Death

My friend Sherida has been traveling with three dogs, the best mom any dog could have. She loved them, cooked chicken and rice for them, talked to them and they were her children.

Today she had to euthanize one of her beloved pets. Lilly the Licker ruptured a disc in her spine which paralyzed her hind legs and the only other option was a very expensive surgery. I cannot imagine the pain and emptiness she is feeling over such a loss. They have become like family to me, Sherida, Greg, Patty, Mickey and Lilly. I have laughed so much with them, eaten many meals with them, walked their dogs and they have been there for me every time I have needed help. I hope I can now be of some support for them to ease them through this process.

Microwave

I finally got a new microwave up and running after being without one for a month. Didn't realize how much I missed it until I was able to use one again. It was a much more involved procedure than I had anticipated so am ever so thankful for the help of friends and their tools. And it truly is a fabulous new microwave, it even has a grilling feature. Nothing is too good for Winnie:).

Went to Bayou Bob's for lunch the other day and it turned into a day of total gluttony. Shrimp po'boy, cajun fries, fried pickles for lunch and for dinner I grilled a big chunk of Amberjack fish that was caught fresh the day before and topped it off with Key Lime pie I brought home from Bayou Bob's. Good food, good full belly. Because of a fisherman's good fortune, I ended up with enough Amberjack for another meal and two meals worth of White Snapper. Amazing how people continue to feed me:).

Changes

I bought a microwave, as yet to be installed but I am hoping it will work, played my last game of Bingo (won $5!), ate my last doughnut at Wednesday morning "coffee and doughnuts", somewhat defrosted the freezer, got Winnie an oil change (she is absolutely purring:)), got new neighbors (they don't seem very friendly at this point), stocked up on supplies, received an awesome memory foam for my bed as a gift from Louise the Canadian and made reservations for Mexico Beach from February 1-13. Whew! Been a busy couple of days and the week is flying by in preparation for moving down the road.

I am in my typical grieving phase as I say goodbye to the place that has been my home for a month. I have met such amazing people, laughed with them, heard their stories, shared our hearts. Emotionally getting geared up for once again being on my own, with Winnie my sole companion. I will be weepy for a few days, savoring all my experiences and memories, and come Monday, I will have processed this "leaving energy" and be eager for the new adventure. I have been through this so many times in my lifetime. I am familiar with this pattern of an early energetic leave taking, so when the actual moment arrives, I am ready.

But for now, I am in mourning.

Soggy Sunday

Another wet one today but perfect to hole up in the recreation room and watch the football playoffs. Football is one of my passions, seemingly at odds with the path I walk, but I can watch a full day of football and never get enough. It was wonderful to have the recreation room all to myself, to cheer my team on and pace around the room as the Saints looked like they may not win. But, way to go Saints!, we have been waiting a long time.

To date, I am the only one I have met that is not traveling with a TV. I am an oddity not only because I am a single woman traveling alone, but also because I do not have a pet or a TV. Also, as of right now, I do not have a microwave. I have learned that I need so very little in the way of "comforts". I do love having my laptop and an ample supply of books to read, but I may even be able to do without those if I had to. What I am really missing right now are trees and mountains and their beautiful faces and I am longing to sit within a grove of trees. I have made a daily ritual of communing with the Santa Rosa Sound, but I still miss my trees.

Prophet

The man across from me has declared himself to be a Prophet. He has glimpsed a vision of the future and is now stock piling goods in preparation for the coming times of economic collapse and the decimation of a huge percentage of the population. He is crying for people to WAKE UP!!!!! I heard this wake up call a few years back, and even though our visions have some similarity, they are also quite different.

And I wonder, am I totally naive, a distinct possibility, or is my own personal Truth something that will withstand the coming of this new earth? Change is the only inevitable, forget about death and taxes, and the facts are that our Earth, and all the planets in our galaxy, are undergoing changes as we prepare for events that occur once every 26,000 years. I do not believe that anyone has the entire picture, an impossibility that our human form could grasp such enormity, but I do believe in visions.

And so I am left with my own personal perception, perspective of what is daily unfolding. I am a Seer, as he is a Prophet. Are we madmen, madwomen, with our sights that no one else can see? Will it even matter?

Games

I finally won at Bingo, a whopping $4.00, and promptly lost it the next night playing Texas Hold'Em. And, I have discovered I like to watch people play Texas Hold'Em much more than I enjoy actually playing the game.

There is this strange, foreign language of "the river, the flop, in the pocket" that eludes me. This is such unfamiliar territory and the cards know I am at odds with them. I am supposed to watch my own hand and also anticipate what other people may be "holding". I rarely know what is going on and seldom have any cards I can play. The Tarot cards may speak to me, but these playing cards shun me as we have no familiarity.

The cards love my friends from Las Vegas and they are always the big winners. I love the way Sherida shuffles the cards, the energy flowing between her and the cards, a soft caress passing between them. No wonder she wins so often!

Me, I am happy when I have lost all my money which means I can finally quit!

Storm

The Thunder and Lightening Gods were in the playing fields last night. At first we thought it was cannons going off from Pensacola, but soon realized it was thunder and a ferocious storm blew in that lasted into the early morning hours. The rains poured down, the winds blew and thunder and lightening kept interrupting my sleep.

This morning it is misty. Usually you can see all the way to Navarre Beach, but today there is very limited visibility. We are wrapped in a cocoon as we wander around and tell our stories of our experience of the storm. Once again, we have survived one of Mother Nature's myriad faces. It brings us closer together, as the world has drawn closer together to aid Haiti. It is humbling to feel our smallness in the face of Nature.