Manasota Key Starter Kit

Tennessee Sister & Mom doing a little pool therapy.

Today marks 2 weeks since my mom had her stroke.  Every day gets a little better for her.  Her movement & balance are improving.  The main challenge was swallowing.  The feeling was gone on the left side of her throat so I had to keep a close eye on her while she ate or drank.  Talking and eating at the same time is a habit we had to quickly break.  Tonight she managed a piece of homemade Strawberry Pie so I am certain she is over the hump.  Thank you to everyone for your prayers and emails full of comfort and encouragement.  I see a beach day on the near horizon for me very soon.

(Originally posted 5/18/2012)

I don't really try to predict what can and will happen with things. Sometimes you think something's gonna be a huge success, and it isn't. And sometimes you pay no attention to something whatsoever, and God just makes it into everything. - Donna Summer

It's Raining Shells!  Hallelujah!!  The rain that rolled over Englewood on Wednesday night rattled some pretty shells loose that washed up Thursday afternoon.

The turtles have started arriving. The yellow stakes are placed on fresh turtle nests each morning as the local turtle patrol make their way up the beach looking for recent turtle tracks.  This seemed like a popular spot.  

I had a newbie sheller with me.  Green Pea hollered that she had found a "pretty Shell".  She scored a perfect lion's paw.

My beach buddy was on the look-out for shark's teeth and had to switch brain grooves to spot shells instead.

Our 2 best finds of the afternoon - a juvenile horse conch  & a lion's paw  (3 inches from top to bottom)

Manasota Key is the kitchen sink of shelling.  You find lots of shark's teeth, fossils, shells, & beach bling.

We chillax'd on a bench to watch the boats sail by.

Thinking of singer Donna Summer who passed away from cancer Thursday morning.  She has a beach house just a mile up the road.  Donna had been a local on Manasota Key for several years.  RIP Donna.

All the fotos were taken with my iPhone 4S.

My finds of the afternoon.  I call this a Manasota Key starter kit -  Shells, shark's teeth, fossils, drift shell fragments, & flotsam.

Manasota Key on Dwellable

May the flop be with you.

(Credit:  http://www.oceanstyles.com)

Well, I guess everything has a shelf life.  Yesterday was a doleful day for me.  My favorite Havaianas flip flops finally bit the dust.  As I was shopping in the grocery store I felt my flip go flop.  The thong snapped clean off - not fixable - no way - no how.  Not my favorite hot pink, glow-in-the -dark Havianas, Wah!  I got them in a Beall's clearance rack at 70% off and I loved them from the first time I wore them.  Just squishy enough, comfy between the toes & glow-in-the-dark too!  Come On! 

 Dang! Now I'm walking barefooted on the yucky grocery store floor as I finish up my shopping.  I had placed my busted flip flops conspicuously in the basket so people would not think I purposely came in barefoot.  Kids & teenagers can get away with that tackiness in our little beach town but when you are over 50 - not so much.  As I checked out I whined to the cashier about my broken flip flops. Really, I was letting the entire line know that I really did have shoes on when I came in the store (like they really care right). The cashier sympathized  "Well Honey, at least you don't have on pajama pants.  I can handle barefoot, it's those pajama pants in public that are so uncouth."  Thank the Lord I don't even own any.  My fashion sense is still somewhat intact.

So the search begins for new flip flops.  Of course I have back ups and spare pairs but they are not the same.  OK, don't make that face at me again or I'll slap you with my flip flop.

You served me well dear flip flops.  I couldn't bear to throw them away at the store.  They are still in the back of my truck till I figure out a respectful disposal.

My favorite Havaianas on a better day.

M-O-T-H-E-R "M" is for the million things she gave me, "O"means only that she's growing old, "T" is for the tears she shed to save me, "H" is for her heart of purest gold; "E" is for her eyes, with love-light shining, "R" means right, and right she'll always be, Put them all together, they spell "MOTHER," A word that means the world to me. --Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

A spur of the moment trip found me on Captiva Island this past Tuesday.  The pictures on facebook of a huge shell pile were too tempting for me.  I hurriedly packed a bag, jumped in the car & drove the 2 hours south to Captiva for the 6pm low tide.  I had been digging my way through the monstrous shell pile when my phone rang.  It was Hubby.  "This better be good" I thought as I stopped excavating my way through the mass of seashells.  "The ambulance is here.  I think your Mom is having another stroke." He said soberly.  So, 10 minutes later I am heading back home to Englewood trying to keep calm & not let the thoughts in my head take over.  You know, the "what if's" and the "should have's".  "I didn't even hug her good bye", I thought to myself.  I just ran out of the house thinking about the stupid junonia that would have my name on it in that big shell pile.

Now, 3 days later, she is recovering from her 2nd stroke in 2 years.  This time there are swallowing issues & walking challenges.  As I watch her struggle to work with her nurses & various therapists I can't help but admire her courage.  No one wants to get old.  Certainly, no one wants to face illness of any kind.  Watching my mother be gracious, brave & trust the Lord in the midst of the storm that has just blown through her cerebellum is extremely humbling.  It makes me realize how thankful I am for every day we have together.  My Mom has peace in the storm because she knows who is sleeping in the front of the boat.

As Mom consumes the jello her nurses bring her to keep her nausea at bay, she reminds me how she taught me that trick some years back.  I balked at her offer of jello after my surgery 8 years ago and she insisted I eat it because "It would coat my stomach". Oh. All. Right. As I ate the bowl of jello she forced on me my stomach slowly settled and the nausea went away.  "You were right Mom.  You were right".  You are right about a lot of things.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there.  It's true - Mom really does know best.

(Re-posting from May 7, 2011)

My 74 yo Mother (GG) has not embraced technology although she is winking at it from a distance. GG had the cassette tape-thing down pat then I threw her a curve ball by gifting her a cd player. After several sessions of me instructing her she got pretty adapt at playing her new cd's except for one incident where she listened to the same song over and over and over all night long because she hit the wrong button.



 She has a cell phone that she forgets to charge and a tv that has 3 remotes.   I set her up a facebook account so she could keep in touch with her grand kids & some old high school friends but she never uses it. Just like the email lesson we had previous to  facebook she thinks if she hits the wrong key on the keyboard she will blow up China. 



GG has taken a shine to one perk of using the Internet - Bill pay.  GG hates to pay a bill any earlier than she has to.  I think she just doesn't like giving up her money any sooner than she has to. On the day of the bill's due date She usually races out the door to drive to the post office trying to get her envelope out on the last pony express to Discover or Allstate hoping it at least gets postmarked on time. This all changed the first time I offered to pay her bill online.  Click, click, click tap click - all done! as GG stares in wide-eyed wonder over my shoulder. She now pays most of her bills online vicariously through me. Happy Mother's Day GG. You know how to pick your battles.