…and just as the sign says on Rt.#44, they really are.  Sean’s sons and their friend Pastor Alec are coming for their yearly visit to play golf, golf, and more   The  competitive acorn does not fall far from the tree, so they come loaded for bear.  For many years as hard as they tried, young Sean and Mike could not beat their Father, though both are really good athletes.  Several years ago, I believe it was Mike that finally got the best of him and of course the call went out immediately to his Brother that I did it, I beat Dad.  However, the victory was short lived as Sean had open heart surgery a few months later, and he was able to say you only beat me when four of my arteries were blocked.  Last year all three of them gave him a run for his money, and left with big smiles to return again this year they think,  to do it again.  He has been playing pretty good the past few weeks, and keeps whispering  he hopes he is playing this well when the kids get here, as if he said it out loud it would jinx him.   Their best friend Pastor Alec was also raised in the Bronx as Sean and Mike were, and even though  he is Korean, he has a way of developing  a bit of a brogue when spending a week with all three of them.  There is no place like New York City to attend a St. Patrick’s Day parade, but I’m pretty sure for four guys, it will be more fun to see who struts off the golf course the winner on this St. Patrick’s Day.

…goes on, literally.  I don’t know when it happened, or how it happened but it happened, and it hurts.  Last night I was watching TV, and when I sat down I was fine, I had no aches, no pains.  I guess I sat for an hour or two and when I got up my shoulder felt stiff.  I moved it around and it seemed a little sore however by the time I got to the bedroom and started to get ready for bed, I couldn’t even raise my arm up to wash my face.  Wow, that hurts.  I felt like I had pinced a nerve and each time I forgot and raised my arm, the pain would practically bring me to my knees.  I took some Aleve and went to bed, but had a real hard time getting comfortable.  I did fall asleep, however I must have moved the wrong way and whoa, I was wide awake.  I couldn’t get comfortable, so up I got and got the heating pad,  Wrestled with that for a while, but that really didn’t help as when I moved, it moved.  I did get through the night and hot footed it over to the drugstore this morning for Heat Therapy Patches and Extra Strength Backache Relief Pain Reliever.  I love the patches as they have a sticky side that holds them in place, and the extra strength Analgesic Caplets has so many warnings on them, they have to be good.  I am able to lift my arm, although it still hurts, but if I improve as much tomorrow as I did today,  I think I should be fine in a few days.  It just makes me wonder how we do nothing out of the ordinary, and yet we develop pulled muscles, sore joints, pinched nerves and the like.  I wouldn’t mind if I had pulled or pinched something  if I had accomplished a hole in one or played a good tennis match, or swam 50 laps in the pool,  but I accomplished nothing, I was just sitting in the chair, I wasn’t even holding a book.  I can’t imagine what my shoulder would be like if I actually used it. I hate when someone says, it’s the sign of old age, it just happens.  Perhaps I should feel good, if it is only old age then with a little help from  those stick on “Heat Therapy” patches and “Analgesic Caplets”, I  should be once again good to go, which means  comfortable sitting back in my chair watching TV.

…for walk, and Wilkerson Creek may be just the place to take one.  I’m sure many of you are familiar with this particular area of The Villages, but for those of you who are not, it is right in the Lake Sumter Market Square area.  It is on Old Camp Road, which is the road that Barnes and Noble is on and is right  next to the villas at Creekside Landing.  A great walk is one the includes the Boardwalk along Lake Sumter, circling Market Square and ending at Wilkerson Creek.  Or better yet, back tracking to Toojays, Starbucks or Panera Bread for breakfast, or just coffee,  if your willpower is good. That reminds me of an article I recently read about a Villager who has made it a goal to lose weight and has chosen walking as his form of exercise to do it.  He already has lost 50lbs. in 4 months, and that is real impressive, and he hopes to lose another 35lbs. Congratulations to him for the first 50 and good luck with the next 35, which I am convinced he will achieve.  When he started walking he could barely make the 1/2 mile loop around his area.  He persevered and got up to eight miles, and it was then he figured he could walk from one end of the The Villages to the other.  He had his wife drive him to Rt.#42 and drop him off, and called her when he got to Rt.#44 just past Brownwood.  It took him 3 hours and 45 minutes to walk the 12.5 miles.  Now that he has accomplished that he has decided to walk every street in The Villages, so you just may see him walking through your neighborhood, and I’m sure he would return a big friendly wave if you do see him.  Perhaps he will be recognized by the pace he is walking, as 12.5 miles in just over 3.5 hours seems very good to me. He is certainly an inspiration to me and I sincerely hope that I will persevere in my quest to walk more and leave a little weight out their on the trail.

Grab a map, and let’s go.

…the sun day.  Saturday the Florida Lottery came to Paddock Square at Brownwood to kick off the new 3 Million Dollar Flamingo Fortune scratch-off ticket and to also showcase their new lottery logo. The 20 year old logo literally got a facelift, although the state offices call it a refreshing.  According to officials, the font is more playful, and the flamingo’s features are more defined, which I think makes even the flamingo look quite “Sophie Tucker” playful. Why not come up and buy a ticket sometime, playful. I did purchase $30 worth of tickets and won another $20 worth, which I was told I now had won 66% of my money back.  I disagreed with that analogy as, when all the scratching was completed, I had won $8, which is a 26% return on my investment.  That would have been a great return, if I had not lost my initial investment.  Another way it could be said is I suffered a 74% loss, and was not entitled to a tax deduction That is very depressing, however, to be perfectly honest. it is hard to put a price on being out in the sunshine, with friends  having fun, and for a moment imagining a new golf cart in the garage, or better yet $1000 a week for life.  No price can be put on the fact that everyone that stepped up to buy tickets and spin the wheel, did so with a big smile on their face.  The excitement of being a big winner was experienced with each scratch of the card.  There were hoots and hollers as people scratched and won, and I do believe it did not matter the amount, what mattered is they were a winner.  Well, until the next scratch that is. And yet when I looked at the enormous amount of people having fun, I could not help but think that those of us who are Village resident  would have to  say we hit the jackpot the day we decided to move here. We receive prizes every day and they come in the form of:  new recreation centers, new golf courses, new swimming pools, new activities, new restaurants, new stores and most importantly… new friends.

…and it’s time once again, to talk about one of my favorite activities in The Villages, and that is The Villages Lifelong Learning College. It was imperative that I got home Tuesday, as two of the three classes I had signed up started Wednesday.  Fortunately the storm that swept across Virginia co-operated with my agenda, and I was able to scoot through that area, while the sun was still shining.  I was a little intimidated by one of the classes I had signed up for and that was The Ten Greatest Lessons in History.  I will admit that while going through school I studied to pass a test and then immediately forgot everything I learned.  That really must have been what happened, as I got fairly good grades, but none of what I learned seemed to be that important to remember.  Especially when it came to History, and also Geography.  Sean is absolutely amazed at my lack of knowledge when talking about other countries. And that amazement goes both ways as I am absolutely amazed that all his Irish friends, that were educated in Ireland, know much more than I do about our country, not to mention their knowledge of the political history of all countries. So you can imagine his frustration when I’m not sure where the country geographically is, let alone its’ place in history.  Fortunately I have always felt no home is complete without a globe, so must I say that our globe gets a good workout.  Whenever we start talking about a country, he will say let me get the globe.  He then proceeds to show me where it is and I can own up to not knowing, or nod my head in agreement indicating that I knew that all along.   I think he realized that…I can’t believe you don’t know where that is…does not get a good reaction from me.  Anyway, back to my History class.  The reason I took this class was that I had heard the Instructor speak at our Civil Discourse meetings, and as a former History teacher, his knowledge and enthusiasm for events in History were always exciting to hear.  I thought one time, that had he been my History teacher, I bet I would love History, just as he did.  How could I then, when I saw he was the Instructor, not sign up for his class.  At the time, I was excited about it but as the day approached I thought, what am I doing?  Fortunately I had read an article recently that said you should surround yourself with people that know more than you, as it will stimulate your thinking process, and therefore enrich your life.  Well, I sat in class yesterday, and thought I am surrounded by 27 people smarter than I, and it was very stimulating to say the least.  We started out with roughly 10 trivia questions that we were to answer, and if we did not know,  we were to get the answers from fellow classmates.  We all immediately interacted with each other which accomplished two things, we got the answer but we also made new friends.  One thing that our Instructor said, which I think is the success of the Lifelong Learning College, is that whenever he went to school it was always to get a degree.  That was the main focus, to pass and graduate, to get a Masters, a Doctorate.  However, after he retired he took some classes himself and realized there is a big difference in learning in order  to pass, and learning for sheer enjoyment.  I think there is a lot of truth to that, but I have to admit, that I missed a lot in school because I was busy pursuing friendships, and that is still true today.  I loved getting the trivia answers, but I also loved meeting and talking with my fellow classmates.

… this picture you can see many more by going to… betty-eich.fineartamerica.com … or you can attend the

•    PHOTO CLUB SHOWCASE
•   COLONY COTTAGE
•   SATURDAY, MARCH 2ND
•   10AM TO 3PM

I consider Betty a treasured friend with many talents, among them the ability to capture the right scene, at the right angle, at the right time of day. Her work is so professional, that it is hard to believe she just took up photography several years ago after retiring to The Villages. I recently was at a function where I sat next to an individual who has been writing books since his retirement, and he remarked at how much talent many of The Villagers have.  And he is so right, and Betty is just one example of that.  If you want to really treat yourself, stop in at the Photo Showcase Saturday, look for my friend Betty, and I promise you will leave with a smile on your face.  You will be so impressed by all the photo displays, which you can look at, or you can purchase.  You can even buy all occasion cards, that are absolutely beautiful. What’s as much fun as seeing all the photographers’ works, is actually just talking with them.  They will tell you specific stories surrounding the shots they took, and how they got them.  If you have gone on cruises, many of the photos displayed are familiar cruise stops.  You just may catch yourself in one of them.   On your way out, don’t forget to vote for your Best Photo and see if your favorite wins. Also, you can buy a chance to win a Canon Powershot SX160 digital point-and-shoot camera.  SX160 digital sounds a bit above my head, however point-and-shoot seems like something even I could do.

Note: The above photo is the Ninth hole on the Kilimanjaro golf course in The Villages. I am in the process of using it for my header, but it still needs some adjustment.  Betty has many beautiful shots of The Villages, and also other areas. Stop and see her.

…a picture taken 50 years ago, but it isn’t.  It was taken a few days ago as my Grandson and his girlfriend were arriving home from school, for their afternoon raid on the refrigerator.  When you think of how drastically our lives have changed since our own teenage years, it is quite amazing that the Varsity Jacket is still pretty much the same, with one exception.  There are competitive sports teams in high school now for girls, where they can earn their own jackets, as in the above picture.  In my era, the closest we would get to wearing a jacket, was having a boyfriend with a jacket.  That is, a boyfriend who would let you wear it long enough to be seen by the other girls, provoking great envy and jealousy.  Popularity was not dictated by looks and personality alone, a Varsity jacket and a car..any kind of car..moved you up a few extra rungs on the popularity ladder.  However, when you peel away all the technology available to teens;  the phones with texting, the tablets, ipads, and the video games, they still are the just same as we were. They need their friends, they need their food, and they need their activities.   It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?  We still have and want friends, we certainly are into our food, and we love our activities. How many times have you heard Villagers say I feel like a teenager again.  It could be that we have any and all sports here, too many restaurants to name, and we have an abundance of friends.  We are set apart from our teenage counterparts, as we don’t have Varsity jackets, but it also can be said we don’t have white bucks and Varsity sweaters, and that could be a good thing.

…that your horoscope really knows what you are up to.  In recent years I have taken very few pictures.  I stopped taking pictures when I realized on vacations and the like, I was spending more time taking pictures than I was just enjoying my surroundings.  I was more concerned with gathering friends around a table to take a picture, instead of sitting and enjoying their company.  My pictures documented my activities, as if I had no life; no family or friends, no vacations,  if I didn’t have a picture.  Once I stopped taking pictures I felt liberated.  I would take my camera on trips and to family gatherings, but would rarely use it.  At times I would become annoyed when people would round me up for a picture, or step in front of me to take a picture. However, things happen, times change.  Recently my son thought I ought to add pictures to my blog.  He guided me through the steps I needed to take to add them and the rest is history.  I think it perks up the blog, and now, I’m the one running around with my camera, standing in front of people, documenting.  I still am a little shy doing it, but I can see that the shyness is fading fast. Above is my horoscope that was published a few days ago, and you have to believe too, there is definitely something to it.  I no longer take pictures for myself, but I take them for you.  I hope you enjoy them.