Home Sweet Home

Welcome back to those of you who are venturing back from your summer break, even though it’s a little early. It’s still hot here, but a bit cooler and more pleasant up north for a short time. I still love it here best!  We have everything we need to be comfortable right here at home. I went away this summer (my first summer without having to rush back to work, and it was fun) but ohhh, it played havoc with my hair and skin! My skin got so dried out it looked like I had scales rather than skin, and my hair got so dried out I looked like I had scarecrow hair! Give me our nice wet climate and air conditioning in the summer! I’ll take it every time. It sure feels good to be back home!  

*We see help wanted signs on almost every business, it seems, just like they have up north. Apparently, the government money the workforce receives for staying home is better than what the people who work receive and they don’t even have to hire a baby sitter, so they save money there, so they are staying home. It’s the same thing up north. The businesses are being hurt mightily by the lack of people willing to work, and what can the businesses do? They’ve raised hourly rates and salaries, but it doesn’t seem to bring people back to work. Same up north, by the way. Some people have lost or are losing their businesses because of the lack of able-bodied people coming to work. I wonder what is going to happen pretty soon when our taxes come through?  Will the government money pay for insurance and taxes?  What is going to happen to our America????? I’m assuming we all are concerned with the same thing, with no answers yet.

**But I heard a really nice story! A very good friend of mine really wants to save up money so she can visit her daughter and grandbaby in California, but with Social Security and pension, they still don’t have enough for the traveling expenses our friend Angie wants to do, so as she was getting gas at a Wawa on U. S. 41East and Rattlesnake Hammock Road, she wandered in to buy a couple things when she saw the help wanted sign, which are all over the place here and in every city! She inquired, and when they saw this lovely, friendly lady who wanted to work, they sat down and talked, and she took the job!! They were happy to have a smart, well-dressed lady who WANTED to work and was willing to work with them. Yup, she took the job and is delighted with the people who work there as well as the people who frequent the facility. She was especially impressed with the cleanliness. They both win! I thought I’d pass that on to anyone who might be interested in working (even part time), meeting people, learning new things, or who are just plain lonely, etc. By the way, it’s a great place to stop and buy a sandwich or breakfast or even just a snack. My physical therapist stops there a few times a week with his wife and two kids for breakfast because they like the food, it’s friendly, fast, and very clean!

*Another friend of mine (Jeanie) and I stopped by the Ben Allen Backyard Grill and Pub to grab a simple meal on a Sunday evening, and I was amazed at how many people were in there enjoying a little time out! I haven’t been in there since it changed into the Ben Allen Grill - he put some nice finishing touches on it. It now has a pool table, which seemed to be used all the time we were there. A young lady with a lovely voice was singing with a guitar background when we got there. She took a break, and who walks up but BEN ALLEN himself, introduces himself and started to sing and play his guitar for all of us, and everyone was thrilled! He must have sung for at least a half hour, and then he, his wife, and two other people sat down for a while and then departed. Everyone was so happy to see him! One of the most touching changes at that Pub was a long table down the middle of the room with 13 table settings, and the names of each hero who was gunned down in Afghanistan. Each table setting had the name of the military man or woman who died for us, and all but one was younger than 30, and many just around the early 20’s. We saw patriotism at its finest, loud, and clear in that little Pub. I don’t know how Jeanie and I lucked out to happen to be there when Ben walked in and then entertained us, but we felt very fortunate!