Thursday Morning

Before we get into things, I just want to say that I really like typing. I learned how to type in 11th grade at Melbourne High School, under the tutelage of Mrs. Ketchum. The following year I was her student assistant. I'm not even sure if they teach typing any longer. I know Jonathan can type like a madman although he took no formal classes. His education came from playing computer games incessantly. So, there you go.

Anyone who lives in Florida, or for that matter, spent time in Florida during the summer, knows that this

is not a welcome sight when one plans to spend time outdoors. For those of you who don't understand the photograph, let me explain. It means it's humid on the other side of that door. Seriously humid. Not what I was hoping to see on the morning I do yard work. It was sweltering. We've been having record heat, however, the humidity has stayed away until yesterday morning. Yikes!

It was a good thing I did most of my mowing on Tuesday evening while there was a breeze. Once again I was making that tomatillo salsa I showed you last week. While waiting for the veggies to cool, I decided to get out there and mow. Oddly, Francis and Meghan came up to me while mowing saying they wanted to see Baxter. I sent them inside to do just that. By now it was about 7:40 and I'd had no dinner. Going inside myself after putting the mower away I was surprised they didn't want to leave. I began blending the salsa, asking Francis, the dietician, if she ever made salsa. "I don't cook much." What sort of dietitian doesn't cook I ask you? How can they serve healthy foods??? What gives here? I finally had to kick them out around 8:15 because, as I explained, I needed to eat dinner and bedtime was fast approaching. Weird.

Nancy must have been reading my mind when she sent me  this: From Scratch. By no means do I make everything from scratch, but I make as much as I can that way. Bar-b-que sauce, salad dressings, my new favorite--french bread, salsas, desserts, well--you get the picture.  For the most part, I like to know the ingredients, or at least be able to pronounce them!

While working in the yard yesterday, (planting more flowers,) I saw an unfamiliar bird,

perching in the tabebuia tree. I suspect you are wondering about those dangling brown things. They are seed pods. Lois, of the Master Gardener fame, came by and I asked her about those pods. Should I cut them off? She said, only if I want to. Seemed like everyone was out bright and early yesterday morning--Regina, Wanda, Ginnie, all out and about in the insufferable humidity. Usually I just roll out of bed, make tea, throw on my work clothes and am out the door. In other words, not dressed for company.

I'm thinking this is our now grown up Junior. Taken through the window as he seems shyer these days:

I have to try and fit my lens through the blinds which is a bit of a pain, worth it though.

Arriving at the Polasek on Tuesday, I saw a hibiscus I'd not included in my hibiscus line up. This is one gigantic bloom! Interesting in that there is no center color at all. Including the dianthus gives you an idea of scale. Seriously, the flower is about the size of a luncheon plate!

After yard work yesterday I spent some time trying to dream up interesting wine bottle shots with limited success. You may or may not know this, forgive me if you do, but I sell a fair amount of cork and foil shots. People are always asking for bottles...As such I collected some empties, filled them with colored water and began arranging:

It is much harder than it looks. Getting the lighting right is crazy hard. I began in my office, making the mistake of getting too close to the bottles while wearing my bathing suit for my planned swim. Thus, I was reflected in seven bottles wearing, not really a bikini, but a two piece anyway. Not good. Trying to make something look like more than an advertisement is no easy task. While working on that, the skies darkened and Hallelujah--they opened up!

Although the new umbrella is in the ground, it's large size makes me nervous as it whips around in the wind. Always thinking of blog photos, I used my already set up tripod for this shot.The wind and rain  were impressive, just not enough. We have been pretty desperate for rain around these parts and not just for my plugs and flowers. Wildfires are a real threat when it gets so hot and dry. For weeks now, there have been fires raging, especially near the coast.

While we're running this gardening subject into the ground, I can't imagine that I lived for SO many years with only green. I am planting color wherever I find bare dirt. Calling yesterday morning, Angela said the Strombergs were worried--our garden is upstaging theirs. Imagine that?

P.S. I really didn't intend that pun in the last paragraph; I like it though.