Fruitful Friday

 As I sit here I am listening to the sounds Mother Nature is screaming. The thunder indicates that she is about to unleash some of her fury on us. I have always loved watching the chase take place. The thunder rumbles its demand and the lightening takes chase after it. Such a beautiful sight to see. But then I am the one that you would call insane. Instead of taking shelter when a tornado hits, I am the one out there with my cameras taking pictures. Back in 2008 I watched a wall cloud form right over the house. I was so busy snapping off shots of the cloud forming that I failed to hear the neighbor scrambling about to open his storm cellar. Until he shouted for me and the kids to take shelter in it with him and his wife because a funnel cloud had just dropped down two streets over. Then the most amazing thing happened. I was able to capture a smaller funnel drop down three houses down. Scary yet beautiful at the same time. The destructive power of Mother Nature is an amazing power to behold but very terrifying at the same time. That particular storm spared my home and the neighbor's home. But it all but destroyed a house three doors down.

  So today I sit here inside the house, watching thru the windows. Unlike Oklahoma storms, Florida storms are bit more...scary? When the sky opens up around here, it opens and pours. The rain is usually welcomed but not this time. We are still recovering from Hurricane Debbie around here. Hurricane, Tropical storm. Whatever she was when she made landfall. She became stagnant for days on end. Dumped too much rain on us. There are still areas that are flooded. Just when my land starts to dry out, Mother nature rears her head and unleashes her wrath on us again. I now have a rather large dip at the end of our driveway. Needs to be filled. I told Daniel that we need to consider pouring a cement driveway instead of the lime rock and dirt that we currently have. But, first on our list is a 8-10ft privacy fence across the back and sides of the property, with a 4-6ft in the front. I am installing a gate with intercom as well. I am fed up with the neighbor behind us and its gotten old relatively fast. There is no excuse in my book, that could ever excuse her making death threats against the kids. There is no excuse for her killing our livestock and domestic animals. None. What scares me though, is she has two very vicious dogs. She is the kind of dog owner that gives pitbulls a bad reputation. I grew up with pits, dobies and rotties. I know how sweet natured they can be. But she teaches her dogs to attack without teaching a stop command. Dangerous. Very dangerous. Her dogs have bitten people on three separate incidents. To the point that she is required to carry insurance on them now. And if they bite again she has been told they will be put down humanely.  It's a shame that those dogs will suffer the consequences of their owners behavior. The reason the privacy fence will be higher in the back of the property is because of her dogs. She has the female in a pen right on my fence line. Which at this point does nothing to stop the dog. The fence line back there is only 4ft if that. The dogs both attack the fence line when anyone walks in the back. No matter how far out they are. I can open my back door and they start growling and attacking the line.  -shakes head-

Later today Cherokee and I are going to make some no bake cookies and possibly some Cafe au Lait ice cream. Sounds yummy doesn't it?