A Good Omen; Back Home! Girls with Hammers; Grand Nieces; A Guy with Needle and Palm; A Singer, A Lawyer, Sushi and a Warning

It’s been a few days since the last blog… longer than I would have preferred, but our schedule since arriving home back in The Villages has been just a bit hectic. When we departed Suwanee State Park in Lee, Florida, we got an early start, and had this beautiful sunrise sky to look at
for a few miles. We regarded it as a good omen for our homecoming.

After getting off the Interstate and regular back roads, we arrived in The Villages to find some changes. The trees, golf courses and lawns seemed greener and more lush than when we left… probably due to the heavier than normal rain over the past couple of months. As we pulled onto our street, Rudy and Gretchen were sitting in Suzanne’s lap, and his nose was twitching like crazy. After saying hello to our neighbors, we got to work and unloaded The Coach. We were fortunate in having Suzanne’s friend Elizabeth volunteer to work like a dog unloading. Then Bev Garlipp arrived just in time to help with the new painting that Suzanne’s friend Barry Mack had sent her. (Now, guys, imagine my concern when Elizabeth asked for a hammer and screwdrivers… I made the mistake of laughing and saying, “What, girls with tools?” Fortunately I was outside the arc of the hammer in her hand, so I felt safe.) 

 
 
 
We were all amazed at how perfectly Barry’s gift fit in the intended space and matched the color scheme in the study.  I have to admit, the ladies actually did a pretty good job of hanging  Barry’s  stunning painting… like the Brits say, “I guess I have been made redundant.” It took two days to completely empty The Coach’s closets, cabinets and belly compartments, and get her cleaned her up inside and out. It was amazing how much stuff she was carrying. Our garage is now an official disaster area until I get it re-organized. 
 

Just about the time we were arriving home, Suzanne’s niece Lisa and her daughter Zoe arrived at Suzanne’s mom Ruthie’s house for a visit. We stopped by, and watched in wonder as Zoe ran from room to room at top speed half a dozen times. Then Lisa and Zoe visited us in The Coach
and at our house.

Lisa and Zoe were heading to Disney for an entire day, and have this great picture with Cinderella to prove it. Lisa said that at the end of the day, Zoe went to sleep before they even got out of the Disney parking lot. Lisa deserves a vacation after this week; I don’t know how she keeps up with her 3 year old!
















We are still recovering from several long days unpacking and cleaning, and also getting used to the last time zone change. One morning I actually got up at 0600 for a walk in the dark and caught this sunrise at 0700. It’s a quiet and peaceful time, and listening to the birds wake up and start their chirping was a real treat.   






Shortly after my walk, Rudy and Gretchen awoke and asked to go outside, where they met their friend Suki. I chatted with our neighbor Chris, Suki’s nominal “owner”, but we all know who the boss is in any dog family. The three puppies exchanged summer adventure stories for a few minutes and then got down to important business… 










Over the past couple of days, I have assumed my alternate persona as Mr. Fix-It. After being snubbed as part of the painting erection crew (no snide remarks there, please!), I got my first assignment. My Lovely Bride was at the sink and turned on the disposal, whereupon a loud bang was heard, followed by water gushing out from under the sink. The disposal’s plastic case had developed a crack, and was now leaking badly.









Off to the store for a new one, and an hour or so later, out goes the old unit and in goes the new one. Then I got assignment number two. Suzanne’s roller suitcase’s back zipper was coming off, and she was worried that it would get snagged by a conveyor belt on her upcoming trip to Greece. Knowing that I had saved my ditty bag of sailor’s palm, needles and sail thread from our sailboat, I was detailed to make repairs. I even got ribbed for letting the girls do the work with hammer and screwdrivers while being assigned sewing tasks. Sometimes My Lovely Bride
is not very amusing. At least I had Rudy to commiserate with.

On Friday night we took some time off from the house and went to dinner with our friends Lawyer Gail and Nashville singer-songwriter Karen Taylor-Good. We met at our favorite Japanese sushi restaurant in Sumter Landing. As we arrived, Gail and Karen were debarking from Gail’s car, which was parked in a rather obvious (but unmarked) “no parking” area. I asked Gail if she liked living dangerously, but she laughed and said, “Hey, I’m fine there. There’s no sign saying ‘No Parking.'” O-kay… don’t say I didn’t warn you… 





We had a great dinner, with lots of laughing, and proceeded out to the cars to find a red warning posted on Gail’s windshield. Gail is a public defender in Marion County, and thought she was safe, since we weren’t in Marion County, where the local police have a 24/7 APB out to track her down and give her a citation, warranted or not. “Sorry, Gail… guess the word’s out!” 

Karen is in town for a concert Sunday evening at the North Lake Presbyterian Church, behind Home Depot in Lady Lake. Because Suzanne has a very early reveille at 0300 Monday morning for her trip to Greece, we will be unable to attend, but we encourage everyone to attend and experience Karen’s lovely voice and incredible talent. Also see Karen’s web site at www.karentaylorgood.com .