Photo by stephan-gogov-TcAigacJxHA from Unsplash
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
To my Fellow Bloggers,
Robert will be 77 on September 20, 2025. I wanted to share Robert’s homemade birthday card with you. Though we are going through some challenges, health-wise and otherwise, we are OK and expect to come out alright. I am working on a lot of projects.
When life slows down again, I hope to be more active on the blog. I am looking forward to that day! 💕🌈 💕 I miss you!
Warm Regards,
Cheryl
All photos were taken by Ellen Maher and Katey Batavia at Robert is Here: farmer’s market, antique farm equipment, animals to feed, and so much more!
Ellen and Katey brought me a delicious papaya and a perfect avocado from Robert is Here.
Cute springtime babies
exploring Robert is Here,
staying close to Mom.
Babies, winsome and sweet,
captivating visitors.
The baby goat hanging out in the background doesn’t seem interested in lettuce yet.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Happy Memorial Day!
Hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend.
Take a moment to appreciate those who died in defense of your country. Think about the values they were defending. Support democracy, and fight to preserve the rights and freedoms promised to you in the Constitution.
Birdsong delights us
on peaceful, mid-summer nights…
sighing, “Whippoorwill!”
Scanning starry skies…
We ponder the vast cosmos,
the far reach of time.
Summer thunderstorm…
We lie in bed, listening
to rain on the roof.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Here, on the SW Florida Gulf Coast, the temperatures are rising, and grass is parched and brown. Yesterday, we got several brief thunder showers, our first hints of welcome summer rains. Today, the sky is overcast, promising more rain. We need it!
Happy summer! A little early for our friends in other locales, but heartfelt!
(Cheryl Batavia’s daughters, Ellen and Katey, meet Skipper, the bottle-nosed dolphin, and his trainer.)
(belly rub)
(It’s not polite to stick out your tongue.)
(Ellen playing the piano, Skipper singing!)
(Katey playing the piano, Skipper singing!)
Photos taken by a Theater of the Sea photographer. Please give credit if you use them.
This is a highlight of the vacation my daughters and I planned together. Due to a last minute emergency, I was unable to go on the trip. These photos make me feel like I was there.
Theater of the Sea in Islamorada, FL has various animals, many of them rescue animals, on display. There are sea turtles, rays, seals, and other animals to observe or encounter.
I hope you enjoy the vintage music. I also considered “Splish Splash!” by Bobby Darren. It didn’t quite fit, but it was fun!
Show me
flamingos…gone
one hundred fifty years…
Reappeared twenty years ago
in flaming glory in
the Everglades.
Show me!
Hunted
to extinction;
Florida pioneers
had hungry mouths to feed.
Flamingos disappeared,
except in zoos.
That’s sad!
There’s peace
in paradise.
The Everglades are home
to wild flamingos once again.
Where did they all come from?
From South America,
some say.
Show me
wild flamingos
returned to Florida
one hundred fifty years later
in their flaming glory.
Paradise found!
Show me!
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
My two daughters, Ellen and Katey, live in Dallas. We have missed our traditional yearly road trip for the last two years due to my illness. This year, we are taking the long-awaited trip to the southern part of Everglades National Park. I am hoping to see the wild flamingos that mysteriously settled there twenty years ago. Some people say they came from South America.
Flamingos had not lived in the wild in Florida for the previous one hundred and fifty years. I have dreamed of seeing these wild flamingos since I first heard about them . Maybe it will happen!
Before we leave, at the request of my younger daughter Katey, we will have an Easter egg hunt. I am filling plastic eggs with small chocolate bunnies, jelly beans, and some goofy little surprises. I will hide hide the eggs in the yard for Katey and Ellen to find. This is the first Easter I have spent with my daughters for many years, and I am looking forward to it!
Katey has also asked me to get a favorite ice cream that is not available in Texas. It is cherry ice cream with chococolate-covered cherry hearts mixed in. We will try to eat small portions!
My daughters are going kayaking. We are taking two boat tours, one in the Gulf of Mexico, and one in the back country.
Then, we are going to the Florida Keys to swim with the dolphins at Theater of the Sea. There are many other marine animals there, including sea turtles, seals, sharks, and rays.
We plan to eat some authentic Cuban food, locally grown tropical fruit, and some famous Key Lime pie. I will post photos and tell you all about our adventures when we return.
I will be on break from April 15-30, 2025.
Walking hand-in-hand…
Even a short stroll with you
means the world to me!
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Last September, recently discharged from the hospital and recovering from quintuple bypass heart surgery, I had very limited energy. Robert’s birthday was in a few days. I always write poems and make cards for him for his birthday and Valentine’s Day. “Well, I think I can write a haiku, at least!” I decided.
My recovery includes a daily walking program. Because of Robert’s COPD, post-polio, heart problems, and other issues, Robert can now only walk short distances. Many times he walks a short way with me, and I continue the walk on my own.
Having Robert walk with me brings me happiness and encouragement. This is the poem I wrote for Robert’s birthday and printed out on white copy paper…no handmade card this time. I put it on his computer keyboard where he would find it when he woke.
I was hospitalized again in November to stent two of the grafts that had become blocked. By Valentine’s Day, though, a longer poem and a handmade card were back! Robert keeps all of the cards I make in his office. He even kept this haiku printed out on plain white paper…and I keep all the cards he has ever given me!
Crisis of the day
resolved by evening phone call.
Movie with popcorn.
Midnight Scrabble game.
Drowsy, drifting off to sleep,
soothed by pleasant dreams.
Awakening late.
Soulmate snoring beside me,
ticking of the clock.
Cozy under quilt.
Slowly, consciousness returns…
haiku on my mind.
Bright, cheery sunshine.
Birds sing morning melodies,
fly in for breakfast.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Days growing longer…
Sunrise early, sunset late.
Let’s go for a walk.
Joyful butterflies…
Escapees from snug cocoons,
free to procreate.
Spring breezes, blue sky…
Vultures soaring high above
fragrant palms in bloom.
Ecstatic birdsongs…
Spring’s the time for building nests,
raising families.
Weeds bloom on the lawn…
Colorful table setting,
Honeybee Cafe.
Springtime, warm sunshine,
dragonflies on safari…
Iced tea on the porch.
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
Rain falling softly…
Amorous tree frogs singing,
harbingers of spring.
Contemplate with me
glittering, star-spangled skies…
Wish upon a star.
Cool, dewy grass.
Walking barefoot in the moonlight…
troubles fade away!
A spring favorite!
Color, flower, and fragrance
bear the name,” lilac!”
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
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!
Copyright© 2025 by Cheryl Batavia
For many of us, Spring is here!
To our north, new waves of snow storms keep coming. Don’t worry, Spring is just around the corner!
❤️
Gulf Coast Poet 