As usual, my life is feast or famine, I am doing little or going 900 miles per hour. So, my blog suffers. the real estate market is starting to move a tiny bit and that is a wonderful thing. If you are looking in Zellwood, Apopka, Mt Dora etc. let me know!
I saw this wonderful UTube video of our own Mt Dora, FL and wanted to share. I hope the makers of the video don’t mind, it is really well done and shows a lot of Mt Dora, which is 20 minutes from Zellwood.
I have lived in Central Florida (Apopka / Zellwood most of my life and did not know a lot of the interesting things in this video. We shop and eat in Mt Dora regularly so I can attest to the great food. We were actually just at the Abbey Sunday. Yummy food is truth!!
And we went to a place in Mt Dora today that was amazing. Tonys on Donnelly Street. I have posted the info and menu below. Their specialty is Clam Chowder, and I have to tell you I am not a huge fan of clam chowder. It is ok but I don’t seek it out. When we got there, we were waiting outside for others to join us and the server came out and asked if we wanted to eat inside or a table outside. Remember, it’s Florida so we can eat outside in January with 80-degree weather. She was very friendly and accommodating. When we told her we had never been there before, she brought out table small samples of their famous clam chowder to taste. And it was fantastic. I ordered a cup of soup and crab cakes. When I was done with the soup, I wasn’t hungry for the crab cakes. I must admit, I tasted them and they weren’t my favorite, but it’s not their fault. As we all know, I am not a veggie fan and when I see green, I am pretty much done. My brother-in-law at one and he thought they were terrific. So, see, I don’t know everything. But I will say if I like it, it is usually very good!
So, you see the menu, pretty much seafood. Their shrimp and lobster rolls are the cold variety, and I prefer the hot ones. Next time we go I am getting soup and the shrimp skewer. And yes, we will go back. I love a nice bowl of soup. The service was very good, and our server was knowledgeable about the menu and the restaurant itself. A pleasant place and relaxing. Oh, I almost forgot, they sell the soup in the restaurant and on-line!
My foot is still in the boot, another few weeks of that before they decide what to do about that. I do not like physical therapy at all, but I must go. I’d rather hate PT than surgery.
Lulu is growing up so fast. Still very stubborn but we are making progress. She is 5.8 pounds now!! And she is finally starting to walk on the leash with less fight. She knows come, sit and her name, although she won’t do the commands, she knows them! haha.
Life is good in my part of the world. Holidays are over, the blessed Girl Scout cookies are for sale to ruin all of our 2026 resolutions, and we just keep marching!
FAIR QUESTION! I probably should have had this be the FIRST blog I wrote but hindsight is 20/20 right?
This is me! not gussied up, no or little make up anyway, I think I have mascara on but that is all. If I am going to be real, you may as well see the good the bad and the ugly!
I used to write a blog years ago and life got too busy, and I think maybe I didn’t have much more to say so I stopped. I enjoyed it, sharing my thoughts “out loud” with others. I’m really not that complicated, I’m pretty predictable. I had developed a decent following and had good feedback from readers on the different posts I would write about, it was fun for me. Now it is 11-12 years later maybe, and my life is so different, we moved from Orlando to a 55+ community in Zellwood which I love. I retired from my full-time job of 28 years and am now a realtor, because I like to work and be with people.
People write blogs for lots of reasons, for me it is sort of a creative effort. I am not handy; I don’t do crafts because I have no talent for it. I admire other people’s work, but I am hopeless. When I write I enjoy the entire process. I try not to get into topics that are political or upsetting to others, I like to keep it positive and fun. I love feedback and ideas for future posts. I welcome that. And its ok if you tell me I am wrong; that is part of the process. I won’t try to change your opinion either! You can hit the subscribe button at the bottom and then you will automatically get my posts when I do a new one.
A lot of professionals use blogging as a way of marketing, and it is a great tool to do that. Most of them subscribe to a service within their industry so they can send relevant info on their markets. that way, they stay in touch with their clients on a weekly/monthly basis. Since I actually like to write my little, short stories, I am trying to accomplish the goal of my hobby, writing, and marketing at the same time. I prefer to write my stories about my life so people can get to know me instead of industry markets that change constantly. Also, most of my Real Estate Sales are in a niche market that only pertains to those people. So, it is wonderful for me to write about my community where I live and not real estate in general.
If I have learned anything these past few years, as people retire the adjustment is a journey. Some people embrace it and have a list of things they want to do and have a ball. Others flop around like a fish out of water trying to find their way. Having a passion or hobby helps; or at least a desire to find one. My personal experience is work. I don’t know how to not work. I have not found a “real” hobby like golf or pickleball that I love and must do. As I said, I’m not a crafter, I don’t cook and it’s FLORIDA, so a beautiful garden is not in my cards! It’s just too hot. I do like to walk, but once I do that in the morning I’m done for the day and there are still 16 hours to find something to do.
Our 55+ Community has tons of activities from classes to card games to golf. In writing this blog, I hope to try a lot of them to at least be doing stuff. I don’t expect to like them all, but I do hope to find a few I can enjoy that I didn’t expect to! Wouldn’t that be cool? And I also hope to make a few new friends along the way. I have it easier than some because I am not the least bit shy. I can walk into a room and just go, and I realize that is a gift. And I love hugs so feel free to hug me! And one more thing, I am not afraid to fail. I will try something I am pretty sure I won’t be good at, just for the experience. So, those of you that live on the golf course, watch out, I may be out there, my friend Fran does crafts, I will TRY once, I did pickleball a long time ago, I will try it again. Maybe I can be the MIKE ROWE of our 55+ Community! haha. If you are in charge of an event and want me to participate and write about it, let me know. I can’t promise I will say yes but I can promise I will listen and consider it.
Selling Real Estate is a great outlet for me because I love it. It is like a big puzzle to me, listening to what a buyer wants in their new home and then trying to match it up with what is available for sale or what I know might be coming up. When you find the perfect storm, and you see it in their eyes, THAT is the best feeling ever. Listing a home and presenting an offer that makes a seller happy, pure joy for me. I want to do a good job, I want to be someone people trust. Some of you will roll your eyes at me, and that is ok, but I KNOW that I do not do this all by myself. God uses me to fulfill His will, and I just go along for the ride. And this has been an amazing ride. I have been with my broker, Keller Williams for 7 years July 1, 2025. In those 7 years, I just found out I have closed 279 homes. (buyer or seller side), This is staggering to me, I never keep count, so I never know. I don’t compare myself to others because if I am working for God, none of the sales competition stuff matters. I just go where I am called and do what I feel is what I am being asked to do and let the rest fall where it may. So yes, I am very blessed. This little community where I live and work blesses me every single day and I do my best to bless it back!
Needless to say, I have times when I am super busy, and times when I have nothing to do. I find that I need to be social, to be with people. I gravitate to activities that are social and when I come home, I enjoy the peace that is home. I am learning more about this community as I go to activities I haven’t tried before, which also gives me ideas that help my sales experiences. It’s impossible for me to separate the two because I am either ALL IN or ALL OUT. I’m learning to not automatically turn my nose up at something. I had a dear friend once that told me to go to a movie alone, which I was not about to do. When I said I wouldn’t like that she asked if I had ever done it. hmmm no. So, she made me do it. and you know what? I love it. I’d rather go alone. Until I try an activity, I need to remember just because I don’t think I will like it, doesn’t mean I won’t. I didn’t like pea soup either, until I tried it. (but NEVER mushrooms!)
MY HOME
And this is my happy spot, my patio. I do like succulents and they seem to like me back!
I do enjoy sitting on the patio in the evening and listening to the birds and enjoying the quiet time. Golf carts traveling up and down the road, waving hello! Sharing a smile. Our little slice of heaven. Thank you God.
MY LIFE IN A 55 PLUS 