Sunday, March 29, 2009

My World

It's Sunday morning and we're having a storm. I awakened at 4 am to my weather radio alarm.We're getting lots of rain that we badly need. I suppose that means everything will grow faster and I'll have to get out back and clip away. I've been slowly working on the back area but it's a slow process. I have woods in the back and it's very pretty.If I were here year round I would plant more pretty flowers etc.and hope the deer would leave them alone.
I saw men cutting down trees last Wednesday so asked them about cutting down some branches for me. They gave me a quote and I said OK but would check with the front office first. In the mea time Kathy from the office came in her golf cart and questioned the men about insurance etc. The head guy said he had it and would take it to the office. She told me to go ahead and let them work.They cut big brances from 2 trees out back. I want to get rid of the oak leaves that clog the gutters. They were going to proceed to the front lawn where there is a huge oak branch coming from the neighbor's tree that almost touches my house. (and they were going to trim my grapefruit tree for free) Kathy came back and said they had used someone else's papers and are not licensed and they had to get out. Who is going to clean up my mess? She said they should finish up my work out back and then get out. They did and so now I have to find someone else to finish the work out front..Also, she said the home owner is responsible for checking the worker's paperwork.
Kayla came threw again at her ball game last week. She made the winning out by throwing a ball from the outfield to home base with such accuracy and precision and speed. Wish my boys could have seen it.She has another game next Thursday. She and Jenna are getting so tall.
Thursday I went to a Genealogy meeting in Palm Coast. The local funeral Home was there giving advice on how to find distant cemetaries etc. They gave away calendars, pens, etc. They had a drawing for a Thomas Kinkaid family history book and I won.
Did I tell you I won $107 from the 50/50 at the Eagles last Friday.I went from the meeting to the Moose where I met Frank and Ann for an evening of music with Ernie.
Friday I met Ron and Laura, Lester and Sue at Alfies for an early dinner.They had been to Daytona for errands etc. They went home to play cards and I met Les, Frank and Ann at the the Polish Pulinski club in Daytona for a County dance.
Saturday morning I went to the little park off rt.100 to Blair's soccer game He has such enthusiasm for sports. His team won. Janice and I went to lunch at Woody's BBQ. Remy joined us as his Nana is watching him for the weekend.
I was going to stay home Sat. night and get rested but Mr.Fritz asked me to go with him to the Ormond Beach Follies.This is a show with senior citizens. Bill and I went years ago and he said he would never go again.He didn't like to see old women in dance outfits not always in time to the music. I went with Charlie and did enjoy it. They put a lot of work into it and it's well worth the $15. Lindsey Allen is a dancer, choreographer in Las Angeles. She choreographed one number "Feeling Good" in which her Mother and Grandmother were dancers. She has an upcoming "gig" with Dancing with the Stars.
So' today I will try to sort through my paper work etc.and get caught up with that.I found some small plastic easter eggs so want to do some painting.
It's beautiful here with everything in bloom. Annette told me about a magnificent Fairchild Oak tree off Old Dixie Rd. that is magniificent. It's thousands of years old. I saw the sign when I picked up Mr. Fritz yesterday so will try to stop this week to see it. Oh yes, Charlie Fritz is from Toldeo, Ohio and is an optimist. He's 90 years old and would like to get married again.!!!!He has lost 2 wives to cancer.He comes to Florida for the winter and stays with his 80 plus sister.He's going home the first week in April. Another friend in New Smyrna wants to have a party at his house April 4th. Charlie's nephew is bringing a photo album with pictures of Charlie's earlier years. It will be "This is Your Life", Charlie Fritz. I'm going to get a Burger King crown for him.
The same group of "misfits" are invited to Patti's house Monday night for an evening of snacks and dancing under the stars. She had a deck built over the house and wants to dance up there. I hope nobody falls off. She has a hot tub also so it should be fun. Frank and Ann are going to come.Wish I could do pictures but that will come with time.

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Another half a week gone by

Janice and I did the yard sale route again on Friday and then lunch in Palm Coast.I stayed home that night to get rested for Sat. I met Lester O'Hara Saturday night at the Eagles for a country dance. We had beef,corn,beans and strawberry shortcake for desert. We sat with Jerry and Linda who also go to the singles dance.Not many danced and sometimes it was just the four of us on the dance floor.We had a great time.
I had company on Sunday. Frank and Ann and Lenny and Diane Montanga came for lunch. They liked my house.We went to the Sugar Mill Ruins next door and they liked that. Then on to the ocean. It was high tide and with the strong winds the waves were pounding the pier. Oh yes,the Flagler pier is closed now as there is damage from the rough water to the pilings and they think it may not be safe.Some of the fishermen are fishing in the water at the Loop.Sunday night was another dance.
Monday was Breakfast with Mr. Murray as Don says. Don, Janice, Mr. Murray and myself met at Annette's restaurant at the European Village. We had a nice breakfast and good conversation.
Today is Tuesday. I went to the pool for a couple of hours. John and Barb Scroxton were there so talked to them for awhile. Their son and girlfriend were there also.I walked behind my house to get there. The little pond is very low. We need rain badly. There is supposed to be an alligator living there.On the way back I heard him as he dove in to the water. I could see his beady little eyes above the water.I guess I scared him when I walked by. He didn't appear to be to small. Now after I write this I'm going with Janice to Kayla's softball game. It's right here at her school.I guess she made a fabulous play at her last game. She rolled on the ground and still caught it for an out. I'm watching Dr. O on Oprah. It's about rejuvenating body parts. One man grew the end of his finger back after losing it in an accident. I must tell Walt's girlfriend They will be working with this at a Pittsburgh Hospital.
It's beautiful here. The Butterly bush that I thought I lost to the frost has green shoots coming at the base. Hoorah!!!!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

This and That

Sometimes I see spelling errors etc. after I have posted a blog. I just don't feel like going back and making ccorrections.Sorry about that. Just mark the errors in red and that will be that. I went to St. Augustine Tuesday pm to have my oil changed etc. at Coggin Honda.Of course I had to have something else done to the tune of $129 and late May need service as it has 60,000 miles again to the tune of $400.I used to call George to see if he thought it was necessary to do everything the dealer said I needed. Since he's not here I have to make the decision myself.
I went on to Ron and Laura's and had corn beef and cabbage and a great meatloaf. (got the recipe for the meatloaf)I met Patti at the Palatka dance and it was okay. Stayed all night at R & L's.
Wednesday I drove to Orange Park ,dropped grapefruit off at Mike and Leslie's, stopped at Dr. office and went to see Tom and Helga. Tom has lost a lot of weight and his eyes look so very tired. He has chemo for a week and then off for a week. Helga looked tired also.They want me to come up and stay over some night. I'll have to do that.I left there about 5:30 and got back to Flagler in time to change and get to that St. Patrick dance in Ormond.. That was fun.
My man Tony came today and power washed the house. He had told me $90 but in the end it was $130.I didn't know he was coming. Good thing I didn't have a party planned.Too bad I gave Jack Hetrick the power washer from George's house.
My friends from NY are here in Daytona. Ann Moren and Frank Gulatti rent a house near the convention center in Daytona. I'm going to meet them tonight at the Moose.They and George and I used to go out a lot in Jamestown.I hope to see a lot of them here.
I had asked Lynn to send me an update on their family and here it is:
Ashley is doing an Internship for Occupational therapy at Heritage Park. She graduates from JCC in May.Dustin is an asst. coach for the JCC wrestling team.Two of the kids went to Nationals.Eric is working with Dave Jett doing plumbing.Lynn graduates in May from the JCC Nursing program.She got a scholarship from WCA Nurse's Alumni.They stipulate it has to be a girl's mother or Grandmother who graduated from WCA to be eligible so she got it through her mother.
I wanted to go to the beach or the pool today but I started puttering and never made it. It was quite hot out anyways.Well, there's always tomorrow!!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Fun weekend

I've had a "crazy" weekend. I left last Thurs. pm for the town of Bushnell, Fl. My friend Pat Carr from Lakeview Gardens in jamestown just bought an older mobile home there. She came to Fl.in her motorhome to visit friends and ended up buying her own place. It sits on one acre of land with lots of oak trees. Bushnell is near Webster, home of a very large flea market.
Since Bushnell is quite close to Brooksville we went there on Friday to see some former neighbors from George's mobile home park.I saw my next door neighbors, Glenda from upstate NY, Barb from Watkins Glen, Frank and Donna who used to live in Jamestown, and Jan. When I left Brooksville I said I'd never be back but there I was. We went to the Knights of Columbus for dinner and dancing.Sat with Carol and Al and Donnie and Nancy. I danced once with Donnie for old times sake.He looks really good and talked about the time they came with us to Ron and Laura and we saw 27 alligators.. They had a tribute that night to a singer named Mary Swan. She used to be on American Bandstand with Dick Clark.She lived in the Spring Hill area and was a regular entertainer with her husband. She was from S. Philadelphia and was neighbor to Fabian, Bobby Rydell, Frankie Avalon and Chubbie Checkers.Her husband died a couple of years ago and now she just died from Pancreatic cancer. Her funeral is Monday and I wonder if some of these singers will come to Spring Hill for the funeral.I talked to her once during their intermission and she said she still kept in touch with these guys and also Dick Clark. They were selling her CD's at this dance so I bought one and am enjoying it.I listenned to it the whole trip across the state.
Saturday we left at 7am and went to Zephryhills for a pancake breakfast at the clubhouse in another mobile home park. The people there were all friends of Pat's and from the Jamestown area.From there we drove to Sarasota to see another friend of Pat's. She's Becky, daughter of Stu Barnes from Jamestown. She has a flower shop there called Flowers by Fudgie. She showed us her orders for weddings for next Saturday. One wedding has $17 thousand dollars in flowers. Father of the bride is a Doctor.I told her how Bill worked with her Dad in the construction business and every Christmas sent us the biggest poinsietta plant ever.
We trucked on down Rt. 41 to Englewood.There at Lemon Bay Park was a gathering of Viking people.This Viking group somehow included Jamestown and Chautauqua Co. people.There were about 150 people for this chicken barbeque.They had herring and after dinner a small glass of Swedish "glugg" (SKOAL) Pat and I sat across from Walt and Sandy. I saw a guy with a name tag of Giltinan and asked him if he knew Ron and he said yes he graduated with him..We left about 4pm and came directly back to Bushnell via Rt.75.
Sunday am I sleep in until 7:30am. Pat had already left to go to Dade City to get her produce to take back with her to Jamestown.We finished up her trailer and left there at 11:30. I decided to go 75 and 40 and not get into all those little towns. Pat followed me in her motorhome. All the roads were busy. We drove to Alfies for a late lunch and then on to Flagler Beach to my place.About 7:45 Discoverer was launched. What a beautiful sight that was.
I forgot to say that Pat has 3 sheltie collies that went everywhere with us in the motorhome. They are so well behaved.
Watson Family news:Deaundra Watson Rodriguez had a baby boy 2-2-09 Xavier She has pictures of him on her Facebook.He looks like the other two.Gale seems to be doing well with her breast cancer and has finished her radiation.
I need to be home (Jamestown) by June 8th. If anyone has any ideas about anyone who can help me get home just let me know. Pat drives that motorhome to Jamestown by herself and it makes me feel guilty that I can't do it.
It's very dry here. Our little pond is drying up.
A skater from Evans has asked me for the obit. and pictures of George so she can make a poster with all who have died from the rink. I think I scanned them to her.
I'm not good at that.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

company

Greg and Mel arrived at my home very late last Friday night. They came from Georgia where Greg had business.They got to see some of the bikers as they(the bikers)didn't leave until Sunday.Saturday we all went to Blair's basketball game in Palm Coast. They didn't do so well this time.Then on to our little Italian restaurant Guisseppes in Fagler.We all got into my van and drove to Ron and Laura's where we went for a boat ride. I have not seen such big alligators there before.Back to Flagler and on to Alfies for a fish fry.I went with Janice Sunday to Orlando for a chocolate festivity at the hotel right next to the Florida Mall. We picked up Melissa and Debbie on the way.Little Remy came with us also.After lunch we went to the chocolate show.I bought a couple of things to bring home.I got home about 9pm. Greg and Mel spent the day at the St. John's flea market and St. Augustine. Monday we went to the restaurant where Annette works in the European Village in Palm Coast.Greg and I went to Home Depot and Lowes and bought 3 light kits which he later installed on my fans.We returned to Alfies for dinner. It was Don,Janice,Remy (he had stayed all night with Nana)Greg, Mel,Jane and me.Tuesday Greg decided I should have all my locks changed for security reasons. We went to ACE hardware and they changed the key mechanism and Greg got them all put back in the doors.We drove to Satsuma for the afternoon. Ron and Laura had invited all the fiddlers for an afternoon jam and then a meal of garbage can turkey, ham and all the other stuff that goes with it.There was a lot of food.Don and Janice couldn't come as Don had cataract surgery that am.Greg and Mel left about 5;30 pm to go to his brother's in Sarasota. Then he has to be in Dunedin on Thursday for more business.Next time they come I hope we can just enjoy what's here and they can just relax.The weather was beautiful as it is today. I hope to finish up some projects and get to the pool.

Monday, March 2, 2009

About George

George Parker Getselman passed away last Friday, February 27,2009.As you know he has been very ill. He had Chronic Lymphacytic Leukemia. I met George the summer of 2002Mom had died in March of that year and when I came back for the funeral I met some people who skated. So in June I started skating again. Somehow I never noticed him there but one Monday night he was beside me during a Paul Jones skate.I asked him what it meant when they blew the whistle and he said it meant he would skate with me the rest of the night--and he did. He invited me on a date a couple of days later. It was a motorcycle date. He was 69 and I was 62.I became a motorcycle Mama at age 62We went for a ride around the lake, stopping at the Vikings for dinner and then we went on to the Gerry rodeo via motorcycle.He often said he should not have ever had me on that bike at night with all that traffic.He loved my place at the Vikings and soon knew all the neighbors and the little dog Sassy next door. She knew when his car pulled in and yelped until she could go see George.
He asked me if I would like to go with him to his place in Brooksville, Florida. I saw no sense in that but I went down to check it out and stayed.We had a lot of fun times there going out with his friends on motorcycles, skating and even dancing. He said his wife would kill him if she knew he was dancing. He had never done that before.I did miss my family and going to the beach while there but He was always good to my company and made them feel at home.
I also spent time at his place in Collins, NY. He had acreage. A long driveway with walnut trees on each side went to the barn. His home was actually 2 homes put together. It was over 100 years old.Christina and Jessie like to come there. They really worked at cracking walnuts.I took some oil painting classes when I was there.He took me to the Olympia restaurant so I could get my Greek food.One summer he had his cataract surgery. It was not a success. A blood vessel blew in the eye so now with a cataract on the other eye he is considered legally blind. I had to stay with him all the time and drive him to Jamestown when we went to the lake.
Then he had lab work done and his white count was quite high. They kept watching it but it kept climbing.When in Brooksville he became very ill with weakness, coughing etc. and was in and out of Tampa Veteran's Hospital. They gave him chemo pills. He got well enough to drive home but was sick again that summer and was in WCA hospital a couple of times.He was so sick but detemined he was going home. I called his family at that point and told them he shouldn't be driving and that I needed help. I couldn't do this alone any more.They met him when he got home.It was decline from then on.He continually lost weight and didn't feel good.He has suffered more than he needed to.This all ended last Friday.
Now I have to cope with how I feel. I thought it would be easy to walk away when I did..My mind just keeps going back to all the memories and I feel so melancholy.He is where he should be and with his wife. She's waited a long time for him.I feel that maybe I should have held on and stayed with him to the end but I know that was impossible.
He taught me some valuable lessons. Don't talk about others and definitely don't tell others your business. (especially at the skating rink) Always wear protective gear when on a motorcycle. A helmet, padding at the elbows, jeans and boots are a must.Your motorcycle doesn't have to be loud to be good. He never had a smoke or a drink (except they used real wine at communion when I went to church with him) His father was an alcoholic. And especially KISS "keep it simple stupid."
George was a Great Grandson of Col. Thomas Jerrerson Parker on his mother's side. He was in charge of the Gowanda unit in the Civil War. The drum and knives from this unit are in an upstairs bedroom. Other items have been donated to the Historical Society and are on display there.I worked on his Genealogy while there but I have left it all in the house in Collins for his son Gary.
My plans have changed for the first two weekends.Hetricks didn't come and the pizza party is called off.The weather has changed. It is cold but due to get warmer later this week.