Keeping Up With Difficult Changes

This is certainly a new challenge for all of us! As soon as I write something, and before I even send it, it’s already obsolete! I’ve found some interesting information though that should have a calming effect, and I’d like to share it with you. Dr. Scott Gottlieb the former FDA Chief, is quoted in USA Today as saying there is evidence that coronaviruses don’t circulate in the summer. It’s mostly because the hot, humid air doesn’t allow the respiratory droplets to transfer as easily, and also, the viral particles don’t survive well in that kind of environment. So down here in Southern Florida, July and August should be a backstop. We’re looking at changing American life for a couple of months. Dr. Gottlieb thinks that March and April are really going to be the months that are going to be very difficult, but hopefully, if we’ve done the right things, we’ll be coming down the epidemic curve toward the end of April. He states that the only group that seems to be spared are the young children. “They just don’t seem to be becoming symptomatic.” There were some encouraging words there, and it gives hope that things will come to an end sooner than we thought. A few months sounds better than a year or two. I’ve never washed my hands so many times in one day! I have to put hand cream on them regularly because they are beginning to look scaly and dried out!  

We lost a good friend last week. Don Drake, a great, enthusiastic volunteer at Rookery Bay, who drove the boats, and hunted and found birds who were tangled in fishing lines, who freed and rescued them from death in many cases. I’m sure God will have plenty of things for him to do up in Heaven. Our sincerest sympathies to Carol Drake. Also, we lost a golfer who is moving on to the golf course up on high. Ed Tappen… and the guys from Lakewood Country Club all showed up at his funeral to wish him bon voyage. My dear longtime friend Aggie Tappen will need a lot of comforting and care over the next few months. Please remember her in your prayers. Aggie and I started out together at the Golden Gate Visitor’s Center in the 90s. You don’t know where that is? That’s because it doesn’t exist any longer.  

I went to the Isles of Capri Civic Association meeting the other day, and the speaker told us about the Burrowing Owl… and what fun THAT speech was! I did not know the male digs the burrow. That was fun to watch; can you imagine digging 5 ft down and 10 ft over and removing all the dirt and have no hands nor a shovel? Then the male wants to make the burrow look inviting to his new mate, so he decorates it with trinkets he finds, with colorful items he finds like lady’s panties! Yes, lady’s underwear! She showed us pictures, but the surprising favorite for the birds is dog “droppings.” Yes, they decorate with dog droppings. We all laughed so hard; I’d never heard that before. Those people in Capri are such wonderful people. So supportive of each other, so helpful to their neighbors. It’s always a pleasure to be there.  

Then Goodland had an Arts Festival this weekend as well. I couldn’t be there this time, but if it’s in Goodland it’s gotta be great! I hope some of you went.  

There will be a Park Dedication on Friday, March 27th, at Eagle Lakes Community Park. Hopefully, some of you will be able to be there. 

Many events have been cancelled in the coming weeks in an abundance of caution. With so many things cancelling, and many people cooking, I wonder if we should be watching our weight a little better than usual, and hmm… will the birthrate go up in 9 months as it does after a hurricane? We’ll watch and see.  

The Public Workshop for the future E. N. Community Development Plan has been postponed until further notice.  

FP&L advises that their contractor will be clearing the vegetation from their “facilities” along the 951/Collier Blvd corridor in March from Capri to Tower Rd., Barefoot Williams St. and Price Street and along U.S. 41 E from 951 to Greenway Rd. Also, within this same time frame, FP&L will be testing the new overhead lights that were just installed to be sure everything is in working order. The testing should take two weeks and has already begun. 

Just in case you missed the column regarding the old K-Mart Shopping center, the developers are moving forward with updating and expanding the area with a Burlington (Coat) Factory, and a Home Goods store, plus they expect to announce a restaurant shortly in that same area. And amid the Restaurant Row section of that same shopping center, a Miller’s Ale House is about to be built. Showily but surely, they are discovering us, Folks, and if they build great stuff, they’ll have a huge response; as can be seen by existing locations within. People are constantly requesting a P. F. Chang’s. That would be lovely! Yet others are requesting down–home–cookin’ like Bob Evan’s. I hope one of those restaurants has a realtor looking or searching for their mention and they seek us out! Wouldn’t that be nice? I’ve got someone searching for the contact info for P. F. Chang’s right now, but if you know of a contact call me!  

I know we’ve talked about all the gasoline stations opening up here, and then we spoke of all the car wash facilities, but have you noticed the newest type of building? If you haven’t, it’s Dentists offices! I cannot believe how many of them they are building!  

Hopefully, the heat and humidity will arrive soon so we can get rid of this lousy virus and get back into normal life again. Being that we live down here, we will probably be one of the first areas that begin to see recovery! Then we can help others, even if it’s only advice. Stay well till we see each other again. I miss all the great stuff on Marco Island! Everything has cancelled, and that is just not like Marco Island, but then again, this is not our normal winter, nor normal Season. Between Marco, Goodland, Capri, and Bayshore—all water communities—they should be the first ones to recover! Let’s hope it happens soon.