https://www.facebook.com/636392202881711/

Aarping Acres Family Compound, North Fort Myers, FL (2026)

07/04/2025

I cannot believe I’ve not written for so long. I’m so sorry!! It’s been a busy few months, so I apologize!!
Over two months ago, big brother Lee started losing his battle with stage 4 liver cancer. He is currently under the care of Hope Hospice here at our home. Still refusing to give in, still saying my three grandbabies are his reason for living, Lee is on hourly morphine. He’s fighting hard, but hurting daily. Hourly. Doesn’t eat hardly much at all. We are keeping him hydrated. Our Hospice Nurse, Sue, is an amazing woman. I am so very grateful for her!
Lee doesn’t really have “good days” anymore. He has rough days, and days that aren’t quite as rough. He’s down to under 120 pounds. My hand brushed against his mid section yesterday, and I felt ribs. My stomach turned and my heart ached. But, he actually shaved today! He hasn’t showered in days. Lynda - our amazing cousin from NJ - has been here helping out for weeks….taking time from her own family. I keep telling her to go home, but I dread the day she does. But I would understand!!!! I love her and her big heart so much! As a former Nurse, she has been a huge help for Lee’s care. And for my sanity. The rest of Aarping Acres has been wonderful through these tough days, weeks, months….I am married to such an incredible and patient man!!!! We all just want to keep Lee comfortable and pain free for as long as we can. Period.

June is always a busy month for Aarping Acres, and this one saw me turning the big 6-0. Gotta say, most days I don’t feel 60. Celebrated the day/weekend with family and a couple of close friends, and I truly feel super blessed.

Then……..I FINALLY get another Corgi puppy!!!! Re*****on Lee - Remy for short - ish 17 weeks old and this huge tri colored ball of energy!! I love him so much already!!!! He is a rascal, for sure!

Other than that, it’s simply life as normal. One day at a time!

Enjoy a couple of photos for the past couple of months!

04/21/2025

Happy Easter to each of you!! A day to remember just how blessed we truly are! Started today praising God at what just may become our new church home First Christian Church of Fort Myers FL and then came home to prepare and enjoy a yummy and fun family supper! A total of 16 sat at our tables and made our day that much more full!
Not a picture was taken, but fun memories were made, and that’s enough for me today!
Last night, I spent close to 7 hours in the Emergency Room with big brother, Lee, who has been experiencing stomach pains these past few weeks. Doctor contributed most of the pain to his Stage 4 cancer and told us to see his oncologist asap Monday. I already know where we’re headed….he has escaped most of the effects of cancer and his treatments for the past four years, already outliving his first doctor’s estimate of “6 months to live”. He’s enjoyed going out on the boat, fishing and relaxing, mini vacations with the family, working on the swamp buggy he and Dean bought together and spending A LOT of time with his great nephews….my grandsons. He’s enjoyed FaceTiming with his great Neice, my granddaughter, just about daily. We are all doing our best to make his days enjoyable. But, it appears we are getting closer and closer to the days where pain and the reality of cancer will take center stage in his life. My heart isn’t sure if it is ready or not. I’m trying. I pray he will be.
Easter is a day of so many emotions. Praise for Him who came back to save us. Joy for what we all have in our lives. But, this year, it is also a day of indescribable emotions for me. For us. I’d like to say I have a love/hate relationship with my brother - because there are so many times that he truly drives me insane. But, I can’t say that. Because there is no hate for my big brother on my heart. And I will hold his hand through all of this. Because, he’s my brother. ❤️

03/30/2025

Happy Sunday, friends!

I do have to share a funny moment from earlier this week, when Andy went into the barn bathroom to ....well .... use the bathroom. Only, to his surprise, it was occupied.

We have a couple of gopher tortoises on our property. Now, we aren't sure how many, because they are protected species, so it's not like we can track them or mark them. And, if they are not, well....they should be, so we don't much bother them. Other than size variations, they all look similar, so we simply call all of them Slowski!

Anyhow - Andy goes into the barn bathroom the other day. But Slowski had already beat him to it! He was in the corner, kind of hiding. Was he pooping? Praying? Napping? Just wanting some peace and quiet? No idea! But my Iowa farm-boy hubby did not want to have company in the bathroom, so he evicted ole Slowski into the yard!

Here are just a couple of before and after shots of Slowski for your viewing entertainment! Keep in mind, it is a barn/shop bathroom, so I don't maintain it (or use it, for that matter, unless I really, really have to!), pardon the dust!

Today has really been a typical Sunday here at our AA Family Compound. Most of us have totally ignored housework or laundry, except for Ashli because today is her laundry room day (yes, we DO have schedules!). Church, lunch, chopping tree branches, naps and I cleaned out my closet. If you know me at all, you know that took most of my afternoon! Andy and Mike have been trimming trees all weekend - it looks so much nicer out here! I'm sure hoping the cleaner tree lines make for a warmer swimming pool come summertime without all the shade covering the pool area! Our Honorary Aunt/Sister Bonnie came to visit and you-know-who is finally sitting down to relax and watch the end of some golf event on tv. The grandsons have wandered over with their Mom and Dad a time or two today, so I got my baby hugs in. Someone will have to eventually decide on supper (my vote is take-out tonight!) and yet someone else will have to empty the kitchen sink and put stuff in the dishwasher. Sunday is a boring TV night in our opinion, so we always talk about getting a board game out.... but the clocks turns later and later until we don't do anything and then its bedtime.

As you can see from the dishes, we are a family of varied interests LOL! Someone loves Disney and Star Wars, while someone else is a Realtor and yet another loves doggies, Margaritaville and supporting our veterans. You can't see the Iowa Hawkeyes coffee cup or the various kiddy cups, but they're there as well!

So........if you love hanging with big turtles, admiring the sight and smelling the scent of freshly cut trees or want to do the dishes and cook or deliver supper, you know where to come!

03/25/2025

I've not posted in a few days because....quite frankly....things have been a little boring around here. Not necessarily a bad thing LOL!

But, I don't want to lose days here, so I am going to give you a little insight today.

We shall call it "A Lesson in Love Unknown".

As you know, the insurance company for the gal who hit me wants to total out my van. I am pretty ticked off about this, as what they are offering me won't replace my van with one of similar features. My Quest is loaded! And, by loaded, I do mean seriously loaded! But....it is older....and it does have a zillion miles on it....and now it has some major blemishes....I still don't want it totaled though. I'd much rather simply be given the funds to fix her. But....the coverage does come with a few days of a rental car at no charge to me, so I figured "why not?!" and I rented a vehicle for the weekend. Figured I'd throw some miles on someone else's car for a change, seeing that I sure do put a lot of miles on mine!

First thought - did you know that these big box car rental companies don't always have enough rental units to accommodate the number of reservations they take on a daily basis? Yeah....personally, I think that should be illegal, but I am also pretty sure I can't change the business practices of Avis, Hertz, Enterprise, etc......so I just threw that tidbit of info out to bitch about it. Rant over.

I show up at Enterprise in Cape Coral for my reservation Friday afternoon and there is one customer ahead of me. Appears to be a gentleman in his 60's with another man in his 30-40's with him. They are quietly arguing why the man behind the counter is trying to give them a Chevy Malibu when they reserved a 7-passenger minivan to accommodate their 6-member traveling family. Staff member explains that the Malibu is literally the only vehicle they have. Well, that is, except for my reserved minivan that I'd called about earlier that morning that this same guy had promised to set aside for me....I listen for about 5 minutes and then try to interrupt - politely of course! - their conversation. "Excuse me" I say. The guy behind the counter smiles (though he doesn't even look over at me) and states he will be with me shortly. "No" I continue "does this gentleman need a minivan?". He now looks up at me and asks if I am Holly. Oh, indeed I am!

I turn to the older gentleman and ask him how many people he needs to haul around. We both agree that a Malibu certainly won't fit 6 adults. I then offer him my van in exchange for his Malibu. He was incredulously happy....touched....shocked....that a stranger would do that for another stranger. He questions me for my motive and I simply hand him my business card as I introduce myself and ask him to please think of me for his or any of his family or friends' real estate needs. Boom! Marketing myself whenever I can, baby!

Folks, can I tell you how truly appreciative and blown away this guy was by my generosity?! Now, had I truly "needed" a minivan, this would not have been the same story. But - quite honestly - the Malibu would work for me, and why wouldn't I - why wouldn't any of us found in this same position - do the very same thing that I did?

It truly bothers me that the guys behind the counter both said they'd never seen that happen before, and truly doubted anyone else would have thought to do what I did. Seriously?? Like I said, I did not "need" the space that this guy's family needed. I did not second guess or think a minute about offering to switch.

So, let's model a tv show that I love and let me ask you:
What Would YOU Do?!

Would you have kept your mouth shut and just go about your business? Or would you have done what I did?

I'm just curious....because, as I've recollected this story to a few folks over the weekend, everyone seems to think I am this really good person for doing this. And I always look at each of you in bewilderment because I honest to God just felt I was doing what was right. Not for accolades or applause, just because it felt right.

So, I'd really like to know - What WOULD YOU Do????

03/18/2025

So, today's chat was going to be on the family garden that Dean started. He's doing an amazing job with it - even has turned it into a screened-in greenhouse....

However, life threw a wrench at me. Or rather, life threw a Mini Cooper "driven by a distracted 16-year-old young lady into my lane of traffic" at me. I was headed to pick the grandsons up from preschool, after I ran an errand or two....minding my own business - I wasn't even speeding! (Those who know me will totally get that statement!) Poor girl was headed to her first day at her new job and simply wasn't paying enough attention to see that the lane next to her already held my sweet Maxine - or rather, - my Nissan Quest Grammy Van. Not to be confused with my Ruby Lincoln SUV, Maxine has had her share of bumps over the few years that I've owned her. But, for the one task of hauling my two grandsons (and, sometimes, Sam's or Costco orders - they can be pretty large orders, think family compound grocery shopping!) around without having to place their car seats in my SUV, she does her job quite well! I bought her used, but she was a fully loaded lady when I found her - much to M&M's (my two grandsons) delight, she has a DVD player and two sunroofs. Let me tell all y'all right now - parents or grandparents, anyone who has to tote young'uns around - a DVD player in your vehicle is THE WAY TO GO! I don't use it to "babysit" the kiddos, but it certainly keeps them occupied!

But, back to this afternoon's mishap. Maxine and I are minding our own bees wax when BAM!, I'm not sure if I felt it or heard it first! But, the next thing I know, I am pulled over on the side of the road, doing my best to comfort this sweet young gal who is petrified at what her Dad is going to say about this mishap. She couldn't even function to call in to her new place of employment, so I offered to help her. (The Manager was super understanding, just fyi!) Driver #1 - as she is now known by our local Sheriff's Department, USAA, and State Farm - has a very unique name - Ariel. Yes, Ariel like the Disney Princess! I swear, the Mouse follows me around! Anyhow, she was sobbing and shaking and I just had to give her a hug and console her. The responding officer later told her she was incredibly lucky that I was the one she ran into, because other folks may not have been so understanding and comforting.
I hadn't even looked at the damage to my van yet! Finally heading over to the passenger side, I assess what will surely keep Maxine off the road for the foreseeable future. The passenger door creaks to open and there are dents, scuffs, dents and just yuckiness all along her side. No longer my pretty pearl white beauty queen school drop-out of a minivan, she now has pimples, blemishes and unkept hair.
Ariel's Dad shows up, and I bat my eyelashes at him (insert laughter here) and show him some leg (laughter turning into major deep belly chuckles now) in my attempt to distract him from what his teenage daughter just did, but he honestly doesn't seem too upset. I pray things stayed that way once they both got back home. We were both able to drive away, she by climbing from the passenger side to get behind her steering wheel, as her driver's door handle was damaged and me - well, I just jumped into my pearly white stallion.....ok, ok, minivan, and went our separate ways.

Not all of our AA excitement happens at AA. Perhaps tomorrow I will share some photos of our family garden. We have corn, cauliflower, peppers, watermelon, cucumbers, carrots, and so much more! But I probably won't eat any of it, because it didn't come from Publix....everyone else will though.

03/17/2025

Be sure to like or comment on my posts! I would love to hear from you! And please do let me know if you have anything you’d like to ask about family compound living!

03/16/2025

Ashli had to get stitches in her hand. I told her I didn’t know how she’d be a surgical Nurse tomorrow but she’s not concerned at all. Hopefully headed back to AA soon for something other than OJ and a candy bar for lunch. Never a dull day around here.

03/16/2025

Welcome to my first attempt at “blogging”. Here on this page, I hope to enlighten you to what it’s like to live on a family compound.
Unlike those professional pages showing amazing families with gorgeous properties and perfect looking families….we will show you the overgrown woods, living spaces SO in need of updating, imperfect people living imperfect lives on our far from perfect acreage!
The whole idea of our family compound came so very much by unplanned choices. It started with me, my husband Andy, my youngest daughter Melissa and my big brother Lee. Melissa moved out, Lee left, oldest daughter Amy and her husband Jon moved in. Lee moved back in. Dean and Ashli, and my two grandsons, moved in. Andy’s step son from his previous marriage, Mike, moved in. We don’t have steps or halves here….so Mike is simply one of our kids. Dogs have come and gone. We currently have 4 - Amy and Jon have Annie, a bad ass rescue Chihuahua who thinks she is the alpha, and Indy - half Bernese and half Australian Shepherd - huge but he’s a true woosie! Dean and Ashli have 2: Mowgli is a brindle Cur/Catahoula and he’s mean as heck looking and Maui - well he’s a Pitt mix rescue who’s built like a strong box. Any of these dogs would fight for any of us humans, but all of them are serious lovies. We have a couple of tortoises- all named Slowski - who have come around since we moved in back in 2008 and a tank turtle named Myrtle - a boy who’s trip to us will make another story.
We have a pool that sometimes leaks and is always cold because it’s huge and sits under shade trees, a three stall horse barn that we use for anything but horses, a huge shop/enclosed “barn” that has 100 years of stuff from all of us, but mostly Andy, two pastures, a creek and woods on the other side of the creek.
We’ve had parties, fights, reunions, fireworks, games, weddings and so many holidays here.
Like I said, a family compound was never our plan. As housing prices in our area quickly grew, it became Andy’s and my goal to fix this place up and sell it for a nice profit, get a smaller place for just us and enjoy the rest of our time on this planet with the rest of the proceeds from selling Aarping Acres. But….people just started showing up. And we couldn’t turn any of them away. Because family is family.
Andy’s Mom gave our property its crazy name the night he and I had our wedding here. It’s a silly name with a back story that has to be shared for you to “get it” - perhaps on another post - but the name stuck. And so have all the people and animals. Again, because is family.
So, to again warn you, this won’t be one of those amazing spreads of a compound with staged videos. They’re fun to watch, for sure! And I’m even a little envious for those who can pull that together. Because we can’t even get a good family photo, let alone create an entertaining video to share. Again - raw, uncut and unstaged, every day life of a bunch of people just trying to get by.
Welcome!

Aarping Acres Family Compound

07/04/2025

04/21/2025

03/30/2025

03/25/2025

03/18/2025

03/17/2025

03/16/2025

03/16/2025

Address

Website

Alerts

Shortcuts

Share

Category