Wednesday

 

I rode my bike to Weaver Park at 11:00 after our appointment with the kitchen designer and construction person. I did yoga for an hour and rode home. A light thunderstorm and shower began at 3:00 and is predicted to last until sunset, our first thunderstorm of the summer. June signals the end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season and hurricanes.

Frangipani in bloom

We’re hoping the rain will wash away the pollen and that might help Toby’s skin allergies. 

6.4 miles walked per day in May

5.3 miles biked per day

Tuesday

 

I know it sounds crazy, but we cleaned the kitchen in preparation for our kitchen remodelers tomorrow. I vacuumed all the drawers and cabinets and straightened up everything.

I knew they’d be looking inside and I didn’t want it to be too gross.

I hope they are going to be able to help us. If not, we’ll move on to another remodeler.

I made a list of the things that we are sure of that we want to do. So these are the “before” pictures.

We went through all of Toby’s toys and discarded the destroyed ones. John’s method for this project was to dump them in the floor. You can imagine how that went. It was like a high school reunion for Toby. He wanted to play with them all. It took three times as long but it brought joy to both Toby and John so the chaos was worth it.

We had a great walk on the causeway this morning. We left the house a little before 8:00. We were home by 10:00 before it got hot.

We walked Toby at 6:30 this morning. Then he got a shower and meds. He stayed inside except for a short walk at sunset, followed by another shower. His skin has looked good all day, mostly under control.

Monday

 

Volunteer flowers. John keeps pulling them up and they keep coming back.

We ordered Mickey Mouse shirts to wear on our causeway walks in support of Disney.

We walked Toby after sunrise in hopes of heading off the pollen. He still broke out, even with a shower, meds, suit, fish oil, and probiotic yogurt. We’re hoping it was less than it would have been. We are still making adjustments to see if we can make some headway. At least he walks into the shower on his own now.

I rode to the outdoor gym for yoga early. It was fantastic. 

Then I rode my bike to Stevenson Creek.

The rest of the day we stayed inside.

Tomorrow we’ll clean the kitchen in preparation for the kitchen designer and construction visit on Wednesday. Can’t wait to hear what they have to say.

Saturday

 

Toby has had a rough day with his bumps. He’s back on his full regimen: allergy suit, Benadryl, showers after going outside, probiotic yogurt, fish oil, and limited outdoor time. He’s a mess.

We put treats in this green ball to keep his mind occupied. We practiced all his commands, tricks, and games.

The causeway was packed this morning when we walked. The traffic to get into the park was backed up beyond the drawbridge.

Boats everywhere.

People and kayaks too

I like this picture. It reminds me of a Georges Suerat painting.

The temperature was a little cool on the bike ride out to the drawbridge, about 67 degrees.

Heavy traffic 

Beautiful weather 

We stayed inside most of the day except for a golf cart run to Bambino’s for a pizza for dinner. I did lots of reading and some writing. Writing is hard work!

John said he needed a jacket. It was 78 degrees, which does feel cool in a golf cart, believe it or not. He said Pam’s fire sounded pretty good.

Last walk

Toby coming back from his last walk at Highlander Park. We laughed at how his neck skin is puddling on top of his suit. Poor guy. He’s on his way to a medicated shampoo, shower, and Benadryl.

Friday

 

Some pictures from the week.

We rode our bikes to the Dunedin marina.

And to Stevenson Creek 

Some kayakers in the creek 

I made it to the outdoor gym for yoga three times this week.

I got this shot of a woodpecker in our back yard.

Toby’s allergy suits are helping to keep his bumps small and in check. He continues to get rinsed off and takes Benadryl, and we limit his outdoor exposure. We’ve been playing more brain games and obedience training to keep him occupied.

Here’s my review of the play we saw last weekend.

Suffice it to say, the recent production of Disney’s The Beauty and the Beast at the Frances Wilson Playhouse was sensational. John and I were proud to support our local community theatre and to celebrate the enduring magic of Disney.

The plot is well-known: a handsome, young, rich man is visited by an ugly, old, woman at his castle who begs for food. The callous young man spurns her and she casts a spell on him, turning him into an ugly beast. The spell can only be broken once he can learn to love and find someone to love him as the hideous beast that he is. In the meantime, the curse affects everyone who works in the castle as the beast turns inward with feelings of self-loathing and hate. Everyone associated with the beast begins to lose their humanity, turning into regular household objects: clock, tablecloth, teapot, candlestick, eggbeater, flatware, etc. But the curse is ongoing: some of the people have lost their humanity completely and have become objects: the brick wall in the kitchen, for example, was formerly a person. Thus, there is some alarm and desperation among the inhabitants of the castle to find a way for the master of the house to break the spell for himself and everyone else, which brings me to my favorite part of the play.

Lumiere, whose hands have become candlesticks and whose head has morphed into a flaming chandelier, defies the chief butler, Cogsworth, who is himself slowly transforming into a grandfather clock. Cogsworth, following his master’s orders, refuses to welcome and feed Belle, the beautiful but aloof young woman from the nearby village, who arrives at the castle in search of her father and once finds him locked in the master’s dungeon, frees him upon the promise to the master of the house [the Beast] to offer herself in his place. Lumiere knows that time is not on their side, so he secretly plans an extravagant meal for Belle, pulling out all the stops. If there is any hope of ending their slide out of their humanity and into oblivion, he must get Belle to love the Beast and get the Beast to love her. Lumiere, full of sincerity and desperation, pours himself into the famous show stopping number, “Be Our Guest” as he sings to Belle. During the number, I felt chills run down my spine and tears flowed out my eyes. I understood Lumiere’s desire for love to flourish so that he could regain his full humanity. That’s the way I’ve felt after the governor’s recent moves against the gay and transgender community.

Lumiere:

Ma chere Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride

and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight.

And now we invite you to relax, let us pull up a

chair as the dining room proudly presents -

your dinner!

[singing]

Be our guest! Be our guest!

Put our service to the test

Tie your napkin 'round your neck, cherie

And we'll provide the rest

Soup du jour

Hot hors d'oeuvres

Why, we only live to serve

Try the grey stuff

Chip:

It's delicious

Lumiere:

Don't believe me? Ask the dishes

They can sing, they can dance

After all, Miss, this is France

And a dinner here is never second best

Go on, unfold your menu

Take a glance and then you'll

Be our guest

Oui, our guest

Be our guest!

Lumiere and Chorus:

Beef ragout

Cheese souffle

Pie and pudding "en flambe”

Lumiere:

We'll prepare and serve with flair

A culinary cabaret!

You're alone

And you're scared

But the banquet's all prepared

No one's gloomy or complaining

While the flatware's entertaining

We tell jokes! I do tricks

With my fellow candlesticks

Chorus:

And it's all in perfect taste

That you can bet

Come on and lift your glass

You've won your own free pass

To be out guest

Lumiere:

If you're stressed

It's fine dining we suggest

Chorus:

Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!

Get your worries off your chest

Let us say for your entree

We've an array; may we suggest:

Try the bread! Try the soup!

When the croutons loop de loop

It's a treat for any dinner

Don't believe me? Ask the china

Singing pork! Dancing veal!

What an entertaining meal!

How could anyone be gloomy and depressed?

We'll make you shout "encore!"

And send us out for more

So, be our guest!

Lumiere:

Be our guest!

Chorus:

Be our guest!

Lumiere:

Life is so unnerving

For a servant who's not serving

He's not whole without a soul to wait upon

Ah, those good old days when we were useful...

Suddenly those good old days are gone

Ten years we've been rusting

Needing so much more than dusting

Needing exercise, a chance to use our skills!

Most days we just lay around the castle

Flabby, fat and lazy

You walked in and oops-a-daisy!

Mrs Potts:

It's a guest! It's a guest!

Sakes alive, well I'll be blessed!

Wine's been poured and thank the Lord

I've had the napkins freshly pressed

With dessert, she'll want tea

And my dear that's fine with me

While the cups do their soft-shoein'

I'll be bubbling, I'll be brewing

I'll get warm, piping hot

Heaven's sakes! Is that a spot?

Clean it up! We want the company impressed

Chorus:

We've got a lot to do!

Mrs Potts:

Is it one lump or two?

For you, our guest!

Chorus:

She's our guest!

Mrs Potts:

She's our guest!

Chorus:

She's our guest!

Be our guest! Be our guest! Be our guest!

Chorus and Lumiere:

Be our guest! Be our guest!

Our command is your request

It's been years since we've had anybody here

And we're obsessed

With your meal, with your ease

Yes, indeed, we aim to please

While the candlelight's still glowing

Let us help you, We'll keep going

Course by course, one by one

'Til you shout, "Enough! I'm done!"

Then we'll sing you off to sleep as you digest

Tonight you'll prop your feet up

But for now, let's eat up

Be our guest!

Be our guest!

Be our guest!

Please, be our guest!

Here’s a link to the audio file.