I'm In!

One box/bag at a time, that's what it takes to move a short distance. It took two loaded car trips and one wrap up trip to get everything moved. That would include 50 or so trips up and down these stairs to get everything inside...I kept running the thought "this is good for my legs and butt" through my head to keep me going.

And here I am, settling in and loving this place.This is my back porch rocker that came with the place; the pillows are new, I bought them especially for this purpose. I posted this on Facebook (if you're on FB and want to be friends, send me a friend invitation), asking for input about what color to paint the chair, and decided I may very well leave it with the rustic "sandy, weathered look" that a few friends suggested. 

I was tickled when I discovered that the armchair in the dining room is the same color scheme...it definitely wasn't a conscious decision, but I'm happy with the way it turned out (the rocker is just on the other side of the sliding door).

This is what I look at when I sit on the rocker. It's been extremely warm and humid here, so the time I've spent outside is limited right now. I did take a dip in the salt water pool we have, (I say we, this is a duplex, but I haven't met my neighbor yet), and it was extremely refreshing. 

I was tickled when I arrived; this rose welcome was in the guest bath. Quite creative and it put a big smile on my face!

 This beauty joined me early Saturday morning.

 And this Blue Jay seemed very happy that I put bird seed out.

These are the only bags and boxes I have left to unpack. The kitchen & my bedroom, bath and closet have been completely organized (LOL, I sorted my clothes by type and even color coordinated some of it). That makes me very happy.  

This is the kitchen, spacious and bright (well, not at this time of day, the blinds are closed to keep the sun out), and has lots of working counter space.

As I unpacked, I came across this horseshoe that Johny found in the garden. I need to hang it up; I think I'll install it above the front door. In the meantime, it's sitting on the kitchen counter, collecting all that good luck. 

Life is good, gratitude fills my days. I do miss Johny, Pogo and Fluffy, but they'll be back!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

Look At That Garden

While Johny was visiting, he spent lots of time checking on the weather in case he had to ask a friend of ours to go water the garden. He was relieved as each day passed and rain graced the garden frequently while he was here, in fact so much so that he became a little concerned that there might be too much rain (we had that problem last year).  When he arrived at the cabin on Monday this week, he was thrilled to find that everything was growing beautifully and all the rain did the garden good, (including the weeds.) He spent a lot of time weeding after he took these photos...

...corn...

...lettuce...

 ...salsify...

...squash...

...and turnips...

...I can't wait until he comes back and brings me a goody bag.  Both Johny and I are looking forward to seeing each other again in mid July. We're meeting in Knoxville for the weekend as I head to a conference in Tennessee the following week. A mini vacation for both of us and I'll be able to enjoy some of these awesome organic veggies he's nurturing!

This is the sunset that welcomed him home, I do miss that view and can't wait to see it with my own two eyes again! I'm hoping to make that happen in early September.

I've gotten back into my routine since Johny, Pogo and Fluffy left. Work continues to be extremely rewarding, and my life here is quite enjoyable. I spent this morning drinking coffee at Crystal Beach, 

and watching this fiddler crab scurry about.

I'm excited that next weekend, I move into my new place; my next post will be from there! Ah, life is good:)

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

It's Been A Great Visit

It's been a great week with Johny, Pogo and Fluffy still visiting. Seems like the time has flown by.

Tuesday Johny and I celebrated our 8th Anniversary. We had a great evening dining at Massimos, an eclectic fine dining experience that lived up to its reputation. I do believe Johny was most impressed that Massimo, the Chef, was once the personal chef for Sophia Loren. He actually came to our table when Johny asked to chat with him a bit; it was a very nice conversation.

Later in the week we took Pogo to Crystal Beach; his first time. He seemed to enjoy it but never ventured into the water. I liked this photo but the lens was still foggy...

...Pogo didn't seem to mind the seaweed or the sand, and was loving all the smells.

It was a beautiful sunset, even though it was overcast...

Saturday we went to downtown Dunedin and enjoyed walking along the quaint downtown. I though this bougainvillaea arbor was amazing...look at the size of it!

We also saw this flower in one of the yards. It was most unusual but I have no idea what it is. Do you?

We also played pool in the Club House. We weren't very good but we had fun.

Today we celebrated Father's Day with my Dad, Donald, my brother Roger and my Aunt Luci. We started out at Birch & Vine. Unfortunately a transformer blew resulting in a a massive power outage there (effecting their electric grid specifically) and though we tried to wait it out, we ended up at 400 Beach down the road. We did enjoy the buffet and were glad they could accommodate, with all Birch & Vine's patrons having to find an alternative. I do hope they were able to recoup some of their losses from the day; it looked like they were still powerless (in more ways than one) when we finished with our brunch.  

I thought I'd share a photo of this continuously blooming orchid...the common name is butterfly...I can see why...

After we all went our separate ways, Johny and I stopped at Haslam's Bookstore, Florida's largest new and used book store. I stocked up on various Florida flower, bird and nature books so I can study my surroundings. The one red flower I showed you previously isn't in any of the books, which leads me to believe it isn't a Florida native. 

And that's a wrap! Tomorrow, Johny and gang will be heading to the river house for a couple days, and then back to the cabin. He's quite happy that it's been raining quite a bit at the cabin while he's been here, so the garden should be in good shape (he'll probably have lots of weeds to pull though). It's been great to have them here, and I'm already looking forward to their next visit. Until then, I'll miss them!

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,

Lise

Feels A Little Like Being Newlyweds

Johny arrived safely Friday evening. Pogo and Fluffy were elated to finally be released from the confines of the truck but a little apprehensive with the unfamiliar surroundings, so we spent some time helping them become accustomed to my new place. Needless to say, Johny and I were very happy to be in each others arms again. We decided to get a pizza delivered (a luxury our mountain cabin life doesn't offer) which would accompany just picked lettuce from the garden.

It was absolutely delightful...tender crunchy leaves of lettuce perfection. Better than anything you can buy in the store, including organic. I guess he'll just have to visit more often!

We spent Saturday familiarizing Johny with my new neighborhood. I showed him: the new temporary place in Crystal Beach that I'll move into at the end of this month, Crystal Beach, we walked along the Pinellas Trail (it was too hot for Pogo, he's not used to this FL heat, so we'll be walking very early morning or late evening from now on), we went to my office, we drove around and we met friends for dinner. Today we went to the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks and moseyed around enjoying the small Greek community. We also drove to Tampa to go to Trader Joe's, a cool grocery store that's fun to visit but getting into and out of their parking lot is a nightmare!

We've now returned home and are relaxing. Pogo's been walked (poor guy, the ground is so hot he trots to get back quickly, but doesn't like walking in the grass)...

...and Fluffy's enjoying her new cat nip toy.

I have to admit, absence does seem to make the heart grow fonder! Johny and I have been enjoying every moment together, finding joy in every moment, giggling and laughing and kissing and holding hands. We may not look like newlyweds, it feels like it. Makes this new journey I'm on all the better. And yes, I'm enjoying work and my role tremendously. 

With all that said, time to go. My husband is patiently waiting...

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise

A Few Visitors and A Garden Update

It's been an awesome week. I'm settling in to my life here and enjoying it very much. I continue to feel incredibly grateful and fortunate. Here's a taste of the week...

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into my office this week by this pair of Red-shouldered Hawks sitting on the light post. I was even more pleased when Eileen (my boss) told me they hang around the retention pond behind our building, but this was the first time she saw them together.

Johny's been sharing pictures of the garden...it's doing quite well. Two things haven't grown, the mache (bummer, we both would really enjoy having fresh mache) and some of the squash seeds. But everything else is growing beautifully...

...beans...

...lettuce...

 ...potatoes...

...spinach...

...turnips...

...and tomatoes he has growing in pots on the deck (for two years they haven't grown well in the garden, so we decided to try something different this year).

It's too bad things won't be ready for harvesting when he comes for a visit next week, but the next visit will definitely include a care package!

Besides the hawks visiting me outside my office window, Johny's had a couple visitors too. This black snake has decided to call our cabin home...

...which is a good thing because black snakes keep the rodent population under control!

There's also been a hummingbird nectar crook. Johny was refilling a low hanging feeder every day. He knew something wasn't right because it would be full at night and empty in the morning (the hummingbirds don't feed at night), so he set up the critter cam and caught the rascal...

...this raccoon would come, reach up to the feeder and tilt it to drink the nectar. Johny solved the problem by raising the feeder, I hope the raccoon doesn't find something else to feast upon!

I'm excited to share that Johny, Pogo and Fluffy are coming to visit beginning next Friday. I'm looking forward to sharing this new area with him, and exploring together. You'll hear all about our adventures. Until then...

Thanks for reading my blog, see you next week,
Lise