Home from Florida

Just arrived home from Florida a few minutes ago.  Very tired, we left on Sunday a little before noon from Lehigh Acres, a distant suburb of Fort Myers.  The car is loaded with souvenirs, it's going to take me a week at least to sort things out. 

When I think that Saturday I was basking in a hot sun and now it's a little below freezing outside my window Tuesday night - and we did it by car - well, it's a lot to take in.

Many adventures to relate, but somehow what's sticking in my mind is the flock of over a dozen robins we saw Monday morning up near the border between Florida and Georgia, all males, excited about flying north to claim territories in the spring against the arrival of the females.

Had a very successful signing at the Stitchin Post in Nashville on the way down.  Pat has a great shop divided into many little rooms.  Mostly counted cross stitch.  On short notice she got the word out and there was a steady stream of customers coming in to buy my books or get me to sign books they already owned.  It's sweet to be an author and see a book seriously worn from repeated readings.  Such a compliment!

And if you ever get the chance, go see The Grand Ole Opry.  They put on a wonderful show, all kinds of country/western music, from old-time pickin' and close harmony, to something close to rock, all on a big stage that is broadcasting live on the radio.  There are people walking out on stage to watch or visible in the wings watching.  The theater is enormous and there are huge screens left and right so we up in the higher balconies can see up close the action - there are at least two camera operators stooping and moving, taking pictures of the action.  There is a man doing the commercials from a lectern to the left of the stage and he'll talk to the performers sometimes, working them into the commercial.  It's very friendly and informal.  Good music, too.

My niece Reggie has opened a little second-hand shop, Loved A Lot, and her stuff is very high end yet not costly.  I don't know where she gets it.  She and her husband Joe have two dogs.  One is an American bulldog that weighs 150 pounds!  And he is NOT fat, just very broad, and mad about chasing this horrible dirty frisbee around the yard.  Every other frisbee they've bought for him, he chews into small pieces, but not this one. It's mashed flat because he stands on it, and is covered with tooth marks, but it still flies, if crookedly.

My sister Dolores is doing well, her house is lovely, and she looks twenty years younger than I do, darnit.  She has a shaggy little dog named Hannah and a reserved cat named Alice.

I'm going to bed, maybe more adventures next week.