THE WAY BACK VIEWS

This tree is a favorited of mine-a nice shape now but in the Fall it turns red!  I've never taken the time to see what kind it is, though.

But when Bill and I took a walk the other day, the honey bees were very active around this tree--it was humming! 

 We looked closely and found these 'lily-of-the-valley' shaped flowers and the even smelled lovely!  

I had to google it and I learned it is a wild persimmon tree!!!

My Muscadine grapevine is off to a brilliant start!

And even has some very newly formed bunches!

(look closely!)

The pond, unfortunately, is shrinking! 

 We just had our first measurable rain in 6 weeks! 

 I am hoping for a normal rainy season this summer

 to bring all our water levels up.

The Elderberry trees have all bloomed 

but their little berries dried and fell off without the rain. 

 I'm hoping that the recent rainfall will help the late berries!

The aloe are happy and so are the hummers who visit it!

This rose bush is from Bill's Mom who planted it at her winter home here in FL many years ago.  When the house was sold,

 Bill took the root ball and has nursed it back to health!  

It is stunning! (6' TALL)    

Bill has also cultivated several large plots like this for vegetables and it was very happy for the rain,  also! 

 We are eating radishes from it already!

 

AN AFTER DINNER WALK

It's that time of year--when the tangerines are just about ready to eat fresh off the tree!

After dinner, we took a nice walk to the 'way out back' to see if those cleredendrum berries are ripe (they are but more on that another day) but I was surprised to see the pond so low!  It hasn't been this low since 2018!  Bill dug this pond over a water source so it doesn't go dry but it can get low! The pond is about 100' long and 50' wide.  The tarp in the middle is a solar panel which shelters the minnows when we have those random winter freezes.

Another reason for our walk is because we are puppy-sitting again but let me make it clear, we don't do much sitting when he is here!  He is a very ACTIVE dog!  

I thought you would like to see my Maple trees--they don't lose their leaves until December.

But it was a very mild month and some of the trees still have quite a few leaves.

But they are also growing their new leaves--see those little red mousy ears at the tips of all of the branches!  That means it is almost January!
 

A WALK

The humidity let go and I was able to take a walk after dinner. 

 My Muscadine grapevine produced no fruit sadly

 but does form a beautiful arch for the setting sun!

The mystery 'bush' at 10' tall is blooming! 

 I still can't find a name to put to it!

The area on the end of the stalk is 18" of flower!  They are so delicate and dance in the wind!  And the beauty continues because these will all become large blue 'bulbs' tight to the stem.

 I will keep my eye out so I don't miss it!

The path invites you to come around the corner 

and see what's new at the pond.

And today, it was a Lesser Blue Heron (Egretta Caerulea).  

JUST A SATURDAY!

That second quilt was finished and now both go home to be bound!  We sure had fun in the studio this week!  I love working with my daughter; creating, laughing and working through the hard things and the joys of this life.

Later in the day, Maverick needed some serious energy-eating activity so we rode in the golf cart and he ran, ran, ran around us in large circles!  Such a happy, beautiful pup.

I finally got to see this shrub up close (remember, I've been marooned in a health cocoon for 10 months!) AND was able to get a photo and google it--called a Cat's Claw Vine or Esperanza.  A 5' shrub loaded with these large clusters of flowers!

The turtle oases set apart from mowing in the halfway mark from the house to the pond--about 400' from the back of the house and another 400' to the pond!

When back to the house and after hosing off a pond-dripping dog, he took a nap and Goose had a good game of fetch with his mousey.  He loves this box where he can escape the 'loving' ministrations of his big brother, Maverick!!!  Here he is emerging....

and he likes to take his 'capture' to Abigail for approval!  

 

INSIDE AND OUT!

I couldn't find any border fabric the other day so I cut up the last 17" of white into 7 strips to make a plain border.  Sometimes done is the best decision.  But instead of then sewing it all into a top, I played with something else!

I tackled the FQ Club fabric to make a table runner.  I began by drawing some ideas using the Hunter Star die from Accuquilt.

I cut up a strip from each of the 6 fat quarters to play around. I wanted to go for a scrappy looking block.

Yuck!  It was too chaotic!

I tried reducing it to the two colors like a Hunter Star is known for and I am still not happy with it.  I might have to introduce some kind of neutral.  I walked away for now.

Instead, David took me out back for a ride on the golf card!  There were storm clouds gathering for the afternoon storm but we did have a good ride before it hit!  

The bananas are growing.

And I love my tunnel under the live oaks!  We came in and tuned in for another LOTR extenteded ediition movie--The Two Towers !  A good day!

 

A VISIT TO MY WILDERNES

So many of the banana trees are flourishing despite a few frosted tips already.  There has been flooding again, 

for the fifth year in a row.  They say it is a 50 year cycle

 but I hope this cycle won't last 50 years!

Some of the trees are sending out new flowers--that 12" reddish cone near the top of the photo is the bloom.  The stalk will continue to lengthen and above the flower, there will appear little 'fingers' that will soon form a large bunch of bananas!

Here is a clump of bananas that is growing well on its stalk.

  They take four months to ripen!

The Maple trees are already putting out their little squirrel ears!  Maple leaves start and end their journey in such a pretty color!

You can see how strange this area looks compared to a few years ago when it was all green mowed grass.  Now most of the Pine and Maple trees are gone from the area.  The bare tree on the left is a Cypress which loses its needles over the winter but it is alive and well for it is a swamp dweller!  If you look closely, you can see an egret in the center of the photo in the water.

They are among the many birds which are thrilled with the additional wetlands!  We try to enjoy the changes for a number of reasons.  We do have to admit to seeing the beauty!

These are the flowers on one stalk from an aloe plant.

We have so many aloe planted around the bases of palm trees

 so the flowers are appreciated year round.

The Camellias continue to bloom-this one is about 6' across.

 A real show-off!

The morning started off with heavy rain but by noon the sun was out and it hit 80F and it was hard to let the weather so unappreciated so we savored a good visit.

HARVESTING

I didn't pick these gourds, but I did make them! 

 I made these on the knitting machine using dropped stitches to make the chain cables.  The smaller one is about 4 1/2" and from the 40 needle machine and the larger one from the 48 Sentro is 6" tall. 

 I want to make a bunch more in grey now!

Aren't these guys sweet? 

 The are 2 1/2" tall--little octupi, in case you wondered!

The loufa is ready for picking, skinning and using! 

 I didn't have to wade into the wet area to pick it 

but I did step in an ant's nest and did a bit of a frantic

 jig to get rid of the millions (well, maybe 100) ants!

  Gratefully, I had sneakers on 

and wasn't in flip flops for a change!!!!

Bill did have to wade out a bit to pick this bunch of bananas! 

It is a very large bunch 

which he will take to church today to share with others!

A GOLF CART RIDE

First thing we had a drive to church-me to help decorate for our church anniversary celebration on Sunday--37 years!  After a good pizza lunch and a few errands, we were home and took a ride on the golf cart to see how the back of the property fared.  This is the cassia in bloom.  A bit flattened but still blooming!

I think this view would make a good puzzle!  

If you look dead center, you will see the egret which has moved in!

We also found this lady quite a ways from the pond to lay eggs....she is a Painted Turtle. About 15" across her shell.

There's still quite a bit of yard pick-up happening but again we are thankful not have been in the cross hairs of that hurricane!