What's outside of your picture window today?

@jakedduck1 Hello, my friend Jake. It has been far too long since we connected. I enjoy you so much and hope2025 was a better year for you than for this lady! Yes, I am looking forward to a far better 2026... already seeing improvement, while gradual it is happening and gradual is a good thing. I just need to not push too hard and let this body catch it's breath...
thanks for thinking of me. Blessings, Elizabeth

@loribmt Well, Lori... What a treat chatting with you again. I do so enjoy you, your great story through your health journey and your lovely lake home that brought me tremendous joy and peace. I know you are enjoying the Florida home even though this is a very strange Florida winter. I always switch from A.C. to heat, but this was simply ridiculous so far. I'm afraid due to my health, I lost many of my precious, loved plants I planted and raised from babies around my condo. I simply could and can not protect them when we have the changes in temps overnight often suddenly. So, we chatted and I let them know I loved them and hoped they would survive without my care. Most did!!!!! Some didn't. My 25 year old pony-tail palm is happy! Potted on patio and protected by fencing and a crepe myrtle tree, as did my 15 year old crown of thorns. It was damaged, but will be ok. Those plants would have caused me a lot of sadness had they been lost! Grateful!

I'm surprised you had no cardinals this year. They are a regular with me, in families. Were... yes, perhaps I will be able to again feed and care for some of my birds. Doubt it, but hope springs...

My son is not doing well. He is deteriorating badly. We are going to the ER later today on orders from his wonderful Mayo neurologist - got an 8 a.m. call telling me to get him there today to check his eyesight. He has lost the sight in his right eye, cataract??? Doc is concerned about a stroke or other more serious issue. He also referred him to asap opthomologist consult but that may change after ER. He has a very tough time doing ER visits, so I pray this will go well and they will find what is happening.

He's lost more body movement and use, pain is increased and much more severe. He has trouble with mobility now and is facing a wheelchair at some future time, dealing with that emotionally is hard for this previously athletic, soccer playing, percussionist immigration lawyer! What a lost life. It's been a long, hard journey for this kind man.

Yes. I am hoping to get back into my 'new' condo in a month or so. Still punch list and such to complete, hiring a cleaning company to get the horrid dust and clean for living, getting the a.c. checked and cleaned, new 3month filter next week. So, it is moving slowly, but moving!
I can't wait to snuggle in my own bed again! Enjoy my own furniture and lovelies I didn't sell in my estate sale last year. I sold more than I wanted but needed to get things cleared out for my sanity AND for my son, so he won't have to deal with all those issues. He couldn't handle it, so this is my best gift ever to him as his mom.

Bless you, Lori. I know you're enjoying the Florida gulf and it's beauty. I pray your health is holding and improving, as I suspect since you worked so well and diligently to get better!
Elizabeth

@centre Hello, centre. Welcome to my wonderful Florida! It's such a lovely state and retreat from the PA winters... This is a strange winter this year for us, I guess for all the US it's been unusual... But, now we're pretty much out of the long chills and damaging colds. It's a toss between A.C. and not... right now I have it running since we are heading into the 80s today it appears. Yucky! I generally enjoy my overhead fans during this time.
The skies and colors are fantastic. I couldn't survive with long, gray and white and days of snow and cold. Nor the browns in the Southwest. I need, require my colors! Inside and out of the house. They keep me living inside!

Thanks again for the chat and good wishes. I hope to be back with my Connect Friends for a long time now. I WILL get stronger, better, healthier and more active!

Blessings, Elizabeth

@centre Oh, a bird note... Mockingbirds are wonderful additions to our friends here. It is interested to note they are very territorial and will chase other birds away from feeders. They, and Bluejays, are two that do that, and I get a bit irritated with especially the Bluejay behavior. They are quite the bullies!
Interesting personalities, these fellows.
Elizabeth

@johnbishop Oh, my, John. How precious. I marvel at the joy the camera feeders bring. I may consider one if the cost allows to enjoy my friends and share with you. Still have to maintain it daily but it's a great thought. I'll enjoy every picture you share... cardinals in my area became my friends, as I mentioned, and shared their families after new babes were able to get to my feeders. It was if mom and dad were showing them off to me. I told you folk about the time the mama cardinal was tapping frantically on my kitchen window, then the dad came and I knew they were signaling me of something. Not just saying 'hello'. It was a chick out of the net and needing help. I wasn't able, after 2 days of attempts, to catch it or get it in a box to the bird sanctuary. Week-end, would have had to care for it 24/7 for 3 days, drive it across the river and tributaries to another county and they might be able to save it.

Turned out, I was moving so poorly, it got out of my fence and into bushes I couldn't get and save it. It was gone soon... I still, 5-6 years later, grieve for that baby chick and for it's parents. They worked so hard to save it and get help. I feel today as though I failed them! I did!

Yes, I am slightly nuts, but that's just fine. I love my birds and animals.
Thanks again, my friend. Blessings, ess

Good morning, Elizabeth! @ess77 You’re so right with this being an unusual Florida winter again. We lost so many beautiful plantings around our condo building this year. So sad because many of the shrubs, trees and flowers were replanted after last year’s snowfall! When packing to head down here this past October, I had to forethought to toss in a turtleneck shirt, sweat pants and some more layers of clothing. Glad I did! Quite a few days where it was almost as cold as Wisconsin. LOL. Not really…there were some brutal days back home from what our neighbor was telling us. Minus 38 degrees with windchill into the minus 60 degree range. I’ll take 21 here! Still a lot warmer than home.

Gosh, I’m sorry to hear that your son is still having his serious health issues. That poor guy. I was so hoping he had improved and doing better now. It is very tragic when there’s such a traumatic and dramatic change in the health of our children…no matter how old they are! They’re still our babies. I know you’re always worried about him, along with your own health. That’s a lot to pack in every day. That’s where I think your love of nature is such a gift. For me, anyway, it’s healing to see and tend the plants, birds, critters. I’m sorry you lost a few of your plant friends. There’s only so much we can to protect them. The birdies will make a return though as soon as you put those feeders back out! They’ll forgive you. 🥰

You’ve given your son a wonderful gift of downsizing your home. I worry about the same thing with our daughter and the job ahead of her trying to sift through generational clutter. My husband and I have been trying to make sure all of our paperwork, financial stuff and homes are in order. But it’ll still be overwhelming when the time comes. When we’re down here in Florida at the condo, we arrive with suitcases of clothing and personal items. That’s all we need to exist for 4 months! So when we get back home, oy…that is such culture shock! Our house always feels overwhelmingly full of too much!! Too much furniture, dishes, clothing, collections of whatever, hobby supplies, well, you know…you just downsized. So I have a huge list of things I want to tackle as soon as we get back home next week. It feels good to purge but I need to dig deeper. ☺️
This winter while we were gone, we had one of my close friends stay in the house the past few months. There was an unexpected family situation and she needed a place to go. We weren’t home so that made perfect sense for her to stay there in our absence. Of course, the first thing I did, via phone being 1250 miles from home…apologized for not being organized. That she’d find all my dirty little secrets. Hahaha She cracked up and told me that I’d be shocked that she and I are exactly the same. We share similar housekeeping traits. She was happy to see that I also view dust as a protective covering! 😂 My husband and I always super clean our home before we leave so there wasn’t much for her to do but I’m sure she’ll leave the house much cleaner than when she arrived.

Wishing you a smooth move back into your apartment! Take it one day at a time, my friend. Huge hug!