ORCHIDS, A NEW HOBBY DURING THE PANDEMIC

I have completed my furniture refinishing projects around the house, have cleaned out some cabinets and closets (but not THE remaining closet), cooked lots of food, made ice cream three times in the last week, gone for multiple walks, laughed so much that my belly hurt, played lots of board games and lastly decided I need a new hobby. I was a Master Gardener, having completed the Master Gardener Program in the Northeastern United States when I lived there, but never really got into gardening here in Florida. It seems so odd to me that the shrubbery surrounding my home are actually HOUSEPLANTS in New England. I also have been petrified of snakes here, living near a pond. However, I really miss the day to day joy of watching something grow before my eyes, noticing subtle changes unfolding from day to day. Sure, I have pots of plants outside with flowers and vegetables growing, and I also have an Aerogarden in my home, but I need something new to look forward to in the plant department while I am cooped up at home.

The French have a saying, “vouloir c’est pouvoir”. Where there is a will, there is a way, loosely translated. This is a saying imbedded within my soul. While many stores and garden centers are closed here near me while I am continuing to self-isolate, I found a local garden center that does curbside delivery. Just like the restaurants. I can order on-line, pay on-line, and pick up my plant on a table set up in front of the garden center, having no contact with anyone if I plan my departure from the car perfectly. As long as we have HOUSEPLANTS growing in the yard, I might as well add another HOUSEPLANT to the trees.

I have long admired orchids growing in trees in tropical areas while on vacation, so I wondered if my gardening zone (9b) could tolerate orchids attached to trees. I noticed that someone dear to my heart has an orchid growing in her front yard and didn’t realize it until recently. She is really my inspiration for my new hobby. I began to think…….. I have a beautiful Southern Magnolia tree in the back yard, near the pool, and decided a splash of some bright pink might be a bit of whimsical fun poking out from the leaves of the tree. I did some research and found out that dendrobium orchids and phalaenopsis orchids do well attached to trees, without pots, in my area. I selected a variety of dendrobium orchid called “Oshin Pink”, which is a pink and while orchid.

“You are never too old to set a goal or dream a dream.”

-C.S. Lewis

First I leaned the orchid against the tree to get an idea of the size and scale of both.

Then, I took the orchid out of the four inch pot, leaving some dirt mixed in with the roots. Some of the sources I consulted said to use plastic plant ties to attach the plant to the tree, and others said to use biodegradable cotton string or twine, but I simply used what I had in the garage (thin nylon rope). I wrapped the rope around the plant, starting first at the roots, then attached part of the stem to the tree as well. It took all of five minutes to do this. Some sources said you can add in some coconut fiber or bark to the roots to hold in the moisture, yet other sources said that might encourage rot and disease, so I opted not to use any. I read that it is important to spray the orchid with water daily for a week, so we’ll see how it works out. This side of the tree is a eastern/southeastern exposure, which can be pretty hot in the summer. I started out with one orchid first to see if it is in the proper placement, but the garden center told me being in the shade of the Southern Magnolia tree would provide the relief from the hot sun that the orchid needs, regardless of which side of the tree I plant the orchid.

I was so excited when I finished my new project for my new hobby. Adding a bit of excitement to any day is always a good thing in my opinion. I love having something for which to look forward. As Mark Twain said, “Why not go out on a limb? That’s where all the fruit is.” In my case, that’s where all the flowers will be. Always feels good to me to try something new, and I try to see something I love, touch something I love, smell something I love, hear something I love, do something I love, or eat something I love each day. In this tree, I can see something I love, hear something I love, and I’ve already done something I love within five minutes. It doesn’t get any better than that!

“Where flowers bloom so does hope.”

-Lady Bird Johnson

Life is good; start a new hobby or find something that adds excitement, joy, and change into your daily routine to give yourself something beautiful to look forward to while you self-isolate.

Carpe diem, friends……………

LESSONS LEARNED FROM A BUTTERFLY AND A TRIP TO FAIRFIELD TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN IN MIAMI

Butterflies have always given me reason to pause what I was doing in order to enjoy their beauty. They are such symbols for endurance, change, hope, and life, and their graceful flight is such a sight. We would do well to keep them in mind as we endure our current global pandemic situation.

One of the most beautiful butterflies I have ever seen was at the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Miami, which is normally open from 9:30 AM to 4:30 PM daily but has been closed recently because of the pandemic. However, on May 6, the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden will open for limited times during the day and will offer guests two-hour visits in order to keep the numbers of guests low at any given time for social distancing. They have a butterfly conservatory that houses such amazing butterflies. The Morpho butterfly, a bright big blue butterfly with wingspan of about five to eight inches, normally lives in South America, Mexico and Central America and is one of the largest butterflies in the world. It was here that I saw my first Morpho butterfly, and I marveled at its size and beauty.

Blue colored butterflies are said to be symbolic of healing, joy and happiness and are also seen by some rain forest natives as a “wish granters.” At Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, one can see the butterflies up close, and it is magical when they land on your shoulder unexpectedly. Legend has it when a butterfly follows you around, it means you have something in your life that you need to address. If it lands on you, legend tells us it may mean we will undergo some type of wonderful transformation or growth in our lives, some big change might happen, or something new or refreshing might happen in our lives. Some people even think that a Guardian Angel might be sending you a message or a deceased love one might be making their presence known to you when a butterfly lands on you. I’m not sure about the validity of those legends, but it surely is a peaceful and unexpected moment, filled with joy, whenever a butterfly lands on me. It is more likely, though, that the butterfly lands on you for salt from your skin, scientists tell us.

tranquility on the grounds at Fairfield Tropical Botanic Garden

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is a wonderful place to see butterflies, as butterflies are released into the wild twice a day, an extraordinary experience. Beyond the butterflies, you can take a forty-five minute narrated tram ride around the eighty-three acre gardens to see some beautiful plants and trees.

This time of year the Brunfelsia, the Tahitian Gardenia, the Fried Egg Tree, Frangipani Vine, Siam Rose Ginger (in the Tropical Plant Conservatory and Rare Plant House), and many other beautiful flowers are blooming there. This is a great place to take a book, find a quiet spot, and read a little while or sketch in a sketchbook. Of course, simply meandering about the property is a great way to spend some time there, too.

closeup of rainbow colored eucalyptus bark (credit:Fairfield)

On a recent trip to a National Park, I picked up a bookmark about butterflies that caught my eye. This bookmark called “Advice From a Butterfly” (By YourTrueNature.com and written by Ilan Shamir) reads……

“Let your true colors show

Take yourself lightly

Look for the sweetness in life

Take time to smell the flowers

Catch a breeze

Treat yourself like a monarch.”

Life is good; “take yourself lightly and look for the sweetness in life”. Think about the butterfly and the healing, joy, and happiness it represents when you think of our future after the pandemic. I hope a butterfly lands on your shoulder soon, if for no reason other than for the magic moment it brings.

Carpe Diem, friends……………get out there and live life well.

WHITE SANDS NATIONAL PARK IN NEW MEXICO

A few years back I remembered reading about a place where one can actually go “sledding” down a hill of white sand. Longing to teach my Florida child, “Teen Traveler” a bit about another kind of sledding, I couldn’t wait to go there. We planned a trip to New Mexico to see this incredible place of large dunes. I learned this white sand isn’t really sand at all but really is gypsum, a mineral that covers about two hundred and seventy-five square miles of desert in New Mexico. Gypsum is used for many things, I learned. It can be used as plaster in surgical casts, as an additive in many foods (ice cream and tofu among others), for brewing beer and mead, for creating drywall, wallboard, plasterboard, for binding tennis court clay, as molds for dental impression plasters, as a hardening agent in Portland cement, in chalk, in hair products and even in some toothpastes.

White Sands National Park, known as the world’s largest gypsum dunefield, is located approximately fifteen miles southwest of Alamagordo. Some time during World War II, the military started using this place for scientific research and missile testing in the area. Missile tests are still conducted near here from time to time. The dunes are sixty feet high in some spots and are breathtaking to see. The bright blue sky against the whitish dunes is remarkable, almost other worldly.

There are picnic areas and limited back country camping allowed in some spots here. At the visitor center, you can purchase a round saucer-type plastic sled along with some wax to coat the bottom of the sled to make it easier to slide down the dunes. You may also bring your own plastic sled from home, as this is allowed. Round saucer-type sleds seem to work best, though. Sledding is lots of fun here, and so is climbing back up to the top of the dunes afterwards. Although currently closed because of the covid pandemic, normally the visitor center is open 364 days a year (closed on Christmas). The visitor contains a gift shop with snacks and drinks, too, along with rest rooms. There is no water available on the dune fields, so plan ahead. It can get very hot out there.

Life is good. Go out and have some fun all over again. Sledding for both children and adults is a blast.

Carpe diem, friends………………

KASHA-KATUWE TENT ROCKS IN NEW MEXICO

I am well on my way to finishing one of my “bucket list” items, to visit all fifty states during my lifetime. To date, I have visited thirty-eight states so far. That means only TWELVE states remaining to visit.

Not too long ago, we visited New Mexico because we had never been there. I was especially interested in visiting Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument because I love geologic formations. Located about forty miles from Santa Fe, New Mexico, in north central New Mexico, these breathtaking rock formations were formed by volcanic activity six to seven million years ago. The landscape here is breathtaking with its pointed cones, or hoodoos, of pumice, ash and tuff.

Stunning pinkish and gray stripes on the hoodoos are the result of layers of volcanic material that were deposited there.

If you are ambitious, you can hike three hundred feet to get to the top of the mesa for a spectacular view (of COURSE we did it).

Hours of operation are between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., with the last entry at 4:00 PM. Entrance fees are $5.00 for groups of up to eight people. While there are restrooms on site, it is important to bring your own canteen or water bottle, as there is no drinking water available there.

The hoodoos of the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico were worth the trip in my opinion. These pointed hoodoos were like nothing I’ve ever seen before and took my breath away.

Life is good. Try to find something that takes your breath away today and make a plan for the time when you can travel again. Armchair travel to places I’ve been or to places I want to go keeps me sane while living life through a lens and self-isolating during this pandemic.

Carpe diem, friends…………………

OF POSTPONING A TRIP TO EGYPT DURING THE PANDEMIC AND LOOKING FORWARD TO NEW POSSIBILITIES

This month, in about five days from now, I would have boarded a plane to Cairo if it weren’t for the Covid pandemic. I had decided earlier in the year that this was the right time to cross off one of my bucket list items, for a variety of reasons. I had always wanted to go to Egypt, and I decided that there is no time like the present. I did a great deal of research but was conflicted about going on my trip this month. I also was unsure whether it was a good time for me to go or to wait until later in the year when the new Grand Egyptian Museum was slated to open near the pyramids. This new museum is going to be huge, as it is planned to house the full collection of Tutankhamen artifacts for the first time because of the greater space available. This museum will be located right near the pyramids, will showcase over fifty thousand artifacts, and will occupy one hundred and twenty acres of land with an anticipated five million visitors per year (as estimated prior to the pandemic). Construction started on the new museum in 2002 but was delayed for a variety of reasons.

Exterior of the New Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza in May, 2019, ID 179650933 © Mirko Kuzmanovic | Dreamstime

Interior of the New Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, ID 152129802 © Gabriela Beres | Dreamstime

Head of a Statue of Pharaoh Akhenaten Amenhotep IV at The Grand Egyptian Museum, ID 152068761 © Gabriela Beres | Dreamstime

Marriott Mena House, ID 166944273 © Joe Sohm | Dreamstime

I had planned on staying at the historic Marriott Mena House with a pyramid facing balcony room for a few nights. This historic hotel is only about a half a mile away from the pyramids and has a fascinating back story. Originally built in 1869 as a hunting lodge, it is the site of the first swimming pool in Egypt in 1890. While the original house is still on the premises and is currently being renovated, there is a newer more modern section of the hotel on the property as well. Prince Albert of England, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Winston Churchill, Richard Nixon, Charlie Chaplin, Frank Sinatra, and Agatha Christie are among the many esteemed guests who have stayed at this hotel in the past. From there, I could have walked to the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, but for safety concerns, I was going to have a private tour arranged to take me there and into the Khan el-Khaliki bazaar, or souk, in Cairo, which dates back to the fourteenth century. I was thinking I might bring a lantern or two back from Egypt to hang in my tree near the pool at home. I decided I would also go to the current Cairo Museum of Antiquities as well, but really wanted to see the new Grand Egyptian Museum, had it been already opened, instead. Life is full of trade-offs.

Khan el-Khalili bazaar in Cairo, ID 141785909 © Merydolla | Dreamstime

I had also planned on going aboard a Nile River Cruise aboard the MS Esplanade, stopping in Luxor to see the Luxor Temple and the Karnak Temple (the largest religious building ever constructed). I chose the MS Esplanade, in part, because of the wonderful daybeds on the top sun deck that would allow me to relax and keep cool along the journey down the Nile. After Luxor, we would have sailed to Aswan to see the Temple of Horus at Edfu, a Nubian village, the Temple of Philae (dedicated to the worship of the Godess Isis), and the High Dam. A final stop on the itinerary included a visit to the Valley of Kings.

I remember seeing a fragment of the Karnak Temple as a young girl in the Rhode Island School of Design Museum, along with a sarcophagus and knew the moment I saw them I wanted to go to Egypt some day. It was so exciting to think I would actually walk in the Karnak Temple in May when I was researching my trip to Egypt earlier this year. Trip to Egypt. Goal Set. Trip to Egypt. Goal would have been met.

As part of my research, I learned that the only travel advisory in Egypt, prior to the Corona pandemic, was regarding the Sinai Peninsula and the Western Desert, two areas I had planned to avoid because of the greater possibility of terrorist activity. I knew I needed to be alert and aware of my surroundings in Egypt otherwise, which is something I normally am during any trip. I also had planned to avoid any mosque, church, or temple to keep my trip a little safer.

I learned a few things in my research that surprised me. There are very few crocodiles (maybe not any at all) in the Egyptian Nile any longer, despite them being worshipped in Ancient Egypt. Evidently the construction of the High Dam pushed them closer to Lake Nassar instead. Also, I found it very interesting, albeit disappointing, that there are no hippopotamuses in this section of the Nile either, as they are extinct in this region even though they were present there in ancient times. Hippo hunting and drying of the region has led to their extinction here in more modern times.

I am very disappointed that my trip has been postponed because of the pandemic, but I try to look on the bright side, even for this trip. I was hard pressed to decide whether to go to Egypt in the spring or to wait until the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum in Cairo later in the year. It seemed the best option at the time to go in the spring of this year, as the political climate was a bit more settled than it had been in recent years since the Arab Spring in 2011 and the ouster of President Mubarek in the aftermath. The economy in Egypt had improved a bit last year, yet the American dollar was still strong. Incidents of terrorism were reduced in and around Cairo and the Nile valley than they had been in years, too. Tourists were beginning to return to Egypt in greater numbers, and it was finally a good time to return to Egypt again before the pandemic. However, at this time, flights have been recently suspended into and out of Egypt for the time being, so I am grateful I was not stuck in Egypt had I traveled there. Being quarantined and having difficulty returning home to the States would have definitely been difficult.

When I will head to Egypt is still up in the air, but one thing is certain. That is, I will get there, and it is only a matter of time. I have my heart set on riding a camel there, too. It’s all about the photo op, right? Maybe I might add in a layover somewhere special along the way, too. Swimming in the Dead Sea might be fun in Hurghada, which isn’t part of the Sinai Peninsula. Guess that’s the upside as well.

Life is good. Look forward to something you were planning before the Covid pandemic hit and start planning it all over again for sometime in the near future. Make it happen. Goal set; goal met soon.

There is always tomorrow to look forward to; carpe diem, friends………….

(I was going to book my trip through Memphis Tours, as they have been in operation for a very long time in Egypt and have great reviews. Another company, Liberty Travel Egypt is worth taking a look at as well. )

https://www.memphistours.com/

https://www.liberty-int.com/our-destinations/egypt/?fbclid=IwAR1hyguRCxLfWo2A7sEEuoH7AtMWrytN5c8EzS7EnacoRz3U1W1tAGZ-5z8

THE MAGIC OF THE MAGNOLIA

Spring here in Florida is one of my favorite times of year. The evenings are still cool, and it is a perfect time to take a stroll in the neighborhood shortly after it dusk. Somehow the fragrances in the neighborhood are more heightened in the twilight. Walking around the neighborhood, I encounter a scent somehow reminiscent of lemons. It is a scent that always stops me in my tracks for a moment so that I may pause to enjoy the magical fragrance before continuing my walk. This is the magical and unmistakable scent of the Southern Magnolia, which usually blooms from April to June. I am fortunate enough to have one of these beautiful trees which permeates my own backyard with such a sweet-smelling scent while I relax by the pool.

Not only is the scent of the Southern Magnolia magical, but the blooms, which can be eight to ten inches across are equally impressive. The elliptical foliage is dark and evergreen with smooth edges and a rust-colored underside. The tree grows strong and tall and can be approximately eighty feet tall at maturity. The girth of the Magnolia tree is equally impressive, as it can grow to be forty feet in diameter. These trees can live an average of eighty to one-hundred and twenty years.

“I’ve always loved Magnolia trees and their blooms. There is something so beautiful about a Magnolia blossom. It demands attention, and you can’t help but love those big, creamy, petals and that fragrant smell.”

-Chip Gaines, star of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper”

Former President Barak Obama presented a Magnolia tree propagated from a Magnolia on the grounds of the White House to South Korea to remember and honor those that lost their lives in a ferry accident there, saying the Magnolia tree “represents beauty, and, with every spring, renewal.” Former President Obama also gave a Magnolia tree to Israel as a symbol of strength, perseverance, and dignity. This Magnolia tree was grown from a seedling from the tree President Andrew Jackson planted at the White House about one-hundred and eighty years ago as a memorial to his deceased wife. Former First Lady Michelle Obama also gave two Magnolia seedlings to Cuba as a gesture of reciprocation to Cuba for sharing the beauty of their culture with the United States.

While I walk around my neighborhood, I am reminded of a dream that Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology Carl Jung had in which he described a certain place:

“….In the center was a round pool, and in the middle of it a small island. While everything round about was obscured by rain, fog, smoke and dimly lit darkness, the little island blazed with sunlight. On it stood a single tree, a magnolia, in a shower of reddish blossoms. It was as though the tree stood in the sunlight and were at the same time the source of light.”

-“Memories, Dreams and Reflections” by Carl Jung

The magnolia is such an important plant that some people use magnolia bark supplement to help reduce anxiety and promote sleep. Others claim the supplements are good antioxidants in the body and brain, and it lowers inflammation and oxidative stress in the body and boosts immunity. Some people chew gum or use toothpaste with magnolia in it to help fight gingivitis and bleeding gums.

I’m not sure about the efficacy or safety of Magnolia supplements, but I do know the Southern Magnolia is a magical plant to stumble upon when walking in the cool Florida spring evenings. It serves as a symbol of light, renewal, strength, and perseverance to me when I think of our current pandemic situation. The magic and beauty of the Magnolia will prevail.

“Life is simply a magic of mayhem and magnolias, so embrace this gentle riot and gather flowers along the way. “

-Kat Savage

Life is good. Look to the beauty of the Magnolia tree this spring and the lessons we can learn from it. Don’t forget to “gather flowers along the way” in your journey today and every day through life. While every day may not be beautiful during this pandemic, there is beauty and magic moments in every day.

Carpe diem, friends………..

HERE COMES THE SUN (AMIDST THE PANDEMIC)

Today I got up early to see the sunrise. I am more of a sunset kind of gal, a night owl, who always thought one gets as much bang for the buck with a sunset as one gets with a sunrise. However, today I decided to get up early to shake things up and to step out of my comfort zone and my routine. When I got up this morning, I didn’t realize it was raining until I got into my car at 5:15 AM. When I saw the light rain once I was in my car, I decided to continue along with my plans. ” Life”, as the old saying by John Lennon goes, “is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.”

I traveled to the beach to see the long-awaited, much revered sunrise and couldn’t believe it when the rains began to come down more steadily, accompanied with thunder and lightening as well. When I finally arrived at the beach and found a creative access to the beach with all the beach parking lots closed here in my county in Florida because of the Covid pandemic, the rain stopped just as I was getting out of my car. I walked to the beach and couldn’t help but think about how lucky I was and how lucky I am.

The sky began to show some signs of light at 6:15 AM, and the sunrise happened at 6:41 AM, but it was hard for me to see the sunrise because of the cloud cover. I was initially disappointed that I couldn’t see the sun actually rise above the Eastern horizon, but I enjoyed the moments nonetheless. I saw a woman with silver hair, much older than me, doing yoga on the beach.

I saw birds flying peacefully above the waves at the shore. I saw several people running along the edge of the beach, and I saw two surfers greeting the morning from inside the water. I decided I would wait and watch the morning gradually unfold before my eyes before leaving the beach. I am glad I did, as I literally saw the poetic silver lining in the clouds above me. What a way to start my day. There is a silver living to this pandemic afterall, it seems. I often tell my daughter that the sun will still rise and set on any given day, despite what happens during the day. The moon will rise, too. No matter how bad something gets, we can always count on that, and life still goes on.

“Birds flying high
You know how I feel
Sun in the sky
You know how I feel
Breeze driftin’ on by
You know how I feel

It’s a new dawn
It’s a new day
It’s a new life
For me
And I’m feeling good
I’m feeling good…”

-“Feeling Good” by Michael Buble

Once the sun fully illuminated the beach, I saw all kinds of surprises that I didn’t notice in the dark. Dune sunflowers dotted the landscape, and there were so many beautiful shells beneath my feet.

“Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it’s all right

Little darling
It’s been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling
It seems like years since it’s been here

Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun
And I say, it’s all right

Little darling
The smiles returning to the faces
Little darling
It seems like years since it’s been here…”

-“Here Comes The Sun” by the Beatles, written by George Harrison

I have decided that there is something special about sunrise, watching the day unfold with endless possibilities and life anew…….

Life is good. Try to see the silver linings anywhere you look today. Enjoy today as a brand new start. Enjoy every day as a brand new start. Today is the day full of endless possibilities if you look for them after the sun rises.

Carpe diem, friends……………

OF CHOCOLATE, THE PANDEMIC, AND LIFE

“We all know that you can’t go wrong with the original Nestlé Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe, right? I’m always tempted to switch out the semi sweet morsels for milk chocolate morsels but it never tastes the same. The reason semi sweet chocolate morsels are a better versatile chocolate to use are because they have a good balance of chocolate and sweetness while milk chocolate can be too sweet and dark chocolate can be overwhelming. Hence, the name semi sweet.”

-Whitney Saller-Prieto, Former Director of Operations, Burger 21, Orlando and Viera, FL

While eating oatmeal chocolate chip cookies that my husband and daughter made last evening, I couldn’t help but remember the quote above by the late, beautiful Whitney Saller-Prieto and how it applies to our life right now. We may have milk chocolate kind of days, sweet days with being home together with all those blessings, or we may have semi-sweet chocolate kind of days where we feel fortunate that we don’t have the virus but long to get society back rolling the way it was before the pandemic. We are tempted to metaphorically switch the semi-sweet chocolate of our lives for the milk chocolate time and time again in our day-to-day lives. However, enjoying the moments we have together, playing games as a family, spending time on a project or two, experimenting with a new home-made ice cream recipe (or THREE) are all moments I will treasure long after this pandemic lifts. THAT is the semi-sweet chocolate which is the balance of good, the times together with the memories we’ve created and bad, or the effects that the pandemic has created in our world right now. The beauty, then, is truly in the semi-sweet chocolate morsel after all. I have come to that realization time and time again. It’s not what happens in any given situation, it is truly our perspective. This last month has truly been a gift in very many ways, despite the bad situation we’re all in right now. Yet, the day before yesterday, I used the wrong type of chocolate in my chocolate chip ice cream, as it was the only chocolate chips I had in the house at the time. Such is life.

“Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get.”

-Forrest Gump

I would suggest that maybe life is like a box of chocolates because you never know what you’re going to get, but you do get to choose which chocolate you want to try. You get to spit it out, half-eaten, and try another. You get to close the box when you don’t want to try a piece, or you get to eat the whole box of chocolates. You get to share the chocolates or eat them all by yourself. You get to take the pieces of chocolate out of the box to display them on a pretty dish before eating them, or you get to eat them straight out of the box. You can eat them all at once over a few days or you get to freeze them for later. You get to experience all the different fillings, from creams to caramels, from crunchy fillings to nutty fillings, if you want as well. Or, you can eat only the cream chocolates, the caramels, or the nut-filled chocolates, too.

Life is about choices and finding the right application for the the milk chocolate or the semi-sweet. Life is about knowing when to use the right chocolate. Some days will bring about the bitter chocolate, or unsweetened chocolate, but other days it all comes together with that perfect chocolate chip cookie, made with the perfect chocolate chosen for the recipe, baked with a little bit of love, and shared with laughter with those you love. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Life is good; carpe diem, friends……………..

photos:Dreamstime

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT/ANOTHER SCAVENGER HUNT IN FLORIDA

One of my favorite things to do here in Florida is to go Alligator hunting. Not REAL hunting, but hunting with a scavenger hunt. There is a wetlands near my house in central Florida where we drive along a loop road to play a little game like “Where’s Waldo” to see if we can find “Where’s the alligator” instead. The wetlands near our house is closed because of the pandemic, but the Black Point Wildlife Drive in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge is open. Black Point is a seven mile drive where you can see all kinds of beautiful wildlife, including wildflowers, birds( including a bald eagle), snakes, river otters or bobcats if you are lucky, and the most beautiful alligators I’ve ever seen in the wild. Here in central Florida, we are in the midst of alligator courtship season, which typically runs from April to May, and mating season is normally in May and June. Eggs are laid in mounds of soil or vegetation in June or July, and the average alligator can lay around thirty-two to forty-six eggs. Eggs hatch from mid-August to early September, and during this mating season alligators can become territorial. It is wise to stay inside your car in this loop, as it is recommended to stay at least twenty-five feet away from any alligator in the wild. Florida is a great place to see alligators in the wild, as it is estimated that there are approximately 1.5 to 2 million wild alligators here.

sign at the turnoff to Black Point Wildlife Drive

The entrance fee is normally ten dollars per car and is payable with an honor system envelope provided at the little blue sign below at the entrance. Visitors retain a stub from their payment voucher in the car and deposit the remainder of the voucher in the envelope at this sign. Because of the pandemic, however, there is currently no admission fee necessary.

brochures and ticket envelopes are found here

It always amazes me to see so many wildflowers in the midst of our “moderate drought” this spring in this part of Florida.

beautiful wild gaillardia flowers line the sides of the loop road

infrequent wild pink gaillardias are found among the mostly orange gaillardia wild flowers

a wild butterfly on yellow wild flowers takes my breath away

more beautiful yellow flowers along the banks of the water

the root system of the mangrove is impressive to see

beautiful purple flowers amidst the vegetation on the banks of the water

Is that a log or an alligator? Sometimes it is hard to tell until you look for a while to see if it moves.

The vegetation (mangrove) grows in some of the most inhospitable substrates I have seen, and the landscape is literally dotted with young plants which grab hold of the arrid land as well as the brackish water to flourish.

One needs to drive VERY slowly to see the alligators swim silently in the waters or hiding among the reeds. Sometimes they are even on the banks of the water, laying out in the sun. At times, the alligator at first appears to be a floating log, but then you see movement or the swish of a tail.

Today we were fortunate enough to see an alligator near his den, which is cleared by the alligator’s snout and feet and can be up to twenty feet deep/long. Alligators are such formidable and amazing creatures.

On the way out of the Wildlife Refuge, you can see the Vehicle Assembly Building in Kennedy Space Center. This building is where the Apollo, Space Shuttle, and Saturn V rockets were assembled and completed. It is also the world’s tallest single story building.

There is nothing like the “thrill of the hunt” when looking for alligators here in central Florida, on the Space Coast. It is a great place to get out of the house, too, during this Covid pandemic and a wonderful day trip from most of central Florida.

Life is good; enjoy the sunshine and the day. Carpe diem, friends……..

“I GOT THIS MUSIC IN MY MIND SAYIN’ IT’S GONNA BE ALRIGHT….”

Today I needed to shake things up and went for a ride. A ride outside my house. A ride anywhere. Staying inside is finally getting old. Time to get back out into the world again soon.

While riding along, I spotted this beautiful wildflower growing along the side of the road. It always amazes me when I find a patch of flowers growing, despite our drought this time of year here in Florida. I especially like to find and photograph one little sprout of life among inhospitable rocky substrates. Reminds me of the tenacity of the human spirit. Reminds me that we will prevail against all odds in any given situation that is challenging for us, including this pandemic.

Another single bloom in an inhospitable subtrate

On the way home after seeing this little reminder of hope, I saw this sign on the side of the road, too:

Makes me think of the Bob Marley song:

“Rise up this mornin’
Smiled with the risin’ sun
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin’ sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true
Saying’, (this is my message to you)…

Singing’ don’t worry ’bout a thing
‘Cause every little thing gonna be alright
Singing’ don’t worry (don’t worry) ’bout a thing
‘Cause every little thing gonna be alright…”

–“Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley and the Wailers

Signs of hope are all around if we look for them. See if you can see any signs of hope where you live. Life is good; don’t worry about a thing, cause every little thing IS going to be alright. Shake it off.

Live fully. Carpe diem, friends………….

“I’ll never miss a beat, I’m lightning on my feet
And that’s what they don’t see, that’s what they don’t see
I’m dancing on my own, I’ll make the moves up as I go,
And that’s what they don’t know, that’s what they don’t know…..

Can’t stop, won’t stop grooving…….
It’s like I got this music in my mind saying it’s gonna be alright……

Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake
I shake it off, I shake it off…”

-“Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift

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