Dogs Days Continue

Today if this trend continues my part of Florida (Gainsville area) will break a record of continuous days of
over 90 degree F.  Today being day 44 of over 90.  Can I say.  I feel like I fell into hell on earth.  We have
decided we are moving out of this state. Not just being snow birds. We are moving lock stock and barrel.
I feel this is part of global warming and the trend will continue.  It is no longer worth the nice winters to stay.
And we are not in a position in which we have to stay here.  I want to move to Glacier Park area in Montana.
My husband would rather somewhere more temperate like North Carolina mountains.  Oh, the joy's of retirement.  Actually I want to live on the ocean but I know that is not going to happen.  So, I am going to settle for the mountains and a chicken coop.  Yes, I want a chicken coop.  I am already looking at how to build a chicken coop.  But I also want my chickens to have free range at times.  I want a huge chicken coop with like boxes for nesting.  I want the Taj Mahal of chicken coops. 

We are leaving on Monday to babysit for Felicity who is now almost two years old. And as my son Robert
said.  "You might want to put her in daycare a few hours a day because she never stops.  She never stops.
Meaning she is on the go 24/7.  She does not sit down and play with toys, ever.  She loves her mother's
IPad.  It has now become her own.  She not even two.  What child needs an IPad of her own.  A 400 dollar item.  I think it will be a rough week.  I plan to let her have whatever she wants unless it is harmful.  It is not
my job to change things.  Just be there and keep her safe for a week. 

My baby brother chooses to continue to live in Colorado.  It makes me so sad because he is the only family I have left besides my Aunt Anne in California.  There is no reason why he could not move back to Florida. He is retired.  He just needs to sell his house.  All his other family live over here on the East coast.  His cousins both live in Miami and Hendersonville N.C.  So, why continue to live so far from family.  Maybe I just answered my own question.  Later Gator.  Going AWOL for a week.  Me and brother Ben this past May. In his back yard in Colorado Springs. 

Dog Days of Summer

I believe we are in the middle of them.  I don't want to do anything. I water the flowers and feed the birds at 8am. And after that, I hide in the house in air conditioning.  I am looking forward to Fall. I don't even have any great new photographs to post.  Because we have not been going anywhere so it would just be another butterfly photo or hummingbird. Oh yes, about the hummingbirds. We started out with the Mom and Dad and now we have four. I had to put up a second feeder across the yard under the crepe myrtle tree so they would stop attacking each other.  They are soooo territorial. Not nice birds at all. I love to hold up the feeder from my hand and make them come right up to my face.  I always wear glasses because they have strifed me like a jet.  Trying to scare me, I guess.  It has been so hot, I have to change the sugar water every third day.  Even by then it starts to ferment like wine. 

We have had wild thunderstorms and torrential rains. Then it will dry out.  And get hot again.  Had to take the dog to the Vets. He came home from his trip out West and went into shock from the flea's and heat and humidity.  His skin and fur were perfect out in Montana. Its cool and dry there.  I really would like to move
out there.  But I don't have the say in that matter.  Now the dog is on new flea medicine, a people allergy med called atarax.  I want a puppy.  I think Tiny would be so much happier if we had another dog. He has lost all his friends.  We lost our cat Inky a few weeks ago.  Old age.  Now it's just Tiny and he is lonely 

I made friends with a man in Tombstone Arizona.   He built his own observatory on his land.  I wanted to go and see him when we went through Arizona.  He found out he has terminal cancer. He gave his observatory to a university and established a scholarship in his name.  He expected he would be gone by now as the doctors gave him six months.  But he is still here. He said he is stopping the transfusions so he will go faster.

I wish he could have a miracle.  Doctors don't know everything.  They should not give out those six month things.  Ok, this is all I've got.  I need another road trip.  I want to go up to Maine.  Far far away from this heat and humidity.  I want to walk on a Maine beach and eat lobster and corn on the cob.  Later.

I don't want to be the last to go.

Those were words my mother always said as she got older. Especially from age 80 onward. And so she left before her cousin Irene who was 85. Irene would have probably gone on to make 100 as her own mother did but she had no patience. And she would never wear her hearing aid. So, she did not hear that car coming up as she crossed who did not heed the stop sign.

We left for parts West (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado) about three weeks ago. It was a month long trip. We debated about our cat Inky. She had to be at least 14 (hard to know when they arrive as a stray) and a bit depressed as she had lost her pals Bo and Snowball the year before (two boy cats from the same litter) We had never taken Inky along on trips before. But then, she had always had the company of the other cats. So, a week before our motor home month long trip we took Inky to St. Augustine beach as a test. At first we kept her in the carrier on the way. But on the way home (just an hour drive) we let her loose to wander the motor home. She did very well once camped, seemed a bit anxious on the road but soon found her spot. So we decided to take her on the road. She did fantastic on the entire journey. I think maybe both she and our dachshund Tiny had a bit of trouble in the Montana and Oregon mountains and had to learn to alleviate the pressure in their ears. Tiny yawned finally, not sure how Inky handled it. And on this trip Tiny and Inky bonded. By that I mean, Tiny came into the house late in the game so he was always a bit jealous of Inky. And Tiny wanted a playmate and they were the same size but Inky was not the least bit interested. But on this trip they got closer and closer. Even sharing beds and robes. Maybe they were both scared and thought they would never find their way home. But they bonded. When we came home Inky seemed very happy. But she started refusing food soon after and next refused water. The Vet was unsure of what was going on. I think her kidney's may have been challenged on the long trip. But she was well the entire trip and enjoyed it immensely. Even riding on the front dash on the highway. The other day she passed away quietly in her sleep. No more cats. We had always been a multi cat home. Inky came to us with a mother cat and four kittens. We think Inky was from the previous litter. We found homes for all the kittens. But Mama Kitty and Inky became ours. We already had two brother cats, Bo and Snowball. So that's it. The end of the cats. My husband said he is tired of burying pets. So Tiny. You are the last of the last as my mother would say. May you live long and prosper..

English Country Dancing.

My high school girlfriend asked me to meet her in the next town over, Gainesville, Fl. to try English country dance. I will say the music is beautiful. They have flutist,
and guitar, drums. It is sort of like a waltz with a zippy two step. I took the beginner's lesson before the dance. I made it through the first two hours and then the steps and dances got more intricate and I was wayyyy out of my element/comfort zone. I knew it was time to sit, when a partner said, quit looking at your feet and watch me.
Helen said, Think Jane Austen. These people even have Balls where they dress up in period clothes. I can't imagine my husband every joining me in this. But it was interesting. I might try it again as a group closer to me in Deland, Florida is starting their own group dances. It is also making me want to learn the violin or banjo. It is too hot for June. If this is June, what in the world will August feel like? This must be part of global warming. And I don't like how warm our winter was. I enjoy a bit of chill in December. We are going to take another trip up to Tellico Plains Tennessee to look for a house. We also want to see if it is any cooler up there in July than it is here. Here are a few photographs from the dance. I will try and update more often.

Home Sweet Home

We got back home from our travels on Monday. Boy, I hate unpacking a 31 foot motorhome. I thought my hummingbirds had left me but I saw one this morning. It took me a few days to feed all my flowers and tomatoes and green beans. I had the water timer on them but still they have not grown much but at least they are not dead. I believe Idaho surprised me the most. We only touched the tip tip of Idaho crossing over to Glacier Park from Washington and I never expected to notice the state. The most beautiful mountains and huge rock cliffs. I would like to go back to Idaho and fish or just hang out. Lots of mining towns and poor people. Reminded me of Kentucky. I also read some of the local newspapers and read about what the mines have done to generations of families health.

It will take us the rest of the summer to pay off these gas bills. You almost have to fill the monster every day or two and its over a 100 bucks a wack. Heck I could have gone to England. I loved the wild mustangs at auction in Rawlins Wyoming. And i would love to go back out and buy a foal Maybe one day. Nice to be home. This morning I just sat in my oak woods and appreciated what I have right here in my own backyard. My red birds are starting to come back to the feeders. I really hate to leave home but sometimes you just have to. Later.

Almost Home

We are in Colorado Springs Colorado tonight visiting my baby brother for a few days. We have been to Oregon, Washington,
Montana, Idaho, Wyoming. We missed the Dakota's, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. Maybe the next time. The weather turned to snow in Yellowstone. It was raining in Glacier International Peace Park. But it was still beautiful. I will try over time to post
many photographs from my laptop. But we have terrible wi fi connection in most parks. Slow uploads. Here is Glacier Park and some of Yellowstone.

Golden Gate Bridge and on into Oregon

I believe Oregon coast line is now my favorite. It has the craggiest cliffs, and best tide pools. But requires lots of climbing down and climbing back up. And my knees are not what they used to be. Tonight we are in Gold Beach Oregon. Very pretty. Yesterday we were close to the Oregon state line. We did not drive through the Redwoods national park. Just road alone highway 101 and saw the Redwoods along the highway. We might have to skip some of Washington state coast line and head for Montana so we will have time for Glacier state park. Later. Time to eat my t.v. dinner.