Shower with a friend - save water

My arm is a little sore and tender and my depression is humongous. Woe is me. Get over it!
I was in desperate need of a shower but sort of kind of unable to do it alone. My Knight in Shining Armor (Hubby) to the rescue. I donned the plastic bag on my arm and stepped into his loving arms. Actually I really forced myself on to him and he went with the flow. We have an awesome rain shower thingy in the shower that flows like the monsoons. But also conserves water. I am not water wasteful!
It's wonderful when someone else washes your hair and it's magic when someone you love washes your hair. It sent tingles down my spine - wait that was pain from my lower back. Whatever. A truly exciting experience. The hair washing not the pain in my spine.
I feel refreshed and sparkly clean. Thank you Rob-in-Hood.

Web of Terror

My biggest fear in life is - snakes. I see one and then go straight to the panic mode. I am unable to get over my fear - or total terror. My second critter fear is spiders. They creep me out, especially the big ones.

We have two medium size spiders playing dead at the bottom of the pool. I know they are faking it because if I were to go in the water they would attack me - for sure. I don't care that they have been hanging out in the same place for three days. They are stalking me!

This morning I walk to the pool thinking about taking a quick dip, although it is raining and I could get wet? There is this spidersaurus swimming in the pool. He's huge!!! He's alive!!!

Scratch that idea of taking an early morning dip. What scares me more is taking an evening dip and not properly checking out the wild waters. I will search the depths with a flashlight before I enter the waters next time.

Water Hyacinths

I was in desperate need of water Lillie's - any kind would do. I set out to my favorite hunting ground. I hid my plastic bag in the waist of my sweats. I searched the banks for the elusive water lilies. There were none. Lots of green slime across the water but no floating hyacinths.

Since I am never one to give up (occasionally) I headed for the boating area to continue my search. My koi and my turtles were depending on this mission to be successful. Goldie is almost ready to explode and if the babies have no place to hide they will be eaten. It's a tuff world out there. And the new turtle habitat needs some water landscaping and places for Cracker and Romeo to hide.

I walk over the foot bridge that leads to the bog area. The boardwalk meanders through the marsh. I notice the signs 'Do not Feed or Molest the Alligators'. I just want my water Lillie's. So many people wandering around -why don't they stay home. They are interfering with my mission.

I spot one. Floating lazily in the murky water right next to the 'Alligator Warning' sign. It's beyond my reach. Mr. Wonderful (hubby) searches for an instrument to reach the Lillie. He is so great. He reaches over the murky water and grabs a broken limb. Plop, there goes his sunglasses like an anchor the drop to the bottom.

Somewhere - someday I will see an alligator sporting a pair of Ray bans. Hubby grabs the limb from the murky water. We proceed to a quiet spot to look for water Lillie's. I see one not too far from the boardwalk. Hubby reaches out with his limb and snags the Lillie. I am on the look out for gators and the park ranger.

He gets it. Wow, she's a beauty. I watch for water movement. All is still in the bog. It must be nap time for the gators. I see another one and point to it. I can't yell and draw attention to what we are doing. Hubby bends down and pokes the limb through the railings on the boardwalk. Ker plunk - off goes his hat and it floats away.

He reaches the water Lillie pokes it with his limb and pulls her to shore. I keep an eye out for water ripples and park rangers. Neither can be seen. We watch the hat sink slowly to the bottom of the swamp.


I am feeling good about my harvest so off we go back to the car. I am satisfied and my fishies and turtles will be happy campers.

Strangers in the Night or Day

Life becomes a little more complicated when you have teenagers living with you. Our recent teenage addition is 18. He moved in as a single package deal but that is ever changing.

This morning when I awoke there was a strange young man taking a shower in the front bathroom. I stepped over another body on my way to the kitchen. I went outside to walk the dog and there was a strange car in our driveway (blocking me in).

My full pot of coffee disappeared rather quickly along with a gallon of milk and all the bananas. There is a pile of wet towels in the corner of the bathroom, a sink full of dirty dishes and sneakers that have an aroma stronger than the kitty litter box.

I can hear the wheels of progress clinking now - water bill rising - groceries disappearing rapidly and rap music wafting through the house. Our quiet predictable life will never be the same.

Dry Camping

I love to travel and explore my world and engage in new experiences. There are a few problems with this scenario - such as - never enough money to splurge with and that thing called going to work everyday. Working for a living really puts a crimp on my lifestyle. So I depend on friends and relatives helping me make my dreams come true: seeing the world.

This past December - for example - we visited fantastic/decadent Key West. My brother is spending the winter there. Dry camping in a motor home. Let me define - dry camping - for those that have no clue. The bathhouse is a 1/2 mile walk down a bumpy and dark (no lights at night) road. Approximately 300 or more people dry camp here. There are 4 toilets and three showers. Do the MATH.

We are surrounded by water - salt water. Potable water - there is also something called non-potable water and it is beyond the bathroom facilities down that bumpy dark (no lights at night) road. The non-potable water sign scares me. It makes me feel like the water has the plague and it is used for your holding tank in the RV. You know WHAT goes in the holding tank. So the water and bath facilities were a minor issue.

Dry camping also means - no electric. Translated that means the fans or the air conditioner does not work. Do you have any idea how small some windows are in campers? Picture this - two small windows in an RV in Key West topping 90+ degrees. The wind - gone South for the winter. Stifling is not a strong enough word. The slop pot - pungent.

My brother was kind enough to let us sleep on the pull out couch. That metal bar that is used to support the bed and mattress has been forever imprinted on my backside. Oh and those very small windows - screen less. The combination of tropics, heat and screen less windows means ONE thing. Mosquito's! FYI - there is a huge mound of sand right by the men's bathroom door. Don't stand there. Florida is a proud producer of fire ants.

In the end the price was right for me and I have many memorable memories and scars to remind me of paradise.

New Year's Eve

It was New Year's Eve and we were celebrating. I was drinking my usual - water. It scares me to think what would happen to me if I did drink alcohol. So here we sit on the upperdeck at the

Whiskey Rose Bar (I think) on Duval Street in Key West. Friends having a good time enjoying the old year and looking forward to what the new year will bring us. I'm sipping my water everyone else is on their third drink (alcohol). None of us were driving vehicles. In Key West on foot or bike is the best way.



So i'm leaning over the edge of the railing and off goes my flip flop, gets kicked into the road and this HUGE truck rolls quietly over my flip flop. I yell for someone to save my flip flop. No one hears my cries. The party mood is prevalent on the streets and no one notices the squashed lonely flip flop. I hop down the long winding wooden (yes splinters) stairs and run into the street. Well, actually it was too crowded to run into the street. I felt like a sardine in a too small greasy tin.



I searched the street for my lonely flip flop but it had disappeared with the rolling crowd. I hobbled back upstairs and took a wrong turn and ended on the third level. My cell phone rings and I answer it. I realize much too late that I have ended up on the clothing optional deck. Some old hag that should be covered to protect society screams at me about not having a cell phone on the third level. Like I would take a picture of her! So I hurry back down to the next level and search for my friends. They didn't even know I was gone.



So I stand there with one flip flop on and one bare foot feeling foolish. I peer over the railing and see some tanned young stud riding a skateboard barefooted. So I think to myself if he can ride a skateboard shoeless I can ride my bike minus one flip flop.



My bike pedal was made of metal with ridges. Recipe for disaster - barefoot, metal pedal, hot Key West day. Off I go on my bike rental. Scratches on the bike are added to your credit card. Always careful, always considerate I stop for the pedestrian who walked right in front of me. The Cafe Ragu sign saved my life. It didn't look very pretty with me and the bike dumped on top of it. Somewhere along the way my remaining flip flop went AWOL.



I hobble to a store to purchase new over priced flip flops to pedal my bike with the now bent frame. I wonder if the rental place will not notice the bent bike frame? Should have taken out that insurance for $29.99.