I did it! I changed the oil on my truck all by myself! Well, ok…I watched a YouTube video and my fix-it friend sat there and watched and answered any questions. There was some question as to which bolt was the plug to the oil pan so he got down under the truck with me. We consulted the video again (he’s not familiar with Fords) and once we agreed I had the right bolt, I was on my own. Next, I had the hardest time trying to find the oil filter. I went back to the video and figured that out. I was pleased I had the strength to turn the oil plug and the filter to remove them. All told, the whole thing was done in 45 minutes. I did have to buy an oil pan and a filter wrench for the first change, but after this, I can change my oil myself for $35. And that’s using Mobil 1 Full Synthetic oil. I use that because I tow the camper and it’s better for the truck. The same thing would cost at least $80. If I would have known how easy it was, I would have done this myself all along! I felt SO accomplished! I didn’t get greasy and dirty. It was easy peasy. I have been gifted by God with abilities to learn and do mechanical things. I can’t take the credit for that.

My dryer hasn’t been drying my clothes lately. They toss and turn and tumble and take forever to dry. I just couldn’t figure out what was wrong. I cleaned the lint out of the lint trap and that didn’t help. I looked down the dryer vent and saw the beginnings of a nest and cleared it out and it worked fine. But, by the time I left for Florida, I noticed it wasn’t drying at all. I didn’t really have time to mess with it before I left and the whole time down there I kept thinking I was going to have to buy a new dryer. Well, remember I told you how nice it is to have guy friends that you can run things by when you have questions? I asked one of my handy fix-it dudes what could be wrong. He said to go look in the dryer vent tube again. I assured him I had already done that and it was fine. He said, “Humor me.” So, I went back and….look what I found!!! That bird had completely filled the driver vent with leaves, moss, grass plus the lint it had managed to catch. OMGosh! It’s a miracle the house didn’t catch fire. The dryer did what it was supposed to do…when it didn’t flow right, the heat shut off. Thank God! I cannot express enough how important it is to check these things often. I am going to the hardware store and buy one of those vent covers that will keep this bird out of there. I think she must have abandoned her efforts because there were no eggs in this mess.

When I was a little girl, this farm produced strawberries for the local Farmer’s Market. The berries my grandparents grew were known far and wide as some of the best available. They were huge, juicy, red ripe clear to the center and as sweet as sugar. Oh, my mouth waters thinking about them. Sometimes you couldn’t get more than five or six in the quart berry baskets. I wasn’t allowed in the berry patch. My hands stuffed those berries in my mouth much faster than they should have and I kept stepping on the runners because I didn’t understand their importance. But I watched every step of the production and took great pride in driving to town with my Pop-Pop and a pickup load of berries every afternoon.

Well, I saw something I’ve never seen before. I sure wish I would have had my camera ready fast enough. I was sitting out on the porch yesterday, enjoying the cool of the evening when I heard a ruckus on the hill you see here. The lawn goes to the edge of the creek there and then the hill goes up the other side. I heard something running through the underbrush over there and could just make out an orange streak barreling down the hill. Kitty Boy! He doesn’t show up but maybe three nights a week or so these days. Fixing him and feeding him and the companionship of Boy Cat doesn’t seem to be enough for this adolescent and he’s off galavanting the farms and hills. As I watched this fairly small cat making a bee line down through the woods, it occurred to me he was making a whale of a lot of noise. I looked on up behind him and hot on his trail was a doe! She almost got him but he jumped on down into the creek and the doe stopped just short of coming out of the cover of the thicket. She proceeded to stomp her front hooves on the ground and snort for a good five minutes before she was convinced the big bad kitty was gone. My guess is she has a baby hidden up in those trees and Kitty Boy got a little too curious.

What was it John Lennon said? “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Or some such thing. The plan was to stay in Florida another week but my traveling companion got called back home so within two hours, we were packed up and on the road. You have to fly by the seat of your pants when you are with me!

Saying goodbye to the beach, for now…and hello to new adventures! And what is better than another foray into the wonderful world of Georgia Barbecue? This time, it was The Copper Pig in Brunswick, GA. After feeding the alligators in the pond out front, you walk through the indoor Farmer’s Market to the restaurant. The decor sports such notable signs as “Turkey Eggs…when available” and “Whole Goat Sold Here”. Gulp. Remember the other day after the ray incident when I said I might turn vegetarian? Well, this was…after all…barbecue. In Georgia. I ordered my favorite non-vegetarian meal of ribs with a side of collard greens and cole slaw. And threw in corn bread for good measure. Top that off with a tall glass of sweet tea and I was in…forgive the term…hog heaven! Southern slaw is a vinegary affair, unlike the creamy variety I am accustomed to. It’s not entirely to my liking, I’m afraid. And the collards…I asked for vinegar to put on them. I was presented with a small jar of pale green peppers in vinegar. The top of the jar had a small hole so I gamely sprinkled on what I thought would be a liberal amount of vinegar and promptly set off the fire alarms in my mouth! Wowza! I’m not sure the collards actually had a flavor…maybe bacon? But again, once doused in liquid lava, I was hard pressed to taste anything anyway. The cornbread was dry. Sigh. I looked at my ribs and sent up a little prayer that they would redeem this episode of “Heartburn Haven”. I was not disappointed. The ribs were utterly swoon-worthy! Fork tender, fall off the bone, juicy, smoky morsels fit for the gods. I really wasn’t terribly hungry at that point so I picked all the meat off the bones and proceeded to taste the three BBQ sauces on the table. “Carolina Sauce”, like the slaw, is vinegar based but has a heavy mustard flavor. Not my thing. I moved on to “Sweet”. Liquid brown sugar, to be precise. Still…pretty darned yummy. Last was “Sweetheat”. Ok, now we’re talking. Sweet, smoky, tangy, with just the right heat to make you barely break out in a sweat on your upper lip. The kind that would make you wince if you had a little cut on your lip but not cry like a little girl. Perfect! I asked for a plastic container with a lid…food service variety. Not that styrofoam to-go box. This had to withstand ice in the cooler. I took both the “Sweet” and “Sweetheat” sauces and applied them liberally over the rib meat I had dissected on my plate, mixed it up, and applied more of each…like hot fudge on a pork sundae. I popped the container into the ice chest in the back of the truck and headed north.

I don’t know what else to say…yesterday was another perfect day. It was a little hot. Well, ok…it was a LOT hot. The heat index at 10:30 this morning was 108 degrees! I did what I do every morning…I sat on the front deck with my coffee…reading and writing then came in when it got too warm. I actually started reading a novel yesterday. I haven’t read a book for entertainment for a long, long time. I couldn’t concentrate enough to read after I lost Mr. Virgo. Then I couldn’t read because I didn’t want to taint my writing. Someone gave me a copy of The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins so I stuck it in one of my bags and brought it with me…just in case. It feels good to let my mind get lost in someone else’s words for a change.

It’s difficult to keep faith in humanity when the world looks like it does today. There are bad…evil bad people in the world but they are the drops in the ocean. We are tricked into thinking all of humanity has gone to hell in a hand basket when indeed they have not. There are plenty of wonderful, loving people in the world. I’m not going to go on a political rant here. I just want you to keep in mind there is a reason politicians and media keep the pot stirred up. It’s easier to keep control of a fearful crowd. Keep your eyes open. Look for the love. Look for the good. Send out positive, uplifting energy. Raise the vibration of the world. If you are the praying sort, pray with all your might that we are saved from he who would do us harm. We know how this ends. The light banishes the darkness. It is written. It is physics and metaphysics. It is biblical. When I get discouraged I read my bible first. That’s where I find the most comfort and encouragement. Then  I look for quotes of famous peace brokers like Gandhi, Rumi and the like. They help me reboot and keep moving towards a peaceful planet. That and calling my congressmen with my concerns. That’s about all I can do.

I didn’t go anywhere yesterday. I sat out on the front deck with my coffee for a couple of hours then took a short walk on the beach. It was already getting hot and oh so crowded, so I came back to the condo and sat on the front deck for another two hours reading and writing. True decadence. I cooked a nice supper and went down with a chair to sit on the beach for sunset. I had a lovely conversation with several people and was gifted this photo of myself. I have to tell you this…and I’m not being vain or self-aggrandizing. But, it’s been a long, long time since I felt this beautiful. It was such a peaceful day. The sun was setting. The mist began to settle in on the beach and my skin felt dewy and fresh. I even had a glass of my “merlot”…a dealcoholized wine made by Fré that I really enjoy…as I watched the people strolling up and down the shoreline. Some 40-year-olds tossed a football back and forth. A little 12-year-old girl practiced on her surf board. I sat out till long after dark, watching the stars come out and the moon slowly set. I saw two huge shooting stars overhead and counted my many, many blessings. I had heard there were fireworks scheduled after the concert down at the pavilion by the pier. I saw two or three small ones but it didn’t amount to much. Then I walked up the beach with a flashlight looking for crabs and jellyfish. I saw a few, and also the first seagulls I’ve seen during this trip…only three or four of them. Lots and lots of pelicans, though.

I spent the entire day on the beach and almost all of it was under the cover of a canopy. Still, I got overheated. I think the sea breeze is deceiving…the breeze blows and gives you the impression that you are cooling off but if you don’t drink enough fluids, and I know I don’t normally, you will pay for it later. But still, it was a gorgeous, perfect beach day. I parked down on the beach so I wouldn’t have to carry stuff down and back up to the condo and that was so handy…I can now see why people park there. It was really busy on the beach yesterday so I can imagine it will only get worse over the weekend. I love the constant parade of cars driving up and down the beach. Muscle cars, sports cars, jacked-up pickup trucks slowly cruise by, the music of the driver’s generation blaring through the open windows. My favorite was this guy in the yellow hot rod, flames painted down the sides, surf board sticking out of the rumble seat. So very cool! I had to smile at the 60-something guy, rocking his sensible sedan, grooving to some ‘60-something music from his stock stereo. Uber cool!

After four days of stormy, grey skies, yesterday was stunning in Daytona Beach. I had a slow start to my day, enjoying coffee on the deck, before I headed out for a day of fun in the sun. First stop was the Ponce Inlet Lighthouse. Billed as one of the tallest lighthouses on the east coast, they didn’t mention it was narrower and the stairs are steeper. OMGosh…what a workout! They didn’t have the windows open so it was stuffy and close. But I just took my time and plugged right along. The view from the top was well worth the climb. You could see the ocean, the Halifax River, the Indian River, the Ponce Inlet, and various salt marshes. On a really clear day, you can see Cape Canaveral. It was stellar!