Urban Nature

Sunday, while talking to the gentleman with the sugar gliders, I asked him what would inspire someone to carry around a pouch with four tiny marsupials, name them, and in general, treat them as pets. He responded by saying that his children were now grown, and these were his "replacement children." Well, he didn't really call them that, I did, however, that was his implication.

No one would ever accuse me of not loving my children, in fact, in my younger days I was a real "mama bear!" Woe to anyone who thought ill of the Peck boys! Bruce was my tether, keeping me from both embarrassing the boys, and myself. But this mama bear knows that all good things must come to an end, and by the grace of God, all four of our sons have made their way into the world, leaving the nest as it were. So, there are no replacement children around, if you don't count Baxter, and I don't, instead, there are natural delights found just outside our window.

Earlier this year, I was bemoaning the fact that I saw no cardinal nests in our yard for the first time in many. Well, I was wrong. Apparently they fooled me this spring because Wednesday evening, while fixing dinner, look what I saw through the glass door!

Oh my gosh it was so cute watching them!!! She looks to be about teenager age by now. Where has she been hiding???

Sunday morning the lawn sprinklers run, and while looking out my same kitchen window, I saw a butterfly kind of scooting on the deck. It is hard to describe, but the water was sprinkling like mad, and I thought the butterfly was in some sort of trouble. Shows you what I know. After the water stopped I went outside to investigate, finding the butterfly attached to the bottom of a shrub.

What do you think this meant? I'm fairly confidant butterflies don't eat little worms, just as I'm pretty confidant they are not rescuers of the same. It was while I was getting ready for the market, or should have been, but I just couldn't resist going out multiple times to see what was happening. Probably about a half an hour later, the worm was gone.

This was very low to the ground, so you can imagine anyone watching me, practically on my belly taking these photographs, would think I'd gone plum crazy!

Birds have been plentiful of late, both in the trees and on the bird feeders. Regina loves the seed pods on a tabebuia tree which form after blooming, staying there for quite some time. This little Carolina Wren seemed to as well.

It is not often that I post photographs of Blue Jays because, frankly, they are sort of the bullies around here, and I've never been fond of bullies. That said, I've taken two pretty decent BJ photos of late, one sort of pretty, while the other is intriguing. You decide which is which! This big boy is just below the back yard feeder on a pot of marigolds planted by Mr. Peck.

He has convinced me to add more and more flowers, claiming my little garden was entirely too bare. I kept saying I didn't know where else to put anything, however, he proved to be right. The various flowers are growing all over each other.

The kind of flowers I'm most fond of re-seed themselves like this little pretty which arose from the dead. Aren't they sweet?
 Don't think I've forgotten the second blue jay--ta da!

The other evening we ate dinner in the sunroom because there were several colorful frames drying on the kitchen table where we normally sit. My chair faces the yard, and of course, one of the feeders. If you are squeamish you may want to close your eyes and scroll down quickly. In a post on urban nature I feel compelled to show both the good, and the bad!

Needless to say, this did not a thing for my appetite!! Plus another one showed up!!! E gad! Make them stop!!! And to that I will add Bruce is doing what he can.

All those flowers have been attracting butterflies as well--hurray!

More please--that's the kind of nature I prefer in our yard.

Speaking of pets, most mornings when I'm riding, I see cats out and about. It's not often though that I see one that is this shade.

Lots of mixed breeds out in the streets.

Speaking of which, it is time for me to get out on the street myself before the heat of the day becomes more than I can bear. I hope you've enjoyed the urban nature around us, and you can count on more in the future as it is ever changing. That said, let's hope I have no further rat photos to post!!

A Trip to Gainesville

Just a reminder, don't believe everything you read on the internet. Although the art show site claimed pedestrian traffic upwards of 130,000, my experience this past weekend tells me that number is more than a slight exaggeration. In fact, Saturday there were very few people until two hours after opening; I can't remember another show beginning as slow as this one. My preparation for big crowds was a little misguided. Before you get all worried, I ending up doing about what I normally do at most shows. 100 items left our booth, making packing up for our return home a little easier.

Photographic evidence below:

I'm standing in front of my booth to get a "crowd" shot! NOT! And the other way:

To be fair, I'm not so sure I was in the mood to do this show. Last week was so stressful around here that I may just have been grouchy, looking for things to criticize.  Let's go back in time a few days and see how things went, shall we?

Friday, after nearly two weeks, our neighbor Ely took the giant oak tree down. One minute it was there, and several hours later, it was gone. :(

 

 Fortunately, there are were two big oaks, so it is not as bad as it could be. Just beyond the palm tree--that's the oak that is no longer providing shade for our sun room. Furthermore, I've always enjoyed watching the golden pathos growing on the tree; the source was a long forgotten hanging basket from Matt's dorm room at FSU. I'm going to miss that tree, as are our birdie friends! Speaking of birdies, while washing dishes at the kitchen sink, I saw a little Carolina Wren hopping on the porch and walkway.

They are lively little birds and this one was no different, picking up pieces of leaves and such that were nearly as big as she is. Well, there's a reason I kept seeing her/him....later I discovered a nest atop our door lintel! That must be one heck of a compact nest up there! You WILL be kept in the loop on this one.

Several inches of rain fell between Wednesday and Thursday, while Friday morning looking pretty much the same. Our weather guys predicted a clearing as the day wore on, turning into beautiful spring weather for the weekend. All good. Except, as I drove towards Gainesville, my handy car thermometer told me the temperature was dropping. I was wearing shorts and my new Out & About Photography t-shirt; Bruce, jeans and a t-shirt. First we checked in, getting our packet of rules and such. Finding our assigned spot, was I ever freaking out when I saw it because--this might be hard for you to visualize, but I'll try. Behind our space, smack dab in the middle to be precise, sat a huge palm tree surrounded by bushes. NOT GOOD. See, you have to unload your vehicle, stacking everything behind where your tent will set up, then move your vehicle out of the street. Making more sense? I went in search of the organizers, and lo and behold, they moved us down the way. Our new spot had a lovely expanse of grass behind our space, allowing for said unloading, as well as a place to put chairs during the show. So, that made me grouchy, as did the cold weather. Thank goodness that at the last moment, just before leaving home, I put a chambray shirt in the car which warmed me a little. Poor Bruce had to tough it out. Around 7:30, two hours after our arrival, we closed up the tent, deciding to finish the final details in the morning. Guess what? It started sprinkling....

By now, I'm cold and hungry. And this is supposed to be fun? Faithful readers know differently--art shows are a heck of a lot of work. For me, the potential payoff is usually worth it, but for other artists, they not only go to the work and expense, but their payoff may not come at all. It is not uncommon for people on either side of me to sell little to nothing at a show. The painter next to me sold not one thing all weekend. How sad is that?

Well, anyway, Jonathan happened to call just as we were leaving the area which couldn't have come at a more opportune time as we were pretty well lost. Not really lost, but we sure weren't sure which way to get to the hotel. He walked me through using the Google map on my phone-- a great comfort. Finally dinner and bed. Except then I didn't sleep well due to excessive coughing. One other minor catastrophe occurred when we discovered that neither of us had packed a phone charger!

Waking up at 6:30, I looked like a worn-out dishrag. Chipper Mr. Bruce fetched hot tea from the lobby, all the while encouraging me that once I'd showered, I'd be like a new person. He was partly right. :) Making our way, once again to downtown Gainesville, I sat in the car, with the engine running, for nearly an hour to charge my phone! Perhaps you're wondering why? My credit card gadget! What else could go wrong? Nothing, I'm happy to report.

My first sale was a larger canvas which was a promising start. Buyers started trickling in and out of my tent, and day one ended. The artist dinner and awards happened next. Naturally I wasn't expecting to win a prize, so I was not disappointed. You can imagine we both slept well. Typically Bruce has never stayed with me all day because he's been too busy, but not so this weekend. He was a wonderful help when I needed it!

The highlight of Sunday was seeing an old friend from my x-ray taking days. It's a shock that I even recognized her as she started to walk by wearing sunglasses. Terri and I worked together at Winter Park Hospital maybe 20 years ago? Her Mom was visiting from South Carolina and I convinced them to pose for a photograph.

Apparently she's been living in Gainesville for the last 12 years and is still doing mammograms! Just to the right of Terri's Mom, outside the tent is our saleless (is this a word?) next door neighbor. I still feel bad about that except for one thing. While Bruce was chatting with him, for some reason he showed him a few of my prints, which he began critiquing. This morning I told Bruce how weird that was for someone who sold not one thing to be critiquing my things. I guess it takes all kinds.

The weather remained good all weekend despite the chilly start and finally 5:30 arrived and it was all over. Packing and loading went really well and Bruce was able to bring the car right near our space because earlier in the day he paid $10 to park it really close. That same lot had one of the more interesting things I saw while there--a purple bicycle!

Insisting he was good to go, Bruce drove, and before you know it, the two hours was up and we were ready to exit the Turnpike,

for the final stretch. Arriving home around 8:30, we ate popcorn (!), watched a CNN special about MLK and went to bed!

Because I was practically worthless most of last week, it felt good to empty the dishwasher, do some cleaning, and buy groceries this morning. To tell you the truth, I'm glad we won't be doing another show until Mother's Day in Lakeland.  I'm ready for a vacation!

Two Movies in One Day

I wanted to like both films I watched yesterday more than I did.

For those of you afar who were worried about Tropical Storm Isaac and Central Florida, you need not have because it was a total "non-event" around here. Yes, there was some rain, yes, there was a little wind, but nothing really out of the ordinary for our region in the summer. 2 1/2 inches of rain fell in about 24 hours which is really not that much. Or, at least that's what fell at our house according to my handy-dandy rain gauge.

That's not to say that it wasn't dreary because it sure was. I don't like dreary days one bit. This morning, while riding my bike, I realized that perhaps the reason I felt so dreary yesterday is because instead of changing into my shorts soon after getting up, I stayed in my robe until maybe 11:00 in the morning. Now, for some this may be no big deal, but I'm kind of a doer in case you haven't noticed. When I can't be doing, I feel a bit out of sorts. And, of course, Mr. Bruce is in California fighting his own battles.

My sunflowers are slowly dying, and I'm thinking I like their aging look, which of course means, let's take some pictures!

Fooled you, didn't I? Although it looked pretty good in the original, I thought the black and white fit yesterday's mood. I put it in front of the front door, which not only had rain drops, but was fogged up from the humidity. During a little break in the rain action I took the macro lens outside to see what I could see. Rain drops hanging onto the Nandina berries is what I saw.

About a month ago I took the screen off my kitchen window figuring I wasn't going to be opening it any time soon. Why bother? Well, lots of the bird pictures you see I've taken through the window glass; having no screen helps improve my chances of getting anything. A darling little Carolina Wren perched for a moment on my little bird house in the yard.

This is one tiny bird who moves very quickly indeed. Out back I saw yet another bird feeder casualty, and of course one of these guys is to blame.

Our very own backyard Nik Wallenda! Except ours needs no stabilizing bar! Really, I can hardly believe they can crawl on this wire suspended over the yard, but here's the proof that they can!

All of which led me to watch a movie; one I think I bought cheap when our neighborhood Blockbuster, now the new Applebee's, went out of business. Which means, I've had it for quite some time and never watched it. "A Single Man" starring Colin Firth had to be good, right? It was, and it wasn't. Stylistically it was incomparable; the scene when he and Julianne Moore do the twist was fantastic. The problem for me was it was almost too styled. I felt George's pain, who couldn't? Yet, somehow, the idea that he should have a heart attack after he fails to carry out his suicide plan seemed just a bit too contrived. I'm sorry if you loved it and I'm way off base. Perhaps it was my dreary mood.

Which, although I enjoyed meeting up with Bev and Linda at the Enzian, the film we saw did nothing to lift my spirits. In fact, it was depressing. I'm actually one who loves depressing movies, but "The Queen of Versailles" left me with more questions than answers. I questioned the film makers motives, the Segals for allowing the film to be made, and really, what were we supposed to glean from the excess the movie shows? Of course it is set in Orlando. Actually, their house is in a tiny town called Windermere which is about 25 miles from Orlando, but still. I've driven by their current home when I was going to my Biology professor's home in Windermere, however I've no idea where "Versailles" is. When asked why he was building such a large home, David Segal answered, "because I can" which pretty much sums it up. But, the real problem is, that although he did it on a humongous scale, other folks without means did it too. How else to explain someone making $40,000 a year thinking they could afford a $300,000 house? Everyone lays the blame at the banker's feet which to me seems a bit of a stretch. See it if you like, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Folks are seeing it in droves if our local theater is any indication. Thinking a stormy Monday night might be just fine, the line was long when Bev arrived. Amazingly some folks asked her if she wanted a free ticket which she accepted in a heartbeat! I was the last to arrive but Bev was kind enough to have purchased my ticket and in we went. The place was packed, the service was slow, and to cap things off, our checks came moments after the film ended. As we were settling things up, a server asked us to leave because another big crowd was waiting to get in. Go figure. Did I mention she shared her good fortune only charging me for half the ticket price. She's like that.

I went to be shortly after I returned home and woke up this morning to a new day and no rain. Into my shorts, camera in my basket, and off I rode through the neighborhood. It is a touch cooler right now but boy howdy, this humidity is something else. While I was out I took this which makes me wonder.

The scarecrows I got because there is an overgrown garden, but the chairs on the shed roof left me shaking my head.

"The Art of Fielding" is on my nightstand so I know what I'll be doing tonight. Do you?

953

Can you believe that this is post 953? My goodness, either I'm a fool or diligent, one or the other!

The lawn is done and the laundry is drying on the line in the breezy, sunny weather. As well, the Chinese Tallow Tree is finished shedding, allowing for maximum sunshine on the clothesline. I suspect with the low humidity the clothes will be dry in no time.

The leaf drop was oh so colorful. The day the carpet layers were here was rainy and gloomy as I mentioned. Mostly I was right there with the guys but at one point I decided to empty the pool skimmer basket. And what should I see in said basket?

Indeed, he was swimming around amongst the fallen leaves as well as a multitude of ants. I'm wondering where all these ants came from....note to self...find out. See the white on his back? I'm curious if that is salt. Anyway, I'm not one for picking up creatures with my hands. Instead I looked to my newly organized tool drawer and figured this slotted spoon would do the trick.

Out of the water and he's off and running.

Presumably into the bushes and from there is anyone's guess.

Yesterday morning I walked into my office and found a ROBIN flying around. Shutting the door quickly I went to get my camera off the kitchen counter where I keep it for bird sightings. Seriously, it never occurred to me to need it in the office. Poor little birdie, he flew around lighting on the blinds and drapery rods. I only spent a moment before calling out to Bruce in his office. Between the two of us we helped guide him through the open back door where we're assuming he came in.

Unfortunately, the bird left evidence of his presence on my computer monitor, the freshly painted wall, and my desk. Actually, I just leafed through the Audubon guide and it is not a Robin, nor can I find the identification. Maybe my friend Linda will know. Kind of ironic he landed near all the other feathers I keep. Upon further investigation Bruce and I think perhaps it is a Carolina Wren. This site seems to confirm our suspicions.

After the bird hullabaloo, I got to work on prints, prints, and more prints. What you see here are some of my most popular prints which will go with me to Mount Dora.

All of my baskets are arrayed on the floor waiting to be sorted. While signing the prints I made a few much needed phone calls to two of my bridge buddies. You may remember Debbie who last May was diagnosed with breast cancer. Sadly she is still undergoing treatment, however, she's doing it with aplomb. Absolutely no complaining on her part. At one point she said she wished she had hair, but then again it's only hair. I replied, "you are a woman after all. It's perfectly natural to want your hair!"

As well, last week Jean had open heart surgery for the second time. Once when she was 43 and now again at 70. She too was in good spirits. Amazingly she was out of the hospital in no time with the incision glued together. That's right--glued. My, oh my!

For dinner I used one of my coveted packages of Nando's seasoning packets on a whole chicken. I love how the instructions say to put it on anything you can get your hands on. I couldn't agree more. Graphic photograph ahead my vegetarian and vegan friends!

Good grief it was delicious! Mashed potatoes and brocoli as sides and we were in heaven.

Before I get back to signing, stickering, and sorting I wanted to show you a few things I found during the "move." Here's a darling little Easter card Mr. Bruce made when he was just a young whippersnapper.

Pretty impressive that the egg shells have stayed on there so long!

While organizing the closet I was considering getting rid of all my Mom's old sheet music until Angela talked me out of it, saying perhaps I might sell it on eBay. Maybe so, maybe not. Until such time I'll use it for photography, although this one might look very cool framed.

Some of my Northern friends are requesting blue sky photographs. Here's a partially blue one:

Finally, two Christmases ago I gave Matthew some green produce bags that claim to keep produce fresh for much longer than any other storage method. At the same time I bought some for myself, using them only sporadically so I had nothing concrete to report about their usefulness. Well now I do. These strawberries were in one of those babies for a week and look as good as new.

May I please have a second finally? The closet produced all sorts of mementos carrying me down memory lane. Not too far for this one though because as I may have told you in the past, my parents marriage was always shrouded in mystery. I'm not sure if I ever saw this wedding picture until they both passed away. I give you my parents:

Voting on the agenda next.

loving this winter,
Gail