David to the Rescue!

I'll admit, Bruce and I have our talents, but financial planning is not one of them. Aren't we so lucky to have sons who are? In this case it was David who came to our rescue Monday night.

Sunday, while reading at the market I came across a line in The Orchid Thief that was so good I had to write it down. At the time I thought it pertained to folks perception about me, however, once Dave spent about four hours talking to us, I knew he was the rightful heir to this line---"he has an excess of verbal energy." Those of you who know David know just how true this is!! And, I love it. There's no holding Dave back when he gets going on a topic he is passionate about! Of course, the same could be said of me, however, in reality, I do NOT hold a candle to David.  So, for the first time in our lives, we are going to try and get serious about our finances. Time will tell...

That same night, well more specifically, the wee hours of Tuesday morning, rain woke me up, and I do mean that literally. The good thing about living in a home, built pre-air conditioning, is that the builders included wide eaves in their designs to ward off both the sun, and the rain. Except, in this case, the eaves were no match for the ferocious wind and rain howling outside our OPEN window. I can't say as I can ever remember that happening before. The good news is, in spite of said winds, we only lost one large branch from the front yard oak tree. Could have been much worse!

Monday was a dreary day, so after checking out those cabinets for Bill, we filled the afternoon with meandering through two antique markets, reliving our past if you will. I swear I am always amazed at what people are selling in those places. The question is, "is anyone buying?" Before leaving the house, I was picking up the garbage cans from streetside, putting them back in their place. As I passed the open can filled with yard waste I noticed this little guy on top:

I haven't the foggiest notion how he got there, but once I showed him to Bruce, he, not I, as I am the squeamish type, carried him to the bushes. Briefly we considered putting him in a jar, however, briefly is the operative word here.

Tuesday was filled with activities both good, and bad. Because the weather has been so great, my thoughts have turned to camping, and in this case, specifically Moss Park off Narcoossee Road which is fairly close to us. Some of you may have read about our last camping adventure here, and if so, may just recall we had a little problem.  You see, we use the back of the Pilot for our sleeping quarters, and the car has a mind of it's own regarding the alarm. You'll just have to read the previous post. In any case, Bruce is having a look under the hood so we won't have a repeat of that fun!

As is quite evident, we had the place to ourselves. Except for the birds and some squirrels. You've not seen a squirrel picture in quite some time, have you?

When they are not in my yard stealing form the bird feeders they seem quite cute, don't they?

In my office I have a darling photograph of Bruce and three of our adorable little boys fishing off this pier.

That was a very long time ago. Can anyone believe Bill and Dave are turning 35 on April Fool's Day? I can't say it seems like only yesterday, but it sure doesn't seem like they've been part of this world for that long!

Along the shore of Lake Mary Jess there were quite a group of Ibises, along with several Wood Stork, whose name I could not remember for the life of me, that is, until I started walking to the signage with the shore birds names.

Wood Stork have the ugliest heads, almost pre-historic if you will, but when in flight, oh my!

The sun was so bright I was following this bird in flight, shooting over my head, thus, cutting the tip of his wing off; nonetheless, I thought you might enjoy it.

Our mission was both as a recognizance one, and a picnic, which we enjoyed seated at one of the many lakeside picnic tables. Just as we finished, a Sandhill Crane wandered up to our table, getting so close you can't imagine. Normally they travel in pairs, but this one seemed to be on his own.

I love these cranes--notice the almost heart shape to the red on his head. With his sand covered beak it is easy to see where they get their name!

Here's a nice peaceful picture for you:

Well, that was the last peace we had all day! Our next stop was to the phone store, and was it ever anything but peaceful. Hours and hours later, I have my phone set up, however, not so for Bruce. Let's just say it was both confusing, and frustrating. No more gory details as the whole affair is too darn confusing to relate.

That said, we are making progress on both the financial side, and the communication side of our new life together; next year at this time, it will be a distant memory. Except, of course, for this blog to remind us! (See car camping post!)

Judy Peck

I've been spending some time in the company of teachers lately, most recently last evening. I suspect both Bonnie and Bev were fantastic teachers, even if they did teach science, a subject I hate ! Both of them are filled with curiosity, which I'm thinking must be one of the main characteristics of a great teacher. Their enthusiasm is infectious, if you will.

Another teacher I've know for far longer is my sister-in-law Judy Peck. During my second year of x-ray school I lived with her and my brother-in-law Cris. Can you imagine that kindness? A brand new college graduate,  her first job teaching was at, what was even back then a very iffy junior high--Robinswood. As I recall, the whole teaching thing scared her, especially because she spent her life in all Catholic schools with, as everyone knows, very strict discipline. She adjusted and thrived, never losing her curiosity, or regretting her decision to spend her life improving students lives. Although I've battled the squirrels around here, I still find them interesting. This squirrel's, "in your face" look reminds me a little bit of Judy:

Kind of like, "I dare you not to learn in this class!" Not to mention how industrious squirrels are.

Another animal that comes to mind thinking of Judy is a cat, not only because she loves them, but also because they can sneak up on, grabbing your affection before you know it.

Plus they are soft to the touch, and although Judy has never been afraid to give students the grade they earned, she is still a bit of a soft touch! Furthermore, most any former student of hers I've ever talked to, and there are plenty, (this is still a small town!), talks about how funny she is. You know how some people have a laugh that just makes you feel good? That's Judy! Through GEICO commercials we've all come to think of this little guy as funny:

Then too, her mission has always been to give her students wings to fly:

Like this blossom from a lemon tree over in Eric's garden, she leaves a fragrance that is not easily forgotten. Soon this lovely bloom will turn into a lemon, which in itself is pretty darn amazing when you think about it. Judy has been turning lackadaisical students into super stars for so many years now it's really remarkable. Throughout 41 years of teaching she has left her mark on more students than you can count.

By now, I'm sure my curious readers are wondering what the heck does she teach? Wonder no more! Currently she's teaching Advanced Placement English at Winter Springs High School. If you live in Florida you've heard of the FCAT and all the problems with students passing this statewide test. Not so Judy's students--the sheer force of her will probably MAKES them pass! Spending countless hours working with students making the yearbook and the school newspaper, it's easy to imagine some of them going on to become journalists and writers.

I'll never forget the time a young man, upon learning we were related, told me that although he earned a D in Mrs. Peck 's class, she was his favorite teacher. Can you imagine? And so it is that the entire Senior class at Winter Springs High just voted Judy "their favorite teacher." Very exciting indeed!

As reliable as the azalea blossoms, which return year after year, she keeps on teaching.

Here's to all the great teachers in the world--those you remember fondly, like Judy, who left an indelible mark on your life!

Speaking of the Peck family, if you'd like to know how my son Matthew takes photographs, have a look at these from his India trip. When there are a large bunch, I love to watch them as a slideshow.

 Happy Friday!

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.

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

It only hurts when I bite on it

Good news! I got an A on my geology test, and a quiz returned in Algebra with a grade of 100! Now that is what I call progress. In between classes today I was sitting on a bench and saw a remarkable sight to me anyway. A squirrel was scaling the wall with a mouthful of sphagnum moss on it's way to the roof! Once there it stared down at me for a bit and then took the stairs back down to ground level. You know I couldn't resist photographing it. As well, when I arrived at school, the roses were so beautiful they were crying out to have their pictures taken!

I stayed after classes to listen to a speaker about Florida's Bio-Diversity and the effect the growing population was having on it. He showed lots of great photos, and the bonus is. extra credit for geology. Algebra was weird again--my professor never looks at the class directly and it is just plain uncomfortable. I saw a girl from that class after the lecture, and she said she was dropping it as she can't seem to learn from our teacher. I don't blame her--I would do it myself, but I've already invested two months--I will stick it out.

Bruce has gone to Detroit to cool off. The sunshine has returned this afternoon and brought with it 83 degree heat! I must finish my study guide for Humanities, hopefully, today. I have a toothache to accompany my other problems so a visit to the dentist is in store for tomorrow.