Family Time and More

Oh my word there is much to say and write down before my memory fades. Oh wait, I have photos for that! I am including a photo of the house the day before we drove down to Florida so that I can note when exactly the creeping phlox blooms. It looked oh so different upon our return; the profuse flowering was fading, however the Japanese Maple went on steroids in our absence.

Tat same day, Bruce's friends from his working days came for a visit on their way back to Tucson, AZ. As is our custom, after a visit at the house above, we walked over to the Murphy Chophouse about two blocks away and enjoyed lunch, followed by a bit of time visiting on the porch. Jim and Fern were delightfully entertaining and according to her, we met before many years ago, although you know me, I have no recollection of that meeting!

Look at us sitting outside!! Yes the weather was definitely warm enough, just in time to prepare us for the upcoming days. 

A few things for posterity's sake, I saw a Brown-headed nuthatch for the first time ever on the Riverwalk.

Super exciting as was the blooming of our lilac tree. Ancient, it does not produce too many flowers, but by the time we returned some were larger, but most were done for the season. They do smell as wonderful as everyone says!

I know it sounds crazy but I was worried about the garden, however, those worries were for naught as John came over every other day for watering and no critters bothered it, so that was very good news indeed. Checking my last post, that should you have missed it, you can catch it here, there was no mention of my potato plants because I did not even know they had come up until the morning of the day we left! I was flipping out and even more so now as there are like five plants, three of which are already seven inches tall!!!

Because we planned to stop in Valdosta we packed on Thursday morning and off around 9:30, avoiding the traffic in Atlanta by taking the beltway, followed by time on SR41 which afforded us some nice scenery as well as the town where saw this wonderful mural. So cheerful with a good message. 

In the morning before our four hour drive to Orlando, I roamed around the hotel grounds looking for birds and found wisteria instead.

When we arrived in Orlando, sadly our tree, while not looking any worse, looked no better!

Since our last visit they cut back all of the shrubs in hopes that they will come back. It seems unlikely that will happen with our tree but I guess we will find out.  

We were anxious to see Christian and our wishes were granted, He's looking at a book that Matt and Tom bought him for Christmas. I just love how he is already concentrating, something his grandmother has always had trouble doing.

 I sent a photo of the two of us to Fallonabout two weeks before our visit hoping she could show it to Christian a few times before our arrival in hopes that he would not cry when he saw Bruce. I think it worked!

Saturday morning we joined our friends from the complex for pickleball, including my sister Nancy. I walked to the courts and oh my goodness, for the first time in years, I spotted an eagle high up in the pine trees by the big lake!

Look who else I saw! Note that roof that is looking very weary. This morning I wrote the final check for our special assessment charge for replacing all the roofs in the complex. Whew! That said, the contractors are doing a very good job, helping to set our minds at ease. (juvenile little blue heron)

If there is anything I miss about Orlando, besides our friends and family, it is the big birds. Always a trade off though and I am learning to photograph the little ones because I practice nearly every day. Sounds pretty crazy when I type it, but it is the truth. :)

We drove to DeBary, about forty miles from where we live in Orlando, on Sunday at noon, for the celebration of Cris's life. Some years ago they moved to a small community on the St. John's River where there are plenty of folks who use golf carts as evidenced by the line up of carts beside the clubhouse when we arrived.

The crowd was large to honor both Cris and his wife Judy and the girls, Katie and Jessica.

Bill and Fallon, 

were able to attend because her Mom watched Christian, something she does at least once a week. 

David and Michelle came as well. 

When our boys were young, Cris (Bruce's brother) used to pull the boys behind his boat on inner tubes,  much to their delight. 

Our niece Mallory came down from Minnesota with her mom Michele, Bruce and Cris's sister.

When asked to speak, both Bruce and Michele told stories. Bruce talked about how proud he was when his brother became an Eagle Scout. I love Mallory's expression. 

At first Judy did not want to speak, but she gathering her courage, she talked about what a good Dad Cris was to their daughters.

Katie and Jessica are to her left. While it was hard to lose Cris, it was a case of being happy that his suffering is over. 

More cousins,

Lots of old photos were displayed and I took a few home. When I picked up the one pictured below, I could not believe it was Bruce on the left, and even though he says it is him, I am still somewhat skeptical! As you may recall, we have known each other for nearly sixty years.

Look at all those badges Cris has! They were two years apart. Bruce and his sister Michele, and Judy and her sister Margie. 

All four told stories from different perspectives and it was a joy listening to them. Cris and Judy married on August 11, 1972 and we married on August 18, 1973. Bruce's Mom and Dad always made a big deal of our anniversaries and the older I get, the more I cherish those memories.

The drive home was easier than the drive there and we drove through downtown on our way back to the condo which is about two miles from this spot.

The weather was the best of the three times we have been there in the last three months which was a blessing. No calamities awaited except the ice maker was frozen but eventually thawed. We did better with our meals, something we have learned how to manage over time.  All positives.

A hard freeze, the hardest anyone can remember, I believe happened in late January killing so much of the vegetation in our complex that is known for beautiful, mature landscaping. 

On this visit there were places with color, including along the big lake.

Something funny I watched was a squirrel carrying a large hot dog bun, presumably from a trash can?

And look who went fishing!

We saw the family two more times, went birding as well as a trip to Costco. I wish we had left one day later in order to see the Artemis take off but we didn't, however, we did see the nearly full moon for ourselves on our last night, over the lake in our backyard.

I spent many hours watching the sky over Lake Willisara, sunrises, moonrises, and birds, always birds.

Will I ever catch up? I'm certainly going to try.

your friend,

Gail

Pink March

I was fed an Instagram post that claimed, "once the hobby of senior citizens, bird watching is being embraced by young people in droves." Fed is the correct word there because, I don't know about you, but nearly everything in my social media feeds are either advertisements, click bait, or people I don't know. It frustrates me, but I suppose I can whine all I want and it won't get me anywhere, so hush up Gail!

It did strike a chord with me though because I just finished a terrific book that I got at the library for a song. Well really a quarter but a "song" sounds more fun. Called To See Every Bird on Earth, it is as much about a father/son relationship as it is about birds, so if either of those topics interest you, perhaps you would find it as fascinating as I did. Yesterday afternoon on my walk in the park, the sound of a bird calling and singing stopped me in my tracks. As the trees are beginning to flower and bud out, it is harder to find birds, but I followed the sound and found a Brown Thrasher, the first bird that captured the attention of the father when he was a teenager.  He went on to find and count over 7,000 bird species all over the world but, it was the sound of this beautiful bird that first captured his heart. 

Such a pretty bird that I have rarely seen in a tree because primarily it hunts for food on the ground. It made my heart sing too. AND I am thrilled that young people are taking up birding!

Nearby a Northern Mockingbird was noisy as well. We had a Mockingbird that stayed atop one of our bushes for nearly a week and I thought it would become a resident bird, but I thought wrong.

A cute little Carolina Wren, the smallest bird with the biggest voice, was in the shadows but easy to follow the song because it is so loud.

Everything is happening fast in our world of nature. One day a tree is bare as can be, and two days later it looks like, well, I don't guess there is anything else like it in the world is there?

I was sad when we had our little snow and then a few really cold days that did not do Sandy's tree any favors.

Some new buds remain, but it won't be long before the tree is green once again. 

Across the street from Sandy's house, is this house with the creeping phlox looking mighty fine this year after Bruce planted more last year. 

Most of the year it looks pretty crummy, but for this display it is worth it. Then too, I have watched a whole lot of YouTube videos on gardening and one thing that is stressed is pruning, so that will be my plan going forward after it blooms. I was so thrilled when I saw my first Yellow Tiger Swallowtail feeding on the prolific blooms. The warmth of Florida keeps bees, insects, and butterflies feeding all year but here it is very much seasonal so a cause for celebration when they do appear.

Last week between the cold, and a minor health issue, walks and pickleball were mostly not happening for me. Then on Saturday it was hot as the dickens! Seriously, from snow on the first day of the week to 85 degrees on the 6th! Today, on the other hand is just glorious both in a beautiful sunny sky and a high near 60.

The pink trees did not wait on me!

And look what is blooming on the shady side of the house.

I did not remember this blooming so early, but it seems to like the little sun it is getting before the Rose of Sharon trees develop their leaves and throw this area into complete shade. 

Friends, the lilac tree is showing great promise, although it is a spindly tree that is definitely in need of some pruning.

Over and over you have heard me talk about the Riverwalk and rightly so. Two rivers meet in the middle of town and are vital to our town for lots of reasons. The walk is broken into sections where some parts are wild and free, while others have lovely sidewalks. Can you guess my favorites?

You may be wondering how the seedlings are coming and the answer is slowly, but surely they are sprouting.

Remember the celery? By golly it's growing too!

In fact it seems to be doing quite well so I have another piece in water in the kitchen.  Things are popping up in the beds that I keep wondering what the heck they are;  I'm pretty sure these are hostas.

We will find out won't we? The grass was growing quite well as were the violets sprinkled everywhere amongst the grass. Bruce's sense of order won out although I will say the blade was high enough that we have plenty violets remaining.

His trustee duties are keeping him plenty busy that's for sure. It's almost as if he was a project manager again without any salary! Speaking of salary, tomorrow one of Bruce's favorite superintendents is coming to visit with his wife. We are looking forward to seeing them and showing off our little slice of heaven.

Here's one of the violets and a big fat bumble bee too.

One morning, out the basement sliding glass door, I saw a bunch of Goldfinch going crazy.  I took this photo through the glass and while it is not very good, I was able to count the birds. At the cottage we had this sort of thing, but this is a first for Campbell Street.

I am more used to seeing them like this.

I'll help you out....twenty Goldfinch, many of whom are beginning to show their bright yellow mating colors.

Our ladies group had a White Elephant sale that was fun and I bought a few things, including an amazing handmade basket with Eucalyptus for five dollars. Because it is a fund raiser I should have insisted on paying more. I bid on this handmade bowl but lost out to a higher bidder. 

I am finishing up a scrappy quilt, sewing on the binding while seated on the front porch because it is NOT COLD! I am using a little needle book that I made many years ago. 

I thread four and sew until I run out and do it all over again. An abundance of natural light helps my aging eyes! The holes in needles seem smaller and smaller to me. Just one more thing that is harder than it used to be. Think opening anything, whether it is a jar, a plastic bottle or something encased in the hardest plastic on earth. It's not easy for some of us old folks!

See this cat. It is a menace cat. It likes to sit on our porch in the mornings and even more so under the bird feeders. Birds do not like cats so birds stay away from feeders. Boo hiss! I filled a spray bottle with water and it did not take many squirts before above cat runs when he sees me picking it up. Go Away!

I saw my first bunny last Wednesday. Today, as a matter of fact, about twenty minutes ago I saw my first groundhog. Both were in the our neighbor's yard. Said groundhog was viewed from my second story kitchen window while rinsing my lunch plate. Both are threats to my garden. Boo hiss!

Our Japanese Maple is coming!! Truth be told, by the time we return from Florida there is a good chance that all the leaves will have opened, a sight to behold. After months of a bare tree in the front yard it is most welcome. It remains to be seen how my blogging will go next week, but I will do my best.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. I hope you enjoyed pink March! 

Light Snow is Falling

 Folks who have lived here for many years told us that don't be fooled by the very warm weather because once you get used to it, changes are inevitable. Perhaps I wrote about it last year? Booming thunder woke us from sleep twice overnight, with heavy rain accompanying it. Since the beginning of the year I have been keeping track of the daily weather around 8AM during my time recording the birds from the front porch. Off by about twenty minutes, the thermometer read 59 degrees at 8:20. By noon it had dropped to 40 and is expected to plunge to around 20 overnight! The heat has just come on. Speaking of the heat, holy cow propane is expensive! Lest you think I am exaggerating, on Dec. 31 we got a call while we were driving back to Murphy that they were filling the tank and it was $350 and about six weeks later another $470 was delivered. I'd oftentimes heard of people struggling to pay their gas bills and now I can surely see why.

My heart breaks for those who have to choose between the gas bill and being warm. 

On a happier note, Spring, aside from the next few days is on the move. Your favorite blogger is thrilled to report that her radishes are thriving!

I've also planted more seeds using the toilet paper roll method; in this tray there are zinnias, marigolds, green beans, peppers and tomatoes. One they are strong enough I will move them into the ground.

I move it around to the sunniest spots, however, for the next few days it is on the bookcase just behind me under the big window, not that there is any sun today, but there is light. For sure the zinnias are sprouting along with the one beside it, but for the life of me I cannot read what I wrote! Time will tell as it always does. Next time I will write on the tubes before they are planted! 

Continuing with the exciting sprouting front, the carrots have finally begun showing life. We read it can take two weeks and I believe it was just a day or two shy of that. The sprouts are about as fine as a strand of my hair, so it will be so fun watching the development. Something else we read to do is cover the seeds with 2x4s until they sprout. I have no idea how that works, but it did, so score one for YouTube. How did we do anything before YT? Speaking of root vegetables, there are potato chunks under the dirt and straw in the same place that cucumbers grew last year. I figure if I had zero knowledge last year and things grew, I am a little more educated this year so surely we will have some success?!

Weeds in the thin grass mark the spot. I read that it is best to cover your garden with straw so that's what we did. A bale cost about $9, information I am including because who knows, I may want to know in a few years! All the plants are doing well so far.

Around the yard things are looking good with shoots in the ground for the peony bush, hyacinths of the big variety,

and cute little grape hyacinths popping up all over the place. Note the end of our wall that is filling in nicely with the new phlox Bruce planted last year.

Which reminds me that I wanted to mention that it was two years almost to the date that we spotted our home and one of the things that made me notice it was the wall with the creeping phlox. I remember once we bought it, and had to wait for 45 days, that when I was on my walk I would go by the house and there were beautiful Swallowtail butterflies that presumably will be showing up soon? We dreamed about Bruce having a shop and being able to plant anything we wanted anywhere we wanted to which may sound silly to some, but when you live in a condo, they make the rules! While I am typing Bruce is in his shop using a new toy that we bought for his upcoming birthday. A drill press, one of the few big tools that he was missing down there. 

Remember all the paint color samples I had taped up ages ago for the front screen door? 

Navy was not one of them, but over the weekend Hale Navy by Ben Moore it is. I am thinking of painting the little plant stands navy, what do you think?

I left off forsythia from the yard tour which is a shame because that shocking yellow is a welcome sight after months of only brown and green.

I can see through the front windows that the snow and wind are picking up big time. Let me go see what the temperature is on the porch. 4:30 PM and it is 38, although with the wind chimes going crazy, I am sure it feels far colder. That said, I see a tiny bit of light coming into the sky so who knows what will happen next?

Look at this!

The tiny little strawberry is so cute.

Bruce told me my last post was long and for that I apologize but I can't help my enthusiasm with every thing I see! Like our new town signs that Laura worked on with Chad our city manager. We just love them.

There are three of them along the "four lane" and I feel it gives us a little more modern look. 

We did have a lovely week which included a trip to our neighboring town where we roamed an antique mall that I reminded Bruce we stopped at on our very first trip to Murphy. What is it with me that I am drawn to strange women figurines?

Made in Switzerland is stamped on the feet.  The other acorns and stuff are from a hike and the dried hydrangea came from last year's bloom. See, I love everything!!

Obligations for one thing or another have kept us from roaming around but on this trip, after eating lunch at a place Cobby and Diane recommended, called Hoke Poke,

we drove back to Murphy on a road we'd never been on before. Oh man, I sometimes forget how lovely it is here.

Everywhere you look there are blooming trees.

Yup, Cherry Farm began in 1900. A few readers are from Europe so that may seem very recent but in this part of the country it is old. Before the TVA, development was very much a slow going affair.

We drove up a hill to a church that overlooks a valley and small lake which is also no very common here. Creeks, rivers and streams are more numerous. In fact aside from the lakes created by dams I can't think of any other natural lakes.

How about these pretty cows?

It's an exciting time here and even more so once we get past this cold front that is taking its' toll all over the country. 

Snowing again. 

Fallon sent me a video this morning and Christian said bubble. Bubble!!

your friend,

Gail