BLIND FUTURE

our guest bedroom before


guest bedroom after


master bath before

master bath after

Lacking a crystal ball, I look to the future behind the clouds on Crystal Drive in Fort Myers

Home in Port Charlotte

72* at wakeup, going to a high of 87

When I had my eyes checked last spring for a pair of prescription safety glasses the doctor warned my that would be the last pair of single vision lenses I ever buy. She was so right.

Kathy and I recently purchased wood blinds for the house, replacing some very outdated window treatments and some that were just too embarrassing to even photograph. It gave the entire house a whole new look and we are very pleased with the expense. Installing them was fairly easy after I figured out how to change to a concrete drill bit. But trimming up the length of the blinds proved to be the biggest challenge.

For the past few months I have had to remove my glasses or peer down over the top of them in order to read magazines or small print on receipts. Now, even that doesn't work. The Levelor blinds have the tiniest of strings which have to be cut and re-inserted through the tiniest of holes in order to trim them out. Once in a while I would see the string and sometimes it would just not be there. Wow, talk about frustrating. Kathy's eyes went bad a few years back. I used to laugh when she would ask me to read the menu to her at restaurants. She said my day would come. It's here. Move over old people, I'd like to take a seat at your table . . .that is, if I can see the chair.

TRAVEL PLANS

I am starting my workday today in Bradenton at one of my golf courses. After a couple of hours there I will drive to Longboat Key to teach a supervisors class on dealing with drugs/alcohol in the workplace. I will then head home, pick up Kathy and drive 4 hours the Keys for the remainder of the week. As usual, I will go to work each morning and she will enjoy the oceanfront resort. We are staying over to Saturday and hope to find a sunset sailboat cruise on Friday night.

My October is going to be crazy. I recently was assigned new territory in San Juan, Puerto Rico and will visit there for a few days. I also have a 7 day trip to Washington, DC. My usual travels to the Atlantic coast of Florida await. Kathy's niece is getting married in DeBary in the middle of the month, so that will be a fun trip to see her brother and family but it's a 4-5 hour drive north. Between airlines and roads I should exceed 6,000 miles in the month of October.

The construction slowdown continues and this forces our company to continue to do more of our existing work with less people. In the coming months my regional territory will be expanded to include 3 more branches in Virginia Beach, Richmond and Williamsburg. I'm also picking up 3 branches in Pennsylvania, one in New Jersey and one in Boston. I will also get about 7 more golf courses in those areas, although they should shut down for the snow season.

Don't feel bad for me. I am grateful to still be employed. These areas were formerly covered by a good friend and colleague. These are such uncertain times. I don't know what the future holds but even if I had a crystal ball, I'm sure my eyes wouldn't be able to read it anyway.