Bits & Pieces & Stuff Like That
Well, here we are into the new year, 2026. I remember as a child thinking the 1st day of the new year would somehow be ‘noticeable,’ …but then I thought the same thing about going across the state line between Kansas and Missouri. I was a bit disillusioned when Missouri looked and felt like Kansas. Of course, after going a few miles in Missouri, we saw a little change in the landscape but not much. That is the way it is with the new year. We will have to go a little ways before we experience much of a change.
I did see that I really needed the down time between Christmas and New Years. It helped both the Captain and I to stop and smell the roses so to speak. It also helps that we don’t get each other gifts because at our age, if we don’t already have it, we don’t need it. There is just so much jewelry, candy and vacuum cleaners one can own. 🥰 However, we do try to spend extra time together and have a date night. We feel that is the best gift we could give each other, spending time together….no phones, no distractions. On the plus side, we don’t have to spend that week returning or exchanging gifts.
I don’t believe I shared our Christmas Brunch with you so here are a few pics.
Simple brunch…Sausage Egg Casserole, Cranberry Orange Bread, Fruit, Grape Juice, Orange Juice, Grapefruit Juice and Apple Juice.
I’m not sure if I’m going to take the woodland Christmas tree down just yet…I may leave it up til Spring. Just as and FYI, that has nothing to do with decor; I think it is a condition called laziness.
Speaking of laziness, a couple years ago, we put up permanent outdoor lights under the soffits of our house and at the time they were not a common decoration, plus they were a novelty and a little more expensive. The good news is you don’t take them down after Christmas…hence “permanent lights” in their description.
This year however, when we did our annual Christmas light tour, we noticed them on quite a few houses. As I said we leave them up all year long and they are really not that noticeable so if one wants to leave the lights off, they can’t be seen easily…no one knows they are there. But, you know me….I change out the light settings on my phone to whatever the season is, and they come on EVERY night until the timer shuts them off. I had them red, white and blue for Election Night, Memorial Day, 4th of July and Labor Day, and our neighbors made a point to stop in and tell us how much they liked them. They now have them on their house too.
We have had this little visitor hanging around in our courtyard and on the Lanai for the past few months. I don’t mind him, (or she) other than the little ‘droppings’ I find on the outdoor kitchen counter tops and the furniture.
He is a Burrowing Owl, about 6 inches tall, and they are on the endangered species list so one has to be careful while convincing it to find a burrow somewhere and leave our outdoor spaces ‘poop and feather’ free.
He appears to be looking inside the house from his perch here on the Lanai as he stands near the camera. He comes in the early morning and leaves in late afternoon. Who knows? If it is indeed a “he”, the Mrs. might kick him out of their underground burrow…telling him not to come back til dinnertime.
You know he is so cute that I have named him. I have resigned myself to the fact that he is here to stay (at least during the day) so I have named him “Ollie” the Owl.
The first time he visited I was sitting on the lanai sipping my tea. Knowing the high-cost fine ($25,000.00 or there abouts) for messing with them, I remained seated, not moving. As you can tell it was a very long, long, long time before he decided to fly elsewhere. 🥰 LOL Are you listening City of Cape Coral Burrowing Owl Police?
Here in Florida, plants grow 24-7 and 365 days out of the year. When we moved to this home there were fruit trees in the back yard. Papaya, Grapefruit, Orange, Banana, Lime, Lemon, Avocados, Mangoes and Pineapple Plants. I was thrilled until I noticed the fallen fruit was a table feast for critters and insects such as Roof Rats, Mice, Possums, Raccoons, Squirrels, Aphids, Mites and Ants. Not only are these undesirable to have in or near your home, these animals spread disease, plus rats, squirrels and mice gnaw on wires, creating serious fire hazards, We had all the fruit trees removed to eliminate the food source. That solved our immediate problem but then we noticed the banana trees were sprouting new growth and so we paid to have them removed again. And a few months later, the Landscaper “removed” them yet again. The Captain said “Que Sera Sera!”….so we quit trying to remove them although bi-annual trimming sorta keeps them in check. The photo above is showing our current crop of two huge bunches of bananas. Sigh…I usually tell the lawn people to help themselves to the bananas when they are ripe. I’m still a Chiquita Banana person straight from the shelves of my local market.
Thank you for stopping by and reading ‘Bits & Pieces & Stuff Like That’ of our life here in Florida.
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“but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint”.
Hi Kari, your brunch looked so good, and I do love your forever lights…what fun! Ollie is just so cute. He must love your home, but the mess must drive you crazy. I do understand about the pests that cause damage, which is not a fun thing. Happy New Year to you!
Kari, such a fun post. Ollie is adorable and so watch. We have Western Screen owls here. Your brunch looks delicious. As far as our property, our house sits in back of our property. Probably the middle of the acreage. Enjoy this new year.
I loved every word and image in this post, Kari. Ollie is adorable — and you appear to have been chosen as a “safe place.” Pity about the poop, though. Can you cover the chairs when you’re not out there? Not attractive but maybe you can find cute covers — if anyone can, you can! Like you, I have a woodland tree but it never got up this year — I ran out of time before surgery (and, since I decided to try to weather my geraniums inside all winter, didn’t have the space, either.) When I get the big tree down — probably this weekend — I will undecorate the skinny hall tree and put it where the big one was, and finally bring up the woodland ornaments. They are among my favorites and will last till Equinox! Your breakfast looks fantastic! We had breakfast casserole too — I’m always looking for the best recipe so if you have a good one or link, please share! And I’m loving those lights — how cool that you can change the colors!
All good wishes as the new year moves on!
I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this post. A little bit of this and that, the things that make life interesting. The skeleton was with the owl was a “hoot”!
Great ‘pun’ Connie…LOL. so glad you enjoyed that one. I wasn’t sure too many would get my sense of humor. I so appreciate you stopping by and commenting. I am always ready to ‘talk’ if you know what I mean. I wish you and yours a very happy New Year. 🥰
What a fun post!
Your Christmas Brunch looked scrumptious! How delicious!
Ollie is a sweetheart! But they can be messy.
We love our critters but they must learn to clean up after themselves and stay out of garages! We have squirrels that enjoy getting into our lake house Garage!
Happy New Year Dear friend!
Yes, Nancy the cute critters are sometimes not so cute when they do what comes naturally for them. One morning the Captain and I were having coffee in the Secret Garden and I saw a motion and turned to my right and there was an Opossum walking (slowly) a foot away from me, totally in her own world and as if we were not even there. Later, we found she had babies in our front yard under a Palmetto Bush. Needless to say, she stayed ‘around’ for quite a while and then she took her brood and moved on. Happy New Year to you as well, and thanks for stopping by.
I loved the breakfast spread you out there. You had my mouth watering. lol I think little Ollie is the cutest little owl. We have huge owls in our area that will pick up a small dog or cat so many people don’t let their small pets out at dark. I understand about wanting him to leave and to get rid of the fruit trees. It would be great if they weren’t so near your house. Hawks are majestic as they fly around my area and they have great eyesight. They can spot a mouse, rabbit, or squirrel a mile away. I love all animals even birds of prey and wild animals.
Hugs,
Sandy
Sandy I love all animals too. And Ollie is so cute. We also have little geckos and when they are courting the little females, they have a red “flap” under their jaw that protrudes and I have taken so many pics of them just because they are cute. They don’t get very big…3-4 inches are considered large and that includes their tails. I’ll have to do a post on them one day. Thanks for your sweet comments my dear friend. Hugs!
Just curious what is the purpose of the “skeleton” ?
Hi Melody…I am almost embarrassed to tell you this, but I sat the skeletons outside for Halloween decor and the first time Ollie the Owl visited was early November and the skeletons had not been put away yet. 🥴 As I was gathering daily pics of Ollie, I thought using the one where he was close to the skeleton would be funny, and I could say I sat there so long so as not to disturb this endangered species, that I “aged” drastically. For those who know me…I sometimes have a strange sense of humor. But thanks for dropping by and thanks for your question. Have a great New Year!
The owl is adorable! I think that banana trees will regrow. The Farmer is cultivating a banana tree in the house, to be planted outdoors in the spring.
Thanks Donna for stopping by and I believe you are right about banana trees…I actually didn’t mind all the fruit…just not the critters it attracts. Good luck with any replanting, I don’t have a green thumb unfortunately. Happy New Year!
Fun post, Kari. I absolutely love your description of the new year, analogous to traveling across state lines. That’s so true. Love the woodland tree (and also those Indian clubs on the mantel! I have a few also, took them into the antique mall to sell. The largest sold, still have a matching, smaller pair). The burrowing owl would certainly be a unique siting for me (any owl, for that matter), but I completely understand your housekeeping issues and the waiting, lol. This endangered protection reminds me of Mary’s issues with the ospreys on Lake Norman, and the nasty problems we used to have with the Canada geese (which are still nearby at the campus down the street and, luckily, NOT a protected species). I get what you’re saying about the 24/7 growth habitat, too. I would’ve done the same thing with the fruit trees, absolutely. On repeat, as you’re having to do! I am thankful for a bit of downtime from gardening in Jan and much of Feb, typically.
Have a great week.
Oh Rita…how fun you saw my humor in the skeleton sitting on the outdoor furniture waiting for little Ollie to leave. Unfortunately, people are building new houses all over the Cape and the Burrowing Owls are being pushed out of their burrows. One has to get a special permit (very costly) to have the owls relocated but apparently the builders are willing to ante up and the little owls are being displaced. At our ranch in New Mexico, we had Toulouse geese as well as guineas, ducks, turkeys etc and they are really messy as we let them free roam until we finally built a HUGE enclosure for them. Thanks for stopping by my sweet friend.
Hi Kari, I enjoyed your bits and pieces. Brunch looked delicious and those lights are amazing. Ollie is cute, but I understand the mess. Squirrels have gnawed on our picnic table and they lay out a spread of acorns, pine cones, and other unknowns and have the nerve to leave it. Can you believe they don’t bother to clear the table after dining. A raccoon or opossum left a mess on the cottage porch night before last. God created all living things, so we must share our beautiful world with them! I just wish they wouldn’t make such messes😂
Pam Ollie is so cute but you are right, he makes such a mess in the courtyard. Hopefully, he will return to his burrow full time, but he could be in fear of the hawks that are lurking near by, so I have a concern for little Ollie. Have a great and glorious day. Thank you for stopping by my friend.❤️🙏🏻