critters, 'shrooms, and a pile of poop!

 this past week it's been cooler in the mornings...in the 60's.

aaaaaah...perfect weather for wandering around 

and traipsing into the woods out back.

no mosquitoes, gnats or ticks.

the hibiscus is still blooming.

 

and the little grasshopper nymphs which i've posted pictures of before...

are munching away...and growing!

 baby Anoles are all over the place. they're pretty skittish...

so you have to be very stealthy when trying to get a picture.

 

here's a Six-lined Race Runner.

i always thought these were the Five Lined skinks.

silly me. i never counted the lines.

they just LOOKED like the adult Five-lined skinks...without the blue tails.

 

here's a Five-lined skink...the blue tail means it's still a juvenile.

anyway, i'm out back...following our path to the wooded area...

 and i see some weird mushrooms!

...and a colony of assorted fungi growing all over an old rotted stump.

the ground is still covered with so many previous years fallen leaves.

the ground is soft with peat...it feels spongy.

some of this years fall colors are already scattered about...

there are so many hidey-holes...and downed trees (mostly from past hurricanes)...

so many places for the nocturnal critters to call home.

i spotted a Long-tailed skipper...

 

and then a Giant Swallowtail...

i saw a chewed up bone...looks to be from a deer...

and a hollowed out...half of a body...Cicada.

a cocoon from the Polyphemus moth...

and what i believe to be Gray Fox scat (berries & fur visible)

here's a picture from back in january...of one of our Grey Fox visitors...

in the back yard.

this post is definitely long enough...i hope i didn't tire you out.

i could do this all day...and when the temp stays cool all day...

this is where i'll be on the weekend!

this NEXT weekend...sam and i (and milo) are going camping

at Suwannee River State Pk.  a much needed get away. 

they have really cool trails there...and we thought we might rent a canoe for the day

since this park is located where the Suwannee & Withlacoochee Rivers meet.

~I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, 

to front only the essential facts of life, 

and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, 

and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.~ 

~Henry David Thoreau, 1854

 OH yeah, when i came out of the woods...Milo...yard manager...was waiting for me!

"uh...did you pay the toll...no, i didn't think so. toll=treat. remember that"

back in february...we found a dead 'possum behind our shed.

we held a nice burial for it.  i wanted to dig it up later...for the bones!

do you remember that? i did a post on it.

first-bloom-critters-both-breathing-and-not

well, i went to dig it up over the weekend...was going to include it here...

but this is long enough.

something to look forward to??!! 

have a safe journey & enjoy the ride.

laura

mushroom with morning dew

fueling the fauna & flora...

with rain.

yesterday afternoon dark clouds started rolling in.

we heard a light drizzle on the skylights and metal roof...

then all of a sudden, a loud crack of thunder and the sky opened up!

it hasn't stopped.

Never run in the rain with your socks on.

~Greenday

can you feel my guilt?   if i could send this rain to other parts of the country...

other parts of  the world...where they're in desperate need...you know i would!

 

 where i live in north central florida 

we have only hit the triple digit temp...as in

"FEELS LIKE 104".

hot & muggy. 

you step outside...immediately start to sweat...and there's no breeze 

to help the sweat cool you off.

but at least we're getting the rain!

soaking into the parched ground without delay.

all the little critters come out to wet their dry mouths.

the plants seem to grow overnight...and the mushrooms just keep popping up.

i've been seeing a lot more young lizards scampering around...

and nymph grasshoppers munching away on the hibiscus.

===

 

the cicada, in its final nymphal stage, sheds its skin...

and emerges as an adult.

  

a mushroom saving some rain water...

 a baby anole

 

a juvenile 'five-lined skink'

you can see how little these skinks are...next to the acorn.

 

even though you can tell this is a baby skink...

the bright blue tail also means that it's a youngster.

a grasshopper nymph

 

i'm not really sure what type of lichen these are 

growing out the sides of the old stump.

 a tiny katydid nymph

 

 a 'gulf fritillary'

i THINK this is a 'fiery skipper'

 

uh.  a mushroom on a mushroom.   tier upon tier.   cauliflower lichen?!  :)

The clearest way into the universe is through a forest wilderness.

~John Muir

AND NOW...i was planning to save this for next time.

but i just can't wait.

that old instant gratification gnawing at me.
share.share.share. now.now.now.

we have nests of Red-shouldered Hawks all around the yard.

this very vocal forest dwelling  hawk...

can be seen and heard all day long.

the young ones dart back and forth in the sky...like they're playing tag.

saturday, we were lucky enough to spot this one out back.

but the back door was closed...as usual.

we carefully slid it open...and the hawk seemed not to care that we were there.

 

 

sunday...just before the rain came storming in...

i went out back to see if i could find any feathers.

 OOOoooooooh.   AAAAaaaaaaaaah.

that's it for now.  

have a delightful day and a week of wonder.

be safe.

 :] laura

Between every two pines is a doorway to a new world.  

~John Muir 

candles for a friend. berries. critters & misspelled sign.

as you know...
life has been just a little hectic lately...
my lip saga...
my friend in hospice...
my client base declining...

well...

these candles are for George.

my friend. 

his body had taken him as far as it could...in THIS journey.

yesterday...as i sat beside him...with one hand on his, and my other on his chest...

he left for another journey.

he went from the hospital to hospice...about a month ago.

i was there with him as much as i could possibly be.

at times...yes...i wondered if i could be doing TOO much.

but can a person do too much at a time like this?

he had no one else. no 'family' came to be with him.

in his final five minutes...in his worn and broken body...he looked so peaceful. 

his face...his breathing...his entire body...seemed to finally relax.

(in the center of the hibiscus)

"Perhaps they are not stars in the sky, 

but rather openings where our loved ones shine down 

to let us know they are happy." 

~ Eskimo Legend

oOo

this morning when i woke up...i felt as though i had a full body headache.

i had planned on getting up early...before dawn...my favorite time of day

to read blogs and work on my own.

BUT...i over slept.

(little green tree frog on wooden post in yard)

yesterday, after i got home from hospice...

and after i lit a candle for George...

sam and i went for a (4-wheeler) drive across the street...into the field.

THAT's always relaxing to me...riding along...feeling the wind in my face.

turning up the dirt and sand road that takes us into the field...
we noticed all the tracks...

(turkey. armadillo. 'possum.)

the wild blackberries are ready for picking now and the field is filled with them!

so after (carefully) picking a few handfuls...

and pulling the thorns out of our hands and jeans...

we took them home, washed 'em...munched on some...

and saved the rest for DRINKS later!

(our fav at home 'mixed' drink: sailor jerry rum & raspberry ice tea

with a squirt of pina colada mix)

NOW we can add a few fresh squished blackberries 

along with a few whole ones to soak up the drink...

for a treat when you get to  the bottom of the glass!

cheers!

today, sam and i are going for a drive.

i think i might stick my head out the window and let my ears flap in the breeze!

aaaaaaaaah.  that sounds so...cleansing...so dog-like.

now...i'll start working on getting things back to...

normal?    hmmmm...what's 'normal' for me. 

oOo

so...i leave you with a few pictures i've taken lately...
and hope you're having a good day!

(little wren making a nest in 'bird house' on front porch)

a very cool looking Anole...with his new 'air brushed' look...

sitting on the screen of our small outdoor 'screen room'.

 this is a newly emerged Cicada.

the nymph sheds it's skin...or molts...

and emerges as an adult Cicada.

found blue jay feathers in the yard.

obviously SOMETHING caught this bird. feathers were everywhere.

it's the way of nature...

(milo....how do you plead????)

this female cardinal in the front yard...looks...surprised!

(gulf fritillary on a yellow lantana)

oOo

 and so...here we are...what you've been waiting for...
ANOTHER  MISSPELLED sign...
E-MAILED TO ME FROM SUSAN at THIS 'n THAT .


please visit her blog for her adventurous day to day goings on,
in and around Victoria, Australia.

she snapped this picture while trying to find a place to park
in the small town of Nimmitabel, which is in New South Wales.

amazing!

and this is a sign obviously printed by the CITY!

from the person who did the type for this...

to the printer...

to the person who screwed it to the pole...

doesn't anyone know how to spell

PARALLEL!!??

YES, i admit it...it's one of those words that you might have to look up...

does it have 2 'R's'  or 2 'L's'???  

well...proofread...especially before it's gone to print!

Thanks Susan!!  this will be added to the 

'misspelled sign' page above.

oOo

'til next time...

"After you have exhausted what there is 

in business, politics, conviviality, and so on- 

have found that none of these finally satisfy or permanently wear-

what remains?   Nature remains."

~Walt Whitman

have a safe journey & enjoy the ride.
:] laura