Friends

The wild flowers and the butterflies are wonderful these last hot days of fall. In the vegetable garden the flowers are rampant above the broccoli and beans and eggplant. Lettuces are available in abundance. We are in the dry season so each day I must water all the gardens.

I am thinking about so many wonderful friends I have in my life. Connecting with them takes hours each day, lots like watering the plants. If you don't do it, they will dry up and die. Each weekend brings friends to our guest house and each day brings e-mails and phone calls. When some friend or other is in crisis, the messages and calls fly back and forth. Our near neighbors drop by with produce and local talk.

In some ways, I am quite a hermit here, loving this place as I do. Sometimes I know that I have a few days that do not have anything on the calendar that I must do. But it doesn't stack up quite like that.

We have been working on the gardens every day, clearing out the debris and cutting back the wild growth from the summer. Andy cut and stacked logs for the fireplace today. Our weekend guests, who are staying on, always help out with the things that need attention.

Tomorrow is my volunteer day at Lacoochee. We'll be making pasta, and I'll read to the kids. The next day, I'll be volunteering at SunFlower School in Gulfport and I'll be making Flubber!

To be truthful, I am finally beginning to love retirement.