Grace Life and the Nesbitts

Joe and Jean Nesbitt are now Descipleship Counselors with GraceLife Intl. They have worked long and hard to become qualified to help others seeking Christian counseling. We have known Joe for years and he spent some of those years learning, reading, practicing, understanding, enriching his beliefs and faith in God. He married Jean a couple of years ago. She is an excellent counselor and between the two of them, they now serve together in Asheville NC. They are gracious and kind to be with. Jean reminds me so of our new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, who has a warm smile and a gentle way of reaching out to people.

When we were in NC recently, Joe and Jean were not. We attended the wedding of our Grandson Kolby to his lovely new wife Kirstie. A very nice wedding and reception where we were also able to see many friends and family and meet new family members!

We miss Joe and Jean. We are warmed by their faith.

Grace Always, Donna

http://www.gracelifeinternational.com/counseling.htm

Of late I am plagued with tears for two reasons. This is one reason. The other is my PTSD, but that is another story.

I had a cat named Buddy Boy who used to live with my neighbors Joe and Karen but moved to the barn when Joe let several cats outside. He became a somewhat feral cat. Every night for several years, I would meet Buddy Boy (my name for him; he was originally named Charlie) on our front porch and feed him, and teach him with great patience, chatter, and some chicken, that it was okay to be touched by me. After about a year we were close enough that I no longer had to wait for him to show up but could instead call him and he would typically show up within minutes, often waiting by the barn ready to sprint at hearing “Buddy Boy!” Buddy Boy and I would sit together, watch stars, see the planes go overhead, listen for coyotes, and even talk about family, friends, politics and the mysteries of life! He was a great listener. Eventually he would sit in my lap on the rocking chair. I built a shelter of chairs and blankets to keep him warm on our porch if he decided to spend the night on our porch. I brought him in once in a while, but it would terrify him and these events were brief. He adopted another cat, a kitten, and guided that kitten in hunting, hiding, and meeting me and Patrick and Ashley and Kolby. His name became Little Guy and we were fortunate to find him a home in NC as he was able to be an indoor cat. But not so with Buddy Boy. Inside still panicked him after three years!

Our dear friend, Karen, agreed to take three of our cats when we moved to Florida. She took Mitzi and Mary Ann (the twins) and they stayed in her home a while, then Mitzi moved to the barn. Buddy Boy stayed in a while, then he moved to the barn. Karen feeds the barn cats, thank goodness, but she says she has not seen Buddy Boy since he went out. This broke my heart, which was already riddled with sorrow.

We moved to Florida and are now living in our new home with two of our cats, Callie and Kitty Karen. Holly and Gracie remain with Joe and Melanie and primarily live outdoors by choice. Callie and Karen live indoors. Uncle Tom now lives with us, with his cat Molly who has never been an outside cat. She is about 10 and has adapted beautifully. Of course, Molly has known Pat and me and Skipper from our many visits to see Tom and Dorothy in Virginia over the last three years. Dorothy passed away last year.

In the last week or so, I find my thoughts are focused on Buddy Boy often and suddenly. I do not know why since I tend to be one who pushes sorrow away from my heart so I can move on and come back to deal with it in solemn moments by myself. I have not been able to understand why this is happening recently so often. Two nights ago I had a dream in which I saw Buddy Boy sitting on a table in our bedroom doorway. He looked wonderful. He was watching me so lovingly. He looked solid, not like a spirit. I immediately opened my eyes, but the doorway was empty of table or cat.

I talked with Ruth yesterday and she has heard no word about Buddy Boy from Karen, but Karen will be in NC and she will check for me.

Since he is a now feral cat with barn feedings, I will not know if he was just stopping by in spirit to say hello and to let me know he is okay, or stopping by in spirit to let me know he has passed on and to say goodbye. I cry as I write this. I love you Buddy Boy, so much! Love, “Mama”

Orangutan Walk and Pants on the Ground

In the last couple of weeks I have been experiencing a seriously strained hip muscle which causes me to favor my right side. In the morning now, I can walk like a human; in the late afternoon, I am imitating more of an orangutan walk -- or so I joke.

While driving Ashley to school on a recent morning during which my leg and hip were bothering me considerably, I noticed, really noticed, for the first time the walk of a young man wearing low riding, wide leg shorts. The type of pants that became famous or perhaps infamous when American Idol's search for talent presented General Larry Platt and his popular and memorable rap ditty called Pants on the Ground. This rendition tells the story of a young man "looking like a fool with his pants on the ground!" Larry Platt says he sung it because he felt the younger generation was not honoring the sacrifices made by the civil rights movement per CBS Entertainment News in January of 2010.

This young man was walking with his legs wide apart to keep the sagging pants from falling to his knees and beyond! This caused me to wonder if this type of wide-stance walking for the sake of vanity will cause him medical issues in older life due to what must be some strain on muscles not previously required for the simple act of walking down a concrete path or sidewalk. Hummm?

As babies, we walked with our legs wide apart for balance until we improved our technique with lots of practice and lots of plopping down hard in our diapers to the ground or floor.

Dublin Georgia's mayor announced recently that he would sign an ordinance fining violators $25 for their first offense of extreme low riding pants and too revealing underwear or skin, followed by $200 fine for additional offenses. Now he has, indeed, signed this law that states anyone wearing pants or skirts more than 3" below the tops of their hips and exposing skin or underwear will be cited. There are definitely critics of this new law that the Mayor favored on the grounds of showing respect for one another. No mention of medical impact of this practice long term in the ordinance article.

Anyway, let the young man dress the way he wants. As he ages, he will likely change his style and his gait and avoid lasting effects.

In the meantime, my orangutan walk is worrisome to me as it is causing my thigh to hurt from the straining of different muscles. But! But, it is improving and I will not suffer lasting gait effects from this injury.

Let's Walk on!!

Friday the 13th

We are in our new home and still unpacking.  But, we are enjoying it all too.  Except perhaps for this past Friday the 13th.  Murphy's Law was in full effect in our world!

When I took Ashley to school, a bicyclist turned right in front of us.  We stopped in time, but I was not happy about this.  That was #1.  #2 was a squirrel did the same thing.  Again, we were able to get around the squirrel and he survived - he was soooo lucky.  #3 arrived when I stopped at Ashley's house and we went in and then I took her, Gandalf, and Skipper to drop her off at school.  All going well.  Since I was only going to Melbourne once that day, I drove back to her dad's to drop off Gandalf.  That is when #4 struck - my keys to get into the house were in the house!  Drat.  And I did not have Gandalf's meds despite my now driving to our house with both dogs.  Gandalf loved this as he got to spend the whole day in Grammy & Grandad Daycare.  All this occurred in about an hour.  Still had not connected it was Friday the 13th.

Onward to home events.  Pat and I decided to put up our first Hunter 5-Minute Stratford fan.  Along came #5, an appropriate number considering this was the "5-Minute Fan"    The "red" wire which was never ever mentioned in the Hunter instructions defied us.  We got the wires together and turned it on...SPARKS!  Quickly turned off.  Charred spot on metal plate.  Drat, double drat, that mysterious red wire.  To the web for info on this.  Others had encountered the same problem and gave options.   After fooling with this for about 2 hours (for a 5-minute fan), we gave up for the day but not before dropping a screw from the fan directly into the fan!  Oh well. 

The rest of the day was, in general, non-Murphys's Law.

Saturday morning Pat got the fan up and the fan and the light work great.  We love it!  Thank God it was now Saturday the 14th!

Heritage High School

Ashley will be attending Heritage High School in Palm Bay next year in one of Florida's Choice programs. Heritage is fairly new, having its first senior class this coming year. Ashley was accepted to Heritage's dual programs - Cambridge AICE and Sports Medicine. No small accomplishment. Her equivalent 5/5 FCAT testing and her 4.0 GPA earned her the privilege. The coming year will be exciting for her and I am sure we will have many posts on this blog regarding Heritage. For now, let me share a bit about Heritage.

These are pictures of this $80 million school that is at least partially funded by the Florida Lottery program and which is built on a 65-acre campus and comprised of 10 buildings. In the Cambridge AICE Program Ashley will be part of a "cohort," a partnership of the students and teachers knitted tightly together  for the core classes in an academy setting with courses that will ultimately apply as college credits.  Many of her teachers will have their Masters' Degrees. Part of her graduation requirements are 75 hours of volunteer service and this also applies to her earning the Bright Futures Scholarship funded by the Lottery.  Since Ashley is considering being a doctor, the school will work with her to find some volunteer work in the medical field if possible.  Nice.  She will also be touring medical schools in Florida on special Sports Medicine field trips.  And she will be certified as a National First Responder if she chooses to do this.   

The school colors are Blue/Black/White with the mascot being a Panther.  This school adjoins Three Forks Marsh and she is likely to find deer, boar, coyote, alligator and possibly a real panther crossing its grounds from time to time!  Patrick and I live on the other side of the school and we have been told many times that we will on occasion find wild animals crossing our neighborhood too. 

It is all very exciting.  Be sure to watch the video at the top.  It is 9 minutes, but shows a lot about the school when it was being built and planned for its first year.

Go, Ashley, Go!

Winds

Caren and I were chatting about the wind here in Melbourne today.  She, through my looking at things in Florida with such newness and wonder, remarked on how often it IS breezy or windy on the Space Coast.  Somehow, for her it had become the norm and somewhat taken for granted or overlooked.  For Caren, Patrick and I it is wonderful.  Gone are the blustery and bitter winds of the winters and early springs  in North Carolina now replaced with Florida breezes.  March is no longer the, too often, cold and extremely windy month.  March is now the pleasantly breezy and gusty month.  How delightful this is. 

                                                                             Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

--Kahlil Gibran

 

 

Picture from
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1978848/posts#comment

 



Strawberry Festival

Last weekend we went to the Strawberry Festival (YUM!) at Wickham Park. Caren and Roger, Pat and me. Nice. Chocolate and White Chocolate-covered Strawberries. Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. Funnel Cake. Sodas. Dunkin Donut Coffee...and much more. Music by various groups. A kid's amusement area -complete with a Swamper Stomper!

Fun and tasty.

Erna Nixon Park's Moonlight Stroll



Erna Nixon Nature Room



Last Saturday our whole Space Coast family went to Erna Nixon Park's Moonlight Stroll along the boardwalks in the 52 acre wildlife center.  Musician's played in the concession pavillion and along the boardwalk itself.  Christmas lights lit the way for a while and then it was the stars and moonlight solely along the trail.  Lovely.  One of the musical groups was the Stone Family Band - parents and children who were all singers and played various instruments.  Lovely.  It was cool - 56 degrees, but no wind, so it was refreshing.

A very exciting happening at the Moonlight Stroll was the display of multiple sized telescopes in one area presented by the The Brevard Astronomical Society for stargazing and sky watching.  Everyone could look through any of them and we did!  Fascinating.  We could see nebulas, the dark and the light halves of the moon, and many stars.  The moon was hypnotic in its clarity and size within two of the telescopes.

Magical Evening with Family! 



Parkside West home is nearly ready!

We will soon have a new address - Neveah Avenue.  Neveah is one of the variations of spelling Heaven backwards.  Nice.  We think Skipper already recognizes that he will live here and he certainly knows the route out Malabar Road in Palm Bay.  As you can see, our home has come a long ways since the trusses were going up...and even more since this picture was taken.

The house has been painted inside and the tile is laid down.  Granite goes in next week.  All the cabinets are in.

I have seen a fish in the pond out back. About 8 inches or so and spotted.  Don't know what it is but there are lots of fish from what the neighbors tell us.  We have already met several neighbors and aren't even living there yet.  This is so exciting.  More to come from Parkside West. 

Turkey Creek Sanctuary

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and it is also the day we discovered Turkey Creek Sanctuary.  Melanie and Joseph, Ashley, Patrick and I meandered over a mile through the boardwalks, sand paths, and by the overlooks.  Very nice.  Took lots of pictures - some of them are in this slideshow. Do turn on the music at the left bottom of the slideshow frame. Enjoy!

Turkey Creek Sanctuary - free slideshow

Florida's Schools of Choice

Florida's school system is broad based. In NC we went from grade school to middle school to high school with no expectation of going another path. In Florida there are multiple education paths. Parents and students select the schools they are interested in (if they want a school other than the ones in their district).

Ashley originally was going to Central Middle, but the area was redistricted and suddenly she and many others found themselves scheduled for different schools, in her case she was assigned to Stone Middle. Then the choices began within Stone. She was placed in the Honors program, but found it to be less challenging and less orderly than schools in NC. So, she applied for the Choice Program of science, math, and technology at Stone Middle for her second semester, and she was accepted. More challenges, some new faces, some old faces.

The real "fun" begins right now as Ashley is exploring her high school Choice programs. She has the option of Palm Bay HS's Choice program which centers on technology, science and math. This is the next step if she stays in the educational path of Stone to Palm Bay.

And West Shore HS, one of the nation's 50 top high schools...this would be the toughest to get into simply because they have limited openings in Freshman HS which are accessed through the 1) credentialing application and 2) lottery program. She has applied; her credentials are great. There will need to be available openings and then her name must be picked in the lottery portion.

She will also apply elsewhere and we are all looking at the various Choice HS offerings this week...at several schools. This will be interesting. Right now it seems overwhelming a bit, but as we learn more, clarity sparkles!

She will do well in whichever program she selects. Ashley is a disciplined student and very bright. We asked her how she felt about having to, yet again, meet and make new school friends. She is up to the task and the myriad of possibilities. You go, girl!

A Maze of Trusses

The trusses are going up. It is a sunny day and a warm, but windy day...and this is reflected in the light and shadows across the wooden structure. Lovely.

And they are starting to frame rooms, adding tubs and the shower, and using the crane to lift it all into place.

Interesting.

Skipper, who is anxious to go home, seems to be learning that this is home. He is always excited to arrive at Parkside West, as are we.

Fire near Construction Site

Palm Bay FL has been having a rash of brush fires, some by nature, some by arson. When we were at the property last week, I took this cellphone picture of the huge brown and red cloud formed by one of these marshland fires. 13,000 acres have burned. It is under control and last night we had a thunderstorm which hopefully drenched some of the fire in the muck under the marsh.

That is Patrick standing by the foundation, observing both it and the cloud of smoke.

Christmas Tree for our C-Dory

Oh, Christmas tree! 

So sweet.

A gift from Janice and her son Kevin, new Florida friends

who live near the marina in Sebastian Florida.

Thank you!

Cats on the Boat

Holly Dove is snoozing on the shelf in the berth of the boat!  Kitty Karen is in the main cabin. Karen loves it; Holly tolerates it.  Both are leash/harness trained for walking and traveling.  Both quiet when they travel, but again Holly tolerates.  Karen wants in the car, on the boat, whatever...as long as Patrick is there with her.  Holly is quite amazing with the leash - she will walk me quite a bit (so far they walk us and we don't walk them).  Holly and Karen love to be in the C-Dory's cockpit at night to watch the creatures in the dark.  They particularly like the birds and the catfish.  We feed the catfish dog food crunchies and these fish make a great display to behold of splashing, bobbing, swallowing, and shoving each other.  Our animals also love to watch the big birds and the dolphins, both of which make great splashes and rolls as they fish and frolic.  Interesting times.  Quite a journey for all of us.

FROSTY MORN IN FLORIDA

This is the floating dock leading to our boat at Sebastian Inlet Marina.  Normally it is clear and white.  On this day in December it was frosty.  Amazing.  Skipper and I left footprints in the frost down the middle of the dock.  Crisp, clear footprints.  My cellphone attempted to capture the morning.  It couldn't capture the 27 degrees nor the wind.  We have been snowed upon in the boat, been through gale force winds on the boat, been hit with Florida's Love Bugs, but never encountered Florida frost before!  However, with our heated cabin we were very cozy in the boat.  Compared to the snowy north, we are blessed with only frost.