Sheba telling me she wanted to play in the water.
My plan this afternoon was to take a 45 minute walk on the Florida Scenic Trail and then retrace my steps, which would have been a nice walk for both Sheba and me.
and the Mud puddles ahead
However, after I realized that it would involve stepping into ankle-deep mud puddles, I changed my mind.
What is so funny about these photos are they are almost identical to the ones I took when we were here in both the Casita and in the Aliner on previous visits. The same post with its tiny garden growing in the top, the same trail sign, the same wooden walkway over the wettest places.
When I saw all the exposed palmetto roots, I remembered that Dad had always told me to stay away from them because rattlesnakes liked to hang around them. I wasn’t sure if it was true or not until the mid 80’s when we were living in Altamonte Springs.
One of our neighbors and her husband had dug up a long palmetto root to dry, polyurethane, and mount over their bed as an intriguing sculpture. They left the root on their screened in porch, and left the door between the screen room and their living room open overnight.
Rattlesnake haven?
The next morning they discovered several baby rattlesnakes in their living room carpet!! So I don’t go digging around palmetto roots much anymore, even if there is yummy palmetto cabbage under the new palmetto shoots.
We are looking forward to new scenery. I’ve never camped at O’Leno, so next week I’ll have some new sights to share with you.
Florida Scenic Trail Sign
I promise! 🙂
Natural planter
Tinycamper's Blog 
judilyn
/ January 3, 2015Eeeek! They probably harbor Palmetto Bugs, too!
Virtual hugs,
Judie
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Sharon
/ January 4, 2015I’ve never seen palmetto bugs there. But I haven’t seen the rattlers either. But somebody smarter than I probably had a reason for giving them that name! 🙂
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cozybegone
/ January 4, 2015I lv to feel a deja vu moment…they feel so real.
Neighbor birders from MN came back in yesterday…twice they’ve walked up on cottonmouths. And I thought they we’re in hibernation…uggggg! And Jer wants to walk the gator lake trail…not happening, you know me :)!!! Glad you’re so knowledgeable to those hazards, be safe!!
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Sharon
/ January 4, 2015Carla, cottonmouths are very scary, and they can be aggressive. I like to think the bad things are hibernating, but I am finding ticks on Sheba, and there was a baby one crawling across my phone’s screen last night. And I read that ticks are bad at O’Leno, where we’re going next week.
I guess that’s the price we pay for running away from winter.
I haven’t seen any gators here, but that’s just fine with me!
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Judy Crankshaw
/ January 4, 2015Love the Yogi Berra reference. We are always on tick patrol with Jezzy, too, but it must be way more difficult to find them in Sheba’s thick coat. Do you use a monthly tick treatment? We do – for us, it’s a small inconvenience for a little peace of mind.
Hope you find some fun new things to share at your next stop.
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Sharon
/ January 4, 2015Judy, the only thing we do for ticks is Adams shampoo, and it’s not enough down here.
They are both overdue for baths and good grooming. Sheba has some mats, too. I have my eyes out for a groomer who will treat Sunny with the extra care he needs, although I can do his bath in the Casita’s shower.
I’m typing this on my phone and the text looks tiny. Hope it looks bigger when it’s posted.
On my way out the door, but I’ll look for a post on your blog this evening. 🙂
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Judy Crankshaw
/ January 4, 2015Thought I would post thjs evening, but laziness has overcome me. We use a monthly tick
preventative on Jezzy (Frontline). We fear deer ticks and the Lyme disease they carry. Perhaps that’s not prevalent in the south, but ticks are creepy even without disease!
Have I told you lately how much i love your blog?
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Sharon
/ January 5, 2015Judy, I used Frontline on Heidi, my little Westiie that I had before I got Sunny, but I had completely forgotten about it. I think I’ll buy some of that over the counter stuff until I get back to my vet at home.
Thanks for the reminder. I can’t believe I forgot something that obvious. I’e just been doing the nasty job of picking them off Sheba, and they are hard to find in her thick fur.
You don’t know how much your “I love your blog” comments have meant to me. I had considered abandoning it more than once after reading other adventure-filled blogs.
You have convinced me that, “Hey, some people like reading about dandelions and sunsets!” 😀
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cjerryl
/ January 4, 2015Love the campsite picture. Keep on having fun, but please, no rattlesnakes.
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Sharon
/ January 4, 2015Happy to oblige! 😀
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