Good Thing They Weren't Elephants

No photos for this post.  It wasn't a pretty sight. Today I checked on some of the rooms which had not been occupied recently.  One never knows.  Unit #3 looked ok on cursory inspection, but when I checked the bathroom, in the shower corner I found a bunch of black dots & smudges.  I also found them on the clean bath mat, and later on the carpet by the door. 

It didn't look like insects or rodent poop, so I had the DH check it out.  He was convinced that it was indeed an invasion by a herd of mice.  There was a hole in the floor of the shower where I saw the biggest concentration.

On reinspection, I found the nasty evidence in other places.  The foil stove top liners were chewed, there was poop behind the toaster and around the sink.  I spent an hour in there, cleaning and recaulking the shower to at least plug up the obvious entrance.  Then I set 3 strategic traps.  This is war!

Thank god they weren't elephants or the poop would have been over my head.

Proud Mama

Here's my DD Danielle receiving her Bachelor of Science degree with top honors from Flagler College.  I was privileged to be there as she was honored with the award for being valedictorian of her graduating class.

Kudos to a woman with such determination that she held down two jobs, raised a family and still managed to earn her degree with excellence.   She is an example and an inspiration to women of any age that if one desires something with passion then one should go for it.

My Winter Escape

I've escaped!!  Well, not completely.  These photos are of a vacation rental I took for the month of December.  I was there the first 4 days of December then had to come back to the DB to take care of some business.  Going back in a couple of days & the DH will join me for the weekend.

The deck is very private and the stairs at the back lead to a rooftop deck with an ocean view.  From the sliding glass doors I can see my own private jungle & I think I'll stick a Christmas tree out there.  I'm not really into Christmas these days, but a tree will look festive.  The place is a little spotlessly clean doll house.  A tad dated, but it has everything I need and is close to the DD and family.

Oh!  Let me bitch for a moment.  I'm paying big bucks for this little get away & when I went to the office to ask about inviting my family to  come into the park and have dinner with me, I was told I'd have to pay $5 a head.  I'm outraged.  I understand the need to monitor the comings and goings, and I would agree if they were overnight guests, but I'm going to have to pay everytime I have someone stop by That's just wrong.  I paid the $20 to have my children to dinner, but that's the last time.

Because I feel it's wrong, I refuse to cooperate.  The DD lives in the subdivision across the street, so I will run a shuttle service in my own vehicle.  I'm reminded of the old drive-in movie days when we used to hide extra people in the trunk.  I won't violate the park policy of no more than 6 people visiting a site, but I'll be damned if I'm going to pay $5 every time my grandkids want to stop by after school.  I want to have my family over to decorate the tree and have dinner and no way am I paying $30 for 6 guests to visit me for a couple of hours.  Arrest me, throw me out.  Fat chance.

On a positive note, my first few days of relative aloneness were worth the price of admission.  I slept late, shopped, walked, read, cooked and reveled in the pure pleasure of a solitary existance.  I did what I wanted, when I wanted and answered to no one.  I had nothing to do but please myself.  The escape was so worth it and I can't wait to go back.

Hotel Nazis

We get visited by the Florida hotel nazis twice a year and my most recent visit was in July. Two very officious people showed up flashing badges and frowns.  I had to open up three rooms and my laundry/ storage area for inspection.  I've been doing this for 9 years now & usually I get written up for not having my cleaning products properly labeled.

The Florida regs are pretty basic.  Label your chemicals, don't keep chemicals where they can contaminate linens and towels, have working outside fire extinguishers and smoke alarms in each room.These folks wrote me up for stuff I didn't even know were violations.

A cigarette burn in a chair (I have since sewed it together,) a missing ceramic tile in a bathroom (I smacked some joint compound in the hole,) a bit of mold in a refrigerator gasket (I cloroxed it and now do that on a regular basis,) and missing ceiling tiles in my laundry room.  I agree, the tiles needed to be replaced.  They've been like that for 9 years.  After getting the write up, I asked the DH to please, please make that job a priority, because at reinspection, if the violation hasn't been addressed you will be fined.

I've been begging & pleading since July.  I wrote notes and pasted them on his computer.  No luck.  So what I did was go out & buy myself an electric staple gun & hid it.  Can't let the DH touch my tools.  They disappear into his black hole.  Tonight I snuck out to the laundry and tackled the project myself.  Not a piece of cake!  In fact it was a bitch.  The staple gun didn't do the job, so I nailed the damn things up there.  By the time I had 3 tiles done,  I was done.  I'll go out each evening a do a couple more until I fill in all the missing squares. 

If you look close, you can see my handiwork.

I know, it's terrible, but once I fill in all the squares I won't have to worry about a fine.  I'll do a few each day.  PS  I did rotate the photo, but it didn't come out right either.

Fall Anywhere

It's my absolute favorite time of year wherever I am.  These photos are my backyard tonight, just before sunset.  Today was a rare day in northwest Florida.  Low humidity, cool enough to need sleeves and colors so sharp they inspired a double take.

My recent trip to NJ took me through the still colorful leafiness of North and South Carolina and I was appropriately awed. But when I arrived at my DD's home, stepped out of my car into her knee deep drifts of leaves piled at the curb and smelled the earthy perfume of a south Jersey fall, I felt so home.  Not "at home" but home.  The entire time I spent in NJ, I breathed deeply and saved the memory of the scent to bring back to Florida with me.

Ely Rodriguez

I've been in New Jersey for the last week to be with my daughter Denise and her children.  Here is her husband Ely's obituary as written by her.

Ely Rodriguez
42, of Mays Landing, passed away unexpectedly on November 2, 2010

Ely is survived by the light of his life, his son Logan, by his wife Denise, and his three stepchildren:  Zachary, Cody, and Chelsea.  He also leaves behind his stepfather Jose Carmona, his father Gabriel Rodriguez, 16 brothers and sisters, and his beloved nieces and nephews.  He is predeceased by his mother, Nicasia.

Ely was honorably discharged from the United States Army in 1988 and worked as a waiter, photographer, and salesman before settling into his job as a repair clerk at Verizon 11 years ago.  Ely will be remembered for his huge personality, for being the life of every party, for being the Pittsburgh Steelers' #1 fan, and for his ability to make friends wherever he went.  But mostly he will be remembered for his unwavering devotion and loyalty to his family and friends, and for being the best husband and daddy anyone could ask for. 

It goes on to give details of the  celebration of his life which was attended by an overwhelming number of relatives and friends, many who spoke with eloquence and sincerity about this man who loved life, his son and family and the people who will never forget him.

I'm Doing This

　

Saturday, Nov. 6, 2010 Quite Possibly the Biggest Beach Walk in the World Through a one-day beach walk that covers 825 miles of Florida beaches, organizations and individual volunteers around the state will celebrate our sandy shores and show the world – with photos from each mile - Florida’s beaches are as wonderful as ever. Florida Organizations Partnering for Florida This event is being supported and promoted by a number of great Florida organizations. VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official tourism marketing organization, is hosting the overall effort, including the website to enlist volunteers and promotion beyond state boundaries to potential visitors. Volunteer Florida is organizing the official volunteer efforts across the state. The Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association is reaching out through its extensive network of partners to let Floridians know about the event and support participants. The Florida Lottery is providing promotional support, and organizations such as the Florida State Parks and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission are contributing expertise and volunteers. Sunshine State Momentum Within the first few days of official registration, all 34 Florida beach counties had their volunteer hosts on the case. Local service organizations, Scout troops, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Keep Florida Beautiful, Stetson, and tourism organizations are just a few of the folks stepping up to organize and serve as volunteer walkers and photo-takers in their counties. Event Day Registered volunteers (individuals and groups) will head out to walk their official mile sometime after sunrise and take a photograph along the way to upload to the internet. By 11 am EST, each official County Host will know how many of its county’s miles have been walked and photographed, and will report in to the Operations Centers. All photos will be displayed on
www.visitflorida.com/beachwalk
There will be two hub locations for media - one in Miami and one in Northwest Florida – where Operations Centers will be set up to receive updates throughout the event from County Hosts. Update information will include the number of volunteers participating, the number of miles walked and the photos uploaded to the VISIT FLORIDA website. In both hub locations, there will be:
• a sunrise kick-off address
• groups of walkers heading out at set intervals throughout the morning
• an 11:30 EST closing ceremony to recognize the achievement of the volunteers . Local Volunteers, Local Events, Local Media Opportunities Each county will have its own agenda, but all will follow the overall timing of the event. In some counties, there are
additional special events in conjunction with the Beach Walk. As their schedules evolve, information is being posted to
www.visitflorida.com/beachwalk. We are encouraging media to participate as well as report on the event. Post Event: All photos can be seen on www.visitflorida.com/beachwalk. Visitors to the site will be able to vote on their favorite beach mile and be entered in a sweepstakes to win a Mazda Miata and $5,000 to take their own tour of Florida beaches. Important Connections: www.VISITFLORIDA.com/beachwalk www.VolunteerFlorida.org
GET INVOLVED! REGISTER. Find your county host.Media contact: kathyt@visitflorida.org and (850) 345-6494

See special events in your area. Help spread the word. Thank you!