Florida

by Monica

The weather here is magnificent. I'm here for a flying visit to two nieces and to pick up their mom, my sister Dolores. My mother is now living with another sister, Therese, and Therese needs a break. Dolores is going to come and stay with Therese but wants her car. So she needs to drive from Ft. Meyers to Milwaukee. And I'm here to help with the drive. Plus I get two whole days in this glorious weather and beautiful beaches -- and Cuban food.

We went to a Cuban restaurant yesterday and I discovered the food isn't at all like Mexican. I think I'm in love! Would you belive Yucca? Fabulous! And they do something with strips of beef that is amazing, subtly spiced (not at all hot). One thing that's the same: when you say "lemon" what you get is lime. But limeade is delicious, too.

Yesterday, I didn't think about Chapter Four of Thai Die once. That -- not thinking about something I'm writing -- hasn't happened in a long time. Months and months. Maybe more than a year. Usually, the chapter or whatever is always, always there, if in the background. I hope it's a good thing, that now I'm all refreshed and see it in a new light. I haven't opened it to see where I left off. I'll do that later. Maybe after we get back from Sanibel Island and the bird sanctuary. I feel as if I'm playing hookey, and it feels kind of nice.

My niece Rachel is giving one of her cats to my niece Reggie, so we brought the cat, Miko, from one to the other yesterday evening. Ever traveled with a cat? They don't like it. Cars equal trips to the vet in most cats' minds, and Miko started telling us how distressed he was the minute the car door slammed. It's not far from Naples to Ft. Meyers, but Miko made it seem like a drive across Texas. At last I took him out of the cat carrier -- Dolores was driving -- and that shut him up for about ten minutes. Then he wanted to walk around. No, Miko. Could he help steer? Could he call out the (closed) window for a driver in the other car to rescue him? Could he get back in his box? (I was mistaken when I thought he wanted back in the box. Funny how wide and tall a small, thin, half-grown cat can be when you're trying to stuff him back in a cat box.) Oh, well, we survived it and he's walking around the lanai

Tomorrow, very early, we start the drive back. I hope it goes smoothly, because I have to be back in the Cities in time to give a presentation in Robbinsdale on how I got into writing needlework mysteries.


posted for Monica