Easter Weekend Florida Style

 

We were blessed to be able to spend our Easter weekend with both friends and family and in both instances, found a feeling of normalcy and hope. Like so many, last Easter was spent at home, just the two of us.  We missed our Good Friday tradition of Stations of the Cross, followed by a bit of bar hopping with friends.  A tradition that began in Michigan and has since been carried on in Florida.  And, the Easter season is a prime time for family visitors here in Florida, but that was not happening last year as well.

This year, with the vaccine in all our arms, we were able to celebrate together, give hugs and generally pick up on life as we knew it before the word lockdown came into our vocabulary.  Spring and the Easter season always feel hopeful, but this year, the smiles on our faces seem just a bit brighter.

I hope you felt the same.

Seize the Day

 

Thoughts on life today as we hopefully near the end stages of the pandemic and start to feel some hope. From the beginning, at least after I was able to do my own research and not get caught up in the media hysteria, I have not let worry about the virus overtake my life.  Yes, be safe and follow the guidelines based on science, but not so frightened that I kept to my house and didn’t see anyone.  

I live by that motto that life is short and you need to your spend your time intentionally.   My daughters needed to see me and I needed to see them.  We did it as safely as possible and I have no regrets for the time we were able to spend together this year.  Family is everything and I really feel sad for those who have not felt comfortable seeing their loved ones for a whole year.  That is too many memories lost, never to be found.

The hope comes from the vaccine and every shot it the arm is one step closer to normal.  Every time I see our Governor giving the vaccine totals and announcing new locations to receive the first shot, I feel myself silently cheering.  Thank goodness for the scientists, because this is about more than the hospitals, the economy and even the simple act of going to a restaurant.  It’s about that human connection that we all need.  

So yes, I am approaching this new year as the year to start to make those connections again.  Two things happened yesterday towards that goal.  I had lunch here in Florida with a Michigan friend who lost her husband suddenly last September.  I gave her a big hug when I saw her and have no regrets about that. Then later, I started to rebook a Key West trip with my daughters that was supposed to happen last Mother’s Day weekend.  It was something that I needed after my Mother’s passing  (one year ago ) and while Covid may have delayed it, we will wear our masks and make it happen this Mother’s Day.  

Have a wonderful weekend.

Social Christmasing

 

When all this social distancing started way back in the spring, I never thought it would extend to Christmas, but it did and we worked really hard to make the best of a weird time and place.  We flew to Michigan (empty airports, especially Detroit) and flying feels as safe as going to the grocery store if you take the proper steps.  No issues, beyond a delayed flight and seven straight hours with a mask on lol.

In Michigan, we rented a house, so it was just our family.  We cooked a lot of good food, enjoyed many bottles of good wine and festive cocktails and stayed up late either talking or playing cards.  My daughter Melissa, hosted us on Christmas Day with a lovely table of appetizers as well.  Extended family were visited with via Zoom.

Our one outing included dinner in a private outdoor dining structure that luckily was heated and then we enjoyed some intense family competition at Top Golf, also heated and a private bay.  I think everyone in the Detroit area had the same idea, but I had made reservations in advance and all was smooth and covid friendly at check in.

We had a wonderful time and I have no regrets about going.  Time with our daughters is precious to me, especially on Christmas.  And, to top things off, we even woke up to snow on Christmas morning.

Happy Wednesday!

A Visit in Photos

 

What a lovey time we had the past few days.  My daughter Melissa who lives in Michigan and her boyfriend, came to visit for the first time in many months.  I think if anything good has come from Covid quarantines it is that we all appreciate our time together just a little bit more.  And take nothing for granted.

We went to the beach one day, golfed one day, went to some fun Florida type places for dinner and tropical drinks, but they wanted to relax and soak up the sun, so the best place to do that was poolside.  The best decision we made yet (besides moving to Florida in the first place) was putting in our pool, just for times like this.

And, it made our hearts happy to see them enjoying our home.  Pittsburgh daughter and son in law come in a few weeks and we look forward completing the reconnections and putting these separations behind us.

My Covid Air Travel Experience

First, let me say that I am currently keeping myself home for 2 weeks since I traveled.  It seems there are a lot of opinions out there, but I was very careful, do not live in a hot spot (my area of Florida is fine) and was not going to a hot spot.  I think people need to make their own decisions as long as guidelines are followed.

I flew from Ft. Myers to Pittsburgh and did everything I could to be as safe as possible.  I chose to fly Southwest Airlines because the middle seats are open through September.  I paid for early check in so I could make sure and get a window seat.  I carried on my bag, so less people would touch it.  I had wipes to clean surfaces and my hands when I touched anything.

The airports were quite empty and everyone was wearing a mask, no exceptions.  There was a constant reminder over the speaker that it was required in the terminal.  Because it was so empty, there was plenty of room to spread out and social distance.  Southwest boarded ten at a time, so there was no backup on the jetway.

My flights had fewer than fifty people, so again, plenty of room to spread out.  Masks were required at all times and everyone had a row to themselves.  Only water and a small snack were offered.

Overall I was very impressed with both Southwest Airlines and the airport terminals for the protocol they had in place.  People were respectful of social distancing.  It felt safer than Publix at times where I find many to be oblivious.  Obviously, traveling is not something we as a country are all going to run out and do on a whim, but it was important to me to see my daughters.  We stuck close to my daughter’s home and it all felt just fine.  I never thought I would have this to contend with when I moved away from family, so at some point, you figure out a way.  You can see from these smiles any travel angst was worth it.

June (so far) In Photos

Yes, Florida covid numbers are up, but in my little Gulf Coast bubble, we are fine.  We are smart and mainly do things outside if we go out it the world.  Not a lot of words today, but a lot of pretty pictures showing I have been golfing, gardening, enjoying my beautiful surroundings and having a few cocktails on restaurant patios.

Just another month in paradise.

May So Far - In Photos

Now that we have a bit of freedom to enjoy life in Florida again, May seems to be moving along much faster than life in quarantine.  We have made up for lost time on the beach and have even gone out to dinner once using all the social distancing guidelines that are in place. We live in an oasis of calm, without a lot of tourists and I felt totally comfortable.  It was so exciting to order a cocktail and have it served to me.

I have been planting all kinds things in my neighborhood, for my HOA Landscape Chair position and I love having a huge space to be creative.  It was fun to go to the plant nursery and design the clubhouse flower bed.

Mother’s Day was without my daughters, but they sent beautiful tulips, we face timed (via Pittsburgh and metro Detroit) and my hubby picked up our favorite steak salad, seafood bisque (with a shot of sherry on the side) and key lime pie.

We took coffee and doughnuts to the beach one morning and spent quiet evenings marveling at the beautiful spot we have created, where the sunset is something to be celebrated every night.

Feeling normal feels good.  Have a great weekend.

A Little Pout

In my favorite movie, Terms of Endearment,  Emma (Debra Winger) tells her husband “I think I’m entitled to a little pout” when he shares news about an upcoming move. In light of all the things being cancelled due to Coronavirus, what I am sharing is not nearly of the same magnitude, but it still feels sad to me.

After my mother passed away in February, I got it in my head that I could get through the funeral and the first weeks of grief, if I had a plan in place to spend time with my daughters.  Time gets away and since we live in three different cities, it’s important to keep connected.  I knew it would help me heal.

After much schedule arranging, we made plans for them to fly to Florida for Mother’s Day weekend, all meet in Ft. Myers and take a boat to Key West together.  A weekend of sunsets, margaritas and bar hopping on Duval Street was in store.  And lots of catching up.

Sounds so simple, but right now, seems unimaginable how we can even reschedule.  I know we will figure out a way to be together, even if it’s a weekend around my pool, but the fact that I should be giving them both a hug right now is making me sad.  And worth a little pout.

Happy Mother’s Day

Cinco de Mayo Beach Style

As life starts to open up in Florida, we are finding ways to get back to normal, but in a smart way.  We all feel pretty comfortable with being outside and maintaining social distancing.  Social interaction with friends is necessary and in the midst of this cataclysmic change to how we interact, we will find new and different ways to connect.

Dinner parties at home are out, but what we did for Cinco de Mayo, may become the new normal.  We each brought our own “picnic dinner”.  We each brought our own margaritas.  We were the required distance apart, but conversation still flowed freely.  We laughed, we shared stories and we did everything we could to build a bridge between what was and what will have to be.

We are blessed to live in a beautiful location, with wide open space on the beach.  There was no one around our little group of six, the gulf breezes are nothing but heathy and the sunset is a balm to the soul.  How could anyone say that this type of moving forward is a bad thing?

Happy Wednesday!

Florida Opening

First, don’t believe everything you see on the news or read about Florida’s response to Coronavirus.  The residents were not the ones congregating on the beaches during spring break.  We were already sheltering in place, because we were concerned about our neighbors, many who are elderly and at risk.  We patiently waited for the influx of visitors to lessen and have been following the rules since then.  Our governor has taken a one size does not fit all approach and is treating the hot spots and vulnerable populations differently than the areas less affected and continues to give power to local governments.

My county (Sarasota), never a hot spot, has opened our beaches for walking, but kept the parking lots closed for now.  This gives locals the opportunity to get back on our beaches, with proper social distancing.  On Monday, Florida begins “Phase One” where restaurants are opening with capacity limits and those of us who are healthy, are free to go out and about with guidelines on masks, group size and continued social distancing when possible.

The Governor  talked about hope and seeing a light at the end of the tunnel today at his news conference.  And, not giving in to fear.  Going for a walk on the beach today, with very few people around, gave me that sense of the hope he was talking about.  Just a little bit of normalcy, with common sense, was just what I needed and something I hope you all can experience soon too.

Stay at Home Reading List

I realize that for some of us, the strict stay at home orders may be coming to an end, but it still looks like we will be advised to continue social distancing a bit more, at least until the summer months.  I always find myself reaching for something to read, rather than the remote, so here is my Stay at Home/ Pre Summer list of books I want to read in the weeks ahead.

The next book I plan to download will be the latest featuring private detective,  V.I. Warshawski .  It’s one of my favorite series and really never disappoints after all these years (first in series published in 1982).  The rest on the list are a mixture of familiar and new and as always, I hope to discover a book I get caught up in and can’t put down. I have high hopes that American Dirt might be that one.  If you are a reader and book nerd like me, you know exactly what I am talking about.

Happy Reading!


Dead Land by Sara Parentsky  (V.I. Warshawski series)

Camino Winds by John Grisham

American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins

Willa’s Grove by Laura Munson

The King’s Justice by Susan Elia MacNeal  (a Maggie Hope Mystery)