Okay everyone, I'm shutting the computer down for a couple of weeks or so. Gotta pack it up and get it loaded into the moving truck. I HOPE to have internet service before July 13th, but who knows? Anyway, y'all be good and be careful and keep the faith. I'll let you know when I'm back.

 

good luck bro

 

ah, the f ing hell of moving a whole house of shayt....enjoy NOT

Computer monitor in the moving truck??? Please no..... (unless it's a laptop)

 

Ah, moving in Florida in the peak of summer! 90 degrees. 100% humidity. Instant torrential thunderstorms. Baking sun.

Yeah, I don't miss it. Hope he has like...three boxes to move. Probably not.

 

Well, I'm back on line, everyone. The move was a pain in the ***** as the sellers realtor held up the closing for 5 days. Had to find a hotel that was dog friendly and that wasn't cheap. We closed on Thursday and are in the house now. I probably have over 300 boxes of crap to go through and like to have never found my computer. My son had put it under the counter in the kitchen and forgot. Anyway, I'm back. The house will take us probably 3 months or more to get things where we want them and the yard is total chaos. I've been working on it for a few hours every morning and managed to cut the hell out of my left hand this morning. And to top it off, I got into a mound of fire ants and those little bastards are rough. I'll torch them later this evening. I ain't putting up with that. Saw my first black snake in the flower bed two days ago and since I know he's a good snake, I left him alone. I found a snake skin about four feet long in some vines this morning and am hoping that's another black snake. I've seen red capped herons, turkeys, deer and squirrel here so far and along with hawks and osprey, really like the area. Right up the road on highway 60, there are signs saying panther crossing. Neighbor says they have organized wild pig hunts too. Oh yeah, we have a neighborhood gator in the larger pond too. He's about 5 feet long and roams the neighborhood from time to time. Got some really huge, yellow colored grasshoppers here too. They're the creepiest looking bastards I've ever seen. I'll try to get a pic of one and post it. They're tough too! I kicked on about ten feet the other day and that sum beech just crawled off like nothing had happened! Short of stomping them or cutting them in half, they're indestructible.

 

The little green lizards, anoles, will eat bugs too. They're fun to watch. Assume ever body of water has a gator in it, and keep your dog on a leash. There's a story every week about an owner who was upset because a gator snapped up their doggie. Gators also like to sit under cars, so if you go out in the morning and hear a hissing noise under your car, better call in and tell them you'll be a few minutes late.

Oh yes, the pattern of weather. There are two highways on each coast. In the afternoon, thunderstorms will form inland and about 4 in the afternoon, they start to creep to the beaches. They are for the most part extremely isolated and can be very violent. August is an active month for hurricanes, anything under a Cat 2 is just a bad storm, unless you live in a low lying area (Check your Evac plans). If it's Cat 3 or above, then you start paying attention to where it's going and when it's going to get there.

If you're at the beach, shuffle your feet through the sand if you're in the water, because rays bury themselves and they have poison barbs on their tails. There are africanized honeybees in Florida, so be careful with them. There are black bears as far south as Tampa. There are a couple nasty spiders. And the occasional coral snake.

So, enjoy your new life in Florida!

 

Oh yeah, Love Bugs hatch and mate twice a year. Birds don't eat them. Cars are their biggest predator. I suggest a foaming bug remover to take them off your car. Otherwise their guts will eat away at the clear coat and paint.

Welcome back and a shame about your computer. My mom lost her address book with birthdays and all sorts of info in it about the family during their last move. She cried many tears.

 

Glad to see you around again, Rube! Good luck living with the various reptiles and the killer bees! On the bright side, you shouldn't be dealing with snow anymore...

 

won't the new owners of your old house send you your computer if you pay shipping?

 

Uhhhh Guys, I have my computer. Where'd you get the idea that I lost it or left it. All I said was that I like to have never found it because my son had put it under the counter. Obviously I did find it or I wouldn't be here, right? Anyway, I KNOW about the damn love bugs. They were at our wedding in Clearwater back in April of 1988. I've killed a couple of spiders in the house, but nothing that seems that menacing. And I have tons of lizards around the house and in the flower beds. The tree frogs love my daughters window and hang out there in the evenings eating the moths and various other insects that are attracted to the window by her lights. She loves to watch them in action.