If you know me at all, I am all about trying and doing new things, even when they scare you silly. So, when my friend Curt, who I sold a house to in 2021 asked me if I would marry him and his fiancée, Lidia, I was a little bit intimidated. I don’t mind making a fool of myself, but I certainly don’t want to botch up anything as important as someone’s wedding!
I am a Florida Notary Public so I am legally allowed to marry people, but I have never done it before. I told Curt that I would find out what marring them entailed and get back with them. I googled it, (good old google), and not only could I do it, google gave me all kinds of “scripts” to work with to perform a ceremony that would please the happy couple. So, I agreed to do the wedding.
They asked for a simple ceremony, it was only going to be Curt and Lidia, 2 witnesses and me, in the back yard of their home. That really took all the pressure off. It was not about ME, but it was about doing my best to make a nice happy ceremony for people I cared about.
November 19th was the happy day, and Lidia had the back area set up very simple and lovely. Everything went well; I didn’t botch anything up. I was afraid to say their last name as I went to a wedding once and the preacher said the last name wrong. It was horrifying. So, I kept it simple and just said first names!
Lidia had family from Spain on web chat so they could witness the wedding too. That was fun!
There was a little celebration after the wedding, very relaxing and fun. I’m so glad they asked me to officiate the wedding; it was an honor.
Congratulations to Curt and Lidia. Zellwood residents and part of the good life!
This sweet little girl became a 5-year resident of our community and has just as much personality now as she is showing in this grade school picture!
She grew up in Apopka with her parents and a half-brother Carl, 14 years older than her. Carl was on the Blue Darter Football team and had a dog named Baker that followed him to school all through high school. Every day Baker would wait outside the classroom door and follow Carl back home. Sadly, Baker got hit by a car and died. At Carl’s graduation in 1958, there was a chair with a small graduation hat and a sign “BAKER”. THIS is the old Apopka where our friend, and resident Patricia, grew up.
Her mom was born in GA and grew up in West Virginia, and was a Coal Miner’s daughter. Her Dad was born in Ohio. Both parents joined the Masonic and Eastern Star Lodge in Apopka and became Worthy Matron and Patron in the early 60s. Patricia became a Rainbow Girl during that time. Her parents owned a Hamburger/Hot Dog restaurant in downtown Apopka for years.
Patricia went to Apopka Schools and was a Cheerleader at Apopka Memorial High School.
The Mayor of Apopka, John Land, asked her father if she could be The Foliage Queen of 1969 (?), which he agreed. I think she represented the industry well!
Patricia was one of those charmed girls that was lucky enough to wear TWO crowns at once, as she also became Miss Apopka 1970!
I asked her what talent she performed in the competition and she said in those days, gratefully, they only had to model bathing suits and evening gowns. Patricia is not shy telling you she does not sing. But I can tell you from personal experience she has great rhythm and plays a mean tambourine!
Patricia acknowledges she had a wonderful childhood here in Apopka. great parents, great friends, happy life. She played clarinet in the school band, was a Rainbow Girl and in the Paramedics Club. She was lucky enough to be able to do all the things teenage girls do and had parents that supported her dreams.
After High School Patricia went to Cosmetology school, married and had 2 kids, daughter Missi and Son Will. Her Daughter Missi has a daughter Kayli. Patricia’s deceased Stepdaughter gave her another granddaughter, Olivia, who is known to be the apple of her eye.
After divorcing, Patricia went to Nursing School at Winter Garden Hospital and became an RN in 1983. Initially working in the Winter Garden Hospital as a Surgical Scrub Tech. Later she she met her husband, Mike. They worked together for 29 years, until Patricia retired.
I asked Patricia what would surprise people about her and she says she has about 75 pairs of shoes! That certainly surprised me! Where does she put them?! She loves thrifting, searching for “good” purses. A girl needs purses to match the shoes. Patricia has traveled to France, Singapore, Germany and Amsterdam and many more locations. Is more travelling on her list of things to do? Probably!
Patricia was one of the first Hostesses at the Contemporary Hotel and Rock Hudson was one of the guests she was able to meet. It is very hard to be a local and not have served any time at the Mouse!
I actually met Patricia for the first time at Jukebox Bingo at the Whistle Stop. All of us sit in groups, similar to Church, we all have our pew or table and friends gather together. One evening when John and I arrived Patricia was sitting at “our” table. I asked if she was joining us or if she had her own group coming and she said she was joining us. And she has been there ever since! I have gotten to know her and enjoy her company so much. She is fun to be around and has a great sense of humor. She is also one of those “what you see is what you get” girls. Genuine and kind. Still beautiful as ever and always impecibally dressed, I’m sure glad she found her way to “our” table! And am very proud to call her my friend.
It was a busy week and today is my day of rest and relaxation.
Biggest news for me is Monday on my way to line dancing I received a call that there was a puppy for me if I wanted her. And YES, I caved! I said I didn’t want a puppy, and I said I didn’t want a dog that needed to be groomed. And I said a lot of stuff, and it doesn’t matter when you fall in love! LOL. I bailed on line dancing and went to pick up our little girl.
MEET LULU! She is a Shiatzu and all of a pound, maybe 1 1/2 pounds. She is so sweet and loving and has turned our life upside down in the best way possible. My heart is full and she makes me laugh and I am absolutely THAT MOM with my fur baby! You will probably be hearing a lot about her for a long time!
As always, Tuesday nights are Juke Box Bingo. None of our table won any of the games but we always have a good time. It’s more about the music than the winning. Although winning IS nice.
Wednesday, we went to Disney’s Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue with our friends John and Nancy. They have been telling us about it for a long time, and we finally were all four in the same place at the same time! It was a fun evening, dancing and singing and good clean fun at Disney’s Fort Wilderness. It is probably sacrilege to say but we are not big Disney fans and rarely go. This shows how much we love John and Nancy’s company. The musical review was everything you would expect and more. Dinner was included in the price and was served family style; food was good and there was plenty. (Friend chicken, ribs, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, a nice salad and cole slaw. Oh, and really good corn bread! I love corn bread!
Show was corny but fun. No one sang Zip Pe De Do Da so I was happy! LOL! The musicians and entertainers were quite good actually. Lots of group participation too.
Big finale every table got washboard instruments and sang along. I couldn’t tell you what the song was but it was fun. Big smiles all around!
Busy week for sure! Work was busy too, listing appointments and lots of prayers for buyers! Our market is still flat and move in ready homes seem to be the ones selling. That will switch when we least expect it here, it always does!
FRIDAY NIGHT was a Tribute Band in the Whistle Stop Restaurant. And what a fun night it was. Classics Tribute Live was the name of the act, https://classictributeslive.com/classic-tributes-live, and they were fantastic. Our show was THE EAGLES and it did not disappoint. The show was sold out the first day tickets went on sale, and I think we all had high expectations. The band was a 6 piece, and their fee was high. I don’t know if our community really understands that the Civic Groups within the community donate funds to help make the tickets affordable to us retirees. I give a huge thank you to all the individuals and groups that contribute so the rest of the community can enjoy quality entertainment.
The “Eagles” played a nice first set and encouraged singing and dancing. They were personable and fun. They played all the familiar tunes and a few I truly did not know. So, I am a fan but not hard core like some. The second set was just as good, even better. The musicians changed instruments, switched places, different lead singers, everything to keep us guessing and entertained. I am not one to go to repeat shows but I think this one I would go to see again.
The band does other tributes, and I would love to see them with their tributes to CCR and the Doobie Brothers for sure. They do many others, but those would surely be highlights for me.
Saturday ended the week with a terrific night of trivia. Our Team, Know Nothings, did well. Last week we came in first and this week we came in second. We are always thrilled to place at all, because as our name says, we are the Know Nothings! We have had a lucky streak and hope it continues.
I’m working on another interview so stay tuned. Writing these interviews are tough work.
So, there you have it. A wonderful happy week, lots accomplished, work and play. Good friends and many blessings along the way.
If we remember back to when we entered puberty, we received a lot of information about what our body was doing to us. I don’t know how other families handled these things, but my mother always said GO ASK YOUR FATHER. That was most uncomfortable for a 12- or 13-year-old girl. I didn’t want to talk to Dad about my “monthly visitor” or any other things of that nature. Dad was a teaser and was not a quiet talker so if he knew, EVERYONE knew. It was best to just not discuss it. So, that was how we grew up.
Dad used to run, long before it was fashionable. He was a referee for Jr High and High School basketball and football games, so he had to run to keep his stamina up. People would stop him and offer rides all the time thinking it was an emergency, he never wore sneakers, he wore his loafers to run. But if us girls needed “girly supplies” he would include the 7-11 on his route and come running up the road carrying our supplies, no bag needed. So humiliating! Those Weinar girls!
Consequently, I never learned to talk about girly things of any kind with any person at all, certainly not my parents, sisters or friends. Even talking to a doctor was too embarrassing, I always just pretended I knew what they were talking about.
This behavior really does still exist in me today, God love John, he has somehow learned to figure out what is going on when I don’t discuss things. He really does have a lot of patience!
As we age, of course our body changes again and all kinds of weird things start happening again. I don’t know about you people, but I don’t want to talk about that stuff either. Getting out of my comfort zone is what is best for me so talk about it I will. If you already know all this stuff you can pass on today’s reading, if you are shy and humiliated by all this stuff READ ON! Don’t be afraid, I am not going to talk about the most personal stuff, I’m going to talk about skin. There is plenty of time for other topics, I am not quite THAT daring yet!
I have always had oily skin, or HAVE I? Since Mom didn’t talk about this stuff, I don’t know if it was oily or it was oily because it needed moisturizer, and I never used it. I’m fairly sure Mom never used any girly stuff, she never wore make-up, as far as I remember, only lipstick. So she wouldn’t have been a good advisor. My older sister always had a beautiful complexion, but I never asked what she did. She didn’t share her make-up, so I was pretty sure she wasn’t going to share that info either. She is 5 years older than me, we shared a room all our lives, and that was all we shared. We didn’t touch each other’s stuff.
Consequently, at 69 and a half (LOL) my skin sucks. I have blotches, bumps, pores, red dots, and hair everywhere but where it should be. Since I don’t talk about this stuff, I do not know how to get rid of it. Or what is wrong with me that I keep getting more and more of it. I have bought machines that are supposed to do the trick, but they do not really do what they promise they will do. They sort of do stuff but not really. (I will not name brands since they don’t work for me, only if they DO work for me!)
Enter Dermatology. I have been going to various dermatologists for several years and they burn or freeze or cut off things I don’t want on my body whether I can see them or not. I was a fair-haired teenager, always sun burned, rarely tanned and I am absolutely paying for the sins of my youth. Although I’m really glad we didn’t know back then because we sure had lots of fun in the sun. All this skin cancer stuff has taken the fun out of beaches and pools in the summer.
In July when I went for my 6-month checkup, my new Dermatology provider is Kim Pham, FNP-BC. I have gone to the same office for quite some time and the specialist kept changing and the “feel” of the office was sort of down. When I went to the check-up everything was different. All the faces were new and the happy, which makes ME happy. When I go to a doctor and the office is glum I prefer not to go. I did all the preliminary check in stuff and was not in the waiting room very long at all. BONUS! When Kim gave me my skin exam I really felt like I mattered, it wasn’t routine to her, she asked me questions and cared. What a difference! She showed me where my skin had issues that could be fixed, not with a big expensive treatment but with a moisturizer that I could by at Walmart! Seriously! She ever taught me how to apply it with tap,tap,tap and not rubbing it in. And she did not try to up-sell me products I didn’t need. I felt very comfortable with her and then I began to ask her questions. What are these stupid bumps? What are these red dots? Why does hair sprout everywhere but where it should? And she was very professional with her answers, didn’t make me feel silly or stupid. And I trusted her! Amazing. Especially for me. Then I dove in and asked if she did any treatments for skin issues. And how much did they cost and what should I have?
I bought the lotions she told me to buy, sunscreen and moisturizer over the counter stuff and used them for 2 weeks. She promised I would see a difference before I went back to her and guess what?! I DID! A huge difference. I also did get a treatment for my skin that was very reasonable and is helping with my other issues. She called me to check on me, making sure I had no side effects from the treatment. Kim is the ultimate professional and genuinely wants to help us resolve our issues and feel better about ourselves too.
She has several different cosmetic treatment packages, depending on what you might want or need. What I needed might not be what you need. If you ever wondered, don’t be afraid to call and ASK her. I wanted soft skin and less fuzz; you may want Botox. All I can say is she will be fair and honest with you and make you feel very special. Kim office is in Apopka off Rock Springs Road.
And, by the way, she is a medical professional. This also made me feel much more comfortable. She wasn’t going to bleach my hair, cut my toenails and wax my lip. That was important to me too. I do not receive any kickbacks by writing this, I just am passing on my life experience, as usual, when I find something that matters to me. Men and women alike face these situations. It is so nice when you find someone that makes you feel comfortable and not silly! Kim is definitely that person for me!
This has been a week that didn’t have much on the calendar. Monday mornings I am trying to go to Line Dancing Class (for beginners). It starts at 9:30, which really doesn’t matter. There is no good time for exercise to start, you just have to go do it. Here in Florida, it’s too hot to do too much outside, thank goodness this is in the Community Center where we live, indoors and air conditioned! I am not a girl that perspires, I sweat like a dog when I exercise. And I know line dancing is FUN but its exercise, so it isn’t really fun. I also have trouble with left and right, always have so when the class is going left it isn’t unusual that I am going right. Or we make a turn, and I am seeing everyone’s faces instead of the wall I am supposed to be staring at! It’s been that way all my life. When I took my driver’s test for my first license I wrote and L and R on my hands so I would go in the correct direction when instructed. He passed me so I guess it was ok!
One morning this week we got up and there was a fire truck out front. In a 55+ Community, fire trucks are normal, usually followed by an ambulance. People call for many emergency and semi-emergency situations. A lot of time people fall and can’t get up by themselves etc. I’m looking out the window to see who’s house they are going to, always need to know who needs help in one way or another. I can’t see much though because there is a man messing with the fire hydrant out front blocking my view. I’m getting most aggravated and then it dawns on me … no ambulance, this guy is testing the fire hydrants What a doofus! I am less embarrassed about looking out the window than I am about not knowing it was a fireman checking the hydrant! (AND I didn’t get my camera out fast enough to grab the picture!)
Friday the ladies of Banbury Village had their monthly luncheon, and they asked me to join them. I went last month and had such a nice time I was happy to go again. Last month I asked them if I could join them; just because I don’t live in that village doesn’t mean I can’t be a part of it. My quest is to meet new people and socialize for no reason, so these luncheons are a great place to start. I have never been much for doing Girl stuff, which is so snotty of me. Truth is, I have always worked, and I never made the time for it. And I do not think I have a lot in common with a lot of people so that doesn’t help. I don’t have kids or grandkids, I work and have always worked, I don’t like to shop or do crafts … see what I mean? I’m a snot. Truth is, I don’t really know how to visit with no purpose. I always went to work lunches, family stuff, church-based focus groups etc. Never really met with a group of people just to visit. That is hard for me. Silly as it is, I am not the least bit shy, I can walk into any room and do just fine, but having no reason to be there, what’s the point?
NOW I KNOW. I relax! What the heck? I don’t have to be ON. I can just be, well, ME. I can participate in a conversation or just listen and learn. (and YES I can listen dadgummit!) These ladies have a lot to teach too. We are all going through different phases or our lives, learning how to maneuver through it all. For some this luncheon forces them to get out of the house and away from it all for a couple hours. Others are looking for friendship and still others need guidance or suggestions. There were singles and widows, people who just moved in or people who need to move out, but together we talked and shared and laughed, maybe a few wet eyes too. I totally enjoyed meeting new people and hopefully making new friends as well.
I think I have been bamboozled by the stereotype of Girl Time and have missed out on a lot of fun. I still don’t like to shop or do crafts BUT I think maybe it isn’t really about what we are doing as much as who we are doing it with? Laughing at wrong directions and trying new things. I have got to learn to say yes more and no less. To learn that I might not have enjoyed things in my 30s that today I will love, for very different reasons. And mostly everyone is searching for something. We may as well find it together!
Thanks Banbury Ladies for a lovely lunch! I hope I can come again, and I’d love to come to your village lunch too if you will have me!
This has been a week that didn’t have much on the calendar. Monday mornings I am trying to go to Line Dancing Class (for beginners). It starts at 9:30, which really doesn’t matter. There is no good time for exercise to start, you just have to go do it. Here in Florida, it’s too hot to do too much outside, thank goodness this is in the Community Center where we live, indoors and air conditioned! I am not a girl that perspires, I sweat like a dog when I exercise. And I know line dancing is FUN but its exercise, so it isn’t really fun. I also have trouble with left and right, always have so when the class is going left it isn’t unusual that I am going right. Or we make a turn, and I am seeing everyone’s faces instead of the wall I am supposed to be staring at! It’s been that way all my life. When I took my driver’s test for my first license I wrote and L and R on my hands so I would go in the correct direction when instructed. He passed me so I guess it was ok!
One morning this week we got up and there was a fire truck out front. In a 55+ Community, fire trucks are normal, usually followed by an ambulance. People call for many emergency and semi-emergency situations. A lot of time people fall and can’t get up by themselves etc. I’m looking out the window to see who’s house they are going to, always need to know who needs help in one way or another. I can’t see much though because there is a man messing with the fire hydrant out front blocking my view. I’m getting most aggravated and then it dawns on me … no ambulance, this guy is testing the fire hydrants What a doofus! I am less embarrassed about looking out the window than I am about not knowing it was a fireman checking the hydrant! (AND I didn’t get my camera out fast enough to grab the picture!)
Friday the ladies of Banbury Village had their monthly luncheon, and they asked me to join them. I went last month and had such a nice time I was happy to go again. Last month I asked them if I could join them; just because I don’t live in that village doesn’t mean I can’t be a part of it. My quest is to meet new people and socialize for no reason, so these luncheons are a great place to start. I have never been much for doing Girl stuff, which is so snotty of me. Truth is, I have always worked, and I never made the time for it. And I do not think I have a lot in common with a lot of people so that doesn’t help. I don’t have kids or grandkids, I work and have always worked, I don’t like to shop or do crafts … see what I mean? I’m a snot. Truth is, I don’t really know how to visit with no purpose. I always went to work lunches, family stuff, church-based focus groups etc. Never really met with a group of people just to visit. That is hard for me. Silly as it is, I am not the least bit shy, I can walk into any room and do just fine, but having no reason to be there, what’s the point?
NOW I KNOW. I relax! What the heck? I don’t have to be ON. I can just be, well, ME. I can participate in a conversation or just listen and learn. (and YES I can listen dadgummit!) These ladies have a lot to teach too. We are all going through different phases or our lives, learning how to maneuver through it all. For some this luncheon forces them to get out of the house and away from it all for a couple hours. Others are looking for friendship and still others need guidance or suggestions. There were singles and widows, people who just moved in or people who need to move out, but together we talked and shared and laughed, maybe a few wet eyes too. I totally enjoyed meeting new people and hopefully making new friends as well.
I think I have been bamboozled by the stereotype of Girl Time and have missed out on a lot of fun. I still don’t like to shop or do crafts BUT I think maybe it isn’t really about what we are doing as much as who we are doing it with? Laughing at wrong directions and trying new things. I have got to learn to say yes more and no less. To learn that I might not have enjoyed things in my 30s that today I will love, for very different reasons. And mostly everyone is searching for something. We may as well find it together!
Thanks Banbury Ladies for a lovely lunch! I hope I can come again, and I’d love to come to your village lunch too if you will have me!
MY LIFE IN A 55 PLUS 