Cadillac Jacks and the Dazzling Del-Rays

I went to a bar/grill last night (Cadillac Jacks) to introduce myself to the leader of the "Singles and Couples 40 and over in Southwest Florida" group, and ended up had a very nice time. I arrived early and had dinner at the bar of something they call the "Italian burger" which is one of their most popular sandwiches. It's a half-pound hamburger on a bun, and they top it with about 1/4 pound of their sliced Italian beef, and then finished off with Mozzarella cheese. Downed with a rum and coke, and Diet Coke after that. Yum!

I introduced myself to "Ed" the group leader, and showed the required ID to join the group. The group had 36 reserved seats for the band's performance, and all were full though Ed put me on standby in case there were no-shows, but everyone made it. So I ended up sitting at the bar, but found some company there to talk with, including a lovely gal about 10 years my senior, who I think was out trolling on her own. The place was, in fact, packed and if I heard the hostess correctly there were three and possibly four singles/couples groups taking up most of the room in the joint.

The 3-piece band used to be called the "Del-Rays" and then they changed it to the "Dazzling Del-Rays," and while they were certainly adequate, I think the "dazzling" part was a bit of a stretch. Their style was doo-wop, and their harmonies were a bit off. They opened with "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday," and then did a Neil Sedaka medley that included "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," "Sweet Sixteen," and "Calendar Girl." I left after that, and got back to the apartment about 8:30. I am RSVP's for this group's outing to the art and music walk in downtown Fort Myers on Dec. 19.

Today is Sunday, and I returned to Fleamasters and finished my furniture shopping, buying a cafe table and chairs for the lanai, a coffee table, and a nightstand. I got my buddy, Wallace, to deliver all three pieces for $25, so the breakdown is as follows:

table and chairs: $50
coffee table: $25
nightstand: $40 (Thomasville, made of real wood)
delivery: $25

total: $140

Added to the previous total of $1,145, the total cost of furnishing/outfitting the apartment comes to $1,285.

I'll post pictures and/or a video once I have everything in place tomorrow. Feels good to have this chore out of the way, and I'm looking forward to enjoying the lanai now that I have a table/chairs out there.

Maintenance man is also coming tomorrow a.m. (along with the furniture delivery) to fix the toilet (needs a new flapper valve) and look at screens in the lanai to see if a more elegant solution can be found to the rips that I repaired with the duct tape. So we'll see what happens.

I'm currently watching the Packer/New England game on TV, and am planning a grocery store run at half time to get some Doritos.

That's all for now.

Bruce

Avoiding the Black Friday Mayhem

Friday: I started the day with a bike ride to Lakes Park (my first major bike ride since arriving here) for the Friday farmer's market, and was greeted with the first strawberries of the season. I bought a pint for $2.50 and ate them along with a raspberry danish and a good strong cup of Joe from the coffee vendor there. All very delicious. Faced a helluva head wind on the ride back to the apartment, but made it, and now I have my workout done for the day!

I sent out my "email blast" to my customers announcing 10 new watches on the website, wired in three prescriptions via computer to the CVS pharmacy, then headed over to the Fleamasters flea market to see what I could find. I talked with a couple of the watch vendors there, and bought a watchband from one of the guys for $12, and got him to loosen the back of one of my vintage watches at no extra charge. A nice fellow, but no vintage watches for sale. I had lunch at the one of the food vendors called "A Taste of Maine" and had fried Grouper fingers with fries and slaw, and a diet Coke, all for under $10, and it was very tasty. For dessert, I went a crepe place and had a strawberry crepe, but it wasn't very good because they use a strawberry pie filling and not fresh strawberries. Yuck! So I took half of it home along with some fresh strawberries from one of the produce vendors, and made it into a proper crepe for dessert later along with my dinner of a sloppy Joe and potato salad. Other than the strawberries, I didn't buy too much. Saw a patio set I might go back and look at, but just wasn't in the mood for hauling today!

Stopped at the CVS pharmacy on the way back and picked up my meds ... nice to have that web feature, they even send me a text when my meds are ready. Back at the house, I duct-taped the shit out of those rips in the screen so Abby can go out there and hopefully not escape into the back yard. Plus keeps the insects and those little lizards from getting in (Abby has captured and killed one of those already!).

I checked my email inbox, and found that I only sold one of the 10 watches that I posted on the website this morning. This was a disappointment because I put a lot of time and effort into this. Might try some price reductions next week, and of course there is always eBay, though I prefer to sell on my own website.

I signed up with a website called meetup, which lists all sorts of clubs and organizations that meet in cities all across the U.S. I found a group called "Singles and Couples 40 and over in Southwest Florida." They hold social activities for people who simply want to get out and have fun. They meet at clubs, restaurants, comedy clubs, and even organize cruises! It is not a dating club, but there have been couples who have gotten together as a result of the club's activities. I signed up for an "art and music walk" in downtown Ft. Myers on Dec. 19. I will also try to meet the group organizer before then and introduce myself. They are meeting tonight (Saturday) at a club called "Cadillac Jack's" for a performance by a doo-wop band. This particular "meet up" is already full, but I may go and introduce myself to "Ed" (the leader of this group) and show ID (required to finalize membership).

OK, today is Saturday, and I started with a nice breakfast of a ham and Havarti cheese omelet, home fries, toast, fresh grapefruit, and coffee. Dropped a couple packages at the pack-n-mail place and picked up my mail which consisted of two bills (car insurance, car loan) which I paid online. Need to list a couple of eBay items, then I'm off on a bike ride on the canal trail, that includes a stop at Sun Harvest Citrus, home of free orange and grapefruit juice samples, and some of the best key lime pie slices around. I'd better get going!

Bruce

Thanksgiving on the Beach

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. I started out the morning with a fresh grapefruit (peeled and sectioned) and a strawberry banana smoothie. I then photographed some eBay lots, and then tuned into the Macy's parade on NBC. It got off to a bit of a slow start for me, with that song and dance number by Tony Danza from the Broadway musical Honeymoon in Vegas. My god, who told that guy he could sing? Or act, for that matter? But after that, it was most enjoyable, and I certainly thought the Madison Scouts hit it out of the park with their rendition of Happy just before Santa Claus' arrival.

By the way, I have to say Abby enjoys the new recliner, so much so that I have to boot her out occasionally. Also, she made it outside the confines of the lanai today, wedging her considerable bulk through a tear in the screen. So the lanai is now off limits until I can find a way to mend the tear ... probably a combination of duct tape and a few bricks lined up along the outside edge of the screen. She is quite the little Houdini if she puts her mind to it.

"I love my new chair. You can sit on the sofa, fuzzy guy."

After the parade, I had a light lunch of a chicken burrito prepared here at the apartment, along with a fruit fizz that I make with fruit juice concentrate and charged soda water that I make with my "Soda Stream" machine that I brought with me. The flavor for lunch was orange-pineapple.

I finished my eBay listings for triggering later tonight. Then, Dawn called to let me know she had arrived safely at the Comfort Inn in Little Rock. Flight and connection at O'Hare all went smoothly. They have a kitchen on premises at the Inn and will do a limited room service, so she thought that's what she would do, given that she was tired from the day's travel. Tomorrow is her big day at the Clinton Presidential Library, and deluxe steak dinner at a nice restaurant that she booked ahead of time. I hope all goes well for her during this much-needed retreat.

At about 4 p.m., I headed over to the beach to have dinner at the Pincher's Tiki Hut restaurant inside the Wyndham resort. I dined on stone crab on the patio, while they served a more traditional Thanksgiving buffet inside the covered restaurant. The place was hopping, and there were many people out walking the street barhopping and catching the live music at many places. So there are certainly many people who do not celebrate a "traditional" thanksgiving. I had the waiter snap a picture of me:

Nothing says Thanksgiving like a plate of stone crab!

I'm back at the apartment now, writing this blog entry, and will watch some TV, then head to bed. Tomorrow should be interesting. I'm doing an email blast to all my customers to notify them of 10 new watches I am adding to my website. I did this totally from here, using my Surface tablet computer versus the big desktop system back in Janesville. Hope it goes well, and that I sell out! I'll send out the blast just before departing for the Friday farmer's market at Lakes Park, and I am looking forward to riding my bicycle over there. It's going to be a relatively cool day (high of 65 degrees) but mostly sunny.

That's all for now.

Bruce

Watching the Macy's Parade in Style

I returned to the Community Thrift Store today to pick up my dresser, and got it back to the apartment safely, but the bigger news is that I found and bought a La-Z-Boy recliner through an ad on Craigslist. The sellers were a retired couple in Cape Coral who are refurnishing their home, and they simply need to get rid of the existing furniture. The chair is a rocker/recliner combination and, get this, it has a back massage feature built in. The chair plugs in, and then you have this remote control to activate an inflatable air pillow that rolls up and down your lumbar area. I wasn't really looking for a recliner with any "extras," but it is a very comfortable recliner if you just sit it in unplugged, and besides the guy only asked $100 for it. So I didn't even haggle with the price. The chair is in such nice condition ... even has the original arm and head covers came with it, and it looks like they took really good care of it. So here are photos of my new dresser and recliner, and also the TV/entertainment stand I bought yesterday:

 

 

 

So the apartment is just about completely furnished and outfitted now with everything I need, and I will be able to watch the Macy's parade tomorrow in comfort, and even have my back massaged if I want! All I really need now is a coffee table, a night stand, and a small table with two chairs for the lanai.

 

I've come quite a way since the day I arrived and all I had was an air mattress and folding canvas chair. I thought I would have the place furnished in two weeks, but it took a little longer, probably because November is perhaps not the best time to be used furniture shopping here with all the "snowbirds" (like me!) arriving and wanting to set up house.

 

I was hoping to keep expenses at around $1,000 for everything, so let's see how I am doing:

 

Microwave oven: $70

Coffee maker, toaster: $40

Dust Buster: $15

Shark floor sweeper: $30

Swifter mop and wet mopping cloths: $15

Pots and pans set: $15

Misc. kitchen hardware: $20

Bed/sheets/pillow: $370

Comforter: $70

Folding table/chair for work area: $45

Sofa sleeper: $100

Kitchen table/chairs: $90

Delivery of sofa/table: $30

Floor lamp: $10

Table lamp: $5

TV stand: $20

Recliner: $100

Dresser: $40

 

Total: $1,145

 

So I am already over my target, with a few items to go. But all in all, I am happy with my purchases. I could have scrimped on the bed and bought a used one, but I really wanted a nice bed and bedding because I love my sleep and didn't want to get something with bedbugs and/or funky odor to it!

 

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I hope everyone has a good one, in whatever way you choose to spend it. Dawn and I were having a discussion on the phone this evening about how this holiday tends to bring longings for the Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving, with the large family gathered around the table, loaded down with the traditional feast. For many, this is still possible. But with today's split-up families, mixed families from multiple marriages, alternate lifestyles, and on and on, Thanksgiving now takes on many faces. There was a woman ahead of me in in the checkout today at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, and all she was buying was four Marie Callender frozen turkey dinners. And it made me kind of sad for a moment, but then I thought, maybe her family believes this is wonderful, and that is fine. Is it any less "weird" than me driving over to Fort Myers Beach tomorrow and having stone crab at the Pincher's Crab House Tiki Hut inside the Wyndham resort? The important thing is that we have a good time and, yes, corny as it sounds, take a moment to count our blessings. Which, in my case anyway, have been many. May you all find a day filled with happiness wherever you are, and in whatever manner you choose to celebrate.

 

Bruce

 

 

 

 

 

More Furniture; Hunger Games

My return trip to the Community Thrift Store (next to Planet Fitness) today paid off, as I found a cute little dresser for the bedroom. Actually, I think it's a nightstand to a really large dresser/nightstand pair, because the actual dresser was at the thrift store also, but they had each priced individually, so I think for $40, this "nightstand" will serve just fine as my dresser. I'm trying to keep things on the small side for easier moving/storage, or whatever. Anyway, the TV is now off the upside-down Rubbermaid tub, and the cable box and modem are off the floor. The Rubbermaid tub is now serving as a temporary nightstand, and I bought a lamp to go on top so I can now do some bedside reading.

Also scored a TV/entertainment stand from a craigslist seller in Estero (just south of the Fort Myers) which I picked up for $20 and have all set up in the living room. The scale is just right for the space I have. I'll post photos of both pieces on the next blog entry, because I don't have the dresser yet. I couldn't fit both pieces into the Prius, so the dresser is still at the thrift shop and I'll pick it up tomorrow.

Still looking for a recliner, but I contacted another craigslist seller tonight on a Lazy Boy, and am waiting to hear back. Things are coming along.

I also went to see the first installment of Mockingjay, the finale to The Hunger Games. The forecast called for T-storms today, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to see it. The storms have not materialized (yet), but it was still enjoyable, plus another ungodly hot/humid day (90 degrees) would have precluded a bike ride anyway. I scored a senior citizen ticket at $8.50 (the ticket lady never questioned me as to whether or not I was the required 60 years of age) and this time I smuggled in my own snacks --- a Caprisun juice pouch in one pocket, and a zip bag of Snyder's peanut butter pretzel sandwiches in the other. It felt a lot better than spending the $21.25 last time to see Interstellar. I thought the movie was quite good, although it was a bit weird to see Philip Seymour Hoffman. Now that the movie has gained quite a bit of "cred," I see they scored another big-name actor with Julianne Moore.

I phoned Pincher's Crab House to see about their hours on Thanksgiving day, and their location downtown by the Edison/Ford estate is going to be open, so I think that's where I'm going Thursday for a special meal ...  most likely stone crab.

Dawn, I would imagine you're getting excited about your departure to Little Rock. Looks like the entire Northeast coast is going to be messed up with a Nor'easter, so glad you are not heading there. I hope there is no "domino effect" that will mess up your air travel.

That's all for now.

Bruce

Thrift Shop Marathon

Sunday Nov. 23

Kind of a hot humid day today, so I pretty much stayed inside. I did manage to put the new seat on the bicycle, so here is a photo of that:

Upland Beach Cruiser with comfort seat and removable basket

Monday Nov. 24

Another hot and humid one today. I googled a list of thrift stores within a 10-mile radius of me, and figured out the most efficient route and drove to all five of them in the hopes of finding some furniture, but came up empty. One place, the Blessed Pope John XXIII Thrift Store, was like a boutique with prices to match, which I found ironic in that sort of "poor-people-can't-afford-to-shop-here" way. Another had a nice overstuffed chair with ottoman, but it was $125 which I thought was a bit pricey, and I really want a recliner. One store was closed, so I will return to that one tomorrow, which according to plan was right next door to Planet Fitness. So I got a nice workout for the day, and afterward I was hungry for Dim Sum. There is this place rated highly on Yelp called DJ's Chinese Restaurant. It's in a rather inauspicious location, in a strip mall on Tamiami Trail, but the food was delicious. I was a little dubious arriving at 3 p.m., thinking they might slip me some leftover dim sum from the lunch hour, but everything was fresh and hot. I selected three dishes: pork dumplings, teriyaki beef on skewers, and shrimp spring rolls. I was so thirsty from the workout that it took two 12-ounce cans of Diet Coke to wash it all down. But the whole bill came to $17 and change, which I thought was very reasonable, and I left the restaurant truly full, and it's five hours later as I write this, and I'm still full.

So no furniture today, but my big accomplishment for the day was enrolling in a health plan for 2015 via the healthcare dot gov website. I'm sticking with Dean Care, the same company I'm with now, but with a few minor changes in the plan. My premium costs $542 a month, but with a federal tax credit of $420 a month, my out of pocket for premiums will be $122 a month. I'm pleased and relieved that I will be covered.

I understand the Madison area got some significant snowfall today, so I hope everyone is doing OK.

Bruce

Wicked Dolphin Rum

Thursday, I made good on my threat to buy a printer. I have four eBay lots ending tomorrow, and I just can't bear the thought of standing at the print desk at Office Depot any more. I bought a Samsung bare bones laser printer and hooked it up to tablet that night. I can only print with the cable connected between the printer and the computer; I cannot print wirelessly due to the operating system of this tablet computer. But that's OK. For the small (but vital) amount printing I need to do,, this will work fine. For $84, it has saved me a $1,000 worth of headaches for the time I will be here. Best of all, the dry toner powder will last indefinitely, so I can leave the printer here for next season.

I contacted Cape Spirits in Cape Coral via email to tour their rum distillery at 1 p.m. This is the place Heather (my former landlord here) told me about and said that her boyfriend, Danny, is the head distiller. Their main products are "Wicked Dolphin Rum" and "Rumshine." The WD comes in three varieties, Silver (plain); Spiced; and Coconut. Their Rumshine is a takeoff on moonshine and comes in three flavors: apple pie, blueberry, and strawberry. It is packed in jars resembling Mason jars to complete the "moonshine" effect.



Me in the aging room with the rum barrels

The free tour was very interesting, and I had an idea of what I would see based on my tour of the Bacardi rum distillery in San Juan, Puerto Rico (remember that, Julie?), only this was on a much smaller scale of course. Also, Cape Distillery uses bags of raw sugar instead of sugar cane because they don't have access (at least cheap access) to sugar cane here, although I understand it does grow in Florida and was a cash crop once upon a time. We got to taste some raw rum right out of the distiller, which was interesting, as well as some from the second evaporation which is about 180 proof. At the end, we got to try up to three samples of our choice, and I tasted the silver, the spiced, and the blueberry rumshine. I bought a bottle of the Silver (above) because I like my rum straight. Their flavorings are all natural, and that's fine, but flavored spirits just aren't my thing. The bottle was $27, and the interesting thing is that the owner of the company had to fight to change some state laws (on the books since Prohibition) to allow Cape Distillery to sell their product and even allow people inside to take tours. I introduced myself to Danny, and he seemed like a fine, industrious young man. As head distiller, he is trying all sorts of new stuff, including a gold-standard rum which is still in the aging process, and a batch of rum that is aging in wine barrels (instead of bourbon) that should impart an interesting flavor (brandy or cognac tones, hopefully?) to the rum. I learned that the used whiskey/wine barrels cost the distillery $800 apiece.

By tour's end, I was hungry as balls, and had a hankering for Mexican because Mario had put it into my head during a phone conversation talking about Mexican food. So I crossed the bridge back over to Fort Myers and went to a locally owned place called "La Casita" ("the cottage") on McGregor Blvd. A mixture of reviews on Yelp as far as now "authentic" it is had me a little nervous, but I have passed it a number of times, and it looks cute and clean on the outside. Well, it was delicious. I had a margarita (on happy hour price of $4) and a carnitas platter containing a mound of slow roasted pork (must have been half a pound), a pile of rice, and beans (your choice of black or refried; I got the refried). You also get a side guacamole, sour cream, and three warm flour tortillas wrapped in foil. Essentially, you make your own "wraps" using the ingredients on your platter. For appetizers, my server brought tortilla chips and homemade salsa done pico de gayo style with all fresh ingredients. Delicious, and all under $20 including tip. I don't understand some of these reviewers who go to a Mexican restaurant and knock it for not being "authentic." OK, yes they do have a chimichanga on the menu (purely an American invention), but they also have chile rellenos and homemade tamales wrapped in corn husks (they make these only once per week), neither of which you will find at your average Taco Bell  or Chi-Chi's (I don't even think they are in business any more), so how damn authentic does it have to be? Anyway, I thought it was delicious, and the generous portion kept me full through the evening.

Friday: farmer's and flea markets

I woke up Friday and headed over to Lakes Park for the Friday farmer's market. I had breakfast there of a fresh orange, berry muffin, and another order of those bacon and egg "Poffins" from a cart vendor, all washed down with a Starbucks coffee I had purchased on the way to the market in order to get some small bills. I talked with a group of four retirees who I had seen the Friday before, and they all bicycle in and have breakfast and chat about stuff and laugh and have a good time. They invited to sit with them at a picnic table after I introduced myself. One of the guys is from Kenosha. Small world. Two of the others were from Iowa. I bought an 8-ounce container of homemade guacamole to enjoy later.

Back at the apartment, I put the gauc in the fridge, and then prepared my shipments. The printer worked like a charm, and all I had to do was drop off my packages at the post office on my way to the flea market. Sweet.

At the flea market, I didn't have any further luck with furniture. I looked at a TV/media stand from "Wallace," the guy I bought the sofa from the previous week, but I didn't like the style of it. It was heavy wrought iron, and I don't think the glass top was the original. But what I DID buy was a bicycle. Randy, the bike guy, was in a much better humor this week than last. The brand is "Upland," (pretty sure it's made in China) and it is your basic beach cruiser with coaster brakes. What I like about it is the brand new wide tires and a sturdy looking frame, including a heavy duty fork at the front end. I'll send a photo of that in a while; I want to put a different seat on it, one that is more cushiony for my bony ass. I also bought a citrus juicer, and four Florida limes to make Daiquiris later with the Wicked Dolphin rum. I also had lunch at the flea market in the food court at a place that makes a really fine Italian sausage on a hard roll with steamed peppers and onions. I also stopped to see "Chris, the Book Guy," to inquire whether he had any first editions of Randy Wayne White's first novel, Sanibel Flats. He had a couple, but they were at home, but he said he could bring them tomorrow. So it looks like I'll be going back to the flea market Saturday.

The bike almost fit into the Prius, but hung out the hatchback a little bit, so I had to bungee cord it and listen to the car's warning beeper all the way back to the apartment. But made it back, hooked the basket that I bought to the front handle bars, and took her on her maiden voyage over to the Walmart Neighborhood Market for some needed provisions, including some tortilla chips to enjoy with the guacamole. Back at the apartment, I juiced two of the limes and made myself a nice, large Daiquiri with the Wicked Dolphin Rum. Abby and I watched Family Guy while I munched on chips-n-guac and sipped on a mighty fine beverage.

Saturday

I awoke, showered and shaved, and did a basic cleaning of the apartment, which included running the floor sweeper, changing out the cat litter, and scrubbing down the toilet. For breakfast, a peeled and sectioned grapefruit, oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, and coffee. Headed back over to Fleamasters (about a 12 mile trip each way), and gassed up the Prius on the way. I'm not using a whole lot of gas here; the previous tank lasted me about two weeks. Chris (the book guy) had three copies of Sanibel Flats for me to look at. On one, the dust jacket was torn on one of the folds. A second copy was signed, but was a second printing of the first edition. I wanted a true first edition. So the one I picked was in solid good condition, and I gave him the $100 he was asking for it. He threw in a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad for free so I could get a better idea of what Heather is doing for a living these days, selling seats to Kiyosaki's seminars at $300 a pop.

OK, so the book is a bit of an extravagance, but it's something I've wanted for a while (I missed a chance to buy one when I was here two years ago) and it's the book that started my journey with Doc Ford, and my romance/intrigue (thus far) with southwest Florida. Now, I need to find where/when Randy Wayne White is appearing for a book signing, and ask him to sign it for me. (I'm sure he'll oblige, especially if I buy a copy of his most current book.)

Next, I paid a visit to Walmart. I wouldn't normally venture there on a Saturday, but it is right on the way to the flea market anyway, so I decided to damn the torpedoes, especially given that I had a $50 gift card there, courtesy of sister Dawn. (Thanks again, Dawner!) My worst fears were confirmed: Walmart was a bustling hive from hell, teaming with some of the freakiest folk that Fort Myers has to offer. The streets of Calcutta had nothing on this place. I bought a Swifter push mop with a whole bunch of wet cloth heads to mop the apartment floor, a third pillow for my bed, and a big, cushiony bicycle seat. The items came to $46, leaving me $4 which I'm sure I can spend at the Neighborhood Market. More importantly, I lived to tell the tale.

I had three packages waiting for me at my personal mail box, including the packet containing the "Dr. Noze" nosebleed swabs from Kris. Thank you very much for that. As I told her, I seldom get nosebleeds any more, but this is nice to have just in case. Kudos to Jim Dockter's brother for inventing and marketing this!

So now, I'm just hanging out at the apartment, reading, listening to music, and catching up on the blog. I would like to take the bike out for a spin, but it is very windy here today. Showers are expected for the next couple of days, so it may be a while before I take the bike out for a serious spin. Quick rides over to the market and my mailbox will of course be fine. I think my next door neighbor, Randy, will have a wrench I can use to install the new bicycle seat.

Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Bruce

Packages and Labels

Picking up where I left off on Tuesday Nov. 18, I enjoyed the movie Interstellar very much. (Warning: there is a spoiler or two here.) First of all, I didn't go to the movie with the intent of analyzing its scientific accuracy like some eggheads who are criticizing its oversimplification of relativity, wormholes, and the space-time continuum, and so forth. I went to be entertained on a cold and rainy day when there was little else to do. None of the dozen or so movies playing at the movieplex were really lighting my fire; this was more or less the dog with the least fleas. And frankly with Matthew McConaughey as the lead, I was expecting to be more dazzled by the special effects than by the acting. But I have to say he has come a long way since Sahara and Failure to Launch. He was quite good and believable as the loving widowed father of two kids. I thought the effects were great, especially the "reverse book case" which served as the parallel universe when MM's character, Cooper, was trying to communicate with "Murphy," the daughter. And I loved that Cooper and Murphy were reunited at the end of the film, Murphy now having aged to an elderly woman (played by Ellen Burstyn, no less) due to the time compression of Cooper's space travels. Anyway, the movie was $10, and hunger got the better of me while at the movie, so I bought an order of pretzel bites with that oh-so-wholesome processed cheese dip, along with the smallest Coca Cola they had, and that was $11.25. So altogether my afternoon at the movies cost me $21.25. Am I the only one who thinks this a bit ridiculous? But I guess when the movie cost $165 million to make, you can't expect $2 movie tickets any more.

Backtracking a bit, I had a question about whether or not I purchased that dresser/nightstand combo when I returned to the thrift store on Monday. This is good. This tells me some folks are actually reading this! The answer to the question is that they were gone. Too bad, because they would have made a cute set in the bedroom, but that's the way it goes and I'm back to square one. I contacted a guy on Craigslist about a dresser, but it was too big for the room. I'm hoping I'll find something at the flea market tomorrow, and the thrift stores are always getting new merchandise in.

Wednesday (yesterday) I spent a good portion of the day doing eBay listings, preparing watches for my own website, and getting out packages. The trip to Office Depot is turning into a pain; I spent a half hour there yesterday to print four labels. I certainly can't complain about the price -- 32 cents this trip -- but it's the time. And when Office Depot starts to get busy after Thanksgiving, it's going to take even more time at their print/copy desk. The one bright spot is that I got to have lunch at Firehouse Subs, which is in the same strip mall as Office Depot. I love their "New York Steamer" sub which uses hot corned beef and pastrami:



The "medium" size version of this sandwich has 469 calories, and -- wait for it -- 1,884 milligrams of sodium. How that is even possible to pack a day's suggested dosage of salt into one sandwich is beyond me, but they do it, and damn me for loving it. So anyway, back to business, I am more or less convinced that if I'm going to do "the watch thing" while here, I must have a printer. I'm looking at a Samsung wireless laser printer that uses dry toner cartridges. The big question will be whether it will run on the operating system is this Surface tablet computer. Ah, the technology cat-and-mouse game continues.

I finished the day with a workout at Planet Fitness and a nice long hot shower and shave. Arrived back at the apartment squeaky clean. Dinner was a shrimp cocktail, potato salad, and fresh pineapple. Abby and I watched an episode of Family Guy on Netflix, Cheers on Hulu, and then to bed.

Today looks to be a beautiful sunny day with a high of 70 or so. Don't know what I'll do yet. Options abound.

Bruce

A Movie for a Rainy Day

Tuesday Nov. 18 -- Rainy and low 60s

We in Fort Myers finished out yesterday with a tornado watch (though we were on the southern tip) and thunderstorms in the evening. I had Swedish meatballs over egg noodles for dinner. Watched a little TV on Netflix (including an episode of Breaking Bad) and then to bed.

Little can be done outside today, so I'm headed to the movie Interstellar at the Bell Tower Mall 20-plex cinema.

Just a few notes from yesterday:

* My label printing exercise at Office Depot was a good/bad news kind of thing. Good in that I got it done, and it cost only 48 cents to do four labels (2 per page). Bad news, I was there for almost half an hour with a guy who really didn't know the store's complicated printers. Plus, the computers at the print desk aren't really set up for open Internet; they are more for ordering stuff from the company's website and placing custom print orders. This was the same process they had 2 years ago when I was here, and I'm surprised (and not surprised I guess) that they haven't streamlined the process somehow.
I really hate the idea of buying a printer, but I may just buy a cheap laserjet at Walmart or someplace and then give the thing to Goodwill when I leave here. Damn, I hate to be wasteful, but I can't see spending 30 minutes (or more if the place is busy) at Office Depot every time I need a label. At least the printer would be recycled.

* Made a delicious burrito for lunch, repurposing ingredients from a couple other meals. I used hummus for the refried beans, smearing it on a large flour tortilla like peanut butter. Then a layer of rice from my leftover Jambalaya the other night, then a chicken breast strip that I sauteed in a pan and cut into pieces. Rolled 'er up, and had it with fresh pico de gayo  I bought at the market, and bingo ... one delicious burrito.

I note that Madison was at 8 degrees this morning when I check at around 8:30 (7:30 your time). Wondering if you guys set a record overnight? In Pensacola, it's 30 degrees now, so I'm glad I didn't
get it in my head that northern Florida and/or the panhandle might be a good place to winter! I just heard from my friend, Gene Johnson, who lives in Eagle Harbor, Michigan, right on the shore of Lake Superior, and they have 40 inches on the ground, and it's still coming down.

Bye for now,

Bruce

Warm Temps, Colder on the Way

Sunday Nov. 16

A nice large breakfast today at the apartment of home fried potatoes, ham and Havarti cheese omelet, a fresh grapefruit peeled and sectioned, 2 slices toast with butter/jam, and coffee.

I watched CBS Sunday Morning for the first time in a while since I do not have the broadcast channels back in Janesville, but they are included with the Internet package here. I enjoyed the segment on motivational speakers. I was a big fan of Wayne Dwyer (Your Erroneous Zones) back in the '70s, and it was kind of neat to see him still presenting talks, although at age 74 he now delivers his talks seated in a leather armchair. I gave up on the motivation gurus long ago, though confess I'm a bit of a Timothy Ferriss fan. His Four Hour Work Week is pretty good. (It's definitely a misnomer about the four hour part, but I like his message of work less/play more.)

Almost too warm today to exercise outside (87 degrees) so went to Planet Fitness. I need a good shower/shave today anyway, so I can kill two birds. Five o'clock and back at the apartment I oven broiled that rib steak I bought at the farmer's market Friday. I McGyvered a broiling pan using a disposable cake pan and 3 risers made of rolled up aluminum foil to let the fat drip off the steak. I sequestered Abby in the bedroom, and opened the front door and the patio door to vent the smoke (there wasn't as much as I thought there would be, but enough to want to vent it). It was quite a lot of fiddling around, but well worth it. It was one of the best steaks I've had in a while. I had it with a baked potato and a margarita for beverage.

Four eBay lots ended this evening, so I will have packages to get out Monday.

Monday Nov. 17

Started the morning with a grapefruit, bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and raisins, and coffee. I scooped the kitty litter and swept the apartment with the cordless floor sweeper. Going to be another warm one today (mid 80s) but then cool down considerably tomorrow and rain all day. So I am thinking about the movie Interstellar tomorrow. Today, I must get those packages out, so it's down to Office Depot to print labels (I have no printer here) and then I'm going back to a thrift store on McGregor Blvd. to take another look at a dresser/side table I saw the other day. I want to get the bedroom finished because now all my clothes are stacked rather randomly in the closet, and I want a little side table with lamp so I can read before nodding off, and give Abby another place where she can jump onto and knock shit off. So it's off on another mission.

Bruce

A Walk in the Park, Health News from Home

Friday Nov. 14

I finished out Friday with dinner at the apartment -- a jambalaya made with a Zataran's rice mix, smoked sausage and shrimp. Fresh pineapple chunks for desserts. Simple but delicious, and enjoyed on my new dining room table and chairs! Abby and I watched a little TV sitting on the new sofa, and then to bed.

Saturday Nov. 15

Banana/strawberry smoothie for breakfast. I need some exercise, but it's too nice to do a workout inside at the gym, so I went back to Lakes Park (where the farmer's market is held) and walked the trails for an hour in the beautiful sunshine and warmth. I was hungry for pizza after that, so I consulted Yelp and came up with Grimaldi's Pizza at the Bell Tower Mall. They do a Neapolitan style ... thin crust and baked in an ultra-hot coal fired oven. I did Italian sausage, pepperoni, and mushroom, with a Dr. Pepper, and ate in the outside dining area. I would rate the pizza good, but not great, and at $16 for a 12-inch pie -- all the toppings are priced ala carte -- kind of expensive.

I got curious about the different styles of pizza, so Googled it while waiting for the pie, and found one epicurean source who has identified 24 different styles of pizza. Did you know that there were that many? There's Neapolitan (or NY) style of course. And Chicago (deep dish), and California (unusual toppings). How about Ohio-Valley style? (Square pan, square pieces, stewed tomatoes more than a sauce). Or Old Forge style from Pennsylvania? (Medium-thin dough, the pan oiled with peanut oil, so the dough sort of gets a fried consistency like pan pizza from Pizza Hut. Meat toppings on top of the cheese, which is a mix of Mozzarella and white cheddar). If you interested further, check it out here.

Got a call from brother Curt this evening with the unwelcome news that he has been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, or afib as it's referred to in the vernacular. I've certainly heard of it, but didn't know too much about it, so I went to Webmd and the Mayo clinic website to get an overview. About 2 million or so Americans live with it, depending on which set of statistics you want to believe. For those not familiar at all, it's a fluttering/rapid beating of the heart caused by the electrical impulses controlling the "in" and "out" valves of the heart getting all screwed up. It's seldom, if ever, fatal on its own, but puts you at increased risk for blood clots and thus stroke if the clots escape the heart and get lodged in the body's circulatory system. And it's damned scary when the episodes themselves take place and you can feel your heart race at rates of upwards of 200 beats per minute. The main medication is that damnable coumadin/warafrin that thins your blood and makes you bruise easily and can cause internal bleeding, and so forth. And then there are the frequent blood tests to make sure you're getting the right dosage. Damn. Damn. Damn.

So once again, I am reminded of my own mortality and what I want to spend my "life energy" on given what I am fairly certain is going to be a limited amount of remaining time of this earth. To the extent possible, I want to live in the moment, do the things I want to now versus later, learn to say "no" once in a while, stop worrying about shit I can't control, and enjoy a slice of pie every so often. Curt, if you are reading this, my most ardent wish for you is that you live your life to the fullest. Do not allow this condition to limit your choices, your passions, your activities. Take stock and figure out what it is you want to do with your time, and do it. None of us Shawkeys knows when our genetically inferior hearts will stop beating, but I for one hope that when that time arrives for me, that I'll be doing something I enjoy.

Bruce

Some Furniture For the Place

Thursday Nov. 14

After breakfast at the apartment, I made the first major grocery trip since being here, and spent about $60 between the Walmart Neighborhood Market and Publix. The Publix has a neat feature where you can place your deli order ahead of time on the Internet, and pick it up at the deli with no waiting. I ordered 1/3 pound each of sliced Boar's Head Tavern Ham and Creamy Havarti cheese. Very cool.

At 3:30 in the afternoon I met my former landlord, Heather Mangan, for drinks and appetizers at a place called "Stillwater" just up the street on McGregor, per her suggestion. Very nice place, with 37 different beers on tap. We each had a glass of "Rivertown Home Game," a lager brewed in Export, Pa. And we each had a 3 flight sampler with another Rivertown, along with with a cider beer and a pumpkin ale. For apps, we had fried green beans (her choice), and spicy crab rolls (my choice). Everyone was very yummy. We spent about and hour and a half together catching up. She owns two rental properties, in addition to flipping one house. She has her real estate license in Florida, but her main job now is organizing "Rich Dad Poor Dad" seminars and coaching sessions across the United States. It involves a lot of travel, and she's a big believer in the "system" (I know nothing about it other than I've heard of -- but not read -- the book). Anyway, she seems to like it. She also gave me the scoop on her two rentals as far as the current tenants and their renewal dates in case we can work something out, and of course depending on how well things turn out with my place on Kings Point Drive. She also wants me to tour her boyfriend's distillery in Cape Coral, "Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery," of which he is a partner, along with his aunt, who emigrated to the U.S. from Poland after selling her women's accessory business over there for $30 million. I said I would check it out.

The evening was pretty quiet, spent watching TV and then off to bed.

Friday Nov. 14

The big news of the day is I bought two pieces of furniture for the apartment: A sofa sleeper, and a table/chairs for the dining area:

 

I got both pieces at the Fleamasters Flea Market here in Fort Myers. The sofa was $100, and the table/chairs set was $90, and I paid a couple of guys from the flea market $30 to deliver all the pieces. So $220 total. The table set is cast iron with a glass top. I cannot find a name on the sofa, so assume it's from some generic furniture outlet, but it's in very good shape and does not smell of smoke or any other odors. I think both will serve their purpose very well.

 

The day started out at the Lakes Park Friday farmer's market, where I had something called egg and bacon Poppkas. Bacon pieces are fused into Beignet batter on a mini muffin type griddle. You get four of those, and then those are covered with an order of scrambled eggs. I had that with a banana nut muffin, a huge Florida naval orange, and coffee. There was a guy there selling grass-fed beef, so I bought a bone-in ribeye steak from him and brought it home to cook later.

 

Then I headed over to the flea market and in addition to the furniture bought a book from "Chris the Book Guy" who I remembered from my last trip here. Randy the bike guy was also there, but seemed to be in foul mood today, so I did not buy a bicycle from him today. I figured I would come back when he is in a little better humor, but I don't know if that's possible because he didn't look too good, i.e., looks like he's having health problems.

 

Anyway, I'm back at the apartment. Abby has already made herself at home on the sofa and is sleeping on it. It's nice to have a little furniture. The place is starting to look more like a home.

 

Bruce



The Best Five Dollar Cruise Anywhere

Wednesday Nov. 12 – I’m sitting at a dock at Fort Myers Beach, waiting to board the “Big M” gambling ship, for a $5 half-day cruise out onto the ocean. It’s one of the best deals in Fort Myers, in my opinion. Of course, it costs you more if you eat, and especially if you gamble! But I play a little lo-stakes blackjack and a few slots, and have a good time, and just spend the rest of the cruise on the outdoor lounge. I even packed a light lunch of a tuna salad kit and an energy bar, so I can probably get by with just a hotdog or something from the snackbar.

Yesterday (Tuesday) the maintenance man came at 9 a.m. and resolved all my issues. This was a good feeling. Now, I have a proper shower head. The ants seem to have disappeared, so he did not spray, per my request, and if I see ants the guy recommended I use a product called “Taro,” which is organic and not harmful to pets. It’s a syrupy substance that comes in a small shallow tub, and you just leave it out where the ants are congregating. They scoop it up, take it back to the hive, feed it to the Queen, and the ants supposedly go away.

After that, I went to Planet Fitness for a workout, but first stopped at a community thrift store right next to PF and bought a floor lamp for $10, and I just have to put a new socket on it. After the workout and shower/shave, I went to T. J. Maxx and bought a nice comforter for the bed for $70. Then, back to the apartment and got changed into my one good outfit, because I have a dinner invite from Karen Campbell, Dawn’s good friend, who lives in Naples with her significant other, Craig.

We have 6:30 reservations at a place called The Turtle Club, located on the water in North Naples, one of Karen’s faves. I set the GPS to the address, and with the rush hour traffic took me a little over an hour to get there, mostly to get out of Fort Myers and onto I-75. The GPS wanted to take me on Highway 41 (aka Tamiami Trail), but I had a bad experience there before with terrible traffic, so I opted for the Interstate.

After valet parking the car, I had a vodka gimlet at the bar. The place was packed on a Tuesday night. Karen arrived about 30 min. after me, apologized for being late (no problem) and we were escorted to our table. We had a nice waiter by the name of Vinnie who took very good care of us. We started with wine (Karen) and Mojito (me). Karen ordered lobster bisque and a pear/Gorgonzola salad. I ordered seared sea scallops in a mild chili glaze, and for the starched I asked to substitute a hash they had prepared that evening to go with one of the specials … made with potatoes, corn, bacon, and fresh tomatoes. Very yummy. For dessert, I had chocolate cake so big I took half home, with coffee. Karen had key lime pie. We split the bill down the middle, which I didn’t think was fair being Karen didn’t have an entrée, but Karen insisted. Came to $55 apiece, plus tip, plus $5 tip for the valet. Worth every penny. Here is a shot of Karen and I:

Today promises to be another beauty, weather-wise. Some are having breakfast in the dining room (second level on the ship) but I’m on the top deck writing, and I also have a book and Kindle. When we got a couple miles out into the gulf, they opened the casino. I sat at the $5 blackjack table, and in 10 minutes I was up $42.50 on a stake of $50, so I decided to quit while ahead.  I’m on the top deck, having finished my tuna salad and crackers, washed down with a $1 coca cola from the bar. Enjoying the sun, warm temps, and gentle rolling of the ship.

Back at the apartment now. My parts for the Vizio TV arrived, so I’ll be putting the stand together this evening and firing it up to see if I get the cable channels and my Internet subscriptions. I’m pretty stoked about that. I also bought a floor lamp and the damn socket decided to give out, so I bought a replacement socket at the Ace Hardware (for $6) and fixed my $10 lamp, now having $16 invested.

I’m eating at this deli right by my place called “Crave” where I had brunch the other morning. I’m having a roast beef and cheese sub, with a Coke. I’m pretty hungry having just eaten an energy bar and a tuna salad kit on the cruise. It’s been a beautiful day.

 

Bruce

First Visit to Sanibel Island

Monday morning 11/10/14

The sunshine is back after two days of clouds and rain. Mid 70 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. The choices today were to comb Craigslist for furniture, or spend the day on Sanibel Island. Guess which one I chose.

I’m here at the Island Cow, one of favorite eateries from my past visit. It’s as good as ever, but they have no wi-fi … probably had to get rid of it since my last visit because the Internet barnacles were hanging around too long. No cell reception, either, at least not on the “Boost” phone. So I am composing this the old fashioned way … offline. Kind of nice not to be “connected” for a while. I highly recommend it!

I started the day at the apartment with a smoothie and couple cups of coffee. Sent my story off to my editor, along with images. Checked emails, left another message with the maintenance man, and shot a few photos for eBay listings, making use of the morning sunshine.
Then off to Sanibel, renting a beach cruiser bicycle from Billy’s Rentals and parking the Prius. Brunch at the Island Cow was the “Be Crabby,” which is a pan fried crab cake sitting on top of an open-face omelet, covered with melted co-jack cheese. Served with home fries, grits, and fresh fruit. And a strong cuppa Joe. I’m now on their back patio listening to a ‘70s track which has so far included Credence, Joe Cocker, Otis, and Seger, among others. It doesn’t get much better than this.

My “plan” for the rest of the day is to let the food settle a bit, then bike on over to the Ding Darling nature preserve and take a leisurely ride through the flora and fauna. Then who knows after that. Maybe a couple of beers at Doc Ford’s, which is author Randy Wayne White’s bar/restaurant here on the island.

As I inferred earlier, no response yet from “Alan,” the maintenance man who works for Bob Biasotti, the landlord. Not a great first impression, I’m afraid. Just some text messages from the maintenance guy with lame apologies and excuses about “emergencies” that have had to take precedence. Fortunately, the ant population seems to be under control with the bait traps, keeping the kitchen clean, and portioning Abby’s food (i.e., not leaving a bunch of it out all the time). It probably wouldn’t be an issue with the cat food, but for Abby’s habit (adorable as it is) of scooping the food out of the dish and onto the floor, where she invariably leaves crumbs, whereupon the ants come a runnin’ like the early birders at the Golden Corral.

The ride through Ding Darling Wildlife was most excellent. They have repaved the roadway since I was last here, which is nice because the former road surface was quite rough and pebbly. I saw a roseatte spoonbill, small blue heron, white heron, and many ibis. I also something new for me, tree crabs. They look kind of like large black spiders, but they cling to the trees in mangroves and feed off the lichen on the trees. Neat. Here’s a shot I took with the camera built into my Surface tablet:

I saw a woman get her feet and legs attacked by fire ants when she stepped off the pavement into the brush wearing nothing on her feet but flip flops. For you ladies who might be reading this (read: Julie, Amy, Dawn, etc.) if you get down this way, DO NOT be wearing flip flops unless you intend to stay on pavement all the time. Even the so-called “lawns” down here have ant nests in them. Nasty buggers with a painful bite.

I stopped at Doc Ford’s to enjoy a cold Kalik (pronounced ka-LEEK), brewed in Nassau, Bahamas, with which I’m somewhat familiar! (Julie, are you wishing you were on a cruise ship right about now?) Pedaled the rest of the way into downtown Sanibel, and am enjoying an ice latte and complimentary Internet. Just paid my gas and electric bill back home. Ain’t technology great, especially when it works!

That's all for now. I see on the news that southern Wisconsin will dodge the snow bullet for the most part tomorrow, but up to 18 inches is predicted in northern part of the state. Yikes!

 

Bruce

Are There Stone Crabs in Heaven?

Picking up where I left off on Friday morning, I accomplished my two goals of buying a real bed, and a small folding table and folding chair to use for eating/working. I bought the bed at  "The Mattress Warehouse" here in town. I got a quilt-top Queen mattress, box spring, bedframe, a deluxe set of sheets, delivery, and set up, all for $350, which I thought was a good deal. It was especially nice that they could deliver it the same day. I don't have a nice comforter for it yet (I'm using a flimsy blanket that I packed with the inflatable bed) but when I get the comforter, I'll include a photo. Anyway, it was heaven sleeping on a real bed Friday night after sleeping on an air mattress the last couple of nights. Abby really likes it, too, and spends most of her time there!

The mattress place was really close to a classic Fort Myers eatery called Mel's Diner, so that's where I had lunch. One of their specialties is BBQ baby back ribs, so I had a rack of those for $11.99 which includes fries and slaw. I asked to substitute a baked potato for the fries, and that was no problem. Curt, if you are reading this, you MUST visit Mel's if you are ever in this area. These were some of the best baby backs I've ever had. Meaty, fall-off-the-bone good, and none of that icky cartilage to deal with like on the larger ribs. Key lime pie for dessert.

After that, I went to the Walmart Super Center on the far end of town and picked up a few things including a microwave oven, cordless floor sweeper, a 4' by 2' folding table, and a folding chair. Nothing fancy on the table/chair, mind you, but functional and desperately needed at this point.

I made it home in time for the mattress delivery people, and set up all my "stuff" from Walmart. I ran the sheets through the washer/dryer, and made up my new bed. What a nice feeling! It was another quite warm day today, high of 85, so I was quite tuckered out again.

Saturday Nov. 8

Had a delicious peeled and sectioned grapefruit this morning, along with a bowl of oatmeal with walnuts and raisins. Colder temps today (mid 60s) and chance of rain. So I used the morning sunshine to shoot photographs for eBay listings, and managed to complete six listings that will trigger this evening. Gotta keep the cash flow going, you know! At about 11 a.m., I took a break and walked a package over to the pack-n-mail place, and also picked up a package there containing some watches for trade from a customer of mine. Also found out there is a "Dollar General" at that same strip mall, so I stopped in and bought a few things, including a pair of bedroom slippers for lounging around the apartment (the tile floor is too hard to walk around in stocking feet).

At about 3 p.m., Fort Myers was now in full rain mode. I packed my gym bag and headed over to the Planet Fitness out on McGregor Blvd. heading toward the beaches. I got entered into the computer system there (transferring from Janesville), and did a two-hour cardio workout, then showered up. My reward for the workout was dinner at Pincher's Crab Shack, also on that end of town. This is one my favorite places from a couple years back when I was here. The stone crabs are just coming into season, so I ordered a pound dinner for $40, which comes with two sides -- I had beans and cole slaw. I picked all claws clean first, then had the waitress bring me a cup of melted butter which I poured liberally over the small mountain of crab meat, and finished it with a spritz of lemon. All washed down with a cold Blue Moon. If there is a heaven, surely they must have stone crab, preferably de-shelled, but I'll take 'em shelled, too. Time certainly won't be a factor. Drove back to the apartment in pitch dark, raining on top of it.

Sunday Nov. 9

It rained all night, and is still raining off and on today, and temps remain in the mid 60s. I made breakfast at the apartment, consisting of home fries (from the half of the baked potato from Mel's), a two-egg omelet with ham and Havarti cheese, 2 slices of toast, and coffee.

With the rain and cooler temps, this was the perfect day to finish my story on Alpina watches for the Jan.-Feb. 2015 issue of Watch & Clock Bulletin. I had the article itself written, but had to process and coordinate all the images (20 of them) to accompany the story. I will email this tomorrow morning to Monica, my editor, and it will be a good feeling to have this done.

I was not able to do any eBay listings today, because there was no sunshine. Can you imagine that? But it does happen. At about 1:45 p.m., I went across the way to the strip mall with the pack-n-ship place because there's a combination restaurant/market there called "Crave" that I wanted to try. They are only open until 2 p.m. on Sundays, and only serve breakfast/brunch. So I ordered 2 blueberry pancakes and 2 of their homemade sausage links, and a cup of their premium coffee. All excellent. Nothing wrong with 2 breakfasts in one day!

From there, I went to Harbor Freight tools, just the next strip mall over, and got a tape measure and a roll of duct tape. I needed these to make a barrier between the washer/dryer and the wall so that Abby does not jump down there again. She hasn't done it since the first time she got stuck there a couple days ago, but I didn't want to take any chances. It's simply too difficult to get her out of there. For the "wall" part, I used a couple pieces of cardboard cut from the Mr. Coffee box. Here's what I ended up with:

 

Not pretty, I grant you, but it should do the job and it should be easy to take down when I move out. Hopefully the duct tape won't take the paint off the wall when I remove it! I'm now at the neighborhood McDonald's writing this blog entry, just to get out of the apartment for a while. Tomorrow, the sunshine is supposed to return, with a high of 78 degrees. I may start combing the craigslist ads for a sofa and chairs, but Sanibel Island sounds awfully tempting, too!

 

Bruce

Starting to Get Settled

Hi everyone. I arrived Fort Myers about 4 p.m. Wednesday, met my neighbor, Karen (whose husband, Randy, was on his way home) and unpacked the Prius. An initial inspection of the apartment revealed I need everything, right down to the shower curtain. I cranked the AC down to 68 to get the hot sticky air out of the apartment. The first thing I noticed was hundreds of ants crawling along one of the baseboards. I started a mental list of the repairs to report to the landlord, which eventually came to include a new shower head and fix/replace the vertical blind on the living room patio door.

Here is a short video tour of the apartment, in its rather naked state. This was taken Friday morning. Forgive the rather crude quality; it's my first attempt not only making a video, but uploading it to my blog.

 

 

 

If the above video won't play, or does not appear, try going to the link I'll give you in a moment. The file is stored on a remote server. When you click on the link, your computer will ask if you want to "open" the file or "save" it. Chose "open," and the video should play on your computer's default video viewer. The link is here.

 

The washer/dryer is pulled out because Abby jumped down into the tiny space behind the unit and got stuck there for an entire day, and I had to pull the unit out in order to free her. So I have to figure out some type of blockade ... probably to be fashioned from cardboard and duct tape.

 

Anyway, back to Wednesday night. After inflating my temporary bed, my first order of business was some dinner, which was at the Lazy Flamingo, just around the corner from me. I had a grilled Grouper sandwich with fries and slaw, washed down with a Rolling Rock.

 

Next, I went to the Walmart Neighborhood Market, and then to Target, to pick up some very basic necessities, including a few groceries, a shower curtain and hooks, 2 waste baskets and liners, ant baits, and a Dust Buster to vacuum up ants and kitty litter. The apartment is less than a mile from my place at Sandalwood two years ago, so I am pretty familiar with the neighborhood. All within a mile are two grocery stores (the other one being a Publix), a CVS Pharmacy for my meds, gas station, and a Chase Bank branch. And my business mail box is just up the street on McGregor Blvd.

 

I woke up Thursday morning, drove to the McDonalds up the street and got a cup of coffee, and brought it back to the apartment and made a fried egg sandwich. I then called Bob Biasotti, the landlord, with my list of repairs, and he said his maintenance man would call me, which he did.

 

At about 8:15, the installer from Comcast arrived, and proceeded to install my Internet and basic cable. Big surprise with the 40 inch Vizio flat screen replacement TV that I hauled all the way to Florida before checking the contents of the box: The box contained ONLY the TV screen. Apparently, when I returned the defective Vizio TV, I was supposed to keep the stand, the power cord, the remote control, and the Quick Start Guide. I returned all that stuff with the old unit to Vizio.

 

As a result, the installer was unable to hook the cable to the TV. I was forced to call Vizio's parts supplier and order the accessories in question at a cost of $129. They are supposed to arrive some time next week. What a kick in the rear, but it's my own fault for not opening the box and inspecting the contents when it was delivered to me in Janesville. Because right inside the box was a note saying that only the monitor was supplied and that I was to keep the base unit, power cord, remote, etc., from the defective unit. Amy, if you are reading this, your words ring in my ears that I should have opened the box and inspected the contents!

 

The rest of Thursday was spent running around, buying additional stuff for the apartment. The best deal of the day was at the Salvation Army Thrift store, where I bought eight drinking glasses and a serrated bread knife, all for $3.25.

 

After that, I had lunch at a TGI Fridays. Not my favorite place, but it was located next door to a Bed Bath & Beyond, which was my next stop. At TGI's, I had a "pick two" lunch special for $6.99, and my choices were a house salad with bleu cheese dressing, and two corned beef/Swiss cheese sliders with fries.

 

Next, I dropped about $120 at Bed Bath & Beyond, saving about $28 with my 20% coupon. I bought a toaster, Mr. Coffee drip coffee maker, a second pillow, a set of bath towels, and a few miscellaneous kitchen items. I passed on a microwave oven and cordless floor sweeper there because I thought their prices were quite high, even with the 20% coupon. (Sure enough, later in the day I found the same exact Mr. Coffee for $10 less than BB&B, so I basically paid $8 more for the coffee maker after factoring in the 20% discount. Moral of the story: The discount department stores are way cheaper than BB&B, even with their 20% discount coupon!)

 

By this time, I was kind of running out of steam. The temps were in the mid 80s Thursday (and again today), and I'm not quite acclimated yet, so it was kind of sapping my energy. So I headed back to my neighborhood, stopping at the CVS to switch over my prescriptions, the Publix to pick up a few more groceries, and gassed up the Prius. Perhaps most importantly, I stopped the Publix liquor store and bought a 1.75 liter bottle of tequila and some Margarita mix.

 

Back at the apartment, I finally freed Abby from her prison behind the washer/dryer when I heard her mewing. After vacuuming another batch of ants, I prepared myself a big ol' Margarita and relaxed in my one and only chair. For dinner, I had chilled shrimp with cocktail sauce, and a helping each of macaroni salad and cole slaw from the Publix deli. For dessert, I made a small pot of coffee in my new Mr. Coffee, and had that with some praline pecans that I had picked up in Georgia. I watched a couple of shows on Netflix, using my tablet computer (in lieu of a television), and then hit the sack.

 

It's now Friday. The ant population does seem to be dissipating between the bait traps, and washing a spot on floor with Spic 'n' Span where I believe something sticky was spilled (before I arrived) and not completely cleaned up. Hopefully, the tiny buggers will be eradicated after Alan (the maintenance man) sprays today. I asked Randy (next door) about the ants, and he says he's got them, also, and sprays about every three months with an Ortho product called "Home Defense Max." I guess it's simply something I'll have to live with in this particular complex (I didn't have this issue at Sandalwood) and gallon containers of the stuff (with sprayer wand) are only about $15 at Home Depot. Randy also cautioned me to keep the kitchen clean, free of crumbs, and especially not to leave anything sweet exposed on the counters, cupboards, or floors.

 

 Anyway, for breakfast, I had a smoothie (prepared with the Vitamix blender I hauled down here), a slice of toast (with my new toaster) with peanut butter, and coffee.

 

I'm sitting in the local Starbucks typing this blog entry because I have no table/chairs in the apartment yet. I have two goals today: To get a small table and a couple chairs, and also to buy a bed, hopefully from a place that delivers. I'm missing the Friday farmer's market at Lake's Park, and also the Fleamaster's Flea Market (to look for a bicycle), but those things will have to wait for the time being. I must prioritize!

 

If you've made it to the end of this blog entry, I congratulate your patience. This is a large task outfitting a living quarters from scratch, even one as small as this!

 

Love,

 

Bruce

Kitty Hiding Places

There is a false bottom on this credenza that serves as dresser/TV stand in my hotel room in Nashville. And Abby found a way to crawl inside it and do her impersonation of kitty Anne Frank. I looked for her everywhere last night, and feared she had snuck out the door during one of my unloading trips to the car. I searched the outside premises of the hotel to no avail. When I returned to my room and started eating my spaghetti, she crawled out from her hidey-hole, and gave me a look as if to say, "What? You been lookin' for me, fat boy?"

 So anyway, this morning she was there again, no doubt sensing another day of being on the road, being jostled around in her road case. I had breakfast at the next-door Waffle House, skipping the cold (and very sparse) continental breakfast in the sad, broom-closet-sized lobby of the motel where the clerk was encased in a booth of bullet resistant plastic. The ambiance at the Waffle House was much better. I had a pecan waffle, 2 eggs over medium, sausage patties, hash browns, and raisin toast.

This leg of journey today was broken up a bit with a stop at "Malone's Steak & Seafood" in south Atlanta, to have lunch with my friend Dan Denning and to do a little watch trading with him. He bought my lunch, and also eight watches and one watch band. I bought four watches from him. The restaurant was very nice, and I had their lunch-size rib eye (8 ounces) with mashed potatoes, a salad with bleu cheese dressing, and an ice tea. We were only together for a little over an hour because Dan had a prior obligation he had to attend to. But it was nice to see him and catch up. Here is a photo of him and me in the restaurant:

That's Dan on the left.

From south Atlanta, I hauled ass to Tifton, Georgia, to try and get here before dark. Didn't quite make it, but close. I didn't quite remember on the journey, but as I approached and saw the signs for the Adcock Pecan Company, I remembered stopping here before three years ago to pick up pecans as gifts for the family. The motel, another Day's Inn, is right off the ramp from Interstate 75, so it's very congested around here, but the room is very nice, and about half again as big as last night's room in Nashville.

Total drive time today was 8.5 hours, including the stop for lunch. The Prius did a little better on gas mileage today -- 50 mpg -- because the winds had died down. The drive between Nashville and Chattanooga through the southern Appalachian Mountains is just beautiful, and Dawn I know you will really enjoy this if you get a chance to go to Chattanooga with me for the 2015 national watch convention in Chattanooga.

I picked up some cold cuts and a loaf of bread from the mini-mart across the parking lot, and made myself a sandwich for dinner. Didn't want much more than that with the fairly large lunch.

My king size bed is up on a frame, so Abby has stationed herself underneath, and I fear a possible game of cat-and-fuzzy-guy tomorrow morning trying to get her into the cat carrier.

Well, I am once again beat from a day of driving, so it's going to be an early night.

Bruce

Greetings from Nashville

A new adventure begins!

I started out at 5:45 this morning from Janesville. The Prius was loaded down with luggage, household goods (including a 40 inch flat screen TV) and one 16-pound puss.

Breakfast was at a McDonald's in El Paso, Ill., and lunch was at an Arby's somewhere in Kentucky.

Gretchen, my GPS, took me on a rather odd route along 2-lane roads where I saw my share of grain elevators, tractor/implement dealers, and 2-pump gas stations. Nevertheless, I made the 578 mile journey in good time ... about 10 hours ... arriving at my Days Inn at about 3:15 (central time).

The Prius drove like a dream, but strong winds kept the mpg's in the 42-range.

Here's Abby checking out the eateries in Nashville:

"This apartment is considerably smaller than the old one."

She was an angel during the trip. She hardly made a peep ... er ... mew. I had spaghetti and meat balls for supper ... salvaged from the fridge cleanout at home. Now I'm just relaxing in the hotel room. Will likely turn in early tonight ... I'm very tired from the long drive.

Bruce