We Dreamers actually stepped out for a date night! Generally by nightfall one or the other of us...or both of us...are simply not inclined to climb in the car and leave. We love our quiet little Hacienda, so kicking back, having a simple dinner, watching TV, whatever, is fine with us.
The Mister saw a notice for "Crystal River Nights" concert series in one of the many flyers and local ad magazines that fill our mailbox.
We glammed up, well, you know, we took showers and put on clean clothes, and drove the 6 miles into town. We had reservations for dinner later in the evening so we could legally park behind the restaurant. We arrived before a few of the shops closed, and enjoyed looking at buying a few goodies. Our new/old town has a few cute shops, a few touristy T-shirt shops and several kayak, boat, SUP, scalloping, swim with the manatees tour companies. Oh, and eating establishments.
Tucked between a few shops we found a garden shop. The colorful flowers drew us in. The Mister noticed a stag horn fern and began talking with Nancy, the proprietor, explaining how we lost one of our large stag horns this winter. She marched outside and came in with one, trimmed some of the damaged fronds from its struggles with the weather and handed it to him as a present. I was touched.
So touched, that I had to buy its cousin as a Father's Day gift for the Mister. I picked out an Elephant Ear Stag Horn. The fronds of this variety are large, rounded and fuzzy. Mr. A-I-nstein tells me:
The Elephant Ear Staghorn Fern (Platycerium elephantotis) isa rare, central African species. Unlike traditional staghorns, its large, deeply veined fronds do not fork or "antler," but rather resemble the broad ears of an elephant. It thrives in heat, shade, and high humidity.
The street in front of 'town square' was blocked off for the concert. Folks began arriving well before the start of the first band. Local establishments brought out tables and sold plenty of nibbles and spirits to those waiting. Food trucks were also on hand.
It was a very warm day (93°) and clouds were bubbling up all around. Distant thunder punctuated the music. There are many benches and walls that are perfect places to sit and enjoy the music.
Long before the music began folks were planting their folding chairs to save their spaces in front of the bandstand.
Both bands played music from 'our' era. Jojo and Jay are local to the 'Nature Coast'. From our vantage point, a comfy Adirondack bench in front of one of the businesses across the street, one could almost imagine that Freddie Mercury* was back! The lead singer had a great voice and the music was dandy.
We left about 30 minutes before the end of play. Good call! We arrived home and within 5 minutes the rain began to fall at our house, and probably hit town about 15 minutes later. Our rainy season may have indeed begun! We received over 2" of rain, and it looks like we are slated for more afternoon thorms this week. Summer is here!
* If you are a fan of Queen and have not seen it, check out "Bohemian Rhapsody, available on Netflix and several other streaming services.
Do you have extra pillows on your bed? When I walk by a home dec store, or see ads on TV or magazines, showing beds mounded with extra pillows, I am always reminded of a scene in "Along Comes Polly", a 2004 movie with Jennifer Aniston and Ben Stiller:
I am guilty of having a few extra pillows. (Nothing like I've seen at shops, or was depicted in the movie clip.) I began using my own, sewn pillows 2020 when I participated in an online class with Lori Kennedy, using her book, "25 Days to Better Machine Quilting". Here's a post about the class. Here are a few pictures of some of the pillows I made:
Recently I dressed our bed in a lighter, summer quilt. The colors of the quilt don't go with most of the pillows I had created. I selected some fabrics from my stash and began making quick, "envelope back" pillows covers.
The quilt was made from fabrics I collected on various travels.
It is Bonnie Hunter's Jamestown Landing quilt pattern.
I have been having a blast doing all kinds of things, moving from one thing to another, and maybe back again. I see that I'm not being totally productive, but I am pushing several projects along,
Last year, at this time, we were in Scotland on a tour of the Scottish Isles, followed by a tour around Ireland. Each day one or more photos from last year pop up on my Alexa and I get to relive "today" a year ago. It brings back so many wonderful memories!
I've been trying to distill the trip down to just a few favorites....tough! A few of these popped up as I looked through some photos (but trust me, I could find hundreds more!):
Amazing Scenery - the backdrop for numerous novels I've read!
The cemetery at Dunleckney, Ireland
A walk in the forest on an Irish Cob
The bathroom door at a fun hotel in Belfast, Ireland.
Highland Cattle - this one we could pet, but the other was guaranteed to swat us with his horns.
A peat fire in an ancient home in Gearranan Blackhouse Village, Scotland.
It smelled lovely and was welcome after the biting wind outside.
An informative introduction to Shetland Sheep and a herding demonstration
Of course, I found a fabric and fiber shop in Lerwick. the main town of the Shetland Archipelago.
Our most amazing tour guide in Ireland, Bailey!
Here are a few posts I published following the trip:
Finding Family - Not Always Folklore: This describes the Mister's quest for more genealogical information about his mother's side of his family while we were in Ireland.
A Whirlwind Tour of Scotland: Describes our cruise around the Scottish Isles, as well as a look at areas we visited in Edinburgh.
Best of Ireland: Follow our week-long trip around Ireland, and see just some of what we saw!
I have been having back and hip pain for over two months. Truth be told, I've been experiencing problems with my back for many years. But this more recent episode began with sciatica, and it morphed. That's one thing I've noticed over the years, the unpleasant sensations I experience as a result of stenosis and other arthritis issues with my back change. Sometimes the back of my legs tingle, all the way down. Other times the front of my thighs ache. Sometimes my calves feel like they have hot electrodes sunk in them. It's never the same old, same old....but it does get old!
As the most recent flare up started I sought out a Chiropractor. I hadn't had much relief from a gal I used a year ago, so I looked at recommendations online, further delved into at a few that bubbled up frequently, and chose Dr. O. I was impressed! The office runs efficiently and is managed by pleasant, efficient folks. As I had recent enough x-rays, I didn't need a new set. Dr. O performed a thorough exam and took a detailed history. Over the next few weeks I visited for adjustments, and accompanying massage torture sessions. The massage guy is also no-nonsense and gets right to the point....always finding 'those' spots and pressing, pushing and making me know the spots were there in his attempts to get the muscles to release. A few weeks ago Dr. O voiced his puzzlement about my issues and referred me to an orthopedic practice . I was impressed. IMHO Chiropractors generally feel physical health and well being is achieved through manipulation of the spine, not through other means. How refreshing when a doctor recognizes he has gone as far as he can with his practice, and suggests an alternative.
Today I visited the orthopedic office. Again, another amazingly smooth running practice. I barely had a chance to sit down and complete their new patient forms on a tablet before I was called in for an x-ray. I was returned to waiting area, and again, promptly called into an exam room. I saw the PA, and the doc, and was out of there.
And the outcome? Nothing definitive. It was kinda like going to the doctor 'cause you feel terrible, only to be told you have a virus and there is nothing to be done. The great news is that my hip sockets still have cartilage so a replacement is not part of the equation. Although it doesn't look like I have full-blown bursitis, it is possible that my bursa is somewhat inflamed, as is the area around the SI joint that is irritating the sciatic nerve. The doctor feels that the root of my problem are the existing issues in my lower back. The PA gave me a packet of exercises and stretches, I could probably have written the packet myself! However, to my credit, I had been doing them before everything blew up....but me being who I am...I may have been a little too aggressive in stretching and exercising. I was given a prescription for steroids to combat the inflammation, and a follow-up appointment in a month. If I am still having problems the orthopedists will look a bit further north in my body for answers.
The moment you know your day is about to go sideways in Florida is when you spot a sandhill crane standing somewhere it absolutely should NOT be.
Not near a marsh.
Not in a field.
Right in the middle of the Publix parking lot like it personally manages the property.
In Florida, this isn’t just a bird.
This is a six-foot-tall prehistoric traffic supervisor fueled entirely by swamp energy, entitlement, and the belief that YOUR car is the problem.
You slow down hoping it’ll move.
It doesn’t.
You tap the horn gently.
The crane slowly turns its head like you just violated state law.
You inch the car forward.
It takes ONE slow step closer to your bumper like: “Interesting decision, buddy.”
Suddenly being late to work feels way safer than escalating the situation.
The crane just stands there. Silent. Unbothered. Built like a retired velociraptor with HOA authority.
Like it personally approved the layout of this parking lot and your Honda Accord failed inspection.
And then it happens…
The warning sequence.
Wings spread wide. Neck extended. That weird prehistoric screech echoes across the parking lot while somebody loading groceries quietly backs into their car and locks the doors.
That’s when you realize: this is no longer traffic.
This is negotiation.
Tourists think Florida wildlife means alligators.
Florida residents know better.
Alligators usually mind their business.
A sandhill crane will stare directly into your soul for 14 straight minutes while blocking the only exit lane near the garden center.
They don’t attack like normal animals.
They supervise.
Slowly. Confidently. Like tiny airport security agents enforcing parking lot law.
And somehow there’s ALWAYS another one nearby.
Just standing there watching.
Like backup officers waiting for the signal.
Meanwhile one retired guy in flip-flops casually walks past saying: “Yeah don’t mess with ‘em this time of year.”
SIR WHAT DO YOU MEAN “THIS TIME OF YEAR”???
So eventually you do what every Floridian learns to do:
You stop the car. You avoid eye contact. You let the sandhill crane complete whatever mysterious government operation it’s conducting in front of the shopping carts.
Because in Florida…
the bird doesn’t move for you.
You move for the bird
All of this is basically true! The Sandhills were a common sight when I lived in Babcock Ranch. Sandhill cranes mate for life, and we would see a few different family units; mom, dad and one or two youngsters. It was very common to run across the cranes while walking the dogs in the mornings. They were often foraging in the grassy open areas sprinkled around Babcock, and would simply lift their heads and stare at me, and my two large dogs (at that time an Aussie and a Border Collie), and go on feeding. Being within 10 feet of them didn't even phase them!
What the Facebook story doesn't address is the sounds of the Sandhills. We would hear this echoing off the little lake we lived on, and it would always make me smile!
Although Sandhill Cranes are found in central Florida, we no longer live in their habitat area; wetlands, waterways and open grasslands. I may run across them in my travels, one never knows!
As I write, early on Sunday evening, I am being serenaded by rumbling thunder, and the rain has begun to fall. Not much, but it is rain! The weather map is constantly evolving. It can't make up its mind. I hope the blobs of green and yellow continue to grow and move over our area. Like so many others, we need the moisture
I'm keeping my fingers crossed as we look ahead over the next 10 days. Maybe, just maybe, we will be entering into the more usual 'rainy season' in Florida. The article accompanying the graph below stated that the rainy season in north western central Floria typically begins around May 25. Looks like we might be right on target!
This is a graph of the percent of rain chance in the Tampa Bay weather region over a typical year. The fact that there is an identifiable rainy season stands out like a green thumb!
Here's hoping!
Generally our days are sunny, hot and muggy, crowned by the buildup of thunderheads and a glorious, short downpour in the early evening. As much as I don't care for the additional humidity from that, we certainly can use it.
