Mystery solved

Well, I didn't think anybody was going to get it this week, but KellyRae sneaked in at the last minute. Yep, it's a Muscovy Duck. Ugly ain't they? Muscovies are not natives, though there are those who want them declared such. (Go figger). Admittedly, they're not quite as perturbing as some introductees, they can be a nuisance and do interfere, to some degree, with some of our native species.

Monday Morning Mystery

Southron Sunday - quotes from the WoNA

Today, 26 April, is Confederate Memorial Day, a
a legal and public holiday in the state of Florida.


'Surrender means that the history of this heroic struggle will be written by the enemy; that our youth will be trained by Northern school teachers; will learn from Northern school books their version of the War; will be impressed by all the influences of history and to regard our gallant dead as traitors, and our maimed veterans as fit subjects for derision.' - Gen. Pat Cleburne, CSA

Florida Factoid Friday

The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens at Delray Beach is the only museum in the United States dedicated exclusively to the living culture of Japan.

New giveaway(s) at 5 Minutes for Mom

Just click on the button below or in my sidebar and check out the AbFab prizes being offered! But don't enter the HP Mini 1000 PC giveaway, coz I need that, lol!



Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

Mystery solved

Well, I thought this one would be just a bit harder than usual, but that FloridaCracker dude is just too dawgawn good!


One of my very favourite subjects is the roseate spoonbill. This one was quite a surprise, standing in a retention pond in a very upscale subdivision. He ignored me for a while.

After a couple dozen shots, he reckoned he'd had enough. The look, it seems, is universal.

Monday Morning Mystery

Southron Sunday - quotes from the WoNA

.

'If I thought this war was to abolish slavery,

I would resign my commission,

and offer my sword to the other side.'

-- Ulysses S. Grant

.

Florida Factoid Friday

In 1880, the South Florida Railroad completed a line from Sanford to Orlando. A flag stop was established at Snowville or Snows Station, where the railroad crosses SR436. By 1886, the line connected New York City to Tampa via Altamonte. The community of Snowville, for tourists reasons, became Altamonte Station and finally Altamonte Springs, when a spring was found on the southwest shore of Lake Adelaide.

Riverwalk

While Withlacoochee River North is flooding, Withlacoochee South is experiencing a different phase. It's odd to realize that, while we've been getting so much rain, there are still drought conditions just a few hours south. On our way home from Clearwater, we made a short stop at Silver Lake Recreation Area in Hernando County. Last time we were here, there were several limpkins working the edge of the river. this time, only two young ibis scoured the few remaining puddles.

Riverwalk

The Bridge on the River Dry

River bed

River bottom

Gator-TV

A quick trip to the refuge yesterday turned into a 3-hour linger. And a quick library upload today turned into a hair-twisting frustration when I couldn't, for love nor money, get the photobucket code to stick. And now I'm having to very slowly type each letter, as there is some weird delay thing going on. So, no more words for now...

HEAD GATOR

TAIL GATOR

PS - I caught another video of a pugilistic towhee, but it's kinda big for us up-dialers. If you have a fast connection, click on the thumbnail. It's just under a minute and quite amusing... though I did feel sorry for the poor bird.

Sorry about the music that doesn't exactly fit the theme. I forgot the radio was on. 8-}

Who said it?

We are now in Florida to live and work. We expect to spend the balance of our days here. We have all the money necessary for any reasonable effort to help Florida grow and prosper.

Our business undertaking should be sound, but our primary object should not be the making of money. Through helpful works, let us build up good in this state and make it a better place in which to live. In my last years, I would much rather have the people of Florida say that I helped them and their state than to double the money I now have.

Mystery solved

Dawg, FC! How on earth did you recognize it so quickly?! OK, it's actually an anhinga, but I was so amazed that you knew WHAT the body part was...

The park in Largo seems to be a huge anhinga attractant. Also observed therein: river otter, osprey mama and brand new chick (most unwilling to pose), tiny turtle, ginormous plecostomuses, sleeping mama gator, lounging young'un gator, white peacock butterfly, loggerhead shrike pair, moorhen couple with 6 fuzzy babies, lots of wheeling dragonflies, blue bees, black-hooded and monk parakeets, various egrets and herons... It may have been our best trip yet. I'm still sorting through the approximately 700 pictures I took, hoping to get an album uploaded by week's end.

And now I'm going to hit publish before my browser runs amok again. I just had to fight off dozens of browsers popping up with the same site (this blog) in rapid succession before it froze up. PTL for ctrl/alt/delete and blogger's saving to draft! Next time I'm definitely checking out Macs.

Y'all have a JESUS-filled day!

Monday Morning Mystery

Be blessed today... for He lives!

God expects from men something more than at such times, and that it were much to be wished for the credit of their religion as well as the satisfaction of their conscience that their Easter devotions would in some measure come up to their Easter dress. ~Robert South, Sermons

Florida Factoid Friday

The most photographed hole in golf is the 17th island hole

at the Tournament Players Club Sawgrass at Ponte Vedra Beach.

Except for a path to the green, the 132-yard hole is surrounded by water.

Mystery revealed

The dogwood blossoms are gone, but the wisteria is still lingering, but not for long. All sorts of ants are cruising the purple variety.

The whites have mostly fizzled by now. The butterflies and bees made hay over them while the sun shined.

I've been really busy the past few weeks getting ready to list our house again... and this week preparing for a long weekend. Please forgive my skimpy posts and scant responses. I'll get back in the swing soonly. Just remember I still love y'all loads. 8-]

Have a JESUS-filled day! ^i^

START!

Today is National Start! Walking Day. So push away from that desk and take a walk break. Your heart will thank you.

Research has shown that the benefits of walking and moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes a day can help you:

• Reduce the risk of coronary heart disease
• Improve blood pressure and blood sugar levels
• Improve blood lipid profile
• Maintain body weight and lower the risk of obesity
• Enhance mental well being
• Reduce the risk of osteoporosis
• Reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer
• Reduce the risk of non insulin dependent (type 2) diabetes

Learn more here.

Monday Morning Mystery - new clue

Monday Morning Mystery

Florida Factoid Friday

Nearly 80 percent of Florida's intake of sweet Atlantic white shrimp is harvested in Amelia Island waters. Two million pounds of shrimp are delivered to Fernandina docks annually.