Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Bird Head

After I arrived in Florida, I wrote about my skull collection, in particular the buffalo skull that I picked up in New Mexico. The worms, the stink, the solution. I have not met too many people who also collect skulls. A young man named Ben, a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer did.

When darn near everything I own has been in storage for four years, I am careful not to collect too many things, which end up in storage with the rest of my worldly possessions the next time I drive through Tennessee on my way to a new adventure, a new place to live or back to Dad’s house in New York. So far, it has not been for a new job.

I arrived home yesterday and took the tour around the house with Dad. Yep, I saw the 75 year old elm tree stump Robin and Dad dissected for me. It’s a beaut. The two tomato plants with marble size green tomatoes. It will be a race to see which comes first-the frost or ripe fruit. The rose bush Mrs. Smith gave the family when mom passed way. The new tar patches in the driveway (no that does not involve mastodons sinking in black goo). And the dead trees targeted for removal by me and dad. Oh boy.

As the inspection was finishing up, I passed by the garage, noting the variegated ground cover below the windows. When I took a closer look, I found the remains of a finch. Apparently, a casualty of a midair collision with the window.

Fascinated by the tiny pieces of what was once a bird, I carefully picked through the dull yellow feathers. I found a foot, and the cranium. Then the beak, the upper bone with the nasal passage and lower jaw. What a find. So fragile. If I had a pair of tweezers I could recover more, but I was just after the skull and with luck, the bill.

I need a tiny jewelry box, a piece of cotton and another trip to Tennessee.

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Road Notes

It was 8:37 am Sunday morning and I was headed up I-81 north of Morristown, Tennessee. Sunday morning means Camping in the Zone Time on The Big Talker 100.3 FM with Raymond Brody. If you have not been a regular reader since day one ( I think only Dad has been), Raymond Brody, the host of the show, featured my RV adventures down the East Coast last summer.

He and his father have two RV dealerships in Knoxville and Nashville called Campers Corner. Every couple of weeks Raymond would have me on his show via the phone. I updated him and his listeners on where I was and what I was doing. We talked about RV experiences and mishaps, cool people in RV camp grounds and family. All this from the inexperienced solo female RV perceptive. Of course I got an opportunity to plug my book, The Last Voyage of the Cosmic Muffin.

When Mom passed away we still did the show, talking about real life stuff – how precious life is, not wasting time, seizing the moment, no guarantees and family. He helped keep me up beat, reflective and moving forward despite the tremendous loss. I’ve never met Raymond. I admired his enthusiasm for RVing. I appreciated his professionalism and compassion when mom died. And he was a security blanket for this rookie RVer. I always knew I could have called for advice if I got into a predicament.

The show is available on the internet, but since installing security systems on my laptop, I have not been able to figure out how to get it on line. So I was pretty happy to tune in as I tooled up the road still 800 miles from New York.

Raymond’s dad does a spot called Buzz Time. (Buzz and his wife came to my book signing at Barnes and Noble in Knoxville last fall.) Today, Buzz asked how Raymond’s wife was doing. I was shocked to learn she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Tears came to my eyes.

I waited until the show was over. I called him.

I thanked God for letting me pass through Knoxville this morning, for hearing the show and for being able to get a hold of Raymond. It doesn’t seem like much, but I don’t think any of that was coincidental. I have thought about her, Raymond and the family all day.

Keep Beth in your prayers.

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Weather

I didn't eat all those chips and threw most of them away after I discovered the ants liked them too. I was going to say they liked them more than me, but I confess, the warm greasy and salty potato was pretty darn good. But the ants reminded me too much of the ants in my french toast served up by my host mom in Micronesia. A taste I just can't bring home.

Anyway, I am packing up for the trip home to NY. Looking at traveling route options. The DC area and I95 corridor is not an option. Anyway I cut it, it is a three day trip.

Phoenix and Diablo know that something is up. Phoenix has found a new home in a Cold Creek box that my high school reunion dress came in. Dress is now hanging in closet, Phoenix is sleeping in the box. Diablo is trying to eat my Brazil nuts.

Photo taken from Howard Park the other day. Lots of thunderstorms in the area, but little rain in Tarpon Springs. Don't forget you can click on any photo to enlarge.

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Potato Chips

Don't ask me why I was overcome with this urge to make a better potato chip. Maybe because I grew up in the town where the chip originated, but I doubt that was the inspiration. Maybe because I recently saw a chip factory featured on "How Do They Make That?" and me, with my manufacturing acumen, took a shot at it. But most likely, I had a few potatoes, some oil, it was raining and the Trans Fat Police were down at the local donut shop.

Saturday, July 21, 2007

The Scar

See the scar? Appendectomy. Three years ago, next week.

I remember being scared. Eight thousand miles away from home, I waited in a hospital ward with no sheets on the bed until my Peace Corps host Mother brought some from home. Cat roaming down the halls. No air conditioning. An orange M&M under the adjacent bed. Hard to believe that much time has passed. That day, I wanted to tell Mom and Dad, but couldn’t— fourteen time zones and urgency of getting me into the operating room. If it happened today, I couldn’t tell Mom.

Today, as I stared at the scar I reflected on the past three years. These thoughts came to me.

What was the most significant event? I had been in the Peace Corps, I sailed across the Pacific in the Cosmic Muffin, fell in love, wrote a book titled The Last Voyage of the Cosmic Muffin and got it published. Had my heart broke. I remodeled a kitchen, fixed a roof, painted a porch, all alone. I went on the road in my parents’ RV to promote my book, had a radio spot on Camping in the Zone,an RV program, moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida. None of that. It was the death of my mother. A year ago, just last year was the last time I saw her, heard her voice.

Thought some more about this. I asked what about my closer relationship with God? I dismissed that. Because that is like saying breathing is the most significant event. It is an essential part of living. Truly, my relationship has enriched the life. His gift to me, my life. My gift to Him, what I became.

I am grateful for his blessing and mercy. More than I deserve. His acknowledged presence in my life is recent. I have had many milestones with Him during the last three years. Mom’s death is one. Like a blanket, my Lord has covered me, secured me and comforted me through these events.

I asked if I would have done anything different if I had known three years ago that my mother would not be here today. Only one thing. I would have picked her a bouquet of wild flowers last July.

Friday, July 20, 2007

Cold Front

Not in Florida. Not in July, when air comes from the south. The water temperatures in the gulf are 90 plus degrees. The heat indexes reach the three digit mark.

Weather originating from the shores of West Africa. It arrives either as a tropical depression or a category 5 hurricane. Fortunately, not this the first of June.

Usually we get rocking thunderstorms. During the last three weeks, Pinellas County has missed out on most of the afternoon thunderstorms. They have popped up in the north by mid-morning, to the west in the late afternoon. In the south and east towering columns of clouds have pushed skyward, like mounds of termite nests growing out of the African Serengeti. Pinellas County has avoided the massive storms, their torrential rain and ramparts accompanied by thunder. Whatever the cause, I hope it keeps the tropical storms away.

The heat has caused me to crack. I broke down. I have turned on the air in the evening taking the heat and humidity out of the condo before going to bed. Helps hot flashes be a little more bearable. The condo, without a full southern exposure and being on the first floor, has temperatures 15-20 degrees cooler than the outside. Eighty-four feels okay with ceiling fans. But, I mean I really broke down and I am going to blame the cats.

I’m New York bound for August. Traveling north with Phoenix and Diablo (Gee, I just realized how hot those names are!). The Jeep’s air conditioning hasn’t worked since 1993. I drove across Tennessee in August for a job interview in Knoxville. Windows open sweating all the way, wind blowing trucker dirt into my teeth. I unexpectedly ran in to Al Pirie, the company’s HR Manager who had been assigned to check me out. I wasn’t able to get to my room to clean up because there was a room reservation mishap. First impressions are every lasting. I didn’t get that job. Instead, I got another job with the same company and became Al’s boss. That is how I got to Florida, the first time.

The first time and five years in the state without air. Each week, my job put me on the road about 25 miles, but in the air for 3000. So I tolerated the heat. Hated the flying. Although I had the money in those days, I rebelled when the dealer estimated, “About $1000.” After all, it had OLD refrigerant in it. It had to be converted. And I must have looked like a sucker.

This week, fretting about frying my feline brains out, I decided to look into the cost of fixing the system. I figured $1000, about the same worth of the 1989 Jeep with 316,000 miles. But first thing was to get an evaluation. A good investment of $35. Then a final decision.

Imagine my pleasure when I was told that back in the old days of the last century the Jeep’s air system, all of the systems in fact, were well made. To fix the air con and retro fit it for the NEW Freon – which is now old Freon, much like Class Coke is just Coke to everyone born after 1985. (Or was that 1984?)—would cost $309.30. I didn’t want to appear overly relieved with the price, so I frowned and hesitated, as if I had to make some great financial sacrifice—a new dress for my 35th high school reunion or cooling my cats.

So I am headed north next weekend. My faithful Jeep, topped off with a bright yellow kayak, my mountain bike, two cats, a litter box and a new dress for the reunion. I feel a cold front moving in.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

International Toad Day

Today is International Toad Day. Also known as Toaday, not to be confused with Toady.

To mark this occasion which is particularly celebrated in Santa Cruz, California for no apparent reason, go kiss one. Or better yet, barbeque one. With beer. Delicious.

The past few of mornings, while running in the predawn around the bayou, I almost stepped on a couple of toads. That would be a good idea too, except they make such a squishy mess. Envision the double X’d eyes and the little pink tongue extending from the grimaced lips. Do toads have lips? Dead, dead, dead.

This message was not environmental approved by Live Earth, Al Gore or Robert Kennedy Jr. To anyone who gets the joke, CHEERS. And if you took it personally, TOAD on U.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Greeks

I got my hair cut today and almost lost an ear when the stylist told me a little secret about Greeks. When Greeks do business with Greeks (and she is Greek) neither are happy until they give each other a headache. Since I just wrote a story about my encounter with a Greek and I called the story Bad Commerce, I couldn't help but bust out laughing. If you want to read the story, email me and I'll send it to you.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

It’s Not Again, It is Always.

A year in reflection. The first half of 2007. The resolutions.

The Not’s

  1. Snickering about global warming. I never think of it when I have the ignition switch on my Jeep between my forefinger and thumb and I smell burnt flesh.
  2. Over throw the government of some small country – mainly Micronesia - and declare myself queen. Haven’t left the country this year.
  3. Declare a Christian-crusade on Muslims every time they declare Jihad on a Christian. Ooooh, this one has been sooo hard.
  4. Adopt another cat. Just Phoenix and Diablo
  5. Either buy more than ten new t-shirts, or a sailboat. One T-Shirt to proclaim the Tennessee Women’s Basketball Team champs. I have subscribed to Sail and drooled over the ads in the back of the magazine.


The Do’s

  1. Pitch The Last Voyage of the Cosmic Muffin to Oprah. Nope
  2. Sell 700 more books. More like 18
  3. Write the first draft of Beyond the Sail (Working title).Working on the Great Mexican Novel called The Kayak
  4. Learn to sail. Am I crazy?
  5. Drink more milk. Doing Soy.


Under Consideration but Waffling on the Commitment
  1. Get a job…Considered applying as a weekend dock hand. And thank God for the stock market...13861!!


How are you doing on yours? Can you even remember them?

The blog: Started a year ago as a marketing means for The Last Voyage of the Cosmic Muffin. I have six devoted fans…A friend in Hawaii, Dad, my aunt and uncle, my two sisters and a childhood friend in Alaska. Thanks.