Who knew this could be so much fun?
Next up on "sports I've never tried" is pickleball.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Monday, February 22, 2016
Toaster Love
At the last minute we decided to stay an extra month in The Villages. It's hard to find places to rent at this time of year, but we were lucky to land a lovely home due to a cancellation. The owners are off doing good work in the world (literally, helping children in 3rd world countries) while we are golfing and swimming and uking and woodworking and dancing and using their golf cart, kitchen, den, wifi, and shower.
I decided to make a gift for our hosts, but when I looked around I couldn't find a thing that they need. Finally I settled on a toaster cozy (everyone needs one, right?). Then I couldn't find a pattern online, so I designed my own version. I uploaded it to Ravelry to benefit all toaster lovers.
I decided to make a gift for our hosts, but when I looked around I couldn't find a thing that they need. Finally I settled on a toaster cozy (everyone needs one, right?). Then I couldn't find a pattern online, so I designed my own version. I uploaded it to Ravelry to benefit all toaster lovers.
Friday, January 15, 2016
Still haven't found them
I'm two weeks into my stay here in the Villages, and still no swingers. I haven't seen one golf cart with the flag on it. Plenty of other stuff, like "Muffy and Biff" decals, Green Bay Packers flags, and even one emblazoned with the names of 15 cats. That crazy and wild senior thing is a myth, likely propagated to get more press (any press is good press, right?), but with 114,000 people and growing this place hardly needs more exposure.
The Villages has it all -- every hobby, every sport, every interest is covered at one of the rec centers or through the lifelong learning college. So far I've found four different uke groups, not to mention other mixed strings music groups to play with, and these people are serious players. People drive around in golf carts, and the community is designed with this in mind, with many trails throughout the properties. Live music plays every night in three town squares. This is truly Disneyland for seniors.
In between activities I'm finishing a few knitting projects. This one is my favorite baby sweater pattern.
The Villages has it all -- every hobby, every sport, every interest is covered at one of the rec centers or through the lifelong learning college. So far I've found four different uke groups, not to mention other mixed strings music groups to play with, and these people are serious players. People drive around in golf carts, and the community is designed with this in mind, with many trails throughout the properties. Live music plays every night in three town squares. This is truly Disneyland for seniors.
In between activities I'm finishing a few knitting projects. This one is my favorite baby sweater pattern.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Looking for Salacious Stories in the Villages
I'm in Florida. The Villages. We decided to "test drive" the largest retirement community (over 100,000 residents) in the world, so, anyway, we are renting a place here for a month.
When we told our Minnesota friends of our plans we got some unexpected reactions. "It's a promiscuous place!" and "Everyone is cheating there!" were common retorts when I casually mentioned we were going to stay at The Villages. Then I found a few references online, like this one and this.
One friend suggested I hunt down the real story so I can write about it.
Well, I haven't seen much evidence of the swinging life (yet). Husband did see a team called "the swingers" on a list of bowling leagues at the local alley, but I suspect that has more to do with the use of arms in the sport than what they do after the game . . .
When we told our Minnesota friends of our plans we got some unexpected reactions. "It's a promiscuous place!" and "Everyone is cheating there!" were common retorts when I casually mentioned we were going to stay at The Villages. Then I found a few references online, like this one and this.
One friend suggested I hunt down the real story so I can write about it.
Well, I haven't seen much evidence of the swinging life (yet). Husband did see a team called "the swingers" on a list of bowling leagues at the local alley, but I suspect that has more to do with the use of arms in the sport than what they do after the game . . .
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
Ten Stitch Blanket
This is Frankie's pattern, available here. I made this one to be a baby activity, car, or stroller blanket.
Sunday, November 22, 2015
Why whining in the internet age is not allowed
My father-in-law spent about 80 percent of his time doing things that take little effort today. Here's an entry from his journal, dated February 27, 1971:
"I wrote Mrs. Sterna a letter last evening and so, since Arlene has to mail her package to her mother, a cotton embroidered dressing gown, because the U.S. has just put an embargo on cotton goods and the stores can't mail them, we went to the post office on Calle Independencia and Belen. The process of mailing the gown, though cumbersome, was not as bad as Spain. We first went to the postal aduana, which is luckily located in the same building as the post office, and there got the package weighed and told, how much postage would be required (weight seven tenths of a kilogram and postage, airmail of 23 pesos, or just under two dollars). We had to go next to the post office to buy the stamps. Then we were sent back to the same man at the aduana again with a small green declaration ship, asking the contents of the package, its weight, and its value. We filled that out, but had, first, to go to a specialist who has glue and sticks the green form on the package since the form has no glue on it. Then to our first man again, who laboriously filled out a form giving both addresses, the nature of the contents their value, etc., and then he gave us a stub. The mind boggles at what one would have to go through in case the package got lost and one tried to trace it or to get a refund for its value."
"I wrote Mrs. Sterna a letter last evening and so, since Arlene has to mail her package to her mother, a cotton embroidered dressing gown, because the U.S. has just put an embargo on cotton goods and the stores can't mail them, we went to the post office on Calle Independencia and Belen. The process of mailing the gown, though cumbersome, was not as bad as Spain. We first went to the postal aduana, which is luckily located in the same building as the post office, and there got the package weighed and told, how much postage would be required (weight seven tenths of a kilogram and postage, airmail of 23 pesos, or just under two dollars). We had to go next to the post office to buy the stamps. Then we were sent back to the same man at the aduana again with a small green declaration ship, asking the contents of the package, its weight, and its value. We filled that out, but had, first, to go to a specialist who has glue and sticks the green form on the package since the form has no glue on it. Then to our first man again, who laboriously filled out a form giving both addresses, the nature of the contents their value, etc., and then he gave us a stub. The mind boggles at what one would have to go through in case the package got lost and one tried to trace it or to get a refund for its value."
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