...And It Got COLD!

Yes, this is Florida, where all the snowbirds migrate to in Winter because where they come from is snowed or iced under.
Jacksonville is on the Georgia border...well, about half an hour south, to be more precise, so it is the most northerly of Florida cities, on the peninsula, that is. There are more northerly cities on the Panhandle.

We are so enjoying the cold...sounds silly, but this is the first winter we have experienced for three years. Yes, it got cold briefly (two weeks?) in Port Charlotte where we wintered for 10 months over two Christmases, but not THIS cold.
One of our slip mates came out the other morning to walk her pup, and the poor thing almost slid off the duck board into the water...ICE! Aieee!

One thing we have been getting more of, are the gorgeous clear days, with Ccccoooold winds and stunning sunsets. The sunset below was snapped after we got home from our second walk of the day to the bridge (to watch it open:) ) and back...we noticed the bright orange sky and what looked like smoke. Eventually we smelled the smoke, and while it made for a stunning sunset, we learned later that is was a controlled burn, further south. They still burn the sugar cane here, in Florida....which reminds me...Alexander and Baldwin, the owners of the Sugar plantations on Maui ,are going to cease operations starting in March. 600+ families will be affected. This is tough for a small community like Maui, whose resident population is no more than about 130,000.


You can see the dark on the left hand side...that is the smoke.

So, I have been taking the cast off my right hand before I shower. I had to really scrub to get the old dried blood off, and there is still some to come off when the scars are more healed, but it feels wonderful to let the hot water run over the hand. I have three weeks to go before taking the cast off for good and undergoing therapy...I cant wait! I so want to do so many things...not the least of which is to clean the boat. She isn't too dirty, but I just love getting out there on a nice day and scrubbing her. Very satisfying!

We have planned to do some work on the outside of the boat, for a while. This was really a matter of finding someone we could trust to do the job in the way we thought it should be done, without the five arms and three legs some quotes have wanted. We don't agree with the way the quoters were wanting to do the jobs, so we waited.
The good thing about being in a city marina is that tradespeople can be found working on boats on every dock. We have  been watching a fellow working on a lovely Symbol down the dock and he was doing the job the way we liked. He came and gave us a quote, which was waaayy more sensible than previous ones, and we have come to an arrangement to get the work done in March at the boat yard of his choice. We drove out there on Sunday afternoon, about 3pm, which really was a bit late, but it was good to see where we would be taking our girl out of the water for the duration, to be worked on.

While in those parts, we visited the Kingsley Plantation. It was bitterly cold, with the wind off the water, which is exactly why the plantation house was built by the water...

These were taken at 4.30pm, so the light was bad, to begin with...you can almost feel the cold, though.
This house, though ransacked during the civil war, was built in the late 1700's and is exactly the same today! It is truly remarkable. The slave quarters are further down the road, away from the house.
I didn't photograph them. I have an aversion to recording the sad lives of these folks.

The old Cherokee Rose Bush is still blooming. Such a pretty open blossom.

Perhaps we will go back to Fort George Island and the plantation when we are working on the boat out there. Hopefully on a fine day.

In the meantime, the lovely little Phalaenopsis Orchid I grow on the dashboard of the pilot house is in full bloom. It has three spikes, and is amazing!

I love these kittle Moth Orchids, and it seems to thrive where it gets first of the morning sun, and lots of light, with a fan blowing a light breeze onto it.

On Monday, our friends Enid and Richard...fellow kiwis...left the dock to go south. We have so enjoyed their company and miss them dreadfully!! They have some work to complete, also, and will lay up in Ft Lauderdale where they have some warranty work to do.

Our other friends are in the process of selling their boat, and we had expected to hear that the sale had gone through on Wednesday, but there is a hold up with one aspect of that so they are in limbo for now. They really don't  mind, as they have nowhere to go 'home' to. This is where we will find ourselves, should Untide be sold. I guess we need to get onto that???tomorrow!

Well, Waz has gone for his shower and the bedroom feels like Siberia, is it that cold, so I will go and put the heater on before I get ready for bed also.
We have to have the car at the Honda Dealership at 8am tomorrow for her 60k mile check up and oil change. We aren't allowed to do an oil change in the parking lot at the marina!!:)

Ciao for now...life is carrying on per normal otherwise. Stay warm, all you northerners, and enjoy the kiwi summer, the rest of you.

#1 Cast is off and #2 cast is on...Progress In Hand!

I couldn't keep these gruesome photos to myself... I had to share, didn't I?

I almost fainted in the Dr's room, it was so hot, and they had to bring me a large cup of cold water!
You see...it is cold outside, which means that the offices everywhere are HOT from the heating, where they are normally places of refuge from the heat outside. Cant win in Florida...either hot or cold! This IS winter after all:)

As you were....
The gruesome photos!

Today, being the 2 week mark for my hand surgery, it was time to take out the stitches...and it hurt! yes, it HURT! I usually don't have a problem with the removal of such things, but I had to ask the Nurse practitioner if I was properly 'cooked'! She had never heard that terms before...and was somewhat puzzled by it...healed sufficiently??

Yes, was the answer to that one!:)


Sooo...drum roll..... The cast is off, and the big reveal is about to happen! tada!

Before the pretty blue stitches came out. This is the Carpel Tunnel scar.

Side wound is about 1 1/2 inches long, and the one on top is about 3/4".

 Stitches all gone!

 Looks a bit gruesome...so they covered it all up again! thank goodness!:)

All ready to get my custom polymer cast. I had to wait almost 2 hrs for this. It was in the oven cooking. It was very hot when the technician put it on my hand, but it cooled very fast. We had to get it into the correct shape/posture before it cooled too much. I'm not happy with the posture of the thumb, but I get no say in the matter!:)

 The dial on top is to 'screw' the cast tighter:)

I am allowed to take it off to shower, but nothing else. Phew. I hope the weather continues cold, because this thing will be HOT in the sun. There is a cotton 'sleeve' underneath, fortunately.

Well, that is all the excitement for today:) Night!

New Year Beginnings

Today is Saturday the 2nd January, 2016. It is 60F outside, and falling, at 4.45pm. The highs and lows are downhill for the rest of the week, unfortunately! I shouldn't really complain, but I am having trouble finding a sweater to put my fat fist into and out the arm hole!

Our neighbors arrived on their boat, with family in tow, and left the dock a couple of times...thus reminding us that they keep a lot of heat out of our boat, AND stop a lot of wave action coming our way. They are 52ft, so they stick out similarly to us. It was hotter (before it got colder) with the  away, so we are grateful they came back quickly and have now gone home. We didn't realize how much we enjoy NOT having neighbors in residence. We had to constantly be careful of everything...pulling blinds at night, talking outside etc. They also sat on the cockpit deck out back, a lot, so they were VERY public. They also have a little Bichon Frise, which they foolishly left alone within the first two hours of being here, and poor pup whined and barked the whole time! 2 1/2 hrs. We invited them to let us puppy sit if they should want to go 'out' again, which they did, leaving pup on the deck, where we could give her lots of loves and she was happy just watching everyone.
We took our lunch outside in the shade and she joined Waz while he ate sitting on their boarding steps:)

We have been increasing our walking in the past week, which we are enjoying. Some scenes from nearby..
An unusual Butterfly...

 large Live Oaks overhang the streets nearby. They are a very necessary part of life I these hot parts..well, summer, in particular.

Last Wednesday I had my 6 week check in with the Hip surgeon. At this point they took x-rays to make sure everything has stayed where it should be and there are no problems with the appliance.
I have to admit being rather shocked to see that huge screw in there keeping the head of the socket in place. I know there are holes for such things, in the appliance, but I thought  mistakenly that they only did that for 90 yr old patients! hmmm...:(

Having ascertained that everything was all good, I was given the ok to extend my walking range and to be able to use that leg (left) to take a step up, as long as I feel able. I'm not quite there, putting my weight on it to step up, but step down pretty well on it.

We also kept a Dermatologists appointment last week...this was for a mole on my left wrist that has been doing some pretty interesting stuff for a while now...changing shape, color and bumps and blisters. I have had a place on the left side of my nose that has done similar interesting things, but is in a place I cant see too well....the long shot of this appointment being that the nose got 'frozen', as it was pre-cancerous. Phew!
The Dr took his magnifying glass all over my body and declared a mole in the  middle of my back to be 'OFF' ASAP, and then a biopsy for the wrist mole. I go back to him for those things on Tuesday.
If it isn't one thing, its another. Why not get it all done at once???

I return to the hand doctor on Monday for X-rays and removal of the current cast, and to have a second cast installed...one that I can remove for showering:) This is the two week check, post surgery.
It is wonderful to not be in any pain. It makes me wonder why I tolerated it for so long!!?? Hindsight is a wonderful thing!:) As is Gratitude!
On that  note...I am so grateful for the care and attention of the not just the surgeons, but all the support staff who have contributed to my current wellbeing. It is priceless!

Waz has been down in the engine room again...and inevitably come back with blood somewhere. His forehead is a permanent Warzone! He is also stretched out and groaning...perhaps he has also twisted in a strange way and is now suffering that!



Can you see the scar on his forehead, along the hair line???:)

Just as well the rude hand gesture he is making isn't in focus!!!....But..for once I caught him smiling instead of scowling at having his photo taken. This was taken prior to out attending a Christmas party at the Yacht Club.

I think he looks pretty spiffy when he bothers to get dressed up...blue is definitely HIS color:)

We entertained Pam and Stephen, who are in the process of selling their boat, and Richard and Enid who are waiting for parts to arrive before heading out of here for parts south, for New Years Eve. The former departed early, and Richard retired  around 10.30-ish, leaving Enid and the two of us to see the New year in. Enjoying the fellowship was the whole point of the evening...as we don't know if we will ever see these lovely couples again...boating is like that....but we will  most certainly keep in touch.

The Marina is full....people have returned from their Christmas/New Year sojourns with family and are now back aboard, contemplating their next moves. With the change in temperature and the cool, most are sitting still until the sunshine returns and the temperatures rise again.

Grey days aren't our thing and getting out and about in the cold wind and grey day isn't much fun, but essential. Folks have taken the opportunity to do chores, it seems...the laundry has been working hard today. I thoroughly cleaned the bathroom in the master suite this morning, post shower...left handed isn't much fun, but I got some exercise in at the same time...bending and stretching:)

We make occasional forays in the car, but not inclined to go far....too much traffic on the roads and people on vacation drink!

So, are we caught up? For now.
Happy New Year Folks! Make 2016 a great year,  and take care of your bodies...we only get one each, and it is precious! especially as we age.