Saturday, September 29, 2007

Reason #52
Travelling and not having to watch the road

This morning at 5am.yep AM I got up and took my father inlaw to the airport. First it should be illegal to travel anywhere at this time of morning. Or at least before you/I have had coffee,tea , caffeine of some sort. Then I came straight back to the house. Total travel time 5 hours. Where I accomplished very little, no wait, none of the things on any of my lists. I did have a nice visit with my papa and listened to some rockin 80s music with the sunroof open on the way back. But was basically on hold.
I am going to Arkansas with a friend tomorrow and we have a lot to get done in one day. She is moving there and we had a lot to pack still. So when we leave tomorrow back to being on hold 25 hours, or so, of driving. Concentrating on the road. Can't read when your driving. No surfing the net. No cleaning but that's not a bad thing.
Here it comes you know it would. When your sailing underway to a new amazing place you can get an amazing number of things accomplished and still make headway to your destination. Boat maintenance, cooking, cleaning,reading, maybe some correspondence. So for all of those who think were off loafing sailing being bums maybe this is really a whole new 0f way to look at multi tasking!
Go Sailing!!!

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

reasons to sail off into the sunset
#51 more time to read

I love to read. If no one bothered me I would read all day. I love stormy weather when you must turn off all electronics for fear of lightning. I GET TO READ. yah I will read anything.And I do mean anything. I always finish a book when I start it. Even when its bad. I might throw it across the room when the plot doesn't go like I think it should. But I go get it and finish it. I must confess that I usually read smut as my husband refers to it. The trashier the better. But throw in a good murder or some deception and I'm in. Recently however, with not working regular hours, I am reading faster than my favorite authors (Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown)can write so I have had to venture out. I have been known to wonder around the public Library and just pick a book off the shelves. Maybe it was hanging off the edge or the cover was really cool. Recently my very well read friend and another sailor said she enjoyed the book The Kite Runner. So off to the library I went to retrieve it. I loved it. Read it in to days. I was completely engrossed in the characters. Next I will read another of the books she referred to on her blog. Prodigal Summer by Barbera Kingsolver. So far so good.
So if you want to help keep me out of the trashy paperbacks send me suggestions for good reads. I don't really want to like learn anything unless it's woven into an awesome plot with some murder ,sex and mayhem thrown in for good measure.
But honestly
I will read anything

Friday, September 7, 2007

#50



This is a big one it means I'm almost half way there with the almighty list. It seems this is the only list my husband doesn't tease me about. Go figure. 101 reasons to sail off into the sunset was the name of this list. And today my mind is a complete blurrrrrrrdfvvj . I don't feel very good my allergies have put me in a mood. My oldest son decided the other day that he was going to Alaska. Not a big deal I love an adventure. But it's with some girl he barely knows to stay with her family. He has no job. The only money he has he bought a plane ticket with. No driver license. No high school diploma. He was already tattooed and pierced so I can't add that to the list. But I don't think he made a great decision. So I am a bit stressed about that. Then my older sisters daughter, not the niece who went sailing with us this summer, but her sister who is 18. She decides to quit college after 3 weeks and run off and MARRY a boy none of her family likes who has no High school diploma (not even close). No job skills and no future. Without telling anyone. Her mother found out from the ex collage room mate I think.



So to come around to my point. MAYBE.



What the heck is wrong with our teenagers? How do these kids expect to support themselves? Where our they going in life? You ask them what do you want to do with your life they say "I don't know" Where do you want to be in 5, 10, 20 years they say "I don't Know". No matter what you ask them you get "I don't know" When I was kid I had a lot of things I wanted to do and be. Most people I talk to did. They might have been far fetched or a bit extreme. It really depended on what day it was. Cop, Fireman, Sailor, president but we had ideas and opinions. So is it that they don't want to tell us or do they really not know? What do you think? I hope that they are not as lost as they seem.



So my little guy ,he's 7 now, still has that spark. Yesterday he wanted to be a scientist in space who does experiments and goes really fast. When he's not taking over the world. It's great to be young.



I have come across many cruisers who travel with their kids. These kids seem to keep that spark longer. They seem ,to me anyway, to have goals. To be firmly grounded, face reality and the world head on with confidence. How does this happen? What are they getting living on boats, traveling around the world that they don't receive here anchored at home? You would think that kids would be less self confident with never knowing what is in store for them around the bend or in the next anchorage. However it seems to be the exact opposite. Why is that? Really I wish and hope that one of you out there reading this knows the answer and would let me know.



But in the mean time we have to get back to my list.






#50#50#50#50#50






number fifty






50






To save my little guy. To keep him from turning into a lost teenager with no goals or ambition. To instill him the confidence that he can only get from facing the world full steam ahead and successfully making it back to port.



Wish me luck. Pray for me. Make a sacrifice to the gods and whatever else might help. To keeps us heading in the right direction. Someday SOON. Sailing off into the sunset.






Pictures taken in Hope Town, Bahamas
So just a reminder. Hug your kids. Take them on an adventure. And don't forget to stop and smell the flowers.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Weeds UGH

My least favorite thing about summers in Florida?


WEEDS


#49 no weeds to pull, fight with, or spray


I came home today and stood in my front yard and thought UGH what a mess. But there is beauty in everything if you look close enough, long enough, or hard enough. So here are some pictures all taken in my front yard.


The pink ones by the anchors are dessert rose.

The white ones are jasmine and I have had this bush for years and this is the first time it has ever bloomed . Probably because just 2 days ago I said " I think I will get rid of that bush" it must of heard me.

Don't know what the yellow ones are called.








The red ones are a butterfly bush.


And the red and white ones are bleeding hearts.
And most of these lovely flowers live without any help from me, happily side by side with the weeds. How cool is that.

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Who Knows?

So I think schedules are way overrated however a routine is nice to have. Knowing what is coming and trying to be prepared. Knowing you never really are because what you think is on its way is usually derailed by something else. And even though I know that what I'm prepared for will not be the only thing I have to deal with it make me feel a little better having my aforementioned false since of security. Who knows maybe I'll make a list! That always makes me feel better.

I have subbed at both the High School and the Middle schools now and never get what I am expecting. Last week I had P.E. at the High School. Stood all day in the hot sun (100 degrees) with a bunch if bratty kids. Today I had P.E. at the middle school and went prepared sunscreen and all and spent the entire day in the gym with good kids shivering. Go figure!
Who can guess what tomorrow might bring?
Later
Terrie