Happy Fall Y'all

It's been awhile.

Almost a month ago we were very close to moving back to Maine. I mean, we were so close that I could taste the crisp fall air. Things didn't work out, and I'm taking that to mean it was not the right time.

I'm not unhappy to still be here in Florida, as there are some good things here too. I think I am unhappy in this particular part of Florida. But, we are still homeschooling the Boy, which is leading us to new groups to join up with. I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

I'll have some more to share soon. Of course, as always, it is going to focus heavily on the garden. I'm not sure what I am going to do with this space at the moment, but for now I'm content.

Visiting Snake

It seems funny to write about this since one of the books I have out from the library is Climbing the Mango Tree.

My son has been climbing the mango tree in our side yard. It is huge and strong, and we love the mangoes that we eat right from the tree. Now that my son is older, he is able to climb quite high. High enough that I usually get extremely nervous and make my husband climb up too.

A couple days ago while my son was up in the mango tree, my husband reached up and pulled my son down from the tree. I was watering the garden, so I was at a distance. My husband showed me a snake in the tree. He was coiled very tightly, and looking at us. My gut feeling was he wasn't venomous because he would have had plenty of opportunities to attack my son. So after consulting with some lovely gardening people, it turns out it is a yellow rat snake. Very good to have in your yard, and not venomous. They are fairly laid back, and not likely to bite.

Here are some photos of him. Please excuse the quality, I had to switch between two cameras.

More for the garden

Ever since my Son and Husband made me my arbor, I've been on the hunt for a fast growing vine. After much research I decided the Passion Flower Vine was my favorite. Not just for it's beauty, but for it's butterfly attracting qualities.

While I enjoy taking a trip to big box stores garden center areas, there is nothing like going to a locally owned nursery. The vast array of plants, not to mention the knowledge of the staff cannot be beat. So, yesterday we took a drive out to a local one to pick out some plants.

They only had one of the vines left, so we grabbed it. It had a couple surprises on it too.




We also picked up a Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow plant. I'm still not sure where to put it. I need to keep it away from my neighbors with the new puppy though. The berries are highly toxic and I don't want a puppy to accidentally take a bite out of it. Of course, that leads me to the plant I grabbed at previously noted big box store.





When I grabbed the beautiful Jatropha, I was unaware that it is poisonous as well. I'm not sure why it says nothing on the tag about this fact, but the Boy is very aware of not eating plants in the garden. With the exception of his blueberry and mulberry trees, He really just loves to water and plant everything else.





Jatropha is also being used for some very positive environmental causes.

Arbor Day

Happy Arbor Day!

Thanks to a fellow gardener, my Husband, son and I headed out to a local Arbor Day festival. Not the type of festival most people would think of, but a festival full of the most helpful master gardeners and native trees. I learned a lot about Florida gardening and trees from a wonderful master gardener. He gave us great advice of finally ridding our yard from the invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree. We of course couldn't leave without a couple new native plants. He helped us pick out a lovely Dahoon Holly Tree, and a hummingbird attracting Firebush.

We haven't planted either yet. We spent the day sawing/trimming/cleaning up our Cabbage Palm. They aren't very spectacular, but do look much better cleaned up.

I'll leave you with a link that is fitting for Arbor Day, I think.

Spring is here

I'm still not used to Florida seasons. But, there are changes. Lately, we've been enjoying the not so subtle spring changes here. Our tomato plant has a lot of tomatoes on it, and the largest one is just beautiful. The bell pepper plant that was attacked by the peacock is now filled with teeny tiny bell peppers. And, the birds are nesting. Something I have always enjoyed, and am especially enjoying sharing with the Boy. Along with spring here, comes the mosquitoes. This fact is not something I enjoy. It is a long battle with mosquitoes here, because we are a deet-free family. I won't end on an unhappy note though. The plants are just thriving right now, and that is something I can enjoy even through the windows.

Here and There

There are many times when I find myself debating between sharing the good and the bad in my life on this blog. So, sometimes it is just easier to wait until I have a moment of clarity, and don't feel like I'm going to become a blubbering mess here. I find it is easier to focus on all sorts of things at once, stressing about them and trying to find solutions, then to actually deal with what I really do need to focus on.

So, moving on from that, I wanted to share the visitor in our backyard this morning. It was beautiful, and inspiring. Also, some photos of my hibiscus before our visitor decided they were quite a delicious breakfast.

Silence

Sorry for my silence. A lot has been going on around here lately. I just wanted to put up some photos until I have some more time to update fully. Have a lovely Wednesday.

"Corner in Progress"



"Jumping"



"Eating Loquats"



"Brown Widow Spikey Egg Sac in the Boy's Swing"



"Mulberry Tree is Fruiting"

Breathe

There will be rain. And, though it will be pretty stormy weather, we need rain. So, the Boy and I headed out to pick up the plants I had spotted Sunday. Perfect time to plant, and I'm ready to get working in the garden again.

The are where I planted is looking pretty bad at the moment. It is the area where our local "Flame Throwers" like to sneak through. We have a temporary block that my side neighbor is participating in. Soon, we will be putting up something permanent.

The Boy and I raked up mulch that was probably there long before we moved in. We rotated the soil a bit, much to the chagrin of the palmetto bugs that were living back there. Then after ripping and cutting at a vast array of roots, adding some nice new soil, and trying to center everything, our new plants were home.







They are Red Sister Cordyline Terminalis. I have a lot of work to do in that back corner of the yard. Including lots of weeding, which will lead to ripping up the rest of the mulch I suspect. The bird bath needs to be scrubbed out, and possibly relocated. More to come, soon.

Birdhouse

The Boy has always liked putting things together. Actually, taking things apart seems to be even more enjoyable for him. I think he takes after his father.

While running some errands this past weekend we took a trip down the toy area of Target. The Boy immediately noticed the different boxed kits they had. I had my eye on the knit sock monkey kit, but it looked a bit complicated for a four year old. That is when I saw a box stuffed behind some other toys. It was a birdhouse kit. We decided to try it out. If we had the tools necessary to make a birdhouse from scratch at home, I would have much preferred it.

Here are some pictures. The final resting place for the birdhouse was after trying out almost every tree in our yard. We settled on this one because we can view it from our window, and in particular the Boy's window.

Loquat Tree

My garden has been surviving the drought we are in fairly well. I tried to plant drought resistant plants, but I do have a couple that need to be watered on occasion. I've got the itch to start planting again. Unfortunately, this drought has brought on even stricter water conservation rules. Which, means I will not be putting any new plants in for awhile. I do follow our water regulations.

Which, is why it was quite a happy surprise to spot the loquats forming on our tree! I took a few pictures. This is the first year we have had fruit, and it's an exciting time. We've never eaten loquats before. I've been reading up on harvesting and how to consume them. They sound delicious. We don't have very many, but we are anxious just the same.

The Weekend

I wanted to share some pictures from our weekend. It was a bit chilly, but absolutely beautiful.







The following pictures are from our favorite spot at the Bird Sanctuary. They rehabilitate many animals each year. These are some of the birds who they take care of permanently.

Fairy House

The last week or so has involved the Boy and I working in the yard. Some of it was normal kickball, garden work, running or even a nice picnic. The biggest events of the week was a continuation of my previous entry. He was very excited to build some Fairy Houses.

It was really fun to watch him search through our yard, and even in the local parks, for natural items to use. It didn't show up in the pictures, but he even found a dime to stick in one of the houses. His favorite item was some little red berries, because fairies get hungry you know.

Here are some shots. I let him create himself because it was fun to see him so inspired.

Unexpected

We have been having some very cold temperatures here in south Florida. I am talking about actual temperatures that will freeze water and unfortunately, plants. I'm not too familiar with how to prevent freezing of my plants, and I regretted this early this morning.




After doing some research, I believe my banana tree will survive. I'm not sure there was a whole lot I could have done to protect it. The roots are somewhat blanketed by mulch, but I won't know the outcome until we are out of this cold weather. The leaves are definitely damaged.

I was going to talk about my fantastic experience at the Farmer's Market yesterday. And, it was wonderful even in the cold. But, instead I will share what I discovered while cleaning my gigantic head of cauliflower.



He wasn't the only one living inside the head. There were three of them. I took them all outside, although I felt a bit bad they were just going to die in the cold anyways. I realize it is a good sign that they were alive and well inside the cauliflower. This means the pesticides didn't kill them, and I am not eating poisons.

But, I have never been very good with bugs. I am very squeamish and will actually scream when something of this nature happens. I'm fine once the realization of the bug sits in, but initially........watch out. So, the cauliflower is all chopped and soaking in my kitchen sink. I do not want roasted cauliflower with a side of caterpillar as a side dish tonight!

The shortest day, the longest night

On Saturday we casually celebrated the Winter Solstice. It was actually a beautiful day here, and it started out cooler than average. After we spend the morning with Bubba, we went home for some lunch and planning.

The Boy and I decided to string some puffed corn with fresh cranberries. There was no popcorn in the house, but I had read puffed corn is OK. This worked out well, but I'm pretty sure the lizards and ants are the ones actually eating it. I'm hoping the squirrels see it too. The birds do not seem to be interested, of course there are a lot of natural berries available for them right now. They aren't searching the way they would if we had snow.







The Boy picked a spot to plant his Solstice tree. He wanted to be able to see it from the window. We both dug the hole, added some good soil and planted it. I think it will enjoy it's home. Most of the plants around that section of our yard have flourished.



We also enjoyed the beautiful night. We went for a drive to the country. There is a family who decorate, which is an understatement, with lights all over their fields, house and pond. I couldn't get a decent picture, but it was amazing. The moon was huge over us, and while staring up into it an owl landed right above on a telephone pole. Majestic is the only word that comes to mind.

It was a beautiful day and night. We are almost fully prepared for Christmas, but lots of baking is going to be happening on Christmas Eve.