Floridians Don't Need It!!

I thought that Mother Nature knew this, but obviously she doesn't or perhaps it has slipped her mind.

Floridians DO NOT need cold temperatures to get into the Christmas spirit! We are quite content to experience a somewhat cooler climate than usual, but there is no need to get crazy about it! One cool snap, I repeat, cool snap, and we are good to go for the Christmas season!

We are the ones that really appreciate shopping in stores for Christmas presents, without sweating from wearing our coats inside where the management keeps the heat up because it is regulated from a state up north where it is below zero and they think all stores are experiencing the same deep freeze, or lugging it around with everything else while trying to look through all sorts of racks and shelves.

We are the ones that like to drive around looking a Christmas lights with the top or windows down, not freezing or trying to see out steamed up windows!! Better yet, we LOVE to take walks up and down the streets, being able to talk to everyone as we see the beautiful displays and hear the music they are playing to make their display even more meaningful!!

We don't need snow. We don't need slush. We don't need the wind blowing. We don't need a below zero wind chill. We don't need the winter coats. We don't need boots. And we sure don't need dead batteries!!

So she is on official notice. We have already had enough. We are in the Christmas spirit. Now you can move on. We get it. We remember what the holiday up north was like. Thank you for the reminder. Now scram!

Next week, we are to have a high of 48!! Come on. We don't have coats...at least most of us don't. We have a high transient population, especially in winter, that come here because they can not live outside up north. What are they to do? Freeze is the word. I feel bad about that. We have some shelters, but not nearly enough. It is very serious. And so many fires burn down homes and kill occupants because they are trying to stay warm with heaters and even candles. I don't think most people realize how hard it is here when the temps get so cold. So I ask for your prayers for the homeless and families not fortunate enough to have heat in their houses. Many, many homes have no heating system here.

With that being said and feeling very blessed, it has been a good week. Busy. Had to start getting ready to renew my driver's license. Have you done that yet? Oh brother!!! What a winner that is.

There is so much you have to take with you now to prove that you are not a terrorist. You only have to do it once unless something changes about you like your name or something, so it reads in the info.

I had to send to my birth county and get a certified birth certificate. $22. I had to locate my marriage license because my name had changed from my birth name. If it is not original, you have to get a certified copy. Get my original social security card. Still have mine so that was no problem. Get two proofs of residence. Home loan, credit card statement, bank statement...you get that one. I think that covers it for me. You are given a few options. No biggie if you plan early enough. It takes about a month to get a certified copy of anything...so beware. 

Then we have an eye test. Needed to get new glasses. So did that Tuesday. Will get them soon.

Then had to go online and set an appointment. If you don't you can wait three hours in line. Three of the places near me were already booked for all of December. My license expires the first couple days of January. So I finally found a place and got an appointment. 

Then would you believe...I had a two page form to fill out to take with me unless I wanted to do it when I got there. My idea of a good day is to get in there and out. So I filled it out and printed it off. It is ready to go now, too.

So everything is underway. Now I can go back to having fun again!! LOL Don't like being forced into time slots again. I gave that up when I retired. But I guess you can't get away from it all.

I have scrapped since my last blog. Let's see. Wow. I have done more than I thought. OK. I will just post a couple right now.

The first one is Gloria's album cover. I think it turned out pretty warm and homey feeling which is what you always feel at her house.

Click for larger view

The other one is of a bird and it's trainer that we saw at Busch Gardens, Tampa Bay. It was so cute to see how this cute bird reacted with the trainer. You knew for sure they had a love for each other.

So that is it for now. Going to get some things done. We are starting to put the tree up but we do it in stages. It is a bear to do. It is so old, as I have stated before, the same one we had for all the kids and Russ is 44. All the color is worn off the ends of the branches that tell you the order and there are 250 branches. But I just can't get rid of it! LOL

Hope you have a wonderful day. Thanks for sharing part of your day with me. I love each of you!!!

OH. Forgot that I haven't written about meeting with Serene. Had a blast!!!!! Will tell you more next time!!