Friday, November 11, 2022

Martini Night In Lloyd


Cleaning that very utilitarian piece of furniture was about the sum total of my efforts today. Y'all- I have got to pick up the pace here. 

I didn't even clean it that well! I just wiped it down with Murphey's Oil Soap and water and scrubbed at the most intensely filthy places like the corners and edges and nooks in the carvings. It's an interesting piece of furniture, isn't it? Got several design features going on there. I didn't buy it. It came with the house. But it makes a good work surface when it isn't clogged with stuff that gets plopped there because where else are you gonna put it, and the cabinet part is where I keep all of my napkins, dish towels, dish rags, place mats, aprons, etc. 
I have a lot of all of those things. I do love practical fabric objects. 

I had sworn to myself that I would at least go do some weeding in the garden but that never happened. Then I determined that I would try to do a deep cleaning and rearranging of the kitchen counters but that didn't happen either. I did clean out (sort of) under a few of the cabinets where the flooring doesn't actually meet the cabinet. There is always the nastiest dust and dirt in there along with stray Friskies, lost supplements, and, okay- I admit it- dead bugs. Not very many. I didn't even find any today. But hey- we live in Florida. This house has many, many places where bugs and mice can crawl in at their pleasure and sometimes do. The other day when I got up I found one of the throw rugs in the hallway crumpled up and asked the cats, "What happened here?" They pretended they can't speak English and ignored me but I figured it out when I found a dead roach right by the rug. There had been a roach-killing situation and they love the way the roaches skitter on their backs across the floor when batted at. 

The fun never ceases. 

A friend who is in Africa with his wife and some of his family and some friends sent me a travel report this morning and I spent a little time reading that. Between all of the birds and animals they've seen, including a pangolin which was the first siting in that area in three years, and descriptions of the cool places they are staying AND an emergency plane trip to a hospital for medical care (everyone is okay), it was all far more exciting than roach rodeos, I can tell you that right now. 

I also got an email with the results of my mammogram and my bosoms are fine. I was not worried, as I said yesterday but it's good to know. 

It's been cloudy here all day, warm, and muggy but I am not complaining. It's going to get up to 80 tomorrow but the low on Saturday night is supposed to be in the upper thirties so, as usual, we will be confused and disoriented and have no idea what to put on when we get up. 

The little family made it to Legoland and I do believe they are having the time of their lives. 


Florida Legoland is on the site of what used to be one of Florida's biggest tourist attractions, Cypress Gardens. A man named Dick Pope opened the place in 1936 and at that time it was basically some beautiful gardens planted with exotic trees and flowers and bushes that he and his wife had collected from all over the world. 


Dick was an entrepreneur if there ever was one and started including boat rides through the canals and onto the lake that the gardens were built on and then he got truly creative and started having regular water-skiing shows there. Water skiing was a relatively unknown sport but Cypress Gardens took care of that. 



There were death-defying water ski jumps and gravity-defying water skier pyramids. There were barefoot skiers! It was all amazing. And when the aqua maids weren't water skiing, Pope had them dress up in Southern Belle costumes and sit at ordained spots throughout the gardens. 


I know all of this first-hand, because I lived in Winter Haven from the year I was in 6th grade through high school. Even before that, I'd been on a field trip there from Sebastian Elementary when I was probably in about the fourth or fifth grade. It was glorious! I bought orange blossom perfume in the gift shop! 

All was well and good for C. Gardens, as we called it, until the Mouse came to Florida and ate it all up. Almost all of the smaller attractions closed and eventually, in 2009, Cypress Gardens did too. Several other theme parks tried to bring it back but it never really happened until Legoland bought the property and I think it's doing okay again. 
I am thrilled to find out that they are paying homage to Dick Pope's dream. They are doing a water ski show and they have made lovely Lego southern belles. 



Okay, yes. That's a little creepy but whatever. 

August and Levon of course don't care a thing about the history of the place. They are simply enchanted with it all. Here's their bedroom. 


Could life get any better? 
I think not. 

I wonder what Dick Pope would think about all of this. 
Who knows? 
Not me. 

I just know that it's Friday, despite feeling to me like a Saturday, so I am having a martini and thinking of my husband who is up in the frozen north while I'm sitting here on our back porch, barefoot, happy, and definitely NOT pregnant. 

I did sit down at the piano this afternoon and messed around for about an hour. I found a few pieces in the 3rd grade instruction book that I have some muscle memory for and once again, when I hit the right notes, my soul is happy. 

Tomorrow I SWEAR I will get outside and do some work in the garden and maybe in the yard. And I really would like to clean and reorganize the kitchen a little bit. Parts of it are just ridiculous when it comes to organization. I have a few books that I want to take to the little take-one, give-one library down the street, even though the woman who put it up yelled at me that time for being on property she doesn't even own. 

The drummer at the church next door is pounding out the beat for the Lord, I can hear the crickets singing their own percussive measures to whatever it is they sing to, and I am content with my world. 

Here's a trailer for a movie that was filmed at Cypress Gardens in 1953, starring Esther Williams and Van Johnson. 



Watch it if you want to, don't watch it if you don't. 
It is sort of a hoot. 

Happy Friday, y'all. 

Love...Ms. Moon

40 comments:

  1. The trailer was sweetly hoaky. Those little boys were happy, and should be in a new trailer.

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  2. That trailer is amazing. The whole Esther Williams series of movies seems so odd, although she is gorgeous.

    I love seeing your grandsons at Legoland. It wasn't around when my kids were of the appropriate age, but they would have loved it.

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    1. Can you imagine now basing a whole series of movies on a woman swimmer? I guess there are lots of movies based on specific actors doing marshal arts. It is a strange concept but I sort of love it.
      I think that August and Levon must have had all their dreams come true at Legoland.

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  3. I know you are not an especially religious person so I hope you won't mind me giving you a little lesson about the naming of popes. The first name of the pope comes after the title "Pope" - hence Pope John Paul, Pope Francis etc..So the guy you referred to in relation to Cypress Gardens was Pope Dick, not Dick Pope. Glad to have been of service - just like Pope Dick.

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    1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
      That made me laugh. Pope Dick.

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  4. Cypress gardens! I was there way back when and loved it, the boat rides in the canal, the flowers, it was touristy but not at all tacky. I'm sorry it went away. But now there's hope it's coming back..

    Why are you beating yourself up for not working when Mr moon is vacationing?? You can just play piano and have a martini. I say so. Glad the boobs are bobbish which means very well.

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    1. Oh! I'm so glad you went to Cypress Gardens! It was touristy but NOT tacky. You're right. Beautiful, beautiful gardens. I had a friend who was one of the boat drivers. She was awesome.
      Thank you for reminding me that I do not have to work all the time to justify my existence. You know me and my need to suffer...
      And it is good to know that my boobs are healthy.

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  5. what a hoot! love that trailer.

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    1. Isn't it wonderful? I look at it and wonder how many of those heartthrob men were gay.

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  6. EXTRAVAGANZA!!! If rainy days are for love I guess i have my work cut out for me...What a great trailer, who plays the clown?
    Now I want to go to lego land- how cool! The storm knew better than to mess with Mer's kids...A great time!
    Cleaning here to day also, Dennis is gone, will be back tomorrow, I can get stuff done!

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    1. Heh-heh. Good one, Linda Sue! Yes, you do have a surfeit of rainy days. Better get to it, girl!
      I can't believe all the things you get done when Dennis is gone. When Glen's gone I'm just like, "Welp, sure don't need to do laundry. Guess I'll do another crossword puzzle."

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  7. I love the old movies. They are so corny!
    The mouse has a lot to answer for. So, so much. So many classics ruined (don't start me on AA Milne and what they did to his work). I am glad lego is being true to the history of the place. The boys will remember this for the rest of their lives. How wonderful.
    More martinis and tinkling of the ivories.

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    1. The old movies are just incredible. There were terrible actors! All of them! I guess it was a popular style of acting. Still a bit like they were onstage, rather than film.
      Yeah. Disney fucked up Florida in many ways. I remember when he came on the news and announced they were building Disney World. In those days, Orlando was just a little tiny town surrounded by orange groves. Now it's huge and there are no groves.
      Thank you for your sweet words about the martinis and piano!

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  8. A roach rodeo, that paints quite a mental image:)

    Your grandsons are lucky boys. I'm glad they're having a good time.

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    1. I just had to write down that phrase- roach rodeo. It is sort of like that when the cats get to batting them around.
      My grandkids are all lucky but this weekend, August and Levon are the luckiest, I think.

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  9. That trailer made my evening. Those were the days!

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    1. They absolutely were. What a different sort of entertainment that was from the films we have today.

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  10. I love reading your posts. You have convinced me that we are normal. Bwahahahah!!!!!

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    1. We ARE normal. In our own abnormal ways, at least.

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  11. Oh that cabinet workbench table piece of furniture! I love it and I want one. I don't know where I would put it in this tiny box home but please God (Santa) I want one!
    Legoland looks fantastic and I love the boys bedroom there. That's a holiday they will always remember.
    The movie looks interesting.

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    1. That kitchen island does take up a lot of room. Like- most of the kitchen. But it's handy and people can sit at it and often do. I hardly ever do.
      Isn't that bedroom wild? I hope the boys do remember it forever.

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  12. OMG! I remember going to Cypress Gardens as a kid. Lego Land was far off into the future. I remember the ski shows and they were amazing (for a kid). I also remember the mermaid show at Wikiwatchee. I know I didn't spell that right. That was truly amazing for a kid in the 60's from the farmlands of Ohio! I wonder if it's still there. I remember one of the mermaids later played Chrissy in the movie Jaws. She was the 1st victim. Steven Spielberg wanted a girl who could really dive and swim. She fit the bill. Wasn't there an attraction with glass bottom boats, too?
    Oh how the world has changed. I miss it.
    Paranormal John

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    1. Oh, honey. You are talking to one of the world's biggest Weeki Wachee Springs fans in the world! Do a little blog search up there at the top of the blog for Weeki Wachee. It is still very much alive and is now owned by the state of Florida. So the mermaids are state employees! I have loved that magical place since I was a little girl. I wanted to be a mermaid more than anything.
      And yes- there were definitely glass-bottom boats at both Rainbow Springs and Silver Springs. Silver Springs is also now a state park. Not sure about Rainbow Springs.

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  13. Oh all the times I've thought "I must get round to" and then did bugger all! I guess we have to go with the flow. I know I get more done when I actually FEEL like doing something than "musting" it!

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    1. To be brutally honest, I hardly ever FEEL like do anything that resembles work. Sigh.

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  14. I had totally forgot about Cypress Gardens. I was there 50 years ago. Thanks for jolting my memory.

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  15. Glad the boys are enjoying their time at Legoland. Gosh, that trailer really brought back memories of the old movies and TV shows I watched as a kid. What a hoot!

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  16. in all fairness your kitchen island has a lot of nooks and crannies to be cleaned......glad to see the gkids are enjoying the trip and that the hurricane wasn't a deterrent. xxalainaxx

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    1. It was crazy that the weather down there looked better than the weather up here but the storm did take a while to completely pass. I'm so glad that Jessie decided to just go.

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  17. So happy the boys got to go to Legoland. Looks like they had a blast.

    The Easy to Love movie trailer sent me down the rabbit hole. Interestingly, Cyd Charrise (Tony Martin's wife in real life) had an unaccredited role in the movie as the Girl in the Blue Swimsuit. Carroll Baker was in it and Busby Berkley was the choreographer. Helen Rose (who designed Grace Kelly's wedding dress) did the costumes for the movie. And the kicker...when I looked up the movie particulars...low and behold, it was provided by Disney---advertising the movie as streaming on DisneyTV. The mouse is everywhere.

    Oh, yeah, the clown was Esther.

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    1. I figured the clown was Esther.
      That is a lot of superb talent in that film. There will never be another Busby Berkley, will there? I know I watched that movie sometime but I remembered nothing about it except the scene where Esther was putting on her southern belle dress and even that was vague.
      Yes. Disney pretty much owns the world.

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  18. I think Dick Pope would probably like the way Legoland has preserved at least part of his vision. The world changes, after all, and we gotta change with it! Did I ever tell you that I covered Dick Pope's funeral for The Ledger? I had just started working there and had only the faintest idea who he was, but I managed not to muck it up.

    Cypress Gardens was also one of the filming locations for "Moon Over Miami" with Robert Cummings and Betty Grable in 1941!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1RelStGcuw

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    1. I think you're right about Dick Pope. He would have understood how tastes change and how even his beloved gardens had to change too. I had NO idea you covered the Dick Pope funeral. That was a huge big deal in Winter Haven. I bet you did a good job.
      And now I want to watch Moon Over Miami.

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  19. Friday and the days preceding were in the 80s. Last night a front moved in and it was in the 40s when I got up today, supposed to get down in the mid 30s tonight. All the tropicals are still outside in their summer spots and there they will stay. Not hauling everything in today as it will warm up again after a few days. so sink or swim my lovelies, sink or swim.

    That's a gorgeous buffet made into a kitchen island. What a great idea. This house is such a mess. It's cold and windy today so maybe I'll vacuum at least. hahahahahahahaha

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    1. I tell my plants: Root hog or die. We both have the same attitude at this point, I think. We're supposed to get some much cooler weather but I don't think we're really going to hit the thirties. Yet.
      My house looks vaguely tidy but that's just an illusion.

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  20. I am very envious of your kitchen island. If you ever come home and find it simply gone, it will not be on its way to Pennsylvania. I would never do such a thing. *crosses fingers behind her back and looks innocently at you*

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  21. I'm glad those kids are enjoying themselves. Sadly I never went to Cypress Gardens.

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Tell me, sweeties. Tell me what you think.