Vulgaris

Vulgaris a Latin adjective meaning common, or something that is derived from the masses of common people.

The common people, also known as the common man, commoners or the masses, are the ordinary people in a community or nation who lack any significant social status, especially those who are members of neither royalty, nobility, the clergy nor any member of the aristocracy.

Speaking from the Bench

My main office on Longboat Key is a bench at Bayfront Park on Gulf of Mexico Drive overlooking Sarasota Bay. Though I thought I had overslept this morning I nonetheless removed myself from the virginal lair shortly after 7:00 am and immediately instituted my habitual morning performances.  The only difference this morning - well actually there were two - was, first, I had organic honey with my walnuts instead of the usual Savannah honeycomb (both equally tasty); and, second, I carried my new tiny Greadio to the dining table and used it to listen to a classical Florida FM station and one of my latest Apple Music library collections through Bluetooth (remarkable little device).

Sorting my papers at the beach

After my father died in 2014 my mother remained for a time living alone in the large house which she and my father had custom-built over 50 years earlier. Though we were able to get her to relocate to an apartment in a retirement residence, my mother never abandoned her adoration for her former home. Almost until the day of her death, she unhesitatingly proclaimed her remorse at having left the house - which she preposterously insisted she was perfectly capable of managing and maintaining. Like so many others, her house was to her central.

Don't forget your sunglasses!

Most of us have a lot going on in our lives at any one time - at least doing and planning things we either prefer or must do - like vacations and going to work. As a result we sometimes overlook doing and planning the things that aren't on our immediate agenda.  While we think nothing of going grocery shopping to prepare our meals, we are less inclined to accommodate provisions for less compelling matters.

Split Screen

If evolving technology is a copper-bottomed indicator of anything, the "split screen" vernacular seems to be the latest rage. It is a feature with which I have only recently acquainted myself following the purchase of a 6th Generation iPad.  As with so many other technological advancements the split screen is not something I imagine will be of immediate persuasion or necessity to me in my comparatively diminished employment of computers but it will for the time being reside as part of my on-going hoard of detail.

Idle Afternoon

Listening to Holst "The Planets, Op. 32: II. Venus, the Bringer of Peace" is remarkably pacifying, even soulful. It is the perfect complement to a dull Tuesday afternoon on the Gulf of Mexico. The day has thus far been uniquely dedicated to a measure of duty and obligation, quite unlike the customary agenda of bicycling, sunbathing and swimming. First was a scheduled 30-minute "On-line Session" with an Apple representative (who called from the Pacific Northwest) exploring some of the lesser-known features of my newly acquired Sixth Generation iPad. Then there was by contrast a wearisome communication regarding our upcoming winter sojourn to resolve next year's contract negotiations with the estate agency to which the rental portfolio has lately been transferred. Finally there was an interlude of percussion arising from a failed attempt to "gift" some music on-line to acquaintances.

Not long now!

Just over four weeks from now we'll be on our way back to Canada, winding up our 6-month stint on Longboat Key. Although our plans may change slightly in the meantime we're currently scheduled to depart on Saturday, April 6th and estimated to return on Tuesday, April 9th just shy of 180 days on April 13th. I am anticipating that the next month here will afford ideal weather. Today was an insight into that forecast.

On the beach at Longboat Key

As seemingly shallow and monotonous as it must appear to be to the casual observer, I never tire of trumpeting the unsurpassed rapture of the beach at Longboat Key. I hasten to add that my idolatry is not confined to the immediate area adjoining our condominium where the beach is narrow by most standards (though it is precisely that which I relish for purposes of facilitating my conveyance to and from the sea between dowses of radiation). The primary advantage of the beach is its overall seclusion and lack of frequency except from a very small stream of relatively tranquil pedestrians. In addition when walking along the beach (which, if one were able to fulfill the trek from beginning to end, would likely be no less than eight miles one way) the margin widens considerably, pushing the other condominiums and occasional resort far back off the seashore.  The nature of the shore also alters, sometimes deeper in one place than in another.

Back home on Longboat Key

From the moment late yesterday afternoon we swung over the bridge from Sarasota to Longboat Key on the tail end of our near week-long jaunt across the Florida Everglades to Key West and Key Largo we were thrilled to be back on terra firma. We unintentionally prolonged our return home for about an hour by exploring Second and Seed, a CBD (cannabinoid) hemp apothecary shop.

Second and Seed-A CBD Story

My current euphoria is perhaps evidence that the oil has provided undeniable relief from my annoying neuropathy and pain in lower back and limbs. For the past twenty-four hours I have avoided the necessity of consuming Tylenol Arthritis pills.  I normally take between six and eight per day.

Last day on the Keys

We had been so impressed by Playa Largo Resort that we enquired about staying an additional day.  The suite was however not available.  We didn't wish to downgrade to a smaller room - nor endure the inconvenience of having to relocate. Our breakfast server has told us that another resort located nearby is also very attractive.  I suspect that upon our subsequent returns to the Keys it will be somewhere on Key Largo rather than Key West (which we feel we've exhausted).