Part Time Snowbird

I know my title is redundant

but it's mid July in Florida

and for the first time I'm having vague thoughts along the lines of,

"I need a friggin' break!"

The life of a true snowbird requires finances that I do not have but I think I could save enough to swing 2 weeks up north every summer which I believe would do wonders for my attitude.

I'm officially hiding indoors and spending my free time napping, which isn't as great as it sounds because I like to be productive.

Allow me to begin with a cute dog photo:

I call this one "Synchronized Nap."

Schotzie has taken to napping on the bottom shelf of my wine rack which is also adorable

as long as I don't obsess about it being a harbinger of her advanced age and inability to make basic dog decisions (sleep on the cushy dog bed or the hard wooden shelf?).

Sucks to get old and with that, I bid farewell to one of my oldest Florida friends,

the Shimano Baitrunner 6500B.

We had a lot of good times together and I was very tough on this reel, but after 10 years of repairs at Kel's, I could've bought 3 more Shimanos and now they can't even get parts for this workhorse.

I took it to the beach last weekend, got hit with a wave which submerged it, and minutes after bringing in a beautiful bluefish, the Shimano reeled its last and seized up.

I already have its replacement because I want to get back

 to spending some time on the coast.

I took part in a nighttime bioluminescence tour of Haulover Canal and if you haven't done it, I highly recommend it.  Everything in the water glows!  I pulled this photo off the internet:

It's a fairly accurate depiction of what the bioluminescence looks like.  My friend and I even jumped out of our kayaks to swim around so that the others could see what it looked like (awesome!).  Everyone said we were brave but I used to kayak fish there all the time so I knew exactly what to expect when I got in the water.  I need to get back to that coastal living!

Anyway, back to central Florida...

I have long said (since the first time I encountered it) that I can't wait for the trend of salted chocolate and caramel to GO AWAY.  I understand that sweet benefits from a hint of salty but, as usual, the trend takes it over the top.

Yet I couldn't resist trying a maple bacon donut.

As horrifyingly bad as this looks, it's unbelievably delicious.

I am writing this Sunday night.  Guess where I'm going to be Monday morning?

Back at the donut shop!

This is a touchy trend, though, and I saw this bastard offspring languishing

 at a grocery clearance center:

As you can tell by the price, a maple bacon sugar cookie kit for home use didn't catch on.

Om...yin and yang...everything in balance...

time to eat something healthy.

After days of wondering if my pineapple was ripe enough to pick,

it picked itself!

I found it this morning, lying next to the mother plant, still in its anti-raccoon cage, waiting to be collected.  There is nothing like a home grown pineapple.  I can't grow fabulous apples, plums, or pears down here, but I got pineapples.

I thought I might have cantaloupes, too.

Not yet.

The heirloom seeds I planted produced a total of 4 fruits.

Two fruits disappeared.

The third fruit was hollowed out by a rat (there's a lot of rats in Florida).

But the fourth fruit!   Ah, the fourth fruit...

Perfect in every way!

Except that it was completely flavorless. (insert frownie face here)

I think...I'm giving up...on cantaloupe.

But I'm not giving up on the human spirit.

One of my clients told me of seeing a man and dog outside of a Publix with a sign that read,

"Seeking human kindness."

Apparently they received many donations, so I got on line and put together a t-shirt 

for Lilly to wear whenever I take her out in public:

There will be guavas

Such patience.

Years ago, I bought a small guava tree from my favorite plant man at the Mt. Dora flea market.

I kept it in a pot, as an ornamental, for a number of years and then, one day, I noticed a guava.

Excitement!

I moved it from the pot to the ground and waited.

And waited.

And waited!!!

Lots of blooms every spring but no guavas so I returned to my plant man and explained the situation.

He originally hails from Vietnam and in his soft accent asked, 

"Are you nice to your tree?"

That gave me pause, and I truthfully answered, "Not really."

He said, "You go to bed, no food, nothing to drink.  How you feel in the morning?  Bad!  That how your guava feel."  

Chastened, I purchased a companion guava tree, promised to do better, and returned home.

I now have some of the most spoiled guava trees in the county.

Still waiting...

I won't be waiting long for my cantaloupes, though.

This is an heirloom variety and this is as big as it will get.  

Always trying to outpace the insects and nematodes.

In the meantime, the rest of the garden is toast so I've opened the gate 

and the chickens have free reign. 

Hopefully this little guy has moved on to a more secure hiding place.

One leaf does not a sanctuary make.

I had to include this photo

of a rock that looks like a potato.  Very very potato-like.

A recent serving of fresh lychees from down south.

I wonder if I would have to have a greenhouse in Florida to grow these in the central part of the state.

So delicious!

With great sadness

I announce the loss of my 7 year old tabebuia in a recent storm.

I hardly got to know ya!

(No trucks were harmed in the taking of this photograph)

Now my front room is extremely bright and hot.  I've already planted a new tree but it looks like a twig in comparison.

The orchids bring me solace.

This latest from the hardware store has a wonderful scent.

Subtle bromeliad beauty abounds.

I'm gearing up for a couple of lazy, heat-blasted summer months.

Here's a recent photo from the napping dog pile of kids and dachshunds.

Stay cool!