- April 25, 2024
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I was sad for days when I found out my next door neighbor, good friend, author and fellow Mahjong player, Lois Gerber, built a house in the newest hot-spot in the area, Latitude Margaritaville. She went from a two story villa in a quiet little corner of Port Orange to Jimmy Buffet country where “It’s five o’clock somewhere."
Margaritaville is lucky. Now they have a community health nurse, author, and all around fun and interesting person with whom to play.
Gerber is prolific when it comes to writing. She has written eight books; all of them are centered around community health nursing in some way.
“Living up here has been kind of good for my writing,” Gerber said. “There’s a writing group that meets at the Barnes and Noble store real close to here.”
She wrote two books, “Nurses and their Patients: Compassion and Commitment” and “Nurses and their Patients: Courage and Conviction” which are collections of short stories.
“The Human Side of Nursing” is all about relationships and connection in 21 short stories about patients and their experiences.
The books, “Nadia: Book One: Poland” and Nadia: Book Two: Detroit,” were based on one of her patients who was involved in the underground resistance in Poland during World War II when Nazi Germany took over the country.
Book Two detailed the life Nadia created when she moved to the United States and her struggle to adjust to a different culture.
It took Gerber 10 years to write those books. Her research skills are detailed and spot on.
“Runaway Girl” is a novel about the experiences of a young woman who runs away from home and finds her purpose when she becomes a nurse.
Gerber completed two short novellas. One is about recovery from addiction titled, “The Hamster’s Wheel,” and the other is called “New Beginnings: Struggles of a single mom."
Gerber really likes being in Margaritaville. While she misses the people from her old neighborhood, she likes the amenities offered by the community. She also wanted to have a single-story home so she would not have to go up and down steps as she ages.
“There’s music Thursday through Saturday evening. Often times, there are really nice bands,” she said. “There’s something for everybody, really.”
Gerber mentioned Mahjong, Bunko, book club, and swimming. The pool is large and has enough room for people to do different kinds of swimming.
“I love my house. I particularly like the lot because of the trees behind it,” Gerber said. “The neighbors on my street are very, very friendly.”
Residents have organized dinners and excursions to places around the county and beyond. Gerber said there are also shuttle trips that Margaritaville sponsors.
Once the Publix and other new businesses are built on LPGA, Gerber will have the most important necessities of life well within a short distance from her new home.
While I miss living next door to my friend, it is a lot of fun to visit, and I am happy she is happy. I'll keep looking for that lost shaker of salt.
