What a crazy weather day in the south yesterday. After a relatively calm morning walk on the beach, the weather continued to amp up till the Weather Channel reported multiple tornadoes. Daytona Beach was under a tornado watch most of the afternoon. Wave after wave of severe thunderstorms drove through the area, blowing the deck furniture all over. I’m glad I got a chance to get out Monday evening and explore a little.

I love these guys. Sort of mini pterodactyls. They fly in and land on the piers and posts and give you the stink eye looking for handouts. They’re rough and battle-worn soldiers of the sea. You can sit on the beach and see big splashes far from shore where they dive down, down, down…tucking their wings in tight, stretching their beak and neck straight out and cut right into the water. They come up with their catch and swiggle and wiggle their heads around till they swallow their prey. It’s awesome to watch.

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Anne Lamott wrote a poignant book about blessing whatever comes into your life…good, bad, indifferent. Because it has all come for a purpose, even if that purpose is merely to thank God it isn’t worse. Being grateful in spite of the messiness of life is truly a gift you can give yourself…and others. When you shout “Hallelujah Anyway”, you demonstrate gratitude, forbearance, and joy to those who may look to you for guidance. I love that! I’m going to remember to say “Hallelujah Anyway” when things don’t always go smoothly. I certainly didn’t need to shout it yesterday because I could not have possibly experienced a more beautiful day than I did my first day in Daytona Beach!

I arrived in Statesville, NC at 2:00 yesterday morning. I had stopped at the NC Welcome Center and picked up a hotel coupon magazine and found one for the Ramada. I stayed here in February when I was on my way back from Florida. I managed to get one of the last rooms available for $65, including a really good hot breakfast. I love this hotel because it is clean, convenient, and the staff are always friendly. I worked in the hotel business for a few years and I learned that you pay more for a reservation. You can get your best prices as a walk-in, especially with a coupon and a big, friendly smile. I asked for a late check out and got on the road by 11:00.

OMGosh! I miss the open road! Traveling along the highways and byways of this beautiful country is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world to do. I’ve been stationary the majority of the last nine months and I miss TOW-Wanda. By the time you read this, I will be several hours into my drive to Florida. I didn’t want to miss church last night so I went then headed out on the road. Cooler of snacks and ample tunes makes for a good time. I love driving at night. There isn’t as much traffic and it’s cooler. I drive till I’m ready to call it a night, then pull in to an area with a bunch of hotels and search my hotels.com app for the best deal in the area.

They say ticks are going to be really bad this year. A mild winter allowed more hosts to survive thus giving the tick population a head start. I’m out in the woods a lot so I try to be particularly careful. I have extended family members who have suffered from Lyme Disease for years after being told “It can’t be Lyme Disease…we don’t have that in Colorado.” Excuse me…they are cattle ranchers. They get cattle from all over the country. Are you telling me the ticks carrying Lyme Disease all jump ship when they see the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” sign on the interstate? Not likely. It’s fairly widespread. And, sometimes it is of a variety that is not caught in the usual tests. Educate yourselves to the signs and symptoms of tick-borne illnesses and check yourself carefully when you come in from traipsing around in the woods and underbrush. That is one of the frustrating things about widowhood…no partner to help you check things out that need an extra set of eyes.

With a big hill across the road, I don’t get to see spectacular sunsets very often. I was sitting on the porch Wednesday evening reading when I noticed the light changed. I looked up and caught this beauty! The temperatures have cranked up here in West Virginia, along with the humidity. When I mowed yesterday morning, even though it was only 70 degrees when I was done, I was whupped. I have discovered stuffing an ice pack in your sports bra does wonders for keeping your core body temperature down. I learned from a back country rescue member not to just drink water when you are overheated. The body will keep working to move the fluids into your bloodstream, further depleting your electrolytes. It’s best to drink some sort of sports drink as you exercise in the heat…and mowing is exercise, trust me! I like to use powdered Spark from AdvoCare in my bottle of water. I have had fewer problems with it than say, Powerade. I like Powerade but the last time I used it there was just too much salt and it made me sick. Little safety tip for the summer.

Seriously, could it get any greener than this??? This is my all-time favorite time of the year. The freshness of spring hasn’t left us yet. I’ve identified a new sound. Tree frogs! These aren’t peepers like you hear in the spring. And they aren’t the deep-throated bullfrogs. These frogs have a two second croak that reminds me of that musical instrument that draws a wooden dowel over a serrated edge. I love when it’s warm enough to go out first thing in the morning with coffee and last thing at night with something cold and refreshing. I can hear the neighbor’s TV down the road. Who would want to sit inside and watch television when you can live inside the “nature station”?

Last week there were two mornings where the temperature hovered just a tad above freezing. I was so happy that my flowers and the cherry trees didn’t get nipped by Old Jack Frost. And just like that, the temps soared up to the 80’s yesterday. When it gets like that, it’s too hot to sit on the front porch after the sun crosses the house and starts its decent over the far ridge. It doesn’t go behind that ridge till just before 7:00, but after that…the porch is my domain again.

Fireflies are disappearing, apparently. As with many species, human encroachment and the loss of habitat as well as light pollution have disrupted the reproductive cycle of the Lampyridae. Mosquito-borne illnesses like West Nile and Zika, among others, has prompted more communities to spray pesticides in the evening hours right when the “lightning bugs” take flight in their mating ritual dance, thus decreasing their numbers dramatically. Fireflies like longer grass so cutting your lawn too short might decrease their numbers. There are natural influences on this entertaining insect, as well. Moist, temperate climates are preferred over hot and dry. The increasing warmth of the earth is causing a shift in the populations of many species. Even earthworms (which, by the way, are not native to North America) have had an effect on the decline of firefly numbers.