Blog World - Day Twelve - Heart Walk

Today was the American Heart Walk and I was one of the walkers. My co-workers in the department where I work were supposed to all walk as a group - but it ended up being just 4 of us! The rest of those lazy arses slept in.... I guess.......or had some other important emergency......like my manager........she slipped and fell yesterday and had to go to the ER... and then was walking around on crutches - so of course we knew she was off the list. Our secretary had other plans and just couldn't fit it in...........fat chance that would ever happen to me! I have so few plans, I'm wondering what my future actually holds. I'm more of a spur of the moment type of person............sure..........I'll do that! As a matter of fact...I guess you could say planning things is really one of my big downfalls......something I should practice more.

When I visit my sisters - all 3 of them - I realize they are much better at planning what to do than me. They have so much more finesse at understanding what I - or any visitor, for that matter - would best appreciate doing while visiting.

My eldest sister- Millie- has the most rigid routines - not much time for gorming around sipping or coffee while slouching in the easy chair......Oh no!....it's UP AND AT 'EM in her book - and you'd better damn well do what she's planned - AND - DON'T BE LATE!....because she'll just drive off and leave without you - even though the plans were made with you and your visit in mind. She doesn't like dilly-dalliers. But she's fun... and plans all sorts of interesting things......so I just tell myself I can screw around and lounge when I'm home with my own boring life......and when I'm here......well...I'll step up the pace. That's how I got the chance to visit Venice, Italy! She organized the whole thing........and it was brilliant - I must admit!

As for me, I'm just a hopeless case and always have been.......I've lived on or near the beach most of my adult life and just have that, sort of laid back mentality......no plans.....relax and fly by the seat of your pants - when needed.....otherwise....a cup of coffee and the sound of nature...ahhh.....
My 2 younger sisters - Mandy and P.Kaye - understand me a lot more and are much more lenient. They know it doesn't take a lot to please me and they allow the hour or two of coffee sipping that I have come to love in the mornings. When we celebrated Mandy's 50th birthday in California, we had so much fun together - and I swapped the coffee drinking for a stronger brew.....but we still made time for lying around.....on the beach!




I think, when I finally retire and don't have to punch a clock at 7:30 AM every day........I'll get to do what I want, and maybe the pace will slow down with all that doing nothing that I hope to be doing.....and it will feel like I'm actually LIVING LONGER!...I mean the days will be so boring ...it will feel like I've got more time...............But then I realize that won't work.......because Richard's plans are to sail off to Never-Never Land in a Trawler - and I am supposed to share piloting and watch keeping during those long, long voyages from one spit of land to the next.....You see, we got married on a Caribbean Island and his dream is to retire there too.....and it has become my dream too...because I love him so, and want what he wants is what I want...as long as a little lounging around and coffee drinking are interspersed with the adventure....

I know I can still do all the things I do here at home, aboard our floating home, because it's the 21st Century.....and I'm learning how to keep up....so.........just a few more lessons, I guess, and I'll be good to go! And if anyone out there ever finds this blog - now - or while I'm asea........I hope they'll enjoy reading about it all, and understand that I'm just a person...trying to live in the 21st Century......

Blog World - Day Eleven.....My Orchid - "Doris"

Hi there blogbuddies! I have this GREAT news to report today....I mean - it's incredible, really.........it should be on the nightly news channel - because it's BIG!...really big.....MONUMENTAL!.........My orchid - (I call her "Doris" because she's small and cute)...........well.......she BLOOMED today!!


After waiting 3 years with no blooms, and thinking I must have done something wrong, and maybe it needed to be fertilized -or in a greenhouse or something.....VOILA! A lone lavender flower of incredible beauty and proportion just popped out today! I mean.....I'd given up any hope of ever seeing that bloom and BINGO! I say it like that, because that's how it felt. I mean, I've been watching this plant ever since I bought it at the flower show 3 years ago. I fell in love with the way they had it "planted" on a small piece of driftwood. I was like no other orchid - delicate slender leaves all lined up in a row. She wasn't blooming when I bought her, but her prior owner said it would be a beautiful bloom - and I trusted her. I brought her home and hung her on a frond of my potted Adonidia Palm out by the pool, where I could see Doris' miniature leaves reaching out towards the warm sunbeam peeking through the palm branches. Doris has been perched in that very spot for 3 years now -with no sign of fertility....and every few days I water her, or feed her....but to no avail. She's grown many new

leaves - all perfect shape and a lovely shade of light green.....but until today I had no idea what she would bear. The bloom is on a slender stalk and it's a very delicate shade of pale lavender with a center of slightly deeper lavender, and it sits proudly.......saying.......Hello! I'm here...and I'm REALLY GREAT! - Aren't I?

And...yes....your are wonderful, Doris, and I love you all the more for the wait you made me endure....and so you may think this is all a bit much - just about an orchid, but if you're out there and you're actually reading this blog, I hope you can understand me and my quirks and remember that I'm just a person....trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Ten

If this is MY blog, then I'm making it a confessional today.......because you see - I had a bit of a slip. This is how my mind works..........I woke up at 5:15 am to get ready for work....I drag myself into the kitchen and while on auto-pilot, I fill my coffee pot chamber with water, I walk into the pantry to get the coffee pods out of the bag, put the coffee pods in the little holder, and make sure they're flat, so it doesn't leak (it's a 1 cup type) and press the button to start heating the water.........bzp..bzp..bzp....REWIND....to getting the coffee pods from the pantry....and I realize my eye is wandering down to the canned fruit section...and I see the Mandarin Oranges and think - I should have those on a salad.........it's just a small lapse from the SB diet....fruit.........but I could make an interesting oriental chicken salad for dinner tonight! Yeah! So I go back to brewing the coffee and get through the morning routine and drive off to work.....and on the way, I'm thinking....pea pods, cabbage, water chestnuts, scallions......lots of ginger and...............and I'm thinking of the ingredients and I'm thinking...I'll have to stop at the store on the way home - I don't have any scallions.......And then there's the work day.......the usual.........ball-busting....hard.........and - WHAT?........no time for lunch. I got carried away interviewing a complicated client and it took too long and I just didn't even feel like eating at that time, so I just drank a lot of water and dreamed about an extra pound or 2 loss .......WRONG. I must not skip meals, I must not skip meals, I must not skip meals - I should be writing that a hundred times for punishment for what happened next. When I finally left the office, at the end of the day - and got into the mo-beel, I revisited my dream of Chinese Chicken Salad and drove right to my neighborhood market to get the missing ingredients to add to my can of Mandarin Oranges. I was good........I was single-minded..........until I got just happened to take a short-cut to the vegetable isle by way of the DONUT isle. Then my mind took over and I kept thinking how soft and sweet and melt in your mouth good those damn things would taste.......and don't I deserve one or two?.......all this dieting must be for some reason - like being able to eat a DONUT once in a while...........and they're so CHEAP! $2.99 for SIX! And before I could think any more - they were in my polyester-bring-your-own-shopping bag-with you -and on the moving check-out counter and then - going home with me. When I entered the garage, I realized Richard was out and a sigh of relief spread over me..............no need

for a guilty conscience.......no one is watching! And with that I filled a glass of skim milk and sat down to watch my Soap with my 1000 calorie full fat, full white sugar donut......I was feeling pretty good and then I heard the garage door motor running and knew Richard was arriving and on his way in.........what will he say.....what will he think.......after all, I've been

the driving force - the diet nazi- if you will -for over 10 days - and now....well what kind of role model is this? And the guilt started to creep in and with a small whimper I said, "I did something terrible today." and I waited for Richard's response......................................."Did you get a speeding ticket?".........(Speeding Ticket???? that's REALLY BAD - AND EXPENSIVE)........."Why- Did you?"-I ask him in response.........."No" he says......but I'm already feeling better, because a frickin' donut isn't anywhere near the side of the scale that a speeding ticket is on, and so I breath a sigh of relief and say........"No...I bought donuts...." "Oh....can I have one?"

You see, this is the good thing about being married to your soul-mate.........they always "get it". And so I know, at least he understands me....and if anyone out there ever finds this blog and reads it, I hope they will "get me" and understand...that I'm just a person trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Nine

Well, it's Sunday night and I realize I have been quite lax in adding a daily blog entry. I think I've missed several days, as a matter of fact............uh - oh....here goes the discipline........I wish I could say that I was utterly and fantastically busy, doing all manner of things with my free time........but the real truth is.... I think I'm in my own personal blog - or is that fog.........well - I mean funk - I guess. Yeah - funk.........you see it's been raining - non-stop for 2 and 1/2 days. It rained so hard our 150 year old oak tree in our front yard dropped 5 lbs of Spanish Moss and 3 good sized branches. Once, a couple of years ago, a branch broke and fell on our roof and cracked the roof tile! I had to call the roofer and he informed me a service call was $100- JUST TO COME TO THE HOUSE! That wasn't even the charge to look at the roof! I think I cried and he didn't charge me - said if I gave out his business card to all my friends that would suffice for this one time. YES! YES! I answered excitedly- and I really meant it, because I thought it was so magnanimous of him to waive any charges............but then I start thinking...... who am I going to suggest that they use a $100/visit roof guy? Well, anyway - this time the branches didn't hit our roof - or our neighbors - but just came down in the yard, where I could harvest them in a pile in hopes that we may get one of those cute outdoor fire pits and I would have free firewood to burn......I had to do it all while it was pouring, because I wasn't sure when it would ever stop........Maybe I'm in this funk on account of my South Beach Diet - I'm still on that and I've lost 7 lbs and Richard has lost 10lbs! This should perk me up - but I'm only on the scale for 10 seconds and all the rest of the time I'm thinking of the secret stash of M&M's in the junk drawer! - or the can of almonds I just bought for an emergency snack. Almonds are supposed to be good for you.... but only if you count out 10 and don't eat any more than that for about 2 days or something............sometimes it's pretty hard. Last night I just couldn't cut it and I made a pizza. I had the dough in the freezer (and the cheese too) and I let it thaw and rise until it was the size of a helium balloon!.....and then Richard and I went into chopping mode to get it perfect...we added mushrooms, ham, tomatoes, pineapple and onion......and then blasted it in the oven at 500 degrees for 10 minutes and Mama Mia! AND.... we downed it with a glass of wine!....But that was the only lapse I allowed us, and next meal we went right back to vegs, vegs, vegs - having lemon /garlic shrimp tonight with steamed broccoli and a tossed salad with beaucoup veggies in it and homemade mustard vinaigrette dressing.......It was almost as good as the pizza! .....But now my weekend reprieve is over and it's back to the grind tomorrow.........and so I'll end this and go hit the hay.........and if anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it....I hope they realize that....I'm just a person........trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Eight

Hello Blogland - I'm back - again and thought I would add some family photos. This is Lucy - the dog - well.......Georgina's dog. She's a rescue dog, and had a very sweet disposition. Georgie loved this dog dearly, and even though we aren't used to having dogs visit at our house, she insisted on bringing her when she came down for a visit... and her dad caved and said okay. He likes dogs - just at someone elses house.....I like dogs, but I always say I'm not mature enough to own a dog yet - I had a hard enough time with raising the kids! I worry that I'll miss out on all the companionship that "humans best friend" could give.... Maybe my dog would be the cute one like in the movies - where he does all these fabulous things - like rescue me from deathy peril of falling down a mountain side and getting me help by dialling 911 with his paw......you know.....pushing me in my wheelchair when I get old and crippled and when I lay at death's door, my "Rusty" will be there lying on my bed with me and comforting me..............ahhh....but with my luck I'll probably get the dog that won't learn any tricks and keeps pooping all over the house....and needs to go to the vet each month to the tune of $500 bucks a pop! No, I think I'll just wait until I'm mature enough to handle it all - come what may...........especially since I've watched Georgina with Lucy and how much she loved her and spent all this time and money caring for her like she was actually a bonified blood relative........and then she got the chance to go to Europe for a few months - and bingo - good-bye Lucy and Hello Spain! Well, maybe her decision was a little more agonizing than that, but pretty close.........So I'll just wait.........I've got plenty of time to wait for the right time, and until then, my baby... that I'll spend all my time with.. is Richard.. and my garden.

...and that may sound crazy to you dog lovers, but for now - this is where my heart is and if anybody out there in blogosphere finds this blog and actually reads it, I hope they will understand me, and realize that I'm just a person...trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Seven

Hello to all of you out there in the Blogosphere.........are you there? I haven't had a chance to really search YOUR blogs yet.......I did look at a couple of the "blogs of note" and instantly wanted to talk to my shrink and down a Paxil or 2.... I mean all this work....waiting for my chance to get on the computer... and then thinking up some brilliant paragraph or two to describe my exciting day to day life... and then on "bon" there's like - fantastic art - or photos galore- or how to construct your own robot - or some such thing - with photos of each stage of production.....meanwhile....back at the farm here, there's plain old....drivel (I don't think I can even spell right). Well, I'll just keep plugging away....and if anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it, I hope they'll realize that I'm just a person....trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Six

Back to work today, and it felt good......busy. It's also Georgina's birthday today and she's spending it with her beau.......I think they're going out to dinner in St. Augustine.

Other than that, I've found it hard to motivate myself........like, I can get myself going in ONE direction - then totally drop out of 3 OTHER things............I do love plopping down in that comfy chair and today I tuned in to OLTL - yes...........I do have an addiction to soaps...........it is so relaxing to see made up shit wreck someone ELSE'S life! I had my cup of tea, and in my head I'm thinking.........go ride your bike........get up and do cardio!.................go do some art in your studio..........but then I just veg there until my body regenerates from the day and I feel like I've got some energy again. It's just habit, isn't it? And I know I have to change those bad habits - but then I think - well- maybe only for 3 days a week - and then I plop my feet up on the matching footstool to my comfy chair and sink down into the leather and it's all over but the memories.

We started back on the SB diet again and Richard was so worried he wasn't going to get anything GOOD to eat! I think it's kind of creative figuring 900 ways to cook a zillion vegs with your teeny piece of meat. Tonight we had tuna- left over from a previous dinner party - and so I re- seared it and it was cooked more than I usually like, but I needed to heat it up to make if feel fresh again....anyway we had a side of fresh spinach - I like to saute it until limp with garlic and grape tomatoes cut up.........ummm, and then I did yellow squash and Vidalia onion with tarragon. For Richard, I concocted a sauce for the tuna - because he loves sauces - which are NOT on SB - but - hey - we may have to take this in stages...reduced fat mayo- Tabasco- lemon juice- soy sauce- paprika and curry powder -and STIR IT UP! I wasn't sure about it - but it was really good!

So now I'm going to get back to my book and hit the hay to gear up for work tomorrow.......I can't write any more - I'm shot - and what I have done is pretty lame, really.....and I can't imagine anyone else following this blog for however long it takes me to actually do something great with it, but if there is anybody out there that may find it and actually read it, I hope they'll realize that I'm... just a person....trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Five

It's Labor Day today and I've had a really nice long week-end off. Except for yesterday....you see Saturday we had a nice lunch with friends at a pleasant waterside restaurant and after that Richard wanted to go to the cell phone store - for something - I forget - but of course once we got there I asked why on earth he can't get reception on his i-phone AT OUR OWN HOUSE?! They agreed and said the new 3G phone got better reception - so I urged Richard to just get one. And he did - but when we got home it wouldn't charge. He gave it all night and it still wasn't charged fully in the morning, so he went back to the store and THEY WOULDN'T TOUCH IT WITH A 10 FT POLE! Oh no- now you've got a WARRANTY problem here - gotta take it to the Apple store- 2 hours away! So Sunday we drove up to the nearest Apple store - which was located at this gigantic mall and waited 2 hours for an appointment! Thank goodness there was a Cheesecake Factory nearby with drinks of the alcoholic nature and.....cheesecake! After a great lunch, we ambled back to the store (which, by the way, was MOBBED - at least 100 people all crammed in there).....as a matter of fact the whole mall was mobbed - don't these people know about the beach? That's where I had planned being - except for this i-phone emergency.........well, of course then you just have to take care of the mess and get it over with. So we did and then we went home and had a strong cup of English tea and plopped in our favorite chairs to unwind....Nothings ever easy anymore!

Now today we have the grandchildren coming for an impromptu visit in about half an hour and I want to get this blog done, because usually I'm...like...paralyzed after they leave. I'm the playing-with type of grandmother. I splurged to 2 foam light saber swords with a computer chip that makes lights and sounds. I got them at the dollar store! I figure the kids will wreck them in about 16 minutes......about a dollar's worth! Richard and I just started on the South Beach Diet - so there isn't a bloody thing to eat that isn't a vegetable - in the entire house...poor kids. I thought of going out and buying some cookies or something for them, but in my state, I'd probably eat them up in the car on the way home! So it's just lemonade and diet ice cream..........(i keep it for emergencies).


Then tomorrow it's back to the old grind...........and then we'll see if I can keep up with the blog - and the housework and work and ironing...blah, blah....and if anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it.....I hope they'll realize that I'm just a person....trying to live int the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Four

Sunday today, and I've just woken up. I decided to check out Chaparral High School's Football Page on the web, and check out their first game stats. Chaparral is the high school in Scottsdale, Az where my nephew Will (#86) attends, and even though he's a sophomore - he's on the Varsity team, and that's no small feat! He's just one super athlete. They obliterated the opponent on the first game - 42-7 - so needless to say the Firebirds are flying!

For the rest of my day, I think I'll relax..................

Maybe go to the beach or do a painting - the weather's fine today and it's all good. I'll think about what to have for dinner tonight - maybe an early Sunday supper on the grill - and then hit the hay early, because I've been up late at night trying to get this blog started an I'm not doing that again! I'm happy the way it looks, but I will still do some tweaking now and then, and if anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it........I hope they'll realize that I'm just a person........trying to live in the 21st century.

Blog World - Day Three

God - is it really only day three? I feel like I've had this site since - forever! I got the snags worked out - I think, and I am getting the format worked out - I think, and I really like having a blog to call my own - I think!

Today is my daughter's birthday and I'm not with her - which makes me a little sad......I have so many memories of her - growing up and doing all the things kids do on the road to being them. But such is life....we can't keep them forever, but we can share them for eternity.

Well, that's deep..........maybe I'm just tired and need to stop here before I go in a direction unbecoming the fabulous blogger that I hope to be.....and if anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it, I hope they'll realize that I'm just a person......trying to live in the 21st centuary.

BlogWorld - Day Two.......

Well, after untold hours (many in the middle of the night) working on wtf I did wrong with my blog account - I realized I had typed my email account incorrectly and could not re-access MY OWN BLOG! Being the novice that I am, I could not figure out how to correct that simple boo-boo........So, I cancelled the account and started over. Or I thought that's what would happen, but then Blogosphere said someone already had my account url. Well, of course someone had it - I HAD IT - but I cancelled it - SO GIVE IT BACK TO ME! Anyway, after millions of unsuccessful tries at re-establishing my original thread, I signed in to Just Being Lavinia.blog.whatever...and it said it was available - did anyone want it? HUH? YEAH MAN! I WANT IT - GIVE THE DAMN THING BACK TO ME! - Oh - I forgot - there's no person there to ask - you just have to keep typing all night until you get so sick of the whole thing you eat chocolate and potato chips.....

So this is a work in progress and I will be adjusting my page as I get more savvy...and if anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it, I hope they'll realize that I'm just a person.......trying to live in the 21st century.

BlogWorld - Day One.........

This is insane, because I really don't have the time for this - I've got Facebook that I'm dragging behind on, not to mention the dusting and ironing and weeding and teeth flossing..........I should be doing a facial or 100 sit ups............but instead I chose to spend the last 2 hours trying to put this together. It feels creative, and I like that. That blogging is all about "me" is not so good. I'm not vain or pompous (I'm not even a very good speller!) but there's something cleansing and pure about putting thoughts to paper..........it may even be good for me......If anybody out there ever finds this blog and actually reads it, I hope they'll realize that I'm just a person
trying to live in the 21st century.