The Green Bag

I’ve decided I want to record the fun I’ve had this evening for posterity, for whatever that’s worth, so it’s blog time again.

First, of course, I have to set up the scene.

I just saw the biggest woodpecker I've ever seen in my life! There are numerous woodpeckers of various kinds in Central Florida, but most of them are about the size of a robin or similar bird. I was out on the screened porch, talking on the cordless phone, and this bird landed on one of the trees and my mouth dropped open. The dude has bright red plummage with a mottled black body and must measure at least 18 inches from bill to the end of his tail. Holy cow! The people up north must be laying out huge amounts of wild bird feed or something.

The most amazing and spirit-lifting thing happened to me yesterday.

When Micah and Teri were making their plans to visit, they had told me that one day while they were here, they wanted to go to Daytona Beach for one day, because Marissa had asked for that for her birthday (two weeks from today). With the weather being so iffy early in the week, they decided that they’d do their six days at Disney, giving Hurricane Ike time to make up its mind about where it was going to go (those poor people in Texas).

I spotted one cardinal fledgling this morning. Have been seeing a pair for the past three or four weeks - annual visitors for the past few years. Well, I really haven't the faintest idea if it's the same pair. This year the male has been extremely flamboyant and active.

I’ve debated since this afternoon about the addressees for an email I want to write, and have finally decided to make this a blog entry, instead. I will be asking Micah, Mandy, and Daisy to read it, but I’d like my sisters to read it, too – and Sheri, because it might be particularly relevant to her at some point. Then I realized Tiff might find some value in it because of her brother. And Beth has expressed wanting to learn about health in the family, to help protect her children.

Every Four Years, It’s Embarrassing to Live in Florida

Honestly, I don’t know what’s wrong with this state. Or maybe it isn’t just Florida – maybe it’s just Florida issues that I read about in the Orlando Sentinel. But, if I remember correctly, the whole “chad” business was reported nationally in 2004, when it held up Bush from assuming the victory in the Presidential Elections that year.

The serendipity continues!

December 28, 2007

Luanne and Jenni seemed somewhat taken aback when I said in Chat on Sunday night that Allen and I would be cooking two turkeys for Thanksgiving. This is at least the third year that we've done so. Here's why. Turkeys have sold for 59 cents a pound for the last three years. We put the first one in the electric roaster about 11:00 on Wednesday night at 300 degrees. Allen got up about 5:00 Thursday morning; a thermometer showed that the meat needed to cook a little while longer and get about 10 degrees hotter.

Got the Nov 9 edition of OrrViews today. On page 18 there's an announcement about the Thanksgiving praise service and auction on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, at the Kidron Salem Mennonite Church. Immediately, I was back in that old, cold schoolhouse across the road from the church, watching all the people bidding on the items that had been donated.