A MAN AND HIS DOG

Posted on March 6, 2013 by
A Man And His Dog

A Man And His Dog

W e were recently on a visit to our daughter and family in a town north of Chicago. It had snowed heavily before our arrival (and did again after we left) so my husband and I (from Florida) enjoyed greatly the change in climate, the cold, the snow, and of course, being with our daughter, her husband, and four grandchildren!One very nice thing about their area is the number of dog parks! They have a neat dog (part bird dog) named Billie Jean (a good southern name) who LOVES to romp in the dog park no matter the weather. We went with our son in law and Billie Jean one morning to the dog park. All one has to say to Billie Jean is dog park and she is ready to “load up” in the back of the SUV and head out. It was fun to watch her run and romp in the park and to watch how much fun both she and our son in law have together. What a special bond between man and dog!!visittoChicagoFeb2013 035

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Eagles and More Eagles

Posted on January 28, 2013 by

2013eagleRecently we checked out some undeveloped waterfront property near our home. We knew that there had been a pair of eagles nesting there a couple of years ago. We walked to the area where they were before and were disappointed to see that the nest was no longer there. We walked further into the property and noticed a large bird flying overhead. We thought it might be an eagle, but were not sure. We walked along the beach. Heading back, my husband spotted the new nest. The male was sitting on it, the female was in the nest. Not only did we see that pair, but noticed another pair flying above our heads. So, there were two pairs on the property. What a thrill. We are so glad to see that eagles are thriving and reproducing in Florida again. It made our walk incredible!

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SUNRISE IN THE MOUNTAINS

Posted on December 3, 2012 by

We will be leaving our beautiful log home in the mountains of Southwest Virginia in a few days. We have been fortunate in many ways. We have been able to spend a whole month here, thanks in part to our wonderful neighbors who take care of our cat, Shadow, while we are out of town. We were blessed to have our two daughters and their families here for Thanksgiving. We have had fantastic weather while here..mostly cool and sunshiny days. We have enjoyed getting outside to walk the creek and the rest of the property that we own. We have enjoyed putting up game cameras again to see what roams the woods around here. As of this point, mainly deer and only at night as it is hunting season in Virginia. We did get a glimpse of two bears.

However what has been most incredible are the sunrises and the sunsets. Despite all the craziness that seems to go on daily in our society and particularly the worries about the politicals parties NOT working together to solve the fiscal cliff and other issues, we are always refreshed and manage to forget the worries that could consume us..reminded by the beauty of nature all around us

Mountains of Southwest Virginia

Mountains of Southwest Virginia

who is in control.

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Hello From The Mountains of Southwest Virginia

Posted on November 12, 2012 by

We arrived at our log home on Saturday. It is about a 12 hour drive if you drive straight here. We finally have gotten smart and stopped along the way. We had two BEAUTIFUL days. A front is coming through today which will drop the temperature to a high of 46 tomorrow. As long as it is a bit sunny, we won’t mind. We will get out in our goretex jackets with layers underneath and wander. We will put out game cameras and see what is in the area. We will “hunt” with them instead of guns. We will check out the old logging roads and see if they need any repairs. We will move limbs which have fallen over them and dig out ditches.

We are so blessed to have this place. We are so bless to live in a country like the USA where we can vote and have so much freedom of choice. We are blessed that we have enough income to pay taxes…yes, even feel blessed about that!

Posted in Appalachian Mountains, Bears, log home, Nature | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

GARDENING ON MY BOTTOM

Posted on October 19, 2012 by

Well, I guess my blog readers (the few there are) have figured out that I LOVE to be outside, I LOVE nature and all which that encompasses! Even in the heat of the day, I will find some excuse to go outdoors…maybe not for long…but maybe just to check the water in the bowl for the birds and squirrels or just to add some seeds to our two feeders. I might even see some awful thorn plants growing up among our azaleas and tackle them! I also might even pull a weed or two…or just walk in our butterfly garden and admire the many gulf fritileria, the monarchs, the cabbage moths, the bees and anything else that happens to feed on our perennials..

So, why the title of this blog? A few weeks ago one of my first cousins broke her femur in three places while gardening! Yes, three places! Seems she was cleaning out beds near her azaleas, caught her leg in one of the azalea bushes, lost her balance, and fell on a concrete slab. Today I got an email from another friend who also broke her leg while gardening..another friend was cleaning out her ditch and fell and broke her leg..Get the message???

Therefore, I think it is time for me to garden on my bottom…Surely I won’t break anything doing it that way..In deference to my new age of 69 and more fragile bones, I think it is a great idea…just sit down, crawl around, and garden. Of course, my neighbors might wonder why, but I will KNOW why!

So, if you are in a neighborhood and see someone gardening on her bottom, it might be me!

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BLUE BIRDS, GROSBEAKS, AND MORE

Posted on October 17, 2012 by

Yesterday was another beautiful day in Pensacola…unlike some days here, it was cool and there was plenty of early morning sunshine. The day before we had filled our bird feeders with fresh seed…so the birds came in droves that morning. We even had a couple of unusual occurrences…so Bob got out his camera, our binoculas, and the audubon bird guide.

The first thing we noticed was a bird we had never seen before on the feeder. It was fortunately well marked with a bright red breast and black feathers marked with white spots and lines. That is when Bob went to get his camera to take a photo. Before he could get back, the “visitor” left and we haven’t seen him since. Turns out it was a red-breasted grosbeak just passing through. They normally live in Canada and winter in Central America. I guess he was replenishing his energy so he could continue on his long flight.

The other thing was the bluebirds. We normally have them feeding on insects in our grass and in the butterfly garden. But, this morning they were actually eating seed from our feeders..Bob had his camera by then and took a few photos. With the sun shining on them and the feeders, they were beautiful..more so than normal!

So another beautiful day had begun with birds, good conversation, and a great cup of coffee.

What more could one want out of life?

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Sweat and more SWEAT!

Posted on September 29, 2012 by

Is it just me…or is it living in Florida? It seems like every time that I go outside to do anything, I end up sweating! When we are in the mountains, no problems! I can work all day without getting sweaty…Maybe I just answered my own question?

I always have more energy there also. I love being outdoors, but just don’t seem to enjoy being outside any more in Florida. Of course, I don’t see my neighbors working outside much now either.

Even tho fall has “officially” begun, I keep asking where is fall? Why is it still hot and humid in Florida?

You might say, why don’t you go to the beach? Well, I get hot, sticky, and sweaty there too, plus do NOT even ask what exposure to the sun for many years has done to my skin!

I did enjoy kayaking a few days ago in Soldier’s Creek which goes into Perdido Bay…there was a breeze and the water was nice and cool. However, I did cover myself with a long sleeve shirt and pants over my bathing suit to protect myself from the sun..used 55 suntan lotion…and still got a bit sunburned in areas not covered..

Guess I am mountain dreaming. Heading up there soon, thank goodness!

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