2013 is almost gone.

Sacred Spiral.

   Well, 2013 is almost over. Its been an interesting year.... lots of reflection, some pretty rough spots, changes in all areas of my life. Hmm, come to think of it... its been like every other year that has passed! chuckle    Seriously though, it has been a bit more intense. And I'm having to look at myself differently. Realize there are things that my body can't do very well anymore and things that my Spirit doesn't want to do.
   Now the spiritual part of my life has always been very important to me! But with everyday life being as it is that spiritual side tends to get overlooked..... a lot!      But I find myself coming back to the realization that it isn't just a "part" of my life... it IS my life. When did I lose that very important bit of knowledge? What was it that got in front of me and made me lose sight of the Light. Its true you know, we are spiritual beings having a physical experience.
   Now I'm at a spot in that experience where I want to step back away from this so called "everyday existence" and live with more joy and peace. Actually I NEED to do this! Return to my artwork, reconnect to Nature. Establish a more natural flow to my life. I feel that its a necessity if I'm to maintain balance for the rest of my days.
    This next year certainly ought to be an interesting one! As for this evening,  you'll have to excuse me I've got to go sit with my dogs and cats .... the fireworks on New Years Eve makes them SO afraid. Hope everyone has a happy and safe celebration!!!
   
  

What the Heck Happened?

    Wow, this has certainly been a hectic year. And here it is almost over!!! I keep shaking my head and muttering "What the heck happened?"  Oh well, didn't get much of anything done... at least not what I planned and wanted to do. And that's ok. I've learned that being flexible is absurdly important in living life well. Thats MENTAL and EMOTIONAL flexibility!!!! hahaha   
    Though physical  flexibility is absolutely awesome as well! Hmmm, wonder what happened to my good intentions of starting to practice yoga again? chuckle   (Next year perhaps!)  And I did purchase those two belly dancing belts! Wow! What high aspirations I had for myself this year! Hey, a gal can hope and dream. That's VERY important in life! And then if it doesn't come to pass.... do NOT beat yourself up for it! We are so hard on ourselves! I don't understand why. Things happen. Sometimes life "gets in the way" and either slows us down or derails us completely. For a lot of us, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes we need to stop and look more closely at things. Weigh our options before we proceed. Perhaps use a little more caution or decide to change direction entirely. There are times you need to stop and reassess what you are doing. Is it for your greater good? Does it match up to your true desires and aspirations? Does it feel "right"? Or do you feel like you're bashing your head against a huge boulder? All pain and no gain is a bad thing!!!!
   Anyway, you get my drift....  be happy, be healthy, be good and spread some joy whenever you can! This world offers limitless possibilities.... if we are open to them and remain flexible about how we let them manifest in our lives.  That old saying is true, we don't always get what we want, but we do get what we need.   (Yes, that was a saying long before that Rolling Stone song came along.)
   So, I'll keep plugging along here, doing the best that I can. I have some more photos to post (even butterflies as they quiescent!), little stories to share and a whole lot of blessings to wish everyone!  Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to go jingle around the house in one of those belly dancing belts!  Have a wonderful weekend!!!!!
   

A Little Sunset Snack.

   I've been having the greatest time photographing the clouds lately. This time of year the sky is AWESOME!!!  Even on the rainy days that we had. Anyway, I went out to take a few shots of the sunset today.... and guess what I found on the mulberry tree?

   Yep! Mulberries!  Guess I'm stating the obvious there! chuckle  Its just so exciting to me to have berries this time of year. Last December 1st my grandson spotted a bunch of them and of course I had to go get the ladder so we could pick all the ripe ones! What a treat that was. I didn't find very many today that were ready to eat... but that's just fine with me.  They made my evening THAT much sweeter!

   Always remember to enjoy the simple pleasures and little surprises in life.

Back to Work!

Whenever I paused and leaned on the shovel handle, this was my view to the West.

   Well, after being out of commission for a while with a cold and a bad spell with my back... I FINALLY started trying to playing catch up. But digging probably wasn't the wisest thing to do!!! I tried taking it slowly, but that's just aggravating. hahaha  Did get a tiny patch started yesterday evening and lots of weeds pulled. That's always a very satisfying feeling!
   It was just so pleasant to be outside. Nice little breeze, humidity levels were decent... you can certainly tell its Fall in Florida. Buckshot the Broom cat and Mr. Maynard B. Mouth came out and supervised. Couldn't get a good photo of them though! Hester and Hermoine were delighted that I was turning over soil!!! I was just as tickled that they were grabbing every roach and grub in sight! Its so nice to have such a mutually advantageous relationship with the Ladies.    They seem to have FINALLY finished molting and I'm hoping they get back to the business of egg laying soon. I'm starting to get the urge to bake!! And fresh eggs make such a difference!

   Heres a cute shot of the ladies hard at work!!  I just love to watch chicken butts bouncing around the yard!! haha

Monarchs and Milkweed.

   Got some milkweed started this Spring. Not really sure which variety.     Interplanted it with the Blue Porterweed. Get several different types of butterflies and bees visiting. And, of course, the Firebush is right beside them. VERY active spot! But my pride and joy are the Monarchs. They're supposed to migrate through in Autumn, but it seems I've had one or two all summer long.

   Perhaps they got lost and decided to hang out where they had food and water sources. Oh well, what I do know is how much I've enjoyed them. Decided I wanted to plant a larger area devoted mainly to them, so I started checking on the internet...... and found Monarch Watch. Some very good tips and I could even get my little spot certified as a Monarch Waystation. How cool is that?  

http://monarchwatch.org/

   It seems every species could use a helping hand in this day and age. Humans have done so much harm to the environment. (And so many continue to do so!) Its imperative that every individual try to help in some way. I know I'm repeating myself.... but no matter how small the action taken ~ it does make a difference! And many small efforts combined will add up to something big!!!

   My tiny patch of flowers doesn't look like much, but this Monarch decided to lay some eggs there. So hey! Won't be long before the leaves are being devoured by caterpillars. Guess I'd better get out there and transplant some of the little  volunteer seedlings so they get more sun and can produce more food! hahaha

Where Do Butterflies Sleep?

   Good morning! Its a lovely day. Still warm, but a gentle breeze is dancing through all the trees and bushes. And the sky is that late-Summer blue! Our seasonal changes are pretty subtle here in Florida. But beautiful all the same.
   So, did you ever wonder where butterflies go to sleep? I hadn't.... until late yesterday evening. I was out there trying to convince Maynard to come in, but he was having too much fun running around in the magnificent night air! Normally I would join in the fun ~ but I have a cold and my patience wasn't at its usual level. I just wanted to go to sleep!!! Maynard DID NOT! hahaha  We finally worked out our differences and as I was carrying his big behind in I brushed up against one of the fire bushes near the porch. Oh my! All of a sudden there were all these fluttery shapes dipping and swooping all around. Then they started finding spots to land. Just hanging there.... still as could be. I felt so bad! Here I'd gone and disturbed their sleep.  But, do butterflies sleep? I mean, they don't have eyelids. So how do they "sleep"?   I'd all ready  found out "where".
   Well, it seems that they don't actually sleep, they quiescent! They are cold blooded creatures, so they need warmth to be active. That's why you rarely see them at night or on really cloudy or cold days. They find a safe place... fold their wings and hang quietly. They quiescent. ( LOVE that word. Maybe I should teach it to my three year old grandson! "Can you imitate the butterflies and quiescent for a while?"  Yeah, like that would work! hahaha) 

  
   The fire bush seems to be a top choice for feeding and sleeping. Here are a couple of  photos I took this morning of a Tiger Swallowtail. These plants were still in the shade but it was definitely warm enough for butterflies to be up and about!

Oh that overgrown front yard!

 

  The weather gave us a little glimpse of Autumn for almost three days. It was awesome! Of course I tried to spend as much time as I could outside. That's when I took a close look at the front yard. Oh my! Have a lot of work to do. haha First thing I noticed (after all the weeds) were the sweet potato vines running willy nilly  in a shady corner. That was the first thing I planted when I moved here many years ago. A sweet potato patch. Even used to have rabbits build their nests in it.
   So I think its time to start another patch! I can certainly take enough slips from the vines that are here. Usually I plant in March through June, or a little later... but they'll grow year round here so I figure "Why not?". They like the warm weather for optimal growth, but this time of year they'll just grow a little more slowly without it. And if we have a winter like last year, I doubt if the vines will get frozen back.

   While poking around and pulling weeds I found some scuppernongs to graze on. They're soooo sweet when they ripen on the vine! I've got to take better care of them from now on. chuckle  I could say that about everything!

   Even found some Gloriosa lilies blooms hiding in the branches of the rosemary plant. Theres just too much shade for them in this area! Will have to move them too! 

   The mulberry leaves are really starting to turn and drop now. You can hear them as they tumble down! Same with the sycamores. And now I can rake and put ALL of those leaves on the hugel!