Mother's Birthday Party

Mother's church recently gave a birthday party for her and her best friend. Mother will be 92 next week and her friend is 97. Another friend who is 102 was also there along with about 25 well wishers. A woman who often makes pound cakes made the cake, and ice cream was provided. There were balloons (one of which got whacked by the ceiling fan, but that did not stop it from singing Happy Birthday in a very electronic voice). A good time was had by all. It is wonderful to be able to celebrate a long life well lived.
Mother was very interested in my daughter's recent trip to Egypt in part because she had been there herself years ago. She is still very interested in the same things she has always liked- birds, butterflies, and all sorts animals and bugs as well as flowers and other plant life. Although her ability to get around is severely curtailed by a stroke, and she does not hear or see very well, she is still the same woman she has always been in all the important ways. Although she is prevented from going to church by her condition,her interest still lies with the church at the crossroads and those who attend there.
We who are her family and friends have much to be thankful for as she still prays for us and provides an example of how to cope with what to her must be a terrible health situation.
When my granddaddy had quit driving because of his age, one day he drove to Mother's house. She ran out to meet him, sure that something was wrong. What he said provided me with a window to the future and helped me understand that the basic part of a person never changes. He said to Mother,"Your mother is driving me crazy." Although we have laughed about this in all the years since, that a man that old could still be driven wild by his wife is purely a reflection of what he had always been. The same things that drive us to distraction when we are young will still do the same in old age. We often do not know how to cope with a person who was always vibrant and has become weak and frail. It is helpful to remember that they are the same people in their hearts and minds.

I like this sign

Heron

 

This heron looks like it is getting in a little deep. This is from my Sanibel trip in July

Moonvines

 

Here is my moonvine that is blooming now. It is an annual and a mixed up member of the morning glory family. It is Ipomoea calantha. Instead of opening in the morning it opens in early evening, about 6:15 CDST for me. The flowers unfurl rapidly enough for you to see them open.They release bit of sweet fragrance as they open. They should be planted where they can be easily enjoyed in the evenings. They are strong climbers and will scramble to the highest reaches of whatever they can find that accommodates their upward thrust.I have strings from the ground to the eaves of my porch on the sunny side. They provide some afternoon shade also. I can see them out my kitchen window in the evening as I prepare supper.These flowers are about 5 inches across.
Although moonvine seed can be difficult to germinate, you can grow them easily after germination. I soak my seed overnight beginning in hot water from the faucet. They next day I plant them, keep them moist, and as soon as they are up, jump back. They do grow rapidly. There is not much use to plant them early because like okra, they prefer hot weather. They usually begin to flower for me from a June planting in late July. They continue through August and the hot days of September.
I collect a small handful of seed for next year when I pull the vines down after frost. Some may fall and come up next year, but I have had only limited luck with leaving them to their own devices and prefer the insurance of saving my seed. Besides, I might want to share some .

Wild Petunias

 

 

Ruellia,the wild petunia is found in many places. It occupied large areas of flower beds nearly everywhere in Florida. This is probably a testament of how easily it grows and spreads. I have grown it before, but found it to be such a spreader that the next years were spent controlling it. My aunt in New Orleans collected the seed while on a walk near lake Pontchartrain and sent them to Mother. These were 3-4 feet tall. Currently I have some shorter ones in my flower bed that do not spread as readily, and some are pink as well as purple.

Penton Sunflowers

 

These sunflowers are growing beside SR 77 north of Penton. They are so beautiful I just had to stop and admire them. I assume they are being grown for bird seed but whether it is to attract doves or to sell I do not know. They are so near the road I can't imagine they are going to allow a hunt there. I don't how that person jumped up in my picture.

Unusual Bird Activity

Last evening a little before dark I was at the mall. When I got out of the car I heard a
cacophony of bird sound. Looking up, I saw a huge flock of birds flying round and round although not in synchrony. They were staying together in a group, but some were flying one way and some another. I attempted to talk to a couple people about the birds, but clearly no one I spoke to was interested. One woman said she guessed they were happy. What a dumb thing to say. Anyone could see they were not happy, but very disturbed. Most people appeared not to notice. I bet they would have noticed if those birds had taken a synchronous shat. Excuse me, I can't help myself. Really, how could you not notice or care about something so unusual. Another person offered that maybe the birds were trying to tell us something. Now, seriously, I doubt those birds care anything about us. I see now that for the most part the 2 species were just not interested in each other.
When I came out of the mall it was dark and I couldn't see the birds, but I could still hear them. Is there an ornithologist here who can offer a suggestion? I do not know what kind of birds they were,