A Mixed Bag

I've got some good news to share about Cris, which, btw, is how he spells his name. It's short for Crispen, a Latin name meaning curly haired, or so I just learned. Unfortunately I never did ask my in laws how they came up with that name for their firstborn. Two things, his first name is Joel, but he goes by Cris, and no, he has anything but curly hair! More importantly, he is improving as he enters his second month of hospitalization. He's eating better and has even sat in a chair which is huge. Today he received both a second dose of Convalescent Plasma, and a new Covid test. Should that come back negative, he most likely will be moved to another unit and here's the real biggie....visitors may be permitted!! Cris and Judy are coming up on their 48th wedding anniversary and the hope is that even before that big date, Judy will be allowed to see him again for the first time since she dropped him off at the emergency room!! Hallelujah!

For us, this week has been much the same except, get this, I've actually gone a few places and they were not Publix or Clemons! Before we delve into those exciting places, when last we met, a storm was heading towards Central Florida. It did not. We were on the pickleball court when it began raining, enough so we all scrambled to our cars, however, once we were all home out of our wet clothes, it stopped and never started again. While I'm glad for that, I am gladder still because the name, Isais was so difficult to pronounce, I was hoping we wouldn't have to use it for more than a day. Sadly it did hit in North Carolina with some damage, but nothing super major.

Yes to playing pickleball most mornings, and no to any field trips. We had loads of rain in the afternoons, keeping us inside to work on puzzles. Plural because, one of my little afternoon trips was to visit, as it turns out, my fairy Godmother, Ann. We were slated to just do a puzzle swap, but she ended up inviting me in and we had a marvelous visit, socially distanced, of course.

I'd finished this during the alleged storm and was having withdrawals, so I got in touch with Ann. Before I go further, this puzzle, while a neat image was interesting in that there was less puzzle than the image portrayed. I know weird, but once that frame was done, it was pretty darn fun. While doing the frame, I kept looking for more of that lobster on the right to no avail. Puzzled, I looked at some online reviews where I was alerted to this problem. Now when I loan it out I will pass that along. I left her place with not one, but two fantastic puzzles, two novels and a small bottle of some homemade Limoncello which is in the freezer as I type. She began the process near the beginning of the time of Corona, probably never imagining that it would still be raging on after the something like the 80 days of fermentation. Gosh it was nice to see her.

Early on I wrote a post about all of the new language associated with this unprecedented time and over time more phrases or words have emerged that are new to me. Have you heard the term "security theater"? It means safety measures that are done somewhat for show. Then there is "cancel culture", "Karen", and "woke". Some enlightened readers may have already known these terms, but they are new to me. I would be lying if I told you that any of them are very appealing to me, especially Karen as I know plenty of Karens that are good people.

Because of all the rain the quilt has been back in the picture. Friends, I am nearing the finish line on the top and the time that it has taken me is nothing to be proud of, that's for sure. Having, once again, used up all of my cut fabric, I just could not face using more of the same so.......I took a trip to Hobby Lobby for something different. Their supplies were diminished and the woman who cut my fabric told me that not only are they not having their usual sales but they can't keep enough fabric or elastic in stock. Apparently mask making is still going on.

The new fabric was cut, more couples were put together,

and it still wasn't enough!! I have 34 more duos to join,  then they all get put together, and then the rows which I'm hoping will all blend together and the new stuff won't show up like a sore thumb! Whew, sorry for that run on sentence! Seriously, it is going to be so busy, it will be a blur. All the while I listened to Lost in Alaska, finally finishing it yesterday afternoon. The bottom line is that even after nine years of digging into this story, the plane has still not been found. For those who listen to NPR, I did learn that it was Cokie Roberts father who went down in the plane. If for no other reason, I suggest you click on that link and see what her real name was. Amazing. I am thinking of sending it out to be quilted because, Lord knows, it is huge and will probably take me more time than I can imagine. Then again, what else do I have right now but time?

Dated 6/23/2020, I finally drove over to the bank to deposit the check my publisher sent me all that time ago. Sadly it was small, but is that any surprise? No, it is not. Yesterday's headline was that Disney lost $2 billion in the last quarter!!! Where, oh where, is all this leading us? What pray tell is the photo below all about? You tell me. Why would make someone take off their sandals in a bank parking lot? It is as if she stepped out of them and got in her car. Perhaps there is a short story in this?

A couple of posts ago, one that most people apparently did not see according to my stats, I showed a Mother Mallard on some eggs in a planter on the pool deck. Well, here's some exciting news. The eggs have hatched!

While riding my bike around this morning my friends told me they had seen the new ducklings on their walk, even telling me where they had seen them. Music to my ears friends, music to my ears. The first photos I took were terrible due to poor lighting, however, after an hour of practicing pickleball in the horrible heat, I was bushed so on my ride home I swung by again to see if I could get some better photos. Done and done! They came quite close, and while I've got some good ones, this one is super cute because they are close to shore in very clear water.

Aren't they just adorable?? From talking to folks, it seems as if they are about four days old. I wish they were on our little lake where there are more hiding places, but time will tell how many survive on the big lake.

I know the very best way to cool off when it is blazing hot....yup, the swimming pool where I swam and began one of the books Ann lent me. It was super great in the shade.

As you can see, there is not a social distancing problem at all. In fact, while I was there, only a handful of people came and went. Thinking about the ducklings, Mama was in the ivory planter on the right side of the dock. We are all mystified as to how the ducklings survived the jump down and then into the lake which is many feet below the pool. Nature is amazing is all I can say. The water lilies are looking lovely, especially when the sky is reflecting so beautifully on the water.

Oh snap...there's a dragonfly on that water lily! While not nearly as impressive as the Victoria water lilies in my last post, they are lovely, nonetheless.

So, there is one short story prompt in this post, and here's another. What printer would not alert the customer to the misspellings on this car I saw parked today? They paid for this sign?

Closely cropped to leave out the phone number, I'm mystified. While on the topic of mysteries, we began watching Breaking Bad and while it was good, the violence was a bit much for us. Ann and I talked about British television mysteries and she recommended one that I could not find on Amazon or Netflix, however I did stumble upon a series that has turned out to be nothing short of excellent, Endeavour. Holy Cow, is is good.

One fascinating thing about living on water is how you notice the movement of the Earth through the sunrise, sunset, and moonrise. I love walking into our not-yet-updated bathroom and seeing the day begin.

With all of the stormy weather, both the sunrise and sunset are much more dramatic than when the weather is calm. Taken this morning, will the red sky mean anything? So far, not, but the day is not over yet.

 Finally, the once a year blooms on a Giant Schefflera are something to behold.

We used to have one of these trees at our home and the yearly show was dramatic,  plus the bees had a heyday with them.

The kitchen is calling dear ones. Stay safe, wear your masks, social distance, and for heaven's sake, love one another because this virus is no joke as Cris's story clearly demonstrates. Don't let petty political differences alter that because you just never know what tomorrow will bring. Heck, Jessica is still not 100% and she's young and healthy!

your friend,

Gail

A Very Pleasant Surprise

I know what Bruce would tell me right about now if he were home. "Just don't listen." To which I would counter, "that is impossible for me!" The condo next door was sold and the renovations began this morning. For the nearly two years we've lived here, it has been quiet, hearing our upstairs rarely, and certainly not next door. It began this morning at 9, two bathrooms being demolished. Yikes! I'm am constantly amazed that Bruce can tune noise out. Perhaps some of it will rub off on me?

On the last day of April, in the time of the Corona pandemic, it is raining, something to be very grateful for as we've been in such a drought. The first few days of the week, the weather was beautiful, warm, but not too warm, prompting me to go on a little mission to Leu Gardens. In the early days of learning photography I went there countless times to photograph whatever I could find that caught my fancy so I know that place like the back of my hand. Early this week I learned that they were not only open, but that Mayor Dyer declared it to be free. Or, at least that is what the head of the place told me. Not that I knew he was such, but seeing a super interesting and unknown plant, I asked the closest person I could find, who was wearing a mask when he came closer.

Amazing, right? This is a Mexican milkweed, planted adjacent to the butterfly garden. But of course.

It almost felt illicit to be strolling the grounds with hardly anyone there when I arrived a little after opening. Of those there, everyone was super respectful about keeping their distance. One of the most exciting things to happen was this:  as I was standing beside a plant, camera in hand, I noticed a woman coming toward me that I was sure was my friend, Bev. She read my expression as horror that a woman was coming close! Only in the time of Corona my friends. We had a long chat, catching up and hearing each other's stories in this crazy time. Most of the folks I see regularly I'm good without hugging, but I sure wish I could have hugged Bev.

As you can see, it is easy to keep a safe distance. Taking my time, I explored not nearly enough before it was time to leave. Rarely have I seen the gardens looking so good.

All of it was wonderful,  however, the orchids, tucked into the crook of some of the trees, really stole the show.

Oh my, the color of the one below!! Captivating.

The one place where it was harder to stay apart was the butterfly garden area which was sad because there were so many butterflies to watch. There was a man with a lens about a foot long that hogged the space, much to my chagrin!

 Lucky for me, when I went into the nearby vegetable garden, not only was it empty but a Monarch was quite cooperative, enjoying the nectar of a lovely Gerbera daisy for a long while.

Count me surprised when I walked through the visitor center to leave, lo and behold, there was a new Dorothy Gillespie installation. If you missed my last post, that won't mean a thing. If you are one the wonderful people who I am humbled to have read my blog regularly, you will remember Bruce standing beside one of her sculptures at the Orange County building last week.

Speaking of Orange County, the governor is allowing some businesses to reopen, beginning Monday, however, how much of that order will translate to our county, I'm not so sure. Still no hair salons, which is a shame. Even when they finally do open, having my hair colored and cut probably still won't happen for a while because it takes hours and even though my level of worry is low, it seems prudent for me to wait a while longer. Seriously, everyone is going through the same thing, so in that overused phrase, "it is what it is!"

We are doing our part to keep the economy moving, what with my new phone, allegedly arriving today, and Bruce is having a trailer hitch put on the Subaru for a new bike rack that will better suit our needs. In an excellent move on my part, I went to Publix today, finding most of what I wanted. Plus, that kept me away from the construction noise, so there's that.

Bruce is getting many folks vote for "neighbor of the month" on our street. Not only did he wash the Packard that was completely covered in yellow oak pollen,

He washed a neighbor's car that has been an eyesore for what some folks have told us, nearly three years! First the Packard because we use the parking space of the folks who own it while they are away for most of the year in North Carolina. Hesitant, in order not to offend the man, Bruce knocked on his door, asking if he could wash his car. When the man asked, "how much?", Bruce told him there is no cost.  How dirty was the car? Dirtier than any I've ever seen.

The entire car looked similar with some places even worse!

He washed parts of it, not once, not twice not....five times!!! trying to get the grime off. Car washing is actually not allowed in the parking lot, but folks turned a blind eye to that because they were so delighted. I can't tell you the number of people who have stopped him, thanking him for doing so. The owner is 90+ years old and in no shape to do it himself. That man of mine is something else!

We are having some birdies!! Life imitating art, or should I say, the other way around?

There's more I'll wait to share in an upcoming post. Tomorrow is our dear Jonathan's birthday and he is inching closer to 40 all of the time. He, like Bill and David, will remember this particular birthday for a long time to come. The number of cases of Covid-19 in some parts of the country are very puzzling to me. You would have thought, what with our huge number of international tourists, and domestic, for that matter, that we would have been overwhelmed, but it seemingly is not the case. As I type, there are 1,268 deaths in Florida with 33,690 reported cases. Texas, where Jonathan and Alissa live, has only 759 deaths, and about 600 less reported cases. I wonder why that is when Texas is way more populous? And why does Massachusetts have so many? There seems to be no rhyme or reason, but I suspect in the future there will be studies galore on every aspect of this pandemic. For now there are more questions than answers or that's how it appears to me.

A couple of things worth noting....

* The newspaper reported that in some parts of the country, stores are out of sympathy cards. :(

* Some staffing companies were offering nurses up to $10,000 a week if they would come to New     York and work. I wonder how that made the regular staff feel?

* There is a lot of generosity happening for those less fortunate. Hurray for that!

* I must admit, I felt a bit guilty when buying the last bag of flour on the shelf.

Finally, I managed to get some decent photographs of the new Wood Duck family while they were on coming on shore. Not all of them mind you,

this little one was the renegade, preferring the water.

It won't be long now that there will be no more new duckling births. Sure hope it won't be too long now before we are not talking about death on a daily basis.

your friend,

Gail

A Nature Story

While I was typing my last post, Sunday afternoon, Bruce went down to the big lake where he meets with friends most afternoons, six feet apart, of course. Before leaving the house, I'd shown him the Anhinga photograph from the previous evening, and as such I wrote that he was pretty convinced it was some sort of natural material that was on the beak from the bird stabbing the bottom of the lake.

The photo above is one that I showed him, taken as the Anhinga was on the dock beside the red pontoon boat. Well, not long after he left, Susan texted that Bruce was on the lakeshore next to a big bird. Hmmm....

Upon returning Bruce told me that, indeed, that piece of "whatever" was still around the beak. I began getting a little nervous, wondering what it could be, and why it would not come off. So, early the next morning, just after sunrise,

I went in search, riding my bike down to the dock where first I spotted it. Sure enough, the Anhinga was sitting on top of the boat, at first curled up, but then it turned and looked straight at me.

The maintenance supervisor was already down at the pool and I enlisted his help. Alan put on some work gloves, climbed on the boat, and was quite close, but had second thoughts because of the sharp beak. Our worry continued growing. I rode home and Bruce and I discussed what to do, but by the time we returned it had flown off.

So, we practiced pickleball. At the same time, Connie, Gayle, and Susan were all doing their walk and when they got to the boat ramp, there was our bird which they examined. They began worrying. Then along came Patti and Lauren who joined the worrying crowd. After watching the bird fly to a nearby dock, Lauren got on her paddleboard, hoping to get close, yet again, the bird took off.

Once I was home, I got on my bicycle to check out a front porch nest. Say what? Yes, the day before I heard from Nancy that, although they are spending most of their time at their New Smyrna Beach condo for safe keeping, she had to come into Orlando for an errand on Friday, discovering a tiny nest in the wreath on her front door. She called to ask if I could check it out and tell her what kind of bird it is. Sure, I can do that.

Can you find her? It's a little Carolina Wren who has made a nest in the back part of the wreath! These are tiny birds with a powerful voice, whose song can be heard from a long ways away. Here's all I could get of the inside of the nest once she'd flown off.

Having told her I'd keep my eye on it daily, that was my mission. They live adjacent to the boat ramp so, after my wellness check, I rode around the corner and there was our bird.

Most of the time I don't carry my phone around, however, on this occasion I did, so I called Bruce. One thing I'd forgotten to mention is that he'd made calls to all of the bird rescue operations that we are aware of before we went to play. The first caller could not help, but gave him numbers of others who might be able to do so. During one of his conversations they recommended that he throw a blanket over the bird in order to hold it so as to remove the debris. He'd also been told to call Sea World, which he did, and was awaiting a return call. That is where things stood when I saw the bird again. As I was waiting for him, Lauren rode up on her bicycle and we talked about how sad we were because by now we realized it could not eat, and probably hadn't for several days. The landscape guys were there having their lunch so one of them joined the rescue party.

Inching closer and closer, Bruce was just ready to drop the quilt when the bird took off, going underwater as is their natural instinct. You have seen plenty of photographs of their behavior before in this space, so there is no need to rehash. As if I could have helped, I'd put my camera on my shoulder, better to hold the other towel Bruce brought, so there are no rescue shots to be shared. What happened is the landscape guy spotted it underwater, Lauren swooped in, grabbing it from behind, allowing Bruce the opportunity to remove the debris!! And to answer your question ahead of time, no one is sure what it was and it dropped from Bruce's hand before we could examine it further. Nevertheless, all of us were thrilled when it took off!

I just love this photo of the two of them, so thrilled with the happy ending. Look very closely and you will see a tiny speck of the Anhinga behind Lauren.

All afternoon, it was all we could talk about! So much so that we ended up going back to the lake to check on it, as one of the people Bruce talked to said they still might not eat. We already knew this one did not behave in that manner because after the rescue, B walked back to the ramp, and saw it with a fish! Well, this may, or may not be the one.

Following it down the dock, we wondered what it would do. I took a photo for comparison as it was surveying the territory at the edge of the dock.

Try as we might, we came to no clear conclusion. If I had to guess, our Anhinga is back out fishing and drying its wings normally, as that is what they spend their days doing.

Wasn't that an exciting nature story?

I suppose one of the things that most people find the hardest during this quarantine period is that the days run into one another, each day much the same as the last. Retired folks know how to do that well, however, the younger generation is used the hustle and bustle of life that while sometimes is overwhelming, at least it is more exciting than staying close to home. Many people I talk to are managing the best that they can, but are so looking forward to the day that they can once again, attend their yoga class, go clothes shopping, have lunch out, or attend a sporting event or concert. Bruce just mentioned that he had an upcoming meeting set for May 13th and don't we have camping reservations at Silver Springs State Park? We wish! Those were canceled weeks ago and not by me! There is a lot of criticism about our governor allowing municipalities to open their beaches, that it is not the right move. People are certainly entitled to that opinion, mostly formed from some reckless behavior of spring breakers who did not heed social distancing rules and were very likely not Floridians. I, on the other hand, have a hard time thinking how walking on the beach is any different than walking in a park. In fact, it is far easier to keep your distance on the shore than it is in a city park. Just my thoughts on the matter.

Today's paper reports that Orange County's tourist tax revenue is predicted to drop by over $100 million dollars, to no one's surprise. That same paper is laying employees off because advertising revenue has fallen precipitously. Bruce had his very first Facetime doctor's appointment the other day and even he mentioned that they are struggling to keep the practice going. BTW--just a little check up, Bruce is fine. The dominoes continue to fall don't they?

Thankfully the ducks just keep having babies,

and the two orphans seem to be hanging in there. I sat by the lake, under the tree canopy,  finishing the book I've been reading, Henry Himself, and the orphans came onshore with that big new family of ten ducklings to eat the seed Julie leaves for them.

I guess they are, against all odds, what you might call survivors. Praying that we all will be.

your friend,

Gail

Who Doesn't Love Spring?

Seriously, is there anyone of sound mind that doesn't love Spring? What with all of the beautiful flowering trees and plants, not to mention the darling little babies being born, what's not to like? Of course, you aren't as obsessed with the bird thing like myself, or, maybe you are.

I know I'm not the only one as each time I head over to Greenwood I meet new folks, both male and female, who can't get enough of the owls, or the eagles. I might venture to guess, some of those same folks are even more obsessed than I am, going there daily, rather than every couple of days, as is my practice.

Of course, that was before this happened yesterday morning.

So, here's the scoop....

After Bruce left for his Dallas flight early yesterday morning, I thought to myself, "it's been a few days since you were last at Greenwood, why not go now?  Why not indeed? Parking the MINI around sunrise, I was hoping I would see both of our bird families, and I was not disappointed in the least.

Do you see what I see in the upper branches of the lone Pine tree?

You may remember me talking about the "golden hour" and here's quite the example of that.

From talking with other enthusiasts, who are more knowledgeable than I, this is probably the male eagle, watching the nest from afar. I had the place all to myself, or so I thought until I walked closer to the nest,  seeing the eaglets testing their wings.

It was there that I ran into Jack Rogers, my former Historical Geology professor from Valencia, who had driven over before school. We talked about the owls, and he told me he'd seen the owlets already.

Say what?? Oh my gosh.

Walking over to the trees, we spotted both parents, the Mama was perched behind the nest amidst the Spanish Moss, while the male was in his usual location in the adjacent tree. After a bit, she popped on top of the crevice and there she was as pictured above.

I was pretty much freaking out at the action before my eyes! The cuteness of this was making me crazy! Plus, I felt so blessed to witness nature in action.

Down she went...

and the action began, with her feeding the owlets a rat. Curious, every now and again, they would look out into the wider world.  Glancing at my watch every so often, I had to take my leave because I actually had something important to do. I left Jack with his tripod...

Once home, I made a mad dash to get ready for Days for Girls, finishing one of the quilting lines before packing the sewing machine, as the quilt was still under the needle. We had a real treat during our time together. Make that more like huge inspiration from Helen, our partner, who actually distributes the kits to the girls in Malawi. Look at that beautiful smile!

She absolutely radiated goodness! Her descriptions of the dire conditions facing the people of Malawi brought tears to my eyes. Passing around a scad of photographs of the young woman who actually receive our kits was enough to get all of us inspired anew. She claims, and I don't think she is exaggerating one bit, that we are changing girl's lives with our work. On her last trip she distributed nearly 800 kits from our group, which may not sound like a lot to you, and I'll grant you it is a drop in the bucket of  the needs, however, each kit takes so many steps to make, I think it is miraculous! Should you care to know more about the mission of Days for Girls, please click on this link.

Pictured below are the two dynamos that make it all happen, Sharleen, in the foreground, and Helen in the back.

When I got home, I set up my machine to keep working on the liners, although Baxter sure seems to have other ideas about me using my chair!

Actually, I pushed him closer to the back and sat down anyway, sewing about ten more liners together before the pull of my bird obsession proved to be too strong. Back I went to Greenwood in the late afternoon, and naturally, I ran into others that I know. John,  is the one who originally told me about the owls. The middle woman is Kim, and Sally in the mustard pants, is one of our Hill's Happy Hour group. Having told her about the eagles and owls, a few weeks ago, she is completely hooked as well. That said, we only saw the eaglets hopping around in their nest.

Good grief, I went back again this morning!! Forgive me for showing yet another photo but in spite of the hundreds I've taken of owls in the past few years, it is only just now that I am loving those marks on her inside tail feathers. Very retro actually. (apologies for the poor lighting)

Aren't they cute? This morning there was not a repeat of yesterday's action, however, I met a woman named Candy who was not only a lovely person, she was also a fount of information. Go to Lake Eola and see the baby swans was her advice.

You might be surprised to learn that once I quit doing the market, I don't think I've been back to Lake Eola ever since. Weird, isn't it? Throughout my years there,  I would always see the swans hatching, well, because I saw them every week. Heeding her advice, I drove the few miles over, and began walking around the lake. I came across this display which is very important to our son David who will be attending over weekend. My sweet twins will be celebrating their 38th (!) birthday on Saturday. Because of Dave's plans, our plans with them will probably have to wait until the following weekend.

If you've been to Lake Eola, you know the swans are plentiful, which means you have probably seen many images of them on Camera Crazy before. That aside, I could not resist another of this graceful bird.

Lo and behold, as I made my way past the Wrestlemania sign, look what I saw...

Holy Cow they were cute as can be!

I suspect, just a few months ago, the lake would have filled the area where they were sunning themselves, however, because we are now considered to be in a mild drought, the lake is very low.

So, I kept walking and YIKES, more cuteness!

Let it be known that choosing what photos to put into this post was extremely difficult. As in excruciating, because there are so many cute subjects. 😀

On we go over to the area adjacent to the swan boats..and, here they are!

While standing there, a darling young woman from Ohio stopped to take photographs, and we oohed and aahed over them together. How could you not?  Eventually, they went for a swim as swans are wont to do.

This may or may not have been the right move, going to Lake Eola, because that was a bunch of cuteness all in one place;  clearly, I have enough obsessions at the moment.

Seriously, how can I help it when Spring provides such a bounty of photographic opportunities?

Tearing myself away, I stopped to buy more thread, as I've used up an entire spool on the quilt, and there is still a half to go, as well as picked up our taxes in Winter Park, gladly paying our bill.

And now, my friends, it is time to get back to work on the quilting, that is, until the arthritis in my hand forces me to stop. A camera doesn't hurt it one bit.

yours truly,

Gail