Listen to the wind blow

Today is the third day of walking over the causeway. It is getting easier, but there was a cold front coming through so my ears were freezing!  I didn't have to stop to rest except for once and that was more to pull my hood up so my ears would not freeze.   

I am still doing just once over and then back, but next week I am going to try to go over and back twice. Hopefully the cool weather sticks around for awhile because the first day I did this, it was warm and muggy and I don't like warm and muggy when I am walking or riding.

I have a meeting at the school tonight, so this is all I've got.  

Will try to post something tomorrow.

Lia

11/10/2025

Upward over the Mountain

 My granddaughter has been going to the same private school for eight years.  She is in the 8th grade this year and next year she will go over to the high school. 

In May the school takes all the graduating eight graders to a camp up in the mountains of Tennessee, Camp Eagle Rock.

The parents go also if they want to go (grandparent in my case).  

At first I was a bit hesitant because at my age, I can't keep up with a bunch of rambunctious kids. Having served as a camp counselor for several summers when my youngest was a kid, I know it can be fun, but tiring and that was long ago.  

Last week I went to an award ceremony at her school.  She has been a straight A honor roll student for four years now since she came to live with me after my daughter died.  Anyhow, I was there and the PE teacher who is in charge of getting this trip together asked me if I was going to Eagle Rock.  I told her I didn't think so, that I didn't think I could keep up the pace with the students. She acted disappointed and then asked me how old I was.  I told her I am 70.  She seemed taken aback at that and said "there is no way, you sure don't look 70!".   Hmmm, methinks she should get some glasses, but it was nice to hear that and other people told me the same on many occasions.  But not looking 70 and not feeling 70 are two different things haha.  

At any rate, she said the "parents" weren't expected to participate in all the activities like rock climbing and walking across this flimsy rope bridge and canoeing and who knows what else.  She said the only thing the parents had to do was climb to the top of the mountain on the trail. She said it is not a rough trail, just quite the incline. Well a few years ago, maybe 5 or 6 I met up with a friend of mine in Gatlinburg. We went over to Clingman's Dome and decided to walk to the top of it. Mind you this was actually a paved trail, but I had a hard time. Not so much walking up, but as you get higher in altitude it becomes harder to breathe and I thought maybe I was gonna die right there.  Two summers ago we met up again and didn't go to Clingman's Dome, but we did a lot of walking and let me tell you, when you live in Florida, you just don't have hills to climb. Everything is flat land. I was in pretty good shape because I had been walking and biking, but walking up and down  in the hill country is a whole other ball game.   I thought maybe I would die there too hahaha!!

Now, I am 70. I still walk, I still ride my bike, but I  don't have any hills to climb and definitely no mountains.   So how am I going to get in shape to even begin to walk up that trail?  I don't want to be the last one huffing and puffing my way up, although there are a few chunky (fat) parents that might have the same issue.  Then I had an idea.   I can start walking over the causeway several times a week.  At least I can get used to hill climbing, though it is not a mountain, it is still elevated and I used to walk there all the time and believe me if you are not used to it, you get a good workout.   

So today I trudge up and then down, and back up and then down, once.  I plan on going 4 times a week and riding my bike the other three.  That is about the best I can do for training and you know what?  I AM going to make it up to the top of Eagle Rock.  It might be my last big adventure, but at least I can say I did it!

Here is the causeway.  It doesn't look that high, but it is when you have to walk it.  

And here is where I will be next May.

Much love,

Lia

11/04/2025

My town flooded

 About a week ago, it started raining, and raining, and raining.  And then it rained some more for a total of 14.9 inches in just a few hours.  

It came down very hard, harder than most of the hurricanes I have been through, and I have been through several.

I was fine in my subdivision, thank goodness. I rarely ever get a mud puddle, but with that much rain, I am surprised. By the next morning it was wet outside, but I would never have guessed that half the town had major flooding. 

City hall got flooded, one of the fire stations, a couple of the schools and lots of houses had water intrusion, some worse than others.  

I guess a few people had to be rescued from their cars because like dummies they drove into flooded streets and didn't realize how deep it was or either they just didn't have sense.  

I went out on my bike the next morning and rode around to some of the other neighborhoods.  About a mile down the street from where I live, they are building a new subdivision. There was a pond there, but after the rain it looked about twice the size, like a full-fledged lake.  Down the street from there all the houses had literal ponds in their yards and one guy had major flooding in his back yard.  Of course, there is a drainage canal nearby, so they all got the overflow from that.  

I didn't see any displaced alligators anywhere, so that was a good thing.  

Today there are still some places where the water has not completely receded.   

The actual bike trail got flooded but I think that has cleared up now, but I have not been out to check.

My daughter who lives about five miles from me had water in her back yard for a couple of days, but luckily it did not get into the house. 

Anyway, sorry I have not been around.  Just been busy and really can't think of anything to write these days.  I guess I have lost my motivation in my old age.

Who would have thought at one time I would write every day, sometimes twice a day.

We are coming up on the holidays and once again, I have relatives invading my house soon, but none of them are staying too long.'

I hope everyone is doing well and just know I DO think of you all often, even if you don't hear from me.

Much love,

Lia 

11/3/2025