I think blogging is like therapy, except that is is totally the opposite of private. It is a soapbox but also a venue for discussion. I want feedback because I hope to continue to grow and improve as I age and not shrink, become narrow minded and brittle. I think about people that I encounter in my daily life, and those that I enjoy spending time with are the ones that can laugh at themselves and the absurdity of life, are accepting, and open minded. Throw in treating their fellow brethren kindly, also, and they rank right up there in my view. Complaining endlessly is a real turn-off to me. I love the glass half-full analogy as it applies to people. I know the Pollyana in me annoys the hell out of some folks, and I try to tone it down, but if we don't look at the bright side of all situations, we will go mad. The world is too cruel. I would walk around in a perpetual state of depression and doom if I wasn't able to see the glory in the sunset, the beauty in the nature around me, the humor of the egret sitting on the side of my pond waiting to eat my goldfish, or the absolute joy in the video I just received of my naked grandchildren playing the drums on all the pots and pans in the kitchen with wild abandon.
This ramble may not make sense other that I struggle with the issue of doing the right thing all of the time. I want to be a good person, a good friend, a good employer, a good citizen of the world and a good neighbor. If I am being rigid, judgemental, unaccepting or controversial, I want to know. I want to be able to analyze and make the decision that is right. I want to be assertive but not overbearing. I want to learn, to grow and to be better. It is hard!
My current dilemma with a neighbor has made think me hard about "rights." The family that lives diagonally across our canal has a very large cage full of parrots. They obtained them several months ago, pull the cage out from under their house where they have a large recreational area set up and the birds sit outside during the daytime. They squawk and screech off and on during the day. It is not a pleasant sound and for me; it is as annoying as a fingernail scratching a chalkboard. It grates on my nerves and I can often hear them through our windows even when the house is closed up with the AC on. So, being outside make it even more difficult for me. I wrote a note to them in the beginning and mentioned that the sound carries across the canal and is disturbing. No response. Harry then called them, and again, and again. Their answers were "well, we pay taxes" (hey, so do I so what the heck does that mean) and later, "do you want to buy them" (indicating to me they are getting fed up also) but other than pull the birds under the house which didn't really change a thing, there was no resolution. I called the Animal Shelter for their advise since this is not the first time we have had a problem with birds in the neighborhood, and they asked me to come file a complaint. So I did. And the Animal Shelter personnel visited the neighbors. And nothing has changed.
So, now what? I keep thinking about my right to peace and quiet and their right to have pets. I think, should I become more tolerant or should they become more considerate? I have placed a judgement on them. I see them as not caring about their neighbors and they may see me as rigid and inflexible. What is right? What is my right? What is their right? What is the right thing to do next? Should I file a complaint with the city? I haven't' figure it out yet, but I do know that the bigger disappointment in this is that as fellow human beings, we could not come to a solution. Isn't this a minuscule scale version of the what is happening all over the world?
This particular orchid is called Psychopsis. I think if you look closely at it, you will understand why. In the garden, it grows at the top of a tall stalk and seems to quiver and shake in the wind, as though it has its own little anxiety disorder.
This encyclia cochleata is commonly known as the "cockleshell" orchid. It looks like a clam shell with legs.
This one is an encyclia Renee Marquesa, but I call it Jimmy Durante. It is one of my favorites. Look at that proboscis looking labellum. I wonder what exotic looking insect is attracted to it somewhere in the wild.
The word that Sam used the most through his adolescence was "banana." I don't know why, actually, but it was the answer to many questions, and comments such as "you're a banana" popped out of his mouth. I think if was an avoidance technique and as annoying as when a kid repeats what you say back to you. When we used to go back and forth to the Keys, before moving here, we decorated a downstairs room for Sam and I made this sign. Since Sam has moved into the bigger apartment downstairs, the "Banana Room" is often used for guests who want their own space and privacy. It has all of the amenities, minus a stove. But since I do the cooking around here, no one is complaining. 
After Matt's visit, my brother Tom Nord, arrived for his annual trek south. We love having him here and he, Harry and Sam just seem to find endless puttering tasks. I go about my usual routines and leave the boys behind because their conversation has little interest to me. I mean, how can you talk cars for ten days straight? Tom purchased a Saab convertible in Orlando, brought it here and with a very small investment in parts, fixed it to resell for a tidy profit. During Tom's visit, Sam's best friend Susan and two girlfriends arrived for OSU's spring break. Full house and lots of fun.
Now everyone has gone and we are somewhat back to normal. Harry finished yet another idea of mine - a small water lily pond where the sewer installers trashed the front landscaping. Although it needs a plant, and some time to grow mossy, the effort was fantastic. I like this arrangement! I suggest the creation and he does the labor!
