road trip: lost track of day- definition of stress

Let's just start this posting off by saying that folks down here have a smidge of a different definition of a busy day than me.

Yesterday, when I was told we had a busy day today, I had visions of running all over town and getting lots of projects done with barely enough time for lunch.

Well, not exactly...

I got up at my usual hour of 10:00 and jumped in the shower so I would be prepared for the day's events. I got some breakfast and sat down at the table to wait. I made the comment about the busy day and asked what time we needed to leave.

"Oh." My aunt says. "I have laundry to do before we leave."

"OK." I'll work on my computer a little and write some stories.

About an hour passed and I brought up the question again about time.

"Honey, I've got to do the laundry first."

"hmmm... OK."

You see, at this point in time, I didn't realize that everyone here operates in space, not time. And that laundry is an entire day's project. That WAS the busy day's plan. It is so foreign to me because laundry is something that I squeeze in between other things. I plan maybe 10 minutes a day for this.

So, I came to the realization that I had better go out and about alone. Since my belt has now moved one link out from all the not-so-healthy food I have eaten, I opted for a walk. This is when I really came to a clear understanding of what stress is!

Just in case you all were like me and clearly didn't understand the definition of stress, let me clarify.

Here is stress...

1- The laundry is taking too long.

2- When am I going to get my walk in? The temperature dropped below 70!

3- It might rain tomorrow, so when are we going to sweep the driveway?

4- I didn't get my phone call in to Sally today to see how she is feeling about her golf game.

5- Putting a new bulb in the light at the end of the driveway. This is a 3-man operation and takes the entire day to complete. I got to snoopervise the neighbors for this project.

(I really could handle being retired- no problem)

Now, for those of you that think retired people just sit around, not the case at all, especially in the evenings!! These people are party animals. The restaurants are filled with clinking silverware, town square looks like Time Square at New Years, and the singles bars are packed. BUT grandma better be packin' some protection because this place is crawling with STDs. I was informed today that according to national news, The Villages has the worst case of STDs in the nation.

Moving forward from retired life, it's time to see some pictures. Here is my definition of when you know you are in a sunny place...

The streets here are very uniform and the view doesn't change for miles. I walked for 2 hours and the neighborhoods have rows of houses that are all a tone of brown. The driveways are all the same length and you can't tell when one yard ends and the next begins because all the yards are maintained by the same people and cut on the same day.

A day here without golf carts? Not possible!!! So here are some of the unique types. These things are almost fancier than cars.

Look at these unique plants...

This next picture is a close-up of a tree branch on the tree in the previous picture.

Now, just to clarify stress again...

When I went to take this close-up picture, the camera wouldn't focus and I had to take it at least 5 times while standing in someone's yard. Goodness gracious!!

I don't know what creates this, but when you look through the trees, this is what it looks like. There is a moss that grows in all the trees. It hangs down in lengths that would be measurable in feet, not inches.

Here is what the moss looks like up close.

Another point to define stress...

The only place this moss was growing here in The Villages was on the golf course, so I had to develop a master plan to get out on the course, snatch some, and get back without being any interruption to a game of golf!! WHEW!!!

Being in Florida, outdoor living is a huge part of life. Most of the porches are screened like this. It is called a Lanai. I have spent much of my time here at the house enjoying this bugless porch!!!

This was probably one of the most unique moments I've experienced. The Villages is a city of 70,000 retired people.

Have you ever seen a town square so crowded there wasn't an inch to spare and everyone is the same?

Incredible!!! Typically, when you are in a crowd, the heads vary in height, the voices vary in tone and age, and character abounds. Tonight, the voices were very similar, everyone was close to the same height, and while there were characters, they were ALL the same age. It was one solid slice of society all in the same spot with no contamination, except me!

This next moment was really neat! The town square went black and the people of the town had candles in multi-colored cups. They were all lit and held up in the air to create a candlelit ambiance for the tree lighting.

As I looked down at the man in front of me, I couldn't help but notice his hands holding his candle in the most delicate form. It was very moving. I wondered what he was thinking and wishing for.

Here is my aunt, me and my aunt's other half, Joe! Don't we look holiday happy!?!

When I got here on Sunday, my aunt so excitedly said that they had tickets to a concert and I was going to get to go. Oh, great. I love concerts!!

She said with a glow, The Lettermen will perform."

"Oh, OK."

While I feel so mature, I was not old enough to have any clue who they were. I just was excited to go to the concert.

As we walked in, it was quite apparent that I was the youngest person in sight and probably the only person that didn't know the name.

As the concert went on, I must say, I actually did know the songs, just didn't know who sang them. I can see why they were so popular; they were fabulous!!! Incredible singers and fantastic performers!!! My cheeks hurt from smiling and laughing!!

They had a point in one of the songs where they invited people to go up on stage and take a picture with them. So, Joe and I went up and I handed the camera to the Usher. This is why you don't have someone else take a picture for you...