Normal weather for this southern peninsula state is hot, so when making a recent statement, " this summer's weather has been so hot!", I should not have been surprised by the look of, "what the....do you expect, you live in Florida for goodness sake!" Taking direction from Mr. Bill's past conversations telling me "say what you mean, mean what you say," I thought for just a nano-second he might be right, so I continued, "What I really mean is.....it has been so humid here this summer!" For the record, I received that same dazed and confused look followed by, "did you not hear me, you live in Florida for goodness sake!" All is not lost however, I followed Mr. Bill's directions to the tee, they still didn't understand, I can handle that! The best part is Mr. Bill was wrong and I even got him to kind of admit his blunder, although the secret about that is between you and me!!!! His exact words, "One would have to live here, to understand your thought process," falls into that category known as the gray area. With that in mind....he was wrong!
Front page story in today's online news.........."Because of the devastation caused by this year's Tropical Storm Irene, leaf-peepers should turn out in droves to see the damages." Really! Personally I don't think they should be called leaf-peepers. The usual bucolic settings are now areas of devastation, roads completely washed away, many homes ripped from their foundations by the torrential rains rushing from the mountains, wildlife habitats in complete disarray and "leaf-peepers' are on their way. With all do respect, the inhabitants of this region still need to make a living, so perhaps tourists looking at fall foliage will help the minds, bodies and wallets of the people living and working within the region. Hopefully, the mindset of the tourists will be one of support for their neighbors in these areas and not one of disgust at not being able to get around. The other point being, hopefully they will truly be leaf-peepers.
The autumn season in the northern states is very much an artist's palette of color. The rich hues of brilliant red, yellow and orange against the crisp blue of the cooler autumn sky is second to none in majestic beauty. The warmth of these colors conjure memories of apple picking season, pumpkin carving, piling fallen leaves in huge piles and jumping in them. As a child there was something very special about raking leaves in the neighborhood and them jumping into the center of this giant pillow of leaves. If I close my eyes, I can almost hear the squeals of delight as leaves and kids were flying in all directions. One of my most vivid memories is the smell of those leaves burning....something we are no longer allowed to do. Yet that smoke curling upward into the cool evening skies, now seems so fitting considering it was almost as if it signaled closure, Mother Nature's bedtime.
Florida does have seasons but one has to be a year round inhabitant to appreciate them all, each equally as beautiful as the four distinct seasons to our north. Annuals and perennials are much the same, but planting of these annuals in the south, are a year round option. The gorgeous sweet smelling vibrant colored petunia, loves three out of the four southern seasons, summer being much too hot for these tender beauties. The Egg-Nazi is patiently awaiting Mother Nature's signal. As she neatly tucks in her northern climates for their cold, snowy and long winter's sleep, she allows the southern soils to cool just enough, her new "children" are waiting. The grounds now moist enough from the monsoon proportions of rain that have occurred almost daily, these new beauties will push through and soon the vibrant colors of the southern autumn season will fill the landscapes. Snowbirds will return, as will the many feathered friends seeking refuge from the cold northern lands. This peninsula is again bustling with activity, visitors from everywhere soaking up the warmth of the sun. Personally we do not mind the heat of summer, my older bones actually appreciate it. If options were given, I would still take the summer heat over the cold of the winter.
Front page story in today's online news.........."Because of the devastation caused by this year's Tropical Storm Irene, leaf-peepers should turn out in droves to see the damages." Really! Personally I don't think they should be called leaf-peepers. The usual bucolic settings are now areas of devastation, roads completely washed away, many homes ripped from their foundations by the torrential rains rushing from the mountains, wildlife habitats in complete disarray and "leaf-peepers' are on their way. With all do respect, the inhabitants of this region still need to make a living, so perhaps tourists looking at fall foliage will help the minds, bodies and wallets of the people living and working within the region. Hopefully, the mindset of the tourists will be one of support for their neighbors in these areas and not one of disgust at not being able to get around. The other point being, hopefully they will truly be leaf-peepers.
The autumn season in the northern states is very much an artist's palette of color. The rich hues of brilliant red, yellow and orange against the crisp blue of the cooler autumn sky is second to none in majestic beauty. The warmth of these colors conjure memories of apple picking season, pumpkin carving, piling fallen leaves in huge piles and jumping in them. As a child there was something very special about raking leaves in the neighborhood and them jumping into the center of this giant pillow of leaves. If I close my eyes, I can almost hear the squeals of delight as leaves and kids were flying in all directions. One of my most vivid memories is the smell of those leaves burning....something we are no longer allowed to do. Yet that smoke curling upward into the cool evening skies, now seems so fitting considering it was almost as if it signaled closure, Mother Nature's bedtime.
Florida does have seasons but one has to be a year round inhabitant to appreciate them all, each equally as beautiful as the four distinct seasons to our north. Annuals and perennials are much the same, but planting of these annuals in the south, are a year round option. The gorgeous sweet smelling vibrant colored petunia, loves three out of the four southern seasons, summer being much too hot for these tender beauties. The Egg-Nazi is patiently awaiting Mother Nature's signal. As she neatly tucks in her northern climates for their cold, snowy and long winter's sleep, she allows the southern soils to cool just enough, her new "children" are waiting. The grounds now moist enough from the monsoon proportions of rain that have occurred almost daily, these new beauties will push through and soon the vibrant colors of the southern autumn season will fill the landscapes. Snowbirds will return, as will the many feathered friends seeking refuge from the cold northern lands. This peninsula is again bustling with activity, visitors from everywhere soaking up the warmth of the sun. Personally we do not mind the heat of summer, my older bones actually appreciate it. If options were given, I would still take the summer heat over the cold of the winter.
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