Rainy Season - still!

You have to imagine how deep and dark the edge of the woods seem now in the over lush days of early August. Looks like jungle here in the Green Swamp of central Florida. Often, pasted on this scene, are several deer feeding at the margin between pasture and forest. Underfoot are thousands of spade foot toads who have not made an appearance in four years. But this year we have truly had a great rainy season and all those toads procreated and are now underfoot everywhere.

At the end of the afternoon there is the tumult of thunder and lightning and several inches of hard rain falls.

Mornings before seven I drive the mile or so up to our mailbox to pick up the morning papers, and this is such a good part of the day! Driving very slowly I often see deer, bobcats, so many birds. The Withlacoochee River overflows and sends black waters into the swamp, and then, after a few days, everything reverses and the water flows out of the swamp.

So, I stop at the bridge and note the direction of the flow by how fast the duckweed is floating and I hope to see an otter or an alligator. So many ibises flock to the newly directed waters. Hawks scream above and the pileated woodpeckers are working on the snags. By now I know where certain birds hang out and I listen for them. Yes!

Here come the sand hill cranes getting ready for their day. And in a certain place in the lane I can always see the fox squirrel, and further up, the gopher tortoise burrow with evidence that he (or she) has been up already.

Some days I must stop and shoo away my neighbor's chickens who have congregated in the lane next to the mailbox.

I love living here! There is so much to be discovered: a patch of iron weed, a stretch of passion flowers on a fence, green fly orchids on a tree full of resurrection fern.

And there is the comical. Those hummingbirds who endlessly chase each other around the feeders. There was the armadillo a few mornings ago who appeared next to the screen porch where we were reading the paper. This particular armadillo was wearing a jacket around his middle (so astonishing that I thought I was actually losing my mind!) We looked and the jacket said, "Hot pepper." Seems that this armadillo had gotten into a peat pot surround - and everything fit perfectly. Our little dog went out to bark and chase and eventually nipped that jacket and it tore off.

So, rainy season, heat and all, is just what Florida is the best at. No complaints here. We see the rainbows and take a vacation from politics.
Seventy-two years old and I still feel like I am ten!