Friday
Hi folks! I AM alive! I am sorry I haven't posted, but I have had a cold and have spent most of the week just laying on the couch. Today I felt much better and even had the folks over for a crock-pot supper. I did all my laundry today too, and we went over to "their" house for ice cream after supper.
As we were visiting with Mom and Dad this evening, I mentioned that I was starting to realize that I had had some misconceptions about what our visit here would be like. I felt like we would be making more friends and socializing with these "new friends" more. I thought the weather would be a bit warmer. I thought Ron would get more involved in SOME of the many and varied activities here.
Well....in many ways, my son is right. The majority of the people who are staying in this park are here for the winter.....are snowbirds who don't want to be in ice and snow during the winter....and are old. Oh, there are plenty of them that are doing fun things...and we have enjoyed some of our parents friends. They are more physically active and involved in things than we are....or have been. There are quite a few people our age, but we just haven't been in the right situations to hook up!
The temperatures have been in the 30's and 40's at night and many days have not reached above 60. Occasionally it has been above 65, but only a couple of times. I definitely do like warmer weather and am anxious to just sit in the sun or lay by the pool with a good book. The cooler temps have kept us from taking advantage of some of the things they have in the park besides the pool.....horse-shoes, bocci ball, a pitch and putt course, tennis courts and the before-mentioned "pickleball" that is sweeping the nation of seniors! I like walking or riding my bike around.
And Ron has surprised me. I truly did not think he would want to spend so much time just sitting around....but that is exactly what he seems to want to be doing. To the point that I have wondered and asked if he is bored. There is a FANTASTIC wood shop here with tools that he does not have at home. I really thought he would be involved over there....learning to use these tools and wanting to own some of them when he gets home!!! I think most of you know that when Mom and Dad came to Louisiana in early December, my Dad helped Ron get his workshop all wired with his electric outlets and lights.
Aside from these things, though, we are still fulfilling part of the purposes of our trip: Before Ron retired, he said that he wanted one of his first trips to be to the northeast to watch the fall colors change. We did that! "I" said that one of the first trips I wanted was to come out here and spend a couple of months....so here we are. We have been here twice before and visited Mom and Dad, but both times have been in Feb, or even March. The weather is much nicer then. This IS winter! My reasons for wanting to come were to be able to spend more time with my parents. I have been fortunate enough to go "home" each summer to visit...but nobody really can know how much I have missed them. I also had hopes that Ron would not suffer the miserable couple of months of winter allergies he has struggled with for the past several years. Well....we ARE spending lots of quality time with my folks and I am enjoying that. Mom will turn 80 in a couple of weeks. Dad is a few years older, so I am glad to be with them while I can. And Ron has only had the slightest hint of allergy symptoms.
I must also admit that this week, while I have had this cold, I have felt the most homesick....I miss my granddaughters. I miss my children. I miss my friends, my house, my neighbors.....and my life in Zachary!
So, Jake...have a field day with "I told you so's".
Our hopes are that with the better weather, we will get out and about more. This is a pretty area, however different from anything we have ever known before.
I guess you could say that after nearly one month since we left home, I have hit a low spot. Let's see what tomorrow brings!
As we were visiting with Mom and Dad this evening, I mentioned that I was starting to realize that I had had some misconceptions about what our visit here would be like. I felt like we would be making more friends and socializing with these "new friends" more. I thought the weather would be a bit warmer. I thought Ron would get more involved in SOME of the many and varied activities here.
Well....in many ways, my son is right. The majority of the people who are staying in this park are here for the winter.....are snowbirds who don't want to be in ice and snow during the winter....and are old. Oh, there are plenty of them that are doing fun things...and we have enjoyed some of our parents friends. They are more physically active and involved in things than we are....or have been. There are quite a few people our age, but we just haven't been in the right situations to hook up!
The temperatures have been in the 30's and 40's at night and many days have not reached above 60. Occasionally it has been above 65, but only a couple of times. I definitely do like warmer weather and am anxious to just sit in the sun or lay by the pool with a good book. The cooler temps have kept us from taking advantage of some of the things they have in the park besides the pool.....horse-shoes, bocci ball, a pitch and putt course, tennis courts and the before-mentioned "pickleball" that is sweeping the nation of seniors! I like walking or riding my bike around.
And Ron has surprised me. I truly did not think he would want to spend so much time just sitting around....but that is exactly what he seems to want to be doing. To the point that I have wondered and asked if he is bored. There is a FANTASTIC wood shop here with tools that he does not have at home. I really thought he would be involved over there....learning to use these tools and wanting to own some of them when he gets home!!! I think most of you know that when Mom and Dad came to Louisiana in early December, my Dad helped Ron get his workshop all wired with his electric outlets and lights.
Aside from these things, though, we are still fulfilling part of the purposes of our trip: Before Ron retired, he said that he wanted one of his first trips to be to the northeast to watch the fall colors change. We did that! "I" said that one of the first trips I wanted was to come out here and spend a couple of months....so here we are. We have been here twice before and visited Mom and Dad, but both times have been in Feb, or even March. The weather is much nicer then. This IS winter! My reasons for wanting to come were to be able to spend more time with my parents. I have been fortunate enough to go "home" each summer to visit...but nobody really can know how much I have missed them. I also had hopes that Ron would not suffer the miserable couple of months of winter allergies he has struggled with for the past several years. Well....we ARE spending lots of quality time with my folks and I am enjoying that. Mom will turn 80 in a couple of weeks. Dad is a few years older, so I am glad to be with them while I can. And Ron has only had the slightest hint of allergy symptoms.
I must also admit that this week, while I have had this cold, I have felt the most homesick....I miss my granddaughters. I miss my children. I miss my friends, my house, my neighbors.....and my life in Zachary!
So, Jake...have a field day with "I told you so's".
Our hopes are that with the better weather, we will get out and about more. This is a pretty area, however different from anything we have ever known before.
I guess you could say that after nearly one month since we left home, I have hit a low spot. Let's see what tomorrow brings!
Comments
It's pretty chilly here this morning....we had a heavy frost and I'm glad I didn't have to go out. I began working a couple of days a week for my friend, Missy. Missy lives in Zachary and has a drapery business. She works for the designers at Ethan Allen. I worked for her when she lived in Clinton and really enjoy it.
I completed my baby quilt Saturday and will have the baby's name monogrammed on it. It really turned out cute and it only took me 2 weeks!! I'll have to look for another project, although the closets are a wreck, but I'm not ready to do that!!
Well, I'll vacuum the house and figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of the day.
Ethel