Travels with Fred

10 November 2024

Another nice morning with low humidity, temperature in the 70’s and a nice breeze blowing. It put a little perk in my steps during my 1.5 mile morning walk.

I passed by a house that I think belongs to someone involved with horticulture. He always has a wonderful yard with plenty of unusual stuff in bloom – stuff you would see only in a plant nursery.

One of the plants was Golden Arrow. I’ve featured this one before but the bloom was just too pretty to pass up.

You see this a lot in the neighborhood and I really do like the plant. It is another plant that belongs in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae).

The other one I passed was the first time I’ve seen it in bloom. Mostly, when I come across it, it’s in fruit. It’s Island Marlberry.

Most people don’t have this in their yard. It’s native to Florida and the Caribbean. It belongs to the primrose family (Primulaceae).

I got to thinking where I got my love of flowers. I think it was when I was living in Boyle, Mississippi where I was in the first grade (5 years old). I was ahead of the class in reading. I had already seen Spot run and I had already figured out Dick in the Dick and Jane stuff and knew he grew up to be – well, a dick.

Anyway, we lived in Mr. McCrain’s house and next door was a retired school teacher – actually quite old. Mother would go over and talk with her and pop her pimples. Apparently she had a really oily skin and had a lot of pimples in old age. Mother was an expert pimple popper.

To keep me entertained, she gave me some of her third grade handouts which were flowers and their names. She loaned me some crayons and I went to work. I began to associate the flower with the name even then. Since I was five, I probably colored outside the lines – something that persists today.

My next realization was when we moved back to Morton and I noticed Grandma Searcy’s potted geraniums and flowering quince. Then I began to notice the daffodils in spring.

My Grandmother Ruby would drive me and Mrs. Thompson around to Roosevelt State Park to see the dogwoods and redbuds in bloom. Mrs. Thompson (Nancy) dipped snuff – fairly common back then – think of the scene in Gone With the Wind. To dip snuff, she needed a toothbrush. To her, that meant a branch from a Tupelo gum (Nyssa sylvatica). It had to be the perfect branch. I spent what I thought was hours searching the park for the perfect branch. She rejected most and finally settled on one.

To make it into a “toothbrush” you chewed the end of it until it fanned out like a broom. Then while it was wet with saliva, you dipped it into the jar of snuff. The brushlike feature allowed you to get a really good dip of snuff.

I didn’t mind the dipping, the choosing the branch, or even the snuff. What I couldn’t stand was the spitting. She would carry a can with us and use that as her spittoon.

By the way, I later found out that the Tupelo gum is the first tree to change color of its leaves in the fall of the year. They turn a very bright red and you could walk through the woods in late July or early August and pick out gums from the red leaves.

Two things sealed the deal with me. Mr. Polk, our scoutmaster, had us do an exhibit on edible plants at the jamboree held at the fairgrounds in Jackson. He did all the work and had the plants mounted in Riker mounts. All we had to do was memorize the spiel for each plant. I loved it.

When I went away to Ole Miss, I took an introductory botany course with Dr. Pullen. He had put up a display of poisonous plants on herbarium sheets in the student lobby of the biology building. It fascinated me. Later as an undergraduate, I took his “Flora of Mississippi” course.

After doing my time in the U.S. Coast Guard, I decided to ask Dr. Pullen (1) if he remembered me and (2) would he accept me as a grad student. He wrote back he did indeed remember me and would be happy to have me as a graduate student. He even provided for a stipend.

As you can see, fate steered me to flowers. From there, I branched out into algae, mosses, ferns, and pretty much anything plant related. So, you will continue to be bombarded by flowers on my blog.

Stay tuned!

9 November 2024

I wore my Ole Miss t-shirt today so Ole Miss could beat Georgia in Oxford. It was a good game – for me.

I started the day with a really nice sunrise.

Maybe it was the beautiful sunrise but I really felt great this morning. As a matter of fact, I haven’t felt this good in months if not two years. I’ve forgotten how it is to feel good.

I managed a 1.4 mile walk this morning. One of the trees I passed has a wonderful growth or orchids on the trunk.

I’ve never seen a cluster like this. If you look carefully in the upper left hand corner you can see the bloom on one that is growing from the notch in the tree.

As I started back home, I passed my favorite yard and I’m amazed how many different species of plants this couple grows.

It’s a member of the bean family and is quite the stunner.

As I rounded the last block to head home, I saw Martime backing out of her drive. I told her she couldn’t leave until she talked to me. Martime had cancer twice and had both chemo and radiation. She tells me to keep a positive attitude and I try. She’s a great neighbor with a beautiful yard on which she spends hours.

I finally made it back home and Trevor was beginning to mow. I heard a knock on the door and he asked if I had a wasp spray. Apparently, wasps love the underside of the fronds of my Washingtonia palm. I didn’t have wasp spray but I did have some ant and roach spray. He pointed out the nest and I sprayed it down. The last time there was a nest there, he got stung. I ordered two cans of wasp spray from Amazon and will give him one to replace the one he used previously.

Tomorrow, John and I are headed for some barbecue for lunch. He also has a BOGO for another mini-Bundt cake. You’d think I’d gain 20 lbs from those cakes.

Today was wash, dry, and fold day as well as change linen day. I didn’t clean house since I did it for movie night. Movie night is a good impetus for me to clean. I don’t want Tucker to be embarrassed to come in to my house.

I’ve had several people ask me who Tucker was. Apparently, quite a few thought he was Chris’ boyfriend. We’ve had a good laugh over that. No reflection on Chris but if Tucker had to choose between a dog’s life and a boyfriend’s life, he’d choose the dog’s life. He gets two meals a day, all the belly rubs he wants, two walks a day, and treats on Wednesday. Come to think of it, I kinda like that idea.

Stay tuned!

8 November 2024

Nothing says you’re old like shopping around for an independent/assisted living facility. Nothing spurs you on your quest like cleaning a pool filter, washing iguana poop off the pool deck or spraying for weeds.

I used to not mind these chores but they have simply become too much. I’ve also let my yard work go and it bugs me to see things I need to trim back but just don’t have the energy. I’ve decided to look into John Knox Village in Pompano Beach. Pompano is about a 21 minute drive from my house. It’s a facility with independent living, assisted living, memory care, rehab and skilled nursing care and hospice. I’ll keep you posted.

I did manage a mile walk this morning and then started the Friday chores of pool filter, pool deck, patio deck, and spraying. It took me a little over an hour. That doesn’t sound much until you try to lift a wet pool filter back into its canister.

After lunch and a nap, I finally got around to putting a coat of teak oil on the patio table. The sun was bleaching it out pretty good and I want it to look good for Thanksgiving. It’s a 3 or 4 day job to do the table and the 6 chairs.

I’ll give the top one more application. The hard part is getting all the little nooks and crannies on the table. I then flip it over and do the underside. It took about 2 hours.

As I was about to finish, Chip called and we planned a route to get me to his town after my Helen, Georgia visit. The last time I saw Chip was on the CGC Reliance in Corpus Christi. It’ll be good to reconnect with him.

My itinerary starts on 15 November with a drive to Jacksonville with a stay at a DoubleTree. That’s about a 5 hour drive from my house.

From there, I head to Grovetown outside of Augusta, Georgia with a stay at Home2 Suites on November 16th. The travel time is 4 hours and 15 minutes according to my mapping app. You’ll notice it takes me two nights to get to Helen when it used to take me one. I just can’t drive those distances anymore.

I’ll spend 3 nights at Smithgall Woods State Park near Helen with my cousin Jimmie and her husband Steve. This will be our second stay at the cabin. The park staff really work hard to make your visit a good one – they not only provide the firewood, they bring it in for you and start the fire.

I’ll leave Helen on the 20th of November and stop in for a visit with Chip and his wife. From there, I head to Macon, Georgia for a stay at the Hampton Inn. & Suites, about 3 hours and 20 minutes from Helen. That should give me and Chip plenty of time to catch up.

From Macon, I head to Ocala, Florida for a night at the Hilton Ocala. From Macon to Ocala is about 3 hours and 20 minutes.

From Ocala to home is about a 5 hours drive. I should get home on the 22nd of November just in time to welcome Wade from San Francisco for Thanksgiving.

Well, that’s enough blogging for today. Stay tuned!

7 November 2024

I may have overdone it yesterday with both the walk and house cleaning. I’m low energy today even though I feel good. I didn’t walk this morning so I’ll take the rest of the day easy.

Last night’s movie was As Good As It Gets with Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear and Cuba Gooding. All four put in excellent performances and Nicholson and Hunt won Oscars for best actors of 1997. Nicholson spews a lot of hatred before coming around to be the softy he is. Hunt steers him in a better direction and Kinnear provides the foil for those two. There are lots of gasps from what spews from Nicholson’s character and lots of laughs all along the way. Tucker was represented by Kinnear’s dog Verdell.

I’ve been negligent in checking in with my friends so I made contact with Tom. He’s got a new physical therapist that is gung ho. I called Judith next and Chris is scheduled for surgery on Monday. Hopefully, the surgery will be a success. Sometimes, I forget to make a simple phone call.

I’m tired of politics and intend to take a break from all of it for a while. It was different when there was Chet Huntley, David Brinkley, and Walter Cronkite. You weren’t bombarded 24/7 with ads, speeches, and nonsense. They read the news of the day and did not opine one way or the other – at least not until Walter Cronkite criticized the Viet Nam conflict. Lyndon Johnson espoused that if he had lost Cronkite, there wasn’t much hope with the American people – such was the respect Cronkite was held.

I enjoy reminiscing in the past but don’t feel regret we are not back in the “good old days.” Trust me, everything wasn’t as good as we sometimes think we remember. I tend to be one who looks towards the future. Sometimes, I get sidetracked. I tell people that the chemo seems to have aged me 10 years. That doesn’t mean I don’t still try to look forward while remembering the past.

Tonight is dinner with Michel and Nancy – our postponed group birthday celebration. At least I don’t have diarrhea today.

Stay tuned!

6 November 2024

What an exciting night! I went to bed at 9 pm, slept until a quarter to 1, checked the election results and fell back asleep. It’s not that I’m apolitical, I’m not. I’m what is called a yellow dog democrat (Google it). I used to be an avid follower of politics but as I’ve gotten older, I keep up with it less and less. It’ll be an interesting four years.

I managed my morning walk along Riverland Road for 1.4 miles. I made it better than I thought I would. As I turned the corner to head onto Riverland, I got a whiff of an amazing aroma. It turned out to be the Ackee tree (Blighia sapida) named after Captain Bligh of the mutiny on the Bounty.

For such small flowers, they really perfume the air. As I was walking back home after finishing my walk, I could smell them on the air currents half a block away. I’ve shown you the fruit of this plant before.

The fruit is edible but it must be harvested at the right time, otherwise it is poisonous.

I was mistaken, the Silk Floss tree from a previous post had not reached its full bloom potential. Today, it had.

My energy level was good today. I cleaned house to some degree, resting between each stage. I got the floors vacuumed, the bathroom cleaned and I cleaned the counters in the kitchen and the kitchen table. Believe me when I say I took several breaks.

We’ve had a few sprinkles today but the wind continues to blow. I thought Chicago was the Windy City.

Tonight is movie night with Chris and Tucker.

Stay tuned!

5 November 2024

Election Day! It’ll be over soon – within a month or two. How times have changed when I would go down to the basement at the Bank of Morton and watch my grandmother count ballots with the poll workers. They did the tally method of four lines with a diagonal to make five. They called the names on the ballot and she would make the tick marks. People respectfully waited outside the bank to hear the totals as they came in. It was all very civilized. Of course, back then, Mississippi voted almost completely Democratic Party line.

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this Allamanda. It was so fresh looking after a morning shower. You find this all over southern Florida. The genus is native to the Americas and it belongs in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae). The stems produce a white latex and this particular one is vine-like.

As far as the walk goes, it was 1.4 miles and I was pretty tired after that effort. I feel like I have a very long way to go before I’m anywhere close to being back where I was physically. As they say – one step at a time.

The more I look at what needs to be done in the yard, the pool, housecleaning, etc. the more I’m looking at independent/assisted living. Add to that home insurance. By this time last year, Citizens had already quoted me a price for insurance and I paid it a few days later. I’m beginning to wonder if they are going to renew the policy. Of course, they could simply be swamped with the claims from two hurricanes in the panhandle.

I put in an order for groceries for Whole Foods which included Kefir. It’s a fermented drink which includes live bacterial cultures and yeast. Dr. Fingado (the hand man) recommended it to replace the “good” bacteria in my stomach. In essence, the bacteria in Kefir feed the good bacteria in your intestines. I’ve never tried it but thought I’d give it a shot. I like Fingado. He’s undergone chemo so he knows what I’m dealing with the diarrhea.

It’s very windy today and the pool has all sorts of leaf litter in it. I’ll wait until this evening and try to clean it if the winds die down. Even if you have a pool person who cleans your pool, you are going to be faced with you doing some work on it anyway.

I’m on record pace to feel well. I haven’t had this many days in a row that I feel better than just OK. However, it’s a little like being bipolar (which I am) – you know after the highs come the lows. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I foresee another afternoon of reading and a nap since it’s a windy, rainy day. Good thing I’m retired.

Stay tuned!

04 November 2024

I almost forgot today’s post. Apparently there was a lot on my mind. I had the iron infusion at two today. Kenyda was my nurse and the whole process took only 30 minutes. She had a little trouble finding the vein and had to stick me twice.

Sadly, in my rush to get out of the house for the infusion appointment I forgot my lunch and Tootsie Roll minis that I hand out to the front desk and nurses. Everyone forgave me.

When I got home, the postman had delivered the mail and my property tax was waiting for me. It was.$2276 this year. That’s a little higher than last year, but I budgeted for that.

Earlier in the day, I had to change an appointment for an iron infusion. Sometimes it’s hard to get in touch with someone, but after a couple of tries, I managed to get the appointment changed. That frees me up for my trip to Helen, Georgia starting the 15th.

Tomorrow is another day off. I’ve become an expert at goofing off. You might even say I’ve taken it to a high art form.

Stay turned!

3 November 2024

Welcome to standard time and an extra hour of sleep. I made the most of it and didn’t get out of bed until 8 am. It’s nice that most clocks automatically reset for either standard or saving times but there’s always a few clocks in the house that have to be manually reset. In my case, a clock in the kitchen and the clocks on the microwave and stove. I had to look at the one in the kitchen to make sure the clocks had changed last night. The reason for the doubt is that you are usually bombarded by media to change clocks and either I don’t watch the correct media or they didn’t go overboard this year.

It’s been a busy day. After getting my two breakfasts out of the way, I managed to clean a little in the house. I used a dust mop to clean the floors and a regular mop to clean the bathroom floor. That little bit seemed to exhaust me.

I drove to Barbara’s at noon and we set out to pick up Joel and Keith for a lunch at The Grill at the Grove at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park. We decided to simply enter the park and pay the $6 entrance fee. The three treated me to lunch. It was a beautiful setting. I had the blackened grouper tacos and a root beer. I haven’t had a root beer in years.

You used to be able to take a tunnel under A1A to get to the beach but it’s just as easy now with a crosswalk just east of the cafe.

The food was quite good. They have an extensive menu. It’s one of the nicest places to eat and think you are in the Fort Lauderdale of the past. You can walk in from A1A into the park and they ask you to donate $2 for walk-ins and bikes. I prefer to pay the $6 so I can park the car in their lots. It’s a very busy park and very popular.

I had no more gotten home when John called. His car had died at Fresh Market. After much confusion as to which Fresh Market, I was able to jump start his car. I’ve since found out he made it home OK.

By the time I got back to the house a second time, I was running out of steam. Of course, it feels later and I’ll be messed up time wise for a few weeks until I settle into standard time.

I finished watching the PBS documentary on Lyndon Johnson. I remember that period well. I was watching the television the night he made his speech announcing he would not run for re-election. I definitely remember the Viet Nam war and disagreeing with him on it. I felt he would read the New York Times in the morning and that would be his Viet Nam policy that afternoon.

Johnson, of course, is known for being the most prolific of President’s in his first 100 days. No one did more for civil rights in this country. We wouldn’t have Medicare with Johnson. As more and more time passes, I think his standing has risen among the Presidents because of the good he did as opposed to his Viet Nam policy.

Tomorrow is an iron infusion at 2 pm. Stay tuned!

2 October 2024

The morning started out with showers and I reluctantly dragged myself out of bed around 6:30. I would have preferred to stay in bed but I figured the showers would be over quickly and I could get a walk in. I did (1.2 miles).

While on the walk I ran into Gigi and Ivan and we had a brisk political discussion. Gigi, as we were parting, pointed out she voted to cancel out my vote and we laughed. It’s like Mom and Dad. Mom would vote Democratic and Dad would vote Republican (because of Eisenhower). At least all the campaigning will be over in a few days.

Last night John, Joel, Keith and I headed to J Marks where I introduced them to Bam Bam Shrimp. We did it as an appetizer and I thought for a while there they would want to order that a couple of more times and just make a meal of that. It is seriously that good.

We caught up with each others’ lives and I can truly say these are my besties. Like I’ve said before, I have great friends. It took a while after I moved to Florida but I’ve got a cadre of great caring people in my life.

After my walk, second breakfast, and ablutions, I started to clean the pool filter. About halfway, the bottom fell out and I was drenched before I could move under the awning. Like always, if you don’t like the weather, just wait. I emptied the dishwasher and sectioned a grapefruit and by then it had quit and I finished the task.

I then moved on to clean the bottom of the pool of debris too large to be picked up by the pool cleaner. Then it was time to hose down the pool deck to get rid of iguana poop. By that time, I realized I probably overdid it.

I had a quick lunch and stripped the bed, started the wash and remade the bed. By then I realized I had overdone it. After lunch, I took a nap while the clothes did their thing.

After the nap and while folding clothes, I watched the second half of the Ole Miss/Arkansas game. It was a record setting game for Ole Miss. I’m sure the win is due to me wearing my Ole Miss tee. Not that I’m stuporstitious.

While working on the pool filter, that was just a tinge of that feeling of fall in the air. Spring is probably my favorite season but fall is a close second – at least when I was in Mississippi. It’s funny how many of your childhood memories come back to you at this advanced age of 76. Nostalgia is a very strong aspect in my life. I try to keep the remembrances to the good things and not dwell too much on the bad.

Tomorrow is lunch with Barbara, Joel and Keith at the cafe at Birch State Park.

Stay tuned!

Hotty Toddy!

1 November 2024

Happy All Saints Day! Also, Happy 76th Birthday to me! How did I get this old?

I had so much going on yesterday, I forgot to include some stuff in yesterday’s blog. I managed a 1.8 mile walk along Riverland Road. That’s the first time I’ve been able to walk that area in a while and it was fun to see what changes had occurred along the walk. I noticed someone had painted a very large masonry fence, for example.

Also along the walk, I came face to face with a silk floss tree in bloom. It was a little past its prime but still very pretty. I always enjoy seeing this tree this time of year with its very large blossoms.

The flowers drop off the tree pretty much entire and form a pink carpet on the lawn.

One of the changes on the walk was a yard that had a chain link fence obscured by one of our tropical shrubs – I can’t remember what was growing there – that had been cleared away and you could see into the yard for the first time since I’ve lived here (30 years). What was hidden behind the shrubbery was a Tab tree (Tabebuia) with a very unusual growth form. You have to look between the chain links to see what I mean.

Today I managed 1.4 miles and happily met Chris and Tucker on the morning walk. It was like old times walking together. I got happy birthday wishes and a hug from Chris and pretty much diffidence from Tucker.

I also forgot to mention Wednesday was movie night with Chris and Tucker. Chris selected In & Out with Kevin Line, Tom Selleck, Joan Cusack, Matt Dillon, Debbie Reynolds, Wilford Brimley, and Bob Newhart. Talk about an Allstar cast!

It’s a rom com where a high school English teacher (Kevin Kline) is about to get married to Joan Cusack (another English teacher) after a 3 year unconsummated relationship. Just before the wedding, Matt Dillon plays a former student who receives an Oscar for a role and in his thanks, says his high school English teacher is gay.

Wilford Brimley and Debbie Reynolds plays Kline’s parents and go through the usual confusion even when Kevin adamantly denies he’s gay. Tom Selleck plays a sleazy newsman who ends up kissing Kline to spectacular effect. Kline comes out as gay at the altar. There are numerous hilarious scenes throughout.

Kline’s fired for being gay and Matt Damon comes to the rescue and gives his Oscar to Kline at the graduation ceremony. It ends up the entire community supports the rehiring of Kline. If you haven’t watched this, it’s a laugh a minute.

It’s getting time to head to my “hand” doctor and get some injections.

Stay tuned!