Renew your spirit with an Amazonian duck flock

Morning constitutional

There is a flock of about sixteen ducks that live in our apartment complex.*

They are all female.

Earlier in the year (spring and early summer), the ducks had paired off, with some females unattached to male ducks. Babies were born, and the male ducks were still hanging around.

But those male ducks were asshats. They constantly harassed the female ducks, driving them away from their babies (who would then cry for mama and attach to another mama just so they weren't alone). As the summer progressed, the female ducks started hanging around together more often, even protecting each other from the male ducks.

Now there's a flock of all female ducks in our apartment complex, and I haven't seen a male duck in months.

We've dubbed them the Amazonian duck flock because they've banded together to be strong against the onslaught of harassment. They watch out for each other, and I rarely see any of them separated from the group.

They're my favorite ducks ever.




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* By which I mean they live on the property outside, not that they inhabit units. Just to clarify.

Renew your spirit with nature in a jar

I have a jar (I think it once had honey in it) on my desk that I call my "nature jar."

When I started collecting stones and crystals and shells, Mimi gave me a jar she had with lots of little crystals and stones she'd collected over the years. I added mine to it, put it on my desk, and it was a nice little connection to nature in my office space.

After a beach day, I added some shells.

Shortly after that, Puck found a "pretty stone"* on the ground and gave it to me for my jar.

One day on a walk through our apartment complex, I found two duck feathers on the grass in beautiful condition. I added them to the jar, too.

My jar  is my way of bringing the outside to my desk, which is particularly important to me since my desk faces away from the patio door. I can't look outside very easily while I'm working, so my jar is my compromise. It keeps me from feeling stir-crazy when I have long days of work ahead of me.

Some days it reminds me to get out of the apartment and into the sunshine. Other days it acts as my sunshine.

And if it gets full, I have another jar waiting in the wings to add to it.




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*A small piece of concrete. But he picked it just for me, so into the jar it went.

Renew your spirit with plans for more plants

The plants are continuing to accumulate in our home and on our patio.

What started as one philodendron has become four (I just started two new plants yesterday). I have/had three spider plants, but joined them into one pot because they seemed very unhappy after being separated. We have two kinds of ivy hanging on the patio, a miniature rose bush and an orchid that were gifts for Bo, two separate pots with bamboo, a tall purple-leaved outdoor plant I can never remember the name of, and the munchkins each have a small flowering plant they picked for themselves.

I want more. Now that the cool weather is behind us in central Florida, I am eager to add to my plants and flowers. I don't know what specific plants I'd like to add to my little collection. Though I would like a little shamrock plant and some herbs.

I love having plants around, especially when it's too hot and humid outside to leave our patio door open to let fresh air in. I love taking care of them, re-potting them to make them happier, and seeing glimpses of the beauty of nature on my patio and around my home. And the plants I choose usually need a little extra attention at first. I have the tendency to choose plants that look a little scraggly or neglected.

I've found it incredibly relaxing to take care of the plants, whether it be watering, pruning, or re-potting. I like feeling the dirt in my hands and seeing the plants happier and growing. It's therapeutic.

I wish I could have a big garden, but Bo has assured me that when we have room for it, we definitely will. Until then, the plants I have (and will get) will have to be enough.

Do you have plants in your home?

Welcome, Spring

It has felt like spring summer here since Bo and I got back from our vacation, but today is the first day of spring. The Wheel of the Year continues to turn.

It sort of sneaks up on you in Florida because there's not really a winter here like there is elsewhere in the country. We haven't had the snow and ice and cold like others have. We only ran our heat a couple of nights the whole winter.

But today is more than just a shift in nature on the calendar, a day marking the coming of warmth and flowers and the new life after everything has spent the winter resting and recovering. Everything is getting ready for the change that comes with spring.

This is a spring of change.

My winter has been a bit odd. There's been a lot of chaos in our lives this winter, and a lot of planning and adjusting and anticipation for the next stage of many things.

So this year, spring really is a bit of a rebirth for me. I'm focusing on letting go of all the things that have been weighing on me on all winter. I'm focusing on embracing this moment each moment, living mindfully in the present so I can not only enjoy it, but so I can be much more at peace.

I'm looking forward to what this spring and summer has in store for me and for our family.

There has been a lot of chaos, but I still believe that 2015 is going to be a damn good year.

Introverted Writer Seeks Nature

Anyone know knows me knows I'm an introvert.  I always have been.  And though I've had jobs that have helped me be a bit more extroverted, it was only within the context of working.  Given my choice, I'll sit quietly and people-watch over just about anything else.

My introvertedness makes for a great writing life, though.  Since I don't feel the need to be around people all the time, I get a lot of writing done.  Since I'm quiet and prefer to watch people, I get a lot of writing observation done.  And since Hubby is somewhat introverted, as well, he's perfectly content to hang around the house while I scribble away, and it doesn't bother him we're in the same room for hours and don't speak to each other.  (He gets me that way.)

Lately, I've been at home a lot.  Really.  A lot.  And it's been nice because I've gotten a lot of work done, as well as research for personal interests, but I looked at my calendar recently and realized it's the middle of October and I haven't been taking advantage of the (slightly) cooling temperatures.

I love fall.  It's not as hot so I can be outside more.  Yes, even in my introvertedness, I like to be in Nature.  I like taking evening walks when it's just cool enough to wear long sleeves, but not so cool that you're shivering when you go back inside.  I like seeing the greenery change, the animals adjust to the new season.  I like being outside in the fall.  And, sadly, my hermity pesonality has gotten in the way of taking in the beauty the wide world (of Orlando) has to offer me.

And I'm starting to feel the physical results of spending way too much time inside the apartment.  I feel a bit draggy, kind of blah, and like I just need some fresh air.  And I think, believe it or not, I'm feeling the tiniest bit (gasp!) restless.  So I think it's time to take a day (or even half a day) and be out in the world.

So Hubby and I are going to make plans to spend a day going to different nature spots in Orlando.  There are lots of them, including the UCF arboretum, and I'd like to see what's there, and recharge myself.

Yes, believe it or not, even introverts need a good dose of sunshine every once in a while!