In the Service of Her Majesty The Queen

Apologies to Ted, the rest of the world that heads to bed, anyone who feels slighted.

 

Morning person? It's not so bad. After awhile you get used to it and can still stay up late (most of the time :eyebrow.

Thanks for the congrats! It's been a struggle but worth it to see the results. He knows to keep up the good work and good things will happen. If not.... well he's been down that road many times already.

 

I saw the red cardinal today, so it escaped the owl last night. It flew into a neighbor's blooming rhododendron bush and got lost among the flowers, both sharing similar colors. I think it was looking for water. I haven't seen the female today and hope she wasn't the owl's victim.

The birds like the bird feeder. When I come out to the porch, they fly off, sit in a tree, chide me for being there, click click click. One decided to risk it and ate from the far side of the feeder, popping up it's head every so often to check me out. Another joined, but didn't stay long.

The lizards are out, so are the bees and caterpillars.

I like lizards. One lizard, the type that changes color to match the background, but not a chameleon, took a mad leap off the porch railing to the floor, then off into a nearby bush. Don't know if it was trying to get a bug (lizards are really hungry this time of year) or frightened by the shadow of a bird flying over it. Who can tell what's in the mind of a lizard? I still like them, beady eyes and all.

The bees are hungry, too, and aggressive. I don't like insects. Period. But I don't seem to mind the little jumping spiders, cat spiders they call them here. Today, one pounced around by the front door all morning. I watched a jumping spider catch ants (they are out, too) last year. Very strategic, she was, but she never messed with the fire ants. Nothing does that I know of.

A good day...warm, clear, cold enough in the morning to keep the day from scorching.

My mind, my emotions, paired with the weather...warm and clear.

Another early nightly mission:

To all those who go to sleep (look at an earlier post if you're waking up):

Throw away the stuff in your head
that boggles you and drags you down,
don't take it with you to bed.

Instead, take a warm thought,
put it where you can find it
if you need it, close to your heart.

Wake up tomorrow, everyone!

G'Night.

 

Wonderful to hear, Scry!

Hope everyone's night on the top side of the world was a restful one and everyone's morning on the flip side is a good one!

 

Clear when I first sit on the porch, the sun soon warms the dew on the grass and trees, and the air becomes full of mist. It will not last.

The sparrows click away at me, waiting for me to leave so they can get to the seeds in
the feeder, some nearly hover in front of me. I see 4 male red cardinals, but no females. The males chase each other. A lone dove, I think it is -- not a pigeon, but I am not sure -- visits the driveway, looking for seeds the other birds have missed. A flock of crows lands on the yard across the way, I count 25. They are not noisy as is their wont, but busy themselves with eating whatever they find in the grass.

The neighbor has a bird bath in her yard, and I see a birds take a quick bath, a squirrel take a drink. Every morning, like clockwork, the same neighbor raises her blinds, cracks the windows to catch the early air. A Floridian, bred and born, I think. As regular as she is with the windows, I think her house is spotless and am glad she has never seen mine.

The squirrels tease a cat I have never seen before. Orange and white, with long hair, it is pretty. It lies on the grass, sinking lower and lower, wanting the squirrels badly, I think. I don't believe I've ever seen a cat capture a squirrel.

Good Morning, everyone on this side of the earth!

I hope you all rose or rise from sleep today!

I hope your day goes well.

Good night to everyone else.

 

Taking a quick smoke break on luch, watching the downpours.

Ever notice how the sound of rain sounds like steaks sizzling on a grill?

It'll be dropping, temp wise, tonite. Another fun morning of not only avoiding pot holes but icy patches as well. Such is life.

 

The sun hies to the bottom of the horizon, chased by what I take to be Venus, but maybe it is Mercury...I think I read that Mercury transits the sun.

The squirrels are all in their beds, except for one errant squirrel who wends his way up one of the live oaks to get to his nest. I watch the birds flit from place to place, searching for the one perfect branch, their perch for the night. I wonder where the owl is...I saw it flying yesterday morning when I was up so awfully early, flapping to the northern range of trees. A small flock of ducks fly overhead, heading NE toward a small lake in that area. The buzzards circle in the distance, then break up and head the same direction, one by one.

A fat moon climbs the trees. According to one site, it is exactly full at the moment I type this. Heh, I am prescient. I love the full moon.

Life was good, today. It feels good tonight, too.

 

I don't think rain sounds that way here in Florida.

Is your area flooding?

Good luck with the ice, tomorrow morning!

 

To all who soon will sleep (sorry, other half of the world)

The Nightly Mission:

As on the way to sleep you go,
bring no worry, no fret or woe,
and instead of counting sheep
dream sweetly, and rest your soul.

Rise in the morning, fresh and clear.

G'Night!

(I am getting sillier and sillier with these things!)

 

How does rain sound in Florida? :gotmyatte

No, thankfully. Areas to the West and Northeast of us, including the city proper, got the flooding, but overall it's not too bad.

We're lucky, our house sits quite higher than the rest in our area, with good slopes on each side. It would probably take a near biblical flood before we were affected. :eyebrow:

A belated thank you! Made it in to work OK (obviously :biggergri ). LOTS of heavy winds and COLD! Thankfully it's only around for a day or two, then we warm back up!

 

Nah, I don't think so. Brings a smile to my face when I see these in the morning when I get in. Nice way to start the day! :thumbsup:

 

I am up at my usual time this morning, late for most, I suppose.

The squirrels are also late risers, nothing missed there, but I do miss the waking of the birds...

The little birds that come to the feeder chide me again for being on the porch, so close to the feeder, and swoop and flutter back and forth, almost landing in spite of my presence. Soon, I think it will not matter much to them if I am there, as long as I don't move suddenly, as they get closer and closer to settling on the feeder railing that serves as a perch.

I pair of cardinals, male and female sit in the dogwood tree, eyeing the feeder. I need to buy some raw sunflower seeds for them, mix them with the other seed. I do like cardinals, would like to keep them close if I can.

I see a pair of crows mate in the neighbor's bush, the straggly ugly bush that I do not like. It is the first time I've seen birds mate.

Last night, a black cat walks past on the driveway, followed by a white cat about 10 paces, people paces, not cat paces, behind. They hurry across the cul-de-sac pavement, sit under the neighbor's car. The half grown kitten, my immediate neighbor's cat, is also out and curious about the others. Cats hold conclaves sometimes. I've seen them gather at night, sit around doing whatever cats do when they gather like that. No fighting, so it isn't a female in heat that brings them. Another mystery.

The lady across the way has already lowered her windows when I get up, go out to the porch. She used to sit on her stairs and smoke, I haven't seen her do that for some time. She may sit on her back porch now. The woman next door, the one who waves and passes conversation my way, the one I helped jump her car, was standing on her stairs, smoking last night. I've never seen her smoke before and wonder what assails her to pick up smoking, even as I did. I'll ask her next time I see her.

The day will be warm, even hot today.

Good morning to all who rise...I hope your day goes well.

G'Night to those on the other side of the earth.

 

The sun sets again, to rise and bring morning on the other side of the world.

My porch lizard scoots about, freezing when I stand up. He is not quite as skinny as the other day. Last year, there were several of them, this year, so far only one.

I see the little bird that I think is blue...once again, I cannot tell for sure. I wish it would get closer. All the birds are seeking their branches on which they will spend the night. I rarely hear them sing in the evening.

The live oaks closest to my house, and one that stands alone across the way, are losing all their leaves. I thought they were done, but the frost the other night seems to have killed off most of their leaves, and they litter my yard. The ones behind them are green. Perhaps it is the drought that makes the leaves fall, trees in the semi-tropics estivate.

The little girl that lives next door walks by, wears shorts, a teeshirt and has a belt slantwise across her hips. Her hips sway, the first time I have seen her do that; I wonder if it is the belt or the boys down the street. Probably the boys, country girls grow up fast.

I don't remember how old I was when my hips started swaying, but I do not think I was that young. Times change...

Another good day...I could get used to this, yes.

 

Wonderful to hear, Scry! Hope you have many more days like that!

It's FREEZING here in Chi-Town. The North wind roars, making it damn unbearable to enjoy the the moonrise. Looking East, the Moon was quite full, low in the sky, and just ever so obscured by thin clouds. If I'm lucky, I'll be greeted with it again when I leave for work tomorrow.

There was ACTUAL light in the sky early this morn! In a few days I'll be able to get back the additional light I missed, prior to the time change, to avoid those f***ing pot holes! Those things freakin' DISAPPEAR in the shadows of pre-dawn!

Not sure if my skill (read: luck) at dodging them will hold out much longer.

Oh, great, just jinxed myself! Perfect!

Stay warn and cozy to all those in the frigid Northern hemisphere! To those in the South, umm.. well, have a great day. (don't know what your weather's like ATM, there down under).