Florida, Oddly Enough

Chuck and his amazing agave

 It's Spring in the northern hemisphere, and birdsong all around if you step out of the house, or open the windows. Here, we get that pleasure year round, and so far I don't take it for granted. I had the chance to see a large, hungry woodpecker at work last week, and caught it on film. I heard him tapping, hammering more like, from quite far away and hoped he'd still be busy by the time I got close. Sandy was good and didn't even bark at a dog barking in the background. Most of the snowbirds have left the area, but there seem to be more people around than usual for this time of year. I overheard someone say that Naples is the 10th most moved to city in the US. I also read the cost of having homeowners insurance makes buying property in Florida, prohibitive. They are continually building, here, and it is depressing. Insurance is expensive and you can't get much insurance on mobile homes, anyway. I was surprised when mom told me they didn't even have any. Summer is nearly here, which you might not know, if judging simply by the warm to hot days. You may assume this is summer, but it's not, it's just the end of spring. Since it seems like summer most of the year, you'll need to know there are changes in store, lots of rain and hot nights. It is just beginning to rain more often, which I am glad for, even if it means the humidity which I loathe will also soon be upon us. 

The week has been mainly filled with school-job related demands, poor sleep, and being too tired to do the homework for a class I'm taking. On the positive side, Mike is here, and it was Chuck's birthday, yesterday. Sandy gave him a cute card with a cartoon squirrel juggling acorns that said I'd Go Nuts Without You (it speaks the truth). I didn't make him a cake this year, but Mike and I bought him a chocolate croissant from the best little cafe in Bonita Springs, Survey, which he loved. We got him some Zum patchouli products which he also liked, and a phone case. Maybe I'll still make that cake for him once my classes are done. He does love a chocolate cake.

Driving to work in the mornings, down the two-lane road with panther crossing signs, into central Florida, listening to my audiobooks and watching the sky turn pink, I am aware of how  pleasant this place really is. I'm grateful to my mom for mixing it all up for me, and getting me down here, where I never thought I could be happy.

~Dorothy Dolores