Sunshine and Palm Trees

My sister, Pat, sent me an email.  It was one of those OMG messages that when you live in one place and your sender lives in another will put out and say "Did you know this happened in your own State?"

Sure it did, and It was a 12 foot Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake being captured by the police.   The St Johns County PD.  I'm in Broward County.  There are Rattlesnakes here too.  St John's County is 300 miles away.  St Augustine Florida.  Very pretty place, and quite well heeled.

Not to point too much at Pat, sorry sis..., it was just convenient that you wrote me today.  I don't really like snakes either especially when they sneak in through the back door and freak out the dog.

Before I left Pennsylvania I got a lot of questions why I wanted to move here.   Check the picture out, you won't get that in the beautiful neighborhood of Chestnut Hill Philadelphia that I had left.  How about Hurricanes?  Yep, we get them here.  Wilma trashed Broward County's electrical infrastructure and 4 years later, FPL has more surges and pops than a menopausal woman.  I moved here in 2006, a year after that bizarre year that saw Katrina ruin a one of a kind New Orleans, Wilma park over top of Broward and Palm Beach counties and cause damage that the area is still repairing, and Rita pay a visit to the Bayou country west of Nawlins. 

I really loved Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, but yes, still I moved.   South Florida has been in my system since I was 10 years old, riding across the Tamiami Trail in the back of that Buick Limited entertaining my Aunt, Uncle, Mom and Dad, Sister and Cousin at 80 MPH.  Or at least that's my memory.  I started coming back in college and knew that this was where I belong.  I'm here, much to the chagrin of a few, much to the pleasure of vastly more people.  You can't please everyone, and you can always avoid those unpleasant folks who you don't... or you can try!

So as I look out the front window at the clouds that Paula has created and spilled over this area, the palm fronds gently swaying in the breezes, the wild parrots screaming outside over top of the Disco that's playing on the squeezebox across the room, I smile and think... Maybe that's why.

It's October.  I'm in shorts and a T Shirt.  I'm sitting in a big green chair that I can watch the sunsets paint the skies bright orange and red fading to mauve and black.  I can spot the neighbor's Bird of Paradise and bright red bougainvillea. 

Wait until February.  When you're cold up there, so will I be.  It may even drop down into the 50s.

Brrrrr!