Solar Power

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

A couple of years ago  I crafted a post called "Agree to Disagree." In it I shared the notion of "perspective." In that previous post I used the illustration of the five blind men and the elephant. Each held a view of what was before them based on his own limited perspective. 

In a sense, this post is also about perspective. 

Not limited. Informed.

It's about the weather. As I craft this week's post, Mike and I have been pretty much housebound. We have been fighting a virus of some sort and the weather has not lent itself to going out and soaking up some much needed sunshine.

Sunshine cures many an illness. It's a fact. Sunshine is packed with vitamin D. Vitamin D builds strong bones and helps the immune system fight off those nasty viruses and such. 

Even though we live in Florida, the Sunshine State, our weather in Citrus County, as I craft this post, is NOT warm. We do have lots of sun, but at the moment, we are experiencing a not so balmy 45 degrees. It is a cold forty-five. In fact, my weather app says it feels like 41 degrees. I think it feels colder than that. Especially near the water. The wind has been blowing and dead leaves are strewn across our deck as if it were a sunny and warm autumn day. 

It is January. It is sunny. But it is not warm. It is winter. It is supposed to be cold. Maybe... but I don't have to like it.

I checked the weather in other parts of the country where we have family. The temperatures in Ohio and Wisconsin are much lower than what we are experiencing. And the "feels like" temps? EVEN LOWER. 

My family members in Ohio and Wisconsin are seeing temps in the single digits. And their "feels like" temps are enough to make me shiver a thousand miles away.

As I said, the post is about perspective. When you are sick, you long for warmth. When you are "under the weather" you long for sunny skies and warm temperatures. Outside temperatures, that is. 

What is your go to "home cure?" Chicken soup? Gatorade? Or are you like me? A person who thrives on fresh air and warm sunshine?

Love/Hate Technology

My Continued 

Love/Hate 

Relationship with Technology

Yes. I both LOVE and HATE technology.

When it works, it is a writer's best friend. It not only holds my thoughts in one place, the computer offers advice for spelling and grammar. It can allow me to ramble now and edit with ease later. 

When it works.

It doesn't always work. 

For example, I turned to my go-to word program to compose this week's blog. Everything seemed to be going nicely...until...I no longer have the ability to copy and paste it into my blog? What's that about? 

I used all my known strategies to retrieve my blog post. 

Nothing worked. 

So I abandoned the post about the sweet memory of my early experiences at the University of Cincinnati, and spent the next three hours traveling every rabbit hole I could think of to fix my word processing capabilities. 

It is important. I have books I'm working on...stories to tell. I have documents I value. I need my ability to craft on my computer. 

I need to save documents and retrieve them. I am no longer attached to my No. 2 pencil or my blue pen that moves smoothly across the paper. I am attached to my laptop!

At least I know how to write with pen and paper. It may be a lost art. 

My biggest problem is reading what I write. I'm serious. I scribble and scratch as I write. 

And writing a story or book? I can get so engrossed in the writing I can't read it later. I sit there and stare at the scribbles on the page. 

I would consider dictation, but there is something about seeing the words and being able to revise as I go or follow an idea to the logical end that feels better when I am engaging my hands in the process.

Perhaps it's like kneading bread dough. You can tell much about the dough's readiness by the feel, the elasticity of it, the weight and color and the dustiness of the flour. Anyone can read a recipe, but to pull warm bread of the right texture out of the oven? There's a physical connection unlike any other.

For now? I am composing directly into my blog. My techies all live up north. I know it will work itself out or I'll figure it out. Or...well, there are probably fifty ways to leave your computer...hmmm...sounds like song in there somewhere. 

For a Caring Man...Go to Deer Lake Road

For a Caring Man...Go to Deer Lake Road

I am sick. Not the kind of sick that can be cured by Mike's Wonder Drug: Vick's. I tried. If you missed that post, CLICK HERE.

No. This is the achy, sore throat, totally congested sick that hits you suddenly and doesn't seem to want to go away. I have coughed all night. I'm pretty sure my raging cough scared Tiki Kitty. 

And today? Even as I write these words, I feel as if my head will explode. 

To top it off, I have a blog post in the wings for such emergencies, but can't seem to access it. Seriously. 

This Palm Tree Had To Be 
Removed.
It has nothing to do with this post except 
I'm pretty sure the inside of my head looks like this.

Stuff like this happens. We can never be fully prepared for what lies around the corner. Only to know it will happen. Our best intensions will be shattered and we need to remain calm. There is likely a reason.

I have no clue as to why I'm in this predicament, but here I am. And I have to trust I'll be better for it in the long run. 

Mike is taking good care of me. He has cooked every meal, brought me medicine, and, since it's Tuesday, he did the laundry. The man came for the water softener so Mike took care of that as well.

Sometimes Mike gives me jewelry and often he takes me out to dinner. But caring for me when I'm sick? That is true love. I have been blessed to have had two such men in my life. 

They were friends and both grew up on Deer Lake Road. When someone said to me once, "Where do you go to find a good man?" 

I told her, "Personally, I go to Deer Lake Road."

Frisch's. The End of an Era

The End of an Era

High School. 

If you follow me, you know I graduated from George D. Chamberlain High School in Tampa, Florida in 1971. (If you are one of my younger readers and find yourself in awe or laughing at the idea of someone that old once in high school, STOP NOW. Your day will come.)

I moved to Florida the summer before my ninth-grade year. One of the places my classmates and I frequented was a Frisch’s Big Boy restaurant on Florida Avenue. It wasn’t far from the high school and a great place eat. The fact you could drive into a space, push a button, and order a hamburger with fries... all over a speaker was a treat.  A few minutes later your food was carried to your car on a tray that hooked nicely to your rolled down window. 

But the best part of Frisch’s for most of us wasn’t the food or the convenience. It was the place to meet up with your friends. 

Frisch’s was a touchpoint of our youth.

Like me, Frisch’s was birthed in Ohio. Dave Frisch was, like me, from the Cincinnati area. Frisch invested himself in the family business and when his father died, he took over the three family-owned restaurants. He was twenty-years-old at the time.

While attending a restaurant convention in California, Dave learned of the “double decker” hamburger. He added his own unique form of tartar sauce and the Big Boy was born. It soon became the restaurant’s signature burger.

The first Frisch’s Big Boy opened in a Cincinnati suburb. They called the restaurant

 The Mainliner 

It was named after the first tri-motor passenger airplane. That first restaurant had room to serve eight customers inside and sixty cars outside!

I don’t know how many people our Frisch’s in Florida could handle, but I do know most of the crowd who assembled there on the weekend were high schoolers…and most were from Chamberlain. And... most of us ate outside, a tray hanging on the side of the car.

The End of an Era

Never too old
for a first date at Frisch's

Frisch’s is no more. Oh, there might be a restaurant or two here and there, but most have closed or are closing. Our favorite hot spot on Florida Avenue is long gone. 

When Mike and I were dating in 2022, we went to the Mainliner…the original Frisch’s restaurant in Cincinnati. On that first visit, we met a woman who started working there as a car hop. Car hops had long gone by the wayside. This woman still worked for the company. She had interesting tidbits to share with us about the way the place was and how it grew. 

That was then. 

Mike and I returned to Ohio for Christmas this year. We’ve driven past many closed Frisch’s restaurants. It is sad. We hoped for one last “date” at the Mainliner, but it was not to be. They have closed.

The Frisch's Mainliner sign
is going to the American Sign Museum

There is a saying: All good things must come to an end. That may be true. But I don’t have to like it.

Fierce Resolve

 Fierce Resolve for the New Year

As we turn the pages of time, 2024 will soon end and we will embark on the new year. For many, flipping the calendar to January signifies a new beginning. 

When I was a little girl, I would make a list of all I wanted to do in the coming year. Not particularly “Resolutions.” More along the line of “Goals,” if you will. Sometimes they were mere dreams.

I can’t even remember what any of those were, but I’m pretty sure I didn’t keep them beyond…well January. Even my “Dear Diary” efforts didn’t extend long into the new year. Not that I didn’t try. Maybe I thought my daily activities were boring. Too dull to record. I don’t know. 

I’ve always had ideas of what I wanted to accomplish. It was the lack of follow through that killed the best intentions. 

Over time, I’ve discovered the vast difference between goals and objectives. Goals are what we hope to accomplish. Objectives are the steps to get there.

As a teacher, I learned to write objectives for lessons I taught. 

They were …Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic… And they were…Time-bound. 

We called them SMART. 

"I call it being WISE."

It’s what I want to do. I want to be SMART about what I set out to do in 2025.

And the word RESOLUTION comes from the word RESOLVE.

Resolve means “A firm determination to do something.” 

A FIRM DETERMINATION. 

Not simply a goal. Not a wish. Not a dream. 

As I plan my year, I want to keep that in mind. To take on what I can manage with that same firm determination. 

What do you want to accomplish this year?

Be it learn a new language, write a book, develop a new skill, or engage in a form of self-improvement such as changing your diet or engaging in exercise…choose what you want to accomplish in 2025. And think about how you will take the task on with FIRM DETERMINATION.

Be DELIBERATE… Be FOCUSED... Be CONSISTENT

Make it your mantra. Post your goal and craft two or three SMART objectives that will get you there. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

 

Don Garlits

Don Garlits, Car Guy

Approachable. That is the word I would use to describe Don Garlits. The man is known throughout the world of racing. He has rubbed elbows with celebrities both in and beyond the world of cars. His museum of drag racing in Ocala, Florida is visited by hundreds, if not thousands, of people every year.

 Don Garlits has enjoyed dinners and conversations with famous actors and such, but to help raise money for underprivileged children in our area, the man showed up at our local restaurant known simply as “The Diner”, interacted with all present, and helped the restaurant in their fundraising efforts. 

We’ve been to The Diner before. Both their food and service is great. You may remember how we met folks who had a connection to our house a few weeks ago at another car show there. I called that post “It’s a Small World.”  Patrick and Jill were there again last night. We had a good time. This time, though, all folks attending brought toys and clothes as well as monetary gifts for children in our area. It was a way to help the community during the holidays.

Don Garlits and Santa

Having Don Garlits come to the event was a bonus for all. 

Through the years I’ve met many famous people. Most of them prove to be kind and approachable. Most. I could tell a story or two…

I digress. Don Garlits is a good man and as I said at the beginning, very approachable. I told him about the day my husband and my grandson visited his museum in Ocala, Florida.

“Joshua read every placard in the place,” I shared.

“Joshua,” he repeated. “That’s a good Bible name.”

I agreed. We walked over to his car where he retrieved a poster for me to give to my grandson.

After the crowd around him thinned, Mr. Garlits walked around the car show chatting with various folks there, looking under the hood of one car or another, making remarks about the vehicles, and talking about times gone by. A regular guy enjoying the car show. And everyone present.

And the people enjoyed having him there. Not just appearing. Not showing up for publicity. Simply a car guy at a car show enjoying an evening with other car guys. Another car guy doing what he could to make Christmas a little brighter for children in our community.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

A Scattered Christmas

  “A Scattered Christmas” 

December 2024

I am sitting here listening to Christmas music. The song playing currently via Alexa is “The Most Wonderful time of the Year.”

One verse says “…when loved ones are near, it’s the most wonderful time of the year.”

When your family is scattered as ours is, we can’t always be together for Christmas.

Between us, Mike and I have four children. Four adult children, that is. Three are married and have between them eight grandchildren. The oldest and youngest live in Ohio. The middle daughter lives in Wisconsin and the only manchild lives in Florida near us.

We also are blessed to have my mama around for Christmas as well. She, too, lives in Ohio. 

The youngest daughter and her family are carrying on the Waters family tradition and going snow skiing out west for Christmas. They won’t be around for the holiday when Mike and I are there to celebrate. 

So-o-o, we celebrated Christmas with them while we were in the Buckeye State for a short visit in early December. Mike and I set up the tree, baked a ham, and set the table with Christmas dishes. Later, with the kiddos, we opened gifts. Then we headed to my mother’s house to sing carols outside her door. It was fun.

Mike and I headed back to Florida the next morning.

Mike’s son (I claim him, too!) and Mike’s family will gather at our house for Christmas on Christmas Eve. 

When Mike and I return to Ohio on the actual holiday, we will celebrate with the oldest daughter and her family and again with my mama.

December will include other gatherings with friends and family. My Waters family is having a Murder Mystery Dinner for the holiday. There will be caroling and activities at church and in the community. 

You would think as December ends and a new year begins Christmas would be over for our clan. Not this year.

As it happens, the middle child and her family who live in Wisconsin, aren’t able to connect at all with us this Christmas.

Not to worry. Mike and I look forward to their visit to Florida in March. We have their gifts wrapped and ready. And as it turns out, Alexa doesn’t mind playing a little Christmas music despite the calendar. 

Be it December 25^th or a “Scattered Christmas” that takes place over a few months …when loved ones are near… It’s still… “The Most Wonderful Time of the  Year.”