We did not pick one community to live in here in Florida
because we learned there were alligators in the waters around it. Seriously, we
are from the north and the thought of alligators lurking around is not
something we find inviting. Who wants a lab that sometimes gets loose and loves
water, diving in water where a gator hangs out in?
Our bubble dream was crushed last week. We learned, at the
Wings Party, that there is, in fact an 8 foot alligator in the large pond on
our property here where we live! Oh, our
neighbors in this neighborhood told us not to worry; it is not worrisome, so far
anyways. It hasn’t bothered anyone, yet. See that little word on the end of the
sentence, that word, yet, bothers me. The pond sits along the golf course. The
golfers said they are cautious swooping in to get their balls. I suppose so, or
they might lose more than their balls!
Suffice it to say, we are not talking Charley, or ourselves on any walks
around said pond!
Speaking of creatures, coyotes seem to find this area cozy
or something. We have no idea why but we have even been told they visit the
doggie park. Given that fact, it seems strange that people with little dogs,
knowing that, would let their dogs off their lead but Charley remains on lead
regardless. Between the gator and the
coyotes, I see no rule change here for him!
Speaking of unusual sites at the doggie park, imagine our
impulse to laugh when we see folks in the golf cart walking their talk there.
Yes, adults sitting in a golf cart, riding it, with a dog on a leash walking
next to it. Something seems odd with this picture to us, but maybe we have been
living in the north too long.
While standing in my backyard the other day, I discovered my
ingenious invention for my flower beds I made for my bedroom windows were not
so spectacular after all. There is a
ledge on the bedroom window that was causing the baskets to dip forward.
Nothing seemed to work to get those darn baskets to stay upright correctly so I
kept trying different kind of weighty objects and finally found something that
worked! However, when a neighbor was
over talking to me in the backyard, she discovered that I have Campbell Soup
cans in the windows of my bedroom! Yep,
that is holding up my plants from behind and are plainly visible! Now you know my secret, my soup preference and I am going to have to scramble for another solution or just let it go. Jim says at least this way folks know if they need to borrow soup, they know where to go.
You’re supposed to like your neighbors and I try to. But
there is one down the road who’s orange tree is voluptuous and seductive and
that is annoying the hell out of me! Here I am, watering diligently our
abnormally shaped orange tree and her’s has perfectly shaped big balled
oranges, colored orange, not miniature pool balls that look like limes. I want to know the secret!
This past week we learned of the Nazi Yard Inspectors. We
had no idea what the heck was going on but saw, all the sudden, a flurry of
activity on the street. Half the neighbors we had never met were all outdoors
doing yardwork. There was dust flying everywhere, bags of mulch piled so high
you couldn’t see who was behind them. It
looked like, driving down our street, half of the Lowe’s Garden Center was
bought by our street alone! Then, drum
roll, we were told, Yard Inspection Time is due.
Never having gone through this, and honestly not having been
forewarned, we were clueless, like two naked babes in the woods. We quickly
were filled in and realized our yard had to be in tip top shape, well-manicured
and look pristine and stylish or we would be receiving a nasty warning letter
from the owners of the community. What the repercussions were, since they were
new owners, no one wanted to find out.
That was enough for us to know that we decided to revamp our
plans and switch from painting and inside work to mulching. Thus, off Jim went to buy bag after bag of mulch and
refocus on more yard work as quickly as everyone else was doing theirs. We quickly learned just how wonderful it is to
do yardwork in Florida. Even in Zephyrhills, where there is a breeze, it is as
hot as, well you know the rest of that sentence! FYI: to date we are not sure
if the Gestapo of Yard Inspections has came through but we have no note to date
so that is all good.
Would love to write more but need to go water the orange tree
and pray to God it will be fruitful and multiply!
