Taking a Break...Summer Vacation

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I will post again in September. Hope everyone has a good summer.

A Misty Morning - journal entry

This morning I awoke to a wet mist. A definite smell of salt, ocean and mangroves invaded my nostrils, and filled the air with a tangible dampness. Reminding me of something old and familiar, yet undefinable: a goodness I associate with being at or near the ocean. I am blessed to be where I am, on a little island. I realized that I had not been outside for a substantial amount of time in a few days. That old enemy, depression, was lurking about and I'd better do my best to make myself inhospitable to him. I need some Sonlight in my soul, I must read the Word, and I need sunlight by going for a walk.

Census Information

I have been a stay-a-home-mom (abbreviated SAHM) for a long time, with occasional bouts of outside employment, and those temporary jobs tend to stand out. Many years ago, I worked for Census 2000 and in a way, enjoyed it. It was nice to get out of the house, my coworkers were pleasant, though mostly we worked alone. I occasionally took my baby daughter in her stroller as I interviewed folks and filled out their questionnaires, walking door-to-door through shady neighborhoods in pleasant weather.

I thought about that brief job recently after watching the excellent Nativity Story and being reminded that Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem because of the census in their day, and thus an old prophecy regarding the Messiah's birth was fulfilled.

So, today in honor of my stint of employment with Census 2000, and in honor of that ancient census, I give you this cool tool:

Mapping America - City and Block
You can type in your city, state or zip and find out some demographic info. I liked comparing New York City to my little town - the density of NYC and the sparsity of this little key/island's population was remarkable! I was also interesting to see that the racial/ethnic make-up on this little key was almost as colorful and diverse as NYC, though the population was greatly reduced. We don't have a big Asian population like NY does. I looked up places I'd lived before and the places of some of my relatives, and compared.
I found the application on zefrank's site.

Weird, Wacky and True (probably), vol. 2

I found out last week that there is a roofing company here in The Keys in which the the roofers, 2 middle aged guys with average physiques, wear thongs. I'm not talking about flip-flops on their feet. Yes folks they're up on your roof, nailing down shingles in their thongs. Now there's something you probably don't see every day, but really no surprise for Keys Dwellers.

Yesterday & Today

Yesterday we were:
*Eating all the leftover chicken from that crock pot recipe disaster and not loving it.

Yesterday was:
*My last day as full time teacher of the darling four-year-olds, who sometimes convinced me I had the best job in the world. At other times I was broken by the hitting, kicking, biting, low pay/high responsibility and sometime lack of support or respect.

Today I am:
*summer camp maven, initiating my young co-teacher and basking in the sun and the sand of Little Duck Key with our young adventurers. The children were a delight. Our feet are sore and tender and need to get summertime tough and calloused to put up with the hot concrete, gritty sand and what not. I am greatly concerned that the oil spill will impact days such as this in the future.

*Tonight there is thunder and a little lightening, but no rain. I like the summer storms, so long as they are short in duration. I heard that two people died today in an accident on US1. I pray their families and loved ones are finding comfort in The Comforter. Life is fragile, ya'll.

So, friends, confirm God's invitation to you, his choice of you. Don't put it off; do it now. Do this, and you'll have your life on a firm footing, the streets paved and the way wide open into the eternal kingdom of our Master and Savior, Jesus Christ.

-2 Peter 1:10-11

The Land of Mañana

Mañana is the Spanish word for tomorrow. In this sense it refers to procrastination. One of my eldest son's teachers taught me the term. He refers to the Florida Keys as The Land of Mañana, where almost everything can be put off until tomorrow and nothing needs to really be addressed today.


There is an unofficial malaise known as Keys Disease. Some people come to live in this place, a place that is so much like a paradise, and it is a good experience. People seem to de-stress and unwind. For instance, I don't get all bent out of shape about driving in traffic anymore. There is one main road in and out of here and it's just futile to get crazy when there is a hold up of any kind that causes traffic. When I have occasion to drive on the mainland and get stuck in traffic I just don't let it bother me anymore. That is one example of the upside of living in a place like this and its laid-back attitude. I learned a sort of patient acceptance for things like traffic.

But what about when it contributes to inefficiency, laziness and un-dependablity? That is not cool. I found this definition of Keys Disease. I agree with kevin d's definition, but I think there is more to it. And it kind of governs, and infuses things down here. Like any small town or isolated area I expect that things will be done at a different pace. However, there are times when this gets carried to an extreme, and it is unnecessary. Here are a few small examples.

I have always struggled with the bad habit of being late. Down here I find myself tested to the limit, because I am early compared to most people. I think to myself, I'm not that bad, it's just a few minutes. It is that bad! Late is late and wrong is wrong. Our church service begins at 10:45 am, and there are at least 10-20 people that show up at 11:15-11:30. People are 10 minutes late to work more often than not. I feel so guilty for being one of them. "Better late than never," right? Mas vale tarde que nunca. I remember it from my old high school Spanish lessons, but there was also a phrase that immediately followed it: Mas vale tempriano que tarde!

"Better late than never, Better early than late!"

There is just a laid back spirit that gets carried too far down here. Keys Disease. Try not to catch it.


Above photo by olga.palma

Labor Day Paddling

I don't get to go canoeing nearly as often as I'd like. It is one of my favorite things to do. Today Big Daddy treated me and the little ones to a little canoe ride. Actually we took a vote and Big Daddy, he who is the (mostly) benevolent leader of our clan (and the one with veto power) consented. So off we went, under blue skies and fair and gentle winds. The Atlantic side of our island was most cooperative.

Since we've moved here I have really wanted to see a real live shark while canoeing or snorkeling. Before you think I'm out-of-my-ever-loving-mind, I only want to see a small shark, a baby one even, and one of the more docile species. A two or three foot nurse shark would suit me just fine. Today we were fortunate to have seen three sharks! None of them were more than 3 feet long.

We saw a swift little Bonnethead shark, and quite possibly a lemon shark pup, and also a juvenile black tip.

The following picture looks very similar to what we saw.


We also paddled to a little mangrove island and saw many cormorants roosting, a stripped and abandoned sailboat, and three white herons.

Of course we saw many fish!

Hot

Hot, Hot, Hot and Hot Fun In the Summertime - take your pick, I am humming them both today.

Just about an hour ago I was hanging my laundry out on my nifty clothes dryer. I was roasting. Even for this relatively quick chore I had on sunglasses, hat and sunscreen. I got curious. Just how hot is it? According to my thermometer it read 125 degrees F in the sun and 120 in the shade on my back porch. You might be saying to yourself, as I did, "That can't be right!" Well, same thermometer is reading my bedroom as 79, my living room as 81. Therefore, I concede to it's general accuracy. "We're talking Hot, Hot, Hot!" Still, I wouldn't trade my hot lot in life with any of you who weather four distinct seasons. I love to visit such places but I wouldn't want to live there! And you, dear reader, probably wouldn't want to live here - but you'd enjoy a visit, more than likely.


My Mom graced us with her presence from a few days before Mother's Day until today. We will miss her and I am sure she will enjoy a bit of peace and quiet. The Chaos and Mayhem of our home can be quite loud!


Adam and Flora were delighted to see a 2 foot nurse shark near the mangroves that border the little dock area at the end of our street. I will be happy to spot one myself one of these days.





One of these mornings
You're going to rise up singing
Then you'll spread your wings
And you'll take to the sky


"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever."
-1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NLT

Speaking of summer songs:
The classic song "Summertime" by George Gershwin is one of my all time favorite songs. Since becoming a Christian the lyrics of it take on a biblical meaning for me. I highlighted that above in posting a verse of the song lyrics and the coordinating Bible verse. I have never been especially fond of calling the Lord Daddy or Papa as many do nowadays, but that's a personal thing. Many people find it comforting, and He is after all, Our [Heavenly] Father. But in this song, it has always been a picture of God's Fatherhood to His children for me. Let that blow through the jasmine in your mind for awhile.

When Doves Coo, When Roosters Crow

Having joined FaceBook recently, I became the recipient of one of the questionnaires that get passed around there. It’s a pleasant enough exercise to fill out for oneself. I enjoy reading the ones my friends have filled out, it helps one to know and understand them a little better, particularly friends that are distant and I have been out of touch with. The question that provoked my thoughts on this post was, “What is your favorite sound?”

I couldn’t just pick one. There are many I enjoy. This is not exhaustive and today is not the day to wax poetically about rain on a tin roof, the laughter of children or the sounds of the sea shore. I'm thinking about bird sounds today, as you probably guessed from the title.

When we first moved to Central Florida my parents chose a home in a subdivision that was quite wooded, this in itself was in contrast to most of the newer neighborhoods that they looked at. There were pine trees and old oaks in abundance. I remember falling asleep to the sounds of a Mourning dove cooing, though I had no idea at the time what kind of bird was soothing me. Which is ironic when I consider how many times I rocked out to a certain song, the lyrics saying, “Just like a white-winged dove, sings a song, sounds like…oooh, baby, oooh, said oooh.” How pleasant it was to fall asleep, or wake up with fresh air and the sounds of the doves wafting in on the breeze.

There are many doves around here. However, until recently I was not able to hear their gentle song because of the sounds of another bird: The noble rooster. Roosters seem to polarize, they are either loved or hated. They are most abundant in Key West, and less so here in the middle Keys, but their presence has been steady since we moved here about 10 months ago. (You can read more about Keys Roosters here, if you like.) I personally enjoy their crowing, though I will admit to threatening one particular fellow who begins his “sunrise” at 2:30 am, if he‘s in our yard while crowing! Most nights this doesn’t even bother me, but on sleepless nights, when I’m sick, or restless or grouchy, I have threatened to ring his neck and put him in my pot! The sound of a faraway rooster crowing is comforting; the sound of him right under your window is “alarming”. For now though, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it since I have not heard the rooster for a solid week. Wonder what happened to him? I can guess…