Cala del Zorro

A couple of y'all have made comments that reminded me I haven't told y'all much about our place here in the national forest. We're sitting on just under 18 acres in a national forest. (FC, it only sounds a lot bigger, coz the woods are too thick in back to go straight through - have to drive around and approach the back off the next road.) When we bought it, about 1/3 was cleared. We've since let nature take back about half that area. The deer and birds love having a place to hide and Duller loves having less to mow.


We named our little piece of Florida Cala del Zorro, which means Fox Creek. When we first moved here, we saw foxes quite often. But they stopped coming around when we got a dog. The coons haven't been discouraged, though. The brazen little hussies don't even bother to run away from our trash cans when she looks out the back door and barks her fool head off at them. They even stay on the job when we open the door and yell at them. The deer enjoy the clover growing on top of our septic tank and the bunnies graze everywhere. We've occasionally sensed the presence of a skunk. We had to get a trap from animal control when one took up residence under the house. It turned out to be a young Spotted Skunk and was adopted by a skunk-loving family. The only other animal we've had to trap was a Nine-banded Armadillo. He also thought under our house was the perfect spot for his own. Oh, and we've seen bear tracks in the driveway, but still haven't spotted the bear.

This is the view from my window by the computer. It's a lot prettier in warmer seasons when the grass is green and wildflowers are blooming. 8-}

Out back, it's just an extension of the forest. There's a narrow trail leading back to a small seasonal creek. Lots of Buckwheat trees, Titis and Pinxter azaleas edge the path. The trail used to continue on the other side of the creek, but it hasn't been mowed in... well, quite a while. I'm hoping I can convince Duller to cut it again before we move. There's a lovely clearing about halfway back with a beautiful Live Oak in the center. On the other side, at the edge of the woods, there's a sinkhole that was once used as a watering hole for cattle. A bit further back, I can see the tops of several cypress trees. I'm trying to talk Duller into clearing a path back to them.



Up front, we're shielded from the road by palmettos and pines. One Live Oak sits up there, shading a nice, shamefully under-used picnic spot. About halfway across the 'yard' is our tree island. If we had young children, the center would be the perfect hideout. It's like a little cave room. I planted some hostas in there, thinking the deer wouldn't venture in. Well, the rabbits weren't so shy. >8 Across the driveway are several Hog Plums and one Dogwood.

Each year, nature rewards us with more wildflowers. About 3-4 years ago, we finally started seeing Blue Curls, one of my very favourites. Now they're everywhere. The Wisteria is slower to spread, but we see a little more each year. I was hoping we'd have Horsemint and Buttonbushes by now, but they haven't made it quite this far up the road yet. There's no shortage of wild blackberries. Over the years, our delight over those has drastically diminished. They're almost as bad as Kudzu. There are blueberries of some sort, as well. We have yet to specifically identify those or to actually eat any. The critters have always beat us to them. Among the other regulars are Crotolaria, False Foxglove, Saint Andrew's Cross, Meadow beauty, Cypress Vine, and Scarlet Morning Glory.

OK, now that I've reminded myownself of all the things I love about this place, I don't want to move! Reckon I could convince Duller to commute that 3 hours twice a day? Or keep staying with his mother during the week and driving back over here on weekends? 8-}


Y'all have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^