A Hint of Autumn?

Penny and I went for a walk yesterday morning around 10:30 a.m. and it was downright pleasant outside! There was a nice breeze, relatively low humidity (for the South, anyway) and it was only 80 degrees at the time. Usually at that hour of the day it is so hot and humid that we barely make it to the mailbox and back, and even then we are drenched in sweat. But yesterday morning was so pleasant that I mailed my letter and then we kept walking around the whole complex, which is six-tenths of a mile. I realize fall is a couple of months away yet and that we have a lot more of the hot, humid stuff to endure, but today was a nice hint of things to come. And every one knows that as long as there is no snow, I'm happy!

End of July Update

Can you believe it is time to wrap up July? Here are some brief thoughts, pics that didn't get posted, and updates on various items mentioned earlier this month.

While Kat and Miss Munchkin were here two weekends ago, we visited the beach. I did not think to check for beach advisories before we left, so we were rather disappointed to discover one when we got there. That meant no swimming. It was hot and sticky and there was no breeze and it was not much fun if you couldn't get into the water. Miss Munchkin played some with her sand and shovel and chased some birds, but we did not stay very long. Next time Grandma will remember to check online for advisories.

I keep telling her Mommy that she needs a haircut!

Penny Update - I took Penny back to the vet on the 23rd for a follow-up. She was doing better and then she wasn't, so the vet decided to do an x-ray to see if she had any kidney stones. Good news: no stones. (Bad news: wasted money on an x-ray!) The vet decided that she likely has a leakage problem that is fairly common with spayed females of her age and size. So she is now on a twice-daily dose of something to prevent bladder leakage. It does seem to be working, which is good news for my carpets! Now to retrieve my rug cleaner when I go back to Alabama next month.

We had a lot of rain yesterday, maybe close to two inches. The pond in the apartment complex is much higher this morning and Mr. Alligator is having fun cruising around. He seems to be enjoying the higher water level. And I notice this morning that the bird that has been fishing around the pond the last week was now staying out of the water, just fishing from the stone bank. Maybe Mr. Bird is more concerned about Mr. Alligator now that Mr. Alligator is getting around the pond more quickly? I don't know what the bird is, maybe a heron or egret. I will try to get a pic tomorrow.

The boys signed up for Kenpo Karate last week. Now they just need to get into a routine again, hopefully one that will not involve me doing all the driving! With David as a driver now, it would seem like I should be able to stay at home when they go.

I have been working on updating my Alabama Church School listings the past several days. Each summer I contact every church school listed (and many, many that are not listed) in my attempt to have the most up-to-date listing of church schools online for Alabama homeschoolers. It is a lot of work, but necessary. There are just so many lists online that are not up-to-date, with inaccurate URL's, e-mail addresses that no longer work, and church schools mentioned that no longer exist.

David's Freshman English class ends next week. It appears that he is doing well in it, perhaps even a B average. That would be great, compared to how he did last year at Evansville. We are keeping our fingers crossed.

And I think that is it for the updates! Tomorrow is August 1st. That is my Grammy's birthday, or would have been if she were still alive. I should make molasses cookies in her memory; she always made the most delicious molasses cookies! I wonder if I have her recipe with me or if it is packed away back in Alabama?

Our Morning Walk

I have never been a morning person. You would think that after forty-eight years of practice, the whole morning thing would be easier, but it's not. I really do not have anything against morning per se, it just would be so much more enjoyable if it would come later in the day! We could begin the day with afternoon (or even midday) and maybe then I would wake up with energy and the ability to speak in more than monosyllables. My husband says that will never happen, the waking up with energy and speaking coherently part. At least he has slowly learned not to ask me questions in the morning or tell me anything important and expect me to remember the conversations. Instead, he waits an hour or so and then e-mails me from work.

In the past, mornings have meant that I get up while Bill shaved, made my way to the kitchen, cooked his egg, packed whatever food he was taking with him that day, and gave him a kiss as he headed out the door to work. And then I would lock the door, turn the kitchen light back off and crawl back in to bed. I might just lay there, listening to the news, dozing off and on for half an hour or so and then get back up and head for the shower. Or I might have actually fallen back to sleep for an hour and then woke up feeling refreshed and ready to go. That extra hour of sleep always seemed to help bring coherent thought to my brain.

That was the routine most mornings, until we moved here to Tallahassee. Here we live in an apartment and cannot just open the door and let our dog go out to the yard. Instead, the dog needs walking in the morning. Ugh. Even though a boy walked her just a few hours earlier, she seems to think she needs a walk at 7 a.m. And since I don't really want to clean up any dog messes inside, it's up to me to walk her. So, I do all the same routine, except now when Bill goes out the door, Penny (the dog) and I go with him, walk him to his car, and then continue on our morning constitutional.

Now if Penny could just get her business done in the first five minutes, I could easily find my way back into bed. But no, that does not seem possible. Instead, we walk and we walk some more, all while she sniffs here and there. I am never quite sure if she is still sniffing the armadillo she tried to chase the night before, or sniffing where other dogs have been, or just trying to find THE spot that suits her to get her business done. But by the time she finds that spot, I am noticing the freshness of the air, the blueness of the sky, the flower I didn't see yesterday. In short, I am waking up. Oh no!

This week, since the vet said that Penny needs to lose at least ten pounds (and we won't talk about how many I need to lose), I have been taking Penny on a longer walk in the mornings. Instead of turning around and heading back to the apartment when she is done with her business, we continue on our walk. We head down to the pond to see if the alligator (or is it a crocodile) is visible in the water. We walk up the steps by the pond, admiring the blooms on the crepe myrtle. We walk around by the pool to see if anyone is there this early in the morning (not usually). And eventually, after about twenty minutes or so, we make our way back home. Penny is ready for her breakfast and I am ready to begin my day. It is really quite pleasant, our morning walk, if only it didn't come so early in the day!

The pond and one of the buildings in our apartment complex.

One of the weeping willows around the pond.

Part of the pathway around the pond. There are always cobwebs across the stairs in the mornings when I go up them!

The fountain comes on about 7:45 a.m. and is on till very late in the evening. It's very lit up at night and makes for a very peaceful and relaxing walk.

Mr. Alligator. Charles had told me there was one in the pond, but I had not seen him until my early morning walks this week. The pond area is fenced in, so he should not pose a danger to anyone.

A close-up of the crepe myrtle near the steps coming from the pond area.

One of the very large trees that grow between our building and the main road. This is the view from the stairs next to our door.

Visit One

Last night the boys joined in on an hour class at the Kenpo Karate & Kickboxing Center. They were assessing whether they wanted to join there and, at the same time, the instructor was assessing their skills and style. The style of karate seems very similar to what they are used to, but not exactly the same. Charles tells me that there is no such thing as a standard karate, that every dojo has it's own style. If they decide to join there, they will have to begin at white belt level, even though they both have black belts already. But Master Ingle (the owner) said that, based upon the skills he saw, they would move up through the ranks very quickly. They rank based upon accomplishment of skills and not based upon any time frame.

I was pleased that both boys said they should still try the second dojo we checked out, even though they were favorably impressed with this first place. It's been nice to listen to them explain what they are looking for and the plusses and minuses of each place we have visited. We have left the choice up to them, as they are the ones with the experience and knowledge upon which to base a choice. Tonight we will visit the second place and then the boys will make their choice.

I am still figuring out the traffic patterns here in Tallahassee and how to judge how long it will take to get somewhere. So much depends upon whether it is rush hour and how many red lights you hit. Tallahassee has the longest stoplights I have ever experienced. You can sit several minutes if you pull up to a light just as it is turning red. Tuesday when we went to first check out the two dojos, it only took us about 25 minutes to get to the first one. Last night it took 45 minutes, which meant that we were just a bit late. Part of that was because it was later in the afternoon and we got caught in rush hour traffic. And part was due to the fact that I took what appeared to be a more direct route, which was obviously a mistake. The side streets would have gotten us there much faster. I am still trying to decide how much time to give for getting to this second place tonight. It is further away, but there are fewer side street options.

On another note, Penny is feeling better. She is more energetic when she goes outside and less smelly inside. This morning we took a very long walk, going around the whole complex once. We usually take that walk in the evening, but I am trying to up her exercise level (and mine!). By 7:15, when we began our walk, it was already 78 degrees and 80% humidity. We have gone several days now without any rain, so this weekend's forecast of 60% chance of rain sounds good. Of course, that means thunderstorms, not just a general rain. Supposedly July is the wettest month of the year here, but like most of the southeast, we are still in a drought situation. So any rain sounds good!

Doggie Spa

I had to find a new vet Monday. Penny (our dog) had an obvious kidney/bladder infection that needed attention. There is a veterinary just down the street from us, the Animal Hospital & Pet Resort of Southwood, formerly the Seminole Animal Health Clinic. After reading some reviews online, I decided to try them out. They were very nice and thorough. I do not think Penny has received that much attention from a vet in her whole life (she's ten years old). I know she has never had her temperature taken before! Penny did very well, though, only being reduced to a quivering mass of jelly a couple of times.

I was more than a bit shocked at the total bill. Our old country vet back home spoiled me, I guess, in not charging for every little thing he could think of. But then, he did not usually do much more than look Penny over and pronounce her a dog, so I guess I shouldn't complain about the amount of care she received. She is feeling much better already, so the money was well spent. And we go back in two weeks for a follow-up. I wonder how much that will cost?

What I found greatly amusing was the "Pet Resort" aspect. I brought home a paper detailing what was included in the price of a "Resort Stay" for your pet (you can see some of the features on their website). Bill and I found it hilarious. It's good to know that the pet will have a TV and DVD in their suite, in addition to a "Complimentary Bath" and "Daily Maid Service." But maybe I shouldn't laugh too much. Already we have discovered that having an indoor dog that needs walking every few hours curtails how long we can be gone from home. Should we all want to leave for an overnight trip, we will likely have to take advantage of that lovely Pet Resort right down the street!