19 March 2024
What glorious weather! It was 67°F when I started my walk this morning (later than usual) and it energized me enough I completed 1.4 miles. It’s one of those days people say is the reason they moved to Florida.
Because of my walk mileage, I passed some plants (and homes) I hadn’t seen in a while. One of the first things that drew my attention was Goldshower.
I had planted a few of these along the fence in the back yard but they never bloomed like this and I eventually took them out. When they bloom, they are pretty awesome.
Next up was a shrimp plant. For years, I couldn’t understand why they called this a shrimp plant.
Later, I noticed the blooms on one and realized the blooms do look a little bit like shrimp. This is a member of the Acanthus family of plants.
Finally, I found a shaving brush tree that was recently planted and not too tall that I couldn’t get a decent photo of the bloom. The blooms are really spectacular.
You can see the female portion of the plant (style and stigma) sticking out from the anthers and a bud getting ready to open. It’s estimated there are around 400 pollen bearing stamens around the stigma.
Today was assessment day at physical therapy. Shannon had me redo some of the things we did the first session. There was definitely some improvement but there’s still room for getting better. My balance is still way off. I am still in danger of falling without a cane. My stamina is improving but I have a ways to go.
Insurance will cover me for 10 more sessions so Shannon scheduled me through the month of April.
Tonight I’m meeting an old friend, Robert and his son Michael at Flanigans. Robert taught on the same campus I did and I haven’t seen him since the last time I stayed with him and Lynn in Alabama on one of my trips. It’ll be great to catch up with him and his family.
Stay tuned!