A Woman's perogative

Remember a few posts past I posted a little doggeral about being split in half over buying property down here and concluded that I would not,

Well, I am rethinking that; at least, I' m keeping an open mind. Actually, I am waiting for a sign on what to do, but I'm going to start looking at condos . I know I don't want to have a house and I do not want to live where Park and Shar do (it is much too social for me). That pretty much leaves condo's. I do not want to be in a high rise; the smaller units that are 2 or 3 stories high appeal to me more.

My financial advisor is coming down in March and should be able to help me decide what;s best from an investment angle. Oh. and I want to be able to have guests and my dog so my requirements are very specific, If I did have a place I would probaboy spend half the year here; I do believe it could help slow down the Parkinson's and that would be worth it alone,

I weldome and solicit any advice from out there; what do you think?

We made it!

My brother and I have just spent a week together with Patty in Chicago because her sister had some surgery. We kinda took turns cooking (I think he cooked more than I did), we had some passionate discussions on religion and politics (we disagree on just about everything) and I watched a movie with him everynight but one; starting early. of course.( I would much rather read than watch a movie but he would convince with Danzel).

During the day we pretty much did our own thing with a few exceptions....went to one of those ubiquitous "arts and crafts" shows and he drove me to Bealls one morning. this morning we;ll probably clean house together before our neatnik gets home..

It was a good week, but it will get better yet when Patty comes home.

Extroverted thinking

One of the marks of a true extrovert is their need to talk out what they are thinking in order to determine exactly what they DO think; in other words extroverts are always thinking outloud in order to clarify their thoughts. It helps this process if that extrovert has someone who thinks differently about the subject to discuss the issue with them That is why I am grateful that my brother and I can have such passionate discussions about religion and politics. You can count on us to be 180 degrees apart, and our discussions of course don;t change either one of us as to our opinions but they certainly help clarify my beliefs. And the best part is that we can laugh later that we can think so differently and still love each other.

And that leads me to my reflection of the day....why can't we be like that with all our sisters and brothers?

I believe in the power of love. I believe that our most important task is to continually grow in our ability to express that love through forgiveness and compassion to all creatures no matter what label they wear. I believe that those of us born into a Christian culture use Jesus as our model of that love practiced perfectly. My friends who are born into a Muslim culture value the same qualities but ascribe them only to God My Hindu friends who value the same qualities have many manifestations of God that represent different qualities,

What matters in this life is how well we live out those qualities we profess belief in, especially those that govern how we treat each other and how we treat the those most in need.

I have a friend who is convinced that the older we get the more conservative we are. I think that may be true in certain arenas of our lives, but I find it important to grow less judgemental, more forgiving, more generous in sharing and more likely to expand in my concept of who are my brothers and sisters,

My girls

I have a picture on my screen
It fills the page from side to side
But far more then that it seems
It fills my heart with love so wide.

How to describe what grandkids mean
How to measure the treasure they are
A picture that lights up the scene
Even as I bemoan they're so far

And the greatest nature of this gift?
We all who have grandkids share
The same secret, get the same lift
Ours are the cutest, special and rare.

I'll do you favor and not show you mine
If you will agree to keep your pictures hid
Since we know ours are stars that shine
We won't show you up with pix of our kid.

Now don't get me wrong
I still have great pride in my sons
I marvel at these men; they are stong
And I will always love them by tons

But when it comes to an image
That serves as my desktop
Amelia and Greta, also on the fridge
Win the coveted spot; so I'll stop

Split in Half

When I consider buying here I think of leading two lives;
Perhaps the double life would split my mind
Like halving logs for the fire,

And how do I have six month friendships?
I will be there for you depending on the season, I say,
Or can we just stick to email?

Two sets of doctors who would not
Communicate; can I manage that?
And they will all be too young anyway

Up north I am the big fish
In a little pond; everyone knows me
Could I disappear like a guppy in the sea?

A lot of people juggle dual lives
Without the angst, I am presuming.
But they're not single, going it alone.

When you're a couple you have company
Someone to be angry, happy, crabby with.
To travel with from north to south and home,

I'm not sure I want to leave Kankakee
For half the year, no matter how dear
The Florida sunshine treats me.

So buying isn't just a money matter
Rather do I want to split alone
And morph into a dual solo swan song,

The same old question

Every year when I'm here the temptation to look at property crops up since condo/house shopping is one of the island's favorite pasttimes. And this year it is even more tempting because it is a buyer's market,

It would be nice to have a place one could come to for 6 months that already had your stuff you needed; and it would certainly be a better investment than the market right now. If I bought a small car te leave here than I could fly back and forth when I wished,

So, the possibility exists. There is a house in Park and Shar's park that I am going to look at and if it seems possible I will then look at other options.

But this may just be the usual Marvco game and I will continue to rent, I'm keeping an open mind,

More reflection on politics

Thinking again about last night's discussion I am more and more of the mind that nobody can solve the complex issues we face alone from the white housel It takes the people being involved,, not just the politicians, We get ethe kind of government we deserve. If people drive gas guzzlers why should they expect the elected officials to solve the oil dependency issue?

I should now this from my 14 years as an elected official. Yes,, we have a repreentative government, but that doesn;t mean our only responsibilityis to vote.

I've got to think about this some more,

No more politics

Last night Rich and I got into a very heated and spirited discussion about immigration,etc. Before that he sent me a piece attacking Obama and asked me to disprove it,

This is not fun, nor is it changing anyone's mind; therefore I will no longer participate. We have agreed that I am a person who sees issues in shades of gray and he sees black and white, He is comfortable and jokes about that being the situation with his best friend. I hope that it is ok with his sister too. Besides, he keeps winning at dominos.

On another note, I am learning all kinds of stuff about my self in the writing group Shar runs. Just being patient with the men in there is something I haven;t had to do in a long time. Their joking and skimming the surface is about 180 from my attititude about my writing so I may shake them up a bit before it's over,

Today is a trip to Naples with Davis' that I am really looking forward to.
We haven't had a chance for a real visit yet.

And today Carl and Margaret take off for the Caymens for one month; I will miss them.

Entertaining

Last night we entertained rriends I've made here, Carl and Margaret, for an introduction to dominos and dinner. We spent the better part of the time laughing and I am beginning to think that is why I feel better here; I laugh a lot more than when i am home,

Part of that is my brother. He is almost always a fun person to be around. Part of that is the atmosphere of being on vacation. The night we had dinner at Davis' we laughed just as much. Maybe part of it is the wine consumed tool.

Whatever the reason I have laughed more in the almost 2 weeks I've been here than I have in the last 3 months. And it is definitely the best medicine available.

You can't have it all

As beautiful as it is here, as much as I feel better, I am missing my church.the UCC here is ok, I have made a few friends, and we have an adult ss class that has some interesting people. But the worship service leaves me cold, And there really are no other choices that I could feel comfortabe with, So if anyone would ask me what I misss about home it would be St,John.

Writing group

I went to my first meeting of Shar's writing group and I have already learned how to best get myself back to the editing and rewrite task with my memoirs. I am really charged up by this idea, It is simply to address each segment as a stand alone story and then bring them together as one book. It makes the task easier and it makes sharing the material easier. I have already redone the prologue and will pobobly have the next section done too by next Mondayl

It helps tremendously to have a deadline for work that is so independent and voluntary, Besides I am meeting some new people and it adds a sense of accomplishment instead of frittering away each dsy,

Speaking of fritering Patty and I went in the pool yesterday., It;s going to take me a while to semi comfortable again,,,it's been many years since I've been in the water,

Today is grocery shopping for Saturday's entertaining, exercise class and a massage after that. Sorry, At least I didn't mention the weather!

Vacation?

On the theory that you can't just vacation for three months thisi is the week that all the classes start, Yesterday was writing class out at Shar's place; i am hoping that will get me to finally doing the editing and rewritting I need to do on memoirs,

Today I have PD exercise class and then a group is getting together at Earl's to study mythology with J,,Campbell's videos,

I went back to UnitedChurch Sunday for adult discussion group and that group seems more comfortable studying international affairs than anything spiritual. Then Carl and I went to worship which was most mechanical and not spiritual either, I may have to visit other churches,

It's great to connect with new people but I almost have to schedule down time!

The one and only Keto

Keto, the quietest schnauzer of all time , is rapidly becoming the center of family life in Florida, as he does elsewhere. For those who don't know him, let me tell you about Keto.

Keto is all black, not common for schnauzers, and I mean all black, including his nose and eyes so he is frequently mistaken for a scotch terrier which he sluffs off as unimportant. He knows he comes from show stock and when he walks down the street he does it with a prance as if he was in the show ring,

He's a dog of few words. Maybe a bark at the mail carrier or a stranger at the door. For those he loves a wiggly twisting jumping greeting that includes little whiny sounds.....definitely sounds of joy. In addition I get a lick on the tip of my nose; the only time he bestows that sign of affection.

He can be a little squirrally...jumping up out of the blue and running like the devil was after him. I think he still hasn't figured out what is happening when his hindquarters emit gas, I never said he was the brightest dog.

He loves to snuggle and he sleeps in my bed on his own special blanket that used to be a throw on the couch but he just declared it his and it goes where he goes. Consequently he is sound asleep on his blankie on my bed as I write this.

Our trip to Dayton and then Florida was his first road trip and with the aid of drugs from the vet he was fine, Never made a sound in the motel. He did not like the elevator and had to be held thru that ordeal,

Here at the house he loves being in the lanai but skirts carefully around the pool. Last night we took him with us to get a gelato treat (it was special dispensation for Patty's birthday) and that was another new experience for him.

Rich calls him "little man" which seems to fit his serious quiet nature. As usual he brings joy wherever he goes and having him with me was a smart idea.

Happy Birtehday Patty!

Today is Patty Westerwelle's birethday.....the best sister=in=law one could have,

When I think of her I picture her smiling; this year I don't have to picture her becuse we are sharing a house in Floriday for three months, which is a testimony to her nature more than any words I could say.

She is fun to be with, interested in meaningful conversation, likes to read, and is devoted to her marriage,, That means she loves my brother very much In turn, that means much to me as I want him to be happy and his best person he can be,

She is a loving supportive mother to two beautiful women and she is a doting nana to four lovely granddaughters, She also loves and cares for her 98 year old mother who is a delightful woman to be around,

But it is as sister=in=law that I know her, When your children or siblings marry you have no say in their choice, but my brother chose exceptionally well, I an a very blessed person and having Patty as family is one of my greater blessings,

Happy Birthday with much love.....Charlene

Settling In

It's beginning to feel like home. And the calendar is starting to fill up. I'm not sure how I f eel about that. But I am sure how I f eel about Iowa and my candidate. I woke up again at 2 am, turned on CNN and was so excited I know there is no chance I will go back to sleep. (And this house is pefect for us since we are on very different time schedules and yet don;t hear each other)
i know Obama's election will cost me money in more ways than one but I will be willing to go door to door for that campaign and if you know me I don't have to explain,
I seem to be rambling here but that reflects my mind; I wish I could settle it down so that i could get back to doing sone serious work on my writing. I hope that even if no one else signs up for Shar's writing group we two will carry on.
For the sake of my log on this adventure yesterday was spent on the house as we reported problems to the realtor who sent out repair people immediately, Now I get t o call her today abd tell her there is a creature in the attic somewhere! The first week here always takes work to settle in but this is really a new one,
And for you weather buffs out there yesterday was still windy but today the forecast is partly cloudy and 71 degrees. I knew you wanted to know.

Home, sweet winter home

We have arrived! Did it in two days so were here by New years eve. thanks to Rich's good driving and Patty too we really hardly stopped...for gas and rest stops and made great time. Keto on drugs is a terrific traveler; right now I am taking a break from unpacking to do this and he is snoring away at the food of the bed.

today will be grocery shopping, Walgreens shopping aand getting the house set up the way we want it.