Bee Dancing as Fast as I Can

2010-01-03T17:36:00.001-05:00

Bell Creek & Wortham

Time For a Break

2008-12-28T16:52:00.002-05:00

I've been on vacation and have done some thinking. I don't feel like I've got all that much to say these days, so I'm going to take a break. I thank all of you who have read this blog and taken the time to comment on it. I'll still be reading yours.

One day I may have more to say and then I'll be back.

Skywatch Friday

2008-12-11T18:17:00.004-05:00

Posting my Skywatch Friday entry tonight cause I've got to be in Orlando (shiver) all day tomorrow. Click on the link to see the sky as others see it.

These photos were taken last weekend out at Colt Creek State Park. I really liked the contrast of the one lone palm tree in the middle of the field of hay bales.

Who'd a Thunk It?

2008-12-11T14:10:00.006-05:00

Started today (waaay too early) at a Chamber of Commerce Breakfast where the speakers talked about business blogging and using social networking. The audience ranged in experience from adept to clueless...Before this week I might have placed myself somewhere in the middle, but now I'm dropping myself back to maybe the 30% mark...

First, after receiving a number of invitations, I finally opened a Facebook account...Ever since then my friends (and I really do know every one of them personally) have exposed me to a multitude of ways in which the site is used...and I know I've only scratched the surface... It really is a giant spider web where you click on one person and you see the friends you have in common and then click on one of them and then another and before you know it you could be linked all over the world...It's easy to see how it can become addictive...Now I know how people find themselves sitting for hours surfing Facebook...The experience has been daunting as there's a whole etiquette out there that I don't know and don't understand...I hope I haven't hurt anyone's feelings through my ignorance...

Today, on the advice of the speakers, I opened a Twitter account for my office...I did a bit of searching and in minutes I found myself with 3 "followers"...Wow! 3 people cared enough to follow my thoughts...the feeling of power was heady...Again, not knowing the etiquette, I clicked to "follow" each of them, not wanting to be rude...

It seems that the whole world is now playing a giant game of "6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon" and there's no end in sight... Technology is advancing so rapidly that in a few years we'll all be carrying a small device the size of a deck of playing cards (which will, of course be obsolete by then, replaced by online poker) that will act as phone, tv, computer, gps and any other means of keeping in touch that may evolve...We'll all be constantly in touch with everyone...Kind of like the Borg on Star Trek, but without the funky headgear...As a child of the '50's, all I can say is "who'd a thunk it?"

Said Better Than I Could

2008-12-10T09:43:00.003-05:00

I don't really write about politics, but there's only one thing on my mind this morning. When I first heard the news last night, I wrote my brother in Chicago to get his take on things...Haven't heard back from him yet. I know there's no evidence at this time, but I can only wonder at the 'willful blindness' of our President-elect. I have to ask how he could be a part of Illinois politics and NOT know that something shady was going on.

Instead of ranting on myself, I invite you to go over to The Troll Report
While I don't agree with some of his characterizations, he does a fine job of recapping the history of this disgraceful episode.

That's My World Tuesday - Manateees

2008-12-09T09:18:00.007-05:00

I can't help it...I just love Manatees. Here's a series of pictures taken on the Chassahowitzka in Citrus County. This gentle creature allowed us to accompany him for quite some time. The white lines you see on his back are propeller scars where unthinking boaters ran right over him. Luckily he healed.

If you'd like to particpate, or just want to see the world through other's eyes, head on over to That's My World Tuesday.

For Jim

2008-12-08T09:00:00.005-05:00

On Saturday, 12/6/08 at 5 minutes after midnight, Jim Earle left us. It was exactly 3 months to the day after he went into the emergency room because he'd been feeling short of breath.

This loss has hit me on different levels. First, I deeply mourn the loss of a friend. Second, I cannot imagine the pain his wife is experiencing and feel helpless to ease it in any way. And third, I'm just too young (in my own mind at least) to have friends that pass away.

Jim was funny & kind & generous to all. He will be missed by many. A tribute to him that is very worth reading can be found here.

Jim took many beautiful nature photos that can be found here.

Here's a picture of Jim & Evelyn taken at a geocaching event in Richloam (part of the Withlacoochee State Forest) back in September '06.

Jim, I know that you're already out hiking & exploring your new home, so see you out on the trails one day.

Skywatch Friday

2008-12-05T06:31:00.007-05:00

Decided to join in on this meme today. Photo was taken during a kayak trip on the Hillsborough River on a perfect Florida day.

Getting off work early today and going for a geocaching hike in the Alafia River Corridor Nature Preserve. We'll be going in at the Old Welcome Road entrance. Finally a day to enjoy some of the gorgeous weather we've been having. I'll try to take pictures.

2 PM UPDATE: Have you ever heard the expression "Man Plans & God Laughs"? Well today it was a case of "Bee Plans & God Laughs Harder". My 2 hour meeting lasted 4 1/2 hours, and my partner couldn't get his pool pump reinstalled (normally a 5 minute job). So no hiking for me today. I actually thought about going back to work, but then reason prevailed. Instead I'm hanging out with Gizmo, getting chores done & generally enjoying the mild weather. Happy Friday all!

Sandhill Cranes

2008-12-04T06:43:00.003-05:00

The original title of this post was "Blah Thursday", because early this morning I was feeling kind of blah & uninspired. Nothing in particular is wrong, but about the only thing I could think of to say was that I believed they made the correct decision on Top Chef last night & that's not much.

Then once again I was shown that even the dreariest of days can turn around quickly.

My office is located in an industrial area, not known for wildlife viewing opportunities. Yet this morning, as I turned onto our street, there on the corner were three Sandhill Cranes just poking around the grassy area. Sandhill Cranes are one of my favorite birds, in part because of their willingness to live side by side with us. And if you've ever been lucky enough to watch their mating dance up close you'll never forget it.

Mating dance...

So many thanks to the Sandhills for putting a smile on my face & brightening up my morning.

That's My World Tuesday - Floral City

2008-12-02T09:41:00.010-05:00

For three years I lived down a dirt road in a tiny spot on the map called Floral City. Floral City is known for 2 things, the annual Heritage Days celebration and the Avenue of the Oaks. I lived along a body of water called the Leslie Hefner Canal that wound around the neighborhood and eventually made it's way to the Withlacoochee River. Those of you saw last week's "Tuesday" post may remember the Green Swamp. The Green Swamp is the headwater of the Withlacoochee, so I guess I just moved upstream a ways. Here's a shot of the Leslie Hefner

Here's Bruno out on my dock

And one of my neighbors

Here's another one of my neighbors...He was caught right off my dock

This next picture shows the fate of that particular neighbor

A few pounds of that gator ended up in my freezer and made for some fine dinners.

I hope you found this section of my world interesting. See you next week.

2008-12-01T15:14:00.002-05:00

It's Fun Monday , and this week Ari is hosting. Here's here assignment:

Tell us about your all-time worst Neighbors from Hell.

Oh my, there's so many to choose from...my current neighbors for example... Besides the yelling and screaming of epithets & "I want you dead!"s , the redneck beer brawls in the front yard, the blocking of my driveway so I can get neither in nor out, the fact that they are both dumber than a box of rocks, that I'm never sure who actually lives there, and the piles of garbage left for weeks cause they're too lazy to drag it to the curb, I guess their best move was to have my water shut off. Oh, that was a memorable morning.

But I guess the very worst was Tina...We shared a duplex in the mid-'80's. When I met Tina she was an investigator for a law firm. She lived next door with Lisa, her lover. they were great neighbors...until the night that Lisa came over, handed me a shotgun and asked me to hold on to it because she was afraid that Tina was going to use it on someone, maybe herself. I had that damn gun in a closet for almost a year.

Lisa moved out and Tina turned to crack. She also turned to helping herself to my belongings to pay for her habit. Local police kindly informed me that items like my brand new VCR that I hadn't even used yet would have fetched her one or maybe two rocks...I was thrilled. No she wasn't arrested...they couldn't find enough evidence. She later admitted to me that she had done it.

The final blow came a few weeks later. I went out one evening and noticed her car was running in her driveway. When I returned some 3 hours later I saw the car still running, and then I spotted the dryer hose coming from her exhaust and into her bedroom window. Called 911 and they got her out alive.

Next thing I know her family comes to me and asks me to provide testimony to have her "Baker-acted" which means an involuntary 28 day commitment to a mental facility. I did it in hopes that she'd detox, but this wasn't a great place and she had friends sneaking drugs into the hospital. I went to visit once, found her high and listened to her tell me how much she hated me.

But the damage wasn't all done yet...Do you know what happens when you gas a roach-infested apartment? The roaches head out, and in this case they came through the walls into my apartment, leaving me the pleasant task of having my place gassed...At least she was finally gone.

A Day to Give Thanks

2008-11-27T06:47:00.003-05:00

Wishing everyone a warm and peaceful Thanksgiving...Enjoy the company of your friends and family, eat well and remember that every day that you wake up is something to be thankful for.

This is Circle B Bar Reserve

2008-11-26T09:44:00.003-05:00

I am interrupting our usually scheduled broadcast to bring forward an issue that I'm passionate about.

The Management Plan for the Circle B Bar Reserve is about to be revised. The current plan includes four days of hunting in the property. With the recent opening of the Polk's Nature Discovery Center, a center for environmental education, hunting in the property should not be allowed. The ongoing restoration of the Banana Creek marsh system, has attracted hundreds of species that now live and reproduce in the property. To allow hunting on this site could only have negative effects on the wildlife and the environment .

The video was all taken in Circle B earlier this year and it's a true sample of what this property has to offer to visitors. With the addition of the Polk's Nature Discovery Center, the proper management of these resources becomes more important than ever, as they will not only serve for our enjoyment, but for education as well. Please click the button below to write your comments. Let the Board of Polk County Commissioners know what you think about hunting in Circle B.

I'd very much like to embed the video here, but blogger won't let me. Please click this link to watch the video full screen. I promise it's worth your time.

If, after watching the video, you'd like to weigh in on this issue, please add your comment here. The video itself and all comments will be presented to our Board of County Commissioners, who will be making the final decision.

The video was done entirely by Reinier Munguia of Wildstock Photography & Wildlife Research , and is being linked here with his express permission.

That's My World Tuesday - Green Swamp West Edition

2008-11-24T16:14:00.012-05:00

This week I'm going back to the Green Swamp. We had friends from Connecticut come visit and we decided to show them our favorite place.

This is crossing the Withlacoochee River

Now we're approaching one of Florida's mountains

We made the summit

Crossing a cypress swamp

It gets a little tight back here

And some people actually buy Spanish moss at Walmart!

Finally, no trip to the Swamp is complete without a stop in a palmetto patch

A Matter of Crucial Importance!

2008-11-24T13:24:00.007-05:00

I should be posting my Fun Monday contribution today, but this is so critical I had to change plans...

BARACK OBAMA went on “60 Minutes” this week and unveiled his first policy proposal as president-elect — a college football playoff. After detailing his preferred system, in which eight teams would meet in a three-week-long tournament at the end of the season, Mr. Obama said, “I don’t know any serious fan of college football who has disagreed with me on this.”

Oh my, I am so relieved that this matter of crucial importance is #1 on our new President's priority list. It's about time an issue this serious was dealt with at the highest levels. After all, can this country really endure another travesty like 1984 when BYU (BYU?!?!?!) won it all? Heaven forfend!

Of course now that he's Tackling the Tough Issues there's always the chance that this could be Obama's First Fumble .

I should add that I am and always have been in favor of a Division 1-A playoff system...And that I refuse to call it the "Football Bowl Subdivision"

There's no good reason for the current system to endure and it's kind of like a bad date...it leaves you frustrated and unfulfilled.

Who knows? Maybe this is a "Change You Can Believe In"...But given the current state of affairs in our country & in the world, is this really "The Change We Need"?

I Learned Something!

2008-11-20T16:15:00.003-05:00

First, an update on meetings...first thing this morning I head to an out-of-town meeting that I really had no business at...It was all engineering and to me it might as well be Greek...so I get there and 10 minutes later one of our engineers walks in...It was like the cavalry had arrived to save me. So I get to leave that meeting and guess what...I get to drive to yet another meeting in yet another town that I had planned on skipping so I could go to the first one...HELP! I have GOT to get off this hamster wheel...

On a more positive note, I enjoyed yesterday's event and, even more significant, I actually learned something! There were four segments to the day and there was an array of seminars to choose from for each segment. I opted to go to four linked presentations on the same subject by the same presenter. The major theme was how to choose words that work when you are writing educational materials. The presenter was dynamic and actually made me think about the task from a new perspective. How often does that happen?

He also touched on where best to spend the limited marketing dollars most non-profits have available. I found this chart pretty interesting...

The world really is changing quickly...

I should also admit that they served really good food for both breakfast and lunch. Maybe I'm complaining a little too much here...the same folks are hosting tomorrow's all-day event...let's see how they do at that one........

Meeting'd Out!

2008-11-19T06:19:00.004-05:00

OK, I know the weather is not the world's most interesting topic, but damn it's cold this morning...Actually broke out my "Wisconsin boots" (fur-lined) & down coat to walk the dog...

This week is one of traveling...Yesterday an unexpected move by the Water Management District brought on an unexpected trip to Tampa ...Today I'm headed back there for an all-day seminar on something called "Social Marketing"...It's a very touch-feely group, but at least they're providing food, and it's casual so I can wear jeans...Then tomorrow another unplanned for meeting has popped up that will take half my day, and then Friday it's back to Tampa for another day-long event, this one more political and calling for stockings and heels (yuck!) but at least, again, they're providing food

Sometimes I wonder when the whole meeting thing came along...Seems like me and everyone I know spends half their life in meetings...When the heck am I supposed to actually do work...I refuse to stay late or work weekends, so my weeks fly by, the files & piles of paper on my desk get higher and higher and my to-do list gets longer and longer...

I am looking forward to next week...3 whole days without meetings (so far!) to try and catch up, then the long weekend...It sounds like heaven...Planning a very small T-Day dinner with minimal work involved, and then 3 days to hang out and maybe actually have some fun

Does anyone else get caught up on the endless meeting merry-go-round? Is there a way to get off?

That's My World Tuesday

2008-11-18T06:05:00.011-05:00

Time for That's My World Tuesday and I'm going to take you to one of my favorite places. It 's a semi-secret spot down Potter Creek off the Chassahowitzka River in Homosassa, FL. Locals call it "The Crack" and it 's a geological oddity. The Chassahowitzka is a spring-fed river. Most of the springs are seen on the surface as "boils" or circles of deep blue, very clear water. The Crack is different. It's a very deep horizontal crack in the karst where the water comes up from the lower levels of the Floridan Aquifer. It's possible to get there over land, but the best way is by kayak or canoe.

We spent about an hour following this guy around and he obligingly posed for this photo.

And one more thing...Grandy over at Functional Schmunctional offered to put captions on photos sent to her. Here's an example of her handiwork...

Fun Monday

2008-11-17T09:06:00.003-05:00

Margaret from "M is for Misanthrope" is hosting Fun Monday this week and her assignment is

Do you have a piece of jewelry or other item that holds great personal significance for you, and that you wear or keep with you every day? Show us a photo of your talisman, and tell us why it is so important to you.

This is an easy assignment for me, but one with great significance. I wear my Mother's wedding ring on the pinky figure of my left hand. I can't get a photo today, but it's just a plain gold band, about 1/8" wide. It's been there since December 2nd of 2000. Mom was in the hospital in the intensive care ward. Her hands were quite swollen and the ring was causing her discomfort so she took it off and handed it to me. I have worn it ever since that moment.

My Mom never did leave the hospital, and passed away in February 2001. Over the weekend while I was down in Boynton , I went to the cemetery and we talked for a while. I think of her every day, and miss her dreadfully, but having her ring on keeps her with me always.

This & That

2008-11-15T05:24:00.002-05:00

First, a Thank You! to my friend swampangel over at A Florida Journal She has given me a blog award (over in the sidebar) that translates as

"This blog invests and believes in ‘proximity’ [meaning that blogging makes us 'close' - being close through proxy].”

I had met swmpangel long before I started blogging, and was reading her blog for a while before I realized it was hers. By sharing our blogs we've built a friendship that I value. I only wish we could visit in person more often.

An update on yesterday's planning event - the highlight was when we broke into groups and got to plan our own sustainable development...the best part was that we got to place M&M's on a plat to represent houses....Our group definitely ate more of the M&M's than we did place houses, but that left our development with a whole lot of green space preserved...Getting paid to eat chocolate...it's a good thing.

I'm driving SE today to visit my Dad. Florida is a truly beautiful state, but unfortunately the expedient route down there is one of the most boring I know...I'll be taking the Turnpike from Yeehaw Junction to Boynton...I've probably done that drive a thousand times, and have yet to see anything interesting along the way...But I want to get maximum visitation time, so Turnpike it is...

Another "Green" Day

2008-11-14T06:40:00.002-05:00

So today I get to spend my day at yet another conference on "green". This time it's the local "visioning" group that's sponsoring a day-long, "feel good" event on "Sustainable Development".

It's somewhat ironic that in these economic times, with nobody building (or buying) anything, everybody is holding growth management seminars. I guess that's a function of government having little to do in the way of plan review so they're spending their time holding seminars. They've got to justify their salaries some way I suppose.

Don't get me started on the "visioning" groups. There's a vision for every local county, and then there's the competing regional visions. Our county is centrally located, so three different visioning groups are claiming us. Two are making plans out to 2050, and one is ambitious enough to go all the way to 2060. Of course all these plans are based on past growth trends and none take into account the slowdowns of the last two years, nor the almost total freeze we're in now.

There is one bright spot to all these "visionings". They all have this one part where you get to sit around a table with a disparate group of stakeholders playing with Legos. You get to pile different colored Legos, each representing a different development density or conservation/recreation reservation, on a map of the area being "visioned". It's fun watching the government representatives play with toys.

Hate to be cynical, but to my mind this is all a colossal waste of time, but at least I get paid for being there.

Hypocrisy at Its Finest

2008-11-13T08:54:00.004-05:00

A certain water management district here in Florida awarded me significant funding for an educational project on what is termed "Florida-Friendly landscaping". As part of the project I have to locate and promote 8-12 demonstration gardens around the county.

Now realize that this whole F-F landscaping thing is one of the district's major pushes in terms of water conservation since 50% of all potable water used goes to water turfgrass.

So the district has an office building here in the county and it is NOT landscaped according to their own F-F principles. I started low and worked my way up the food chain trying to get them to redo at least a part of the public area in their own F-F style. I have now been told that there is no way that is going to happen. The district does not believe there is enough 'traffic' by their building to warrant the expense. Well I didn't think this was about traffic, I thought it was all about water conservation. It's kind of hard for folks to stomach all the new restrictions while they drive past and watch the district water their acres of St. Augustine.

Cheese Needed

2008-11-12T09:30:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling cranky today...First off, I really wanted to share a unique & beautiful power point presentation that was sent to me, but so far I haven't been able to figure out how to do that...Second, I have to set up & host a luncheon meeting today...I usually get that privilege twice a month & the worst part is that it means I don't get a break or a chance to get out of the office all day...so if anyone has some cheese to go with my whine it's appreciated...

And if anyone has tech advice for converting formats from [*ppsx] to .jpeg I'd be grateful.

That's My World Tuesday

2008-11-11T08:24:00.005-05:00

After my first post this morning I stumbled over this meme That's My World Tuesday and just had to join in. It's a great way to virtually travel all over the world, and Fun Monday participants will find a couple of familiar names.

This picture was taken in Tampa,FL. We were pretty far from shore and there was lightning in those storm clouds.

Self-Censorship

2008-11-11T05:02:00.002-05:00

To some degree we all want to be liked, and that applies to blogging too. I know that on some subjects I've censored myself. While I know that the blogs I enjoy most display strong personal views, I'm still new at this and not yet comfortable expressing views that may be controversial. I'd like to be able to be totally honest here, but I haven't reached that point yet...I still worry about offending someone.

In my "real life" I'm in a public and political position. Socially I'm careful not to offend. I often disagree with my employers, but I'm required to keep it to myself and it tends to eat at me. I'm conflicted, and I need a place to work that out.

My goal is to become more fearless...to say what I want without censoring myself. I'm not sure where that will take me, but I know that I'll be happier if I have at least one place I can be myself, free of censorship.

Does anyone else deal with this? Do you find yourself figuratively "biting your tongue" as you write? If you've gotten past that, what gave you the courage to be "you", consequences be damned?

FUN MONDAY - HONORING OUR VETERANS

2008-11-10T08:21:00.008-05:00

This week's hostess is Jan and she gives us this assignment:
Since Next Tuesday is Veterans Day, I thought it would be nice to salute our Veterans and show our appreciation. Photo requirement of something patriotic.

I'm posting a picture of my dad's Purple Heart. He served in the Army during World War II. Our family owned bakeries, so the Army made him a cook. He achieved the rank of Sergeant, and was part of the campaign that marched south to north up Italy.
Here's a look at a typical field kitchen

My Dad was shot in the back during that campaign, but the Army doctors did an amazing job and he made a full recovery. Today I honor him, and all those who have sacrificed to protect our freedoms.

My Dad will be 89 in February, and though he gave us a scare a couple of years ago, he's really doing well and staying active. These days my Dad is a "snowbird", dividing his time between Florida and New Jersey. He just came back to Florida yesterday, and I look forward to seeing him this coming weekend.

Out of the house...Finally!

2008-11-09T12:18:00.006-05:00

Hard to write anything interesting when I've been feeling so lousy and haven't been much further than from the bed to the couch. For the first time ever I've managed to watch every single thing I had tivo'd...That's never happened before...
Yesterday I finally did make it out for an hour. Local extension service was having their semi-annual native plant sale and I'd been planning to go for weeks now. So I managed to put real clothes on, dragged my sorry butt out of the house and drove over there. Came home with 6 plants...3 red pentas

2 pink salvia

and (finally) a "yesterday, today & tomorrow" plant...

I've wanted one for ages and this was the first one I've found...But when I got home I was too tired to do anything else, so back to bed I went...

I guess 40+ hours of bed rest in three days has some benefits cause I woke up this morning feeling almost human. Decided to take Gizmo to the local bark park for the first time. It took a while for him to get the hang of it, but he did, and for the first time I think he's actually tired himself out. Wish I had my camera with me (but then don't I always)...
Came home and went to work in the garden...Got everything planted and watered...Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope for the best...
I have managed to tire myself out too, so I think it's back to the couch for me now...I really do have to get back to work tomorrow...I'm actually starting to feel guilty and I know a massive pile of "stuff" is waiting for me...

P.S. I can actually see straight today, so I've gone back and tried to correct all the typos I've been posting...

Yuck & More Yuck!

2008-11-08T07:35:00.003-05:00

Two days down and still counting...Not sure where I picked this up, but it's hit me like a sledge hammer....Feel terrible that poor little Gizmo hasn't had a walk in two days...Still getting dizzy every time I stand up, but I'm going to try and get outside a little bit today just to give him a romp...Can't really type much more, since eyes still crossing...Wishing for better days tomorrow

FUN MONDAY 11-10-08

2008-11-07T23:25:00.002-05:00

Sorry I've been out of pocket the last two days...Hit like a sledge hammer with the flu and haven't been able to drag my butt out of bed, let alone type

Feeling slightly better today and wanted to get this up.

Fun Monday will be hosted by janis

Thanks to her for stepping up.

Here's her assignment:
Since next Tuesday is Veterans Day, I thought it would be nice to salute our veterans and show our appreciation. Photo requirement of something patriotic.

Head on over to her site and sign up.

FUN MONDAY HOST STILL NEEDED

2008-11-05T06:21:00.004-05:00

Still don't have anyone to host Fun Monday next week. Please sign up in comments.

Election Day - What Else

2008-11-04T05:50:00.002-05:00

Obviously there's only one thing on my mind today...the election.

Regardless of the outcome, I firmly believe that this is the most important election in the almost 40 years that I've been voting. The choices are so clearly cut, and the results will be tremendously significant to the future of our country for many years in the future.

I can only urge you to make a rational choice. Vote for the candidate that offers a realistic view - the one you believe is capable of relating to your everyday life. Choose the candidate that you picture dashing into the market on the way home from work to pick up milk and cereal for the kids' breakfast. There's only one out there and for me that's the tipping point. For once I want to see a leader that understands the ups and downs of everyday life for average folks like me.

Today I pray for the future of our country.

Thanks! Next Week???

2008-11-03T16:16:00.003-05:00

Everyone - thanks so much for the great response to my topic...especially since so many of you had "been there, done that"...it must be "Be Nice to a Newbie" day

I have learned so much from doing this and have found so many new blogs to follow...guess I'll just have to quit work cause it definitely eats into my blog time.

Who would like to host this next week? Please respond in comments and I'll post it.

FUN MONDAY ASSIGNMENT

2008-11-03T08:18:00.004-05:00

I'm relatively new to blogging, & I'm sure this has come up before, but I'd really like to know WHY you blog. Tell me how you got started or why you got started and why you keep it up. Plus there's a photo requirement: Post a picture of the one person/place/thing that most symbolizes the town or area where you live.

Please sign up in comments.

The lineup so far:
m (the misanthrope)
swampangel65
sayre
janis
gattina
FAYE
Aoj and The Lurchers
The Church Lady
{i}Post
Alison
hulagirlatheart
chrisb
karisma
jan
Tiggerlane
swampy
grace
lala
olive
min
storyteller
mrs. really long name
melanie
mamalang
toni
hootin' anni
koehmstedt

4:15 pm...wait...there's one more entry...
rob

Thanks everyone for signing up. I hope I've got all your links done right...Let me know if I goofed up.

n.b. graphic created at Wordle

FUN MONDAY

2008-11-02T06:07:00.003-05:00

Time for me to do my own Fun Monday Assignment...Better early than late...So how did I get started and why do I blog?

How I got started: About 18 months ago I got the wild haired idea to start a blog...Why? Cause it seemed a cool thing to do I guess...but I had no idea what I was in for or what to write, so I posted once, then never went back. A couple of months ago a friend whose blog I follow wrote and asked me why I never continued with my blog...I told her I was a slacker, but she encouraged me, so I deleted the old one and started over here.

Why do I continue: I'm one of those closet writers who always thought I could write The Great American Novel but never knew how to get started nor had the will to try. Blogging is my way of sharing my "voice" with the world. I don't really have a theme for this blog...it's totally random. Whatever I'm doing or whatever thoughts I have on a particular day are what ends up here. And when I get comments on my posts I am actually elated...Weird though it sounds, comments are like a validation of my life...and once I realized that I've been more conscientious about posting comments on the blogs that I follow and not just lurking.

My blog is the modern version of the little red leather book with the tiny useless lock that I kept in my nightstand when I was a teenager. I'd write down all the trivia of my day...the tiny victories, hurts and snubs that are high school...the crushes, the notes passed secretly under the desks, the who said what to who, and who told who that someone "liked them". The big difference is that diary was fiercely protected and never meant for anyone to see. When I blog I always have in the back of my mind that I'm putting this out on the 'net for all the world to see.

At first I was somewhat guarded, but as time goes on I'm finding myself becoming more open...I'm more able to share what's really on my mind. I still edit myself and try to keep away from certain topics, primarily politics in this season of divisiveness...Blogging is my version of therapy...instead of a shrink or a bartender, I put my "stuff" out there...I often wish I had a better record of my own history...Now I do and it helps me make sense of my life.

Now for the second part...Swans are the symbol of Lakeland and Lake Morton, a tiny lake near my house, is home to a large flock of swans, as well as many other birds. Every day dozens of folks visit to see and feed the birds. There's a geocache there called "Bring some bread".

A few years ago there was a sculpture competition called Swansation where a number of artists created large swans that are now located all over the city. There's even one in front of my office. A google search will lead you to dozens of photo albums of all the swans. Here's a shot of one of my favorites, located in front of the Lakeland City Hall.

Here are a couple of pictures of the swan in front of my office

Thanks to everyone for participating today. Hope you all enjoy this topic. I'm looking forward to reading all your posts.

NaBloPoMo 2008

2008-11-01T09:33:00.006-04:00

OK, I'll admit I'm backdating this one but I was out of pocket all weekend with work-related stuff and wasn't ever near a computer. I signed up for the NaBoPloMo 2008 challenge and once I catch up here I am committed to success with it.

UPDATE: I just realized that to fulfill the challenge I have to create & post to another blog over at the NaBoPloMo site...doh!!! This is going to be harder than I thought!

I am going to use this post to remedy a point on which I've been remiss. Over a week ago my friend swampangel65 over at A Florida Journal was kind enough to give me an award.

This was really special to me and I totally should have acknowledged it sooner.
As soon as I figure out how, I'm going to proudly display this badge in my sidebar. Thanks so much for the honor!

UPDATE: Not only did I figure out how to add it, I also managed to add the earlier one too. Thanks so much to swampangel65 for all her encoragement.

Along with the award was a short meme...never done one before but I'll give it a try...
1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?

No I don't. I moved away from the town I grew up in almost 40 years ago. I've managed to live near a couple of them over the years as I moved around the country, and there have been brief renewals of acquaintances, but not what I'd call continuing friendships...our lives are too different and there's not much to talk about. But I do still keep in touch with a girl that I went to nursery school with when I was three.

2. What do you value most about your friends?

The simple human connection...the ability to share with another person and feel like I'm being understood.

3. Are your friends your sounding boards?

Sure they are, but I try hard to be one in return.

4. What is your favourite activity to share with your friends?

Besides bitching, geocaching has to be at or near the top. One of the reasons I've become so addicted is the social aspect of the sport and the friends I have made. Cooking (and eating) for sure...I love cooking for a group and it's even more fun when everyone cooks together. Kayaking is an activity that's best done with friends. And don't forget just hanging around on a Saturday or Sunday and watching football.

Whew! That was nowhere near as hard as I'd feared.

Green Swamp West Part II - Finally!

2008-10-31T11:21:00.016-04:00

I guess I got sidetracked and never did finish my short tour of the Green Swamp West. Today seems like a good day to do that, so here goes.

After lunch we began work on an area of the trail called 'The Islands". The trail wanders back and forth across Cedar Pocket Road, mostly skirting around the edges of cypress swamps. The "islands" are the high places between the low swamps.
First thing we found was this. It's a "before" shot. The orange blaze marks the trail and this mess has fallen right it. Oh well, this is one way to work off lunch.

While my Partner was getting out the chainsaw, I wandered a bit off the trail and discovered an interesting sinkhole that we'd never spotted before.

Enough exploring...time to get back to work. It took a while, but here's the "after" shot

We wound our way through the islands and next the trail took us up the ridge. You may not be able to tell, but I'm standing on one ridge, and there's a valley between me and the distant tree line. We love this section cause it's so rare to find "terrain' out here.

Coming off the ridge we arrive at Cumpresco Bridge. You can tell by the yellow sign that this is a foot trail only.

GD #%&^#$* horse people...er "equestrian users" can't seem to understand this simple concept. This shot shows hoofprints and damage done by horses to the bridge. You can only imagine the damage they do to the fragile sandy trail along the ridge.

There's many huge, beautiful oak trees on the property

This one happens to be the home of a Sherman fox squirrel

Right now the dog fennel is at its best. It's so tall that in places it towers over me. I kept hearing the song "Oklahoma" in my head..."The (corn)dog fennel's as high as an elephant's eye...& it looks like its climbing clear up to the sky"

Continuing with the next line of the song "Oh, what a beautiful morning. Oh what a beautiful day"

I've still got more pictures and this post is getting pretty long, so I think I'll save them for Part III.

Happy Halloween everyone!

Thursday Treat

2008-10-30T08:56:00.003-04:00

First to troll...Didn't mean to confuzzle you...Doubt that you'd ever be taken for a newbie, and I hope you continue cause you've got a lot of good things to say.

Now for the treat...

Caption Only Tuesday

2008-10-28T08:19:00.005-04:00

Gizmo Update

Kachoo!

FYI: The new "Walkability" gadget is pretty cool. The address you see there is for my office, which is in an industrial area. What's funny is that it's rated 3 points higher than my home, which is in a pretty nice residential area.

FUN MONDAY - HALLOWEEN

2008-10-27T12:53:00.004-04:00

It's Fun Monday and this week's hostess is Sayre over at Sayre Smiles. This week is all about Halloween and the assignment is:

Tell us about your favorite Halloween as a kid (pictures, if you have them!), and show us your costume for this year. If you're not dressing up, show us a picture of a pumpkin carving that really tickled your fancy or how you decorated your house. UPDATE: It has been brought to my attention (duh) that not everyone celebrates Halloween. Sometimes I forget the international flavor of Fun Monday! So for those of you who do NOT celebrate Halloween, please show us or tell us about any holiday you celebrate that requires dressing up. It doesn't have to be a costume per se, but wearing something that is out of the ordinary for you.

My favorite costume as a kid was when I got to dress up in an authentic (read: purchased at the Woolworth's) "Sally Starr" costume. Sally Starr was the "cowgirl" who hosted the after school Popeye cartoon show...I'm pretty sure everyone had a show like this back in the 50's.
She was fun, with long, blond curly hair and wore a really cool outfit...It was the best thing ever when my Mom agreed to buy me one for Halloween. I'm pretty sure it was when I was either 7 or 8...The costume came with a fringed skirt and vest, a cowgirl hat and fringed wrist bands...all it needed were cowgirl boots like the ones Sally wore, but I couldn't talk Mom into them. The other thing you need to know about Sally is that in her life before Popeye she was a stripper...it was kind of an open secret I guess...Everyone knew, but no one talked about it...But at 7 or 8 it didn't matter to me anyway...Sad to say, no pictures have survived of this excellent costume...

I don't have any cool pumpkin pictures, but I will pass along this great website on pumpkin carving.
And go here for a load of cool pumpkin carving stencils.

Finally, I will share a couple of my favorite "puppies in costume" pictures...

Stay Tuned

2008-10-27T08:40:00.001-04:00

We had a great time up in Osceola and of course today I'm swamped with catching up. I'll be posting more later.

2008-10-24T07:54:00.000-04:00

I started geocaching during the summer of 2005. In October of that year I went to my 2nd "geoevent". It was the First Annual Florida Finder's Fest. I was one of 24 cachers who gathered in Potts Preserve outside of Inverness to run the very 1st "Gauntlet". It's a team event, and knowing no one at the time, I offered myself up on the event page. Some nice folks took me on, and a team, the Southern Belles (including one guy) was formed. At the last minute there was a hurricane threatening so two of our team members, EMT workers, were required to stay down in Port Charlotte. No problem, the remaining 4 of us made it through, and I made some new and lasting friends. Here's a picture of the Southern Belles winning the "Best Team Shirt" competition. Yes, the shirts were covered in jingle bells, and yes, they were very annoying, and yes, I do still have mine.

The next year I went to the Second Annual Florida Finder's Fest in Ocala N.F., and over 70 people were there...good times.
I couldn't make it to the 3rd, but I hear there were about 150 people there.

I've taken today off and this morning we're heading up to Osceola N.F. for the
Fourth Annual Florida Finder's Fest. I've posted about our last trip up to Osceola...it really is one of my favorite places, so I'm really happy we're going back so soon. Only this time, instead of being the only Jeep out in the woods, there'll be dozens of them. It should be a great time. I'll take pictures to share next week. If you're up near Osceola on Saturday, stop by Cobb Camp, look for the black Wrangler, come over & say "Hi!". Cachers are a friendly bunch and all are welcome.

More on Gator Bait

2008-10-23T14:35:00.002-04:00

This started out as a comment, but it kept growing, so now it's a post...

A number of years back I competed in AKC Hunt Tests with my Lab. We were at a test up near Jacksonville and one of the dogs was sent out to retrieve. The route required the dog to go over a log...Well the dog jumped over and disappeared...turned out there was a gator lying in wait on the other side of the log... In front of everyone, including the owner, the gator attacked and dragged the dog down...It was the most awful way I can think of to learn the lesson that, in Florida, if it's fresh water, no matter how urban or how small, there's probably a gator somewhere nearby.

Over in Plant City there's a small and extremely slimy retention pond below ground level, behind a strip mall, along a sidewalk that leads to some apartments. The pond's surface is solidly covered in green ooze. If you walk up to the railing along the sidewalk the most bizarre thing happens...There's a smallish gator living in that pond that is obviously being fed by some extremely stupid people. That gator swims right over to where you're standing, comes to the surface and waits....just waits, eyes never leaving you...If you walk a few feet down the sidewalk the gator swims over to your new spot...Lucky for these dummies it's about 15' down a concrete wall to the pond or for sure one of their little ones would be gator bait by now...Some people just don't get it...

Gator Bait

2008-10-23T06:35:00.004-04:00

I live on a very manicured lake, 2 1/2 miles around, usually filled with walkers, runners & bikers. There's a small wetland area that has attracted a surprising amount of wildlife, and some boardwalks that wind around the wetlands. People fish and waterski on the lake, and I've even seen swimmers out there. What I've never seen is a gator.

I've been taking Gizmo down to the grassy area between the wetlands and the lake. There's usually no one around there and I can let him off the leash to run off some of his puppy energy. This morning, as he was running happily through the reeds and muhli grass I some something that shouldn't have surprised me, but it did...About 10' off the shore there was a 4'-5' gator...I could see his eyes and snout above the water...and I swear he was eyeing Gizmo...At 12# Gizmo is just a bite-size snack for a gator...I called to him and we quickly moved along...

Lesson learned...this is Florida and even in the most urban of areas if there's fresh water there will be gators...

Here's a picture of sunrise over the lake, taken from the spot where I saw the gator...

Chili Wednesday

2008-10-22T16:34:00.002-04:00

OK, those Swamp photos are delayed again...but the Swamp's been there for thousands of years and it's not going away anytime soon (Cause it's protected watershed land, not because of any reticence on the part of our local developers)...

As part of my job I act as staff liaison to some Association Councils...which means that once a month for each of them I get to host a party at lunch time (at least that's what it feels like) including providing the food...and of course I lose my lunch hour in the process...plus I have to take minutes and get them typed up which is SO my least favorite thing to do...I hate (red hot fiery hate) to take minutes...not sure why...maybe childhood trauma involving a steno pad...anyway, one does tend to resent these soirees after a while...

Yesterday I was sitting here thinking about today's meeting, and trying to decide whose yucky sandwiches I should order for lunch and feeling rather resentful of the whole thing when inspiration struck...I love to cook and the office has a full kitchen...Why not make lunch?...Ran it by the Boss, who (while thinking that I was slightly deranged or a total kissass) agreed to the plan...

Off I went...first home, to get the appropriate pots and pans and a real knife...if you're a cook you know what I mean by that...the knife that NO ONE but you better even touch...then to the Winn Dixie for supplies...

Back at the office I went to work, browning the meat, chopping the onions and garlic, and getting some help opening the cans of beans and tomatoes...I'm somewhat challenged when it comes to electric can openers...probably another childhood trauma, but I'd rather use a p38...

Pretty soon folks started wandering back sniffing the aroma of simmering chili...took it off the stove around 4 so it could cool enought to put in the fridge...

First thing this morning I took it out and put it on a low simmer...once again, after a bit they started wandering back to sniff...finally, at about 10:20, they couldn't resist anymore..."Oh please, can't I have some before your meeting? There's got to be enough, right?"...Ever the beneficent one, I began doling out small bowls...

About 11 I started setting up for the meeting...The group showed up, everyone ate...it was a smash hit and I got to bask in the glow of...well, whatever...and of course i got to spend a whole bunch more time cleaning up...I really wish I'd brought my camera to work today so I'd have pictures to post...

Moral of this tale??? Next time you're really bored and want to avoid actual work for a couple of days offer to cook something...You'll be loved and adored, while doing something you enjoy

Something to Think About

2008-10-21T09:12:00.005-04:00

I had planned on posting more photos of the Swamp today, but this just came across my desk (well, computer screen) and I found it thought-provoking. I wouldn't ordinarily go political, but it just struck a chord.

How Long Do We Have?

About the time our original thirteen states adopted their new constitution in 1787, Alexander Tyler, a Scottish history professor at
the University of Edinburgh , had this to say about the fall of the Athenian Republic some 2,000 years earlier:

" A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government."

A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. "From that moment on, the majority always vote for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship." The average age of the world's greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years ' ' During those 200 years, those nations always progressed through the following sequence:

1. from bondage to spiritual faith;
2. from spiritual faith to great courage;
3. from courage to liberty;
4. from liberty to abundance;
5. from abundance to complacency;
6. from complacency to apathy;
7. from apathy to dependence;
8. from dependence back into bondage '

Professor Joseph Olson of Hemline University School of Law, St. Paul , Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election:

Number of States won by: Democrats: 19 Republicans: 29
Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000 Republicans: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by: Democrats: 127 million Republicans: 143 million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by: Democrats: 13.2, Republicans: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: ' In aggregate, the map of the territory Republican won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of this great country. Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in government-owned tenements and living off various forms of government welfare... ' Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the ' complacency and apathy ' phase of Professor Tyler's definition of democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already having reached the ' governmental dependency ' phase.

If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million criminal invaders called illegal's and they vote, then we can say goodbye to the USA in fewer than five years.

If you are in favor of this, then by all means, delete this message. If you are not, then pass this along to help everyone realize just how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our freedom.

WE LIVE IN THE LAND OF THE FREE, ONLY BECAUSE OF THE BRAVE

Welcome to My Swamp - Part I

2008-10-20T10:08:00.013-04:00

Over the next few days I'm going to share some photos I took up in the Green Swamp West during our trail mowing last week. I took over 100 pictrues, so it's taking me a while to edit through them, but I really want to share views of what I value and respect as the real Florida.

This is the Withlacoochee River, one of four that begin here in Green Swamp West. This is as high as I've seen the river in the 3 years we've been working up here. I didn't start coming up here till after Frances & Jeanne, so I missed seeing it in flood stage, but the water marks reach 10-12 feet up the trunks of some of the cypress trees.

Looks nice, huh? that was looking upstream. then I turned to look downstream and here's a shot of the Water Management District's guage...not so encouraging considering that we're at the end of our rainy season and about to start the dry winter months.

Parts of the Green Swamp are exactly what you might expect...lush, dark and green. It had rained the day before so the Resurrection Fern was very happy.

I've talked about geocaching...well this is one of my hides The Message in the Hollow Oak, named after the Nancy Drew book of course.

Here's a close-up...

There's always something new to see up here, and this was a surprise, mostly because we hadn't noticed it before. It's an old smudge pot from the days when parts of the Swamp were citrus groves.

Here's Partner riding "The Beast" along the Florida Trail where it climbs the Ridge.

Blazing Star is one of my favorite natives and the Ridge is in full bloom this time of year.

There were a lot of trees down along the Trail. I'm kind of afraid of chain saws, so Partner does the sawing and my job was to carry off all the chunks...not my most attractive look, so no photos.

Here's me, on the way to our "tailgate party"...

And here's Partner at the "tailgate party"...We tuned in the Buccs game on the radio and relaxed in the shade for a while with lunch and cold drinks.

That's it for today...More to follow...

Gizmo's Prognosis

2008-10-17T15:19:00.004-04:00

OK, I promise this will be the last post about Gizmo...well, at least until he does something so funny I can't resist.

Don't get me wrong, you absolutely cannot put a price on the love of a dog, but this has turned into a more expensive proposition than I had expected. Gizmo's adoption fee, including neutering, shots & microchip, was $25. Then I went out and spent $50 at Petco on things like a little leash & collar & treats. But yesterday was over $100...ouch!

Giz was running a slight temperature, but the vet said we caught it early. We've got antibiotics for the bacterial element and some other pill for the coughing. The virus element will just have to run its course. When the vet asked if I had a vaporizer (!) I was amazed...I didn't know they were still made. Instead, I'm supposed to steam up the bathroom and keep him in there for 15 minutes twice a day...with all the drought warnings we've got around here I don't know that I can justify all that hot water. Finally, I'm not supposed to let him pull on a collar, so I had to go back to Petco and get him a harness.

Bottom line is that he should start feeling better right away, and be totally fine in a few weeks...Yeah Gizmo!

Update

2008-10-16T12:45:00.001-04:00

Gizmo's going to the vet at 3 today. Some antibiotics should fix him up.

Gizmo Update

2008-10-16T08:08:00.000-04:00

Poor Giz...he's got kennel cough...not surprising coming from a shelter...I've got to get some antibiotics for him...going to call the vet now.

BTW, if anyone wondered, best guess is that he's a mix of miniature schnauzer and Yorkshire terrier.

Meet Gizmo!

2008-10-15T16:25:00.003-04:00

Saturday's plans changed and about 8 am I found myself irresistibly drawn to the Sheriff's Animal Control Shelter. I'd looked at the pups online a number of times, and even visited once, but Saturday I knew I was ready. I chose the Sheriff's shelter over the Humane Society because Animal Control is so badly overcrowded. they really do the best they can with limited resources, but it's a very sad place to be.

I arrived half an hour before they opened and was given a number...turns out it was one of their "Adopt-A-Thon" days where the adoption costs are reduced. A crowd was already forming around the entrance to the kennels.

Promptly at 10 am they opened the gates and we all moved in. I came with an open mind and slowly walked down the row of cages, each orphan moving me with its sad eyes. I was almost at the end of the row when a tiny little face popped out from behind a larger dog...OMG this is it! I knew it immediately, even before I got the inmate to open the cage for me. (The Sheriff uses jail inmates to work the kennels. All the ones I've met have been very caring.) The door opened and out hopped the most adorable little boy. He was excited but not fearful, and sat nicely while we put a leash on him. I took the lead and wlked him over to the "private area". As soon as I knelt down he hopped into my arms. That did it...I was helpless against his charms.

It took about another 30 minutes to get all the paperwork done, and he spent all of that time on my lap, staring up and letting me know that I was just about the best thing ever in his life.

I still spent many hours mowing up in the Green Swamp as planned, and will be posting photos in the next few days...but for now I'd like to introduce Gizmo. He's about a year old and all of 12 pounds. The best thing about him is that he makes me smile. My house has a dog and it's a home again.

TGIF!!!

2008-10-10T08:47:00.003-04:00

Just enough time to post before I'm off to Tampa for what should be an interesting meeting. It's a working group on "social marketing" sponsored by SWFWMD. They've kind of required me to join the group as a condition of the $24,000 grant for a Florida-Friendly landscaping education program they've awarded me on behalf of my employers. It's kind of a big deal around here, cause builders and developers don't have the greatest public profile, so a program like this may help our image some. Anyway, I've been reading up on the subject and I'm looking forward to learning more...it's a fascinating topic.

On a similar note, we had that 'blog' meeting yesterday. I walked my boss and the Chair of our GA Committee through the basics...and I mean the real basics, like "hmm, just what is a blog". By the end I had them oohing and aahing at the possibilities, and had snagged the job of official office blog master.

That, of course, is a mixed blessing. I'm already loaded with projects and the grant program is just gearing up and promises to take huge amounts of my time; but I think the blog will be the relaxing part of my week. Once it's all up and running I'll post a link.

The weekend looks to be fun, and I'm ready for it. Tomorrow we're going caching in some mysterious location in Pasco County. My SO found it and all he's said so far is that he has to get
us a permit. I'm mystified, but he usually picks great spots and I'm ready to get out of the office and into the woods.

I'm taking off Monday, and Sunday and Monday we'll be back up in the Green Swamp working on the Florida Trail. We've got the "big mower" (it's more of a small tractor) coming from SWFWMD so one of us will be on the mower and the other one on the ATV...It's a lot of work, cause there's 18 miles to do, but it's also lot's of fun in a strange, outdoorsy, woodsy kind of way. I'll try to take pictures to post here.

If I don't get back till Tuesday you all have a great weekend!

Just Like the Good Old Days

2008-10-08T14:55:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was a first...an entire day of work without once turning on the computer...I almost don't believe it happened. Of course most of the day was spent at an off-site conference. It was a very interesting group of presentations on "Total Integrated Water Management" (no really, it was very interesting). The gist of it is that in order for us to continue having water we have to stop thinking locally and start thinking regionally...in our case, that means from Orlando to Tampa and down to Naples. Most of the surface water sources for our region start here in Polk County in an area known as the Green Swamp. Four major rivers get their start there. The problem for us is that none of those rivers has any flow at all until past our county lines, so "our" water ends up in swimming pools and on lawns many miles away. This tends to cause some understandable friction, hence the concept of a more global water management model.

Anyway, back to the computer-free day. I had a meeting set back at the office at 3, so I had to leave the conference early. I got back here to find that folks had shown up sooner than expected, so rather than check my email as planned I went straight into meeting mode. Meeting lasted till 4;30, then some after-meeting chat & cleanup and then what do you know it's 4:52. I actually thought about turning on the machine, but then I stopped myself when I realized what a landmark it would be if I could actually make it through the entire day. So I picked up my keys and purse and left.

Does anyone besides me remember when a day at work did NOT involve staring at a computer screen all day? How about those old IBM Selectrics? And if you really want to exercise the wayback machine, what about teletypes? mimeographs (sniffing that smeary purple ink would give you a little buzz)? Ah, it was a simpler time for sure...

Blogs & Picnics

2008-10-06T13:22:00.005-04:00

I'll be the first to admit that I'm not particularly tech-smart. Those who know me often use the acronym "picnic" (Problem In Chair Not In Computer) when describing my computer skills. Yet here I am spending all my time staring at a screen and even writing this blog.

So when the organization I work for decided it was time for us to start our own blog I was the easy choice to be the office blogger. I've spent most of the day so far researching business blogs and learning all sorts of things I should have known when I started this blog. And there's so much to learn...I just discovered Feedburner and PingShot and Creative Commons and SmartFeed and FeedFlare and how to add your blog to search engines and OMG there is way too much for me to absorb.

I'm trying to study up on all this so that when I meet with the board on Thursday I won't sound like a blo0oming idiot, but I'm not sure that's possible. I read the intros to these things and they sound OK and then in the 2nd or 3rd paragraph they start telling you how to mess with the html code. Now I've learned a tiny bit about code, but not enough to try reformatting a layout...I believe that a template is there for a reason, and that reason is that I don't have a clue how to set this stuff up on my own. I predict that any such attempt will result in a huge case of OE, and I really can't risk that with the office blog. so I may be trying some of this stuff out here first. that way , if I mess up it will only be me that sees it...and hopefully can figure out a way to fix it.

Florida at Her Finest

2008-10-03T15:11:00.007-04:00

There's a great story over at Florida Hikes! today. Go take a look...and make sure and check out Bart's Smith's website and most especially the gallery of photos taken during his thruhike of the Florida National Scenic Trail...It's definitely Florida at her finest...

I'd been to the signpost in his first shot back in May, 2006. It's at the southernmost trailhead of the Florida National Scenic Trail. There's a virtual geocache there called Wet Foot, Dry Foot. Today I was inspired to hunt up my pictures from that trip.

This shot is along Loop Road, on our way to the signpost.

Here's a shot of me at the signpost.

And here's a shot of some of the friendly natives.

Happy TGIF...Planning on getting out and enjoying some of this glorious Fall weather...and watching my 'Canes play FSU...I keep telling myself we're a young team and we're still building, but losses like the one last week to North Carolina just make me cringe...

All together now...GO CANES!!!

A Vague Sense of Dread

2008-10-01T09:37:00.005-04:00

I've been around for 57 years now...through the Vietnam War era, the hippie 60's, the disco 70's, the big money 80's and the downsized 90's...and I can't ever remember feeling the vague sense of dread that I currently feel...something just isn't right with our world...

Through all the events and administrations in my life I always felt a certain distance...Of course I knew that what went on had some effect on me in a very broad and general sense but I never felt it personally...and now I do...

These day, when I watch the news I can't help but feel that today's events are going to have their effect on me in a very personal way...that my individual life will be affected...and I'm scared...

I can't exactly say why I feel this way now, or what exactly it is that I think is going to happen, but I do know that I feel this sense of dread...the future just doesn't seem rosy and bright...it seems gray and scary and coming closer all the time...

Does anyone else feel this? Is anyone else worried about where we're headed and what's going to happen next? And I don't mean 50 years from now...I mean in the next 6 months...

Every day there's a new reason to worry and I have yet to hear any real solutions...Or seen any real leadership...our politicians are floundering, our business leaders are floundering, the institutions that are the basis of our economy are floundering...and IMHO no real, long-term answers have yet to be proposed...

I don't mean this to be a partisan discussion...I don't see much hope in either party right now...but I am curious if anyone else is feeling this way

L'shanah Tovah to All

2008-09-30T15:10:00.008-04:00

Happy New Year everyone. today is Rosh Hashanah, or New Year's Day in the Jewish calendar.

The full greeting commonly heard is "L'shanah tovah tikatevi v'taihatemi", which means "May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year."

To learn more about this holiday and how we celebrate it, here's a good Rosh Hashanah primer.

Christian the Lion - A True Love Story

2008-09-30T09:03:00.003-04:00

This is one of the most amazing & heartwarming stories I've ever seen. It serves to remind me of the close bonds we can form with other species, and how alike we really all are at heart. Everyone and everything responds to love.

For a Friend

2008-09-29T14:57:00.001-04:00

Here's a
Virtual Bear Hug
Just for SwampAngel65!

The Healing Power of Hugs

2008-09-29T14:42:00.007-04:00

I planned to participate in Fun Monday, then forgot to take a closet picture...drat...maybe I can get it done after work today...

Meanwhile, I have found something I really want to share about the healing power of human touch. (BTW, I tried to embed the video, but blogger just wouldn't accept the html so I had to make do with the link.)

Now go hug your friends, your lovers, your kids, your dogs, your cats...and then go find someone who just really needs a hug...

Help the Neediest

2008-09-26T10:16:00.007-04:00

I guess I've written a lot about animals lately, but I just learned about this today. I will be supporting the SPCA of Polk County and if you have no particular affiliation then I ask that you do too. If you are involved in a local shelter by all means help them.

Adopting a pet from a shelter gives the most points, but even registering on the site, and maybe uploading a photo of your pet will help. Whoever wins this contest, for sure the neediest will be helped. To get involved please visit ZooToo.com

Rate thisAnimal Shelter

So Very True

2008-09-24T20:00:00.002-04:00

A friend passed this along to me today, and I have to share it:

Quote for the day:

Whatever you give a woman, she's going to multiply.

If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her."

So - if you give her crap, you will receive a bucket full of shit.

Love and appreciate all the women in your life.

I received crap today and I'm working on getting that bucket filled

Private Lives? Not Anymore...

2008-09-24T14:07:00.007-04:00

My friend SwampAngel wrote about something yesterday that opened up a whole range of thoughts for me.

Next year will be my 40th high school reunion...if that doesn't scare the crap out of me nothing will...I went to the 10th, but that's it...I live too far away and haven't kept in touch with anyone...Every once in a while I get something from either Classmates.com or Reunion.com and if I can even remember who the person was I might drop them a note...Somewhere in all my many moves I've lost my high school yearbook (funny thing is I still have my mother's from 1940-something) so I don't have any visual aids to prod my memory.

Anyway, like SwampAngel, I sometimes wonder how people have changed. I know that there's a group that never left our small South Jersey town...they're the ones who keep putting on the reunions. But I also know that most of the crowd that I hung around with have gone out into the world and I wonder how they've done. I know that my life has not turned out like any high school fantasy I might have had, and I'm pretty sure others have come to the same conclusion..."Men Plan, God Laughs".

Then there's the whole "social networking" thing...There's Facebook...it seems like lately I keep getting invitations from friends to join Facebook...I've got enough to do keeping up with my email and my blog and my friend's blogs...why the heck would I want to worry about setting up a Facebook page...I guess I just don't get it...or maybe it's that I don't want everyone and their cousin to know that much about me.

And Twitter...OMG why on earth would I want to know someone's random thoughts, minute by minute during the day? I will admit that out of curiosity I did give it a try...a very brief try...I don't find myself interesting enough to post my random thoughts, so why would anyone else care to read them? And why do I want to read theirs?

Bottom line is that, much as I hate to admit it, I think it's a generational thing...and I'm of the generation that doesn't feel the need to expose every single nook and cranny of my existence to the cold clear examination of the world at large. I still believe in privacy, and the idea that sometimes folks just give you TMI - too much information.

Time Heals...

2008-09-23T12:45:00.005-04:00

I want to thank everyone who wrote and commented on yesterday's post. The outpouring of kindness has been wonderful.

I know that time will heal, but for now the ghosts remain strong. It's still hard to be in my house, since I can see Bruno everywhere I look.

In the space of an hour all the rhythms & routines of my life have changed. No longer do I have a need to walk in the early morning, or stop home at lunch time, or return home at night.

I've been trying to keep busy, and actually have almost finished the hiking stick I was working on.

There's not much more I can say today, but I do want to post one last picture of me and my best friend.

A Day of Great Sadness

2008-09-22T09:25:00.008-04:00

Yesterday was a day of great sadness. My best friend left my world and went on to a better place. I take some comfort in this:

"Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together...."

Bruno was my friend, my hiking partner, my comfort and my strength. Here he is taking a break on a hot day of hiking.

I know he will forever be in my heart.

"There are various places within which a dog may be buried. We are thinking now of a setter, whose coat was flame in the sunshine, and who, so far as we are aware, never entertained a mean or an unworthy thought. This setter is buried beneath a cherry tree, under four feet of garden loam, and at its proper season the cherry strews petals on the green lawn of his grave. Beneath a cherry tree, or an apple, or any flowering shrub of the garden, is an excellent place to bury a good dog. Beneath such trees, such shrubs, he slept in the drowsy summer, or gnawed at a flavorous bone, or lifted head to challenge some strange intruder. These are good places, in life or in death. Yet it is a small matter, and it touches sentiment more than anything else.
For if the dog be well remembered, if sometimes he leaps through your dreams actual as in life, eyes kindling, questing, asking, laughing, begging, it matters not at all where that dog sleeps at long and at last. On a hill where the wind is unrebuked and the trees are roaring, or beside a stream he knew in puppyhood, or somewhere in the flatness of a pasture land, where most exhilarating cattle graze. It is all one to the dog, and all one to you, and nothing is gained, and nothing lost -- if memory lives. But there is one best place to bury a dog. One place that is best of all.
If you bury him in this spot, the secret of which you must already have, he will come to you when you call -- come to you over the grim, dim frontiers of death, and down the well-remembered path, and to your side again. And though you call a dozen living dogs to heel they should not growl at him, nor resent his coming, for he is yours and he belongs there.
People may scoff at you, who see no lightest blade of grass bent by his footfall, who hear no whimper pitched too fine for mere audition, people who may never really have had a dog. Smile at them then, for you shall know something that is hidden from them, and which is well worth the knowing. The one best place to bury a good dog is in the heart of his master.""

Bruno, as all my dogs, was a rescue. Some day I'll tell the story of how he chose me to be his friend. If you've got a spot in your heart for dogs, please make a small contribution to LABMED . Bruno was a great foster brother to many LABMED dogs, and it would make him very happy to see their great work carried on in his name.

Virtual Tour of the Green Swamp

2008-09-21T07:38:00.010-04:00

Yesterday, after our trip to Colt Creek State Park, I decided to take my friend Gladeslvr on a virtual tour of the Green Swamp.I brought a little bit of her along with me...that's her signature pin on my hat. You can see more about the Green Swamp here.

We started off down the Florida National Scenic Trail to place another Trek Ten Trails geocache.

We walked about a mile down the trail till we found the right location for the hide.

Next we decided to bring Gladeslvr to see Lakeland's famous "Easy' Series. I guess it's something that you do have to be a geocacher to understand. Here's Gladeslvr at Easy-19

And here she is at Easy-23.

Last stop on our tour was Polk County's Gator Creek Reserve, where we took Gladeslvr for a short hike around the Tortoise Trail Loop.

Look closely, and there's Gladeslvr smiling on the side of my hat.

I hope she enjoyed the trip.

Another Day in the Woods

2008-09-20T07:23:00.002-04:00

Off today to Colt Creek State Park to place some geocaches for the Trek Ten Trails program. We're meeting the Park Manager who'll be driving us around, which is a bonus in the Florida heat. I'll take some photos and post them later.

Have a great Saturday everyone!

Counting Down

2008-09-19T16:41:00.002-04:00

Only 21 minutes to freedom!

I usually try not to be a clock watcher, but today has just dragged on. Most of the office was out running a golf tournament so it's been quiet as a library around here.

I've spent most of the day disseminating large files by email to large groups of people. In fact, I've done so much of it that I now get the dreaded Error Message 553: "Sorry, over your daily relay limit." So now I'm cut off...no more emails for me today.

I just learned that we have a subscription to something called Constant Contacts that gets around this problem...well I knew about the website, but I've never taken the time to figure out how to get all my many different contact lists imported...and I was damned if I was gonna type all those names in again and again. "Office Manager" just told me that there's something called a .cvs file that I can translate into or something and that then I can import my lists...but all that is just too much to start on a Friday afternoon...Monday is another day.

"Partner" and I are going to work on our hiking sticks tonight...Or at least that's the plan. We'll see how much energy I have left after dinner. it may just turn into a TV-on the couch-vegfest.

One last thing...I'd like to point to a great post on Swampangel's blog...I couldn't say it any better.

Thank You!

2008-09-18T08:32:00.003-04:00

I got the nicest thing yesterday. swampangel65, my blogging mentor over at A Florida Journal gave me a present...

Since I haven't been blogging all that long it was a great moral booster. And from her award list I've discovered some new and interesting blogs to follow.

So here's a shoutout to swampangel...

29 THINGS

2008-09-17T15:45:00.002-04:00

TWENTY NINE LINES TO MAKE YOU SMILE

1.. My husband and I divorced over religious differences. He thought he was
God and I didn't..

2.. I don't suffer from insanity; I enjoy every minute of it.

3.. Some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them.

4.. I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

5.. Don't take life too seriously; No one gets out alive.

6.. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

7.. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

8.. Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

9.. I'm not a complete idiot -- Some parts are just missing.

10... Out of my mind. Back in five minutes.

11.. NyQuil, the stuffy, sneezy, why-the-heck-is-the-room-spinning medicine.

12.. God must love stupid people; He made so many.

13.. The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

14.. Consciousness: That annoying time between naps.

15.. Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

16.. Being 'over the hill' is much better than being under it!

17.. Wrinkled Was Not One of the Things I Wanted to Be When I Grew up.

18 . Procrastinate Now!

19.. I Have a Degree in Liberal Arts; Do You Want Fries With That?

20.. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

21.. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance...

22.. Stupidity is not a handicap. Park elsewhere!

23..They call it PMS because Mad Cow Disease was already taken.

24.. He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless DEAD.

25.. A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three
thousand times the memory.

26.. Ham and eggs...A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a
pig.

27.. The trouble with life is there's no background music.

28.. The original point and click interface was a Smith & Wesson.

29.. I smile because I don't know what the hell is going on.

Appreciate every single thing you have, especially your friends!
Life is too short and friends are too few!

Time to Get Real

2008-09-16T12:24:00.002-04:00

Last December I, on behalf of my employer, applied for an education grant from SWFWMD, our local water management agency. The plan is to create and distribute materials on Florida-Friendly landscaping. This is a pretty serious subject around these drought-ridden parts.

Well, the funding came through and this morning we developed the work schedule for the next year. It's definitely time for me to put up or shut up. I'm either gonna come out of this looking great, or like the biggest jacka$$ ever.

That project alone is enough to make my head spin, but there's another one that I'm involved with, Trek Ten Trails, that just completed it's first year and is gearing up for Year Two, which begins November 1st. My role there is, with my partner, to hide all the geocaches. There's 11 we have to hide, and they're all over this rather large county. And we only have six weeks to get it done.

And then there's the booth and demonstration I promised to run for the County at the November 1st event. And a geocaching promotion for a supermarket chain that I said I'd look into.

You get the idea...I may have overextended myself a bit...but there's no backing down now...I've got to start juggling all these balls and (to quote Tim Gunn) Make it Work!

Fun Monday ~ Junk Collectors

2008-09-15T09:43:00.008-04:00

This is my first week on Fun Monday...Rayne from Crunchy Bits is the hostess and she'd like to hear the stuff we hang on to that un-enlightened people might, possibly, consider junk.

I'm a genetic pack rat. My mom saved everything and I have inherited the trait from her. I guess my biggest vice is containers...kind of like Rayne's glass jars, except I keep all sorts of containers...paper bags, tote bags, grocery bags, boxes, plastic containers, glass jars, old suitcases...you name it and I'll try and find a use for it. In fact, it's kind of a compulsion...I have a need to store things inside other things. It's a lot like the old George Carlin bit on STUFF

My partner finds my storage habit both perplexing and endlessly funny. Right now on my table is a decon container. It's plastic and about 3" wide, 2" deep, & 4" tall:

This particular container had been used as a geocache until it began to leak and had to be replaced. Other than that small problem it's a perfectly good container and I absolutely can't bring myself to throw it out, so I've spent the last week trying to come up with something that I can store in it.

Yesterday I came up with the answer...I've got a collection of medallions that will be attached to a hiking stick as soon as I get the hiking stick finished. The stick has been stripped, cut to length and partially sanded. Now I just need to finish sanding it and oil it. Anyway, I kept forgetting where I had stashed those medallions...then I caught sight of the decon and realized it was the perfect container for them. Said partner watched this with great glee...he just doesn't understand the need for proper storage.

Here's a fun video on using decon containers for geocaching:

I'm Free!!!...Update

2008-09-12T07:53:00.004-04:00

Going to the doctor this morning to get my stitches out, and decided to use the rest of my comp time to take the whole day off...yippee!

Heading back up to the Florida Trail in the Green Swamp Swamp to whack palmettos...hard work for sure, but better than sitting on my butt inside all day and for sure I'll get to drive the ATV.

I'll take some pictures and post more later.

Monday 9/15 update:

Well, you know about the best laid plans...Finished up at the doctor and headed over to my partner's house to go up to the Swamp...turns out he's feeling a mite poorly so the weekend ended up being mostly lay about the house and watch football...Not the worst thing, and all in all a pretty mellow few days...Did a little geocching yesterday, but that's about it...We're usually so "Go, Go, Go" that it seemed kind of strange to just relax...but a good strange...

Looks to be a busy week ahead and it's nice to feel rested and ready for it

Old Dogs & Short Walks

2008-09-11T11:08:00.005-04:00

That's my dog Bruno. He's been my companion for 8 1/2 years now and we've been through a lot together. He's the only thing that kept me sane during three horrible months when my mom was on life support and a ventilator. In his youth he would run forever...my friends called him "Mileage Man". But he's old now. He's a large dog (95#) and large breeds age quickly. It's come on him hard the last few months. His hips are failing and his movement is slow and painful. where a year ago i could still take him on long hikes, these days we're pretty limited.

On Monday I heard that the wetlands in a nearby preserve had water in it for the first time in
years. That particular place, the Lakeland Highlands Scrub, holds a spot in my heart. It was the first place I ever came in Lakeland. Bruno & I drove down here to meet my (now) S.O. that was our 2nd date. I was nervous as a cat driving down here from Floral City, but Bruno assured me it would be fun. The three of us hiked the entire Scrub that day, and it was fun. Last year I even put out a geocache You Always Remember the First Time to mark the occasion. since then, Bruno and I have hiked the Scrub a number of times.

Back to Monday...After work I changed and loaded Bruno into the car for a trip to the Scrub. the short loop trail to the wetlands is only about .5 mile, and I thought he'd be able to handle it. there was a breeze, so it wasn't too hot, and that part of the trail is shaded pine forest. Bruno was very excited to go, and recognized where he was as soon as I unloaded him. (At this point he can neither get in or out of the car on his own...I have to lift him both ways) He headed for the trail, greeting another dog and saying Hi! to the cross country team that was warming up for training. He almost broke into a trot. It made me happy to see him having so much fun. At one point he caught a scent...it looked like an area where deer might bed down...and left the trail to follow it through the trees. He looked like his old self and kind of brought a tear to my eye.

But by the time we got out to the wetland he was dragging. I tried to get him to rest in the shade, but he was restless and wouldn't lie down. so we headed back and I watched him carefully. His pace kept getting slower, and a few times I saw him stumble. My heart broke watching him...I know that in his head he's still a pup...but his body is old and failing. A couple of times I wondered if i would have to carry him back to the car, but slowly, slowly he did make it back. He took a long, cool drink, then I loaded him up for the trip home.

I know I'm not alone in this. Every dog owner knows that our best friends always leave us much too soon. I'e gone through it before. But this time it really hit home. I know that Bruno has taken his last trip to the Scrub. It's too much for him anymore and it hurts so much to realize and accept that.

Here's to all the old dogs that we love now, and those that have left us that will always have a place in our hearts.

Not to be a total downer, here's a dog that is guaranteed to make you laugh

Listen to St. Croix, Weather or Not

2008-09-08T13:10:00.005-04:00

It seems like here in Florida we are awfully preoccupied with the weather, especially this time of year. We're in prime time for hurricane season (June 1 - November 30) and the storms always seem to come in bunches. Back in '04 we had Charlie, Francis, Ivan & Jeanne. This year we've almost had Fay, Gustave, Hannah & Ike. Each time there's a swirl spotted off the coast of Africa our TV weather nerds go nuts. I suppose it justifies their existence, but to me it's more like a case of the boy who cried "wolf". For example, how likely are those 2 million people to evacuate New Orleans next time?

Don't get me wrong. I admit it's good to have some notice, but perspective is important too. So many factors influence the course of these storms that it's just silly for them to 'predict' the path 6 or 7 days out.

I think it's time to take a page out of St. Croix's book...or more properly, from their calendar. The island has two very important holidays that I believe need to be added to the official list here in Florida. First there's Hurricane Supplication Day celebrated on the 4th Monday in July. It's a legal holiday celebrated by going to church and praying for protection from hurricanes. I don't think we have to require church, but if everyone said a prayer it certainly couldn't hurt. Naturally there's also a Hurricane Thanksgiving Day on the 3rd Monday in October when the islanders give thanks when the summer fury has passed them by. There are services of thanksgiving for either sparing their lives if a hurricane had struck or sparing them from a storm through the hurricane season. These holidays have been in place since 1726, and considering St. Croix's location it's been remarkably lucky over the years. There have been a few hard hits, but nothing to compare with the poundings that Cuba and Haiti regularly receive.

Writing by Hand in the Computer Age

2008-09-05T14:29:00.007-04:00

I've been gone for a week now, partially out of laziness and partially cause work has been a zoo. For any who wondered, the surgery went well and the best part was not having to worry about it any more...the worry is always worse than the event...

On to other things...Although my milkweed is pretty much gone, I found another Monarch caterpillar out there this morning...I'll be checking to see if i can find the cocoon...

Though I haven't been posting, I have been trying to tinker with the page setup and my technology block came back...Even with some good advice, I still can't make it do what I want...But I haven't given up...I'm sure that one day I'll push the right buttons and it will all work out...

About that technology block...when I started college back in Fall of '69 I signed up for a computer class...It was Cobol programming and involved punch cards and huge printout with perforated edges...After a few weeks I noticed that the professor was writing volumes on everyone else's printouts, but mine always came back blank...not even a grade...Still a nervous teenager in the big city, I timidly approached him one day during his open office hours and asked why I wasn't being graded...He looked up, glared at me, and in his best "How Dare You Impose" voice said "You are in the School of the Arts. Artists have no need for computers so I won't waste my time grading you."

Now I suppose I could have gone to a Dean and complained about this, but he so cowed me that I meekly backed out of the office, trotted over to the Bursar's office and dropped the class...and that was the last time I even thought about a computer for almost 20 years...

In 1986 I opened an office and everyone told me I needed a computer, so I went out and bought one...It was a black & white 11" screened behemoth that ran DOS...More people than I can count tried to explain root directories to me, but I never could catch on and mostly used the computer for playing solitaire when I wasn't busy...

It wasn't until about 10 years later, living in Madison, WI and getting cabin fever during a long snowy winter that I finally bought another computer...This one ran Windows 95 and, for the first time I was able to make it do things...It opened up the wonderful world of the Internet to me, and I haven't looked back since...though in some ways I'm still technologically phobic...I want my phone to make phone calls and that's it...I use paper calendars and take notes at meetings with a pencil, not a laptop...I'm pretty comfortable with the technology I use now, but I'm not too sure how much more I want or need to fit into my life

Not My Best Day

2008-08-28T06:21:00.002-04:00

I'm feeling kind of nervous and anxious this morning...I've been up since 2 AM obsessing about the upcoming day. I'm going in for a little outpatient surgery today and I'm not coping real well. It's minor, or at least it should be, but any time I have to let someone cut into my body I have issues. I'm going to ask that anyne who happens to read this today to think good thoughts for me. I'll write in tomorrow and let you know how it goes.

Last Monarch Post

2008-08-28T06:12:00.004-04:00

Guess it's time for me to wrap up the Monarch butterfly saga. I went outside yesterday morning and found that the pretty light green cocoon was now kind of black & transparent, and amazingly enough i could actually see the new Monarch inside. I grabbed the camera to take some pictures, then had to head off for work. Came home for lsadly I'd missed all the excitement. The cocoon had hatched, and the little one must have dried its wings and took off to explore the world.

Here's a couple of shots...Hope you can see what I saw.

The Newborn - A Lucky Shot

2008-08-25T20:06:00.007-04:00

Took Bruno Dog outside after work this afternoon and decided to do a little pruning of my plumbago and lantana, both of which were growing out of control after all the rain we've had. ..I lifted up a stem of lantana and much to my very pleased surprise this is what I found...

I know the shots are a little blurry, but I was afraid to get too close and scare the baby...It was fluttering gently, drying out and unfurling its brand new wings...This is not the cocoon I was watching...That one is still incubating...

The dry cocoon in the photo is not the one that just hatched...It's one that I missed...but I'll be watching the green one carefully.

Bee Dancer for President

2008-08-25T19:31:00.004-04:00

Ah, if only it were true...make sure & watch till the very end...there's a surprise!

Muddy TwoTracks & Monarch Butterflies

2008-08-22T15:11:00.007-04:00

It's been a busy time since I last wrote. We took a trip up to Osceola National Forest to do some Jeeping and geocaching. As always, the Forest was beautiful. last time we were there it was very dry and a large dust cloud followed us all day. This time everything was green and many of the two tracks were full of water...some unpassable, even for the Jeep. Osceola is one of my favorite places, perhaps because it's so little-used. You can spend days there, traveling all over, and never see another soul...it's like you own the Forest. (N.B. this does NOT apply during hunting season)

The purpose of our trip was to find two specific geocaches in order to complete something called the Well Rounded Florida Cacher There were two specific combinations we needed that we could find up in Osceola. One was called Drowning Jeep We set out for that one on Sunday morning. It took a few tries and some dead ends at deep waterholes, but we finally got close enough to hike down the two track the rest of the way....Well, sort of hike...Remember this is the ROAD I'm walking down...

The water got as high as the hem of my shorts in places, and I had to ignore my knowledge of cottonmouths and other nasty crawly things, as we were on a mission and were not to be stopped.

On Monday we set out for another easy one (yes, that was sarcasm you detected) called Ammo Can in the Palmettos For those unfamiliar with this plant, it's the verdant version of the cockroach...it absolutely cannot be killed. Forest fires, controlled burns...it doesn't matter. Within weeks these champions of the plant world are springing up again, happy and green.

Did I mention that these are SAW palmettos? Each stem is covered in tiny saw teeth that bring to mind

The sign of a hard-core Florida cacher is legs scarred by saw palmetto...that means you've been out in the "real" Florida. So you can only imagine my glee at the thought of hunting a comparatively small metal box in a forest of head high palmettos. But wait...a stroke of luck...the area had undergone a controlled burn only weeks before...the underbrush was gone and the palmettos were only knee high. success was ours in a relatively short time.

Once our two goal caches were found, we spent most of the rest of the time cruising around the Forest looking for caches that hadn't been found in a year or more. We take great satisfaction in finding the ones that others don't even attempt.

On another note, last week I wrote about the Monarch butterfly caterpillar I found on my milkweed. Overall I found three of them, before my milkweed supply was depleted and I figured they'd moved on to better feeding grounds. Then yesterday I noticed something strange attached to the one of the leaves of my snake plant. I ran inside and some Google research yielded results...it was indeed the cocoon of the Monarch butterfly

I haven't been able to find the other two yet, but I plan on watching this one carefully and hope to see the butterfly's emergence. I've seen this once before and it was amazing to watch the newly hatched butterfly open its wings for the first time and attempt to fly.

Now here's the sad part...a few months back I had seen this funny pale green thing hanging off one of the bootjacks on my palm tree...I poked and prodded it and it felt kind of rubbery...I had no idea what it was, and my poking eventually crushed it...(hangs head in shame)...now I realize what I did and feel bad about it...my penance will be to plant lots of milkweed to feed many generations of monarchs.

Off to Geocache in Osceola National Forest

2008-08-16T07:32:00.003-04:00

We're heading out of town today for a long weekend. First stop is a geocaching event up in Brooksville, then north to check in at our North Florida "home away from home"...it's a Best Western in Lake City that we've stayed in a number of times...It's convenient to Osceola National Forest, our ultimate destination. We're trying to be the first to complete the "Well Rounded Florida Cacher (Fizzy Challenge)" and there's a couple of hides up in the ONF that we need to find. Plus we love it up there...it's not as busy as Ocala N.F. and offers miles and miles of unspoiled Florida to explore. We're not coming back till Monday evening, so I hope that "Fay" slows down a bit and we don't run into her on the ride home. for sure we'll be watching the weather carefully. I'll take some pictures while we're gone and post them next week. Have a great weekend all.

Striving for an "Amazing Life"

2008-08-15T14:08:00.005-04:00

I'm feeling a bit frazzled today so I thought I'd share something that I use for inspiration. I don't remember where I first saw it, but I keep it handy for days like this:

An amazing life requires resilience.

An amazing life requires living in the moment.

An amazing life requires optimism.

An amazing life requires acceptance.

An amazing life requires humor.

An amazing life requires creativity.

An amazing life requires moderation.

An amazing life requires responsibility.

An amazing life requires connection.

The one that I work hardest on is living in the moment. I tend to be a worrier...about everything, about nothing...Sometimes I just fall victim to "nameless dread"...So I work hard to remind myself to live in the moment...What's the saying? Oh yes, "You can't change the past and the future takes care of itself."

Ah, I feel better already...just writing this out has reminded me of what matters...that TODAY all is well.

p.s. When I got home last night I found two of those lovely caterpillars. Only problem is that I don't have that many milkweeds...so I don't know if there's enough to feed them until it's time for cocoon building.

Early Morning Surprise

2008-08-14T08:27:00.004-04:00

I rent a cottage on one of Lakeland's many lakes. When I moved in no one had done anything in the yard for years. Slowly, over the past two years, I've added some beds and have planted native and "Florida-friendly" (meaning drought tolerant) plants. One of my favorites is tropical milkweed, aka Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa).

Every morning when I take the dog out I always check the garden. Today I received a wonderful surprise...one of my milkweeds has a new tenant.

I hope he or she likes the neighborhood and decides to stay, so that one day I'll do my morning inspection and find one of these.

For anyone who'd like to learn more about monarchs and milkweed, here's some information from the Plant-Insect Relationships website

A female monarch lays its eggs (1) on a sprouted milkweed plant. The eggs hatch in four to five days producing tiny yellow, black and white banded larvae (caterpillars). These caterpillars (2) will feed solely on milkweed and eat enormous quantities because they are growing fast. They will grow to 2,700 times their original size in only two weeks, molting five times in the process. At three weeks old the caterpillar will enter the pupa stage (3) and gradually change into an emerald green case ringed with golden dots called a chrysalis (4). Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar rebuilds into an adult butterfly (5) which, at five weeks old, climbs out of the chrysalis (6) (7) head first. Its bright orange and black wings (8) (9) signal to predators, "Beware!" Why? Monarchs are what they eat! The milkweed's "milk" or white latex is both acidic and somewhat poisonous to many animals. Since a monarch cater-pillar feeds solely on milkweed, it absorbs these substances into its body and stores them throughout its life. Therefore, the monarch tastes awful to many of its predators.

''Pilobolus''

2008-08-12T08:12:00.003-04:00

Changing things up a little today...Instead of just rambling on about my life, I thought I'd share something wonderful with you. These dancers are amazing...Enjoy!

Fun in the Forest

2008-08-11T16:11:00.003-04:00

My partner is the Section leader for the Florida Trail in the Green Swamp West, which spans portions of Polk and Pasco counties. The Green Swamp is the headwater of four major rivers, and ultimately provides drinking water for much of central and southwest Florida. There are 18 miles of the Florida National Scenic Trail to maintain. We'd been Trail Masters for about 6 of those miles for the last couple of years, and then in April Don was "promoted" (the previous guy moved to Tennessee) and now we've got the whole thing. We're looking for folks to take over portions, but it's hard work and so far no luck finding victims, er, um, volunteers....

Did I mention that it's hard work? Chopping, lopping, bending, stooping, lifting and hauling... after a day on the Trail ibuprofen is your best friend. But in return you get a chance to know a wild section of Florida in an intimate way. We've been over all those 18 miles a number of times... sometimes walking, sometimes pushing or riding a lawnmower, and most recently riding an ATV...We use the ATV to scout the Trail for problems & to carry equipment ... this past weekend we found 6 large trees that have fallen across the trail and will need to be chain-sawed ...

Our appreciation for this amazing area grows with every visit. In Summer the property isn't visited very much (it's hot out there) and it's easy to start believing that it's yours and yours alone. We note where the deer like to cross the road and where the wild turkeys take their flocks of babies to forage. We remember which wildflowers bloom where. We note that the massive oak tree with the impressive canopy has been struck by lightning and is slowly dying. In an area like this change is constant... our frequent visits let us keep up with those changes.

Just for grins, here's a picture taken over the weekend. We were halfway between trailheads when the storm hit. Soaked to the skin, when the rain stopped we went back out and finished mowing and blazing this section.

GRRR......

2008-08-08T14:18:00.002-04:00

First off I should state that I have little tolerance for "dumb"...Next I should tell you that my day doesn't begin until I take a shower...

Which leads me to today's rant...

I get up pretty early in the morning, usually around 5:30...This morning, as always, I made some coffee (which required the use of water) and puttered around a bit before, at 6:45, I turned on the tub...and nothing came out...Not convinced by the tub, I proceeded to try all the taps, to no avail...

Now my house is metered together with the house next door (the property manager pays the water bill) so I went next door and tried the outside faucet...no water there either...now I'm losing patience...

I decide that the best thing to do is wash up with baby wipes and go in to the office where at least I can flush. Got to the office and started making phone calls...first to the property manager's emergency repair line, where the answering service wants to know what I think they can do about it..."How about making sure that the bill is paid" I snarl (OK, I really wanted someone to be mad at and I guess she was my only available victim)...Sensing my mood, she promised to call the repair guy.

Next I call the utility and learn that 1.the bill was paid; 2. there's no work being done by them at that hour of the morning; and 3. no line break or service interruptions had been reported. They promised to "look into it".

Not feeling very optimistic, I head off for my morning meeting...irony of ironies, it was at the Water Management District...and who's the second person I see in the lobby? Why the head of the local water utility of course. He comes up and says "Hello" and asks how I'm doing...I respond "Not too well...I have no water"...When he realizes I'm not kidding he immediately gets his assistant to call their repair service and ten minutes later I learn that somehow the main valve under the meter at the foundation of the house next door had been turned off. It was now turned on again and I had water. Feeling relieved, but a little silly, I thanked them very much and went off to call the property manager.

I bet you're starting to wonder where "dumb" fits in...don't worry, I'm getting to it right now...

The p.m. tells me I'm not going to like it, but here's what happened...the dummies (see I told you) who recently moved in next door had a leak last night and instead of shutting off the water at the sink or whatever they decided to go outside and shut off the main valve. Of course they didn't bother to call the p.m.'s emergency repair line (gee, why bother with that) and went back to bed. And of course in the morning they went off to work, still not bothering to call it in...The p.m. apologized to me and said she was going to bill them for the repairs, that being the going rate for "dumb" these days. And she reiterated to them that this was a shared water service and that they weren't allowed to shut off my water. She swore that they seemed to understand the concept...I guess only time will tell...

OK, rant over...Sorry for dragging this out, but going through my day without a shower makes me cranky...

Listen to the Red Queen

2008-08-07T06:04:00.003-04:00

Can't believe it's August already...Yesterday I saw Halloween decorations for sale at Sam's !

I don't know about anyone else, but some days life goes by so quickly it's all I can do to keep up.

Lewis Carroll understood this feeling...In "Through the Looking Glass" he writes:

Now! Now!' cried the Queen. Faster! Faster! And they went so fast that at last they seemed to skim through the air, hardly touching the ground with their feet, till suddenly, just as Alice was getting quite exhausted, they stopped, and she found herself sitting on the ground, breathless and giddy.

The Queen propped her up against a tree, and said kindly, You may rest a little now.

Alice looked round her in great surprise. Why, I do believe we've been under this tree the whole time! Everything's just as it was.

Of course it is, said the Queen, what would you have it?

Well, in our country, said Alice, still panting a little, you'd generally get to somewhere else -- if you ran very fast for a long time, as we've been doing.

A slow sort of country said the Queen. Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place.

What's in a Name...

2008-08-06T15:46:00.005-04:00

Actually, I had a few thoughts as to what I could write about today, but I decided that it might be a good time to explain the name of this blog.

I first saw the phrase on the GC forums www.geocaching.com :

"This past weekend while caching with my 6 year old for his B-day I slid down the hill while doing the bee dance and have a bone spur and some rock rash according to my muggle of a doctor"

and

"Since you are sharing I will too. Had a car that had a Nav system in it. Got rid of said car because I needed a truck. Didn't realize how much I used the GPS until I didn't have it. Was searching online for a handheld GPS and stumbled across GroundSpeak. It took me all of 20 minutes to go out to the local yellow electronix box and get my Garmin. About an hour later I was doing the 'drunken bee dance' in the woods looking for my first cache. "

Did some research on Wikipedia and found:

"Waggle dance is a term used in beekeeping and ethology for a particular figure-eight dance of the honey bee. By performing this dance, successful foragers can share with their hive mates information about the direction and distance to patches of flowers yielding nectar or pollen, or both, and to water sources. Thus the waggle dance is a mechanism whereby successful foragers can recruit other bees in their colony to good locations for collecting various resources."

To me, doing the "drunken bee dance" means I'm running in circles just to stand still...Stop waggling and I'll fall behind. Hence (I can't believe I actually used the word "hence" in a sentence!) sometimes in my life I find myself "bee dancing as fast as I can" just to cope.

Here's what the bee dance looks like:

"Geenwashing"

2008-08-05T05:48:00.007-04:00

Last week I spent two days at the Southeast Builders Conference in Orlando. My schedule included a number of meetings of the Florida Green Building Coalition and the Florida Home Builders Green Building Committee. It was an eye-opening experience...if you haven't noticed it, and I don't know how you couldn't, EVERYTHING is "green" today...Walking around the showroom floor I was astounded at the number of products that have been around for years that were all of a sudden "green". Everything from light switches to countertops were rebranding themselves as "green" or "sustainable" (this year's other main buzzword). I felt like I was walking through one of those cornfield mazes.

Not to say that many products and services being developed don't truly offer the possibility of making a difference, but the "green" movement has become a bandwagon that every company out there is running to jump on and ride. "Greenwashing" is the term used to describe the perception of consumers that they are being misled by a company regarding the environmental practices of the company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

Of course, in this time of record low sales in the building industry, it's hard to fault a company that's trying to get an edge in the marketplace...and an edge it is...the section of the show floor designated as the "Geen Trends" area was, by far, the most crowded area there. Everyone is hunting for a way to market themselves as "green". Whether it's a fad or a real shift in the way we do things is still to be seen, but for now it's definitely the way to increase profits.

And that's the big problem I see...how does a conscientious buyer decide what to buy? The situation reminds me of natural/organic food marketing a few years ago...all of a sudden every product on the supermarket shelf was either natural or organic...there were no controls over marketing and consumers had little guidance available to them.

While I certainly don't want any more government intrusion into our lives, it is time for the reins to be applied. The Federal Trade Commission is working on rules to provide guidelines for "green marketing" and is currently seeking public comments. To read about this effort visit http://www.ftc.gov/opa/reporter/greengds.shtm With luck, these rules will help weed out the frauds and aid consumers as they wend their way through the maze of green that's out there now. Visit the FTC website, inform yourself on what's being done and make your voice heard on this important issue.

It's All in the Name

2008-08-04T16:52:00.001-04:00

I was prophetic in naming this blog...Out of the office for 2 days at a conference, then the weekend, it's been all I can do to begin to catch up...Just about through now and ready to head out of here...Haven't been home much either, so there's a pile of work to do...But I want to get in the habit of posting, so here it is for today...More interesting content to follow

Time for a New Start

2008-08-03T07:03:00.000-04:00

Started one of these over a year ago but let it go dormant...After being prodded by another blogger I decided to give this another try...No promises though...More to come

Bee Dancing as Fast as I Can

Bell Creek & Wortham

Time For a Break

Skywatch Friday

Who'd a Thunk It?

Said Better Than I Could

That's My World Tuesday - Manateees

For Jim

Skywatch Friday

Sandhill Cranes

That's My World Tuesday - Floral City

A Day to Give Thanks

This is Circle B Bar Reserve

That's My World Tuesday - Green Swamp West Edition

A Matter of Crucial Importance!

I Learned Something!

Meeting'd Out!

That's My World Tuesday

Fun Monday

This & That

Another "Green" Day

Hypocrisy at Its Finest

Cheese Needed

That's My World Tuesday

Self-Censorship

FUN MONDAY - HONORING OUR VETERANS

Out of the house...Finally!

Yuck & More Yuck!

FUN MONDAY 11-10-08

FUN MONDAY HOST STILL NEEDED

Election Day - What Else

Thanks! Next Week???

FUN MONDAY ASSIGNMENT

FUN MONDAY

NaBloPoMo 2008

Green Swamp West Part II - Finally!

Thursday Treat

Caption Only Tuesday

FUN MONDAY - HALLOWEEN

Stay Tuned

More on Gator Bait

Gator Bait

Chili Wednesday

Something to Think About

Welcome to My Swamp - Part I

Gizmo's Prognosis

Update

Gizmo Update

Meet Gizmo!

TGIF!!!

Just Like the Good Old Days

Blogs & Picnics

Florida at Her Finest

A Vague Sense of Dread

L'shanah Tovah to All

Christian the Lion - A True Love Story

For a Friend

Here's a Virtual Bear Hug Just for SwampAngel65!

The Healing Power of Hugs

Help the Neediest

So Very True

Private Lives? Not Anymore...

Time Heals...

A Day of Great Sadness

Virtual Tour of the Green Swamp

Another Day in the Woods

Counting Down

Thank You!

29 THINGS

Time to Get Real

Fun Monday ~ Junk Collectors

I'm Free!!!...Update

Old Dogs & Short Walks

Listen to St. Croix, Weather or Not

Writing by Hand in the Computer Age

Not My Best Day

Last Monarch Post

The Newborn - A Lucky Shot

Bee Dancer for President

Muddy TwoTracks & Monarch Butterflies

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Virtual Bear Hug
Just for SwampAngel65!