Stay Positive

In one of my favorite books..."March" by Geraldine Brooks, the story is told in the perspective of Mr. March (the father in Louisa Alcott's "Little Women"). If you know the story of Little Women, Mr. March is away at war and his family anxiously awaits his return. In "March", he writes homes everyday as promised, but he manages to write about what is going on...yet not really tell his wife and daughters what's happening because he fears it would be too much for them to bear. The reason I thought of this book is because in a way I feel like this must be how my sister Martha feels right about now.
Martha was recently diagnosed with cancer. She had a cyst removed and they found cancer cells in her fallopian tubes. It is an aggressive and very rare cancer...so the Dr. is doing some testing to see if it's genetic in origin...but in the meantime chemo has already started (this past week.) Martha..............who runs, swims, golfs, skies, does yoga,not to mention work as a hospital administrator. And we have already lost a sister, Jenifer, to rectal cancer, three years ago...so the diagnosis is even more troubling. It appears that they caught it early and there's no doubt Martha is a force to be reckoned with...but it is cancer. So for now the treatment has started and Martha sends us updates and tries her best to put a positive spin on things...but it must be hard for her to stay "UP" and to keep us all "Up"....and yesterday she sent a note and a picture and I saw it and that's when I just fell apart. John walked in a few minutes later and I think I scared him half to death...and then when I managed to say why I was crying...he calmed me down and understood. But I HATE that Martha feels the weight of not just her illness, the chemo side effects and uncertainty...but also the weight of all of us...hanging on for positive news...hoping for the best, wanting everything to be okay.
So yesterday I cried a bit...but now I am going to do my best to be strong, be positive and pray for the strength and courage we will all need to get through this latest challenge...and I am looking forward to next spring...when we are going to be on that cruise Martha and I talked about!

Librarian Anne

A picture from a little friend....one of the things I love about being a Children's Librarian....
Today we had a Zoo theme. Read these books. The Baby Beebee Bird is always fun to read..."beebeebeebee bobbibobbi" and I had a BIG BOOk copy of Goodnight Gorilla...so the pictures were even more fun to see. That naughty gorilla letting all the animals out of their cages.
Two at the Zoo was cute and then I also read Sam Who Never Forgets by Eve Rice. One of Brenna's old favorites...I still have an old cassette recording of her 2 or 3 year old voice saying "Sam who never, who never forgets!"
After our stories and a song...we made paper plate snakes. A good time was had by all!

Fun Stuff

On our recent trip to NC...we flew from Melbourne to Atlanta. In Atlanta we rented a car...so that meant we had time in the airport...going from the terminal to Baggage Claim, etc. I love the sculptures they have in the airport.
I wish I could've gotten a better shot of my favorite one, the bird....but this is another favorite.
On the way to the Rental car pick up/drop off...I spotted this great little Dog Park. I LOVE these sculptures...if I had a gigantic back yard... not to mention a gigantic bank account as well... I'd put one of these in it! I told John that...his reply..."Thank goodness we don't have a gigantic back yard!" haha
John thought I was a little crazy...but I had to get in there an take some pictures. No one else (human or dog) was in there, so I got to get a good close look. I really like this kind of art.
The red one kind of reminded me of Brenna's dog...Haze.

Another Good Day of Fishing (sort of)

John, Ron, Ben, Jess and Ben's dad, Mike all went fishing Saturday and as you can see...they got some great fish.....but it was a long day on the water
Ben holding a Yellow Eye Snapper. Mike has a Grouper.
"Big Ben" holding the big grouper

John with all the fish...all 8 different species
I came out the back door...unaware the picture was being taken....
Holding up two of the big ones
They finally got a Yellowfin Tuna...one of the first this year (after So many last year) Ron was reeling it it went along came a shark (or two?) and CHOMP!!!!!...half the fish was gone...but Ron reeled it in and we finished off the rest! hahaha

Strawberry Grouper and Silky Snapper
Queen Snapper

Mystic Grouper....one ugly looking fish...but it tastes pretty good! :D This giant fish head was from a 160lb grouper....and the head was so ugly....I'm glad I didn't see the whole fish!.I like the goofy expressions on John and Ben's faces..almost as bad as the fish)..I'm not sure what Ron was going to do with it...other than freak people out by showing it to them...I figured maybe he was going to do a twist on the scene from "The Godfather"...substituting a big fish head for a horse head...but they assured me that wasn't his plan. hahaSo they left our house at about 2:30am Saturday and headed out as usual looking for fish. They were catching plenty of fish and then got a little later than usual start back. About 49 miles out the hit a wall of storms...not just rain...big black clouds and lightning...with the radar you can usually use it to get around the storms...but this one was about 20 miles long and miles deep...no way around it. So they had to wait it out (for 3! hours)...the water went from being sheet glass to kind of rough when the north wind kicked in...so they were wet, running a little low on gas and wondering how they were ever going to get through the wall of storms! Mike said at one point it was just a wall of black and red...doesn't sound fun to me! John put a call in to the Coast Guard to let them know they were out there...they weren't in distress...just running a little low on gas and figured it would be a good idea to let someone know where they were (GPS) and what the plan was...just in case things got any worse...(Thank God they did NOT!) Meanwhile...back at the ranch house I was starting to get a teensy bit nervous as it was getting dark, and late(r). Finally...around 9PM Ron called and told me they were on their way in the inlet and would call again as soon as they got in. They went in at Ft. Pierce...met the BoatTow people who had waited with two gallons of gas...and THEN they still had to run up the river to Sebastian Inlet dock...to get the trailer and bring the boat home. SO...they pulled in to our driveway at approximately 1:30am almost a full 24 hours after they left. They were all pretty soaked/(sort of drying off...)very tired, very glad to be home. John came in showered and went right to sleep. I on the other hand...could not sleep for the next hour and a half...I think I finally went to sleep around 3am....Ben said he and Jess couldn't sleep, same for Ron...after all that adventure...it was hard to settle down. LOts of late night TV viewing...(which usually puts you to sleep sooner or later!) Everyone slept in Sunday and then came over around 4pm to clean the fish. Once that was out of the way...we brought some over to the neighbors.....and cooked some up for ourselves.
It was a nice evening on the back porch for seared Tuna, grilled grouper and MahiMahi. And THEN>>>>....we all slept pretty well last night!

It's a yard!

Well the project has finally come to completion....actually we finished a few weeks ago. Ordered our "Certified Weed Free" sod and decided to spend the extra $ to have THEM install it... a good idea!!! John had the ground all smooth and leveled out (like a tile job) and ready to go.


Once in we got watering instructions...and we had to water twice a day for the first few days...which you are allowed to do if you have new landscaping...we are still in a drought...but we also actually had a few perfectly timed rainy days...that helped. Yesterday...we tested the roots...everything felt nicely rooted and so John mowed it. It looks great!

MelHigh 1973-1978 Reunion

Senior pictures...(not the best...they didn't put the one I chose in the yearbook...but that's the way it goes and the photos were kind of dark in the yearbook...but you must admit...David was pretty cute!)
The shack in Gainesville....my Uncle Dave once said "I can only enter this house under cover of darkness" hahahaha
Ellen. Judy and Leonard chatting out back... by our lovely view of the empty lot next door..hahaA Halloween party none of us will ever forget...in case you can't tell...we had FUN.
This past weekend there was a Melbourne High School Reunion. The guy who organized it was smart...he included the classes of 1973-1978. I always thought more than one year should be included, since most people weren't just friends with people in their graduating class. He planned the event to coincide with the August date of Melbourne's downtown "Friday Fest". John was fishing, so I was on my own. Luckily my friend Lisa told me she would go with me...otherwise I don't know if I would've gone...I don't like walking into a bar by myself...never have. Lisa, her husband and I met up at a little after 8pm on Friday night. The get together started at 7pm. Well...we did not see anyone we really knew. Ha...except for people we always see...and we were hoping to see others! well...Lisa and Bill left and I decided to stick it out a bit longer
because I knew my brother David would be there eventually and our friend Charlie and his sister, Debbie were there somewhere. I ventured in and found Charlie (who was having a grand old time...he knew lots of people). I got a glass of wine liquid courage and sat down with Darlene McGee and Debbie and an old friend Lindy Yotti. We had good seats...it was cool and inside for one thing, and we were right in view of anyone coming or going to the bathrooms...so sooner or later most people would be going that way. I spotted another friend (of my brothers) Mike L. and said Hello. He told me David was very excited because a friend he hadn't seen in 30 years was going to be there. Leonard McGill! OH MY GOD! I hadn't seen Leonard either...and then and there decided I was staying at least until I talked to him! Leonard lived up the street on Oak Ridge Drive...so we all went through Jr High and High School together.... As a matter of fact I then got many rides to and from Gainesville (UF) in Leonard's (in)famous van! Our third year he actually was one our roommates (Ellen, Liz and Judy & I) in a ramshackle house downtown near the Public Library. Over the years my kids have heard stories about Leonard...and I told him he was somewhat of a legend around my house. we both laughed about that! It was great to visit with him after all these years. He came with another old friend...Brian Raun. Brian was a classmate, friend and fellow catechism student. (there were several adventures with Brian over the years including a trip to the local biker bar with Brian (who weighed about 98 lbs), our friend Mark McCormick, my friend Karen...who assured me if anything happened...Mark and Brian would "protect" us. HAHA...I probably could take some one on better than them haha) (Luckily no protection was needed and the band who played cover songs of Jimi Hendrix tunes was really good....come to find out that's how the 4 of us wound up there...Brian had a friend in the band...all these years I couldn't remember how that unlikely combination of the 4 of us wound up not only together...but at The Bamboo Lounge!)
Leonard and I posing for a photo...so I could show Ellen, Megan and Brenna..........hahaAlso spotted Kim and Robin (formerly Richards) and Kim's husband in the crowd. I always enjoy them. I believe Kim was David's first "girlfriend" (he was a senior...she was a couple of years younger)and to this day they are still good friends...as are Kim's parents....they come to various Art events, etc...always pleasant...alwys nice to see them.
I talked to several others...Charlie Burklew, Nancy Schultze, Ellen (no Jane) Owens, and was warmly greeted by someone...she threw her arms around me "ANNE!"...for the life of me I couldn't figure out who exactly she was......kept asking questions...trying to get a clue...I think it was Barbara S......not sure she seemed so glad to see me...I didn't have the heart to ask her who she was....which reminds me of the song I heard the next day..."Whatsername" by Green Day. If I was in charge that would be the signature class reunion song....." She went away and I took a different path...I remember the face by I don't recall the name...now I wonder how Whatsername has been. Seems that she disappeared without a trace...did she ever marry old Whatshisface" etc, etc haha That was pretty much how the night went..haha Charlie M said he was talking to one girl for 5 minutes before he realized it was one of his old girlfriends...ha.
Now this post will not be complete with one of the legendary Leonard stories. He had a blue van...( I have no clue the make and model)and it served him well. As time went on the weather and wear and tear took it's toll. On one trip back to Gainesville he and I were driving along when we heard a snap.....we wondered what it was...then I noticed the passenger's side window slowly sinking down into the door...it had rusted out.....I held it for a few minutes...then decided there was no way I was going to continue holding it up for the next 1 1/2 hours...we just zipped up/put our jackets and rode along.(The temperature difference between Indialantic and Gainesville could be 10 degrees in the winter) But the best story was the time Leonard was driving Me, Ellen, Mike Penn and Liz Carty(?) I think... it must've been Thanksgiving...and were were riding along when it started to rain. Well...there was part of the floorboard missing on the passenger side...so water was splashing up on Mike. Next water started coming in in a few spots in the back....which we plugged up...welll the rain got harder and pretty soon it was like we were all in a sinking boat! hahahahahah...there was no stopping the water from coming in...I think the only one who was dry was Leonard! However...we all laughed and we were happy to have a ride (3 hours) home for the weekend. From past experience at class reunions...I have always found that other than the usual people that I always enjoy catching up with...there is at least ONE person who shows up unexpectedly that is worth whatever the cost of the get together was... and this year...that would be Leonard!
*One note...it was HOT and HUMID that night and we were outside...everyone was feeling pretty damp and droopy..I swear I could feel my hair growing flatter by the minute.....so by the time we got around to taking photos....no one's hair looked too great!...but luckily...I really wasn't out to impress anyone....so it didn't matter! haha

All In a Day's Work

I used to enjoy reading the stories in Reader's Digest...under the heading above...All In A Day's Work....I still remember some of the stories I read over 20 years ago. (My mom used to get the magazine....when I run across one at the Library...I still flip to see the stories..) I won't go into all of them now...I'd never finish! hahaha...but when I was telling Brenna about a patron at work this afternoon...I thought about the Reader's Digest stories. I don't care what job you might have....there are always stories about the things you do or the people you come in contact with in the course of the day. I know I'm speaking for myself...but really...I think everyone must have moments where they think..."We really should write a book about this...or a TV show...or something"
Working at the Library is always interesting...we seem to draw some unusual characters...people I swear I never see anywhere else around town. Talker that I am...I enjoy chatting about books/movies/whatever that are coming in or going out. I love seeing what people like to read....and I really like when I find a kindred spirit...the one with the stack of movies that contains "Young Frankenstein", "The Commitments" Waking Ned Devine" or someone with books by my favorite authors. Once you get to know the person you can compare notes. I wonder about the ones who take home stacks of books or movies about serial killers...kind of weird if you ask me..to spend all your time watching movies about these creeps! I used to think I would have enjoyed being a mail sorter (in the "old" days)...I could have spent hours daydreaming about where the letters and cards were going...seeing all the little town names, etc. But...that's another story.
The other thing that's fun is listening to different stories from the patrons....why they liked a certain book except the serial killer ones...I don't WANT to know...hahalike the elderly gentleman who told me about his experience the time the circus came to town when he was 14 or so.....this was while he returned "Water for Elephants" (a great book!). The funny story of the day however...really didn't have anything to do with a book...just a patron telling us why we hadn't sen her for a while.
Seems she was watching TV one night and in her words "I did a stupid, stupid thing" she saw an exercise program where apparently the host of the show lifted her leg up over a chair and then swung it back over the chair . "That looks easy...I can handle that" she thought...(OK now I need to tell you she appeared to be in her mid to upper 70's) Well she lifted and swung...but on the way back over the chair...she hit the chair...her leg stopped and she fell and the chair landed on top of her. Now she was laughing...and I'm sure I had a goofy grin on my face...because I could imagine something like this happening late at night...(things tend to look easier or more enticing the later it gets haha)but it was pretty funny. And then we had the lady today who seemed to be very proud of the fact that she was "on her sixth marriage"... she told us that at least 5 times and her email was "unchainedx5" Ooookay..........well...it goes on and on...never a (well rarely) a dull moment.....and plenty of things to laugh about. Maybe it's just me.....but as long as I can have a few laughs...I can handle it. All in a Day's Work................

Saturday night activities

Okay....I've decided that if I don't wrap this story up soon....it will be time for next year's event.... The last day/night of the activities involved a round of golf followed by the Awards dinner.
The menu was "interesting"...no simple steak and potato here...but everything looked really nice and the food was tasty. I must admit I did not try the veal... And the presentation was very nice. We enjoyed the company of our table mates...John found a fellow fisherman and the stories began.... I had to laugh because earlier in the evening when I requested that we open the champagne...JOhn was telling eveyone to watch out because I would be talking the night away...well....let's just say it was the other way around...hahaha
Ready to go
the centerpieces were pretty...grapes, mini lights, Kathie and I enjoyed them
John, Bill and Kathie striking a pose
we departed the party on the golf cart.....by passing everyone waiting in line for the cars...it was great! hahaafter dinner...back at the house

a little tired....but we had some good conversations... It's always great to spend time with family...we decided we need to get together again soon.

Thursday & Friday fun

Here we are at the club house on Friday night. That was when the guys found out who they were paired with for the tournament the next day. We had dinner...very tasty...and checked the board and went home to relax. We laughed about posing in front of the fireplace in July...especially with record heat in the area...but it was nice.

Saturday night they had a cocktail party at The Landinggs....which is on the lake side. They had cocktails and sushi, shrimp, salmon, grilled lamb, bruschetta and ....oh how could I forget the dessert buffet! I tried a little key lime cheesecake, a cherry tartlet with crumb topping, and atiny taste of some chocolate thing...everything was good. we liked that they were all bite sized...because if you had 2-3 you didn't feel so bad. haha John had the chef "James" (that is another story....John and James) roll him a sushi roll with exactly what he requested in it. It was good, fresh ...and we know sushi! The two guys we are talking to were from Atlanta. One was a lawyer...his friend....I don't remember. They certainly seemed like they were having fun...lots of laughs...I'm sure they have fun whereever they go! They had SO much fun Thursday evening...that they missed the tee time Frdiay...so John and Bill got paired up with another team. They kept apologizing...it didn't really interfere with John & Bill's game...but they felt bad...apologized many times. They actually ended up winning the whole tournament...so they may party...but the can still get it together in time for golf! As I mentioned...Friday was not a good day for John and Bill....but they played great on Saturday....and won the Comeback Award. ($50.00 credit each at the Golf Store)

notice my hair getting flatter in each shot...hahaha

Getting back up the hill was a good hike...pretty steep...Bill managed even though he's still recovering from surgery on his Achilles tendon

Friday night Snady and Ken were at the house...so we had fun visiting with them when we got home...making plans for the next day. Looking at pictures of their granddaughter and catching up.