I decided to do some tree and bush trimming today instead of walking. It’s a workout too. The area to be dealt with is the entryway that has stones and plants in the ground and is a pain in the ass to keep clean because the leaves are constantly dropping. The plantings are old and have gotten ropey. They have been trimmed many times. Their tallest stems reach to the roof with just leaves on top. Not a very attractive look. I’d like to clear them all out, pave the area, put in a table and chairs and a couple of potted plants instead of plants in the ground, to keep the ficus tree in a pot company.

This is a beautiful ficus. It was on the pool deck where it was dying. Out there in the foyer it has found its spot and can’t stop growing. It was high enough I needed help. I tried a foot stool, no. A small ladder, no. I finally had to get a taller ladder to reach the top of the ficus with a big shearing tool. I also cut bushes and so on. My mission initially was just to pull up weeds and pick up the dead leaves but I never got to that because after working a couple of hours in the heat of the day, I started to get really sick – back spasms (that doesn’t make sense but that’s what happens if I am exercising in the heat).

Ed came out to berate me because he says when I trim, I never bag the stuff. I told him I planned to bag things when I was finished. Anyway he started to help, muttering.

The rest of the day I was useless to bike or do anything else. I had also thought I might get in the pool, but I had not the strength to do any of it.

And the foyer still looks like a mess because I didn’t pull the weeds.

So we are having leftovers tonight and no one better complain. I have started a Word document called “Dinner Menu” and each day I write in what we had, so when Ed says let’s have steak, I can tell him that we had it only 3 days ago, or whatever, and he starts clucking like a chicken because he thinks I serve that too much.

Recently I heard a podcast from NPR where the person being interviewed was talking about the quality of imported sea food and it was disquieting to learn that a lot of the shrimp and other sea food that is imported from third world countries come from incredibly unsanitary breeding grounds.

So Terry, the interviewer asked him what sea food would he eat, and he answered just anything from the U.S., no foreign stuff and you can tell what you are buying because the package must give country of origin. So I checked some shrimp and tilapia I had in the freezer and the tilapia was from China and the shrimp was from Vietnam. Oh oh oh. So what I am going to do, and why didn’t I catch on sooner, is buy my shrimp from a road side stand on Pine Island Road. It is caught daily. And it’s local. How can I go wrong? Yeah, I have to clean it myself but it eases my mind about what we are eating.

Finally, I read an article in the News-Press Cape Coral section from a writer checking out the “music” scene in local cafes and bars and discussing the merits of all the bands. So I wrote a genteel rant to that particular writer and the paper printed it and two days ago a reader called me, having found us in the phone book, and told me how much he loved my letter. You might guess, if you have been following my fulminations, that the letter kinda, sorta said that mostly what we hear is crap. Yes they printed the word.

Since I directed the letter to the writer, not to the letters column, I didn’t expect it to be printed. The caller said I should write more and I said most of my letters had a political agenda and were not always well received because I tended to be center-left and he thought that was great, so I may call him back and invite him to brunch.

If this all happens, I’ll prolly write about it.

xx, Teal