What I miss about Florida

It probably goes without saying (although I’ll say it anyway) that I miss my Dad. When I left last Saturday, I had the eery feeling that I might not see him again. That’s probably unrealistic; he’s doing better with the current drug regimen and pacemaker than he has in nearly a year. Nevertheless, that was the overriding thought as I drove away.

Other things I miss about the Sunshine State:

• Flat land: It was so-so-so easy to just lace up and hit the road. One day I took three walks, just because I could. West Virginia is not flat. Oh, there are a couple of semi-flat roads nearby, tracing a river, but I have to drive four or five miles to get to them. When I left the front door at Dad’s, I was walking. When I leave my front door, I’m trudging up a hill.
  
  
• Warm temperatures: Need I say more? Well, I will anyway. It has been bitterly cold here ever since I got home. I would be risking frostbite if I walked outside. Thank goodness for HGTV and the DIY network, and a treadmill that faces the television.
  
  
• Fresh fruit: The fruit in Florida is unsurpassed, and since I’m on Phase II of South Beach, I enjoyed red grapefruit, the sweetest strawberries I’ve ever eaten and wonderful oranges. The strawberries in our Tiny Kroger may say they came from Plant City, Florida, but it’s been a few days.
  
  
• Not watching cable news 24/7: Since my dad is not invested in the stock market, he doesn’t sit around obsessing about his retirement account, as my husband does. My husband retired a year ago – the worst possible timing, as it turns out – and he’s a compulsive Dow number watcher. All it does is depress him. Dad and I watched old movies or The Andy Griffith Show, and only turned the news on once a day. If that.

There’s more that I miss, but those are at the top of my list. There were things I missed from home when I was there – my husband, my dogs, my yarn stash – but we could move those south if we wanted to. You can’t make molehills out of mountains. Heh.