What Next?

You might think to yourself that it is no ones fault but our own that creatures have been making their way inside our home and you would be right to presume that. Many years ago it would have been unthinkable to leave doors wide open, however, not because of birds, but flies. Oh my, they were, in the words of my late mother, "as thick as thieves" around these parts. For whatever reason this is no longer the case allowing me to leave both the front and back doors wide open during the lovely weather we've experienced this winter. Plus, the optimist in me thinks that rarely things go wrong. I'm not a complete fool, but mostly I look on the bright side of life.

I was not thinking bright and happy thoughts when I walked into the sunroom Friday morning and discovered a large toad on the floor near Bruce's briefcase. YIKES!! Quickly shutting the French doors so said nasty toad would remain at least in the sunroom, I went to get you know who. He was still showering but promised to get there ASAP. Although I proposed a jar to rid said sunroom of the toad, Bruce gently picked him up, even pausing long enough for me to take photographs.

According to Bruce the toad must have been burrowing in the dirt because he was covered in it, making him far less attractive than normal. I know some folks think toads and frogs are cute, and in fact, I do have the toad swimming in the pool photograph hung in our hall bathroom, but a photograph is one thing, in the flesh--not so much!

Once the toad was safely in the backyard, and the back door firmly shut, we finished getting ready for our day trip to Gamble Place in Port Orange. The weather was a bit dreary as we left but improved throughout the day. Because we arrived about twenty minutes before the gates opened we took a look around Cracker Creek, the adjacent property where they rent canoes and kayaks. As we got out of the car the first thing I saw was a male peacock on the front porch rails. As is often the case, once you have a pair, they multiply pretty quickly. We ended up seeing at least a dozen peacocks, or I should say mostly peahens, with a few peacocks showing off in the mix.

This peacock had such lovely coloration! They offer a one hour pontoon boat ride at 11:00 down Spruce Creek which we decided was just the thing to do after visiting Gamble Place.

GP was used primarily as a hunting lodge for the Gamble, of Ivory Soap fame, family. Apparently there was a mansion in Daytona Beach where they slept, making day excursions to the creek. At one point (1938), one of the heirs of James Gamble was so enamored of the new Walt Disney film, Snow White, that he had an architect build a replica of the Black Forest cottage as seen in the film.

To the left of the main building is a burned out cypress tree trunk used for the witches hut! As you can see the azaleas were in full bloom and not just adjacent to the cottage but huge bunches of them everywhere.

Bruce was amazed at the quality of the workmanship on the cottage which was much larger than I'd expected. A playhouse was it's function. Meandering the property, we took in what we could, however,  because the boat tour time was quickly approaching, we didn't see a lot of the place in depth,  but enough to imagine why he chose the location for a summer retreat.

The family that now owns Cracker Creek named it that because, as we saw in a demonstration after the boat ride, the sound of the cow whip makes a loud crack, and I do mean loud. To put your mind at ease, it turns out the whip was used not to beat the animals but to give them a scare so they would keep going during cattle drives. Captain Jim demonstrates the technique:

We learned that the incredibly loud crack comes from the whip breaking the sound barrier. And now you know the origin of the nickname, Florida Cracker! The boat ride was lovely with soft breezes under partly cloudy skies. We saw a few juvenile alligators sunning themselves on the banks much to the delight of the other guests who were visiting the area for Daytona Bike Week from parts up North.

At this size they look kind of cute don't they? As well we saw some newly blooming air plants clinging to the old oak trees amongst the Resurrection Ferns.

All those squiggly brown things are the Resurrection Ferns which according to our very knowledgeable guide turn bright green after a rainstorm.

During Kate's funeral Bruce mentioned he'd have to take more photographs of me if we were to do a slide show at my funeral. He started the project on the boat.

No makeup!!! Bruce convinced me I didn't need it, however, I think he doesn't see what I see. :-)

The azaleas were really breathtaking with a gorgeous shade blooming that I can't recall seeing before.

After lunch at their picnic tables we headed North towards Ormond Beach to visit The Casements, the winter home of John D. Rockefeller. Driving through Daytona Beach was pretty interesting with all the bikers just arriving. I asked Bruce, what exactly do they do for a week? It remains a mystery. By now it was raining so the volume on the streets was naturally diminished.

Joining a tour underway, we unfortunately didn't get as much background information as I would have liked, but that's why we have the Internet isn't it?

According to Wikipedia the house was named for the casement windows which are absent these days; mostly hurricane damage through the years. Amazingly the top floor holds a Boy Scout museum and a Hungarian Costume museum. Weird, I know.

The Boy Scout Museum was begun as an Eagle Scout project by a local young man in 1980 and it's been housed there ever since. The collection of memorabilia is really astonishing including this final letter to the Scouts from the British founder of the movement.

There were uniforms from every era prior to 1980, and when I tell you it was really well done, you'll just have to believe me.

Bruce was a Boy Scout for a long time and his brother Cris went onto become an Eagle Scout. Those knots Bruce uses to tie down my tent every week--the Boy Scouts. Being prepared for anything--that's the Boy Scout motto!

The other folks on the tour weren't as interested in the Hungarian costumes so we made a quick run through of that room.

Really beautiful hand made costumes.

So, all in all, it was a terrific day trip. Of course any day I get to spend with Bruce is terrific, but then again, that goes without saying.

When you've lived in Florida most of your life it is easy to take it for granted, however, there is so much to see and do that it's really no wonder people the world over come to Florida to both live and play. The last few years have really opened my eyes to the wonder that is Florida, despite the heat and live creatures that come into our home uninvited!

Babies and About to be Babies

What's Luck Got to Do With It?   Well, as it turns out--a lot if you're a patient. Shame on the medical system is what I have to say. As someone who went through such a rigamarole to find out what was wrong with her, I can relate big time. My problem is they never did find out what was going on. The poor man profiled in the Times story underwent exploratory surgery, something I'm thrilled I avoided although it was discussed. Just as I was reading those pieces the mail brought the bill for the ultrasound Bruce underwent a few weeks ago. Because his liver enzymes were elevated, his doctor kept insisting on the necessity of the test. You know me--I kept insisting that he is completely healthy and it is a waste of time. Finally I caved and said go ahead and have it to shut the doctor up. The bill from the hospital--$1,127! Radiologist fees to follow. Thank God for insurance, but we still had to pay a pretty large portion.

Some voice mail problems prevented Bruce from knowing about the nurses first call last week. She called again on Tuesday, and again he missed the call. Finally later in the day he spoke with her--the results are a fatty liver. Furthermore she told him he should start a low fat diet and lose weight. Duh!! It stands to reason that if you're somewhat overweight this will be the result, but NO--they needed a silly waste of time, not to mention expensive, test to state the obvious. Apparently this is becoming more common as the population, both adults and children, grows larger. Let me stress he does not have a disease just some fat, probably from eating out all the time because he sure isn't getting fat from eating at home!

Yesterday was a gardening day for me. Lots of lovely flowers were planted after some necessary uprooting of others. Last week I noticed what I thought was a new cardinal nest in the Lady Palms. Score--it is a new nest! I caught Mama Cardinal sitting on it and in a first, it is in pretty good view. I got on the ladder when she was off gallivanting and got this shot of the EGGS!

Using my trusty Panasonic Lumix FZ8 I held the camera over the nest and hoped for the best! I wonder if this will be all the eggs or if they lay them separately? Because we have two sets of cardinals, I'm not sure which female I was seeing, but I thought one of them looked a little puffy and this was after I discovered the nest. Perhaps I should go in search of a second nest? Why didn't I think of that yesterday???

Not to change the subject but my hair is darker and 2" shorter and it feels very good. Monica, as always, did a lovely job styling it; I, on the other hand, will not be as adept for sure.

So, this morning I got ready for bridge, but something kept nagging at me about not going. All it took as I was driving there was to catch a glimpse of a mother duck and ducklings alongside a small lake. Pulling over and pulling out the FZ8, I saw this adorable site:

Naturally you must be wondering what's going on with this picture seeing as it's so soft and all. Well, I'll tell you what's going on. My trusty Picasa has undergone an update and in so doing Google added all these simple-as-pie editing features. This one is appropriately called, "soften." Because I don't care for this kind of duck, in fact I think they are downright ugly, I softened it for her. Sad to think that those adorable babies will be growing up to look like their mother.....

Don't think I'm too much of a slacker for skipping bridge please. Arriving home early, Bruce said you know your friends are counting on you, to which I defended myself by saying that we actually had five which exonerates me! After the duckling sighting I made my way over to Lake Eola where there are too many birds to count. Lots of swans, including some pairs of black swans. This little one is going to someday be black:

See those big feet?? The cygnet would walk maybe two steps before practically tripping over those big feet!! Adorable, adorable.

Another one of the editing features is called "Lomo-ish." Here's a little explanation about lomography.
Plastic Russian camera and film are no longer necessary to get the lomo look.

Just having a little fun experimenting. One of the reasons I kept wanting to stay home was to do some creating, as in a new collage--theme yet to be determined. Two working titles are "Who Doesn't Like Blue?", or "The Art of Whimsy", two subjects I know very much about.  I'm all over whimsy! Speaking of which, the new owl curtain may be just plain "too whimsical" even for me. If there weren't so darn many owls!

Always having fun with my camera I looked on the ground and noticed a white feather jutting out of the pine needles. Once I turned my camera on the subject I discovered the shadow of my legs in my new Paige skinny, and I mean skinny, jeans was visible. Thinking I'd yet to show off my new shoes purchased with my birthday Nordstrom gift card from Dave and Michelle, it was a win-win situation.

Both of these garments were removed in favor of a sleeveless dress and barefoot once I returned home. Jeans are just fine right now if I'm in air conditioning, otherwise it is getting too warm for me to wear everyone's favorite garment. Not that I'm complaining, far from it. Having open windows is my favorite as my children will readily attest.

Parsley in vase curtesy of my gardening prowess. That's a laugh!

Cherry tomato, although I made the same mistake as last year only buying one plant. Dummy. Basil and cilantro are coming along nicely:

I'm thinking you couldn't get enough of those ducklings and are dying to see them again. Am I right?

I thought so.

And one last picture of something you've seen a thousand times before, but if you're like me 1,001 is still just fine.

Just as I was pulling into our street Tuesday evening after having my hair done I saw a man on a paddle board silhouetted against the setting sun. Brakes!! Camera out of handbag!!! Car parked alongside curb!! Race across Summerlin. It wasn't meant to be apparently as he had moved over close to his dock. Darn him.

collaging away,
Gail

Loose Ends

I realized over the weekend that I was remiss on updating you regarding the refrigerator. No doubt, you spent days wondering if Gail had added appliance repairman to her repertoire. She has not. After cleaning the disgusting side of the fridge which faces the stove, not to mention the floor and vacuuming the back, I discovered that, although the internet was a handy guide to what was wrong, I had no idea how to go about finding the drain. Well, that's not entirely true, Bruce pointed out on the back what he was sure was the drain but left before telling me how to dis-attach it from the fridge. Maybe that's not even a word but you get my drift. A call was made to Conway Appliance, a repairman came out within hours and after the easiest repair in the world we are back in business. So darn easy I only had to pay the $69 fee for him coming out. He yanked the drain plug off the back of the refrigerator, stuck a tube down it and dislodged a piece of ice. Voila!

Furthermore I never told you if I kept the shower curtain. I did not. After having such a classic stripe for so long, the wild print seemed just a tad too much. Instead I bought this one in Cocoa Village that, if I'm honest with myself, probably goes too far to the side of cute.

Still wondering if I can live with it!

We had some very unexpected good news around these parts that I've been meaning to share. About two weeks ago, as I was going to the mailbox, pictured here blown down by the weekend's sever winds,

a white Orange County Code Enforcement truck pulled up. I asked him what was going on. Apparently he was in our neighborhood for some other reason when he saw my next door neighbor's truck alongside his house. I tried hard to conceal my glee. You see, for the last, maybe ten years or so, he has had this ungodly diesel truck that he hauls vehicle engines in, basically parked outside our bedroom window. Perhaps I've mentioned before how he left at 4AM two days a week, invariably waking me up? If that's not bad enough, he is hard of hearing so all his clanging and banging related to said truck, seems not to faze him. Because our weather has been so glorious we've had open windows for months now so you can see my problem. Moreover, because of it's huge size it was just plain ugly to look at. I have no idea what code he was breaking, aside from not being a good neighbor, but it's gone now. Wherever he's parking it now is fine by me!

A carolina wren, a red-winged blackbird and now a dove have all flown into the house this winter. Yesterday it was the doves turn. Bless it's heart, it was confused, flying first into the big window in the sun room before heading into the living room to perch on the television. Thank goodness for small favors that Bruce was home! Looking around he found a box that he eased the dove onto and walked slowly towards the open side door.

I took this moments before he flew away, no doubt hoping that would never happen again!

He was eating contentedly at what we are calling the "house feeder" as it is hung from the eaves just outside this window:

And there you have it--another nice little purchase from our Sunday excursion. I love how it reflects in both windows and of course I'm a sucker for how colorful it is. The tinkling sound it makes is nice as well!

I don't know about you but I sure have a hard time finding appropriate rugs. I may now have solved my problem after finding this rug:

My only problem was trying to decide if the palm trees should face in or out! Jellybean is the name of the rug line. Made of 35% recycled soda bottles, or so I'm told, the packaging says it washed better than your favorite pair of jeans. With all the mess outside I was delighted to find this at the little shop in Cocoa Village. Because I rarely shop anywhere besides Marshalls, Ross, and Nordstrom, I just haven't seen what's out there. Apparently more than I realized! It feels great on my bare feet and for sure I love how vibrant it is.

A mess indeed. The high winds tore off not only the brown "furry things" from our neighbor's oak tree but new leaves as well. Only a few days ago I had the pool looking beautiful only to have it fall prey to the wind.

As of this morning it looked great, but once again we're having windy conditions which I suppose only makes sense as it is March. Who knew daylight savings time was coming up again? Not this blogger. I'm avoiding looking out back!

Here's our cute little new lamp made from leaves. Orange naturally. Don't be fooled by what looks like a bird egg next to the lamp; the nest is for real, the egg not.

 More azaleas Gail? Why not? Old Orlando is all aflame in pink these days and frankly, I can't get enough of it. Our new oak which is now home to this little bird house has not lost it's leaves. We keep wondering when it will happen because the majority of the oaks are sporting their new spring green coats.

Last, but not least, is a new little companion for our garden sign which we bought last summer in London. The new piece is from this side of the Atlantic.

In my spare time, which there seems to be little of lately, I've been reading a wonderful book, A Good American. I'm not sure what made me pick up this book about Missouri, written by an Englishman, but am I glad I did. In a word, it is sweet and not in a saccharine way. There's real optimism which is certainly rare in literature. I'm nearing the end and wish I wasn't because it's been a really long time since I felt I could recommend a book. I came across this blog entry from Alex George, the author. If you don't have time for the book at least read the post because it is darn good! I keep wondering if there's any way in the world that this Oxford educated Englishman who practiced corporate law in both London and Paris might have once worked for the firm that employs Matthew. Now wouldn't that be something?

I also came across this piece about phone typing made easier from the NYTimes. Information I can definitely use, however, I'm getting a little better all the time. Not that I use it that much. People would laugh at my phone bill because I'm using up maybe a quarter of my allotted usage plan.

Yikes--where has the afternoon gone?? I must leave immediately to see Miss Monica about my hair. I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to my hair, it needs some serious attention!!

Just thought I'd end this with something pretty taken using phoneography,

Gail

The Mercy of the Weather Forecasters!

That's how my business goes. If the weather prediction is dire, we are usually in a jam. That was the case yesterday morning as we woke up to high winds and cloudy skies. Of course, ever the optimist, I said it would never last and it did not. Bruce and I went back and forth--should we, or shouldn't we? We packed the vehicle. Bruce drove down to the park to find only two other vendors there. Calling Dana he learned that a decision had been made--no load in until 10AM, with extended hours until 5PM. The call was made at 7:30AM. Now what?

Coming home I made a leisurely breakfast and we actually opened our Sunday newspaper. All the while the wind blew enough to blow those rainy clouds away. We could have used the enormous rain the weather forecasters predicted, however, it never materialized. After cleaning up the yard and patio, we once again went back and forth, should we or should we? Despite the promising weather change we decided to take the day off because the lengthened opening hours might have compromised our ability to get to the memorial service for Kate in a timely manner.  Sales be damned!!

Instead we drove over to Cocoa Village, a darling little tiny downtown that I've visited just once before. Because Bruce had never been he agreed to the short journey. Arriving there it turns out they were having a little art and craft show. Nice. Trouble was that the high winds had driven some of the vendors home. No problem for us; instead of earning money we spent it, wandering around the quaint shops and having a delightful lunch at Lea's Bistro. One of the many cute little shops to be found in Cocoa Village:

Our meanderings over, we drove home, or make that I drove home because my little honey was a sleepy head. No worries--it was easy. We were anxious to see if our purchases looked as good in our home as we'd hoped and they do! I've yet to photograph them but you'll see them soon enough no doubt.

Because Kate was young I expected a large gathering for her memorial service and indeed it was. Arriving early, we watched as the other mourners took their seats. Promptly at 7PM, the service started, concluding nearly two hours later. I can't imagine the pain Regina and Kate's family are going through. The service was held at the same church where she married her current husband only 3 1/2 years earlier. Although the pastor did not show it, he must have been heart sick as well having performed the marriage ceremony so recently.

On a happier note I wanted to show you something that has made the last two weeks of sitting at my computer that much better. Every time I look up from the monitor I'm greeted by the sight of a beautiful pink tabebuia tree out my window. Walking Baxter last week we made our way to the house and even though Mike was not there we walked into the backyard for a closer look. Not only are the trees beautiful but as the blooms drop they carpet the ground below them.

The grass was so thick Baxter's little legs are partially hidden!

I had to keep backing up to include the entire tree. Won't be long before the pink is replaced by green but for these few weeks it is a glorious sight repeated all over the city. Speaking of pink, oh my, I went by Dickson Azalea Gardens the other day on my way home from somewhere.

Every path is bursting with azalea blossoms. Oh my! The park seems to have been a WPA project back in the thirties with little enhancement since.

Well, that's not entirely true because there are some newish handrails on the little bridges over the barely rippling Fern Creek.

The business about Fern Creek is news to me. You would think that after all these years of living in Orlando I would have known that indeed there is a creek named Fern, not just a street! Which reminds me of when we were at Fort Christmas I saw a reference to Curry's Ford from the 1800's which was so interesting. Driving on Curry Ford Road several times a week, I now know that it means more than just a street name.

Have you been missing the cardinals???

Isn't she pretty???

Not so pretty, but I did want to show my cute new blouse up close:

I must learn to be more photogenic!!! Perhaps that's not in the cards for me at this late date.

That said, last night they ran a slideshow of photographs of Kate. Bruce looked at me and said I've got to start taking more pictures of you. As not one, not two, but three people spoke about Kate, I couldn't help wondering what people will say about me at my funeral. I know it sounds all maudlin but it is something to think about every now and again. I remember sitting at my friend Bina's untimely funeral and thinking if all the people who are saying nice things now had said them while she was living how lovely that would have been.

On that note, while they are alive, surprise someone by telling them how much you like them, or how much they mean to you--that sort of thing. Both the giver and the receiver will be that much better for it! I can tell you that each and every reader, wherever you are mean very much to me.

with gratitude for life,
Gail

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Yesterday morning while eating my breakfast the house phone rang. It was Angela asking if I was already dressed because if so, I needed to come over immediately. "Something miraculous is going on in our backyard!" she explained. I'll be there the minute I finish my peanut butter English muffin with Baxter in tow.

She was indeed right--a miraculous sight awaited. Before I began taking photographs in earnest, I took many, many things for granted. The absolute simple wonders of nature mostly escaped me. Now, on the other hand, I can't get enough of them. Including watching a spider build it's web in the bright sunshine.

When I arrived a few minutes later the spider was busy, busy, busy. The web looked like this:

Extraordinary right? The web itself is amazing in itself, but being able to see the guide wires if you will was phenomenal. If only I'd had my lens. I really needed a polarizing filter which acts like sunglasses for your lens because I was shooting into the sun big time. Unfortunately I still had Roger's lens which was much larger than mine. You do what you can!

These are super tiny spiders; despite looking online I can't find the name of this type. The speed with which the spider worked and the intricacy of the web had us watching in fascination.

By the time I took Baxter back across the street, the spider nearly had the web complete, all in what we think was the span of about an hour.

Earlier this morning before leaving for bridge I had a blog post in mind with the spider web only a part of it. Running errands took up much of my afternoon and when I did get home I saw there was a phone message.

Many of you may not know the story because you are new to Camera Crazy; those of you not so new may need a little refresher. It turns out it was 20 months ago that my dear friend and neighbor Regina called in tears to tell me her 42 year old daughter, a marathon runner and health enthusiast, was diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Lately, in this little web spot you've not heard much about Regina because she's mostly been laying low. That said, every now and again I'd talk to her about all the various treatments and clinical trials Kate was going through.Up and down their hopes went. Eight different types of chemotherapy and it all comes down to this: she died last night in her own bed with family surrounding her. Naturally Regina is devastated even though privately we had talked about the likelihood of Kate recovering.

After our conversation it occurred to me that life is like that spider web. Layer upon layer of people who we can't do without. We have the foundation people in our lives, parents and grandparents, those kind. Our husbands, wives and lovers are next. Family, as in children, siblings,  aunts, uncles, and cousins. Classmates, co-workers, neighbors, close friends, casual friends and acquaintances all make up our lives--each one a different layer but all part of the whole. All important.

I may not be explaining myself very well. Maybe it's because I'm so sad for Regina, but I do think things happen for a reason. Matt, Angela's husband seeing the web, showing Angela, she calls me and we marvel together. Let's all marvel together shall we?

with a heavy heart,
Gail

p.s. When I saw this piece on Young Photographers it reminded me of myself. Obviously, not the young part!

Did She, or Didn't She?

That is always the question right?

Having a super tiny master bath shower makes it somewhat difficult to find an appropriate shower curtain. Like most things these days, the typical ones are mostly made for full sizes. Last summer while Nancy was here we commiserated and decided that cutting my current one in half would do the trick. And, it almost did, but not quite. Just big enough to fit the space but not so much for keeping all the water inside. Another problem is using a liner which makes our tiny space even tinier. I'd purchased that one at Ikea because it is waterproof and is often the case with Ikea, you can still buy the same thing a year or two later. Apparently, others did not share my enthusiasm for the one I had because they no longer carry it. The new one is dull but functional.

While there I thought perhaps the guest bathroom could do with a little pizazz. You know I'm a sucker for pizazz! I bought the wild shower curtain, thinking it might be just the thing. Here's the one I was thinking of replacing,

Don't you think it's a pain to put curtain hooks on? I sure do. Instead of doing that I hung the new one over the rod to take a gander. Just as I was backing up to get the shot it fell, however, because the camera was still set on the super fast speed, I got it mid-fall.

So, what do you think? Did I keep it, or is repackaged to go back to Ikea???

I don't know about you but I have plenty of clothes. Probably too many. As is often the case at this time of year, people write about organizing. This blogger read one such article and thought she fit the case study, primarily the ill fitting clothes waiting to do what? Go to Goodwill, that's what!

I began by pulling everything off our closet shelf, both sides. Bruce's side was worse than mine!

Poor image quality due to blogger's poor skills at using phone camera. Sorry. Actually this picture is my side. Too many jeans that make me miserable when I wear them. When I took down Bruce's side he had twenty!! t-shirts scrunched up there, some of them dating back quite a few years. I spent the entire afternoon redoing our closet shelf AND all our dresser drawers.

The best part about doing that is you find stuff that hasn't seen the light of day for some time, including this little gem:

Yup--that's the twins on the first ultrasound that showed them. Because ultrasound was so new back then, mistakes were made. I'd had one a month earlier when Connie could not see two babies despite the fact that I was about three months pregnant and miserable I tell you. Just miserable. Even with my poor memory I doubt I'll ever forget the moment when my friend Connie said, "Gail, I'm seeing two babies." I grabbed her arm exclaiming it couldn't be true! We all know it was and even though at the time I thought I'd never live through those days, I'm here and none the worse for wear. Our finances were drained after the move to California and back, not to mention we had one rambunctious little boy already. And then we up and did it again, having our little Jonathan, whose picture of his first day heading to kindergarten also turned up.

Good grief he was a little doll! At least to look at. In fact he was quite the rascal but you'd never know it from looking at this! When I showed Bruce last night he was wondering what the red thing was on the porch. After inspecting the photo I remembered it was his little home-made sleep mat made from red corduroy with what looks like little elephants on it?

Bruce's t-shirt drawer now looks like this--for how long is anyone's guess.

Rolling clothes is the way to go because you can fit so much more in that way. When it was all said and done, all of our drawers now look like this. I was pretty ruthless, weeding out twenty shirts of my own. Plus a few dresses, shorts and pajamas. All still in good condition but just don't work for me anymore. I had to make room for a few new things. As if I needed any!

While in my bedroom I kept hearing my cardinals. The weather was glorious by the way. I know I sound like a broken record, but this winter is a typical Florida winter---marvelous. Once again because the camera was set on Shutter Priority with a very fast exposure time I was able to get Mr. Cardinal scratching himself.

I don't know why it surprised me that song birds scratch themselves like shore birds but it did. Not bad for through the window. Which reminds me, if you want to do the same, just put the lens directly on the glass--works much better that way.

Staying inside all afternoon was hard because of how beautiful it was outside. Plus, this time of the year the azaleas are blooming! Pink, pink and more pink.

The garden side is looking pretty good as well although the grass still has a ways to go after the few cold days.

See that little bit of yellow on the right above the blue pot? Indeed, it is my tabebuia tree, blooming it's little, and I mean little, heart out. I wish I could say the same for my tulip which has pretty much bit the dust. Perhaps next year I'll have success. The caladiums are coming back up amongst the yellow pansies. You can always count on caladiums.

In fact, once the fog clears and I have some breakfast, I plan to work in the yard, trimming and weeding, both of which are sorely needed. I wish that's all I had to do, but alas, it is not. Before Bruce left we pulled the fridge away from the wall to see if I could find any reason for the leaking that has been going on.The web is your friend with all kinds of repair info. Now, if only the web could help me clean up the area.......