Growing Up in a Resort? I didn't know!!

I just got through reading a review in last Sunday's Dallas Morning News (yes, it takes me a whole week to read that paper.. it's huge and I'm busy) of Francis Ford Coppola's newest venture: Resorts in Central America. He has 3, Blancaneaux Lodge in Belize; La Lancha in Guatemala and Turtle Inn, also in Belize.

While reading the review, I was startled to find that must've grown up in a resort!! No, I didn't spend my childhood in Central America, it was spent in rural North Florida, USA; but the similarities are striking.

"guest quarters are free of telephones and TVs and DVD players (although Internet access is available at the front desk). Cell phones don't work and you have to stand in line to use the house phone"

Well, in my childhood, we had one phone in the house, and you certainly had to stand in line to use it. There was one TV in the house and it was in the Living Room and we received one channel (sometimes we could pull in a second channel, if the weather was just right). Who ever heard of cellphones, DVD's or the Internet in the 60's.. if they were in the conceptual stage, I was too busy being a child to know about them. :)

Water for Blancaneaux is supplied by a river "so pure you can drink while you swim"

HUH? It never occured to me as a child that any river wasn't pure enough to drink while swimming. How sad that our "progress" has ruined this for some parts of the country.

"In place of air-conditioning, there are wooden ceiling fans and louvered windows"

I grew up with God's air-conditioning.. whatever breezes he chose to send. Along with room fans and cold cold water from an underground stream. And when at home and in private, the bare minimum of clothing that still allowed for decency.

"Gardens of rows of eggplant and cherry tomatoes"

Yep, and we also had corn and beans and peas.. I spent many an hour in the summer shucking corn and shelling peas. I enjoyed listening to the adults talk while I worked.

"Guided hikes..to small mayan ruins"

Well, while I can't verify the age of the ruins, we could walk a ways into the woods near our house and find the remains of an old house, old bricks and bits of pottery.

The reviewer goes on to talk about falling asleep outside on a hammock and being awakened by howler monkeys.. He was lucky it wasn't palmetto bugs and mosquitoes!!!

I wish I could make this funny, as I am amused that the things I took for granted as a child, people are now paying exorbitant fees to experience. Coppola's resorts run from $95 to $180 a night...and to think, I got all he offers, plus more (Coppola's resorts don't seem to offer the experiences of feeding chickens, horses, goats; collecting eggs; hanging out laundry; planting the garden with your dad; climbing trees; etc.) for free. What a wonderful childhood I had. Thanks Momma and Daddy.

Knotty Thoughts

Wow, is my brain a jumble of thoughts this morning. Before I get on to the Crochet portion, this is important.

I'm continuing to follow the Jessica Lunsford situation. The florida petition has been successful (I saw a short video on Fox news last night with Governor Bush signing the bill, and I recognized Mark Lunsford there. Watching Mark's progress through dealing with political situation is like watching the transformation of John Walsh. My heart goes out to those families. I also saw some young women and wonder if they were Sarah Lunde's family) and now they're moving on to a national campaign. I urge everyone to go to that site and print the petition, sign it and mail it in.

To keep the crochet theme going, I'm in the middle of a crochet-a-long with the crochetbags yahoo group. I'm almost through with part 4 and waiting for part 5 to be posted. I usually feel compelled to keep up with these things, but I'm beginning to learn to relax a little and not feel panicked if I'm not ready when the leader posts the next group of instructions.

I'm also trying to make a lightweight lacy shawl to wear at daughter's HS graduation. I'm using the Paton's Grace Lavendar (found it on clearance at Michaels for $2.00/skein, I have 6 skeins of same dyelot and 1 that is very very close.. hoping that 6 will be enough, but if not, will fudge with the last) and the Trellis Shawl pattern from the Wrapped in Style booklet. I have made this thing twice, so far.. lol. Made it once and it was too small, so decided to try a BatWing shawl, well as much as I LOVE that pattern, it's not lacy enough for a summer wrap (and late May is summer here in E. Texas). So I've frogged it (after getting 3 skeins worth into it) and now I'm making the Trellis Shawl AGAIN, but have enlarged it by half again. So far so good, but I must say it looks HUGE, but I'm a big girl, so this might work. Hope so, time is running short.

Things not crochet related:

I desperately need to clean this house, I have relatives coming in 2 weeks that haven't been here in 14 years.. and the house looks like it hasn't been cleaned in all that time >>almost a joke<< seriously, I still have things in boxes from when my mom passed away in 1997. What to do, what to do.. if I put them away in the boxes, they'll still be there when I pass away. Then there's the teenagers rooms.. shoot.. I'll just close those doors and lock them. My living room is still full of yarn, I have a couch that is ripped (need to get the upholstery man out to see if it's a hopeless case). And then there's the hail-storm damaged roof. Horrors.

I may just have a nervous break-down. Wonder if I can take my crochet hooks and yarn to the mental hospital or is the only craft they allow basket-weaving? (No offense intended to the truly mentally ill). I can take plenty of grape-vine and learn another craft.. grief.. is OCD setting in or what?

My son is currently on a band-trip to Chicago. He promised he would call when they got there, and he hasn't. I'm trying very hard not to go nuts over that. Daughter is in a community play, Dinner Party by Neil Simon and it starts this weekend. Then later this month we have Band Banquet and Senior Banquet. Too many activities and too little time.

OH, and thanks to my local Freecycles, I've received a whole bunch of vintage Workbaskets. YAHOO!! only problem is storage. Is packratism a disease? Probably so. I may end up on Oprah as an example of how not to live. LOL I gotta watch O this afternoon, she's supposed to have an update on a lady who was an extremely bad housekeeper. eek, could've been me!!!

Well, I guess I better go get started on this mess. Wish I could stay and talk some-more.