Shy Wolf!

Today I got to experience the awesomeness that is Shy Wolf!  I thought they were amazing to begin with...their message is just astounding...the selflessness and the perseverence it takes to run that place just leaves me speechless.  There are so many beautiful animals...I wish I had a house in the Estates with acres for a wolf dog to run! I would definitely adopt one!  We began working on our foundations proposal and we'll be helping SWS with a fundraising event the weekend of March 5th and 6th.  Music, food, raffles, drum circle, meditation and healing...its going to be so amazing.  I can honestly say before taking colloquium and foundations, I was the indoor-must-have-ac-dont-really-like-to-get-dirty sort of girl...but now I'm ecstatic to get out there, play with animals, and get dirty!!!!  This is going to be an amazing experience!!!!!

Everglades!

So this week's assignment is about the everglades...so I'm trying to get some people together to go take an airboat ride! I hope I can find a few!  This should be fun!  If I cant find someone to go with, I'm at least going to visit Everglades City and check out the tourist info spot!

a day in Tampa!

I drove to Tampa yesterday afternoon with my husband to attend a concert at the St. Pete Times Forum.  I've been to Tampa before, but I drove over from Orlando, up from not Naples.  The drive from Naples is absolutely STUNNING!  Once we hit Pinellas/Hillsborough counties, I was literally in awe.  The view from the bridges was just beautiful. It almost reminded me of the view from the 7-mile bridge to Key West.  The birds were swooping to the water to catch fish, the waves were crashing against the seawalls, and the city was gleaming behind the sparking water.  The architecture of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was just .....unbelievable.  I haven't seen a bridge like that since I lived in New Jersey!!

I just saved a turtle!

While driving home from the store, I noticed something in the road near the entrance to my community.  As I got closer, I noticed it was a turtle! I'm not sure what type it was...if I had my phone handy I wouldve snapped a pic...but alas, I didn't.  Cars were speeding through (as they always do) so I stopped my car in front of the turtle, put on my hazards and stood in the middle of the street until it safely crossed.  I stopped 4 cars from nearly running it over.  It amazes me that people don't pay better attention when driving. 

I always watch the road for critters crossing the street.  Just yesterday morning I was leaving my community for work and there was a mama bird leading her little ones across the road near the golf course.  I stopped and waited until all of them were out of the street, which took an entire traffic signal cycle.  The guy behind me was laying on his horn and yelling obscenities at me..."Are you *BEEP* stupid?  Move the h-e-double hockey-sticks out of the way" .....i told him there were animals crossing the street, and his reply? "So what! I've got a job to be at!" ....I have to wonder if he truly wanted me to just run them over.  I'm glad I was first at the light instead of him!

I've always had more compassion for animals than humans...I used to think it was wrong to feel that way, but people like the idiot from yesterday support my decision!

Love this weather!

This weather is crazy.  It's January and I'm outside in tank tops and capris.  As much as I hate the heat, I'm very excited to not have to bundle up like the people in the New England area.  I've been loving this weather recently, though! Overcast, damp/moist air.....that feel of rain.  I've always wanted to live in the NW U.S. and I think the idea has become cemented over the last week.

The fog has been getting worse over the last few days, but that just means more moisture in the air! I'd rather deal with cool, damp weather than the blazing 106 degree heat in July!

As much as I adore this weather, in the back of my mind I know it's due to global warming.  I read in the Earthweek Diary that temperatures surpassed record highs this year...that worries me a lot.  I know I won't see any profound changes during my lifetime, but I worry for my great grandchildren.  We have to act now, so they can enjoy earth, just as we have, later.

Penguin Awareness Day!!

Today is penguin awareness day!! I love penguins.  They were always my favorite exhibit at the zoo, and I got to interract with them a few times! I think I just may have to watch Happy Feet later to get my penguin fill =)

On another note, I'm really enjoying the reading for Colloquium.  There are so many neat and fun facts about the everglades.  Also, learning facts about the saw grass in the everglades really put into perspective the meaning behind "Sawgrass Expressway" or Sawgrass Mills on the east coast.  I never knew, nor did I really care, as to why the mall or highway carried those names, but NOW I GET IT!

I'm truly learning more than I thought I would!!

also...

I had an orientation class for another course yesterday and found out that the girl sitting next to me is in the same Colloquium class as me!  I now have a field trip buddy! :)

Shy Wolf Sanctuary got back to me regarding service hours also..I'm so stoked to work with the wild dogs/cats, etc.  I've always loved animals and volunteered at Humane Society and other shelters...this is going to be AWESOME!

littering is annoying.

I may not be the most "green" person ever, but it absolutely annoys me when people are just lazy.  I just watched a guy walk by my office windows...smoking a cigarette and drinking a soda.  There are trash cans and ashtrays about 15 feet down the sidewalk.  Instead, the cigarette is thrown to the ground and the can is left on a ledge...I guess he thinks someone is here to clean up behind him.  I feel like posting a sign stating "Clean up behind yourself - your mother doesn't work here"  or better yet "Mother" nature is NOT your mother. Clean up behind yourself!

so....annoying.

"Home" Trip

I took my "home" trip this evening and strolled my neighborhood to discover the nature that surrounds me!

1. How old is the house?
Built in 1987
2. Of what materials is it constructed?
Wood Frame
3. How environmentally efficient is the house in terms of insulation, use of energy efficient appliances, air conditioning & heating, etc.?
I feel that the house is not very efficient at all.  The sealing on the doors and windows seems to be old.  I can feel cold drafts when it is cool outside.  Also, although I set my thermostat to 75 and it is registering the same, the A/C unit does not turn off.  This just cements my idea that there are drafts coming through the doors and windows.
4. How much space is in the home, and how many people are living there?
The entire condo is 957 sq. ft. and there are two of us living here (myself and my husband) along with our kitties (who we often refer to as our kids)
5. How close is your home to your work, school, etc.?
I work 2 different jobs and attend FGCU, so I go 3 miles to job #1, then about 2 more miles to job #2.  FGCU is approximately 20 miles (30 mins) from my house.
6. How is your house landscaped?
there are bushes surrounding the first floor of the buildings, and grassy areas in between the buildings.  There is the golf course also, and all lawn care is done twice a week.  The area is very well manicured, but does not look very natural.
7. How much yard do you maintain, and does yard maintenance require the use of chemicals or gasoline - powered equipment?
I do not personally maintain any of the grounds surrounding my condo since it is a managed community; however, I do see maintenance men on the grounds twice a week.  They use various bug-killing chemicals and many gas-powered lawn mowers.  I can sometimes smell the fumes when I'm walking to my car.
8. Do you have a pool that you maintain and utilize?   If so, what chemicals are you handling & storing to keep the pool clean?
We do have a pool, but like the lawn, it is kept maintained by the management company.
9. What household chemicals & agents do you store?   Where & how do you store them?
The only chemicals kept in my house are a few cleaning agents, such as windex, tilex, and detergents (laundry and dish).  Because I have pets, I choose to use a steam mop to sanitize my floors, and microfiber cloths to clean/dust.  I can't seem to give up my windex for glass and tilex for bathrooms just yet, though!
10. What other creatures live in and around your home?   Make a detailed inventory?
In my home: 5 cats (yes, 5!) Noel (15 yrs), Little (5 yrs), Mattie (5.5 yrs), Friday (4 yrs) and Lilly (6 months).  Other than the sugar ants who inhabited my kitchen when I first got here in September, I've seen no other creatures IN my home.
Around my home: birds in the trees (I still hope the bird eggs made it safely to a new nesting tree!).  There are also lizards EVERYWHERE and lots of birds, in the trees and on the ground.
11. Finally, ask yourself the question of what constitutes a natural versus an unnatural environment. Is your home a natural or unnatural environment?
I believe a "natural environment" is an undisturbed environment.  Houses in Golden Gate Estates are in more of a natural environment than my own.  My community has many many buildings, villas, townhouses, etc.  Some sort of natural environment was torn down in order to lay the greens for the golf course.  The closest I feel to nature at my house is when I stare out west from the balcony and watch the sky turn a gorgeous pink/purple/orange color at sunset.
12. Are you "of nature" or "apart" from it? What makes you think that?
Although I do not feel like I live in a natural environment, I do believe SW Florida as a whole is a natural environment.  Because I've always lived in very urban areas up until 2009, I feel a part of nature more now than ever!

no more birds :(

I got home today after work and school only to find that the nest was no longer there :(  I noticed maintenance had cut leaves/branches off the trees in the neighborhood, and I'm sad to say that I think they took the bird's nest with them.  It's a sad sad thing to see nature disturbed and destroyed in such a manner.  The level of disregard for natural environment just eats at me.  I really hope the eggs survived somehow....

and it begins...

I've never kept a journal or blog before...but I'm currently enrolled in the University Colloquium class and am required to keep one! so here goes....

I'm expecting to learn a lot about the environment around me.  I lived in Southeast Florida (Ft. Lauderdale) for 11 years.  Lots of buildings, construction sites and torn down natural environments.  When I first moved to Florida, I lived in Weston (when it was still 85% everglades).  I remember sitting on my patio, which overlooked the glades, and thinking how beautiful it was - especially at sunset.  I moved to downtown Ft. Lauderdale and lived there for 9 years...lots of cars, pollution, trash, etc etc.  When I left Ft. Lauderdale and moved to Naples in August 2009, I began my journey down the road of appreciation.  Since I moved to SW Florida, I find myself appreciating small things - like birds' nests in trees and watching birds eat in water-soaked grassy fields.  I'm hoping that I get to learn much more about the environment around me.

I'm excited to get home later tonight from work!  There's a nest in the tree outside of my balcony!  Babies are coming very soon! Just hope I get to see them!!