Snowbirds Leaving, Turtles Arriving

Luminia for Mary Anne
Relay for Hope 2015

I always have mixed feelings in April and May.  On the one hand, I’m so glad to see lighter traffic, shorter lines in the stores, parking spaces at Public, immediate seating in restaurants.  In general, it is significantly quieter during the summer months and summer begins in April around here.  On the other hand, it’s hard to say goodbye to snowbird friends.  For six months they are a big part of my life…in book club, at yoga, at the library and at Dining for Women.  I forget they’re not here full time until they start talking about cleaning up and packing.  As I said to several this week, I’m thrilled the snowbirds are going home but I want MY snowbird friends to STAY.

Still they leave.  Some left last week.  My friend, Kate, who I have known since high school left yesterday.  Other close friends are leaving this week.  It’s going to be quiet, that’s for sure.

And when the snowbirds leave, the turtles come.   Early morning walks, examining tracks and witnessing the miracle of new life…we started last Saturday. Every year I am in awe of those 300 pound mamas who drag themselves up on the beach to dig  perfect cylindrical holes with their back flippersand deposit about 100 eggs, cover the nest with sand and slowly make their way back to the sea.   We rarely see them…they come in the middle of the night.  We rarely see their babies…they hatch and head for the water in the middle of the night.  But their tracks let us know they’ve been around.  And every once in a while, we’re treated to an encounter…with a mom who has nested in the wee hours of the morning and is still there when we arrive on the beach at sunrise or a hatch that, for some reason, doesn’t happen until early morning.  Whatever happens, the beach is beautiful in the early morning and the women I walk with are even more beautiful. Life is good.

Jerry and I walked in the Relay for Life last week.  There was a survivor dinner, then the survivor walk and caregiver walk before the general walking began.  I was so moved by it all…by the stories I heard, by the hundreds of luminary, by the campsites and booths…I found myself near tears all night.  Absolutely beautiful and I was so grateful to the people who worked so hard to get it done.

Relay for Hope
April 2015

Jerry had his second surgery on Thursday…so both legs are “fixed”.  He should be able to walk miles and miles one of these days.  At the moment he’s feeling sore and uncomfortable but I’ll bet  he’ll be up and on the golf course by next Saturday.  This time around the surgery was done on time and so I had it easy.  I read my book club book…The Signature of All Things and chatted with a very anxious woman whose husband had fallen and broken his hip and leg and was in surgery for quite a long time.

We’re heading out to Texas in a couple weeks and I’m going to do a small science unit on sea turtles with Declan’s preschool class.  Back to lesson plans…been a long time.  They seem so much younger than Calli’s class did when I did the unit with her.  I need to think of EASY crafts projects and simple stories and songs.  On my “to do” list for the week!

Went “fishing” with my “little brother” from Big Brothers, Big Sisters.  He caught the second largest fish.  Happy kid.

Fishing Derby
April 2015

I read The Nightingale last week (Kristin Hannah)  Beautiful book and well done.  I’m not sure if there’s a WW II book I haven’t liked.  This one is about the French Resistance.  And I went to see Woman in Gold..wonderful movie.  I also read It’s What I Do by Lynsey Addario.  Fascinating…she’s a photo-journalist and the book had me looking at photos in magazines and newspapers more carefully.  I just took a look at the ones in the NY Times by Daniel Berehulak who won the Pulitzer for his pictures of the Ebola crisis in west Africa.  Stunning.

Happy May, Everyone…so glad my northern friends are finally going to have warm weather!