Category: CREATURE FEATURES (Page 4 of 36)
Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My! (Plus dogs and cats)
It’s another non-weekend, a Saturday that was once special now just another day. Or should I say, everyday now feels like a Saturday? The only drawback of retirement that I can ever think of is having to give up weekends and holidays. Maybe we’ll make this one a Date Night? Like every day, it started with a dog outing, run and swim. Now, I’m in my happy place, surrounded by sports nostalgia and sitting at the keyboard with little to write about.
I’m watching Big Shot on the Disney Channel, with little left that interests me on TV. I even went through the entire Bosch series again out of boredom. I miss the early game starts on the West Coast, while 8 or 9 p.m. is too late to start getting involved. In the evenings, my wife and I have been watching Loki, WandaVision, plus The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, also Disney productions in conjunction with Marvel. Yesterday, we did have a change in the routine with a late lunch with old friends in Punta Gorda at Fisherman’s Village. However, a couple of margaritas resulted in an afternoon nap.
It’s another beautiful day in paradise, so it’s hard to feel sorry for any boredom I might feel. Tally just came back from her daily visit to the dog park and promptly took my office chair. It’s a game we play every day, vying for that comfortable spot in the corner of my little sanctuary. Chair Wars! I hate to kick her out, but she has a chair of her own. If she could only write.
My wife, Tally our schnauzer, and I were like the “Three Little Pigs” yesterday, waiting for the Big Bad Wolf. The wolf was in hurricane clothing with a name about as threating as a Disney character – Elsa. However, we weren’t concerned about “Frozen” conditions but rather high winds and rain. At first it came in as a tropical storm but was later upgraded, with 70 mph gusts. It was our first hurricane experience but relatively uneventful.
The Florida home we built is made of steel reinforced concrete blocks, tile roofing, and further protected with hurricane glass. It’s like a mini fortress designed to withstand winds up to 150 mph. I often thought of straw, sticks, and bricks and the story of the “Three Little Pigs,” during the construction process. We could not hear the curtain of rain that often went sideways or the gusts that bent and battered the trees. In fact, Tally slept through most of the storm and we never lost power. We watched WandaVision on the Disney Channel while Elsa did her thing.
We had taken down anything hanging outdoors, moved some furniture to the garage, and removed any potential projectiles from the yard. We took every precaution for this our first storm. Today, we’ll move everything back in place until the next warning comes along and it “huffs and puffs to blow our house down.”
Tally got to spend time with her schnauzer brothers yesterday, returning home clean and well-groomed. She did not get to go to my oldest granddaughter’s birthday party because she still growls at little kids. This dates back to an incident years ago when a little girl screamed at her in fear – although unprovoked. Since that time, she been leery of little ones and has yet to befriend my youngest granddaughter. We end up locking her in the bedroom when she comes to visit. Hopefully, this behavior will eventually stop. Tally also growled at the sand cranes this morning, but they probably deserved it.
It’s time for another Indy 500 that I plan to watch this year from the comfort of my living room. I still recall all those years of getting up early on race day and fighting the traffic. During that timeframe, it was blacked out on TV, so as a result radio became my favorite way to follow the event. The race became the backdrop for home improvement projects like painting and building decks. Last year, the much anticipated start didn’t happen until August because of Covid, so the month of May was also not the same. In 2019 we were in Walla-Walla for the first time and in 2018 we were on our way to Oregon wine country while the race was underway. The early morning West Coast start never seemed to put me in front of the TV for the race, but the move to Florida has me back in sync with the traditional singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana” and the call to “Start Your Engines.”
This year’s Memorial Weekend project is more boxes to unpack and pictures to hang. Both cars are now back in the garage, as the “Box Score” nears ten. My wife planted her lanai garden yesterday, so things are really coming into shape. My son is due to come over so we can handle some of the heavier items that need to be organized. We did go to the fireworks last night, but the evening did not go as planned. There’s a meeting tonight to discuss our finances that we are clearly not in agreement about. She and Tally are at the dog park doing their morning routine while I wrap up this last post of the 1600s and move to number 1700, another milestone in this 5-year retirement blog.
The “Box Score” is now down to a manageable fifteen. My car is back from the body shop, so I’m trying to make room for it in the garage, as we continue to unpack, organize, and hang. Dumpster dumping will resume again once it gets dark. Tonight are the Memorial Weekend fireworks at the neighborhood stadium. It will truly represent the land of the free and the home of the (Atlanta) Braves that will have limited seating capacity. We were unable to get tickets but our plan is to do a carnic in the parking lot of wine & fried chicken and watch the festivities from there, although the aerials will easily be visible from our home that’s about a mile away.
A carnic, of course, is a picnic in the car. In my teen days it was known as “parking,” but my wife insists on packing a basket with food. We don’t even need to tailgate, just put the top down and watch the overhead fireworks show. Our schnauzer Tally will probably hide in the closet at home. It’s not a good night for dogs, but a favorite for my wife. (See Post #585). I’ve tried to keep a log of all our experiences with fireworks, but the last few years have seen cancellations due to forest fires and Covid, so Cinderella’s Castle at Disneyworld was our last recorded viewing about a year-and-a-half ago. It will be good to add our 46th explosive event to the list tonight.
A special thanks to all those who serve our country and especially those those who have given their lives. It’s been a particularly tough year for law enforcement, so I will keep them in my thoughts this Memorial Weekend, as well – glad to have distanced myself from the nightly unrest in Portland. Personally, I’ve done nothing but reap the benefits of freedom, as my charmed life has me now living the retirement dream in a new Florida home. However, I feel for those who are less fortunate. We kicked off the weekend with a sunset dinner at the Crow’s Nest last night and are looking forward to tonight’s carnic.
I had a new experience last evening by participating in “Yappy Hour,” an evening ritual at the neighborhood dog park. My wife and our schnauzer Tally had attended before, but this was my first. I would describe it as a bunch of old people who bring their own booze, sit on benches or lawn chairs, and watch their puppies intermingle. The young pups are always very active, one persistently chasing a frisbee, but the older dogs like Tally who’s now over eleven take a more cautious approach. I was amazed that another schnauzer named Cody was nearly Tally’s twin – same age, size, and black coloring. However, Tally now has a lot of gray in her beard that was purposely thinned out recently by her new groomer. By the time we arrived in Venice, after the long, grueling car trip, it was gnarled and crusty, with long overdue need for attention. Also, Tally still has her full tail while Cody has just a stub and is a male. Otherwise, it’s hard to tell them apart.
The dog park is the epicenter of what’s happening in our Islandwalk neighborhood. My wife comes home every morning with new gossip about people I’ve yet to meet and places we’ve yet to go. This morning she brought Tally home and turned right around and headed to a water aerobics class. She’s getting into the social life, while I stubbornly resist too much effort. She’s already planning to host the second of our neighborhood block parties in our lanai, a step up from the driveway getaway a month ago. We met a number of residents along with their dogs, but I constantly have to refer to my cheat sheet to refresh my memory. Starting new friendships is an exhausting process, similar to what Tally is going through at the dog park.
The frisbee chasing Sophie seems to be her best friend. Her doggie mom, Kathleen, has been very helpful in directing us to a groomer and dog sitter. I foresee a get together of spouses soon, as her husband is also a Cubs fan. I will let me wife direct our friendships, since in the past she’s always been forced into mine. I had built-in friends of 50-years when we moved to Portland, while my wife had her daughter and a few work acquaintances. We’ve never had mutual neighborhood friends, but “Yappy Hour” seems to be the first step.
Life was back to normal yesterday with the Cubs and Sox losing. We went to one of the community pools and spent some time talking to a neighbor we met at the block party last weekend. A child’s birthday party made it noisy and the water was discouraging chilly for being heated, but in my wife’s opinion not as cold as ours. I’m the only one that really gets in it for my morning swim to loosen up from the run. She’s not getting much use out of her pool toys, as the inflatable unicorn spent another lonely afternoon. Our schnauzer Tally will tolerate it as long as it’s not floating in the water. She did have a bit of a fit when the sand cranes showed up and started to strut around in the neighbors back yard pleading for food.
This morning Tally did not seem threatened by the kitty next door, as they peacefully coexisted in their separate lanai cages. My wife went back to bed after announcing she has a slight fever in reaction to the much anticipated second vaccine shot yesterday. We were up most of the night after the smoke alarms went off about 1:30a, three weeks after the first time they rudely awakened us (See Post #1666). They were all replaced by an electrician the next day, but at least this time I had a ladder and was able to remove the batteries and disable the power. Tally is still very upset about the ear piercing noise and electronic voice repeating “fire” that echoes throughout our empty house. I will get someone over here next week to uncover the annoying problem, as we continue to find issues with our new construction.
We are attending a 3rd birthday party this afternoon for my youngest granddaughter. It’s a tea party theme, so we bought her the Disney Beauty and the Beast serving tray on wheels. It features the Mrs. Potts bubbling teapot and a talking Lumiere. We’ll all sing “Be Our Guest” in addition to the birthday song to celebrate this special occasion. It will be the first time I’ve got to go to a grandchild’s birthday party, another benefit of our move to Florida.
“Be our guest! Be our guest!
Put our service to the test
Tie your napkin ’round your neck, cherie
And we’ll provide the rest.”
Last night was the neighborhood get-together and our first encounter with many of the folks on our block. We call ourselves the Borrego Bunch or Borregorians after our Borrego Street addresses. I’m surprised by the number of New Jersey settlers, since my understanding was that the East Coast people migrated to the Atlantic side of Florida while the Midwesterners claimed the Gulf. There were at least three couples from Jersey, with New York, Wisconsin, and Minnesota also represented. No one else from Indiana or the West Coast. I think that fourteen homes on our block were in attendance as we simply gathered in a driveway and spilled out on the street. The majority retired – one single woman. Some walked and others arrived on golf carts. It was BYOB. Name tags might have been helpful.
I met some Ohio State fans, as well as Steeler, Red Sox, Patriots, and Viking supporters. Most are newcomers to Florida, and with many homes still under construction on our street there will be many more get-togethers in our first year. One couple lives in the spec home, so they would have been first to stake a claim, but most have put down roots here for just a few months at the most. This gives us an opportunity to meet people before they have established strong friendships. However, there are also several part-timers who have second homes elsewhere. They will come and go.
It’s very different than living in an apartment where neighbors are heard more than seen. I wrote about this in Post #1345. There’s no more heavy feet above us, but an occasional intrusion of outdoor privacy. All of us now have screened-in lanais and some have backyard pools that are packed too close together. You want to be friendly but respect your neighbor’s space. Besides this block party, our dogs introduce us to each other, so Dusty, Sherlock, Tito, and Zowie have already gotten to know our schnauzer Tally. She roams the backyard cage and keeps an eye out for intruders, whether they be human, insect, or animal. It’s the exact opposite of the confined lifestyle of an apartment, but we’ve yet to find comfort without our furniture. Hey Neighbor – can we borrow a chair?
We’re staying with friends on Marco Island for a few days. They came to visit us with initial plans of staying at our house, but without furniture this was not possible. As a result, we ended up at their temporary place, a Marriott Vacation Club. This morning I fought the humidity in a miserable attempt to run and ended up walking after two miles. It was one of my worst efforts in some time, with the feeling that my body was totally used up. I’ll know tomorrow if it was just a temporary set-back, or if I’m truly getting too old for this streak that now extends to 4,509 consecutive days.
This getaway to Marco Island was a last minute miracle, considering that only a few days ago we had no options for someone to take care of our schnauzer Tally. My wife met a woman at our neighborhood dog park, looking for advice on a groomer. She directed us to a couple that owns eight schnauzers. As it turned out, they were excited to board Tally for a few days so we could get away. To make matters even better, Tally seemed equally excited to spend time with their dogs, even after the grooming. She ran right into their house when we dropped her off, in sharp contrast to her last few visits to the dog spa in Portland where she shook in fear. My wife was relieved to find a great option for Tally when we travel.
We arrived on the island yesterday afternoon and took a walk on the beach. I spotted a tent with the IU Hoosiers logo and met some folks from the Evansville area who owned condos in the adjoining property. It reminded me to monitor the NCAA soccer tournament match against Brooklyn St. Francis later in the afternoon. The Cream & Crimson advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the sixth straight year on penalty kicks. Hopefully, they can continue on to win their ninth National Championship – next up Marquette.
My wife finally got a good night’s sleep last night, as we both enjoyed the soft beds. It was also refreshing to stay some place with comfortable furniture to sit on. We have one more nights to relax with friends rather than squabble about what needs to be done in our new home. Hopefully, we’ll hear from the moving company this week about a potential delivery date for our stuff. Life is good on Marco Island!
Our black schnauzer Tally gets her first Florida haircut today after yesterday’s romp on the beach. Actually, it was one of our most disorganized, shortest excursions yet. The first thing that happened was I got stopped for speeding on the way there – 40 in a 30. The woman cop was very forgiving and let us off with a simple warning. Welcome to Venice! When we finally arrived at the parking lot we discovered that we left our beach (Fry) chairs back at the house, so it wasn’t really much of a Fry Day. Shaggy Tally was hot, searching for shade we couldn’t provide, so she laid under a towel. The spray can of suntan lotion also failed to work, so we had little UV protection, further reducing our interest in staying for long. Fortunately, with the top down we were at least able to get some sun on the way there and back. Tally got down on the floor and took advantage of the air conditioning. She’s not quite yet a Florida dog, but hopefully a shorter cut will help her deal with the heat.
There was not much of a sunset at Fins last night with a low cloud cover spoiling the view. It was beautiful though looking out over the Gulf, after fighting for a parking spot. Our friends were delayed by Friday afternoon traffic getting down I-75. I think they are appreciative of where they chose to live in Tucson where traffic jams are few. It was good to see them again after a full year of pandemic isolation. We were with them in Phoenix last March when everything shut down, including the Spring Training games we were supposed to attend. It was one of the last times that restaurants were fully open and masks were yet the fashion. Here in Florida, I’d say that probably only 25% of the people use them. We wore ours out of habit to enter the restaurant last night, but not at the table.
At the other extreme, back in Portland, where our furniture continues to sit, restaurants have once again been shut down. The contrast between the two states in Covid management is remarkable. The Florida economy appears to be vibrant, but perhaps the liberal mask policies and social distancing restrictions are too loose. Portland also continues to struggle with ugly protests and mayoral death threats as I see on my Facebook feeds. I hope someone is able to rescue our furniture before it somehow gets destroyed. I’m glad to be away from the chaos that threatens what was once a great city. We just need to finish the move!