in the sun along side me.
The whole dive staff took off once to go with us to Bimini, we went diving and swimming with wild dolphins. Drinking and getting stupid, no problems!
Work was great and I decided that I would like to become a boat Captain. I went to Sea School and studied, day and night, while collecting documentation for my license. The boat captain at the dive shop where I worked would let me practice driving the boat when we had dive trips, so that I could get the experience. I thought it would be great to stop messing with customers, pulling up anchors and just enjoy the prestige of being "The Captain". I went down to the Coast Guard station and took my test, failing the first test by 2 questions. I took my re-test and passed, February 16th 1993, the same day I operated my first charter as a real captain. I was so pleased at my accomplishment. I was free and now had a way to earn more money. But things weren't so perfect at work. I had always got along with the boss, he was a great man, he could invent just about anything. He spent most of his time working with the parasail boat, but almost everyday he would invite the staff for an after work drink. His wife began to treat me with disdain, I didn't understand it and tried to talk with her. It didn't get me anywhere, she thought that I wanted her husband, he was a great guy, but he was and would always be just a good friend. Words were passed back and forth and I no longer worked there.
I didn't worry, I started working as an independent, scuba instructor slash captain. When the season was good I was making tons of money. I had another job working at a restaurant for the off season. It gave me plenty of time to play on my boat. I was out with my daughter and friends constantly, probably a little everyday. Things were once again good.
Then the stalking began. The X that I thought I was finally finished with, begins to start calling. He was still living in the Keys with his new girlfriend, who was waiting for her divorce to be final. I didn't know what to think about his calls. I continued my life and went out on several dates, once while sitting at a restaurant with my date I saw my X looking through the window of the restaurant. I excused myself for a minute, not letting my date know what was going on, and went to talk to the X. I could tell that he wasn't exactly happy about his decision, but I sent him away and continued my evening. It didn't end though, he would show up at my home, when he knew I was there alone. How he found me I don't know, he should have been a detective.
I couldn't help thinking that this would be a great opportunity to get my revenge. I began an affair with him, we would get together at odd times, while his girlfriend was at work. I think she suspected something, which was my plan after all. The both of them moved to Miami, perhaps his girlfriend, who was now his wife thought that would help keep him away from me. I didn't care one way or another, I only had the affair to exact my revenge and execute what I call "Squatters Rights". I considered this arrangement to be perfect, I dated who I wanted and had the best of the man that I no longer had to support. It was all going so well, until his wife began calling my house every time he was over my place. It got annoying and yet satisfying. I would just hand the phone over to him. He was so busted and I didn't care.
Working as a freelance captain, I got a pretty steady position driving a boat in N. Key Largo at a dive center. I worked mostly from the dock, but every other week was pay day. I got a call from the dive shop, from one of the other captains, he told me that my X's wife had been working at the same place as me, just waiting for a confrontation. I didn't see any reason to disappoint her, and I went to the dive shop for that confrontation. Words were exchanged and the crew disappeared to the back room to ease drop. All I know is that she never showed up again in the Keys. The affair didn't end there, like she had hoped. Now she was very hormonal, since she was pregnant, and my ultimate revenge was when she was having their son and he was in my bed when she called. The affair continued and he would even bring his new baby to meet with me.
I had some short term relationships, but nothing lasted because they would always run into my stalker. I decided that I was going to look for another place to live. My daughter had moved to Orlando and she said that it was great fun. So, I left my apartment with some friends while I took a look at the Orlando scene. I decided that I would move. Returning home to pack up and sign the lease over to the guys staying at my house, ending my now miserable existence in the Keys. The quality of men in great decline.
I got a great apartment, I had money in the bank, but it wouldn't last forever. I looked for work, which was almost impossible. Had to switch occupations at that point and enter the fascinating restaurant industry. I missed the Keys so much, I would go there almost every weekend. Still having some contact with my stalker. I think our last meeting was in a town near Orlando where my stalker was now living, is that just a coincidence, who knows.
I enjoyed the night life of Orlando, and met this great guy. He was 6'5" and 12 years younger. We seemed to really hit it off. He was a great guy and had a job. My daughter liked him and told me that I had to change my ways. I knew exactly what she meant, no more cheating. So, I took her advice and could focus more on the relationship at hand. We dated for a about 6 months, and I was ready to make a move. I was an expert at moving by now. He wanted to be closer to his family, so we moved now to Bonita Beach on the West Coast of Florida. It was in the middle between my kids and beloved Keys.
There it was moving day, the truck pulled out front of our cute little apartment near the water, boyfriend off at work that he secured before we moved. I was walking boxes to the apartment when a frantic little old lady stops me. She told me that her boyfriend, which is my next door neighbor, was not answering any of her calls. She wanted me to go inside her boyfriends apartment to see if he was home. I couldn't help feeling bad for her, she was in such a panic. She handed me her key, I opened the door and she stayed behind me. I looked around the apartment and didn't see him, so I went toward the bedroom and saw him laying in the bed. He appeared to be sleeping, I just stood there, not knowing exactly what to do. The little old lady, pushed me toward him and told me to shake him, since he wasn't answering our shouts. I approached him and shook him, he was stiff and his arms rose into the air as I moved him. Behind me the little old lady screamed and became hysterical. I don't know this lady but I didn't want another death on my hands. I had to make the phone calls to the fire department and police and even had to call her family members. With all the commotion the land lady appeared and said that someone else had already died in that apartment, but told me not to worry because no one had died in my apartment. Oh what a relief, ugh! Is this one of those signs that I should not ignore?
My funds beyond depleted, even though I was lucky enough to get a transfer from the Orlando restaurant to the Ft. Myers one. The hours were not enough, so I got another restaurant job, different shifts. Still had time for recreation some how. I was never afraid of work, always did what I had to.
Life was fun, the beach close by, it was different, but something was missing. I had somehow lost myself. I felt isolated and only had friends while at work. It was time to find myself, such a corney concept, but it is true. It was time to do something with adventure.
The plans now set in motion to hike the Appalachian Trail. I have lived in flat Florida almost all my life and now going to test my stamina in the mountains. We did practice runs, and hiked with full backpacks. Began planning and doing research. Boxing up food drops and making the final plans, stuff in storage, contact information and itinerary. It was time to leave, we made our way after finalizing plans with my parents, to get to friends in Georgia, where they would drive us to the trail head in Amicalola Falls, Georgia. Pictures of Appalachian Adventure. Here among the mountains is where I celebrated my 40th birthday.
The whole story of the adventure is far too long to begin here, all I can say is that I found myself indeed. I gained much more than confidence and self respect. I found my limitations, which was my knees, and this is what ended my adventure on the trail, only after about 600 miles of hiking. Not ready to return to Florida I worked on a farm in Long Island, which was hard work and cold. When I looked out the window one morning and saw snow, I knew it was time to return home, which was where? The only thing I will miss is fishing for Blue Fish on the shore line and eating fresh vegatables off the vine.
Returning to Florida, awaiting the birth of my new grandchild, we stayed at my parents house while looking for a place to live. My mother let me know that this man that I had spent so much time with was not her favorite, she told me that he was a user. I had not really noticed at that time, but what she said stuck in my head and made me more observant. There was a lot of bad feelings at my parents home and he went to Naples to be with his family while we were looking for a place to live.
Finally found an apartment within our budget, I was re-hired at my old restarant job. I was really focused and worked hard to get some small promotions. I really went back to work to get insurance to fix my knee. Another surgery under my belt. I continued work and had become a trainer for francise operators. I trained brothers who were opening their own store in Naples. They were so impressed with me that they recruited me and a couple of my friends to troubleshoot and get the new store running smooth. I was finally in managemnt, thinking I would have to work less on the line, but what a mistake that was. I was working and on call all the time, but the money was great. I was doing so well that I was ready to buy another boat. My boyfriend was working at a marina at the time and I found a boat that I loved. I named her the "IN 2 DEEP". That was the beginning of trouble in paradise once again. My boyfriend at the time thought it would be just fine to lend it out, when I wasn't around. Mistake! That wasn't the only problem we had. I think once I turned 40 that things between us had began to fall apart. I didn't know about it, but later found out that he could no longer endure our age differences. This was the last time that I wanted to hear, "I would never marry you anyway". Like, I was good enough for all the other benifts. It was mutual and ended after 4 years and many miles. No regrets, I got something out of the realtionship and learned more lessons. I never wanted to get in his way of finding what he always said was a majical moment between two people. It sounded like a fairy tale to me. We remained friends and I am happy to say that this year he will be married to his soul mate.
The first order of business was to get the boat to Miami, where my brother became my partner in the boat. It was a very interesting trip across the west coast of Florida. Then my brother brought his trailer and we packed up my apartment and moved to his house. Not without leaving my mattress in the middle of the road outside of the apartment complex. We laughed so hard when it flew off the trailer, we didn't go back for it.
My brother and I were both single and really enjoyed our life together, my most recent X would visit and then it was when I realized that what my mother had told me about him being a user was very true. I don't think he even knew it, but now he has made a living out of it. Hey, why not! Whatever works!
I got back in touch with my best friend for life, he was so happy to see me, but now a different man. He was married, but we had more than sex together. I asked if I could hang out and meet some friends. He said that he had a great guy that could use a companion too. I wasn't looking for anything serious, since I just broke up with the other guy a matter of a month earlier.
This new guy, was different, he was my age, imagine that, but the younger guy thing wasn't working so the only thing to do was to try something different. We began a casual relationship, coffee dates, stock car races, after all he was seeing someone else anyway. A really fun guy, we would take motorcycle trips all over the place, believe me it was hard to get back on one, since my accident. But Steve drove different, he believed that if you drive like your invisible you will survivie. I began to trust him like no other, with my life. I still felt like I was cursed though, when it came to relationships.
In the meantime, my brother and I went out on the boat, with friends, every week until we finally killed the engine on the boat. But, we had plenty of fish in the box all the time. I was becoming more distracted with Steve. My parents came for a visit and I introduced my parents to Steve. Steve was around all the time, even though we had only dating about a month or two. The guys went outside to do guy things, which left me and my mother to talking. She told me that she liked Steve, which was one of the biggest surprises of my life. My mother never liked anyone I was dating. I told her that I didn't have much hope and that I had raised my standards far too high to comprimise any longer. I enjoyed being roommates with my brother far too much to be concerned. My mother looked down at my finger and noticed that I was wearing my grandmothers old wedding ring. She pointed at the ring and told me the reason I couldn't find love was because of the ring, "It is cursed", she told me. She went on to tell me the story of the marriage between her mother and father and how it was arranged. I was so moved by the story that I took off the ring. I had been wearing the ring since my last divorce, maybe there was something to what she had to say.
I put the ring away and didn't give it a thought, until Steve asked me to marry him a few days later. I accepted his proposal, since it was made for no other reason than love. This fairy tale that I thought was ridiculous had happened to me. I was so excited that I called my X to tell him, thought he should know, since I gave him such a hard time about finding soul mates. He was really hurt, because we had just broken up and now I would be married less than 3 months later.
First order of business was to find a place to live, and I was determined that we start new and fresh. I wasn't moving in his trailer, did that already. House shopping was next, we found a home only after seeing tons of houses, this one seem to fit, didn't need any work to move in. The only problem was that we couldn't move in until 8 months after closing. We waited it out at my brothers house, which put a clink in our relationsip, but it would never be ruined by an outsider.
Moved in our new house just before Thanksgiving 1998, and the whole family was there for the celebration. I just couldn't bear to get a job working for someone else, so I took over my sister-in-laws cleaning business. Which is still paying the bills to this day. We lived a comfortable life. Two peas in a pod.
One day while in the back yard I was looking at my boat, with tears in my eyes, because I didn't have a working engine. It was something that gave me that great feeling and Steve had always wanted to go boating. It was one of those dreams that he wanted to fulfill. He grabbed me by the arm and put me in the car, without a word he took me to the marine store and purchased an engine for the boat. From that day on we were out on the boat every single week. We loaded up the boat with friends and fish. Steve told me that he never had so much fun as when we were out on the boat. We began making trips to Bimini, even would kidnap our guests and just drive there to have a beer. Sometimes we would spend the night, it was a dream, everybody in Bimini knew us by name. All of the time thinking I have finally found the man of my dreams. He loved everything I did, our only problem was his X, but she lived far enough away not to bother us too much. The begining of a new millenium upon us. Life was just perfect once again. I can't think of a time that I was happier in a relationship. Not a care in the world, I had everything I wanted, supplied by my wonderful husband.

MY STORY 80's TO 90's

2011-08-23T09:42:00.001-04:00

Now 25 years old and living what I thought was a dream life, this decade goes from wonderful to tragic in such a short time and back again.
Taking numerous trips to the Bahamas, life was like a dream, taking more scuba classes and the kids couldn't stay out of the water. At a very young age the kids were drenched in the island life. Still enjoying my life at home in the country with all my animals, even though I was still living in a trailer it didn't much seem to bother any of us. I worked hard and things were good. Then one day while home alone, I suffered a HORROR that only a few could recover from.
That was just the beginning, the time came when that uneasy feeling about the motorcycle became my nightmare. Driving down a country road only going 35 mph, not a soul on the road. We approached an intersection, where we saw a car stopped, I don't know how it happened but in a split second I was laying on the ground with paramedics cutting my clothing off of me. I only remember small clips of the accident. I remember the impact, then flying through the air toward the windshield, where I saw two small children sitting in the front seat, just before my face hit and broke the windshield. I don't remember the ride to the hospital, I was only aware briefly when I saw a drill going through my leg under my knee. I remember hearing voices and they were saying that I didn't have much of a chance, and if I did live, I probably wouldn't be able to walk normally again. I am not certain to this day on how many bones I broke, but some that were broken was my femur in two places, my ribs, my pelvis in two place, I got hairline fractures of my vertebrae in my neck and of course my head. Which explains quite a bit, doesn't it?
I didn't really feel any pain, but I imagine it was the worst time of my children's life. They were so young and being tossed from family member to family member. I don't know to this day how long I was in the hospital, I never figured it out. I woke once more in the first hospital I was staying at and recall being all alone in an upright position. I couldn't talk, because there was a tube down my throat. I was alert enough at that point to pull the tubes from my stomach and nose and all the IVs out of my arms. Then I don't remember anything again until I was being transferred to another hospital, my mother telling me that an orderly was taking advantage of me, so my husband and I were transferred to another hospital. I remember laying motionless on a bed my husband in the bed on the right of me. The nurses coming in every 4 hours hanging whole blood and giving me injections of morphine every couple of hours. I don't wonder why that part of my stay was such a blur. I was high as a kite and fully addicted to drugs at that point.
My leg had been in traction and now the surgeons were going to put my leg together with a rod. After the surgery the staff came in and put this giant concrete cast on my leg. I know that I let them know of my disapproval, but they didn't listen. After they left I don't know how, but I got out of the bed, screaming in agony and washed the cast off in the shower. They finally fitted me with a fiberglass cast, that came on and off. I survived the internal injuries on sheer stubbornness, with the help of a ton of blood they gave me. I couldn't do anything for what seemed to be months. Just sitting in a chair was agony. There was no physical therapy or any rehabilitation. They finally began reducing the medication and I began to have a conscious life at the hospital. I was really ready to get out and start my life again. I felt like I had missed so much. I felt cheated and I lost all faith in any kind of God. This should have been the best years of my life, the perfect years, but now they are gone. I am crippled and a burden to my family, I can't even bathe myself.
Finally released from the hospital, I was at my parents house, where my mother gave me therapy and took care of me. I don't remember where my kids were or if I had seen them. I don't remember getting visitors, at home or at the hospital. I felt good enough to go back to my home in the country and resume my life, except that things would be very different. I would sometimes go blind in the middle of driving down the road. I even tried to overdose on pain pills and the only thing that got me, was a trip to the shrink.
I knew at this point that I had to do something to get my mind right. So, I told my shrink that I would be in charge of my own therapy. I remembered how I felt when I was in the Bahamas before the accident. As soon as possible I booked a flight to Bimini. I arrived there all alone, and booked dive trips and met men that made me feel good. I was still on crutches, but managed to do everything I wanted to do. My husband would call my hotel and I kept telling him I needed a couple more days, I took a weekend away and ended up gone for a month. Because of the uneasy feeling I had about the motorcycle in the first place I told my husband that if he ever got me in an accident on the motorcycle I would divorce him. After a mere four years of marriage that is exactly what I did. Not that I was the perfect wife to either husband, I was always finding other men to make me feel good. I didn't get caught, but I think I wanted to. I did everything I could to make myself feel wanted or needed, even if it was for just the night. Since my first husband I always had my back-up man that always made me feel good, even though he had a girl friend, we would still continue this affair for years to come, I think this was the only man that was truly my friend. My life long friend.
It seems that things would improve at this point but that isn't exactly what happened. I had money from the sale of husband #1 house and husband # 2 house, plus the insurance settlement from the accident. I bought my own house in West Homestead. Sounds like a fresh start doesn't it! After spending my windfall on cars and furniture and just junk. I never really got over the need for pain killers either and by this time I was a full fledged cocaine addict. It didn't make my life better or mask the horrible feeling I had. I was still unable to walk without crutches, and I was fighting the feeling of not being able to function normally.
Things went from bad to worse, as time passed, even though I was in my own new home, walking without crutches.The drugs were starting to run my life. My life long friend would come over from time to time while the kids were at school, he worried about me. One time he brought over a friend of his and he came over while I was in the SHOWER, that is where we began our relationship. He was a good looking guy. We seemed to be a perfect fit for each other. I was dating about 18 guys at that time and made a effort to make him my exclusive boyfriend.
On the weekends the kids were at their fathers house, giving me the opportunity to have a little adult fun. Me and my new boyfriend would go to Naples, the Keys and travel to fun places. We took off once to the Cayman Islands for some fun in the sun. We found beaches without a soul in sight, we could take off our clothes and be one with the sea. I even made a live starfish bathing suit.
I took another trip with the kids to Spanish Wells, Bahamas and re-established my old friendships, which included my dolphin friend, who was named after me, "MC". Each time I visited a particular reef, she would be there, even if I was inside the local cave, she would make clicks and squeaks, I would look up and see her looking through the entrance of the cave wanting me to go play with her. My dolphin and me were about the same size, it was a very strange relationship, but awesome, maybe she was a relative from a past life. Visiting year after year she was always there and would find me. If I was anywhere near the water I was happy. If I went anywhere it had to have water.
My funds pretty much depleted, my drug use down to a minimum, only because I was happy after being in the island that I loved. I had to begin working and work I did, I had 2 to 3 jobs at a time. I was not spending time with my children. I tried to work mid-nights so that I could spend time with kids and boyfriend. I was becoming unhappy again.
It was time for me to go back to surgery to get the steel rod taken out of my leg. I was scheduled for surgery the next day, when I got a phone call from Spanish Wells, Bahamas. The dive operation over in the islands asked if I would like to go to work there. I couldn't possibly say no, because I never pass up an opportunity. Especially since this was my dream, to live in another country, the Bahamas! I went in for surgery and in recovery the doctor indicated he wanted me to stay over night, I jumped up off the bed and said that I wasn't staying. I jumped on a plane and was working the very next day as a dive guide in the Bahamas.
My kids were at their Dad's house and my boyfriend I left behind taking care of my house. My life was just perfect. I did have one little accident, when I fell out of the truck carrying the scuba tanks back to the shop. I was riding in the back of the truck, holding the tanks so they wouldn't slip out, a bump in the road and a couple of tanks knocked me off my feet and I fell out of the truck onto the road, splitting my stitched wide open. I just sat in the middle of the road bleeding. Now what, no doctors on the island. My friends manged to find a medic and he did a great job putting me back together. I was back in the water the next day.
I had my own little apartment, and worked hard, I dove everyday and even had a boyfriend that lived on a sailboat there. Things were great until I got a phone call from my boyfriend at home, he was going to leave me if I didn't come and get him. I flew home on my day off and we both jumped back on a plane to the island. I didn't realize that they could not stand him, and I was fired after a couple of weeks. It was hard anyway balancing the two boyfriends on a tiny island. I missed the island and regretted my decision to bring him over, even more when I found out he had another girl friend. Like I had a right to say anything.
My life on the island was so wonderful, I swam, I dove, the gang camped on different deserted islands around the area, we sunk an airplane and made an artificial reef. I got to play with my dolphin, MC. The life I dreamed about and still dream about now, was over.
My relationship was different after that, I became very depressed, I began taking the drugs again, it became so bad that I had another accident on my bicycle, that shattered my elbow and I had to have surgery again. At this point it was time to permanently give my children up, it wasn't fair to them to watch my destruction.
My boyfriend brought my good friend over for an intervention. I think I realized what I was doing, but I had to get away from everything I had known to clean myself up. The bills were getting behind and I was so close to foreclosure. I sold everything I had, with the last couple of thousand dollars in the bank, I bought a sailboat and headed away from all the drug connections in Miami and Homestead. I didn't know anyone but my boyfriend and my animals.
Living on a 27 foot sailboat, in the Florida Keys, with 2 dogs, 2 parrots and 2 cats was a challenge to say the least. It was the closest thing to the life that I had enjoyed in the Bahamas. I was so secluded on the boat that getting clean and sober was much easier than staying where I was. Living off the land didn't seem so hard, I got a job working at a little road side restaurant at the Jewfish Creek Bridge. It was enough money to buy the little things that I needed. The kids would come down on the weekends and we would sail, they had a great time. It was like a vacation for them.
My boyfriend would go away from time to time to visit his family and my kids would come for the summer. We would fish for dinner and enjoy everyday together.
I began to re-establish my life. I saved what little money I made to take scuba classes to become an instructor and get out of the kitchen at the road-side diner. Living on the sailboat was rough on my pets, first my little parrot was swept away in a storm, then my dwarf Macaw was killed by an osprey, had to give one of my dogs away because he grew to over 80 pounds. One of my cats simply didn't like sailing and ran away, the other stuck it out for awhile but eventually moved out. The final animal was my precious Charm, a springer spaniel that had been with me for awhile. She loved the water and was always jumping off during sailing excursions, we always went back for her. One day she went for a swim and never came back, we later found her body in the den of a crocodile.
I finally got my scuba instructor certification and began the hunt for a new job. Also moving the boat from its current location, closer to my job. I was at a little marina on the bay. I enjoyed my new occupation and the money was pretty good. Life on the boat was just great, like being on vacation all the time, until I began working so much I had no more time to sail. My boyfriend couldn't seem to keep a job and it put a lot of pressure on me to make more money. He spent his days just having fun and cheating on me. I even had to buy him marijuana to keep him happy. Something had to give. I really didn't care so much that he was cheating unless it interfered with our time together. I wasn't exactly the best of girlfriends, I had an affair or two myself. It was just the kind of relationship we had.
I really got sick of it when a girls father came by the boat to find him and told me his daughter was pregnant. I picked up anchor and threw all his stuff off the boat and put it in the dingy. I sailed away to a new location that I thought he couldn't find me. He was with a new girl now and I was doing my thing. He never stopped looking for me though, but I didn't know that. I continued working and having fun without him, never stopping to look back.

MY STORY 70's to 80's

2011-08-20T16:54:00.000-04:00

This decade takes me through the beginning of adulthood. The really scary part of life, a place even though great was full of decisions that actually made a difference in my life. The last couple of years of High School just ahead of me. Everything was changing, I didn't have to deal with bully's because the social structure had changed. I had joined the long hair group, the "hippies", I would quietly sneak off to parks and the beach, no one the wiser. Always enjoying recreational herbs and such, back then everything was organic, we were going green and didn't even know it. The age of love, peace and all that was upon us, yet we fought the institution, which had to include our parents. Anyone who wanted us to conform to their ideas was the enemy. Which also changed my family dynamic, I no longer wanted to hang out with the parents, even though I had fun, we were growing apart. Surging toward individual directions, what ever that might be. One thing back then was the mind-set, we didn't think about making huge amounts of money and becoming successful, our goal was so much simpler than that, we worked toward a life of happiness. Everybody loved everybody. I guess we were too high to be anything but happy and hormonal.
My last couple of years of High School was on the work program, I worked at the Tropical Horse Race Track, as a hot walker and the afternoon was school time. Still made plenty of time for friends, my girl friends and I would compete for the cute guys and make bets on who would get them. I saw this one guy with black hair all the way down to his ass, he rode a motorcycle. I bet the girls that he would be my boyfriend by the end of the week. Well, I won the bet and we began dating. We had so much fun, riding around and going to parties, hanging out in tree-houses, going to Coconut Grove and hitch-hiking everywhere else.
Free love and all that happened, and thus pregnancy arose from that. We were in love and were married after a year of dating, soon enough so that the wedding dress didn't have a big bump in it. My parents were very supportive and my new in-laws were very strange to me. They didn't really speak good English, family had immigrated from Bogota, Colombia. After that summer it was time to go back to school, but my mind really wasn't into it, I was full of excitement and anticipation of my new little life growing inside of me. There wasn't really a lot of girls pregnant in High School in the 70's, I think I was the only one in my school. I was married though, some teachers didn't respect that I had the freedom to say and do what I wanted, they disapproved of my condition and made my last year miserable. Which lead me to drop out with only a half a credit in Government left to take. I didn't care, I was so big, sitting all day at a tight desk just wasn't the thing I wanted to do. The last year of High School now over, sitting in the bleachers watching my husband get his diploma, there I was with my beautiful new daughter. The world was mine, there was nothing that could complete my life more than that moment. Except, now what the hell do I do! Living life day after day, still hanging out with friends when we could. We were stuck living with in-laws and our first order of business was to get our own apartment. My husband was working and soon we moved to our own little apartment in Sweetwater, just off Flagler St. As the years passed we were just a normal young couple.
After time things became difficult, never understanding what we were arguing about. My husband would come home and smack me around. The first time it happened I just remember standing there taking it. I ended up with a bloody nose and a black eye. Things got better for awhile and we moved on to our own home. My husband worked hard, even though we struggled things were alright for the young couple. I thought that I would love to have another child, I enjoyed every minute with my little girl. We spent our time at the pool and doing things without compromising. Perhaps too young to know better, or perhaps we were just growing up together. She was my world, my daughter, the only one who really loved me, how would it be to have another such love. Without consulting my husband, I stopped taking the "Pill", and was pregnant in just a couple of weeks. My husband was stressed out all the time lately, working and going to school, with no tolerance toward me. There would be no perfect time to tell him that I was pregnant, so I just blurted it out. He left the house only to come back and stick a gun in my face. I learned then to stand up and be strong. I didn't want to be afraid of anything, so I just threw him out.
After the birth of his son, my husband was just the perfect person, but that time would be short lived. The slapping around continued, but I fought back by throwing dishes and squirting him down in the house with the garden hose. I was at the end of my rope with the abuse and was determined to do something about it. One night while he lay asleep in the bed, I straddled him and clenched my fists together, I punched him square in the face at least three times. It was a whole different story when he was the one looking in the mirror at his bloody face. He never touched me again, after that, the only draw back was that my young children saw everything, perhaps too young to know what was going on, it still had an adverse effect on them forever.
Four years of our marriage had passed and on a camping trip I found out that my husband preferred men to women, things just weren't the same. We were still in love and thought that we should stay together for the sake of the children, bad mistake. I went on with my life, we took turns going out and watching the kids, we lived separate lives. Frustration was building until we finally called it quits after another three years.
I began working a job and made another bet about getting a guy. It was my boss, before the divorce was complete my new man and I were making a trip cross-country in his pick-up truck. My family took care of the kids while I was off exploring the country.
Our trip was not without problems, my new man brought his best friend, which I couldn't stand. I should have jumped on a bus and went home, but I was so excited about all the beautiful scenes and different landscape, I couldn't bare to leave this adventure full of freedom and excitement. As we began crossing from state to state things were fun, when arriving at the Grand Canyon and his friend said how good I would look at the bottom of the canyon, left a real sour tone from that point on. The rest of the trip was full or arguments until we finally got rid of him somewhere in Arizona. I think the first time I left the country, was when crossed the border to Mexico for a little shopping trip. I also got to visit my long lost sister who was living there at the time. An opportunity to have someone on my side. The whole trip was designed for us to find a place to live that would make me happier, a place that would be better than South Florida. Found a place in Washington state and stayed for awhile, thinking that it might be the place, but after days full of cloudy weather and rain, I only wanted to get the hell out. Good thing I did, because Mt. Saint Helen's blew its top 3 days after I left (May 1980). I caught transportation out of there alone, the important reason was to get home in time for my divorce. After visiting almost every state, I admitted to myself that there wasn't one more suited to my lifestyle than good ole Florida. After a fun year of dating, I was married at the Coral Castle to husband #2. The marriage started out with a couple of problems, first at the wedding when my purse was robbed and all my important documents gone. A crazy rush to replace them for the Honeymoon to Aruba. All the indications I ignored, I even got sick as a dog in Aruba and nearly died from poison. Not paying attention to Karma.
We moved out to the Redlands, because he had big ideas, businesses and big houses, you know the type. The only thing wrong with that is he didn't earn the money he brought home, and always put things off and off and off..
I was in the prime of my life, I had lots, a had my own pony, 2 great Danes, and numerous exotic pets. That was my happiness, my kids loved living in the country, driving around their ATVs all over the tomato fields. Then came the motorcycle, I had a bad feeling about this thing since day one. As an adventurer I thought that this feeling was not normal for me. Still, every time I got on that thing I just felt uneasy.
We began to travel, we went to and island in the Bahamas, called Spanish Wells, what fond memories me and my children have there. Always delaying the flight home, to take a scuba class or just have one more day of fun. My husband did some business there in the landscape department, so we would again have an opportunity to travel back to the Bahamas. I made so many friends there, and so did the kids, they had their own place to hang out. I never really had to watch them, after all, where could they go on an island!
I guess I found the place in the world that I loved the most, the islands of the Bahamas. The people were just amazing, the freedom and the fresh air was beyond comprehension. I was surrounded by the beautiful sea.

MY STORY 60's to 70's

2011-08-19T12:43:00.001-04:00

Growing up was so easy up to this point, still in Elementary School. This was the time when a little girl begins to turn into women and thus start to get into trouble. Our family dynamic was to take numerous trips, since Dad worked for the airline we got to travel to Boston, constantly, at least 4 times a year. Without parents hovering over us, we had a great time. We still had family vacations and they almost always consisted of camping, somewhere in Florida, my fathers absolutely favorite place.
No family would be complete without household pets. We were a pretty standard family in that department, with the pet dog, her name was Suzie, she was a hairy, Chihuahua mix. I also had fish and my favorite pet ever was my duck, Pasqua (Easter in Italian). I got her in Boston, as a little duckling and she lived in that bucket that we swam in. I had her for years, Pasqua gave us a fresh duck egg everyday. I don't know how long ducks live but she was the love of my young life.
I got sick and was put in the hospital, for tubes in the ears, tonsillectomy and removal of my adenoids. I remember my mom getting me a purse, it was a yellow duck, which I immediately vomited on. After the giant trauma of my hospital stay, which seemed like weeks, was over I came home and ran to the back yard to see my Pasqua. I searched the entire yard, her nest and everywhere calling her name. I went into the house and my mother told me they had taken her to the duck pond at the hospital where I was staying, where she could play with all the other ducks. To this day I don't think that I ever got over it. Years later, the truth about my precious duck came to life, but only when my parents thought I was old enough to handle it (in my 20's). She had simply passed away. I tried to replace her, with a Mallard duckling that I captured at a lake, but it just wasn't the same as my Pasqua.
Each decade had so many memories, it is hard to pick out the most memorable ones. From sibling rivalry to undying bondage, my sisters and I were like peas in a pod and so different at the same time. I grew up mostly hanging out with my sister June. Cheryl was the one in the family always at the swim meets and athletic challenges. Although we all played sports, Cheryl carried it more into Junior High than we did. Charles at this time was more of an annoyance, because baby-sitting was interrupting our social life.
We all belonged to the after school program at the park, from Archery, to Soccer, it was the Cerase girls who had to be the best at everything. That competitive nature still exists today.
I remember the first time I saw my mother cry. November 22, 1963 just after noon. How could I possibly remember that day. Well, if you search that day in history you will find that JFK was assassinated, live on TV right in front of my mother and me. I know I cried that day, but I don't think it was because of JFK, it was because I had seen another side of my mother that I never wanted to see again. It was a day that I knew I was no longer locked in this perfect little world that I had grown so fond of. There was so much more to the world than I ever could imagine. I know that this day was a turning point in my life and perhaps one for many people.
My mom was always my protector, the family rock so to speak. I recall a story about a little girl that had broken her arm. First let me say that as my sisters and I grew older the house got a bit louder, my parents seem to be always arguing and it was always about us. Of course, I didn't like it much, but it seems to be what Italian's do best, "Loud Voices". Back to the broken arm, it was a regular day at the homestead, the day winding down and as always we had to pick up after our little brother who was basically allowed to run like a wild animal, not as if anyone could have stopped him anyway. I went to get his tricycle out of the front yard to bring it in and by some freak accident I flipped over the thing and broke my arm. A whole bunch of witnesses and stunned faces, snatched me up and drug me to the hospital kicking and screaming. Not because I was in pain, but because I was certain nothing was wrong, "I could move my fingers". Despite my objection I now was fitted with a cast, all this happened before the master arrived home. Tucked in bed but not asleep yet I recall the conversation that evening.
My Dad arrived home and my Mom welcomed him, it was late and Dad was exhausted. She started the conversation on an even tone, knowing that my Dad would completely freak if one of his princesses was ever hurt, she used this great tactic on him. She started out with "Charlie, I heard this story on TV today and I want to get your opinion on it", so Dad sat down while Mom went on to tell the story. She said, "The story is about a little girl who broke her arm, and when her father got home from work that day he yelled and screamed at everybody". My mom continued the story making certain that by the end of the tale Dad had to feel so sorry for the little girl because her father was a brute. At the end of that fantastic story and Dad's sympathy for the little girl at its height she said "By the way, Mary broke her arm". I don't have to tell you how that story ended, as you might have guessed there was no yelling at the little girl with the broken arm. Instead, Dad came into my room embraced me and gave me a kiss on the forehead.
Stories about my mom were probably the most memorable of all. Her favorite holiday was April Fool's Day. I fondly remember her in the kitchen the night before preparing to get Dad. Once she got a sponge, in those days they were large and hard and yellow. She carefully sliced a sponge really thin, putting in a sandwich, with the rest of the lunch meat. Dad always took his lunch and never remembered the holiday. Many a lunches had sponge cheese, chocolate covered soap, plastic Hersey bars, the menu was endless. The joke was always on Dad.
Don't think for a minute that Dad didn't get even. Dad loved the yard and he was always building it up with sand, spreading and making the lawn lush and green. In the meantime while spreading the sand one day, Dad was constantly coming in the house for refreshments, leaving Mom pissed off. Mom was always a clean freak and Dad just kept it up until Mom finally snapped and started screaming at him. He walked out the door just like the other dozen times that day, but the next time he came in the house he had a plan. Mom had just finished sweeping up the sand for what she thought was the last time, when the door opened and on the end of the wheel barrow was Dad. Without uttering a single word, the wheel barrow full of sand entered the living room, Dad simply tipped it up and all the sand piled in the middle of the living room. I could only remember holding back my laughter. Dad said, "Now you have something to complain about!" I stood there wondering what was going to happen next and I guess Mom could not contain herself any longer, she bust out into laughter too. I realize that my parents were absolutely nuts. Maybe its hereditary!
So many things happened before I became 15, I can't remember them all. I began dating, that is the puppy stuff. I think I had sex for the first time, but I don't recall it happening. Hanging out with the wrong people and experimenting with drugs and alcohol lead me to wake one afternoon in an unknown location, with my clothing on the floor. I will probably never know what happened that day. But at least I wasn't traumatized, because I don't remember a thing.
I had always felt like an outcast while in Jr. High, never had the right clothing, didn't act like a girly girl, not one of the cool girls, but I did have a big mouth. I even ran for Student Council President. Still looking for that attention. I always found school boring and my grades reflected my disappointment in school. I was clever enough to know how much work I had to do to pass to the next year. I wanted something different out of my life and education didn't seem like it was the transport to get there. My attitude toward school was probably brought on from all the bullying that went on year after year. Ignoring it became harder and harder and the way to handle it was unknown to me. This was the first time I had considered suicide, I know if I had these thoughts in the current times, I am certain that I would not be here today to talk about it (designer drugs and all). I got over that feeling, but I did know that I could no longer tolerate the bully's. I don't think that I really thought through the process, but I decided the only way to stop these girls from making fun of my clothes and making me feel like I wasn't worth anything because I wasn't like them was to kick their ass. I knew that these girls had to walk home the same way I did, so I lay in wait and as they passed, I jumped out of my hiding place and began to kick their ass, making certain that I tore those fancy designer clothes right off their bodies. I never had another problem with the bully's, because after that, the word got out,(without cell phones) that I was no longer going to tolerate them. Sticks and stones, hell no! I don't know now if that was a mistake or not. I would probably never know, but what made my life miserable was no longer in existence.
It was the time of Rock and Roll music. Also the time in history that there was love and peace. Everybody wanted to be an individual. The more torn the jeans the better, the more skin showing the better. Long hair was everywhere, boys and girls would compete for the longest hair. Head bands and tie dye. What a great time, a time to learn and love for the first time. Experiment and try everything for the first time. I made a plan to do as much as I could and the goal was to never get caught by my parents. I think that I accomplished my goal at the time. I still do everything I can, but now I see things as opportunities that should never be passed up, because it will only lead to regret. I think this part of my life was just the beginning of my adventures.
Now it was the middle of High School and another transition of my life begins. My time line after this become very vague and confused, on my next series of MY STORY!

MY STORY 50's to 60's

2011-08-18T08:54:00.000-04:00

I constantly get asked to tell the story of my life, it seems to me that this would be the interesting way to do it. I can write a story at a time and perhaps it will end up with my entire life on paper.
Where do I start? I should probably start at the beginning and perhaps my sisters and brother will chime in too, trigger our memories!
This story starts in the 1950's, a fantastic time in history. The story begins in Boston, Massachusetts, where two young people met and fell in love. Those young people at the time had no idea what was in store. My father while dating another girl, fell head over heels in love with my soon to be mom. The story starts here. Sock hops, skating on lakes, young men with their pack of cigarettes rolled up in their t-shirt sleeve and DA haircuts. The young women with poodle skirts, just think about the movie "Grease", that's the time that I was born. My father and mother, wanted a different life and they picked up roots and headed to South Florida. A definite change of climates from the New England weather they both grew up in.
I think when I was born in Miami, there was only one hospital, the original Jackson Memorial Hospital, at the time of my birth we were living downtown.
I don't know what happened and perhaps Dad could fill in the blanks, but our new small family moved back to Massachusetts. In no time at all I had two sisters, in the meantime my father got a job working for Eastern Airlines, (remember them?) and transferred back to Miami. There, after a couple of moves we were in our very own home, which was purchased for $11,000. About the price of a really used car nowadays.
I don't remember very much of that time, but I do remember being very happy and loved.
Some of the special moments I remember is the things that Dad made for us and the simple things Mom would do. We loved our back-yard and spent all day there. I remember our yard before there was grass growing. Dad got us a swing-set, what group of little girls wouldn't love that. As the summer months grew warmer, we spent our time in the sprinkler and a big metal bucket, that, I think my mom used as her mop bucket. All I know is that I could fit in it perfectly for years, my sisters and I would take turns. We had such great tans, that sometimes we would have to sit at the back of the bus. It amazes me that, that kind of discrimination even existed in the 1950's. Anyway, Dad decided that we really couldn't learn to swim in the bucket, as much fun as it was, so he began building a swimming pool, it was made from a few levels of concrete blocks, sealed and painted this crazy lime green. We spent all day in the pool, where we learned to swim underwater and I think that is when I fell in love with water. The love of the water is still my strongest love.
My Dad brought home a roller coaster once, even though we only borrowed it for a short time, it was a very lasting memory, because it was so fun. There was no seat belts or safety rails. It was like a giant roller skate, that we would put at the top of a ladder, jump on and slide down the rails. The ride was only the size of a large slide, but it was so much fun.
Life was so simple then, all I had to do was have fun and be loved. I must admit that my childhood was very happy. As time past and we grew older, Dad was home less, because he had to work more, to give us the things every child would dream of. I don't really recall much about stuff, but I do remember driving down Tamiami Trail (8Th Street) for our day of fishing with Dad. We never knew what we were going to catch, from crawdads to turtles, it just didn't matter. All I can remember is my sisters laughing and my Dad standing over us with his arms crossed and his beautiful bright smile as we were casting our cane poles into the muddy swamp of the Everglades. When we were lucky enough to catch some fish I remember my mom's face when Dad pulled out his stringer of fish, a smile and maybe a sigh about who was going to clean those fish. Dad always did the fish cleaning. I remember always having some kind of boat parked on the side of the house, but our days of fishing passed.
As we got older it was time to begin school, I remember things that happened in school and probably never told anyone. My favorite time was "Show and Tell", I was the one kid who could make up some fascinating stories, about forts under my bed and drinking vinegar, I made up so much stuff, I can't even remember where the story began, I just kept talking because I couldn't move away from all the attention. I remember once talking so long that I peed in front of the whole class. I think that was the begining of my story telling, while most of my stories are true, I make certain that they are somewhat interesting. I just loved to be the center of attention. I was always the class clown, I am certain that doesn't really come as a surprise to anyone, but to let you know I was born that way.
As I became more independant and now my sisters was going to school with me, it was our time to walk home by ourselves. Common place in most families, when it was my kids turn to do the same I remember what my mom did with us. Mom started walking us to school, so that we would learn the way and then meeting us after school to do more practice. She made a point that we were to stay on this path, because she had eyes everywhere. As we knew from experience, this statement was very accurate. There was once or twice that we stopped and would jump in the canal for a swim, when we got home, the eyes knew what we had done, because Mom was following us just out of view. Many years later I found out that even though my mom trusted our judgement, she knew that we were still kids, and our urges to deviate were far too strong to resist. All this preparation was for a good reason, mom was pregnant and needed us to be less dependent on her.
We had a new addition to the house, kind of like a puppy, but worse behaved. We got a new brother, a special and unexpected surprise. He immediately became the king, I must admit we all worshiped him, I still do to this day. Even though I am 10 years older than my brother, he is my big brother at heart.
Upon the arrival of my brother, the household routine was transformed and rearranged, for this young man was a tornado. As a baby, Charles was full of smiles, he not only woke with them, but his smiles were contagious. It didn't matter what he did, good or bad, no one in the family could help laughing or smiling at his escapade's. Even when he painted the walls above his crib with his own poop. The family dynamic seemed complete, if it was even possible to be more happy, we were. Life passed and days went by turning into years. If I could choose when to go back in time, I would choose this part of my life, I felt safe and loved. I never had to make a decision, and I never made a mistake that took a toll on any ones life.

DOGGIE DELEMA

2011-08-05T09:15:00.001-04:00

I have a very old dog, Baby is her name. She is a constant worry for me, lately she has developed tumors, which I have managed, now her whole body has a terrible skin condition. I constantly brush and manage it the best I can, but she is around 14 years old and these things are common in old girls. Baby is always happy, she still eats like a pig and plays like a puppy.
The other day I put out a bone with a hole in the middle that I bought from the grocery store. My morning was a rush, I had a meeting and when I went to do a check on the critters, I noticed Baby was pawing at her water bowl. I thought it deserved a closer look, at much to my surprise, she had somehow got the bone with a hole in it, locked onto her lower jaw. Now poor Baby can't eat or drink, and I have an appointment that I can't miss. I got out some tools to see if I could get it off of her. With all my effort, the bone was over a half inch thick and impossible to break. What do I do now, do I saw it off of her face? How will I mange to remove the bone without hurting Baby? Time running out and using the dremmel tool, I failed.
Off to my appointment, thinking the whole time on how to get that thing off of her. Then it donned on me, that my son had bought this cutting drill, that should do the trick. I turned it on and it was far too powerful for me to put it next to the face of my precious companion, that has been with me for years. Again, I considered another option, take the bit that is on this powerful machine and put it on a dremmel tool.
Poor Baby in the meantime is struggling with the bone on her jaw and her gums and chin are swelling, now I have no room to put my fingers underneath to protect her face from the power tool.
I don't want you to think that I messed up my pooch, I came up with a way to protect her, I slipped a butter knife under the bone, protecting her face, then I threw a towel over her eyes to protect them.
I began cutting away at the bone, being careful to keep her calm and not letting my hand slip. It seem like it took forever, but with out much more effort I cut the bone away from her precious face.
Dogs are like little kids, things that you think are safe, somehow manage to become a unexpected danger. I must admit, this almost beats the time I went Cat Fishing.

DEDICATED TO YOU

2011-08-02T13:21:00.000-04:00

Have you ever driven down the street and seen someones name on a street sign. Well, of course you have, I never really thought about it until today. A friend asked me to help her because she was hosting an event at her home, because a sign was being dedicated to her father.
The morning started with the plans for getting the refreshments and decorations on the tables. Across the street from a distance I watched as my friends along with community leaders gathered for the unveiling of the new sign. Lots of people joined in the celebration of Clyde Binson.
At the event I asked some of the guests questions about the dedication and found that the community had to go through application processes and city council meetings. Not everyone was approved for this honor, but Clyde was a community leader in his time and he is loved to this day.
I could only think of how much pride his family and friends felt to look up at the new sign, dedicated to a man who silently made a difference in his community. For years to come people will look up and wonder for generations to come and perhaps his legacy will never end. I know that each time I pass that street sign and see his name above the street I will remember what he meant to the community. Even though I never had the honor of meeting him, I do value my friendship with his daughter and if he was half as wonderful as she is then the honor is all mine.

HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER

2011-07-18T09:50:00.000-04:00

Well, Casey Anthony walks away. I completely understand how, if the glove doesn't fit you must acquit!
First lets start with the investigation. As always they focus on just one person, granted they did try to find leads to people who didn't exist. The nanny, babysitter and such, which of course, lead them right back to Casey. The obvious way to get away with murder is to leave reasonable doubt. The investigators tried for more than they could achieve, instead of charges that could actually be proved, how about man slaughter, they were thinking far too big and had no evidence to convict on such charges.
Just a reminder that our legal system is so ridiculous it isn't even funny. I know people who were convicted of small charges and no victim was involved and they got 10 years. Does that seem right to you. People who get caught with pot spend more time in jail, a victimless crime. There is a beautiful little girl that will never see her next birthday and I can only blame the whole family. The report of her missing a month late, sounds like they had plenty of time to make certain there was no evidence to find. Isn't the grandfather in law enforcement? You bet, he had the information and knowledge to make this all go away.
So the simple thing to do is get someone else to look as if they could have done it, thus you have reasonable doubt. Don't report the crime for as long as you can and all the evidence will be washed away by then. Our law enforcement and criminal system in Florida is so corrupt, it is easy to pull the proverbial wool over their eyes. Our legal system makes it simple to get away with murder.
If you think for one minute that Casey Anthony will not pay the price eventually, you are wrong, because I believe what comes around goes around. Look at O.J., his life went to shit, and remains there. People who get away with murder, make mistakes and eventually get caught doing it. Casey Anthony's daughter will get her justice and public will be there to see it.

WAX RING...

2011-07-16T21:23:00.004-04:00

Have you ever wondered what keeps the water flowing through your toilet into the sewage instead of on your floor, and how the seal just lasts forever? Well, Monica and I have been doing some small renovation in my bathroom, (a little upgrade from the 60's) after putting down some beautiful new floor tiles and waiting the next day to grout between the lines, it was time to put the new (recycled) toilet on.
After removing the old, gray colored toilet, which didn't match a thing, except the sink, we noticed this gross, disgusting substance sitting on the floor surrounding the drain. Monica held her head down, looking down at this strange stuff, then turned to me and grimaced. I knew we were going to have to clean this stuff off, so I volunteered Monica to do it. I don't know exactly how to describe this substance, except that is thick, sticky, slimy and covered in who knows what. Using rubber gloves to clean this thing was even more disgusting, because then your fingers stick together.
Time for the replacement toilet and underneath it was another one of those wax rings, Monica looked at me and without uttering a word, let me know that I was cleaning the wax ring off this time. You know that feeling you get when just about to vomit, well that's what it is like to clean off a wax ring.
Working in a really small space picking up the toilet to slip it onto the wax ring just perfectly while lining up the bolts was a very precarious job. Struggling with the weight, one of us holding it up while the other lined up the bolts, almost smashing our fingers in the process. We then tested it for leaks and the wax seal worked just perfectly. I can't believe it, our first toilet installation, and guess what! It's a no brain-er!
The best part of this two day renovation was the opportunity to work with my daughter, who just loves construction. We laughed and talked the days away. It doesn't really seem like something you would plan with your children as a form of bonding or even entertainment, but we had a great time together.
I can't wait for the next project, the kitchen counter, it is definitely time to get the chicken tiles off the walls.

ANOTHER BIRTHDAY DOWN

2011-07-12T22:17:00.000-04:00

....HOW MANY MORE TO GO? What a crazy question. I look at my birthday now differently than I did before. I would fight the thought of them and leave the country every time my birthday came. My thought was, that if I wasn't here I didn't get any older and I held at 29 for a very long time. The last few years I have been home and well, when I look at my face in the mirror it looks like they all caught up in a very short time.

I did realize one thing, I do feel loved and that is more than anyone could ever ask for, in a lifetime of birthdays. My friends sent greetings and wishes, one friend even hid a gift in my truck, good thing it wasn't perishable! It wasn't really hidden, I guess I just wasn't expecting such a surprise.

My wonderful children and I went out for dinner, the place wasn't the best part of the evening. It was a great opportunity to have conversation with my two very favorite people in the world. I look into their faces and see what kind of people they have become. Their hearts are so beautiful, they love unconditionally and I am so glad that I am on their list. My children make me feel like the only person in the world that matters. I know that I am not, but I sure feel special when I look into their faces. I don't know if I really had anything to do with the way they turned out, but if I could take credit for perfect creations, they would be it.

I think about the birthdays that have passed and the places I have been, I don't know if it would really be fair to ask any more from my life, since I have had so much. I have so many fantastic friends and the best family ever, I go to sleep every night and dream sweetly, thinking about how special my life has been. Even the bad stuff doesn't really seem to hinder my thoughts. I can only hope that the next year will be as fulfilling, for as each day passes I love and learn.

Best wishes to everyone who has another birthday, its not just another day, its another opportunity. The years pass so fast, it always gives me something to look back at and encourages me to look forward to each and every day.

LOST ABROAD

2011-05-23T08:22:00.000-04:00

As I traveled Europe alone, I had only one fear, that was what if I missed a flight and was stuck in a foreign country. Well, as always our worst fears come to pass. I moved at a ridiculous pace keeping up with my itinerary. So much to do in such little time, not getting enough sleep and my brain cells fried in the process. I was doing well, until it came to Greece. I was so overwhelmed by all the amazing sights and sounds. I wanted to do so much, when I knew I wasn't exactly getting enough rest the first time is when I got locked in a train that had made it to its termination. I was heading to see a Greek beach, to enjoy the coast line of yet another country, perhaps just to escape the city to clear my empty head. I fell asleep on the commuter train, as everyone aboard departed from the train I was in deep sleep. I finally woke, looked around and realized that I was locked in. I stood at the train door wondering how I was going to get out. I guess I made enough noise to alert the conductor and he smiled his big beautiful Greek smile and let me out. How could anyone fall asleep with all that noise and commotion of people getting on and off a commuter train? I do believe that everything happens for a reason and this is a picture of where I ended up.

Not such a bad mistake. I enjoyed the beauty of this beach, surrounded by mountains and islands. Well, I shrugged that off and continued on my journey. I had already checked out of my room for the night because my flight was at 4 am, that meant I had to be there by 2 am, which of course meant I had to first get to the airport. The last train left at midnight, figure out the math, no time for sleep. I met some fantastic girls from Canada and we headed out together, but first we decided instead of hanging out at the hostel we would go to the plaza and just enjoy the evening, the view of the Parthenon looking over the city. We made our train without a hitch, checked in and just waited for our flights. This particular flight was the only one I had that wasn't direct. I had a one hour lay over in Prague, Czech Republic. Didn't seem like a big deal, I slept on the

flight there.

I arrived at Prague and followed the signs to my gate, I didn't notice anyone around, and out of pure exhaustion I fell asleep in my seat. I woke looked at my watch and the plane had boarded without me. In a panic I went for help. The people in Prague are not friendly at all. All they did was send me in the wrong direction and even at the help desk, talked to each other saying I was a stupid American, which, of course, I understood and told them so. My connecting flight was only an hour away, so there must be alternate transportation! I knew from my travel thus far, that there is always a central train station, which I found after lots of wrong directions. Finding English speaking people was a task, but I did find the international train station to Berlin. I was only partly relieved when I got on the train, because now I didn't know where I was going to get off. At this point I was scared to death about falling asleep, not knowing how long the trip was or any information about my journey. Even the people on the train would not help me. Finally, finding someone who was also going to Berlin, I simply followed her and when I walked out of the train station, the familiar sights of Berlin was the first time in 8 hours that I had felt relief. I know with all the stress of missing my flight and finding my way somehow, I couldn't help looking out of the trains picture windows and see what I would have missed if I didn't miss my flight. Czech Republic was breath taking, the train followed a beautiful river all the way to Berlin. So, everything does happen for a reason. No regrets.

JUST CHILLING

2011-05-19T21:09:00.000-04:00

Got together with friends last night, within walking distance. A nice stroll lead me down wonderful tree lined buildings, with flowering vines crawling across their balconies. Came to the street that I was to meet my friends on and as I gazed down all I could see was one outdoor cafe after another. This has to be one of the mother load streets, when it comes to public intoxication.
Not really, the Germans don't appear to be drunk, I haven't seen one, not with my beer goggles on anyway.

Just sitting and relaxing until it was time to eat, then off we went to another location to get some good Berlin food. The location I am staying is referred to as little Turkey, because of all the food places, that is just fine with me, the food is fantastic.

After another night of serious sleep I rose at 9:30 or so, ahhhhhhhhh! Didn't do anything different than the Berliners themselves, drank coffee on the streets and enjoyed the beautiful weather. It is between 60 and 70 degrees, just perfect. When I say on the streets, I mean there are tables put outside in front of every cafe, bodega and anything else with a door. It is a good marketing tool, if you want to rest your weary bones, they have a sale. There is an unwritten rule that you only sit at the table that you will be having service at.

ALL THE RIGHT WRONG TURNS

2011-05-08T04:59:00.000-04:00

Finally I can begin embracing my wrong turns, because yesterday every time I made a wrong turn I found something wonderful. Figuring out the subway system was rough, there is no north, south, east or west. But once you figure out the direction it's all good.
I don't go anywhere without my map, but one German name looks just like another and I find myself in strange places. I got off the train yesterday afternoon, made it up to the street and was overwhelmed with the city buildings and people everywhere. Now, I must pick a direction, so I did, a fair bet would be if I found the River Spree I would be close to the City Center, well almost.

I located the river much to my surprise, along the cobblestone path was an antique market, first right wrong turn and what a great place. I could have filled a bag full of goodies, but that would end my stay. I just spent the rest of the day, making wrong turns and getting to enjoy architecture that perhaps I would have missed. I saw horse draw carriages, a couple of protests, and some beautiful wayside parks in the middle of the mayhem.

What I think is so special is how much people on bikes are respected, it is like the alternative transportation, and believe me everyone has a bike. When you are walking on the street, you must move over for the bikes, the cobblestone is made for a small walking path and a large bike path. If you have a bike you travel on buses and trains at your leisure.

Talk about a love for animals, they too are allowed on all public transportation and any where a human goes, so do their dogs. I have not seen a cat anywhere. The cute part is the dogs are so well trained, some on leases and others not, but they stand at cross walks along with the crowd waiting for the little green crossing man to appear. The dogs are so lucky here, they are respected as part of the family.

My last wrong turn of the day landed me in the largest park in Berlin, tree lined paths, clean, beautiful like paradise among the hustle and bustle of the city. Can imagine that if I would have to pick a city to live in, this one ranks extremely high.

BEER ON THE GO

2011-05-07T11:22:00.000-04:00

I have so much to tell, but before I forget, today I saw what I would call the absolute perfect bike. It was a bar, each seat was part of a bike, and those on board had to pedal, each person had a beer in their hand and this portable bike bar was cruising the streets of Berlin, when I saw the first one I was surprised, but after 2 or 3 of them I couldn't control the smile on my face. Would't you know it, I don't even have a picture to show for it, they move pretty fast for a bunch of drunks. The perfect way to tour the city while working off some energy and drinking a cold one. Bartender in the center making certain no one runs out. Have a great day and figure out a way that we can bring these bikes to America. Here everyone is expected to drink beer all the time, that explains why they are only 1€ or so. Sitting here at the internet cafe I have mine right next to me, it is encouraged, what can I do? Drinking and walking, sipping at the subway and on the subway, on the buses, everywhere. Its dibacery at it's finest.

THE WORLD LOOKS FOCUSED

2011-05-06T18:18:00.000-04:00

Now that I have had 12 hours of sleep, it must be a miracle, because I never sleep more than 2 hours at a time. After a day of walking and walking, my body just gave out. I am now on schedule for this part of the world. My morning was simple, I stayed close to home to see if I could locate my long lost friends. After a few hours we ended up meeting at the train station and going out for a great evening, with more relaxation.

The bar was on the river, our table was actually on a floating dock, so I felt right at home. After awhile you don't even notice it, that is until you get up and the thing moves. It was great, the only lights were in the distance and tea candles in paper bags gave a beautiful glow of light.

We, Chris and Tim and myself, had great conversation that lasted for hours, our waiter was the best. Tipping is not necessary here, because they get a good wage, but this guy really deserved something special. I had some kind of Berlin specialty beer, with some only grown here herb in it. It is suppose to be famous, it was really good. The drinks here are gigantic, I could only have a couple, had to walk home.

On the way home, that is, toward the subway I noticed a crowd in front of a Turkish food stand, so I got in line and ordered me this crazy kabob thing. It was walking food, so I got on the train and headed to the hostel, full belly and the rest of me totally content. Now I can focus on some sleep.

ALWAYS GOING THE WRONG WAY

2011-05-05T19:10:00.000-04:00

I just don't get it sometimes. I have no, none, nada, ability to read a map, especially when I have no idea where North of South is located. I can find an island in the middle of the ocean that is only 7 miles long, but I can't find my butt with both hands.

Thought I would take it easy today, but it didn't work out that way at all. I first strolled the local area to look at the buildings and architecture, and maybe find some pastry. That went well, I returned before most people even wake up.

Then I thought it might be nice to take one of those free tours I had read about. With map in hand I head out to the streets, after 45 minutes of walking I again looked at my map but none of the street names were right. After a few minutes of looking around I stop someone on the street and show them my map, with much surprise I am told that I walked South instead of North. Turning myself back in the direction I had come I got back on track. Too late at this point for the 9 am tour, I set my sights for the 1 pm tour. I finally get there with some time to spare, find a tour coordinator and sign in. A huge crowd is growing for the tour, I figured I have just enough time to go to the bathroom before my 3 1\2 hour tour. That was an adventure in itself, I had to go down two flights of stairs to the bathroom and wait, by the time I arrived back at the street the crowd had vanished. Found the tour coordinator again and she said that I could still catch the group, I walked as fast as I could in a swollen knee state. Slipped into the group without much notice. Only to find out that we were not going to catch a bus, we are now going to walk for 3 1\2 hours.
I can do it, and in the end I did, but not without incident. Walking from place to place through the city, we finally arrive at one of the old check points called "check point Charlie" and as the crowd moved along I was paying more attention to my camera than my feet, so with a thud I found the only pot hole in the city to step in and hit the ground. As I laid on the ground my only concern was if my camera had been damaged, I never considered that I should pick myself up. The guide Taylor, finally grabbed me and hoisted me on my feet. No worse for the wear I am now the center of attention, really I didn't plan it that way!
We continued and now the last stop of the tour has finally arrived, we had walked to the Holocaust memorial, the site of Hitler's bunker, the state buildings, museums and such, now I am approached at what the German's call gypsy's and the lady interrupts the tour by begging for money, going from person to person, there is 45 of us on this tour. She finally gave up and went away, now her daughter walks up to me and tries the same thing, I tried to ignor her but she became persistent, finally I looked her in the eye and said with a loud voice "no". She proceeded to spit at me, without a thought in my head I replied with, "f...k you, you little b...h". Why out of 45 people was I singled out to be spat upon?

The tour over and the day not finished, because now I have to get back to the hostel. I decided to take the subway, map in hand, I am now paranoid about my direction and how to pay for the ticket. Asking for some help from a stranger, she tells me we pay at these machines and punch the ticket or be fined. My reply was that they would never find me. Without much problem I found my way back to the hostel, not without literally crawling back. The most important thing now was to secure a German Beer. The day now over and I am comfortably numb.

YESTERDAY WAS A BLURR

2011-05-04T19:59:00.000-04:00

Oh my, yesterday was a moment in time that I can't grasp. So much happened in such a short time. One moment I am in Miami, the next I am half way across the world in another country. Right now it is about 1:15 am in Berlin, Germany and I have been here an entire day. If I ramble you will have to excuse me, I am adjusting to my new time zone of 6 hours plus.

Beginning the day getting ready to board my flight overseas, 3 hours ahead of time and thank goodness for that. It starts out with one delay after another, first my travel partner gets question about the validity of her passport, we work through that and then security, we are delayed because of the kitty cats, security wants to examine them, that is alright, but they want to take them out of the carriers in the middle of thousands of people. Finally getting them to agree to bring them into a special room I find that my purse has been confiscated and now I am being examined, that is after my scanning and brief sexual feel-up. I don't let anyone do that for atleast a month of dating. Working our way past the examines and Chris only suffering minor scratches we head toward the gate, where all the stores are closed, can't hardly find anything to drink, but Chris somehow saves the day, she finds a bottle of Jack Daniels, some coke and a couple of cups of ice. The day might be saved after all.

After some more waiting we head down the concourse with cats and carry-on, so close we are again stopped. We proceed to compress our bags, because now they say we have too much carry on, we know that is not true, but instead of arguing, Chris stuffs her giant purse into the cat carrier and I stuff my purse into my backpack. Before we complete our task, the security guard informs us that it is alright to proceed. Since that cats don't count as our personal carry-on! Duh! So close now, we get on the plane and begin our long walk to the cheap seats, again I hear someone shout "You have too much luggage", instead of responding I simply pretend that I didn't hear him at all. Well, it worked, just like when you are going into a high class bar that you are not quite dressed for, just keep on walking.

Almost 10 hours later, after sneaking some Jack and coke, we land in Berlin, with tons of baggage, waiting for our extreme examination. Well, we waited for nothing, we get our baggage follow the signs and we end up outside at the taxi stand. What! Chris and I were a bit surprised, but after the flight of screaming children, who would question it, we definetly got some Karma points for not killing anyone on the flight. You will have to excuse any of my miss-spellings things don't quite work the same.

We had to find Chris's new apartment and her friend Tim, so we could get rid of the 5, 50lbs bags she brought. A series of cab rides and we got to her new place, only to find that it is on the 5th floor, and there is no elevators. Ugg, I don't even want to talk about it!!!

The rest of the day was spent with our guide Tim making us walk through the entire city of Berlin, oh my, the sights and sounds, the graffiti, no camera. I don't think I can move another muscle. I finally put my foot down and said, "Take me to my bag, so I can check in at my hostel and get some much needed sleep". Another cab ride and I am at home sweet home for the next 5 nights. I go and find something to eat and have a beer, or course, just for research, that is.

I find a friend at the hostel, who has given me advice on the sights and sounds for tomorrows adventure, without my friends, so I may focus on taking atleast my first photo of Berlin.

WHERE WOULD YOU GO FOR A JOB?

2011-05-03T10:27:00.000-04:00

I was asked in February if I would consider helping a friend move. When I found out where, I don't think that I even hesitated before saying I would do it. Now, the day is here for me to go on my working trip. I will be boarding an Air Berlin flight and taking off for my 4:30 flight to Berlin, Germany. There is a 6 hour difference in time so the flight will seem like forever to get there, its approximately a 10 hour flight. I wonder if they have movies on board. I packed a brand new copy of Sudoku puzzles just in case.

This will be the first of what I hope is a series of posts of my adventures. Packing everything I needed into a 18lb carry on was the most difficult, lucky that women are allowed to carry a purse that can weight up to 18lbs also, which has my camera equipment and some of the heavy stuff. My purse will roll up and stash into my backpack once I arrive and don't need to meet any weight requirements.

I plan on taking tons of pictures, I have so many digital cards I don't think I could ever fill them, but you know what I am going to give it a try. I have been working so hard for the past three months to save for my trips, spending money. I have always believed that things work themselves out. My trip is paid for by my customer, my son paid for all the other flights around Europe and I won $1,500 playing Bingo. Am I lucky or do things just work themselves out? I will miss our Mother's Day annual fishing trip, but it is never too late to celebrate when I return.

I am excited and nervous at the same time. But I thrive on the adrenaline rush of something new. I love to travel and I never expected to be able to do it again. My bucket list is full, so now I have dividends. I will miss the gang back home, I know they worry about me, I will be certain to email as many people as I can while on my travels. My ride will be here soon to take me away, the airlines require a 3 hour wait prior to departure, so I guess that puzzle book will come in very handy.

MY AMORE'

2011-05-03T09:55:00.000-04:00

My dearest of friends has been incarcerated recently, in February that is. The crime I don't agree is one that deserves prison time, but who the hell am I! I have been looking high and low on the "Find an inmate" searches and couldn't find him anywhere. After many weeks I heard from his daughter, and he was requesting my address so that he could write and that I could write him back.
The letter was encouraging, that is, he is doing as well that can be expected, he claims the food is not bad and he is already beginning his new education. First he will start with his GED, then he is going to check in to some business courses. I guess if you have the right attitude anything is possible. I am still so sad that he is gone, because I have seen so many people with violent crimes still walking the streets.
How can we punish people for crimes that don't hurt anyone except for the governments ego, but look at Martha Stewart, who was incarcerated for what amounted to lying. Again, it must be an ego thing, that's my opinion anyway.
My Amore' is keeping really good spirits, he even mentioned that he is very careful not to pick up the soap, when he drops it. I guess time goes by when you keep yourself busy. I can't believe he has been gone since February, that is 3 months already.

MONTHS OF WORK, ALMOST DONE

2011-04-25T23:19:00.000-04:00

Have you ever tried to work so fast, that your progress got slower? I have been working part-time renovating a small condo and a couple hours a day plus weekends finally shows some progress. I would have never been able to complete the job without help. My daughter and her gang pitched in, in a big way! My deadline for the job is May 1st, but today was suppose to be my final day of work, as well laid plans go, it didn't go. I ran into Murphy along the way, he was there every step of the way, this past weekend I had so many drops of screws, paint brushes, broken things, that I could only laugh at myself.

My final day was a day of cleaning and final paint touch ups. I started the morning installing a mirror, scrubbing and polishing the kitchen sink and counters, restoring them to almost original. Taping the areas that I still need to caulk, because I want it to be perfect. Fixing the towel rack that I broke the day before (set back), cleaning and installing the light fixtures and carpet cleaning.

Then I head to the bathroom for the ceiling repair, from water damage, more prep for caulking and installing the now reno-ed medicine cabinet. Time for me to repair the caulking around the bath tub, when I begin removing this creepy strip someone put down, instead of caulk. As I begin removing the strip around the tub, a whole bunch of tiles fall off (set back), now I have to clean and re-install them. I get my razor blade out and start scraping off all the gunk that accumulates around those things. Hours pass and it is approaching 6 pm.. and I am reminded that I am suppose to watch the kids, oops.

I got a lot of things done, but I still have to scrub the bathroom floor, caulk, and touch up some paint that I nicked (set back), finally finish up with the hardwood floor entry and hall. So, my final day, draws into another. Tomorrow I have to clean two houses and then head over to the condo and finish. If I have to work until midnight I will finish.

The condo looks great and I am so proud of the work myself and the crew has done. Tons of wall paper gone, pop-corn ceiling gone, cabinets re-done, closets even done, a head to toe make-over.

DIDN'T SEE IT COMING!

2011-04-09T09:56:00.000-04:00

After the passing of my husband, my dear friend Frank stepped in to help. He knew both of us for a long time. Frank had been my friend for close to 30 years. I always considered myself part of the family. A friend that you could always depend on. We grew even closer for awhile and he was around almost everyday. During hurricane season he stopped by with gas for the generator, dropped off bottled water. But I wasn't the only house, he made his rounds to all of his friends lending a hand. If I ever had a problem, he would be the one who could fix it. A remarkable man, who is lost from this life now.

This year seems to be abundant with loss of friends and family, but Frank's passing, well, I didn't see it coming! Sitting at my desk, doing my usual morning routine, my phone rings and it is a friend I haven't heard from in awhile. She makes idol chit chat before telling me the horrible news, Frank has passed away, she had no details for he was just discovered a matter of hours ago. As the day went by the details started to fall in place. I emailed his sister and she returned a message which I didn't understand. It was clear that I had to speak with her.

Later in the evening I got a call from Betty, she gave me the story of what she thinks happened. The scene was set first when his job called to see where Frank was. He never misses work and his boss and girl friend had become concerned. His girl friend said that she had the key to his house and would stop by to see if he was alright. She approached the house with his car parked out front, opened the door and I imagine found all his important documents laid out, with a note saying "Stop, call the police, don't' go upstairs it is messy, Sorry, Love Frank" or something to that effect. His girl friend walked upstairs anyway, as anyone would have. She stood and witnesses a scene that I dare to imagine. For Frank had shot himself, and no one saw it coming. The image that his girl friend now stores in her brain will never fade.

Still talking with Betty, she told me of his depression after the passing of his sister then his mother. After his mother he just didn't seem to snap back. They were very close and spent time together each and every day, the were an integral part of each others lives. His health was becoming complicated, yet nothing that couldn't be managed. I know that getting older we all have things that get us down. Our bodies become worn out in places, its just the way it is. Than he found that he was having trouble sleeping, and sought the help of a doctor to suggest a remedy. That remedy was Ambien, a drug know to have substantial side effects, such as depression, hallucinations, thoughts of suicide. I have seen the add on television. Well, apparently that is exactly what happened. Recently he even had his dosage increased, because it really wasn't working either. But something was working in his brain, enough to have him put a gun to his head and pull the trigger. I understand that this is graphic, but what is worse is to have your loved one suffer this same fate and you find their tortured soul abandoned.

I would love to tell everyone that if you take this drug, find another way to get some sleep. Don't be so concerned as you get older that you don't sleep as many hours. I for one has just accepted the fact that if I sleep four hours in a row I am doing great. Don't let your children take this drug, no matter how much you want them to be relieved. This drug is very dangerous. I went on the Internet and looked for stories such as this one and I found an endless supply of horror stories related to Ambien suicides.

I can recall the advertisement on television, with the lady sleeping peacefully on her bed, with little Ambien wings fluttering behind her and peaceful illusions of a wonderful restful sleep. The one thing they don't put on the advertisement is that this peaceful sleep can become permanent.

DATING REQUIREMENTS

2011-04-06T16:30:00.000-04:00

It certainly doesn't take long to find out about a person, does it? I now know why I don't date anymore, it is just too much work. I have really been trying to educate myself on people and personalities. Knowing when people make you feel good and when they don't is really important. It is a difficult task to continue any relationship that constantly drains you. So, I have come to the conclusion that I must stop and think a little before going out with anyone. I thought that I would weed out any losers with my simple rules. It didn't work out like I had planned. I thought that I had pretty much covered all the big red flags, but it is so much more complicated than that. I have come up with an application process, it seems reasonable to me, a person has to fill out applications before they can even get a job interview. Before I give out my phone number any potential date must fill out and have reviewed an application.

Application to date Mary

1. Intentions

A. sex

B. friendship with potential

C. serious relationship

D. marriage

2. Living arrangements

A. keep own place

B. eventually living together

C. weekend sleep-overs

D. other

3. Do you own your own home?

A. Yes

B. No

4. Do you own your own car?

A. Yes

B. No

5. Do you own your own boat (over 25')?

A. Yes

B. No

6. Do you have a sustainable Income?

A. Yes

B. No

7. Do you have a valid drivers license, without restrictions?

A. Yes

B. No

8. What is your age?

A. under 50

B. over 60

C. between 50 & 60

9. Do you have any substance abuse problems?

A. Yes

B. No

10.Do you have jealousy issues?

A. Yes

B. No

11.Do you have any OCD issues, this includes gambling, hoarding, cleaning, texting, calling, etc...?

A. Yes

B. No

Well, I think that this is a good beginning before the initial interview. I would like my readers to give me some advice on additional questions that should be added to the questionnaire. I am so out of touch and when I have no feeling toward the guys I have dated this year, I think there is something wrong with me. Or maybe it's them. Why do guys want to get in the sack with you even if they are over 70? What the hell!

THE MOON MUST BE ALIGINED

2011-04-03T14:08:00.000-04:00

I had a date the other night. I went with my date to Miccosukee Gaming, we first had a bite to eat and then he went to the tables to play some poker. I was left alone to do my thing, and so I did. Went to the slot machines and in a matter of minutes I blew 25 bucks. This was definitely not going to give me a night of fun, without becoming bankrupt. I purposely brought just a few dollars.
I headed to the Bingo parlor to have some hours of fun for just a few dollars. I was late getting in and they had already started. But I only missed a game or two. It is pretty high tech now a days, a person doesn't need to know how to play at all. I just sat in front of my little computer screen and it kept me informed of what was going on. Nothing on the first game, then the second game looked promising. The little computer told me I only need one number on two of my cards. So, I continued to sit and watch the screen, when suddenly the word BINGO began flashing on the screen. I yelled out BINGO and raised my hand. An attendant came over and took my information, confirmed my numbers and walked away. She came back a couple of minutes later with $500 bucks. Well, I can't tell you how surprised I was. I looked around this giant room of bingoers and couldn't believe my luck. There had to be about 600 people in the room. What is the odds?
Well, at that point I was so happy I couldn't erase the smile on my face. I was watching the screen and wishing the numbers I needed would be called. A few games later it looked like I was having good luck again. I only needed one number, I shrugged, and said to myself that I couldn't possibly win again. I looked up at the monitor to see which number was next to be called. It was number 18, the one I was looking for, I was so excited I yelled out BINGO. The people sitting around me were stunned to see a new person get two wins in one night. My attendant came by and checked the card to confirm the numbers, then off she went to go get some money. She arrived back at the table with a $1,000, I was besides myself. What are the odds.
I continued to play the last games of the night, I was so excited I couldn't wait to call everybody and tell them.

The next morning my sister called and told me she had won at BINGO also, now talk about lining up the moon in just the right place. What are the odds? I always believe that things work themselves out, I was concerned about getting enough money for my trip in a month. I did have a plan, but now I have no worries at all.

DATING AGAIN?

2011-03-24T08:58:00.000-04:00

I have had my first date in awhile. The last one was prior to Halloween and it ended disastrous. I ignored my rules, which gave me an important wake up call. Never ignore the rules.

My rules are what I think is simple. They have to own at least what I own. Have an income, a valid drivers license and not have any serious addiction. Their values have to be the same as mine, which doesn't mean their hobbies and interests have to be the same but their list of priorities have to be the same. My first priority is definitely family. Nobody gets in the way.

So after my date to be got the rules, and I made a call giving him one more chance to back out, he scheduled two dates. See there are men out there who can pay attention to the rules. My first date was nice, a movie and a meal, we laughed a lot and had good conversation. The get to know you stuff. Well, he called the next day after the date and said he had a great time, he scheduled our next date. We are going to have a little fun at the casino on Friday night. Now I can see how things go there. I do have the addiction rule. I hope that gambling is not one of them, unless he can afford it!

I will keep my readers updated on this guy, so far, so good. Wish me luck.

CONGRADULATION ON YOUR WIN

2011-03-10T08:46:00.000-05:00

Update from the Classic Cars Post , to congratulate the winners of the Car Show. My friends Ralph and Carolyn, who achieved first place in their divisions for their two beautiful cars. They are the best car collectors I have ever met. They work hard on every detail and when you look at their cars you stand in amazement, as if you were standing in the show room so many years ago, when the car was first introduced to the public. As I go through my life I sometimes forget the past, and when I see these reminders, so bright and shinny, I look back into those years of my youth with fondness and love for the richness I was honored to be a part of. Children today have no idea what it was like, if you have the opportunity to take them to a Classic Car Show, go, and tell them the stories about what it was like riding around in these beautiful machines. With any luck, they too will tell the stories to their children and let them know how simple and special the little things are.

Another winner, it must be a family trait.

WASTE MANAGEMENT- RE-VISITED AGAIN

2011-03-06T18:57:00.000-05:00

I finally got a letter back from Waste Management, my guestions answered from my original letter. If you read the letter they talk about money as if it were mere pennies. I am going to forward a suggestion to them that they charge for each individual dumping and just take it off our tax bill completely. When I figured out the math, it costs a lot of money per visit. Why not charge $3 for residents, $5 for non and perhaps $7 for landscapers, etc... I think this way they will never have to turn away anyone, I think when they turn people away we find the trash in canals, vacant lots, and various other places. Then we have to end up picking that stuff up too. I also noticed in the letter that says how we have already reduced the cost of collections with the automated pick-up. You know what, I havn't noticed a reduction of any kind on my tax bill. They are always claiming that they are going to do things to reduce our costs, yet we never, ever see the reduction on our tax bills. If you are a home-owner you may want to click on the email address below and make some of your own suggestions. We have to stand up to government spending, even if it is, as they claim 50 cents a household. Don't believe it for a minute. They will use that extra money and still increase our taxes. Just wait and see.

Stand up for your rights, use your voice, send and email or make a call.

The Department of Solid Waste Management is currently testing a new Access Management System at our 13 Neighborhood Trash and Recycling Centers (TRCs). The system is being tested for future implementation and is designed to help ensure that only those residents who pay the annual waste collection fee are provided access to the TRCs. I am attaching a PDF version of the flyer currently being distributed. It provides details on how the system is designed to work and what information is being gathered during the test period.

When a resident visits the TRC, they are asked to provide the attendant with their State of Florida driver's license or identification (ID) card, as they have always been required to do. With the new system, the attendant scans the driver's license or ID to determine if the property address embedded in the bar code of the license or ID is a match against an eligible property address in our customer database. The TRC Access Management system will record the date and time of your TRC visit, the name and address on the license/ID and the type of material being delivered. No other personal information will be recorded. On-site personnel do not have access to the information recorded by the hand-held device. There are no plans to use this information to limit access to the TRCs for customers who pay the annual waste fee. The data gathered through the system will be used to enhance our ability to keep out ineligible users and improve operations at the TRCs.
During the test period, residents will not be turned away if the information in their driver's license does not match an address of an eligible property address in our database. However, if an ineligible resident (e.g. a resident who lives in an apartment, a non-service area municipality or an unpermitted landscaper) tries to use the Center, they will be denied access just as they have been in the past. While the system is being tested, you will not be turned away if you do not agree to have your license scanned. However, once the system is fully implemented, you will be required to have your license scanned to gain access to the facility.
When the system is permanently implemented, it will enable us to control operational costs by ensuring that the Centers are being used only by customers like you that pay the annual $439 waste fee. The total annual operating cost for the TRC system is approximately $25 million or $77 per household. The cost for the TRC access control equipment (hardware and software) was $161,000, or about one-half of one percent of the annual TRC system cost, which translates to about fifty-cents ($0.50) per household. The public information costs for this program have been kept very low; less than $2,000 has been spent on handouts and signage posted at the TRCs. And no additional personnel have been hired to implement this program. We conservatively estimate that implementation of the TRC access management system will generate an annual cost reduction of approximately $3 million or $9 per household. We are continuously looking for ways to reduce costs and serve you better, particularly through the use of new technologies like automated garbage collection and single stream recycling.
I hope that this information provides clarification of the TRC Access System. If you have additional questions, please feel free to contact me at 305-514-6789 or via email at pzp@miamidade.gov.

Pamela Payne
Assistant Director
Collection Operations

CLASSIC CARS

2011-03-06T09:42:00.000-05:00

A beautiful day today, have my two grandsons, Sam and Max with me. Watched a movie in the morning, then headed down south to the Homestead Speedway. Along with the Indy races they were sponsoring a Classic Car Show. Been so busy, it was a nice change of pace on this beautiful day. Something to do for free and get a little exercise.

Max was busy taking pictures of his favorites, which were many. He liked this big old Semi truck. Sam was into the muscle cars. I think his favorite was a Fieroe, since it was the one that looked most like a Ferrari to him. They both spotted out cars that their mom would love. They asked me what kind of cars I use to see when I was growing up and it made me think. Born in the 1950's, I started looking for the cars of my era and remembering what the streets looked like. My mom had a Lark, which the kids looked at and then looked at me like I was ancient. As I looked at the cars from the 50's and 60's I remembered the simple times, my first car, a green 65 Mustang, if only I could appreciate the craftsmanship of these beautiful machines then. I see them bright and shiny in the same condition as when they were on the show room floors a half a century before.

Love the color on this car, one of the cars I would have seen driving down the road when I was a kid, now it sits parked in a climate controlled garage, pampered by my friends Ralph and Carolyn. There was a time when these big beauties cruised and people would love to take their cars out just for a drive. I remember when fuel was under a dollar and we could travel just for the enjoyment of it. I remember my Dad taking us all the way to Key West for one of those drives. I would clinch my teeth, because the bridges that connected the Keys were a lot smaller and I always thought we would rip off the mirrors when on-coming traffic approached.

How about this beauty, this car is over 100 years old and it still runs. Henry Ford would be proud.

The details and pride put into each of these machines, make a beautiful show. I think as you walk around and find the car that your parents use to take you to school in it brings back memories of times gone by. If you listen to the people around you, while strolling the show, the stories of their memories emerge.

I just love the hood ornaments and was taken by each individual one.

I think that my grandsons got a real lesson in what it use to be like in the past 100 years or so. They asked questions and perhaps they could imagine what it was like when I was younger. If anything, they could see for themselves a part of history that is still intact. Instead of seeing pictures of what cars looked like at the beginning of their creation, the boys could see a part of history within their reach.

DO YOU LAUGH AT YOURSELF?

2011-03-05T10:19:00.000-05:00

I had one of those days today. Yesterday, I was suppose to pick up paint, but did not have the time to do so. In the morning I went to the paint store and by a great coincidences a man that represents the paint company was there to answer questions I had about the job I was currently working on. Did you know when you finally get that old wall paper off and clean the wall you can't use regular water based primer? I would have made a big mess. I also learned that you can remove those hideous pop-corn ceiling with a spray of water and a scraper. They can't be repainted, unless you use a paint sprayer. But who wants a pop-corn ceiling anyway.
So, I got all the right supplies for my job. Now I have the oil based 5 gallon bucket of primer. It was so heavy I really couldn't drag it around so I put it in the back of my pickup truck. I parked under the carport of my customers house. As the sun changed directions I guess that it got a little hot. After hours of prep and tape, patching, and stuff like that it was time to start painting. My crew was doing the last of the prep upstairs so I went down to get enough paint out of the giant bucket to begin the job. They sure make these things easy to use, a small screw cap on the top. I began turning the cover to open the paint when it blew up all over me. The oil that separated from the paint splashed everywhere. I jumped up into the pickup to get a rag out of my tool box, but didn't think to look up when I stood up, for as fast as I got in a standing position I was knocked on my back when I slammed my head into the overhang of the carport. Just about knocked me out. I just laid on my back as the paint that exploded all over me became nice and tacky. My eyelid was stuck to my eyebrow, my hair was becoming stiff, I had paint all over me. Got up and got the rag to try to clean it off of me, now I have a rag stuck on me. Went into my customers garage to look for some paint thinner. Who doesn't have a can of paint thinner laying around, well they didn't.
I knew at this point I had a job to do, so I did the best I could to un-stick my eyelid with my hand which now is a mitt because my fingers are stuck together. Back to the giant paint can, noticing that the paint had separated, had to open the can and give it a good stir. Got out my paint stick with my mitt and began to stir, something wasn't quite right, I wasn't catching the bottom because my stick was far too short. So, without a thought in my head, probably because it had a giant bump on it, I just casually put my hand into the paint, still not reaching the bottom to stir properly, kept going, stirring and stirring, by now I had paint up to my elbow. I sure hope that no one had a video camera. This whole thing would get a million hits on YouTube for certain. Well, I got the paint I needed, not able to clean myself, continued upstairs to work with the crew. I got this really strange look when I appeared with a paint brush and a cup of paint and paint up to my elbow and splattered all over my face and hair.
As I told the story to friends later that evening, they couldn't help laughing trying to envision what had happened, which wasn't to difficult because I still had a arm covered in paint, because I didn't have paint thinner on hand. I sat and laughed with my plastic cup of wine, my friend afraid that my bad luck hadn't quite worn off yet. As I told my story, I too couldn't help laughing at myself. Which I must admit is good medicine.

RELATIONSHIP-ADVICE FOR MEN

2011-02-25T19:30:00.001-05:00

I wish I could take credit for this information, but it is from a new book, author Steve Harvey. What I did do is copy part of the book for the ladies to copy and print and put it on your frig. He has a humorous way of telling guys what they need to do to make their relationships work. But I certainly found his 10 commandments to be oh so true.

Steve Harvey's

Straight Talk

No Chaser

(A mans view)

Steve Harvey’s 10 Commandments

Thou Shalt Give Her Free Time

Thou Shalt Remember The Small Things

Thou Shalt Consistently Find New Ways To Say I Love You

Thou Shalt Chip In

Thou Shalt Help With The Kids

Thou Shalt Embrace The Art Of Foreplay

Thou Shalt Respect Her Schedule

Thou Shalt Send Her Roses, Just Because

Thou Shalt Remember The Golden Rule ( you can be happy or you can be right)

Thou Shalt Always Take Her Side

I hope this gives everybody some insight. It worked for me. I realize that women are indeed the ones to satisfy if the rest of the family wants to be happy. I guess what they say is true, "When Mama is happy everyone is happy"

WASTE MANAGEMENT- RE-VISITED

2011-02-24T07:48:00.001-05:00

I finally got some replies to my letter to Waste Management, the governor of the state, Rick Scott, and the Mayor of my little town, which I didn't even write to, but the Governor forwarded it my local representative. With all this correspondence I still didn't get a letter from Waste Management, figures doesn't it!
I thought I would share with you the letter that my local Mayor sent, which makes me believe there is some hope in government, not much, but some. I am going to re-send my letter to Waste Management, over and over until I get a reply. I can't be ignored forever. If there is something in your government you don't like, write, write and re-write the officials. Never give up, and pursue them until you get a reply. We are the people of this Nation, lets start acting like it. Below is the letter I received from my local Mayor.

Dear Mary,

I have been forwarded your email and although there is not much the Mayor from Cutler Bay can do about a trash dump in Palmetto Bay ( assume it is on SW`184St) and run by the county. But, be sure, we are like minded. I believe that our great Nation is made up of many small governments that will give leadership to our national direction. Small Towns and cities will let larger counties and states know the mood of the people. I believe the mood is: enough! Enough waste, enough spending, enough invasion of our civil liberties.

I can only be the guardian of the small Town of Cutler Bay. I see it as our Nation. That is how we must view the world around us. As they say, one bite at a time.

I thank you for your email. I would recommend you contact the Village manager or mayor of Palmetto Bay and advise them of your concern. As stated, the local trash collection is not in Cutler Bay. Coming from the Village where it is located has greater weight.

As Winston Churchill once coined; "Never, Never, Never, give up".

With Kind Regards,

Edward P. MacDougall

Mayor

Town of Cutler Bay Town Hall

10720 Caribbean Blvd., Suite 105

Cutler Bay, Florida 33189

RELATIONSHIPS

2011-02-23T17:17:00.000-05:00

I have been thinking about relationships these days. With the economy, job loss, and so many other issues in this time of crisis, I wondered. I still see relationships that are alive and well, which leads me to believe that money and small comforts don't have anything to do with it. I watch some of my dear friends and what I see is perfect relationships and I would love to share with you what I have witnessed. This is no fly-by night observation, there are 7 couples, which I have named B, D, L, R, T, V, and couple W.

The first thing to know is the basics, what are the priorities.
First if you have children, that is without a doubt the most important, children under your care, dependent on your guidance to teach them how to be adults. If what they witness isn't good, how would they know that this is not normal.

The second must be yourself, sounds crazy but if you are not happy then why bother with anything else, how can you teach when you don't know how to live it. Never let anyone steal your energy, if that doesn't make sense then how about never be around someone who makes you feel bad after being with them. That feeling of being drained is not good, you will just drain someone else to get the good feeling back. That seems like a vicious circle doesn't it. So just get away from toxic people, without hurting their feelings.

The third is your spouse, significant other, friend, partner, or any relationship. These relationships should never take a toll on priority # 2. Conversation in a calm voice should do the trick, but if the conversation gets loud, then end it. Walk away, its like arguing with a painting on the wall, it won't change its color.
Last priority, is all that stuff you collected, nothing that can be replaced with money, should never trump the other 3 priorities.

Of all the couples that I have observed, they all have children, not all are biological, but it doesn't seem to make a damn bit of difference.
The main thing is all couples have a sense of calm. I have known them all for over 10 years, and I must admit, only when I achieved that peace in myself did I have a relationship like that.
There are no secrets, there is no cheating, and no jealously, there is enormous amount of respect for each other.
Each person has their own hobbies and friends, which they spend time with. It seems to me that they don't live separate lives, but they have separate interests. By having time doing what they love they are happy and not sacrificing anything that has to do with who they are. Priority 2. Time with friends is not over the top, so don't think that I am saying it's o.k. to do it all the time. No more than once a week seems to do the trick. Most important is the other partner not think it is time away from them. It is a ridiculous premise, and it shows insecurity and jealously. The partner should be happy that your life is not dependant on them, you should always be able to look in the mirror and recognize who is staring back at you.
As your reading you are probably thinking so when are these people a couple!
I also observed that all of these couples belong to a social group of some kind, perhaps a church group, a karate group, yaucht club, car club, whatever. A place to have fun in a social setting. So, when are these people a couple? That brings me to date night, a must for each of these couples, a time away from the kids, maybe just send the kids to the sitter and stay home and watch a movie. Date night doesn't have to be fancy, it just has to be. Sounds like these are busy people, the answer to that is, isn't everybody?
Time together is valued by each and everyone of these couples, along with family time. There is no raising of voices, no tears, in front of the kids. Your kids should think you guys are the perfect couple, and that people can get along is a peaceful manner, which makes them peaceful children.
Now that brings me to hurt feelings, even in ideal couples it happens. I have watched and noticed that these couples don't ever, ever hurt each others feelings on purpose or out of anger. There are no personal attacks, or one saying they do more than the other to make the relationship work. Because their relationship does work. I am certain it took time to come to this point, or perhaps they have always been considerate of each other.
Arguments, well, these couples do argue, maybe I can't even use this word, I will correct that by using the word disagree. This is where calm comminication comes, but it doesn't get into any extensive conversation, because these couples know each other and can anticipate each others reactions. So they never provoke each other into ridiculous fits of yelling and personal attacks.
Money, the root of all evil, or is it. It always seems that things work themselves out, When both partner are completely involved in what comes in and out of the house, then both ask each other about purchases or anything above normal expenses. It is always a joint venture, this way when things get tough they work as a team to cut the budjet where it is needed. If only one of the people work outside the home, it doesn't matter to these couples, the partner left at home, doesn't just sit, they do a job too. Teamwork, communication, respect for each other. I am certain that just waking up next to someone you love starts the day on a good note and going to bed the same way is imperative.
I am not saying that if these things are not the way your relationship unfolds, to dump the person. But, I would consider stepping back to see if it can be fixed. These are just observations from these 7 couples that I see all the time. I admire and respect them. There are always kisses, consideration, and when they are together in front of me, they are almost one person. If a person needs a repair or something from the store, they never hesitate to call on the other and they don't ask why, they do it. Because they are a team, in every sense of the word. After watching them connect to each other they too enrich my life. I can draw from all this positive energy and I leave them with a smile on my face. Because these couples treat everybody with love and respect. Good luck to everyone, these are special relationships and I hope for everyone that their life can be filled with this special love.

HOME REMEDIES

2011-02-23T13:42:00.000-05:00

Thought I would put together some easy, around the house remedies. We could all use some money saving ideas these days. My first choice is something I found that helps lighten age spots. I have been using this concoction for a couple of days and already notice the difference.

AGE SPOTS

Pinch of sugar

2 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Mix together and just dab a little on those spots, within a couple of days it will lighten them. If you go out in the sun it should lighten even quicker, but don't get carried away. UV rays and all that.

If you have some ideas or questions for me, I will try to find a easy remedy for you. Just leave your suggestions or questions in the comment box.

FAMILY SADDNESS INTERRUPTED

2011-02-22T08:17:00.000-05:00

I have seen the loss of family members before and my hope is that they can morn without interruption. When my grandfather passed away. My uncle scooped up my Grandmother in the pretense to be her caretaker and he only did it to get the money and property that was left behind. Spouting that he was entitled to this. I don't feel that any one child is entitled to more than another, after all they are family. But, in real life this is not what happens. When money is left the family begins to fight for their rights to it. This brings the family to what once was brothers and sisters then becomes nothing but a distant memory. Sometimes it never can be reconciled. How does this happen, when money becomes more important than people. The worst part is they tell you that it could never happen in their family. My attorney, when I was making my Will, made this very clear to me, that something happens when the leader of the family dies. It just isn't about them anymore its all about the cash. She gave me the advice and then I witnesses it first hand when my husband passed away.

My husband passed away on St. Patrick's Day of 2002, almost 9 years ago. I held his hand for hours, until he slipped away peacefully. Tears ran down my face and I could only think to myself that this couldn't be real. I found a man who loved me without reservation. How lucky was I to have such a man. I somehow made my way home, I don't remember. I do remember how my family was there waiting for me to help. My sister, an expert on this type of thing, knew just what to do and did it. Still in a daze and not really certain of the timeline, it was either the same day or the next day, Children and Family's knocked on my door. Still in shock I didn't understand their visit. Now that I look back I see it was all about money. Someone called them in to investigate my husbands death. Still, I was curious, they asked me questions about his history. I didn't understand what she was doing there, until she hinted that the complaint claimed I might be responsible for his death. I had so much documentation that the lady from Children and Families walked away disgusted that anyone would call her for this circumstance. Now, this was only the beginning. My husband had a x-wife which was determined to get her hands on any money he may have left behind. She started making phone calls to all the banks, claiming to be me. Thank goodness I had a friend at one of the banks, the lady at the bank called me and told me to get down there right away, someone was trying to take the money out of the account. All I can say is that I had an iron clad Will at my disposal, not to mention my name was on everything. Oh, she didn't stop at that, then she called the Insurance company, even though my name was on the policy as beneficiary, they had to do an investigation. Which held up the money for months, it didn't matter to me about the money, I just wanted to morn the loss of a wonderful man. I had no time to do this, I was so busy just trying to keep this woman from taking away my home and car. She did not quit, until I filed a claim against her with Children and Families. This seems like a cruel thing to do, but a year had gone by and I had to do something to get this woman out of my life. Now, can I mourn my loss or is it to late? I still harbor resentment for her taking away the time I should have had to cherish his memory. Even his family had turned their back on me, they didn't show up for his Memorial Service, which was wonderful and full of fantastic stories of his life.

The only way to protect yourself from this is to be certain that your family does not suffer through this horror, be sure that everyone is taken care of prior to your death. Accounts and mortgages must be named. Don't for a minute think that this could never happen in your family. Have an iron clad Will. Don't let money be an issue for your family. When they say money is the root of all evil, they aren't kidding. I can do one better, I am going to die penny-less. Just enough to dispose of my remains, no funerals, but a nice party. Bring a six-pack or a bottle, a covered dish and some snacks. The loss of someone you love is a time to celebrate what they meant to you and celebrate their lives. I have put the people that have gone before me in a very special place in my heart, the lessons I learned, the love they shared and the way they enriched my life. For every life has a purpose and when someone touches your life you have received a great gift. A gift you can keep forever and maybe pass on to your children.

THE LOSS OF THE FAMILY MONARCH

2011-02-18T07:51:00.001-05:00

It is always a sad day when we loose someone we love. My x-father in-law passed away Feb. 16th, to all our sadness. I met Ramiro in the 1970's, when he became my Father-In-Law. He left a legacy of seven children and I can't even try to count all the grand and great grand children.

I do know that after my divorce from his son, I was still included as a member of the family. Ramiro began his journey in Columbia, South America. I can't really say what his life was like there, but I had heard that they were well to do and even had their own tiger. I remember Ramiro telling me that the government became so corrupt that the only way to preserve his family was to move. What an undertaking to move his large family to America to begin a new life. The courage and fortitude of this man never faltered.

Like I said I met Ramiro in the early 70's, a firm Monarch, that ruled with a smile and so much love. It was always specail to be part of a family gathering, cooking a big pig over an open pit, or getting together during Christmas. Perhaps my fondest memories was sitting around the dining room table drinking Colombian firewater and munching on chocolate covered ants. The funny part is when he smiled the little ant legs were stuck in his teeth.

Ramiro will be sorely missed, a part of my heart will always keep him, for my children honored and always revered him, even though his family was large he had a personal relationship with each and every person. The impact that he extended to his family will live on forever, for this Monarch has put a little of himself in everyone he has touched. I will remember Ramiro as my only father-in-law, the man who imbraced me and my children and grandchildren, as if we were the only one in the family. I will fondly remember how he would call my name, and give me an embrace each and every time we saw each other. I will always remember his smile and how he held himself. Ramiro, thank you for being such a special part of my life, I will always honor your memory. Your 85 years on the earth has touched so many, and the world will be a better place because of you.

UPDATE ON A STEP BACK IN TIME.

2011-02-16T19:27:00.000-05:00

Last year I had the honor of watching over a beautiful car during a car show. Lots of car shows later and thousands of cars have been graded and eliminated, looking for those top Classic Cars. I had a great feeling about this beautiful car and my friends just got back from Philadelphia with their trophy and National Win. Please go back and look at the pictures at A step back in time . Congratulations to Ralph and Carolyn, what can I say, I just knew it. All the judges were talking about it. Or maybe it was because I was flirting with them.

DOES THE CRIME FIT THE PUNISHMENT?

2011-02-16T19:15:00.000-05:00

I am constantly hearing about marijuana and its legalization. Seems to be something that is in the headlines constantly. I have my own opinion about this subject and it is just my opinion as a former smoker of the stuff. Well, I was a child of the 70's, where peace, love and happiness was the motto. Where we would indulge in the weed and conjure up images of love and futures that were full of rock n roll. An existence of care-free, crime-free life. Oh those were the years.

Now I hear about so many people going away to the "Big House" for growing this stuff. I think that somewhere along the lines the wrong thing got legalized. I looked at the different effects of legalized intoxicants and it seems to me that while under the influence of alcohol or prescription medication there is more deaths. How many people have over-dozed on weed compared to alcohol or prescription medications?

Does alcohol have a purpose except get you mentaly impaired?

I somehow think that the wrong drug has been legalized, weed was once legal, what happened? I hear stories of the "Gateway Drug", seriously. Gateway to what? Harmony, peace a feeling of calm and perhaps some relief of eye problems, benefits for cancer patients, the list is so long. Please explain this to me!

I would think that the government could look around at some of the other countries and the result of legalization. Duh!!, it doesn't take a rocket scientist.

Let's face it, we could use anything right now to get some tax dollars to pull the country up, why not marijuana?

Back to a story I heard, there was this young man. A super good guy, a friend to everyone, not extravagant, a father who chose to make money by growing some weed. Not confident in his education and perhaps being from a foreign country not certain what direction to go.

This guy, was a important part of our economy, paid taxes and secured mortgages, etc.. So for thirteen years, quietly grew some weed. Never more than he needed to live a normal life and give his kids the things that all parents want for their children. Not to mention never touched the stuff himself.

Then by some strange coincidence was caught. Now this is the part that I am confused. Let the punishment fit the crime. What does that mean exactly? I have seen murders walk free, and mothers who kill their children get short stays, because they were under the dreaded post pardon depression. What ever! Now who did this guy hurt, this is a no violent crime, and I use the term crime loosely. So, what I heard is this guy got 3 years in the slammer. Are you kidding, what for? Do we really need to pay good tax dollars to keep this person incarcerated? My goodness, give the guy a fine and call it a day. Stop wasting court costs and focus on putting away people that don't belong walking around with normal people. There has to be a way to convey the importance of putting away no violent offenders into a system that will turn them into a violent offender. This is what they learn while incarcerated in a backward system that does nothing to rehabilitate anyone. They constantly release child molesters and murderers back into the community. That alright with you, release the guys that are non-violent before the system f---ks them up.

Lets just legalize weed and tax the hell out of it, and punish the people who kill people driving drunk, the legal intoxicant. Sometimes the government embarrasses me, they are just not looking at the big picture, they don't look past archival thoughts. I hope the new generation will be using their brains instead of listening to a bunch of stuck up old politicians.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

2011-02-11T10:01:00.000-05:00

Doesn't really seem like a worthy topic, but it definitely got me rilled up. Let me tell you how much it angers me. It's back to what I say about this country, who slowly takes our rights away.
It was a regular day, sunny and I was working outdoors doing a little cleaning. Filled up the truck for a trip to the dump. I was just getting use to giving my identification so that I proved I indeed lived in the neighborhood and I was authorized to use the facility. I pay taxes so I understood that it was a paid service for me and the community taxpayers.

I approached the entrance where the attendant would check my identification and tell me what lane to go to. This time was different, I held out my id and the attendant took it from my hand, he began punching in my drivers license number into this machine. I literally yelled, "What are you doing?", he replied with telling me about the new procedures. He pointed at a new sign, which said in several languages that there is new procedures. I was very upset that Waste Management was now putting my information into a data base, not to mention how the costs of this new program is going to effect my taxes. Are you kidding, how many times am I going to be told that I can't be trusted. Now they are telling me that I should trust them with all my information. I sent this email:

Director of Waste Management

I can foresee the future of this country. I already pay for garbage, I went to the dump today to drop off some palm leaves as I frequently do. I didn't mind so much when I was asked for my identification. Today, my identification was taken out of my hand and my personal information was manually put into a scanner.

This indicates to me, first additional costs, such as the sign telling me, that more of my personal information will be collected and who knows where it goes. Now I find that this information is shredded afterward. After what, it is put into a data base, printed. Then does it record every time I am making a visit to the dump. Of course it does. I see that in the future I will be getting charged for individual dumping. Or will I be limited?.

It is just another chance for my information to be released into the public. If I can not be trusted, then why should I trust that my information is being handled properly?

I am sick and tired of this country tracking my every move. I pay my taxes, or should I say, my ever increasing taxes. By the way how many more people had to be hired to handle all this information. I demand to know how much this program is costing me and the tax payers of the county. Are you kidding, I have to tighten my belt, but my own community is making certain that I can never own my home or end my yearly struggle to pay taxes, which is more a month than my own mortgage. Does this seem right to you?

Tell me what will happen if I refuse to have my license scanned?

Thank you in advance for the answers to my questions.

Capt. Mary
Resident of Cutler Bay

Tell me what you think, do you think I will even get a reply?

PEACE ON THE PEACE RIVER

2011-02-08T18:20:00.001-05:00

Last minute plans are sometimes the best. I was talking to my son on the phone at the beginning of the week and he mentioned that he was going on a camping trip. Well, out of curiosity I asked, "Where are you going?", he replied, "A last minute trip with Monica and the kids to the Peace River". I asked why I wasn't invited, he said that he was only invited the day before. Anyway, I invited myself.

I have gone camping often and getting ready wasn't a difficult task. An hour later I was ready.

Friday arrived and we headed on our journey to the Peace River camping area. The kids just old enough now to really enjoy the camp and help find fire wood. The weather was just perfect. The gang did some exploring and Jonathan was amazed by a cows jaw bone, he wanted to keep it so bad.

The next morning was our trip to the river itself. Lots of gear loaded up in the canoes. Monica, my daughter, and her boyfriend had everything you could dream of. I laughed so hard when Jeff pulled out a chain saw. Monica mentioned that camping doesn't have to be roughing it. I was happy to have my cup of hot coffee in the morning, so I didn't complain at all.

We took our time, four adults and five children, the water was high enough that we never had to get out and push our way down the river. The water was cold, but the kids didn't seem to notice much. Jonathan, the youngest was making up a million excused for us to stop. He was hunger, had to pee, or some other crazy thing. The minute we stopped he was in the river, swimming and playing, forgetting why we stopped in the first place. We found a camping spot early in the day, and it was well worth it. Plenty of time for fun, fishing, and setting up for dinner. We had the best time ever, I think the kids had a great time.

I brought my dog with me, Bogart, he was the greatest little guy, he chased vultures and slid in the mud. Boggy was full of mud and stickers. The only thing I worried about was him near the waters edge, due to gators.

I did a little fishing and caught this big ugly thing. Which by the way tasted pretty good. An evening full of fun, brought us all to an early end to the evening. The weather was great until it began to rain about 11:30 that night, that's when we realized that the tents were not exactly water proof. A bit of a soggy night couldn't even ruin the fun. The next morning we dried out some things and headed back on our adventure down the river. We stopped frequently to pan for sharks teeth and for snacks and swimming. No hurry, no worry. I had a great time with my family. I don't think my kids realize how important these moments are for me. There is nothing better than family.

ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A NEW WAY TO MAKE MONEY

2011-01-19T09:43:00.000-05:00

I try to keep myself open to opportunities, I have recently added Catering to my resume', I enjoyed getting around the kitchen again, since it is becoming a place that collects dust. I enjoyed making home-made gravies, lasagna, and some old fashion favorites.
I have recently got another job offer from a friend. She is moving and needs help transporting her kitties, the airline only allows one cat per passenger, so she asked if I would be interested in accompanying her to her new home. That's not the best part, granted I love to fly, but her new destination is Berlin. Not Berlin, Georgia, but Germany. Across the big pond for 10 glorious days. I will suffer through this job the best I can. I am certain that I will have a fantastic time. With my bucket list full, this must be dividends.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-01-02T19:32:00.000-05:00

The holidays now behind us, with wonderful days of family and friends. Oh, how I wish it would last forever. So many cheerful happy people, well I am going to make that effort to keep the seasons jolly. We just don't smile enough.

My Christmas was delayed just a day or so, but it was well worth it. The most fun of the holiday was working with my grandchildren, while they created gifts for their parents. I know that this was a gift from the heart. Any parent who gets a homemade gift appreciates it. It really is the thought that counts! I was gifted by having the best kids in the world. No matter how many miles separate us, I always get a message from them that they are thinking about me.

I was busy for New Years with a great New Year's Eve party at the Sons and Daughters of Italy, we danced and had so much fun. Being separated only by miles, I spent time with my sister and her husband, both Christmas and New Years. I wish that we could all be together, but somehow I know that I am in their thoughts and them in mine.

My message and New Years resolution is to stay in touch with family and friends, just like it was the holidays everyday. This will certainly take some work, but well worth anything so important.

New Years Day was a great party too. My friend had his 70th birthday, what a bash. A beginning with a classic car cruise, through Coconut Grove and a party that had everything you could dream of. Even had some party crashers. I am so gifted to be able to share with my friends these special moments.

I wish for everyone to get things back to family and return the love that is special in hug or a kiss.

To a great 2011, it is up to all of us to put a smile on our faces and forget about the stupid little things that really have no meaning in the big scene. Love to all.

THANKSGIVING

2010-11-29T10:53:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday. The traditional meaning holds no importance to me. I have found that the meaning of Thanksgiving is so much more than re-playing a historical event.

I anticipate the day each year whether it is my turn to cook or not. A chance, no, an opportunity, no, an honor to be able to look into the eyes of my sisters, brother, children, grandchildren, Dad and other members of the family and friends. To touch them and talk with them, we replay our happiest times in our lives. It is a time for me to remember the love this holiday brings to me.

For my family and friends that can't make the event, they are still thought of, we talk about the past Thanksgivings and the year in review. It is a time to sit around the dinner table and be a family. I remember that the dinner table when I was growing up, was the place where we would catch up on the events of the day and, of course, get the advice from the parents about life and the right thing to do. Thanksgiving was always the time I remember as a gathering of family and friends. We talk so much, it's a wonder we ever slow our mouths enough to eat anything. I love the walks between entrees to work off some of the stuffing, not the turkey stuffing but the people stuffing.

The days before Thanksgiving are full of kitchen gathering and helping each other. Enjoying the phone calls with each other making the arrangements for our ultimate meeting on Thanksgiving Day.

This year I missed my children and grandchildren, rotating between me and their father, I miss the young kids running around and the filling of their plates. The kids eyes so big and their plates so full, because they want to taste everything.

Anytime I am with my family and friends is a holiday, I love to watch their smiles and hear the stories, a time to catch up and feel love.
I wish everyday was Thanksgiving Day.

LADY BEARS-MEMORY BEARS

2010-09-28T09:17:00.013-04:00

(made from old Christmas dress)

CLICK HERE FOR OFFICAL SITE OF LADY BEARS

LADY BEAR'S
BY MONICA

PRICE INFORMATION

Each Memory Bear is handcrafted from your re-claimed materials.

Prices vary according to the material, some fabrics must be lined and require additional expense.

We do not wash your material in order to preserve the memory.

A $20 deposit is required with your order.

(made from baby blanket)

We offer one size bear, 18".

Prices range from $50 and up, depending on the material.

After receiving your material, we will call or E-mail you with a quote.

Please allow 2 weeks for completion of your Bear. (Except for Holiday orders, allow additional time).

ladybearsbymonica@att.net

for shipping address & information.
Standard shipping & insurance is $10.00 additional.

We also have already constructed Bears, at discounts, check our website to see what is available.

We offer quantity discounts, please let us know how many LADY BEARS you would like.

LADY BEARS are not infant safe unless requested.

We offer music boxes for an additional $10.00. (Great for Holiday Gifts)

Each Bear requires approximately 1 yard of fabric.

We are happy to create a bear from just about anything, wedding dresses, curtains, baby blanket, kids soccer uniforms, grandpa's old fishing shirt,

grandma's favorite house dress, old pillows, sheets, bedspreads, jeans, Christmas dresses, the list is endless....

Lady Bear's are soft and cuddly, crafted to cherish your memory for a long time.

Let your imagination be the guide.

BEING NEIGHBORLY CONTINUED

2010-09-14T20:34:00.005-04:00

I guess fighting "City Hall," is not always a loosing battle. My prior story
BEING NEIGHBORLY , will explain the topic if you didn't read this post. Instead of going over the whole thing again, the great news is "My Neighbor," won her battle and they reinstated her exemptions and her assessment is back to where it needs to be. Her bill went from $4,000. to under $900. I would say that was worth fighting for. She still has more work to do.
Being Neighborly really paid off, according to the paperwork, they processed everything the same day as the hearing. This must be a miracle of some kind, it goes to show you do catch more flies with honey. I tell you what, we poured honey all over it.
When you think about it, the people we have to work with are just like me and you, working stiffs. They pay taxes just like the rest of us. I am certain they are over-worked and under-paid like the rest of us. The last year encountered a lot of problems, they took Homestead Exemptions from 90,000 people in Miami. I imagine what they were hoping for is that people would just pay the inflated bills, but that back fired on them. Most people fought the system and it ended up costing the taxpayers in mediation and court cost to re-instate all those tax bills. The people at the top of the food chain don't give the American public enough credit, we don't sit back and take it anymore. If you find yourself in this predicament, don't hesitate to shoot me a line, I am just about an expert by now. It took 10 months to resolve this problem, but in the meanwhile my neighbor was not charged late fees or penalties while her case was pending.
So, if you ever think "City Hall," is too big, just think again, and always remember they work for us not the other way around. Always be kind to the people that are helping you, it could be your neighbor!

MEMORY BEARS BY MONICA

2010-09-10T19:12:00.003-04:00

Mention a "Memory Bear" and not too many people know exactly what that is. Monica is starting a new business just in time for Christmas.
What is a "Memory Bear", well, it's a stuffed toy made out of a blanket your little one carried around for years and you can't seem to part with it, but it is stuffed in the closet somewhere. Well, drag it out for re-purposing, and watch the smiles. No kids, well what about Grandpa's flannel shirt he always wore when he took you fishing, you could give it to Grandpa as a memory of your time together. Maybe someone passed and you want a happy way to remember them forever. How about that christening outfit that is now so yellow and is stashed under a bunch of junk in the closet. How about that outfit you wore on your trip to the Islands on your honeymoon, your wedding dress, your kids soccer jersey they out-grew. Got a cap and gown from graduation, what a great memory, let Monica make you a cuddly memory. There are so many special times that can be remembered, what better than having a Cuddly Memory Bear by Monica.

BEING NEIGHBORLY

2010-09-03T09:58:00.003-04:00

My neighbors have been here since the beginning of time. I have one of my neighbors who recently left town for a time to have surgery and recovery time to N.C.. In the meantime she had her mail forwarded to her N.C. address. While home in Miami the mail arrived that had that letter about your Homestead Exemptions, you know the one, it says if these exemptions are correct do nothing. The government has this letter set up to not forward anywhere. As you might guess the letter was returned to the Exemption Board and they immediately removed her exemptions, not only did they do that but they changed her assessed value as if the home was repurchased by a new owner. The name of the deed did not change, and according to the rules, if the home is no longer your homestead they can only increase the assessed value ten percent. Lets do the math, it went from 84,000 to 172,00. My math skills may not be perfect, but that doesn't seem to add up.
In her horror, Lilly, contacted me and we began to try to fix this problem. First, we make our way to the government office to try to correct the problem. Lilly did not have enough identification to correct the problem. So, we schedule a hearing with the Adjustment Board, now that ten months has passed, the date for the hearing is here.
Time to go Downtown, I won't even get into the logistics, that's another story. At the Government Center we sit before three people, one was a magistrate, and two others with the administration of Exemption, or something like that. Before we entered the room, I had to instruct Lilly, who was in tears, to keep calm and be nice. Lilly was a wreck, trying to live on her retirement of 13,000 a year is hard enough, but to tell her that she has to pay 4,000 in taxes just sent her over the edge. I can't image what it would be like to be over 80 years old and living in her home for almost 50 years, and the government tells you "this is not your home anymore". She was devastated. Lilly started to ramble on, not realizing that the board had already restored 2 of her 3 exemptions. I got it, so we were more than half way through the process, now we had to restore the assessed value of the home back to 2008 prices. I have always believe that there are no problems without solutions. So, I had to speak up and tell the board that we don't have the identification that they require, instead of discussing why Lilly does not have it, I said lets find a solutions. The board began to brainstorm, and one of the ladies suggested a special form. We began the paperwork with the help of the board. One of ladies took us down stairs to have the forms notarized, after I filled them out, she sent us to record the documents. After hours of paperwork, I told Lilly that we are going back to the board and bringing the paperwork to the Assessment board, this completes the process. I mentioned to all who helped me and Lilly that this was "Help a Neighbor Day", the response to this was wonderful, we became know as the "Good Neighbors".
Our driver Max, and neighbor got us home, pulling up to my house Lilly turns around and says to me give me a call, I shouted "No way, its the end of Help a Neighbor Day, now Piss off a Neighbor, begins", of course I was kidding.
I was so happy to report that everyone that we encountered in our Downtown adventure was wonderful, it all started because I instructed my neighbors to be nice. The old saying you catch more flies with honey, is sooooooo true.

WHAT KEEPS ME GOING

2010-08-23T09:19:00.002-04:00

I have been missing something in my life for awhile. At first I thought it might be a man, but I brushed that thought right out of my head. This past week I have been around my grandchildren, swimming, diving and just having them around. I noticed that instead of sitting on the couch I have been doing things.
I have accomplish more this week of things I have been putting off than ever. Instead of being occupied with the children around I find myself motivated. I finished a purse I promised a friend. I have been working on a blanket, made out of Crown Royal bags. I organised and went through stuff for the garage sale, cleaned my dresser and repaired clothing. Cleaned out my fish pond and so many other things. I hope to keep motivated because it seems I eat and smoke less.
This week work seemed to pick up a bit, and I hope to continue, the best way to do that is to have the little ones around me. They are full of energy and it gives my life a kick start. Not to mention I am around lots of love. I have such a great family and they are what keeps my life going.

IT'S ROOKIE SEASON

2010-07-28T07:32:00.002-04:00

Lobstermania is here. I call it Rookie Season, that is what they call "Mini Season", a time for people to go out and dive for Spiny Lobster. The mini season is a chance for all the Rookies to go out and crash their boats and drown their dive buddies.
This is the time of the year we stay close to port. The crazies are out, the people who go out with experience are few and they are probably clenching their fists every time a rookie zooms by in their boat.
People think that this is the only time to catch lobster, in fact the season is open for months from August to April. I can't manage to see the need for a mini season, there is plenty of time during the year to catch these elusive critters. My advice is to be careful and stay safe anytime you go out on the water.
I love being out on the water and catching fish, yet my enthusiasm is limited when it comes to the bug looking creature, to me they taste the same no matter how they are prepared. Not to mention it is a chance for the Marine Patrol, and every other official to pull you over and board your boat, check your catch. The worst part is they won't leave until they find something wrong, so be certain, you have you whistle and safety equipment up to date. I know from experience, it doesn't matter what you are doing anymore you get pulled over for any or no reason. Homeland security detained us for a long time while they checked our identification. Like we look like a flotilla.

A DAY WITH MURPHY

2010-05-10T07:49:00.002-04:00

If you are not familiar with Murphy's Law I will explain. Murphy's Law is, everything can go wrong, will go wrong.
Yesterday was our annual Mothers' Day Fishing Trip. On the boat was myself, Monica, my daughter, and my son, Jason, who was our official boat handler.
The day started out with getting the boat ready to head to the marina for launch. We have been going out on Mother's Day for so many years, I can't remember how many years we have been doing this. The amazing part of Mother's Day boating is that no matter what the weather prediction is, the day is always perfect. It's probably the only time that the marina is not packed with boaters.
We arrive at the marina, without a problem, launch the boat, back up and head out the channel, heading toward the ocean. Of course, we didn't know that Murphy was on the boat. Putting the throttle down, I notice nothing happened. We are idling down the channel and decide when we get out the channel we will anchor the boat and examine the problem. It appeared that Murphy was on two other boats that day also, along with us, a couple other boats were making repairs. A brief inspection of the throttle connections show that everything is intact, yet still no acceleration! We then remove the cowling over the engine and take a look under the hood. We then decide that the cable is broken. Most people at that point would head back to the marina and home. We are definitely stubborn boaters, why can't we engineer a way to make the throttle work manually? With some leader wire, electrical connectors, piece of rubber tubing, and a cardboard roll, we made a throttle. Now we are able to go forward to our fishing adventure. With Jason on throttle and me at the wheel we continue through Stiltleville to the ocean. We begin trolling and enjoying the day, watching bottle nose dolphins at play. Hours go by without a bite. We notice a sailfish jumping and head in it's direction, when suddenly Murphy shows up again.
A bird, which has to be a relative of the Doe Doe bird, dives down and grabs the bait. A stroke of luck and the Albatross lets go. We frantically pull the lines in until the birds fly off. Wouldn't you know it, the bird makes another dive and gets hooked. First catch of the day! Now, we have to pull in the bird and unhook it. These are large birds, and while pulling him in he kept going under water. Fearing we would drown the thing, we had to take our time. Finally getting the bird along the side of the boat, Jason, throws me a rag and says to put it over the birds head. The poor bird was yelling in fear, he was hooked pretty good, the end of the hook was coming out of his eye socket. His snapping bill and flapping wings, made grabbing him a bit tricky. I grabbed the bird around the neck and brought him on the deck, where the surgery began. Jason tried to cut the hook, but Murphy was on the boat, none of the tools we had was effective in cutting the hook. Our only option was to carefully remove the hook, we had to work quickly to avoid stress to the bird. It took some twisting, but we removed the hook without damaging the eye or any part of the bird. Monica stood watching and almost getting sick, thinking we were going to pop its eye out on the deck. Handing the bird over to Monica for the release, she carefully put him over the side. The Albatross flew away, looking like he was no worse for the wear.
Deciding at that point we would just do a little bottom fishing. Checking the electronics, I notice that they are not working, oh Murphy is back. Well, we have to do this the old fashioned way. One small problem is that we don't have a compass, Jason did have his I-Phone, which has a compass app.
One more problem foiled. We had a great time fishing up grunts and small groupers. It was time to head in, without a GPS, using landmarks and experience of the area. Monica was on the throttle, which took a bit of work to get it smooth. In the meantime we all got a bit a whiplash, Monica laughed so hard she was nearly in tears. After a bit of work we managed to find the marina and get home. We got enough fish for a fish sandwich. As much of the day was full of problems, we had a great day and laughed so hard. A beautiful day on calm seas is so wonderful for the soul.

CIVIL RIGHTS VIOLATION?

2010-04-29T08:24:00.003-04:00

My ride started out innocent enough. I am doing a little renovation on my bathroom. What I want to do is go as "Green" as possible on my Reno. My bathroom has a gray toilet and sink, which doesn't really match anything. So, I was looking to replace my toilet with a white one. I located a "Home for Humanity Restore," and then called my sister to let her know what I was doing. Since my sissy lives in Key Largo, I would sneak in a visit. My sister told me that she can get me a toilet from a recent Reno, from the Lions Club. After getting off work, and watching a litter of kittens being born I head toward the Florida Keys.
Making my leisurely drive, I cross the county line and begin noticing information signs. The sign said, "Drug Enforcement Check Point Ahead." "What!" I said to myself. I continue driving and notice police everywhere, pulling drivers over randomly. "Can this be true?" Have I crossed the border into a communist country? Do people know their rights, or are they being detained unlawfully, because they don't know. Are we rolling income for the government, is there a short fall somewhere and now we just pull over and pay. Does this sound like a nation of rights and freedom?
On my way out of town I stopped at a convenient store for a coffee. The parking lot and the store was full of police. After a few minutes they cleared out of the store, I couldn't help asking the cashier what was going on. The cashier didn't reply, instead the other customers standing in line jumped in on my comment. A couple of guys had been detained and commented that the police can do anything they want! Me and another gentleman told the guys that legally they cannot search your vehicle, without probable cause or your permission. The guys didn't know they had the right to say no! The police intimidated them into submission, to allow the search. I can't believe how the government is taking advantage of travelers. These poor guys weren't even on the rode, they were at a restaurant and in the end they got a ticket for too dark tinting. That is a ruse that is commonly used. Instead of concern with our safety and freedom, the police are taking advantage of us and finding different ways to make money from travelers.
I am just sick over this, how bad is it going to get before we put out foot down. I was hoping to get pulled over and be able to exhort my rights. Enough is enough. If this pisses you off let me know.

A STEP BACK IN TIME....

2010-04-07T20:32:00.006-04:00

...if only for a moment. I was lucky enough to be invited to an Antique Car Show, by my good friends, Ralph & Carolyn. They were showing 3 beautiful cars in the show. A Buick Skylark, a Cadillac, and what I see as the, "Untouchables," car, I could envision Elliot Ness in the front seat, pursuing Al Capone.

Due to the value of the vehicles, someone must literally stand by the cars at all times. The car that I was honored to stand by was the Buick Skylark, bright red, convertible.

The best part about standing by, has to be all the stories that I heard. People would come by and remember what they were doing in the 50's. Perhaps a story about their grandparents taking drives in that exact model.

Everyone was full of smiles, except for the owners of the cars. The frantic, last minute preparations, were full of stress.The judges would soon be on their way. I watched car owners come by and examine the Buick, then return to their car to polish something they missed.

Everyone was so respectful to the cars, as if they were made of all gold and precious. The cars were so perfect to my eyes, yet, I would hear people talking about things like the color or type of bolts and washers.

Time for judging was here. The judges were very thorough, they examined the car, inside, outside, and underneath. I was watching the expressions on their faces, at the same time wondering what they were thinking. After a little palaver, one of the judges came to me and said, "We all agree that this car is #1." Of course, I smiled from ear to ear.

The day continued, and what a perfect day it was. I would have to wait on the results, although, I knew that the Buick was getting a first place in its class.

Later in the week, I visited my friends,Ralph & Carolyn, only for them to tell me what I already knew. All the cars they entered in the Antique Car Show, got first place in their category.

As I remembered walking around these magnificent works of art, I thought about the time that things were simple. I imagined myself in the days gone past on a leisurely drive to no where. Driving was something people did for pleasure and a time for family fun. My step back in time was a memory that will always make me smile.

EASTER ART CLASSES

2010-04-02T18:02:00.006-04:00

I have always enjoyed art, all kinds. For a few months I have sponsored an Art Class for homeschooling. For the past two classes we have focused on an Easter theme. We started with blown eggs, the first part of the project led to red faces and scrambled eggs all over the place. For this group the standard decorated egg just wouldn't do. Shy-Anne, my granddaughter, suggested a Lady Bug; after her suggestion, the ideas grew into creations full of imagination.
The first class concluded with a Penguin, a Bride, Zebra, Bandit, and, of course, a Lady Bug.
The second session of the Easter Egg decorating class, concluded with more imagination than the first. We ended up with more adorable characters; A Bumble Bee, Graffiti egg, a Groom, a Sea Turtle and an Easter Bunny.
I can't describe in words the great work the class did without showing photos. I think that this project, had to be the most fun for me.
We have done some amazing projects, beaded animals, Aboriginal painted boxes, home-made paper, that we made into Valentines. I hope that I can come up with more ideas to capture the imagination of these children.

I HAVE A NEW TITLE

2010-02-17T08:14:00.003-05:00

DOG HOOKER
What the hell does that mean? I make ends meet by doing odd jobs. I reinvent myself every chance I get.
The other evening I was relaxing in my favorite chair, when the phone began to ring, it was 10:30 in the evening. When I get calls that late in the evening, I panic just a little. To my surprise it was a lady calling from Utah, she got my name from one of my customers. She asked, "if I could do her a big favor", her dog sitter was unable to work on Friday and Saturday. So, I agreed to help. The favor was a bit unusual, she wanted me to sleep with her four dogs. If that wasn't crazy enough, she also requested that I sleep in her bed with the dogs, and love them up. I think that this request has to be the most unusual to date.
I completed the job, even though it was extremely odd, never meeting this mysterious woman, it was time to get paid. I am certain that she was desperate to let someone she didn't know in her home, not to mention in her bed. Still, I have not met this woman in person, she calls and says that my payment will be under the door mat.
I wonder how far pet owners will go to take care of their animals. Whatever that may be, it is good for me, job security.

A PLANT IS NOT JUST A PLANT

2009-11-13T07:54:00.003-05:00

While at work yesterday, the landscape crew was also working. I noticed a beautiful plant, somehow it looked very familiar. I asked the boss of the crew, Richard, if the plant originated in Africa?. Richards reply was, "Yes, and there is a special place in his heart with this particular plant". My curiosity peeked, I had to know the story behind this plant.
Richard began to tell his story. First, he has a import license to harvest plants from Africa, due to the fact that he is African. Anyway, back to the story. While in Tanzania he was searching the bush in his vehicle, he came across a river coming down from the mountains. Seeing what looked like an interesting plant across the river he was determined to collect it. To get across the river he had to walk across a tree that had fallen into the river. Precariously crossing the log, which was wedged upon some rocks, he began carefully crossing. Looking down to check his footing he noticed, something that horrified him, it was the body of a young girl. Richard said that he noticed her long black hair and that she was a white girl. Richard returned to his vehicle and went to the police to report his finding. He gave them the exact location, in this remote area. Yet, the police insisted that he come along. After, Richard disapproved of returning, he was made to go with the police.
The story now very interesting, his phone rings. Richard excused himself and walked off, now my curiosity is getting the best of me. I returned back to my tasks, waiting for Richard to finish his phone call, and giving more instructions to his crew. Almost an hour later I was going crazy to find out what happens next.
Back to our conversation, Richard continues his story. Richard and the police begin to travel back to the river on dirt roads, winding and deep into the bush, they arrive at the sight, where the body of the young girl is under water, caught in the current of the river. The police begin to retrieve her remains, collecting her in garbage bags, for the river had taken its toll on her young body. The police then turn to Richard and arrest him for murder. Imagine his shock, he was just trying to do the right thing, to help a family find their missing child.
Richard was then tossed into a cell, he asked why he would show the police where the body was if he was the murderer? They didn't care, and he really couldn't argue the point, he was at the mercy of the police. No phone calls, just throw in a cell. That wasn't the worse of it, his cell mate was a man accused of murdering his entire family with a machete. Are you horrified yet?, well this man also had Leprosy, most of his face eaten away by the disease.
Richard, now afraid for his life, could not sleep, nor would he eat or even drink water. A few days passed when he noticed an Indian woman walking by his cell, through the very small window, Richard began screaming for help, the woman turned and acknowledged Richard. The woman's husband was a Barrister, she told Richard she would help. After 4 or 5 days he was finally released from his horrible cell. The police then changed their story of why he was in jail, and said he was there as a material witness. Richard went to court and testified at the trail. The results of the trail left a family with closure, but also left them with the horrible story of their daughters demise. This young 12 year old girl, a daughter of farmers, was abducted, taken to the mountain tops, tortured, and molested repeatedly, murdered and tossed into the river, where her final resting spot was where a man was collecting plants. Richard found out later that just a few feet down the river was another 30 bodies.
This experience was not the end of this trip, he then ran into a young man who was missing his ears. Richards curiosity led him to ask the man what had happened to his ears? The young mans reply was another shocking story.
The young man said that when he was six years old his village was attacked, his family and community was being slaughtered. What they did after the slaughter was remove the ears of the victims and throw them in piles. This young man, feared that if he ran he would be shot in the back, so he remained on the ground pretending to be dead. His ears were then removed and his young body throw on to the pile with the rest of the people in his village. Although he survived this horrible ordeal, I can't pretend to imagine the strength it took this six year old not to scream or move while all of this was happening to him.
The story now completed, Richard again looks at the plant that was a reminder of his adventure. He said, "this plant is the offspring of the original plant collected in the African bush, and a reminder of the time he spent in jail with a Leper.
I imagine that I will look at landscaping a bit different, perhaps each plant that is imported to grace our gardens has a story similar to this one. Embrace the beauty around us, for it too has a story to tell.
RICHARD ADDED..........
DID NOT FINISH MY STORY. NOT SURE WHERE I LEFT OFF.. THE PLANT THAT I WAS SEEKING FOR KEW BOTANICAL GDNS WAS ENCEHPALARTOS GRATUS.. NOW ON THE CITES NO 1 LIST. NO LONGER ABLE TO COLLECT IN THE WILD.
QUITE RARE IN COLLECTIONS HERE IN THE USA AND SELLS FOR QUITE HIGH PRICES.. THE NATIVE POPULATION IN MOST COUNTRIES THAT I HAVE COLLECTED CYCADS IN HAVE LITTLE OR NO REGARD FOR THESE PLANTS AND KILL THEM INDISCRIMINATLY.. ONE CAN BE JAILED HERE IN THE USA FOR ABUSING THESE PLANTS THAT THE CITES REGULATIONS ARE TRYING TO PROTECT.. PITY NO ONE IN THE COUNTRIES OF ORIGIN CARE A DAMM..
ANYWAY THE ELDERLY PARENTS OF THIS LITTLE GIRL THROUGH AN INTERPRETER
THANKED ME FOR GIVING THEM CLOSURE.
NOW WHENEVER I SEE AN ENCEPHALARTOS GRATUS I ALWAYS THINK
OF THOSE TWO HORRIFIC DAYS IN A JAIL CELL WITH A MADMAN WHO SAT WITH ARMS AROUND HIS LEGS ROCKING TOO AND FRO AND NEVER TAKING HIS ONE REMAINING EYE OFF ME.. STILL GIVES ME THE SHIVERS.

November 23, 2009 9:09 AM

OUT OF SUPPLIES

2009-10-17T22:38:00.005-04:00

I have been painting for a few weeks now. I have produced 5 paintings in less than 3 weeks. I have been stuck in front of my easel. I can't seem to pry myself away. I just finished "Window to the Sea" for my niece, Gina. I get the initial idea from the person and then try to create something that works just for them. Gina, has no window in her home, it's like a cave, thus, the idea of a window. According to Gina, its a window you can look out, but no one can look in. That is a beautiful thought.

The painting of the Mac Caw is for my step daughter, Stephanie, who recently got back in touch with me. Stephanie has been checking my face book, and was watching my art work being posted. She requested something in the rain forest, with lots of color. Stephanie is another one who has no window, now she has a window to the forest. I am so happy to have ideas, and of course much better to sell my work.

I am sitting here right now and going through all my art supplies, my paints are slowly depleting. My sketch pads are all used up, and I don't even have any old posters to paint over. I am going crazy looking for something to paint on. I wonder if there is something wrong with my brain.

I did come across something interesting that I had stashed away for years. I found and finally framed my very first painting. I was in middle school, it is painted on a paper bag. The painting of a horse is now displayed, even though it isn't that good, but it was done in the 1960's.

Tomorrow, I have so much yard work to do, but I am going to need to do something at night, I will have to go to the craft store and pick up some canvas. I have several ideas and need to get them on canvas.

ANOTHER PAINTING COMPLETED

2009-10-09T10:24:00.003-04:00

I have had so much spare time that I have been painting up a storm. This painting was commissioned by a friend from childhood. I hope that I keep getting orders for paintings. As long as I get requests and ideas, I will be inspired to continue.

I got a request after I completed the current painting from my Step-daughter from my last marriage. Stephanie lives in a dorm and she tells me that there is no windows. I am going to give her a window to the rain forest. I have already begun the painting and hope that I continue to be inspired. I may have taken on too much.

My niece, Gina, would also love a beach scene, at least I won't have to ship this one. Gina is next in line after Stephanie's Rain forest. I will keep you updated.

I AM AN ARTIST LOOKING FOR WORK

2009-10-05T21:02:00.004-04:00

I have been painting for some time, a matter of fact, as long as I can remember. I am currently inspired. I found myself with a long dry spell, I just simply ran out of ideas for paintings. My sister-in-law, Margo, requested an Everglades scene. Margo gave me the specs of what she wanted in her painting, so I began.

After completing Margo's painting, my son, Jason, requested a painting of Africa, so that it would go with his living room design. I have now completed that painting and it too has been delivered.

I am currently working on another painting of a beach scene, which I modeled after a beach in Costa Rica, for a old time childhood friend.

I would love to post some of my painting for sale, but for now I would love to show you the ones I have completed in the last couple of weeks. I am taking orders, and am happy to ship anywhere you may live.

IN MEMORY OF OREO

2009-10-05T20:43:00.004-04:00

This is not a story about a cookie, but it is a story about a beloved friend. This friend "Oreo", was my mischievous ferret. Living a short life with us, yet a long life in ferret years, his last day was Oct. 2, 2009. Passing away, after a wonderful life, not only that he gave us, but I hope that he enjoyed.
He ran around chasing after the kittens when they were young, trying to stuff them in his hiding places, only to find out that they didn't quite fit. He loved to steal things, but I knew his hiding places, most of them anyway. I am certain, that I will find all his little stashes of goodies, in time. He was a loving little guy, who would give kisses one minute and nip you on the ankle the next.
Oreo came to us years ago as an unwanted pet, we welcomed him with open arms, he joined in the big clan of critters that live here. He played with the kids and the other critters, so small, yet not one animal could stand up to him, not even my 65 pound dog. Oreo was the master of the critter clan.
He was so loved and will be missed for a long time to come.

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE

2009-09-23T13:57:00.002-04:00

After years and years have gone by, I find myself in need of a High School Diploma. I have decided that I need an occupation that is recession proof. I am selecting the medical field-nursing to be exact. I looked at careers, and found that nursing offers me many more opportunitys to travel than any of the other career choices.
To get back to the subject of my High School Diploma. I dropped out of high school in 1973, with one half credit remaining. I faked my way through jobs and careers-not needing a diploma. The time to get a diploma was here and now I had to study to pass the G.E.D.. I studied with my tutors, for a good month, day after day. The test was in July, yet I would not receive the results for months. This week, I got my diploma, the results were in and I accomplished the impossible. Learning years of high school in a mere month.
Now, it is time for me to take my entrance exam and the nursing exam. Back to studying and cramming to get to my new goal. Things have been very rough during the recession and I have to get a second job to make ends meet. For now, I will be doing everything I can to move on to the next stage of middle life. I should be planning for retirement-but that isn't the case. Wish me luck on the next series of tests.

HAPPINESS IS SIMPLE

2009-08-16T09:20:00.004-04:00

I don't know why or when it all happened, yet I find myself in a world of peace when I am on or near water. I have had an opportunity to get out twice last week, on the boat.

The first time was the beginning of crayfish season, my son and daughter are always with me, the grandchildren and friends. What a beautiful day it was, even though we didn't get our limit, we had a fantastic day. The season is months long, I have faith that we will get more as season progresses.

Last Wednesday we got another opportunity to go out. It was for fishing, just myself, daughter and son, along with my TaeKwonDo instructor, Master Isaacs. The weather was beautiful, perhaps too calm for dolphin fishing, yet we managed to get three beautiful fish. I was very quiet during the day, I don't know if it was because I was in my favorite place or from lack of sleep. I do know that there just isn't anything I enjoy more than being on the ocean, under the comfort of mother nature.

SOMETIMES THINGS IN THE PAST BITE YOU IN THE ASS

2009-07-15T08:47:00.002-04:00

Have you ever put off doing something, because it just didn't seem important? Well, twenty five years ago or so, I put off changing my name on my social security card. I did get my name legally changed and thought that was enough. My maiden name was still on the card, I just didn't use the last name that I had deleted.
I was able to pay taxes, get a voters registration, get my captain's license, and homeland security background check. Never thought that, by not changing it with the social security administration it would come back to bite me in the ass. I could do just about anything I wanted, except go to school.
I was scheduled to take a test to obtain my G.E.D. today. Yesterday, I went to the school to check the lay of the land. I wanted to find where the class room was located and confirm my testing date. Much to my surprise, I walked into the office and was told that I can not take the test, because there was a problem with my social security card. The problem was that the name didn't match and the card had an error on it. Back in the day, when I got my card, computers were well in the future and my card was hand typed. Looking closely at the card, which I never did, you could see that a number had been corrected and typed over.
Now, I had to go to the Social Security Administration to get a special print-out, so that I could go to school. Went to the S.S.A. twice and finally returned to the school with the paper-work. I had a sigh of relief, until the school rejected the paper-work. I went home again, looking for something that would make them happy. I found a document, a W-2 from the State of Florida Retirement, this seemed to satisfy the school.
That's not all, in the meantime I was removed from the testing list. I have been studying very hard and was excited about continuing my education. Finally, after an hour, we manged to make an adjustment to the schedule, and today is the day that I test. I will be taking the first section of the test at 1:45 today. I also found out that my test results won't come back for 8 to 12 weeks. I am in store for a day of testing that will last approximately 5 hours. I have confidence that I will do well, since I am only required to get a little more that half of the questions correct. In the meantime, while waiting for my test results I can begin my chosen studies. All I can say is Wish me Luck, I will need it.

MY BIRTHDAY

2009-07-08T18:27:00.002-04:00

I guess the best thing to say is, "It ended well".
I always plan on getting out of the country for my birthday. A ritual that I have done for years, with the belief that, if I am not here, I will not get older. It doesn't really work, but it is a lot of fun thinking it does. My favorite thing to do is go out on the boat. I can always go out far enough, so that I am no longer in the U.S. and can be in International waters.
Fishing was on the agenda for my big day, any excuse will do. I took the day off work, along with my team, Monica, Jason, Jeff, Kevin, and Buck. Had an early day on Monday, so I thought I would begin getting the boat ready, with an early start in mind. What do they say about finely laid plans, and Murphy's Law? Well, Murphy and his friends were in attendance. I had the boat loaded and checked all the systems, good to go! So, you would think, yet as I was pulling the boat out of the yard, I heard a loud bang! I stopped the truck and looked under the boat to see what the noise was all about. I bent down and noticed that the springs that hold the axle on, were broken. Here it is 7PM, not going to find a store open. I notified the crew and Jason came over to help me locate the parts. Murphy reared his ugly face and made it impossible for us to find the right size in stock anywhere. I was giving up hope, called my boat mechanic, Bob, and he had some ideas, but they would take another day. That would mean that the trip was going to be delayed. My son, Jason, wasn't about to let that happen, nor was the rest of the gang. Monica and Jeff did some brainstorming.
The next morning, Jeff and Monica made the calls to find the parts, again Murphy, you bastard! I called Bob and he said we could get the parts, yet we would have to pick them up and that would be in North Miami. Jason jumped in his car and headed to pick up parts, in the meanwhile Jeff and Monica were on duty taking the old parts off. By the time Jason got back with the parts, it looked like we had a pit crew on site. The team took a short time and we were on the road toward the dock.
One o'clock and we are out the channel, heading toward the beautiful blue ocean. We tried trolling and the winds and moon were not indigenous to dolphin fishing. We, resorted to bottom-fishing. The weather was getting rougher, storm clouds moving in, although we landed quite a few small fish and three nice sharks before the lightning made us move. The tiny ship was tossed, if not for the courage of the fearless crew, the boat would be lost! Just kidding, we headed in, the sun had already set and it wasn't raining too bad, yet the waves were making smooth running, rough. Surrounded by lighting and thunder heads, we proceeded toward home. Then, a surprise, we saw sailfish jumping, that got us going again and the lines were back in the water. We seemed to just ignore the impeding weather conditions. We get a hit on the line, the sailfish, but it shook the hook loose. We continued and brought up a couple of nice mackerel, just when we thought Murphy had gotten the best of us. We arrived home after 10PM, cleaned the boat and fish, what a wonderful day. I can't believe how the crew perceived to make my birthday happen for me. I must be the luckiest person on earth. It makes getting older a pleasure.

GREAT WEEKEND

2009-06-22T08:56:00.004-04:00

When I woke last Friday, I had no plans for the weekend. My son, Jason gave me a call and asked "How about a snorkel trip?". So the plans for Saturday were on, Monica supplied the food, Jason did the organization, my Dad and girlfriend, Marlene were ready to go by 9:30.

The weather was just perfect, there were quite a few boats out taking advantage of the perfect day. The water was crystal clear and really warm. We jumped and played, we floated carefree in the turquoise water. At the last location we were snorkeling around and heard in the distance Monica scream out, "Shark". My Dad got out of the water as fast as he could, on the other hand, I swam right over to see what Monica was looking at. Jason, was not far behind. To our utter amazement, there was a school of sharks. Don't panic, they were very small Bonnet head sharks, if you don't know what that is it, they are sharks in the Hammer head family, they were just babies in the hunt for an afternoon snack. We counted more than twenty sharks. They were healthy, beautiful little sharks. What a treat! There is always something to see if you just look.

The next morning "Fathers Day", and wishing all fathers a great day. I got up early to clean up the boat and put the equipment away. I looked around my back yard and found myself deep in the overgrown lawn. It is summer time for certain and my yard has to be mowed every three days. Instead, I let it go for two weeks. I got the lawn equipment out and begin trimming and cleaning out the over-grown foliage in my own personal jungle. I filled up the back of my pick-up truck with a load of palm frons and hibiscus branches, headed out to the dump. While I was waiting in line at the dump, I got a phone call from Monica and Jason. In what would have taken me three days, we got the yard in picture perfect grooming in a mere 6 hours. Four loads to the dump should complete the process.

STARVING ARTIST

2009-05-20T09:13:00.005-04:00

This is a painting I did for my sister, I think it came out great. I spent two days precariously perched upon a ladder, while painting this mural on my sisters house. It was hot and windy, but I did get to go out on their boat as a treat. It makes me miss living in the Keys. I wish that I could actually make money from my artistic skills. Who knows what the future has in store for me.

JURY DUTY

2009-05-19T16:22:00.002-04:00

I have been called! Well, I have a problem with our legal system. I have only been called three times in my life and the last two I was excused. I again took the form that was mailed and wrote in my excuse.
Today I received a phone call telling me that my excuse is not acceptable. I explained to the caller that instead of wasting both our time, it would be best to let it go. I explained that I don't believe in our legal system, it is corrupt and worthless. I would not be selected to serve and what a waste of time and money. My excuse was that I don't have the funds to get to Downtown and waste my time sitting in a chair. I made it very clear to the caller that I will not be there.
The caller then told me it would be up to the judge to decide my fate. I told her she can have me arrested, at least I will get three meals a day.
I have heard that it is a privilege to serve, but I don't see it that way. I don't think I would even be living here if I wasn't born here, I reject my American citizenship, if I was an alien I would get so much more out of our government. I have no duty to anyone. Just to let my readers know, I am scheduled to report on June 8Th, so give me call and you can visit me in Jail. Don't forget to let the news know how they put a little old lady on food stamps and limited income in jail.

PUBLIX WHERE SHOPPING IS A PLEASURE

2009-04-26T10:26:00.002-04:00

This has always been an accurate statement from my shopping experience. I use two Publix groceries in my area on a regular basis. It seems like a usual day, it was a Wednesday and I was in need of just a couple of items. Some toilet paper, macaroni salad and coffee. I made my purchase and even donated money to the March of Dimes.
I headed toward the exit and out into the parking lot, it was about 3pm on a normal sunny afternoon.
There wasn't a lot of people in the lot, so it was easy to notice someone seemed to be following me. A tall man, dressed in a normal way, as I got closer to my truck, I noticed that he was looking directly at me and had picked up his pace. I was only a few feet from my truck, I jumped in and tossed my groceries across the seat. Suddenly the man was there, right outside my truck, I yelled "Back Off", he did not. I grabbed my truck door and tried to close it, my heart was racing when he grabbed the door and was forcefully opening it. We played a tug of war with the door, I then began yelling and beeping my horn. The man still did not say anything and I feared for my life. He finally said to me "I need to see your receipt", I replied with "what the hell for", "if you are accusing me of stealing you better call the police". At least I would have felt safe, still pulling on my door and demanding my receipt, I focused more on him and noticed he had a manager name tag, this still didn't make me feel better. I thought that a Publix employee would never do this, he had to be an amateur. I grabbed the receipt and passed it to him, he still would not let go of my door. He simply said at this point "very good", while looking at the sales receipt and then walked away.
I was completely shocked and could not even function. I watched the man, grab a shopping cart and enter the store. I dialed the police and made my report, they wanted me to stay there and wait, but I wanted out of there as fast as I could, to a place where I felt safe.
As soon as I got home, I emailed Publix corporate and told my story. I didn't hear anything on Thursday, and still nothing Friday morning. I thought that I should stop by my house pick up my camera and take some photos of this guy in the store, tell my story to the news. It always seems to get a rise when the news team is involved. I checked my answering machine before going out the door on my way to Publix. The messages were from the corporate office of Publix, which seems very urgent and concerned, I returned the message to the private cell phone of one of the big guys.
Our conversation was very concerning and he apologized several times, offering me a gift card of $100 to get me to come back. I was also told the the Assistant manager who forced my car door open has since been removed from his position. I asked if he thought I was some kind of thief or threat and that is why the man chased me through the parking lot. The man on the phone replied with "I don't care what his excuse was", he was pleased that both the manager and my stories matched.
I was told to go to the Publix the following Monday to pick up my gift card and he asked if I would sign a "Hold harmless" release. I agreed, to hold Publix not responsible, but I think that they cannot guarantee that this man won't try to retaliate against me. Besides that, wouldn't it be great if everyday until the Statue of limitation was up that he thought about the little lady he forcefully detained in the Publix Parking Lot!

Tell me what you think, should I sign the release for a couple of bags of groceries?

DRUG TRIAL

2009-04-23T08:50:00.003-04:00

Do you ever wonder how drugs get on the market, well they do lots of research and then begin human trials. I have been fighting with getting older but it doesn't matter how hard I try because it comes, like it or not. I am at the age where menopause is hitting me hard, with all the horrible side effects of hormonal changes. I went from a happy, kind of normal person, to a sad, recluse, with more emotional and physical symptoms that I could imagine.
I got my mail like any other day and there was a letter asking for volunteers for a Menopause Drug Study. I read about it and I determined that if anything I could get some much needed tests for free. And, perhaps some relief from the way I feel, that had come on so suddenly. So far I have had bone density scans, mammograms and tons of blood tests, pap smears and biopsy's. Through all the testing I wait to see if I qualify for the trials. Some of my test results have come back and so far I am healthy. The best part is I got a check for my participation. There is one draw back that stunned me, but didn't shock me. I have been diagnosed with hypertension, this means I have to take a pill a day for the rest of my life. I always hoped that this would never happen to me. Yet according to the doctor I have just increased my life span, and this is good, I guess. Would you believe it, I feel better and I am sleeping longer at night, perhaps that was one of my problems. Duh! I now know that what I have been feeling is not my fault, as I continue through the drug trail I will be able to continue feeling better and getting back to Crazy Mary.
I spent a fun weekend doing a yard sale and enjoyed the company of my daughter who without fail, cheered me up. As my days go by I look forward to having life as I once knew it restored, even with a bad economy.

HOW BAD WILL IT GET

2009-03-20T21:18:00.002-04:00

I don't know how much more we can take as Americans. Personally, I am running out of energy to get upset with all the government spending and corruption. I did my taxes recently and found some changes that were extreme. First let me start with that stimulus we got last year, some Americans are paying it back and I don't think they even realize it. One of the questions on the tax form is "How much was your stimulus check?", or course you can't lie about it, because the IRS is all knowing. But, just for kicks put a zero in the box and see if your final tax isn't a bit different. Like the exact amount of your stimulus. This my fellow Americana's is what I call Bush's last word.
Next, what about those guys who got the giant bonuses on our backs. The government can never get that money back legally. Now, how much more corruption has to happen to get the money back to the American citizen? These guys took their millions and left the country.
First it was the Banks that lead us into the horrible economy, but now the government has given more of our money to the people who put us here in the first place. Does it sound to you that we will live to see the recovery of this country. I don't think it will happen.
I have decided that I too, will now become part of the problem, I will take what is mine before there is nothing left of our once beautiful country. Our country has taught us that lies, corruption and slipping through loop holes is the American way. My fellow Americans it is time for us to become like our leaders. In fact it is time to say "I don't give a shit anymore".

MARLINS STADIUM

2009-02-13T07:40:00.002-05:00

I was watching the news and today is the vote to see if the city of Miami, will donate over three million dollars for a baseball stadium. Is this a no brainier or what? Yes there will be jobs generated and get some people to work, but since when is it the responsibility of the taxpayer to do this? Let me get this right, we are struggling to pay our mortgages and make ends meet, but for no profit at all, we are going to give 300 million dollars to a baseball stadium. The sports industry makes plenty of money as we pay for tickets and buy souvenirs and buy overpriced beer. If they want a place to play baseball, then they should pay for it. Seems to me that a state in such a crisis should not throw away money that belongs to the state, not even making an investment, because there is no return for the states donation. Correct me if I am wrong but does this sound like a good business decision?
There is plenty of money in this state, and something with a price tag this high should not be funded on the backs of the taxpayer. It should be funded in the private sector or by the team who is going to be profiting and playing at this site. We can't afford to give this kind of money away, the federal government has taken more money from the schools, now we want to give money to something that can sustain itself. This sounds like another corporate bail out to me.

CREDIT CARD IMPORTANT NOTICE

2009-02-04T08:15:00.002-05:00

I recently got my credit card bill and noticed that the interest rate had jumped from 7 percent to 18 percent. Are you kidding! Didn't they just get a bail-out? Didn't the American public pay for this?
Well, this is an outrage, I got on the phone to my Visa provider and asked to speak to a manager. First I told them that I couldn't believe that this was their contribution to helping Americans out of this financial slump. I asked if they were enjoying their bonuses, the representative that I spoke to did not get one, but I mentioned that their boss probably did. There was a moment of silence on the phone. I began the negotiations, first I mentioned that I make my payments on time, but will find it impossible to pay off this amount at the rate they are now charging me. I then told them that I will be forced to disburse my debt by filling bankruptcy and they will get nothing. I now have the attention of the representative. He asked me a few questions, one of the most important was my income, I responded by telling him that my income is half of what I made last year. Even if its not, this is an important answer. Don't feel bad if you have to lie to them, they don't care about you at all, and we should not be penalized any further for their poor management skills. I worked hard to achieve a low interest rate and they claimed that their costs had increased, and that was the reason for the jump in my interest rate.
Check out your credit card bills, don't tolerate the increase, get on the phone and demand your rights. Don't pay and pay for their incompetence, this is not the way to help the American people. The credit card companies made it so easy for us to go into debt, but now it is time for us to climb out of this hole, this is our first step. They did ask me not to use my card until my debt was reduced, I am more than happy to accommodate. I don't need anymore bills anyway.
Make the call! Don't be shy, get on the phone and help yourself out of the credit card mess. Be certain to monitor those interest rates, the banks are sneaky and may not even tell you they are going to stick it to you. Good luck. I got my interest rate reduced back to the original rate and credited the overcharged interest amount.

LIMPING AROUND

2009-01-27T08:53:00.002-05:00

I have been hiding in my house for months, ignoring my life outside these walls for months. I am getting back to my very busy routine. June called me and forced me to go out with friends, that was my first step. Shelah called and took me to spinning class, that was another step.
My TaeKwonDo school called and they missed me, so we made a barter, so that I could return. Last night was my first night back, boy did I forget everything I learned. I was feeling great when I arrived, after an hour of spinning I was warmed up and ready to go. We were have a great time, kicking, working a little bit with weapons, its always fun to whap yourself in the head with a numb-chuck, (that's how it feels anyway). Then it was time to put on the sparring gear, I am totally out of shape, so I took it slow, with hardly any contact. Things were going well, and then a freak accident occurred. I was pulling back and my partner was lifting his knee, what is the odds of a direct shot to the Charley horse bone. I landed on the ground in pain, my instructor tried to pick me up, but ended up carrying me off the floor instead. My calf swelled up like a football that was over inflated. I had to be carried to my car, Shelah drove me home, put an ice pack on me and took care of me.
This morning, it is still swollen, but I am walking and soon to be on my way to work. My first day back at class and now I am hobbling around on one leg. Makes me feel kind of normal again.

PARADISE SO CLOSE

2009-01-27T07:44:00.004-05:00

I have to be one of the luckiest people in the world, to live so close to so much beauty. My sister lives in the Florida Keys and Sunday we all got together for some fun in the sun. It was suppose to be a 4 hour picnic with friends and family, but who could leave until the sun had disappeared from the sky.

The kids were almost invisible, because they stayed so busy with playing in the sand, volleyball, kayaking, fishing and anything else they could find to do. The time passed so quickly as we took in the beauty of the sea and the smells of the islands, the fresh breeze.

To see more of the fun click Fun in the Sun

PRESIDENTAL HOPEFUL

2009-01-21T08:19:00.002-05:00

A magic moment in history, the day after Martin Luther King holiday, we inaugurate the first African American president. I now realize where women stand in the scheme of things!
Our new president has a huge job to accomplish, like fixing a sinking ship with a band aide. That scenario is impossible, to show his intentions he could have saved the American public millions just in the costs of the inaugural ball and parties. I understand that the American public probably needed all the hoopla, but I would have seen it as his first intentions to make the reality of his words come true.
Perhaps, I am much more practical, I do have more faith in our new president, than our last, he has a job that no one would want. Today is a new day and I hope that the budget can be put back where our fellow citizens can stop drowning. So many citizens have lost their jobs, homes and life as they once knew it. The American dream right now is a nightmare.
Obama has lifted our spirits and hopes, but those are only words, we do have to step up as Americans and stand our ground to make the changes that count. The war is costing billions, there are people getting rich, but it is not me or you. This is what started our down fall and it has to be the first thing to change in order for our recovery to begin.
History has changed this day and I hope this is the opportunity to give America a chance to be great again.

MISSING THE WATER

2009-01-15T08:03:00.003-05:00

I have be waiting for good weather to go out on the boat and that time finally came. Last weekend the boating weather was just perfect. Jason, my son and I prepared the boat for its adventure at sea, first problem was the battery, then after getting the engine started noticed that something just wasn't right. Through examination, myself and my mechanic determined that the water pump had dry rotted. I was so determined to get out, I suggested to Jason that we take the canoe for a trip. We decided on the Everglades. A little preparation and we were off toward Flamingo.

We launched the canoe and began paddling out toward the 10 thousand islands. Crocodiles lined the shore line, fat and content. Continuing our journey we saw so many birds, the beauty of the environment can set a soul free. The peace and beauty of nature that only a few can be a part of, I find myself with a growing smile. Jason and I brought a couple of fishing rods and had hopes of catching a fish or two that we saw jumping all around us. We caught a few fish, nothing for the frying pan though, a few cat fish and one little shark. Even though we did not add anything to the dinner plate, we found ourselves filling the emptiness and loss of the sea, back into our lives.

I sometimes think that in a past life I was living on the high seas, or perhaps below them. I find myself to be most complete when I am near the water. I miss crossing the ocean toward the islands of the Bahamas and the sea between us. For now I am content paddling my way in the beauty of the Everglades and back country.

As the day passed, Jason and I paddled the canoe toward an island full of all kinds of birds, as we approached they took flight and only made the sunset more beautiful as they graced the sky with their silhouettes. The sun now set we paddled our way back toward the shore, where we donated a little bit of blood to the mosquito's. Looking up toward the colors in the sky and beauty of the day we decided that tomorrow we would do it once again.

The next day we launched the canoe once again, taking a different path through the wilderness, the paddling was easy and again we watched birds fishing and flying, along with fish jumping all around us. The day was uneventful, yet memorable, again my soul filled with the missing elements that make me who I am. The water to me is like fuel, like eating, or breathing, it is something that is essential to my existence. I hope that this fuel will help me continue through life's journey with happiness and contentment.

RECOVERING KITTY

2008-12-30T20:08:00.004-05:00

My zoo residents are taxing my emotions to the maximum. If I had unlimited resources I would be the caretaker of all kinds of animals, I would take in every stray that needed a loving home.

These last few months have seen so much loss in my little animal kingdom, this time another of my kitties was missing for three days and I made my walk around the neighborhood each evening calling for him. It was Sunday morning and I was getting ready to make repairs on the screen on my patio, at the same time doing a kitty inventory as I do each day. When I noticed my missing kitty, Salty, was laying in the yard. I walked over to him and he did not get up to greet me, instead he was crying a loud meow, that I thought sounded different. When he tried to stand up, he fell over, he was breathing very hard and he had become dirty and skinny. I can't say what happened to him but he was in horrible condition, there wasn't a mark on him, no blood or obvious broken bones, but he was a mess.

I got on the phone and called Queenie, she rushed over to see if she could help, we got some water for him and food. Salty hesitated but finally began to eat and drink.

I can only wonder how he got back in the yard, when he could hardly stand up, I have a 6 foot privacy fence, but somehow out of sheer determination he scaled the fence and found his way home. Its been a couple of days now and he is not crying in pain, some of his injuries seem to be better, today he jumped up on the table for food. Most of the time he stays in the crate, even though I keep the door open. I can only hope that it was an accident of some type and not a person who injured my kitty. I wonder why anyone could hurt an animal, but I have so many animals because they have been abandoned or left to fend for themselves. I just don't understand why people find the lives of animals less important than their garbage.

A SMALL LOOK BACK

2008-12-30T09:19:00.003-05:00

Haven't written in awhile and I think the more time I spend at home the more things go wrong. I am getting back to my routine and looking for more work. I need to get back to my spinning class and my Karate class.
I take a look back at the passing year and have found so many good things, which always out weigh the bad ones.

I achieved my weight goal, but have gotten off track a bit.
I achieved State Champion in TaeKwonDo, and student of the month, and an award for the loudest Kihap.
I achieved my black belt.
My kids are healthy and happy.
My family is healthy and happy.
I have friends that are life long.
I manage a zoo of kritters.
I seem to make ends meet, even in times of trying economy.

There is so much more, but these are some of the important things that I can look back on and say I made it through another year. Like the good things I have a list of bad things, but I can't seem to recall them. Because, they have made me realise that looking at the positive and ignoring the negative gets me through each day with a smile on my face.

CHRISTMAS PARTY TIME

2008-12-15T06:51:00.003-05:00

I have the opportunity to enjoy something that I had somehow lost in the years gone by. Christmas parties with friends. Last weekend was a fantastic gathering of friends and family, well friends that are like my family. I wish that the rest of my gang could all get together more often and have festive parties.

This party was my second at the Davis house and as always, the food was as festive looking as its flavor. Certainly I ate my share of that famous fudge, my fingers were covered in confections while placing them on platters and my resistance became weak. I savored every bite of chocolate and cookies and all the other goodies Shelah presented.

The most fun was just being with the gang, ever since I left my Karate school I miss my daily doze of these freaky friends of mine.

I am low on cash this year, but I wanted to give something to everyone, so I got out my crochet hook and yard and began making hats, scarfs, purses and also made some candles, I even made my own Christmas cards, out of recyled materials. I had so much fun and I enjoyed the appreciation of my small gifts. Everybody was wearing one of my creations and they looked adorable in them. I can never thank my friends enough for letting me be part of their fun.

NANA CLAUS WORKSHOP

2008-12-14T18:23:00.005-05:00

I have a special love for arts and crafts and want to extend that love to my grandchildren and friends when I can. I arranged a Workshop for the kids and collected all kinds of goodies and piled them on the table for them. The minute they walked in the door they began grabbing things and letting their minds go wild. The workshop started at 7pm and continued until I had exhaustion on my head at about 11pm that evening.

There was 7 children in the group and all their minds work in different ways. They created some fantastic ornaments and miniature Christmas trees made out of pine cones. They were most successful out of making a mess, but isn't that what makes it fun. It was nice that they exhausted some of my supplies that have sat in boxes and draws for far too long. Instead, they created things that will last for years and bring memories of the fun we had at Nana Claus Workshop.

The fun didn't end there, my 4 grandchildren spent the night so that their parents could get a little bit of a break. The next morning my son came over, because he had a school project that had to be completed. It turned out fantastic, Jason always comes by to do the kids projects, because I have so many supplies.

After doing some cleaning I realized that I had not made anything for myself. I proceeded to create a center piece for the table. I admit that I had as much fun as the kids did. I hope that this tradition lasts for years, it gives the kids a chance to get excited about the Christmas Season when they become part of it.

SQUISHY

2008-12-11T08:31:00.003-05:00

Named by my granddaughter after the jellyfish in Finding Nemo, this kitty of mine was the most loving and wonderful of pets. I feel such loss for this beautiful creature, even though there is so many more kitty's left in my home, her face will always be in my mind. I remember her birth and her short life, that enriched my life and my love for animals. My dear Squishy you have brought love to my heart and every heart that you curled up with and purred.

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

2008-12-11T08:22:00.002-05:00

I had a wonderful time with family and friends, the time was too short. The food was excellent, here are a couple of pics for your enjoyment.

THE AFTERMATH

2008-12-02T07:05:00.002-05:00

I love the holidays and the travel, I find peace in the drive and love to travel. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving, had a great time with family and friends. I spent some wonderful time with my niece and nephew, who I miss being close. My sister and her employee (Joe, her husband), prepared a meal fit for royalty and I couldn't get enough of it. I gained the standard 5 pounds and now it is time to get it off for the next holiday.
Anyway, that was all fantastic until I got home. I gave myself a day to get back to the routine and rest before the week of work began again. I left my zoo behind and my temporary zoo keepers did a fantastic job. Everyone was waiting by the door when I got home, all 12 cats lined up with my dog, Baby in the middle. I opened the door and they all came in, things were great for awhile and then they decided to let me know that they were pissed off at me. My cats began marking everything in the house, the floors, the walls, my luggage, my computer, the counter tops, the freezer, any place and every place. I found myself spraying and disinfecting everything in sight. Thus leading me to throw every cat outside. Well if that wasn't enough, I went to check on my marine fish and found the tank was leaking all over the floor, as I was repairing that problem I had some laundry going. With wet towels in hand I make my way back to the laundry room only to find it was flooded, now it was time to clean up that mess and find out what was wrong there. After some time I ascertained that the drain was clogged, now I had to clean up the floor that was soaked into my storage room. Finishing the laundry by draining it out the back door I find the sink in the kitchen had also backed up onto the floor and the shower had backed up. Well, now exhausted and frustrated I sit back and ponder, what the hell! I think today I will get back to work and not worry about the little things, I got my work-out for the week.

QUESTION OF THE MONTH

2008-12-01T07:50:00.001-05:00

Thanksgiving has just passed and the question this month is "Did you eat too much?", just kidding! Really,

"Besides all the traditional food that is served on this wonderful Holiday, what did your feast have that was outstanding?"

CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAY

2008-11-27T07:32:00.000-05:00

Sorry no posts during the holiday, I am out of town eating myself into a comma.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING