Flying Birds

I'm still driving around to see what I can see. I can park my car in the shade at the Pruitt Trailhead and hope there's a bird that loves the shade as much as I do.

The horse farm is to the left of my car in this photo and to the right is the marshland of the Florida Trails.

We've had enough rain to keep the marsh lands extra marshy!

There are tiny white flowers growing in the shallow water. 

While I was at my car another day 2 Egrets flew by.

These are the same 2 but because of the angle of the sun, they look different.

 Beautiful on land or in the sky!

 They are so graceful! 

 It sure is a challenge to ID birds in flight. I appreciate so much all the help everyone gave me last week when I showed birds that were 'high in the sky'. 

 I still don't think we have a positive ID and probably won't unless they fly back over at a lower elevation! But thanks so much to all my birding blog buddies!

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE  

 

  and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

 

 

Giving and Receiving..updated!

I have been so blessed by the volunteer work I do visiting the patients at Legacy Hospice House.

I've met some wonderful people, both patients and their families and friends. And I admire the professionals that take care of the patients. The nurses and aids are all amazing! Rock Star Amazing!

And I've enjoyed doing a few extra things when I visit, like take handmade cards to give to the patients. I know there are stores that sell all kinds of card making supplies and embellishments but since I make so many cards, I try to use what I have. 

I was so surprised to have my blog buddy Ann from Ann's Snap, Edit, Scrap write to tell me she had cut out some butterflies for me to use on my cards. That's my favorite embellishment. Butterflies are used in decoration throughout the Legacy House so these are perfect. Thank you SO much Ann!

So I got busy and made some new cards. I tried to change up my design just a bit by rounding the corners at the top. 

I'm blessed in giving AND receiving this week!

I decided to come back and talk about what I do in a Hospice house as a patient visitor. I know a lot of you have had experience with hospice in your home and in hospitals. The Legacy House has rooms that don't really look like a hospital room, with nice furniture and personal touches. The patients all have a handmade quilt on their bed and handmade pillowcases (made by volunteers). Everything is beautiful. 
I had extensive training to become a volunteer. So when I enter the room I introduce myself (and if the family wants privacy, they close the door and I do not knock or enter). I don't disturb someone if they are sleeping either.

The first thing I do is ask the patient or visitor if they need anything. I bring water, cups of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, juice or snacks if that's what they want. I help them with the tv stations (there are music stations that many prefer), adjust the blinds, lights, pillows....all of the things that can make a person more comfortable. And then if they want to talk, I stand there and listen. I hold their hand, pray with them...whatever they want to do. I'm in no hurry. I have time. I pull up a chair and sit with people that don't want to talk but just want company. I take young people (visitors) to the family room. I even colored a page in a coloring book with a little girl one time. I've taken one child outside to walk around. I've stood in the hall after someone has passed and had someone cry on my shoulder....more than once. I've sat in the lobby with a lady that was wondering if Hospice was right for her situation. I've read to people, looked through their photo albums, come back when it wasn't my day to visit because someone asked me to...many times. It's really a comfort to have a volunteer at a Hospice house. Not everyone has family close by here in Florida where they've retired. 

I hope this explains a little better what I do when I spend an afternoon once a week at Hospice. And I hope it will encourage others to seek out hospice treatment if it's needed or volunteer if you have time. It makes a difference. It's a blessing to everyone. 

Thanks for all the wonderful comments.

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays .

Horse, Horse, Donkey

We live in the Horse Capital of the World so wherever we go, we pass horse farms.

 I like this quote....

"It is hard to come to Marion County without becoming almost immediately aware that it is the “Horse Capital of the World.” Only 5 cities in the world are permitted under Chamber of Commerce guidelines to be called “Horse Capital of the world.” The city of Ocala just so happens to be 1 out of 4 that are located in America. Ocala has more than 70,000 acres of thoroughbred breeding and training farms, which makes Ocala/Marion County capital to all things equine." whatsupocala.com 

 We couldn't hike over the weekend because of the heat. The temps aren't so terrible but the humidity is as high as the temps so we've had a heat advisory for the past few days. So we took a drive!

 This horse farm is really close to us and this summer it has been amazing to see the horses in the pasture. It looks like every big horse has a small horse by it's side! Lots of babies born recently.

 And of course we love seeing the donkeys that are there guarding the herd!

 This would be a game of 'what doesn't belong'? 

(the fire station is across the street)

I’m joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE .

 

Feeling Blue?

Since my favorite color is blue and it's found so much in nature, I guess feeling blue is a good thing for me. I have felt a little sorry for myself this week because it's been too hot to hike. I took advantage of the weather to clean...clean...clean! I've been getting rid of things that feel like 'too much'. And I took a big donation to the Hospice Thrift store yesterday. That felt great! 

But back to the blue in nature.

The last time I was at the Pruitt Trailhead of the Florida Trails, I watched a flock of birds fly from one side of the trail to the other. 

I caught glimpses of blue but couldn't tell what they were until I looked at my photos.

They appear to be young Blue Jays. 

It was hard to see them through the leaves on the trees.

This is the tree I was looking up into!!! We could play a game of 'find the blue jays'! heehee

Oh and looking up HIGH in the sky overhead I saw this flock of large birds flying North. I'm zoomed with my camera and the photo is cropped! They flew behind the clouds...above the clouds! 

Any ideas on what they might be?

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE  

  and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

"A Foxy Tale"

I've decided to write down some of my hiking stories and I'm having such fun remembering all the fun things I've seen. My husband asked if I was writing down any of the bad experiences and yes I am. There aren't many but I want to try to record every 'notable' experience that I can think of. 

The story I wrote today is entitled

"A Foxy Tale"

It was a warm humid morning on the first of August, 2019 but I had 'cabin fever' and got out on the Florida Trails. I stopped at Foxy Glen to look at the twisty gnarly tree limbs for Foxy but couldn't find him. I hiked on to Big Buck Bend looking for deer, but nobody appeared. So I turned around and headed back. When I got to Foxy Glen I spent some time looking again but nothing! So away I went. I had taken a few steps when I decided to turn and take an overall photo of the trees. I had my camera pointed up when out of my peripheral vision I saw something on the trail. On the trail WITH me! I lowered my camera and took a photo. There was Foxy looking up into the trees with me wondering what we were looking for. I thought it would make a cute caption above his head to write, What's up there? I had a laugh and watched him run into the trees, up a tall skinny pine. I walked back looking for him but he was already draped over the limb of a twisty tree. I decided just to walk right under the tree to get a better view. He pulled his head back with just one eye showing. I think he thought he was hidden then! 

Foxy...you sure are a cute critter!

Here are the photos to go along with the story.

And he's OFF and running!

 

Relaxing!

Now he's 'hiding'!

 

And yes, I've named some of the places along the Florida Trails. Foxy Glen, Big Buck Bend, Bluebird of Happiness Hill, Bobcat Holler...all names I've made up for spots that have a special meaning to me along the trail.

 

Remember this is just for fun! A way to get some of my stories down before I forget them. I'm not a great writer. I write pretty much like I talk...slow and easy!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays .

Hats off to the bicyclists on the Florida Trails!

Are in my case....'caps off'!

I love sharing the things I see in nature when I hike but I'll dedicate this post to the friendly people I meet on the Florida Trails!

On the section of trail that I hike, I rarely even see another hiker. I see LOTS of bicyclists though!

And they all greet me and wave when they go by. Some ask me if I've seen anything as they speed by. A few even stop to chat. 

I've learned some of my 'regulars'....people I see just about every time I hike. I recognize them by their bikes, or their helmets or their greetings! One man stopped to ask me about an ID on some birds he saw last week. He described them and I was able to tell him they were Swallow-tailed Kites. When he stopped to chat, he said, You're just the person I wanted to see today. That felt great...and it felt even better that I actually knew which birds he had seen. I've seen quite a few of them lately too!

 Swallow-tailed Kite

So these are a few photos of some of my favorite people and a few Swallow-tailed Kites in flight!

Cheers to everyone that enjoys the Florida Trails!

Love One Another!

I’m joining Angie for Mosaic Monday HERE .

The Green and Blue in Nature!

Well, let's start with the green!

(look in the very center of this photo)

We saw lots of baby frogs when we hiked on the Florida Trails at the Pruitt Trailhead earlier in the Spring.

 Well, the frogs have grown up and turned green!

Aren't they just amazing up close? 

And they are LOUD too! Louder now than in the Spring!

So how about something blue in nature.

How about these baby blue birds?

I guess I should really call them Juvenile Eastern Bluebirds.

I was surprised when I went to find the ID because they don't really have the shape of an adult.

Not the best photo but it shows more of the blue feathers.

So that's my little bit of green and blue for the weekend. When I was a teenager, we thought we couldn't combine those colors in our clothing. I doubt if anyone worries about that any more! (that was a LOOONG time ago) 

I’m joining Saturday’s critters HERE  

  and I’d Rather B Birdin’.

 

 

'shrooms!

I looked this term up and it said 'shrooms could refer to any mushrooms. It can also mean a super mushroom. I'm using it just for fun to show the incredible variety of mushrooms we saw on the Florida Trails at the Pruitt Trailhead. 

 This was probably my favorite!

 

Another view

We hiked into a wooded area and were amazed at the mushrooms growing there. 

 

I wanted to highlight a few really neat ones.

 Doesn't this look like a little man?

This one was teeny tiny with little water droplets all around!

They are all so unique and incredible.

 Doesn't this one look like it has bear tracks on top. Maybe it was a fairy bear?

Don't worry, I didn't touch any of them. I don't know enough about them to know which ones are poisonous and which ones are safe. I don't touch many plants when I hike anyway. I don't want to get a rash from any of them. We saw just a few sprigs of poison oak but mostly Virginia Creeper.

 These were all taken with my camera but I have more that my hubby took with his. It may become the battle of the 'shrooms! heehee!

I’m joining Thankful Thursdays .