I'm freezing down here....

Woke up today to a breezy, grey unusually cold winter's morning - not a typical Sunday morning in Miami by any means. I've lived in my house for nine years now and I've never had to turn on the heat - that is until this morning when I looked at the thermostat and realized it was 53 degrees inside!!! We're just not equipped to deal with this kind of weather. My beautiful flowers in the garden are in shock, frozen iguanas are dropping from the trees all over town and my poor babies don't know what to make of it all. Cody was shivering so I decided to wrap him up in his "binky". He wasn't so sure about the idea at first, but when he realized how cozy it felt, he decided to just go with it - doesn't he look adorable!!!

He wasn't the only one in shock with this morning's temperature. I walked out onto the patio and found a poor little salamander frozen on the ground. Grey and stiff as an icicle. I picked it up to throw it out and realized it wasn't dead when one of it's little feet moved. I felt so bad for it that I brought it inside. I know, I know, I'm nuts...but the older I get, the more difficult it is for me to think of myself as not being part of a "whole". Every little creature plays a small part in the big scheme of things. At least I think so. I find I can no longer just think of me as the center of it all, as though all the things that surround me don't matter somehow - because I think they do. Maybe my Buddhism studies helped change my perspective. Of course that doesn't apply to roaches...I haven't gone completely insane. Anyways, I'm very proud to say my new little friend is doing great. He's back to his beautiful green color and seems to be enjoying the cozy indoors.

Just as soon as things begin to warm up a bit in a day or two I'll say goodbye, with a warm fuzzy feeling that I did something really, really good today.

New Year's on Tybee Island

I began the New Year and the new decade on the beautiful island of Tybee. I had the incredible luck of coming across the most charming and quirky of cottages, Fish Camp, and on December 30th, 2009 I embarked on the long road trip from Miami with my boyfriend and 3 dogs in tow...yes, you read correctly...3 dogs (and we're not talking Taco Bell...more like Marley) towards the beautiful island of Tybee on the Georgia coast.

Fortunately, the road trip up was fairly uneventful - stopped for gas, the occasional bathroom breaks and some food. Listening to NPR, we were grateful we'd decided to drive instead of fly, especially given the nightmare at airports nationwide due to the latest Christmas Day terrorist attack.

I'm usually meticulous about researching my vacation destinations, but due to various un-forseen occurrences, I never got an opportunity to do so for this trip. We really had no idea what to expect when we got to Tybee, and boy, were we pleasantly surprised. Tybee reminded me of what Key Biscayne used to be 30 years ago before the cement towers and million dollar mansions took it over - a casual, down-to-earth, beach town where "everybody knows your name".

I can't say enough wonderful things about this quirky little cottage...it's blue facade and brightly painted shutters; the colorful sunroom overlooking the garden as well as the very cute flip flop room. I can only imagine it in its full splendor during the summer months; windows open, a soft ocean breeze, the smell of BBQ in the air, the sound of children's laughter as they ride past on their bikes, the faintest hint of salt in the air from the marshes nearby, not to mention the beautiful shade of gold that washes over everything at sunset.

Having visited in the winter, activities are somewhat limited on Tybee. Too cold to go to the beach, at least for this Miami girl - but not for the majority of the crazy locals, which I experienced first hand on New Year's Day. A hundred or so of what I can only categorized as "out of their mind" locals gathered at the beach on a grey, freezing, rainy morning on Tybee to partake in an annual tradition - The Polar Bear Plunge. These insane people, some dressed as Santa, Smurfs, brides, crabs and everything in between, decided there was nothing better to do than to jump into the freezing cold water while other smart people like me, all bundled up in our winter's best outfits (and were still freezing), watched them. I do hope that it was for charity and not just for a silly t-shirt.

Memories I will take away from my few days on Tybee are many. But if one stands out more than any other, it's the reminder of old days gone by; when everyone had time to say hello, go the extra mile to help and just be kind. It's amazing how accustomed we've gotten living here in Miami to rudeness. Being kind should be the norm but has unfortunately become the exception. Thank you Tybee and it's locals for an unforgettable New Year's. Oh...and did I forget to mention...how about them Fried Green Tomatoes....I finally got to try them...and OMG...to die for.