Hard to keep up...

You know its funny. It happens all the time. Your hear retired people say they don't know how they had time to work. While I really don't like working alone... I sure do like the flexibility. I am dying to get going with this clinic and yet... at the same time... I know it means the end of my freedom.

I've been trying to swim at least three times a week. Nothing like having the pool to myself in the middle of the day. Food shopping, getting errands done, visiting the library. All are easier, quicker and more flexible during the day. But then there's the working alone thing. Nancy has offered many times for me to go down and work at the university but its not just that there aren't people around. Its that there's no team, no group working toward a common goal. Yeah, I know its sounds dorky but its true. I miss the social aspects of an office but I also miss bouncing ideas off other people. Hence my polls that some of you have received recently. A hearty thanks to all who participated. If you did not, feel free to email me and I'll include you. Feel free to email me anyway!

Life is good in sunny Florida. Its getting warmer no doubt but its still more than pleasant. A wonderful breeze most of the time. My balcony is sunny in the morning and shady after noon so it often a very pleasant place to have lunch and dinner. Now that's nice. Sitting amid my flowers in my Max garden. Surprisingly I've only killed one. Okay, two. One was a small palm -- and its weird because I bought two at the same time and one is fine and the other is dead. Huh. the other was my beautiful Begonia. I think I over watered it. The beauty of Begonias -- besides their beauty - is that they can survive with very little water. I had some potted Begonias in the front yard on E Street and would forget to water them for long stretches at a time. Turns out it might have been better that way. Who knows. What's truly exciting is that my orchids are still alive and new babies on TWO of them. Now that's exciting stuff.



Bromeliad is coming along nicely. I had a beautiful tall and stately Amaryllis for a while but I think its time has passed. have to read the instructions of what to do with that so I can get it to bloom again another time.

I've been thinking about a Hibiscus. If ever there was a place to grow one this would be it but I do have to be careful. I actually like to USE the balcony so can't fill it completely with plants or I won't be able to move around out there. I wish I could find those over the rail planters. That would give me some levels to work with. Not sure if anyone would mind if I did that or not. This condo association is just getting going but that might be just the kind of thing to catch someone's eye.

I did go to the Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Two movies. The one about the remake of A Chorus Line. That was fun and another one called "I Can't Think Straight." Very fun. And what do you know... a theatre full of lesbians. If I had my organizer hat on I would have printed up some flyers for a Lesbian get together or Coffee chat... something to try and draw them out again. Obviously they are here - but WHERE? I even chatted up a few people. Oh yeah, we all stay in. Huh. Whatever.

Here's a photo of the marquis for the movie. It was down on South Beach so it wasn't a stretch but still right up there for all to see. Yeah!

That same day, we went to brunch at the Delano Hotel. A lovely deco hotel down in South Beach on Collins Ave, the main drag. We ate out on the terrace overlooking at beautiful garden. its a funky hotel with a very modern sort of Alice-in-Wonderland kind of theme. See the chair in the lobby. That's Elliott lost in it....



The bench below just tickled me. It would have been perfect in the house on E Street with that never ending wall!

It was a great brunch in a cool environment. I need to check out every hotel in South Beach. That's sounds like a challenge and a half!

Went snorkeling last weekend. Down at Pennekamp State Park in Key Largo. Not only were the
fish astoundingly beautiful but the soft coral was all in bloom as well. Some of them look so alien and extraterrestrial and then to have flowers on top was just cool.

I picked some mangoes from Nancy's yard and have been waiting patiently for them to ripen. I tried a brown paper bag, put the bag under the sink, even put a banana in with the bag. Not sure what worked... if anything... but they are finally ripe! Yeah. Today, I picked some gardenias right off the bush. They are so amazingly fragrant. Forget the Hibiscus... it could be a gardenia plant for the balcony. I think I'm in love with the smell. Here are mangoes and gardenias together.


Work is work and we're struggling forward. Each day I move one step ahead... one to the side and then usually a big one back. Today involved a conversation with a rep or some sort for Aetna insurance. Now there's an industry that deserves a whole blog unto itself. Its so confusing what they cover, what they don't. In network, out of network, how to get into the network. Its all enough to make your head hurt. She reminded me that the client for her... was the employer, not the patient. Interesting. Its a dog-eat-dog, dog approve or don't approve life saving health care treatment kind of world. I gotta figure it out if I'm gonna make this thing work. So figure it out I will. This is definitely Goliath but I'm up for it, I hope. This is part of the dark underbelly I hoped I'd never have to see. But if I learn any good tricks, I'll definitely pas them along. Strength in numbers don'tcha know.

So there you have it for a bit. Calls and a letters always appreciated. Emails, etc. Visits. Its all good. Talk to you soon.