Outside Doright Manor the temperature is 85 degrees. It’s a warm October day, but not terribly humid. Of course I’m sitting in air conditioned comfort having just enjoyed a Smart Ones spicy chicken and fries meal.
There are two separate shows being played out for my enjoyment. One is a recording of The Walking Dead. The other is the steady procession of roofers hauling bundles of shingles up a ladder to our covered/screened in porch addition.
My cats are fascinated by the roofing show. They want to attack the dangling cords and to pounce on the dropped sacks that seemingly appear from nowhere and float enticingly to the ground. They are both indoor cats, though, so the roofing show is as real to them as The Walking Dead is to me.
Hopefully before too many more days all the work on the porch will be completed, and the cats will be able to venture into the great indoor outdoors. Studly Doright and I are making predictions on their first adventures.
Scout, we feel, will embrace the porch immediately, claiming it as her territory, but Patches fears everything and it may take her awhile to cross the threshold. I give her a week before she takes the plunge, whereas Studly thinks it will take much longer. We live exciting lives, don’t we?
Occasionally I have delusions of grandeur, but I’m never fooled into believing they’re anything other than delusions. I’m not a brave woman. Tonight was proof of that.
I returned home to a dark, empty house after an afternoon at the movies and some heavy-duty window shopping. Studly Doright wasn’t yet home, and I didn’t expect him to return for several more hours. As usual I parked my car in the garage and walked around the car to the door.
Before opening the door I heard a beep-beep-beeping sound. Carefully I turned the knob and edged the door open. The entry alarm was going off. We’ve lived at Doright Manor for a year and a half and the alarm has never even peeped. Slowly I backed away, shut the door, and retreated to my car.
I’m not going to lie, my hands were shaking as I dialed 911 while simultaneously backing the car out of the garage. The operator was professional, and thorough, and didn’t sound like she thought I was being a paranoid idiot.
Then I had to wait. Outside. In the dark. Okay, I had my lights on high beam, but the dark outside of that bright halo seemed particularly threatening. I called Studly and told him all that had transpired. As we talked I noticed my phone battery was on the verge of going dead and hoped that wasn’t a bad omen. Signing off, I felt utterly alone.
By the time the officer arrived, a seemingly endless twelve minutes after I initially called 911, I was convinced that I should sleep in my car until Studly got home. Hey, it’s a small SUV, I could get comfy in there. As long as I didn’t have to use the restroom I’d be ok, right?
The second Deputy Perkins appeared I felt immense relief. He and I approached the back door and could hear the incessant beeping. My heart was thumpety-thumping, providing a nice rhythm section for the alarm.
I turned on the light just inside the back door and with trepidation walked to the flashing alarm, expecting it to read something along the lines of “Danger, Danger, Run for Your Life!” Instead, the words Power Outage were displayed in large LED letters.
Sheepishly I grinned at Deputy Perkins, “Honestly, sir, we’ve had disruptions in power before and they’ve never set off the alarms.”
To his credit, and the credit of his entire department, he was so understanding, and if he thought me crazy he had the decency not to say so out loud.
He also insisted on going through Doright Manor room by room to make sure no one was hiding there. Thankfully all he found were the two cats who were both fairly frazzled from having listened to the annoying alarm for heaven knows how long. One had expressed her displeasure by puking on a bathroom rug.
Now I’m sitting here sipping wine and contemplating the excitement of my evening. I’m still fairly filled with adrenaline from the fright. I know I’ll crash soon, but until then I’ll be doing something constructive. Like having more wine.
Patches has assured me she’s ready to serve and protect.
Peace, people!
I spent my morning doing important stuff. No details, but trust me on this. Important Stuff. By the time I’d finally showered and dressed, it was nearly time for lunch, so instead of grabbing my regular breakfast bar I headed to Tallahassee’s newest and coolest restaurant, The Edison, for brunch.
If location, location, location means anything at all, then the Edison has that in spades. Situated on one side (southeast?) of lovely Cascades Park, The Edison provides diners a front row seat to the park’s ponds, walking trail, a variety of Florida waterfowl, and a dramatic waterfall. I chose outdoor seating on this perfect fall Friday and was just delighted by a pair of egrets landing nearby.
My server was exceptional and knowledgeable about the craft beers on tap at The Edison. I ordered a Leinenkugel Harvest Patch Shandy. When the server brought that she also brought me a sample of Southern Tiers Pumking beer. Oh my! About halfway through my shandy I began feeling lightheaded. That’s when I realized I was essentially having a beer for breakfast. Oops!
My meal was good, not outstanding, though. I had a whole wheat flatbread topped with sundried tomatoes, broccoli rabe, and chicken, among other ingredients my uneducated palate wasn’t familiar with. The flavors blended nicely, but I found it a little dry. I’m no food critic, but I thought it needed a light olive oil or cheese base. The meal was served with a side of fries that weren’t served quite hot enough for my taste.
The Edison is still new. Overall it has great ambience, and I observed impressive looking meals being served. In addition to the multi-level restaurant there’s a wine bar, a casual coffee area, and a great indoor bar with a pair of big screen TV sets. I will definitely give The Edison another try.
The home adjacent to Doright Manor in the beautiful Lake Yvette neighborhood about eight miles west of Tallahassee is on the market. It’s a lovely place with real southern charm, so I thought I’d give it a little publicity.
Sandy, the owner, takes excellent care of this home, meticulously maintaining its spacious yard. I always gave her a hard time about making me look lazy. Granted, that’s not that difficult.
I love the little gazebo feature on the west side of the property. It makes me want to put on a floral chiffon dress and white gloves for afternoon tea.
I didn’t want to trespass, so I didn’t venture into the backyard, but the home sits just off a finger of Lake Yvette.
Pictured above are some of the vibrant flowers that adorn this property.
Sandy really thought she’d retire out here, but circumstances beyond her control necessitated a move into Tallahassee. It’s a terrific place for a retired couple.
Studly Doright and I are great neighbors. We don’t throw wild parties, and we don’t have any barking dogs. Plus, we’re fairly amusing, and we have a dock.
These aren’t calves. They are miniature cows. I’m not sure whether they’re adorably cute or incredibly creepy.
I once had a dream that miniature freshwater dolphins were available for purchase. We had a pool at the time, so in my dream I swam daily with my adorable pet dolphin who I’d named Belle. When I awakened I was devastated that I didn’t have a dolphin of my own.
I know there are miniature Schnauzers, miniature horses, and now, miniature cows. So, can miniature dolphins be that far-fetched? I want one.
Mini Yorki Mini Schnauzer Mini horseMini Me
Peace, people!
I am not a stay at home anything, and when I’m forced to remain at home I begin to feel claustrophobic regardless of the size of my current abode.
Today I am confined to Doright Manor as I wait for various contractors to show up to perform their respective duties. Our covered porch project has been clipping along at a nice pace with little assistance from me until this beautiful fall day. I should be out walking, shopping, dining, etc., and here I sit watching Dr. Oz in hopes that at least someone will show up today to justify my confinement.
There was a knock on my door an hour ago. I’d fallen asleep in front of the television and it took me a couple of minutes to get my bearings and to wipe the drool from my cheek. Expecting the electrician I motioned the man through my front door where he smiled and asked if I’d accepted Jesus as my personal savior.
I nodded and in turn asked him if he’d accepted electricity as a profession. He shook his head no and I pretty much pushed him out the door. Back to waiting.
Maybe I should look for obvious clues.
Peace, people!
I’m sitting outside on this gorgeous north Florida fall morning watching over a friend’s garage sale. The friend, Bachelor Dave, is Studly Doright’s best golf buddy. He’s an all-around good guy, so I offered to take on the garage sale duty so he and Studly could pair up for 18 holes. Great idea!
Bachelor Dave has some pretty cool stuff in the sale: Artwork, lamps, golf clubs, flooring, easels and tripods. His cast offs are nicer than my every day stuff. So far, sales have been steady, and I’m having fun.
I failed to mention that the garage sale is a community event in the Southwood development where Dave H. resides, so there are sales going on all up and down the streets in this normally laid back Tallahassee neighborhood. Some folks are out walking from sale to sale, but shoppers from outside the neighborhood are driving.
Now, I also failed to mention that another big event is taking place simultaneously in Southwood: A 5k run!
Talk about a bad combination. If you’ve ever witnessed drivers intent on finding a garage sale bargain you’ll understand the problem. Near misses, close calls, and extended middle fingers seem to be the order of the day. This could make Thunderdome seem like a polite tennis match. It’s certainly made for an interesting morning.
This beautiful guy visited the sale.None of the runners would hold still for me to snap a photo, but this is representative .
Peace, people!
Cascades Park is the newest social center of our community, enhancing our quality of life by offering one venue that brings together arts, entertainment, education, history and wellness. It is the perfect example of how the one-cent local option sales tax we pay is invested back into our community.
Located in the heart of downtown, Cascades Park offers a variety of outdoor and recreational amenities, including a state-of-the-art amphitheater, interactive water fountain, children’s play area, Smokey Hollow Commemoration and miles of multi-use trails. Constructed by Blueprint 2000 in partnership with the City of Tallahassee and Leon County, Cascades Park is a stormwater facility that doubles as a unique urban park. Designed to flood, the park will offer relief to nearby areas during major storm events. This park was built by the citizens of Tallahassee and Leon County through the use of a one-cent local option sales tax.
I’ve been driving across Tallahassee a couple of times a week to get in my 10,000 steps by walking in Cascades Park, and every time I spot something new.
On Saturday I discovered the Korean War Memorial:
Korean War Memorial
The piece that gives the impression of having broken off lists the names of those from Leon County who died in the conflict.
Note the word, “LIFE” on this sculpture.
I sat and read each of the names and thought about the loss to the families, the community, and perhaps to the world. We use the word moving to describe many things. This memorial moved me to tears.
The amphitheater, below, hosts concerts and plays in a beautiful setting. Every time I walk I make a detour through the stage area. Sometimes I dance a few steps, other times I sing a few notes, but I always take a bow.
I’ve still got a lot left to explore! I didn’t even realize how big the park was until I found this map while writing this post.
Come visit me in Tallahassee. We’ll walk.
I might’ve found a friend today in the handbag department at Dillard’s. She moved to Tallahassee a year to the day before I did. If that’s not the basis for a good friendship I don’t know what is.
We bonded over this Frye bag. Good heavens the woman has good taste!
Peace, people.
Praying for Eyebrowz 