from the porches

mayo

Mayo does not mean mayonnaise as written here.  It stands for Mayo, Florida, a little town west of Branford which is west of Fort White.  We went there yesterday evening for a second sales call of the day. 

The tiny country church we visited was sitting on flat wide open rural land.  Of course I had my handy camera with me since our trip to McIntosh in the morning, so I searched and searched for something to photograph.  I didn't find much at that spot except clouds and trees and birds.  So that's what it will be for today.  Clouds and trees and birds.

    

                                                                clouds

    

                                                            trees

     

                                                               bird

However, on the way home from Mayo I got a passing glimpse of a neat old bed and breakfast.  Traffic was behind us so I caught the picture on the go.

    

I want to wander in this old hotel one day.  Maybe I'll pretend to be a curious guest.  Or I might say,  "I love this place.  May I look around?" 

This morning Truett and I were riding around on a narrow country road south of our house.  As we were looking at the yellow flowers along the highway I spotted five little three-inch carcasses lying in the middle of the road.  We figure they were possom babies that evidentally fell off the mother's back as she was crossing the road.  Where was the mother's body?  It wasn't in the road. I did not take a photograph because the sight of the bodies disturbed me.  Now I'm thinking maybe an owl must have lifted her off the ground causing the five youngsters to land in the road.  Otherwise, show me the momma.

I certainly will miss our little rides when I began school again.

Have a great day.

mcintosh

The one thing I absolutely love about summer vacation is being able to change plans on a whim.  Today's plans I imagined for me were to clean the house, do a load of laundry, work in the studio and putz around.  Instead, on a whim, I chose to ride to McIntosh, Florida (several miles from Paynes Prairie).  Not only does Truett appreciate the company, but I feel like I'm on a mini-vacation. 

I'm so happy I made the choice to ride to McIntosh.  Even though I'm not fond of riding in a car for hours, the possibility of photographing something special, different or unique is always a serendipitous event. 

    

  Just before crossing into the prairie we stopped at a rest stop.  That's when I noticed this sign.  I've only seen one other like it and that was when we went out west when the children were young.  Immediately coral snake and rattlers slithering off the prairie came to mind.  Yuck!

    

While Truett was meeting with a builder I decided to spy on the neighborhood.  I wonder what goes on behind those blinds.

    

It was a hazy morning as you can tell.  I waited for someone to come down those steps but it never happened.

    

 I can imagine afternoon tea and crumpets on this eloquent porch or morning coffee and scattered newspapers on the floor.  Notice the columns.

    

While Truett was on the job site I was bored so I took pictures of palm trees and cows.

    

Did you ever feel like people were riding your back about things and you say,  "Get off my back!"  Check out this picture.

    

This cow seems quite comfortable with a cattle egret riding his back.  Mooooo! 

So, all in all, the jaunt to McIntosh, Florida was worth it.

lucky

    

Take a look through my kitchen window.  Yesterday as I was loading the dishwasher I saw a beautiful red- tailed hawk sitting on that fence staring in my direction.  Quickly I hurried to get my camera to take a photo of it.  Click.  Click.  Two good shots.  Then I rushed to the computer to download the photographs and realized I did not have the card in the camera slot; therefore no photographs of the hawk.  So I want you to visualize a beautiful hawk on that fence staring at you.

                      

This is a young cedar growing beyond our front yard fence.  In fact, it is replacing a giant hundred year old cedar that fell during the storms of 2004.  A couple of days ago I saw two young rabbits chasing each other around and around the base of this cedar.  Once again I hurried to get my camera; yet when I returned to the front porch, they were scampering away through the woods.  Darn!  Another lost picture.  I told Truett about it, but without a photograph it is really hard to describe the joy I felt when I saw the rabbits.  They were just so darn cute chasing around the tree.

Well, yesterday evening I once again looked out my kitchen window as I was preparing a salad.  Here's what I saw.  Hurriedly, I grabbed my camera.  Click.  Click.

    

The same two rabbits I saw running around the cedar tree and now they're right outside my kitchen window.  Gosh, I felt so lucky.  What a delightful treat.  I wanted to get closer so I opened the back porch door and they became skittish.  See them ready to run away. 

    

Yet they allowed me one more decent shot.

    

 Now look at this grass.  It is just to the right of the rabbits.

    

But the rabbits heard me and bounded into this tall grass.  Pooey!  I wanted more pictures. 

Now do you remember this fence out my kitchen window?  Hey, you can see the grass from the kitchen window.

    

Well, before I could adjust my camera for one more shot of the rabbits, I saw wings.  Big beautiful red-tailed hawk wings swoop over that tall grass.  "Noooooooooo!"  I cried from inside my house.  Now I will wonder if one of the rabbits is missing. No, I will worry about it because that is what I do.

 It's just not fair.  I feel so fortunate to see such beautiful creatures, the red tailed hawk and two rabbits chasing each other, and in the blink of an eye, reality hits.  Now how fair is that?  I suppose I have to just "get over it."  

roots

Yes, I was chosen to serve on the jury on Tuesday.  The good part is that this trial should only be for one day.  Yippee!  Then maybe I won't have to do this for several more years, and the best part about that is in five years I can automatically be excused from the jury because I reach the delicious age of 70, or would that be delirious age of 70. 

Today just the few questions posed to prospective jury members caused me to take note of my true character.  Here's a little question for all of you.  "Do you believe there are times when it is okay to break the law?" 

My first thought was a definite no.  After all I am one who worries I'll get arrested if I jaywalk, or will get reprimanded for cutting across the grass on the University of Florida campus.  I'm the one who must walk in the crosswalks and you will not catch me picking a flower if the sign says don't pick the flowers.  So "Do you believe there are times when it is okay to break the law?"  was easy for me to answer if asked.

But then the attorney said,  "What if a loved one was having a heart attack or a life threatening attack of some sort.  Would you break the law and speed or run stop signs to get him/her to the hospital?"  Oh boy.  Now I was thrown in a tizzy because when Clay broke his femur at eight years old, we felt we had no choice but to chase the ambulance at speeds of 90 mph to rush him to the hospital.  Yes, I believe there may be times when it is okay to break the law. Then I worried that I was fluctuating in my beliefs.

Naturally, on the way home from Lake City I thought about my beliefs and my family values, my roots, and how as children we were taught right from wrong.  That was way too much thinking for me so Truett and I took a drive to the river after lunch, and what do I see?

    

                                                      Roots.

    

                                               And more roots.

    

                                          Still more roots. 

 There was just no getting away from my thoughts today.  Hopefully, the evidence will either be very compelling or very weak so the jury can come to the right decision tomorrow.

summer cuts

I was thinking about this upcoming week and how busy it will be.  I begin my week with jury duty.  I know it is my responsibility to serve as a juror, and I have before, but I really have things I want to do with my last two weeks before going back to work.  Doctor's appointments and a hair cut are on my list in the next two weeks. 

 I finally got Bubba, Annie and Cody's summer hair cuts, vaccinations and flea treatment.  The stick fleas are terrible in our yard, plus the dogs' hair gets all matted since they are outdoor dogs.  The vet recommended shaving the dogs since they do not groom dogs anymore. I felt better about having the dogs shaved after the doctor told me she shaves her dogs every summer. "they feel better,"  she said.

    

 This is Annie about five years ago.  She is a great Aussie and the best sentry of our yard.

    

This is Annie two month ago.  Now are you ready for the summer cut?  It is a shocker.

         

                                    Aw, look how stately she looks.

Well, I'm off to the courthouse in Lake City.  I dread this.  I don't want to be questioned.  I don't want to be selected to serve on a jury.  I don't want the responsibility of deciding someone's fate.  Back in the 80's I served on the jury on a murder case.  The defendant stared at me the whole time and made me very nervous. We sent him off for twenty years and I always questioned if we did the right thing as jurors.  Come to find out, this was his third murder.  He was already serving 30+ years, and our decision was tacked on.  Still.  I was very uncomfortable about the whole courtroom scene.  Maybe I will get the summer cut.

bubbles

     

           We kept the grandchildren this weekend and blowing bubbles was one thing they enjoyed doing.        

     

    

    

    

                                     Oliver loved catching the bubbles.

the gift

The other day a friend of Truett's left a gift.  One of the employees tacked a note on the studio door.

         

Now we are forgiving any misspelling on the note from this studio employees.  What I want to know is what caterpillars?  What tree?  Why would someone bring Truett caterpillars for his tree?  This has got to be a VERY good friend of Truett's for him to allow someone to let loose caterpillars on our tree.

Anyway, back to Truett's gift.  We were not home at the time his friend left the gift, so I am wondering which tree I will look up in and spy caterpillars!  I asked Truett  and he said his friend, Charles (yeah, good friend Charles from the Lion's Club) buried caterpillars under our catalpha tree.

    

Of course this is not the catalpa tree but the spring blossom of the  catalpa, and here is the base of the catalpa tree.  

    

So here's the picture.  A friend  let go of caterpillars under this tree.  I asked Truett why someone would put caterpillars on our catalpa tree and he told me because the surviving caterpillars lay eggs in the ground and then the eggs turn into more caterpillars.  So in essence, we are beginning a caterpillar farm.

"So?"  I asked.

"Well, that's the best fishing bait ever,"  Truett relayed to me.

Now it seems that this friend asked another fellow if he could begin his caterpillar farm under his tree and the fellow said,  "NO!  Those stinking caterpillars eat all the leaves off the tree!"

So now I am in a quandary.  What about my catalpa tree leaves?  Now our tree will be stripped bare of leaves and it is for certain I don't want to look at a naked tree. In order to resolve this I must be promised fish caught with these caterpillars.

the shed

    

The shed for the jeep is 99.9 % complete.  All that's left is painting the screen door red like the front door of the house.  Not fire engine red.  Not red like the jeep, but a deep maroon red, the same color as the front door of our house.

    

Here are different angles of the shed:

    

    

    

Now the best part is being inside the shed looking out at the woods and the yard.

    

    

This is a shot looking out the back door into the woods.  The other day it was pouring down rain so Truett and I went to the shed to get a feel of rain on the tin roof.  The sound was thunderous.  We had to yell to hear each other say,  "It sure is loud in here!"  But, oh, it was a great sensation being half in and half out of the elements.

Now I have a very important reminder to any of you who live in a house.  Never never NEVER walk outside your house to take a picture of your front door without first unlocking the door so you can get back in your house.  Otherwise you will wait in the heat and swat gnats away from your eyes and face for oh, about ten minutes until your son finds your husband who is drinking coffee with his buddies,to retreive a key.

tidbits

    

The Mexican Petunias are in full bloom right now and they are loving all this sunshine and afternoon rains.

    

                                             So are the miniature roses

    

                                          And the crape myrtle.

    

Notice the tiny bird on the vine.  This is the Ruby-throated hummingbird before his dive to the bird feeder.

    

              This photo might be a little clearer.  He sure looks big for a hummingbird.  But hey,

    

here the little fellow is after his descent from the tree.  Kind of a cock-eyed picture, but I was hiding on the porch and leaning way to the left in a rocking chair to capture this picture.

In the meantime my two lazy cats were lounging on a box commonly used by the grandchildren as a cave or a fort.

    

      You lazy cats.  Do something.  Catch a lizard.  Chase a fly.  Just do something.  Ah, what a luxurious life these two live.  Have a great day.

cool clear water

     I

                                                         The shoals in Florida.

    

                                        A stream in Franklin, North Carolina

    

                                        A stream at Steinhatchee, Florida

    

                                              A river in Alaska

Somehow looking at the water seems to keep me cool during these hot steamy summer days.