An Eventful Week

Aren't they all? It is hard to imagine we've been home for six months now, but that's what the calendar tells me. The weeks just keep on flying by! I just got a text from Jackie telling me that it is snowing in Vancouver, a rare occurrence. She knows I will be jealous! Speaking of white, I was wondering about the name of our kitchen cabinet paint--Eider White, so while talking to Pam she reminded me that it is from a duck. Well, that wasn't enough information for me, so I went to Google and found THIS! Found only in the Arctic, I will have to content myself with seeing them only in a photograph but it makes me happy to know that our paint is named after something so cool. While we are on the subject of birds, I think the last wave of Robins have come and gone for the year, but not before I got what I think is a good shot of one that I spotted in this magnificent tree just down from our place.

A number of afternoons, because the weather has been fine and dandy, I've been walking around the property, seeing what I can see while getting some much needed exercise.

There aren't a lot of cats here, but every now and again I will see one, including this handsome girl.

I don't know the scientific name for this lovely purple flower that I saw at the smaller swimming poo,l located more in the front of the property. Pretty, huh?

One reason for doing these walks, aside from the aforementioned reasons, is simply pure gratitude that I can walk with ease, whereas it is hard to know if Maureen will have that chance again. Presumably so, but it's anything but certain. When last we met, I had not the slightest idea that surgery was once again required because the antibiotics were not working. A third surgery on her broken hip happened at 8:30 Wednesday night (rescheduled from 8:30AM), during which time they removed the prosthetic and replaced it with an antibiotic-filled spacer that will remain there until such time as the infection is cured. Should that happen, she faces a FOURTH surgery to insert a new prosthetic. How much can a person take? When I saw her yesterday morning, although still somewhat groggy from the anesthetic, she is doing as well as can be expected. More details as they come. Lisa is still in California with Carol who tells me that her calming presence has been good.

I brought Maureen a calorie-laden doughnut from the long awaited Lucky's Market that opened on Wednesday, across from our Publix. We popped in during the grand opening while they were giving out some very tasty samples of everything from fresh squeezed orange juice at their juice bar, to pickled okra and brussel sprouts from the pickle bar.

We also sampled pizza from their large oven and was it ever tasty. Let the grocery wars begin!

Something else momentous happened and that is that SunTrust, the bank David has worked for since he was 18 years old is now merging with a bank from Winston Salem, NC., BB&T. This is very big news for all sorts of reasons, one of which is that the SunTrust building is the tallest building in town. The merged bank will have a yet to be announced name. Bill, before moving to Regions, also worked for SunTrust. What this will mean for any of the employees is unclear, however, we think David will be just fine.

Maybe it was Tuesday night that we met Alec and Ikira at Earls so that Bruce could turn in his computer.

The structure in the foreground is a new escalator put in by the mall so that folks will actually know the restaurant is there! We had a good time gossiping, eating and drinking. They were in town for a restaurant convention and thoroughly enjoyed the warm, sunny weather. Orlando folks will get a kick out of this--being from the Uber crowd, they called for one to take them from International Drive to Groveland. Yes, Groveland! It won't surprise you in the least that they could not get a return ride. I suspect the driver who took them there had no clue how far it was! Eventually a fellow from the business they were visiting took them as far as Apopka which meant another Uber back to the hotel. They spent a very long time on I-4 allowing them to see all parts of town, both the good and bad.

Indeed, unlike last week when it was gloomy, this week has been delightful with bright blue skies and, frankly, temperatures that are too hot for me. How does 83 degrees sound? At least the humidity has been low.

Coleus are such interesting plants, aren't they? The colors, the ruffled leaves. It's all good. As are the blooming Tabebuia trees!!

That same afternoon I came across the handsome cat and I just loved the way her paws were positioned.

Talk about a handsome cat. This one is a beauty with those beautiful blue eyes!

Pam mentioned the other day during her visit that our spot was perfect for me because I so appreciate the bird activity. Indeed.

Loud as can be, crows.

And a twofer!

It has been quite some time since I've seen the otters, but during parts of the last few days, they have been swimming around quite near the shoreline. Actually, because my desk faces the lake, while I am writing this blog, you can find me jumping up from my chair to run out back, lest I miss something. Let's face it, I'm a little crazy.

Perhaps in another six months it will all be old hat and I'll be able to ignore the hawk flying into the tree outside my window? What do you think?

Finally, for some time I've heard from folks that the first words of my blog posts are missing when they read this on their phone. Checking into it, I've made some changes, not just with the mobile part, but I've gone back to an old layout. Let me know if it works, will you?

your friend,

Gail

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!!

Cats!!

It seems to me that these days, cats are not getting their due. I suspect you've been thinking the same. Maybe I'm way off base, correct me if you think so, but dogs seem to rule. Once upon a time folks kept their dogs in the backyard--imagine that! I can't tell you the amount of times I've seen dogs in dresses at the market, and not only in dresses, but strolled in a carriage. There is a vendor at the market who caters to this sort of dog owner, providing them with a myriad of choices in "dog wear." How, exactly has this happened?

Cats, on the other hand, are rarely seen downtown. On occasion, someone will have a cat on a leash, but it's a rare sighting indeed. Do loads of people still have cats? Before Baxter ruled this roost, our only pets were cats. Going way back to our early days of marriage, we had an incredibly smart cat whom we named Bennie, after, yes you're right, Bennie and the Jets. There were others, one of whom got run over by a car. Incredibly, following our wedding, we moved into an apartment on Curry Ford Road, about six miles from Bruce's family home where he lived prior to getting married. Apparently, the cat, whose name we've forgotten, didn't like it on that side of town, making it's way back to the house on Nancy Street. Amazing, right? Bruce reminded me of Jackson, named after Jackson Browne, who died way too young. Most recently, our next door neighbor's cat, Jade, decided she liked our home better than theirs. A gorgeous black long-haired cat, they left her with us when they moved to Colorado. Eventually she had to be put to sleep when a huge abscess on her neck would not heal. Painful as that was, we were heartened to learn she was 15 years old meaning she'd lived a pretty long life.

What pray tell has got me writing about cats you're probably wondering? It's the bike riding! Cats are out lollygagging in full force early in the morning.

I'd nearly forgotten what variety there is in the domestic cat world, but in the last few days I've rediscovered the allure of cats. 

Some just stare, some roll around, and there are some that take off!

Riding around my sister Maureen's neighborhood, I seemed to see them everywhere--

including underneath a big truck. The ultimate cat story in our family is this: When my father collapsed and died of presumably a heart attack, he was alone in the house. Earlier he'd complained to a neighbor he wasn't feeling so well, but declined any help. This same neighbor from across the street went to check on him later, finding him on the floor. The ambulance was summoned. Soon thereafter my mom returned from shopping, and as she drove up the street, was shocked to see the ambulance in front of the house. What she later learned from the neighbor was that when he found Daddy, their cat, whose name escapes me, was curled up next to him. And people say cats are aloof! What do they know??

As I was typing my very first ever post about cats, an email notification came up from Etsy!! A sale. Get this--the buyer goes by "tomkat." My, oh my!!

Purple has been absent from this blog for far too long. It's a strange shade of purple, but here is one from the back yard. For my niece Laura:

So far, the weather this week could not be more different than last with gorgeous blue skies. Hallelujah--you know how those gray skies bother me. What with all the rain I've barely had to water a thing and of course, everything is growing like mad, including my transplanted purple salvia.

The "million hearts" plant on the log from our fallen tree is doing so well, as are the odd varieties of begonia adjacent to the salvia. Every time Jim brings a new and different variety to the market I am sorely tempted, however, I'm running out of room!

Yesterday afternoon I played bridge with the ladies. Not my usual bunch, but Beverly's group--I was a sub. Trying not to feel too intimidated, I screwed up my courage and just did the best I could. Imagine our surprise when the score was tallied and Bev and I won by a mere 10 points! Slowly but surely I'm getting a little better. Not much, but some.

Post office--here I come. I'd nearly given up on ever having a sale again; what a pleasant surprise!