Oh Sigh !!

Since the beginning I've had a difficult time with links to others sites. I had ended up keeping a list separate from the 'blog' where I could access others that I like to read. Today one is missing entirely from my site, and one which worked before no longer works.

I've tried redoing everything according to instructions, but to no avail. I still use the old version since many said how many problems them experienced with the new blogger.

Hopefully the 'bugs' have been worked out in the new... and perhaps it will work better for me than the old one.

Today's been one of those contemplative, gentle rain days. We were only forcast light scattered showers, but its been fine rain for most of the day. Those days are perfect for catching up on 'blogger' -- I'm not ready to throw in the towel and let technical problems win - so another try at trying to put in links.

Even though we live in Florida, we still have SOME beautiful fall color. I took a few pictures from our front porch and one coming home from my daughter's this morning. When we used to go to church an hour north from here, we drove through the green swamp for a good many miles. This is a beautiful trip since the trees are tall and stately, casting cool shadows during the summer and filled with small swamp maples, aspen and other assorted greenery that go through 'fall' color changes each time we have a frost. Frosts usually occur for a few months during a full moon - giving these little trees just enough time to send out new bright colored leaves just in time for another frost and another color change. Its positively beautiful. What we lack in overall color is made up with frequency. ;-D

The cassia bush is outdoing itself. I think those little caterpillars nipped each end and caused extra blooms. Its laden down with so many flowers, I think its making up for the last two years. Yellow is so cheerful this time of year particularly.

These pictures are still taken with my old camera. I sent the Fujifilm camera back. Although it had 'all the bells and whistles' I was looking for, as my daughter and I looked through hundreds of pictures taken with this model of camera, none had that sharp, well focused look I'm looking for.

I hate having to make up my mind about something so starting to look for another camera is difficult. I'm trying to decide between a CanonS2 or S3 IS and a Panasonic FZ7... I love the huge zoom.. and the 'swivel' viewfinder on the panasonic, but the pictures from the Canon are consistently "wow factor" compared to the panasonic. A choice soon. I'm been so satisfied and happy with my old Mavica all this time... until seeing what poor quality pictures it takes compared to many of the newer cameras. I still can't wait to have a new camera.

Here Comes Christmas

Each year when Christmas approaches, my heart is more turned to the 'Christmas Story' and the birth of Jesus Christ... To me its a wonderful time for celebrating all the things for which you are grateful-- especially the shared love with your family, old friends and the joy of new friends. I'm especially thankful to have found this world of people who share their gardens, thoughts, lives and pictures. I can't wait to check and see if someone has new pictures, a new post. It delights me when someone comes to 'visit' me.

It seems like my Christmas spirit for decorating etc is biennial. One year it blooms, the other its rather dormant. I think this is the dormant year. LOL Last year my daughter gave me the most lifelike tree I've seen in a long time. They do have living trees for Florida Christmas trees, but if I'm going to the trouble of putting one up, decorating it, its staying till I'm REALLY tired of it. One year my oldest grandson went home to his mother and told her he was worried about Grandma... my tree was still up in March. I'd taken off the ornaments and other decorations, but left the lights. It was still wonderful to turn the lights on and enjoy them a bit each night. A real tree would be totally needle-bare by then. I've offered the big beautiful tree to a friend of my daughter who has 3 teenagers, some health problems and a husband who is threatening to leave. Lisa said she cried when she offered her the tree. You never know the desire of someone's heart, but God knows.

This smaller tree was much better for us.. storage wasn't nearly as difficult as the large one. Someone gave me an artificial ficus tree not long ago and I'm considering endowing it with lights and perhaps ornaments this year. Our get togethers as family are usually at our older daughter's house, so essentially the Christmas decorations are just for my husband and I.. and this year I don't feel like putting it up and taking it down.

We noticed when we first moved here that people go all out decorating outside. I think its to make up for the lack of snow. Some of the displays are incredible. President of the electric company smiles a lot this time of year! Most people down here put the 'icycle lights along the eves and simply leave them there all year long. After a while people don't notice them.. and all you have to do is get out the extension cord when its time. One neighbor has beautiful trees set up and decorated all over her yard... string of lights through the trees and outlining her house. She has more energy than anyone else I know.

I have bunches of glass bulbs waiting for a paintbrush.. but without a tree, it seems to be pointless to keep painting. I think I have about two dozen ornaments painted and only one has seen the tree! I think I thought if I painted them, courage would come to sell them. LOL. It never happens. more smiling. Last year one daughter and I did some paper mache things.. ornaments mostly. This was formed over an egg and was supposed to be Mrs Claus. LOL. When I see others decorations, or see some of the things people show on their blogs, it rekindles a bit of that desire to 'make SOMETHING'.

Something we don't have that I would like is poinsettias. They are perennial here and with some pinching they become covered with hundreds of bright red bracts on 4 foot plants. Absolutely beautiful!....

Hard Rains

Everything smells like that wonderful early spring earth as everything begins to thaw. We don't get freezes and thaws, but heavy rains seem to bring that same beautiful smell.

When the skies start out like this in the morning, you know there's going to be a BIG storm. The weather showed really bad storms through the lower Gulf states, just barely touching Florida. Lots of damage from high winds and tornadoes. This time of year we have so many storms because the south is still very warm and the north is already very cold. when the weather patterns stream some of that cold air down south, it creates huge storms.

I love to watch the storm clouds build.. they look like great big squeezable scoops of cotton against the blue skies. They rise like mushrooms till the tops begin to sheer off and then we have thunder storms. We had a little rain during the night, but a very loud thunder storm this morning. Sometimes it rattles the dishes. Fortunately it was very brief with LOTS of rain.

We've been blessed this year as far as storms go. I think we had our quota the last two years. We had no real hurricanes and very little prolonged downpours to cause flooding. I think people are breathing a sigh of relief.

At times the rain is so hard you can't see across the street. Other times its huge, beautiful rain drops. Summer rains are wonderful for being a kid again. My grandchildren provided so many opportunities to 'play' in the rain. Now that they are all grown, I either have to take full responsibility or just plead second childhood. My daughter Lisa has a privacy fence and spends many rains 'indulging'.

I love how digital cameras capture the big drops mid air.. the water was just streaming off the jatropha. Everything looks and feels so refreshed after a hard rain. We've had a lot of fairly windy, dry days and dust and dirt covers so many of the leaves. Now they've had a bath.

I'm hoping the rain wasn't hard enough to harm my cassia. It has so many buds of promise. I'd like it to last long enough for my new camera to get here. I am SO excited. It has all the features I thought I wanted. I feel like a kid waiting for Christmas!

Mikey Dog

Thursday November 10 - 06
Puppies tend to chew things! My dog is about 12 years old. Recently I've been clipping his hair since he has very long, wavy, hot hair. Apparently he thought the new puppy look required a relapse into doggie childhood.

I found him sleeping in the midst of the... statement. I'm thinking he wants a new bed. He did look really guilty which is a good thing. Guilt never lasts long with him. He just laid down and looked at it. I buy him stuffed toys at the thrift store to play with normally. He keeps them for months and months and then one day while we're out, he's busy. We come home to find an entire room filled with the stuffing.. shredded and scatted everywhere. Perhaps we were away too long.

Promise

November 8, 2006

The weather has been so enticing lately its hard to stay inside. I remember in New England we felt the same way about spring. We'd had just about all the cold and snow we could handle and on those first mild, promising days in very early spring we could be found out coatless hunting for any promises of spring. Here we are so happy for relief from the summer's heat that temperatures under 75° at night are cause for celebration. Today's high was 73... a little chilly in the shade. Its amazing how our systems are adjusted to the higher range of temperatures.

The first thing I found was this grasshopper perched on top of the grid protecting my tomato and other seedlings. Apparently he died overnight wanting that tomato plant!

I Iwas so excited to find my cassia bush is covered with buds.. hundreds of bright yellow promises for flowers. For the past two years there have been many catepillars of the sulphur butterflies which voraciously devoured all buds and new shoots. This year after the catepillars left I sprayed with a mild solution of soap, vinegar and water to protect the bush against stinkbugs. Apparently it worked. Yellow is such a cheerful color in the yard.. especially next to the shaded fern section.

Duranta repens - also known as golden dewdrop is beautiful when covered with racemes of deep purple flowers with white edging. I asked about pruning after each flush of blooms and was told that the berries are equally as beautiful and loved by birds, etc. Next year I prune. These are the berries.

More promise!! There's a faint blush on all the oranges now - with a few overeager ones getting downright orange. These are the sweetest, most tender orange I've ever tried. The neighbor who owns this particular tree hasn't ever picked or eaten any of his oranges. I'm thrilled.

The purple lantana is beautiful and blooms nearly 12 months of the year. Unfortunately for me, the sunny side of the fence is on the neighbor's side and most of the blooms are presented to him. Its always covered with assorted butterflies.

My faithful helper - unless a motorcycle goes by - or I cough - He thinks he's at least a rotweiller when it comes to other dogs - NO fear!! but small noises terrify him. He either wants to be IN my lap or next to our bed.

I spent a few hours rearranging the shed out back. Most of the things belong to my husband. Why is it so much easier to deal with other people's chores than your own. I packed up several bags and boxes of things to take to the thrift store or to a tag sale being help as a fundraiser for someone in the hospital. Our neighbor stopped to talk and asked about some of the things. She has tag sales every weekend. SO - all the things filled the back of her mini van and went to her house.

Hans took down the last dead branches left from the hurricanes a few years ago. There was a huge downdraft which broke two very large limbs but we couldn't dislodge them. Apparently they've dried enough so that they came down with just a slight tug. He also cut down all the tiny oak trees that are growing just under our fence. A good job done.