Trippin' with Susan Straley

“Remember, remember, this is now, and now, and now.  Live it, feel it, cling to it.  I want to become acutely aware of all I’ve taken for granted.”   Sylvia Plath The last time I posted I was feeling anxious and not very up-beat.  I apologize if I passed on those feelings to you.  I am better now.  I hope you are ok too. There are several things that turned it around for me. I realized I wasn't focusing on the good in my life.  I have learned before that making a little effort to change my outlook makes a difference in how I view the world and my happiness level.  I made a list of things I am grateful for.    I was amazed when in no time at all I had filled three pages in my journal.  I could have gone on and on and on.   Wow! If you are feeling overwhelmed by the changes and things in the news, I suggest you try that exercise. I blocked a few people on Facebook.  Not that I don't like them as people, it is just that we were not getting any closer to common

 June 15, 2020 Hi all,   I hope you are doing well and able to remain positive no matter what life throws your way.   I went for a ride by myself.  I did over 30 miles.  I stopped at the flower shop in Floral City and bought three bouquets to share with folks.  They looked pretty nice on my trike. Our moment in history, June 2020, feels like we are standing in the middle of a food fight.  We are getting stuff thrown at us from all sides!  I was listening to a historian/author on NPR the other day and they told of all the happenings in the late 60's.  Protests, violence against protestors, assassinations, a crazy war, distrust in our government institutions... he said it felt very much like the U.S. was falling apart.  Similar to today. I saw some comedians on Youtube saying, "You know what happens when a country is in chaos? They get invaded."  So the comedians began begging Canada to invade us... "and bring your health care with you." I hope y

April 6, 2020 Each night I sit in my bed and write down the numbers in my diary. Last night it was: World Cases  1,272,860 World Deaths   69,424 US Cases  336,673 US Deaths  9,616 Florida Cases  12,350 Florida Deaths  221 Citrus County Cases  43 Citrus County Deaths 2 I look back and compare from a day or two ago trying to grasp and get my mind around it all and trying to see the bigger picture. Then I write down the things that I am grateful for that day.  Because it's all kind of scary, isn't it? I am grateful for blue sky, and butterflies.  I am grateful for conversations with friends.  I saw a humming bird today in the front garden.  I am grateful for the rain. I am grateful for farmers and grocery store clerks and truck drivers.  They are still working and exposing themselves and when they return home, the expose their families to possible infection. Since I last wrote the Governor of Florida issued a shutter-in-place order.  We are only to go out for

March 6, 2020 Hello Friends, Family, and Followers, I am sitting at the Tampa airport.  I have a couple hours before we fly and thought I would dash off a note to you.  Life is more fun when shared, after all. I have a keyboard that connects to my iPad by Bluetooth.  I packed it and brought it along in case I felt like writing to you.  But guess what!  I packed the keyboard in the pannier that I checked as luggage.   So my fingers may fumble a little more than usual as I peck this out with my thumbs on the touch screen. It is Friday and I am flying to Phoenix, AZ.  I first made plans to do this when my sister-in-law announced in September or October that she was going to have a celebration for her 80th birthday.  I have not been to Phoenix and don't remember much about AZ.  I am sure I must have been to AZ at one time, maybe as a tween when we visited the southern rim of the Grand Canyon. Initially when I booked the flight I was going to ship or check as baggage my own