Just a peek at the new plantation shutters we just had installed on the kitchen window that looks out to the backyard. When we moved into the house eight years ago, we purchased cellular shades for this window but later found that the shades just didn't give us the look we wanted. 
We think these shutters give a much cleaner, simpler look--exactly what we're going for these days. Don't you think they look wonderful juxtaposed to the baking center?
Meet our new vacation companion---our new rPod Travel Trailer. This little gem is 18' long and will be pulled behind our Ford truck. We are so excited to resume the RV Lifestyle once again, especially since we won't have to worry about always finding a hotel that is pet friendly for our little Cocoa. The inside is outfitted beautifully and should be perfect for two sassy old women and a dog.
Our Thanksgiving was not traditional in any way unless you count the fact that we never do a traditional Thanksgiving. For the past several years, we have not cooked a meal or even spent time with family. Last year, we spent the day in King's Bay in our kayaks followed by a picnic at the park. This year, we decided to spend our time at the beach. We began our week (yes, we took an entire week) at Tamara's Restaurant in Apalachicola. We love this place, having discovered it when we came to Apalachicola three years ago for Thanksgiving. 
We spent our week in a wonderful little house on Cape San Blas, a beach on the Gulf of Mexico in the Florida Panhandle. It is only about four hours from home so hardly takes any time to get there. We selected this beach because it is very dog friendly and the owners of the house allow dogs. Cocoa was very happy. 
The little green house was our house for the week and we loved the fact that this wooden path lead us straight to the powdery sand beach. We spent the week indulging our inner artists while setting a path for the next five years as we inch towards our seventieth year. 
It was very hard to leave this place not only because is was so beautiful but because it provided a focused, uninterrupted time to clear our minds and just rest. We stopped at Tamara's on the way home for another great meal, bought some special scented soaps at a shop in town, and headed back to reality until next time.
Well we usually don't even decorate, especially if we are feeling particularly humbug-ish or old lady-ish. However, this year we decided not to be a couple of old fogies. So, a couple of weeks ago when Janet was in the attic for some other reason, we took down the decorations. Now, first of all, we have gotten rid of a lot of our stuff. We found that we just didn't use everything and it felt very, very excessive. And second of all, there is a woman where I work who goes all out with her decorating and we thought she just might enjoy having our stuff. We were right because it was a thrill for her to receive it and a thrill for us to give it to her. 
And so yesterday, we decided that we would put up ONLY the tree. Our tree is an artificial, pre-lighted tree--the easier the better for us because the lights were ALWAYS a great source of frustration for one of the people living in this house (not me). So we took the tree out of the plastic garbage can we store it in and set it up in a new place....the little cherry chest between the kitchen and living room. We figured that way it could be seen in both the living room and the kitchen and the dining room, which is attached to the kitchen. 
Well, we were having so much fun that after we set up the tree, we decided to decorate it. It was so simple this year, it amazed us. We don't know if it's because we are simplifying in each and every way and that maybe it was our new attitude. Or maybe it was because we didn't have to crawl in the attic, get everything down, and then decorate after we were exhausted. At any rate, we had Christmas music on the iPod dock, a sleeping dog on the couch, and decorated not one tree, but two. We had a little flocked, unlighted tree out for another reason and just decorated it too with the smallest ornaments. We are so happy to have this done prior to our Thanksgiving trip. Now we are ready for the season. 
Well, this is the latest fantasy that we are nurturing at this time. This little number will pull behind the F150 and will be a perfect hotel room when we get on the road. It's just right for a dog and for two fairly old women with a sense of adventure. We're not certain that this purchase will actually happen but it is on our list of considerations as we decide what we want to do and where we want to go.
This actual unit belongs to some very nice people here in Ocala who agreed to show it to us one Sunday a few weeks back. Janet took all kinds of measurements and we're doing some serious figuring as we look forward to our decision week at Cape San Blas during Thanksgiving week.
