RULES FOR LIVING

At the start of the new millennium the Dalai Lama apparently issued eighteen rules for living. I just ran across these while surfing the internet.  The list may have been put together over 12 years ago, but they are definitely still relevant to today.  I thought I would share them here and also have them recorded so I can refer to them.
Given I love to travel I really like number 16 though I think there maybe more important ones.

1. Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
3. Follow the three Rs:
   1. Respect for self
   2. Respect for others
   3. Responsibility for all your actions.
4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.
5. Learn the rules so you know how to break them properly.
6. Don’t let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
7. When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
8. Spend some time alone every day.
9. Open your arms to change, but don’t let go of your values.
10. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.
11. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you’ll be able to enjoy it a second time.
12. A loving atmosphere in your home is the foundation for your life.
13. In disagreements with loved ones, deal only with the current situation. Don’t bring up the past.
14. Share your knowledge. It’s a way to achieve immortality.
15. Be gentle with the earth.
16. Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been before.
17. Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other.
18. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

KEY WEST VISIT

I've just returned from a 3 day trip to Key West.  This is equivalent to a three day trip to Sault Ste Marie when I lived in MI.  What I mean by that is 8 hour drive to get there and 8 hour drive home so only really a day and a half  in Key West.  But it was a very interesting time.

I went down with good friends Pam and Allen and we stayed at a  lovely tropical resort about 3 miles out of downtown Key West.  It was a beautiful resort though we didn't really have time to enjoy what it had to offer.  The interesting thing is we had a two story room which started on the second story of a building.  I had the upstairs room which meant I was on the third floor.  I had my own bedroom and my own private bathroom.  I was very happy to discover I can still climb stairs without a problem after a year of living where everything is on one level. 

When we made our reservations for our trip we did not know that they would correspond with a two week Key West celebration called Fantasy Fest.  For information on what Fantasy Fest is or pictures  you can go at your own risk......People were definitely living out their fantasies at least their freedom from cloth clothing fantasies.  It was quiet an education in  human nature for us.  Would I go back to Key West during this time??????  Not sure is the answer.  We were told by several of our waitresses or bartenders that most of the people taking part where visitors and not Key West natives. As one waitress said...."Those of us that live in Key West can't take part in this.  We have to work!"  A bartender told us "If you really want to see something interesting you need to be here Friday when the clothing optional cruise ship docks..."  OKAY.......we left for home on Tuesday.

In all fairness to Key West public nudity is illegal.  It's just that for them clothing does not have to be made of fabric.  It can just be a coat of paint or a piece of chain link.  I do have to admit though that some of the paint jobs where absolutely amazing!  Not my style, but amazing none the less. 

A DAY AT HOME ALONE

I am into my second year in Florida and getting close to moving into my fourth year alone as a married single person.  Time really does move by quickly.  At times that scares me and at other times I find it a relief that time goes by so quickly,  That is how my whole life seems to have been.  A series of contradictions. I hate being alone and I love being alone.  I'm married and yet I am single. I don't know how both can exist at the same time but they do. 

I can't help but wonder what the future will bring.  At times I think I know what I would like my future to look like then in the blink of my eye I'm not so sure. I guess it will be what it will be and I will find a way to embrace it and make the most of it. 

As for tonight and this moment I will make my dinner, eat it in front of the TV and well after dinner who knows.  I'm not sure what I will find myself doing but I know whatever it is I will do it alone.  Today has been a day of being alone.  Tomorrow will be with others. 

ONE YEAR!

One year ago today I arrived in Florida and began the process of restarting and rebuilding my life.  It has been a year of ups and downs; of challenges and excitement. I still believe it was the right thing for me to do and do not regret making the move.  There are many things I love about living in Florida and the weather is only one of them.  I definitely DO NOT miss winter and its cold, snow and ice.  Yes the summer had its hot and humid days, but Maryland has them as well.  We actually had less severe weather than they did this summer.  I know they had lots of threats of severe weather since I can't get Montgomery county to stop sending me the text messages on my cell phone.  Currently the fall weather here, though wetter than usual, is beautiful. 

I have been very busy since arriving in Florida.  I did have a slow start due to not being able to find a doctor and getting treatment for my RA for the first 4 months, but once that challenge was met and I got back my flexibility and for the most part lost the pain I got busy.  My energy level isn't what it used to be, but that may have as much to due to age as RA.  I can do a lot in a day or maybe even two, but then I need to really rest for a day or two.  An example is I can go to Disney World and spend the day and maybe also evening walking around with no problem, but then the next day I need to have planned R&R to get back my energy level. 

What have I been doing this year.

• I've joined a number of "clubs" in The Villages.  Most that I have joined deal with my interests such as Card Making, Quilting, and Disney.  Some are purely social such as neighborhood and church gatherings and a few activities for singles.
• I have learned how to play several new card games such as Samba and Texas Hold 'em, and have become reacquainted with Canasta a card game of my childhood and youth.  
• I have read a lot. And I do mean a lot!  I've collected the books in a box to give away at some point and there are currently over 30 in there. That doesn't count the library books I've read or those that were loaned to me by others.
• One thing I have really enjoyed is learning how to line dance more than just The Electric Slide.  I have spent a fair number of evenings dancing and listening to music at one of The Village squares.  (As of last weekend we now have three free music venues every night and that doesn't count the musical entertainment at the various bars.)  
• I've made a few short trips to visit other parts of my new home state.  One trip took me over to Tarpon Springs on the Gulf Coast.  As part of that trip I revisited places from the past when my parents lived in Bayonet Point.  Sadly their old neighborhood was looking pretty run down.  But looking back on good times had there was fun.
• There have been lots of trips to Disney World.  I've gotten more than my money's worth out of my annual pass.  It was a good investment and I have enjoyed the relaxed nature of visiting there when you know you can always come back to see what you miss.  There have been fun free concerts and other events such as Epcot's Flower and Garden show and now its Food and Wine Festival. With an annual pass and shopping restraint a visit to WDW can be very inexpensive for FL residents.  
• I am finding a variety of volunteer opportunities.  Some of these are directly tied to volunteer experiences I had in MD such as working with 4-H, packing food bags for the homeless, and our quilt guilds up coming quilt show scheduled for January of 2013.  I'm also finding new activities involved with support of military personnel deployed overseas and their families, working with craft classes for people living in assisted living homes and soon I will be working with a craft group meeting in a new women's prison in Ocala.  

I am definitely not bored!  I thought I would be going to the movies more once I moved down here since it is much less expensive to do so down here than up north, but I actually haven't.  Partly I just don't find the time to do so, partly I think why pay money for such things when there are so many free things to do.  The truth is actually probably more that I just don't like to go to movies alone.  If I'm going to watch something alone I'll sit at home and do it on my TV. 

One thing I have learned about life in TV (The Villages) is people eat out A LOT! They eat out before group activities, they eat out after group activities.  They eat out after card games and after golf games.  Church on Sunday morning....go out for brunch afterwards!  Nothing specific to do on a Thursday evening find a group of friends and go out for dinner. Going for an early morning walk or exercise class go out for breakfast afterwards. I think between all the various groups I am involved with I could probably eat out at least 8 or 9 meals a week.  I don't though; too much money and way too many calories.  I eat out 1 or maybe 2 meals a week.  Consequently, I spend a lot of time begging off invitations to join in dining out.  The other thing done a lot down here is drinking.  Booze is cheap in most bars. Most have Happy Hours all day and night long.  I've seen bumper stickers that say "The Villages--a drinking community with a golfing problem!"

All the above said what is my favorite activity in The Villages.  Well other than going down to Disney World I think my favorite activity remains driving around TV in my golf cart.  There's something freeing about it.  I love being out in the fresh air.  I also like not having to visit the gas pump with it.  It's electric!  Oh and I love the cloud formations in FL.  They can be absolutely breath taking! 

I have met a lot of wonderful people, made lots of friendships and am now cementing those friendships which are becoming deeper than others.  I still miss my friends from Maryland and hope one day some of them will wander down this way to visit.  I definitely miss my family members, but they all have lives of there own that they are now involved with.  I look forward to their coming down to visit as well as my going back to visit with them. 

Now on into my second year.  I am looking forward to what God has planned for me in this next year.  He has indeed been good to me so far.  He has guided my steps and protected me when I've needed protection.  He is my strength and my hope.  I am daily amazed at the depth of his love and his grace. I praise God and give thanks to him for all he has done for me.

THE MAGIC IN LIFE

They say time flies when you are having fun. Then again my very wise Grandmother always told me that the older you get the faster time goes by!  I sure would like to believe the first sentiment is why time is flying by so fast for me, though I know there is much truth in my Grandmother's wisdom as well.

I can hardly believe that in one more week I will have been in FL for a year!  So much has gone on in that year and I have learned so much about myself, but more on that next week.  Today I want to reminisce on last evening.

It was another in a long line of trips to  Walt Disney World. (I have certainly gotten the worth out of my annual pass this year!)  This time heading to EPCOT for a visit to The Food and Wine Festival.  While riding down on the bus I was musing on how I hadn't been as excited about this trip as I had others in the past and wondered if maybe I had been one too many times to WDW.  This I found a rather distressing thought!

 It had been a rather dreary day so far and the afternoon before I had spent standing out in an unexpected downpour watching a parade in The Villages.  It had been a dreary day all long yesterday as well.  I've been to Disney in the rain and was prepared with my disposable rain poncho, but really didn't want to face that yesterday.  Could this be part of my malaise?  I think so.  As we got closer to WDW the clouds broke up and the sun came out.  Disney magic at work???  By the time we arrived it was a beautifully sunny afternoon and the humidity had dropped like a dead weight. The excitement had returned.  I think I had just been sun deprived!

Faith and I started our trip by stopping in at Innovations West to have our free picture taken with Disney Characters, courtesy of  Chase and our Disney Visa cards.  Who would we meet today?  Ah, it's Minnie and Goofy.  I loved standing next to Goofy; he's my height. Then on to the Festival Center.  We just missed the free wine tasting, which I was sorry about since it was a South African wine they were offering, but we got our free chocolate and then broke down and each purchased a small cup of pure liquid enchantment; Ghirardelli Drinking Chocolate.  It was a decadently rich, slightly warm, liquid chocolate bar. I've never tasted anything like it.  YUM! 

Now it was time to move on into the Festival itself.  I had already had a preview of it a week earlier when at a friends invitation I joined her for a special day long presentation on the planning and building of EPCOT.  That event is another whole story, not for today.  ( I really need to get back to posting here more often!)
Anyway I already know the layout for the Festival and that the food was wonderful!  The big decision now in front of up is which of the 21 countries food booths to choose from.  What a dilemma. Not being able to decide, mainly because we really weren't hungry after that amazing chocolate drink, we headed back to the concert stage and the Boyz ll Men concert.  By this time I was into full Disney wonderment mode and it would only grow the rest of the evening.

I finally did settle on some food choices as the evening wore on.  Before we left for home I had Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll from Germany; Baklava from Morocco; Steamed Mussels in Hoegaarden Beer Broth with a Baguette to sop up the broth; Dark Chocolate Mousse with Chili and Salted Carmel; and a Pumpkin Ale from Blue Moon.  All very tasty and just the right size portions and price. 

Why do I love Disney so much?  I think it is simple.  For me it is a magical place.  It's a place I can go and feel like dreams really can come true.  The sun suddenly comes out on an otherwise dreary day.  People are smiling, kids eyes are wide with wonder, and after a while mine are too.  EPCOT and the world showcase let me travel to places I've always dreamed of going but will in all likelihood never make it to.  Lat night we went to France.  As I sat in the theater watching the scenes of Paris, The Riviera, and the French Alps I could close out the theater and feel I was there.  At Disney I can go to concerts and revisit the music I love and all the concerts I never went to when I was younger and best of all they don't cost me anything additional.   But the best was yet to come. The Illuminations laser light show.

I can not describe the feeling I had watching this show.  I've seen it many times before and loved it.  I never tire of it.  Last night when watching it I had such a sense of wonder at its power and its beauty.  It no longer mattered that I was getting older, that I was returning to a home where I lived alone, that at times my body ached and I don't want to get out of bed.  For this moment everything was right!  For this moment I was sharing with tens of thousands the wonder of Disney and magic of not what is but what can be.

This is why I love going to Disney.  It's a happy positive place where people go to experience sharing in a love of a Mouse and the wonder of our world.  Call it escape. Call it what you will.

 I call it MAGIC!

Easy or hard?

Just wondering....is it easy or is it really hard to admit what you really think about your life?

I'M HERE!

Yes I'm still around.  I know I said I would be better about posting but I guess that I haven't.  Maybe my excuse is the weather still isn't so hot that I don't want to be out and about.  Actually I'm not sure that is will ever be down here.  One of the things I find so different about the heat here compared to MD summer heat is that here there is always a wonderful breeze.  Also most places I go have so much available shade that between the breeze and being able to often get out of the direct sun the heat is very bearable and for me even enjoyable.  Also the humidity, at least so far has not been at all oppressive. I think that also has to do with the breezes.

So what have I been up to?  Still meeting people though I have seemed to settle into 6 different groups and am focusing on meeting and getting to know people within these groups.  Some are purely social groups, others are craft oriented ones and others are groups that deal with issues of being single in a couples world.
 
 One of the groups is focused on learning how to use Photo Shop Elements and edit pictures that are less than perfect.  This is what I did last Friday.  I have owned and attempted to use PSE for quite a few years.  I could do a bit with it; lots of cropping and auto fixing.  I knew it could do so much more though. Not being particularly "computer literate" I struggled with understanding how to do anything but the basics.  The PSE Club which meets once a month has been a wonderful learning experience.  This Friday I learned one method for taking a photo and making it better.  The instructor said she used it on basically all photos even the ones that originally look very nice.  This is the picture we learned on:

 A beautiful passion flower.  Not a bad picture by most standards, at least not in my mind.

Here is what we ended up with after doing a bit of photo editing:

I think after the editing the flower really pulls out from the background and pops.  Even the colors are more vibrant. It probably still isn't the best it could be, but I was impressed. One thing that does pother me about photo editing on a lap top though is that I'm still not sure how it really looks since it changes with how I have my screen angled.  So I guess until you do a test print I really wouldn't know how it truly is.  You may actually be seeing on your monitor a not so good picture.  I don't know, but for me I am very happy with it.

Next I tackled a picture that I took after Stephanie's graduation.  I didn't think the picture was going to turn out too well because of the direction of the sun and when I downloaded it I was so right.  It was not at all a good picture.  Before the class I played around with some auto correction, but I still was not happy with it.

Here is what I ended up with after the class.  Still not perfect but I think much better.  Maybe in future classes I will learn some other techniques to fix some of the remaining problems like the white spots on her robe.  Maybe I will get up the courage to try and figure out how to fix them on my own now that I am understanding some of the ways PSE does things.

 Ah yes life in The Villages is good on many levels.  I like the weather so far, I like the people I am meeting, and I really like the opportunities I have to learn new things without having to pay for each class.  The clubs here are amazing and people are so willing to share their knowledge with others. 

LOVIN' FL!!!!

I'm still loving FL.  Loving it so much in fact I don't find time to post here.  I will try to do better.  Maybe when it gets too hot to be outside the house much......

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Welcome to 2012.  I can't say I am sad to see 2011 end.  It was a rather turbulent year; not only for me but so many of my friends.  There were so many losses.  I pray that 2012 is a calmer and more peaceful year for all.

THE EXPECTANT ATTITUDE OF FAITH

Once again a statement from my morning devotion struck me as an important one for my life.  A question actually and one I need to work on the answer for.  I know it has been a question I have not been able to answer in the affirmative for a very long time. I think once I could and I want to be able to say yes once again.  I want to be able to say yes without reservation, but I don't think I'm there yet.  The question...

"Can you get the expectant attitude of faith?"

The devotion goes on to explain what is meant by this with another quesation.  It is what actually caught my attention.  

"Not waiting for the next evil to befall you but awaiting with a child's joyful trust the next good in store?"

It's been a long time in my life since I have trusted that good was in store for me.  Even when I knew there was good I always waited for things to go bad, because in my experience they always did.  Good never lasted forever.  It always ended and that was life.  Even now as good as life has been for the two months I find myself not trusting it.  Waiting for the "other shoe to drop".  I know there are still mountains to be climbed and challenges to  be faced in my life.  Many things are not yet settled, but why not face them with an expectant attitude of faith trusting that good is in store not more pain?  Past life would tell me this is naive.   God would tell me this is true trust and faith in Him rather than faith in others, myself, and the world.

FIRST SIGHTING!

Yesterday I had my first sighting that told me "Yes you do live in Florida".  I was coming home in my golf cart after watching the Christmas Parade which was held at the polo grounds.  (It by the way was wonderful.  I will try and get some pictures up here of it.)  Suddenly I saw a group of golf carts pulled off into the grass by a pond.  Being the curious person I am I stopped as well to see what was going on.  (You can do that when traveling by golf cart.  You just pull off onto the grass.) Everyone was pointing and there were a few cameras out.  I happened to have mine with me since I had been at the parade.  Off in the distance, not too far from peoples back yards was a gator sitting out and taking advantage of the afternoon sun. He was a pretty good sized one too!  This is one of the reasons I wouldn't pay a premium to be living with a pond or lake in my back yard.  Another would be slithery things that like to hang out in the tall grasses along the pond.  YUK! I like my nice small, just another house behind it back yard.  Suits me just fine!

STILL FINDING QUOTES

I just finished a book by Sue Monk Kidd.  It is called Firstlight.  The very last couple of sentences in the book are a keeper for me.

"Ultimately we are  reborn to love, because in this expanding, gracious space within us, we arrive at the astonishing presence of God at the core of our life.  We blunder into the heart of God and find our own. "

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS.......

 

My little Christmas tree is up and decorated.  Candles are placed.  A stocking is hung, though not by a chimney.  the nativity sets are displayed.  My home is ready for Christmas or at least as ready as it will be.  I even have a snowman hanging outside my front door.  Though my decorations are somewhat simple I can't say the same about many of the outside decorations on the homes in my neighborhood, and decorations in my neighborhood pale in comparison to others found elsewhere in The Villages. 

Here are a few pictures I took on an evening walk a few nights ago. 

The snowman head on the top of  a lamp post is seen throughout The Villages.  Many people have these and they have them for other holidays as well.  At Halloween and for Thanksgiving many lamp posts were topped by pumpkins.

One of these nights I plan to get into my golf carts and take a cruise around The Villages to see other decorations up close.  The newspaper is going to have a map of some of the best displays I think tomorrow so I will use that for my guide.  There are several locations I know that are not only large but they are synced up to music that you can tune in on your radio.  Of course my golf cart doesn't have a radio so I will miss that part.  But that's okay.

COOKING WITH GAS AND DRIVING WITH ELECTRICITY

One of the challenges for me here in my new home is learning to cook with gas.  I've been an electric girl my whole life.  It's not all that bad and I'm getting used to it.  I'm very happy with how the oven bakes.  This banana bread is yummy!

I'm meeting new challenges almost every day.  Some are more difficult than others.  One of the other challenges I have met and am really enjoying is traveling by golf cart.  For about two weeks the cart intimidated me.  I have now mastered it and love it.  I'm even driving it a night now.  It is a very relaxing way to travel.  Speed is not a factor with golf carts.  Especially not with electric ones.  I think my top speed is about 15 miles per hour.  I've also noticed that one sees so much more of the area you are traveling though when going by cart than by car.  As I get to know The Villages I've started taking a Sunday drive.  Going no where in particular, but just enjoying the sights of The Villages, discovering new neighborhoods and really enjoying being out in the sunshine and fresh air.  These little excursions remind me of Sunday drives from my youth.

TODAY'S TASK

Before I get to what I accomplished today let me say I think this place must be Camelot!  I woke up this morning at about 7am to pouring rain.  It was really coming down hard.  After listening to it for a while I decided I needed to go get the days newspaper out of the driveway before it was totally soaked and unreadable like my paper in MD was if caught in the rain.  On went the rain coat over the PJ's and I ran out barefoot and being amazed at the warmth since the sun had not yet come up.  There was no need to worry about the readability of my paper.  It was wrapped so well nothing was going to soak through.  Very, very nice!  The morning news said it was supposed to rain pretty much all day, but stop by early evening in time for trick or treating.  Well not in The Village!  Dawn came and by 9am the rain had stopped and by 10 the sun was out!  Another beautiful day in TV. 

Now on to the organizational task for the day.  One of the few pieces of furniture that I brought from Maryland, other than craft room stuff, was the desk that lived in the bedroom.  I took everything out of it to move it and not only had to put that stuff back but had found more to go in.   This is what it was looking like in its new home along the dining room wall. Not a pretty sight!  So I pulled up a chair and got to work. 

It took a while to find a place for everything, but after about an hour here is what it looked like.  Much improved!  Everything had a designated location.  One thing is for sure.  I don't think I will need to purchase any pens, pencils, markers or paper pads for the rest of my life,  I have more than enough......probably I have enough for several lifetimes.

One thing that I really like about this desk is that it has a lot of good work space when open, but when you don't want the whole world to see your paper work it closes up into a very compact cube. 

This is how it will look most of the time.  I will only open it when needing to work at it.  It really doesn't look at all bad sitting in the dining room while closed.  The picture sitting on the top of the desk is a very special going away gift given to me when I left Covenant UMC.  It is an amazing shadow box picture of the church's sanctuary.  It was made by the Church family.  They are all amazingly talented and I have counted them among my friends for over 20 years.  It will be cherished.

At this point pretty much everything is in place.  I still need to get a tall book case and a computer desk.  I'm going to look at a couple of the local furniture consignment stores.  I really am tired of building furniture.  

I DID IT!

I did it!  I've conquered my concerns over driving my golf cart.  Friday afternoon Pam came over and "held my hand" while I took my first spin around the block.  Well she didn't really hold my hand since both my hands were on the steering wheel, but you know what I mean. She encouraged me with periodic :you can do this" comments and little tips on what to be doing to ensure safe driving.  Like everyone had been telling me it was pretty easy.  The biggest things I had to get used to were no side view mirrors and no power brakes of steering.  After going around my neighborhood we headed father out and went to Lake Sumter Landing. 

Of additional import is that today I headed out on my own!  Check out the bag on the front seat.....groceries!

About four this afternoon I headed out to Sweetbay, one of the local grocery stores and the closest one to my home.  I made it without any issues.  I was going to go in and pick up some milk and jam when I thought why waste a perfectly good golf cart outing and headed back out to Johnny Rockets at Lake Sumter Landing.  I had a coupon for a free burger with the purchase of a milk shake.   I decided that would be my reward   for driving to grocery store in the cart rather than my car.  Now I need to find another route to somewhere else.  May be tomorrow I go out and just roam around a bit. 

Another major accomplishment today is I've pretty much gotten the craft room organized and in place. For pictures and a description of what I've done you will need to head over to my craft BLOG Stampin' & Kwiltin'.

 Tomorrow I may even allow myself time to play in the craft room though I should organize the desk which is in the dining room. 

OKTOBERFEST

The Villages is famous for its ability to have fun and celebrating life.  Today was the celebration of Oktoberfest. I decided I needed a break from unpacking and the challenge of finding a place for everything.   At 3pm I headed out for Spanish Springs where a parade was to begin at 4.  Something told me that I needed to get there plenty early to find a good viewing spot and hopefully a chair or bench to sit on.  Boy was I correct!  The area around the Square was already packed with people when I arrived.  The parade was something else.  It lasted over 30 minutes and included all elements needed to make it a fun event.

There were floats........

........walking units and also bands,  Speaking of bands, I'm not sure what connection bag pipes have to German culture, but there was a rather large group of bag pipers complete with the proper attire of kilts.   There were also horses and lots of flags.

 After the parade there was entertainment at the pavilion as well as at other venues around the Square. The entertainment was kicked off by a performance of The Village Cheerleaders.  They were so fun to watch and there were probably around 60 of them. The group actually has over 130 but many of them are snowbirds and are not yet down here for the winter.  I had heard about this group last week and wondered about cheerleaders that were over 55.  Actually I would say they are more a Pom group. but whatever they were fun to watch and they were obviously have fun.  

Then came the music and the dancing.  There is always dancing at the Squares when there is music. There were several couples like this one dressed in ethnic German attire and having a fantastic time as they waltzed and did the polka around the gazebo. 

I wandered around and listened to some of the music at other points around the Square then decided to head over to Lake Sumter Landing to see what Oktoberfest had to offer over there.  When I arrived I discovered it wasn't so much what they had to offer but what they didn't have. There was no power!  The main thing this lack did was cause the stores along Main Street to close up and restaurants weren't serving food but were still doing a booming bar business.  Most of the vendors who were around Market Square and set up for Oktoberfest had generators so they were up and operational.

I ran into Pam and Allen, some friends here and then after a chat with them went off to find some dinner.  Since I was celebrating Oktoberfest I bi-passed Chik-Filet, Sonny;s Bar-b-Que, and Greek food and had Beer and Brats with a funnel cake for dessert!  Then after a bit more music and watch a bit more dancing I headed back home after a fun afternoon and evening.

LIFE IS VERY BUSY

My life is very full and very busy right now, but I wanted to declare myself officially moved.  I no longer live in MD but have move to FL and a community called The Villages.  If you have never heard of The Villages I must tell you it is like nothing I have ever seen before.  People are genuinely happy here and they are so friendly and welcoming.  I went out for a walk this morning and not only did other people out walking say "Hi" but those in golf carts did also and even a few driving by in cars smiled and waved.  I've met several neighbors and attended a very nice church on Sunday.  In the word of a quilting and cruising friend "Life is good!"  It's been so long since I have been able to say that and it feels real good to be able to do so and mean it. By no means is everything perfect or resolved but it is good.  I think the daily dose of bright sunshine and delightfully warm weather has a great deal to do with this.  So do you want to see where I live.......

This is how I will travel about The Villages when I get up the courage to get behind the wheel.  Everyone tells me it is real easy, but for some reason it intimidates me.  Maybe tomorrow I'll give it a try going around the neighborhood.  For now I either walk or drive.  Today I walked up to my mail box which is up at the neighborhood pool.  I love walking here.  It's nice and flat.  And if you go out early enough in the morning it's not too hot.  Even at 75 when it is so sunny out I've discovered you can work up quite a sweat.  It was about 65 when I went out to mailbox.  It took me about 30 minutes to get there and back.  Also while up there I got a local newspaper.

The rest of my day was spent working down this pile in the garage.  I'm about 3/4 done with the unpacking.  Some of the boxes will not be unpacked.  I don't have any book shelves for the books so they will stay boxed up for now.  I think they will be fine in the garage until summer and maybe by then I will figure out where to put them.  I also don't really have anywhere to put the items I brought from the china cabinet.  I may send a few boxes of that stuff back to NC with my sister when she is down here next week.  I'll get down on my knees and beg......PLEASE!!!!!  Store them for me. 

At the end of a long day if I stay home this is where you will find me.  It's also where I can start my day.  When my friend Thelma was still here helping me unpack and get set up we took a CD player out and had our afternoon sangria and chips with salsa.  It was delightful. 

So this is where I am. Tomorrow I get to experience my first big celebration at the market squares.  It is Oktoberfest.  There will be a parade and strolling entertainment of all kinds as well as German foods and beer.  I will try and get some pictures.  I'm told there will be a lot of ethnic attire and loads of fun. 

Oh if anyone wants to find out more about The Villages check this out.

ONCE AGAIN JUST WHAT I NEED!

Once a gain God has heard my prayer and he sent a message through my daily devotional "in-basket" that he knew I needed to read and hear at this time. It was in the form of a poem written by Sam Hamilton-Poore  I don't want to write out the whole thing do to copywrite issues but here are the first few lines.

MAY THE SPIRIT of life move you
from apathy to action,
from observing to doing,
from despair to hope. 

To read the rest you can go to the Upper Room Reflections site.It deals with the pain and joy of change. The Devotion is for October 12. 

This is my prayer for today.  I currently have 4 days left to call the state of MD home.  Sunday I will be leaving to start a journey to a new life.  At the moment I find myself fighting apathy brought on by the despair of all going on.  There is so much I need to do and all I want to do is go back to bed and pull the cover over my heads and make it all go away.  For a while know I have been in a state of observing.  Its too painful to allow myself to feel and be moved to action.  I pray that God's spirit will live with me and grant me the strength for the days ahead.  

I am looking forward to next week at this time.  I will be in my new home and I pray I will be a bit more happy, content and relaxed as well as excited to discover all that is in store for me in my future.  

AIMS & GOALS

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our
aim is too high & we miss it.  Rather, it's that we aim
too low & we reach it."    – Michelangelo