The Steak Seduction

I just ordered my morning coffee at Starbucks and it came in a paper cup, contained within a second paper cup, contained within one of those little cardboard rings that's supposed to protect my fingers from heat. And with a plastic lid. Seems like a lot of material for one cup of coffee.

Although Dave's parents' trailer has WiFi, it doesn't have a very good coffee machine. So I still find it easier to drive the short distance to Starbucks in order to blog.

So yes, they own a mobile home here, but they don't live in it. At least not anymore. Dave's mom and dad have both had health issues that necessitated their moving to an assisted living center, where they eat and sleep and spend most of their time. That's why we're staying in the mobile home, which frankly I love, because it's in one of these little sun-blasted waterfront retirement parks with hyper-neat landscaping and plastic flamingos and palm trees. We've joked about moving here ourselves. At least, I think it's a joke.

When I took my morning walk yesterday I found this sphinx moth (I think?) resting on the paved street. It was covered with dewdrops and looked like it had been there a while, but I didn't want it to get squashed, so I picked it up and moved it to a planter in front of someone's house. It was surprisingly hard to move. Those little feet can really cling. Hopefully when it warmed up and dried off it was able to move around a little more easily.

We ran errands yesterday morning, mostly preparing for today's Christmas dinner. There were originally plans for a roast and potatoes and all that stuff, but at some point it was decided that lasagna was the way to go -- easier to make and store, and using only one dish! So we bought lasagna supplies and also some new shrubs for the mobile home, where the landscaping suffered in Hurricanes Helene and Milton last year. We bought three Hibiscus, a Lantana, a ti plant, an Ixora and something I don't remember ever seeing before called a Clusia. I think the latter might actually become a tree someday, so we have to be careful where we put it.

Dave and I will be planting them today and tomorrow, and his sister will care for them, since she's staying for the next several weeks.

This insanity was parked outside a restaurant at the shopping center. I'm sure it's not road-worthy. It's just for display. There's a whole nativity scene inside the van.

Last night, Dave's parents came over (they still drive) and we ordered pizza and had a leisurely evening full of mobile home park gossip. For example, we heard about the female neighbor who solicits men in the park with offers of meat ("I have steaks and my husband isn't here; would you like to come over?"). Grace Metalious, eat your heart out!

After dark I took my nighttime walk. Today Dave and I have lunch with some friends from my years living in Sarasota (1994-2000) and then it's lasagna time!