tcb and belated bday67

Laundry day!

After all, it is Wednesday.

I even washed the sheets that were on the bed, so I'll have fresh ones tonight!

Did I separate the sheets from the clothes?

Nope!

It all went into the one quadruple-load machine to spin around together for $5.34 - an unusual amount, but SUDS gives 25% on hump day.

Hooray!

 

That was all done by noon30, the time of so many of the SMF concerts I love to usher!

That was good, as the day had started in the low 80's on its way to the low 90's.

Oh, and let's not forget the return of the +10 heat index.

This is my third day of a new SVF13 position: VoD.

As the Volunteer on Duty, I have been tasked with serving in stand-by mode, for a five-hour shift, in case Lani Winslet needs an errand performed.

I volunteered for four such shifts.

The first was on Monday prevening, from 3 PM until 8 PM.

I checked in with her by text, but she replied she hadn't any tasks for me.

 

When I hadn't heard more by 6:15 PM, I went on to Music Bingo!

Such a lovely time with Sandy, Elissa, Marcia, and Amanda, as well as three of Amanda's coworkers at the Habersham YMCA!

I didn't win anything, but I had lots of fun trading quips with Elissa!

Plus, I found out the kid-sized chicken fingers, grilled, with crispy house kettle chips was perfect for my appetite and my budget - most def a winner!

I had my phone on the whole time and Lani didn't need me.

Good!

Tuesday, knowing I had an evening concert that I didn't want to miss, my VoD shift was scheduled from 11:30 AM until 3 PM. 

Again, I checked in with Lani, and she told me she would check to see if anyone needed me to get anything done for them.

About 1:30 PM, she texted to turn me loose... and I went off to see "Freakier Friday" at AMC and eat popcorn!

That just may be the only A*List movie I see this week.

It was a good one, too, so I am fine with that being the case!

Today was another evening shift for VoD, so I checked in about 1 PM to remind Lani that I was there should a task or two need doing.

She thanked me... and I heard no more.

 

Meanwhile, I took care of things around the house, mostly paperwork.

I considered seeing a movie about 6 PM, but opted to go to Oglethorpe Mall instead.

I had a late birthday gift from Bath & Body Works that expires tomorrow, so... I used it to get a quart of hand soap refill!

I also got a bottle of gel soap in that same flavor - Kitchen Lemon - and my total bill was $3.51.

Hooray!!!

That's because I had a 5-buck gift card from AARP points!

I also had the bday67 Panera gift card from my dear blue-sky Penny in my back pocket - hooray!

So off I went in search of dinner and found it in the form of the new Italian Steak & Mozz sandwich.

I had every intention of just eating half of it, but it was soooo gooood!!!

Thank you, thank you, my dear cousin!

What a wonderful, worthwhile, working Wednesday I've had!

i thank You, God!

billy billie bill

 

And my birthday celebration just keeps going!

Late last week, Tybee Post Theater rewarded me for being "a loyal follower", gifting me two free tickets to a concert. 

Woot woot!!!

That's 58 dollars of free entertainment... and I could bring a friend! 

Happy bday67!!!

Fortunately, mi amiga Sandy was glad to go with me - hooray!!!

Happy bday 57 to her!!!

Did it matter that neither of us knew Jacob Khalil, the pianist?

Nope, not one bit!

We both love that he was to play music "from Billy Joel to Billie Eilish" 'cause we both know many of their songs!

And when he started off with "Just The Way You Are", we were thrilled!

I was even more elated when he followed that with "Vienna"!!!

The only time I ever hear that is when I sing it at karaoke, and it's one of my favorite Billy Joel tunes - even if it was just the B-side to that first song tonight.

(smile!)

The pianist followed that with another I knew by heart: "Lovely Day", by Bill Withers, and i swear he was looking at me, in F-18, the whole time.

That's because I'd been singing along with everything so far!!!

He switched it up with two from Elton John.

"Rocket Man" had me singing and dancing in my seat!

 

And "Your Song" - well he left me in tears with that one.

Sam Johnson would either sing that to me or request that I sing it at karaoke.

I knew Jacob Khalil was looking at me then, as he wiped away tears, too, as he took a few moments after the end.

Time to bounce back with a Beatles tune about looking for 'Mary Jane'!

Yes, that got the good times vibe back in the house!

"I Won't (Give Up)" was his very own song and helped slide the musical time scale into this century.

Two more from so-called 'divas' - "Birds Of A Feather" from Billie Eilish, then "Levitating" from Dua Lipa" kept it solidly there until the break. 

Magnificent!!!

They returned to the stage with "Valerie", a song that I thought was much older than it turned out to be. 

Only from 2006? Really???

Then we got the debut song from Billie Eilish tune, as well as a the debut song from Britney Spears - very nicely done with his fresh takes!

Time for another one of his own tunes, "Rest Of My Life", with us all singing along for the chorus - loved that!

And he finished up with a sing-along of "Piano Man", flashing us right back to the 1970's where the concert music began - perfect!!!

Kudos to Ethan Marsh on bass and Robert Saunders on drums!

(smile!) 

As we told the piano man afterward, we had loved his refashioning of the songs, the way he made them sound new yet still familiar.

He loved that!

We kept talking about the music all the way home and while we ate.

She and I stopped off at Carey Hilliard's on Skidaway to cap off our evening with dinner.

We took her car, with me driving there and back, as it has air conditioning.

That's because we had a triple-digit high today... and that was without including the +15 for the heat index.

I'm glad that weather nonsense didn't keep us from an evening out!

What a marvelous cool treat on this hot summer night!

(smile!)

in reflection

For the second time this month, I've made a mistake about the date of an event.

The first time was last week, when I showed up for an AARP event, absolutely sure that it was scheduled for Friday, the 18th.

That party won't be held until Friday, August 8th.

Sheesh.

Then, today, I went to the Jepson at noon for a Lunch & Learn that included a performance by the artist featured in the (Un)Grounded exhibit.

Nope, that won't happen until August 29th.

Seriously.

I didn't let it stop me from having a day at the museum!

After all, I already had 90 minutes on the parking meter.

(smile!) 

I'd not visited the "In Reflection: Contemporary Art And Ourselves" exhibit.

How appropriate that I take a few moments there, n'est-ce pas?

Maybe pull together my mental faculties?

Yes.

And as I perused the various and varied works there, I was stopped in my tracks by her.

Isn't she magnificent?!

Pulled together from odd bits and pieces reclaimed from the environment, 'she' is "Black Girl on Skateboard Going Where She's Got to Go to Do What She's Got to Do and It Might Not Have Anything to Do With You, Ever."

Yes, ma'am, you go on your merry way with your bad self!!!

(smile!) 

The artist, born in 1976, is vanessa german - and, yes, that's all lower-case.

 I wouldn't mind seeing more of her sassy works!

 

Feeling better about my mind, I immediately went to another work in the same space, as it reminded me of my brother Smitty.

It was untitled, but done tongue-in-cheek as a joke for other artists.

See, it was the custom for some to put their art on the floor, not the wall.

Get it?

Instead, she'd done this pseudo-parquet piece, for display on the wall.

I found it hilarious!

While making a note of her name, though, I was stuck.

Was her first name really "Slyvia"???

I checked with the room monitor, just in case.

She came over and checked the label, too, and found it was incorrect.

The artist is actually Sylvia Mangold and she is known for these "representational depictions of interiors".

Here's the thing: this exhibit has been up since April 25th...

and I was the only one to catch the typo in her name.

Kudos to me!

The room monitor reported it while I was there.

(smile!)

Another piece I really liked was on four huge sheets of paper.

It seems that Rocio Rodriguez got started drawing and just kept adding another blank as she went along.

I liked it because it reminds me of my scribble flowers!

I like the idea of my art having made it onto the walls of the museum!

In fact, this particular piece belongs to the Telfair, so it will likely be on one wall or another for years to come. 

(smile!) 

The odd thing was the title: "February 3, 2005". 

Was she marking the date that Alberto Gonzalez was approved by the Senate and sworn in as the first Hispanic named as Attorney General in US history?

Perhaps so.

As a 53 year old Hispanic woman, seeing a Hispanic person rise to that position in the federal government would have been a unique event.

This piece may have been crafted as the pomp and circumstance that she would have deemed the situation warranted.

Once in a lifetime events deserve special recognition.

(Yes, I did include one such that should never be repeated.)

 

After I left the Jepson, I considered going to the Telfair's basement to visit a few of my favorite statues, as I do for my birthday visits, but there really wasn't enough time to do it justice.

(Just us tripping out a little pun!)

Instead, I sat on a bench (another judge joke!) for more than ten minutes.

It truly was a 'blue true dream of sky' day that e.e. cummings celebrated in his poetry and would have loved.

And here was this ancient oak, with its 'leaping greenly spirit' draped with Spanish moss gently swaying in the slight breeze - so awesome!

Happy bday67 to me, still, almost two months later.

Right time, right place, after all. 

(smile!)

razzin' a phone 'mercial!

 

"Can ya see me now?
New eyeglasses!!!
Cream and brown, like buckeye caramels!
Happy birthday to me from the VA!!!
They actually arrived on time, but I just started wearing them.
Literally eye candy!!!"

 

That's what I posted on fb this afternoon, all caught up in making a change there!

Yes, it's out of focus, but it's supposed to be.

That's part of the joke!

 

Here's another joke: I cannot recall what phone company had that series of 'mercials.

All I remember is the catch phrase.

Guess that really wasn't what they were selling!

 

As for my glasses, it's just the frames that are new.

My sight hasn't changed for the last four or five years, so Dr. Urban just used the same prescription once more.

How about that?

When I checked out all the frames the Savannah VA would give me for free, I wanted to make sure I got something that looked very different from what I've had since the pandemic.

I almost ordered tortoise-shell frames, but then I saw these...

ah, yeah!

I think Cameo can speak for me about these!

 

"It's like candy (Candy), oh
You sure are sweet, sweet (Sweet)
You're so dandy (Dandy)
You're taking my appetite, but it's all right"

 

Back in the mid-80's, I danced every time "Candy" hit the turntable!

The music video always had me out of my seat, too!

That song was all over the radio, as it was a Top Ten hit.

Good times!

 

And now I have these lovely glasses to go with that memory...

and that song...

happy birthday to me!

bday67 at jepson, jason's, and dance!

Today has all been a wonderful gift from the Universe to me!

What do I mean by that?

Everything I did today was absolutely free -

and everything was exactly what I wanted to do!

It all began with the Lunch & Learn at the Jepson Center this morning.

I found my favorite parking spot - that coin meter by the SCAD gym on Barnard - and had enough change to get 2 1/2 hours for my $2.50.

A street worker asked me how to get to Broughton... so I enlightened him with my little acronym "AH GLOBB", my mnemonic based on old scifi movies.

AH GLOBB stands for: Anderson, Henry, Gaston, Liberty, Oglethorpe, Broughton, Bay.

Those are the cross streets that have traffic lights on Drayton as one proceeds from south to north downtown on that one-way street.

Ah, Globb!!!

The guy really got a kick out of that!

Right place, Right time!

On I went into the Jepson, having deliberately arrived a half-hour early to take in the sights.

I'd not yet visited "The Moss Mystique: Southern Women And Newcomb Pottery" and thought I should at least hit a few of the items before the lecture.

I'm glad I did!

One of the other women on this tour came over afterward to tell me how impressed she was with what I knew!

See, this particular piece had caught my eye at once, and its title confirmed what I already knew it to be: "Plate with spiderwort flowers".

Alma Simmons must have cultivated them in her yard back in 1907 for her to have so fondly painted their image onto this art!  

After all, that's what the genteel ladies did at this Louisiana institute: they "decorated" the pottery and earthenware crafted by men.

This particular plate, as well as many other pieces in the exhibit here, was fashioned by Joseph Fortune Meyer.

However, the women were the ones who earned income from the sales of this art, and they chose flowers from their homes in the southeast as inspiration: spiderwort, camellias, azaleas, hydrangea, day lilies.

 

Mama would have loved this!

I hadn't likened my little Christmas angel and Mama's other pieces sent to me in 1981 to these works until I saw this display.

It showed the clay all the way from greenware, through the first firing in the kiln, then through a second process, to the final firing of the painted work.

I remembered Mama talking about 'greenware' and how fragile it was.

Maybe now is the time to take Cameron's class in ceramics. 

Right place, right time.

This truly has been a perfect gift for my bday67.

I had missed my annual visit to the museums for my birthday this year, but for good reason.

Then, I meant to peruse the Jepson more a few weeks ago, while I was there for the outdoor exhibit, but somehow that didn't happen.

Hence, the reason I had allotted so much time for today's trip here.

However, this luncheon lecture went on for well over an hour!

That's thanks in large part to the engaging guest speaker, Joanna Angel, the tall blonde on the right, against the wall, with Erin Dunn of the Jepson helping to field questions and spark discussions. 

By the way, that's Erin with her back against the case that holds the "Plate with spiderwort flowers".

Perfect, right?

We had begun the tour in the other half of this major exhibit, eventually making it into this area, which is where I began today.

(smile!)

 

Afterward I did some preliminary exploring of the changes in the Children's Art Museum section.

That entryway has been refashioned as a yellow submarine and features the crayon-and-pencil seafaring art of William O. Golding!

I'll have another "Lunch & Learn" next month to give me the details on that.

By then it was time to rescue my car.

I made it back with ten minutes to spare!

Time to get slunch and I knew exactly where to go: Jason's Deli!

They were still holding a dessert for my birthday but I knew not what.

I settled on a slice of blueberry cake, a special that they had to enter as "strawberry" cake for me to get it free.

I cared not what they called it as long as it was free!

Then I did what I learned from Barbara about the value of the Salad Bar To-Go, making myself two delicious servings, with broccoli salad for lunch and the spicy corn-and-bean salad for dinner.

Just perfect for this Friday night!

 

Before I knew it, it was time to bop down toward Windsor Forest.

One Spirit Dance Academy had a special performance and, wonder of wonders, it was free!

Silly me, I had missed on the poster that "A Twenty-Year Journey" was the Summer Camp show!

Held in the gym of Windsor Forest Church, the parking lot was packed and so was the auditorium.

(I'm wearing my sleeveless, 'spring flowers', dress, and was in the back row, seated between the man in the red shirt and the man in the white shirt.

That photo was put on fb by one of the photographers at the event.) 

I absolutely loved the show!

Combining gospel songs and dance stories of the troupe through the last two decades, I felt so blessed to be there.

Right place, right time.

The 2002 penny I found at the Publix after the show confirmed it for me.

i thank You, God!

bday67 gift from the Jepson... new window art!

I always enjoy the talks with the artists at the Jepson Center.

The format for many of them have changed in the last couple of years.

Previously, the artist would be introduced, then they would provide insight into their works by presenting us with a lecture.

No more of that.

Someone from the museum - Erin Dunn, this time - would give a brief biography of the artist, then they would sit on the stage in comfy chairs and chat, with occasional questions to lead the discussion.

Erin is the one on the left, with Dana Richardson in the middle and Lisa Watson rounding out the trio on the stage.

This year's #art912 Boxed In/Boxed Out exhibit is titled "Heroes And Hosts" and will be displayed for all passersby to enjoy until next April.

"Heroes And Hosts" is science-friendly, presenting native habitats, native plants, and native animals as the featured stars, with nary a human in sight.

Very nice!!!

That's because Lisa Watson is a Georgia peach, like me, with a definite interest in making sure these native species live for future generations.

Lisa is also a found-objects artist, creating her sculptures from items discarded by others, whereas Dana is a painter and provided all the backgrounds for the six windows.

The scene above them demonstrates their collaborative nature as they worked on one of the window displays in Dana's studio.

 

Here is part of that very window as it now exists in this exhibit.

Dana's canvas is actually partly rumpled at the bottom, as it was too long for the allowed 13" depth inside the frame.

They kept it that way to mimic the leafy ground around the gopher tortoise hole.

And that creature trying to crawl out of the display?

That's the gopher tortoise itself, moving from the opening of the deep hole it's dug.

Is that where it lives?

Nope, it digs those holes for others to live in, especially during brush fires.

What a kind beast!

I do look forward to spending more time with the windows!

Thanks to the Jepson Center for this bday67 gift, not only to me, but to the world!

Nice to see Axelle and Jordan there, as well as Tomasc!

(smile!)

bday67 gift from OHM... and i helped!

I'd signed up for this arts and crafts meeting just over a month ago.

"Trawl To Trash Workshop"?

At the Savannah office of One Hundred Miles?

Yes, that works for me!

Located right at Bull and 33rd Streets, I could get there easily.

Then, at last, today was the day!

Eric and Lily had all we would need on the tables: fishnet, rope, and plastic thread.

Plus, there were bags of snacks for us!

So, what was the source of the netting?

Primarily it was donated by old fishermen who were retiring from life at sea, fishermen who wanted to make sure their old nets didn't go to waste in a landfill.

Good for them!

So what was our process?

Fold the netting in half, then use a whipstitch to bind the raw edges together on the sides of the 'bag' in process.

After both sides are done, the white rope was threaded through the top, and, presto!

A lightweight tote bag worthy of hauling drinks and sunscreen to the beach or wherever!!!

I even used the one I made to capture my butterfly bag!

Eric and Lily were thrilled to see that I was immediately putting it in use!

Many thanks to them for this workshop!

Now that I know how to make the 'Trawl To Trash' tote, I'll have to keep an eye out for future workshops.

Maybe I can even get the four little blondes involved with doing this... that would be good summer fun!

 

 

bday67 girls' trip: home again!

 

"Farewell to Florida" read the sign on the bridge!

That's something I've seen on so many of my birthday vacation travels and I always rejoice at the sight of those words!

Moments later, we four girls were officially crossed over into Georgia.

That meant we were well and truly on our way home.

Hooray!!!

We had stopped for lunch just a little south of this sign, a lunch at a very slow Wendy's.

The girls didn't mind - they got new DC Comics heroes with their meals!

I didn't mind, either, to tell the truth.

It had been years since I had one of their Spicy Chicken sandwiches - still tasty as it ever was! 

Plus the slow service didn't make me late for the S&K Friday Fiesta, and the shrimp ceviche waiting there with my name on it.

Laura was out of town, so Tony didn't go, but my brother Smitty was there!

So were Mary and all of the Kameron crew!

Mark was so happy to see me that he hung around my end of the table, chatting, until the food came.

Very nice welcome home for me!

(smile!)

And tonight, I will sleep in my very own bed, with my very own pillow... hooray!

bday67 girls' trip: Volcano Pool, all day!

 

I exaggerate, but not by much.

The day was completely at no cost to us, so that was wonderful! 

The morning was spent with both girls both taking a ceramics painting craft class.

That began at 10 AM, to give us practice getting up early for our departure tomorrow from this 'vacation home'.

The girls each chose an animal piggy bank to paint and decorate.

Christina helped a little bit, with fine detail that the girls don't quite have the motor control to accomplish.

Then, Abby, the activities director, let them come watch as she sprayed the glitter on, then the clear final coat.

Agony was having to wait for that to dry!

Thankfully, that drying only took about twenty minutes in the hot Florida sun. 

As soon as Abby pronounced them "good to go!", the girls had them in hand!

Chloe is holding her dark pink unicorn happily!

Miyah is cradling her pink pig with the floppy ears!

Both are as pleased as they can be with their handiwork!!!

Me, too!

And did I mention that the craft class was free?

Yes, instead of it costing us $7 apiece for them to paint their own souvenirs, it was gratis.

That movie about Paddington?

Well, they canceled it right as we arrived to the theatre.

So we protested... and they loaned us the DVD player and the disc, as well as sending a fellow by to install it for us.

Plus, the manager gave us four passes good for any of the activities at the resort.

How's that for a bonus?!

We got to watch the movie in our condo, eating ice cream and giggling at the bear's antics, in our pajamas...

and we had passes for activities that would have cost us!

Thanks, Abby, and thanks, Cypress Pointe!

 

We really enjoyed the Candy Bingo there by the pool, too.

I won this game where the "bingo" had to be shaped like a kite.

That's the four in the upper left, with the tail going through the free space and over to the opposite corner.

That's how I won the bag of M&Ms!

I was glad to come back to the Volcano Pool for those games! 

After the craft class, the girls and their mom had changed into swimsuits.

I had gone then with them, but Christina was busy with her bf on the phone, so I checked out of the heat and back into the condo.

She reminded me at 2 PM about the Candy Bingo games, so I returned.

We all had a lot of fun with that!

Then she went in for a while and I stayed with the girls.

Holy cow, it was so very hot out there!!!

I even stayed out there when she returned!

It was after 6 PM before we finally left poolside for the last time and came back to the condo to dine on leftovers and chill out.

Christina was going to pack the car after that, but then Anthony called again.

Lol!

He must have really missed her.

He called her every day, first thing in the morning, last thing at night, and then at least once during each day, with them having an hour of chatting each time.

I'm so glad I insisted on this birthday venture being a girls-only trip!

Good choice! 

(smile!) 

bday67 girls' trip: back to bonnet springs

 

As I already mentioned, we all enjoyed Bonnet Springs Park so much yesterday that we had to come back to Lakeland one more time.

With rain in the forecast, we drove rather than walked.

 

Our first stop was the Nature Playground.

See where the squiggles are on the map, over to the left side?

My first niece parked there and made a beeline for that round swing, claiming it as hers and lying down to face the sky - bliss!

I originally had the swing that Miyah is in, but gladly let her have it.

That gave me free rein to snap that top photo!

Isn't it a perfect shot of 'locals' out on vacation?

(smile!)

That peace on the swings didn't last long before the squiggles began!

Let's all go over to Mable the Owl!

It had rock climbing on its wings, a slide, and other fitness bits.

Let's all go over to the open-air fitness center with the bikes!

None of that was for little girls.

Let's all go over to Los Trombos!

Those were very interesting, like enclosed merry-go-rounds with seats.

Let's all go over to the Peace Pagoda!

For sure! 

That's because the rain finally came, the rain that had threatened for three days, but that we had mostly managed to elude.

That actually cooled things down a little, there under the trees.

(Thanks, Christina, for that photo of me and the girls!)

After the rain moved off to other parts of the park, we made our way back to the car.

How about some inside entertainment?

The Greenhouse and Zoe's Butterfly Garden were both nearby, and both had parking right there.

So, over there we went, and while Christina was taking care of business with her mom and the phone company, the rain returned in force.

 

Fine, fine, fine!

Back to the Florida Children's Museum (map's upper center) we went!

Lots of other folks had that same idea, which made it a very good one indeed.

Miyah and Chloe spent the whole time up on the second floor, playing as make-believe grown-ups doing real grown-up jobs and chores.

Most of the other children in the building were right there with them, doing that same thing.

I admit, I got a bit overwhelmed by all the noise, so I wandered downstairs.

Eventually, that was even too loud, so I went out to the patio, as the rain had stopped again.

My back had been giving me trouble, so I took a little walk, enjoying the clean air, the bright green of the damp grass, the birdsong coming from the trees... ah, yes!

I was called back a bit later.

It was just past 3 PM and Christina had our picnic lunch ready and waiting for me.

Club sandwiches for me and her, PBJ for the girls, and chips for all!

As always, a welcome time to be together, dining al fresco!

Afterward, the girls went back to their playworld on the second floor and remained there until the closing-time parade led them right back out the front door.

Very nice!!!

Now we're back at Cypress Pointe.

Rather, I'm here at the condo.

The three of them are back at the Volcano Pool, naturally.

We'll have a movie later, "Paddington In Peru", over in the resort theatre room.

I'm looking forward to seeing that again!

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying the quiet while it lasts.

(smile!)

major meltdown, 6-year-old style

She had not been listening.

Just like her sister at that age, she was pushing her mom's patience, hard.

Not once, not twice, but over and over.

So she was told that she if she didn't behave, there would be no pool for her.

Perhaps she heard that, perhaps she didn't.

The upshot was this: no Volcano Pool for her.

At all.

That would make a day of vacation that she didn't go to the pool even once.

She proceeded to throw a gigantic tantrum, just like her sister did at that authority-pushing age.

Threw herself on her bed, she did, sobbing into the pillow at top volume, thrashing her arms and legs against the mattress... in other words, she was being 6.

No response to her Mama's pleas to calm down, no response to her sister's chastising, just louder sobs and more thrashing.

I told Christina and Miyah to go on to the pool, I would stay there with Chloe.

That was my choice to take on the challenge.

I let her cry a little longer, then came in to work on calming her.

Stroking her back gently, speaking softly so she would have to quiet down to hear, using touch and a calm tone I sensed her frantic state easing.

I sat on the bed, continuing to softly rub her back and her hair.

I told her how important it was to listen to her Mama.

I told her that there are so many dangers in the world and her Mama is always trying to make sure she stays safe.

I told her that her Mama knows when danger is around or when there is a chance that she might get hurt.

I told her that's why it is always important to listen to her Mama and do what she says.

I told her that she is only 6 and she doesn't yet have all the knowledge and experience she needs to stay safe.

I told her that her Mama always loves her and wants her to be safe.

I told her to always remember that she is important and special to her Mama.

I repeated those words over and over, taking Chloe into my arms when she sat up, tears finally not coursing down her face, breath no longer ragged.

Finally, I asked her to come into the living room and sit with me...

and she did.

Would she like a Krispy Kreme doughnut?

Would she like some water?

She would need to sit at the table for those...

and she did.

Together, we watched an old episode of "Family Feud" on the Gameshow channel and I taught her about the numbers on the sides of the answers.

"That means that 23 people out of 100 had that same answer."

She caught on pretty quickly and was telling me after that whether the contestant had guessed a good answer or a bad one.

I sent that photo to Christina around 10:30 PM, there at the pool, letting her know all was well.

She was so relieved that Chloe had calmed and was enjoying quiet time with me.

So was I.

We saw the meltdown coming while we were eating dinner.

Instead of going straight to the condo after our day at the park, we went to Sickies Garage, as I thought I remembered Tuesday being a "kids eat free" day.

I was mistaken about that; Monday is that day.

We also ended up at a different Sickies than the one we'd been to before, though both are in Kissimmee and both are on the same road.

At this one, the car was suspended from the ceiling and was inside.

I went for a new option, "Wild West Nachos", which used kettle chips and bbq pork.

Guess I was still feeling like a cowgirl!

Chloe sat with me on one side of the booth, across from Christina and Miyah.

I was enjoying the music of my youth, singing along, chatting with one of the older waitresses, just having a good time!

I think Chloe took that as a sign she could play around, too.

It had been a long day in the sun, sandwiched between two 45-minute drives.

She'd had lots of mental and physical stimulus from playing with a bunch of other kids while we were at the park, so that had her revved up.

Also, I think both girls had missed their meds that morning and it was after 8 PM and time for their evening dose to settle them down for bed.

We didn't even leave the restaurant until after 9 PM, heading straight over to Krispy Kreme for a dozen, then stopping to watch the fireworks show visible from DisneyWorld.

She had been choosing "go to the pool" as her option every time she was given a choice about an activity, but Miyah's choice always won out.

Yes, the meltdown was in the works before we even got back to town from Lakeland.

We'll have to pay more attention so we can avert them for the next few days.

bday67 girls' trip: bonnet springs park!

Christina found this one for us - most excellent!!!

Bonnet Springs Park is on about 160 acres of what once was a train yard in Lakeland.

Now, it's walking trails, playgrounds, exercise sites, picnic areas, various gardens, and even a first-class museum.

All of it's free, too, except the last one.

There's even a free shuttle to get people from one site to another, and multiple parking areas for folks to use at their favorites.

 

We started at the Welcome Center, on the far right on the map, parking there, then being on foot for most of the rest of the day.

The girls loved playing on the train, but we convinced them to try out another playground after we'd been there about thirty minutes.

Following the squiggles, our path led across the Heritage Gardens and then veered left, over to the base of South Mountain, going toward the Circulator (shuttle road).

What a fabulous hill!!!

And look!

It has three trees on the top, just like there are three people on its slope!

Now what are they doing?

Why, the first niece is trying to teach Miyah and Chloe how to roll down the hill!!!

Oh, joy!!!

Chloe was very good at it!

Miyah kept throwing her arms out, not realizing that was actually stopping her roll.

I'm sure she'll get the hang of it with more practice!

I didn't hang around to watch, though, wanting to have a little birthday adventure of my own!

Up, up, up I climbed the South Mountain, reaching the crest!

Then down, down, down I carefully sidestepped until I reached the parking lot for the Florida Children's Museum.

That place had an incredible giant alligator - made of metal, with traffic cones as teeth and the spines on its back - that begged for children to play on it!

They reached the patio entrance just a little after I did, having circled around the hill.

Ready to go in?

Yes, yes, and look at D.O.T. hanging from the ceiling! The colorful dragon of toys that it took 47 people to make! 

Yes, yes, and look at the giant yellow alligator outside to play on!

Yes, yes, and look at the science area with the lab coats and race tracks!

Yes, yes, and look at the Watermelon Seeds play area inside where it's nice and cool!

Yes, yes, and all it cost us was $3 apiece, thanks to my Senior SNAP card.

Hallelujah for the Museums For All program!

Soon enough, we were all ready for our picnic lunch.

That meant going back to her Christina's car at the Welcome Center.

Time to check out the shuttle service!

Oh, but a lightning warning came into effect, so Mark - the driver - had to pull over to the Nature Center (left of the lake on the map) until the "All Clear!" was given.

That just gave us another place to explore, along with the pier and boathouse.

 

Within an hour, all had the signal to move along, which was good.

We were definitely hungry!

Thanks to my first niece, we had a picnic lunch ready to be eaten: sandwiches, chips, tiny Slim Jims, cold beverages, and cookies for dessert.

Yes, yes, she loves us so very much that she even plans our meals while on vacation! 

She's the best!!!

(smile!)

What was next to do???

Should we stay afoot?

No, let's take the shuttle over to the Owl playground!

I don't know, just look at that dark rain cloud coming up fast.

Why not take the car and drive there instead?

Hey, here's a better plan!

We'll drive back to the museum and y'all can play inside until they close, okay? 

So that's exactly what we all did!

We returned to the FCM for their last forty minutes, with the girls' choice to go to the second floor to explore.

They fell in love with the City Play area!

Child-sized grocery store and pet doctor, pizza stand and police office -

so many career paths to follow and move on!

Too soon closing time came and we couldn't stay there.

However, we could be part of the departure parade, waving banners and banging drums and marching happily along!!! 

I even marched, too, with a yellow ribbon banner, celebrating on this Tina Tuesday -

what glorious fun!!!

And guess what?

This was such a big hit -

and such a big park -

that we're going back tomorrow!

Hooray!!!

Thank you, Christina, for finding this place!!!