Florida, Oddly Enough

Fiddle Fig Tree

 I had hoped to get a Christmas Tree this year, but there is a shortage of tree stands in my locale. It was today or not at all, so we opted for a Norfolk Island Pine. The weekend was a whirlwind of cleaning, organizing, and going to garden centers looking for a tree. Here is a sampling of beautiful plants and trees I saw on my drives in search of plants. A friend noted how odd it is that in Florida the tomato plants are for sale not too far from the Christmas trees.

The little house at Everglades Wonder Gardens, which has excellent prices on plants and you never know what you will find.

It was a sunny low 80's day, though the nights have been chilly and you do need a sweater or jacket in the mornings. Two things that are very reasonably priced in Florida, are plants and automobiles. Somehow, I don't believe the Nissan dealer who is having a BOGO sale this month... But look at these pitcher plant baskets. They are at least 18 inches in diameter and they are just 40 dollars. If you're ever in Southwest Florida, the plant shop at The Ford Edison Winter Gardens is also very well priced. I hope to take you on a field trip there, sometime.

Lastly, I will leave you with a video of a bobcat trotting by the back of the house. Look to the lower right, it goes by quickly and it blends in well. I wish I'd let the video run a bit longer because once it got into the woods it made an unearthly call as it wandered off. I wonder if it could be the mother of the kittens I saw in September.

I did not catch up on grading, but that can happen over the break. Household duties topped the priority list this weekend.  I won't go into the plumbing problems...However, I enjoyed getting a small substitute tree for the house this year, and some sun and fresh air. Cheers!