We Felt It

There was an earthquake this morning off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. Stacy and I were sitting in the front room and both felt the ground move underneath us. The movement lasted about 15 seconds and was gentle. No damage to our home or any reports of damage throughout the rest of the state.

After experiencing the San Francisco earthquake, 7.1 on the Richter scale, this 6.0 was a gentle rock of the boat.

The Family Portrait

Stacy has wanted a family portrait for quite some time. I haven't wanted to dress up, drive to a studio, pose, and pay for the privilege. Stacy wanted to capture our family as it is now before any new additions come along. I didn't want to pay for a sitting fee and be pressured to buy an expensive package of photos that will sit in a box somewhere. Stacy wanted to make sure we have pictures of Alayna at this stage of her life. When it comes right down to it, I didn't want to pay to have pictures taken. I could do it myself for much cheaper and they would probably be cuter too. Never mind that I forget my camera every time we take Alayna out of the house, and I don't always have the time or patience to take a cute picture of Alayna.

So Stacy contacted Sears, set an appointment, and threatened me with suspension of any and all happiness if I were not able to meet this obligation.

A week before the pictures are to be taken, we went to the beach. Alayna and I came home with sunburns. I received a scolding for possibly sabotaging the family portrait while receiving a mandatory Aloe Vera rub down. It didn't quite soothe.

When I was young, the family portrait was a big production. It was usually done in the cooler months. My brother and I had to wear sweaters and ties. Despite the shirts bing long sleeved and having collars, those sweaters itched right through the shirt and into the skin. The sweaters are how I know the pictures were taken in the cooler months.

But I think my sisters had it worse. Five girls of various age and development trying to prepare for the picture. They didn't want to take the picture either. Their attitudes were just as poor as their bothers. But darned if they were going to be captured for all time not looking their best. Fights over the use of the shower and the precious amount of hot water were followed by tripped breakers as hair dryers and curling irons heated the home wiring up to a point just below combustion.

Now, with a smaller family, larger water heater, and fewer hair dryers, getting ready for the family portrait is not as laborious of a task. In fact Stacy and Alayna were ready and waiting for me to return from an emergency job I did on call. Quick shave, change of clothes, and we are on our way. Even the car drive is pleasant. Only nine miles. Fifteen minutes later, we are watching Dora the Explorer in the waiting area of the photo studio and five minutes after that, we are in the studio in front of a camera. I keep looking for problems, but see nothing but smiles.

All three of us wear Hawaiian shirts. We sit down on the floor in front of the backdrop and recline comfortably. We aren't posed with our heads and hands in awkward poses. We smile naturally, not stiff lipped and fake. We get instant feedback from the digital camera on a monitor that shows just how good we look. Confidence is building, Alayna is behaving, the photo previews are looking good, and we are all still smiling.

This is nothing like my previous experiences. And while the bill is large, it was less than I expected, and we weren't pressured to purchase more photos than we wanted. We walked out of the building with a proof sheet sowing off Alayna's cuteness and a resolution to do it again.

Another Notch In My Shovel

About two weeks ago, I was mowing the lawn for the first time in about six weeks. That's another story for another time. Before I mowed the lawn, I had trimmed the edges and pruned the bushes. While I was pruning the bushes I had to place my body right up against them, with my feet occasionally in the bushes where I could not see them. Whenever I can't see my feet in Florida, I get nervous about snakes.

My sister Karen has told me lots of horror stories about Florida snakes. And even though I do not live anywhere near the rural area she lived in, I still feel a certain trepidation when I get near my bushes.

My bushes are alive. Every time I walk by my bushes, they move and rattle. 99% of the time, these movements and noise are created by the ever present lizards around the house. But I have seen snakes in my bushes, and I have chased snakes out of my bushes, and I have chased snakes into my bushes that I was unable to get out of my bushes. So, I get a little nervous about snakes in my bushes.

Not too long ago, at work, I was asked to move a snake away from the front of our office building. I was given the assignment because I have the shovel, and my boss, who would probably just grab it by the head and squeeze it, was nowhere to be found. So I decided I could move this snake from the bushes in front of our office with my shovel. But this snake didn't want to be moved. This snake wanted to bite me. It attacked, reared up, attacked again, coiled, attacked, etc. Not a happy snake. So instead of moving it, I killed it. That was the first notch on my shovel.

I think my snake hunter instinct is in my blood. My Father and his Father helped a large number of serpents leave this world. My Grandfathers journal is riddled with stories of heroism, saving siblings, and assorted relatives from rattlesnakes at the very moment before a deadly strike. But the adventure in front of my office just didn't leave me feeling as heroic as I felt I could have. For some reason, clearing the corporate smoking area of danger from an 18" snake just didn't do it for me.

But, back at home, in my own grass, by my own bushes. . .

I saw the snake leave the bushes and start slithering through the grass, heading for the next set of bushes. This snake was about a foot long. Not the biggest I've seen around the house, but it was a three colored ring banded snake. I know that depending on the pattern of rings, the snake could have been poisonous or non-, but I wasn't about to try and figure that out. I ran to the shed, got my trusty shovel, and ran back. This part of the operation has saved a number of snakes lives in my yard. They usually get away while I look for an instrument of destruction. This snake would not be so lucky. He didn't move fast enough. I had saved my small kingdom from the dangers of this particular snake. I reigned over a peaceful kingdom once again.

I layed the carcass out on the driveway while I finished mowing the lawn. I wanted to take a look at it and try to identify what kind of snake it was. I remember it had a black head, and then I forget whether it was yellow or red bands next. But when I went back to look, it was gone. I know it didn't heal and slither away. Apparently a bird swooped down and rid my driveway of my prize. I would not be able to prove my valiance to my queen and boast of my quest while my lady swooned.

I'll just have to put another notch in my shovel.

Labor Day Fantasies

The Jensen family went to the beach today to celebrate Labor Day. While we were sitting on the sand enjoying the weather, sun, and water, Stacy asked me if this was something I have always dreamed about. She was right. I've always wanted to be able to spend time with my family at the beach. Alayna is old enough to really enjoy her time at the beach, and Stacy is even learning to have fun in the sun.

Alayna loves to chase the birds on the beach. She has not seen the movie The Birds yet, so she is not aware of how vengeful these animals can be. She hasn't caught one yet, but she tends to run pretty far down the beach. Mom has to keep a sharp eye on her. Her bravery is also extending to the edge of the water. She likes to run down to the waters edge and wash her hands in the ocean when they get sandy.

Stacy has gained an appreciation for the beach and the water that she never expected to have. She has always burned easily and been reticent to join the animals in the water. She also has a thing about being sandy. But when the weather is good, she and Alayna are at the beach weekly with a group of moms and children. After some mishaps, Stacy has overcome the sunburn and transcended to tan lines. I'm still not going to state that she is tan, but she has definite tan lines on her back from her swimsuit straps.

So there I am, laying on the beach with the sun on my back, feeling pretty good, thinking about these things and how fortunate we are to live in the place we do. I don't get to go to the beach as often as Stacy and Alayna, but I get to go more than I have ever been able to in the past. The water is warm and nice to swim in despite the fact that our beach is the shark bite capitol of the world.

The drive home takes about an hour and Alayna falls asleep in her car seat, tired from all the running and sun. Showers get the last of the sand and salt rinsed off of sun soaked bodies. Stacy, with her newfound confidence in the sun was quick to point out that I was the only one to come home with a sunburn. I guess that means I need to spend more time in the sun.