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feral gray cat eating food
 

Four or five months ago our cat (and model) Hippo got out of the house "somehow" (ok, he's overweight ... we allow him to sneak out in hopes that he'll lose some weight). He came home a few hours later with a friend. 

His friend was an adorable, small, vocal gray cat. This fellow was immediately named Buddy, because he's Hippo's buddy.

I posted pictures of him on our local facebook groups and no one seems to know anything about him. So for the last few months we've been talking to him, trying to get a little bit closer to him, and feeding him each evening (he mostly comes by after dark). Years ago Hippo put a hole in the screen on our porch so Buddy uses that to get onto the lanai where his food is.

For a long time I wasn't seeing much of him but the food was gone in the morning, so I'd just set some out before bed.

That worked really well until one evening I walked past the lanai, checked for Buddy, and saw this instead:

Opossum eating cat food
 

Opossum was much less concerned about my presence than Buddy ever is and ate the whole bowl of food!

Now Buddy gets fed only when we see him!



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S is for Smiling Sunrise, ABC book review at Because I'm Me
When asked if River, age 6, and I would be interested in receiving and reviewing the book S is For Smiling Sunrise, published by WordsBright, I offered a hesitant "sure"; while River has discovered a love of reading I wasn't sure if this book would be challenging enough for him, given that he's outgrown traditional ABC books.

S is for Smiling Sunrise isn't your average ABC book and River dove right into the book, and enjoyed it very much. The hardcover, full-color, illustrated book written by Vick Wadhwa is recommended for children ages 3-6. The book contains about 30 pages, all of  which are of a high quality, thick, glossy finish (ie - not going to rip easily).

As I mentioned, this isn't a typical ABC book. Instead of "A is for Apple" in this book A is for Artwork - drawing and painting, and singing and dancing. The other alphabet letters in the book are equally unique, with C representing colors and H for heart. Instead of focusing on beginning words the book focuses on seeing and thinking about beautiful things, and taking time to stop, pay attention, and appreciate the world around us.

S is for Smiling Sunrise, ABC book review at Because I'm Me

River and I received a study guide to use with the book, with questions and activity suggestions for each page. I used the questions to help River think about what he was reading. After reading the A page we talked about different types of artwork and what kinds of art he liked to create. We then discussed how dancing could be considered art and brainstormed about what else could be art that isn't typical "art class" art. The image below is from the study guide:

S is for Smiling Sunrise, ABC book review at Because I'm Me

At Cub Scouts River has been working on his photography beltloop. One of his requirements was to submit 10 photos that he took using tips he'd learned about photography. I tied this book in with that requirement, as photography also requires you to slow down and observe what's going on around you. Focusing on the subjects of the book gave him something to look for instead of just taking random photos. I'd like to say that these are all River's pictures, but he got sidetracked when we discovered an armadillo shell and bones, so some of these were taken by one of his brothers who, once he got a hold of the camera, didn't put it down all day.

S is for Smiling Sunrise, ABC book review at Because I'm Me

There is also a CD included with the book, with one song on it retelling the book. Personally, we preferred the book without the song, once I heard the song I had a hard time going back to the book and taking the "singing" out of the reading, if that makes sense. I found the song more of a distraction than an aide.

S is for Smiling Sunrise, ABC book review at Because I'm Me

River, nearing the end of First Grade, had no problem at all reading the book on his own. He liked the pictures and the variety of information in the book. Between the book and our discussion of the pages he did some great learning and thinking. There were some challenging words mixed in which was good for him. Is it a book he'll read again and again? Probably not, only because he's just at the cusp of being a little too old for the book, or it being a little too young for him.

I appreciated that S is For Smiling Sunrise encouraged River to look around and notice the world, and to think about the things he was reading.

S is for Smiling Sunrise, ABC book review at Because I'm Me

Had I had this book when I had my daycare I'd have gotten a lot of use out of it, tying craft projects in with the pretty pages of the book. For example, these adorable hand print caterpillars would have been tied in well with "B is for Butterfly". I'm sure I could have found projects that would have worked for each of the 26 letters, combining the book with the discussion questions, letter drawing, craft projects, and activities would have been a lot of fun for the kids and for me.

S is for Smiling Sunrise is available through WordsBright Publishing, with discounts for bulk orders.

Wordsbright Review

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Orange picking in Southwest Florida

If you're not familiar with the title of the post it's a knock-knock joke.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Banana
Banana who?

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Orange
Orange who?
Orange you glad I didn't say banana again?

And it's completely irrelevant to this post.

Last week we took an afternoon and went and picked oranges at a local grove. Straight off the tree.

We do this every year or two, always trying to go before Christmas because the Pineapple Oranges are our favorite and are ripe in December. This year we tried Arizona Sweet Oranges and found those to be sweet and juicy too.

Orange picking in Southwest Florida

A full five gallon bucket of fresh oranges costs just $13. A five gallon bucket will fill two plastic shopping bags full ... a pretty awesome deal for $13.

Orange picking in Southwest Florida

The oranges are grown organically, without pesticides. Yes, they have some seeds and the skins aren't super duper orange and waxy, but the insides are "to die for" and picking it yourself makes it even more special.

One delightful bonus of orange picking is being able to eat while picking, which makes a visit to the orange grove a little sticky but the kids love just tossing the peels on the ground as they wander about and randomly picking and sampling the many varieties of oranges, limes, grapefruits, and other citruses. Be warned: not all citrus fruits are as they seem, Ian tried a lovely little very orange orange that turned out to be a sour lime.

Orange picking in Southwest Florida

This year at the grove the kids were given Citra Sippers to take home. Apparently, everyone in south Florida but me has a pile of these mixed in with their kitchen utensils. I'd never heard of them. After 30 years in Florida. I guess I've been living under a rock. Sad, because these things are pretty dang cool. All you do is stick the sipper into the top, where the stem was, squeeze the orange, and sip. After enough squeezing and sipping the orange is juiceless and the sipper is happy. Pretty darn cool, and they're causing my stock of oranges to dwindle pretty quickly ... we may just have to hit the grove again before spring.

Orange picking in Southwest Florida

The grove is heavily guarded by Bob, their slightly chubby beagle (there's a picture of Bob here) and the pond in the back has banana trees and a wild alligator known as Hannah, who wasn't visible the day we were there.

So .. we don't get to go out into the woods to pick our own Christmas tree, we can't stick things into trees for maple sap, and we don't go apple picking, but we do get to hang out in an orange grove when it's 80' in the middle of December so I think we're doing alright.

Orange picking in Southwest Florida
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A few years ago I took the kids to the Naples Botanical Gardens and have been trying to find the time to get back for another visit. Spring Break, coupled with a birthday dinner for Kaden (who turned 11 this year!), created the perfect opportunity to head down there.

The Gardens currently has a Lego sculpture exhibit with 15 or so very large Lego creations on display throughout the property. Pretty darn impressive.


We were as engaged and enthralled as we were the first time we went.





Happy Birthday Kaden





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Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL

A few more images from our camping trip to Hillsborough River State Park a few weeks ago.

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL
One third of the way in from the left and halfway up the image is a sunbathing alligator.
It was a gorgeous day, nice and cool at night, and comfortable in the morning with a slight breeze.

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL

While at the park we saw a raccoon (he stole our trash bag and carried it up a tree!), a deer, an owl stealing fish, 2 smallish-medium sized alligators (one of which did not move, thankfully, when my son fell in the river), turtles, fish, and much more. Come to find out, this park is known for it's snakes. Some folks who were there the week after us saw a number of them. I am not good at all with snakes, not at all. Thankfully, we did not see any of those.

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL
Mini Rapids

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park suspension bridge, near Tampa, FL
Suspension Bridge

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL

Because I'm Me, Hillsborough River State Park, near Tampa, FL

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Because I'm Me fishing

Another beautiful weekend spent camping. It never gets old.

This particular weekend was spent in the company of 80 or so teenagers. The kids came from various local scout and other groups to compete and just plain have fun getting to know each other (and themselves a little better). For many of the kids it was their first time camping and they handled it like seasoned pros, it was neat to have the opportunity to see the experience from their point of view.

The first night the kids played games and watched movies. Apparently, Risk, is THE game. As soon as Adam and Kaden grabbed the game they, and Ian and Mia, were surrounded by new friends. The Risk board stayed set up all weekend, occasionally the players would change (I must admit I found someone to take my place pretty early on), the board would sit for hours while other things were going on, games would end and new ones would start, but no matter what, Risk was ready to go.

Because I'm Me - Great ice breaker - playing games at camp

The competition ... tug of war, an obstacle course that involved galloping on a stick horse, a "bucking bronco" in the pool (Mia won that event ... sailing balance comes in handy), shooting, canoe dunking, and more.

Because I'm Me - venturing and explorers scouts camping weekend

I spent most of the weekend hanging out with Adam and Kaden. They were a little too young to compete but didn't let that stop them from having a great time and trying all the events they wanted to. I enjoyed a little one-on-two time with them. It's not often I get to hang out with just one or two kids for a whole day so I really soaked it in and enjoyed it.

Because I'm Me - keeping cool in the dunk tank

The last event Saturday night was an extreme dodgeball tournament. Very exciting to watch. My kids, being the home schooled souls that they are, had no idea how to play but learned quickly (that happens when balls are flying at you!). I played dodgeball in elementary school and I had no idea there was so much strategy involved, the teams that had a plan and a back-up plan seemed to do the best.


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Midway between Naples and Fort Lauderdale lies the magic of the Florida Everglades. Within the Florida Everglades lies the Big Cypress Swamp and the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation. Located within the Big Cypress Indian Reservation is the Billie Swamp Safari, a tourist destination with airboats, swamp buggies, a zoo, and more (airboats and swamp buggies .... drawing a blank - go to the Billie Swamp Safari website and next time you're near a swamp check them out).




Every year Billie Swamp Safari organizes and presents the Big Cypress Shootout, a reenactment of the second Seminole War and every year they invite Boy Scouts from southwest and southeast Florida to attend the event and camp for the weekend.




Very, very cool.






The war reenactment was terrific (the Seminole clearly won the battle - in fact, they were never defeated and never surrendered).






The costumes on both sides were so colorful. The horses were amazing to watch. And the cannon, well, the boys were cheering and clapping then.




Not to be missed was the alligator trainer? tamer? fool? Yikes. All I know is that I hope my children NEVER choose to follow this career path. As we watched Justin, the trainer, I couldn't help but wonder how "accidents" are handled, the two man medical crew seemed quite insufficient. Fortunately, Justin completed the show with all appendages, including his head, attached.




Side note of sorts  ... we were camping with hundreds of cub and boy scouts and parents. And non-gender-specific port-o-potties. The brilliant Miss Mia grabbed paper, pen, and tape and labeled one of the potties near us "Women". Perfect.

Seriously, real live big alligator

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

From SouleMama

*****




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I mentioned last week that we'd be going to the Naples Botanical Garden for National Garden Day, enjoying free admission. I mentioned that I was excited to be going.

And here I am back with my report.

It was worth being excited about. I cannot get over how magical, expansive, delightful this garden was. It's huge, for one thing. And busy. There's something new at every turn, it felt like no detail was spared, nothing forgotten in the creating of this special place.


The colors were divine. The plants were so special. There was an area devoted to gardening with special needs. There were herbs, the best smelling herbs I've ever encountered. Hammocks, steel drums, a labyrinth, walking paths. And a children's play area complete with water play, tree house, waterfall, scavenger hunt, butterfly house, and more.

So did we like it? A little. Just kidding, we loved it, all gave it two thumbs up, and can't wait to go back.

Warning: Far too many pictures below. I couldn't help myself. I hope you enjoy them.























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