Florida musings

Norma Jean and Rose

I'm halfway through my visit with my sister here in Florida, and the weather has been all over the place. When I first arrived, it was cold and breezy (although sunny), and yesterday the high temperature reached 81°F (27°C). Norma Jean has three snowbirds she plays golf with: Rose (above), Thecla, and Sylvia.

Both Rose and Thecla come from Canada, Sylvia from Missouri. While they're here during the winter months, they play together virtually every day. Thecla and her husband might not come back next year, since the older they get, the more their Canadian insurance costs. It goes up as they get older, and her husband is ninety. Thecla is 86. They sure don't look their ages, that's for sure. Must be the Florida sunshine they get during the winter months.

Norma Jean drives her golf cart to the clubhouse and then gets out the pushcart pictured above and walks the entire course. Sylvia (87) therefore had a spot in her golf cart for me to ride around with them and watch them play. Betmar Acres has three executive courses and boy, were they busy yesterday. The courses are short drives, nothing more than a par 4 (if you play, you know what I'm referring to), so they can play two of the nine-hole courses in around three hours. I was happy to watch, since I've never hit a golf ball in my life. Plus I got some good shots from around the area.

I've only been able to swim in the lane next to Norma Jean once since I got here, because they don't open the pool unless it's 41°F or warmer, and last Wednesday and Thursday it was colder than that. For some reason, it feels colder when the temperature drops, perhaps because of the humidity. But Friday, we swam, and I enjoyed it thoroughly, making me reconsider whether or not I should take up swimming laps again at home. The experience is completely different here, though, swimming in a lovely pool in the outdoors with much less chlorine needed than ours. Norma Jean said the sunshine helps to cut the amount of chlorine, and that in itself makes the experience much nicer. She doesn't swim on the weekends but goes on longer walks.

In any event, between swimming, walking, and golfing, my sister gets plenty of exercise. I am enjoying being with her, walking alongside and chatting about anything and everything. We are less than three years apart in age (I'm the older sister) and she has never known a world without me. I hardly remember what it was like not to have a younger sister. The other four siblings are farther from us in age. We have lost our younger sister PJ to heart disease and diabetes. She was not an exerciser, ever. Makes a big difference in one's health.

I grew up in a large family and we always had pets, especially dogs. So it's only when I visit Norma Jean that I get my fill of pets. She lost one dog last month to old age, and her remaining dog Icarus was miserable, howling in the window when she would leave.  Realizing that he needed canine companionship, she found a rescue dog on Craigslist, another Papillon (although not a purebred like Icarus), and was able to bring him home in a couple of days. He's just turned 3 to Icarus' 8 years, but the two of them seem very compatible. It took awhile for Charley to learn how to use the doggy doors, but once he got the hang of it, he has not had another accident inside the house. And he's smitten with me, which I don't mind a bit. I wonder if I remind him of his previous owner, an older woman with white hair who was unable to walk him or give him much exercise because of her own illness. She decided it wasn't fair to him. Norma Jean took him immediately to her vet's office to get him checked out and up to date with his shots. He's curled up at my feet as I write this.

I miss having a pet, but they are not allowed in my apartment complex. Plus, SG grew up in a home without pets, so he's not comfortable with them. I like to think of the tradeoff as being worth it, because I'd much rather be with my beloved than a pet, any day. But when I visit my sister, once again I am grateful to be surrounded by the love they exude. Icarus ignores me when Norma Jean is around, but curls up next to me when she's otherwise occupied. Charley is hard to keep out of my lap, and he's been sleeping in the bed with me, curled up close enough to feel the warmth of my body.

Because of the dog's joyfulness, our own is increased. It is no small gift. It is not the least reason why we should honor and love the dog of our own life, and the dog down the street, and all the dogs not yet born. —Mary Oliver

I just read that Mary Oliver died this week. She was one of my favorite poets, and she won a Pulitzer Prize for her work. You can read the New York Times obituary to learn more about her life if you don't already know her work. It wasn't until I read it myself that I realized that not everybody finds her poetry uplifting. She was 83. At one time I would have considered that to be a normal time to die, but as I get closer to that age myself, my views have changed. I remember reading once that most of us consider old age to be ten years older than our own age, and I'm inclined to agree. I don't feel quite ready to check out, and I'm able to look at my sister's golf partners, who range from 71 to 87 and are active and healthy to bolster my spirits. Mary was taken from us, her admirers, too soon.

I'm hoping the government shutdown will be over before I must travel home on Wednesday. I feel so bad for those TSA workers who are not getting paid, along with so many others. Although they will eventually get their wages, it's looking more and more like this shutdown will go on for awhile longer, and I'll just need to get to the airport hours earlier than I normally would. Until that time, however, I'll be enjoying the time spent with my sister, soaking up the sunshine, and petting the dogs.

Until we meet again next week, which, hopefully, will be in my own bed with my partner sleeping next to me, I wish you all good things. Be well.