Zapped

At left - my Grandma - we called her Momo. Her real name was Zora - cool name huh? As you can see she has a very fair complexion. Why couldn't I get my grandpa's (Wally aka, Buba)skin? He's the handsome dude with the pipe and bolo tie sitting in the rocker on the right. And my Uncle (my Dad's brother Charlie) is the Schnauzer on the floor.

This pic was taken the day I got the card saying my parents were giving me a horse for my birthday - my mom wrote it out in a little corny poem. I cried I was so happy. Note I have on my favorite Bar-L-Ranch (Guthrie Center, IA) sweatshirt with a horse on the front.

Back to my real topic...I visited my friendly dermo today for my annual skin check. I had a few spots on my face zapped by Dr. Ava Feldman with liquid nitrogen. Here's to you Lifeguard Leslie who had to try to tan with the other guards who were actually tannable. You were no bronze goddess - you nincompoop! Why did you think you could smear Baby Oil on and fry with no repercussions?

Once, in college on an early warm sunny day, my roomies and I laid out in the sun near our dorm, Maple Hall. If a little sun is good, a lot is great right? I fried so bad I couldn't even drink beer that night - my legs swelled up. Sun poisoning. And skiing both Paul (another Casper skin) and I burned so bad we blistered.

I'm paying for it now boy. I've had pre-cancerous spots removed from several areas - most recently under and beside my eye. A lesson for all of you out there in tanning bed land!

el carro

If you didn't have 2 years of Spanish from Senior Seufert at Atlantic High School as I did, you might not know that means "the car". That was the topic of the nifty Facebook survey I filled out tonight. It hit upon a topic I just talked about with someone recently.

I was telling them that my daughter Amy always names her cars. I'm not sure what she named the old Dodge pickup she first got to drive to and from school on a school permit. It had tobacco dribbled down the window. Her most recent car, a 2007 Honda Fit is named Dave.

I was fortunate to be able to purchase a new car my sophomore year of college with money my maternal grandparents left me. I originally bought a horse named Jack and a stall at a horse condominium, but sold those when I graduated. My first car was a 1977 Chevy Monza hatchback - a nice red two door four speed. Manual windows, and my former boyfriend Mike put an 8-Track player in for me. It was a good car, but pretty crappy on snow. Paul liked my car so much he ended up buying the 1979 model - white.

Right before we got married, I purchased a 1982 Chevy Lumina - silver two door, but automatic this time. It had a built in cassette player. I traded the Monza in to get it.

Then in 1984 we decided to sell Paul's car and get a Monza 626 (it was named Mitch for Mitchell County where we lived at the time - guess I know where Amy gets it...). We loved that car - it was very sporty and peppy after doggy 4 cylinders. Tight steering and suspension. And it was a four door which worked well the next year when we popped out a beautiful baby girl.

When we moved to Creston we traded the Lumina in on a Pontiac 6000 - a similar car but with four doors. We kept the Mazda and Paul used it for hunting and everything! We eventually got a lovely blue woody Chrysler Town and Country Van 1989 version to do all that car pooling. It was used and got old pretty fast so we traded it on a used 1991 Van with all the bells and whistles! Automatic everything and leather seats.

Cars can be a big part of a family. Ours have taken pretty good care of us - knock on plastic that looks like wood on dashboards! Muy Bueno.

Are you jonesin'

Below - 3 of my fave things. Kayak, Little Bar restaurant and my big sis Cindo. Above -view from our condo.

for my blog? If you are then you might need to get a life! Haha! Note: I would have said LOL, but my big sis Susi used to think LOL stood for Lots of Love. So she would email her lovely daughters (my nieces Jordan and Leslie) with bad news - such as "Grandpa is in the hospital" LOL! They couldn't figure out why she was so jovial with bad news. We've got her straightened out now.

Have you ever been ridiculed for singing the wrong words to songs? Honestly - some of those people should get the shit out of their mouths when they are singing - how are you supposed to understand them? Jud used to insist that Queen was singing "Kicking their trat all over the place". Right Jud - trat is NOT a word.

I must admit thought that I mumble through some songs that I sing along to. The real words don't always make sense anyways.

So, I've been on vacation. If you're on Facebook, then you know we had a great time. I'll post some pics this weekend. 1905 Gulfview Club in Marco Island, FL is a great place to be. In past years we stayed in Mom and Dad's unit #1211. The layout of this place was the same, and the beds were better - at least in the guest bedroom. And the view...beach and pool, what could be better?

My sis Cindy was there with us - we all get along swimingly. You'd be surprised to learn that Paul hardly even has to talk, since Cindy and I handle that chore. He reads like a maniac when he's there - hardly coming up for breath. He did surface to consume twin lobster tails - which was also the meal of choice for Cindy's 55th birthday.

Nearly every day we walked 3-4 miles on the beach. I picked up a few shells, and even walked in the Gulf one day. It was pretty crowded this year -due to Easter I guess. There were lots of foreigners on the Island - English accents, Dutch, Germans and Italians to name a few. We got to listen to them chat around the pool.

We attended the dumbest movie I've seen in a long while one afternoon when it was a bit chilly and windy. "Knowing" is the new Nicholas Cage movie. Believe me when I say - you'd rather not Know! I felt like walking out and we all agreed that it seemed like halfway thru another writer/director took over and the plot went off the rails.

I found my new favorite store in my favorite outlet mall. The Columbia Outlet. Very cool, and cheap!

Now we're home and I've worked a couple days already. Seems like I never left!

Marco 2

Above Paul, Me and Cindo in front of the Gulfview beachside, Jolley Bridge leading to Marco Island - always gives me chills - "I've arrived!" Mom's tree - planted by the circular drive by the front of the Gulfview. Mom's friends planted this in her memory. It's gotten really big.

I've got Marco on my mind. It's the night before we go and I'm excited! We're staying at Joan's place (where I live during each week) in Waukee, since she's such a sweetie. She happens to be in Diagonal, Iowa, south of Creston where her husband lives. I just talked to her - they just birthed a new baby calf.

Anyways...I like to mention a few more things about my favorite place, Marco Island, FL.

1. The Judge Jolley Bridge - never fails to give me chills when I see it the first time, kinda like seeing the mountains when traveling to Denver (except you gotta be closer to see it).

2. The Gulfview - the condo Mom and Dad bought a place in, the Gulfview became like their little community. We sold Dad's place last year (luckily just before the bottom dropped out of the real estate market - that way we could instead lose the $$ in mutual funds instead...). The Gulfview is right next to the resident's beach where there is a park and free concerts. There is a great view south from the Gulfview thanks to the Resident's beach.

3. The beach. It's the best beach I've ever been to. Great shells. From the Gulfview you can walk north to Tigertail beach, or south to the southern tip of the island, getting a good workout whichever way you go. The beach was refurbished over 10 years ago and there is plenty of sand for everyone!

4. The pool and pool area at the Gulfview are surrounded by beautiful plants/trees/flowers and there are little lizards to watch around the pool.

5. The Little Bar - which is actually in the town of Goodland, kindof a trailer park south of Marco. But what food! Mom and Dad loved Goodland and spent good times there with friends.

6. Crazy Flamingo - a yummy peel and eat shrimp place. They give ya paper towels for cleanup!

7. Joey's Pizza - New York style pizza, and they deliver Caesar salad with it too.

8. Porky's - when we get tired of sea food, we go for ribs at Joey's. They also feature karaoke and some good bands.

9. Jack's Lookout - a chicki hut set on stilts at the marina. Dad loved to take the grandkids there to see the fishing boats come in - the pelicans wait to get tidbits. Beer is cold. There is wifi here!

10. The Marina Store - it's not all that big, but I could spend a couple hours looking at the clothes, shoes and fishing supplies. I purchase a cool diagram map of the island which I had framed for home.

As you can tell, I love the place. When Cindy and I went down the summer of 2007, after Dad died and we were ready to put the place on the market, we spent a week cleaning out the condo. Patti, the cleaning lady made out like a bandit - we gave lots of stuff to her. Mom always liked her lots. The last day there, I wanted to hold that memory so tight - because I wasn't sure I'd ever be there again. So I feel lucky to get to go once again!

Squelch

Turn it up! Remember the day of the CB radio craze? That's a Big 10-4 good buddy! My Dad had one for all his travels - he was, of course - "Bullfrog".

I'll never forget the time (insert flashback music), Betsy and I were with Mom and Dad coming home from Colorado - I think we had been out there for Thanksgiving. I was around 15 so that would make Betso-bean around 12 (okay more like 10 or 11 but who's counting..). Dad started talking to some trucker back and forth. And that guy "Colorado Sunflower" thought he'd found his new best friend! Finally Dad said "I've got 2 hungry little girls, and we're going to pull off to get some food," thinking that was the end of it.

But no! CO Sunflower said, "I've got little girls too!" But Dad signed off and we thought that was the end of it. But NO! As we were eating our lunch, the hillbilly looking guy with 2 teeth came in with his ratty wife and snotty nosed kids. (I know, and I just took a diversity training course too - but keep in mind I was only 15 years old, so that's my recollection). He walked up to our table and said "Bullfrog?" Dad made up something and got rid of him - none too soon for my 15 year old sense of embarrassment!

CB radios often just spewed out static. In that case we'd yell "squelch it please!" That turned down what you heard.

I've decided that as I've aged, my squelch control has loosened up each year. I'm so full of knowledge and experience I can hardly keep quiet! So that has been my Lenten goal - to turn my squelch back up and be a better listener! I must admit I've not always been successful. Too many years of blurting I guess. But I've done better. Even with the end of Lent near, I plan to continue striving for better listening skills!

Wish me luck!

Marco Island Paradise

Left - visiting Pops and Grandma, Dunedin, FL Above - view at the Gulfview, my fave place.

I'm going away for a week starting Sunday. So I won't be writing for a week or so. I hope you all survive the brief interlude in my prolific posting. Ya see, I'm enjoying this blogging thing. It's like that old diary I had back in Junior High, and you all (all 5 of you) don't even have to use your fingernail files to pick the lock!

Dear Diary, I'm going to Marco Island, Florida to my favorite place in the whole world. Back when Dave Bullfrog, my dad was fixing to retire from his job selling Lorraine Lingerie, my folks began exploring places to live in the winter. They visited friends in Arizona, and thought that it was nice and warm. But Mom wanted the ocean.

When I was around 10, we drove to Florida (Mom, my 3 sisters and me) to visit my grandparents (Mom's parents - Pops and Gramma) who retired to an old folks community in Dunedin, Florida. We stayed in St. Petersburg at Reddington Beach. It was a grand time! In the photo above, which features all of us visiting my grandparents at their apartment, notice that my bird finger is taped up - that's due to slicing it wide open on a metal shovel that went with a little metal pail for the beach. It hurt! My Dad's parents went to St. Petersburg each winter too. They loved it so.

So, Mom knew she wanted a place on the beach. They came upon Marco Island - a small island south of Naples. They began by leasing a condo in the Gulfview building for a month and found they liked it. Once dad fully retired they started staying longer. Then in 1987 they bought a unit in the building. They made great friends with other folks who stayed there for the season. Eventually they lived there 6 months a year.

I've been many times since then. And the only person who loves Marco more than I do (now that Mom and Dad are gone) is my sister Cindy Lefebvre (pronounced Lefave). She'll be there next week with Pablo the Pool boy (my beloved spouse) and me. Part of the reason we like to be there is because it reminds us of our folks. So many memories of each of them there. There are still a few of their group of friends around the place.

We have a routine. A.M. power walk, pool or beach - rotating between the two with book/magazine. A little lunch, then back for more. Shower, and then out to one of our favorite restaurants - the very best is Little Bar, which serves excellent Cheesy Grouper (according to Cindy) and blackened shrimp. Yum.

I am soooo looking forward to being at my home away from home.

Like a Virgin

Or pedicure virgin no more. I did it...broke down and got a pedicure. I'd never done it before. Oh I'd had fantasies about it and I'd been pondering getting one before going to Florida next week. I usually do my own self, but not very well. (oooh that's pretty wicked and naughty)

The oriental woman, who did my pedicure gave good foot. And she was very patient since I was a shaky unsure virgin - not knowing where to put my body parts when. She didn't speak very good English, but we communicated well enough to get the job done.

To start with I put my feet in a foot bath to soak a bit. Then she trimmed my already short nails a bit. Next she pumiced my feet and massaged lotion into my firm white lower legs. I did nearly moan with pleasure, but bit my lip to stifle myself! It made me want a full massage.

Next she whipped out these foamy sandals and toe separators and applied clear polish and then the polish I had selected. Once she was through with those steps she looked up at me as if to say "you're done". So I said "I'm done?" and she said "No you fucking idiot nail polish virgin, you have to put them under the dryer". Not really, but I'm sure she wanted to!

So I dried them and she took my credit card to ring me up. It wasn't like a restaurant where you can add the tip on, so unsure of the rules for this type of thing, I dug out a few bucks to tip her. The lights on the foot thing went off, so I began to roll down my pants and put my socks on and she said "push this button and do one more time!" Again I felt dumb, but did as I was told.

Oh, I hope I don't feel sorry I did it tomorrow....like a slut who just couldn't keep my toes in my socks! Between the chiro this week and now the pedicure, I am taking large steps out of my comfort zone. I am pleased with myself, but not smug. And I don't feel a bikini wax is in my near future though!