The Hunter Moon and a Holter Monitor

 How is that for a snappy title? It got your attention didn't it? 

Let's get started shall we? 

I will admit, I have missed seeing sunrises and sunsets with ease while in the mountains. I did see a pretty one when we visited John and Tammy's mountain top home for dinner one night and by golly, I believe I never shared that experience in this space and I should have because not only was their hospitality over the top, but their view was as well. (no pun intended!)

Pretty beautiful isn't it? They are a super nice couple who are from, you guessed it, Florida! As were most everyone we met, most because we did meet a few folks who were born and raised in Murphy, however, they were few and far between. 

Anyway, back to our view of the sun and the moon here in Orlando, there was a beautiful sunrise over Lake Willisara one morning last week. Oh how I love that lone pine tree!

Speaking of that pine tree, look who I found atop said tree. Presumably getting ready for some nest building for the upcoming season.

Watching the two Great Blue Heron hatchlings grow up this Spring was such a treat.

And then there was the Hunter Moon rising over the lake last evening just after 7:00. A sight to behold if you catch it just right, some months are better than others. This one was stellar!

As night fell it took on an orangish glow that I captured with a zoom lens.

How about that, just what I needed to segue into what we did last Saturday where orange, my favorite color, was ever present. The opportunity presented itself so let's do it! Calling Shirley to invite her to join us, we drove over to a warehouse/restaurant space across from Lake Formosa, not far from where the old "Orlando Youth Center" was located, a blast from our past. As in, when we were teenagers! But I digress...

The owners of the Orlando Magic bought a Major League Pickleball team and named them the Orlando Squeeze. I suspect I've told you this before, so I won't belabor the information, but I will tell you that the Squeeze recently won the huge tournament held in Atlanta. The young Devos couple told us that they had three days to come up with a name and logo. They did good.

For the event, they brought in three out of the four team members with folks having the opportunity to hit with them, or in the case of Zane Navaratil, to try and return his wicked serve. Maybe three out of twenty were able to and that is why it was made illegal in a game!  There were loads of young families which was nice to see and even they tried to hit with the pros. I was dying seeing this little boy and his Dad. What can I say, I've a soft spot for little boys!

People lined the court for the opportunity to participate,

and eventually your favorite bloggers own squeeze tried his hand at hitting a ball into the buckets.

It was not meant to be, not only for Bruce, but most others as well. No pressure with all the folks watching? You think? It was a super fun time and we will be rooting for them as the next tournament is this upcoming weekend. Oh wait...there's FSU playing football. Not to mention we have discussed returning to North Carolina next weekend. Hmmm....

One weird thing happened as we were driving home and I will admit, after so many months away, it was very jarring. Traveling down Mills Avenue, all of a sudden a gang of bicyclists appeared in the northbound lanes, as in at least 200 which you cannot tell from the photo, but the three of us agreed it was at least that many in person.

Had they stayed in their lane it would have been less scary, but they were weaving in and out of traffic on our side of the road! We could find nothing online to explain what we witnessed and hopefully we won't come across something like this again any time soon!

Pumpkin patch!! Grace Covenant Presbyterian Church! Peel Avenue! Where we were married!!

I am mighty glad that destination weddings were not a thing when we were young because I do love seeing the church where we began our married life. Silly thing aren't I? Nostalgic, that's for sure!

Michelle is in the process of making their rental a home and with that in mind she asked me for some black and white flower photos that she could make into canvases to create some drama in the dining room. Although this shot came from Florida, you can imagine that I went back in my library to our time in Vancouver, the place where flowers are so abundant and large it is unreal. Then I spent some time admiring the beautiful Autumn foliage there.  (this one did not make the cut)

Pink, wow, this native grass is most definitely pretty in pink. I have seen a lot of it blooming in town.

Blooming, does that seem like the right term for grasses? Maybe. I suspect Google could help me with that, but I am typing as fast as I can because it is nearly time to leave for church so should you be interested go for it!

Around the house, while watching Florida State yesterday afternoon, for once they seemed in no danger of losing leaving me free to divide my attention to some organizing beginning with my sewing box and ending with a small part of my fabric stash. Both were in disarray and now I will be able to find things once again.

Bruce, using a sewing tool that was in orderly shape because the clips are contained in their own box, used a bunch of them to repair the handle on this one of a kind Coach bag he bought for me when our Mom was still alive! I remember that so well because she once sold handbags at the Belks store in Colonial Plaza and loved handbags. In other words a long time ago. 

The lining, which seemed to be made of cork, had disintegrated allowing the handle to separate. It worked perfectly and looks brand new. Brand new. Isn't that a crazy term? As in how it came from the factory?

Another thing I wanted to share and it is not nearly as colorful as the photo above, (as an aside you might note Bruce wearing his Orlando Squeeze shirt), is this orzo salad made with radishes and chives. A light lemon dressing using a touch of mayonnaise to hold it together,  this unique combination made for a very refreshing side dish. I cannot remember what else I served with it, but I'd never made it before either. After fifty years of making meals for us, it is rare that we have something out of the norm. I guess I am still not too old to learn new tricks!

My last post included lots of blooming flowers and I forgot to include this beauty found in the pots gracing the sidewalk leading up to the church steps.

The color was off the charts, however this morning it was beginning to lose it's vibrancy. Years and years ago a version of this lily was one of the first photographs that I made into a print. When I began taking photographs in earnest, some 16 years ago, I knew very little about the natural world. I knew stuff about the arts like literature and music, however I spent very little time studying the world around me. Too busy with my nose in a book is the truth of the matter. Then, of course, there is the matter of raising four sons which did take a bit of time! 😁😁Once I began practicing, every flower became a wonder to me, the colors, the complexity of blooms, the insects they attracted, I loved it all. Still do for that matter. You might think I would have lost some of my zeal for discovering and noticing new things, but with so much time on my hands, I suspect the fervor is even more so. We sang a little song today at church about each little flower or tiny wing and I was right there...it is all so miraculous to me. I have always hoped that a tiny bit of my enthusiasm would make it's way into this space. 

Boo hoo, we heard from Hank this morning that the peak color has already occurred. ( Not ideal, but hopefully some beautiful leaves will be remaining when we return) It is going to be mighty cold in Murphy next week to the tune of a predicted low of 23 one night!! All that sorting I did on Saturday produced the boots I purchased while we were in Vancouver. Hopefully they will be enough!

I was having lunch with Suzanne on Wednesday when Bruce called asking for my help on a rush job for the church. Actually we had just left Toojays, so the timing was right. Driving over to Winter Park takes about twenty minutes and once there, the two of us put these privacy screens together before a planned Friday wedding. Most definitely a two-person task. 

By the time we did the third one we had it down to an efficient system.

We have been super busy these couple of weeks between all sorts of activities. No pickleball for me, but I have found ways to keep myself occupied. The monitor was mailed out on Monday and arrived on Wednesday morning. The instructions were relatively easy, so I had it on in a few minutes.

Monitor attached I called the number to make sure it was activated. How weird is it to think that I put this on my chest and someone in Minnesota is paying attention to it? Weird in my opinion. Anyway the woman on the phone said I was meant to wear it for three days whereas my physician told me 48 hours. Okay, I will call the office and find out what has been prescribed. Leaving a message I assumed they would call later that day. Nope. I called again the next day and this time spoke with someone. Explaining my dilemma, she assured me my message would go to someone who for sure would respond. Except they did not. Because I saw the cardiologist at my doctor's office just down the street I drove over and explained my situation. 48 hours was only two hours away and what was I to do? Thank goodness for Dee, a Family Medical employee who went the extra mile to finally get someone on the phone who could answer my questions. One thing about all of these visits is that nothing that we do is free. In fact, most everything is wildly expensive and although we have insurance there is plenty that is not covered. Plus, unlike say when you go to purchase something and know exactly what you will be paying, medical costs are a complete mystery until you get the bill in the mail for what you owe. There is just so much that is wrong with the medical system. Perhaps I am much more aware because I worked in it before it became the monstrosity it is today?  (sorry something went awry with the formatting)

When I heard a radio commercial for Eliquis, my stomach turned. If the company can afford to advertise their medicine, surely they could charge less for said medicine. Grr....

It is mailed back and after a bit of an ordeal to get the tape off my chest, I now await the results. I'm thinking very positive, so you should not worry one minute about me. 

The nerve of the cardiology office to actually print on their paperwork that they are "a new era of cardiovascular care" and are "patient centered". What the hell does that even mean? You never return phone calls?

Rant over. 

Look how cute the Orlando Squeeze mascot is!

As soon as I have more to report I promise to do so.  

your friend,

Gail

p.s. The weather has been dry and warm with the end of hurricane season two days away. Plus, Florida State football is 8-0, a welcome change from two years ago! The sky is the limit!