Whooo-eeeee, I'm Behind!

Gosh, wish we could get used to the heat and humidity here in Sarasota, FL.   It's 90 or higher every day....only in the seventies at night. THAT feels pretty darn good, a little bit of cool down at least, in the evening. Too hot to ride my bike, darn it! Guess I better start getting in the swim of things...we do have a small pool on our patio, and it's six feet deep at one end, so I have no excuses for not getting my foam barbells out and doing some water aerobics! I'm the kind of person that needs somebody pushing me, and it's probably not going to be Eldy, because he knows I have to do this on my own and you can't tell me what to do, I'm so stubborn and independent, I don't listen well...I mean I need a little bit of a group behind me, pushing me, like a class or something...We'll have to see what I can find in the Bradenton area.

I'm seriously thinking about finding out about senior rowing! I love to row, and have always loved to use the rowing machine in exercise facilities. There should be a LOT of rowing opportunities in Sarasota with the new Nathan Benderson Park, a new park being developed with the idea of it being the site of many rowing competitions now and in the future.

I am looking around for a part time job...Guess retirement without the travel stimulation to my senses is going to mean I need to find something to help me feel useful and productive. Looking into volunteer positions, too, but it's gonna have to be INDOORS until there's some relief from the 90's and humidity. I'm working on a resume for job applications. Boy, has it been a LONG time since I've done one of those. Lots of cool sites online for free resume templates, but I've forgotten some job history dates of start and finish, so hope I can figure out the exact information! I am NOT very good about keeping records, especially my former employment positions of many years ago. I'll have to contact my previous school corporations for a little help on that.

Love our house on the golf course....We're seeing many of the typical Florida birds around here--ibis, brown ibis, an occasional roseate spoonbill flying overhead, and a resident golf course sandhill crane. (Our house is on the golf course.) When this crane saw me come around the corner, he nonchalantly strolled right up to me, walking up just as close as close can be, expecting some kind of food handout. He stopped about a foot away from me. When I didn't give him anything, he just stood there and tried to wait me out. (Gee, didn't I just read this over on Where's Eldo? asks Eldo). Yep, it's called overlap. I'm into my own voice now, and just wanted to transition from our travel blog over to this one, just in case anybody checks over here.....

After seeing he wasn't going to get anything, off he meandered.....It was VERY tempting to get a cracker or a piece of bread, but that is a BIG NO-NO--You are NEVER supposed to feed wildlife.

I wish I would see some more songbirds or hummingbirds in our neighborhood--nothing, just nondescript brown and tan birds. Still trying to figure out what they are, but there are many, many of them, and that's all the variety I can see so far....

We do see lots of bugs, quite the variety. I just learned yesterday, that because the golf course is treated for insects and bugs, that makes them HEAD FOR THE HILLS which means "HEAD FOR THE HOUSES AT THE SIDE OF THE COURSE, FELLAS!" So we have palmetto bugs, which are just a fancy name for giant Florida cockroaches, and spiders, and ants, and sod webworms, mud daubers, and some kind of little moths that fly up in a cloud when you walk through the grass (oh! just found out that those are related to the sod webworm problem) and....etc., etc., etc......And they are here all year round because of the nice weather and lots of rain in the summers...Oh, joy.....

One of the things about being a new homeowner in SW Florida, is you have to learn about new flora and fauna (bugs and plants) that are here and how differently these things are handled as opposed to up north, like landscaping and pest control. We have an irrigation system for the first time, and no clue how often it should run in the rainy season, how to program it, how often you need the perimeter of your house treated for insects and other pests (once every three months) and how often to treat the inside for pests (once a year). There are special Florida regulations about fertilizing your lawn, when and what types you can use. Certain times of the year require certain applications like only granular or only sprays. Then you have to call and compare prices and try and figure out who is the best company to come out, especially when they all seem to be about the same and have mediocre ratings!  I'm not crazy about chemicals AT ALL and would rather NOT use anything like that, but living in a golfing community, you can't let those things go...and the bugs would overrun your lovely home in no time, if you didn't have your home treated! I'm definitely going to look into natural remedies to repel bugs and insects, like borax powder for the inside. I've heard sage is a deterrent, too ?)....Time to go looking for some ideas.....

But before I go, just to let anybody know, my sister, Lyle, is coming back to the blog to contribute! Yay! We're still figuring out how to share a blog, so we'll BOTH be contributing to the posts. I'm excited about that...My sister is VERY creative, has an eye for colors and decorating, and it's always great to see what she is making up in Pleasant Ridge, Detroit area.....She might even share her travels when she comes to Florida next winter!