Herons! Tornados! Avocados!

Hi Everyone and welcome to June 47, 2071,

Well, it kinda feels that way. While the outside world is going up in flames, murder hornets and plague, things here are relatively quiet. Although we have had a few moments of excitement that I'll share.

The biggest adrenaline rush for me was about a week or so ago when I saw something giant flash past our kitchen window. I went out to the lanai, and darn it if there wasn't a blue heron stuck in the pool enclosure.

(Before you get all judgey like my friends and ask how in the world a blue heron got in to the enclosure, we leave the enclosure's door open to the side yard so the dogs can get out and pee. I am not opening TWO DOORS to let them out 10,000 times a day. So...deal with it.)

Anyway, although this was not a Great Blue Heron, he was still probably about 3 feet tall and he was VERY ANGRY. He kept flying up into the screen and bouncing off and falling to the ground and he was generally in a bad mood. Even getting on the lounge chair did not calm him down.

Nor did he seem to enjoy being poolside or standing on the skimmer.

Nor did he appreciate my efforts to get him to go out either of now two open doors. Frankly, birds are dumb.

You may remember that in the past, I once caught a bird in our enclosure by tossing a towel over it and picking it up and carrying it outside. This was not an option. This bird would have killed me with no (r)egrets about it. (Get it?!  Egrets! A bird pun!)

Anyway, finally, it discovered the door I had propped open for him, and walked towards it, while I said, "Good bird! Atta way, bird!"

Goodbye, bird!

Please note that Glenn was home during this ordeal and was of no help whatsoever. He was on a conference call.

We also had some very minor excitement last night as we had a tornado warning. As it started to get very dark and windy and rainy outside, we decided to take the dogs into the laundry room to shelter for the few minutes before the warning expired...just out of an abundance of caution.

Eva found this very stressful. 

Anyway, the storm passed us by and all was well. 

Speaking of Eva, the shelter where we got her found an old picture of her as a tiny puppy and posted it for me on their Facebook page and OMG - SHE WAS THE CUTEST PUPPY EVER!

Aahhhh! I'm dying of cuteness! Look at her little heart-shaped nose!

Ok. Sorry. I have to pull myself together. 

Anyway, there has been a bunch of wild weather across Florida due to Tropical Storm Cristobal. This morning, I woke up to all the windows being steamed up.

This is what 80% humidity looks like. It is so gross outside - it's like being hit in the face with a hot, wet washcloth.

Ok, so that just leaves me with a bunch of my daily walk pictures. So here they are in no particular order.

This is an avocado tree I may eventually steal from.

And these are Sea Grapes. Which are actually edible and people make jams out of them. 

Two ducks and another blue heron. 

I have no idea what kind of flower this is but it is huge and gorgeous.

Um...are you tired of herons yet? Because this one posed for me.

They are more majestic looking when they aren't being stupid.

Well, hey, I guess I'll just show you all my bird pics at once.

One osprey

Two osprey - kinda hard to see here

Here they are from a different angle.

Ruffled osprey

Giant Woodpecker - again, kinda hard to see and these guys are hard to photograph. They won't stay still and they go up super high.

Cooper's hawk

And finally, Mister Stork who does not fit in that little red bird feeder.

Ok. So that's it for the birds. 

Finally, let's explore our back yard as it turns into a jungle.

That's all folks! Hope you have a good week and stay safe and happy!

Happy Memorial Day!

Hi Everyone!

Happy Memorial Day! I hope you all are enjoying fun picnics and festivities and well, no...we aren't are we? Ah well. At least we are all hopefully safe at home.

It's a cloudy, rainy day here, which is kinda a bummer, but I got my walk in - and it was relatively cool, and Glenn took an extra long bike ride.

I have a bunch of pictures to share...sorry it has been a while. For some crazy reason, my work has actually picked up and I've been busier than usual. I count myself as very fortunate.

I was just doing the math and we've been in quarantine for 73 days now. But Glenn and I are lucky to be stuck in a sunny and beautiful place.

So, here we go - a random assortment of pictures.

Some folks get creative around here with their mailboxes.

This one's a little hard to see, but it's hanging from a branch like a swing.

And a random note from a rock.

Love this house's tropical garden.

Here's a weird little flower bud saying "Hi". (Waves)

Two days in a row I saw this giant gator - not at a park or anything but laying in someone's back yard. I named him Samson and have not seen him since. I was quite far away, so these are pretty blurry, but you can tell he's a big fella.

So...what else? Well, I see a lot of birds.

This is a Muscovy duck. They are not real attractive.

And here's three of them.

This is an Ibis. They have funny faces.

I've also been seeing Cooper's hawks. Or maybe just one that I keep seeing over and over.

Here's an osprey...we see them often, and hear them even more. They have a very distinct cry.

These pics would be better if I carried my superzoom camera around with me but it's pretty cumbersome, so I just use my phone.

This is a bad pic, but I think you can at least tell it is a bald eagle and he's pretty darn big. I think he had his head ducked down to clean himself or maybe he is camera shy.

And here's some other wildlife.

Shot on our porch. The biggest spider ever. Nope, nope, nope.

Here are some trees.

This is a jacaranda tree - it has these beautiful purple blossoms and smells fantastic.

I think this is a mango tree in someone's yard. The fruit will turn green and then fall off.

This is a pretty view toward the bay down a little side street I walk on.

I like some of the houses on this street. Two of my favorites:

I love the big porch and old southern charm of this one.

And look at this little cutie. Neat as a pin.

In other news, I know you are dying to know how our orchids are doing. The yellow one's flowers fell off, but the other ones are all doing well.

This is our latest one to bloom and it still has a bunch of buds to go.

We also have a couple rose bushes that don't bloom much, but this was a good one.

I now will interrupt this blog post with some cute pics of the doggos.

Deuce sticking his tongue out at me. 

Eva looking like a supermodel. SHE'S SO PRETTY.

Pardon the interruption. I shall continue with your regularly scheduled blog.

Last weekend, we drove to Indian Rocks beach to blow the dust off Stella. We did not actually go onto the beach with the humans, but we stopped in a parking lot, breathed in some salty air, and snapped a couple pics.

Water looks beautiful!

Out in the world!

Also, I know food pics are weird but, man, we're eating pretty good. I'm sure I've put on the COVID-19 (lbs) as they say.

Here was one dinner I made.

And here is a meal we got from Marker 39 for take out - the Cuban pork crisis. I really love the fried plantains.

So yesterday, we took a nice bike ride to the Bay and back. Glenn had gotten his new helmet a few weeks ago.

I said he has to wear it all the time. Even when he's just walking around. :-)

Anyway, this is us on Bayshore.

And here's Glenn with his new bike. (It's pretty cool.)

Here are some sunrise pics he got on one of his recent rides.

And finally, to wrap things up, sleeping puppies. You're welcome.

Love you all! Hang in there, everyone!