Meet my cousin

My weekend turned out to be different what what I had planned. Sometime ago I received a postcard reminding me that this past weekend there was a Lacoochee Reunion. This takes place every year on the last Saturday in September. My mother used to go to it all the time and come home and tell me about all the people she had seen. For some reason she never mentioned my going along, and I never pushed the point.

A few years ago, I realized I needed to reconnect, and so I asked my friend, Lorette, to go along with me and we went. I walked around, asking people if they knew my parents. Some did. They asked if my daddy was the man who rode his bicycle from Trilby to the lumber mill on his bicycle. I wasn't sure about that, but it was a logical assumption.

I went again a couple of years ago as I was on my way to Virginia for October. My cousin was there, as she was when I went before. And she was there on Saturday. When I first had gotten the invitation, I laid it aside because I had made plans to go to a Saturday with Sweet Adelines in Brandon. When I woke up Saturday morning, I had overslept, and when I woke up, something said to me, "Beverly, go to the reunion and see your cousin."

So I did. We had a good visit. My cousin turned 80 in February. When I was a girl, my mother worked in a drug store in Bradenton where the owner never closed. Mother had to work on holidays, yes, Thanksgiving and Christmas, New Years, and on and on. She got one day off during the week, but rarely had those holidays off, and so I often spent time at my cousin's house during the holidays. She had married right out of high school and had a son just six years younger than me.

I was always welcome in her home. She bears my mother's name, and my mother often helped her when when she was in need. Over the years she had a difficult life, worked so hard, and never failed to help her neighbor when in need.

My cousin is a wonderful cook. Her father was the brother of the gentleman who is in the photo at top of my blog. They were immigrants from Syria who came to the States and made a new life. Her daddy died when she was young, but my aunt learned to cook some wonderful Syrian dishes, and my cousin did as well. After she retired from the business world, she began cleaning houses and doing some catering.

While we were talking, I asked her if she still cooked a lot. She looked at me and sort of smiled. "Oh, yes," she said. "I cook for some older people because they get tired of eating out." Then I asked her if she still cleaned. "Oh, yes," she said, "but not as much as I used to." I got tired just listening to her activities.

My time spent with her was wonderful. I love her so much, and I'm so glad we had the chance to get together. I have so much more to write about this past weekend, but that will have to wait for another day. I'm in the process of getting ready to leave for Virginia. I have about 10 people coming for a lunch on Thursday and a couple of appointments before I leave on Sunday. I'm also attending a 50th high school class reunion with my friend and going to a play at the Manatee Players on Friday night. So I may not post again until I get to Virginia next week.

Angles and Nature

I was out one evening after church with some friends at a local frozen custard place. Out back is a patio which has open latticework around it. Since I've learned to always have my camera with me, I couldn't resist this lizard. Florida is full of them. When my son was at Pe*n State, the first year he called to ask if some of his friends could come over spring break and sleep here while they went around the area. I was happy to have them. One morning when they walked outside, they were thrilled with sunshine and amazed at all the lizards. I was amused.

For a long time there was a chameleon who lived on my front porch. My mailbox is on the wall, and he stayed behind it much of the time. However, if I went out at night and turned on the porch light, he would be out, looking for food. What always interested me was that with the white walls, he was almost transparent. You could see his insides as he was on the wall. I haven't seen him in a long time.

We had a cat for eighteen years. When we caged in our pool, it became a playpen for the cat. She loved to be out by the pool, and she loved to chase lizards. One day, in a chase, however, the lizard caught her, latched on to her paw, and when we looked out, we saw our cat shaking her paw, trying to free herself of the lizard.

Carmi's theme this week is angles; last week was nature, so I've combined the two. To see more angles, visit his site.

Come on over!

My doorbell rang a few minutes ago, and when I answered it, a very nice gentleman was there with a cooler. He asked me if I was indeed Beverly, and when I said yes, he said that he had something very nice for me. He came in, took it out of the cooler, and here is the lovely edible arrangement that was in the box.

Friday was my birthday. My son forgot. He called last night, horrified that he had forgotten and all apologetic. I told him not to worry, that I hadn't been sitting by the phone waiting for his call. I knew he would remember sooner or later. He told me that he had talked to Sarah yesterday, and while they were talking, it struck him that he had forgotten. When we finally did connect by phone, we had a nice conversation. Ella even said, "Happy birthday, Grammy!" He tried to get her to sing "Happy birthday," but after a while she ended up singing "Baa-baa, black sheep."

Then this morning I was out and about, and my phone rang. It was my friend Peg, calling. She, too, had forgotten. She said she was trying so hard not to forget her new daughter-in-law's birthday that she overlooked mine.

We had a long chat about this and that. I came on home and started doing stuff. Power went off for about an hour. I was sitting here like a trapped animal...no lights, no internet. My car is in the garage, and I don't think I have the strength to raise it up manually. Anyway, after about an hour, the lights came on and then the doorbell rang.

I first of all thought that David had sent the arrangement, but he told me last night that they have my present in Virginia, and if this had been from them, it would have been way too much. They're going to take me to Washington D.C. for a weekend when I go up in October. I am so excited about that. I've only been once, and it was in the summer when I thought I would perish in the heat. So I can hardly wait to go in cooler weather.

When I turned the card over and saw it was from Peg, I was so pleased. She really shouldn't have, but it's so nice that she did. So now I have all this luscious fruit. It's much too much for me. I wish you all could come over and help me eat it.

Carmi's New Theme - Nature

Carmi has a new theme this week - nature. I love this one. I particularly love our Florida birds, and one can see them almost anywhere. This morning as I parked at a local restaurant for breakfast, there sitting on top of a car with this little guy. A street cleaner was going around the parking lot, making all kinds of noise, and he placidly sat there while the sweeper passed by and as people came and went to and from their cars.

Another day I stopped to get gas. Across the street is a Catholic church that has a pond in front. In the pond are beautiful water lilies, and this particular day this egret was carefully guarding this spot...looking for lunch, I guess. Sometimes people have fake ones in their yards, and it is often hard to tell which ones are real and which ones aren't.

Finally, on the way to a friend's home in a mobile home park were these ibis. They seem to be ubiquitous. Often seen in groups of eight or ten, they can be found looking for their lunch as well.

If you want to see some beautiful photos of nature, go to this blog, Kayak Paddle Tales. The blog author kayaks regular on the Wacissa River in north Florida, and she captures a Florida that most people don't truly think of. Go there and you will so marvelous photos of birds, turtles, and alligators. Her bird photos are exquisite.

Thematic Photographic - Closeup

Seeing Carmi's post of his daughter tonight reminded me of this photo of my granddaughter. She is very intently watching a program on TV, probably Dora, while her parents are doing her chest percussions. This therapy is a daily routine, morning and night, which is done to keep mucus loosened up in the lungs and airways...all a part of living with cystic fibrosis. This photo was taken in June when the family came to Florida.

The aftermath of Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike

I wrote briefly about Haiti this past week and the devastation of the four storms on this very poor island nation. I received an e-mail that contained a link to a video journal from the Miami Herald. I challenge you to watch it. It is not for the faint of heart.


Another blogger posted this.


Besides showing the sorrow and feeling of hopelessness of these people, the photographer has work here that, if I were nominating for an award, he would surely win it.


I think of the people in Texas today who are steeling themselves for Ike, either by fleeing or hunkering down. I know how I feel whenever the season starts and that first storm starts to form in the Atlantic, wondering what its path will be. It isn't a good feeling.


My heart breaks for these dear souls in the Caribbean who lose everything they have during the storms...homes, food, means of livelihood, and lives.

Remembering

It's amazing how this date, 9/11, brings back vivid memories of the happenings of that day. The emotions that are stirred today are not unlike those of 2001.

On another note, the photo in the post below is that of a little girl my friend takes care of. She was sitting at the table at Bob Evans the other day, looking so intently at the book. I caught a shot of her without the pacifier, but I thought this one was better. It's never too early for books, is it.

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday evening

When I looked at my last post, I see that it has been almost a week since I posted. A couple of you have commented and asked the hurricanes and Florida. As I've mentioned, I live on the west coast of Florida below Tampa, and we have had just a little rain and wind from the storms that have passed by.

TS Fay was headed for us, but it went inland further south, as Charlie did back in 2005. Some of the photos from the east coast showed quite a bit of flooding. One blogger who lives above Tallahassee in the panhandle said that they got 21.5 inches of rain in a 24 hour period. So while Fay was not a hurricane, it brought a LOT of rain.

Gustav, as you know, passed us by and went on to Louisiana and Jamie wrote about Gustav in Arkansas. Hanna also made her appearance, but again, here where I live, we were not affected at all. We are now watching Hurricane Ike which has caused evacuations down in the keys. It has weakened some to a category three (still a very strong storm, but now as I look at the map, it looks like it could head toward Louisiana as well.

When you look at those maps, the storms look they cover such a wide area, but the outer parts of the pictures might mean a little wind. David called me once a year or so ago and asked if we were having a tropical storm because it looked that way on the map. I looked out the window, and there was not a leaf moving...so goes life in Florida. It's a waiting game and always causes some anxiety, I must confess.

Not so fortunate are the islands in the Caribbean. As you know, I lived and worked in Haiti for three and a half years before I was married, and while I never experienced a hurricane, I saw devastation that heavy rains could cause there. I have been receiving e-mails from there which have been telling about the deaths and destruction from Fay, Gustav, and Hanna.

This photo was sent to me in an e-mail from Haiti. I think this is the town of Gonaives toward the north of the country of Haiti. Three years ago, this city was flooded like this. Trucks could not get in with aid. The bodies of animals were floating in the water, and sometimes, even bodies. I'm reading the same thing about these storms that have hit recently.

Compassion is an organization which helps provide relief to countries like this. One can sponsor a child through this organization for $32 a month. This helps to provide food for the child and helps with the schooling. My son and his wife sponsor a child in Uganda. I sponsor a little girl in Haiti. Vicki is an advocate for Compassion. Visit her blog and you can read her heart. Compassion has made a plea for funds for relief for countries like Haiti where food prices have soared in recent days, and incomes have not.

When you look at the weather maps and read about the storms here, think about those poor people in Haiti who really have no place to go from the storm. Have a good week.

Puddles

In keeping with Carmi's theme, water, I thought of these photos that I took one morning when I drove to my church's office to volunteer. As I was getting ready to leave, I looked out and saw a flock of ibis. (I assume they're a flock...not sure of the word for this group.) It had rained quite hard the day before, leaving puddles here and there. This ibis stood by himself in this particular puddle, doing his morning toilette.

As we read about the storms that are hitting and look at the flooding that takes place, I was thinking back today when I was a little girl, playing and splashing in the puddles in front of my house. We lived just inside the city limits, which, as one of my high school classmates said to me at lunch one day, "Beverly, you really lived way out of town." And I guess we did. I'm not sure about the storm sewers, but our street did not drain very quickly. I can remember sitting in the water, even pretending to swim. And I survived. I guess we weren't aware of pollution and all the concerns that we have today...easier times, they were...for kids anyway.