A retired teacher and mother of three adult children, I live on the Gulf Coast of Florida with my soulmate, Robert. Leisure activities include discussing current events with Robert, watching movies, and playing Scrbble. Robert usually wins!
I also enjoy going to the beach and taking road trips with my daughters. One of our favorite pastimes is observing the wonderful wildlife that surrounds us.
I keep busy writing poetry, and I would be delighted if you visited my website!
A week later, our power returned, and we became aware of the devastation in nearby cities and communities. Milton was a major hurricane. Due to storm surge, high winds, and numerous tornadoes spawned by the category 3 storm, people in several states lost their homes, businesses, vehicles, and boats. Roads and other infrastructure are damaged or destroyed. More than a dozen people lost their lives.
Electrical, roofing, and general construction companies, military personnel, and relief workers from many states have come to help those who suffered losses in Hurricane Milton. There are many heroes in our region in 2024!
This poem was written shortly after Hurricane Milton, which hit Florida on October 9th. I was on break, and didn’t post it.
Robert’s sister and daughter visited for three days last week. We wanted to take them to a nearby beach, but beach restoration is still not finished. A tsunami-sized wave had washed sand up on the beach higher than the two-story restaurant where we had lunch. The bulldozers are still leveling sand, and the beach is still closed!
The Statue of Liberty. A poem by Emma Lazarus is carved on its base. The quote below is from that poem. Photo by Allesandro Chitarrin from Unsplash
“Send me your huddled masses
yearning to be free…”
I Believe in the United States of America
I believe in the Constitution of the United States…Three co-equal branches of government: Legislative, Judicial, and Executive.
I believe in the system of checks and balances provided in the Constitution:
Congress, the legislative branch, consists of the House of Representatives and the Senate. They are elected by the voters of the states. The legislative branch has the power to enact laws and appropriate money. They are not permitted to exercise powers belonging to the judicial or executive branches.
Federal courts and the US Supreme Court uphold the Constitution. The judicial branch is not permitted to make laws or exercise powers given to the President or the executive branch. Members of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President with the approval of Congress.
The executive branch, headed by the President, is limited to its designated powers. It is prohibited from exercising powers given to the Judiciary or to Congress.
I believe in “government of the people, for the people, and by the people.” Citizens, represented by Congress, have the power, and the responsibility, to play an active role in government. Voters have the right to elect members of Congress, the President, and the Vice President.
I believe, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, “All men” (and women)“are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
I believe in the Bill of Rights. The First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press;” (media) “or of the right of the people to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
What Can We Do?
If we are dissatisfied with the current situation, if we feel we need to return to the ideals our country was founded on, what can we do?
There are many issues of concern: An autocratic president and the executive branch are overstepping the bounds of the separation of powers. They are defying the decisions of federal courts, unduly influencing members of Congress through intimidation, and committing flagrant violations of law and the Constitution.
There is a whole long list of concerns related to these violations:
*criteria for federal appointments determined by loyalty and financial contributions to the President’s campaign rather than by qualifications
*dismissal of the “watchdogs” who monitor the legality of the actions of government officials
*unauthorized dissolution of independent, Congressionally-founded, and Congressionally-funded federal agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Department of Education, and the USAID
*unlawful firing of federal employees
*inappropriate access to personal information of citizens by unauthorized persons…
*undermining the independence of the Department of Justice
*overturning reproductive rights, attempting to take away LGBTQ rights.
The federal government is being deconstructed in many ways:
*sweeping changes to programs that protect the environment and programs that protect children, persons with disabilities, and elderly persons.
*deregulation of banks that can lead to a recession.
*changes to tax laws that favor the wealthiest 1%.
*the highest income inequality in our country’s history
*tariffs that can worsen inflation.
*foreign policies alienating our allies and emboldening our enemies
*isolationist policies not to our advantage in the long run.
*brutal immigration policies
*threats to seize territory belonging to other countries: the Panama Canal, Greenland, Gaza, Canada, and potentially others
*planned negotiations between the US and Russia about ending the war in Ukraine that exclude Ukraine’s participation.
What can we do?
Some very courageous people have resigned their positions, spoken out in the media, and signed petitions. Others are volunteering or lending financial support to organizations that fight abuses of power. Do what you can.
One thing we all can do, whether happy with how things are going or not, is to vote.
We need to inform ourselves before we vote in the upcoming Congressional midterm elections. It is important to get news from several sources, not just those we agree with. Vote intelligently. It’s your right and your responsibility as a citizen.
Do you have questions about what I have said? Do you disagree with what I have written? I am not an expert on politics, just a concerned citizen. I don’t enjoy writing prose, especially on political topics.
Check it out! Do some research using multiple sources. Then make up your own mind. Peace! ☮️
New fallen Snow in the forest. Photo used by permission of the photographer.My daughters, Katey and Ellen, and their dogs. Vibes and Rez. Photo by Katey Batavia.Here today, gone tomorrow! A cute snowman made by Ellen and Katey.
Yay, Snow! Photo of Katey Batavia by Eve Ellen Maher
Farewell to Snow!
So long, Snow! Bye-bye!
It was great while it lasted…
We had so much fun!
Let’s all play again next year…
Spring’s just around the corner!
Spring Snowdrops. Photo by Dustin Humes from Unsplash
Early Signs of Springon the SW Gulf Coast of Florida
Last night, on our lanai, I heard the music of crickets and tree frogs. This morning, I saw a live oak tree in bloom, its golden tassels gleaming in the warm sunshine.
Fall arrives around the New Year here, and spring begins in February. Summers are hot and rainy, with temperatures almost never above 95 degrees. From June to October is hurricane season.
Winters are mild and sunny with little rain, and our population swells with “snowbirds,” people who spend the winters here. We generally have a handful of cold days in January, but it doesn’t snow. Most years, it doesn’t freeze.
Celebrating Poetry is an insightful and inspiring book by Cindy Georgakas. Cindy’s beautifully expressed poems challenge us to examine our perspectives and to live our best lives.
Bird feeders are outlawed in California. Signs in many places say, “Danger! Do Not Feed the Bears!” or “Unlawful to Feed Wildlife Here” or “Don’t Feed the Alligators!” There are good reasons for such warnings. Feeding some wild animals can cause them to lose their fear of people and become aggressive and dangerous. Feeding some wild animals can make them dependent on humans and less able to survive on their own.
In our neighborhood, lots are being cleared for new construction, and animal habitats are disappearing at a fairly rapid rate. Endangered gopher tortoises in our neighborhood have been displaced, losing their homes when a new house was built on the site of their ancestral burrows.
Gopher tortoise at burrow. Photo in the public domain, origin unknown
We often see gopher tortoises eating grass in our yard and believe they may have dug new burrows in the wooded lot behind our house. The underground network of gopher tortoise burrows is routinely used by a variety of animals, so the impact of losing these safe passages is not limited to the tortoises who dug the burrows.
A new house was recently built diagonally behind us. I think some of the birds and animals we are seeing at the bird feeders once made their homes on the site of the new house.
I don’t know whether I am doing the right thing putting up bird feeders. I hope it is the right thing. I rationalize that the animals are still fending for themselves from when the feeders are empty in the late afternoon until I fill them again around 7:30 in the morning.
If I am ever able to do so, I will purchase the wooded lots beside us and behind us to preserve a bit of animal habitat.
When considering whether or not to feed wild animals, I believe we must follow the laws, and then let conscience be our guide.
Thank You, Joanna, for your advice on feeding birds! They are a joy to watch!
Visit Joanna’s beautiful and informative website, naturetails.blog
💚
One More
Raccoons are mostly nocturnal, but nursing females also feed during the day in order to provide their babies adequate milk. My daughter, Katey Batavia, took these photos of Mama Raccoon eating peanuts under our bird feeder in broad daylight.
Although raccoons are delightful to watch, we don’t seek to feed raccoons; they can carry rabies and have an annoying habit of raiding garbage cans and scattering garbage. Our garbage cans are secured with bungee cords.
But how can you begrudge a hungry mama and her babies a few peanuts under the bird feeder?
