~

February 26, 2014

Upon this tree stately and old,

the setting sun shines,

its beautiful evening glow.

~ 

If only it could whisper,

sharing with us its history, 

how it once prospered.

 ~

The fires it endured,

storms it embraced,

visitors it allured.

~ 

Tell us why fate,

left you in your current state,

no longer thriving and slightly out of shape.

 ~

Standing tall with determined will,

striking in appearance this evening,

receiving visitors still.

~

We woke up this morning to rain falling on our roof. It rained all day. So, our day was spent inside, which can be a struggle for me. No long walks, no photos taken, no bird watching and one spent without the warmth of the sun.

We did have a first time visitor to our “back” yard this morning, a Hermit Thrush taking a bath in a puddle. Sadly, no photo! This week our backyard is Site 017 at Blackwater River State Park.

We resolved ourselves to spend the day inside. I had prepared a Seafood Gumbo the other day and froze the leftovers. Today, I defrosted the Gumbo, added more Shrimp, some Snow Crab I picked  up yesterday from the Milton, Winn-Dixie and a handful more Okra. You can’t have Seafood Gumbo without the Okra!

While the Gumbo simmered on the stove, I looked through my photos to see if I could find one to post. The above photo, taken in Jonathan Dickinson State Park, back in January  is the one I choose.

I love this old tree.  In this photo I love how the setting sun highlights its character. It might be dead; however it provides a home for many a critter, including my beloved Scrub Jays.

The Seafood Gumbo was delicious! I served it over rice, with hot french bread and a good wine! We might be in northern Florida, but we sure ate like we were in the heart of Louisiana!! We noticed while in Winn-Dixie that they were selling King Cakes; we should have brought one home for dessert.

Late this afternoon, after our early dinner, we did manage a walk. The rain finally stopped bringing much cooler temperatures. 

We headed out the door wearing jackets and hats. Syke and Kloud enjoyed our walk much more than we did. They ran and ran, jumped and ran some more, wanting to play, loving the cool air and the break from being cooped up inside. 

Tonight’s low will be in the 30’s, whats with that!

Tomorrow, sun! Yeah!

Live in the Now!