Living close to the ocean for several months a year captured my imagination when I was a little girl. It was a life totally different from my life in Kentucky. I vowed I would have a home on the coast when I grew up. Each adventure book I read made Florida and tropical islands appear dangerous and enchanting. All the places were filled with a mixture of unusual people (mostly pirates) from all over the world. The aroma of foreign foods, I could barely pronounce, filled my inquisitive mind, teasing my palate.
Fruity drinks, alligators, monkeys and sharks painted a picture I would see in my dreams and later in the movie, "Jaws". That movie will forever be etched in my mind. I never enter the ocean without thinking about sharks! I also wanted to meet and know exotic foreign people, taste bananas and coconuts picked from trees in my backyard. I wanted to fish the surf and swim at dawn. The sand and surf, accompanied with breath taking sunrises and sunsets were the backdrop for my fantasy. I placed living in Florida, in the top ten slot on my 'Wish List' when I was barely fourteen.
In hindsight, I should have made that delightful statement a smidge more explicit when I wrote it down on paper.
I wanted to live there under happy, healthy conditions and not because my daughter had brain cancer. That idea never entered my mind when I wrote my wish many years ago, in big red letters and placed it on my 'Dream List' in the number 10 spot followed my multiple exclamation marks.
When Lisa called and told us she was sick and needed brain surgery, it was like being slapped in the face with a hot brick. We never saw it coming. For a while everything inside Tommy and me shut down. We could not think. We hurt in a way we had never hurt before. Going to be with Lisa during this time was never in question. It was just a matter of when I would be needed. It was the last thing I expected when I wrote my request years ago.
It became a wonderful blessing for me personally, to be able to stay with Lisa and Lisle during the crisis. There was no other place I wanted to be than with them after Lisa told us the news. I would have worried myself crazy if I had stayed in Missouri.
We laughed more than we cried...much more. Our emotions were all over the place. However, our off beat sense of humor kicked in and thrived in the chaos. It was a surreal time in our lives. We didn't know what to expect and the facts we did know were horrible and frightening. Everything turned out much better than we expected. Lisa will have a long and happy life full of love and adventure. That my friends is the understatement of the year!
It turned out to be a million little things that made our time together endearing. Three of those things concerned my neurotic, frantic driving in a big city again. The loss of my ability to cook and a wonderful little dog in heat!! Also throw in our nightly mix of "The Big Bang Theory" and " Criminal Minds," coffee ice cream for dessert and you get the idea of our days and nights. Add to the mix that we were surrounded by alligators and southern Florida is the lightning capitol of the U.S. We had some dandy storms almost daily anywhere from 3p.m. to 5p.m. Many storms lasted into the night. It was all part of the package deal.
When I departed the plane in Ft. Meyers, I lost my ability to cook!! I don't know where it went but it did not arrive in Florida with me. I think it took the next plane to Jamaica. It is still AWOL.
I used to be a good cook however since retirement Tommy does the cooking and I clean. I cook only when I want to (I seldom have the urge) and when I do-- I cook on a gas stove. Lisa has an electric stove and I burned everything the first two weeks I was there. Apparently electric stoves cook much faster than gas stoves. It took awhile for me to get used to this fact. I fixed chicken and dumplings that were too salty and stuck to the pan. The fresh green beans and fried squash were a hit, however I burned the fried corn bread. I also burned the first batch of squash but I like mine crispy and almost burnt so I ate that batch and cooked Lisa and Lisle more squash, turning the burner down two more notches.
When Lisle came home hot, sweaty and tired and grabbed a bowl of cereal...I knew it was time to hit the deli. And I did. Truthfully we were all glad. After a couple of days of deli food it was my turn to try again. It was an adventure to say the least. When Lisa was operated on they cut the major muscle to her right jaw and then sewed it back together. There were certain foods she could not eat. Chewing meat was a problem for awhile but soon she was doing great and could eat without too much pain. We worked it out and never missed a meal. Sometimes the meal was cereal or ice cream and that was fine with all of us.
All the kinks worked themselves out. My cooking got better...sort of. I was back to city driving in record time. When I was flipped off for some driving invention I created, I returned the favor and even learned a little Spanish to drive the point home. And as for "Foxy" being in heat, well that worked out too. She will not be having puppies with her brother!! Thank you Jesus!!
I have learned a few things over the years. I still have what I refer to now as my "Bucket List". I have been very blessed to be able to live a life where I have checked off most of my yearnings and desires. I add new ideas to the list from time to time. One never wants to run out of items on their "Bucket List". I have also found that everything I have seen, heard and experienced on my list had a story attached. A story I never imagined and one that was full of laughter, at times tears and always a heaping dose of adventure. I can honestly say I never wanted a predictable life and I sure as heck did not get one. Once again...Thank you Jesus!!!
Did I ever tell you about the time we rode horses in the Colorado mountains and my horse almost fell off the mountain???? No, well I will later....
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