February 20, 2026 - Friday
Great day for swimming. Betty and I lingered in the pool after aerobics - chatting. Today was an open day for Rich and I, so I got into the closets sorting and purging linens, towels, swim toys, etc. The worst part is deciding what to do with it all, keeping in mind that it is occupied mostly for renters. What do they want/need?
February 21, 2025 - Saturday
Charlotte, Shotsy and I went for our walk which had quite an eventful ending. As we came around the loop and approached the condos, a small, elderly woman came running toward us. This is the area…
She was quite distressed and we asked if we could help her. She said, Yes! She had been trapped in her condo for days on end, but they (daughter and son-in-law) just left so she needed to get out. She indicated that she had marks all over her body from them; they rummaged through her jewelry and belongings and left; she scooted out in fear someone would stop her. What can we do for you? Do you want to call the police? Yes. So I called 911, and gave the information (name [I’ll call her J], address, her skin color, lives alone, their names and ages, what they were driving (?), drugs, alcohol, firearms, etc. with her input. I stayed on the line as we walked towards her condo. Do not touch anything inside the condo when you get there. Sheriff’s department is on the way.
We went to the address she gave us - it wasn’t her condo! A neighbor was walking her dog and we talked with her. Our new acquaintance did not want to talk to her - She thinks I’m nuts. The neighbor kept saying, She’s fine and told Charlotte she has dementia. She reminded J that her daughter is flying in today! We walked to the condo and everything was very orderly. Her jewelry was on her dresser and the bed was neat and partially made. She said she never leaves it like that. The marks on her body looked like a bad rash or bug bites.
Officer “B” arrived and before he got in the door, the neighbor told him she has dementia and the questioning began. He explained to her that he was there to make sure she is OK and safe. He doesn’t want her to wander off and not find her way back. He explained that a medical team was on the way to take her vitals, etc. When they arrived, I told the officer that I made the call and asked him if I could leave. He took my name and number and we left. He was calling two daughters who live in Bradenton.
Charlotte and I went over what just happened and didn’t see how we could have handled it differently! We couldn’t just ignore her and keep on walking! There were no other people around when she approached us…. What would you do?
February 22, 2026 - Sunday
Walked early as it was going to cool off and rain a bit. It was a day to get crap done…
Rich stained the stools that had been weathered over time.
Got into the closets again and made decisions about what to keep, give away, and throw away. It is hard to think about the needs of potential summer renters. There are a lot of cabinets and closets filled with bedding, towels, pillows, etc. in this 1200-square-foot condo. And it has been almost 20 years of accumulation when the owners have only been here on short vacations - no time for sorting stuff…
Played through our song list for this week’s jam.
February 23, 2026 - Monday
Too cold to swim or walk, so I did a physical workout! Back in the guest room - changing out bedding, pillows, towels, etc. It really was a physical job. Went to line dancing in the afternoon. I have a carload to deliver to Goodwill, but I was able to sell a set of 3 GE water filters from my old fridge. Taking care of business feels good.
February 24, 2026 - Tuesday
Went for a walk - still cold, but it felt good. Rich and I played to practice for tomorrow’s jam. Can’t wait.
February 25, 2026 - Wednesday
Weather warmed up a little (50’s at 9am) as the wind died down, but still no swimming. So I did the walk around the loop.
Had our first jam at Jim and Cynthia’s beautiful home.
They have a master bedroom on the first floor with 3 guest rooms upstairs. The bonus room is there which is perfect for us to play. Cynthia operated the tv/computer to scroll the music for us. And she took the pictures so she is not in any of them. It started out rough, getting used to the new set up, more instruments, etc. But it really smoothed out by the end of 2 hours. We played Sentimental Journey and Jim said he had never heard that song!!!! Obviously, he is a lot younger than us. Great couple - very patient and gracious to have us. They had water and packs of SunChips for us, too.
Jim is on the left in front of Alan…
Kaye is in Alohaukulele and Laurie leads the art activity…
You know who…
Margo and Linda are in Alohaukulele group…
February 26, 2026 - Thursday
After my walk, we went to the shopping center - I got a pedicure and Rich went to Publix and got shrimp for tonight. From there, on to the Elks for lunch. Carol from Long Island was there in full swing. It’s been a month since she fell and fractured her shoulder, but she could pull tabs from the gambling without a hitch. She went through a lot of tabs and got 5 winners of $5. She went back and got another batch and got 5 more $5 winners. We were getting ready to pay our check and she only had 4 tabs left to pull. I was wishing she would get a $500 winner. She pulled and voila! She won $500. Those are the options - $5 or $500. We have seen her win big before, but to see the smile on her face when she pulled it was amazing.
We had a little soirée for Connie and Steve (foreground) who are moving into a villa which has a garage. I have had to call on them numerous times from home to assist with renters or situations. We will miss them terribly!
Betty and Joe came also - always good fun and lots of stories…. We all crammed onto the lanai which is our fav place to be.
