Vanishing Turtles

     My granddaughter, Hallie, has been dying to see the turtle that lives in the canal near my home, but as soon as she takes a step towards the canal, he vanishes under the water.  Aiden was actually with me when I took this picture, but I am not sure if he actually saw the turtle or not. I didn't dare say anything and being only 2, Aiden couldn't tell me afterwards if he had seen the turtle or not.

      I have discovered that now there is actually a whole family of turtles living there. On a sunny afternoon, they will all be out sunning themselves, but as soon as they hear your footstep, they vanish all together. It is amazing how synchronized they are.  I was able to take this picture by parking my bike further down the road and then tiptoeing back. I got one picture. Then I took one step to see if I could get closer and they were gone.

Florida

     
     After a week up north, I am really glad to be back in Florida where it is warm.  How could I have forgotten what it was like to be cold so much of the time? The monarch butterfly in the picture above was waiting for us in our enclosed porch when we came home. He had come out of his chrysalis while we were away.  
     We have been here a year now.  Last year we were still getting unpacked at Christmas, so things weren't done in their usual way. This year I felt like I was experiencing a Florida Christmas for the first time. It was a novel experience to listen to Amy Grant singing "Emmanuel" and turn up the sound loud to hear it in the back yard while I watered the garden. Now I am putting decorations away and wearing a tank top. It is nice to be too warm instead of cold in January. I hear the birds through my windows and wonder how anyone could miss the cold snow.
     

Treasure Coast Hot Dogs

     I am sorry to say we had to close Treasure Coast Hot Dogs. We tried to find a way to keep it open, but it just wasn't working out. Despite a lot of positive feedback from customers who loved our restaurant, there weren't enough of them to cover our costs and we can't afford to stay open. I think that in time it would do well, but the expenses are just too great for us to keep paying them in the mean time. John will go back to working for Schmitt Sales as a part time gasoline sales rep. Hopefully, we will be able to find someone to take over our lease on the restaurant.  
     It is actually nice to have things back to normal now that the restaurant is closed. John was working way too hard for too many hours a day and it was too much for me to babysit Aiden 4 days a week. Although we now have financial issues, they are actually less worry than it was to worry every day that there would be enough sales to pay labor costs and not increase our debt. It was nice having a place to play my music, but a lot of the music I like to play wasn't appropriate for a hot dog restaurant and I didn't always do very well playing instrumental arrangements of pop music.  Now I have time for my renaissance guitar and my new ronroco. I even have a gig next week playing my renaissance guitar for an afternoon tea at a retirement community. More about the ronroco later.

Ringing in the New Year

     We left Florida Wednesday morning, December 28th,  at 6 am and drove to my son's home in Maryland, arriving at 10 pm. My husband and my daughter, Marie, took turns driving and I helped to occupy Hallie & Aiden. Hallie was extremely good on the long car ride and Aiden was pretty good for a 2 year old. In Maryland, we finally got to see our new grandson, John Paul, who was born November 20th. We exchanged Christmas presents and John D. gave us gifts he brought back from his trip to China. Thursday night we went to see the festival of lights they have at their botanical gardens.  It was very cold walking around the gardens, but the beautiful lights were worth it.  Hallie & Aiden had a great time. 

Cousins

Hallie dressed as a Chinese Princess

John J., John D., & John Paul

     Friday we drove to my daughter Ruth's home in Pennsylvania and there was just enough snow left for me to help Hallie make a snow man and a small fort. We couldn't believe how much Lorelei has grown since we saw her at Thanksgiving. That night we rang in the New Year with Ruth & Jimmi and some of their friends. 

     On Sunday, January 3, Lorelei and John Paul,  were baptized  at a special mass concelebrated by a priest who is a friend of our family, Fr. Jeff Rott,  and a priest who is a friend of my daughter-in-law. I played my renaissance guitar at the mass and my niece Dominique played with me on some of the songs. I brought the renaissance guitar because it was easier to fit in the car with everything else we had to bring and it's unique sound was a nice touch for the mass in the chapel.  After the mass there was a nice celebration in one of the church's meeting rooms with lots of food for everyone.

John Paul's Baptism Gown is from Assisi, Italy & his blanket made by Sara's Mom.

Lorelei's Baptism Gown was made by my Grandma Sausner

I made Lorelei's sweater and hat.

Grandchildren

    On Saturday, Hallie was in a dance recital at 1 pm and then in a parade with the cheerleaders from her school at 6 pm.  She did very well in the ballet. In between the dances by the classes of young dancers, we enjoyed seeing the teenagers dance parts of the Nutcracker, which they would be presenting that evening. They were very good and it was nice to see that the school she is at has such good dancers. We hope she will one day be dancing the Nutcracker.
     The parade was at the Civic Center and was a big event. The best part of the parade was watching Aiden watch the parade. His eyes were as big as saucers as he took everything in and waved to everyone, from the police cars at the beginning, to the many floats, and of course his sister's cheerleading group.
     I am looking forward to seeing John Paul, my newest grandchild, in 3 more weeks. We plan to leave Florida early on Tuesday December 28 and drive to Maryland. We will have Marie, Hallie, and Aiden with us.  Marie will share the driving with John and I will have to keep Hallie & Aiden occupied.  John keeps telling me it will be harder than I think. Even though we went on many long road trips when our children were small, children today aren't used to sitting still very long.
     After a couple days in Maryland, we will drive to Pennsylvania where Lorelei and John Paul will be baptized on Jan. 2.   We are glad Ruth and John D. were able to plan these baptisms together so we only need to make one trip north.

Baby Lorelei- continued

Lorelei is much happier now that she has been in Florida a few days. Here are some pictures of her adventures:

She was a good girl while Mommy went shopping in the morning on Black Friday.

After lunch Mommy & Daddy went to a movie with Aunt Marie & Uncle Brian. We went for a walk with Hallie pushing Aiden and holding Iris's leash and Grandma pushed Lorelei. 

There is a Little Blue Heron behind cousin Hallie in this picture. Grandma forgot to bring her good camera and had to use her phone camera.

If you look closely you can see an Anhinga on the rocks.

After the walk Lorelei and Aiden took naps.

 Saturday morning Lorelei played with Grandpa and then played on the play mat.

Baby Lorelei

     We are delighted to have Ruth, Jimmi, and Lorelei here for Thanksgiving. So far,  Lorelei has been a fussy baby and doesn't like to let anyone but her Mommy hold her. Now I know why Ruth has called me and told me she can't get Lorelei to stop crying. She screams so loud you are afraid she is going to hurt herself.  We were at my sister Cindi's on Thanksgiving. Cindi usually has a magic touch with babies, but even she said, "This is a tough one."  When she finally got Lorelei to stop crying, Cindi said to look at the positive side. "She is very strong and kicks her legs very hard. When she grows up it will be good that she is so strong." 
     In the meantime, she is challenging us, but we still love her very much. She likes to go for walks and hopefully soon, she will like to be held by Grandma.

At the park with Grandma.

Aunt Cindi's "baby girl" turned 21 this week!

Thanksgiving Day at Great Aunt Cindi's home.

Thanksgiving Thanks

     Thanksgiving is this Thursday and we have a lot to be thankful for.  
     We have a new grandson, John Paul Giorgis, who was just born on Saturday in Maryland. He is grandchild number 4.  Lorelei Elizabeth Thomas, in Pennsylvania, was born 2 days before my birthday in August. Then we have the Elys, Aiden, age 2, and Hallie, age 5, who are lucky enough to live only 3 miles from us. We are thankful for 4 healthy grandchildren.
     Our restaurant, Treasure Coast Hot Dogs, opened October 19. It was a lot of work to get it opened and business is still too slow to pay the bills, but we are slowly getting more customers and the response from people who have eaten with us has been very favorable. It is a great home town restaurant where people on a fast food budget can enjoy a meal with their family in a pleasant atmosphere that even features live music at certain times. We are thankful to have our own restaurant and continue to pray for its success.
     The weather in Florida is beautiful now! We do have seasons, but not as pronounced as in the north. Our weather now reminds me of summer in Buffalo. High temps in the low 80's and in the 60's at night. We use the A/C some days, but we don't need it 24/7 like we did in the summer. Our summer electric bills were not as bad as I expected- no wheres near as high as heating costs in winter in the north. I have fresh tomatoes now- our growing season is September to May. I don't know if my tomato plants will last that long, but we will see. The sand hill cranes and ibis that wander our neighborhood and the cormorants that fly overhead continue to delight us. We are thankful to live in such a beautiful place where we were able to buy a beautiful home at a reasonable price.
     Ruth & Jimmi & Lorelei fly in on Wednesday. Thursday we will drive down to my sister Cindi's home in Fort Lauderdale for Thanksgiving dinner. The Elys will be in Ocala with Brian's family.  On Saturday we will cook turkey and have Thanksgiving again with Ruth and Marie and 3 grandchildren. John Paul is not ready to travel yet, so his other grandparents from Pennsylvania will get to enjoy him on Thanksgiving. We are looking forward to traveling to Maryland and Pennsylvania the last week in December for a joint Baptism for Lorelei and John Paul on January 2. Our family friend, Father Jeff Rott will baptize the 2 babies.

All Saints Day

All Saints Day is always a holy day, but it was not a holy day of obligation this year. Our church was having an extra mass at 10 am, but the music director would not be playing since it was not a day of obligation. I offered to play and I am glad that I did. I thought the priest would say to just play a few songs, since the people wouldn't be expecting music, but instead he said to play all the mass parts too. After mass, a woman came up to me immediately and said, "Thank you for playing. It adds much."  It made me feel right at home- I had often heard the same words at my old church in Pennsylvania. As I packed up and was leaving, several more people and the priest thanked me for playing.  I had played several days a week in Pennsylvania, but mass was at 9 am and the church was 5 minutes from my home. It really would be pushing myself too much to play at their 8 am mass more than once a week when the church is 25 minutes away. However, they have a 9 am daily mass for the snowbirds beginning in December. I told them I will play for 9 am mass on some feast days. Now, if only it would lead to some paying jobs.

Treasure Coast Hot Dogs

Treasure Coast Hot Dogs has been open almost 2 weeks now. Business is still slow, but it will take time. I think we have a neat concept- an inexpensive place to eat out with live music and a friendly ambiance. We have some great employees that are very dedicated and working hard to provide good service to the customers. 


The ladies from my tap dance class came on Friday and enjoyed having lunch while listening to Bob play his accordion. The staff is still learning how to handle a large group that comes in at once, but they did OK.  I had Aiden with me and he spilled his soda, which didn't help.


I enjoy playing my guitar at the restaurant. It is nice to have an outlet for my music, even without getting paid. The nice thing is that I have the flexibility to set my own hours and take breaks when I need to.

Aiden claps when the song ends.

Sunrise Park

I met with Chuck Proulx and Bradley Keen from the Parks Department last Thursday. They are glad I have come forward to help them create a new park in the Becker Road area of Port St. Lucie. The city already owns land that is zoned for a park, but in these days of budget cut backs, we have to find new ways to fund parks. That includes getting the community involved and applying for grants. The grant that I found online from the state of Florida will be a good one for us, but we did not have time to apply this year, so we will have to apply next September.  They agreed that my grandchildren will be grown by the time there is money in the city budget.


The first step is to find people in the community that want a park. This will be a "pocket park" which will typically draw people within a half mile radius, who can walk or ride a bike to the park. The only problem is that the location of the land the city owns is 2 miles from my house by road- less if I ride my bike along the canal. So, I don't know the residents in the area and I need to get at least 50 names of people that are in favor of a park. I have started talking to a few people that I have seen outside and have gotten them to give me their names and e-mail addresses. 

John Michael Talbot Concert

                 When I read my e-mail last Wednesday, I saw that John Michael Talbot was in Florida.  Florida? I didn’t realize he was going to Florida!  So I went to his website and  looked at his schedule.  I used Google maps to calculate the distance from my home to each of John Michael’s appearances in Florida. The closest location was Orlando, more than 2 hours from me, but it was on day when my schedule was clear. I decided to go. I posted on Facebook that I was going.

                John Michael was speaking at a seminary.  I thought it might be interesting and a little different than a concert, which it was. The time of 1:00-3:00 was perfect for someone with a long drive.  When I got there I found out it was a Methodist seminary.  It put a different angle on John Michael’s talk- in recent years I had always heard him at Catholic churches.  It was interesting to hear him compare John Wesley to St. Francis. I learned a lot. I have always been interested in the ecumenical movement, but as a cradle Catholic, I do not know a lot about the Protestant churches.  John Michael sang songs calling on the Holy Spirit and I could feel the Spirit moving among us drawing us together.  His guitar sounded beautiful, as always.

                After the question and answer period, I went to buy something for John Michael to sign. Since I already have 16 of his CDs and 6 books, not to mention records and tapes from the time before CDs, it was hard finding something. I decided to get the book Simplicity, which is one of his older books that I did not have.

                The last time I saw John Michael, in September 2007, I had been very disappointed when he announced that because he wasn’t feeling well, he would not be available after the concert.  This time he was available and the line wasn’t even very long because some people had left for 2:30 classes.  So here was my big chance to talk to John Michael, and I couldn’t think of anything to say.  All I said was “Thank you,” as he signed my book.  As I drove away I thought that I should have told him how much his music means to me and that it is always refreshing to see him, no matter how many times, and how his music has influenced my guitar playing. Thank you very much John Michael!

Sunrise Park

Mr. Chuck Proulx, the city parks director agrees with me that southwest Port St. Lucie needs a park. 

He has suggested a lot between Kestor Dr. and Bradshaw Circle. The city already owns the property and yes it is adjacent to the canal. It is east of my original suggestion, all the better for viewing the sunrise.

The city has no money. When policemen are being laid off, you know a new park will be a low priority. if we wait until the city has money, our children and grandchildren will be grown. We will have to raise  money and apply for grants.

Treasure Coast Classical Guitar Society

     When I moved to Port St. Lucie, there was one other classical guitarist in the area. Rowdy Carlton teaches in Stuart. I actually found his website before I moved here. Well our numbers recently doubled. In the past 2 months, 2 other classical guitarists, Martin and Ernesto,  have contacted me after finding my website. They both moved here this past spring. Ernesto asked me if there was a guitar society in this area. The closest guitar societies are Orlando and Miami. There used to be one in Melbourne (1 1/2 hours north), but it is currently inactive. It looks like it is time to start a classical guitar society. There are 4 of us now, plus Rowdy has some adult and teen students who play well.

      In 2009 I was elected president of the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society. I had to resign when we moved to Florida, but that year of experience will be helpful.  While I was president we revised the by-laws, which were outdated at the time. 

     My plan is to have some concerts featuring our local guitarists. We have some real talent here and can advertise on the local classical radio station. (Port St. Lucie actually has a better classical radio station than Philly.)  We will use the admission money we collect to be the seed money to bring in guitarists from out of the area. As we raise appreciation of the classical guitar in the Treasure Coast area, it should help the 4 of us to get new students.

Sunrise Park

     For as long as we have lived here, I have thought we needed a park closer to my home.  However, I thought that the parks department would tell me we have a park not far away, Whispering Pines.  Well last week the parks department published a section of the newspaper all about the parks in Port St. Lucie. The section begins with an editorial citing the benefits of neighborhood parks. On the back page there is a map showing all the parks.  When you look at the map, you realize how there are no parks in our area. Other areas of Port St. Lucie have clusters of parks, but there are no parks in the Becker Road area. Most of the homes in our area are less than 10 years old, so that may have something to do with it.
     Unfortunately, nearly every day there are articles in the paper about how the city has no money. They just laid off policemen, so there is no way there will be money for a new park. I have an idea to try and raise money for a park and purchase a waterfront lot on the canal. John doesn't think I will be able to raise the money, but I think that a lot of people who do not have waterfront lots would be willing to contribute. 
     The lot that I have in mind is at the end of a street and adjacent to property owned by Martin County for access to the canal. I think it is a good location for a park. My proposal follows:

Proposed Park- Sunrise Park

 786 SW Abode Ave. Port St. Lucie

(adjacent to the Martin County property at the end of Abode Ave.)

1. a picnic shelter with 4 picnic tables

2. a children’s play area with a fence to keep small children from wandering to the canal

4. a pier for fishing and  where people could  put a canoe or kayak in the water

5. parking for 4 cars

Raising Money for Sunrise Park

1. Ask for contributions from residents of the area

            a. initial goal of 25 area residents contributing $1000 each or

            250 residents contributing $100 each to purchase the lot

            b. smaller contributions from area residents

2. Coin donation jars in area stores

3. Benefit concerts given by area musicians

I have sent a letter to the parks commissioner and I am starting to talk to area residents. I will need to set up a non-profit group- Friends of Sunrise Park.  Wish me luck!

A Busy Week

I have been in PA for a week and it ended up being a busy week. 
 
Thurs. Aug. 26- I arrived in Philly at 11 am and Ruth had a 1 pm appointment at a fire hall for help in installing her car seat.  Yes, the car seat will fit in her Hyundai accent, but no one can sit in the front passenger seat when the car seat is in the car. That's OK. When they go places, Jimmi can drive and Ruth will sit in the back next to the baby.  They hope to get a new car in the spring, but this will work for now. We got a lot of useful information- this is a nice program from Children's Hospital that they run at various locations.
     Ruth goes to hospital at 7 pm to be induced. Her good friends Alex and Allison come with us and stay at the hospital until she is settled in her room. Ruth is given something to soften her cervix and a sleeping pill. I go back to her house to sleep and my son-in-law comes a little later.
 
Fri. Aug. 27- When I get up, my son-in-law, Jimmi, has already gone back to the hospital. Ruth had been told they would probably begin giving her medicine to induce labor around 10 am. However, the hospital had 2 births that morning and so that was delayed. 
   I planned to stay at the hospital all day. However, after lunch in the hospital cafeteria, my stomach is feeling upset and I am very tired. Ruth is only having a very few small contractions, so I go back to her house and take a nap. Her house is only 2 1/2 miles from the hospital, so it is real convenient. 
    When I get back to the hospital, Ruth is smiling. She doesn't look like she is in labor, but I hear how she was in tears a little while ago and now she has had an epidural and is feeling much better.
     Around 8:15 pm Ruth is ready to start pushing. After a lot of pushing, Lorelei Elizabeth is born at 9:49 pm. She weighs 8 lb.1 oz. and has lots of dark hair. Ruth ends up with a lot of stitches. My first baby was 8 lb. 2 oz. and I likewise had a lot of stitches.
 
Sat.- I have time to rest at my daughter's house before grandparent visiting hours start at 11 am. I visit for a little while and they leave so other visitors can come- only 2 are allowed at one time. I go back and visit again in the evening.
 
Sun.-  I went to church at my old parish and played my charango, which I brought because it is easy to carry. It was good to see everyone again. I didn't really appreciate how nice a parish we had until we moved away. 
   Ruth and Lorelei came home from the hospital around 12:30. My friend Sara had invited me to go to a guitar concert at  Mt. Gretna  with her. Everything seemed under control with mother and baby, so I went to the concert. It was very nice and I was glad that I went.

Mon.- When Lorelei wakes up, I notice her left eye doesn't look very good. I don't want to say anything and worry Ruth, but then Ruth asks me if Lorelei looks a little yellow. I say her skin looks OK, but her eye looks a little yellow.  Ruth calls the doctor and makes the baby's follow-up appointment for Wednesday and then asks if she should be concerned about the eye. The doctor says come over and she'll look at the eye. The doctor says it looks like a little jaundice, but it doesn't look like it is in the skin yet. She gives a script for a blood test and says to put the baby in sun light. The blood test comes back normal, so that is good.
 
Tues.- At 6 am Ruth tells me Lorelei has been up every hour all night. We go to change her and see she baby has a rash all over her back, stomach, and on her arms and legs. Poor baby- no wonder she didn't sleep well!  I am immediately concerned because I know Ruth used All Free and Clear to wash the baby clothes and not something specifically for babies. We call the doctor and they say to wash her clothes in Dreft and that we can put a moisturizer on the rash.
      Ruth has a morning appointment with her doctor  because she has been having a lot of pain when she goes to the bathroom. They do a urine test and say there is no infection, it is just because of  all the stitches.  
       I begin washing Lorelei's clothes. When I finally have a blanket that has been rewashed and is dry, I lay her on the blanket in the warm upstairs bedroom, wearing only a diaper, and she takes a long nap. When she wakes up the rash is almost gone.  However, a few red splotches reappear when Ruth feeds her. Ruth gets very angry with me when I suggest Lorelei could have an allergy to their 2 dogs. When Ruth nurses Lorelei, her dog Iris sits right there on the couch with her and Bogie is usually at her feet.

Wed.- At the baby's checkup, the doctor says the rash is a normal baby rash and not from the laundry soap or the dogs. Jimmi's parents come over and bring their other granddaughter, Chloe, who is almost 2 and a bundle of energy.
 
Thurs.- Jimmi  has knee surgery. His mother takes him and it goes very well.
 
Fri.- Ruth is finally feeling good enough to shop and pick out material for baby's curtains for me to sew. She has valences that match the crib set, but needs curtains with them. I stay up until almost midnight sewing. 
 
Sat.- My son and his wife, John D. and Sara, and Ruth's friend, Alex, come to visit. The heat wave has broken and it is a beautiful day. We have a picnic dinner sitting on Ruth's front porch and everyone takes turns holding Lorelei.
 
Sun.- Another beautiful day and another picnic. My brother Ray comes from New Jersey with his girl friend Allegra and his daughter Dominique. We have a real nice visit. Jimmi's parents also come over with his grandmother. 

Lorelei.

Ruth's baby picture.

Lute Society Seminar

The last week in June I attended a seminar with the Lute Society of America in Cleveland, Ohio. There were concerts every day, lectures on early music, and lessons on playing my renaissance guitar. It was amazing to spend the week with so many people interested in the lute and related instruments and everyone was very friendly. I was surprised to learn that it is believed that Palestrina used a lute when composing some of his church music. A lute or even a renaissance guitar might have been played in church back in the day before every church had an organ. I bought a CD by the Venere Lute Quartet which has Palestrina's Missa Brevis and a number of his motets. I also bought a CD by Ronn McFarlane that has original contemporary music played on lute. It has a unique sound that I like a lot.

The last night I played with a lute band to accompany a 17th c. opera, La Daphne, which is believed to be one of the first operas. The vocalists sang extremely well and it was fun to be a part of the production.

My roommate in the dorm was a woman from Alaska and we got along real well together. We are looking forward to the next LSA Seminar in two years.





 

                                                                                                                                           

Gail Gillispie, a member of the Venere Quartet, invited us to her room for a "lute tasting."

View of the chapel ceiling.

Paul O'Dette

Ronn Mc Farlane

Karen, my roommate.