A Snowbird in Paradise

Rose was "Quite a Gardener". That is the first thing I heard about our neighbor before I ever came down here. When I asked her about this plant or that she just laughed and said it was something pretty. If it had a flower, she loved it. Among the tangle of native plants, she had an extensive collection of orchids. I have been reading up on cultivation of orchids and she didn't do ANY of those things, but her orchids, in pots of sand, shoved under bushes, flourished.

About a year ago Rose passed away. Her two adult children from back in Ohio cleared out the house and left furniture and other amenities in case friend or family wanted to stay for a little vacation. All of the orchids were put out by the street with a sign asking passers-by to give them good homes.

The rest of the tangle of native plants has kept growing and growing until they began to push through the screen of the pool enclosure. Today we called and received permission to prune back around the screen house. Above is how it looked when we started. Below are a couple of pictures of the finished landscaping and one of the two truckloads of prunings we took to the dump.

One of the things I missed most about the springs right after the hurricanes of '04 was the scent of orange blossoms. Several mornings ago I awoke to a breeze out of the West that was so heavy with orange blossom scent I just sat up and inhaled again and again. Heaven must smell like this! For the last week the scent wafts in and out as the winds shift. How can I share this in the blog?

I can't...not really. My friend Judy said it smelled like Hawaii. I was never there so I can't relate to that. The lady staying in our neighbor's house for a couple of weeks came down to the waters edge and asked me what it WAS that smelled so sweet.

I missed that scent the first couple of years after the hurricanes of '04. Indian River County groves had suffered losses of most of the trees around the perimeters of the groves. The interior trees were so damaged that it took until '08 to recover. I don't remember the scent being this pronounced. Maybe it is the windy days we are having, or the trees just laden with blossoms but this year it IS remarkable.

On my (mental) list of ambitions was "To take a photo of an armadillo." Sunday we drove around the Fellsmere area (Florida) and back along a sand road through some marsh park. Now I have seen Armadillos along the I-95 as we drove back and forth from the airport in Orlando, but you just don't ask a driver in that traffic to stop so you can get a photo. This time we could.
I didn't get my new Canon Rebel XTi until the next day but I didn't think this photo was too shabby for a little Canon PowerShot ELPH.
FROM WIKIPEDIA:
Armadillos are small placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. The Dasypodidae are the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one".
There are approximately 10 extant genera and around 20 extant species of armadillo, some of which are distinguished by the number of bands on their armor. Their average length is about 75 centimeters (30 in), including tail; the Giant Armadillo grows up to 1.5 m (5 ft) and weighs 59 kg (130 lbs), while the Pink Fairy Armadillos are diminutive species with an overall length of 12–15 cm (4–5 in). All species are native to the Americas, where they inhabit a variety of environments.
In the United States, the sole resident armadillo is the Nine-banded Armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), which is most common in the central southernmost states, particularly Texas. Their range is as far east as South Carolina and Florida and as far north as Nebraska; they have been consistently expanding their range over the last century due to a lack of natural predators and have been found as far north as Illinois and Indiana.

Habitat and anatomy
Armadillos are prolific diggers. Many species use their sharp claws to dig for food, such as grubs, and to dig dens. The Nine-banded Armadillo prefers to build burrows in moist soil near the creeks, streams, and arroyos around which it lives and feeds. The diet of different armadillo species varies, but consists mainly of insects, grubs, and other invertebrates. Some species, however, are almost entirely formicivorous (feeding mainly on ants).[citation needed]
Armadillos have poor vision. The armor is formed by plates of dermal bone covered in relatively small, overlapping epidermal scales called "scutes", composed of bone with a covering of horn. In most species, there are rigid shields over the shoulders and hips, with a number of bands separated by flexible skin covering the back and flanks. Additional armor covers the top of the head, the upper parts of the limbs, and the tail. The underside of the animal is never armored, and is simply covered with soft skin and fur.[1]
This armor-like skin appears to be the main defense of many armadillos, although most escape predators by fleeing (often into thorny patches, from which their armor protects them) or digging to safety. Only the South American three-banded armadillos (Tolypeutes) rely heavily on their armor for protection. When threatened by a predator, Tolypeutes species frequently roll up into a ball. Other armadillo species cannot roll up because they have too many plates. The North American Nine-banded Armadillo tends to jump straight in the air when surprised, and consequently often collides with the undercarriage or fenders of passing vehicles.[2]
Armadillos have short legs but can move quite quickly, and have the ability to remain underwater for as long as six minutes. Because of the density of its armor, an armadillo will sink in water unless it inflates its stomach and intestines with air, which often doubles its size and allows it to swim across narrow bodies of water.[3]
Armadillos use their claws for digging and finding food, as well as for making their homes in burrows. They dig their burrows with their claws, only making a single corridor where they fit themselves. They have five clawed toes on the hindfeet, and three to five toes with heavy digging claws on the forefeet. Armadillos have a large number of cheek teeth, which are not divided into premolars and molars, but usually have incisors or canines.
Gestation lasts anywhere from 60 to 120 days, depending on species, although the nine-banded armadillo also exhibits delayed implantation, so that the young are not typically born for eight months after mating. Most members of the genus Dasypus give birth to four homozygous young (that is, identical quadruplets), but other species may have typical litter sizes that range from one to eight. The young are born with soft leathery skin, which hardens within a few weeks, and reach sexual maturity in 3-12 months, depending on the species. Armadillos are solitary animals, that do not share their burrows with other adults.[1]

Bad News #1 - Southern Camera in Melbourne called that they had received the package from Canon and a note that they could NOT repair it. The parts and labor would cost more than a new camera. I asked the price of a new camera and, of course, the one like mine (2 years old) isn't being made any more so I would have to upgrade to one out of my price range.

Good News - An internet search turned up exactly my camera NEW through Amazon.com and to Cameta Camera in New York. I sucked it up and paid. It will have a basic lens, but I will have to wait 3 more weeks for my daughter to bring my other lenses down here to me so...bought it.

Bad News #2 - I checked the mailing confirmation when it arrived in my email inbox and discovered that the camera was being mailed to the Michigan address. MY MISTAKE, probably. I called UPS and found the package hadn't been picked up yet. Promptly at 9 the next morning I called Cameta Camera. The lady checked for me and said the parcel had been picked up at 4 AM. They could call UPS, have it brought back, and ship it to the right address. BUT they would have to charge me two more shipping fees.

I decided to let the camera go on to the house in Michigan. My son will grab it as soon as it is delivered, take it across the street to my Step-son who will give it to his buddy's wife who works for UPS and she will reship it to me. I might have it by next Friday.

We have had some young Sand Hill Cranes hanging about last winter and this. We wondered where they went when they matured because adults were just not here. The young ones are loud LOUD! They keep up their squaking even at night, making sleep with the windows open iffy.

Today while I was wandering around lookng at plants, there was an unfamiliar call coming from the sky. As I looked up I recognized the softer sound of an adult Sand Hill. It was circling and calling in circles that came closer and closer to the lake. Finally there was an answering call from the lake and the flying bird widened its circle and landed somewhere in the vacinity of the lake.

I heard no more. An hour or more later, I was searching for turtles on the little beaches across the bay. Woa! Suddenly I was staring at two adult Sand Hills. I grabbed my little Canon Powershot ELPH and went all the way down to the seawall without upsetting the pair. My favorite shot is above.

Now I can only hope they decide to nest near us.