FAREWELL TO FLORIDA

Well, we are packing it up and making all the last minute arrangements for our departure on Friday. I am having mixed feelings of anticipation and regret. There have been so many experiences that I've grown to love here in the deep south and leaving will not be as easy as I thought. I hope that next winter will bring new adventures, somewhere sunny and warm but at this point we don't know where that might be. For now, we know that we have a lot of work to do in the mountains. Both Ira and I are going to jump back into the work arena as retirement has become rather boring. We are up for anything so it should be interesting! Along with the ending of our three years in Tavares, we are also mourning the loss of our beloved Bess. After three weeks of indecision and living with the constant dread of knowing the inevitable, we just did it. The tumor had grown so large in her stomach that it was hard for her to lay down. She remained a trooper...still wagging her tail and walking, not running, to get her tennis ball. When she stopped eating, we knew we didn't have long. And so you make the journey to the vet and do the unthinkable. I've been through it once before and I don't think it ever gets easier. She went peacefully, almost a sigh of relief that her pain was over. I don't know if dogs go to heaven but I do know that Love is what life is made up of and she was deeply loved. If God can honor that Love for eternity, then I think our family will have a couple of wet kisses and hugs awaiting us when we arrive...maybe even a piercing stare from my very much loved iguana of eight years,Julius. I hope so.

Ira and I are really experiencing the empty nest. No kids, no animals....just the two of us. It seems so strange not to have something to fuss over. I think it takes some adjustment time to comprehend living your life as just two. In the past it seemed that every move we made had to be thought out and weighed against so many other people and pets. It's a bit liberating to think you can just decide and go. Since we are really not quite ready to go back yet, we might even just drop off our stuff and go to Hilton Head for a few weeks. Yeah, we can do that if we choose to. If we didn't have all this furniture to deal with, we would just go from here but this sale on the house came sooner than we expected.

So....off we go into the sunset!! I'll finish this at the other end.