TRAVELS WITH JOJO

I wonder where I am ?

Travelling is very tiring

This was Jojo's very first road trip and she took it all in stride. Dubbed the "Dog with a Human Brain " she does everything but talk . She lets us know when she's sick of the car, thirsty , hungry or needs the bathroom. No matter how many times I take her for a walk she always grabs the leash in her mouth and sings out her pleasure.

She's intrigued by the lizards that go dashing across the lanai and loves to chase them. Egrets that come up on the lawn are targets of her hunting instincts as are squirrels.

Being a small dog strangers love to oooh and awe her and extend their hand toward her face to pet her. I try to warn them but most don't listen until they hear her growl. She doesn't " cotton " to strangers. She also doesn't know her size because she'll take on really BIG dogs. I wish I had a picture of the huge Great Dane that took off when she growled at him ! Jojo thinks she's ten feet tall and bullet proof.

A SPOT OF GREEN

Walking about the neighborhood I see bare trees sporting a spot of green. Curious , I drew closer to see what it might be. There were little white berries on the mass of leaves clinging to the tree. I haven't seen this since I was a youngun' growing up in Alabama.

Mistletoe ! I didn't know that it grew down in Florida. It's everywhere. We used to pick it off the trees at Christmas, along with holly branches loaded with red berries.

AMAZING TREES

I'm still in limbo down in Florida. My brain's been cooked by the sun. But one thing I've been paying strict attention to is the amazing trees down here . You can just go down the street and boom ! There's a grapefruit or orange tree. And, funny thing is that the property owners pay no attention to them at all. I said " Good Morning " to one of the home owners and asked what kind of fruit tree is that? Right away they knew I was from out of state and asked me if I wanted some. They grabbed a bag and filled it up and gave it to me. WOW! Juicy oranges and grapefruit; ruby red and sweet.

Live oaks are everywhere down here and I can see why. They have such beautiful shapes and when the Spanish moss hangs from them , it's a sight to behold ! They remind me of Savannah .Then, of course , there are the palm trees which really say tropical.

And, of course, the most beautiful tree in the world as far as I'm concerned , the Southern Magnolia.

I can't imagine living in a place where you can just go into your backyard and pick fruit for your breakfast. That's SO cool !

And the weather. Well, they tell me that February is winter down here. HUH? 70 -plus during the day and cooler at night, say 60. I'll take it if that's really winter.

Meanwhile, our Mini Schnauzer, Jojo is checking out all the fun stuff such as lizards, weird birds and funny bugs.

GOT A MINUTE ?

AN AMERICAN DIES EVERY MINUTE FROM HEART DISEASE !

February is National Heart Month. Last February I became a vegetarian after I read a very inspiring book titled EAT TO LIVE . I didn't change because I had health problems, I changed because I felt it was a healthier way to live. It also helps if you grew up on a farm like me and learned to love your veggies at a young age. I'm not advocating that you become a vegetarian but at least eat heart healthy foods such as beans, broccoli, nuts, olives, olive oil and deep green vegetables.

No matter your age you should have your heart checked. As I wrote recently, a colleague of mine dropped dead at age 42 from a heart attack. That is way too early to die.

Got a minute ? Check your heart ! Not only does an American die of a heart attack every minute, it is now the number one killer of men and women alike.

THE SUNSHINE STATE

Snapped this Photo on my daily walkabout

Driving down to Florida we passed first through Indiana. Interesting to see what slogans are on state license plates. I was surprised that IN GOD WE TRUST is on Indiana's. My friend from Indiana jokes that they should use STOP CONFUSING US WITH ILLINOIS. I think Illinois should use THE 'S' IS SILENT. You can tell a tourist because they pronounce the 'S'.

Moving on over to Ohio , Birthplace of Aviation. Well that's confusing cause North Carolina has First in Flight on its plate. Onward to Tennessee where Follow me to Tennessee is the slogan. Huh? Wouldn't "Jack Daniels : 'Nuff Said " be more fitting ?

Then on to Georgia who uses, what else, Georgia on my Mind, also their state song but who knows more than the first line ? Then , finally, Florida, The Sunshine State which a comedian joked should read ASK US ABOUT OUR GRANDKIDS.

My home state Alabama is no longer " The Heart of Dixie ." It's now " The Stars fell on Alabama ". I think that YES WE HAVE ELECTRICITY would be better ! Just kidding.

SWEET HOME AND GARDEN CHICAGO IS A YEAR OLD FEB. 1

Rainy Day at Rocky Top, Tennessee

One year ago today I started my blog, SWEET HOME AND GARDEN CHICAGO. At the time, I had no idea that I would meet so many people as crazy as I am about gardening . So many different personalities in the garden blogging world and each give fresh views on blogging and gardening .

I've also written 267 blogs out of the 365 days in the year, pretty consistent , although I did take weekends off.

If blogging was my only job I'm sure I would do it much better than I have. The fact is that I have to struggle to write almost every day because I have so many other things on my plate
( yeah, just like you, I know !) .

So, to the dear bloggers that I've got to know and admire in the past year : I thank you for your encouragement and support, without which I surely wouldn't have come as far as I did.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

Painting I did from my kitchen window:
February 1997 - BIG Snow



Why What's the matter

that you have such a February face,

So full of frost, of storm and cloudiness ?




-William Shakespeare
Much Ado About Nothing

Actually, my February face is quite cheerful right now in the beautiful Florida sunshine. It was 80 degrees today.

I'm so overwhelmed by the beautiful Florida flora and fauna that is so unfamiliar to me. I can only dream of living in a place where I could grow something year round !

On the way here I stopped in a little "Whistlestop" cafe and had a mess of fried green tomatoes. SO yummy ! Passing through Tennessee and viewing the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and Cumberlap Gap renewed my appreciation of the scenery. Kentucky and Georgia are also beautiful with tall hills and horse farms. I was happy to see that Georgia finally had rain for several days and I was happy to see standing water in fields.

Come join the poetry circle and post a poem on your blog then let me know when it's up. I look forward to your participation.