Sunday, August 26, 2012

Come on Issac....we're waiting for you

Well, this will be our first encounter with a hurricane since we've been at our condo in Gulf Shores. Eric called this morning to talk to Tom about our readiness....you know, chainsaws, fuel, generators...stuff we no longer have to be concerned with. All we need to do is bring the plants in off of the balcony, find somewhere to park the vehicles that is most likely to be safe from debris and leave the rest to God. We're on the second floor of a three story building so we don't need to worry about flooding or losing the roof. Yesterday I stocked up on fresh fruit, vegies, milk and cereal just in case the power goes out. I'm really not worried, we can walk to almost anywhere if all hell breaks loose. Eric is the one with real hurricane experiences. He survived Katrina and his little house is still standing. I figure if Kaylanne and Izzy get frightened, they'll come and we can all hang out and play cards or dominos. So....anyone out there following the storm and reading this, knowing we are in the path of Issac's landfall, also know this, we are in good hands. I'm actually kind of looking forward to watching the drama unfold. God has brought us this far and I have every faith that the ride will continue long after the last breeze of Issac has stilled. We shall see. As I have just "proofed" this by re-reading it; I have to admit a little bubble of anxiety popped...I hope I'm not tempting fate here. It would be a real hoot if this was my last entry.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Having a little faith...

I always seem to get involved in one investment or another with the idea that "this will become a real gold mine!". Then it turns into a nightmare. Then, with a little work and, well, hard work, it starts to take off. When Tom and I first started to look into buying some real estate down here on the Gulf Coast, I'm not sure we really had much of an idea as to what we wanted. For sure we wanted it to produce a little income and grow in value, but I didn't really give much thought to whether it should be short term or long term rental. So now we have these great little spots at the beach, that even though they are very humble, they have the potential to be cute and cozy. Both need to have the bathrooms totally gutted and updated, but for the $60 a night that they are currently listed for, they will do for now. For some reason, even though the units are identical, I like one more than the other. And the one that is my favorite is the one with all of the problems that have been keeping us pouring more and more money into it, with no return and no relief on the horizon. How is that possible? It must be like having two dogs, both cute and sweet and loving, one, for one reason or another, becomes your favorite and that is the one that poops on the floor, chews up expensive shoes and tears the place up while you're gone. Yet you can't help but find some redeeming quality that keeps you in love, that keeps you continually cleaning up the messes and trying to overcome that blasted thought to cut and run. I believe it is a matter of....wait for it.... having a little faith. I still have faith that one day these little money suckers will pay off. I still believe that my offspring will benefit from our investment and find joy in having a spot near the beach. I cling to the hope that my loved ones currently residing in the Great North West will one day come to the Deep South for a visit and want to hang out and swim in the surf, walk the beach at sunset, eat crappy fried food while watching the waves and stay until they are exhausted from all of the fun and relaxation. I pray that these potential little gems will one day generate enough money to send airfare to my family of six so they can come to see how I live and maybe get an understanding of why it would be so hard for me to live where it gets freezing cold and winter bites to the bone. My brother, Kay, and his two sons recently came for a visit; more of a whirlwind tour than anything since they never seemed to get off the road long enough to really experience this place. Kay commented that we live in a resort...yes, we live in a resort. It's a great way to spend these years when the aches and pains of just getting out of bed, from years of hard work and daily abuse are taking their toll on this old body. The air is warm and moist and friendly. The temperatures are warm and soothing. When it gets too warm, too hot, to get out and about, we have the luxury of air conditioning that, even when set to 80 degrees cools me down enough to want a sweater. I love my little Miata convertible with its sporty looks and quick agility. I love that my little great-granddaughter wants to ride with the top down. I love it that every need I have can be fulfilled within a few minutes drive....every need that is except the need to be with my family. I have faith, that one day, before I die, I will be able to walk out my door and get a hug from my grandchildren, spend some time cooking with them, talking stories and relating the oral history of this crazy family. Oh oh, I need to quit this tack...my eyes are blurring with tears of want and yearning for what I don't have. I need to focus on all that I do have. Thankfully, with a little faith, God provides all that I need.

Thursday, August 2, 2012

Food, always food.....

Ahh, what wonderful peace (and quiet). Izzy is asleep in Tom's lap; they're both laid out on the big old recliner exhausted from a morning of play. Izzy and I spent a few hours this morning at the pool while Tom played golf. A tough life, this...living at the resort. Last night Tom and I went over to City Grill for dinner. It's a little joint, frequented by 'locals', tucked into an obscure little strip mall on a secondary road. We had been to the Chinese joint, next door, a few nights earlier and having been pleasantly surprised, decided to try City Grill too. I had heard about their delicious sweet potato fries with bacon and bleu cheese, which I tried and found tasty. Unfortunately the scallop cakes I ordered were a total disappointment and Tom's Cobb Salad didn't pull his trigger either. I had toyed with the idea of ordering the rib-eye steak sandwich and wish I had gone with that. I wanted to love the place, I loved the decor, which was not fussy or 'beachy'; I've always liked the look of black table cloths and napkins with candles and we were greeted by live jazz. Tom doesn't want to go back, but I think I can talk him into at least trying lunch for a steak sandwich some time. Maybe it's just a matter of ordering the right thing. The menu read like the chef has some imagination. It just wasn't executed to my liking. Tom said he can get better at home...like that's a fair way to judge a place. Not bragging or anything, but it is tough to find a place that serves food as good as I can prepare at home. When we find one, you can be sure we will frequent it as often as our budget will allow. I'm not much into cooking for just the two of us, and we seldom eat at the table. When we do, unless I solicit a comment, nothing is said and since Tom eats so much faster than I do, he jumps up after cleaning his plate and starts cleaning up the kitchen (this is NOT the part I'm complaining about) while I'm left sitting at the table eating alone. Why bother? I say. I'm just as happy with a bowl of cold cereal or a yogurt and I've gotten bold enough to not worry about whether or not Tom is hungry, figuring he's a big boy and can certainly decide for himself if he wants something to eat, and fix it too. This is not to say that I never cook. When he came back from Alaska with 50 pounds of salmon filets and 25 pounds of halibut, our freezer was filled to capacity. I enjoy working with such wonderful ingredients and we've had "fresh" fish several times...but come on! How often can you eat salmon in a week? Right now veggies are beautiful in the market and just a few nights ago I turned 4 gorgeous avocados into guacamole and made a nice bowl of pico de gallo to go with it. Izzy was helping me and she decided we needed to add black olives to the pico. I think she was really on to something there. They really added a nice dimension. I'd never realized how compatible olives are with fresh cilantro and lime. Well, once again I've managed to fill another empty space with my rambling. I'm feeling the need to go do something. I think the little stirrings that I just heard from Izzy has triggered some kind of 'mom gene' in me and now I can't sit still. Writing about cooking also gets my kitchen calling out to me to get in there and create something, anything. Of course sweets always float to the surface and usually become the leader when it comes to fixing something while Izzy's in the house. What could be better than waking to the aroma of something yummy baking? See ya.....