Strawberry Fields Forever!

Every year I look forward to strawberry season, so "Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields. Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about. Strawberry Fields forever."

(Remember?)
I don't think I ever fully appreciated the songs of the Beatles until I got older because it wasn't till then when I started to pay attention to the lyrics. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see. It's getting hard to be someone, but it all works out. It doesn't matter much to me.

Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to Strawberry Fields.
Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about.
Strawberry Fields forever."

Southern Grace Farms operates this strawberry field every year from the beginning of April till the end of May. People can come and pick their own berries or purchase them ready picked by the gallon or flat. As soon as you drive up, you can smell the strawberries. What a lovely scent!


Here's Gizzy peeking out of the passenger window where the car is parked at the entrance.



You can see rows upon rows of strawberry plants and in the very back are some people picking strawberries. (It helps to double click on the photo to enlarge it.)



I don't know why I felt compelled to look down to take a picture of this lonely little strawberry that fell to the ground - never to be eaten (poor little berry!)



I asked the young lady to take a picture of me for my blog after I purchased the strawberries. Simple things in life make me very happy!



Here I'm beaming some more in the sunshine. I decided to purchase two one-gallon containers full; one for me and one to give away to a friend.



Here are my sweet, red jewels in the back seat of my car, awaiting their final destination...Yummmmmmm, I can't wait!











Hope you'll be eating fresh strawberries very soon too (if you're not doing so already) and, thank you little honey bee, you did a fantastic job! The strawberries are delicious!



...and may you be around for another 30 million years so that we might enjoy "Strawberry Fields forever!"

It's a Great Day in May!

Today I'm blessed with another beautiful day and the mosquitoes are not bad at all. Maybe all that spraying the city's been doing helped or maybe the breeze we've been having blows them away, but I'm thankful about having a little reprieve - for now! I visited my friend at Bank's Lake again, and, as usual, we sat outside on the bench, just talking and watching nature. I did see another alligator (with the binoculars) but it wasn't close enough for a good shot with my little camera. She told me that earlier this morning a big 8 footer was laying on the boardwalk and I could have got a really good picture. Maybe I'll try going there earlier in the mornings and see. Here are some pictures that I thought turned out really well, considering I don't have a fancy camera:
This picture to the left, is me looking down from the landing of the boardwalk, onto a protruding patch of land with cypress roots growing up from under it and the reflection of the opposite trees in the water. I thought it looked kind of interesting. Afterwards, Gizzy and I stopped at Roquemore Memorial Park. We saw a few new memorials that were added recently. Gizzy had to run straight to his favorite "Rocky's Bridge" memorial. Then, we strolled around while I took some scenic pictures.
This memorial is one of my favorites. It commemorates the departing of a beloved daughter. It's a lovely statute of a girl reading, surrounded by beautiful roses. The roses' first bloom is almost over, but they bloom continually all year through autumn. They have a lovely, fruity fragrance.
Here's a close-up of one of the remaining big blossoms:



















Lastly, Gizzy tried out the swings to see if they're still Gizzy-proof and that's the resulting short movie clip of him swinging:


(just click on the right-arrow to view - it's very short!)

Here are some stills for those of you with a slow internet connection and no patience - you know who you are ;-)




Maaaaam, I'm ready to go now.....












And this, ladies and gents, is what happens when a woman has no grandkids. Have a nice May!

Just can't get enough of all that Green stuff!

(Remember to double click on the pictures to make them big)












Today, I'm going to talk about my surroundings. This post is primarily for my family and friends' benefit who live far away. Yes, I have a tiny apartment and yes, it's not particularly in the most prestigious and modern of neighborhoods, but you know what? I've been there, done that and I'm here to tell you that a fancy big house and an ocean view does not necessarily for happiness make.
















I live here amongst all this greenery (and yes, the mosquitoes too) but I just love looking out my windows and doors and see green all around me. It gives me the impression as if I were on a perpetual camping trip. Isn't that funny? Looking at all this green is medicinal to my eyes and it soothes my soul.
















Fuer meine Familie in Deutschland: Ich hoffe dass Euch diese Bilder gefallen. Die habe ich von meiner Wohnung heraus geknipst um Euch zu zeigen, wie schoen gruen hier alles ist. (Bitte auf die Bilder zweimal druecken damit sie gross werden)
















I feel lucky to have all these trees around me because some of the apartments have little or no shade. I'm also happy for the birds that chirp and sing continuously - it sounds like a tropical rain forest here. It is a perfect place for my cat, Middi, who practically lives on the window sills because bird watching is her specialty.
















Middi is also an accomplished lizard observer:

A Gator and a Skink

Hello again from Bank's Lake. Today was a beautiful day (and still is) with a nice breeze. If you can stay away from the trees where the moist, shaded spots are, you should be ok with the mosquitoes not being too bothersome.

I visited my friend (who runs Bank's Lake Outpost) with Gizzy today and we sat outside on the bench chatting about this and that (my favorite topic.)

That's us: My friend, I and Gizzy! (oh, and the guy who's taking the photo)


















As we were sitting there talking, she pointed out an alligator to me. I left Gizzy tied up to the bench for a minute, while I walked on the dock to take a closer look. My camera doesn't have a very strong zoom lens, so I had to crop the photo to see it better:

Just double-click on the photos to make them bigger and that should help.














Wile I was out there by myself (without the dog) I took a few photos of some water lilies. They are all over the lake now and from a distance look like big, puffy snowballs. You can even smell them way before you get close to them (especially today with a nice breeze going.) Their scent reminds me of a mix between a passion flower and a tuberose. They smell sweet with a hint of citrus. I just love it!

















We watched the fishermen pull up with their boats and walking to the Outpost to purchase their crickets and such. The worms were all gone because there was a big fishing tournament yesterday. I read the paper and suddenly noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye...here came along this little skink, it's a form of a lizard, and he ran right past us and back towards the Outpost because he knows where he can find some crickets ;-)












It was another beautiful day and I couldn't resist taking a few more photos:


















There were quite a few people canoeing and kayaking today. Here we saw what looked like to me a father and son team, coming back in:
















As I drove away, I saw a couple having a picnic under a tree with their three-wheel motorcycle right next to them. You see a lot of motorcycles here because it's just such a beautiful place to ride.

Cutter Skinsations works!

Just to let you know that there is life after mosquitoes, providing you can handle being covered by a thick layer of insect repellent. I sprayed myself, my clothes and the dog with insect repellent before our daily morning walk and guess what? I did not get bit! I carried the bottle with me and kept reapplying so that I used quite a bit. I don't like doing this to myself, but it's either that or stay inside all the time.

However, it's important to not stand still and keep on moving. Waiving your arms around helps too. Therefore, Gizzy's walk was a bit quicker than usual, but at least he got to be out there sniffing around and doing his doggy duty.

Then, after we got back home, we both got in the shower to remove the repellent and now our day has started out right. It really was torture for both of us yesterday having to stay inside on such a lovely day.






Revelling in Contentedness!

Earth Day 2009

In honor of Earth Day today, I took a few photos and a nice little video clip from my walk around Lake Irma with Gizzy this morning.




I hope you can hear the birds singing. I love listening to all those different sounds. When I close my eyes, I can imagine being in a tropical rain forest somewhere. I just don't understand why there are so many mosquitoes with all those birds around. Don't birds eat mosquitoes? I know dragonflies do. Maybe I need to start raising them.



(Click arrow ABOVE to view video)

I set my alarm and we headed out early, since I learned that all the mosquitoes in Georgia are now after ME! Apparently it must be open season for DORIS! No matter what I do, they attack me. I sprayed repellent everywhere (or so I thought) but must've missed a spot between my fingers. Well, guess where I got stung? Also, they sting right through my clothes. I give up! For me, resistance is futile. I need a beekeeper's outfit! Or do like I do every summer - go out very early in the morning and then stay inside for the rest of the day! (poor Gizzy)

Here's a picture of Gizzy and I that a friend took when she came walking up with her two dogs.



















On the way back home, we saw this log cabin that someone's building around the corner from where I live (they've been working on it for a while)


















Lastly, please click below to see how Valdosta, Georgia, celebrated Earth Day:

Valdosta Daily Times

My first real life alligator at Bank's Lake

Wouldn't you know it? The first time I see a real life alligator, I don't have my camera with me.

Yesterday, I met a very nice young couple at the Bank's Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where Gizzy and I visit often.


















He was fishing from this pier and ended up catching a baby alligator (about 1 1/2 feet long.)



Thankfully, the young lady took a couple of photos that I received in an e-mail from her today (5/18/09) so here they are:







I got to touch my first gator ever (he felt like a cool tire) and I got my photo taken, but have to wait to receive it from them.

They were preparing to move into their new home togehter on six acres of land, located in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. She has horses and he drives a Harley. What a life!!! They invited me to look them up if I ever make it out that way. I do believe that I will stop by and say hello the next time I take another extended road trip up north since I love the mountains and enjoy exploring placed I've never seen. (I've never been to Tennessee.) We exchanged cards so that she can send me the photo and to keep in touch. Turns out she has an Etsy shop too. Here it is, if you want to look:

Cre8tive Creations


Gizzy barked at the little gator that was making those throaty baby grunting sounds. Good thing momma gator wasn't nearby or else ... (I've heard some stories!)

The little fella got the hook removed from his mouth and then released back in the water. He'll probably never, ever will bite another earthworm with a hook on it.

Today, Gizzy and I went again to Bank's Lake and even though it was not very sunny, I still managed to get a few scenic shots. This is a Water Lilly. They grow abundantly in the lake right now.
















I took a couple of pictures of us




















From the deck, we can watch people fish and the boats pull in and out of the dock. It is a nice breezy day, just the way we like it. Not too hot and just right for being outside.


















This little green lizard was sitting on the fence of the deck looking down into the water... watch out little fella!























Just another look around - I still can't get over those cypress trees growing right out of the water like that...

















Gizzy slowly waddling towards the car. He really loves being outside, but I believe he's always relieved to get away from this lake because he senses the alligators in there and he's never quite comfortable when we're walking on the deck, close to the water. (Did you know that dog is one of the alligator's favorite foods?)


















This is the Outpost that my friend runs. I visit her periodically and we chat while sitting outside on the bench (no dogs allowed inside) while I usually knit or crochet. Gizzy loves to watch the people as they dock their fishing boats in and out of the water, or walk up to the Outpost to purchase their crickets and worms.