You know it is Florida when begonias are blooming in February
 |
| Monteen, 99 years old, in a lobster bib, and Beverly, her lovely daughter |
Cousins, two resilient Council family women, took me on a tour of their home town, Palmetto, FL. Monteen celebrated her 99th birthday in January, 2014. I enjoy talking family history with her. I asked that I be invited to the 100th birthday party next year. She asked me for a copy of Profiles and Pedigrees, Tom Council and His Descendants, to give to her son. I was glad I had one with me.
Beverly lives at Shady Acres, her mother's peaceful and beautiful home, where the moss drips off the old oak trees and a swing awaits her to sit and watch the sunset. She recently lost her beloved husband Tom. My heart aches for her pain on this grief journey. I'm happy she still has her mother. I remember how much I wanted my own mother when Barry died, but she was no longer with us. I wonder if we ever get too old to want our mothers when we hurt.
Charlie, Tiger's first person, treated me and others to a delicious meal at the Crab Trap in Palmetto. I kind of like his new beard. He is now a great grandfather of twins, Cash and Cabot! Charlie always picks up the tab. He won't let anyone else pay a cent. He has a kind and generous spirit. Quiet and soft spoken, he makes me smile with his dry humor. He is with his family where he wanted to be for a long time and they are seeing that he has the best of care.
Second cousin, Diane, recently lost her mother who was 92. Diane was a devoted caregiver for her parents. She lives on the land that her grandfather, my uncle Charlie Council, bought many years ago in Manatee County. Charlie and other Council family members settled in the area in the early 1920s.
Diane is Monteen's niece. They are a close and loving family much like my own in south Georgia.
 |
| Pelicans rest along the Manatee River |
 |
| The mossy trees, the quiet river and the stillness of a winter day |
 |
| Any angle of the Skyway Bridge is an artist's delight. This was a foggy day, no sun. |
