Komodo Dragon = Modern Dinosaur?

 

   Went to the zoo the other week with my daughter and grandson. They had a dinosaur exhibit there. Wyatt is quite the fan of dinosaurs! He knows all the names and everything. Heck, he can pronounce names I don't even know.  (they've unearthed so many more kinds of dinosaurs since I was young! Its hard to keep up.)   Anyway, we found one of their close relatives over in another section of the zoo. I was definitely impressed by this fellow!

Finally Some Rain!

   Well, its been a while since I've gotten back to the blogs.  Feel like I've been busy doing nothing for quite some time now!  Decided to not plant anything new. Which was a wise decision on my part. The weather has been miserably hot and dry of late.  And I still don't have a well and pump of my own for water. Of course, now that theres a disturbance down off the coast of Central America...  our rain chances are increasing! The photo above is how the sky has looked all day. We've had some good showers!!! The plants and trees are so happy. 
    I went up on the roof of my workshop this afternoon to try and patch the worst hole. Hopefully it will help! Even a little bit would be good! haha
    Then I figured that since we were going to have plenty of rain, I'd better move that young mulberry tree that was growing right next to my mobile home! No one who says they want it has come to dig it up. I couldn't put it off any longer! Even though this isn't the proper phase of the moon to do that on.... and its considered too late in the season here in Florida... I figured with the rain we're supposed to get the next few days, that little tree stands a pretty good chance of making it! Mulberries are really tough once they take hold somewhere.
    Another, sort of, advantage of the rain is that those super tall sunflowers have bent over under the weight of their wet leaves!! So pretty! I can finally enjoy them a little bit. chuckle
  

A Little Surprise This Afternoon!

   Spent some time this afternoon watering the plants... since Rain has decided it doesn't want to come by for a visit! See the photo above? Thats what approximately one third of my front yard looks like. Covered in spanish needles. I know! I know! They're the bane of gardeners everywhere! So invasive! BUT... the honeybees just ADORE them!   So I have a tiny meadow of them. I find comfort in the fact that I am helping the bees.      If only I could find a way to control these things!!!

   Then I went and pondered my future "courtyard" site. Between the mulberry tree, the crepe myrtles and the towering mexican sunflower plant ~ its pretty danged shady in there! Which will be awesome in Summer!!! hahaha  Then something caught my eye........

   Some enterprising bird has woven a crepe myrtle branch together with some from the mulberry tree and created a nest amongst them! Very well done too. But I plan on going out and fastening the branches together with some strong twine, just in case a storm comes through.  Every expectant mom can use a little help now and then.   While I was inspecting it, a mockingbird stayed very close and kept an eye on me. So I have a hunch thats the owner of this little piece real estate. We'll see!

The Nesting Colony May 4th, 2013

Heres our little nesting colony! The wood storks are the most numerous. What a ruckus the babies were making!
When I figure out how to "fix" photos on this computer I'll post some close-ups. The little storks are so goofy looking right now! CUTE!

Need to take some more shots when the sun isn't so bright. The feather details get "washed out".

You have to Remember, Life is Good.

   "What the heck is up with you ?" chuckle  Thats my interpretation of the look on Hermoine's face this morning.  Well, you know.... its been a little rough lately. Lots of repairs to do. Not enough money to do them, (so whats new? haha) The washing machine broke. I dropped my camera. Once I got it working again it was quite clear to me that it shouldn't be making those weird noises when I use it! Certainly never did before!!!  Oh well, I can take photos. Thats the important part. My back keeps threatening to go out on me. And EVERYTHING is a mess around here.   THERE.... I bitched, pissed and moaned and do I feel any better?  Actually, a little bit!!!!
   Seriously, sometimes you have to blow off a little steam. Kind of like the tea kettle on the stove. Just let out a scream.... but only a little one. Don't want to freak out the neighbors... too badly anyway.  The "secret" is to really release it. LET IT GO.  Hand it up to whatever Higher Power you believe in. And then go on with your life. If you dwell on the negative, you'll get stuck there!!! If you keep looking back and complaining about stuff thats all ready over with... you'll miss all the good stuff thats right in front of you. Or you'll trip over something and hurt yourself.... even more than you all ready are with all the negativity.
    We have free will. We can make a choice about how we approach the things that happen in our lives.  Heck, some people don't have a washing machine at all. So mine's broken. Thats not the end of the world. I'll figure out a way to get another one. I'm still moving around, puttering in the yard... a lot of folks can't say the same.  So I'm grateful. I'm even grateful when things break or go wrong. It gives me a chance to count the blessings I do have. And to always remember, Life is Good.    
    Y'all have a Wonderful Day!!!!

Poor Potted Plants.

   My friends have been landscaping their backyard. That managed to inspire me enough to start repotting some of my porch plants. Actually the whole porch needs to be worked on! hahaha  But I'll stick with the plants for now. Of course, it would have been nice if I'd had enough potting soil to do all the plants! Oh well, this was an unplanned action on my part. Got several done, then I picked up one of the ones that had been in a bouquet for my mother while she was ill. Talk about rootbound!!!
   Finally go all this mess apart and put some in a medium sized pot and then two smaller ones. (Because of the potting soil shortage!) They'll look better once they perk up and realize their roots have some room to spread out a little. And once the weather clears up a bit I can head out to the local garden center and bring home some more soil.   Paying for dirt! What a totally bizarre concept.

 

Opened Up My Mailbox and There It Was.

   Oh no! Guess what came in the mail yesterday? A seed/plant catalog!!! What temptation!  This year has been so hectic. Physically and emotionally wearing. I was almost glad that I didn't recieve my usual deluge of catalogs this Spring. But then..... this late comer showed up at my doorstep. Noooooooooooo!!!
    Well, maybe. Its awfully late in the season for Florida, but the prices are dirt cheap. Pardon the pun.  And they have some of the things I was wanting to try the most. The kind of climbing rose that I wanted to plant for my proposed  "courtyard" area. Some of the fruit and nut trees that I wished I could put over on the corner lot. Liatrus, aka Blazing Star, which the bees just ADORE!!! And they work out to less than a penny a plant. So, I could plant a tiny field for the bees, right? They have the cultivated elderberries. I mean ~ darn near everything that I'd wished for. And in the purely for show department, they have a "dragon blood" wisteria. What a color!!! Honestly, I don't know if I can resist. I'll have to sit down and go over my budget. Maybe I can fit in a couple of plants. Or three..... or...... oh!
    On a more grounded note, my friend John came up with a good idea for revamping the chicken pen. It involves framing out and enclosing part of the old blue shed as the henhouse. Then fencing in a run for them. Leaving me plenty of room to turn the rest of it into my jewelry workshop. Its a win-win situation!   Now all I have to do is CLEAN OUT THE SHED!!! shudder!