Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label swimming. Show all posts

Thursday, June 18, 2009

And The Heat Goes On...




This morning when I opened the side door leading from
the garage, an at-one-time large frog was squished flat
on the door jamb, like a dollop of pesto sauce.
EWWW…

That’s not the first time something like this
has happened. There’s a collage of frog and spider innards
dried on the jamb. I’m going to clean the doorway today,
or paint over the area if it can't be completely cleaned.
Yuck...

Outside on the pool decking I found two petrified
baby frogs and one lizard.
Poor things.
Sometimes I’ll leave a shallow bowl of water out
for the amphibians and reptiles.
The heat has soared in the last few days, making it
unbearable to be outdoors too long, unless you’re
submerged in a swimming pool.

The snakes are staying underground, thank goodness.
It wasn’t too long ago that I was head on with a
deadly coral snake.
May he Rest In Peace...
There may be an underground public service announcement
warning all snakes to lie low...
Nancy’s out and about.

It’s another beautiful, hot day in paradise.
A gentle breeze is blowing.
The air is desert dry.
I’m sitting on the edge of the pool.
There’s a huge Arnold-type lizard staring at me.
He’s doing push-ups and inflating himself…
Va-vumphh, va-vumphh...

I’m getting a hot flash…!

Monday, May 11, 2009

To Nancy's House We Go...


Hot afternoons in Florida bring on not only intense heat but also roving cavalries of insects. They must be armor-plated, since no bug treatment seems to phase them.
Ants, in particular. Fire and black ants.
They have hides like Kevlar.

They're very good at social networking.
The leader has an excellent command strategy.
He maintains a covey of dedicated followers hard at work burrowing and heaving the earth.
Armed with a bag of ant pellets, I sprinkle on more than I should over the billowing mounds, watering, as directed.
Promises a dead mound in 24 hours..

Needless to say, I'm back outside the following day and find that the Ant Commander has evaded death by strategically issuing his troops underground in a SE direction another 2 feet.

I surrender to the army of ants, and go inside to put on my swimsuit.
My son 's left the chaise outside on the grass, so barefooted, I go back outside.
As I'm carrying the chaise through the lanai screen door, I step on a new mound.
Legions of black ants are scurrying between my toes and up my calves.

Yelping, I swat them off. My feet are burning and intensely itchy.
I know the ants have drilled and spit a special anti-human potion into my body.
I also know that the effectiveness of their bites will last more than 24 hours..
say more like 2 months.
Yes, the ants have won again.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Why I Love Florida...


*Wearing shorts and sandals most of the year
*When you retire, you're already here!
*Afraid of heights? Only real elevations are the high-rises along the beaches
*Swaying palm trees
*Shells
*Sanibel Island-Captiva
*O-D on Key Lime Pie
*Geckos
*Alligators
*Manatees
*Dolphins
*Iguanas
*Perfect umbrella drinks
*Florida Keys
*Jimmy Buffett
*Margaritaville
*Celebrity-watching
*Hurricane watching
*Fishing
*White sandy beaches
*Shorebirds
*Sparkling blue waters
*International cuisine
*Big Cypress National Preserve/The Everglades
*Swamp Buggy Races
*Mullet Festivals
*Pirate-themed festivals
*Art festivals
*Bo Sox spring training site-Ft. Myers
*Florida authors,Dave Barry, Tim Dorsey, Carl Hiassen, Randy Wayne White
*Haunted Places: Tampa Theater and Don CeSar Hotel