The Essential Beachcomber

Hey Everyone,  Just wanted to wave hello & update you on my hubby.  He is doing well after his 2nd heart attack.  A stent has given him new energy.  It's amazing how good you feel when you are getting some oxygen to the brain.  Two days after hubby came home from the hospital  my mom who lives with me had a stroke.  I knew she was freaked out about turning 75 but come on.  As she was opening some birthday cards her glasses fell from her face & she was unable to talk. The ambulance took her straight to a local hospital that has a stroke trauma center.  Mom got the Tpa drug within 1 1/2 of her stroke & the recover has been astounding. So mom is home recovering in one room - hubby in the other. Don't worry about me, I am fine.  Really fine, I'm doing fine.  I know we all find ourselves in seasons of life like this where we are caring for others and it gets hectic. For me, I am taking one day at a time & trusting the...

Let me introduce you to my mom. This is GeeGee .  We follow that long southern tradition of calling our grandmothers something odd. Her mother - my grandmother was called Other Mama.  My mother acquired her grandma- handle because the first born grandchild could not say Grandma Ginny and she would call for GeeGee .  Don't let the sweet smile fool you.  No one in our family calls her by her given name which is Virginia. She is known on her side of the family as Aunt Tootsie (pronounced Ain't Toooot-say). GeeGee comes from a long line of crafty women - crafty in a nice way (most of them) Her mother was a florist, tatted (not inked for you youngin's) and crocheted, and off the subject could out fish any man.    GeeGee's Aunt Annabelle was the first woman in Clearwater in the 1940's to have her paintings shown in a "real" gallery.  Aunt Annabelle was a shell  crafter as well. All my sisters either collect something, grow something, or mak...