And So It Continues

I've no doubt that there are those amongst my readers that could have seen this coming, but not this blogger. Although there are what I consider plenty of benefits to being an optimist, it does mean that sometimes you are let down, not often, mind you, but it happens. And so it is that I am still in shock that here we are, four months into the pandemic with seemingly no end in sight. And now we know someone who has tested positive and it is not Maureen. No, Bruce's brother Cris has tested positive and is currently in the hospital, although at this point it is not a severe case, something we obviously hope remains so. While we were having a two hour long birthday Facetime chat with Matt yesterday, we talked about how if Cris could get it, in spite of almost never leaving the house, anyone can. That's the scary part, don't you agree? I will post more news when I have it. Please keep Judy, Cris, Katie and Jessica in your prayers.

This will be a dull post as I've not much news to report. The previous week there were no field trips and the lake is quiet now, what with all of the ducklings grown and gone. The otters continue their antics and there are a lot of hawks screaming most days, but aside from that, not much is happening. There are the summer rains most days for which we are grateful. Bruce worked over at Bill's house two days last week and on one of those days, I decided to head downtown to see what all the fuss was about. Fuss? Maybe that is too strong of a word to use for this, but it has upset some folks. Here, as in other cities across the nation, the leaders decided it would be a good idea to show the BLM movement support and paint those letters on Rosalind to Robinson. For those not from here, this is a main one way artery through downtown on the edge of Lake Eola. Before the sealer was applied it had been defaced and by folks that might surprise you, or at least it did me. Activists within the movement called it pandering, and not doing enough, so they spray painted on some of the letters. I drove over, parking on Rosalind to see it for myself. A police car was two spots behind me keeping an eye on it, or so I presume. 

Unless you are in a low flying aircraft, you hardly notice it which may or may not be a good thing.

With that out of the way, I decided to take a stroll around the lake, keeping my distance from others. For the most part, it all looks the same, so much so that when I saw this large group of swans and ducks, I was transported back to a photograph I'd taken of Matthew when he was but two years old after we'd returned from our year in California. He is standing on this very peninsula marveling at the scene before him. And now he has turned 44 years old and I'm still doing the same old thing. I NEED AN ADVENTURE!!!

We all need an adventure! 

Which reminds me of two things. One, I am reading a book that is just wonderful, A Gentleman in Moscow, somewhat timely as it concerns an enemy of the state who is sentenced to house arrest in a beautiful hotel. It is witty, beautifully written, and filled with historical references. Seriously, one of the best books I've read in a good long while and I picked it up from that little library at the park we visited. What a find! Secondly, while there are folks who are far more well read than myself, I have read my fair share of fiction over my 61 years of reading. My childhood, in most people's mind, would not be considered ideal, so reading provided me with an escape from the tyranny of my Mother and the physical punishments from my Father. Suffice it to say, it is a wonder we all made it. That said, how I never read Anne of Green Gables before is beyond me. July 4th the weather was great until about mid-day, and then it became stormy and gloomy sending us from the pool to our living room where we began watching Anne with an E on Netflix. I was hoping Bruce would enjoy it and that hope came true as we both were swept into Anne's world. Beginning about five in the afternoon, fireworks were exploding all around us and as  darkness fell, well, I've never before heard so many fireworks in my life. Earlier I'd been lamenting the cancellation of our party and fireworks display due to Covid-19, but I needn't have worried because all around us, people were going crazy. Eventually I went outside and saw them from across the lake.

That said, we were so enthralled with Anne that the fireworks did not hold my interest for long. We are now in the second season and are thoroughly enjoying it. Very soon I may just have to rectify that hole and read the real thing.

I saw a few things of note while at Lake Eola, one, a Tri Colored Heron doing it's best to learn to fly.

I'm thinking this is one of the parents although I cannot be sure because of the color of the legs.

That was one highlight, and it is always great to get a photo of a landmark, in this instance the bandshell, in a perfect reflection on the lake.

The area with the two palm trees is where the majority of the nesting birds reside. If you've ever been to Lake Eola, the fountain is the centerpiece, however, on this day it was undergoing a thorough cleaning, so no shooting water to be seen. I wonder what is behind those open doors, don't you?

Our friend Susan just bought a condo on the South end of Cocoa Beach and I mentioned to her that it was quite near to the sight where I took one of my most popular photographs when I was selling. This led to her wondering if I had others from Cocoa, which led me back in time through Google photos (formerly Picasa) where I have loads of old albums stored. This led me to thinking about beach photos I've taken since I bought this new computer which led me....you get the idea. Anyway, having already mentioned I needed an adventure, I took one via my photographs, reliving our trip out to Vancouver which I turned into a book. Or, at least I've ordered it. That was a fun trip down memory lane, and one I now won't forget. 

One evening, after some serious storming in the late afternoon and evening, Bruce went fishing and holy cow, he caught six in a span of 90 minutes! I walked down to the lake to wait for him at sunset.

Here is a better look at the astonishing growth of our tree after only about 15 months. It was below the wall when we bought it and soon it will be up to our neighbor's brick!

Clemons has been chock full of beautiful peaches from South Carolina, sweet and juicy, that we've been enjoying on Cheerios. 

Matt spoke with us about his concern regarding our playing pickleball with others which we are now considering although it does allow for social distancing, he is worried about us touching the balls. It seems as if our roles are now reversed, where he worries about us rather than the other way around. I believe Bruce told him we will be exceedingly careful in the future. Most days though, it is just Bruce and I practicing for as long as we can stand both the exertion, and the heat. Rarely do I take my camera, however that is all changing because, well, tell me what you see in the photo below.

Yes, there is a blue sky with a tree in the lower left corner and not much else. Obviously this is not the photograph I'd like to be posting, but it is what it is. (I hate that saying but it seems fitting here) One day, the American Kestral perched on that bare branch close enough for me to get a good shot, but I did not have my camera with me!!! So, the ensuing days I brought it to the court, only to have another sighting that went undocumented because for some reason the camera card was locked! Of course this morning, when I had sorted out any potential pitfalls, the Kestral remained on the power pole, far too high for a good shot. Damn and double damn! I intend to keep trying though because every day, being pretty much the same, ensures that I will be returning, sooner rather than later. 

Oh how I so wish this would all come to an end but even the optimist in me is losing hope.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. It should be noted that I hold no grudge against my parents for my upbringing, rather I like to hope that they did the best they could. The statute of limitations on their crimes ran out long ago.

The Last Day of June

My stove top and I did not get along very well yesterday, and while I'd love to blame it on the appliance, unfortunately, I have no one to blame but myself. To begin with, while cleaning the glass top with the fantastic cleaner Nancy bought for me, apparently, I locked the cooktop. Now that may not sound like a big deal to you, but it is a way big deal to me as I use the range multiple times daily. In fact, the oven was still warm from a batch of some seriously yummy Banana Nut Muffins I'd made first thing in the morning. No matter how many times I tapped the pad, nothing would respond, so I did what we all do, (or so I thought), turned off the breaker to reset the digital display. After there was no change, I called Whirlpool, holding for nearly 40 minutes before I was able to speak with someone. As an aside, we still have our house phone and this instance is one reason why. It is so much easier to hold a larger phone on your shoulder while performing other tasks! Anyway, after putting on the clean sheets and other chores while waiting, a "representative" finally came on the phone. Except she was no help at all. Summoning all of the Christian charity I possess, I did not lose my temper, although I will admit it was a struggle. I called another number I had and this time there was very little wait and the woman proved helpful. Here is where my stupidity comes into play. A few days ago the microwave went a little haywire and Bruce flipped the breaker for a reset, mentioning it was breaker #5. Clever readers will have already deduced that breaker #5 does control the microwave but it has no bearing on the range whatsoever. Need I say more?

Later on, after using said cooktop for dinner, and making a slight mess of it, like a complete idiot I ran my hand over the HOT burner!!! I wish I know what I was thinking! The result was three fingers feeling as if they were on fire! "Bruce, ask Siri what to do for a burn quick!" In the meantime I'd remembered that butter was supposed to help, and since there was some melted butter in Bruce's corn on the cob holder waiting to be washed, I slathered my fingers in butter. No relief. Another idea was toothpaste, so I ran to the bathroom, squirting some on my fingers and giving them a good rub in. Don't try that one as it was messy, and did nothing. Eventually he came to the part of the list which mentioned black tea. Well, on that same counter with the corn holder, there happened to be about a half cup of my breakfast tea, so I jammed my fingers in that. Ahhh...after adding another tea bag, I kept my hand in there for some time and if you can imagine, not only did it bring some relief, my fingers are fit as a fiddle today! I even walked down to the mailbox after my soaking, coming out of the door I found the sky to be a balm for the soul.

Speaking of the sky, the whole promise of amazing sunrises and sets being fantastic with the dust storm. was a bust. Mostly, for the past four days or so, not counting today when the sky turned blue again, the sky was what I can only describe as a blank, neither blue, nor gray. Temperatures soared to 97 degrees! I did go out that first morning for sunrise, and it was pretty interesting that I could stare at the rising sun, maybe as if I were wearing sunglasses when I was not?

Before long the clouds began to obscure the view, but it still felt pretty neat seeing it as a ball.

Am I ever grateful to have such easy access to both the daily celestial activity.!

Sunday morning, about 7:30, while Bruce went fishing, catching one on his second cast I might add, I bit the bullet and went to Publix for a serious grocery shop. Thankfully, very few other folks decided to do the same, so most of the time there was no one in my aisle. Normally I use the closet in our tiny "hallway" as an overflow pantry and the pickings were getting mighty slim. So, like in days of yore, I shopped every aisle and we are now good.  

With so few cars, I even got my favorite parking spot! Years ago I decided to park on the last row of spaces every time, so I would never have to leave the store and wonder where my car was. Imagine when I get really old! Will I even remember this easy info? Let us hope so.

Rarely do I buy produce at Publix, in part because I like to pick out my own, and while they have more like that then before, it still does not measure up to Clemons. Recently we learned from them that farmers planted less due to the excess they had in the early days of the pandemic, thus there will be shortages and higher prices. Count everyone unsurprised because this is 2020 after all! This morning I was so delighted to find some Rainier cherries in stock, and while at $4.99 a pound they are expensive, in this instance, they are so good I did not even mind.

Because it has been so blasted hot, staying inside is the order of the day, affording me plenty of time to work on a puzzle. Don't judge me when I say I spent countless hours working on this one! I'm finding them somewhat addictive if you want to know the truth. Even though I could never figure out what I had wrong on the sky portion,  I'm one of those folks that is oftentimes happy with "good enough." I'm married to a perfectionist, so one in the family is plenty sufficient.

I saved the umbrellas for last thinking it was the hardest part, but those hillside villas sure gave them a run for their money!

I have no idea what the beautiful blooming trees, jam packed with bright yellow flowers are, but while driving home from Clemons, seeing this scene, I had to pull over for a shot. I wonder what it is like walking on that yellow driveway?

Which reminds me, we watched, Rocketman the other night and was it ever a strange, and somewhat wonderful film. We so loved Elton John when we were young that we named a Siamese kitten, Bennie! My takeaway from that film? I'm super glad I am not a superstar and am happy as a clam as a nobody.

My owl has not come around for the last few days, so let's have some owl love in this post, using one of last week's photos you have not seen.

This morning, in spite of the heat, we went to the courts to practice a little pickleball where we saw two things of note. I'd brought along my camera because on several occasions I'd seen the American Kestral on the power pole and I was hoping the same would happen today. Indeed, it did, and as soon as I spotted it, I put my paddle down to get a shot. For me actually, because if it is in this space, it will be easier for me to find again. So small it is hard to believe it is in the same family as Mr. Plump Owl above.

While hitting the ball back and forth, sweating profusely I might add, I saw some stalking going on. Stalking? Indeed, but it was not what you might think. Instead of something entirely sinister, it was only mildly so, because really, who knows what a cat would do to a turtle anyway?

My apologies for the broom obscuring the turtle but you get the idea. We stopped play, watching and wondering until such time as the cat caught up with the turtle, looking somewhat disinterested, or so it seems, but isn't that what we've come to expect from cats?

Mr. Turtle was not buying it, continuing on his way but what he did not know his escape route was a dead end! Meanwhile, the man who is my life partner, commonly known as Bruce, was making his way around the court, and snatched up the turtle at mentioned dead end.

Your favorite blogger, known far and wide for her keen eye, immediately began hollering....."Move it away from you, it is peeing!!" And I'm not talking a dribble mind you. As a matter of fact, according to the rescuer, it peed all the way through the bushes, the gate, and stopped just as he put it gently along the pond, on the other side of that block wall! Upon his return, we decided to call it a day on the courts. In part because we were sweltering, and in part because yesterday, Mr. Peck took on another role and that was as a carpenter, making a new gate for Bill in the blazing sun for ten hours! Well, ten hours of work, probably five before they decided to put up a tent for shade!

The reason I know this, and have the photo to prove it, is because Bill called, requesting I bring his Dad's bathing suit over so that he might cool off in the pool before passing out from the heat. Good plan son! And while I wish it were going to be cooler tomorrow when he returns, it is unlikely. Tomorrow marks the day Fallon will begin her shift on the Covid-19 unit and quarantine will ensue for them. 

Really, can you believe it is June 30? The saying goes, time stops for no one, or more accurately, time and tide wait for no man, and doesn't this time in history perfectly illustrate that phrase? We keep turning the calendar and for the most part, days remain the same. That is, unless you run into a cat chasing a turtle. That sort of thing doesn't come around very often.

your friend,

Gail

Mystery Solved!

Before I reveal the mystery that was solved, let's all just bask in the total cuteness of the card Bill and Fallon gave to Bruce for his birthday, shall we?

Talk about a feel good way to begin, I can think of nothing more fitting than Snoopy and Woodstock. We are the kind of folks who save cards for ages, loving to come across a fine stack to reminisce; this one will surely be enjoyed many times in the future.

Okay, so here is the mystery. There have been no field trips this week meaning lots of staying around here, including one afternoon when Bruce and I went to the pool to cool off and read. And yes, it's been killer hot, with temperatures climbing to 96 yesterday and today. Plus all the dust in the atmosphere! Anyway, we came home and found a white mailing bag on the front porch. With my memory, I thought, did I order something and forget? Heavy, there was not a smidgen of paperwork in the bag or any clue on the outside as to the contents, or sender. Opening it, I burst into laughter, wondering who in the world could have sent me a box of Arborio rice?

Nancy happened to call about this time and I asked if she was responsible. No, she was not. I was seriously flummoxed, that is until about three hours later, Jonathan sent a text "should be a package out front if you haven't seen it yet." Indeed. Having read about my search he did what young people, and increasingly older people do, he found it on Amazon.  Wasn't that sweet? Generally I don't think he reads the blog so he must have been bored!

Because we have been home so much I was thinking I didn't have a bunch to write about, but turns out, once I checked my camera cards, I have more than I thought. In fact, maybe too much! Let's begin with something exciting as far as I'm concerned. I'd been told by the front gardeners about an  interesting new plant there so I went to check it out. For the life of me I can't think what the plant is called, but while there I heard a loud bird and began focusing on that. (no pun intended)

Not much of a photo, but it is kind of fun to see the lit up wing. I was shooting into the sun and in real time I had no idea what kind of bird it was. The only thing I did know was that it flew into a nearby tree, where I kept tracking it when much to my surprise, looking up, this guy was sitting on a nearby branch.

This would be a Red Tailed Hawk, but the bird I eventually identified is one I rarely see, as in maybe two or three times before, and that bird would be a Northern Flicker from the Woodpecker family.

Isn't it interesting with the spotted belly and the little black ascot? So, there is something exciting for the week.

That said, once I see an owl again, as in a few posts ago, I go hunting, searching in all the big trees nearby. Well, lo and behold, I was walking near the canal and there it was, not ten feet from me, perched on a fence. Thrilled and actually even more so when it flew onto a tree branch where the light was somewhat better for picture time!

Cute, cute, cute! This morning I did not have to go hunting because I spotted it out my bedroom window, chatting up with a neighbor about how neat it is to see an owl, and dragging Bruce out back to watch. Generally the only thing that bothers an owl is the dive bombing from Crows and Blue Jays and even that is sometimes not enough to get them to move so it is not hard to get fairly close. Anyway, eventually it flew into the tree and Bruce left to work over at Bill's house, something he will not be able to do after July 1st when the unit Fallon works on becomes a full Covid Unit to care for the increasing cases. Naturally we are all nervous about that. For now though, once I'd wished B a goodbye, coming back inside what should I spot, but the owl in the lake!

Earlier it had looked as if it were panting from the heat so it was not terribly surprising to find him there having a drink before flying away.

Switching gears to another nature family, Bruce called me over to his car to show me a moth he'd never seen before. Neither had I. Doesn't it look as if it is made of wood? Apparently others have noticed the same as it was easy to find on the web using those very same search words.

Pretty cool, huh? I think it was the same day that the rice came, in fact as I was putting it on the counter, as I recall, I noticed some action on the front porch that gave me pause. Yes, Black Racer snakes are not dangerous, but who likes to watch one come sliding out from under your porch chair? Not this woman for one! Yikes.

In the kitchen, while I've not made any of the risotto yet, I did make some dried cherry scones that, while good, may have needed a bit more time in the oven? They were tasty enough but I think a bit more browning would have looked better.

Although I can enter only three photos for the contest, I printed five to examine them more closely before submitting the entrants. Hopefully there are some winners in this group. I remember the year that my photo was on the cover and I was so excited until such time as I realized that it would be viewed once, unlike when it is chosen for a month. Ha ha...be careful what you wish for!

For sure we stayed home yesterday while dog sitting Grace.  Bruce spent most of the day reading a thriller given to him by Connie,

while I spent an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out that mountainside. Seriously, aside from our meals and making some chocolate chip cookies, I did nothing else and I still have a long way to go! Thank gosh Sue told me about using a magnifying glass!

 Another unreal sunset although this time it is the sunset reflected in the Eastern sky.

And they say that this dust cloud will make the sunrise and sunset even better? How can this be?

That was quite the sunset in Vancouver, wasn't it? Because I am still struggling with this new Blogger format, I've had to see all the photos I've posted in this space for the last few years, each time I wanted to upload a new one. Because of that, I came across the above so why not relive it??

I hope everyone reading is safe and sound, staying at home as much as possible even though, I for one, am dying to do more stuff, as I imagine you are as well. Remember the words of wise Mothers everywhere, "it is better to be safe than sorry."

Continuing my quest to make the ordinary, extraordinary...

your friend,

Gail

Pandemic Fatigue

I don't know about you, but I think I am beginning to suffer from "pandemic fatigue." Yup, another new term to add to the already full language of this crazy time in history. Living here in Florida, we've also got the upcoming hurricane season to endure, hopefully unscathed, but there are no guarantees. To make matters even crazier, a neighbor told me last night, as I was returning from a sunset watch, that there is a large dust storm coming from the Sahara Desert.  Make that massive. What next?

By now we all know that the cases are going up in Florida, as well as other places around the world that are letting folks out. The Orange County Mayor has issued a mandatory mask order which does not include exercising outdoors, thank goodness. Who knows if they help, but one thing I do know is that they cannot hurt, so of course we are complying. That is pretty easy for me because I go so few places, if you do not include the beach or a mostly deserted park. I had to go to Publix today and I nearly forgot the one way shopping because it has been maybe two weeks since my last visit. That said, I do continue to go to Clemons for produce where it is pretty easy because at any one time there might be maybe 15 people in the store. For four weeks now I've been trying to buy some Arborio rice to make risotto with no success. The same goes for our beloved refrigerated Clausen pickles. Empty shelves in both instances. I just don't get it.

Speaking of pickles and Clemons, I found some tiny cukes there and made them myself, using the brine from the Clausens. And now, thanks to the man of the house, I cannot only find the jars, but the shelves are spotless!

Here's a little behind the scenes info regarding this blog. Before Google forcing me to change my ways, I would scan through my photos, pick some I thought might either document our lives, or that are maybe interesting, then upload them to a folder. From there I would import them into yet another folder on Blogger (blog site), and choose them one by one to fit a narrative. Now, however, should I do it that same way, all photos end up in this space in the order I uploaded them, not necessarily how I want them to be. Thus, I am going a tiny bit crazy until such time as I either figure it out or call it quits! Just kidding, there will be no quitting until I can no longer either type or take photos or a version of the two.

Thursday, or so I think, we went to check out what turned out to be just as a described, a hidden gem in the Orange County park system, Trimble Park. 

Off 441, almost to Mt. Dora, the closest town being Tangerine, it began when Sadie and R.J. Trimble donated the original 27.5 acres to Orange County in 1926. In the ensuing years, more acres were acquired and the park now has 71 acres set between two outstanding lakes. There's a bunch more to the story, however, you really don't care, so I will leave it at that. The trees are magnificent, tall Cypress and Pines, along with spreading Oak trees, some with so much moss you wonder it doesn't weight it down more. Nothing says the South like Sphagnum Moss.

There are scads of picnic tables, as well as temporarily closed playground equipment, grills, and several fishing docks and boat ramps.

While hot (what else is new?), the tree canopy was so dense that we hardly felt it, unlike our visit to Moss Park the previous week. While we were parking the car, I saw a yellow Swallowtail flitting about which tickled me pink as I've not seen one for awhile. Luckily, later on I caught one while resting on a bush. 

It's been a good long while since last  I saw a pink dragonfly,

and probably just as long ago that I saw a green one.

While I like seeing beautiful insects, what I really like.....you guessed it, the birds to be found in a lovely park!

I have no idea if this male cardinal is molting already, or a youngster getting new feathers. The female was nearly as scruffy.

You may have already guessed the reason for our visit and if you guessed camping, you would be correct. There is a small, 15 space campground with about six sites directly lakeside that we were checking out. Count us very impressed, although whether we can actually camp in this heat is another story. At least now we know for the future if nothing else. Seriously we could find not a bad word to say about the park. 

And yes, there is even a cute little library. 😀

The pickleball playing continues as the number of interested folks grows. One evening a sun shower helped keep the players cool.

Unrelated to pickleball, I've got a kitchen tip for you that in all likelihood you already know about, but it was new to me. Getting the stem out of a strawberry when you want to slice them has proved problematic  for years. For some reason, I finally thought about using my potato peeler!

Have you tried this before? In my case, it worked like a charm.

Maybe it does look as if life is going on fairly normally, but there is just an underlying current of uneasiness for most people. Father's Day came, which meant all the boys (men), called their Dad. While talking to Matt, we discussed his upcoming birthday and what we were hoping to get him. Except, the store is currently closed in London, and this morning when I called the local one, I got that familiar message about unexpected high call volume and the wait time would be one hour. NOT. Remember how we were thinking of re-doing our master bathroom when the weather became too hot for camping? Not happening. It's those kinds of things, which I realize are super minor compared to others pandemic problems, but it is our reality and I can only write about what I know. On the other hand, there have most definitely been some silver linings for most of us. Yesterday ours came in the form of listening to a radio show that Matt hosts occasionally for his college alma mater, V89 at Florida State.  In order to keep the radio station going, alumni have helped fill the programming gap and that is where Matt comes into the story. While a student there he hosted a 3 hour show, part of what they call Legacies, devoted to singer/songwriters. Imagine that in today's radio landscape, a real dj that picks all of the music! I worked on a crazy hard puzzle while listening. Just as the show ended, David and Bill came over to feed Papa. Actually, David cooked an incredible steak while I made a few sides. While waiting on the food, we watched a super silly and fun show on Netflix called "The Floor is Lava." If you are looking for something to put a smile on your face, seriously, this would be the show. Jonathan called earlier in the day to visit with Bruce too. 

So with blessings such as the above, not to mention recurring gorgeous sunsets most nights, I really have not a thing to complain about. We all still remain healthy which is the most important thing, even though the ongoing challenges are inconvenient. 

I continue to remind myself, that "this too shall pass", as it always does.

your friend,

Gail

p.s. If you missed my last post, you can find it here.