The Days of My Life

I've been here in Florida for almost a week now, and my days have somewhat of a routine...

Smart Floridans do all outdoor work in the early mornings...before the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes escalate to unbearable proportions.

One of my (least) favorite projects each time I visit is to play the "Find the Sprinklers" game. I seriously, seriously hate this - but it's a necessary evil, as our "lovely" St. Augustine grass (and I call it "grass" in the loosest sense of the word, as it's really nothing more than a pretty weed) loves nothing more than to grow super-duper fast and choke off my sprinkler heads. Bleh.

I have about 20+ heads in the yard...and in order to find them, I must turn them on, let the water spray, get soaking wet, and hunt for buried treasure. Double bleh.

Here's an example...can you see the hidden sprinkler in this photo? Trust me. It's there.



After locating these hidden heads, I must dig them out of the choking grass so that they can perhaps, just perhaps, do their job that they were intended to do...



Ta da! See...? There it is!

I also spent some time weeding the flower beds...in which I've discovered that my left hand/fingers has some raging arthritis...painful, trust me. Aleve has become my bff.

Time has also been spent cleaning the garage floor...it went from looking like this:


Eww...fluid guts from my car...

...to looking like this (with a bit of vinegar and elbow grease):



Mornings are also spent socializing with the neighbors, as just about EVERYONE is outside in the Florida sunshine. Whether they're doing yard work (like me), or walking their dog, or riding their bike - it's quite the social scene. Here's where you catch up on events and gossip - it's our own little Peyton Place, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Eventually, the heat and humidity chases me (and everyone else) indoors, where I might indulge myself with a bit of necessary television:


Love my football....!


Or...it might chase me to the backyard, where I can lounge and relax:


My favorite place to read...


Here, I've been slogging my way through a book entitled, "Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination" by Neal Gabler. I downloaded this on my Kindle a month ago, and I'm STILL READING IT. Holy smokes...that's the bad thing about a Kindle...you don't have ANY idea how long a book is, since you don't get a physical sense of it. I've only now discovered this book is a mere 912 pages long...YIKES. I hope to have it finished by Christmas...but we'll see.

This is what the view from my backyard normally looks like:


The Caloosahatchee River shimmering in the distance...


Yesterday afternoon, a "flash-boom" came up...one of those sudden, very LOUD, Florida thunderstorms that are intense but short...and my backyard view took on a strange, Monet-like impressionism look:



If that's one thing I've learned about Southern living, it's never dull...

Between the plants...the wildlife...the weather...whatever - it's always an adventure.

Now...back to my Saturday afternoon college football games....

Peace.