Where have I been?

I can’t believe this is my first post in 2018, the first since October 2017! I almost lost my mojo and not just for writing the blog, but indeed generally. Annoyingly, the start of 2018 was marred by niggling illnesses and being incapacitated due to a knee injury. You could say that I felt (and was) dis-abled. The illnesses were nothing serious, just a string of bad colds, one after the other. The knee injury was also nothing serious, but it kept me away from exploring and from living my usual, active, daily life.

What did I do to my knee?

Chase after my baby tortoise Ernie. Yup, that’s it, plain and simple. I don’t have an exciting kayak or hiking incident story. Nope, I just stupidly collided with a solid wooden table corner with all my might. This left me unable to walk or do anything requiring much movement for several weeks. In fact, this is month three after the fateful Ernie chase, and my knee still has a fair amount of stiffness to it. Ouch.

The Culprit – How Can You Be Angry With 2 Inches Of Cuteness?

To cut a long story short, the usual weekends of exploration and outdoors fun weren’t only curtailed severely, for some time they weren’t happening at all.

If you are like me, and nature as well as (moderate) exercise are your reasons for living and the perfect antidote to the work week, you will understand that I felt blue and almost depressed for most of this time. I forced myself out for little walks, limping and swearing. All this probably prolonged my knee injury, but was necessary for my mental health. I was going stir crazy inside my four walls (a studio apartment!) day in and day out. To make things even more claustrophobic: I work from home.

Moving on.

Now it’s time to turn over a new leaf. I am back, my knee is almost back, and with that my spirit for exploration and appreciation for all that nature and Florida has to offer. The plan is to bring you a few new informative and fun blog posts about great little escapes such as the Grassy Waters Preserve, Rainbow Springs, and some other bits and pieces we managed to do while I was hobbling. There was also a wonderfully historic Easter brunch at the Seminole Inn in Indiantown. Have you been for Sunday brunch there? I highly recommend it.

Nothing Beats Comfort Food In A Historic Setting

The Royals Stayed Here!

And for any of those who are similarly physically (or indeed mentally) impaired, I send you my love and healing vibes and hope that you can find some joy along the healing journey. It is true what they say: health is wealth.

In that vein, I am wishing you all a healthy and outdoorsy year. Better late than never!

Grassy Waters Preserve Hiking Trail