12 Oakdale

I am having so much fun with the trail cam Grant gave me a couple of years ago for my birthday. Or was it Christmas? Neither of us require presents, but we are pleased when we find one that is just perfect to give or receive.  The first thing I saw was our neighbors walking through our yard looking for their dog. After that, it seemed the plants waving in the wind were about all. I sort of abandoned it. I moved it to the front yard. Meh. But then it dawned on me to put one of the motion activated solar path lights near it for more night pictures. I attached it low on a papaya tree next to the vegetable beds. Lots of pictures of my knees. During the day, a juvenile little blue heron makes its rounds as does an adult one. Then the night pictures starting happening. Bunnies galore. Early morning and evening, it was bunnies. A black cat with a collar that I’ve never seen before. The rear end of Cooper, a dog from down the street whose owner doesn’t seem to understand lea...

 We bought 2 bananas (. ) and two Red Lady papayas which have “perfect” flowers so we don’t need a male and a female tree in order to have fruit. Since one of the loquat trees, known here in central Florida as Chinese plums, was tipping over more and more, I had Grant cut it down to make way for the papayas. Of course, the sprinkler just barely kisses the easternmost one, so I’ll have Cooper adjust the sprinkler head the next time he comes. In the meantime, we are watering it every day with the hose. Please let the rains start soon. The banana was planted over near the boathouse to replace the one I’d gotten from Spaulding which never grew. This is another place the sprinkler is iffy since I’ve grown tall rosinweed in its path. Another plant we are watering with a hose until Cooper comes to raise the sprinkler head. We planted the last banana just at the edge on the southwest corner, next to the canal. That one, at least, doesn’t need to be watered with a hose, but what the heck, w...

We had a beautiful red sky Friday morning, which indicated the proverbial storm and that sailors should take warning. A minimal yet very wet tropical storm was coming across the Gulf of Mexico towards south Florida. It boded badly for our drive over to Bob’s funeral mass, and even worse the next day for Stephanie’s end of the school year party with 2 (!) inflatable slip and slides that took up her whole back yard. For us, much ado about nothing. It was sprinkling after mass when we walked from the church over to the social hall for the reception. A few paper towels, and we were dried off. Saturday, the sky was dark gray, but barely a drizzle just a couple of times, and no lightening. The party goers enjoyed being completely waterlogged from their water play. My rain gauge showed < 1/16”. I ran the sprinklers. On the other hand, south Florida was flooded. Patten figured he got at least 9”, since he measured 2 1/2” before he emptied his gauge at bedtime. The next morning, the 5” gauge...