Of Two Minds

 Something happened this morning at pickleball that was really something. Who types a sentence like that? Apparently, I do!

As you know, since about the second week of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, I have been wearing a dove pin, a reminder of the symbol for peace. A young woman, who just began playing with our group,  named MJ, noticed it and told me a sweet story. Turns out her grandmother wore a dove pin for years and she borrowed it for her wedding, as in the "something borrowed" tradition, pining it inside the bodice of her gown. Of course it delighted me to no end that she had a fond memory upon seeing the pin. 

Unfortunately, it seems as if I won't quit wearing it anytime soon.

I'm reminded of how when the pandemic was new and strange, I wrote down the number of deaths from the Coronavirus each and every day on my kitchen calendar during 2020.  At that time I had no idea that it would still be infecting people in early 2023, including folks we know, and too, that over one million people in the United States would lose their lives to the virus. Speaking of losing lives, it sickened me today to read that in the latest natural disaster, the mammoth earthquake in Syria and Turkey, that a newborn baby was found amongst the rubble with the umbilical cord still attached. Her deceased mother lay nearby.  There are exactly no words to describe that kind of horror.

Thinking of words, to be a writer one must be a reader first; I have come to the conclusion that I have not been reading enough. As such, I am in the process of rectifying that shortcoming.

One print that sold consistently during my selling days is this one, titled, "This Too Shall Pass." It is somewhat of a mantra that has never failed to comfort me when I think of the horrors that occur all over the world and sometimes right here at home.  (think broken wrists and pneumonia) The lovely tulips were from a gathering of our LPV women for the December/January birthdays, one of which was mine. That said, it was so long ago that I sort of felt like an imposter accepting any gifts at the dinner at nearby Delaney's.

So far this week we have enjoyed glorious weather with cool starts to the morning, followed by temperatures in the mid 70's. A lovely breeze is flowing through our condo as I type. The sky remains bright blue, the days are lengthening, and the sunsets remain dramatic.

As you know, we play pickleball Monday through Thursday and on Friday Bruce has been working on a project at the church.  Not only has our pickleball obsession interfered with my reading, my photography is suffering as well. Last Friday I went to Mead Gardens to see if I could take a half-way decent picture. Camellias are a great subject that do not move, so I was hoping for the best. 

If I had to guess, it is a very good year in Central Florida for this beautiful flower. According to one of the volunteers I met in the greenhouse, which by the way, I have never before been inside, there are close to 400 bushes in the gardens, all of which were bursting with blooms.

Seems as if at the start of each new day, one of the volunteers dresses the statues with blooms.

It is a beautiful look!

I cannot decide whether the statues are new or I've just been unobservant on my previous visits. At any rate they are just wonderful.

What I'd gone looking for were owls. My search was fruitless. In fact I saw very few birds aside from this Northern Cardinal from the backside!

There were so many, many flowers, mostly in shades of pink or red with white ones every now and again. This little fatty intrigued me. Jam-packed it is.

There were a few fallen trees, evidence of our most recent hurricane and something else that I was not expecting as I was walking along the dirt path and that was this:

A whole bunch of mirrors is what you are looking at, something to do with an event that just began a few days ago. 

I wish, and this might be an unpopular opinion, that Orlando had better gardens. Ours just aren't kept up all that well. Or that is what I think anyway. Take it with a grain of salt as I will admit to being particular. :)

With our fine weather I have been reading on the new patio after lunch. Bruce added lots more mulch and grass seed which is coming in nicely.

He has also made a sign to keep the lawn folks from using so much Round Up!

Sitting outside for hours at a time I am noticing how much is always going on either in the lake or beside it. The trees are filled with the sound of various birds, the water has diving Anhingas and floating ducks,

a Brown Pelican has been way too fast for my camera,

and much to my surprise, the other afternoon I noticed a fair amount of water movement. Yup, the otter is back. A horrible shot, as it was in the shade and moving like nobodies business, but for documentary purposes here she is with a fish in her mouth. You will have to trust me on this one!

The funny thing about the otter is that I thought I saw something running along the shoreline but decided it must have been a squirrel. I was wrong! Now, if only my owls would return!!!

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this is an exceptional time of the year here in Florida for all of the above stated reasons. Here's another one.

I almost feel guilty being this pleased with life while others are suffering such hardships. I learned from Jackie that our friend Dale's dear friend of 45 years died in Vancouver this past week. Michelle lost a beloved aunt two days ago, and of course the horrible situations across the world from us. Seeing the photographs sends shivers down my spine. 

Some days it's hard to know just what to feel, isn't it?

your friend,

Gail

Sky Magic

At this time of year, it is all about the magic in our skies. 

Perhaps it is the lesser amount of humidity? Why are the sunrises and sunsets so magnificent in the winter? Let's ask Google, shall we?

According to this paper, called "Your Eyes are Not Deceiving You", humidity does have something to do with it. Nearly every morning this week, the sunrise behind our place has been nothing short of spectacular.

And to think that there is a Great Blue Heron's nest in the top of the pine tree across the water! Wouldn't that have been fun should one of them have decided to fly off during this tremendous sunrise? That would be quite a photograph.

Sitting down to write before looking at this week's photos, I thought perhaps there was not all that much to share. I thought wrong! Beginning with last Sunday's trip to Advent Health after church to visit our pickleball friend, Ray. How I wish I'd had this expansive view when I was in the hospital!

Ray has no immediate family in Orlando prompting us to fill in for at least an hour. The whole group at Dover Shores, but mostly Jossie who made the basket, and Kathy who provided one, chipped in and presented him with some goodies once he had been released. 

Just a few of the fun folks we play with. More often than not, I am not in photos because I am taking them, however, Jennifer took this while I was in the center turning in some lost and found items. Ray, with his hand in a bandage, returned to play this morning, albeit without most of another finger. I chided him because his finger was not dressed well enough and his response was "yes, mother". Seriously, we are all worried that the infection will return if he's not keeping it clean. Only time will tell. 

I've been meaning to surprise Cynthia with the photo below.

Bruce was so enamored of her Christmas card painting that he went out and bought a frame, displaying it on our kitchen table next to a funky little light from Ikea. Her artistic talents are endless.

Here's an Orange Bundt cake I made this week with a fancier name than that. Maybe more exotic would be appropriate. Mexican in origin to be precise.

Using recipes from the newspaper used to be oh so common, however, not so much anymore. This one from the Thursday food section used whole oranges blended into the batter. It's a keeper!

More sky magic, this time a sunset over Lake Pineloch.

The very FIRST large canvas that I sold was very similar. I called it Solid Gold.  Speaking of photos from a long while ago, just yesterday I was reminded of the site where first I began posting photos online. If you have a few minutes to kill, here's a link to some of those oldies but goodies. Although I have not looked at them in ages, there are a few good ones in the mix if I do say so myself. :)

Two big things happened this past week, one of which is I cleaned out my side of the closet, getting rid of so many things I'd not worn for a long time. I then organized everything not only by sleeve length, but by color as well.

I wonder what it says about a person who has almost no solid clothing? Your thoughts?

It is always a little painful, especially if some of the items are home made, but it had to be done. Softening the blow just a little bit was the timely declaration to Leslie and Patti about said clean out. Leslie perked up immediately, reminding me that she makes new clothes out of old clothes. Thus, instead of us taking this huge pile to Goodwill, Leslie parked beside our car and transferred it to hers. Hopefully she can work some clothes magic! 

Secondly, some very exciting news....we got a patio!! Beginning with the irrigation folks coming to rearrange the sprinklers.

What is immediately evident in the photo below is how awful it was looking. Not anymore my friends! Bruce stayed home one day to supervise the action.

It looks so much better, especially because our neighbors, Sherry and David, did the same. This is a good before photo.

And here we go a few days later. Bruce put some soil in to even things out but there is still a little work to be done.

We are all just thrilled with how it turned out, making the area far more user friendly! Instead of one stoop outside the door, we now have this!

Can we all agree that the changing sky is magic? Below was the start of a very chilly day.

Taking photos in Florida during the winter is a pleasure with such clear air along with wonderful light.

While sitting at my desk I noticed a large flying bird out the window, prompting me to jump up and find out what it was, although I was pretty confident that it was a pelican. Indeed it was flying around in circles over the lake although from the photo above you wouldn't know it! But, with a title such as the one I used today, I figured the photo above deserved some love for the bright blue sky and the puffy clouds reflecting in the water below.

Yet another shot over Lake Pineloch just before sunset. 

Late one afternoon Bruce and I went to the pool to wait for sunset and it turned out to be a winner to the tenth degree. The sky kept getting better and better, turning the lake side buildings and windows orange.

Just when you think it cannot get any more colorful, it does.

A Crescent Moon anyone?

Having taken hundreds of sunset photos over the years, I have to say that this one was one of the most spectacular because the light on the underside of the clouds glowed like nothing I've ever seen before. 

That is one of the most magical things about sky watching, a new day brings a new view, some mundane and some out of this world. I suppose, when you stop and think about it, that is really the pattern to our days; some days there is magic, while others not so much. 

Then again, variety is the spice of life or so they say!

your friend,

Gail