LiviKnit

I wish I’d written this….

Posted on October 19, 2014 by kokomeau

Not sure if I need permission (I’ll apologize in advance), but I want to re-post this blog post from Kelsea, who is one of four sisters with this blog. For some reason, I’ve been reflecting lately on my boys as babies, children, teens, and men. Maybe it’s because I saw a couple of photos of them lately with their beautiful wives and they look so happy and content; maybe it’s because I’ve been working with old pictures getting prepped for Christmas presents. Whatever the reason, I came across this blog post, and like so many women out there, I wish I’d written it years ago to my now wonderful daughters-in-law:

To My Future Daughter-in-Law

My boys and their brides: Drew and Kristin, Kevin and Savanna

Florida Fun, Randomness

Singin’ in the rain! Not!

Posted on October 2, 2014 by kokomeau

I’ll apologize in advance for the second post on the weather here, but this was a pretty unusual September for Florida. The only thing that was predictable this past month was that if the sun was shining when you walked into the store, odds were, if you didn’t grab your umbrella, there would be torrential rain when you were ready to leave. Rain became a subject of conversation for everyone you encountered. Normally we exclaim daily about the warmth and the sunshine here in the ‘sunshine state.” But not last month. Last month was the gloomiest on record with a total of 151 severe weather reports causing the weather radio to “Blare!” “Blare!” “Blare!” and then repeat over and over the latest alert. Areas around Miami, Palm Coast (Jacksonville) and Tampa were especially hard hit with torrential rains keeping beach-goers indoors and umbrella sales at an all-time high.

My friend Anita was making her way home from work one afternoon going through quite a downpour in the 18-mile drive. When she entered her subdivision, she found she couldn’t make the first turn towards home due to flooded streets. She tried another direction only to learn that the further into the sub she ventured, the deeper the water was over the road. She finally left her car in someone’s driveway and began wading through the knee-deep water hoping to NOT encounter any weird, scary critters in the murky flood waters.

Summer is typically the rainy season, and I always enjoy the daily afternoon showers that might last about 15-30 minutes and be very isolated; when they come in over the ocean, they create tremendous photo ops. But enough is enough. We’ve broken the record for the most rain in one month, and I’ve learned my lesson: If a hurricane creates this kind of rain along with 100+ mph winds, we’re outta here!

Now let’s get back to the sunshine!

Florida Fun, Randomness

Florida weather

Posted on July 27, 2014 by kokomeau

When we first moved to Florida nearly three years ago this September, we were just heading into the best of the seasons. Late fall through early summer here in northeast Florida consists of sunny skies, some sweater weather, few bugs, and the rare shower in the evening. We sleep with the windows open listening to the cacophony of noise from the forest behind us and wake up to the quiet.

Even though spring in Michigan means winter might finally be over, it is typically slow in arriving with showers, dampness, puddles and mud. Spring here in Florida means a gradual warming with even more time bike riding, walking, or enjoying meals outside and sun-sun-sun! Granted, summer here is hot and humid once we get into July and August, but like Thom says, it’s our ‘winter’ where we do outdoor chores in the early morning and then move indoors to stay cool and comfortable. Thankfully we have the beach close by where the water warms up to the 80’s, and walking into the surf is as refreshing and as wonderful as it can be. But our ‘winter’ also means rainy season, and if you like storms like I do (thanks, Grampa B),you’ll love the rainy season.

I love the colors of the sky as the wall of clouds move in. I love hearing the thunder in the distance and watching the far off light show moving quickly towards us. I love the weirdness of it when it’ll be raining in the front yard but not in the back yard…at least not yet. And then it’s overhead and all around us, and the lightening and thunder and drenching buckets of rain surround us, and I’ll sit on the lanai as long as I can, watching an opening way, way up in the trees behind us, jumping at the claps of thunder that arrive so quickly after the flash of lightening.

The ocean changes with the weather; something that should be obvious but wasn’t to me. When it’s windy, the water is typically choppy and frothy, with large breakers and high rip current. If there’s little wind, the Atlantic is calm and quiet. The pelicans come in trails, soaring low to fly against the calm water, sometimes coming so close you could reach out and feel the breeze as they pass.

I can’t decide what I like best: The calm, clear water where I can just rest on my board watching for dolphins and pelicans without fighting the breakers and the current while soaking up the sunshine, or the hot, unexpected days of the rainy season with the amazing storms, the breathtaking skies, the violent ocean. I guess I love it all.

Family & Friends

He was a Yankee Doodle Dandy!

Posted on July 4, 2014 by kokomeau

Fourth of July is so bittersweet nowadays. At 61 years of age, I have lots of them to look back on, but by far the strongest memory for me, and I’m sure for all my 10 siblings and various cousins, is 4th of July at my grandparents’ cottage. As far back as I can remember, my dad has led a parade of children across the lawn and around the house, marching to the music of George M. Cohen pounded out on the piano by my Aunt Binnie. What started in the 1950’s as a cute idea for a handful of children — “Hey, how about a little parade with the kids?!” — has grown over the years to a tradition that spans generations.

“You’re a Grand Old Flag,” “Yankee Doodle Dandy,” “Over There.” We learned these songs as youngsters and sang them heartily, marching in a line kept straight by a string of gas station flags. Oldest to youngest, growing in number every year, we would imitate dad as he sang and zig-zagged around the huge lawn, kicking up his leg here and there, yelling, “Tighten up that line!” Down the stone steps (“Slow down!”) and along the shore of Lake Huron, the neighbors would pile out of their homes to watch us, singing and clapping along.

Of course, as we grew older, we were embarrassed by the show. “What would people think? We’re too old for this now. I’ll just watch.” No way. There was no sitting out, and if you brought a friend along, they were in, too. And so year after year, the tradition continued. With the oldest directly behind dad and the youngest often on an adult’s shoulders, the parade went on, sometimes nearly 30 of us in tow, singing, laughing, kicking up our legs,and just being silly, following the silliest of them all.

Our last 4th of July parade was held at my little cottage in Gaylord, but this time, dad was sitting it out. He had suffered a stroke the year before that left him unable to walk. But that didn’t stop him from singing the old songs, watching as his grown kids, his grandkids and even some great-grandkids marched alongside the deck for his review. “Tighten up that line!” we heard, as everyone lined up to pledge allegiance to the flag. I think many of us knew it would be our last parade with dad. I keep that picture in my heart and in my mind, but the melancholy it causes fades as I recall the wonderful memories of my youth, number 8 in line behind my sister and in front of my cousin, holding tight to the rope and waving our flags, singing and laughing as our parade leader set the tone and marched on.

Randomness

A Memorable Memorial Day

Posted on May 26, 2014 by kokomeau

Firstly, let me say how proud I am of my niece and nephews for their many years of service to our country. They and their families have endured several deployments during critical and dangerous times, and their unwavering commitment to their branch of service is more than admirable. They are the role models we need for the generation they lead. So, thank you to Chris, Josh, Ryan, Shaunna, and to Cousin Christopher, as well. You are bragged on often!

Back in the day when I had young kids, Memorial Day was celebrated with a parade down Main Street stopping to honor our Veterans at the Memorial, then cookouts at the State or County Park with as many family members as could make it, and, weather permitting, swimming, laughing, eating, and fun.

Now that I’m a thousand miles away from that both in distance and in years and with just Thom and I and our few friends around us, these holiday weekends are decidedly different. But that doesn’t mean they’re any less enjoyable. With so many outdoor activities to be found here, sometimes it’s just fun to not follow the crowd. Early mornings at the Atlantic are incredibly special. Knowing that the crowds were imminent, we arrived Saturday morning at 9:00, set our chairs in the sand at the foot of the walkover, and made ourselves comfortable. Thom of course headed immediately into the water while I waited. After about a half hour watching the throngs of pelicans soaring north and south over the water, I joined him for about an hour in the warm, salty water and watched the beach slowly begin to fill. Around 11:00 we decided it was time to leave and give our prime spot up to some in-lander who probably needed it more than we did.

Sunday was spent with my ‘Neet who saved me from myself in my current knitting project by stopping me from assembling it before it was ready. Even afters years of knitting, even owning a yarn shop, I had more to learn about prepping and blocking and steaming.

Monday morning found Thom and I at the beach at 5:00 a.m., this time in the hopes that we might spot one of our incredible sea turtles making her way back to the sea after a night of arduous labor laying her eggs. We had no luck spying one, but we did see her tracks with her nest newly protected by our wonderful Turtle Patrol. We’re going to try and do this every weekend during the season until we spot one. These are truly amazing creatures, and the opportunity that presents itself every summer is not to be missed. By the end of the season there will be thousands of nests along our Florida coastline, so our odds are pretty good we might encounter this amazing miracle of nature.

A cookout at the Beach House Beanery with sangria, hot dogs, and brats, visiting with friends and enjoying the ocean view seemed like a good end to a lovely long weekend.

I think Memorial Day weekend is a great way to begin another memorable Florida summer!

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Comp'ny, Family & Friends, Florida Fun

Short but sweet

Posted on May 3, 2014 by kokomeau

Whenever my Sarah plans a visit with me, I approach it the same way I approach anything that can change: Make a plan, but don’t plan on it. And while we sort of laugh at that fact, we both know it’s true, and we’re both okay with it. So when she told me months ago that she wanted to come down in April, I said, “Sure!” And then I didn’t hold my breath. But after inviting her daughter Emma and Em’s boyfriend, Jamee, I thought it just might happen. And it did!

Thursday night to Sunday isn’t a very long visit, but we seemed to pack a lot into that short time. We went all over beautiful historic St. Augustine, seeing Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! (very cool), riding the trolley, shopping up and down St. George St, and enjoying a wonderful lunch at an outdoor cafe. Friday night was dinner al fresco at The Golden Lion, Saturday found us at the beach for hours and hours having a great time in and out of the water. Emma and Jamee were a happy and welcome addition to the fun, and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Em all grown up. Thom had eager boogie-boarders in Emma and Jamee, and the two of them took to it like old pros.

Sunday, of course, came too soon, but even those couple of days with my BFF was just what I needed to get me through to August when I’ll see her again.

Family & Friends

That old adage is true.

Posted on April 10, 2014 by kokomeau

During Meg’s spring visit last month she told me of a discovery she’d found buried in her email from many years earlier. She had been spending the summer in Savannah, Georgia, doing her internship for her sonography certification. She and I had driven down in the spring and got her set up in an apartment (long story here). What transpired that summer in Savannah is best forgotten, at least by me. But apparently she kept the emails that flowed back and forth during that time, and after re-reading them, she called me, all these years later, to first apologize and then to thank me. She apologized for the hell she put me through from a thousand miles away; the drama, the tears, the guilt. Then she thanked me for putting up with the drama, the tears, and the guilt. In her words, “I can’t believe what I put you through!” I can say without hesitation, that was music to my ears!

Anyone who has had a teenage daughter can probably relate in some way to this story. Some of my friends who still have teenage daughters no doubt wonder if ‘it’ will ever end – “it” being the drama, the know-it-all attitude, the tears, the guilt. But I am here to tell you it does end. They do grow up. They do become your friend, someone to talk with, share with, laugh with, cry with; someone to send you gifts for no reason, call you up just to see how you are, even someone to give some much-needed advice when you least expect it.

The older Meg gets, the closer we get. Maybe it’s because inside I feel like I’m still in my 30’s and she’s just beginning that era. I don’t know. I only know that the old adage is so very true:

A son is your son til he takes a wife. A daughter’s your daughter the rest of your life!

Randomness

Man, I LOVE surprises!!!

Posted on March 30, 2014November 18, 2019 by kokomeau

My mom was here for an extended stay over the winter of 2014. It’s always miserably cold in northern Michigan, so it’s nice for her to be able to get out of the freezing weather and into something more bearable, if only for a few months. I know she probably misses her Michigan family during that time. I came home from work on a Friday to discover my sister Kathleen and her husband Jim surprised us with a visit! My mom had no idea, nor did I, but boy, oh boy, do I love a good surprise! It was so fun seeing them, if only briefly. I know mom was thrilled, as well. We all went to the Funky Pelican for dinner and talked and laughed the night away. It was good for me and good for mom. I think Kathy and Jim enjoyed it, too.