Getting back...

This is somewhat like an overdue response to a correspondence from a friend; the longer it gets from the time you last responded, the harder it is to get to responding. So much to say, so much going on. My last entry was a fairwell to Fay. It looks like now we have to pay attention to Gustav.

Post -Fay, I managed to get caught up on the work that ‘s supposed to be done when we’re not in “Threat level 4” for emergencies. My younger daughter started her second year at the University and I’m enjoying the empty nest - again. She certainly has had an excellent summer vacation!

The weekend was a good opportunity to get back to focusing on MY needs. I decided to do a “detox”. I spent Saturday and Sunday on juices, and for lunch today I began with “Raw”. It’s kind of fun, actually, except for one bad “experiment”. Yesterday afternoon I juiced a whole bunch of stuff: I felt I was getting more fruits than veggies, so I added some spinach and some romaine to some carrots and half of a large beet. I love beets - cooked - even the greens in a salad, but this was my first experience “juicing” one. Wow. Wear gloves , for sure. The experiment probably wouldn’t have been too bad if I’d skipped the romaine, and used about one third of the fresh ginger. It was a struggle to finish it… but I did - not about to waste all that nutrition. A hot cup of lemon tea was quick to chase those lingering tastes. This evening’s meal was a salad with assorted greens, but the tasty part was half of a perfectly ripe avocado with fresh lemon juice. I topped it off with an excellent peach and apple juice, with a touch of ginger. (It was lick-smackin’ good!). We’ll see - not sure I can truly identify my motives… health, discipline, a need to clear my head… all of the above and more.

I have had very interesting dreams lately and I had this nagging feeling that the Universe was trying to get a message to me. That was reason enough to “detox”. So far, my dream clarity has “diminished”! It may be my body actually resting instead of being jolted with caffeine, alcohol, sugars and fats. However “communication” is a key theme for several days, now - and the number “5”. Not quite sure how it all will pan out, but I”ll be sure to let you know.

Good day, Fay

There is barely a breeze....an occasional drizzle of rain.  It's 6:00 AM and Fay should be beating our beaches.....

hmmm.  unpredictable as weather, Fay's as flighty as a feather....

I just checked out the radar image (btw..there are some wonderful weather sites:  wunderground.com is good, nhc.noaa.gov is good and intellicast.com is good) it looks like the east coast of FL is getting hit much harder ...harder than we are and I'd venture to say, much harder than the weather folks predicted.

As I stated in a previous post, I've been living in hurricane country for a lot of years.  I don't profess to be an expert, but I've been just as good at reading hurricanes as any layman.  I laugh at some of the local meteorologists.  yesterday, one fellow who looked to be about nine was on the TV with his maps and clickers, and he said "If Fay goes west, we'll have high surf...blah blah...  if Fay goes East, we won't.." Oh spare me. And he gets' paid for that crap?!! 

Yesterday, a local newspaper reporter was in Town Hall and said, "We're ground zero." When I asked what he meant, he said, "We're the main event.  There's national news crews all over the island."  So I asked "Where's Jim Cantori?"  If you follow Jim, you know what the weather channel calls ground zero.  Jim was in Naples, which is just south of us here. 

The last word from the boss yesterday was "don't come to work until I call you."  He's probably up by now, and watching the radar, waiting for Fay to move on by.

Some are disappointed when it's a "non event." Like my neighbors, who are new to SWFL (from Nebraska or some crazy place).  I heard them having a hurricane party, and complaining that this is the worst storm they've ever seen.  I see it as another learning experience. ..and another one down, and another one down. Another one bites the dust...

 

TS FAY

This fickle thing called Fay

I have lived in South Florida for thirty years. I have been through hurricanes. No two are alike. I have approached hurricanes on a personal level, until recently. In my position as Town Clerk for the Town of Fort Myers Beach, I become, the Public Information Officer..(PIO) within the Incident Command System (ICS). This system is required by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) in order for municipalities to get federal aid…aka…reimbursement.

Isn’t government such Alphabet Soup!!?! Acronyms acronyms!!

Friday afternoon, the boss sent an e-mail alerting key personnel to be available by cellphone throughout the weekend.

Saturday morning, the boss called and said I needed to be in the office at 10:30 Sunday morning.

Sunday morning, we were in standup mode.

We had a staff meeting today (Monday) at 8:00 AM. A Town Council meeting at 9:00 AM, to declare a state of local emergency. A “division commander” meeting at 10:00 AM ( I loved this! This is where the “men in uniform” come in… the fire chief, the police captain…haha! And the police guys “touch their guns” when they make statements! (and the fire chief has chewing tobacco in a can..yuck!”)

My role was pretty much to contact the county EOC (acronyms, again…that would be: Emergency Operations Center), establish a communication with the county PIO (that would be, public information officer) and scribe advisories, alert the media, etc. We (as a municipality) are committed to ‘speak with one voice” and so squelching the staff members who feel empowered when approached by the media was a constant housekeeping function,.

I put out advisories on our web site, (if you’d like to see my work: www.fortmyersbeachfl.gov ) on our phone system: 239 765 0202, our hurricane hotline: 239 765 0919 extension 140, and we have a system called Code Red, that auto dials all FMB residents who have registered a phone number with us, to receive a recorded message regarding an emergency situation.

Dr. Steve Lyons is on the weather channel. I love him. He’s the best. Fay is a fickle thing, for sure. The 8:00 advisory has little wind, not too much storm surge… a heep of rain, maybe, but I think we’re outta the woods….

We dodged another one….

So far, so good!

P.S.:  Just for <<fun>>  ! read this: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/text/refresh/MIATCDAT1+shtml/182104.shtml?

and realize how crazy storm tracking really is....

welcome to my world....

 

 

 

About a year ago, Lauren was shopping with me at a Bed, Bath and Beyond, and she stopped at a display of bathroom scales, and said, “ We need a scale.” That was enough for me, so I bought one. I have been overweight by the AMA’s charts since middle school. But lately, I have been losing weight, and it’s quite an interesting study.

About a year ago, I took up kayaking. I did it in order to have a recreational activity that wouldn’t strain my knee. ( I eventually had knee surgery in December 2007). What I found was how many other muscles of the body are used with kayaking. I began to notice how more defined various muscles of mine had become. Then, people began commenting on my body image. One day, the letter carrier came in to the lobby at work. I have known this man for 25 years. He looked at me and said, “ You’ve lost a ton of weight~! “ I was at a meeting for a civic organization, and some friends commented, “ …well, you’ve lost weight….” It was not a conscious effort ,and that’s the beauty of it. Oh it’s not some awesome success story ! Not by any means. But last night I ordered a jacket for myself from a catalog that I have frequently shopped. I’m comfortable with their clothing fit. Recent purchases have been returned for a smaller size. So, last night, I had to force myself to trust that this jacket would be a better fit in a smaller size. That’s the surprise.

From about a year ago this date - give or take a month or so each way - I’m down about 20 pounds, and have decreased body fat and increased muscle, and, have dropped about two clothing sizes.

My dietary habits have changed very little. I use less mayo and more mustard, I go more for proteins than starches - never did and will never eat mammals…

One thing I did…I started about 8 or 10 months’ ago…. Every morning… I have a mantra… It includes various “ I AM….” but relative to weight loss, I say daily, “…Every time I have a bowel movement, I lose body fat.” …..That is the power of Manifestation.

(no sh*t)

 

Dream Notes

I was standing on a porch of a single family home – not sure whose home…the porch was about four feet off of the ground with a wooden railing.  I was looking out over the lawn which was bordered by tall grass and low trees and bushes (no sidewalks or streets).  I saw several deer – a buck a few doe,  fawns, all huddled together like a nest or den.  I exclaimed “Oh! Look!” and went inside the house and grabbed my camera.  The camera was plugged into the charger.  I grabbed it and ran outside and set the lens view on the deer.  The deer were under water – completely clear, calm water.  This factor was not unusual to me in the dream  (but rather unusual awake!) . I focused on the deer and clicked the shutter, but nothing happened.  Then I noticed there were no batteries in the camera.  At that moment, from the left of the lawn, came a large feline.  It was the size and shape of a lioness, with the spots of a leopard.  It was stalking and stealthily approaching the deer.  I ran inside, grabbed the batteries and ran back out, fumbling to put them in the camera and get a shot.  I dropped them over the railing and was afraid to leave the porch because of the lion/leopard.  I stood on the porch looking at the batteries in the grass below.  Someone… I don’t know who in my waking state, but I knew him in my dream was standing to the right of the porch, but on the lawn and offered to get them for me.  Then I awoke.

 

I see huge symbolism in this dream, but haven’t put together a possible message or meaning.  If you are reading this and are savvy in dream interpretation, I would welcome any input. 

And in the End.

Somehow I just can't seem to get a grip on "early to bed, early to rise" .  Vacation can be exhausting!  One full work week behind me, and then of course this past weekend's road trip, and I'm plumb tuckered out! It feels good, though, to get through my personal to do list - sell the house, take a vacation to the Pacific NW, buy a car, buy my daughters a car, ...and ..now... Some of the fun weird things on my list include taking dance lessons, taking weekend camping trips, figuring out how I'll get a road trip to the Smoky Mountains this fall for the flaming foliage.

But for now, I think it wise to end this day feeling fulfilled, accomplished, happy healthy, wealthy and wise!

OH...P.S,.:  Am I the only one disatisfied with the "mood" choices? 

Good times

I just returned from a little weekend getaway.  I drove over to the east coast (of Fla) to visit my brother, Robert and his kids - they live in Dania, which is just south of Fort Lauderdale (he's about 15 minutes from Port Everglades). 

I had several reasons for taking this trip, and not in any order of preference.  I wanted to visit with Robert, and I wanted to do it in a way that he could relax and not be constantly tending to his children.  I wanted him to be able to enjoy a cocktail without worrrying about driving.  Usually, Robert comes over here - to visit Mom, to visit my other two brothers who live here in Lee County.  I used to live in Broward County - in another life - and wanted to see the old stomping grounds.  And I wanted a ROAD TRIP  for the New Car!! 

Last week I bought a 2008 Honda CR-V... "Nighthawk Black Pearl" with "Ivory" leather interior.  SUH -WEET!   I'm just silly-happy with this new ride! 

You who know me, know that I don't drive much. I'm a wimp on the interstate.  Perhaps it's from so many years of being married to a man that always "had" to drive , and did so very aggressively.  Add to it the fact that I live very close to where I work, and bicycle to work.  ..I don't drive much and so when I do, I'm wimpy.  But I decided that I am ready to expand my horizons, and I'd better just get back in the saddle.  With a brand new, fuel efficient vehicle, I have no excuse for road paranoia. 

The ride over was a breeze.  It's about 160 miles or so, Interstate nearly all of tthose miles, with 70 mph speed.  I love driving over Alligator Alley.  I remember when it was a narrow, dark two lane road with no rest areas or call boxes.  The speed limit was 65 daylight and 55 nighttime.  The panther crossings weren't in place and the fencing along the canals didn't exist.  The alligators basked all along the shores and frequently wondered onto the highway.  Now it's pretty super duper.  There are four lanes, with several rest areas,  fences, call boxes, all the modern conveniences.  The toll now is $2.50 (one way) and well worth it.  From toll booth to toll booth it's about 80 miles. I popped in some fave tunes, set the cruise control at 70 and just hummed along. 

The other side of the alley scares the crap out of me.  595 is a nightmare.  There's sometimes six and seven lanes coming from all directions, cloverleafing all around.  And those crazy east coasters drive like coke freaks.  Seventy miles an hour is crawling, and if you don't change lanes every ten seconds you're an old fart.  Several times I touched my bracelet and reminded myself "Courage". 

It was great visiting with Robert.  He was relaxed and candid and we shared a couple of bottles of wine and ate shrimp and chips and dip. We visited with a neighbor who is having a rough go of things, as his wife just left him with a five year old.  Bob's boys are something to see - they're 19 and 17 and probably six foot four and three hundred pounds.  But it was fun - they got to 'show off' their "ride(s)" and the woofers and tweeters or whatever. 

On the return trip across the alley, I hit some torrential rains.  Traffic slowed to a four-way-flashers speed of about forty for about five miles.  The rain over the 'glades is breathtakingly beautiful.  The darkness over the green sea of grass is nature at its finest.  Having cleared the rain and resumed to normal conditions, I was on cruise control, listening to Eric Clapton and feeling all groovy, when suddenly there was a car in front of me that was backing up across the two north bound lanes! WHAT AN IDIOT!  I slammed the brakes, of course, but was ever watchful of the semi that was on my ass.  All ended well, by the grace of God, I imagine. 

On several occasions, cars would be pulled off to the side of the road.  I recognized the signs of motorists with small children that "had to go!" and they'd be pulled over with the doors open to act as shields.  (no trees!)  Occasionally there'd be a vehicle broken down, some with drivers, a few without.  Then I saw a really strange sight:  A white pickup truck was pulled off the road with the passenger side door open.  I saw two people next to the door and as I got closer, I could see that they were Dancing!  He was spinning her and they were dancing.  ...One can only imagine.  (must be those crazy Miccousukees! )

Good trip, good time.