KTgreen

Today I am throwing a bunch of snaps at ya! In no particular order!

This is my favorite time of the year. All the blooms. (not so much Terry’s favorite time of the year because of all the pollen and the falling leaves!)

I’m trying to spend an hour every morning working in all the beds. The weather has been perfect! This year I plan to turn the area over the drainage field into a wildflower and butterfly garden. I tried to grow grass there. Nope! These spiderwort have been very busy taking over that part anyhow. I love the blue!

There’s some cosmos and milkweed mixed in and I’ll plant some more butterfly plants in the next few weeks.

So what’s going on? Shrimpaplooza is next Saturday. And the Homosassa Ukers are in the parade again! We are bringing along some of our junior ukers, too.

Here’s last year’s bunch! A rowdy crew!

Last week I said that I was going to have snaps of the kids at “Book, Line, and Thinker”. Didn’t make it. They only met at the Old Homosassa Learning Center 9 times. I was there all 9 days. But I kept saying to myself, I’ll get the pics tomorrow, I’ll do it when it’s warmer, I’ll do it next week.

And now it’s over! Such a procrastinator!

Although I didn’t get the pics, lots of other people did. Bay News 9 was there, the local newspaper, a radio station from Tampa! This is really ground breaking stuff and they hope to expand it next year. This year fifth graders from Lecanto Primary and Homosassa Elementary had the opportunity. With enough donations, the project will include all the schools in Citrus County.

The morning starts out with a fishing trip and sight seeing tour of the Homosassa River. Then the kids walk to the Homosassa Civic Club for lunch which is followed by science stations that support the lessons the kids are learning in school. Three of the stations are in the Old Homosassa Learning Center. There is a weather station, one with rescued animals, and a third with volunteers and creatures from the Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park. Captain Mike Baize organized the entire event and told me today that after the radio station from Tampa promoted the event, people from Tampa are calling in to donate to the program!

Woo Hoo!

Went to the Gatsy Party last weekend. The proceeds were going to the Old Homosassa Heritage Council (I’m the corresponding secretary) There were a lot of gangsters, rum-runners, flappers, and one newsboy. Food was GREAT, music was AMAZING, and, of course, La Casa was SPECTACULAR!

Here’s Good Time Terry with his ukulele and the wealthy dowager that took him to the party as her musician boy toy.

This gala event was Connie Wright’s idea. The woman has unlimited energy! Her main helpers were her husband Tim Gatto, Cyndi and Steve Minguy, and Lis Gardener. There were a lot more volunteers that I’m not going to list. I stepped back this year–just too much other stuff going on. But Terry was there picking up rentals, furniture and a keg of beer that was donated by The Shed.

The weather has been amazing the past few weeks. (yes, the AC is on) This is the kind of weather that makes snowbirds buy houses and move here full-time. Don’t be fooled. Cold weather is returning!

Good stuff! Have a great weekend!

Kathy

We were “Heart Attacked” this week.

Happened last year, too. But this year I caught them in the act!

Can’t tell you who did it just in case they will be hitting your house.

Last year, it was a whole different scenario. I came home from walking and noticed all these hearts on the front door. Kind of creeped me out. While I was out, someone came onto my property! What???? And my other thought was, how many days ago did I use the front door?

Anyhow, I kind of figured out who was doing the “heart attacking” although they denied it. Vehemently. This year I caught them in the act. I was making dinner and out of the corner of my eye I saw hearts on my front door. Busted!

It’s cool. A fun idea. I need to start thinking about who I should “heart attack” for next year!

It’s been a busy week of meetings. We have already started our monthly meetings for the festival that happens in November! Then there was the Old Homosassa Heritage Council meeting on Wednesday. Last night was the Homosassa River Alliance meeting.

The river alliance meeting was extra good. The new manager of the Homosassa Wildlife Park was the guest speaker. So interesting! Raised in Homosassa on Spring Cove Road (which is right down the street) she then worked at Zoo Tampa and Busch Gardens before moving back to Homosassa and being employed by our local state park. She worked her way up to manager. Little known facts, 60 orphaned bear cubs have been rehabbed and then released from the park in locations that she did not reveal. (Could be in your backyard–just kidding!)

“Book, Line, & Thinker” had another great week at the Homosassa Civic Club campus. On Wednesday an animal rescue was still in the learning center when the kids and I went in to set up for ukulele. Kids were lucky enough to get to sit with a skunk and learn all about it. (de-scented, of course). There was a kestrel hanging out there, too. Such great stuff going on. Captain Juin Baize showed me on his phone the piece that BayNews9 did about the project on Tuesday. Captain Mike Baize said that all the “big guys” were there on the campus the day before. (I’m not sure who all the big guys were.) But, I guess they were very important to the program. (As in donations?) He said that they want to bring it to Crystal River next year. The captains will go out of Kings Bay and the kids will have their science experience at the Plantation Resort. How cool is that?

Next week the Homosassa 5th graders will be having their turn so I will get some pics and post them here!

The “Roaring 20s for the Tower” fund-raiser is this Saturday. Tickets are SOLD OUT! Woo-Hoo! (But, gotta tell you, I know who prints them so if you wanna go, I might be able to get you one or two!)

Okay. I think Spring might actually be officially here. February is always an iffy month for me. Cold–heat on. Hot–AC on. Cold again. Perhaps a freeze warning? But. The red buds and the bridal leaf spirea are in bloom. Two harbingers of Spring. I wait until the end of February to cut back any of plants that were frost bit other than the roses. They need to be cut back and fertilized right around Valentines Day. So yesterday, on a beautiful balmy morning. That’s what I did.

And here’s a few pics of the flowers that thrive in the winter…

And then I found caterpillars on the milk weed. Will we have butterflies or will a freeze shut them down?

And one more pic. Rodent of the week.

Have a great weekend!

Kathy