COASTING

GOT CLAMS?

                               The roller coaster of life continues giving me a queasy feeling in the bottom of my stomach.  Fortunately if I remain calm everything will work out.  I'm comatose right now.  The cement mixer for the addition next door started at 7.  I arose at 6:30 awake but with insufficient sleep.  I have all my windows closed to keep out dust and noise.  I think I'm lacking fresh air.  It's time to put on the AC.  Too bad because we are having fresh,warm clear low humidity weather.   It's a day to open all the windows and luxuriate in the Spring air.  It's a low in the roller coaster of life.
                                 My husband still has 20 boxes to fill by tomorrow when the movers come.  He packed my new sheets and I had to find the box and remove them.  He's lost in a time warp playing old Gene Pitney songs.  So:

QUEASY?

 KEEP CLAM!

TCB BUT PLAY TOO

FOLLOW THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD

                             Yesterday I packed and cleaned and then packed and cleaned some more while my husband did the opposite.  I finally played on that beautiful low humidity Florida day at sunset when I sunk a few putts on the sixth hole behind my townhouse.  I also took a snooze because I arose before dawn after only six hours of sleep.   Today my horoscope says:  Let it rip once and a while.

KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM

                                 I must hold my cards close to my vest and not reveal my true plans.  For a woman who rarely plays cards, that's not easy.  I'm married to a man whose family plays cards together on every holiday.  It's all peace,brotherhood and family love until the knives come out as they compete at cards.

ONE HUNDRED MOTORCYCLES

                               I went to the beach today next to the Kennedy Space Center.  It was crowded with lots of surfers and college students playing beach blanket bingo.  It was hot and looked beautiful.  I dangled  my feet in the surf.  I don't swim in the ocean.  Thee were a lot of riptides.
                                 On the way back the police stopped the beach exit traffic so 100 motorcycles could come through the intersection without stopping.  Since 9/11, you can't drive on Route 3 straight thrugh the Kkennedy Space Center.  You used to be able to unless a rocket was being launched.   The motorcycles were on a benefit run and had permission to drive straight through.
                                   Hopefully the motorcycle rally was to protest the killing of an unarmed teenager by a neighborhood watch captain.  The 17 year old went to the store at night for some Skittles and ice tea in his step mother's gated neighborhood in Sanford.  On a 911 tape from a neighbor's phone you can hear the Black teenager yell for help and then the gun go off.  The White neighborhood watch captain was not arrested because he said it was self-defense.  There are protests all over America including Titusville and Sanford about this STAND YOUR GROUND killing. 
                              On Christmas Eve in the 1950's,an NAACP leader's home was firebombed near Titusville in Mims..  Harry T. Moore the schoolteacher activist was killed and his schoolteacher wife  died a few days later.  Their infant daughter Evangeline survived.  The Brevard County Courthouse is named after them.  Some want the State Road 46 to Stanford named after them too.   Their killer was never found.
                                   Titusville is named after a Confederate Colonel.  I saw a Dixie flag flying off the back of a  pick up truck in Daytona last week.  Killing is rampant in Florida.   Sanford is particularly dangerous.  Black people are not safe from guns in white or black neighborhoods.  Whites are in danger of guns too.  Everyone has one and is proud of it.  It's true all over Florida. 

Before the Kennedy Space center in the 1960's,Titusville,Mims and Sanford was all fishing,orange groves,boating and trains.

                                        So why the motorcyclists hit the road and stopped traffic I'm not sure.  I certainly am shocked to hear that boy scream for help with a man with a gun standing over him. Talk about small government.  Who died and elected him God?   Same thing for neighborhood boards.  They are always telling you what color to paint your house,what tree to plant and whether or not you can fly the American flag.
                                       Actually it was  450 motorcycles raising $20,000 in the Brevard Law Ride to honor Barbara Pill a Brevard Country Sheriff who was shot in the face by a 22 year old Black Man when she stopped his car as a suspect in robbing a Melbourne motel of furniture.   Barbara, a white woman had been a policewoman for more than 30 years who never flinched from pursuing criminals.  She died immediately after being gunned down at point blank range.

FOX

                                          THE RED FOX HURRIED PAST MY BACK DOOR ALONGSIDE THE SIXTH GREEN TODAY AT 8 AM..  THE GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE CREW HAD MOWED THE GREEN,INSTALLED THE HOLE POSITION AND FLAG FOR THE DAY AND A LARGE WATER TANKER SPEWED CHEMICALS ON THE GREEN.  SOON AFTER THE FOX SCURRIED BY AS THE FIRST GOLFERS ARRIVED IN THEIR CARTS TO PLAY THE FIFTH AND SIXTH HOLES.  A COUPLE WHO PLAY THIS HOLE EVERY DAY HAD A BALL IN THE WATER TODAY.  THEY HAD TO USE THEIR RETRIEVER.

SALAMANDER WAITING FOR THE FOX TO STROLL BY THE SIXTH GREEN

                                    THE FOX WAS THE ONLY CHANGE.  I HAVEN'T SEEN HIM ALL YEAR.  DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME AND THE EARLY SUNRISE HAS CHANGED HIS ROAMING HOURS.  THE SKIES ARE DARK AT NIGHT WITH JUST A CRESCENT MOON SO HE HAS TO HUNT DURING DAYLIGHT TO KEEP THE FAMILY FED.

EXPLORE NEW IDEAS LATER IN THE WEEK

SUNRISE

SEVENTH HOUSE OF PARTNERS

                       The sun is visiting my Seventh House of Partners.  That's when I can revisit previous discussions and iron them out.  It's been gorgeous with low humidity.  We went to Playalinda Beach yesterday.  it was practically empty with sand and dunes stretching forever.  It was high tide and the ocean waves were crashing onto the shore.  I  walked along the beach at 5pm on the last day of Winter.
                        Spring is here today.  Why isn't my heart singing?

SEVEN SACRED POOLS-MAUI

GO WITH THE FLOW

Wow-It's noisy here.

                                    Take it easy.  Relax.   Let it be.  The noise in the morning on the golf course is  like a vacuum or blower.  It's constant.  It's gorgeous.  Today is warm and sunny with no rain in sight on the perfect Florida last day of winter.

TAKE IT EASY

ACTUALLY IT'S THE GOLF COURSE OWNER WH PARKED BY MY BACK DOOR.  BUT AT LEAST HE DIDN'T BLOCK THE PATH.  I WANT A DESIGNATED PARKING PLACE AWAY FROM MY 3 FOOT PATIO.    THEY WON'T DO IT. 

                     RELAX
                    DON'T DO IT!

The owner of the golf course is parked right at my back door.  That gets me riled usually.  But I'm not getting my Irish up today about these inconsiderate people.  PRIVACY PLEASE!  The HOA can't (or won't) do anything about this invasion of privacy.  They all live on private roads with signs or gates that say ;  NO TRESPASSING!  We are not allowed to put up signs facing the golf course. The golf course won't put up a designated parking sign.  So I'm moving.  My husband sleeps through all this.  

IF I TAKE IT EASY, I'LL GET MY WAY AND ACCOMPLISH WHAT I WANT.  NOW THAT'S A RELIEF.  WE'RE OFF TO DAYTONA FOR ST. PATRICK'S DAY.  ACTUALLY IT'S BIKE WEEK SO THEY COINCIDE.  I WANT TO SEE A FEW SHENANIGANS AND THEN HEAD BACK TO SLEEPYVILLE.  BY THE WEIGH, I LOST 4 POUNDS ON ICE CREAM AND KEY LIME PIE.  HMMM!

ENJOY THE QUIET WHILE YOU CAN STILL FIND IT

                                A GREEN SHAMROCK WAS OUTLAWED TO BE WORN IN IRELAND BY THE BRITISH RULERS.  WEARIN' OF THE GREEN IS A SYMBOL OF IRISH DEFIANCE AND INDEPENDENCE.  TO MORROW IS ST. PATRICK'S DAY.  THAT'S WHEN WE GET OUR IRISH UP AND WEAR GREEN. ERIN GO BRAGH! 
                                  IN THE USA ST. PATRICK'S DAY IS CELEBRATED FOR DAYS BY ALL NATIONALITIES.    IT'S DRINKING HOLIDAY FOR THOSE WHO LOVE A PARADE AND SOME BAGPIPES.  IT'S GREAT DAY FOR THE IRISH WHO IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY NEED NOT APPLY FOR JOBS IN THE USA.

WHEN IRISH EYES ARE SMILING

                                      WEAR GREEN AND CELEBRATE YOUR INNER IRISH.  EVERYONE WANTS FREEDOM FROM OPPRESSORS.  BE LOUD TOMORROW AND QUIET TODAY LIKE A GOOD IRISHMEN.

DREAMS

A CAR BACK IN THE DAY

                                   Last night I had a dream about long ago days of yore.  Or as we say now:  Back in the Day.  I never dream but my sleep was fitfull and then at dawn the mowers started and then the garbage truck came.  So it was a compromise dream where I just accepted the past.  Hmmm.   Resignation to hard noses.  C'est la vie.  C'est la guerre.  Say you never can tell.


DEJA-VU ALL OVER AGAIN.

A WHOLE NEW BALLGAME

                         My horoscope guru thinks I work.  I guess he thinks I work for Google like he does.  Anyway he says to hold on to my centrist position at work.  I don't remember that many philosophical arguments at work.  Maybe at Google, they are always brainstorming.  We gave that up after they introduced the 200th education reform innovation to us.  I went through Hooked on phonics,whole language, whole math,programmed learning, the writing process, no red pencils, geometry and algebra in First Grade just to name a few.  I retired in 2000 so I missed NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND,MERIT PAY AND CHARTER SCHOOLS. 
                     The smart teachers never took a course after graduation, taught the same grade in the same way for 34 years and left work on the dot at 3 pm after the children left for home.  They only did the innovations which change every five years if forced.  The best was the schools built with classrooms with no doors and sliding walls centered around the library.  It was the Open Classroom designed to foster co-teaching and learning among colleagues.  I guess that was the precursor to the construction of charter schools while public schools are boarded up or sold as condos.
                        We centrists actually embraced this nonsense only to be castigated in a few years over new math or whole learning.  Yes my friend we wee blowing in the wind with the breeze of change.  Go with the flow is our motto while the hard noses stand and snicker.

ROLLER COASTER OF EDUCATIONAL REFORM

                        The future principal currently a librarian who only taught once a week and usually showed film strips (ancient videos ) to the students  lead the children in singing at the year end picnic:  WE DON'T NEED NO EDUCATION-
                   HEY TEACHERS LEAVE US KIDS ALONE

If we were still allowed to use red pencils, we would note the double negative and the improper use of us instead of we.  But all red pencils were confiscated during one of the reforms as being harmful to children's writing ability.  We had faculty meetings every month.  I was the only one who ever discussed anything.  The rest just looked at their watches waiting for it to be over.  They were one hour late going home that day.  I usually stayed after work each day for an hour or two. 

CONSENSUS

                          GO ALONG, IS THE ADVICE OF MY HOROSCOPE GURU WHO THINKS I STILL WORK AND MUST GET ALONG WITH MY CO-WORKERS. 

What job do I have?  Rocket Scientist?  Pizza chef?  ER surgeon?  Scrub Nurse?  Whatever it's consensus that I must do.  Earth to Guru:  I'm retired since 2000.  I have no co-workers.  I have co-dependents-not the plastic underwear Depends although I'm ready.

Even retired in this economy or lack there of, we have to make decisions.  My best one is to buy a used Corvette now that I have another garage available.  I've bought Chevrolets before.  They break down as soon as you get them out of the showroom.  My Japanese cars just kept on running.  My Miata is original from the year 1990 and still purring.  If I hadn't taken it to Firestone for a gas line cleaning at 30,000 miles, it would be perfect.  Ever since then I have gas fumes in my car.   Also they never fixed my AC correctly.  The freon is always pouring out.
                             The Camaro up above was my first brand new car in 1967.  I crashed it a month later near Columbia University in NYC.  After getting stitched up at Roosevelt Hospital, I took three French exams and then drove the damaged car back to my house in the suburbs in low gear I was so upset.  My father came down from White Plains and helped me.  The local garage in Montrose put it back together again.  It stalled every morning.  So finally after 60,000 miles I gave it to my sister whose hippie boyfriend ran it into the ground on bald tires for a couple of years.  Then I bought a Chevrolet Vega with an aluminum engine that was guaranteed to overheat.  I bought a gorgeous Buick once too that had to hav ethe engine replaced twice.  Finally my brand new car purchases improved when I bought Fords'  When I bought Japanese cars, at last I never had a problem.
                                       The bailout of Detroit was necessitated by Americans getting fed up with bad design and engineering of American automobiles.  The Japanese knew how to design a car that kept on running.  America went from American Apple Pie to Japanese Sushi.  
                                   SEE THE USA IN YOUR CHEVROLET.
                          THEY SAY GAS WILL HIT $6.00 THIS YEAR. "TIME FOR A GAS GUZZLING 8 CYLINDER MONSTER," SAID MRS. NEANDERTHAL OBTUSELY.