I'M BACK...by b. Malin

Yes, I'm finally back from another Fun filled few weeks. Needless to say, I've missed all my Hub Friends, and of course, Writing my Thoughts, which now feel like they're about to Explode out of my Head! So here goes.

In August the family came, and that was a fun time. We ate some Great Jersey Tomatoes...Except for the "picture" of this one. Now, be HONEST, what does it look like? If A.A. who writes Great Hubs, is reading this Hub, he'll be able to clue anyone in who isn't sure. Ok, Ok, it looks like a "Behind", a "Derriere"...a "Butt"... does it not? Yes, in the end (Pardon the Pun) it did get eaten, and it was Mouth Watering Delicious! Lover Man and I shared it, before we got on the road to drive to Florida, to work on the Condo w/ the View.

Yes, it's still a boring ride, and we did get a late start, due to the moving company, we had hired to move some of our things, coming LATE in the afternoon. They were expected at 9 a.m. We were Cool, for they had kept in touch Every Hour until their arrival. For example, at 12 p.m. we got the call, "Would you mind if we stop for Lunch...we don't have to, but we haven't eaten anything since Early morning"..."Of course stop and eat" I replied. "Red Ball Movers"...What can I say, they were ok, two young guys (one, the owner's son) and an older guy who drove the truck. The young guys come in ready to roll...The older man came in Complaining about his back! Lover Man and I smiled at each other and asked if there was Anything we could do to help. "Not really", the young guys said Cheerfully. The older man just Grunted! Finally, finally, 1 broken Lamp later, they were ready to go, it was now 4:30 p.m. We would see them, or at least the Driver down in Florida on Saturday. it would take us 2 days to get there because of the late start, but we were ok with that.

I've got to tell you about Georgia...In the Rain, and the Leaping Frogs going Insane. It was TEEMING by the time we reached the Motel there. The parking lot was full of Frogs, all sizes and shapes...We had to watch where we walked for they looked like they were playing, "Leap Frog". Some were just Leaping Each Other...Do I have to spell it out? Fine, they were making LOVE all over the parking lot, including the front of my PT Cruiser. However, when my head hit the pillow that night, I Slept like a baby, even with all of them "Croaking" at the top of their lungs. Probably translating into the words, "CONQUEST, CONQUEST"! Ok, I confess, the air conditioning was going full blast, and I had put my ear plugs in. On the other hand, Lover Man could sleep through a Train reck. So we were good.

We got to Florida... The movers arrived on Saturday, actually in a timely fashion... and to our surprise, also brought along the "Repaired Lamp", an unexpected treat. Of course in unpacking, they did manage to break my little Antique Table. But, they assured me, they'd have it repaired and back to us. I've no doubt they will. However, the little white Ceramic Lamp that I had since the boys were babies is crumpled into many pieces. They left me the shade with the ceramic bird on top. I doubt the Lamp can be repaired...If not, Bruce, the owner will replace it. I've no doubt he will. I wasn't going to sweat the small stuff...And so, we worked hard to get everything unpacked and in its place. Lover Man put up shelves...I stayed out of the room...I've learned... We hardly saw the light of day.

The Master Bathroom Shower had a leak... The Plumber came for the day... Talked us into all new Value shut off's, all over the Condo. The Air Conditioning Thermostat was not working...Lover Man installed a new one...My Hero! And in between, we saw "Friends" for Dinners out. We swam at night in the pool, and since we were the only ones that did that, we were Tempted to "Skinny Dip" BUT, we didn't! However, we did wrap our towels around our bodies as we slipped out of our wet bathing suits...which was done very discreetly... Next to the last day, we took time out, and rode our bikes, which was fun...We saw "Ibis" birds running around the street of a private neighborhood. They were young and mostly all white, except for one fellow, who looked grayish black and Nothing like the others...He looked like he was Dancing..."Who's your Daddy, I'll bet Momma's not talking". I said softly to him.

The drive back to NJ was pretty good, only had to sleep out 1 night. We made great time, sharing the wheel until we hit WASHINGTON, and the Beltway...OMG, it's a NIGHTMARE! We took time out to eat, and were home by Midnight. We slept late, and woke up refreshed, but missing Florida.

Now for those of you who have Followed my Hubs...remember my Hub on "Nutsy" the Squirrel? Well Nutsy's got a "girlfriend" now, so I really hadn't seen that much of him...I was his First Love...until she came along. Anyway, I opened the front door, and there on the First step was a Whole Peanut! I yelled to Lover Man to come. He joined me, and said, "Pick it up, It's a present from "Nutsy" to say he'd missed you". I picked up the Peanut and shook it...it sounded Empty. We Laughed! "Well I sighed, it's the thought that counts... But do you suppose he Knew"? I said smiling up at Lover Man. And at that point, it really didn't matter.