While hurricane season has been unusually quiet over here on the Gulf Coast of Florida (thank goodness). Tucson (where I grew up) is in the path of a tropical storm.

After an extremely dry monsoon season Southern Arizona is set to receive heavy rainfall when Priscilla swoops in.

Initial models said over 10”, though many have downgraded the amount to around 4” of rain. It is still a substantial amount of precipitation for the Sonoran Desert, especially all at one time.

Flooding is definitely a concern and, like here, municipalities are opening sand bag locations to help low-lying households.

I still have family and friends out there so I’m hoping that the storm delivers a reasonable amount of much needed moisture…

Drop Dead Dangerous Beach Bash is happening this weekend on a beach near me. Thank goodness someone reminded me because I missed the opening festivities last night.

Tonight, I zipped over after work just in time to catch Eric Erdman’s set. I know several people who would not have forgiven me if I had missed him – he has his own rabid fan club called the Erd Herd (and rightly so, as he’s quite talented).

As usual, he charmed us with his storytelling and had us singing along to his witty tunes. I have so many favorites from his vast catalog that it’s hard to choose but I’ll share this one because I like the humor of it (and I’m originally from Arizona).

The photo above is what my front yard looked like a month after Hurricane Helene pushed water from the gulf into my neighborhood (and home) on 09/24/2024.

As you know, Helene’s devastation was widespread and though the damage to my home was less severe than others, it was still dispiriting.

Considering my yard had been completely covered by a couple feet of salt water, I fully expected to lose every single one of my plants. And sadly, quite a few did perish over the following month.

Overall though, I was pleasantly surprised by the resilience of many of my plants. The native ones did especially well – they not only survived but thrived! I added about a dozen plants but the rest of what you see in the photos below either grew from the seed bank in the soil or were survivors that flourished.

Now, my lush, flower-rich yard attracts numerous pollinators, birds, and other wildlife which makes me very happy.

It seems there’s a life lesson in this – that beautiful things can grow out of a disaster.

At the end of last month my fellow plant-loving friend, Becky, took me to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens in downtown Sarasota. It was forecasted to be a rainy day but we risked it anyway and I’m so glad we did. The overcast skies kept the crowds away so at times, we had the place to ourselves.

What began as Marie Shelby’s private home and gardens along the waterfront has been protected and preserved as a lush botanical garden with a focus on orchids (though sadly the greenhouse area was undergoing improvements and was inaccessible during our visit).

We had a lovely morning among the greenery (and may or may not have gone home with a plant from the gift shop, I’m not telling). 🪴

How fortunate that Marie had the vision to set her property aside for public enjoyment and education. I’m so thankful for these beautiful places!

This morning I joined thirty other volunteers to sort monofilament line at Tampa Bay Watch. Our task was to separate discarded fishing line from trash before cutting off all hooks, weights, and other bits of tackle.

Not only does this project keep fishing line out of the environment (helping to prevent wildlife entanglement) but our debris-free monofilament will be recycled into new line.

A light breeze coming off Mullet Key Bayou kept us comfortable (and wafted away some of the delightful dead fish smell). We cleaned an estimated 139 miles of line this morning! At the end of our project a manatee swam by, I took it as a thank you.

Sometimes in life the best show isn’t on the main stage. Sometimes, like with last night’s sunset, the sideshow tops the main act.

Keep your eyes open for there is beauty all around. Sometimes where you least expect it – like the eastern sky while the sun is setting in the west.

I have three bird baths in my front yard, of varying heights and sizes (in an attempt to appeal to the most discerning of avians). The one on the ground has required extra cleaning lately due to a suspicious amount of dirt in there.

I placed the blame on the raccoon that I know frequents my front yard. So I wasn’t initially surprised when I viewed the footage from my camera and saw the masked bandit scamper by. I was however, surprised by what followed: 4 youngsters!

No wonder it’s such a mess when they leave. Truthfully, I don’t mind at all, I’m just glad that they feel at home in my front yard. 🦝

Westley takes his celebration of Labor Day very seriously (he laboriously practices for this all year long)!

Once again reminding me that if it’s ever possible, I want to come back as a cat! 😹

I encountered this scene a few days ago, during my sunset beach walk. You know it rained a lot when a small lake forms in between the dunes on the beach!

Black Skimmers and various other shorebirds seemed to be enjoying their rare fresh water pond. Soon the water will seep down through the grains of sand and the pool will disappear.

I took it as a reminder to appreciate the moments because they’re fleeting…

Just a few days ago our sunset times dipped below 8pm for the first time since late April. A subtle sign that Fall is on its way (because we certainly can’t rely on temperature or leaf color down here).

I generally time my evening beach walks so that I’m off the sand shortly after the sun slips below the horizon. I dawdled last night, picking up shells and litter. Boy, am I glad I did!

The actual event itself was mellow (see first photo) but 10 minutes later, the sun and clouds put on a technicolor show!