fairies

Zoe became eight years old yesterday....she had
told us she likes fairies....i do too!
Love the little books about fairies houses....

on my walk this morning i found these for Zoe.
they are wonderful beginnings for fairies
homes




this possibility has a back door....
and it is near the creek...



these little hideaways would be fun to gather items
and decorate for our little friends to visit and rest.

Happy Birthday Zoe!

fishing

fishing in the middle of the week is the best!
had a wednesday off so we went out -
try to get there about sunup and this
was our greeting.
the water was as glass - the air and sky soft - just a gentle
morning.


can not tell where water and sky meet...


our favorite fishing hole for snapper...we even had a friend
drying his feathers....


i caught the first fish - snook - 3 inches too short - so back
into the water he went.


also caught this little jew fish - protected - so back he went also!

we did manage to catch some snapper and legal they were and
yummy!

new little friend

on one of our walks in the orange groves this little
abandoned puppy came running through the
tall dry grasses.

could not leave her out there with no houses, water
or food....so i carried her on the rest of our walk
and home. she fell asleep in my arms. i think she
was so relieved to find people she could relax
a little. after an immediate bath to kill all the fleas
she fell asleep and slept through the night.
she ate bo's smushed food and i bought her
some goat milk...loved it. on a full tummy
she has made herself at home.


she follows us everywhere...no matter who is walking past...
away she goes...
loves to chew...anything!
seems to be very alert...does learn quickly...disciplines as well
as can be expected ???


and has even found a little cubby to hide in outside...going to take a
while to eliminate the puddles inside but she has me to train to
allow her outside just in time.

welcome "walker"!

Changes Again

I had about come to terms with the destruction of the natural and deep woods around us for the sake of a fence. We had walked to the back of our property and assured ourselves that we would still have a few of my favorite trees and plants to build a new barrier around.

I love this tree...in the midst of oaks this elegant flat leaf tree
towered over me when i left and returned from our walks......
The branches were spaced and graceful with a canopy of green
leaves providing shade and a change from the oaks. We had
noticed the tree was just coming into bud...



This is my new view....the tree is gone....
well really here is my tree....


It was really quite an old tree because of the great spread of
the branches...under it are the big beautiful oaks that were also
plowed up to create this street for a fence
They had to come over 2 feet into our property to destroy the tree.
"I'm sorry" was once again used but not sure if i believe any of that
any more....
when all that was necessary is this small break that would allow
them the fence and the barrier. I still don't accept change very well.

Changes Too

We have new neighbors...seem to be really nice...but
strange why some buy property and then are determined
to level or clear so much of it - the whole is changed. No
longer is there privacy - green barriers - between me and
the world. The owls, birds, small animals are all watching
the changes also to see how much disappears...
and where to go now for the things they were finding
in "my backyard". The boundaries we have enjoyed fence
free for 10 years are gone...spoiled i am....





Not sure why it is necessary to have 10-20 feet for a fence
line...not sure why it is necessary to pile plants and trees
in heaps to die and rot...not sure why they have to bulldoze
on my property and "i'm sorry" doesn't make trees grow
back or privacy restored....

Changes..changes...changes!!!

And we have another neighbor who has decided after losing
thousands of dollars on blueberry plants that were neglected
to now raise chickens and goats....of course they are neglected
also and where do they eat - my compose heap





and my plants (guess they taste better)..


He is trying to get AG exempt
on his property-maybe i would also qualify for a tax break
if they feast on my property... maybe the harvest of eggs-
have to maybe build a few nesting boxes! Yet again - changes
....he hasn't built a fence to keep them enclosed...! Now is that
not strange...want a fence on one side and not on the other...

Time to regroup and rethink and adjust...go with the change-
yet go dragging or digging in my heels...until that also changes.

I have found i do not like change...and that is really
hard because at this time in my life everything--just about
everything is changing.

Changes

When most people are slowing down it seems that the
months of November and December are the busiest for
me....work involves long sessions starting very early in
the morning or in the middle of the night (depends on
how you look at that) but it really keeps me from sharing.

This is our Christmas tree - i buy it in early December and
put it up to enjoy as long as possible....After i took all the
decorations off - could not burn it so we stuck it in an empty
post hole in the back yard....it is still green and the needles
are just beginning to fall...



The first few weeks in January I try to come back to reality
and wake eat and sleep in a "real-time" manner...the oaks
over my head in my chair swing....and i have plenty of friends
to keep me company......

the changing of seasons

Went out on the back deck (we consider it our front yard) and
saw this! I love, love, love acorns. Not fun to step on in bare
Florida feet but they are just so complete - food, seed and big
oak trees. The squirrels are loving it also...if you stand out
there long enough you are hit in the head from them scurrying
around eating up in the canopy.



I gather them also...and of course use them in decorating....


Then we have the lilies...this one is a surprise every year...
and i hope to follow its life along so i can see it change over
the days. Not sure what the little red berries are attached to it
- never have seen them before.


And the orchids.....really must have enjoyed all the moisture from
the storms this year. They are blooming in spite of my poor care.