What Happened....

...to Warm, Sunny Florida????

From the outside ...

to the Inside... it was COLD this morning!!!!

Survivors

Temperatures in the low 20s and yet, somehow....

Cloudy Forecast

While crossing the bridge on the way to school yesterday morning, Isabel asked what kind of clouds were in the sky.

I told her they were Cirrus clouds, at which point she replied:
"Why are they serious?"

First Swim Lesson

I wish I had my camera with me to videotape Isabel when I picked her up at school this afternoon. She was SOOO excited about her first swimming lesson that she ran from classroom to classroom, opening the doors and announcing it to all the teachers.

We were supposed to start yesterday but some kid got sick in the pool and...well, no need for details on THAT one! Needless to say, the class was postponed until today to give them some time to shock the pool with chemicals. When we got there, we saw our neighbors. Isabel and little Berto from across the street are in the same class. He is 6 months younger than Isabel and they are great friends. The lesson was quite fun but was unfortunately cut short due to the lightening of an approaching storm.

In retrospect, I guess I should have talked to Isabel in advance about lifeguards and their whistles. Isabel HATES loud noises. (She flipped out last year when we were on the beach watching the fireworks.) Well, we happened to be seated at the base of the lifeguard chair. Needless to say, Isabel was NOT happy when she blew the whistle to get everyone out of the pool. I have to admit, I even jumped at how loud it was. We'll be back at the pool tomorrow and every afternoon through next Thursday.

And to think... I have been living here for over five years and never knew that the pool was there! (I know where we will be spending a LOT of time this summer.

Looking for a Dove

"When the dove returned to him in the evening ...
Noah knew that the waters had receded."
~ Genesis 6

At Last......

After almost two weeks missing, the camera has finally come home to mama. I have felt like I had a limb removed. I didn't have it for Mother's Day which made me sad. I didn't realize how much I have come to rely on having it available to catch all the little everyday moments that make up life. So thankful I had it to capture this snippet of life this afternoon.

For those of us in Florida.. life has been pretty wet! Isabel and I fed ducks at the park on Sunday... at noon... in 95 degree weather. I was dying..thinking to myself, It's only MAY!!!! What the @#%$ is August going to be like? I chatted with a friend in Asheville who mentioned she was chilly and was putting on a fleece. I gotta say, I was having a hard time relating...what with the rivulets of sweat running down my forehead as I listened. Little did I know a reprieve was waiting in the wings.

Later that afternoon, the rain began...soft at first. Sweet smelling. I got to shut off the A/C and open the windows. The temperature dropped 25 degrees. I was in heaven.

That was three days ago. It's been raining ever since. And while I am perhaps one of the few folks left who is still enjoying it, I do prefer rain's orientation to be vertical. Didn't see a lot of THAT today. Instead, it was blowing in horizontally off the river both when I dropped off and picked up Isabel today. Throw in the umbrella doing the ole flip inside out thing and it made for quite the entertaining scene. The rain is starting to have effects around the city. Traffic is crazy. The ground is saturated. My school's campus is under 3 inches of water back where my building is located. It looks like a lake. The kids were actually creating wakes between classes. Ahhh... good times.

By the time we arrived home this afternoon, the rain had turned into a very light drizzle. Isabel saw the puddles and begged to play in them. Why not? I told her to take off her tights and she could play in the back yard. By the time I got to the kitchen, she had half her clothes stripped off and was about to head out the door in her birthday suit. I suggested a bathing suit might be a more appropriate choice. She flew in her room, threw it on and was outside having a blast within two minutes. I ran in the house and that's when the camera appeared.

Apparently, young Mr. Spock no longer needed it for the movie's premiere and transported it back to me. Ahh... live long and prosper.

Note: I just LOVE Isabel's commentary on the video, all the way from "That's aMAZEing!" to "There's no boo boos." You'll need to hit the mute button on the playlist at the bottom of the site page in order to hear the video clip.

[Update: This morning on the way to the car I heard, "It's like an ocean. Whoa! Where did the sidewalk go?" Needless to say...STILL raining.]