Elite Resort at Citrus Valley - March

Welcome back to the second month of my stay here in Clermont, Florida. I blinked and February became part of history. In case you missed it, you can read all about it HERE.

In the northeast, March came in like a lion. I think my neighbors in Peekskill escaped the brunt and saw some snow but mostly rain. Snow removal procedures were in effect at the River House. The pattern continued on the following weekends.

This sunset in Clermont continues to show off the warm, breezy days I'm enjoying. Temperatures are consistently in the mid 80's, sometimes reaching the low 90's. There have been so many days that I've sat outside, felt the warmth of the sun, the constant  breezes swaying the palms, the neighboring mocking bird's occasional serenade and feel so blessed to be in this place. It's difficult to think of the best summer day back home to make the comparison...there is none.

My annual treat for Winnie is to catch Five Star Detailing and schedule an on-site visit. Owner, Jose Ferrer, has a year round tight schedule which includes traveling throughout the country to provide a wide array of cleaning services for both trucks and RVs. Be sure to check out his website and the gallery to see some of his work.

Well equipped for all services including a de-ionized spot free rinse.

Tires, roof, awning--top and bottom were pressure washed, blown dry then waxed and buffed.

Lazaro and Jose

Beautiful visitors, Claire and Finnegan, come by once in awhile as they take their owners, Chuck and Nettie for their evening walk. The Goldens know where the treats are and know what to do to get them after tugging their owners onto my site. What are the chances that my Franklin Street elementary school's Librarian, who read stories to my third grade class, was named Claire Finnegan. She passed away in 2015 at age 91. Click on the "What are the chances" link, to see many more "coincidences" in my RVing history.

On March 5th, I had the honor of joining others on Vicki and George's site 233 to celebrate her 50th year dealing with Type I Diabetes.  Over twenty folks were in attendance that included neighbors and friends. From our group: Roberta, Jack/Noreen, Walt/Fran, Tony/Doreen, Ray/Kathy attended. A few of the photos follow:

Neighbors Missy & Paul

Ray & Kathy

Kathy, Tricia, Vicki, Craig

Tony

Doreen

Neighbor Bob

Friends Tricia and Craig with neighbor Wayne

A ton of food

Because of the slight chance of rain on Saturday, Vicki opted to play it safe and changed the date to Sunday. Needless to say, the deluge occurred on Sunday. Tents and canopies notwithstanding, not all escaped the rain. Gallant Tony escorts Fran into the dryness (?) of the canopy.

I asked Vicki to give me some thoughts to share that would enlightened those of us who are fortunate enough not to have this daily burden to deal with. She writes:

"I’d like to thank all the Islanders who attended my celebration of “Surviving Type I Diabetes” dinner party on March 5^th. With the addition of my neighbors here at Elite, we had about 22 people. We also experienced torrential rain for a bit, but it didn’t stop anyone from eating, drinking and having fun.  The presence of each and every one of you was the catalyst for the party’s success.

 I had wanted to make a toast to thank you all at some point during the party, but the opportunity never materialized. I was also going to mention a couple of the most memorable moments of this difficult journey, so when Charlie asked me to write up a “blurb,” I asked him the restriction of pages to submit. Below contains the moments and even more than I had wanted to say.  

 As you would assume, the number one moment was “Diagnosis Day.” I was given grim news about my future with this disease from a doctor who sat back in his huge, wooden, swivel desk chair. Once he finished speaking, he placed the remnants of his most recent cigarette in the big, amber colored ashtray on his desk and snuffed it out. I watched the smoke rise. I was 17 years old with no parental support. His predictions, mannerisms and attitude annoyed me. I remember standing up, full of rage and pointed my finger at him and saying, “I’m going to prove you wrong!” I stormed out of his office, only to return to get my glass syringe and metal needle. Ouch. That’s another story and still painful to remember. 

 Technology flourished at the best time for me. I can attribute my lack of fear to try anything as helping to improve the quality of my life and allow me to live longer. However, technology is only half of the equation. The other 50% is inside your heart and soul.  It took a couple of tough lessons and years to make me a T1 Warrior.

 My second story goes back to early 1976 when I was taken to the hospital by ambulance due to Ketoacidosis, a possible deadly result from uncontrolled T1 diabetes. Along for the ride in the ambulance was my 4 month-old son, Glenn, being held by a paramedic. Once at the hospital, the nurses were fighting over who would hold the baby!  I was dehydrated, close to a coma and could just watch.

 My ex-mother-in-law showed up to take my son. She walked over to me and yelled “How dare you put this child at risk of losing his mother!  You better smarten up and take care of yourself, unless you want another woman to raise your son.”

 If not for her, my son could very well have lost his mommy.  I believe she’s the first person who helped me accept this disease. The second person is my son, Glenn. A parent would give their life to save their child….I needed to save MY life for my child, and in time was blessed to fight for two.

 The battle was waged. I succeeded and failed, but each time I got back up and fought again. I fought last night and I’ll fight tomorrow. Your weapon can never lay idle. It must be carried at all times.

 The third major person is the man who has patiently stood by my side for the last 20 years and been a major contributor to my current successes. Technology has allowed him to see my blood sugar levels in real time. He texts me when it’s high and often shows up with candy when it’s low. He’s always checking my numbers and wakes me at night when the alarms don’t.  My insulin pump alarms many times during a day and overnight. George has not had a full night’s sleep since 2009 and he doesn’t complain. EVER. Who else could be this lucky?

 There are times when I contemplate the “ifs and whys” of the major setbacks in my life. I’ve come to realize, they have each molded me into the person I am today; surely a better person than I could have imagined I’d be."

On Monday, Ray and Kathy traveled the 50 miles to Plant City, FL and spent the day at the annual, week-long Strawberry Festival. If you check out the link, you'll see it's a pretty big deal. The lineup of entertainers alone is impressive (including Willy Nelson, Lynyard Skynyrd, the Oak Ridge Boys, the Gatlin Brothers, Tanya Tucker, the Pointer Sisters, Bill Haley Jr. and the Comets, Wayne Newton, and the Isley Brothers). When they returned, they brought us our taste treat of the day...no, correction...month. 

These beauties are not color enhanced. I have never seen nor tasted strawberries like these. I think we've all long forgotten what "real" strawberries taste like. I'm talking about the ones you picked fresh from the plant on the farm that grew them or from your backyard; vivid red, sweet and juicy...and here's the best part. They taste like strawberries, not like the strawberries you pick up at the supermarket. Thank you Ray and Kathy.

Take a look at what Ray described as his treat for the day: No, he didn't bring any home for us.

Having enjoyed the company of Mark and Mya for lunch during my stay in Daytona Beach, I looked forward to my second visit to this restaurant in Kissimmee. Walter, Ray and I enjoyed an early dinner at Ford's Garage.

40 draft beers to choose from. After careful reading, my choice was...

...the Orange Blossom Pilsner or OBP for short. It's a honey beer made with real, local orange blossom honey. "Taster's Notes" indicated that it's "brewed with real orange blossom honey. There are 2.3 teaspoons of pure Orange Blossom Honey in every can of OBP. But don’t go thinkin’ you’re getting a mouthful of sweetness, sweetness. The fermentation process gives it a crisp, refreshing flavor sans candy-assery. So crack open a cold one. The bees need the work."

We shared the homemade "Giant Funnel Tower of Piston Onion Rings" with chipotle ketchup and Hidden Valley Ranch.

Ray tackled the foot-long Beer Battered Fish 'n Chips (minus the chips. Good boy, Ray), while Walter wished his "Mama Ford's Homemade Meat Loaf" tasted like his mama's.

Half my "Shrimp Mac 'n Cheese came home with me for lunch the next day. An ample portion of shrimp came mixed with cavatappi pasta and tossed in Ford's Beer cheese and topped with a Muenster cheese blend. It tasted as good as it looked.

Our nightly fires continued. Whoever was up to attending did so.  Some evenings we felt the temperatures dip down into the mid-60's which enhanced the fire's warmth and made sleeping very comfortable.

 “The onlookers watched as the fire snapped and popped, observing the flames encircle the logs. Bits of blue and green intertwined with the blazing orange and yellow. The smoke rose high above the campfire, lifting glowing embers.” – Ann White Lombardi

To keep this blog comfortably short, I decided to end on that warm note. My days are flying by. Unlike some of my fellow winter visitors here who have to head back home at the end of this month, I will continue further south in April to Delray Beach, Miami and the Keys before heading back north along the west coast to New Orleans. There will be so much more of to write about in the remaining weeks of March so stayed tuned. Stay happy, healthy and safe.