A Day of Puffy Clouds

I’d like to thank all my readers who sent messages of concern last week when the hurricane blew by Florida. I sincerely appreciate your support. As expected here in central Florida away from the coast, we had a tropical storm warning (not a hurricane warning), rain, and wind. Yes, other areas were not so lucky. Tampa had extensive flooding and property destruction.

The next day was a regular sunny day with blue skies and puffy white clouds. I hope you enjoy the beautiful day I’m sharing. I wish you all beautiful days where you live.

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Trees & Sky Views in September

Hurricane Helene is forecast to land in the big bend of Florida (the curve in the shape of the state) Thursday evening which is today. I’m writing this on Wednesday. Since my move to a more central location in the state, I no longer worry about being where the storms land. I will get wind and rain but less fierce, and my county is under a tropical storm warning. The worse that can happen is possible loss of power for a while, but I don’t really expect that to happen either.

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Crepe Myrtle Time in Central Florida

Lagerstroemia, commonly known as crepe myrtle, is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia, and parts of Oceania, cultivated in warmer climates around the world. It is very popular here in the southeastern USA in growing zones 6 to 10.

Spring is one of my favorite times of year here in central Florida with flowering trees, bushes, and amaryllis. When summer comes, I always look forward to the crepe myrtle trees flowering. I see them everywhere as they are very popular. The second year I was living in my home, an old dying tree in the front yard was leaning toward my neighbor’s home. I had it cut down. The next year I planted a small crepe myrtle tree with hot pink blossoms in the old tree’s spot in the front yard. Several days ago I took photos to share. It’s crepe myrtle time!

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My End of April Flowers

I live in Central Florida, growing zone 9B which is semi-tropical. Amaryllis is a subtropical bulb that belongs to the Amaryllidaceae family and is native to South Africa. It is grown as a potted plant in most parts of the United States but can also be grown outdoors year round in warm areas like Florida. The red amaryllis you buy at Christmas are FORCED bulbs.

Since I am not supposed to drive (think lack of range of motion with a neck brace!) I don’t exactly see lots of things to photograph. Most of the time I do not have the energy. Walking in an uneven place like my yard isn’t really too smart either with my current limitations and equipment. However, within last 10 days I did take several photos of my still blooming amaryllis. (for more information about my surgery, see ACDF & My Cup Overflows)

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Blue Skies At Home

Since Hurricane Ian cut his way through Florida, we’ve had beautiful blue skies, less humidity, and no rain. For several days we even had highs in the 70’s. It felt like winter. I always say the change from the wet season to the dry season is like a switch is flipped.  Today’s photos are beautiful views of blue skies from my yard here in central Florida.  Enjoy!

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