I'm back

I'm back from my vacation on Sanibel Island with my sister.  A week is not enough.  Next year, maybe, we'll do two weeks.  Up at the crack of dawn to go walk the beach and find those shells one just has to have.  Fighting conks, shark's eye, murex, scallop, janonia (if only).  Big, small collect 'em all.  Now what to do with them once they arrive in that oh so carefully packed box (I would never try to bring them home in my suitcase).  Guess they'll join the ones I sent home two years ago that are still in their box.  I'll come up with an idea one of these days.....sigh.
One of the advantages of getting up and walking the beach is....exercise.  My legs did protest those 3 miles I walked on the sand every day.  I'm still feeling it.  I'm going to have to come up with way to keep those calf muscles up to doing it again next year (I hope).  Maybe stairs?  I do have those here.  Plus I could (on nice days) walk down to the vegetable stand and back.  That's 3 miles.  Couldn't hurt.   All I have to do is DO IT!  Not today, though, it's raining.  Guess I'll do some cleaning then sew.
Y'all have a good day and remember:  he who hesitates may just be trying to make up his mind.

I'm off!

I'm off!  To Florida, that is.  See ya!

A passing

Received a phone call very early this morning.  It was my ex's wife to let me know that my ex had passed away at midnight.  The cancer must have been very aggressive and fast since my daughter only learned about him being in the hospital about a week ago.  Apparently it was a melanoma on his liver.  I don't know the whole of it but will probably learn at some point.  While I am sad for my son and daughter on their loss, it isn't as though he was close to them.  In fact, they hardly ever heard from him or his wife.  My daughter is the one who made the effort to keep in touch.  It's a shame, really.
I'll be here for them if they need me.

Heading South

This Saturday my sister and I are meeting up at the airport and flying to FL.  Ft. Meyers to be exact.  There we are renting a car and heading to Sanibel Island for 6 days.  We're both tired of the weather we've been having and are looking forward to warmth and sunshine.  We've rented a condo before and I do believe this may become a yearly thing.  We'll be walking the beach at low tide looking for shells (although I have no idea what I'll be doing with what I find).  I still have the ones I found two years ago in the box I shipped them home in.
My sister and I have never really been close.  She is 11 years younger and our lives didn't cross much over the years.  Only in the past few years have we begun to communicate more and try to be together at least once a year.  Guess we both realize that we're getting older and, now that our families have grown, it would be nice to get to know each other better.  Same with my brother.  We communicate more now than in the past.
It's a shame, really, that we were so far apart for so long.