Last Amaryllis on a Spring Day

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. Amaryllis sold at Christmas are FORCED bulbs.

Last weekend I went outside in the front yard on a wonderful spring day. There was a breeze with blue skies and wispy clouds.

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January Morning Skies

For the last month as snow storms hit other areas of the country, Florida has gotten multiple cold fronts coming in from the north. You wake up to gray skies, thin gray clouds, and little sun. It looks like snow clouds to me but we’re too far south. Often the cold fronts bring us cold to the bone rain. (I know it’s not cold to northerners but it’s cold to Floridians.) So I am always happy when the gray is blown away and blue skies return with thin wispy white clouds.

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My Favorite Nature Photos of 2022

Tuesday I shared the most popular posts in terms of visitors in 2022. Today I’ll share my favorite nature photos from last year. If you’ve visited me before you probably know a beautiful view of the sky is one of my great loves. A sunrise is a free gift and can only be surpassed by a stunning sunset. I hope I’ve included some of your favorite photos too.

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Egret in the Garden

Sometimes we only have moments to try to capture special views of nature. First I’d like to share the instance of an egret in my friend’s garden. Egrets in Florida usually come in pairs or groups and forage the yard for food. At a slight movement by a human, away they fly. This time the bird just watched and didn’t leave. Time to attempt to capture a photo or two.

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Neighborhood Skies of Blue

Most days in Florida are sunny days with blue skies with highs from 78 to 90 degrees F depending on the month. We were warned last weekend that a cold front was coming down to Florida on Wednesday. It’s here and for me it’s cold. It’s 51 degrees F. The high is expected to be 69 degrees. Those of you who live up north can laugh and enjoy that comment. I laughed when I first moved to Miami in my 20’s decades ago when the highs would dip. Everyone around me was cold and I’d say this isn’t cold. Three years later I had adapted to hot and often humid weather and I was cold when the temperatures lowered. For the next few days the highs slowly go up each day until we’ll be in the 80’s Saturday. The problem with lower temperatures is how most homes are constructed in Florida. I’ve mentioned before that most homes are CBS – concrete block structures built on a pad of concrete as a foundation. Theoretically concrete never really hardens. I just know that when the temperature goes down there is a cold damp feeling in the house even the temperature in the house is only a few degrees lower. This can make my arthritis ache. Turning on the heat for 5 minutes helps burn it off.

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Sky Watch Thursday With Flowers

One of my favorite linky parties is Sky Watch Thursday. The skies shared cover the range from sunrise to sundown and lots of beauty in between. Today my post is my view of the Florida blue skies over flowers. First is the view from the front yard over my frangipani tree. It was late afternoon and my front yard was in shade. (My house faces east and the sun crosses my house mid day.)

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