I’m leaving this morning, bright and early for New Jersey. I will be driving, and most often I drive up alone. I stay over one night and then on to my sisters in Virginia, sometimes spending several days enjoying her company. Then it is on to NJ to stay with my sons. I haven’t seen them since last summer, so even though they may come down Easter, I am suffering grandsons withdrawal, and have to go. They are soon to be 17, 16, & 15, and it won’t be long until they are scattered in all different directions. This time however I will have a traveling companion. Lory Bauer will be driving up with me to also visit her sons and grandchildren, and flying back. We will only take two days, and should arrive there Thursday afternoon. I’m hoping to keep up with my blog when I am up there, however not sure I will do that. I will be back the first week of April, and will then catch up. Happy Spring.

There are many things to enjoy in The Villages and if you have not already noticed, many of our activities will invariable start or end with a meal.   I do believe there are many reasons that contribute to this;  the abundance of good restaurants, the prices are very reasonable compared to other parts of the country, the weather is conducive to eating out, and probable one of the biggest reasons is we don’t want to cook anymore.  So many times  I have mentioned in my blog the privileges of retirement.  I think this is another one to add to our list.   Can you imagine, when our families were young,  saying I dropped them off at school and met friends for breakfast, or after the soccer game we all went out to eat, before the cub scout meeting we have to meet for lunch, or after the PTA meeting we went for dinner.   There was cleaning and wash to be done, carpooling, and homework to be supervised, children to be scrubbed and put to bed.    Going out to dinner was an Anniversary event.  Now, it is part of our weekly routine, and some weeks it becomes almost a daily thing.  Eating out  means enjoying the company you are with, without having to clean up afterwards, and enjoy we do.   That brings me to my Lunch with friends, which is a group of women that I try to get together a few times a year.    I have met these women  over the years through water aerobics, book club, neighbors, my New Jersey neighbors,  Sean’s golfing buddies’s wives, and those I met when I was a Sales Associate with the Properties of the Villages, either buyers or sellers or renters.  Yesterday, as I looked down the table I realized many states were represented;  Conneticut, New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Florida and Canada.  We were an international group of friends.  (I might have missed a state or two, and I apologize.)  The conversation flowed very easily amongst everyone, and it is interesting that no matter where we came from, we share many of the same thoughts and interests.   I find it amazing how easy it is to make friends when coming to The Villages, and especially when getting together to have lunch.  An idea for the next lunch might be friends bringing friends.  In the meantime though I want to say to those who were able to attend and also those who had prior engagements,  I consider you my Village treasures, thank so much for your friendship.

Many years ago, things were not going right for me and it seemed that everything I touched went wrong. I could do no right. I mentioned this to a friend, who is a very knowledgeable astrologer, and she called me a few days later and said she checked my chart and my planet or planets were in retrograde, and that causes communication problems, lost items and happenings of that sort. The disturbing news is that retrograde can last for quite awhile. I limped through that period of my life, and whenever something went wrong, I shrugged it off as retrograde and went on about my business. I was reminded of retrograde this past week, and am now wondering if there is Extreme Retrograde. It started out last Monday, I had marked down a meeting I wanted to attend at 6:00pm. Meeting and dinner.  I prepare, get ready and make a quick call to make sure I will be on time. I was told the meeting is tomorrow night. Oh, okay. However, Sean and I got a dinner invitation, and that certainly was as nice, or nicer than going to the meeting. Tuesday morning I get up early, shower and dress for an 8:00am meeting and am on my way at 7:45am. I get there, and I had it wrong, the meeting was Thursday morning. Oh, okay. I did errands, had breakfast with a friend and later on in the day, prepared myself for the 6:00pm meeting and dinner. Get to Bonifay Country Club, and the meeting was the night before. Oh, okay. Still refusing to be bothered by these chain of events, stayed and had dinner with friends and it was fun. Wednesday, hop out of bed to go to water aerobics, in my bathing suit at 8:16am for a class I have attended at this time for months. Drive up to Colony Cottage Sports pool and no one is there.  Oh,this is not okay. I am now starting to panic, I’m loosing my mind. Did I not see a posted sign? Well, it turned out that a pump had broken and all classes were cancelled. Oh, okay. The fact that so many things were happening really had me unsettled and afraid that maybe I was experiencing the beginning of memory loss. How frightening was that?   All of a sudden I remembered Retrograde..that’s it…I’m in Extreme Retrograde. I’m sure if I checked, my planets are not lined up, and this could be for awhile. I looked retrograde up in the dictionary, and it says to go backwards.   Well, I was certainly going backwards.  Retrograde is very tricky, it appears when you least expect it to. I wrote this entire blog, left the computer to answer the phone, came back and it was completely gone. This was definitely a sign of communications  lost or better known as extreme retrograde.  I will admit however, I am not sure how the burnt spaghetti sauce and the half gallon of heavy whipping cream I bought instead of half n half, fits into my retrograde equation. I will also  admit I am a little concerned as today the clocks went forward, and if I am  going backwards,  what will this week bring? Could it mean that if one is going forwards  and the other is going backwards,  we will meet in the middle and it will be a perfectly normal week.  Oh, okay.

  How many times recently have you grabbed a piece of paper to jot a note down.  A note meaning, you want to remember a particular thing, without putting any effort into trying to remember. We write down names, telephone numbers, good books, meeting times, good buys and more. When I examine my own behavior and the behavior of those around me, I think this is another privilege of retirement…we don’t have to remember things…our future does not hang in the balance if we do not remember an event, a name, an important statistic. We will not lose our jobs if we forget what day it is, or what time it is. However, prior to retirement,  if your boss had asked you why you did not come to work yesterday, and you said I thought it was Sunday,  that could be reason to be looking for another job.  Sometimes we just have no interest in whatever people want us to remember, but we make a note of it anyway.   I ask myself that if I still lived at the lake, would I be writing so many notes.  I honestly have to admit that I would not.  In the dead of winter there would not be that many things to do, therefore not a lot of things to remember, so I would not need notes. Last week alone I went to four different classes at the Lifelong Learning College, and even though there are no exams, you do take notes.  You also get many hand outs, which are more detailed and understandable better at refreshing memories.    I also attended several clubs, so I have many notes taken in my pocketbook note pad.  I noticed Sean’s golf score card with phone numbers and notes written on it.  I only have one frustration when it comes to my note taking, and that is I invariable do not put the reason down when I take the note.  I have phone numbers with no names,  I have names with no references, I have times and no places, and places and no times.  I found a note the other day, Dunkin Donuts 10:30.  I don’t know why I wrote that, but I do  know I love Dunkin Donuts coffee and I could really go for a cup right now.  It’s 8:15,  maybe I’ll go, get a cup of coffee and wait and see if anything is happening at 10:30.

The other day I was riding through a neighborhood, and saw a sparkling white van that was parked in a driveway.  The van’s whiteness caught my attention,  and as I got closer I noticed the large clean, crisp, black  lettering on the side… Popcorn Removal.  Being from the North East, I only knew popcorn as something to eat, preferably while watching a good movie.  Oh, popcorn with butter that is.   Two things flashed through my mind…the van is so white because it is  sanitized, and could you really have so much leftover popcorn that you need to call Popcorn Removal?    I did come to my senses within seconds, and remembered that the texture on many of our ceilings is called popcorn, and this homeowner was apparently  removing the ceiling texture in his home.  That thought  got me thinking and I started watching the different signs on the cars, as I continued to my destination.  The active lifestyle of villagers doesn’t leave  a lot of time to tend to household chores, so there are many services that are available to us.  Some names  immediately conjure up a picture in your mind.  Some are warm and fuzzy, like Comfort Care or Peace of Mind Home Watch,  and you feel good before you even call them.  Affordable Home Watch appeals to your pocket book.  However,  there are others that make you think a little bit more.  Clutter Control…must be like pest control or animal control.   Do they use traps, nets and snares to control the clutter?   All Around Aluminum…do they do the entire house, while others do only half way round the house?  Just In Time Aluminum…in time for what? Breakfast? Dinner?  When I arrived home,  I checked out the classified section of the paper and found more names that were thought provoking.   Six Ladies in a Bucket.. I have to believe it was a misprint, as  it was hard to imagine how big that bucket must be with six ladies in it…and how could they do window washing and cleaning if they were all in the bucket.  Org by Design… do they design websites,  is it .org , no org means organize and they will do that in your closets and garages.  Do you call them after you call Clutter Control?  The Village Hangman…what does HE do?    No, he  doesn’t hang villagers,  cattle rustlers or wallpaper, but he does hang pictures, mirrors, curtain rods.  There are many handymen in The Villages…  Handyman, The Handy Guy, Mr. Handyman, Handyman Plus and if the next name doesn’t stir your memory, you are either too old or too young to call him…none other than Action Jackson Handyman.   I have to congratulate all those businesses I have mentioned, as they were very creative in naming their companies in order to attract customers.  Your names worked,  they attracted me and next time I need a little help around the house I will call one of them.  I hope you will too.

I do believe it is all of us, and I think winning an award or a prize  started  at a very early age.  There were contests to be entered on the back of cereal boxes, and how about digging deep into a  cracker jack box, to get that  prize.     Then our awards got more difficult;   spelling Bs and essay contests, Eagle Scout and Gold Award Girl Scout,  Athletic accomplishments and Scholarly Awards as we got older.  There is the coveted  Olympic Gold Medal, the Super Bowl ring and the  Oscar, to name just a few.   The  JD Powers Award is  a  most prestigious award given to companies with superior services.    I would have to venture that 80% of all households in America have some type of trophy on a shelf, or a ribbon to be displayed for family and visitors to admire.     Did you ever wonder why you never see a trophy at a garage sale, or of all the things you had to get rid of when you moved, did you relinquish your trophies or did you bring  them with you.    Maybe they are not on a shelf but  in the garage in a box, but I bet many of you still  have them.  I know where my Blue and Gold R , that was sewn on my cheerleading sweater is  and I admit, when I see it, I still  feel the pride of earning that letter.  I want to talk for a moment about a very special accreditation that The Villages has been awarded.  I call it the Gold Medal of Recreational Awards.  The Villages’ Recreation Department has been recognized for having fulfilled and completed the requirements to receive the National Recreation and Parks Accreditation status from the Commission for Accreditation of Parks and Recreations Agencies.  CAPRA. The Villages is now part of an elite group of only 104 recreation agencies out of more than 3000 in our country.  This achievement provides the framework for our department and the profession in establishing the highest standards for the delivery of recreation services.  It is another component for the sustainable and perpetual plan for recreation in our community.  Moving forward the Recreation Department will continue to expand and improve upon the 144 standards they were required to meet and now maintain.  Congratulations to everyone involved in making our community one of the best.

The closest thing in Florida to a snow day is clouds, fog and rain.
I’ve lived here for quite a few years now, and very very rarely do we have a full day of rain. The last few days we have gotten up to a low lying fog, the clouds have consistently been there and it has rained on and off. It makes you feel lazy, you want to curl up and read a book, you want to make a pot of soup or some stew, you may even want to clean some closets, or never get out of your pajamas. These activities, or lack thereof, are reminiscent of a good snowfall. However,with Florida snow, you get all the advantages of the above, but none of the disadvantages. You don’t have to make sure there are enough groceries in the cupboards, and no chopping wood and stacking it handily next to the fireplace. There is no putting on chains (remember how they sounded, especially when one broke) or studs (on in November off in April). And no shoveling; the driveway, the walkway and in some cases a path for the dog. No getting to work, no more worrying about loosing electric. On the other hand, you don’t get to smell the snow on its’ way, or experience the jubilation of young children when they heard the fire whistle and the snow chain calls to say “no school”. The world stopped with a really big snowfall. We curled up in front of the fireplace, along with wool mittens, waiting to dry for their next round of snowball making or sleigh riding. Hot chocolate with marshmallows was the flavor of the day. However, reminising about snow is like going to the dentist..you never really remember the pain, until it is time for a check-up. I am planning to go to NJ in a few weeks,and I am just hoping it doesn’t snow. I am already checking the weather two weeks out. Writing about snow is very romantic,  but I think you will have to agree  that Florida snow days are a lot more fun.

What makes a Birthday remarkable? Could it be the age of a person or the amount of guests at a Birthday party, perhaps their status in life or the location of the birthday celebration.  Well, this week I was part of two such birthdays. There were no parties, one had cake the other will be having a luncheon in another month or so. There were no presents. However, they were still  REMARKABLE. The celebrations were  not for people, but for two clubs that I attend on a regular basis. The Civil Discourse Club and the Bookworm Club. The Civil Discourse Club is celebrating two years of existence. Mike Enright, one of the original members, spoke to the group Monday saying how two years ago they started with 10 people, and were hoping to get to about 20. They not only got to 20, but quickly outgrew their smaller room in one of the Recreation Centers.  They moved to a large room at SeaBreeze, and have outgrown that room. They now stagger their meetings between SeaBreeze and the Savannah Center, and have still had to turn people away.  The Club meets every Monday, and there are over 300 members. I love it because it is very informative; topics ranging from politics to environment, history to philosophy, and everything in between..all formal conversations that are civil. We all respect each others opinions, and when doing that it is amazing how much you can learn from each other. Congratulations to the founders…you did something remarkable. On Tuesday The Bookworm Club celebrated their 10th year Birthday. Kathy Porter, who chairs the meeting, was one of the original member/founders, and she told us there are six original members still attending. For one who loves to read but never had a desire to join a Book Club, I am now a Bookworm fanatic, even though when I was growing up I didn’t like being called a bookworm. This club meets once a month, and has well over 100 members, with about 80 in attendance. Each month there is a different facilitator, that starts the discussion and keeps it going. They all seem to have a connection to the book we are reviewing, so the discussions are fun, lively and informative. Unfortunately the membership is closed at this time, but I’m sure anyone could go on a waiting list, if interested. If you are like I am and love to read, but have no interest in book clubs, get on the list and come to one meeting. I guarantee you will love it and will be booked, I mean hooked. Congratulations to these founders…they also did something remarkable.