Industrious

Yesterday while I was wielding my new high pressure water wand on the house, cleaning off cob webs and such, Angela came over and called me just that, "industrious." Perfectly apt, or at least yesterday it was. You can probably guess what I was up to can't you?

This morning's drama centered around, would they, or wouldn't they? I'm referring to the Wednesday yard waste pick up guys, who by the way, work very hard this time of the year. Thank God for trash pick up! For some time now I've been requesting that Bruce get rid of the gigantic log pile, remnants of Hurricane Charley some 7+ years ago. Monday evening he did just that and set it out by the curb after stacking it oh so neatly.

Perhaps it's the time of the year but he got no takers. Originally he'd thought he'd have to take it directly to the dump, however, I suggested that we see what happened with the curbside pick up. Just as Bruce was leaving this at 7:30 this morning, the truck pulled up to our house. Although he was running a few minutes late for his general contractor continuing education points seminar (a mouthful!), he pulled over to help the guys load the truck. Peering out the window, I saw him in his dress shirt, slinging logs along with the two men. Apparently he recognized he was in their way and off he went. And so did the logs.

While he was unstacking them from the back yard, it was super gross with roaches and TERMITES in the logs. Yikes, am I glad they are long gone! So now that area is due for a perking up to go with the rest of the yard. If you look closely at the bottom right front of the picture you will see mega amounts of birdseed dropped from the feeder above.

They were stacked neatly against the fence for all these years, but with our mild winters we were never going to use it all. Besides, we have another small stack just in case this winter is an anomaly. I'm going to have to figure out how best to spruce this up; I've made a small stab already, planting some window boxes which Bruce hung on the fence. Those will make their appearance in Camera Crazy once they've had a chance to settle and bloom. Can't wait, can you?

My sister-in-law Michele, who lives in Minnesota requested a size adjustment on a photo she purchased from me years ago. Looking for it in my library, I came across this funny picture of me before the pool was redone.

That picture is a hoot! I also came across this one from 2008, which pictures, what I'm thinking is one of my very first video chats with Matthew while I was still using the other bedroom as my office.

That bulletin board was pretty messy wasn't it? Sunday, my friend Jessica shot this one of me with my phone at the market. It's a small wonder I can see out of those slits!

To my left is my friend Denver inventorying my baskets, writing it all down in hopes that it would help me order more efficiently. What a nice thing to do because there are at least one hundred, if not more, to record. In fact, it did help me tremendously. Jessica proceeded to put this photo on Instagram and facebook in a flash. I was absolutely amazed at how fast she typed on the phone. I'm fairly speedy on a regular keyboard, but a phone? No way!

And who amongst you isn't up for a little squirrel fun on the Nuttery?

Is it any wonder I fight them so? He's hanging on by his toenails!!! Just below the Nuttery, because the squirrels dump so much food as they flee once I yell at them, seeds accumulate, but not for long because the birds are just fine with getting their food off the ground. Here's a little bird that I can't for the life of me figure out what it is.

The Audubon guide leads me to think it is some kind of sparrow, but which type, I can't determine. A call out to my birder friend Linda should clear up the mystery soon enough.

I'm in that part of the week before a show when I'm a little bit anxious. Don't know when my order will be done, don't know how the show will go, and so on. There will be a big crunch when I do get the order trying to get all the prints ready, which will make me even more anxious, but by this time next week it will all be a moot point. I've been holding these back for the shows, hoping someone will like them. If not, I might use them myself because everyone knows how much I love orange.

Too funny that you can see my toenails which if this had been taken last week, I would have surely cropped them out of view.

Because the temperatures have remained cool I have been a busy little outdoor beaver-- trimming palms, cleaning the pool, planting flowers, watering, cleaning the driveway. Industrious indeed.

Responders

This came in the mail shortly after my last post:

Dear Gail

Thanks very much for sending your blog to us. I’ve circulated it around the office and everyone thinks it’s great! We love the picture of the Lantern feeder with the Cardinal, I’d love to have Cardinals in the UK!

Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kind regards

Jacqui Cudd

Office Manager

And then there's this:

Dear Gail,

Thank you for contacting AppleCare.

Apple has agreed to send you a(n) MICHAEL KORS ZIP WLLT iPH4 BLK PYTHN-ZML. I will be handling the product order, and following up with you to confirm that you have received it.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please call me at 512-674-2500 x 40390. If I am unable to answer, please leave a message. I will call you back within one business day to answer your questions. Please reference your Case ID (270461930) at the beginning of your message.

Sincerely,
Jesse Borjas
Corporate Customer Care Administration
jborjas@apple.com

Funny how Jacqui from The Nuttery didn't say a word about the squirrel! I vacillated on how to respond to the email in light of our new discovery. In the end, I went with honesty, of course, adding I regretted to do so. 

At least my time with Apple was not entirely spent in vain. I successfully purchased the phone insurance and what's more, as you see from the above email, they are giving me a Christmas gift. At the end of our conversation, Brian, the last gentleman I spoke with, offered me something for my trouble. He suggested I look on the Apple website for a phone accessory under $100. Because I already have my cute little purple cover I couldn't imagine what else I could possibly need until I saw 

this. Well now. 

The other day on my way to Clemons after my WalMart run, I drove through the peacock neighborhood. Oh my goodness! I counted over 50! The male tail feathers were not their summer length but beautiful just the same. I love the golden tips.

It seems as if I always find some cool cat while I'm in that neighborhood. I vacillated on which one to show you because they were both so cute. This one is on a mission:

Because I now have the handy search thing going on with my blog I checked last year's posts from around this time. Just as I recalled we'd already endured some freezing weather by now. I should have known it wasn't going to be nearly as cold because the acorn drop, while large, was nothing compared to last years. There's something to be said watching the natural world for clues. This one, on the other hand, really took me by surprise.

You've seen the peach blossom before, in fact, possibly more than you cared to, however, you have NEVER seen it this early. While walking Baxter the other afternoon I was floored to see it blooming already. I knew the camellias were starting early, but seriously, this one is a real shocker. From what I can tell, it seems to be about a month early. Our backyard is awash in color; for that matter so is the side yard. I was thinking our typical winter is like an English summer, milder temperatures and the sun not so blazing hot. As such, everything is blooming with ease. There are the pansies you saw, petunias, impatiens, jatropha, hibiscus, bougainvillea (finally!), purple, peach, red and pink geraniums, red salvia, white and purple angelonias, and those dahlias I keep raving about. Gorgeous everywhere! That said, a little cooler weather would be welcome this time of the year. Nothing in the forecast however. Bruce was in the Boston area yesterday, saying it was warmer than usual there as well.

After bridge yesterday I stopped at the Maitland Art Center gift shop for a unique gift for Bruce. Nothing doing. I did walk through the grounds and their water lily pond was responding to the weather much like my yard. Lots of blooms. This one will probably open any day.

Fuchsia perhaps?

Wrapping gifts is underway here, particularly since I bought some bows. Frequently discussed is  Bruce's prowess at gift wrapping, particularly ribbons. In his absence I'm relying on pre-made bows.

That's some gift tag isn't it. Messing with the soft focus on the camera....

Speaking of gifts, this blogger must get going to do more of that wrapping after a late breakfast. Reminder to self--eat before blogging.

Happy weekend to all,

Gail

Sad, But True

Could it be that the squirrels in Florida are more wily than those in England? More athletic? Perhaps more desperate for food? Within minutes of my last posting, I went into the kitchen. Remember I said I was going to eat some Cinnamon Cheerios? Very tasty, by the way. Anyway. as I walked past the front door, who should I see but Mr. Squirrel hanging onto the Nuttery for dear life. The nerve!

So, what I was thinking is that maybe he's just dumping all the food onto the walkway and then eating to his heart's content. Boy, was I wrong. Here he is this morning having breakfast.

Albeit upside down. Earlier Matt suggested I send the Nuttery photos proving what a great design they've come up with and how, despite their best efforts, my Florida squirrel family was coming up empty handed. So, I did. I've yet to hear back from them, and maybe that's all for the better. I'd hate for them to know the truth. By morning's end, the feeder was empty. Mrs. Cardinal was left to eat the droppings.

In other yard news, I mentioned a few weeks ago that I'd planted a ton of pansies, as in maybe thirty? They've gotten large enough to show their true colors. I've got myself a little misfit.

I mowed the lawn today after finally cleaning house. Nancy would be proud. Although no q-tips or toothbrushes were engaged today, 409 was definitely in the house. It's been warm. In fact, it's been so warm that there are mosquitos around, one of whom had the nerve to bite me in the middle of the night on my face, thus waking me up. I turned on the bedside fan, hoping it would blow the pesky bug away. Eventually I went back to sleep, but not before I covered my head with the sheets! I wore shorts today. Where is winter?

The title of today's post is "Sad, But True. There's the squirrel issue, and then there's something that's really got me bummed. I had to give in and take my beautiful blue shiny loafers back to Nordstrom. Try as I might, I could not break them in. It was either my feet, or the shoes. Thus, it seemed a bit disingenuous to leave the header when the shoes are no longer with me. I asked the guy at Nordstrom for one last look before I let them go. The return policy is so amazing at Nordstrom. When I mentioned that the receipt was in the box, he said I've got a sticker right here on the end; never even looked in the box until I asked for my parting glance.

Even worse, the general contractor on two of Bruce's jobs is declaring bankruptcy. It's a big fat mess, leaving Bruce scrambling to finish the jobs which both were near completion. What with traveling five days this week and now this? It's times like these when you say to yourself--at least he has a job. A very, very hard one though.

While walking Baxter the other morning I thought you might enjoy seeing a dragon fruit as it grows in a neighbors yard. What, never heard of a dragon fruit? It's crazy looking and some I've found online are even crazier than this one.

So, that's the fruit. I believe I've shown you the flower before but it's so darn beautiful that it's worth a second look.

This flower opens during the night, closing about an hour after sunrise. It's hard to imagine that this is a cactus flower isn't it?  Amazing that there are no bees in this photo because believe you me, it's a bee magnet! Some flowers are. Some not so much. Another bee magnet is the bottle brush tree. Oh my! You take your life in your hands trying to photograph that blossom!

Last night I made some Brocoli Risotto. I also put my new phone to use in the process. Looking at my depleted stock of food in the refrigerator and freezer, I spied some frozen chopped brocoli. Hmmm....
So, I thought of making risotto for myself and wondered if anyone else had thought of such a dish. Why, of course they had! I spoke to Siri and she suggested we search the web. Instead of running back and forth to my office, I merely opened the NY Times recipe and went from there. I then used the phone to photograph my efforts. Scaling down the recipe somewhat, the only change I made, aside from the frozen brocoli, was to add some lemon zest. Brocoli without lemon is a no-no in this house.

Not very well, but you get the drift. Seriously, this was my best attempt at making risotto. The parsley is from my garden. The tomatoes are not. It was so creamy and delicious! In fact, as soon as I'm done here, I'm having leftovers.

All that mowing and cleaning made me hungry for lunch. Except I had no chips. I considered running up to Publix, then thought better of it, making do with the crushed bits at the bottom of the Lays bag. Then I went to WalMart. Can you believe this bread?

Who names a bread BIMBO? Actually, I think it is Spanish, so maybe there's a good reason for calling bread Bimbo that escapes me. Sort of like the new Arctic Monkeys album Matt put on my iTunes. He explained to me that Suck it and See means something entirely different in England. As in a box of sweets. Makes sense once you know the culture. That said, Angela is constantly complaining about Americans love of sugar. I think she's entirely mistaken on this one. She'll leave out huge quantities of sugar when baking with predictable results. Seems to me that the English are no slackers when it comes to loving sweet stuff. Generalizations. Which means nothing right?

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

While falling asleep last night, ridiculously early I might add, several titles for this blog came to mind. None of them stuck. The one I've chosen is entirely literal. We're going to be all over the place today. Furthermore, there will be lots of pictures!

 So let's start with the other morning shall we? I received an early Christmas present from Matt, in fact, he couldn't wait to give it to me, mostly I think because after reading so much about our birds, he wanted to see them in action. Anyway it's a clever bird feeder called The Nuttery which claims to be squirrel-proof. As you well know, squirrels have had the run of our place lately, what with chewing a hole in the kayak, dropping palm seeds in the pool like mad, AND eating all the bird seed. Always one looking for a solution to a problem, Matt brought out the big gun.

Now, seeing birds is something that is easy to take for granted; we had no doubt there would be bird sightings. Except there weren't. Bruce insists that they don't like the safflower seed I bought, so we went back to all sunflower seeds. Finally, Mrs. Cardinal made an appearance, however when she did, I was the only one around.

So, now you know what the feeder looks like. The morning after Matt left, I got to see Mr. Squirrel in action and you will too if you keep reading! Because he'd done as he pleased in the past, he hung out on top for a moment,

undoubtedly scoping out the competition. He got a little closer to the prize,

 And still closer,

 showing off his acrobatic skills. Finally, not to be thwarted he hung on for dear life,

still getting nothing!!! I wish I could remember how he got back on the pole, but for some reason I have no photographs of that action. The Nuttery won the battle, leaving Mr. Squirrel to pick up the droppings,

although, in this photograph he still seems to think he's the champ!

Switching gears now, I was thinking about how the simple things in life can either amuse me or bring me pleasure. Who else do you know who can get excited by a new plastic container and perfectly peeled hard-boiled eggs?

Seriously, does anyone else come to mind? I, on the other hand, keep marveling at the clever design of my new container. And the eggs! Perfection! Maybe it is because I spent many, many years not knowing how to properly prepare hard-boiled eggs so that peeling them is as easy as spreading butter on toast. With my faulty memory it's a miracle that I can recall anything, however,  I still remember signing up to bring deviled eggs to a party at the hospital years ago. A disaster--every egg looked like it was pock marked! Now I know better.

You should have seen my face when, after opening a new box of Coke, I pulled out these cans.

Never, in all my lunch time, Coke drinking years have I come across a white can! Turns out it's a "Save the Polar Bear" campaign. I once read that if a merchant put some charitable offering on the product, sales went up dramatically. Wonder how this will fare?

Apparently, I'm the only one who is wildly jazzed about all my new flowers. Instead people complimented the food on Thanksgiving. Remarking on this to Bruce and Matt, they assured me that my flowers were great, but it was okay if I was getting the most pleasure from them. How about the color on this poinsettia? Fantastic, right?

I came across this fascinating piece on NPR about the sounds you still hear in your head, think, Green Acres theme as an example. How about you?  Do you still hear sounds in your head of long ago jingles or theme songs?

After both Bruce and Matt left this week I was feeling a little blue. Not horribly, just a little sadness. During the last week I've had the opportunity to spend time with two different mothers and their first borns. And, of course, I was spending time with my first born. It was an interesting experience, watching both Jen and Liza interacting with their children. Nothing quite compares to your first born child. All four of my sons have a special place in my heart--if you know what's good for you, you best not criticize them too strongly. A little is okay, more than that and the mother bear comes out of me! Having said that, there is so much effort with the first child. Well, duh-- you are just learning how to parent. I really don't know what I'm trying to say except that your first born will always be your grand experiment, at 7 months, 22 months, or at 35 years old.

I took a walk with Baxter in our neighborhood to shake off my sadness, knowing that seeing the world in action is good medicine for whatever ails you. I've been trying to practice with my camera phone with limited success. We were just fixing to get moving when I decided it would never work while hanging onto Baxter's leash. Running back into the house I grabbed the Nikon off the counter. Good thing that I did, otherwise, I would have NEVER been able to get a shot of this eagle!

Because I had the camera over my shoulder a young man who was exiting a back yard after cleaning a pool, pointed out this magnificent bird. Apparently, while cleaning the pool he heard something overhead and there it was, high up in the oak tree. Fantastic! We watched for a few minutes as I tried to move in closer. Because he only had his phone, I offered to send him the photo via email so he could have proof for his family. Only a few minutes later the eagle took off with yours truly trying her best to react!

Clearly, I'm not a wildlife photographer, but you do get the sense of his wing span. I can't help thinking that this experience was meant to be for any number of reasons which I'll leave to your imagination. 

Had enough of me for the day? Of course you have! Finally, we have enough to play bridge today so I've got to get moving towards that end. Let's just hope I can remember how to play....

Gail