Photographs and More Photographs

We missed the sunshine last week with most days being rainy or leaden skies that would not clear.

 We don't do grey very well here in Florida. And while we do have plenty of rainy summer days, generally the sun shines at some point during the 24 hour period. Nada...not a ray of joy to be found. As such, I spent several days, and I mean days, deleting photographs from what I thought was my photo library. I thought wrong. Without getting too detailed, the over 4,000 images that I thought I was taking off of my desktop, I was removing from the "cloud". Apparently there is a very big difference between my library and my photostream, meaning that I still have all 50,000+ photos in my library that are backed up on not one but two hard drives. In reality, I have about three other photo libraries with untold thousands there as well!

Someone make me stop!! 

It began with me looking for bird photographs to add to a folder I'd created. Instead of just looking, I began hitting delete, delete, delete. Although I crave sunshine and being able to play pickleball, I used my shut-in days productively which is more than I can say about those sunny days! Finally, after a week of no pickleball, the sun appeared bringing temperatures in the low 40's. SO, I put on a pair of tights under my skirt and had Bruce take my photograph because there were loads of our crowd that went elsewhere and if I didn't have photographic evidence of covered legs, they would never believe me. And why is that you ask? Well, unlike most of the ladies, I just don't get cold enough to keep my legs covered ,whereas they all wear leggings. Me, I like the cold! Furthermore, I wish I hadn't because once I started running around, I was cursing my decision!

It may look as if the ball is about to hit my head, something that happens to me with frequency as I am what is called a "ball magnet", it is behind me having been hit by Rhonda!

My deleting exercise took me all the way back to the beginning of the pandemic when we first encountered empty shelves. (3/20) (note the one jar of Claussens which remain in short supply)

And here we are nearly two years later with these photos taken on a shopping trip to Publix last week.

ONE package of cream cheese!! When talking about the shortage, David looked into it and seemingly it has something to do with factories experiencing cyber attacks? I wonder if the same holds true for the cat food shortage?

At the checkout counter there was a list of about ten things, none of them related, that were in short supply and had restrictions on what an individual could purchase. We have been through some strange times in our time on earth, but nothing like this before. Then again, most of it is inconvenient, rather than life threatening like people living through war time have faced. Easy for me to say when I don't have a cat, right? Yvette said she's shopping all over town in search of cat food. 

Here's another good one.

Wouldn't that be a welcome sight? I think I paid about a dollar more per gallon for premium which is what the MINI calls for. 

Thank goodness we aren't doing this anymore!

I did not get rid of documentary photographs so if in the future, one of my children is asked what life was like during a pandemic, they will have my photo library to consult. Oh wait, they won't want to do that!! 

I am awaiting the jewelers call as to when he has finished putting my wedding ring together again.

All of the swelling has dissipated, leaving only soreness behind, especially on these cold, damp days! Speaking of my wrist, I received a hospital bill the other day. Yes, that is right, nine months later. Calling to ask what it was for, after 25 minutes of pleading for an answer, I hung up. Too damn frustrating!

The salt and pepper parade on the top shelf!

I may have to re-think that shelf, but for now, here is what I have.

It all began with that sailboat set Matthew gave me a few years ago. Same for the cookbooks but that's a story for another day. Anyway, it is super cute as are my little fishermen. The former came from a gallery and the later from a thrift store. Nadal and Crystal knocked it out of the park with the orange birdies they gave me from a dog watching stint we did a few years ago. I don't know where I would have put that hot dog set, but I suppose where there is a will there is a way?

Speaking of that idea, Bruce discovered a tub full of remaining small canvases which he brought home from the storage unit. Where could we use more art?? Our walls may be pretty full but using the will/way logic, he made some beautiful frames and we found two spots.

Doing the market one Sunday, someone came to my booth, noted the displayed street art photographs and proceeded to tell me about this wall in Winter Haven. You can bet that Monday morning I jumped in the MINI and high-tailed it to Winter Haven. The rain just added to the already interesting wall.

Secondly, I took this one in London. Who doesn't love heart art? Say that fast a few times why don't you?

Growing tired of looking at images, I began playing solitaire, an unusual pastime for me. That is except for when the bird lover in me finds a deck of Audubon playing cards at Marshals and must use them ASAP.  Aren't they gorgeous?

While they may be gorgeous, I believe they are cursed! Hand, after hand, after hand, so many I quit counting, were a bust. Honestly I have never played so many hands of solitaire in my life and it was not because I was winning! Eventually I was so desperate to win, maybe a slight exaggeration but still, I got out another pretty deck to try my luck. Whew! London for the win!! It was those beautiful bird cards after all.

Using something tactile makes me so sad sometimes as I think of how much our world has changed. Instead of beautiful or interesting cards, people stare at screens. No more beautiful pens/stationary, notebooks, well, books for that matter, to savor another person's creativity or skill. Modernity doesn't always mean beauty, but it does mean convenience which some would say is very much worth the trade off. Am I being an old fuddy-duddy?

It is highly unlikely that next Monday afternoon I will be sitting at my desk writing a blog post. And why is that Gail, you ask? Sadly it turns out that our plumbing issue is far more complicated than I ever thought possible. Maybe Wednesday or Thursday morning, Harvey Baker plumbing showed up with this in tow.

Running those hoses under the house, they used a high pressure nozzle to blast out the sewage pipe that runs beneath our building. Then they hooked it up to a camera that looks like this.

Following that procedure they brought it inside, using it to look into the pipe that runs along the wall through the hole that was cut two weeks ago.

The only good news that I have to report is that so far the only floor that will have to be cut into is exactly where the ladder and that young man is standing. To say that we are a bit dumbstruck is possibly a bit dramatic because, truthfully, from the beginning, Bruce had a hunch that it was more complicated than your average problem. So the plan is for Herbert to come next Monday and he and Bruce will cut into the floor, followed by the concrete slab, in order to expose the underlying pipe. Hopefully the plumbers will follow soon thereafter to diagnose and fix the pipe. As you can imagine, I am sick about the upcoming mess, but things could be far worse. Always.

On that note, another photo I came across that made me so sad was this one of the Darden gang.

That would be Neil in the white shirt who thought he knew better about vaccinations and didn't get one. You may recall that did not go well. So, yes, things could always be worse. 

Finally, ending on an upbeat note, the new net arrived!! Denny and Ryan are christening our new baby.

Let the games begin!!

your friend,

Gail

And the Beat Goes On

Let's see, where to begin?

When going back to read this post before hitting publish, I deleted an entire paragraph! Ugh! Anyway, as I recall, David is getting better, Nancy did not fare so well with her booster and this morning's visit with Maureen was very good. She was alert, bright-eyed, and more importantly, the head nurse came over to tell me that he calls her his "encyclopedia" because she knows something about everything. As her whole family can tell you, that is indeed the case, especially when she is doing as well as she is at this moment. I need not tell you that this gladdened my heart.

Although I took this photo of a Blue-winged Teal a few weeks ago, it never made an appearance in this space, so why not now?

Not what you were expecting, right? And now you know why it has the name it does!

May I present the Wolf Moon of 2022?

Here is a question for all you puzzlers out there....how long do you keep your finished puzzle together? I had to call for help on this one because I struggle with shapes, relying on color and patterns, and although I'd managed to get the solid black together, the blue was giving me fits.

Ta da! The finished puzzle! And by the way, I am becoming a slipper person in my old age.

My feet were showing the wear and tear from my court time, so rather than my typical indoor bare feet, I bought some slippers for the hardwood floors. Hard, being the operative word. As to how long I keep a completed puzzle on the table, about three days. If it is really hard, I might admire it for even longer. 

When last we met, we had made a trip to Green Springs Park in Volusia County.  Because the post was going on for so long I never got to tell you about our next stop in nearby Geneva. As it has been a mostly slow news week, let's visit it now.

Seeing it on the map, while it isn't at all our style, it could be fun to wander a bit on a beautiful day. I was right. Plus, reading that they had animals lured me in. Bruce was willing so now I'll show you a little of what we saw. I thought this was kind of clever.

Drat! Is it too small for you to figure out what exactly I thought was clever? "The Chick-Inn." 

Plus there were loads of goats.

I must not forget the four donkeys.

As to inanimate objects, there was plenty to see on that front as well. 

Roaming around a place like this, I am reminded that people will buy just about anything. 

Even used paint brushes.

While I knew that Scrabble tiles, and the board for that matter, can be different depending on where you purchase the game, I never knew that letters came in cubes. Did you? I remember when I first saw Angela's British version and the board had blue and green!

On a shelf above the cabinets I have about four pairs of what I consider clever or interesting salt and pepper shakers. Should we have more space I can see myself collecting more of them, however, I'm not sure if the lack of space kept me from buying this unusual set. Or is it because they are just silly?

They are pretty life-like though aren't they? Maybe I should have pulled the trigger after all. 

Should you find yourself in the area, it is not a bad place to spend a few hours. My sweet friend Sue, who up and moved to Montana two years ago, would have been in rust heaven!

So, when was the last time you actually looked at a pigeon? For my part, I'd have to say almost never UNTIL last week when I was walking around Lake Davis and took the time to observe their behavior. This puffed up guy was wooing a lady friend. Their colors are far prettier than I'd given them credit for.

Pretty neat, huh? 

Nancy just called and is finally feeling better after spending the weekend in bed. Reactions to the vaccine are so strange. One shot you sail through and then the next you are bed-bound. Very unpredictable isn't it? Kind of like sports which this past weekend provided some exciting proof of that fact. Wow! Generally I am not an NFL watcher, however, this weekend might have changed that for me.

Speaking of the weekend, we've had such outstanding weather of late that the gloomy skies and cold temperatures took us a bit by surprise. Skipping pickleball ,I spent the morning on housework, followed by a fun lunch to celebrate our friend Susan's speed limit birthday. (front right)

Meanwhile Mr. Peck did not skip pickleball and his afternoon included the installation of one of the little libraries.

Earlier in the week he'd devised a clever way to paint the door closures.

Sunday morning he got a message that there was a funeral at 2:00 and could he please prepare the columbarium site? Naturally he said yes.

Instead of driving home and back, we had lunch on Park Avenue, then read our books until the service was over when he could put it all back together again. How I got so lucky to have married such a good man, I can't tell you, but I sure am thrilled that we got together all those years ago. 

Speaking of putting things together, our pickleball group is thrilled that the regulation net that we pooled resources for has arrived and as I type, some of the guys are putting it together. Woo hoo!

When Matt and Tom called via Facetime on Saturday I told them that we've been having beautiful weather, the kind that makes more and more folks move to Florida. Wonder what they will think when May comes around? 

This week's blast from the past is from January 23, 2012. Our lives could not be any more different these days, that's for sure! 

your friend,

Gail

An Eventful Week

Cormorants! Plumbing problem! White Pelicans! Green Springs! Crows! White Peacock! David has surgery! Oh my!

Let's dive in, shall we?

When last I wrote, we were having some plumbing problems that Mr. Bruce could not fix. As is well documented in this space, if he cannot fix something, it has to be serious. Two plumbers from Emerald Plumbing arrived when they said they would which is always a good sign. Immediately, they went to work. After rechecking all the same things that had been done by the handy homeowner, they went out back to open up the sewer line that runs beneath our building.

Discovering some mud was a surprise, but nothing much otherwise. Next, they cut into the wall to reach the pipe that runs in the corner behind the medicine cabinet.

Running a snake down that line, the snake only went so far leading them to believe there was a blockage of some sort. As you can imagine, I was not thrilled with a hole in the wall, however, when I learned it was in lieu of cutting into the floor, I was all in. The next plan of action was to put a camera into the line, however, their camera was booked for the next two weeks leaving us in limbo. At this point the sinks were still not draining. Running into Sandy, she suggested that we get the office involved and they were fantastic, calling the community plumber who came within a few hours. The upshot is that the worse case scenario is that the sewer pipe would need repairing, meaning that our floors would need cutting into to reach said pipe. The best case scenario is that it was all a fluke and now that the sinks are draining just fine, we are get to go. It will be a week or so before we know so wish us luck!

In better news, the Cormorants and Pelicans arrived for a day.

Because all of our back windows face the lake, when there is action happening it is easy to spot. Especially when there are dozens and dozens raising a ruckus. They fly in from who knows where.

It was only for a day and a half, but during this visit I took far more photographs than anyone in their right mind would ever need! It is a frenzy with shorebirds from nearby lining the shore waiting for the fish to come their way.

On most days we may see one Egret or Heron, so how the nearby birds know to fly in, I have no clue. Remember the bird a day book Matt and Tom gave me for Christmas? It is fun with short entries about bird behavior that most books don't cover. On the day the entry was for a Mute Swan, of all things, the one we'd been seeing on our lake, who lately had been AWOL, returned.

I mention this because yesterday's entry was for the Great Cormorant! Good stuff.  While there is no mention of the link between pelicans and cormorants, from what I've seen here, they usually arrive together.

Furthermore, from what I've observed they get along just fine. That is, apparently not so much when a prized fish is involved.

I watched this pelican and cormorant skirmishing until the smaller bird won out.

As you can imagine, when about 100 birds arrive on our small lake it is pretty intense with the water birds and the shore birds all moving around.

And that, my friends is why I had to be late to join our friends for pickleball. You've got to get it while you can! The next morning it was back to being peaceful once again.

Although repeated many times, living on a lake is grand. The sky is enough to keep anyone entertained. Yesterday morning a cold front was coming through with rain and wind expected. Watching the storm clouds roll by is always a treat. 

Saturday morning it was chilly leading to rising steam,

which rose higher as the hour progressed.

Who isn't enthralled with the presence of sun rays? 

I can answer that one for you....my husband, whom I could not convince to come and see it for himself! :)

Most everyone who plays pickleball plays pickleball, eschewing practice because it is not nearly as much fun. Having said that, one who does love to practice is our son Bill who we meet at the courts multiple times a week. Having become an exceptional guitarist through countless hours of practice, he knows how valuable it can be. Let me tell you, he puts us through our paces with his hard hitting style.

I had my camera with me because I have been trying and trying to get a good shot of the American Kestral who has returned to the familiar perch where they previously nested. It is SO high in the sky and it is crazy hard for me to keep my camera steady, resulting in less than stellar images. I presume you have figured out that I will keep on trying!

Not only have the above mentioned birds been busy, we have had an abundance of crows making all sorts of racket.

In yet another bird related story, I became aware of there being a white peacock in the neighborhood I visit to observe peacocks. Holy cow, I counted 65 with some houses having 15 or more in their front yard! Hanging out, or laying down for that matter, they are found on a couple of streets and it took me driving down them all before I found what I was looking for. Although I've seen a white peacock at Gatorland, seeing one in the wild is a first for me. Mama seemed to be very protective of her "odd bird."

David had his shoulder surgery last week and it was tough sledding for some days, however, he has managed a shower which is a step in the right direction. Not his first rodeo with surgery, this time he is so very happy that since the previous one they purchased a recliner which has been a godsend. I'd said to Bruce the morning of the surgery, "I sure hope they can put our boy back together again." Seemingly, they have.

The Omicron variant continues to run rampant, hitting close to home when several of our friends have come down with it. While others have had close exposure, it seemed prudent to forgo getting together for a few days. Instead, we headed to Volusia County to a place Cynthia suggested. What a super interesting place Green Springs Park turned out to be. As to it being green, well see it for yourself.

Yes, that is a little gator floating around! What is so fascinating is that it almost glows. From talking to a park employee, we learned that it is vivid in the sunshine, not so much when it is overcast, so we came at a good time. As well, the color comes from sulphur.  In fact, the weather was glorious, something I will have to recall when August rolls around. Can you believe we are half way through January?? 

We walked the poorly marked trails a bit, deciding to turn around before we lost our way, ending up on the other side of the spring. You know how it is, when there are rules, in this case fences, some folks seem to enjoy doing just the opposite. We watched as the young man doing pushups climbed under the fence in order for his friend to film him in action. (see the red across the spring)

Can you imagine falling in?

While the water was something to behold, the old trees to be found there were as well. 

Old growth oaks with dripping sphagnum moss....it does not get more Southern than this.

We made another interesting stop on our drive back to Orlando, however, as this post has gone on for so long, that spot will be highlighted in my next post.

As to posts of old, this one from January 2014 brought back fond memories. What I wouldn't give to have a Painted Bunting show up here!!

your friend,

Gail