Another Weekend Slips By

It's surprising how quickly this year is going! Not only is it March already, it's the end of March already.  

The weekend began with a good riding lesson on Saturday morning. My Boy and I are pretty well confirmed in walk-trot-canter now. It used to be a very big deal to canter, but I have gotten used to it and now we are doing more complicated figures with changes of direction and changes of lead at the canter.

(About those changes of lead: If you think of a person skipping, when one leg strides out ahead and the other one follows, that's kind of what the horse's 2 pairs of legs are doing at the canter. There are rules about how and when that's done, and the rider is supposed to be in charge of what the horse's legs are doing -- so it's pretty complicated until you master it -- more or less, it's never perfect -- and then it's pretty easy but you are always trying to improve it. If you truly want to know more, there are about a jillion explanations online that you can find and review.)

I intended to clean my tack, shine my boots, and do some stable chores after my ride, but first there was the farrier to observe and chat with. He took off My Boy's shoes, trimmed his hooves, and nailed the shoes on again. I had a bunch of questions for him and it's always fun to watch what he's doing. It's no big deal for the horse -- or at least not for My Boy. He practically fell asleep while the farrier was working. I guess maybe it's like getting a pedicure -- so relaxing, right?

After that I kind of lost my momentum on barnwork. Instead I swung by the tack store to pick up bug repellant (summer is just around the corner, and that means flies, gnats, and mosquitos) and some blanket straps I had ordered (I'll be ready for next winter!), then did chores at home instead. I did some paperwork and filing, worked in the yard a little bit, watered my recently-planted vegetable garden (more on that another time), got cleaned up, did some laundry, played with the cats, made my grocery list, read more of my book, and went to bed early. That made for a satisfying and relaxing Saturday.

Sunday was quite similar. I talked on the phone with my dearest friend who is visiting friends and family in Australia. Yes, we remarked on how amazing it was that we could chat all the way around the world and it sounded like she was merely next door! I can remember on the infrequent international phone calls of the past -- very expensive, so very brief -- there was a bit of a pause while our voices traveled across the ocean on a wire. How far we have come, technologically speaking. But we still blather on like a couple of schoolgirls. That part hasn't changed at all!

After that I did more small chores around the house, refreshed the compost pile in the yard, harvested and ate 3 delicious tiny tomatoes, took myself out for a late lunch/early dinner of barbecue, dropped off some donations at the charity shop, did the grocery shopping, played with the cats, reviewed all the mail, read some more, and again went to bed reasonably early. 

I feel like I got a lot done, but I wasn't frantic about it. There is always more to do, and it's important to slip in time to enjoy things, too. 

Now for the work week! 

Gloomy and Good

It was a gloomy, breezy, drizzly weekend, and quite consistently cold for Florida. It actually looked like snow a couple of times, even though that was impossible.

I understand it's nothing for my northern friends to cope with a high of 53 degrees under cloudy skies -- but we Floridians are (as my mom would say, with disapproval) s-p-o-i-l-e-d by regularly warm temperatures under sunny skies.

This is totally true:

Of course, it was 80 just a few days ago, so we haven't had a chance to harden off.

I took advantage of a lazy Sunday to get some things done around the house (inside, of course) but then I was a bit stir crazy so I decided to drive out to the local you-pick farm for the season's first orange juice. Fresh, local orange juice is one of the great pleasures of winter, and today seemed like the perfect day for it.

The growing season is backwards here, so the farm's crops are gearing up. I picked some green beans and cut the world's most beautiful head of leaf lettuce. There was kale, and lots of sage and thyme, and flowers for cutting, but I saved those for another day. Everything smelled wonderful and green, and the chill was invigorating.

The farmer seemed happy to see me, although he said he'd had lots of customers -- rather unexpectedly, given the weather.

Five beautiful sandhill cranes were supervising the operation from a grassy spot near the tomato house.

Next time I'll take pictures!   

Christmas Eve-ish

This weekend I was lucky enough to go on a caroling cruise on a real live riverboat -- twice!

A local gentleman has built a paddlewheeler and takes folks along the St. Johns River, where people rush out to their docks and wave and shout "Merry Christmas" as he goes by. (He goes out year-round, but the holidays make it extra special.)

It was a wonderful way to spend a pre-holiday evening, with carols playing and the full moon coming up over the water.

Merry Christmas! Good Yule! Happy holidays! 

Variety

Friday night: This was the view from the landing, after our boat ride in downtown Jacksonville on the St. Johns River. Everyone was in a festive mood and the weather was perfect!

Saturday night: I won the first game, lost the second game, reconnected with some old friends, met some new people, and still had time to make a Christmas tree with the biscuits.

Sunday night: Driving home with the sunset behind me and thinking about the kind of year I want 2018 to be.  

What a nice weekend.

Holiday Roundup

So far . . . .

I've managed to buy more presents for myself than gifts for other people. I'm easier to shop for, and I always know what I want. This time of year I make sure I get it!

That said, I'm making good progress on my gift list. It gets shorter every year. More and more people get cards with a nice handwritten note, and there's nothing wrong with that. This kind of scaling back is less stressful for me to accomplish and perhaps also less stressful on others who may feel pressured to reciprocate.

I bought a generous collection of candies at the local chocolate shop as a collective gift for my coworkers. They even had some vegan chocolate, allowing me to respect everyone's food choices. After the clerk wrapped all the little packets up in a decorative box, I realized she hadn't removed the price stickers, so I had to open the box and remove the little tags. And wouldn't you know it, then all the little packets wouldn't fit back in the box again. Oh well. No one will ever miss those pretzel sticks dipped in white chocolate, will they?

Speaking of holiday treats, I started on the indulgences right after Thanksgiving. Usually I limit myself to one quart of eggnog, but I drank it so long ago that I'm considering making an exception to the rule and buying another. On the brighter side, I still have this to look forward to:

Photo: Publix.com

If you're lucky enough to live near a Publix supermarket and you haven't tried this, well, I can only say "Get some, ASAP!" It's delicious.

This weekend I have three different holiday events to go to. That's a pretty big deal for me, as I usually like to stay home. One's a boat ride which is likely to include my idea of hell (40 degrees and raining); the boat has plenty of interior space and hardy among us will be honor bound to make it a good time anyway. One's an open house that also includes shuffleboard (a sport that deserves more respect, and for which my host is trying to spur a resurgence; check out his blog here about being invited to participate in the world championships). Again, cold weather will make that an adventure, but why not? The third is a party for the local Pony Club; the kids will play games, the adults will drink wine, and everyone will talk about horses a lot. That's my kind of party.

I also have vacation time to look forward to. Once all the festivities are over, I'll get a nice long break . . . . to enjoy those self-gifted presents!

Nothing But Fun on Labor Day Weekend

Oh, the joy of a little bit of almost everything: a visit with Kayak Guy's family, the beach (snorkeling, seashells, fishes, and a giant manta ray), and horses -- plus eating, reminiscing over old photos, and lots of laughter.

Perfect!

Blowing Rocks Beach

Butler

Radar

Kayak Guy's parents, Marshall and Mary

Catch-Up Weekend

After traveling last week for work, I spent the weekend trying to put things in order again. A lot of laundry, a much-needed paperwork purge (really, do I still need to be saving my tax return from 1995?), a little bookshelf refresh, a few hours in the kitchen, a home-cooked meal, and I'm ready to face the week!

The first order of business today is a trip to the bank. This is not a good thing. Someone filched my debit card info and had a fine old time on my dime. By the time I noticed, there was quite a bit of impact to my account. The fraud hotline at the bank assures me I'll get the money back, but it's still pretty upsetting. Even more creepy: the card never left my possession, except of course for occasional restaurant use. If I hadn't been checking my account online, I'd never have known anything was wrong. You can bet I'll be rethinking my financial strategy after this.

Doing some gardening is a nice antidote for this kind of news. I visited a new nursery, where they had lots of native plants, and did some planting.

I'm slowly transforming my yard from a fairly typical piecemeal older home landscape (mostly grass, with a few awesome mature trees and shrubs, plus assorted odds and ends that look like they came from someone's leftover terrarium) into what I envision as a diverse and welcoming haven for birds, lizards, butterflies, and assorted other small creatures.

That means flowers and berries and natives in particular (mostly). One of the nice things about using natives is that any "volunteers" fit right in, instead of being considered weeds. I try to keep things orderly, but I don't take it too seriously.

(The red sage is a native, and it will spread like crazy. The other one is last year's poinsettia, which seems to like its new home very much. It has doubled in size, although I think it gets too much night-time light to ever turn red again.)  

I must be doing something right, because just today I saw three different kinds of butterflies. I hope they are staying around long enough to lay eggs, because I have intentionally included lots of host plants for caterpillars to munch on. One tiny paradise, coming up. 

Back in the Cone of Uncertainty

Photo: NOAA

And I'm so comfortable here!  I just finish whatever weekend plans I happen to be making by saying, "Weather permitting."

Hibernation Weekend

Even though it's spring shading into summer, my weekend included some hibernation.

Work has been extremely busy in recent months, to the point where all of us have been feeling a bit overwhelmed. That prompted my wise and perceptive boss to declare a "hibernation" period where we are going to concentrate on finishing work we have already started, postponing or avoiding unnecessary meetings, and tabling new projects until we get more comfortable with what's already going on.

I did a bit of the same thing in my personal life, too, though it was only one day of the weekend.

The weekend actually started on Thursday night with my town's monthly street party, Alive After Five. They close the main drag downtown to traffic and it fills up with vendors, food tents, people, dogs, and kids. This month's theme was Seafood Shindig. Here's a very bad photo of the pirate ship that was parked in front of one of the restaurants. (I need a little more practice with Hal's camera feature, obviously.) 

Afterwards we stopped in at the local blues bar. Real music, real people, real fun. The ceiling in this place is painted with chalkboard paint and when you are drunk enough they will give you the chalk so you can stand up on a table or the bar and write your own particular special message up there. The results are, shall we say, mixed. Not everyone draws pictures of hearts.

Friday was spent on the river, scouting for a paddling trip I'll be taking next month. Much as I enjoy the silence and closeness to nature of kayaking, it's fun to zoom along in a powerboat, too! 

Saturday was the hibernation part. I stayed home all day, except for a brief foray to the community garden to do my spring planting. Such a luxury to do chores, do some organizing, and generally catch up on things. It seems that when work gets busy, I start cutting corners everywhere at home, to make everything fit into the time available. I am still learning that taking some downtime before things spiral out of control is essential. But please don't ask me how many loads of laundry that took!

Sunday started slowly with more chores at home, including some yard work. My house has the typical bare grass backyard with a few spindly plants here and there. I'm working on transforming it (with my landlord's blessing) into a welcoming space that shows the best of Florida's lushness, and provides food, water and shelter to birds, butterflies, and small animals. That means laying out a plan, thanks to the local native plant nursery.

Yesterday, though, I was just laying out mulch, hoping to keep the lawn guy from mowing over my latest plantings. They don't look like traditional landscaping, so I want to be sure he can tell they belong. Eventually I won't need to mulch except with my own leaves, but in the meantime: I need to speak to him in a language he understands. And that language is pine bark.  

Sunday afternoon we went hiking, back to one of my favorite springs.  It was a perfect day to be out, just hinting of the coming summer heat. The same place is so different in different seasons, and I never tire of seeing what's new in Nature.

This spring was restored 10 years ago, after being drowned under a lake created by a farmer who wanted to water his cattle. After the property was acquired as state land, a restoration project removed the dam and uncovered the little ravine where the spring vents and boils lie. After being entombed under so much water, the spring was barely flowing and the banks were nothing but mud. In the time since, though, they have become a magical forest glade surrounding clear, quickly flowing water.

We got back to the car just before a monsoon of rain began - real pouring rain, with thunder and lightning. We need it so desperately! At home, my back yard puddled right up. Now my rain catcher is full to the brim and the cycle begins again.

From This to That

Written in the midst of what passes for a tropical storm . . .

Isaac so far is a breezy, bandy rain that starts and stops and patters straight down on the roof and sideways against the windows. The doves are huddled up with their mixed millet and the squirrels are stuffing their tummies with sunflower seeds, all looking a bit disgruntled but not worried enough about the rain to miss breakfast.

Over the weekend we drove out to one of our favorite civilized spots, a local fish camp that combines the elements of riverfront view, screened patio, blues band, and soft-shelled crab dinners in just the right proportions. The peacefully pastel sunset was challenged by the unfortunate clamor of airboaters forcing their crafts out of the water and onto their trailers, but once that was done, the muted perfection of the moment returned.

Yesterday I started the packing process, hoping to send a vote of confidence to the Universe and specifically to the bank, which has yet to provide the commitment letter that was due a week ago. For a closing that is supposed to happen a week from tomorrow. Don't get me started on that! It felt much better to get started on packing.

Why, yes, every one of these boxes does say "books." I don't see anything wrong with that!

Back in the Cone of Uncertainty

(photo from Wunderground.com)

Ah, my favorite place to be! Guess I will be checking the cupboards for tuna, peanut butter, and gallons of water this weekend, before the stores sell out and my possible guest Isaac arrives on Monday. I'd say he has a pretty good chance of being in the neighborhood, because this is how they come in, when they come in this way -- low and horizontal, and then making a turn to the north.

Meanwhile, I got a "maybe" from the bank after waiting what seemed like an interminable time for them to act on my mortgage application. Now I have to supply a few explanations, some additional financial documents, and the inspection report . . . and then wait some more for them to decide whether the house is loan-worthy.

Think of it as just a little while longer in that cone of uncertainty. I'm not uncrossing my fingers just yet.

Around Town

My future home town prides itself on being an old-fashioned Florida small town with a contemporary attitude. Someday soon I'll write a profile that shows off the notable sights.

For now, here's a pseudo-postcard. I'm sorry this market is no longer open. I would love to be able to say, "Here's where I buy my fish."

The downtown farmer's market was bustling bravely on Saturday morning. It tries hard to please, but is still a little heavy on the crafts side of things. My friend Bill laments the fact that Mr. Pickle doesn't come 'round anymore. I am too new in town to understand his feeling of loss, but I am missing the Cheese Man. He hasn't been seen since June, and I am sadly in need of a white wine cheddar fix.

Desiring neither a bamboo flute nor some handcrafted soap, I settled for fresh French bread, tomatoes, chocolate chip cookies, and rainbow carrots. The rainbow carrots alone were worth the trip. So pretty!

Tasty, too.

A Bevy of Bs

My very best friend from childhood, Jennie, came for a visit last week and we had a lot of "b words" on our agenda.

My friend Bill took us hiking, so we had beauty.

We had a fabulous burger for dinner at El Cap's, a cool local restaurant in St. Petersburg. We also had root beer.

Because we were visiting the west coast of Florida, we couldn't miss sunset on the beach.

And then there were the books!

The Florida Antiquarian Book Fair was fantastic and we didn't have nearly enough time to peruse everything. The sellers were from all over the U.S., but they definitely brought their Florida books with them. I willingly spent my budget and then some!

Florida's Tragedy is an out-of-print 1929 book (now reissued as From Eden to Sahara: Florida's Tragedy) that documents the alarming changes wrought by development, particularly as they affected Florida's essential swamps and marshes. It's historically significant because it reveals that even that long ago, Florida's watery sytems were under stress. The dust jacket really grabs your attention, doesn't it?

The new version's cover is probably a more accurate reflection of its contents and certainly more contemporary -- but not as striking.

Alas, I did not have $150 spare dollars for the original and its skeletal jacket, so I picked up this book instead.

The copy without the jacket was much less expensive, but I just couldn't resist the charm of this cover with its pretty colors and black outlining. It has lovely black and white illustrations inside, too, in the strongly linear style that distinguishes woodcuts.

They also had ephemera at the book fair -- wonderful postcards, brochures from the 1950s, tourist maps and so on. Very cool stuff.

Next year, to do it properly, I will bring twice as much money and allow twice as much time.

And will probably still spend all my money on the first few books I see and have to go to the cash machine!

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Old (In a Good Way)

I'm off to the Florida Antiquarian Book Fair!

As usual, I'll be looking to fill in the gaps in my Booker Prize collection, although I am getting down to the nub on the remaining books. "Difficult to locate" translates into "difficult to afford." But there's always the Orange Prize, the Florida Book Award, and the Man Asian Prize . . . not to mention the reliable and classic Impulse Buy.

This year I'm especially interested in seeing what cool stuff will appear to grace my new obsession with Florida. Maybe a print, maybe a map, maybe a postcard. "Ephemera" has such a nice sound to it, when it means pamphlets, placemats, posters, and other paper perishables.

A few months of anticipation have come to this: newly organized and updated lists in my hand, cash in my pocket, ideas in my head, and hope in my heart.

(photo credit)

Booked Up!

The Amelia Island Book Festival was great this weekend! Fernandina Beach is a fun town and the perfect setting, matching a lot of this

with a little bit of this

and this

and this.

Okay, so technically being the first person on the beach to watch the sunrise wasn't part of the Book Festival. But it was still an important part of the weekend!

About Time

Books.
Readers.
Authors.

Historic district.
Beach.
Cafe.

Friends.
Wine.
Conversation.

Weekend.
Relaxation.
Bliss.

Looking Ahead

Usually I try to savor the moment and enjoy where I am, but today, with the Amelia Island Book Festival on the horizon and the beach in my future, I have only one question:

Can the weekend please hurry up and get here?

(photo courtesy of FairbanksHouse.com)

A "No Post" Post

I had all weekend to write a post, but I didn't. Instead, I . . .

1. Recovered from organizing our annual conference at work, starting with dinner on Thursday and going all day Friday. So many moving pieces to coordinate into the same time/space dimension! It's both exhilarating and exhausting, and usually creates a bit of a crash when it's over. This year was no exception.

2. Hung out with the Pony Club kids and parents.

3. Went hiking! The (literally) chilling effect of temps in the 30s was totally offset by the allure of sunny, bright blue skies and the sparkling beauty of remote springs, whose water was at 72 degrees. Yes, I tested it with my own cold hands.

This one is called Bear Cub or Rock Cub. See the little bear in the bottom center, facing the camera and having a taste?

Outdoors in Fall

I'm going hiking this weekend! It has been ages and ages since I walked anywhere significant that wasn't in a city somewhere, so this is thrilling just to look forward to. Actually doing it will be even more amazing.

Florida can be viewed as relatively non-scenic, especially by folks who are used to mountains, rolling hills, stone walls, brooks, and the scenic vistas such things offer. I've fallen into that trap myself -- my natural impulse is to prefer the classic New England view to a Florida scene.

But Florida has its own intense but subtle beauty. You just have to know where to look, and how to look. Right now in my own backyard the quality of the light is mellowing, certain fall flowers are coming into bloom and inundated with butterflies and bees, and the plants whose leaves change color are beginning to change with the cooler weather and shorter days. Lots remains green. Lots unmistakably whispers, "Fall."

This weekend I will be tramping in a local preserve and seeing the various Florida habitats from ground level, on the way to visit the origin of a spring that feeds the Wekiva River. I realized this would be an extra-special treat when I learned the walk requires a permit and access to the secret combination that opens the gate.

Something tells me that this isn't your ordinary nature walk. And anytime I get to cross a threshold that requires some degree of special access, I feel connected to the great journeyers of time and literature. From Lief Ericson to Captain Kirk, there's something both visceral and spiritual about going where none (or few) have gone before.

On Pace for an Epic Fail

I just haven't been doing any reading.  Work has gone crazy busy (I mean, really, how many nights in a row can I stay up until 2 a.m. trying to finish something?).  The volunteer causes I'm involved in have developed a string of Saturday morning meetings and events that has remained unbroken for a month and will continue through the end of October. And those meetings are accompanied by a ton of organizing and e-mail correspondence.

I looked at my reading challenges list last night with some dismay.  Remember when the year was new and there were 12 whole months ahead, pristine and inviting, and reading a small library of books seemed blissfully possible? Wasn't it only a few weeks ago?

It's like one of my favorite Peanuts cartoons.  Linus says to Charlie Brown (I'm paraphrasing here), "School starts next week. Kind of makes you wonder what happened to summer, doesn't it?"  And Charlie Brown says, "What happened to spring?"

Now rather suddenly it's September.  I love fall and dream of the day that it once again means apple picking, blazing leaves, and sweaters and corduroys.  Meanwhile, I have three reviews that I should be writing and posting, of books that I read back in  .  . . uh, May.

Somehow I need to find a way to take back my nights and weekends, and start drawing some lines through the titles on those ambitious reading lists.  Otherwise, this year's challenge wraps are going to be seriously lacking.