THIS, THAT OR THE NEXT THING?

I'm feeling that moment of panicky shyness just before being introduced to give a speech. Maybe I didn't really mean it all those months when I whined about the inability to share our simple lives with you. Several times over the years when blogging has hit a snag, I've thought to myself, "That's it. No more. I'm through with that." Then a week goes by and the urge to tell you something becomes too strong to ignore and I figure out a way to communicate, most recently by way of email rather than a formal blogging format where you can read each others comments.

So here we are with a new way of doing it and even now, several of our readers can't seem to access the site, leading me to believe there's no foolproof way to accomplish this. Prudence, that critic who hovers over my left shoulder is trying to convince me that no one is really interested anyway and why bother and I'm determined to ignore her and get on with it. On with what? I can't build a whole story on the acquisition of my new bathrobe. Well, come to think of it, I could, but suffice it to say that one size down from the one pictured is still ridiculously large, but I've decided to live with pockets in front of my knees and rolled up sleeves. The length is right so I'm not tripping over the hem.

I might recount our Halloween at the Manor, but it seems a little after the fact, so instead, I could let you know of my delight at the antics of Mr. Tom who moved here recently after a stroke and even with reduced capacities, manages to communicate so beautifully that it brings tears to my eyes. His animated wave and warm handshake leave no doubt about his gladness to interact and with those two adorable King Charles Spaniels draped comfortably across his lap, he has no lack of company from other residents. All of the people who live here have remarkable stories of one sort or another. Some need to be pried out of the recesses of the minds, others get repeated on a regular basis.

On Veterans Day, we gathered in a circle and heard from each other accounts of what our lives were like during the war years. It added dimensions to what we already knew about our neighbors.

Our most recent adventure consisted of cruising for a week along the coast of Mexico. Happily it was ahead of the thwarted voyage that has been in the news recently. I would not have liked that at all, although son Tim, thinks it would have been an adventure worth having. He'd change his mind quickly, methinks, just as he did about taking part in the formalities of cruising during the planning stage. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow.