A Perfect Holiday

Today was the end of a perfect holiday season. I have two married sons and a total of four grandchildren, each one as precious as the next. This weekend, we were all together.

The rush of Christmas, the hectic schedules, the mad wrapping and then tearing off of  paper on packages was past us. Everyone was full of good food and making resolutions to lose weight in the coming months. It was  time to relax and just enjoy being a family.

Yesterday we packed up two suvs with picnic food, towels, shovels and pails, and headed for the famous Siesta Beach off Sarasota, Florida. And  so  did everyone else in town. We searched in vain at several locations for a parking space, and finally went for Plan B. We found an open but deserted ball park with picnic  tables, playground equipment and clean rest rooms. We ate our food there under sunny skies, and watched the children play happily together. 

       We were so pleased with  ourselves, we decided to try again today.  Fully loaded with the same stuff, but new food, we headed for Ken Thompson Park near Mote Marine  on Longboat Key.We were lucky to find a spot to park, shaded picnic tables. and clean restrooms once again.

Our view of Sarasota from across the bay was spectacular.  We watched as children played in the gently lapping shallow water....little ones in diapers wading happily, mothers with pant legs rolled following at a safe distance.  Older boys with fishing poles optimistically hoping to make a big catch in ten inches of crystal clear water.   Sailboats, canoes, kayaks, water scooters and motor boats entertained us. So did   majestic osprey whose distinct cry caused us to look up and see him in full flight...a magnificent sight.

The ambiance in  Sarasota is so beneficent and it is totally free and accessible to all.  Seeing other families enjoying the same blessings as ours showed us that we were not the only ones counting their blessings.

Gifts and presents are fun to get. But the gift of this kind of day comes along all too seldom and we need to be aware of the fact that it is we who can make Christmas come all year, and we who can make these magic days happen.

Happy New Year, all you dear friends and readers.

Christmas Eve Day, 2008

This has been a  wonderful pre-Christmas season.

Having three young grandsons around can make even the most stoic person believe in Santa and 

the real message of Joy found in this season.

My middle grandson decorated my tree for me, using a step stool, and every single trinket was on the three branches in the front! I smile every time I pass it, and marvel that it doesn't tip over.

When you come to think of it, he couldn't even see the ornaments if they were on the top or in the back, now could he?

I'm a fortunate person to have so many loving relatives to come and visit me, and they all come at this time of year. Therefore, this is my first post in six weeks!  Shame on me! I resolve to be more current in 2009.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!

SOFT, SANDY BEACHES OF SARASOTA

Going to the beach has been my favorite activity since I was a child. No , there are not many beaches in West Virginia, but my family once spent a week at Virginia Beach. We made all the mistakes tourists make and got hopelessly sunburned. My brother even had heat prostration and we had to call a doctor. I had my hair in braids, and the sun burnt little blisters all along the part line. I couldn't comb my hair for weeks! And , the 300 mile drive home in a car full of burnt people was like being trapped in a 4 x 4 prison cell!

Then , we moved to Florida when I was 16. My dad didn't have work yet, so our days were free.
We would get up at 7 a.m. and head for Pass-a-Grille beach, where once stately Australian pines offered a nice spot for sitting in the shade. It was bright, beautiful, and not too hot at that hour and we loved splashing in the waves . (One photo shows my son romping in the surf with his daughter)
On the way home, we would stop where they were selling watermelons 3 for $1 and get a big , bursting melon. We all learned how to "thump" them to choose just the juiciest, sweetest of all.
For breakfast, we had watermelon after hosing off the sand from our bodies. Spitting watermelon seeds was a great pastime!

While I was in junior college in St. Pete, we loved to sneak away and go to the "Surf Club" on St. Petersburg Beach. It was just as you see in the movies..young , oiled and tanned bodies all lying around on blankets, hoping to "make out". Young, virile men from McDill Air Force Base were everywhere and stirred up the blood of hormonal young women.

Our friends would plan beach parties at night. Back then we were allowed to make a fire.
The most fun was to go into the water and watch the phosphoresence in the water light up our every movement and splash. It was a magical time,never to happen again.

There was never enough surf on the Gulf Coast for surfing, but my sons got into that sport in a big way while they attended University of Florida in Gainesville. Many weekends betters spent studying were gleefully enjoyed at Daytona and neighboring beaches.
I expect those are golden memories to them.

One year, we had a family reunion in St. Petersburg. My three sons and their wives/sweethearts were with me and we all decided to go into the water at sunset. We had heard about the green flash, and we actually saw it. I would try to explain it, but you would be better off googling "green flash" and see photos of it. It is a phenomenal thrill.

These days, (my "golden years"), I don't get into the water much but love to walk along the beach, especially at sunset. It never fails to bring me peace and happiness.

The first photo is my  son and his daughter frolicking in the surf.The second photo is two of my grandsons playing "push me , pull me" at Siesta Beach, Sarasota.

GYMNASTIC GOINGS ON

I remember when I first joined a gym , back in 1990. Back in those days, gyms were mostly like "Gold's" and the people who went there were largely policemen and firemen.
I wanted so badly to go, but felt that I would be woefully out of place. I was afraid that if I was using a piece of equipment that some jock needed, he would be annoyed with me.
I remember my first time. I must have driven around the block several times, trying to get up the nerve to actually park and go inside.

I did make it inside. Everyone was friendly and helpful. I noticed right away that
most of the real bodybuilders were looking in mirrors, admiring their pecs. They just didn't care if I was there or not. Since that time, I have had a steady membership in gyms, among them the "Y", the Jewish Community Center, the Senior Center, and now Shapes. From time to time I hire a trainer to give me a routine and then tty to stick to that until it becomes old.

I currently belong to an all female gym. It is really interesting to see the variety in the people who come there, the trainers, and in the programs they offer. I see women into their eighties and nineties, doing their best with what they have. Some of them have been coming most of their lives and are in pretty good shape. Women young and old, slim and pudgy,
white, black, asian. Today I saw a muslim woman come in and remove her scarf before changing into workout clothes. Some women are so overweight that you have to admire them for trying to make a change. Some are so thin, you expect them to break something on the lifting equipment.

Some are bent with osteoporosis; some limp with bad knees and hips.
They don't move very fast, but , by gosh, they are moving . There are five or six swim classes at my gym and they are all full. For one hour, they move as instructed and get a very good, full body workout. A good percentage of them are women over 75 and the water makes it possible for them to move fully and positively. They laugh and joke and have a great time . Many of them form groups to go out to breakfast after class.

I am there early, so from my vantage point of the treadmill, I see the working girls leave. They have a good workout, get a shower, blow-dry their hair and set off to work in their professional clothes and high heels, looking very nice indeed!

Some days there is a row of strollers along the outside sidewalk when I leave. That would be the StrollerMoms. They line up the little ones in a row and, having supplied them with crackers and juice, start their workout. All the bouncing and jogging keeps the kids entertained and mom is just a step away! Great idea and fun to watch.

Clothing is interesting. Gone are the outfits that conjure a mental image of Jane Fonda in her sweatband and rolled down socks. We wear what is clean and ready. We wear what is comfortable . No beauty contest.

Since Sarasota is a circus city, we see a number of the aerial artists there. They really work hard, as you might imagine. And, they take the yoga classes for balance, both physical and mental.

I try to do thirty minutes on an aerobic machine, and that can get very boring. Thus I learned some time ago to get large print books out of the library. They are easy to read while bouncing and you can forget about time when you are into a good book.
Others like their ipods. My ipod is filled with talking books, not music. My favorite book on tape is David Sedaris' "Me talk pretty one day." It keeps me laughing and those around me give me weird looks.

AMERICA'S COMING BACK!

Yesterday I attended an Obama Rally. I haven't been in a huge crowd since college days, and I knew great crowds and long lines were expected, but I wanted so much to be a part of this 

groundswell of support for Barack Obama. I told myself to not be disappointed if I couldn't get in, but I did get in and got a very good seat. My daughter-in-law went with me and we had a great time together.  Arriving at the baseball stadium two hours before the speech, we were there just in time to get in a long line, snaking for about a mile through the parking lot and over to the temporary entrance. 

The stadium here in  Sarasota holds 10,000 and there were lots of chairs on the ground, so they estimate 15,000 people were there . I know he has drawn larger crowds in larger cities, but for a county  of 360, 000 , most of them republican, it was a great turnout. In this county we have 15,000 blacks, 22,000 Hispanic, 4,000 Asian, and about  15,000 others.

Although we arrived two hours early, many people slept in their cars overnight to be sure to get into this free event. People were amiable, cheerful and courteous. Vendors were everywhere selling buttons, shirts, towels, and signs. You can see my newest wardrobe addition on my head in the photo.

It was so exciting , seeing the thousands of people and the rich diversity . Blacks, whites, old , young, gay, and  straight.  ( I know this because I saw some of my gay friends and know that Obama has welcomed them at almost every rally.) I saw Amish and Muslim standing side by side. Parents brought children because they felt this was such a historic event. We all felt as if we might be part of making history. 

I fully meant to keep politics out of my blog, but I am so excited about the prospect of this man being president, that I am swept up in the excitement of the moment.

I think he is the most charismatic, exciting candidate we have had since JFK.  He has 

character, dignity, elegance and great command of both his emotions and his words. 

I think we are on the cusp of  a new, hopeful era for our country. Our best hope is that he will gain the respect of leaders around the world and restore our universal standing. 

GRANT FOR GOOD TEACHERS

Have you ever said to yourself, "If I win the lottery, I'm going to ....." and then you list all the places  and people with whom you want to share your windfall or good fortune.  Some people actually reach that great place in life where they have large amounts of money to donate and they are not sure how to implement their plan. One good way is to bequeath it  to an agency which has expertise in administering funds. One excellent way is educational grants to teachers and other professional educators. Locally, the Foundation offers grants once a year to teachers in the amount of $500.  

Every year for the past ten, I have had the privilege of being a volunteer grant reader for the EDUCATION FOUNDATION of Sarasota County , Inc. (Florida)  Here's why it is so much fun.  First of all, it is held in a lovely bank room (Northern Trust), and it is provided with a very quiet atmosphere and a banquet of food which is beautiful!  I am greeted by the gracious people who work for the Foundation and given a packet of grants to read. Using a very clear format for grading them, I read the grant and evaluate them on a point system.  I turn them in and get five more. I usually volunteer for two hours and can read 15 to 20 of them in that time. (Retired teachers have the edge  at reading grants, because we have more experience with writing them!)

Each grant proposal is read by multiple readers, so that they get an even-handed review of their merits.  Once the decision is made, the grant recipients are presented with  a check at a program  which is open to members of the Foundation, contributors, volunteer readers and other community  members.

 As a former teacher, I know all too well how much  a little extra cash can be useful in introducing a new kit, new books, new equipment, new supplies to the individual classroom.

It is a real pleasure to read individual plans for making teaching effective and enjoyable.

My favorite one this year was a proposal  to get all high school students in an English class to start a blog of his/her memoirs. Students would read published Memoirs, ( hence the need for money to buy them), then read and comment on their fellow student's memoirs.  Now, you KNOW that excited me!  

       My ineptness with blogging procedures prevents me from placing the photos in a more  meaningful location. At the top left is Mary Kay, who served the beautiful food throughout the reading period. In the other picture I am shown  with Education Foundation members Susan Morris and Helen Martin. Photos are courtesy of  Laura Breeze, Advancement Director.

For further information: www.EdFoundation.net

When I was teaching (Broward County:23 years) I worked on many grant proposals.

I helped the overall school receive money and I personally won  a number of grants for my classroom. I worked for a year with the Sarasota County Literacy Council, writing grant proposals and teaching literacy to speakers of other languages. I wrote a small pamphlet for 

The Accelerated Reader program magazine on how to write a successful grant proposal.

Please don't write me and ask me to write a grant for anyone. It is  really tough work and I'm too lazy in my current retirement state. 

Just another day in my wonderful life!

ANDY ANHINGA: my neighbor

 I couldn't resist sharing with you the daily view outside my bedroom window. This black guy is called an anhinga. He is often called a snake bird and if you could see him skimming across the lake with only his long neck showing, you would see why. The tall bird in the back is a heron. But our subject today is Andy, my daily friend and amusement.

Like a cormorant, he often swims with his head above water, knifing through the surface like a snake  poised to strike. He's much friendlier, however. His feathers are not waterproof by oils so he gets waterlogged. Since he is not buoyant, he can stay underwater and actually swim for long periods of time. I was once in a tourist attraction, seeing a north Florida river from a glass bottomed boat, when an anhinga swam beneath the boat with a fish in his mouth.

Once back on the shore, he spreads out his beautiful black and gray feathers and wings and perches until he is dry again. I rarely seem in pairs, so I'm not sure of their mating habits,but they are certainly a rare sight to see.

SKYWAY MEMORIES

Crossing the Sunshine Skyway Bridge from Manatee County to Pinellas County is always a visual thrill. The view of Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico , as well as the St. Petersburg Skyline, always delights me. It also brings back a flood of memories that happened over my lifetime.

 I  once made a trip with three friends to Miami Beach for a weekend. Before that date, one had to cross the bay in a ferry boat, then pick up the Tamiami Trail on the other side. (so named because it went from Tampa to Miami.) While we were cavorting on Miami Beach and flirting with sailors from the Key West Naval Base, the newly constructed Sunshine Skyway bridge opened. It was Labor Day, 1954 and everyone in St. Pete decided to drive over to Sarasota and vice versa. There were no breakdown lanes then, so every other car in the slow moving lanes was overheated and stalled. On our return trip, we were determined to join the sightseers  and  therefore lengthened our trip by hours! But the view from the top of the bridge was worth it!

In May of 1980, I was visiting a sick aunt in St. Pete, staying overnight in Bradenton. As we crossed the bridge the night of May 8th, the rain was coming down and the wind was blowing fiercely. The children were a little spooked and it didn't help that my husband kept teasing them saying, "Oh, my, I can't control the steering wheel!"  Needless to say, we made it.

Next morning, our relatives woke us to say that a large ship had hit one of the bridge piers and that the southbound lane had  broken , sending many to their deaths.

It was with a quiet sense of our good fortune that we left early and traveled over the mainland to St. Pete on that day.    You can find  a wealth of information and good photos by simply googling "Sunshine Skyway crash" , but one video is worth watching for some chilling photographs.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMjBGLxMdP4

MONSTERS: BIG: REDUX

I live in Florida, on a small lake interconnected with several small ponds and golf courses by underground pipes and/or bridges. We are near a large  county park, so alligators migrate into our area frequently. This lovely guy sits on the bank across from my lanai to sun himself. I estimate his length at nine feet.

You can't blame these creatures for moving around in what was once their own territory.However, it can be unnerving to see this guy swimming around when you are out washing windows.

Normally, 'gators don't act aggressive toward adults. However, they are dumb creatures and are always looking for a good meal. I f your arm or leg is hanging in the water, all he sees is lunch.Children and pets are frequent targets of alligator and I keep my doors tightly closed and locked when the grandchildren visit.

I have asked that he be removed. I am told that there is no provision for removing and relocating alligators.  They are NOT on the endangered list and the parks department doesn't have a budget or the manpower for removing them.  When one is considered threatening, he can be captured but ti is his death sentence. A trapper is brought in who captures him and then

kills him to sell his meat, skin , and skull.

I was told by local authorities that they are considered harmless (yeah , right!) if they are under ten feet and run when they see you coming.

So, I guess we are stuck with Albert until he goes looking for a mate, and , hopefully moves along to a more primitive location.

(this post is a repeat of one I inadvertently deleted last week! photo by Evvy Peck

HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONS

Attending a high school reunion can be traumatic. Attending high school can be traumatic.

I guess your expectations of a reunion are based on whether your high school experience was good or bad , and what memories you retain. If you were spurned by your favorite "crush", you may dread seeing him again. 

I grew up in Beckley,West Virginia where I attended Woodrow Wilson High School. I knew everyone and  had my own secure spot in the local pecking order. When I was 16, my parents moved to St. Petersburg, Florida where the high school senior class had almost 600 members.

I was the proverbial little fish in a very big pond. I did not make many friends that year and 

never dreamed that some of them would be my friends much later in life.

I subsequently went to St. Petersburg Junior College, then known as "JC" where I made lifelong friends. Most of them had graduated  from SPHS. The two years I spent there were fabulous , in terms of a good  education and also in the sense that I made many friends who are , 55 years later , still very close to me.

My blog is called "gracefulaging" and some of the 100 people who attended our recent reunion exemplify what I mean by that. Oh, some of them are not so graceful in a physical sense. 

But in the definition of grace that means "an attractively polite manner of behaving, or courteous goodwill", that was evident in abundance.

Gone were the days of comparison of beauty, talent, athletic skill. The beauty queens have aged, some not so well as others, and the athletes often have osteoporosis, or other such ailments.

(However, a fair number were still able to kick up their heels and jitterbug!)

So it seems that aging is a great leveler. Hopefully, we have all learned respect and compassion and are more accepting of people and who they have become.

It was flattering to hear people say, "You haven't changed!" and fun to hear them say, "You always made us laugh!".  But it  was also oddly  comforting to reflect on the ride home that 

this was time well spent.  Time spent in the company of old friends is rare and precious.

COMING SOON: MONSTERS:SMALL

After writing MONSTERS:BIG , it was my intent to follow up with MONSTERS:SMALL . You'll see one of them here. I am trying very hard to get one to open up and talk to me. (A task I did NOT try with the alligator!)  

Every day, as I walk down my front sidewalk, little lizards like this one scurry across the sidewalk in the dozens. They are all over the wall. I have gone out and tried to talk them into conversing with me but only get a little enlargement of the eye and a repetitive bobbing of the head. I'm not sure how to interpret it.

  A few days ago , I did manage to get one to throw out flare at me, but just for a second.

I continue to woo them and hope for a real video  next week when I post the authentic

MONSTERS:BIG

  At that time, I will tell you northerners out there what it is like to live among these wee creatures. I will also tell you about their "flares' and venture an opinion of why they do it.

It would seem to be a sexual attraction thing, but they have done it for me when no other lizard was nearby. Can I be that attractive? We shall see.

PLAYING WITH PUPPIES

Recently, I visited the Southeastern Guide Dogs Facility in Palmetto , Florida. To give you and idea of where to find it, it is located just south of the Sunshine State Skyway causeway from St. Petersburg  heading toward Bradenton. Go online to www.guidedogs.org to find full information about them.

We were first shown a video explaining what kind of dogs are used, how they are bred, the care and training procedure, how to qualify for a dog, and what we could do as volunteers. 

The grounds surrounding the facility are lovely, a true Florida setting. Seeing multiple volunteers walking dogs around really inspired more than one of us to come back and volunteer.

The puppies, at about 8 weeks, need to be socialized. That is, they need to get used to humans. Thus, they have a  puppy play room. We were ushered into this large room  , told that we could touch and pet the dogs, even hold them, but that  we must first be seated. They want to guard the pups from falling or getting into an injurious situation. 

I tried my best to get some "cute " pictures, but it is impossible to get a puppy to pose and say "cheese" .

This darling little blackie is the best I could do.  On signal, and opening the gate, all the pups come flying into the room, just like a bunch of fifth graders being let out of school at 3 o'clock.

They romp and pee and run and let off steam until they can't play any more. The little brown guy was just pooped out from all the excitement.

The center is always looking for host homes to take the pups after 9 weeks and train them for two years. After that time, they are assigned to a vision impaired "partner" and stay at the facility for almost a month, learning  to get along with one another.

It was a real pleasure to visit and have fun with the pups, but at the same time I was educated on how this program works and how it benefits those who are visually impaired. There is no cost to visit, they welcome groups (with advance notice) and their hours are posted on their website.

Selby Botanical Gardens, Sarasota, FL.,USA

Sarasota, Florida, with its soft , sandy beaches, azure  waterways, warm climate , beautiful flowers, and relaxed lifestyle, has always been an attractive destination.  I moved here in

1998 because I read in a magazine that it was in the top ten places to retire.

Some of the criterion were cultural opportunities and good health care. I had no idea at the time how much at home I would feel here and what a great ambiance prevails.

Many others have felt the same "at-homeness" and some of them were wealthy enough to buy up great acres of land, both on the waterfront and inland. F ortunately, many generous people such as John and Mable Ringling and Mrs. Potter  Palmer gave back to the area many gifts of great beauty. I will discuss two of those people today, as I intend to go into greater  detail in a future blog.

Here in Sarasota, we are privileged to have the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Marie and her husband, William, moved here in the 1920's. Like myself, Marie was born in West Virginia and developed there a love for the beauty of our natural surroundings. They purchased seven acres of land bordering on  Sarasota Bay and Hudson Bayou. There they built a two story home and Marie planned the landscaping for which the gardens are known around the world. Marie died in 1971, leaving the gardens to the city of Sarasota   for all to enjoy.

My friend and I spent a lovely day there enjoying the breeze, the trees, and the wonderful atmosphere of a superb garden.

TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGED GRANDMA

I am in my seventh decade and learning to use new technology every day. I turned on the TV today and my favorite channel was black! All the other channels were working. Is this a trick?

I was baffled.

After calling Comcast and actually reaching a live person, I found out that they were having troubles receiving Channel 7. So, it was not only NOT my fault, but there was nothing I needed to do except wait.  About an hour later, the issue was resolved.

I learned that you can go to a website called "Is it _______or is it just  me?" You type in your server and it will tell you, No, Comcast is working fine. It's just YOU." But once in a while it tells you that Comcast is at fault and it saves a lot of trial and error on your own computer.

All this is to say that people my age lose heart very easily when don't work right . If we  don't have a daughter,  a grandson, or a nerdy nephew to call, we are left with two choices.

We can say "the heck with it" or give up. Or we can persevere.

I don't know of anything that can make you feel more stupid than a computer! Well, maybe a VCR recorder. We see young children who are able to manipulate cell phones, recorders, computer games, etc. and we wonder, "What's wrong with me that I can't do that?"

Well, I'm determined to learn to do these things if it means another lifetime! After all, I've got a whole quarter century t go and if I learn as I go, maybe I can hold my own.

I read a lot about how to keep your mind sharp and avoid senility in your dotage. I'm planning to do just that by learning something new every six months. This last six months, my focus has been computer technology. I learned to start a website and get a  blog going. You are reading the results. 

That's me in the photo, getting even grayer as I try to connect a new tape player to my TV. Getting it connected was just the starting point. I then had to learn to program it. Since tape player/recorders are going out of style, I had to replace my broken one with a used one from Goodwill Industries. I was lucky the one I bought had a remote but there was no manual. I had to go on line to the manufacturer to get an instruction manual and then I  was in business.

All this took me the better part of two days. Of course, I had better things to do. I could have been knitting. Or baking cookies, OR putting up preserves. Or watching the Democratic National Convention, which I did.

Now my player records AND plays and I am so much smarter@

A WALK THROUGH THE GARDENS

You are looking at a huge "Bo" tree at Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, Florida. The sign beside the tree says, " The "Bo" tree is beloved by Hindus and Buddhists who believe the Buddha meditated under one for years until he attained enlightenment." 

The bottom photo shows the view of Sarasota Bay from the gardens.

Photo by Michael Kersch

On September 14, 2001, Tropical  Storm  Gabrielle struck the west coast of Florida and thousands of trees were destroyed.  This  "Bo" tree was completely uprooted.

But local people were galvanized into saving the tree.  Arborists quickly pruned the tree's canopy by 30 per cent to reduce weight and moisture loss through transpiration. A barge, equipped with a 50 foot crane, was brought in at high tide.  Cables were looped around five of the tree's large branches and the crane gently tugged for 90 minutes until the tree was upright. Soil was packed around the root system to support it. With much love and care (and water!)

the tree survived and showed signs of new growth within six weeks.

I have sat beneath this tree many times, sometimes alone, sometimes with a friend, and often with a grandchild. We look across Sarasota Bay and get a quiet feeling of beauty and peace. I remember taking a very young grandson in a stroller on a slightly windy day. We stopped to have some water and the soft breeze off the bay reached out and caressed his cheek. The look on his face was pure delight and enjoyment. It was a lovely moment for me.

Each of you reading this could have this meditational moment that I experience when I let my mind wander to "trees I have known". I grew up in West Virginia. I visited on a farm each summer, over the mountain from Bluefield to Rocky Gap. On the farm was a very old apple tree. The apples were small and gnarly and not really very good for eating out of hand.  One had to climb atop a small, falling-in out-building to get them off the roof, but they made delightful ammunition!

In a neighbor's yard was a  large weeping willow. It's greenish-yellow, leafy limbs swept the ground like a young girl drying her hair by throwing it over her head and leaning forward. We could hide from others and really escape our parents under that tree.

My house was on a hill and we had a terraced back yard. On one level of the terrace, there were two trees at either end. They were perfect for hanging sheets and making a stage. After we perfected our "shows" and called our parents to come and sit on Adirondack lawn chairs to watch, we became early "American Idol" contestants. Our parents were long suffering but patient.

Our school yard had many large pine trees with roots running across the yard. I can't remember exactly what we played, but the roots delineated our territory and we defended our special place form others by throwing pine cones at them.

And who could play hide-and-seek without a tree to lean against while counting to one hundred?

Years later, our home in upstate New York had a Birch tree in front. It's large, beautiful white trunk extended above the bedroom windows and we could see eggs within a birds' nest there! 

Behind the house was a row of cedars. It was in those trees that we once saw a white Ptarmigan, way off course on his migratory path. And in the Hawthorn tree, a great barn owl spent a few days giving us a show before moving on.

We moved to  Florida in 1950 and our yard was a veritable tropical garden to us! We had huge pine trees dripping with purple wisteria! We had twenty or more swaying palms that sounded in the night like rain had come. We had a small lime tree that was always loaded, and a grapefruit and orange tree besides. None were suitable for climbing, but I was beyond that stage by then.

What could be more special that fresh-squeezed orange juice right from the tree?

In South Florida, we had a coconut palm, a species no almost wiped out by lethal yellowing disease in South Florida.  My boys didn't particularly like the coconut or its juice, but it was great fun to see who could smash the coconut by throwing it hard against the pavement.

Dream up your own memories of trees and share them with me.

If you can't make a comment here, send me an email at :

gracefulaging4U@comcast.net

HIDING OUT IN THE ROOTS

I  love this old tree.  I can imagine hiding out among the roots. It is called a Moreton  Bay  Fig, and it is native to  Australia. Moretan By is in  Queensland. The tree is reputed to have been brought to the U.S. by a sailor in 1876. amd planted in Santa Barbara, California. It measured 176 feet in 1997.

This is an evergreen banyan tree, also known as a  strangler fig. Its seeds live as epiphytes until the roots establish contact with the ground. Then it enlarges and strangles its host, eventually becoming a tree itself. Some of the roots reach over 15 feet. Many specimens reach tremendous  size and can be seen in public gardens only. Its roots feed on the surface, where nutrients are poor and it takes a tremendous amount of water to keep it healthy.

Why I started Gracefulaging

In the seven decades of my life, I have been a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, a teacher, a singer, a writer, and an experiencer of life. I have had a rich and fulfilling life and it goes on!

I had a rewarding career as a teacher, had a family to raise, a husband to care for and eventually caretake, and a charming mother who enriched my life for 73 years!

Now I am at the crossroads of my third quarter century. I want to continue the process of living in a graceful way, learning to deal with the large and small issues that face aging people. I want my brain to stay sharp. I want to share my experiences with others and learn from their responses.

Thus I begin this challenge of maintaining a webpage and blog, hoping to share with you the ways I have learned to deal with my particular life. 

After I get the hang of this new thing, I plan to write about some health issues that have been a challenge to me. I hope you will sign for my RSS feed so that you will get updates in your mailbox without having to go to my website every day.

And, please be patient with me  as I learn on this new adventure. 

Much of what I say may seem trivial to you. But my blog is basically a journal of my every day life and how it revolves around living in Florida. Now I am at the crossroads of my third quarter century.   As I step through that door, come along with me once in a while. We may learn from one another and make a new friend!!!