Backyard Birds



Cardinal

 Just like home in Wyoming, home in Florida sports a bird section with bath and feeders. Aside from the Doves and Blackbirds the varieties are different and fascinating to me. The blackbirds are either choosy about their grub or messy eaters so a partnership with the doves has been formed. The blackbirds slop away and the portly doves graze upon the dropped seed.

Ringneck Dove

Bluejay

In terms of pecking order it appears the bluejays trump all the regulars, next are the blackbirds though the northern Mockingbirds will get their backs up and run them all off.  The doves are peace loving but will fluff feathers in a bluff. The cardinals are ever ready to fly-kind of skittish.



Regular Customers

After our company last week, I quickly did a reload-washed the linens and Luila made the beds. She is so willing- I asked her to help me do it and she shooed me away.  The better I know her, the better I like her. Now that she is a citizen, her hubby is applying with her help. I sincerely hope he is a good man. Luila's dad left when she was 7 and she rarely saw him until she reached 17 when all of a sudden he became interested and she came to visit him in Florida. She was raised by her grandmother on the ground floor and her mother upstairs in Brazil so she did not suffer privation nor lack of guidance. Her dad quickly had her apply for a student loan for training in the health field but she lacked the English to survive. His hubby's wife was mean to her because she was maidenly and studied. She gained weight but stayed on the straight and narrow. Finally she couldn't stand it there any more and roomed with several families from her church. She lost weight and married and seems to like him and they make decisions together. She cleans (very conscientiously) has a sporty red VW Jetta of fairly recent vintage and they rent in Tivoli Park which is definitely not the ghetto. Imagine making your way in a foreign country when you are 17. She is kind and cheerful and plays gospel music on her cell phone while she cleans.  I admire her.

I have had good phone this week. Greg and Lew are enjoying their property in New York- more fruit trees planted, planting veggies, (it is just spring there-trees are budding out) catching their fish in their pond and elsewhere, harvesting asparagus as fast as they can (Greg has planted rows and rows) building a retaining wall,  and relaxing.

Matt called on his way to Sacramento for a workshop on I.D.s real and fake-they are getting more sophisticated. He will be the trainer for Oregon. He sounded good and is looking forward to his boat trip to Bimini with Jason in June.

Internet communiques with Delores,-(getting ready to decamp to West Virginia with Don and her granddaughter.)  They will take the train which is an adventure in itself. They have to drive to Granby, CO to catch it.  It is right pricey besides but she, like me, will do anything to avoid St. Louis in an automobile.

Also with Janet who was right newsy and sent me some excellent pictures of Branding this year. Her mom has me on her speed-dial in Lander, WY as well as another Steve she knows. So I get occasional calls starting out: "What on earth is going on over there!" or "I forgot to pay you for those eggs!" We have a good laugh and catch up on the news.

05092012 Dennis Ida Visit Deerfield

Click on the picture for the web album. Denis and Ida went to their niece's graduation in Ames, Iowa and decided to add a Florida leg to be the first to try out the Roberts  (private) B&B. It went swimmingly if I do say so myself.  We were very compatible-they love animals, enjoy a good siesta after lunch, good food, and a cocktail. In addition to seeing the sights in the web album, we enjoyed a trip to the dog park,  doing a little shopping,  a pretty healthy series of thunderstorms which coincided with nap time, a trip to Jason and Lori's and boat watching. I think they enjoyed my house-especially the Florida room where recliners, plants and soft Classical music are conducive to good naps.   We walked a lot which helped balance the hefty caloric intake. Being "of a certain age" we also enjoyed hanging out and yakking in all of the cozy nooks. I got them to the airport on Friday afternoon and promptly got lost in Fort Lauderdale. GPS'd my way home.  Great fun having old friends for company-who is next?

Reduced to Blogging

For the second day we have been inundated with precipitation. The doggies just went for their probably only walk for the day. We walked to the Pet Supermarket and bought treats-Buddy picked out a bag of Peanut Butter treats that were evidently more intriguing at the store than here at home.  The pups are quite spoiled-I have been mixing up trips to the dog park in Pompano with our walks.  They love the dog park and are quite well-behaved and seem to be growing in socialization with dogs and humans.

With the kids in Texas, our routines are different-or I should say non-existent but that is OK too. I have been puttering around. The canopy on my "Fortress of Solitude" collapsed under the weight of rain so I improvised another with a canvas dropcloth ($29.00). There are so many bungy cords that I suspect if a big wind came just the right way, there would be a huge "SPROINGGGG" and the darn thing would be catapulted into the Atlantic Ocean. It is getting the acid test this weekend-so far, so good. Have also been gussying up a few things. Yard art, solar lights, Vines, repotting some plants.  Continuing to read and play Word with Friends with my Texas kids. We are addicted and it is reassuring for us all to know the others are alive and well and playing cut-throat games.

Med checkups this past week. According to my device, there have been no Cardiac incidents-this makes 14 months.  Dr Cohn's exhaustive tests indicate I am holding my own in other departments-he wants more in therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC he calls it, I call it torture.) But I will do my best.

I am excited to be having company! Denis and Ida from Casper are going to their niece's graduation in Bettendorf, I believe, then adding a leg to come to South Florida.

My cousin Russel and his wife and another couple have been doing Wales, Ireland and Scotland. Russ is a great camera man with a good sense of humor so I have been getting travelogues on the web.  Likewise with Nicole and Andre traveling the west. The other Andre and Nicole are back in Montreal and shivering. 

Life is good.

Happy Easter Eggs

Drat-my whole narrative vanished into thin air.  Check back later.

O.K. I have sulked for a week. That is long enough. Now we will see what I can remember without the aid of notes. Juneau and Buddy on their last day together for awhile (below). Jason and Juneau loaded into the BMW and headed for Texas to Join Lori who flew on the 3rd. Jason will come for a visit in mid- June-he has organized a trip to Bimini in the boat with his brother and some friends. I am hopeful of catching a glimpse of Matt. The J's arrived in Texas after two days-the sort of trip I get scolded for. Jason puts the pedal to the metal and stays in dog-friendly La Quinta's. I drive the limit and stay in Flying J parking lots.

 

Jason's last days here were busy, busy. He decided to give up his consultancy with Campus Management so he is no longer working the phones, etc. He was feted by his colleagues and management. They wrote messages on a shirt-some heartfelt, some funny, some touching. He was pleased with the party and the gift.  He also was readying the Boca property for sale. He had really good renters who got transferred so he cleaned, powerwashed, painted, re-did hardware and carpet in a mad dash. The powerwasher tried to commit suicide by vibrating into the pool. I think it is fixable but I am not sure. He squeezed in a few lunches and dinners with his closer friends and we went  to lunch at a new place in Pompano.  I am missing them all.

 

Where we had lunch - Bonefish Mac's. Yummy Fish and Chips. Jason had the start of a beard going. I wonder if it will prosper.

 

Lori hit the ground running in Texas. She had 16 for  Easter-mostly family and a carry-in for food. She said they had a ball.  She was able to see nephew Casey advance to regionals in Track.

My nephew Justin is at large with permission to be so. He is still muddled about some things. The rehab facility had certain milestones in his brain injury recovery plan. Among them:  fixing a meal from scratch, and cleaning self and surroundings-the activities of daily living. The way he sees it is the staff was lazy and he had to do everything to run the place. Bless his heart and  Rich and families-they do not have an easy path for months ahead. Niece Alicia has a home of her own in Casper now and for Junior, her St. Bernard. Speaking of St. Bernards there was one and a black Newfoundland at the Dog Park in Pompano. The Newfie, four months old, thought Miss Honey was quite fetching. She did quite well at refusing his advances without ripping his throat out.  She was a lady.

It has been "fleet week" here in the compound. Vehicle maintenance. I stopped in at Advance Auto Parts, which is restored after it burned. I wanted to price deep cycle batteries for the RV to replace the very weak old ones. I lucked into a sale-$69.00 apiece as opposed to about $100 minimum per copy. So I did that. Washed the van-I didn't really think it was dirty-but it was. Did it in a light rain as I am wont to do-Mother nature helps with the rinse.

But enough about me- How about you?

Testing picture uploads

 

Springtime in the Tropics



Things are starting to pop-get lush



"Slight chance of showers" became 2 inches of rain.

 The kids brought filets and trimmings from the Fresh Market Friday and we broke bread here, Mighty fine food. The occasion was part of Lori's long goodbye as she prepared to depart for Amarillo/Pampa, TX. She revels in being with her family and they have an ambitious social calendar this year. She departed today and got stopped in Dallas. They had tornadoes there and made everybody disembark and hide behind a brick wall. The storms also had hail and some 250 airplanes have to be inspected: they said leaving on Thursday was probable but chancy. Jason got on the web here and found a Southwest flight  to Amarillo that will get in at 10 p.m. tonight but it was departing from a town 30 miles away. So Lori took a cab!

As evidenced above, I took the weather forecast as gospel Saturday and spent half a day watering shrubs and trees. Then in the afternoon it rained buckets. We got our walks in after one false start. We are ranging farther and wider- pretty much 2 miles a day.  We go at a good clip but of course have rest stops.

I enjoyed the NCAA championships. Some great basketball and athletes.  The CMA's are not my first love but I enjoyed them too- Good music is good music. The PBS stations down here are having pledge drives and I really enjoy those music shows too- O.F. nostalgia time.

Somehow I developed a carbuncle on my shoulder blade. A carbuncle is a cluster of boils. Not being able to see it and thinking it was a common zit, I gave it a squeeze. Big mistake. As my doctor is celebrating Passover in Israel I went digging in the old medicine cabinet because I was feeling crummy, and had aches wherever my poor body had experienced an insult over the past 60 years. I have kept complications at bay but I am going on ten days and my shoulder is still sore-other places not so much. That is probably too much information!

Apparently son Matt received the "Top Student " Award at his month-long stint at Oregon State Law Enforcement Academy.One of his classmates congratulated him on Facebook. Otherwise I would still be in the dark. He tends to "hide his light under a bushel." I do check his Facebook page often because he is either thought provoking or hilarious.  His friends are half-witty too.

I am also enjoying the birds-evidently water and feeder say "Welcome."  Buddy gets annoyed at the blackbirds and chases them away. The Mourning and Ringneck Doves are unmolested and fat-walking around eating spillage from the feeder. I was thrilled to see a Cardinal.  My resident birds include two pairs of Mockingbirds who sing often and are very territorial. I was wondering if somebody were poisoning the squirrels because they haven't been teasing the dogs. Then I saw a Mockingbird dive-bombing a poor squirrel. The squirrel was makin' tracks.

Flatland Furriners!



Sherwin Williams top performers chillaxxin before they start barfin'

 Sherwin-Williams had a reward holiday for their top performers at the Boca Resort, (negotiated room rate $500.00 per night). My niece Sara and her husband Anthony came a little early and so we had some time with them last weekend. Jason picked them up at Ft. Lauderdale airport and we met at 234 on the beach for cocktails and dinner,  Sara seems comfortable in her own skin for the first time since I have known her (all her life)-very enjoyable visit.  Jason offered to take them out on the boat and they asked two other couples to come along.  It was minutes after they hit the open sea when two of the ladies started hanging their heads over the side. Jason turned it into a scenic excursion rather than the fishing trip it was billed as. He pulled right up to the resort dock to pick them up-very lah-di dah until the barfing began.

Jason's Sushi plate at 234 restaurant on the beach

Niece Sara with her her husband Anthony.

Sunday they were headed back home to Lubbock, Texas.

I finally connected with my friends Andre and Nicole (not the ones in the west but the retired cop and his wife.) He is a consummate fisherman and used to invite me to wonderful fish suppers at John Prince Park. I invited them down and cooked steak for them (that has always been our trade). They are looking great-very fit and enjoying their lives. Honey and Buddy played wildly, amusing us all and Buddy almost got stolen. They are working their way slowly back to Montreal after the 30th. I enjoyed seeing them. After a little time at home they will go to their summer place on a lake.

Some Wyoming friends are making tentative noises about visiting Florida. It got me motivated to unfold the sofa bed in the Florida room. I put those felt sliders under the legs so now it is a cinch to shift it a couple of feet. Then it will unfold and very little else needs to be moved. I went to Target for a little bedding- a soft-top mattress cover and queen sheets. It got a little test in the afternoon and I slept there last night. Very satisfactory. I think I will sleep there if I get four visitors at once. That leaves my queen and two singles and full bath in one wing of the house. I have a half bath in this end and with my nightly wakenings it will probably be best. Besides, it is a low bed.  and  the doggies can step right up.  Fun.

Matt finishes up Police Academy this weekend. I am thinking he will be glad it is over.
Lori is getting to decamp for Texas. Jason is working to get one of his properties ready to sell. His long-term tenants got transferred

Nephew Justin's  head injury recovery is not going smoothly. He keeps trying to escape the rehab place. Meetings were going to be held. We can hope and support but he is 24 years of age.