A Taste of Cuba

   A few years ago, when Bill and I started discussing the destinations we'd like to sail to, lots of interesting spots came up.  We researched and marked locations on an old world-style map with stars.  The stars were (and still are) all over the map.  However, Cuba never made the cut.  The diplomatic problems between the U.S. and Cuba combined with the fact that Bill's military service wouldn't exactly make him a favorite with the Cuban government, meant that it would be best for us to pass on checking out this neighboring country.  Unexpectedly though, we were recently able to get a little taste of Cuban culture.

    We first met George and his family when we were still in the City of Hollywood Marina.  His boat was next to ours and it didn't take long for us to start spending time together; swapping stories, having a few drinks, and checking out events around town.  When we moved our boat to its present location in Dania Beach, George moved his to Miami but, we still kept in touch.  George, knowing that we're here trying to fix our engine and revive our cruising funds, offered Bill some work fixing up his boat. Bill has even been helping out with some work at his shop (George owns his own business), offering his experience and expertise.

  A few days ago, I spent the day cleaning up our boat and working on a few projects.  After working seven days straight at West Marine, the boat desperately needed a good once over.  Bill had gone with George for the day  to help with some work on his boat.  Around 4 o'clock, Bill called me to see if I wanted to meet them for dinner but, not just any dinner; a pig roast. Now, I certainly wasn't ready to go out but, I didn't want to pass up the unique invitation. So, I called a cab, quickly changed and threw on some makeup, and headed to the tri-rail station.

  Once I payed off my rather rude cabby and purchased my ticket, I hopped on the train headed for Miami.  After about a half an hour, I got off at my stop and was met by Bill, George, and his five year old daughter, Ava. While we drove to George's shop, Ava showered me with questions about my train trip (Ava is pretty attached to me and makes it her mission to chat me up and vie for my attention whenever she sees me).   She showed off her Frozen (Disney movie) necklace and even, in an attempt to show me how "grown up" she was, offered to babysit for us if we ever had a baby.

The Pig on a Custom Made Spit

 
   When we arrived at the shop, we were greeted warmly by a bunch of George's family and employees.  The pig was roasting away on the spit along with beans and rice, and yuca (aka cassava, not yucca the cactus) with peppers and onions.  Spanish, of course, was the dominant language and it made me wish I'd had more time to progress through my Rosetta Stone Lessons.


 

   After being given a tour of the shop by my sweet, little tag along, I pulled up a chair next to Bill outside and was promptly offered a beer.  After a while, a few of the guys brought in the star of the meal.  The pig was placed on a large table and, after being carefully removed from the spit, was carved up; everything was served up family-style. We each, in turn, spooned out what we wanted of the sides and waited for George's cousin to dole out the meat.   As my turn came up, one of the guys from the shop struck up a conversation with me.  I held out my plate and, as we kept talking, unbeknownst to me, George's cousin keep placing slices of meat on my plate.  When I looked down at my plate, I saw that I had PLENTY of pork.  "Oh! That's more than enough.  Thank you.", I said.  He simply grinned and moved on to the next person . . . I sat down laughing off my inattention and wondering just how much he would have given me if I hadn't looked down when I did.

   The food was, needless to say, delicious.  The meat was more tender than any pork I've ever had.  Bill especially enjoyed the crispy skin; roasting it on  the  spit had allowed it to take on a bacon-type flavor . . . I think he would have eaten only that if he could.  The rice had a ton of flavor (a pleasant surprise).  Neither Bill or I had tried yuca before but, we liked it's potato-like taste.

 

   Once we had all had our fill, George's mother began packing up the leftovers.  Jenny, George's wife, after hugging us and thanking us for coming, took Ava and her younger sister home for the evening.  The rest of the family started to close up the shop.  We helped to get things put away and, once the shop was locked up, George drove us home.

   Bill and I were a bit itchy the next day at work thanks to the mosquitoes that decided to grace us with their presence during the meal but, it was worth it.  It was great to be able to spend time with friends and have unique meal.  I guess it just goes to show that you don't always have to travel far to have a far flung experience.

 
   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)

Shopping Like a Cruiser

   I bet you have never given much thought to your trips to the grocery store.  Sure, you probably make a list or clip coupons.  You might even go so far as to plan your meals (or at least a few) around those buy one, get one free deals.  You'll probably get creative and wing a few meals during the week.  If you realize you forgot something, no big deal, just hop in the car; those peas are only a few minutes away.

This Mother Duck and Her Chicks Follow Us Around on Our Walk

These Guys Showed Up On Our Last Grocery Run

   However, a quick run to the store or a "just figure it out" approach to our grocery shopping just isn't possible or practical for us.  Like many cruisers, we find that just the transportation to and from the store (or any other place of interest for that matter) takes quite a bit of thought.  With no vehicle, we have to rely on other methods.  This normally means the world's oldest mode of transportation, walking.  We also make use of the local bus system when walking isn't doable and, on rare occasions, we have called a taxi (not very wallet-friendly, though).  Sometimes friends offer to drop us somewhere or ask if we want to tag along.  These are welcomed offers and aren't often turned down.

   Even here in Florida, we find that walking is the best option.  Before we moved the boat to our current marina, the bus was the best, although certainly not the most comfortable, way to get around.  Now, since we are a bit further away from the main bus route, walking is pretty much the only way to make our food runs.

  Transportation is certainly not the only consideration.  Before we even thing about setting out to buy our food stuffs, there has to be a plan of attack.  For us, this means planning a week's (or so) worth of meals.  There are a million different ways we could choose to do this but, there is one resource we rely on all the time, allrecipes.com.  A great tool - this allows us to create/find recipes, add these recipes to menus, and turn it all into shopping lists.  We can even use it as a digital checklist on our phones. So, we just check the items off as we go, Cool, huh?

Me With The "Stroller"

   Ok. So, Once we know what we need to buy and how we are getting there, the next step is to go . . . with the proper tools of course.  Just what might those tools be, you ask . . . Well, since we will be spending time outside, we consider the weather and bring hats, umbrellas, or (in this Florida heat) water bottles.  We also bring reusable bags, both regular and insulated.  Many people use these because they are trying to cut down on their carbon footprint.  For us, they are simply necessary.  The last thing we have in tow is our foldable shopping cart.  This thing is awesome.  We bought it back when we were in Marathon and it has well earned its keep.  It holds an amazing amount of groceries and has saved us countless sore muscles from carrying overstuffed, heavy bags.  The only "problem" with the cart is that is looks an awful lot like a baby stroller.  So, we hear a lot of jokes from our friends . . . one (on seeing it for the first time), gave me a funny look and asked, "Do you have something you want to tell me . . . ?" and inquired if I was "practicing" for a baby . . .

   Once in the store, we go from aisle to aisle, checking off items from our digital list as we go.  After everything is picked up, we head to the checkout counter.  I break out the reusable bags and work with the bagger to make sure that the "cold stuff" goes into the insulated bags, the shelf-stable stuff goes into the other bags, and the larger items (paper towels, cat litter, etc.) go into the cart on their own.  Bill works to get the items onto the conveyor and pays the cashier.  After the cart is loaded up, we push the cart all the way back to the marina.

Everything Is Ready To Be
Loaded Onto The Boat

   *Now, allow me to interject a note here.  If we happen to be making a grocery run while at anchor (like when we were in the Bahamas), another element is added to this ordeal - the dinghy.  We load everything into the dinghy to go to and back from the store.  In order to use the dinghy, we not only have to allow time for us to lower the dinghy into the water but, we also have to get the outboard onto the dinghy and get it started . . . considerably more time-consuming . . . *

   In order to get the groceries onto the boat, I hand Bill the bags, one ate a time, as he sets them on the deck (when using the dinghy, our roles are reversed because it takes much more muscle to lift the bags strait up to the deck from the water line).  Then I climb onto the deck and down the hatch so that Bill can hand the bags down to me (You didn't realize a grocery run on a boat was such a work out, did you?).  Now, you might think the rest would be easy; just put it all away.  Well. yes, in theory, you'd be right.  However, storing food on a boat (just like anything else) takes a little thought and time,  Things can't simply be shoved into the fridge or a cupboard.  Canned goods go behind the settee or under the seat in the v-berth.  Meats need to be separated and bagged into individual portions and (if necessary) labeled with the name of the meal they were bought for.  Everything packaged in cardboard must be stored in something else and the cardboard itself thrown away; Keeping cardboard on the boat is a good way to discover how many cockroaches your boat can handle.  The bags and cart also need to go back to their storage spots: the cart hangs behind our head (bathroom) door and the bags actually go under the settee cushions (they are out of sight and offer a little extra padding).  

Everything Corralled on The Top of The Dinghy  

 

Meat Is Packed Into Freezer Baggies

The Cart is Stored On The Door

The last step?  . . . relax . . . have a beer and a snack.  Finally, the weekly grocery run is done . . .  all of this may sound like a real pain and, honestly, it can be but, this ordeal does have its good points.  The meal planning, while admittedly a bit stringent, means that we don't buy anything that we won't use (this definitely saves money), we don't have to fight for a parking spot or make sure we have enough gas to get there, and the walk is good for our bodies. Overall, I am very proud of our little grocery system . . . even if people do see us walking down the street and wonder where our baby went . . .


   By the way, just an  update on the local weather situation . . . We made all the preparations for then Tropical Storm Erika, including stocking up on food, filling all our tanks and fully charging the batteries. Now that Erika has dissipated, we're expecting just some strong winds and LOTS of rain. It may get inconvenient to get around due to local flooding, but we don't expect any problems on board.

 


   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)

The Modest Life of a Cruiser

What? . . . A full-time cruiser working???  Living on a boat isn't plush and luxurious?? . . . While, for some people, the idea of life on a boat being hard work isn't a foreign one, most people's first thoughts of boat life don't involve work but, fruity drinks, white sand beaches or pulling into exotic ports.  While, admittedly, these images are part and parcel of the cruising life, hard work also plays a major role in the lives of those of us that call a boat home.

Our Water Maker Pump - It Often Has a Mind of It's Own

   The project lists never seem to get smaller; As soon as you cross off a few items, a few more "to-do"s demand to take their place.  Reseal the aft hatch, rebuild the dinghy motor, replace the anchor light . . . Did the bilge pump just die again? . . . The daily upkeep also never seems to stop.  I know this is true no matter where you live (house, boat, RV, whatever) but, when you live in such a compact space, it doesn't take much for the boat to look unkempt.  In a house, you leave a few things lying around and it probably isn't that big of a deal.  On a 38 foot mono-hull, a few tools scattered about, a couple of dishes in the sink or a dust bunny on the floor can instantly make you think, "What a mess!  Didn't I just clean this place up?".

The Vent Thru-hull To The Aft Holding Tank -
It Corroded Off One Day (Nice Surprise!) - Old Boat, Old Parts 

The Inner Workings Always Need Attention

 




















    A while back, when we were still in the Keys, our cab driver, making small talk, asked if we were there on vacation.  Once we had explained that we live and travel on our boat, the driver said, "Wow!  Are you independently wealthy?". . . His reaction is actually pretty common.  You see, many people, due to their lack of knowledge about cruising, assume that if a person lives on a boat and travels around all the time, they have ample funds to uphold a cushy life on the water indefinitely.  They envision an enormous yacht stocked with the latest in gadgets and toys and maybe a small wait staff along for the ride.

   This may be true for the rich and famous or even those that just have more money than they know what to do with but, for many of us that have adopted this life, we are people of much more modest means.  We don't have house or car payments, gas bills, or many other payments that landlubbers have but, there are certainly boat-related expenses that draw money away from our cruising funds.  So, we do as much of the work/repairs as we can on our own, we cut expenses where we can, and when necessary, we go out and earn a few bucks.    

   Why am I telling you all of this?  It certainly isn't to complain.  I just wanted to dispel a few myths.  Bill and I are pretty much stuck here in Florida.  Progress on the engine is moving at a snail's pace and our funds are in comatose state.  We have both been working in an attempt to pay off the mechanics and take our finances off of life support.  We are not alone in our problems (though it may feel that way at times); many cruisers have found themselves in tight spots like ours.  However, we have not lost touch with what's important.

  We may work hard and sacrifice a few things to live an unconventional life but, the pros far outweigh the cons.  A shopping spree feels excessive and unnecessary when you meet others that are happy with their few possessions.  An amazing sunset makes the labors of a difficult sail fade away.  Getting away from it all takes on a whole new meaning when you find yourself surrounded by the the simple things that matter and not caring a bit for the things that don't.  A closet full of clothes, a new car or a big promotion don't hold a candle to spending invaluable time with loved ones, meeting people you may not have otherwise had a chance to, and savoring once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

   The cruising life isn't glamorous but, it is rich, modest, and fulfilling.  We may work hard and do without but, if you ask me, we have beaten the system.  We have found what others have failed to discover; that less is more and that a life less ordinary can be quite extraordinary.  

      Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)

Here We Go Again . . .

Moving Down the ICW

   So, we've moved!  Don't get too excited though. We didn't move under our own power . . . yep, the engine is still not working.  "Why?", you might ask . . . We have no idea . . . That's part of why we moved.  You see, no matter what the cause of our engine issues, it has come down to either pulling the head (top) or the entire engine (this, frankly, is something I am dreading like the plague).  Neither of these things could be done at the marina that we were in.  So, Tow Boat U.S. again played a part in our travels.

This Was Taken Right After We Got Moving Again

De Ja Vu?

   Two days ago, a Tow Boat U.S employee arrived at our slip in his boat.  We got his lines all hooked up to our bow and, with some help from friends in the marina, threw off our lines.  Now, before we did all of this, we talked with the tow boat guy to make sure he knew about one important thing: the shallow area.  We told him EXPLICITLY that he needed to bring us as close to the piers as possible on the way out.  Otherwise, we would seriously run the risk of grounding.  The marina is dredged but, it can go from comfortable depths to extreme shallows way too quickly. . . this is what we TOLD him.  What he DID was tow us moderately close to the piers.  As soon as we started to pull out, I pointed this out to Bill and he thought that the guy was just giving us a wider turning radius.  However, he didn't move over.  "You need to move over!", I yelled to him.  Just as I did, . . . bump, bump, bump . . . "MOOOOVE OVER!", I yelled, again.  Then, boom.  Stuck. Run aground.  Uhhhg!

 

    The guy turned to look at what was going on and actually seemed surprised that we were stuck . . . great . . . Our past towing experiences were pretty flawless and we were very pleased with the service . . . This guy hadn't listened and had quickly made it to my "Are You Kidding Me?" List.   To make matters worse, the incident had obviously jarred the guy enough that he started to try to tow us off the shallow spot in the wrong direction.  Bill had to give him instructions for pulling us into deeper water.  Luckily, we weren't moving very fast when we hit.  So, no damage was done and we were moving again in relatively little time.

   After having two bridges opened for us and getting pushed and pulled into our new slip (an act that reminded me of bumper boats), we were able to adjust our lines, plug in the power, and get ourselves settled.  Whew!

   Speaking of power, we are SOOO glad that we didn't get rid of our air conditioner back in Texas.  We had considered removing it before because it is installed in one of our wet lockers (in other words, it takes up valuable storage space).  However, the temperatures have been soaring here and, in tandem with the humidity,  the weather would be down right unbearable without the modern convenience of constant cool air.

    On the job front, I have been working at West Marine and, in fact, just got my first paycheck in the bank.  I'm not making much since the pay isn't great and I am part time for the off-season but, it's money coming in.  Bill is still doing some odd jobs for some friends of ours and bringing in some money that way.

   This engine problem has not only been costing us an enormous amount of money on its own but, the marina fees, transportation fees, and mechanics necessitated by the issue have definitely compounded the money problems. We have GOT to get this thing fixed!  Bill has made some calls.  We have a guy coming Monday to assess the problem and the shop here at the marina is supposed to get with us (also on Monday) about the possibility of rebuilding the engine.

Lots of Foodies

   We have been trying to enjoy our time off here.  We haven't made it to the beach yet (surprising, I know) because it has either been too hot or too crowded.  We have been able to get out with a few new friends and checkout some interesting places and events around town.

Just a Few of The Options

   A few days ago, we took the bus to downtown Hollywood for a gathering of food trucks.  On the first Monday of every month, many of the local food trucks get together at Young Circle to offer up a unique night out for local foodies.  The trucks begin lining the sidewalks in the circle (a sort of local park) during the day and, by dinner time, they are offering up their fares to throngs of people.  Everything from Chinese to taco bars, burgers to gelato, is served up to eager eaters.  Bill and I found a taco truck that offered a sort of mix-and-match menu.  We each ordered two different small tacos and sampled each others.  For dessert, Bill found fried Oreos with a side of ice cream and I tried a hand-dipped gelato bar with white chocolate and pistachios.  Yum!  

Me Enjoying My Dessert

  We are going to head to one of the farmers' markets in the area early tomorrow morning before I head off to work.  We love finding and cooking with fresh ingredients!  Hopefully, we will get this engine mystery solved soon . . . and in the meantime we'll keep doing our best to keep our heads above the water and enjoy our surroundings.  

   

   By the way, in case you were interested, I finally got a picture of the crabs that I mentioned in my previous post.  Does anyone know what kind of crab this is?  Please let me know if you do . . .  






   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)

Invaders!

   It is fairly common knowledge that unwanted critters of many kinds can be a nuisance to cruisers.  When a boat is out at sea, the chance of taking on little stowaways is greatly lessened.  However, when a boat is tied up to land, all bets are off.  Just like those who live in houses, we are vulnerable to things that crawl be it ants, roaches, rats, whatever.  While, thank God, we have not had the experience of dealing with rodents (I'm sure the cats are a good reason for that), we have had experience "hosting" a few other little unwanted creepy crawlies.  None of these "visits" have been bad enough to leave us feeling like we were under siege (though one came close) but, they have provided me with some interesting stories.

   Our first encounter of the buggy kind started when were about three-quarters of the way through our excursion in the Bahamas.  We are not exactly sure when or how these little nuisances got on board but, we are pretty sure that we picked them up during one of the very few times we stayed at a marina there.  The first sign our "guests" had arrived came one morning when I saw what, at fist glance, looked like rodent droppings.  I cleaned them up, sanitized the area, and spent the whole day worrying that we had a rat aboard.

   A few days later, I picked up the cats' litter mats to clean them out and found more of these "droppings" under one of the mats.  This time, when I went to wipe them up, one of them squished like a bug. . . It hit me . . . these were NOT droppings, they were eggs, cockroach eggs. . . ugh. . . . I couldn't believe it; we had been very cautious.  Cardboard never made it on to the boat (roaches like to lay eggs in cardboard) and we didn't leave food out.  Somehow they still made it aboard.

   So, I made sure to kill and dispose of the eggs, sanitizing and checking every area I could think of that a bug would want to hide in.  I thought it worked. WRONG.  It only delayed them.  Over the next few weeks we started to see a roach or two at night. I tried sprays and baits; I think the roaches laughed at my efforts.  Even so, the problem didn't get worse until we landed in Florida (apparently they are a common problem here).

   I started researching solutions one day and found a product made by Dupont, Advion Cockroach Gel Bait, that had about a million five star reviews and had been used by other boaters.  By the time I had made the decision to order the stuff, it was late.  So, I left the information on my tablet, intending to place the order the next day.  Ironically, that night, I was awakened by something crawling down my back.  I nearly leap out of bed and turned the light on at the same time. "Aha!  Get it!  Get it!  Get it!", I yelled while simultaneously trying to smack the bug with a book.  Bill, still half asleep and bewildered as to what it was that he was supposed to get, was frantically asking "What? What is it?".  We finally got the little monster and I order the bait the next day.

  I couldn't wait to get this product out of the package.  Once I had set the bait, all we had to do was wait.  In a mater of three days, we had disposed of the last dead bug.  It was that good.  We have been completely roach-free ever since.  Whew!  Glad that didn't get any worse!  

   Don't worry, the other two stowaways are much less of a problem and not cringe-inducing. . .

The Coil That The Bugs Were Hiding In Is On The Right;
The End Of The Snubber Is Near The Bottom Left.

  Since we've been tied up here in Hollywood, Bill and I have noticed that, every now and then, we'd get a bunch of little ant-like bugs up on deck.  They never seem to hang around for long, they seem to crop up whenever we get a heavy rain, and many of the other boats here were noticing them, too.  Until this morning, we assumed they were being blown in when the rain and storms came though. Again, WRONG.  Bill checked some of our lines this morning, the snubber (this attaches to the anchor, acting as an extra bit of security when the anchor is down) included.  While checking the snubber, he found a nest of these little buggies (wee beasties as my Scottish-born great aunt would say) hanging out in its coils.  He did his best to smash and wash them all away with the hose . . . I'm assuming that the other affected boats also have nests like these and just don't know it yet . . . Hopefully ours won't be back.

The Crabs Seem To Like Our Blue Line Better For Crawling
On Board (I'd Have Posted  A Pic Of One Of These Guys
But, I couldn't Get One To Hold Still).

   Our last critter is the more humorous of the bunch: the crab.  I don't know exactly what sort of crabs they are.  I have heard a few people refer to them as sand crabs but, I'm not sure.  They are very dark in color, are shaped kind of like a Blue Crab, and are only about the size of a half dollar.  Because of their diminutive size, they find it easy to crawl onto our (and many other's) lines from the pier and explore the deck.  I have seen these sidewinders on quite a few boats.  They don't seem to bother anybody (other than they way they invite themselves aboard) and, if left alone, they seem to crawl right back to where they came from.  However, no one really wants a crab on their boat (unless it's on the menu).


  Now you might be wondering about our built-in feline defense system.  They love it when a crab comes to see us.  The crab, unfortunately, usually regrets the visit.  I have seen Oliver get into a staring contest with a crab.  With the crab still on the pier and Oliver still on the boat, the crab spent several minutes trying to figure out how to flee the scene without being eaten.  Little did he know that the cats aren't allowed to leave the boat.  Most of the time we see the crabs coming and can knock them off of the lines and into the water before they ever get to the boat.  However, They aren't so easy to spot at night and we have often seen one of our cats chasing a new "toy" around the deck.

   One morning, a few weeks ago, I slid out of bed and walked into the salon/galley where Bill was making breakfast.  Without  my glasses on or contacts in, I am  very near sighted.  I noticed a fuzzy-looking grey spot on the rug.  To my unaided eyes, it looked like a tuft of cat fur.  As a went to pick it up, the feel was all wrong.  My eyes began to focus.  It was a crab; a dead crab.  "Oh, it's a crab! It's a crab!", I lamented to Bill as I tried to dispose of it as quickly as possible (Why must I always be the discoverer of such things?).  Apparently, one of the cats had brought us a "present" that morning and left it under the table for us to find and enjoy; how nice. . . loyal mousers are wonderful . . . most of the time.

   Well, I hope you have found my little compilation of stories amusing.  Check out the cockroach bait link if you have a need for it; it really does work.  If any of you have any interesting invader stories of your own, feel free to post them in the comments section so we can all enjoy them.

   By the way, I just added a great burger recipe to the galley page.  So, check it out!      


   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)

A Solemn Tribute

   The American Serviceman.
 
   He is an exemplary human being.  He is all heart, although he may not show it. Training tells him not to shed tears but, affect him at his core, and he finds it hard to hold them back.  A day off is not an option and he feels out of place on leave; he is not used to his time being his own.  He stands up for what's right.  Not standing up is out of the question; For him, the consequences of standing aside would be unbearable.  His core values are nonnegotiable; They are a part of his being and his fuel to serve.  He would not only give you the shirt off his back but, his life if necessary.  He wouldn't think twice; that is his duty, his calling.  Try to point all of his honors and attributes out to him; he is humble and will attempt to lessen his heroic efforts.  He never sees himself as a hero or brags about his achievements.  In his mind,  there is no other option than to serve.  He doesn't see his service as praiseworthy because, to him, he is merely doing his job.  If he gives his life serving his country, he is contributing to a greater good.  He dies with his boots on.

   Five of these indispensable men did just that on Thursday, July 16.  A senseless act of violence left these men paying the ultimate price and their families with irreparable holes.  These men were fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, and friends.  They can never be replaced.

  So, today, the day that these men were escorted to their final resting places, we are doing our small part to honor them.  We have lowered our flag to half mast.  We hope that others will read this and respond in kind.  The president has not made the official order to lower the flags (even though he has previously ordered it for senators and other government officials).  Our flag flies as a tribute to these men and a poignant statement to all that set eyes on its stars and stripes.

   We thank these men for their sacrifice and our hearts and prayers are with those who were left with a void too great to fill. Please, thank the vets in your life and be grateful that they are still with you.  Say a prayer for those currently serving.  Without these brave men and women, we would not be able to enjoy the freedoms that we all too often take for granted.  

   Gunnery Sargent Thomas Sullivan, Lance Corporal Squire K. Wells, Staff Sargent David Wyatt, Sargent Carson Holmquist, and Petty Officer Randall Smith, may you rest in peace; We cannot thank you enough.    

   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)

I Love My Husband

   It's not often that I am accused of completely flubbing something or making a big, silly mistake.  However I am human.  I have made my share of "oops" moments.  The other day, I, unfortunately, added one of these mistakes to my "oops" list.

The Sewing Machine in Question

    As you know, if you've been following along with the blog, that most of my projects as of late have been of the sewing persuasion.  I decided that I was going to finish up a pocketed slipper holder (like a pocketed shoe rack but, smaller and meant to just hold our slippers). I pulled out my trusty sewing machine and began to set it up.  Bobbin in place?  Check.  Thread threaded through the machine and needle?  Check.  As I tried to lower the needle to pull the thread from the bobbin through the machine, the needle stopped.  It was stuck.  Now, for those of you that don't sew,  this means that the mechanism that allows the needle to move up and down to make the stitches was jammed. . . or so I thought . . .

   The machine had jammed up on me a few times before and thread tangled up near the bobbin was always the culprit.  This time that area was clear.  No tangles.  I checked everything I could possibly think of but, couldn't find the cause of my conundrum.  So, I handed the machine over to the resident mechanic (my husband).

   Bill started by checking everything I'd checked and then began to remove screws from the casing of the machine.  He needed to get inside to find the jam.  One section of the case turned into two and, eventually, he had all but one of the sections off of the machine and scattered across the table.  Part by part, Bill checked the inner workings and found nothing . . . until, . . . he found the section of the machine where the mechanism in question starts.  There was a stopper pressed against it (like a brake on the wheel of a car).  When the stopper was pulled away, the needle moved just fine.

At Least I Got The Project Finished

   Why wasn't the stopper moving away? Was the stopper jammed? Had I sprung a spring and now it wouldn't move? . . . . Nope . . . When I last wound a bobbin on the top of the machine, I left the locking mechanism on.  Unbeknownst to me, this locking mechanism also locks the needle.  This makes sense.  If it didn't, when I pressed on the peddle to wind the bobbin, the needle would be moving up and down also. . . . I didn't think of this until AFTER Bill found the locking mechanism. . . In other words, Bill had spent a good part of the afternoon trying to fix a sewing machine that wasn't broken.  There wasn't a thing wrong with it except it's operator. . . . Oops!  User error.

   I couldn't believe I'd made such a stupid, silly mistake.  Worst of all, I had dragged Bill into it.  He was trying to be a wonderful husband and fix the problem . . . There was just one problem with that . . . There was no problem to fix! Ugh!  I felt terrible and began apologizing as he started the process of putting the pieces of the casing back together. . .  He never complained, or further exacerbated the problem by pointing out my aloofness. . . He just just gave me an "I love you anyway" look and handed me my "fixed" sewing machine.

   I love my husband and he obviously loves me . . . even when I'm far from perfect . . .
 


   Please let us know what you think. Feel free to ask questions and leave nice comments. (If no one has commented yet, there will be a "No Comments" link near the bottom of the post. If someone has already commented, there will be a number and the word "comments" beside it. Just click whichever of these is there, click, "add comment" when the window opens, and type away.)