Filling In The Gaps

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Sticking to my word…..remember in our last blog I said we still owed you another blog covering the rest of December and half of January. Well, hunky-dory….here it is! Oh, Happy Days!

One day in December, we enjoyed the company of our good friend, Mike. He used to live here at Tropical Palms. His site was right between us and Sam & Sandy’s. Oh, Lucky Mike….he must have been born under a lucky star! He was the perfect neighbor for both of us. But….but….he moved to Lake Magic a few years ago. Could it have been something we said or did? Jeez! He reassured us it wasn't us……yeah, right! Why was he laughing, applauding, kicking up his heels, singing happy tunes and shooting off fireworks the day left!! We still stay in touch. He came for a visit and he, Sandy and us went to Woodsby’s for a nice lunch. Cory needed a piece of wood so he helped Cory saw it to size at the Home Depot near the restaurant. We have so many laughs when we are with Mike. He and his lovely wife, Terri, are a great couple.

Cory decided he needed something special from the China-made flea market…..next to the Big Orange on 192 (for those of you in this area). I can’t remember what his search was for but he did find it there. Anyway, while we were there, the three of us were able to check out all the many Food Trucks that have taken up residence outside the flea market buildings. They all looked new and very nice. They were gaily decorated for Christmas. Most of the food trucks offered Latino food….we wanted our friend, Melba, to be with us to interpret what it all was. We did recognize some of the tasty-looking temptations. We held our willpower strong and left with only Cory’s purchase.

Speaking of Christmas decorations….we hauled out our few Christmas lights and decorations that we put up inside and outside our RV. Cory does the outside. I do the inside (windshield). Obviously, you can see who else helps me. Our Dear, Sweet Lulu. She is always so willing to lend a hand….if only she had one! She loves the holiday season when she can dress up.….well, she dresses up her head with a Santa hat. We all know why that's all she can don. She hummed Christmas Carols because she felt so festive. She’s hoping she gets a karaoke machine for Christmas. She was born to be a singer but unfortunately, she can't utter any words….just a faint humming noise. We’ll take what we can get.

I do need to update you about Lulu after that tragic accident when she went flying off our golf cart going up to Old Town for the Christmas golf cart parade. Remember how her head went rolling down the road? Oh, God….I get shaky and faint just thinking about it. At first, she seemed okay with only a few bumps and bruises. But soon, she became lethargic…..more so than usual. She stays so still most of the time so it was hard to detect. She tried to vomit but only had dry heaves. When she began calling Cory and me “Lucy and Desi” and her eyes became crossed, I knew we had something serious going on. Fortunately, my nursing role kicked in and I treated her for a subdural hematoma. I stuck a pin in her head and relieved the pressure. Unfortunately, she was a non-compliant patient but after I restrained her, she reluctantly cooperated and got some much-needed rest. She was so happy when she received a get-well card from Mary Jane and Jim. See…..she is loved by many. Lulu struggled during her recuperation but she has returned to her terrific self…..well, mostly. One eye winks a lot and she drools when she hums. We can all learn to live with these minor defects. It helps to keep Lulu humble…. it wasn't healthy when she kept flaunting her narcissistic perfection.

Something very special also happened besides Lulu’s recovery. We had a Christmas miracle. Sandy and I decided to become tomato farmers. We each bought a small, beef steak tomato plant at Lowes. We have potted them in two big containers and recently put a tomato cage around them as they are growing very nicely. Christmas morning, we went out to check our single-plant garden. Lo and Behold….we each had a beautiful, big red tomato in our garden. A true Christmas miracle! We jumped with joy. How? How could this be? We didn't even have a tiny bloom on our plants yet. It wasn't close to harvest time. We quickly figured out that Santa Ray had made his special vegetarian delivery to our greenery. We “picked” our red, round vegetation with visions of what was yet to come. It's like watching a “watched pot boil” but even more taxing. But someday, our gathering baskets will be full! Yippee! Hope you like ‘mater sandwiches!

Even though we have no activity director here at our park, the long-term and seasonal residents are doing a nice job planning and putting together various fun events. A few days before Christmas, we all gathered together for a Christmas potluck dinner. All the fabulous food provided makes the “Trough” (Golden Corral) look like a dieter's sample plate. No one leaves hungry!

One holiday golf cart parade wasn't enough so many Tropical Palms friends had another one just for our park. All the folks brought their brightly lit and decorated carts to a starting point. With Christmas music loudly reverberating from our lead cart, this caravan of happy participants traveled throughout our park. It was joyous. The on-lookers waved and shouted out with glee! Lulu had recovered from her traumatic injury and “jumped right back on the horse.” She donned her Christmas hat and red nose and hopped onto our golf cart. This time, we had her use a seat belt (bungee cord) so that the horrific event would not repeat itself. Sandy watched over her very closely. The ride went smoothly and we all arrived back to our homes safe and sound. Whew! The joy of Christmas.

Christmas Day arrived. Merry Christmas everyone! Many TP friends all met for a Christmas potluck brunch in our community building. It was very nice and festive. We were glad to be together since we were not with our long-distance families. The best gift of all was the friendship we shared with one another here at Tropical Palms.

A couple days after Christmas, we were blessed to be able to spend the day with one of our families. Our daughter and son-in-law, Kim & Jim, came to Tampa to spend Christmas with their daughter, Haley, who works in Tampa. Their son, Travis and girlfriend, Thalia, drove from Texas to be with the family. It was so wonderful to see and be with all of them again. Our grandchildren are so delightful and mature being self-supporting adults now. Where has the time gone? We all went to a grand restaurant called the Salt Shack. The food was scrumptious…..so much so that Cory ordered two different grouper dishes. He loves grouper! Afterward, we all went to Haley’s apartment. What a nice place…..I could picture Cory and me living there! Jim toured us around the area as we returned to their AirB&B. Oh, be still my heart! What is this that my eyes see? Right across from their place, was a lawn sale. I ran as quickly as I could and couldn't believe my eyes! The sign posted amongst all the treasures read FREE! I dropped to my knees! As I began gathering many exciting trinkets, Cory was yelping “No, No, No!” Is he crazy…..has he lost his mind? Pay attention, Bucky! This great stuff is all free. Come hither and help me carry it! His grumpy face mumbled something that I ignored. After I collected as much as I could carry…..with no support from you-know-who…..I took it in to Kim’s place to do a show & tell with all my free acquisitions. They were just as impressed as Cory but understood my plan. All of it will be used for a profitable purpose in the future which will be discussed in another blog. Sounds exciting….huh? Just be patient. You will find out soon enough.

Cory and I visited the town of Celebration (that Disney built but has nothing to do with anymore). This beautiful place is a hop, skip and jump from our RV park. The magnificent homes looked so beautiful with their Christmas decorations. Their Main Street offered a skating rink and an awesome, huge Christmas tree. There were horse-drawn carriages and wagons…..I don't care for these because I feel sorry for the horses. They did have a miniature, motorized train which is more my cup of tea. Cory and I ate in their Town Tavern. It is one of our favorite places. We waited at the bar for our seat. They gave us a cozy booth with a gorgeous tree light in the center. We both indulged in their “stackers.” Cory had meatloaf, I had turkey. Way too much to finish but oh, soooooo good. No way would I let a poor horse drag my big bod around, especially after eating all this! The train, maybe….but I probably couldn't fit in it.

We attended a super New Year’s Eve party here in our park. One of the TP couples offered to have a pizza party at their site. Larry and Amy had a big pizza oven, and with helpers, they served delicious pizzas to everyone in attendance. Oh, yummers! Craig was the DJ and played his music for all to enjoy. I will not mention that I loudly sang along to the song Delta Dawn (one of my favorites). Hopefully, everyone was partaking in their libations and ignored me. It was slightly cool that evening but several folks brought fire pits. They provided a warm ambiance and heat. Lights were set up so cornhole and washer games could be played. It was truly a very Happy New Year’s Eve. Wish you all could have been there. Cory, Sandy and I left way before the midnite hour. We wouldn't want to spoil our record of sleeping through the ball drop. Our record remains strong!

Now that the New Year is here, we want to try to eat healthier. We started out by going to Bar Harbor. This is where Sandy and I can order two, steamed Maine lobsters to devour. This day, the price was $17.99 for both. What a perfect way to start this New Year. What a treat! Let's keep eating healthily and go back for more!

At last! We are caught up….all the gaps are filled in. We have a big adventure coming up very soon…..pack your bags and be ready by January 21st. You are going to love where we are going. We’ll let you know the details once the time comes! See you then! We have 21 photos to help occupy your time…..scroll way down!

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Comments

[John Peterson]

Pictures
Number 6 picture is great. A picture of friends is that Nicki Jo by Cori? Those lobsters looked great.! Thank you again for the news from TP. We are still in Mn. due to my health,

[Sandy and Cory]

Hope you feel better soon.
Nicki Jo was not there. I don't know anyone there called Carl. If you tap on the photo, it enlarges so you can see the faces better.