Sky

A Sunny July Sunday

This morning’s moonshine I love this tree! Green and yellow is a favorite combo color of mine.

Sunday morning met us and so did the lovely moonshine. Look closely. You’ll see her. And this is my Verawood tree, one of five I have. The other four are smaller. One of the smaller ones is a tree I started from a seed from this tree. This one is best known here at Fort Doberdale as “The Luigi Tree.” Yes, it is! It’s a big boy!

Taadaa! I found it. I’m Raven the best nose in town! A good peanut hiding place!

We had a peanut hunt this afternoon. I hid them all over the Fort Doberdale campus – above and below nose levels. I hid one in a planter attached to a pine tree. Raven found that one. Impressive!

Taylor found a peanut…stretch and reach! The Pippinator! She found this one. It was under the bird cage, so I moved it for her.

Taylor found one and had to get in a compromising position to pull off the finale, but she did it and munched that peanut. Then Pippin found a peanut I’d hidden under a birdcage. She tried, but needed help getting to it, so I lifted the cage up off the peanut, and she grabbed the nut fast.

Work it, Annie, work it! Annie’s sniffer is at work here. Annie’s a good hunter!

Annie, even though she’s shorter than the Dobies of Fort Doberdale, kicks arse at finding peanuts. She’s a hunter supreme. Look at this. She finds those peanuts above and below nose level! Annie rules!

Can you find the peanut in this picture? Bouchard, the Frenchmann, isn’t so swift with the sniff.

Can you find the peanut in this picture? Neither could Bouchard. But it’s there. He found others, so don’t feel bad for him, and he’s working on his peanut hunting skills. After all, he’s used to hunting those snails.

There you are! Raven’s sniffer works really well! Little Big Pants aka Raven Fence Walker

After Raven’s earlier find, she follows her nose to other above-nose hiding places. It takes her a while to pinpoint the peanut, but by Goddess, she finds it and gives it a good crunch to let the world know.

Regis O’Verten doesn’t think it’s worth his old man energy to hunt for peanuts. Lilian swiping Baby’s first and only found peanut! Baby Diva gets a hand-fed peanut

The seniors are less enthusiastic about this game. Though Baby did find a peanut on her own, as she began enjoying it, Lilian (surprisingly) took advantage of my senior Baby, and swiped most of it. So I cracked open another one for the Diva. Meanwhile, Regis stood mostly in one place. Earlier, he dropped a turd in the house by his food bowl. So when I was delivering breakfasts, I had to figure out why he wouldn’t go near his. Bingo! The egg was found, removed, and all was well for Regis to dine. He’s old and turds come out unplanned. The best part of this is how indignant he gets over finding one. As if someone else left the thing in his way. I don’t know if that’s the gramps in him or the male in him. 🙂

Luigi’s got a nose for finding things on the ground, too! Luigi’s a magnificent peanut hunter. He has the height and the nose for those in the upper level.

Luigi, he finds those peanuts upwards and downwards. He’s got the nose power and dedication to continue on until no peanut goes unfound.

Helen

Doberkids, Sky, Trees and Plants

20

Jul

2008

Moody Blues

There is going to be a full moon tonight. It’s the Capricorn Moon. We went outside to find it, but didn’t spot it yet.

What a sight! Airplane in the Fort Doberdale pines Black and White Skyscape

As dusk came, so did a huge blanket of clouds. They were magnificent. Their intensity suggested a big storm. We were at the ready to run inside, but all the sky did was sneeze on us. It may have been more intense the further upwards one traveled. The airlines re-routed right over the Fort Doberdale campus.

Lovely red hibiscus Ginger under the moody blue skies

Ginger asked to show the beautiful red hibiscus that bloomed today. “It’s lovely,” she says, “lovely and red just like I am!”

Baby watching the moody blue skies

Baby was fascinated with it all. She will sleep well tonight…on 2/3 of the bed. Meanwhile, we will all go outside to see if we can locate that Capricorn moon once again.

Helen

Baby, Ginger, Sky, Trees and Plants

18

Jul

2008

A Torrential Downpour Sunday at Fort Doberdale

A dove holding steady in the pelting rain and winds. The Dove is joined by a Blue Jay in the pelting rains and winds, but only momentarily.

Today, at Fort Doberdale, the skies opened up and watered my vegetable garden good. It was an amazing thing. But then the winds started to blow and when I opened the back door, got soaked. Usually, we all can stand there and watch the rains. Not today. I had to change clothes twice trying to get pictures of the dove hanging on for dear life in the dead grapefruit tree. She stood her ground for the entire storm, while a blue jay came and went in seconds.

Hungry dove after holding on during the storm.

After the storm, the dove was hungry from using all that energy to hang on. There was some residual bird seed on the ground, but I threw down a couple more scoops for her to fill up on for the next emergency that would come her way.

A bucket full of rain water!

Look at all the water that came down! This bucket was empty before the storm. It’s the ever useful “poop bucket,” which always has a plastic bag inside when a poop is plopped within. I’m glad I tossed the bag out before this storm. I don’t know about you, but having to clean out a water logged bag of poop is not my way of spending free time.

Raven points out the planter near the house, and under an awning, that is full of rain water.

Raven has sniffed out the planter near the house, which has a lake in it now. It’s under an awning, and is usually safe from rains. That shows how strong those winds were. Now if Raven will kindly move her snoot, I can tip that planter to the side to drain the lake. Raven? Raven! RAVEN!

Where did that piece of pine tree come from? The Verawood (aka The Luigi Tree) blown over by winds

I had a lot of free time going into this afternoon, and I was going to put it to better use than cleaning up after an impromptu mini hurricane. This was a brutal, sudden patch of weather that flew by. It knocked over the Verawood tree, aka the Luigi tree, and took a big piece of the pine tree down with it. At least the pine limb fell near the trash receptacles.

The Verawood consciousness. She closes her leaves during a storm.The Verawood consciousness. She opens her leaves after the storm.

Here is plant consciousness at work. The Verawood tree closes its “eyes” at night when it goes to sleep, but lookie here! It shut its leaves during the cataclysmic storm. And after I put it upright, cleaned the rest of the yard, showered and came back outside, it had opened up again!
The storm blew a neighboring overgrown vine and tree limb over my fence and onto my corn plant! What happened here? Baby wonders!

Baby saw this lovely mess first. “What the hey?” It’s a huge vine that had covered a huge weed tree on the other side of the fence.

Wild peppers growing at will.

I had to get up on a ladder to reach the trunk of the overgrown weed tree to clip it down. But look at the wild peppers growing in all that mess!
Getting help from the red boys! Oops, take cover. More rain!

I was hot, sweaty and soaked from working amongst the saturated foliage. I did get that big viny weed tree cut down, and the red boys, Bouchard and Regis, were there to help.

Skies looking cold.

These kinds of skies always suggest colder weather to me, but not in South Florida. It’s balmy and hot! Eeek!

Cucumbers fell from the sky! Cucumbers fell from the sky!

Among other things, little cucumbers fell from the sky. I have no idea where they came from, but not from my garden. I’d like some, though.

Cucumbers fell from the sky!

Obviously, one of the dogs thought it was worth a taste, but the immature cuke was not tasty enough to finish.

Fly away, woodpecker! Woodpecker’s hungry, too!

I love these woodpeckers. They are beautiful and humorous. This morning there was a pair of them at this very spot chasing a squirrel away. This leads me to believe that they have a nest atop this post.

Ollie in mud with Cuz ball

Before it was all said and done, and we got back to the rest of our usual routine this Sunday afternoon, Ollie had to lie in the mud. He had to. I sometimes think that boy is part oink oink oink.

All done! Let’s party!



All Taylor could say was she was glad the storm passed. She is not a fan of thunder!

Helen

Birds, Sky

22

Jun

2008

It Rained This Afternoon

The last picture I have of rain in Fort Doberdale was taken on 3/23/08, and that was more of a tinkle than a rain.  Today, finally, we had rain.  During my lunch break.

This is the tropics?  It’s resembling more the Mojave desert!

Helen

Sky

22

May

2008

Several Kong Destuffing Methods Revealed

Let’s look at the way a Kong is tackled by three Fort Doberdalians.  Scroll your mouse over each picture to get the 411 on each step.

First we have Lilian.  She is a flinger.

First I grab it by its lip.   Second, I toss it.   Finally, I stretch my incredibly agile body and my swanlike neck to lick something out! Yum.

Taylor is a contemplative Kong destuffer.

First, I think about it.   Then I put my little teethies to work.

Then there’s Raven.  Her method is so complicated that we will have to cover it another day when she’s in the mood to share her secrets of Kong destuffing.

I’m busy in here, what do you want?   Come back later when I can talk more. I’m busy now!

Helen

Lilian, Raven, Sky, Taylor

19

May

2008