Familiar Things and Official Florida Residents

Those of you who spent time with us in our last home would feel more at home with us here as familiar possessions gain a place to live in our new home.  Without a hutch in the dining room, I've created a combination of hutch and curio cabinet with one cabinet we brought with us, while Jimmy has created his own display in the other curio cabinet that survived the journey.  Our butler Franklin now looks over the dining room.

The grandfather clock that Jimmy built also crossed the country without any damage and it is almost ready to chime again.  I am enjoying my early morning coffee from the comfort of my great grandmother's rocker on the lanai, and a wooden hope chest constructed by my maternal great uncle has become a place to store the tools deemed necessary in a condo life since we no longer have a garage.  The prior owners of the condo also left a collection of small tools in a closet which we will sort through to see what we can potentially use in the bit of room left in the wooden chest.  The rest will have to go.  We are not collecting any more extraneous items.

A Snoopy wall hanging is now up in Jimmy's room, and a bookshelf in there displays his model car collection.  The only yard art I brought with me is on the lanai–a lady bug and bee planter decoration, along with a glass and eagle wind chime.  

 

These are the things that make it feel like "home" and remain the constants in our lives from place to place.  This too will assure family and friends who visit, that we are the same in their lives no matter where they may find us.

Today we became official residents of Florida.  We have Florida car tags and drivers licenses.  We're registered to vote.  It took some time to complete, but it was a very efficient and friendly County office.  After we left the attractive building where the offices are located, we had lunch at a nearby Carrabba's Italian Grill while the afternoon thundershowers passed through.  Another good day, and a feeling of accomplishment.

Sunday Donuts, the Beach and a Downpour

 

Bradenton Donuts was a 10-year old memory we needed to revisit to satisfy ourselves that some things never change.  Ten years later, and surviving Hurricane Helene from September, 2024, the same owner is still making the same, delicious donuts.  It took him over a year to reopen after the storm.  He told us he had to replace the roof, flooring, countertops, kitchen equipment, plumbing, electrical, and more.  But the community rallied around him and soon he was back to business as usual.  Luckily, for us as well, he persevered.  It's a bit of a drive for us from Port Charlotte to Bradenton, but well worth the trip.  The breakfast croissant with ham, cheese, and egg melted in our mouths, and donuts for dessert with the remainder of our coffee was a great memory brought back into reality.  It called for some donuts-to-go, and the owner added a free donut to the bag, as he did for every customer who came in while we sat at the counter talking with him in-between orders.  This was truly a happy start to a chosen leisurely Sunday.

From there, we drove over the bridge to Bradenton Beach on Anna Maria Island.  This beach is one of the widest and whitest beaches I'd seen on the west coast of Florida when we resided here ten years ago.  With Hurricane Helene, three to four feet of new sand was deposited on the beach, and across the barrier island at the time from a five to seven foot storm surge.  Driving on the island today however, you would be hard pressed to know anything had happened.  The beaches are superb, and very crowded as you would expect on a Sunday.  The smell of BBQ wafted through the air as families gathered under the pine trees seeking shade.  Others brought their umbrellas and coolers up over the dune line to sit directly before the water.  I was happily surprised that Jim agreed to walk all the way to the water's edge where I tested the water's temperature with my bare feet.  Divine!  On another trip this summer, I plan to bring a bathing suit and join the others submerged in the water.  We will have to come prepared with suntan lotion, a shaded spot to sit in, and with our beach chairs conveniently provided by the prior owners of our condo.  

  

The price of gas is getting lower here.  We filled up for $4.09 at a Walmart gas station.  A bit later and further down the road towards home, we saw gas offered for $3.93 at a Mobil gas station.  The afternoon thunderstorm cycle is here and driving during one is a little challenging.

  

I leave you with one more amazing feat.  How does a tiny, two-inch size, frog make it up three stories to the outside of my bedroom window?  I don't know.  But I will share that I know why–there's a light over the corridor outside my window that attracts flying insects at night.  I suspect he's learned the climb is worth the effort.  The frog and the insects were gone early this morning when I left for Walmart.  Perhaps he'll be back tonight?  If yes, I'll name him...

 

A Red-Headed Woodpecker, Recycling, and Rest

How are  a red-headed woodpecker, a recycle bin, three garbage bags of shredded paper, the last moving box emptied, and a beautiful sunset related?  Combined, they all make for a very productive and nice day spent at home.  

We had lots of recycling items gathered, and decided to hit the bin before it got too hot outside.  It's a short two-minute drive from our parking space to the area in the complex where the bin is situated.  It is huge and serves 192 units.  We were introduced to it early on while hauling emptied cardboard boxes out of the condo.  They also have larger household items picked up adjacent to the bin, so that was where the old mattresses and the washer and dryer we replaced met their fate shortly after our arrival at the condo.

As we got into the car this morning with our car full of broken down boxes and two chairs that had served their time before we acquired them with this home, there on the palm tree in front of our car I spied a red-headed woodpecker climbing and pecking at the tree.  It was exactly like the ones we had seen in Washington at our prior home.  I couldn't be more thrilled.  Now I have the woodpecker, a rabbit, and a squirrel to watch for outside for photos, along with lots of other birds.  The bin was obliging after this sighting, and we delivered our contribution handily.

Jim had been shredding old paperwork we'd brought that suddenly seemed superfluous with the available storage options rapidly filling with items deemed more worthy.  Bags of shredded paper are considered trash here as well, so they went into the garbage bin near our building.  It's so easy.  A few steps, a ride in the elevator, and a short distance across our parking lot-job done!  No driving, no fee, no yucky transfer station to mess around with now.  That's one of the perks of living in a suburban area that we're truly enjoying.

Today, the last of the cardboard moving boxes have been emptied. Except for things Jim still has to organize from plastic containers he packed for his room, we are down to hanging pictures.  The condo is starting to feel like home as our belongings have filled the available space.  We ultimately will have to get rid of more, but it almost feels like we can sit back and rest in spells now without guilt.  Snoopy is happy because I have found another of his favorite beds, and he's already claimed his spot in the middle of it for evening TV time. 

The sunset tonight over our little lake off the lanai was beautiful.  Tomorrow, if I wake up early, I'm going to sit out on the somewhat organized lanai, and watch the world of nature wake up before me while savoring a cup of stress-free coffee.   Life is feeling better after a long and anxious week.  Tomorrow will be a day of rest.

    

Taking A Break

Today we made a trip to Punta Gorda crossing the Peace River to the south of where we live.  After an errand was completed, we took the opportunity to explore the waterfront starting at a place called Fisherman's Village.  It has an interesting history, and if you are a history buff like me, you can follow this link to a quick read about the location's origins.  Today, it is a shopping venue, with lodging and restaurants on the waterfront of the Peace River that flows into Charlotte Harbor and ultimately the Gulf of America (see a photo below of a map onsite which was painted prior to the renaming of the Gulf.)  Our condo is north of the Peace River in Port Charlotte, but the zip code for our address is affiliated with Punta Gorda on the south side of the Peace River.

We had lunch at The Islands Kitchen and Cocktail House overlooking the river.  Sweet tea and a Cuban sandwich on Ciabatta bread with fried plantains was the choice we both made.  It was a very southern lunch, but not my favorite rendition of these foods as both the bread and the plantains were dry and overcooked.  Luckily the filling of the sandwich was delicious.  The view of pelicans diving for food, boats passing by, and the sun sparkling on the choppy water made up for the food.  The stroll through the covered wharf past shops that offered clothing, chocolate, ice cream, t-shirts, and other tourist trinkets was pleasant in the shade the roof offered.  Next time we'll try a hamburger at the "Village Brewhouse" instead and save room for ice cream!

  

 

Following lunch, we drove westerly through Punta Gorda Isles.  This is a residential area of homes all situated on waterways leading to the Peace River, each with their individual docks harboring boats of all descriptions.  

Beyond the homes, the road led to Ponce de Leon Park overlooking Charlotte Harbor from a white sand beach bordered by a seawall.  Here, a historical marker notes the location of the death of the first white man in America on May 24, 1513, during a confrontation with the indigenous people of this area, while ships were seeking a mainland colony site.  

  

   

 

Royal Poinciana trees are in bloom here now with beautiful scarlet blossoms.  Below is a photo of one in the Park and another in Punta Gorda Isles.  

That is the journey for today.  See you again soon with details of our next adventure.

Ordinary Moments - Sacred Memories

 

As Jimmy sleeps later into this morning, I am beginning the day leisurely with a cup of jasmine tea I brought with me from Willowbrook Manor in Sedro Woolley, Washington.  Writing is a luxury I can afford myself now with all of the boxes emptied in my "office/hobby room/bedroom" as I call it.  Clothes are hung, my computer desk has open spaces, some cloth storage boxes in my closet are even sorted, and I can literally walk about my room on an empty floor.  That is a relief when order versus chaos starts to fill what must be my "need for order" psyche.  I am truly amazed I managed to fit the contents of two former large rooms into one small bedroom, but it is working!  With the sound of the birds singing outside my window, and quiet instrumental music playing, this is a long awaited, very pleasant start to the day.

Snoopy has made a great recovery with the anti-inflammatory medication combined with a glucosamine chondroitin supplement recommended by the veterinarian.  He's back to all of his usual behaviors and routines that endear him to us, and that is a huge relief.  It's almost like he's smiling about his recovery.

 

On the other hand, it has been a stressful week as my brother had heart surgery Tuesday, and I just learned on Wednesday another friend (who has been like a brother to me for most of my adult life) was diagnosed with cancer.  I measure the meaning of life in being surrounded by those I love for eternity.  I know that's not realistic, but I don't like change nor loss.  These two circumstances are a challenge for both of the patients, as well as  myself.  Praying and emotional support with lots of cards, texts, and perhaps phone calls are my planned response for both of them.  When you love someone deeply, their presence via any of the forms above is a blessing beyond description.  I don't want to waste even a moment of potential interaction time.  As Deacon Brian from my church wrote to me in an email today, "None of us knows when ordinary moments will suddenly become sacred memories."  I choose to make ordinary special for every moment that I am given with those I love.

Jimmy is awake, and now it is our coffee time.

 

Gains and Losses

It's been quite the week, as you'll read below.  Finally, I can write our update.

We are still digging out from under boxes of "stuff" daily that we thought we could not live without.  Frankly, we could have managed with a third of what we brought from Washington to Florida.  Goodwill here is benefiting greatly as we sort through our stash.  But we are making progress, as one area of the condo after another reveals itself.  The kitchen and dining room floors are now visible.  Hurray!

On  Tuesday, we replaced our air conditioning system.  Both the air handler (26 years old) and the condenser (29 years old) met their demise.  While they still worked mostly, there were "noises" coming from both of them that did not bode well.  We decided that now, before a 10% increase in price due to increased Florida standards for the gases used in the system occurred, was the better part of prudence.  Mechanical issues also were looming.  The new system took only a day to install, and it is working well after a few tweaks of adjusting the vents, and the smart thermostat.  Everything is computerized these days, and the new thermostat is wifi smart and "talks" to our cell phones and Alexa, so it is a breeze to operate anytime, and anywhere.

Wednesday, Jim had his routine eye injection.  The doctor that first started management of his macular degeneration has an office in Port Charlotte where we physically live (despite the zip code of Punta Gorda in our mailing address), so it is an easy drive for Jim's treatments.  

Thursday, we visited J.C. Penney, where another optometrist will care for Jim's glaucoma.  While Jim saw her, I got my hair cut across the aisle at the J.C. Penney hair salon.  Perhaps a bit shorter than I'd like, but it takes time to find a hairdresser who "gets it right" immediately.  The Port Charlotte Mall is like most older malls these days.  Nice anchor stores, like Dillards and J.C. Penney, but vacant spaces periodically where some smaller vendors have left.  There was a lovely fountain to enjoy along the corridor.

With a glasses prescription in hand, we then went to Costco to order Jim's new sunglasses and computer glasses.  A trip to Costco here requires a mandatory hotdog and soda, so we had a $3 lunch.  Last, but not least, we had to replace my printer.  The old one was on a Hewlett Packard "instant ink" program.  For about $10 a month, the old printer got 100 printed sheets per month.  Hewlett Packard would also send ink whenever it sensed the printer's ink supply was getting low.  I decided that I wanted to get out of the "instant ink" program.  The downside was that on the day the ink subscription ran out, my printer stopped working.  Using wifi, HP can actually shut down your printer until you replace their program's ink cartridges.  The price of ink cartridges was more than buying a new printer, so while we were at Costco, we bought an Epson EcoTank printer that comes with full bottles of ink, enough to print 8,500 pages!  That may be more than I'll use in my remaining life time!  I'll never use Hewlett Packard again after experiencing their "instant ink" program.

Friday we had the scare of Snoopy's recent lifetime.  He awoke with a limp, sort of dragging a hind leg.  We panicked thinking he'd had a stroke or blood clot occur.  Rushing to a vet recommended by our air conditioning technician, we were relieved to learn he was suffering from arthritis in his hind legs, and not a fatal side effect of his heart murmur.  The vet sent us home with an anti-inflammatory medication.  A day later and Snoopy is eating this morning, and then enjoyed "coffee time" with us on the couch thereafter.  He's still spending a great deal of time in a spot in Jim's closet where he hides out to sleep.  What a relief though that our boy is almost back to being himself.  I have almost recovered from the emotional roller coaster yesterday provided, thinking that something terrible had happened to one of my boys.

Life is precious.  Every moment we have together is a gift.  Hold the ones you love.

Keurig to Ninja

At first I was skeptical of using a Keurig.  Then we got one and it was so easy to use, I often skipped making a full pot of coffee.  Previously, I preferred my Martha Stewart recommended, made in the Netherlands, "perfect-cup-of-coffee" Moccamaster coffee maker I'd used since owning my B&B in early 2000.  In twenty-six years I'd replaced it only once with a new one.  That's a better track record than most coffee makers provide.

 

However, the prior owners of our condominium left us a Ninja DualBrew Pro Specialty Coffee System.  It is absolutely amazing.  It can brew either a full pot of coffee, or with an easy drop-in attachment-a travel mug size or a Keurig style one cup brew.  Plus a frother whisk is part of the machine if you wish to froth up some warmed milk for a latte.  It has a warming plate that shuts off automatically after 2-hours.  Last but not least, attached to the coffee maker is a handy Ninja Smart Scoop to measure your coffee grounds.  All of this, and only taking up the space of one machine, instead of the two I'd previously used.  

If that wasn't enough, the prior owners also left a "motion sensor trash can" I have never before experienced.  Maybe you're thinking:  "Do I really have to be that lazy?!"  Well, perhaps yes!  It is the most handy thing you can imagine when you have full hands, or hands sticky with something you'd rather not have on the lid or handle of the trash can.  I may never be able to go back to the normal trash can.  With the motion of your hand, this trash can opens.  Deposit your trash, and it closes automatically.

There have been several reasons to appreciate our new condominium.   These two items are the unexpected frosting on top.