New territory, Maggie’s visitor, mobility

Mama and I spent several hours in the office last night learning how to navigate in the lists the state of Florida posts. They are not nearly as user friendly as the lists used in Arkansas, but the auctions go on at about the same time, so we have to work in tandem within the sets of lists as we learn the process. It took us a few minutes to figure out how to navigate the lists but once we understood where all the information was linked, we were able to move through the list at a quicker pace. It took me several attempts to figure out how to capture the information contained in those lists so we can complete our research on selected properties. I finally it worked out. Still, we did not complete even one county in the two hours we spent doing the initial research. To make ourselves feel better, we switched to Arkansas and were able to speed through two counties in about 45 minutes. We began to ask how difficult it will be when we start exploring this opportunity in the other 48 states.

Maggie called Mama last night to brag a little and to complain a little. The brag was that she and the kids got to spend the day with Mrs. Fisher – on a harbor cruise no less. Mrs. Fisher is a friend from our church in New Jersey. She was a great help to us – especially with Maggie – during the more than ten years we spent in New Jersey. A great friend to our children. The Fishers have remained close to our children over the years since we left, and Mrs. Fisher has continued to be a good friend to Maggie especially. The complaint came because Maggie, who is very fair skinned, got a horrible sunburn while they were out on the water. Mama kept saying, “Oh, Maggie. You know better.” Though she took the time to cover her kids properly, she wore a sleeveless top for the excursion. Her shoulders are pretty badly burned.

Years ago, while we were in Florida, Mama and a couple of the kids got badly burned – like Maggie is now. I used a remedy from my youth and soaked the burned areas with vinegar. It took out the sting almost immediately. It also helped with the sluffing skin; making the edges where the unburned skin meets the burned skin to be more supple. We suggested the same to Maggie, but she will find her own way through the healing process. Once many years ago, while we were traveling in Guatemala, myself and several of my siblings got sunburned to the point of blistering – very large blisters. The missionary we were visiting lathered us up with aloe vera and some extract from a local fruit. Slimy and smelling of spoiling fruit, we were better in a couple days but still had to go through the skin regeneration process. That took the rest of the trip to accomplish. As with us, so too with Maggie. This too shall pass. Hopefully it will not affect the rest of the time visiting with the Fisher’s. (We too often take out skin for granted and it is a wonderfully designed protective packaging for our bodies.)

Zoe and Sophia are working on mobility. I believe it is Zoe that is using the “Army crawl” to skootch forward. As I have said before, as much as it is a crowning achievement for the child as well as bragging rights for the parents, it forever changes the dynamic of the home. When these two are fully mobile, Brittany will be busy beyond anything she can foresee. It’s all fun. A hectic, harried, completely panicked kind of fun. But fun, none the less. For the near future, the stairs and the pool are the two big hazards to be reckoned with. Brittany and Andrew will be able to mitigate those hazards. Less obvious are the steps leading into the living room. Those are bound to cause several tumbles before they are successfully mastered by the crawling, then toddling twins. Fortunately, they are carpeted. The fireplace, however, is not.

Brittany is in for a good time.