Yesterday I spent the day with some old friends from Iowa, where I grew up. We have been friends since we were 11 and 12 years old. Yes, we’ve been friends for over 50 years. Our lives have gone on in different directions but about 7 or 8 years ago we all got together again, and it was like all those 40-something years we hadn’t seen each other just melted away.  We’ve seen each other almost annually since then.

Funny thing is, I had not been looking terribly forward to this visit. Not that I didn’t want to see them, but there was a lot going on in my life in the last couple weeks, issues with the house, some tentative plans about the future that I’m not ready to share here yet, and also in great part because the friendship with one of this group that lives near me has been strained in the last few months, and I felt uncomfortable about that.

We decided to meet at my house and go get lunch. There were 3 of us, and Dan , and another boyfriend of one of the girls. As it turned out, it was a really nice day, no issues, we got caught up, walked around my little town, and then came back to my place and drank wine and ate pizza til around 9 pm. The friend with whom my relationship is strained was not there which eased things for me. They had seen her, and we were able to talk about the situation, and they eased my mind about it. We made plans to get together Thursday again, and our other friend will come. I volunteered to pick her up, so I think that situation will resolve itself, and I’m very happy that’s how it’s turning out.

When they left, I told Dan (who knew how I’d felt about the whole thing) that it was really good for me, because old friends tend to ground you, to remind you where you came from. I know I am very fortunate to have them all as friends still. There are not a lot of people who have friends around that they went to middle school with. I’ve been lucky in my life to make and keep some very good friends. These girls from Iowa with whom I was inseparable through jr. high and high school, and a group of friends from CT where I lived the next 45 years. And now I have a small group of friends I’ve made here in FL that I love. My BFF from CT gave me a sign when I moved out of my ex’s house that says “Friends are flowers from the garden of life.” That is so true. I am so fortunate.

Which leads me to mention that a WP friend, who had closed her blog down, has started it up again. Her name is tRe, and her blog is A Cornered Gurl. She is a very very talented poet, and regularly inspires me to dig deeper when I think I’ve maybe run out of verse. So glad to have you back tRe! Check out her blog at https://acorneredgurl.wordpress.com/

Love and light, everyone.

Fruit in the morning

Pineapple, melon, mango

Sunshine in a bowl

By Deborah E. Dayen

Picture from Little Spice Jar via Google Images

It’s 29° here this morning. WTF. 29°. Geezus. Dan wanted to go to the hot tub. NO. He did go outside and rescue the basil plant outside his kitchen slider. I didn’t hear any more about the hot tub after that, though he is still dressed in shorts. I think he’s hoping he will find out shortly we are in the twilight zone. Record cold.

I should not complain. It’s only going to be cold for two days and then will get back at least to the 60’s. I refuse to go outside until it is at least 40°. I have not been here long enough to not remember what 29° is like. And it’s windy, wind chill is 20°. WTF??!! I don’t want to have wind chills down here in paradise. My little town here closes up in cold weather. Open mic night is canceled, for the 2^nd time this winter due to cold. I want Florida to come back.

I suppose I should tell you that it was 71° yesterday afternoon. I just didn’t want to, because I sound like a whiny baby. Whine Wine Wine.

So it’s been a busy few days, looking at different coverings for my driveway, settling on crushed shells. Calling the plumber because the sewer backed up again. UGH. Last year I spent $3000 to fix the problem. And now it’s back. The plumber came and reamed it out, for no charge. But there are now roots in my sewer line. The sewer line on my street runs behind the houses, under the cement pad that my shed is on. None of that is good news. We are exploring options, but at least it’s not backed up at the moment.

I may have friends from Iowa here this weekend. It would be fun, but with my sewer problems, I don’t think they can stay at my house. I think they can stay at another friends though, close by. It will be nice to see them. They are childhood friends. We all have been friends since we were 12 and 13.

I guess the whine is over for now. Love and light everyone.