I have been meaning to do an update for a few days,  but somehow we have seemed to keep very busy!  We are in Florida,  and enjoy our time here A LOT.

We flew down the morning after Christmas,  and luckily had a direct flight from Milwaukee to Fort Lauderdale.  Often we come through Atlanta and that would not have been good!  The East coast is still struggling to recover from the storms.  But our flight was good and arrived on time.   The first 2 nights were cold, close to record setting.  But the days were nice and the sun here still feels warm,  unlike home!   And each day has gotten better.  Today it was in the upper 60’s when we awoke.  I took a long walk along the beach, the wind is now out of the Southeast.  The bahama breezes are coming in.   The Boynton Beach park has been redone, and is still being finished.  Nothing moves quickly here in Florida!   They had it under construction when we were down in May.   But they have done a nice job and I walked there and had some juice.   Then a nice walk home.  We took the neighbors Al and Viv to lunch today,  and Al and I had our oysters.  And I had the oil changed on the Focus today, tomorrow we drive over to Fort Meyers to bring in the New Year with the Enders.

MJ had gone up to Orlando to meet a friend from the St Sebs neighborhood who lives there with his family now.  Chris and I emptied china cabinets and desk and some of Clyde’s boxes,  and found room for everything.  Yesterday we had a Ministry pick up the cabinets and dining room table.  And I have been running some outlets to where they need to be when we get a wall of cabinets installed in February.  So that is about set.   The room looks big right now!

And we have some not so good news.   Aunt Muriel had a major stroke just before Christmas.  They have moved her back to the nursing home from the hospital into their comfort care,  it sounds like she is not responding at this point and they will monitor her.   And Chris’s sister Marie had surgery again today.   Sounds like about as major as the first one.  She developed some infections around the mesh they put in for her hernia’s, and they had to take the mesh out and replace and take out some infected intestine.   She was unhappy with her rate of recovery before and has to start over,  with a longer recovery.   She will be in the hospital for the next week and Chris will make plans to go to New Mexico.  John is doing as well as expected, and will move nursing homes soon.   So we keep them all in our prayers.  Including Mom’s sister Lottie who was in St Francis hospital last we have heard.

But we did have a nice Christmas.  Mom did come to Skip and Claire’s on Christmas day and had an enjoyable time.  And Andria and Craig were up from Texas.  We had a great meal including smoked Texas turkey, which was excellent.

So I am on the porch doing updates, after spending some time with Al having a cocktail and listening to stories.  Chris has been working, on a work project they gave her a few hours ago and want in for year end.    I think I will have a glass of Zinfindel and a small cigar, and enjoy the breeze through the palms.   And we wish you all a Happy and Healthy 2011,  enjoy family friends and live life to the fullest.