There’s another Roseate out back, this one appears to be less colorful than the previous one.  Wondering why there is only one when the reference documentation says they are usually part of a flock.

Haven’t seen the Red Headed Cranes or the Blue Heron in over a week.  Wondering (no time to check right now) if they’ve flown to cooler areas or if that big gator last week scared them away.

Saw a pretty good sized soft shell turtle making his way out of the pond in the direction of the bigger lake two nights ago and one of the baby gators is back.

The last retention pond to fill is the first to begin to go dry.  The weather folks reported this to be the RAINY season, but so far it hasn’t lived up to it’s name.  Guess they mean Hurricane Season and those are ferocious when they arrive, but don’t do much for the water levels until they do.

Got to get back to work, but wanted to report on the wildlife out back.  Plenty of baby frogs…plenty of different species of white birds, with some black ones too, and the ducks.

It’s a wonderland out back!

My goal to move to The Villages?  I live here.  I love it here.  I achieved my goal.

What now?

I’ve been trying a number of different avenues, the job market is dismal, and I’ve had my share of no response at all from submitted job applications…and I’ve decided to do what I can using my own resources.  I’ve sold ads for myself, creating flyers and I’m about to submit the third flyer.  I’ve attempted to sell ads for local publications, but decided to do my own thing.  Working for 25 or 30% of costlier products, or 100% of my own product, it’s sort of a no brainer.   I’ve worked on a website, which has had its challenges, and I’ll continue to work on the project, but I’m also looking to find something I have some control over, working for myself.

So, tonight on the way back from another visit to mom’s, where I helped with computer issues and helped pick up the yard, I had another chance to think of a way to pay the rent.  Tonight I’ve spent some time rethinking my choices…and I’ve come up with a new plan.  I’ve created an excel spreadsheet, and I’ve sent my idea and the data to some family members asking for suggestions, pitfalls, anything to contribute to the success, or the dismissal of the idea.

Reinventing myself.

So that I can remember…

a few weeks ago, I walked into a metal pulldown storage door that I hadn’t opened fully because I was just going to pop under and pick up a rug to protect a piece of furniture at the back of the moving truck… 8 stitches.

last week, I placed my cell phone on the seat of the golf cart, along with my wallet, and went on my way…the long and the short of this story is that the wallet didn’t fall off the cart, but the cell phone did.  And it was run over, probably multiple times.  The SIM card survived, but all of the information I’ve added over the past year or two, GONE.  I learned that when I enter numbers into the PHONE, that’s where they go, on the phone somewhere.  But, unless I also COPY THEM TO THE SIM CARD, they are forever lost if the phone can’t be turned on after being run over by a couple of automobiles.

today…I just finished cleaning up tomato and cheese soup.  It was BOILING HOT when I attempted to Vitamix the second batch.  I learned immediately that I had NOT turned off the variable HIGH lever when my face, clothing, walls, floors and everything within range was covered in boiling soup.  That was about 40 mins ago.  My face now sports bright red blotches, my right eyelid and right cheek received the hottest splash and I am wondering if I should go to an emergency clinic.  I’m guessing I’m over-reacting…it’s probably not that bad.

The soup does taste good, the part that did make it into the cooking pot.   My left arm is also stinging and raised in places.  Guess it’s time to check the internet for information on what to do about hot soup burns.

deep and heavy sigh.

This was after I created a new desktop with the Prayer of Jabez…”oh, that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!”.

I guess I should have typed, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and not allow blisters on my face and arm, that Your hand would be with my Vitamix, and that You would keep me from burning myself, that I may not cause pain!”.

OUCH.

Haven’t seen the two “baby” alligators in some time, I think it was last Wednesday when they were out back.  The roseate bird hasn’t been back and have only seen one pair of the cranes.  Instead there are more and more of the white and black and mottled birds.  But, yesterday, after 6PM…a gator was in the rentention pond, the one connected to the underground water system…this guy was at least 12 inches across the middle, if not more.  And, at least 6ft.   The birds that were feeding, when he was “playing” in the water, took off in flight (and fright) as he literally ran across the pond in search of something.  Perhaps a turtle?  This guy would surface, disappear and then resurface in a totally different location and in a different direction.  I thought there might be two, but only saw the one.

Another exciting adventure out my back window!!

Thoughts of Roland (rescued kitten) this morning, as I start my day.

Recorded some of the income that has come in this week on the calendar, it’s another way I’ve found to recognize the blessings I receive.

The different beaked (can I say that?) white birds are out back, right up to the back of the house, so close that when I walked out there not realizing they were visiting, I scared them all away.  They didn’t go to far, just to the edge of the ponds.   It is interesting, long and short orange beaks, curved beaks, black short beaks, along with one or two with a tuft of brown feathers sticking out from the back of their little heads.  One white bird looks a little dirty, almost like he’s survived an oil spill somewhere.

I was so fascinated by the Roseate fellow yesterday that I did some reading last night and learned that they usually are found in groups and that when their coloring is less vibrant it means they are a younger bird.  I wonder if this poor little lone Roseate is lost.  He’s not out there today, maybe he found his family…I prefer to believe that that is just the way it is.  He’s with family.

Also, last night, along with dealing with computer issues (my free 30 day trial of Adobe Acrobat expired, so I thought I’d use one of my other accounts to get another 30 days, didn’t work…appears they have something set on the PC so that even if I uninstall the copy I was using and reinstall, somehow it knows), I decided to listen in to an old friend who hosts webinars.  I wanted to see if there was some way to recover the lost income in my 401k, which was exactly what the webinar was about.   More computer issues, couldn’t hear the PC version, called in on my cell and midway through, it decided to drop the call.  But when it was over, my cell phone rang and it was my friend.  He’s calling again today to share some information with me, talk about personal financial services!

Come to find out, he’s also an Ad man, has won awards.  He’s reviewing my flyers and says there may be some things I can do to produce much needed income.

A lot of talk about miracles…stay tuned.