There are a lot of us in Florida

There a lot of us in Florida. Old folks, I mean. Retired folks. My wife and I live in a high rise condo that has been all but empty ever since we bought our place in May. The snow birds are coming home to roost in December. We are going to a "social" tomorrow evening here in the building. Late afternoon would be more accurate - 5:00 pm for dinner in the social room. I'll try to remember the names but that is really Ina's job. My job is to smile and to be nice. We all sort of look alike - old, I mean.

I don't really feel old. At least not all the time. I walk about three miles a day and lift a weight or two to keep the muscles toned up and the belly a little less round. In fact, I usually feel pretty good. I am blessed with good health for my age and mileage. I hope it holds up.

There is a political .... season going on here in the condo just now. Three seats for the board of directors are at stake. Seven people (including me) are in the running. I got roped in by my sweet wife who said we should certainly offer to serve. The "we" became "me" when it came to volunteering. I was of the (mistaken as it turns out) opinion that it was hard to get people to offer themselves for consideration for a seat on the board. Seven souls seeking three seats is quite a horse race.

The only politicking you are evidently allowed to do is to submit a single 8 1/2 x 11 inch typewritten page listing your qualifications. - - - Then the whispering campaign begins. One talks to the ladies in the work out room or in the elevator or in the garage. There are two camps - those "for" the current President and those "against" the President. The current president of the association is running for a second term as are two others currently on the board. The "against" crowd evidently has fielded three opponents. I am an outlier. I stumbled into this mess because my sweet wife thought we should volunteer. I am pretty sure that I am not going to get one of the three seats because I am an unknown quantity. I just hope I don't get caught in the crossfire.