A few weeks ago I started a little kitchen garden in my backyard. In west central Florida, our mostly sunny days and mild temperatures are perfect for growing lettuce and herbs this time of year.

I’m delighted with the progress of the seeds I planted, my lettuce, dill, and carrots are coming along nicely. While the basil that I transplanted seems to be thriving.

Today, I had a happy surprise when I turned over some soil (in order to add some cilantro and catnip seeds. One for me, the other for my neighborhood boys, I’ll let you decide which is which). For the first time in two years of digging, I uncovered an earthworm in my yard!

I was so excited that I dashed for my phone so that I could take a photo. Either my wriggler didn’t share my enthusiasm or I’m terrible at reading worm body language. Regardless, I shall now add vermiculturalist to my resume!

I’m so glad I didn’t miss the sunset last night! The colors were practically neon and the water was calm as a pond. All of which set the stage for a leisurely dolphin show.

I love living here!

Susan, my friend from Tucson, is in town for a quick visit this week. Since we’re both animal lovers we popped into the Dog Bar to cool off yesterday afternoon.

As you can see from the pup requesting a drink at the bar and the ones in the ice-filled pool it was a bit on the hot side. In other words, it was a perfect December day for me!

Since I already had blisters, sore knees, and an aching back I figured I might as well tackle another yard project. Today I set up the pad for a long anticipated hot tub. A good soak in hot, bubbling water would certainly come in handy tonight!

And yes, those of you with a discerning eye will notice the slight slope, that was intentional to direct water away from my house.

This. This is how much I despise mowing…I would rather spend the afternoon digging. The planting area is now ready, though I still have a lot of grass to deal with.

After living in my house for a little over two years, I realized that the southwest corner of my backyard could be put to much better use. My dad used to say that if you’re going plant something and care for it, it should give back to you.

Using his logic and the physical restraints of my space, I finally decided to plant a couple guava trees. Of the several varieties available, I settled on the Strawberry Guava (Psidium littoralei). It is a smaller tree that not only produces a delicious fruit but is generally carefree.

It will be a couple years before my first harvest but I’m looking forward to it!

Last night’s sunset entertainment was provided by this duo of feeding Brown Pelicans. The pair was working a large school of fish in the shallows along the jetty, so their flights were at a low angle. Regardless, their seemingly breakneck dives never cease to amaze me…

Playing around with the Slo-Mo feature at the beach last night when a pelican dropped in.