Christmas Connections article on janice142

This year I laid in a supply. I will be enjoying
fruitcake in July if all goes according to plan.
I bought several and have them tucked away.

Keeping in touch via Telephone

The telephone was a lifesaver Christmas of 2014. I spoke with Kidlet and the Grand. Another soloist, my friend on Katja is on the east coast. She and I chatted a few times that day. It was good to know that I was not alone on the planet Earth.

Still it was odd back in 2014 to look out Seaweed's windows and see no one. No moving cars, no people... I felt like I was in one of those dystopian novels that are so popular nowadays with the preppers.

A telephone with good coverage in your cruising grounds is important.
I would go so far as to suggest an internet connection is critical as well.

Anchoring off a condo used to be a great place to pick up open wifi. Not any more!

There is a night heron in the melaleuca trees above. Pronounced mal-a-loo-ka, they are also known as
paper trees. The bark peels off and you can write on it. They also have blossoms that make me sneeze.


I do have my favorite bird book aboard. It allows me to look up birds and find out what I'm seeing. The one pictured above is a male Night Heron. Having the paperback Birds of North America is helpful. Of course the internet could tell me the same thing provided I had the search criteria correct. Though some are good at research and looking thing up, that has never been a strong suit of mine. That is a real talent and one I lack.

Many folks use the internet to find out lots useful information.

WEST BAY and PANAMA CITY plus CARRABELLE

West Bay is at the far west end of Panama City. Frank and Jewell live at the east side of Panama City.

The internet has allowed me to make new friends from across the globe.

It is always fun to put a face to a name at the bottom of an email. Tracy is one such person.
Her family and I met at the local McDonald's when they journeyed across the country from California.


The intention was to bring Seaweed over to McDonald's. Unfortunately that morning my water pump that cools the engine was not pumping. It did not work when I tightened the fan belt on the alternator either. Rather than attempt a repair in a hurried manner, I opted to ride over with Mr. Uber to meet Tracy's family. Ruwan, Nishan, Me and Tracy. I had looked forward to showing her and the family my home. It was disappointing to not be able to do so as the day before the doggone boat had performed flawlessly. I have learned one thing over the years: Rushing a repair is a recipe for disaster. It is always better to take my time and do a job properly. In this case it could have been Very Serious had I not left the boat at the dock. I will tell you about the alternator fiasco at a later date. Suffice it to say, NOT going was the smartest thing possible. I could have done serious damage and was truly blessed to find the problem before it was Major.

	← Me and Tracy's Family Tracy and I had corresponded a few times. When she, husband Ruwan and son Nishan were crossing the country they honored me with a visit. I had looked forward to showing my solar set-up to them. Seaweed is capable of sustaining a decadent level of life on or off the grid. Life afloat is truly wonderful. Side Note: the alternator issue has been solved/resolved.

Pam in MN says on 3 January 2017: I’m glad you had a great Christmas with friends and lots of good food, Janice! And, I’m glad to hear that you like fruitcake. I love fruitcake and can’t understand why it’s so maligned in general. I’ll have to check out your brand.

Me: I read about how under appreciated fruitcake is... all the jokes made about it, etc. And worst of all am usually surrounded by folks who like 'em. The opportunity to have extras passed along just isn't there like it used to be.

I did not yet open the newest one so that's a good thing.

This year like others, I'm going to attempt to get a bit healthier. It's just that food taste so good.

And too there is a comfort in being older. I've come to realize I'll never get back to my original weight. Five pounds and a few ounces is a bit unrealistic, eh?

In the meantime I've got my stash of fruitcakes in the canning jar locker. They fit nicely in there.

Claxton suggests their fruitcake be chilled. It sure is nice to have a refrigerator that is powered via solar panels. I am truly blessed.

For you, I hope this is your year to find the boat of your dreams. Happy hunting.

Thank you Pam for your Comment. It is appreciated. J.

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