Tag: Doright Manor

Now This Storm

All the night things were fooled by the glowering skies. In the hushed anticipation,

Frogs began their nightly chorus as crickets laid down a steady beat, echoing into

this false dusk, punctuated suddenly by stabs of frantic lightning, bombarded by the

rolling of a timpani, mallets on skin, presaging the arrival of a downpour, the

outpouring, the deluge. We hunker down, my cats and I, after a sharp crackle and

concussive reverberation. Too close for comfort. The lake creatures have gone mute,

given up on their futile choruses, now that the storm has come.

We had a lightning strike a couple of minutes ago that might have topped anything I’ve ever experienced. It was close, the thunder immediate, and my heart is racing. Wish I’d still had the camera going, but the audio would have needed censoring.

See that bare spot on my lawn? That’s still fallout from last year’s Hurricane Michael. And we’ve got a potential hurricane heading this way as I write this. I’m not ready for another storm season.

Peace, people.

On the Map

This morning at approximately 11:30 Central Daylight Saving Time, Studly Doright and I were just outside of Ft. Oglethorpe heading to points south. Doright Manor is our ultimate destination, and we should be there by 5 p.m. Only the length of Georgia is between us and home.

We had a grand week of motorcycling with friends in and around Bristol, Tennessee. It was hard to leave all of them behind, but we’re looking forward to sleeping in our own bed and petting the cats.

Peace, people!

Storm Approaches; Storm Recedes, and a Turtle Trudges On

The leading edge would

Have us jumping at each flash

Of tensile lightning

Flinching at thunder

Cowering ‘neath the covers

Yearning for a pause

Rumbles grow distant

Downpour tapers to sprinkles

This storm fades away

(Found all the photos on Pinterest)

I’m always fascinated by the flow and rhythm of a storm–The light and sound parade that precedes the rainfall, the tapering off of rain followed by an encore of the opening chorus. I get chills when I get to be a witness to the greatest concert on earth.

During an intermission of the storm I’m watching a small turtle make its way across my yard.

Looks like he/she has an appointment.

Peace, people

Snapshot #241

For some reason today’s post magically disappeared from my WordPress site. Thank goodness two of my blogging friends had already liked it, so I could copy from my notifications.

Be sure to click on the link for the story–I kind of had nightmares last night.

https://nananoyz5forme.com/2019/06/14/snapshot-241/

Snapshot #241

This guy was poised next to my side of the garage when I came home to Doright Manor from having lunch with a friend on Thursday.

I’d walked past him probably four or five times as I carried groceries into the house. As I hefted the last of the groceries, a 30 lb. container of cat litter, out of the trunk I happened to see him, after which I dropped the litter on my foot while screaming something unintelligible and most likely profane.

I think we’ll call this one, “Holy Effing Sh*t! It’s a Water Moccasin!”

Studly Doright came home and took care of the problem. I could have, but why take the chance of wounding his ego? Right? 😳😳😳

Tragedy in the Forest

Our elder cat, Scout, and I were lounging on the back porch yesterday afternoon having a heart to heart talk about the birds and the bees. Scout has been spayed, so it wasn’t THAT kind of talk. Instead, we were captivated by the appearance of what I believe to be a barred owl that makes a showing at Doright Manor every evening around 5 p.m.

It looks a great deal like the owl found on the Audubon Society’s page:

I told Scout that she wasn’t to try to make friends with the owl, as such an attempt wouldn’t end well for her. She assured me that she wouldn’t leave the safety of our screened-in porch, but she hesitated to vouch for her younger “sister,” Patches, saying something along the lines of, “The idiot will most likely be shoved, I mean, might accidentally run right out the door and into the grasping claws of that owl.”

There’s no love lost between my felines.

Within seconds of our conversation we heard a ruckus coming from the lake.

To me it sounded as if a predator had absconded with one of the offspring of our pair of nesting egrets. Ours aren’t as large as those pictured below, and would make a tasty snack for an alligator or even a turtle, but from the sound of the commotion something swooped down from the sky and alarmed our great egrets.

Scout turned to me and in all seriousness said, “Gee, I hope that was, I mean, wasn’t Patches.”

Such concern.

Peace, people!

Unexpected Treat

Our daughter. Ashley, has been visiting us at Doright Manor since last Wednesday. She was supposed to fly home today, but the flight she was on was overbooked. Delta airlines offered $1,000 to anyone volunteering to be rebooked on the same flight tomorrow. Her response?

So, we have our favorite daughter for another night! I’m excited because I get to introduce her to my Meetup group at dinner tonight. Studly Doright is happy because he got to introduce her to his work buddies this afternoon. Ashley is happy because she gets another day of rest and relaxation. It’s a win win win situation.

Peace, people!

Like Old Times

I went for a swim last night. It was my first real swim in over three years, and I relished every stroke.

Studly Doright and I had a pool once, back when we lived in Melbourne, Florida. Our backyard there was perfect for a small in-ground pool, and I swam almost every day all year round. When we moved to Illinois we didn’t even consider adding a pool to our property, but I’d hoped we’d have one if we ever returned to the Sunshine State.

We’ve been in the Tallahassee area for more than five years now, and I’ve given up on having a pool of my own. The backyard here at Doright Manor isn’t conducive to a pool–the ground slopes down to the lake and the expense to shore it up in addition to that of building a lanai around it, wouldn’t be practical at this stage in our lives. Studly would like to retire at some point, and I can’t say I blame him. Still, I miss swimming.

Tallahassee has some fine city parks with pools, though, and last night I decided to join one of the water aerobics classes at the park nearest my home. Slipping into the water felt like coming home, and I patiently went through the exercises as our instructor led the way. Then, glory of glories, she had us swim a couple of laps. I was afraid I wouldn’t remember how, or wouldn’t be able to make one lap, let alone two.

But I was good. Smooth and easy like I’d never stopped swimming. I fantasized that the young lifeguard on duty might stop me as I left the pool and compliment me on my form. Perhaps, I thought, he might ask if I’d ever competed in high school or even college. I’d have blushed and told him no, then thanked him for the compliment. For the record, he didn’t single me out for special recognition. I’ll just have to work harder next time.

Tomorrow my muscles will likely be a little sore, but I’ll relish the pain. I can’t wait for the next time.

Peace, people!

Around Doright Manor

Sometimes I like to wander aimlessly around outside. This morning was one of those times.

And sometimes I run into the coolest stuff:

I believe she’s laying eggs. Later I’ll go out and put some protective cover over the spot.

Peace, people.

Sleep App Update

A couple of months ago I posted a piece about the sleep app, “Calm,” and I figured it was time for an update. Here’s a link to the original post, if anyone’s interested: https://nananoyz5forme.com/2019/03/10/sweet-sleep-in-an-app/

Knowing myself as I do, I really worried that after the novelty of the Calm app wore off that my anxiety would kick in and counter the positive results I’d experienced. Turns out, I don’t know myself all that well. Huh. Who’d have thunk it?

Don’t get me wrong. I have had a couple of sleepless nights since downloading the app, but that’s TWO nights out of more than 60, and that my friends is a win. If you didn’t read my earlier link, and honestly, you really should so you’ll be up to speed, the Calm app has meditation exercises and relaxing music, but best of all, there are sleep stories to send the listener off to a restful sleep.

I have several favorite sleep stories that are almost guaranteed to take me to lala land.

1) “The Butterfly Sanctuary,” read by Clarke Peters. His voice makes me melt. Like buttah.

2) “Wonder,” read by Mr. Alright, Alright, Alright himself, Mathew McConaughey. Talk about sending a girl off to sleep with a smile on her face!

3) “Aberystwyth by Train,” read by Stephen Lyons. Imagine falling asleep to the lulling rhythm of a train traveling along the northern coast of Wales. Oh my!

There are many other stories. Some are short fictional tales, others are excerpts from non-fiction, like astronaut Terry Virts’s “View from Above.”

There have been a couple that I’ve not found relaxing. Ironically enough, “Calm Airways” is one of them. It’s a poem, and a rather eye rollingly corny one at that. And this is going to sound sexist, but I still find the male voices more conducive to my own relaxation. I’m sure that wouldn’t be true for every listener.

Some of the stories are intended for children, but the only one I’ve listened to is “The Little Mermaid.” My six-year-old granddaughter and I downloaded the familiar tale to listen to when we shared a bed during her recent visit to Doright Manor. Once the story ended she was still wide awake and not at all happy that it wasn’t a bit like the Disney version.

Nothing’s perfect, right? But this app has really been a godsend. I heartily recommend it for anyone who struggles with insomnia.

Peace, and calm, people.