Florida Flowers in Spring

My sister was asking me if we have daffodils in the spring in Florida.  No, we don't, but her question inspired me to really take a look.  Anita, this post is for YOU!

The entrance area to Savanna Club (our 55+ community) is beautifully kept and makes the place look inviting. 

(Click on any photo for a larger version.)

 The flowers in the beds are changed several times a year.

We pass these pink oleander bushes and pink impatiens (I think that's what they are) as we leave our community.

The bougainvillea bushes are favorites of mine.  I love them EXCEPT for the fact that they're covered with sharp thorns.

They show up in several colors.

This bush had several colors growing on the same bush. 

Hidden at the base of this bougainvillea bush is a colorful croton plant.

The water lilies are out in their spring glory.

There's something special about water lilies.

Planting and keeping beds up does take effort.

 

These hibiscus, impatiens and geraniums are colorful.

Showy, huh?

Red  impatiens border this driveway.

The trunk of this palm (not sure what it is) makes a nice center of interest in this spring bed.

Bushes of color...

We see the lady who lives here out working on her flowers a lot.

Who knew white could be so showy?

At the base of a lamppost.

Hibiscus come in several colors, too.

Yellow hibiscus bushes.

Gardenia bushes are in full bloom -- I can almost smell this one just from looking at the picture!

I'd love to get a nice vine growing on our lamppost like the one below.

This house belongs to a lady in my garden club.  She has a nice mix of colors and textures.

The oleander trees were really pretty this spring,

I like the reddish Thai plants (either side of the sign) when the sun hits the leaves and sets off their bright color.

Palms and flowers welcome spring.

More flowers, palms and the yellow-and-green-leaved (is there such a word?) arbicola plants.

This aloe plant is in the yard of a house near the front entrance and we all wait to see how the lady will decorate for each season.

Another spring bed.

The magnolia trees are starting to bloom beautifully.

I am fascinated with the way the stamen (seeds?) fall into the petals.

Mother loved magnolia trees and these brought warm memories of her during my flower photo tour.

Happy Spring from Savanna Club!

Crafty Craft Club

I hadn't planned to go to the Craft Club but the first month we were here (February, 2010), they were doing a shell project.  Since shells are "my thing" I decided to go....just to that one meeting!  I discovered that this club lends itself to making friends because it's small (usually about 6-12 ladies) and you can easily do crafts and talk at the same.

So, I've become crafty!  Our fearless leader, Lois, usually cooks up seasonal projects.  Since I have an empty house to fill (we didn't have items of decor in the RV), this works for me!
 
I made a fall arrangement in a container I had.  Then, I used that same container for a Christmas arrangement.  This necessitates less storage space, which isn't a feature of our small crib.

I especially liked the egg tree that I made this month.  Blanche and Pepper discovered it so I had to cover the grass with plastic!

 Now I have a new category to add to my hobby list -- crafts!

Sandhill Scratching

Ed was driving in Savanna Club and insisted I must get the camera and come with him but he wouldn't tell me why.  

On the end of our lake were four of our dearly beloved Sandhill cranes.  They were so unperturbed by us.

You can get a sense of their size by the cement bench to the left of the photo.

 

 You know, they say,  "If it itches, scratch it."  

The Sandhill cranes do just that!

 OK, let me scratch here on my side.

 

Hmm, it itches over here, too.

and under here.

Ooo, oo, the side of my neck.

Ahh, my "ear", too!

 Now I feel much better....

Oops, one more little spot down here.

You notice our fascination with Sandhill cranes continues.

Tune in to MusicTonic

I discovered this music site and am having such fun traveling down memory lane.  I'm amazed and pleased to discover gospel, classical, pop and many other types of music.

A few of the names I've put into the Search Box are:  The Lettermen (of course), The Platters, Gaither Vocal Band, the Blackwood Brothers, the Statler Brothers, Norah Jones, Simon and Garfunkel, Elvis, Abba, Aron Neville, Lionel Richie, Bach, Beethoven and Ravel.

Enjoy!  http://musictonic.com/

Signs of Oldness?

Do you remember when your grandparents talked about their health problems?  Wasn't that a sign that they were really, really, really OLD?  Well, guess I'm there.....

I've also realized that we retire so we have time to go to all our doctors' appointments.  Today I had bloodwork, tomorrow I "get crowned" at the dentist, next week I see the doctor, etc, etc.

By the way, for those of you who asked (and thank you for your concern) my cast is off and I'm coming along....can now get my sneakers on, although one of them has barely enough shoelace to tie it because of some swelling.   I'm trying my best not to limp. But all in all, I'm coming along OK.

Ed is doing OK, too.....except he's already complaining about the heat in the middle of the day and wonders why anyone would stay in Florida in the summer.  I remind him that he lived here for over 20 years.  Yet, he's here in Florida for the winter because he's always cold in Virginia.  Go figure!  As for me, I have my own little "personal summers" at random moments throughout the day and night.  Is heat-cold intolerance/confusion another sign of "oldness"?

Do you like this larger print?  Maybe you're starting to show signs of "oldness" too!

Cast Off Day -YAY!

Today was THE day I got my cast off.  Maybe this means I'm casting off onto a new journey?    February 23rd till April 5 is only 6 weeks, which sounds short unless one is wearing a cast. 

Naturally, people shared their experiences with me so I wasn't sure if it'd be weeks of still using a walker with lots of therapy or jumping up and walking out of the doctor's office. 

They took the cast off (I'm kicking myself for not taking my camera).  That involved sawing from my big toe area up the inside of the leg to the top, sawing from my little toe area up the outside of the leg, using a "jaws of life" to pry it open, and cutting through the padding.

They said they'd be back after my X-rays.  When the X-ray technician came, I put on my 2nd sneaker and gingerly walked down the short hall to her room.  By the time I came back, the sneaker was too snug and my foot was feeling very tender and sore.

The doctor said the X-ray showed it was doing OK.  He showed me what to do to help get back to normal and said he thought I could do that without having to fight the insurance company to try to get therapy.  He also showed Ed how to wrap it with an Ace bandage to give it some support and help with the swelling. 

So, at this point, I'm wearing the same "boot" that I wore with my cast because the bandage inside a shoe is usually too snug for comfort.

I had been warned to expect a yellow, shriveled, smelly, scaled leg but it wasn't too, too bad.  It probably would have been worse if it were in the summer and I would have sweat more.  Thankfully, my frequent hot flashes didn't seem to cause much of a problem.  I also lucked out in that I didn't get itchy.  One must appreciate every little blessing!

I always thought of a CAST OFF (as in "a reject")
as something undesirable --- but not today!

Tea for Two

My sister-in-law, Kay  (who lives 14 miles west of us here in Port St. Lucie) invited me to a tea at her sister, June's church.  There were 325 ladies there!  

It was a lovely affair with dainty food, served by men from the church, a hat contest and a few other special presentations. An inspiring devotional was given by a gal from the church.

 Here's June enjoying ladies who were hamming it up in the hat parade.  Each table submitted a vote for each category.

All you need is feathers.....

....and a bit of imagination!

Mary May Angelil and Mary Kay Angelil  2011

 

The one drawback of the day was the long walk from the car into the room.  (That is a HUGE church with several LARGE buildings)  We knew Kay couldn't manage getting my wheelchair out of the car so I used my walker.  It was worth the effort!

Kay and are already planning to create hats for next year!  I'll have to bring back lots of feathers from my neighbors' chicken farms in Virginia.