#Moorhen Babies

A chance sighting, just as I was getting out of the pool this morning!

There are three baby Moorhens with a mama and a papa. This family was right below our seawall. I just stood aways off, used the long lens so as not to disturb, and fired off about 100 shots! Enjoy!

#GardenMuse

Day after day, it seems the time spent in my vegetable garden harvests such an abundance of similes that I find myself, hands dug deep in the dirt, grinning ear to ear.

 

Happy young corn and potato plants in their eastern fully sunlit location. 

I don't hear a new life's purpose calling me right now, though there have been several over all my 63 years. But I do have the feeling of being in the right place, growing where I am planted. And, while I grow vegetables to feed my family (and the birds, squirrels, and Iguanas), the feels are that there is much for me to learn while these old hands are buried in the warm soil, planting seeds and tending their young seedlings.

 

Some are wholly independent and do very well on their own. First to my mind is Celery. All by itself, it grows strong, straight, and tall. All I do is add water when there isn't rain. The Pole Beans are requiring more attention. The beans should be picked daily so that it knows to keep producing. Various little bugs nibble at the leaves so I spray them with a gentle soapy water, onion & garlic mixture. Beetles attack the Cucumber plants, so my hands travel their leaves nearly every day, picking off the beetles and moving them to a location far away from the gardens.

 

Tomato plants struggle against cutworms and the scary hornworm. It is easy to see the cutworm damage as they leave trails on the leaves. Since those leaves will wither and die, I prune them back regularly, allowing the plants to take nutrition to their most prolific parts. The hornworm scares the daylights out of me! I mean, have you ever looked one in the face? Those horns are real! It takes every bit of courage I can muster to pick one off the plant using the lip of my jar. Yes, I know they turn into beautiful moths and butterflies, but I don't think I'll ever get over being freaked out when I have to deal with one. Yet, if I don't, my crops can be destroyed overnight.

Some days I study healthy tomatoes. At times I decide to leave them another day or so to fully ripen on the vine. Yet, I am hesitant to do that because of the real possibility the fruit might not be there in the morning. Even my dogs are known to join the other critter thieves picking tomatoes they can reach!

Then there are days when a particular vegetable plant has exhausted itself with growing and producing, when it has lost most of its leaves and color, and when it seems to have no further purposes. So I gently pull it from the dirt and relocate it to the generous compost pile. I feel satisfied thinking of all the food it provided and that now it can rest, decomposing into food for new plants. 

HERE is an informative composting article.

Nearing the end of their season.

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

#Randomness

Noise  So much sudden noise, I rushed outside to investigate.

Perched on top of my neighbor’s roof was a Great Blue Heron just trying to refresh and rest, but my big ole Doberman wasn’t having it. He’d run the fence line barking at the bird who returned every bark with a boisterous squawk!

Great Blue Heron on Neighbor's Roof

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Happiness  Just because you are happy it does not mean that the day is perfect but that you have looked beyond its imperfections.  - Bob Marley            

Sunrise on Ft. Myers Beach, Florida


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Hibiscus The dogs informed me that Hisbiscus is one of their new favorite snacks.

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Clouds  Been correctly accused of having my head up in them more than once!

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Vegetables  

Roasted together a red beet, some baby Brussels Sprouts, and garlic.

Strangely good!

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#OurCritters

Time to introduce the boys. Over the years we've had lots of pets and they seem to adopt us in batches. For the past three years these guys have taken very good care of us:

Leo

He is a Min-Pin who will celebrate his 8th Birthday later this month.

At his best, he weighs 11#. 

He is a "talker" and chatters incessantly.

Laps are his favorite resting spots and he loves requires petting.

If you stop, you'll get a nose-nudge under your hand.

And it doesn't stop until you start petting again.

Storms are his nemesis and he absolutely must hide under blankets until the storm passes. 

Leo came to live with us about five years ago when 

his then-family decided they didn't want him any longer. How sad.

His forever home is with us and we love him to pieces. 

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Gizmo

Our 13# housecat chose us one day when on a whim we visited the cat shelter. In itself, that was a crazy thing for us to do because Hubs did not like cats. Or so he thought. This black beauty perched on the highest landing in the room and repeatedly batted my 6'2" Hubs on his head when he passed by. There was really no choice but to make him part of our tribe. 

Gizmo also has a June birthday and will be six years old soon. Like any feline, his favorite pastime is sleeping. Meowing for food is, I'm sure, ingrained in him because of the years spent toggling for food in the shelter. I try to feed him at the same time every day, hoping that he will be reassured of the next meal. In the past nearly 4 years that he's lived with us, this tactic has not yet worked. He starts crying for food about an hour before it is time to eat. We've tried petting him more during that hour, hoping that it is affection he craves. That hasn't worked either. 

And yes, when I say "we" it is so. 

Hubs retracted his I don't like cats mantra!

This boy is not a lap cat. But because Thirdborn has taken so much time helping him acclimate to human touch, he can be picked up and held closely. But not often.

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The Two Amigos

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Rocco

Since he is not our first Doberman, 

this Red boy filled a place in our family that only a Dobie can.

Full of piss and vinegar and an energy that is hard to wear down, 

Rocco will celebrate his third birthday in July. 

He has lived with us just 8 weeks shy of that and weighs in right around 85#.

There is nothing this gentle giant won't do for us,

except to quit stealing food from the kitchen counter.

And getting things out of the trash can.

And moving shoes around the house.

Well, you get the idea.

Rocco is Smart. He is Loyal. Loving. Protective. Nurturing.

Give him a ball and he is happy.

Throw it for him and he is ecstatic!

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These boys stand guard while I work.

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And they fight all day so they can sleep peaceably together all night.

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