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

woodpecker nest?

In the front yard there are two southern oak trees on either side of the driveway. A couple of days ago Mary and I were talking next to the tree on the right. I saw a woodpecker fly in and land on the side of the tree. The woodpecker climb up to a higher point in the tree. I had seen this woodpecker recently on the tree to the left of the driveway. I commented to Mary about the woodpecker flying up but he was too high to see.

Yesterday I happened to notice a whole in the tree on the left.

The hole was about the size of a clenched fist. I have circled the hole in yellow. I thought that perhaps the woodpecker had made it for a nest.

I took some pictures and when I looked closely at the pictures, it appeared as if the rim of the hole was burnt. Also there appeared what might be a burn mark inside the hole. Now I am wondering if this hole may have been made by a lightning strike. I am baffled by the hole as to what may have created it. What do you think? All suggestions and theories are gratefully appreciated. So this is my bird story for Seaside. Have a good evening. Lew

Mary, Tammy, and Dolly

This is Mary holding Tammy. Mary is talking to the cat and the cat seems to be listening intently. Mary can hold the cat and the cat looks to be quite comfortable. But whenever I try to hold the cat, she wants to get away. I guess that Mary has the magic touch when it comes to cats. The picture is grainy because it was taken without a flash, through a window screen, and is magnified.

Mary has also managed to tame Tammy’s mother whose name is Dolly quite a bit. Dolly is a feral cat and wild. I can’t get near the cat but Mary can pet her and the cat comes to her because Mary feeds it. Look at the bushy tail, like a feather duster. Dolly comes around to get a handout to eat and then goes on her way to who knows where. Mary keeps her well fed. There is also Tony and Alex, feral cats who are her brothers. I guess that we have the whole dang family here. But what about the father? I have seen him across the street on occasion but he doesn’t come around. Isn’t that just like a guy? Out running with the guys instead of staying at home with the family? I think that comment will get a lot of response. Have a nice day and really cool weather will soon be here. Lew

cat bed

Tammy the cat likes sleeping on the bed. I guess that she considers it a giant cat bed. Interestingly, she always sleeps on Mary’s side of the bed. We have a Sleep-Comfort air mattress on the bed which makes the bed really soft. Laying on the bed with the air mattress is like floating on a cloud. She particularly likes sleeping on the bed after supper with a nice full tummy. Sort of like the lions in Africa that lay down and go to sleep after a big meal. She use to sleep under the bed until she discovered the top of the bed. However, whenever we have company she will make a mad dash at full speed down the hallway, into the bedroom, and under the bed where she feels safe. And stays there until the company has left. She has a sweet life here. Isn't there some poem about lillies of the field? By the way I liked the movie Lillies of the Field starring Sidney Poitier. I have it on DVD an I will watch it from time to time. The music in the movie is real good and has a catchy tune to it. Have a sweet day and sleep in tomorrow. Lew

sunrise

As I was sitting at the dining room table doing my early morning reading, I happened to look up and what a sight. It reminds me of a spectacular sunset but it is really a sunrise. I ran and got my camera and snapped some pictures. Seaside takes the sunset pictures and I take the sunrise pictures. Did you notice the spanish moss hanging from the tree towards the top center of the picture?

The sun that is about to peek above the horizon just lights up the clouds with red and gold colors which contrasts nicely with the blue sky. It is quite a sight and a great way to start the day. Today is Saturday which is big breakfast day. Carpe Diem. Lew

ant motel

It was the early 50’s and as my dad drove south on vacation along A1A to Florida, there were motels here and there as we traveled. And when my dad got tired he would select one of the motels to stop in for the night. Motels back then were just simply called motels. Now days, these very same motels are affectionately referred to as “mom & pop” motels. They were small by today’s standards and consisted of around fifteen rooms. A husband and wife usually owned and operated them. No big chain motels back then with the buffet breakfast in the morning and jacuzzi within the swimming pool area. The rooms of the mom & pops were laid out in a string in a long linear building. No square design architecture with a central courtyard, just a long building or two. These mom and pop motels were meant for sleeping only and then moving on in the morning. How does all of this tie into the ant picture above? Well, all of those ant holes in a long line in the cracks in the driveway, is sort of like the motel rooms aligned in a long building. So here is our ant motel in our driveway.

Unlike the “roach motel” “where they check in but they don’t check out” (Hotel California song by the Eagles), our ants can come and go as they please. We have tried everything in the world to make them “check out” but they just seem to persist. The major problem is that the ants are removing sand from under the concrete slab of the driveway and thereby undermining it. So remember that there are three different kinds of motels: mom and pop motels, roach motels, and ant motels. And now you have seen a picture of an ant motel. How many rooms are there? You have to count the holes along the crack to get the answer. But hurry, because every day there are a few more holes. And if you want to learn more about the life of bugs, just go to Disney and see the show It’s Tough to be a Bug. It is really good and I have seen it hundreds and hundreds of times. Really! (I use to work there). Be cool and enjoy the outside temperatures. Lew

red sweater

This is our Chihuahua sporting his bright red sweater to keep him warm as the weather turns cooler. Has really short hair and so he gets cold easily. He likes his sweaters. A nice dog.

Mary and I missed going to the movies today to see the new sci-fi movie 2012. Tuesday is senior day where we get in for $5. If we go on any week-day before 12:00 noon we also get in for $5. So we are going to the 11:00 am showing of the movie 2012 tomorrow. When we come out we will have lunch in the food court at West Oaks mall. There is probably a 98% chance that I will have Chinese food. Today I did a lot of odds and ends things outside but no one thing being spectacular.

Seeing Seaside’s picture of the ocean waves reminded me of my father and our Florida vacations. Did you know that my dad never went in the water? He wouldn't even get close to the water. I guess that he must not have known how to swim. He would just sit on a lawn chair in the shade of a palm tree a long way from the surf. I mean a long ways. He seemed to enjoy just sitting and relaxing. He had a high pressure job as a grocery store manager and when he went on vacation he just wanted to relax and unwind. On our Florida vacations my parents would take me to the beach one day and I would usually get a sunburn which ended any further trips to the beach. But I didn't care, after all my dad gave me $1.00 a day for comic books (10 comic books x .10 (ten cents each) = $1.00). That is 10 comic books a day. Plus all of the coca cola that I wanted to drink made me one happy kid. At the time, I just didn't think that anything could be better than that. Then I discovered hot dogs. Lew