Close to Home

 It only seems fitting that I should title this one, "Close to Home" because all of the photos are either taken inside the house, or outside of it. And why, pray tell, might that be the case? It is certainly not because it has been all that pleasant around here of late, although, it was a most welcome surprise that after days of absolutely unbelievable noise, Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday were blessedly silent. It almost felt weird. Today there is activity but it is not of the destructive kind so we are fine with it. Actually, the sound barely registers with Bruce, however, your favorite blogger thinks otherwise!

Stop the car honey, I have been dying to get a photo of the blooming Plumeria tree!

I've seen some beauties around town, but none that rival this one at LPV. So not technically just outside of our home, but still on the property. Seems to me that this year the blooms have been plentiful on all of the trees that I have seen.

I am undecided whether or not I agree with the assessment that cold sores can be brought on by stress or not. Seemingly that is the case with my latest, what with the condo hullabaloo and the construction. I felt it coming on early in the week and by Saturday, it was so darn ugly that I stayed home from pickleball, continuing that theme into Sunday when we stayed home from church. I used Abreva the moment I felt it coming on, my upper right lip btw, but it was pretty much useless. Before you go telling me to get some oral medication for it next time, I've heard that advice and am now heeding it for the next time. Thankfully, the big fat scab (sorry to be so graphic), came off overnight allowing me to once again show my face in public.   

In the meantime, I've amused myself with my surroundings. So thrilled to see the otter again. There is a large ripple effect when one is swimming in the lake and when I saw it over the weekend, I grabbed my camera, watching from the shoreline. When it began coming closer I positioned myself to get the shot when he came onto shore to either run to the other lake, or as was the case on this day, rub around in the dirt before darting back into the water.

Have you missed seeing ducklings like I have? Our upstairs neighbor Julie used to put feed out which drew lots of ducks that were great about producing ducklings. She quit some months before moving away, thus our duck population has diminished. That said, we do have two fake swans on the lake, so there's that!

Sherry put up a bird feeder between our new patios and was lamenting the fact that not nearly as many birds have come as she'd expected. I took this one,  through the screen, to show her this pretty little Downey Woodpecker who was enjoying her offering.

That's out back and here is what is out front. 

Female cardinals don't get much love but I think that they are pretty in their own right, don't you? I imagine not many folks get too excited about House Finches but don't count me amongst them. Since they have only just begun showing up, after four years of having a feeder, I celebrate them each visit.

They are a bit camouflaged, however, since I have a bunch of very smart readers who surely can play "where's finches" with me, that should not be a problem. Now if that orchid behind the red finch decides to bloom we are in a bit of a quandary. I will say that this year the birds are making quite the mess, requiring nearly daily clean up. They seem to very much like that type of sunflower seed.

Let's visit the kitchen next. I am here to tell you that these are the best tater tots in the freezer case at Publix. Oh how crispy and yummy they are. Don't ask me why I chose them over Ore-Ida this time, but I am glad that I did.

Around our house, if I think I will have room in the freezer for a bag of tots, I buy them because one never knows when one will get a hankering for a nice, hot and crispy, tater tot!

Do you think prices have gone up? Here's a great visual.

Needing to open a new bag while making some chocolate chip cookies over the weekend, I was stunned at the percentage of this hike in the price of brown sugar. It is really something, isn't it? While .70cents does not seem like a whole bunch for one item, when you multiply it by loads of things in your grocery cart and it can make for some dramatic moments at the cashier. As in, "can you believe how much these groceries cost???", says Gail under her breath to Bruce? We always go back to our early days of marriage, as one is wont to do when one ages, and compare living costs. Our wages no doubt were way less, but it is an interesting, albeit worthless, exercise. 

Oh my heavens, the grinding has begun above my head again. :(  There is some good news on the remodeling front though and that is the upstairs condo, adjacent to the one being remodeled, was sold and now it is not. Something about probate. I am so breathing a sigh of relief over that happy news. 

Well look what Bruce did for us...

While I searched my blog for when he last did the seat cushions on our kitchen chairs, I was unsuccessful. I can't really say how many years ago it was, but I can say that it has been a bunch and it was time for a refresh. I was so delighted when I found the new fabric, pictured on the left, at Joanne's, as it was not only perfect for our needs, but the cashier gave me 40% off with an in-store coupon. We began the project together but really, I was only in the way. Now we should be good to go for another decade or so.

The dining room table has been covered with puzzle pieces for two weeks or so. You don't need me to tell you who sorted this batch out do you? Hint, the name begins with a B.

In our bedroom, on the very table I am sitting at right this moment, I made a new bag to carry my pickleball gear because the last one I made turned out to be a wee bit too small. I used some of my vintage stash of fabrics and in a new twist, quilted this bag.

Should you be wondering, those are the handles pictured above. The pattern I use from this blog, has a very clever and easy way of making handles. 

For far more months than she expected, Nancy has been out with a bicep injury. Finally her arm felt improved enough to give pickleball a go again. At the same time, Bill injured his calf and was sitting out as well. Both of them joined me at the courts to practice and it all went well until we could no longer stand the heat at midday. I kid you not, it was extreme.

Much print has been used to talk about pickleball injuries and while no one would deny that you can get hurt, the reports, in my opinion, have been exaggerated. Millions and millions of people are playing every day now and it is only a handful that are injured. Plus, what would anyone expect when a bunch of old folks go out and run around gleefully? Perhaps you have read that the participants are getting younger and younger and that is the absolute truth. Loads of twenty somethings play at Dover Shores in the evening and on Saturdays. As you may recall, when we began going to Dover Shores the crowds were minimal, however, and this is a big however, that was a year ago and since that time more and more people have learned of this fantastic game either from a friend or a family member. This past Saturday, according to photographic reports, all courts were full (24) and there were 28 paddles lined up for people waiting to play. Simply remarkable.

I cannot remember if I documented this yet, but if I did so before, please forgive me. Our friend Connie's brother is one of Mayor Dyer's best friends. This came from her brother: When Mayor Dyer was leading a seminar in Washington, DC at the annual mayor's conference about how cities can manage the demand for pickleball, it was standing room only. Sadly, the seminars addressing far more serious issues went lightly attended. 

There's just something about this game....

Did you know that at one time I set up an Etsy shop, this is like when it first began, and I called it Peck's Pics, using a woodpecker as my symbol? Something like that. Well, I am still interested in woodpeckers.

Thinking of that took me down a little rabbit hole. I rarely Google my name, but I did so today and found that my publisher has my work on more sites than I even knew existed. Seeing this one on Art. com made me happy. I took this when we were celebrating an anniversary, probably, ten years ago. Our hands have aged since them. And here we are on the cusp of our 50th anniversary. Nancy was over on Saturday afternoon and I brought out a few of our old yearbooks. Closer to our anniversary I might spend some time typing the sentiments people wrote back then. Lots about us staying together forever. They had no idea how prophetic they would turn out to be.

The weather has been tolerable for the most part although today was meant to be rainy. So far, not much. Sort of like the red in the sky this morning.

A new friend, Mary, invited me to join her for a street photography workshop and while it might be fun, my computer is groaning over the volume that now exists on this machine, along with two external hard drives. 

And yet, I can't stop myself because I love taking photographs so much, even if it is close to home. 

your friend,

Gail

A Stressful Week

 Not to worry, we are physically fine.

Any number of things have brought unwelcome stress into our lives this past week, beginning with the upstairs remodel. To better understand my angst over the situation, you first have to know that having lived on the first floor for four plus years with nary a sound coming from above, the noise from a complete demolition of a 1,300 square foot space is a lot. Furthermore, I will admit to being sensitive to loud noises whereas Bruce, having worked in construction his whole life, somehow can tune it out. The noises, as I mentioned in my last post, began a week ago Saturday, Easter Sunday, and the remaining days of a normal work week, just not the normal hours. Instead they began at 8AM my friends, finishing up at 6PM. Hour after hour until every cabinet, door, floor, sink, bathtub...you get the idea, was removed. I will say that unlike what you see on television, they did a really neat job of things. All of the above was put neatly into the back of a big moving truck to be hauled away. That impressed me. As I type there is only the sound of scraping above my head. :)

Bruce and I work best when we stay on a schedule. In spite of what others say about retirees not needing to worry about setting an alarm clock, ours goes off every day at 5:45, allowing us enough time to prepare for the day ahead. That said, more than once this past week it has been raining or threatening to do so which has left us a little adrift. What else is there to do when you are fully dressed at 7am? To tell you the truth, I don't even know what we did those days. Today was the same with sprinkles happening as we drove to the courts, leaving them a little too wet for our liking. We take no chances because, Lord knows, we never want to go through any broken bones again! I did get an early start on this, however, a project, yet to be revealed, was begun here at home. More on that next time. All that to say, when our schedule is disrupted, I don't much like it.

Finally, the condo mess continues with some serious drama this past week. Because David is so entangled, we are, by extension. There are most definitely former friends pitted against one another. As you can imagine this has left us unsettled... 

So between the remodel, the condo troubles and the schedule not as we planned, it has been stressful, or at least that is how I am describing it. Should you be in my shoes, you might look at it entirely different. 

Good grief, do I sound like a whiner? Maybe so.

Joys, that is one thing our pastor mentions each week, joys and concerns. That is what I should have title this!! Because, despite my whining, lots of joyful things occurred. Speaking of church, here's our annual photo in front of the Easter Cross.

Our friend Cynthia, along with some other ladies, have blessed us so much with their gift of arranging flowers. Not only were there the two huge displays in front but another huge one below the cross.

I was nervous indeed that the flowers would be knocked off one of the tables as the children gathered!

Yesterday they did something no one has ever done before. Unfortunately my photo does not do it justice but it looked like a flower garden instead of a traditional arrangement. 

The swans were seen gliding along Lake Davis with their four cygnets in tow. 

Sadly, I have returned since taking the above, say five days hence and two of the cygnets are no more.

On the other hand, the mating birds seem to be seeking me out; I swear I've never seen so many before.

Just Saturday, while Bruce was working, I watched a pair of Anhingas, who btw, are quite boisterous, leaving no one wondering what was happening!

A joy for me this week was looking out the back window and seeing a swan on the lake. Hurray! Not too much longer I saw a second one sparking a hallelujah!! That is, until I learned that they were fakes from Thomas who fishes the lake multiple times a week. From afar they looked pretty darn good.

I began to suspect something was amiss when one, they never moved, and two, kept their distance from one another! From recent experience I knew that probably wouldn't be happening this time of year.

Well lookee here.

A few months ago this nest adjacent to the courts, was active and then I thought it was abandoned. Now I am not so sure as this happened last week. 

Lookee here, part two. A series.

It starts like this,

phase two:

phase three:

All I kept wondering about was not the drowning bit but those claws! A Common Gallinule, or some folks call them Moorhens.

I sort of wish I had not gone on my whining rant because, as I scanned through last weeks photos I realized I'd seen all sorts of interesting things. Interrupting the flow just now because I was searching for an event in my blog using key words. While what I was looking for did not surface, THIS POST from 2007 did. Oh my goodness, you must read it!! 

This happened while I was walking around Lake Davis. A goose whisperer perhaps?

For, maybe the last month or so, I have been searching for the hawks that inhabit a nest Peg told me about on the property. While I found the nest readily enough, the actual birds seemed to be AWOL. As such, while I was driving towards the gate while talking to Maryanne, I instantly said I would call her back. Finally, I was seeing one of the Red Shouldered Hawks on the nest. Jumping out of my car after stopping in an out of the way spot, I was so excited I left the car door open!  Anyway, I saw not just one, but two because the mate flew in while I was looking.

No eyas within view but a nice find nonetheless. Eyas??? Name for a baby hawk if you can believe it. Then it got super interesting as one of the parents decided having me thirty or forty feet below was too close for comfort. Hey you get out of here!!

And I mean business!

Oh yes indeed it was coming for me, and not just the one time!

I literally ducked,  finally getting the hint that I should leave ASAP.  And now you know why they are called red shouldered hawks.  Too bad it is a wee bit unfocused, but you get what you can when a raptor is coming for you.

I'm nearly done but not quite because I have two treats for you. One is a hummingbird's nest that we would have never found on our own except for the kindness of a stranger who took us to it. We were very blessed to have the hummingbird show up. It takes some searching to find it amongst the green.

So exciting, as was the privilege of seeing a Pileated Woodpecker family, thanks to Candy who posted her own terrific photos on facebook. After pickleball one morning, armed with cameras and a set of binoculars, we went to Mead Gardens hoping to see them ourselves. 

We found the site easily enough, but when we arrived there was no action at all. Several other birders were waiting patiently, regaling us with some of their own birding stories. Eventually most of them left, but our patience was rewarded if only for a quick moment. Mom arrived with food for her brood:

Hard to know if all three nestlings are getting the same amount of food as two of those seem to be making it hard for nestling #3 to get his share.

All that whining turned into something worth waiting for, right? So, if all that bird action wasn't enough to lift one's spirits, the sighting of this iris, that I might easily have missed, was a blessing for sure.

Thanks for sticking with my fussing which I will be trying very hard to curb. That said, the remodel is expected to last for at least six weeks, so I suspect I will have some ups and downs on that resolve. The sun has broken through the clouds so that's a start!

your friend,

Gail

Losing Track of Time

I cannot promise to finish this post in one session because I might go crazy before it is done. Above my head is the sound of demolition. Connie may have thought it was not much but that's easy for her to say because she is beside it, not under the noise! Jackhammers, that sort of thing. So, we shall see how far I go with this.

One huge blessing is that we have had a weather reprieve. The relentless heat and sunshine for the last month has been replaced, at least for a few days, with cool gray weather. Easter was like that for which I was grateful. Saturday was as hot as can be. Checking my closet for a Eastery kind of dress to wear, I tried on several sleeveless numbers. Waking up on Easter morning, I thought better of that idea and chose another dress with sleeves. One that I made while we were living in Vancouver where I had ready access to fabric galore. Ready might not be the word that comes to mind to some folks because, the truth is, it was a 2.5 mile walk to get to Dress Sew, but I became accustomed to it over time. It gave me a chance to cross the city and see what I could see. That store was the absolute best!!

As to losing track of time, most of what I'm going to report is a bit of a blur, timewise. Was it last week? The week before? Who knows? Does it even matter? Probably not. 

How about we begin with the herons? The nest was very active on this day. Perhaps the kids were trying out their wings before they actually had to use them? 

I only wish that I could see the nest better but seriously, I have every reason to be grateful that I have had a front row seat, albeit with the stage a good ways away, to witness the miracle of new life. We have done a bunch of that this year and I've been thrilled to share it with you. It is like your own nature show right here in this blog! 

I don't think I ever did show this neat sight.

The truth is that I take photographs of everything that interests me and unfortunately, most things do. Thus, the photos accumulate and I forget about them. That said, when I see them again, I can immediately identify where it was taken. I'm talking years and years ago. There's just something about the action of taking the photo that sears the memory into my brain. If only that held true for other things!

The best time of day to take a full moon photograph is at dawn. There's a wee bit more light to help a person out. Called The Pink Moon this month, should you be wondering.

What a great segue to the photo below!! 

Three of our pickleball buddies, part of the early bird group. When several friends show up in essentially the same color family, we love to take their photos. Maryanne, Karen and Terry, none of whom I would have ever met in my "real" life. 

The biggest news of the last weekish is David and Bill turned 44 on April Fool's Day. And no, we were not fooled, having learned in the fourth month that we were having twins. What a day that was! I can remember it all as if it were yesterday beginning with my friend Connie doing the ultrasound, a brand new modality at the time, and telling me she was pretty sure she saw two babies. I about yanked her arm out of the socket when I reached for it!! 

Well here we are all these years later celebrating at Bill's home with a cookout.

That would be their friend Eddie on the right, and Fallon's dad between them. It was a super hot day and some folks were happy to stay indoors.

Bill's wife Fallon is at the end of the table and Michelle, David's wife is across from Bruce. For those of you who have been with us on our journey for many years,  perhaps you might recall how awful the pool, and the back yard for that matter, looked when the work began. Now it looks amazing, as does all of the landscaping Bill has done himself. He definitely takes after his Dad in the hard working category!

Sometime, there I go again, not knowing when, but anyway, we followed Leigh after pickleball to her home in order for Bruce to give her some advice on a broken door. What a visit that was. The house on Lake Conway was built in the 50's on a huge lot. Her plantings are numerous, as are her neighbor Diana's. Squealing with delight she said, "you have got to see this Gail!" Holy cow, she was not kidding! 

Don't recognize this orchid because you have never seen anything like this before?? Astonishingly, it is called Dancing Lady and normally, should you be buying one, it might look more like this.

Maybe two or three stalks, not forty or more!! Both yards were wonderful with beautiful Caladiums in Diana's yard,

Florida Wild Orchids in the orange, along with multiple cultivated orchids in her carport/greenhouse.

Looks like a lot of blooms, right? We missed about half of them because they had bloomed earlier...one plant, mind you!

Leigh's backyard with the towering oaks that have been there for decades, one of which is shown below.

Absolutely magnificent in person. The inside of her home was filled with all manner of artsy touches as well as liberal use of her flora for,, dare I say, magnificent arrangements? 

Honestly, it was so good, I kept exclaiming over everything. Even the bunny rabbit in her yard brought delight.

While we were sitting on the dock beside the boat house, I kept watching Diana's bird feeders. But you knew that already, didn't you? If there are birds around, I will be watching! Eventually I got the shot I wanted of this Great crested flycatcher. Pretty, isn't it? 

Heading home after our visit, we drove by what I am calling the last cows in Orlando. Maybe I am wrong about that, but I don't think so. Where we used to see them on Judge Road has been paved over with huge warehouses. Let's enjoy seeing them while we still can!

Perhaps they moved those Judge Road cows to this field? I'm not sure, but I will say I was delighted that they moved close to the road in their field. In truth, so close that I had to reach over the barbed wire fence to get these shots.

That face!!

This face!! In keeping with our new life theme of late.

I would be remiss if I did not recount that we went to a super fun boiled dinner in Keith and Patty's backyard with two other pickleball couples. It is such a cozy space I am jealous every time I am over there, longing for my own home.

Of course there are many advantages to living in a condominium, so don't think that I am unhappy at all. Well, a wee bit. Liz and Ann asked how the election turned out and sadly I told them that we were unhappy with the outcome. Still are for that matter, but as is always true about most everything...this too shall pass!

Look at my begonia!! Isn't it something?

Earlier today I was showing someone our condo and she was surprised at all the color we have used. I explained that we cannot live without color and would be so unhappy in an all gray home. Thus, the above plant makes me very happy.

But I do appreciate elegance when I see it. 

Do you feel the same way about magnolia blooms? And the fragrance!! Such the bonus! 

I made it!! The banging has ceased and here we are at a good stopping point. I dare say I will be making dinner in peace and quiet. And while using the screen door. 

Score!

your friend,

Gail

p.s. Should you be interested, Great Blue Herons stay "nestlings" for 60 or more days. I'm going to guess it won't be long now and they will be gone for good. How the heck do they know where to go???