Sick and Tired

I've been under the weather with a nasty cold so haven't done much birding or taken many pictures. The outside weather has been equally miserable - cloudy and chilly. The locals tell us this has been the worst winter on record with 2 straight months of colder-than-normal windy days and that famous Florida sunshine has been hiding behind clouds.

Bill and I are getting the Fort Myers condo ready to put on the market - and we have made a couple of more trips to Ocala. The home inspection went very well and we started the fun process of buying new furniture. The Fort Myers condo will be left as we found it - fully furnished and ready to move-in or rent.

This beautiful cardinal will be our new neighbor in Ocala; a delightful welcome!

Another new neighbor - a Yellow-rumped Warbler. You have to look closely to see the spot of bright yellow on his side. Other names for this bird are Myrtle or Audubon Warbles and my favorite - Butter-butts.

This is Shalom Park - a beautiful and peaceful place with many walking trails near our new house.

We are trading in our lanai with a view of the lake for this brand new and much larger Florida room. While shopping for furniture, we learned that our sales person had a new rental property she had just furnished. Unfortunately, their renters wanted it unfurnished - so she had a garage full of new items. We checked it out and purchased a custom made sofa & chair with a nice bright Florida fabric (it even has birds on it!) and a futon. She will even deliver it after settlement right along with the master bedroom set, table and chairs we got at the store.

This is Bill's new playroom - and one of the major reasons for the move - a huge 2+ car garage where he can work on his planes. Garages here in Florida often have sliding screens in addition to a regular garage door for ventilation and natural light. The washer and dryer are in the back of the garage - something I did not like at first - until Bill pointed out that if we have another flood - all the water will do is water the grass.

Now I have lots of decisions! We need new carpet in one of the bedrooms. I'm hoping the newer Berber in the living room and master bedroom will shampoo and not have to be replaced right away.

The kitchen currently has ugly felt-backed vinyl so we have people scheduled to come out and measure the area for new flooring on the day we settle - right after the carpet cleaners and right before the furniture delivery. Whew - I'm tired just thinking about it!