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My grandsons and I were walking around the lake behind our house the week before Christmas. The hike is difficult for, Walter, the two-year-old who’s legs are only about six inches long but, Joshua, the seven-year-old loves running free. We saw the usual neighbors, Wood Storks, Blue Heron and Sand Cranes as we made slow progress around the water. About a third of the way around we caught up to a flock of Ibis. Joshua couldn’t avoid the challenge of sneaking up on the birds. As stealthily as a seven-year-old can be he managed to scatter the flock in several directions before we moved on. At the half way point I was almost certain I was looking at an alligator floating just below the surface of the lake. While my brain was trying to determine what I was seeing Joshua shouted, “There is an alligator.” Sure enough we were looking at as much of ‘our’ alligator as I have ever seen. We could see him from the tip of his snout to behind his eyes. I held Walter’s hand a little tighter as we marveled at the sight and kept moving! We had only gone about twenty yards when I noticed what looked like two alligator eyes and Joshua shouted (Joshua always shouts!) “There’s another alligator.” So, we now know at least two alligators live in our lake. This is an exciting place to live!
We enjoy living by the lake while we swim safely in our caged in pool! Every morning I eat breakfast either on the pool deck looking at the lake or in the dinning room facing the lake through the sliding doors. Breakfast is a peaceful time of reflection and coffee drinking that I look forward to each morning!
I was enjoying my morning coffee sitting at the dinning room table on Christmas morning when I was amazed by a flock of 15 Ibis searching for food on the edge of the lake. An Egret was also foraging amid the flock of smaller birds. I realized the gathered birds were a special Christmas gift. Here I was living in Florida on Christmas Day and Nature surprised me with a Florida white Christmas. Really!
I can get used to white Christmas without snow!