small and pretty

So what on earth is this a picture of? A flower bud on the gardenia bush? A small ant hill? Yeah, you guessed it right, the tiny little flowers. So easy to walk by and not

notice. So small and yet so pretty. It just caught my eye while I was checking the gardenia bush for “trip vines”. I don’t know what the actual name of the vines are, but I call them “trip vines” because when on occasion I was walking through wooded areas in Seminole county to do inspections I would trip on them and fall down. I was doing inspections for suture home construction and some of these future homes would be set back a couple hundred feet or more from the road. On occasion we would have to ask the developer to cut us a path through the brush. But most of the inspections were in more civilized surroundings. These vines are very tough and strong (almost woody). They also had thorns on them that looked just like shark teeth or the thorns on a rose. And so when I tripped on them and fell down, they would also cut my ankles. In the woods they grew along the ground and blended in with the ground making them almost invisible. That is why I call them trip vines. And there are some growing within the gardenia bush and at the first sign of them I cut or rip them out. They are very tenacious and keep coming back but I am determined to be the victor in this struggle with the trip vines. They are also located by the back fence and I keep after those vines as well. I am really their nemesis. If they would produce some flowers I might not be so tough on them but all they produce is thorns. Do you have a yard or garden pest or weed that you go after with a passion? By the way, sand spurs aren’t much fun either and they get into the cats fur all of the time, both Tammy and Dolly and Mary works diligently on getting them out of their fur ASAP. The dawn has broke and it is time to go. This morning I am having left over grits for breakfast. I got up early yesterday (Sunday) and I thought that we were having grits for breakfast and so I made some grits. When Mary got up she told me that we were having pancakes so I put the grits into the refrigerator to save them for today. The turkey has been removed from the freezer and is now down in the refrigerator to starts its slow thaw. Yesterday, we went grocery shopping at Wal-Mart and it was just crazy. So many people. It seems that all of Orlando was at the same Wal-Mart grocery shopping for Thanksgiving. The aisles were almost impossible to get a grocery basket through. And a bottle of Heinz turkey gravy? Forget it, just a big hole where they use to be. I will stop by Publix today and get a bottle. Publix grocery stores are always well-stocked and well blocked. Clean, bright, cheery and a pleasant place to shop. But Wal-Mart is cheaper and so price wins out and we shop at Wal-Mart. But if I should ever win the lottery, then I would shop all the time at Publix. I always think of all the things that I would get and do if I should ever win the lottery. I could fill pages and pages of blogs with those daydreams. But until then, if you haven’t gotten your Thanksgiving supplies, hurry. Have a pleasant day. Lew