Stuck in Double Recliner

Double love seat recliners in the living room

The furniture "works" but it's uncomfortable and unpredictable. Our king bed is protected with a rubberized mattress cover that squeaks when you roll over in bed. I find myself wondering if sleeping on it counts as a Lenten penance. The glass table facing the west balcony is used for old newspapers ready for recycling, but not much else.

Ah, but the double reclining love seats! The "recline" button is hard to press, and yesterday evening, I finally gave up on it and edited my photos with my laptop sitting on my knees. When I tried to get up an hour or so later, the recliner jerked up behind my knees, shooting me back into the seat.

Now to get the leg section back into position so I can stand. I smack my calves against the lower part of my side of the recliner and lean forward. No luck. I try to push the section with my hands and think I have it, but back I go once again. Finally, the seat snaps into place, with the assistance of a mocking audience.

Beach living at its finest.

Tara's Story

After a long day in the sun, we were happy to sit at a beach restaurant picnic table for an early dinner yesterday afternoon.

The economy in St. Pete Beach is service driven, and the wait staff in restaurants often display their country or state of origin on their identification badges. Tara (not her real name) didn't need to do so, as her accent and reference to a Missouri grandmother betrayed her as a non-native Floridian.

Tara has the look and personality of someone who has faced challenge and hardship with courage, hope and resilience. We were curious about her, so asked her how she ended up in Florida. Tara has three daughters, two of whom were grown when she decided it would be a good time to relocate from Oklahoma, since her daughter was entering high school. St. Pete Beach won the toss over Cocoa Beach, and mother and daughter moved to this area about a decade ago with the man who was then Tara's fiancé.

They rented a unit in an apartment hotel for two weeks. Tara and the fiancé found jobs. The daughter started high school. Time passed and Tara decided to make another move, back home with a new fiancé to work for her brother. Four months later, the work situation had taken its toll on family relationships and the fiancé's young children needed him back in Florida.

They packed up and moved south. Tara said she loves the area and the people here in Florida. Her job isn't easy but she performs it efficiently, with great personal confidence. She's cheerful in a situation that would have me in tears, frustrated and depressed.

Lots of lessons to learn.