August In Numbers

Clockwise from left corner. 1 - "Don't Feed the Gators" sign at the marina. Alligator spotting is about as exciting as it gets at Indiantown in the summer. 2 - Our Magma grill in search of a cover. 3 - One of our fenders with its new frock. 4 - Some of the weird swag I got from the Peculiairum. Should I put the Bigfoot bumper sticker on the boat? 5 - Shopping for books at the Okeechobee flea market. 6 - Measuring fabric for my ditty bag.

It's time for our monthly recap in numbers. Things have been pretty darn quiet here at Indiantown Marina in hot, muggy southern Florida. I actually get excited when the thunderstorms roll in each afternoon and I get to scramble around and strategically place towels under each spot where our boat leaks. It gives me something to do.

But then Erika came around and suddenly things came alive in Indiantown! Two good things about hurricane threats - (1) they give you something to talk about and (2) they distract you from the alligators swimming in the marina. Fortunately, Erika fizzled out and things got back to normal in Indiantown - slow and quiet. Which isn't a bad thing compared to a hurricane heading your way.

Anyway, here's our monthly recap:

• 10 - Number of settee cushions I made slipcovers for. We're the kind of people who spill things. Slipcovers are a godsend for people like us. Spill some spaghetti, whip the slipcover off, wash and dry. Remember those plastic slipcovers your grandma used to have on her couch? Tacky but oh so sensible. I thought about plastic for our slipcovers, but I went with fleece instead.
• 4 - Number of fender covers I made. Scott calls them "fender frocks" - he's convinced I'm trying to dress our fenders up like little dolls. I think I may be onto something here. I bet people who own big, fancy boats would pay ridiculous money for cute fender covers that look like little dresses or suits. (By the way, for any non-boaties out there, fenders are like bumpers for your boat - they keep stuff from smashing into it.)
• 1 - Number of barbecue grills I measured in anticipation of making a cover for it. Erika distracted me from getting on with this project. One more thing to add to September's list.
• 3 - Number of times I jabbed myself in the hand while sewing a ditty bag.  
• 1 - Number of propane systems that still don't work on our boat. 
• 1 - Number of people on our boat who can't be bothered to try fixing the propane system.
• 2 - Number of times I went to the Dairy Queen in Okeechobee. It's a regular outing I do with a friend of mine - we hit Walmart, Home Depot, the flea market and Dairy Queen. Exciting stuff.
• 5 - Number of books I read as part of the "80 Books around the World" challenge. I've ticked off China, Cuba, Ghana, Iceland and North Korea. 5 down, 75 more to go. By the way, thanks to everyone who has given me suggestions on what to read - very much appreciated!
• 3 - Number of things I won! I'm always entering competitions and giveaways and never seem to win anything. Until this past month that is. I won two e-books. Goodie Goodie Gumdrop gave me a book on American expats for being the 400th person to like their Facebook page and Sydney Aaliyah Michele gifted me with a collection of romance novels. But by far, the best thing I won was a copy of the latest issue of "Freaky But True" along with a whole bunch of truly bizarre swag from the Peculiairum. Given my lucky streak, I think it would be prudent to invest all of our savings in lottery tickets. How could we possibly lose.

Hope your August was a bit more exciting than mine. Obviously, exciting in a good way like winning the lottery, not in a hurricane heading your way kind of exciting. In the northern hemisphere, summer is drawing to a close while in the southern hemisphere, folks are looking forward to the arrival of spring. No matter what season you find yourself in during September, we hope it is a fabulous one!

In case you missed them, here are some of our favorite posts from August:

Wee Beasties in the Shower
Cost of Living Aboard Our Boat
A Day in the Life of a Boat Bum
Thinking about Hurricanes

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