Friday September, 1 – Saturday,  September  9, 2017

Friday, 9/1 – Jackie Sosville came to the house to spend the morning with me.  We found places in the kitchen to put things I had brought from the boat as well as a few things to take to Goodwill.  While doing this, and much more, we had a nice visit and she said that she and Ken could meet me at the boat over the weekend to talk about stuff that needs to stay with the boat.

Saturday, 9/2 – I went to the pharmacy to pick up some of my medicine then to JPs to watch Emma while they cleaned and rearranged downstairs for her birthday pool party scheduled for Monday.  Later that evening, JP came to my house and we watched the FSU Seminole’s (#3) lose to Alabama (#1).  Unfortunately for FSU, we also lost our star quarterback for the rest of the season due to an injury.

Sunday, 9/3 – After church I went to lunch with friends, Julie and Jane.  Then I met Ken and Jackie at the club.  We went to the boat and Ken checked on everything that was still stored on the boat – saying that it should all remain with the boat.  Edward drove over from Ormond Beach to stay with me for the holiday so that he could attend Emma’s party tomorrow

Monday, 9/4 – I went to Party City to have balloons blown up for Emma’s party and then dropped them off with Kellie while Emma and her Dad were out participating in a 1 K run.   Emma received a blue ribbon and a medal.  Edward and I got to the house about a half an hour before the party was to start.  It wasn’t long after people started arriving that most of them were in the pool.  Everyone had something to eat (deli sandwiches for adults, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches for the kids along with fruit, veggies and some chips and dip).  The theme of the party was Pepa Pig.  So we were not surprised to see that on her birthday cake a little bit later.  Then it was time to open the presents.  She received loads of stuff – a good many of them related to Pepa Pig.  After opening presents, most of the party guests left, leaving only family members behind.  It was very nice of my niece, Christina, to come for the party.  She had to drive back to the West Palm area tonight to go to work in the morning. 

Tuesday, 9/5 – I drove to Ocala in the morning to take my father a new electric shaver.  He had called me Sunday evening telling me he hadn’t been able to shave for a couple of days.  We had a nice visit.  Then I stopped briefly at his house in the Ocala Forest before returning back to Palmetto.

Wednesday, 9/6 – I was taken to lunch by friend, Deborah Ross.  We had a very nice meal at the Sage Biscuit in Bradenton and promised each other that we would do it again soon.  After lunch, JP and I went to Sarasota to look at hot tubs for the new house.  The construction manager said that he would need the specifications by the end of this month so that he could run electrical wiring under the slab. 

Thursday, 9/6 – The property manager, along with a friend of the owner, did a walk-thru the rental home this morning.  The one-year “new home” warranty will soon expire and they wanted to make sure that anything that needed to be taken care of would be noted.  Then I went for a 90-minute massage – Aah, Heaven!  After lunch, JP and I went back to Sarasota to another hot tub place, but found that they were discontinuing their sales of hot tubs.  So, we returned to the place we went yesterday, Legacy Hot Tubs, to get some more information.  We made plans to go to the boat tomorrow afternoon to secure it for Hurricane Irma which is headed toward Florida.  At this time, the forecasters can’t say which cost will be most affected, so everyone must prepare.  How fortunate I am to have so many good friends.  I received calls from no less than 4 people today offering to help me with the boat tomorrow.   I must put double ties on it and the club has decided to disconnect all shore power, so I will have to empty the remaining food in the.  One more important thing, I have to get all the wine off of the boat!

Friday, 9/7 – I left the house at 8:30 headed to the boat.  Mike Reeves, Past Commodore & fellow Seminole Fan, came over and tied all the additional lines on the boat for me.  He also made sure that all of the electrical things that should be off were off and those that should be on were on.  Thanks also go to Cricket who was there securing her boat and helped me take things to my car.  In the afternoon, JP came over and moved the patio furniture in the house, the gas grill into the garage and shoveled the sand out of Emma’s sandbox into a bag for me.  I got a call from Rick’s brother, Edward, in the early evening.  He lives on the intercoastal waterway in Ormond Beach (the Daytona Beach area).  He had finished his preparations for the storm, but thought he was just going to stay put as it appears the storm is now going to come much closer to the west coast of Florida instead of the east coast.

Saturday, 9/9 – I went out early this morning and washed off and out Emma’s sandbox before putting it in the garage.  I also brought in my remaining potted plants (mostly herbs).   I inventoried my freezer and found a large chuck roast which I took out to thaw.  I plan to put that in the crock pot later today, so I’ll have plenty to eat should I lose power for the next few days.   I believe I’ve done all I can, at this point, to prepare for the hurricane which is headed our way.  I received an e-mail from Edward.  He left Ormond Beach just after 3 AM headed to Knoxville to stay with our nephew, Mat.  My kind next door neighbor came over to volunteer her husband to put up my storm shudders, but I said no thanks.  Hopefully, that will not be the biggest mistake I’ve ever made.  JP called in the afternoon and said that they would probably come over here in the morning.  Edward e-mailed that he had safely arrived in Knoxville.  The drive took 4 hours longer than usual.

Sunday, September 10 – Saturday,  September  16, 2017

Hurricane Irma hits the State of Florida

Sunday, 9/10 – The morning was quiet as I completed preparations for the storm at the house.  JP and his family came over just before noon and Emma was excited about having a “sleep-over” at Mimi’s.  As the day wore on, the track of the storm changed many times.  By the time Irma reached us, she had wobbled to the east of us and the winds were down to a category 1.  We never lost power and had no damage.

Monday, 9/11 – JP and family left before noon to go back to their home.  He sent me a few pictures of some fence damage due to trees down.  Later he said they had no power.

The wind also left his wooden fence leaning on the west side of the house.

I picked JP up in the late afternoon to go out to the yacht club to check on the boat.  It looks pretty good.  The wind had ripped the zippers off of some of the isinglass and it looked like it took a couple of good hits against the pilings, but all in all, I think we were lucky.  On the way to the boat and back we noticed a lot of trees down; also there were no gas stations open and we only found one convenience store open.   Most of the traffic signals were not working and we saw a number of power lines down.  I was going to drive to Ocala tomorrow, but I have decided to wait until I know that I will not have to worry about having enough gas to get there and back.

Tuesday, 9/12 – Kellie took Emma to daycare/pre-K and returned with Burger King breakfast for all of us.  While she was gone, JP and I returned all of the patio furniture and BBQ grill to the back porch.  I received a call from a friend and neighbor of Dad’s.  He said that he had walked around Dad’s place in the forest and it did not appear to have any damage; however, there was no power.  We rode out the lot to see what kind of standing water there might be.  It was not bad.  Because of the storm, the transportation department is allowing traffic to drive over the “almost done” Ft. Hamer Bridge.  So, we drove to Kellie’s office so that she could check to see if the power was on – it was.  After returning home, I left to go to a doctor’s appointment.  But, when I got to the building, there was a sign posted saying they were closed and would remain so until power was returned to the building.  In the afternoon, JP and Kellie went back to their house and took out all of their frozen food that was still frozen and brought it over to put in my freezer. 

Wednesday, 9/13 – I had had not been able to get a hold of the rehabilitation center where Dad lives in Ocala by phone yesterday.  So, I was ready to drive up there this morning, despite the scarcity of gas.  But, I tried to call one more time was able to talk to Dad’s nurse.  She said that their phones had been out the last two days and they had lost power for just a few hours, but the facility sustained no damage and Dad was well.  JP and Kellie went to breakfast and then ran some errands.  The banks re-opened today, so I went to take care of business and then worked around the house. 

Thursday, 9/14 – I decided that I needed a haircut today.  While out, I received a call from Captain Barry Flannigan.  He captains the Sea Clef which is in New England right now.  He had driven home to Ft. Lauderdale to weather the storm.  He said that he had an extra 100 gallon gas tank in the back of his truck and would bring me some fuel if I needed it.  I thanked him, but said that it wasn’t necessary as the gas station just down the street from me seems to have enough.  They are not fully operational yet, but I have been able to get gas when needed.  It was very nice to hear from our friend with whom we spent many happy hours on Compass Cay.

Friday, 9/15 – I had a 3-month follow-up appointment with my oncologist this morning and then stopped by my financial advisor’s office in Sarasota.  In the afternoon, J.P. and I drove back to Sarasota to put down a deposit on a hot tub for the new house.  We needed to get the specifications to the builder by the end of the month, so we thought we’d better “lock it in” now.   While we were there, I got a call from Ruth inviting me to join her and Bill at the Yacht Club for an early supper tonight.  The place was packed!  Apparently, everyone felt the need to get out of the house tonight.  On my way home, I drove through J.P.’s neighborhood and saw that his electricity was back on.  I got an e-mail from Rick’s brother, Edward.   He is on the road leaving Knoxville to return to his home in Ormond Beach, Florida.
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Saturday, 9/16 – J.P., Kellie and Emma packed up their things and headed for home this morning.  They left their frozen food here, just in case their electricity goes off again (her mother’s did).  We talked in the afternoon and he said that they would probably come back to get it tomorrow.  I received some pictures from Edward.  Looks like his dock (which had not been repaired since last October’s Hurricane Mathew) got hit a lot worse this time.  I’ve included one picture. 

The fellow next door to him had more damage done to his dock as well. 

Sunday, September 17 – Saturday,  September  23, 2017

Sunday 9/17 – Spent a quiet day going to Sunday School and Church and then working around the house.

Monday, 9/18 – Went to the gym and ran errands.  Stopped by my doctor’s office (who still hasn’t got phone service) to try to straighten out a prescription problem.  I got that taken care of as well as a referral to another doctor in the area since my doctor’s office is closing at the end of the month.  Went to the other doctor’s office and set up an appointment in November to establish myself with him.  JP came to the house in the afternoon to pick up their frozen food.

Tuesday, 9/19 – Picked up JP to go to Michael’s to buy cases for the memorial flags we received from the funeral home; then dropped off a form at the builder’s office before going to the boat and getting the power turned back on.

Wednesday, 9/20 – While talking with a lady in church on Sunday, I mentioned that I lived just down the street from the elementary school that her niece attends and that I had thought about volunteering there.  This morning, I received a call from the school office asking when I could come.  I told them I was going out of town, but would come by on Monday.  In the afternoon, I went for a medical appointment which took longer than I anticipated, so I drove by the lot and then home.  I called JP to tell him that they have begun clearing the lot to get ready for the foundation.  This is, indeed, a red-letter day!

Thursday, 9/21 – I drove to Ocala for a visit with Dad, then stopped by his house for a couple of hours before continuing to Rick’s brother’s house in Ormond Beach.

Friday, 9/22 – Edward and I met with the financial advisor administering his parents estate.  We discussed what needed or could be done with Rick’s portion.  While there, Edward received an e-mail saying that Aunt Delores was in the ER.  Later in the afternoon, we talked with her son, our cousin, Louis.  He said that his mom has pneumonia.  We wish her a speedy recovery.

Saturday, 9/23 – Got my stuff together and had a short visit with Edward before hitting the road headed back to Florida’s west coast.

Sunday, September 24 through Saturday, September 30, 2017

Sunday, 9/24 – Today, I took a “me” day.  Sometimes you’ve just gotta do it!

Monday, 9/25 – After the gym, I went to volunteer at the elementary school down the street from where I live.  Unfortunately, I arrived just at their lunch time, so I got to go to lunch with the class to get to know them.  In the evening, I stayed with Emma while her parents went out to celebrate their 7^th wedding anniversary by having dinner at the Columbia Restaurant on St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota.

Tuesday, 9/26 – I had the pleasure of joining Emma’s other grandparents (along with many others) at her preschool in the morning for a rescheduled “Grandparent’s luncheon.”  In the afternoon, JP, Kellie and I met at my house to discuss the preliminary landscaping plan.  In the evening, I went to church for the first practice session for our Christmas Cantata which we will present on December 10^th.

Wednesday, 9/27 – Today, I worked in the “home office” trying to get my filing caught up and organized.  It was a very big job.

Thursday, 9/28 – I went out to the property to check on what progress was being made; then got the car washed; then went to the gym. 

Friday, 9/29 – I made significant progress on my filing project throughout the day.  In the evening, I joined friends, Ken and Jackie, Bill and Ruth for dinner at the Riverside Café.

Saturday, 9/30 – I spent the morning on the boat, taking inventory of what all still needs to be done to get it ready to sell.  Unfortunately, I discovered that there was a lot more damage to the isinglass that I had thought.  We received a weekly report from the construction manager.  He said that they made good progress on replacing and compacting the soil that will be under the house.  He thinks they will be able to begin the foundation next week.