The Villages is a wonderful place.

There are activities of every sort imaginable, even the clandestine kind, however no one really talks about those and you don’t see them unless you go looking for them…we even have registered sex offenders living here.

The kind of activities I would like to participate in, as a resident, are pickleball, golf, billiards, and maybe a club activity or two.

Sadly, because I am a roommate and not an outright renter, I’m not eligible to participate in any of the aforementioned activities. Unless I marry a homeowner. Or jump through a number of hoops to get a pass which will allow me to be accompanied by a homeowner…thus protecting the sanctity of The Villages for the people who have purchased homes and who want this lifestyle all to themselves. Guess you can’t blame them for that!

I am living in this wonderland, where the grounds are well kept, the streets are clean, with the sound of pickleball in my ear as I type, and the sound of golf carts in reverse a part of the experience, but I am not permitted to enjoy the activities that are supposed to be a part of the life of a resident.

I am not a resident, even though I live here.

I once wrote, how can anyone cry while living in The Villages.

Now I know.

Of course, not being able to participate in the activities is a minor thing. Nothing to cry over. There are much more serious issues in my life and in the lives of those who live here. Thankfully there is the recognition that there are ALSO things to be enjoyed here that make this place what it is…after recovering from a hip or shoulder replacement, a by-pass operation, the loss of a loved one, you can get back up and play golf, or pickleball, or shoot pool.

IF YOU ARE A RESIDENT.

The rest of us onlookers can still go to Spanish Springs or to Lake Sumter Landing squares and dance under the stars…when and if there is time, the weather cooperates, and the band is one you want to dance to.

A Stranger in a Wonderland can still enjoy living here.

When I first checked out this place to live, I left with burning eyes, a headache and the beginnings of a cough that lasted for a few hours.

I had sworn to myself that “never again” would I put myself in a position to be living in or around cigarettes.

Tough times dictate otherwise.

For a reduced rent, I am keeping house, shopping and cooking meals (another story, for another post) and I am living with a smoker…just a pack a day, mam. Just a pack a day.

THE GOOD NEWS!!! Before I moved in, the family of the roommate had the carpets cleaned, a hot thermal fog performed, and changed the filters in the HVAC system. A week of leaving bowls of vinegar, washing down surfaces, sprinkling baking soda and vacuuming it up…and there is hardly any trace of the remains of 3 months of indoor smoking left. Except when it’s damp out…then the ugly head is reared and more burning eyes and coughing for me…Thankfully, it’s not damp that often in the winter time.

The smoke remedied for the most part, there is hope that “this is going to work” for both of us, my roommate and I.

There are other minor concerns now that the smoking outside has been established…the biggest is the lack of sleep, but we’ll find a way around that too. We have different work schedules…I thought I was a night owl…I didn’t know what the word meant!

The miracles keep happening…and I’m still grateful.

Needed a window unit fan, one of those dual kind, for the garage. It’s WINTER. But, I’m in Florida and figured, Floridians can use a fan nearly all year round, if you don’t count those few days when it’s cold.

No fans. It’s WINTER. Not a Target, not at Home Depot. Not the season, lady, don’t you see all of the Christmas decorations????

The guys at Home Depot said “you can check, see what we have left” and sent me off to two different locations. I didn’t find what I wanted, but I KNEW there just had to be ONE fan under the roof for me.

One of the guys went off to search aisle 9 where I had already looked with no success. The other guy took me to the back of the appliance aisle where we found 2 of those HUGE shop fans…with a bunch of fancy gadgets. GRANTED, the huge fan would better serve my purpose (pulling cigarette smoke out of a garage), but a huge fan would be overkill.

I patiently waited…and, yes, my hunch (wish, hope, intuition) was right!! The aisle 9 guy came back carrying the perfect, white, 2 fan unit I was expecting.

Not bad for a days work!

5 days later however, we’ve learned that the fan works well when sitting in front of it, having ONE cigarette (my new roommate, the home owner, smokes)…but, it seems that 6 cigarettes in 2 hours would require the $99 huge fan with all the bells and whistles.

The homeowner is smoking out in the driveway again, with all the windows at the front of the house closed, with the garage door closed.

Thankfully it’s getting warmer again, we’ve had a few cold nights recently.