For the Birds

On May 22^nd, 2014 as I was backing into the garage, I noticed a bird zipping away from the house. I wondered if it had become trapped in the garage and escaped when I opened the door.

It was not as simple as that. I don’t know how I missed it, but “they” had built a nest between the garage doors. It nestled snuggly between the outside light and the garage wall. We’ve lived in this house for fourteen years and this is the first time any birds have made a permanent roost on the light.

I wasn’t going to let it stay. I figured bird crap would be dribbling down the side of the garage as the summer progressed. Yuck! I was going to rip it down. However, I was urged to make certain there weren’t any babies on board before I razed the pile of twigs and straw.

5/23

Yup, you probably guessed; there were three eggs resting in the nest. I’ve been called many things, heartless bastard being the most popular, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull the nest apart. The next day I checked it and there was now a fourth egg. It was speckled and that sealed it; the nest was staying put until the birds flew the coop, so to speak.

I decided to maintain a pictorial journal to track the birds’ progress. Every night around 5 PM I snapped a picture of the nest.

The first thing I noted was that the speckled egg was in a different location each day. I thought that was interesting.

For the next eighteen days I tracked the progress of my birds, as my family had come to call them.

On 6/1, the speckled egg was the first to hatch. On 6/5, a second bird broke free from its shell. Over the next few days the babies went from pink blobs to creatures that became recognizable as avian.

6/1

6/5

Alas, we got no further. On 6/10, they were chirping away and on 6/11, they weren’t; they’d passed. I have no idea what happened. It was kind of sad.

I disposed of the nest and I can guarantee that next year I will be vigilant and make certain no nest is built in that location.

But, what do you think; if the birds try again next year should I let the nest stay or not?

Back to Florida?

You know you’re in Florida when …

This sign is at the intersection of

 routes  98 and 301 in Dade City.

We recently traveled to Dade City, Florida to visit the in-laws. I enjoy getting away from New England winter weather, and Florida in February is a viable option.

My in-laws live in a fifty-five-and-over community. Every time an ambulance enters the park my father-in-law exclaims, “Looks like another home is going to be available.” Which explains something I read (I don’t remember where) that says that Florida is God’s waiting room (though I’m fairly certain this statement would apply to a variety of locales).

I’ve written in previous posts that my bride and I are reaching that age where we’re beginning to entertain the possibility of downsizing, with an eye toward retirement. I just turned fifty-five and as my father-in-law so knowingly informed me, we could buy the trailer, excuse me, manufactured home, three doors down from them. However, as tempting as that might be, I’m not certain that Florida is a place I’d like to live year round.

Don’t get me wrong, the state has many enticing attractions and tourist destinations, such as Disney World and Universal Studios.  But as my brother told me when he retired to the Las Vegas area, “You have to remember you’re not a tourist anymore and budget accordingly.”

Castillo de San Marcos

Image Courtesy Google Images

To be fair, Florida isn’t all theme parks and roller coasters. In April, we took a trip to St. Augustine. Did you know that St. Augustine is the oldest city in the United States? I didn’t.  In 2014 they’re celebrating their 450th anniversary. Among the attractions is Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park, Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum and Castillo de San Marcos – the oldest remaining European fort in the United States.

And then there’s the “no state income tax” benefit. Florida is one of seven states that do not have an income tax. When you’re on a fixed income keeping every dime of your retirement benefit is huge.

But even that might not be enough to persuade us to move to Florida full time. We’ve toured the state on many occasions, but before we make a final decision, we owe it to ourselves to visit other locales to help us make an informed decision. Relocation is more than just escaping the snow and cold … it’s about finding a place we can call home.

Maybe we should do a partial snowbird and spend January through March in Florida (or some other warmer clime – say Hawaii). By doing that, we wouldn’t have to worry about maintaining two homes year round.

What do you think … Florida for an entire year, or October into April, or maybe some other time frame?