Family

The troops have arrived: brother Jerry and Merrill from California, sister Jan and Lee from Florida, and sister Katie from Texas. The Haas clan has descended upon the Home Front for a couple of weeks to celebrate two family weddings.
The complete gathering was rather unexpected.










It's unusual to have EVERYONE return for a nephew's wedding and a more distant relative...a great-nephew. Perhaps all of us feel the years creeping up and realize we're sliding down the backside of our lives! Some days I feel entrenched in the land of canes and cataracts, blue hair and support hose! We're just in the waiting room for the blue-hair set, biding our time for the Big Bingo Parlor ahead. All are aware that tomorrow is never guaranteed and so we must make the best use of our time in the "now". Our family has always been close-knit even though the sisters and brothers are slung across the country. Email helps bind the gaps in distance--a frequent sharing of words, photos, and movies.
The next week means family golf outings, barbecues, card playing, and just reminiscing about life in our younger days. Ah, the stories we tell each other about when we were little.






Mom and Dad, both gone now, would be smiling down on us this week. Family was a priority for them--family was important.

Ode to Ralphie

Once upon a time, in a land faraway, lived a laid-back lobster named Ralphie. In his coastal abyss offshore Maine, Ralph leisurely did what all lobsters do: swim, eat, and get fat. By very late winter, he weighed in at a pound and a quarter. He was a happy camper, that is, until February 28th rolled around. A thousand miles away in the sleepy southern fishing village of Englewood, Ralphie's fate was decided. A Maine snowbird, eager to feast on the succulent white meat of the lobster dripping with butter, began flying lobsters in daily. Ralph was now a legal resident of the Florida waters! Ralphie never was a man (ummm...or crustacean) of many words--until his beautiful white ass was plucked by the Huegens for a grand feast Saturday night.










In his squeaky voice, Ralphie yelled "Save me! Save me! His cries went unheeded as Lee and Jan piggybacked all four lobsters in a cooler with Ralph on top. Ralphie fared better than his three butt-smelling buddies underneath. Thankful Ralph was on top still scratching the cooler lid. The ice block numbed his tail, but not his brain. "Pay the ransom" was his rally cry.

Five hours passed, and he was thrusted into this weird world of inanimation--until the cooler lid was popped. Free, free at last! Ralphie and his cohorts breathed the fresh air in the Huegen household.

But wait...suddenly the motley crew landed tails first in the boiling, steamy waters. The end came quickly and thankfullly, without pain. Ralphie was now but a shell of himself.. His body ravaged by vultures who sucked and picked the life out of him He'll go done in history as the best damn lobster in all of North Port!

On the Road Again!

We're back ! Spending six weeks in the warm weather climate of Florida does wonders for one's soul! The invigorating and rejuvenating trip chased away the winter blahs.
The first eight days were spent in St. Pete's--weather was cool, but sunny. Daily morning walks, searching the sands for shells, was followed by leisurely beach afternoons, reading my first of several novels. On February 25th we headed to North Port to visit Jan and Lee for a few days. While there we motored to Caya Costa State Park for a day at the beach. This was our re-enactment of the "Do Nothing, Go Nowhere, See Nothing Trip" of last year! Jan and Lee are now redeemed! The dolphins even joined in...