• It will get warmer and warmer until it gets cooler.

    April. Florida. Hot already.

    We are about to embark on my least favorite time of year in Florida: summer. In many places summer does not start until July. According to the calendar, summer officially does not start until the end of June. Here in the (brighter than average) sunshine state, summer starts around April fools day – as in: “summer doesn’t start until June 22…APRIL FOOLS!”.

    I pull up the Weather Channel and what do I see? Highs in the upper 80’s with 90 degrees just around the corner, enough moisture in the air to to choke a marine mammal, and nary a rain cloud in sight to provide even the slightest repreve. What’s not to like? It’s the time of year when I go indoors, lock the door and throw away the key unitl November – late November. Making matters worse, January thru June is where good holidays go to die. What self respecting, day off producing holiday falls between New years and the Forth of July? Sure, in Florida we have MLK day and Memorial Day, but they just don’t have the tradition nor the celebration quotient that the majors have. Ask a golfer what he’d rather win: the Buick Invitational or the Masters at Augusta. That’s what I’m talking about.

    So, to sum up: It’s hot and getting hotter, out door activity is not impossible but not pleasant, and there is nothing terribly exciting going on. Yes, the summer doldrums are here.

  • Our Stay at Bay.

    We planned to take this trip months ago. Ever since our stay at Magnolia one year ago, Beth has been pleading with us to go back to the cabins. This year the drive up was not as pleasant. Last year I was sick, but the drive was great. This year Cheryl was sick and I was in pain. The drive was a chore instead of a relaxing break. Last year we arrived at the cabins after a mild cold front had passed thru, and the air was crisp and refreshing. This year we arrived with a nearly stationary upper level low, and the sky was cloudy, the air heavy with humidity. Everything was musty from the dampness and Cheryl immediately reached for her inhailer. It was an inauspiscious start.

    After checking in and dropping off our gear at the cabin, we headed back into town to pick up some perishable provisions. Cheryl was amazed that a small town Food Lion would have a larger selection than a suburban Publix with twice the square footage. We found all of the prepackaged foods that we enjoy so much at home and headed back to the cabin. We eased into dinner. Afterwards I eased into a headache. Neither Tylenol nor Motrin would beat the monster back, so I just went to bed.

    The next morning I awoke the sound of raindrops on the roof. I immediately had the urge to go outside to see. Is that strange, having the urge to see rain? I guess I don’t see it all that much in Florida. Besides, it’s strangely relaxing, watching the rain. A downpour gives you just the opposite of peace and quiet, but it can produce the same effect – tranquility. So at last I find what was missing from our last trip, but under much different cercumstances. I sat on the porch, Beth quietly playing inside, typing away on my iBook with the roar of the pouring rain just a few feet away.

  • One tooth, three teeth

    Beth is holding three pencil erasers in the shape of teeth. She advises me (in her typically loud fashion, as if from half way across the house) she has three toothes. Recognizing the grammatical error, I explain to her she has three teeth, not three toothes. Beth, being a relatively stubborn child, insists she has three toothes. This goes on for about a minute or so before I convince her there is no such word as “toothes.”

    Finally, she seems to be catching on, so I decide to quiz her.

    “Beth, what do you have when you have three?”
    “Three TEETH daddy!”
    “Good! Very good Beth! Now, what do you have when you have just one Beth?”
    “Two missing teeth daddy!”