Sunday, February 1, 2026

121.2 - still going in the right direction.

It is 27 here this morning!!!! I am getting worried about pipes freezing over the next couple of days. Our not very efficient heat has been running all night but with a setting of 65, it is only 58 in here. I am wearing my down jacket and have a heated throw over my legs and lower body (and Justice of course). I think North Fort Myers is 35 according to my AccuWeather app. Big Pine Key where we are headed later is 51. The high here will be 47 today but not until a lot later. The high in Big Pine will be 55 so Justice's long walk will be this afternoon.

So what a pain yesterday! The delivery people arrived with the refrigerator and refused to bring it up 3 flights of stairs (our elevator is still broken from the electrical failure the other day). What??? The salesperson had assured us that they would do the stairs if necessary. Not true apparently. What would they do if an elevator didn't exist at all? There are 3 story apartments in the area that don't have elevators. Unbelievable!!! So we have to wait until we get back in mid-February to get the refrigerator. If it is the same guy, he isn't getting a tip... I packed all the condiments into my wine refrigerator and everything else is in 1 very large cooler and one smaller one to bring to the Keys. Which should be another challenge: getting the very heavy cooler and our luggage down 3 flights without an elevator. We are getting too old for this stuff.

The only bright light was that our shifts at the tennis tournament were cancelled, so we didn't have to freeze there. Good thing for DH because he was absolutely exhausted yesterday and the afternoon before that. So much so that I was worried that something was really wrong (like a heart issue?). But he says he feels normal this morning finally after sleeping well last night. We slept curled around each other all night to keep warm LOL. Our friends in the Keys requested that we bring extra blankets as there aren't enough in the house we are renting.

The bus is leaving at 7:30 as usual for breakfast. I may shower before that though so we are ready to pack and go when we get back. It is a 5 hour drive to our destination.

Have a somnolent Sunday!

Crazy that all of that at you would even have to spend a moment worrying about the pipes in Florida. And booo to that salesperson and crew for not following through!

Our days are jam packed, more than I anticipated. Tomorrow we leave for a beach about 5 hours away. We will be on our own, and are looking forward to a few quiet days. One of our friends has a beach house in the area, and he said he will try to come on the weekend and meet up with us. But if he doesn't, we're fine. I'm a little nervous about going to the big bus station (it's HUGE, bus travel here is well utilized) alone, but whatever we've attempted so far has worked out well. One of the benefits of traveling: you get to test yourself sometimes, and use problem solving skills, and do novel things. I don't enjoy crossword puzzles or Suduko, but I can challenge my brain this way. : )

Today is the birthday of one of my friends. Every year I send greetings that one day we will celebrate together again. That day is today!

It's a lovely sunny day here. The extreme heat has held off for the most part, and we're amazed by the weather, and, well, just everything. Some days I can't believe we are here, after all the planning, and the many years before when all I longed for was an opportunity to return. I've had some interesting time tunnel experiences when I come up on a place I last saw when I was 18. The 18 year old cried rivers of tears the first time she had to leave and is so happy to know that we finally did get to come back and live here for awhile. And she never could have anticipated the joy of bringing DH along for the ride.