Liltika - Your poor plants! The winds and rains are not kind, unfortunately... but plants seem to recover pretty well. Those daisies are gorgeous! The colors are so bright! I can't recall the name, but if those are what I think they are, I've only seen them in white, lavender and orange in this area... sold as "accent annuals" for container arrangements. Lizalily - I wonder if naturalized peacock tastes anything like wild turkey? If they are a nuisance, some could probably be hunted without taking the entire flock... sort of like deer in the state parks... draw a lottery for tags! I must admit, they are extremely beautiful with full feathers... however noisy they may be! When the weather turns rainy and stormy like it is, I'm glad to have strong prescriptions to offset the pain! It's like having a disease plus really bad arthritis! Not fun, at all! I imagine your knees are a bit stiff and sore, too! Getting older is hell, sometimes! Speaking of roses... the entire red climber is now covered in bright blooms! They all opened the day after I took the above photos, wouldn't you know it! If I had waited one more day... oh well. All the minis are popping, too! And there is a coral colored climber getting ready to burst, as well! The scent is very light, but the sight is special! Christina - Adopting a kitten from a shelter is a great idea! Shelters are so full of abandoned animals... it makes my heart sick to think humans do this... allow animals to multiply and then dump them, or buy a pet only to throw it away when they discover it's more work than they thought! I don't understand how people can be so cruel... it's positively criminal, not to mention very telling of how careless and sick society is... Adopt two kitties so they have each other as pals, if you can! That's two little lives saved... and twice the mice hunted! All the rain has left the area hot and humid, but the plants are loving it! Overnight, more flowers have opened, and plants look greener and healthier! I'm hiding indoors... in air-conditioning... during the hottest part of the day... but I have been spending some time pulling weeds before they totally get away from me, and take over the gardens!

Actually, I found out a little trick by accident, lol. I tried to feed her one day, and had no luck getting her to unroll her proboscis, and since they are so feisty/hyper and so tiny/delicate I stopped trying and gave up. Well the next day, I noticed she was perched vertically on the side of the mesh cage and she hadn't moved in a while so i did the little "blow" test to see if she moved and happened to notice that right when I did it, she started unrolling her proboscis, so i did it once more and she unrolled it again. So I hurried and made some more sugar water and i got two toothpicks, I wrapped cotton around one toothpick and soaked it in the sugar water, I kept the other toothpick in my other hand and then I picked her up (wings folded, in between my index and middle finger) and I turned her to where she was facing me and lightly blew into her "face??" and as soon as her proboscis started to come out from that little groove, I hurried and put the toothpick inside the little loop and tried to finish unrolling her proboscis, and ran into another issue, lol, their proboscis is soo long, that when you try to unroll it with the toothpick, it gets wrapped around it too tight to finish unrolling, like it gets stuck, so I ended up putting the toothpick underneath the little loop and was able to get it unrolled without any problem and as soon as i got the tip onto the soaked cotton, she left it there and started drinking right away. I held her the whole time, they are so fast, I was afraid I would never catch her if she took off. The cloudless sulphurs seem to be very very delicate compared to the gsts, I noticed ANOTHER leg in the reptarium when I was cleaning it out the other day, long after she had left, and I barely handled her at all while she was indoors, in fact I think I only picked her up twice. The GST i had for three weeks (due to bad weather that prevented me from releasing her) never lost a single leg, or anything else, and I picked her up at least once everyday for 3 weeks to hand feed her. I don't know how the sulphur lost two legs in less than 3 days, she seemed to get around fine in the mesh cage, and anytime I saw her zooming around or getting anxious, I darkened the room and she calmed down almost immediately, so idk. Apparently, she was able to get around just fine even though she had lost a leg (or two) because she didn't seem to have any trouble whatsoever climbing or walking, and her balance didn't seem to be off at all. Just thought I would warn you about he leg issue if you are keeping your CS in a mesh enclosure, not sure if this is a common problem or not.

Casey: Night Embers has terrible leaf streak this year. It may be the location or the rain this year, but as I recall, I had the same problem last year. I like the flower a lot. Please note that the picture I posted is much too bluish; in reality, it is reddish black, and I should have noted that. The pic was taken on a rainy day, and my camera gave it a bluish tone not true. I think I may try a different location for this plant.

I guess I didn't check to be notified of posts. I didn't know there were any responses until solstice98 on another forum gave me the link. Thanks SO MUCH for all the comments and especially bihai's detailed response to Gainesville (thank you!) since at least we have spent a few days there looking around. It's definitely easier on me to take the heat than the cold. It took me too many years in VA to admit it but all the structural damage seems to occur in winter, so it's best to make the move. We moved here to VA after 18 years in AL (15 of which I had the rheumatoid issue with no damage). I wanted to get away from the heat and humidity of central AL. Oh well .... I enjoy change and I've lived in a variety of states, but always wanting the woods since I can't be in the sun. Sure does make it difficult with conflicting health issues [grin]. Solstice98: Does Lakeland have a lot of forests? When I look on the map, I see lakes and those are generally sunny areas, other than maybe some riparian buffer around the lakes. We're not water folks. Haven't done the beach since the mid-70's since I can't be in the sun. That kinda tosses the coast ideas out doesn't it? Or is the "nature coast" I see pop up on searches a different story? I love the sounds of tropical fruit trees! Would the Ocala area fit more? Or Dunnellon? As far as the "catching the breeze" areas mentioned because Gainesville was so far north. We like the theater and places to volunteer (nature centers, botanical gardens gift shop, etc.) University towns are great for this, although the medical emphasis of Gainesville isn't an attraction. We've used "alternative" choices since the late 70's so have been out of that industry for quite some time, other than bloodwork now and then for thyroid. To answer juniperplants, I had family in Hollywood when I was a teenager and young girl and I remember it as being really sunny. I love the outdoors and like to spend a lot of time walking in forests, so that's where I got the idea it wouldn't be an option. I'm also not a city gal, so I like walking out of my backdoor into the woods - not having to drive to them. With rheumatoid stuff going on, the woods out back are what entice me outdoors for the exercise I need ... but the thought of driving a car would not get me there - mornings are a bit overwhelming at times. We even order our food (other than produce) every 5 months so I don't have to do grocery shopping. I was talking about temperate trees. Neither my husband or I like palms, although mixed into the rainforests of Costa Rica they are lovely. And as far as humidity in Costa Rica ... it depends on the area you're in. It can be in the 70's year round with a cool breeze other than mid-day and early afternoon. International living might appeal to me if we didn't have an FIV kitty that would never be allowed in. And it does seem "odd" not to live in the USA. :-) I love most plants, so I don't mind growing flowers I don't know. It's not that I'm looking for a place to have all my "old friends" and I did see some of them during our visit to Gainesville ... and also some things we had in AL, so that won't be a problem. I did like the mix of trees in the forests there with some saw palmettos on the ground. The list of things grown in Gainesville is a nice blend. Sounds like May through Sept. are the hottest times?? We were down there in June with unusual cool weather in the mornings till about 10:30 and then it cooled off after the rains at 5. That was lovely, but I understand not typical. The student population is something that came up all the time while we were there. Fortunately we work in-house with our own online business, so the traffic problem would not be a day-to-day issue, but it sounds like you don't want to be anywhere near the university or mall area, eh? We also were informed of the high taxes since Alachua Cty is so much Univ. and Hospital that don't pay them. Do you live in Alachua County, Bihai? Familiar with HOA - ended up in a community here because we were going to find land and build, so it would be temporary and fast resale. Oh well ... you know how life takes it's turns. One thing we know is that we don't want HOA again. Gardening choices hasn't been a problem, but brush piles and a few other issues have been. Live and learn :-) The list of wildlife possibilities is very cool. We so enjoy the entertainment that it provides outside our windows and that's where I work, by a window, unless it's nice enough to be outside like now, I'm on the porch. The pools have been an issue when looking online for a home. We don't want one because neither of us enjoy pools anyway. Haven't been in one since a hotel back in the early 80's. Sure is a lot to think about and digest. I want to come back down there end of September to look around more but I know FL is a huge state, so will need to choose a few cities and make a decision. Thanks again ...