My first Mini Vacation
An invitation came out of the blue from our son: our boat is now in our driveway for maintenance and if you want, you can come look at it. We were just finishing dinner, but the evenings are so long that I jumped at the chance to at least see the new boat, even if I could not ride in her yet. That has to wait until all danger is over. I got to see not only the boat, but our son and daughter-in-law and two of the grandsons – all at a distance, but still, it was wonderful. I was home long before sunset, in time to walk Lani and have some chocolate ice cream with Mike before bed!
Expanding our horizon
Lani and I have ventured out to Wimbledon again! Three times already. I thought don’t show, don’t tell. And after I had checked out that our trail through the Divide was still passable, we went. When I mentioned the word Wimbledon, she looked at me full of expectation. She remembered to turn right out of the front door, then down the hill, through the bushes (I held her very short, because there are still the rows of barbed wire sticking out of the ground) and out onto the street. And she remembered the way to the trail, the right turn onto the trail, then right on the street, left again, left again and onto the second part of the trail. Then past the pond and the swimming pool and right past the tennis courts and up the stairs to the road and so on, all the way to home. Amazing! We had fun! It was early, before 8:00 am, but humid, and the shower before breakfast was refreshing. We do about a total of two miles this way, about the same as four times around the campus, but never boring!
Annual Power Wash
The week before July 4th the community had arranged its annual power wash; our cottage at the far end of the property was one of the last, on July 3. The roof and the gutters were cleaned first of debris, and then they worked their way down, a crew of four men. They did a very good job, and to top it of, two young men came on July 4th to professionally clean all windows. We’re good to go for another year.
An Indoor Power Cleaning
Well, after four months without our fabulous cleaning lady, we finally let her come. When I asked the Executive Director, he did not respond to my email. Then I asked the Treasurer, who has been here the longest, and she said, Don’t ask, don’t tell! We did not see any danger – Maria has been working for an old couple in another cottage all this time; she wears a mask and gloves and all went well. So Maria was here for three hours and we stayed out of her way. The house is super clean again and we are super happy!
Dinner At The Club
On July 7 the dining room was finally open and it was wonderful to see familiar faces again. We went to the Players Club for a glass of wine before dinner and were seated promptly at 6:00 p.m. Few tables in all, two people per round table for seven, and dinner was not five star but gold star, as I told the Chef, who was keeping an eye on things. Apparently this plan was so easy that they changed the schedule: anybody can now come and be seated between 4:00 and 6:00 p.m., and you can indeed get a glass of wine with dinner if you like – they will bring it to your table.
Home Hazards
Blue spots, red spots, scratches and open wounds on hands, arms and legs are inevitable in this house! I can’t blame them all on Lani’s nails, it’s things in the house that cause me to cringe daily. Cabinet corners, sharp wall edges, door handles, door jambs, desk drawer rail, bed corners are causing injuries some of which need bandaids. It’s a good thing that we have bandaids by the yard from the Netherlands! Mike says I walk too fast, I move too fast, and it’s all my own fault. Well, so, I really have to think about moving slower. Sigh. I don’t move fast on purpose; it’s me! But I have to change me, for sure. I covered the bed corners and vanity corners with special clear plastic protective corners already, but I can’t do anything about all the other things. Two weeks ago I compromised my left hand so badly that I could not use it for two days and had to immobilize it by a tight bandage. Now I have swelling and arthritic pain in my left thumb joint. I do not mean to bore you with my aches and pains, but I want to tell you about a fantastic remedy for arthritis, all kinds of arthritis. I used it in 1997 when I had arthritis in my right hand. I became ambidextrous when it lasted a few months. Then a neighbor told me about Original CMO. Available online for about $150, a one month’s supply. One month with a particular diet and four supplements per day took care of my arthritis for twenty three years. The FDA and the Arthritis Foundation did not believe in it, but I do. I think it was off the market for a couple of years, but now I found it again. It has a slightly different packaging than 23 years ago (of course) but looks the same otherwise. I ordered one month’s treatment. One month is all you need! About the diet: three things are not allowed: coffee, alcohol and chocolate. Then no bread, noodles, rice, corn products, bacon, oils, cereals, bean products, milk, yoghurt, ice-cream, cheese. What’s left? you ask. Beef, fish, chicken, eggs, honey, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Plenty to stay alive on!
I was living in Prescott, Arizona when I used CMO. It worked so well that I recommended it to several of my friends who were complaining about painful arthritis. Do you know that no one could stick to the diet? Not even for one month? Not even while their pain was severe? They could not do without coffee! Or without wine! The only one who followed the diet rigorously and took the supplements exactly as they were described, was our carpenter, who worked for us just before our move to the East Coast. He was in so much pain using his hands that he was planning to retire. Three months later I called him and he was in seventh heaven. He could use his hands again and thanked me profusely.
My order arrived on Monday. I will need large amounts of fruit, vegetables and nuts. I can’t go out, so I put a shopping list together for Instacart and someone went shopping for me and delivered everything the same day.
A Poem by Laura Kelly Fanucci
Laura Kelly Fanucci is an author of 6 books, an award-winning columnist, online writer, and the director of the Communities of Calling Initiative. I had never heard of her, but I found this beautiful poem and want to share it with you.
“When this is over,
may we never again take for granted:
A handshake with a stranger, Full shelves at the store,
Conversations with neighbors,
A crowded theater, Friday night out,
The taste of communion, A routine checkup,
The school rush each morning, Coffee with a friend,
The stadium roaring, Each deep breath! A boring Tuesday. Life itself.
When this ends, may we find that we have become more like the people we wanted to be,
we were called to be,
we hope to be,
and may we stay that way — better for each other because of the worst.”
And may it be a Wonderful Life again!
Until next time,
Ronny