(Cheryl Batavia’s daughters, Ellen and Katey, meet Skipper, the bottle-nosed dolphin, and his trainer.)
getting to know all about you.Getting to like you,
(belly rub)
getting to hope you like me!You are precisely my cup of tea!
(It’s not polite to stick out your tongue.)
Getting to know you. Suddenly, I’m bright and breezybecause of all the beautiful new thingsI’m learning about you!Getting to know you,knowing we know how to play!Getting to know you.
(Ellen playing the piano, Skipper singing!)
Things I’m learning about you, Day by Day!
(Katey playing the piano, Skipper singing!)
Cuddle Up a Little Closer
Cuddle up a little closer, Lovey mine!Cuddle up and be my little clinging vine!I like to feel your cheeks so rosy.I like to make you comfy, cozy,I love you, I love you so muchfrom your head down to your toesies, Lovey mine!
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!
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.
Katey, Ellen, and Cheryl on our road trip several years ago.
An Initiative By Aspiring Blog, Ritish Sharma and Deepak Joshi
Who is a Hero?
Amazon Review by Cheryl Batavia
The unsung heroes in this beautifully written book will inspire and amaze you! Whether they came from privileged backgrounds or had challenging childhoods, they all dreamed of helping others rather than aspiring to wealth or fame.
All of these heroes persevered and refused to give up in the face of opposition or seemingly impossible obstacles. What started as a simple act of kindness often developed into major initiatives that made the world a better place.
Their contributions to humanity vary widely: uplifting the outcasts of society, protecting endangered animals, providing educational opportunities, developing technologies that benefit mankind, saving the lives of others, providing access to healthcare, helping to rebuild a war-ravaged country, promoting equality and civil rights for all…Many sacrificed their resources, their time, and even their lives for causes they believed in.
Who is a hero? This beautiful book will broaden your concept of heroism and restore your faith in human nature.
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!
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!
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.
Yesterday, I heard a loud commotion outside the window. I arrived just in time to see, silhouetted against the sunny sky, screaming birds pursuing slightly larger birds as they rose high in the sky. Then I noticed the mangled nest!
Sadly, I had witnessed a similar scenario before. A dozen years ago, I saw two angry mockingbirds repeatedly attacking a much larger osprey who was carrying their chick to its nest on a pole high above the parking lot. It was a hopeless situation for the mockingbirds, but they continued to attack.
Though I didn’t get a clear view of the birds yesterday, I am pretty sure the nest raider was a blue jay, known for preying on cardinal chicks.
Soon all was quiet. I saw the male cardinal pausing at the edge of the woods, silent now, and looking back toward the ruined nest as if to say goodbye. Cardinal family, you are in my thoughts. I share your sorrow, and I will always remember being privileged to witness your loving family life for an all-too-brief period.
I was too distraught to write about these devastating events yesterday, but this morning, it occurred to me that, even among humans, this is nature’s way. Many human children are victims of accidents, cruel diseases, famines, and wars not of their making. Many children die too soon. Today, I grieve for all the lost children, both animal and human.
This poem was written for Robert for Valentine’s Day and published in New Lyricist magazine, Issue 01, EIF Publishing, Ingrid Wilson.
Photo by Patrice Bouchard from Unslpash
News from the Palm Palace
The Palm Palace is a busy place this week. The Queen’s weeks of keeping the eggs warm are over; the eggs hatched on Sunday. The King has appeared, feeding insects to the tiny hatchlings. More news to come about the Cardinal Royal family.
Gulf Coast Poet 