Thursday Morning

As I type, some of the Wood Duck family is roaming the backyard, the sun is shining and the windows are not covered in condensation because last night's rainfall was minimal. Along with that the sound of chainsaws fills the air as the clean up continues across the lake. I took the photo below on May 29th, and never in my wildest dreams did I imagine the look would change.

But now it has. We've since learned that the tornado was rated an F1 with 100 mph winds, touching down several times, causing the worst damage across the lake. The good news is that while there was destruction, no lives were lost.

Could 2020 become any worse? Maybe. That said, of course it could!

Instead of bemoaning, we should be rejoicing because, to date, we have been spared both the Coronavirus and now a tornado. We drove down Ferncreek again because I wanted another look in the sunshine, rather than the dismal gray weather from the weekend. In the photo below I'm standing on Ferncreek, where the tornado ripped through the greenery. You might recognize the stand of trees about the middle of the photo from previous photographs and we live just behind them.

Instead of the wall of green we were accustomed to seeing from our place, it now looks like this.

While I am very, very sad for those who have lost so much, most of that can be repaired in time, however, who knows how long it will take to once again become a green wall?

Instead of looking on the sad side, let's focus this post on the positive instead. I was thinking about the word cheerful, wondering how many people can claim that they feel that way in these trying times. Cheerful is a good word, don't you think? Perhaps I can bring a little cheer into your day with the following photographs. I hope so.

When it hasn't been raining like cats and dogs, we've had some spectacular sunsets of late. Mostly I notice them from the kitchen window as it reflects in the clouds outside. It is then that I grab my camera and head to the big lake, sometimes along the canal which is what I did the night that I took the photo above. This, my friends, is the Mallard family who I saw out in the water and as I walked along the extensive lakefront, they came to greet me. How fun is that? I knew I had not been seeing them around as much, apparently because they have been looking for larger digs.  Here is the remarkable sunset from last night, the likes of which would have been hard to believe if I had not seen it with my own eyes.

It must have been Tuesday that instead of practicing pickleball, we walked around Lake Davis which has come up about a foot following our almost daily rains. The cygnets are getting big, but aside from that I was thinking there was not much to photograph, that is until I spotted a solitary duckling with Mama in the grass.

One thing I had noticed was an abundance of cars parked around the lake, when normally there might be three or four, including a motorhome which really made me wonder what was going on. Well, as it turns out, we found out what was going on, and I was glad I had my camera. A Travelers Insurance commercial was being filmed one street over from the lake and we came across it. At one point a little boy emerged from the house next door to the filming, along with a bicycle. Turns out, he was staying, along with his Mother, at Grandma's house because she'd had shoulder surgery and needed help. The production crew needed a little boy to ride a bicycle in the commercial and when they saw him, well, he got the job. She's pictured in her sling, watching the action.

The main character, a woman, was being filmed kneeling, as if she were gardening, in front of the white house. I said to Grandma that I bet they spent loads of time casting her, whereas, because her grandson was available, he got the job! All the crew members were masked, in case you are wondering.

Back at the ranch, as they say, one afternoon the postman came through the gate with a package, much to my surprise. I was thinking that I could not remember ordering anything and indeed I had not. Thanks to Joelle, I have a new puzzle that, while cute, will seriously test my newfound skill set. Turns out neither she, nor her late Mother could finish it, so I'm not getting any grand notions that I will have more success. Nevertheless, it sure brought a smile to my face!

As did the surprise appearance of a Tufted Titmouse on the plant shelf by the orchids, fading, by the way. Opening the door to head down to the lake to visit with the "girls", there he was, and for long enough so that I went back inside, grabbed my phone and camera, and still he stayed put. I was beginning to wonder if he were sick. Normally they move about fast and furious.

In time though, he flew up to the top of the opened screen door, allaying my fears, but then he got stuck flying around the ceiling, trying to find a way out! Going inside to get a broom, I tried holding the handle up near him that he might find a perch that I might help him out. Turns out, he did just fine on his own.

Generally I've been not totally enamored of the Common Gallinule, that is until I really looked at the photo below. Taken in the right light, I was finally able to appreciate the color nuances.

Before this I was thinking they were entirely black, with a little white. Those cute tail feathers! Of course the beak has always been appreciated, but who knew they had brown feathers too? This article, from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, describes how so many people are discovering the joy of birdwatching during the pandemic. Welcome to the party newcomers! By extension, those amongst you who before had no real fascination with birds, have been forced to from reading this blog! Imagine if I were a better photographer?

Let's go on a field trip, shall we?

For the most part, our days are spent on property, however, after the dreary weekend, with a tornado no less, yesterday seemed like a good day to take our bikes out, so we returned to Moss Park to ride through the newly opened campground. Out of the 52 spaces, three were occupied. Number 20 was my favorite spot, but even this enthusiastic camper is having second thoughts due to bugs, torrential rain, and the heat! Lord have mercy, it was hot out there! We read and picnicked under the trees, but the air was so still, it was almost too hot to eat.  We had some visitors.

Aside from the practicing crew team, there were more birds than people at the park! While we were in the campground area we discovered a very long fishing dock which could be a big draw for Bruce.

Finally finishing Cross Creek, in some ways, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings has almost convinced me that there is more to like than dislike about Florida.

Here are a few sentences to ponder:

"I do not understand how any one can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to. In the lakeside hammock there is a constant stirring the the tree-tops, as thou on the stillest days the breathing of the earth is yet audible."

Trying to remember her words as I looked at the still trees along the shore while sweating like nobody's business.

While standing on the dock, it was hard to discern whether the loud croaking we heard was a frog or an alligator, however, there is no mistaking the call of a Red Winged Blackbird.

Recently I met a woman who has a place here, and also owns a house on Lake Mary Jane, the site of Moss Park. She told me that the two big islands I was seeing were rookeries with thousands of nesting shorebirds. No wonder there are so many Ibises and Wood Storks, whose cries we could hear while eating our lunch. Whole flocks would fly over to the shore nearby. While they are not my favorite bird, I do find their wings amazing, as has been previously documented in this space. Seeing a young Woo Stork, before the scales form on its head was a highlight.

Indeed, they are a strange bird. I'm still wondering what this behavior represents, the wings opened wide and strutting around like a peacock.

And although the flight feathers appear totally black, in the right light, they are actually a deep emerald green that I wish showed up more clearly.

After we got home yesterday, leaving because it was just plain too hot, I did a little research on these birds, learning, much to my surprise that they are not found everywhere as I'd assumed, rather only in Mexico and parts of Florida, Georgia, and the South Carolina coast. During the lockdown I've been following a Facebook group called the Self Isolating Bird Club based in Britain, seeing birds I've never before seen. Frankly, I've been both smitten and amazed. Now I know that should I post a Wood Stork photograph, chances are most of the group has never before seen one of this fairly common Central Florida bird. Isn't the world amazing?

I'll close with one of my big time favorites, the Sandhill Crane whose head I love so much because of the heart shape.

I so wish we lived in a place where they are found in huge flocks which must be a sight to see. Their wingspan is, get this, 78", while the Wood Stork has a wingspan of around 68". No doubt, probably the least useful bit of information you receive today, however, at least it is not bad news!

In other news, I'm having my hair cut today and Bruce is getting the oil changed in the car right now. Just the normal everyday stuff that we are all longing to return to without reservation. Here's hoping that will happen sooner, rather than later. In the meantime, I'm going to be birdwatching. How about you?

your friend,

Gail

Did You Hear That?

Yesterday was a mostly quiet, drizzly day. After our pickleball game was canceled due to the rain, we spent about thirty minutes there practicing before the rain picked up. While Bruce did some reading, I made another rhubarb pie using the new technique.

No stretch-tite, no pie crust, as far as I'm concerned. Rather than use a floured countertop, I put two sheets of plastic down, followed by my ball of dough, covering it with flour and more plastic. The only way I've ever successfully brought crust to pan. Later on, Bruce went to help Bill with something, while I worked on a new jigsaw puzzle. All the while, it lightly rained.

Eventually it was dinner time, and we sat down to a very scrumptious dinner, if I do say so myself, remarking to Bruce that it was like a date night. At the same time, there was a group text going around between some friends here at LPV. One asked, "how was your day", another replied, "quiet, mostly reading." All those texts began at 7:13PM. Sitting at the kitchen table,  having a slice of the pie, we heard a very loud sound, both of us at the same time saying, "did you hear that?" We rushed to the back sliding doors in time to see the wind lashing the plants and rain splattering the windows. I was not brave enough to open the door, so I took a photo through it.

Looking at my photos this morning, following a drive around to see the damage, the time was, 7:22 PM. And then it was over, with only light rain falling. As you can imagine, we were all in shock, in part because it happened so fast, and in part because most all of us have never lived through a tornado. Make that seen a tornado, let alone live through one! Loads of people emerged from their condos to see what had just happened. The texts were flying, Connie who lives just above us had tried to open her sliding glass door to see what was going on, impossible from the pressure. She did see the lake in turmoil. David was talking with Alan when they began seeing things flying in the air about 100 feet above them. Gayle texted that she had a large piece of siding outside her place. There was a float in a tree along with more siding just down the way from us.

It was soon thereafter that we explored the lakeside behind our place, seeing the damage across the lake, where once there was a wall of trees and shrubs, now looked decimated. The power was out, the power was on, the rain fell lightly, and then it rained like a son of a gun after dark. In all, we got about 2.5 inches of rain in very short order. Thankfully, the power came back on in time for bed as it was so hot and humid it would have been a long night without AC.

This morning, first thing I went out with my camera to see what I could see. Our little tree, while still standing, bent over a bit. The air was so humid, I kept wiping my camera lens to get some photographs!

The aquatic plants also took on a new look from the wind, as did the shore across the way.

For the most part, we normally would not have seen the houses over there. It was not just metal that flew, just behind the house an Anhinga perches on some 2X4's floating in the lake.

Bruce and I went looking to see the damage which was quite shocking so close to home. A fireman is getting his drone ready for overhead images.

There are several streets on the East side of the property that took a beating.

Welcome to these poor folks nightmare.

As we turned onto Ferncreek, I thought this sure didn't take long to appear.

Not far, as in yards from this sign, the extensive damage begins to come into focus. This house is on the opposite corner of the lake from us. Sadly, that is a new fence.

Trying to get a shot of the damaged foliage and trees, I showed up in the photo.

The opposite side of the street was a mess. Our hearts go out to these folks.

We learned from Sandy's best friend  who lives near here, not far from Maureen's house, that the damage on her street was extensive. "Honey, let's check out Maureen's street please." Indeed, her home is on Martin Street.

The downed street sign is on one corner and the overturned trailer on the other.

About a block down Lake Margaret, an entire block wall came down.

Turning down Martin, we came to a stop because a tree blocked our progress.

Having lived in the area forever, we knew another way, down Simonton, where the house just around the corner from Maureen's looks like this.

Fortunately, her house was mostly spared, but the next door neighbor had a tree blow over.

Loads of folks were clearing the mess at the church across the street, picking up all of the playground toys that were strewn everywhere. The corner where Sandy's friend lives nearby was a mess and again, our hearts go out to these folks who had towels hanging along their fence, probably used for mopping up the rain that poured in.

Just across from them, this stop sign says a lot. We are used to hurricanes, but tornados are an anomaly around these parts. I neglected to mention that we did get a tornado alert on our phones, but because it is so rare, we don't take those warnings seriously. Except this time, indeed a twister came through.

Having lived in a home with massive trees for more than twenty years, we've cleaned up after many a storm, but never a tornado. The temperature right now is only 82 degrees, but with the humidity at 80%, it allegedly feels like 93 degrees. Working in that kind of environment is such misery.

And yes, those are fence posts sticking through that downed tree.

What did we learn from this experience? Never say never would be one thing. And there is that little thing about how life can change in an instant, and although we'd like to think we are in control, well, you be the judge.

your friend,

Gail

What Day is Today?

I'll tell you what day it is....your lucky day. Why so, you ask? At Marshalls one day I came across a lemon squeezer from OXO that looked interesting. Over the years I've purchased many a squeezer that seemed promising, but ultimately fell short of my expectations. While this one is not perfect, it's the very best I've tried. Unless you have a huge lemon, it is perfect.

Because it is so flexible, it is infinitely easier to get a lot of juice, minus those pesky seeds. Should you, like me, come across one, I'd say go for it!

Seriously though, "what is today" has been a constant refrain around here. The days slide by, and before you know it, Saturday arrives and it is time to change the sheets again. Are you experiencing the same situation, or is it just us because we are retired?

Many mornings Bruce and I practice pickleball together for as long as the heat and humidity will allow. I have never sweat so much in my life! Another morning I rode my bicycle out of the complex, something I rarely do because of the busy street we are on. As I was coming back, riding on Mills Ave. near Boone, I noticed a bird on a wire overhead. Surprise, surprise. This morning I took a look at the photograph and much to my delight, it appears to be a Starling, although I could very well be wrong. Anyway, what looked like just a dark bird turned out to be one full of jewel tones.

I so wish I were closer to better appreciate the beauty of those feathers!

On Monday, the downtown library was open for business, or so I thought. You might recall that we checked out books on the day before the library closed, March 17, to be exact. For all this time we've held onto those books and I was very excited to turn them in for others. We parked along Rosalind, walking the two blocks or so to the library. Sadly, along the way we saw the new downtown Dolllar General all boarded up, prepared in case of looting.

Arriving we realized that Bruce had forgotten his required mask, so I turned the books in and waited for his return. The lobby looks like this.

My waiting was for naught. We discovered that you can not actually go to the books shelves yourself, instead the two posted librarians would get them for you which would be fine and dandy if you know what you want. Because my method of finding novels is through browsing, we went home empty handed.

Last Saturday afternoon, with favorable weather we anxiously awaited the SpaceX launch, hoping to see it from the lakeshore which other residents claimed had been successful in the past. Multiple folks were ringing the lakeside hoping for the same, but with cloud cover that looked like this, it was not possible to see it at all, much to our disappointment.

The lake has been filling fast because we've had nearly five inches of rain in the last week or so. The Wood Ducks are beginning to show their adult colors.

Still on the lake topic, it does my heart good to see young people using the lake, reminding me of our youth when lakes were how most folks in Orlando kept cool during the steamy summer months.

Although we grew up with a swimming pool in our backyard, we were an anomaly, rather than the norm of today. That did not stop us from swimming in the nearby lakes, including Lake Arnold that our son Bill's house now faces. Very much simpler times in Orlando.

It turns out jigsaw puzzles are an excellent way to spend rainy afternoons, something I'm only now learning at my advanced age. Sue gave me the excellent tip about using a magnifying glass on the one I was working on, helping somewhat. What also helped was dragging Bruce into it because with his patience I was certain we could get it done. Except we did not. The trees just would not go together, probably because other green pieces were wrong, but I decided to throw in the towel. It's supposed to be fun right?

Susan and I traded puzzles, and the one I got in return, well, this one was super fun! No magnifying glass required.

Too funny that the photo includes one of my ponytail holders which are a constant these days as my hair is far too long, making me way too hot. I've got an appointment set for next week with a new stylist Michelle recommended, so we'll see what happens.

Yesterday morning I called Costco just after 8:00 in the morning to see if they had toilet paper and the answer was yes. We were lucky enough to get some, even though we arrived about a half an hour into senior hour. It was shocking to see this line forming in front of the store as we were leaving.

It was even more shocking to see the boarded up Ulta and Nordstrom Rack at Millenia that were looted over the weekend.

While I don't pretend to have all of the answers, in my opinion, looting is not one of them. With so many unemployed, food shortages, a deadly virus, instances of police brutality, and now riots. It's all beginning to feel overwhelming, isn't it?

In an effort to do something normal from my past, I've decided to enter the Historical Society calendar contest again, going out on Sunday afternoon to see what I could see. In the past it has been focused on specific historic neighborhoods, but in an effort to maintain social distancing, the parameters have been expanded. I did not go far, beginning in nearby Lancaster Park.

I won't be entering the above, but it gives you an idea of what they are after. Black and white, something I rarely do. From there I went over to Lake Cherokee where I found this on the sidewalk, accomplished with a power washer.

Most definitely a sign of the times. Nearby I took a few photographs of the Ultimate I-4 project and the new exit ramp onto Delaney from the SR 408.

It has been nearly two years now since we returned from Vancouver and not once have I used I-4, as it is far too dangerous for the likes of me.

I needn't tell you that these are some perilous days we are living through. I can only hope that when I look back on these days through the words and photographs of this blog that some progress to our current health and political problems will have been addressed successfully. At the moment, it feels as if those solutions are a long way away. In the meantime, we just keep putting one foot in front of another.

your friend,

Gail