Fun on the Beach!

I just love being a snowbird. We've had a great week. I'm walking, eating lots of seafood at Dewey Destin (http://www.destinseafood.com/) , working a bit, shopping and going to the movies. We saw Hitman yesterday and it was fabulous! Lots of action and blood and gore! We went to Destin Commons to walk around and found ourselves right in the middle of a dog Christmas fashion show. We should have entered Andy! He has his snowflake sweater here and would have looked great! We're going to have to start watching the paper to see all the fun events in Destin. Did a bit of shopping, but didn't buy anything. The sad part of being retired is you don't need anything that you can't get at WalMart! I did talk to some of the salespeople who said they were really hurting this Christmas season. There are so few people around that its almost spooky! I can see how some of the RV contingent might not come due to gas prices, but there's just no one here. The high rises on the beach with thousands of condos have one or two windows lighted! Where are the people?

I did miss a reception in Nashville to benefit Hillary's campaign and I was a host! I'm so hopeful that she will be able to fix health care, get us out of Iraq, and approach our country's budget in a more realistic manner. I always think about the joke if the Wise Men had been women, they would have cleaned the stable, made a casserole, and brought useful gifts! The good old boy network has just about run this country into the ground. It's time a strong woman took a shot at straightening us out! I just hope people can get past the b___ word! It's amazing that Bill gets impeached for lying about an extramarital affair, and the Bush contingent gets away with just about everything from outing a CIA operative to going to war on suspicious grounds to lying to a grand jury and getting a presidential pardon! Hullloooo....where is the justice? I am concerned that the democrats will kill each other and weaken our chances at beating the republicans!

I just got a wonderful gift for Christmas from MedCom, my company I edit for in Taiwan. They sent the best selection of tea! Woody and I are so excited to try it. The Jasmine tea is probably going to be my favorite.

Hope you all have a wonderful week!

We're in Destin!

We arrived in Destin last night! Here are pictures! We spent all day decorating for Christmas! Wanted to share our campground, the beach (that's our RV window so we're close), our Christmas trees, Woody and Andy resting after working, and our great neighborhood! Million dollar+ houses just out our back door...if we had a back door!

Jan and Holly...check out the chairs! Donna...be very jealous...we're done with our Christmas shopping and it's been mailed, and the trees ( 3 of them) are up! I don't know if you can see it but the Welcome Flamingo you gave us is holding the wreath and the sign that says "home is where you park it"!

The blue screen room is Harley and Andy's. Harley prefers the one in Hendersonville but will take what he can get right now. There are dogs everywhere, but Harley is the only cat walking on a leash!

We've already hit Buster's and Pompano Joe's! Our two favorite restaurants! Tomorrow we rest, watch football, and then I have to work a bit. Cathy and Dawn and Taiwan are keeping me busy!

Happy Birthday Woody!

Tomorrow is Woodrow's 63rd birthday! A bunch of his friends are meeting us for dinner at Shane's in Hendersonville and then back home for cake and ice cream! No present from me...he got a new motor for his truck!

We drove all the way to Chattanooga to pick up our RV...no luck. All the things that were broken, that they said were fixed, are all still broken! Maybe it's Gremlins! Woody just told them to deliver the coach when they got it fixed and we left. We're supposed to head to Florida in the next few weeks! It had better show up soon! I need beach!

Yeah!!!! I may have sold a web site! Just got an email from someone who's interested. A few months back, I sat and thought up web sites to speculate. The one that's of interest is www.racerlady.com which would be great for Nascar, IRL and...well, you get the picture. I also own a few sites with health and business names. Who knows what I'll get into in to next! Between medical editing, working for Cathy on a project, selling stuff on eBay, and selling photgraphs on Yessy and BigStockPhoto, and now this...I'm going to have to go back to work to rest up!

We're heading to Libby's for Thanksgiving...I'm doing the dressing. Molly also is doing my dressing recipe for oyster dressing! Yuck...but she and her dad can eat a ton of it! I also have to make sweet potato pies! Such a gourmet cook. I'm ready for some good turkey.

Watched the debates last night! Hillary did well. I keep thinking about the joke about the three wise men...if they had been three wise women, they would have cleaned the stable, made a casserole, brought realistic presents...well you get the picture. We've had the good old boys in power...no more! I just read today that close to 20% of children in the U.S. are at risk for hunger. That's horrid. No healthcare for almost 50 million people. A war that doesn't make sense, and is costing us trillions of dollars and we can't feed and care for our children. The one concern I have is that we look like idiots on the debate...we're so busy fighting amongst ourselves, that people are going to get fed up. Here's the deal....elect Hillary president and get on with fixing the mess our country's in right now! Otherwise it's Rudy; his kids don't even like him! Mitt Romney...I don't think so! and while I'm from Tennessee, Fred Thompson can't decide what he wants to be when he grows up...actor, senator, ? president? Hillary wants the job and will do it incredibly well! Get over the fact that she stayed with Bill...he's a charmer. We all love him! The country was so much better off with the Clinton's in the White House. Go look at her web page...just keep an open mind! www.hillaryclinton.com

Life in retirement is good!

Chairs Chairs and More Chairs!

Woody's been on a project binge lately! Not too long ago we went to dinner at Donna and Mike's house. Donna is Miss Designer! Woody fell in love with her Adirondack chairs that were lime green...guess what we did this week? These are the chairs that our neighbor on Hidden Lake built for us! They had weathered to a dull gray, and I had considered painting them red or blue like everyone else! Once Woody saw Donna's....well, you know what we did! This view doesn't show the roses, but the chairs are in my little rose garden with yellow, pink, lavender and red roses! He did a beautiful job! Thanks Donna for the inspiration, and thanks to Valspar and Lowes for the paint colors. Just so you'll know, Donna's was custom color...we had to make do with generic paint off a paint chip!! www.lowes.com

We're also trying to get the yard ready for winter. This has been gardening week! We replaced a few shrubs, weeded...I don't think I like our neighbor with bermuda grass! It's everywhere, but with global warming maybe it's the best grass as it's heat tolerant! It also thrives on Round-up!

We thought about moving to a condo...even put down a little deposit. Now, I think we're back to staying here. I just don't want to give up all this room. With Janet moving out, it will be tough but we'll see what happens. Our Montana trip will be difficult next summer, but as long as Elroy is willing to mow, we'll be cool! Worst case, we get a lawn service. Like Woody says....I have no clue what I want to do. I love the RV most, but it's good to have a home base!

Went to a comedy dinner last night! We had dinner with our friends, and Chuck and Bill went on a comedy and joke binge! I've never laughed so hard in my life. If you need therapy, go to dinner with Chuck and Bill! Laughter certainly is the best medicine. We went to Blue Sky in Goodlettsville. It was great. We're also going out to Green Hills tonight to the Cheese Cake Factory...we're nothing if not versatile in our dining choices. I'm trying to talk Woody into going early so we can do a bit of Christmas shopping!

Go Titans and Go Colts! Sunday is football day! www.titansonline.com

Road Trip!

Our friends Jane and Bill kidnapped us from Mickey D's last week for an impromptu road trip. We went to their son's house to see 2 day old Yorkies! It's a good thing they look like rats right now, or I might have been tempted to buy one! I can't go back...in a few weeks they will be so cute! Andy and Harley would be jealous if I brought another baby home! I did say it was a road trip...their son lives in White House. We also went to Thomas Drugs for lunch...it's in Cross Plains I think...or maybe Greenbrier. I got so lost! no...it was Cross Plains! http://www.tnvacation.com/cities-towns/cross_plains We also went to a great antique store where Holly's elephant lives! Holly lives in Ashland City, but someone stole her elephant! We found it somewhere in the boonies!

We also went to Home Sweet Home in White House. http://www.homesweethomewh.com/index.html It's owned by Cinda Petty, Jane and Bill's daughter-in-law! Cool stuff. I bought a candle that I love...guava mango! Just a tropical gal at heart. If you're in White House you should go!

I'm continuing to work on photography, haiku into haiga, and trying to be creative! I'm still editing tons of articles. I did have a new article of mine published in the Healthcare Executive, the journal for the American College of Healthcare Executives. It was only a page, but it's a big deal to get in that journal! www.ache.org I still have two other articles that I need to polish and then send off...just busy busy busy. I don't know why I don't have more time! I'm retired for goodness sakes!

Went to the Titan's game today. The offense should buy the defense dinner! At least we won!

Just four more weeks til we're off to Florida! Can't wait...it's getting cold here!

Heading to East Tennessee!

"Closed for the Season" is the blue boat house at Percy Priest Lake where you usually can rent boats!

We're heading to East Tennessee soon to visit Woody's uncles! They are all 80+ years old and rocking! I hope that means Woody has good genes...I know he has good jeans! His back is yucky though...he keeps throwing it out! Or maybe it's just when I told him we were going to do yard work. We're trying to get the house ready in anticipation of putting it on the market again. We've found a condo in Gallatin that looks interesting. We went to the Del Webb community in Mt. Juliet, but they seem to have a high opinion of their property! It would be great if the pricing wasn't ridiculous! For what they want in just maintenance fees, I can hire a full time gardener! My roses, however, are doing smashing! It's amazing what a little water and Bayer rose food can do!

We're planning an exciting night out with Lou and Cindy Saturday....heading to the Italian Grill here in Hendersonville. Their food is great, and....they have a band! We don't know who's playing or if we'll go, but we may check it out.

I taking a few days off from editing...my brain cells are frazzled. The latest was a case report on a complex chromosomal abnormality! Yee gads! I had to look up every other word. I'm learning tons though...who says you can't teach an old dog new tricks? I need time to write creatively and take photos and do fun things!

Hope you all have a great weekend....

Too much work!

This week has made me remember why I was glad to retire! I've worked all week! Four manuscripts, a trip to Emory, and cleaning house! I think I'll take this next week off...or at least some of it! We have to mail a bunch of things we sold on eBay...didn't make much, but it probably paid for tonight's pizza! Libby and Led went to Tunica...hope she didn't lose all her money! Haven't heard...which probably means she's lost! Usually when she wins we get 47 phone calls! Hope you have a great week!

Off to work I go!

Just had another Haiku published online!


Global warming
rain provides hope
drought is over



This one is on a Japanese web site! http://home.alc.co.jp/db/owa/ph_top?ctg_in=1 By the way, I'm Tranquility Found!


Off to see Mary at Emory in Atlanta today! I'm doing a presentation for the nursing leadership on Transformational Leadership. It's based on my chapter in her book, Nursing Management Principles and Practice, which by the way...you can order at http://www.ons.org/ ! And, the most exciting thing! I have a brief article coming out in the November/December issue of Healthcare Executive, the journal of the American College of Healthcare Executives, on Transformational Leadership http://www.ache.org/ ! It's interesting that 25 years ago, I implemented a shared governance model at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and today, it's just as vital! Involving people, in this case staff, in the decision making process sounds so simple. If we can just convince managers that they don't have all the answers!

We're trying to decide if we want to sell the house (or at least try to sell the house) and move back into a condo! With Janet heading back south, we just hate to leave the house vacant six or seven months out of the year...we're traveling a bunch! We leave for Florida the first of December...we're snowbirds! That sounds so old!! Decisions..decisions..decisions. Feel free to weigh in on what you think we should do! We're so confused!

My poor Cubbies were swept! I had so hoped that Led could see the Cubs in the World Series in his lifetime! He's young...maybe there's hope! I love to aggravate him, but for those of you who know me...I'm not a big fan of baseball, but I love going to Cubs games! It's an event!

This week has been busy with tons of medical editing from Japan and Taiwan, but did take time out to put lots of Ellen Tracy stuff on eBay! We just love selling on eBay. We get to shop, antique, and junk, buy, and then sell...no clutter at home but still have the fun of the chase! Plus...it's always at least a meal or three out in profit! I feel like my dad, Bill Hudson! He always had a scheme to make a buck! Between editing and eBay, I'll never go hungry again! As if.....

Hope all of you have a great week!