There’s a hurricane headed our way. They’re calling it Hurricane Ian—a small name for what has the potential to be a big storm.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a such a storm, and we might’ve become a bit complacent around here. But I remembered to buy a family pack of Little Debbie oatmeal cookies and enough bottled water to get us through a couple of weeks just in case there’s an extended interruption in the water supply.
We’ve packed “go” bags, in the eventuality that the storm becomes a brute, but we’re hoping it’ll weaken as it nears. Best case scenario would be for it fizzle out before it does too much damage anywhere.
Fall is my jam. It’s the best of the seasons. Hands down. Or should I say, leaves down.
The sad thing is, here in Tallahassee, autumn is slow to arrive. Leaves remain a stubborn green and they stick to the trees like glue.
Now, I’m glad I live here in the land of three seasons: Summer, Summer Light, and That Odd Cool Spell Of Indeterminate Length, but sometimes I grow envious of places where the trees put on a regular fashion show with their audaciously bold oranges and reds and yellows. Here we get green and an occasional brown. Yay.
Growing up in the panhandle of Texas I became accustomed to some slight color changes in September. I loved riding my bike through crunchy yellow leaves, while pretending they were the bones of my enemies. I was an odd child.
But in school our teachers would hang paper leaves all over the classroom in colors I assumed weren’t true to life. Red leaves? Purplish leaves? No way. But then I grew up and for a brief time, lived in Illinois where I saw these colors in the wild and I wanted to capture them and take them home with me along with snazzy pine cones.
I made decorations with them and placed them on my dining table then realized there were bugs in the pine cones and we had to call an exterminator. Still, they were pretty til the very end.
I met him today. That epically incompetent human known as Florida Man. He was working the cash register at Walgreens and when I finally made it to the front of the line I asked him where a specific product could be found.
He shrugged.
“Can’t you look that up on an inventory list?” I asked.
“I never heard of that product. Maybe try the pharmacy.”
I walked back to the pharmacy where a very nice pharmacist waited on me. When I asked about the product she said, “Oh, yes. We have that, but it’s not with the pharmaceuticals. Let me show you.”
She left her section and walked with me to the item I was searching for. I thanked her and went back into the cashier’s line.
Florida Man looks at my item and says, “See, I told you it was in the pharmacy.”
“No sir. The nice pharmacist led me to your part of the store. It was on aisle one.”
“Hm. Well, I never stocked it.”
Now, this is where r go weird. He rang my product up, then asked, “Would you like to donate to runaway children with Alzheimer’s?”
I said, “That makes absolutely no sense. Children don’t get Alzheimer’s except in extremely rare cases of rapid premature aging.”
“That’s what it says on the box of red noses. For the benefit of runaway children with Alzheimer’s”
I looked at the box filled with red rubber clown noses. “Sir, these are given in exchange for donations to fight childhood poverty. Not for runaway children with Alzheimer’s.”
“Maybe they meant autism. Runaway children with autism. That’s who the red noses benefit. Do you want to donate?”
“Oh good grief. Sure. Just read the box before you misrepresent the purpose of the red noses again.”
As I left the store, I heard him ask another customer, “Do you want to donate to runaway children with Alzheimer’s?”
We’re having a new roof put on here at Doright Manor, and apparently there is no way to simply bibbidi bobbidi boo the process and skip all of the headache-inducing hammering.
Cat Gracie discovered a luckless lizard in the house yesterday and quickly let the poor critter know who was boss.
Listen here, lizard…This house ain’t big enough for the both of us.
My attempts at rescuing the little guy were futile. I’d pick him up and Gracie would snatch the other end. I’d let go to prevent a tug of war, not wanting or needing to witness the decapitation of a reptile in my den.
But the lizard had a game plan:
I’ll show you, cat. Take that!The lizard was firmly attached to a slender white whisker.
Gracie scraped the lizard off her face and backed away with a look of disbelief, allowing me to scoop the lizard up and take it outside where it played dead for quite some time. Well, to be honest, it might not have been playing, but it’s no longer in the spot where I left it. Whether it left of its own volition and under its own power is a mystery. I’m going to choose to believe it went on to live a productive life.
On Saturday morning I rose early and drove across Tallahassee to stroll around a Christmas craft fair at Dorothy P. Oven Park. I didn’t buy anything, but I enjoyed the misty morning while wandering around the expansive grounds of this beautiful park. I’m not the greatest photographer, but maybe you can get an idea of how lovely this place is.
Last night Studly Doright and I had dinner at The Garlic, a popular Italian restaurant in New Smyrna Beach. The ambiance was fun, and old world funky. The food was excellent. Truth is, I was so wrapped up in the dining experience that I neglected to take any pictures. Thank goodness for Pinterest.
We had it on good advice to arrive early. Since the weather was cold, most everyone wanted indoor dining. Studly Doright and I were fortunate to get the last remaining indoor table, and we were there at 4:30.
After dinner we drove a block or so to Norwood’s, a seafood place that boasts a treehouse bar.
We climbed the stairs from The Roots Bar on the lower level into this wonderful treehouse atmosphere.
The table at the end of the walkway was reserved for a special occasion. Had it not been so cold we might have sat around this table that circled the trunk of a gnarly tree.My beautiful martini and the back of the man who made it for me.
We topped off our sumptuous meal from The Garlic with drinks and desserts at Norwood’s. I had some insanely delicious pumpkin spice cheesecake along with the specially crafted martini above. I asked what the martini was called and the bartender shrugged. “I made it just for you and the dessert you chose.” One word: Perfection.
Studly enjoyed a brownie and water. Good thing, too. I couldn’t have driven back to our accommodations after that drink.
I’d love to visit both restaurants again on a warmer evening. The outdoor seating at both places looked inviting, but not on such a cold day. Now we’re home and I heated up a can of Gardein Chick’n Noodle soup for dinner. I wonder what martini might’ve been perfect with it?
Studly Doright and I are hanging out in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, this weekend. I’d packed all my beachy stuff: swimsuits, beach towels, beach chairs, straw hats, etc. But a storm has blown through the area bringing epic, awe-inspiring waves, so there won’t be any lounging on the beach.
You can see the waves behind the dune.Turn up the sound for this video.
It’s just wonderful. Even the locals are impressed
Praying for Eyebrowz 