A day in the life of a 12 year old....

When it is his birthday...... I don't care what your age is, young or old, we all like when our birthday is remembered and have some special plans to make it a special day. My grandson Scott and I spent the day together Monday, for his birthday, while his mom was taking a medical board test at a testing center here locally @ the UCF Campus near Orlando. This was a bit unusual, since Scott lives in Pt. Saint Lucie about 140 miles south of Longwood, which is my home. Usually when we see each other it is with the entire family, including his 2 brothers.

SO SCOTT, IT IS JUST US, WHAT CAN WE DO FOR FUN?? Here we go....we are on our way.

Just messing around with my camera, while I drive.

Our first stop......

Audubon Center for Birds of Prey

1101 Audubon Way

Maitland, Fl. 32751 - 407-644-1090
Scott is an animal lover..... I wonder where he gets that??? I thought that he would enjoy seeing Birds of Prey. The problem was they are closed to the public on Monday....the only day we had. So I made a few phone calls and the wonderful folks at Birds of Prey, made it possible for us to visit on Monday and we were able to browse around the facility as VIP guests.

One of the most enchanting animal encounters to be found in the Orlando area is The Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida. Each year this facility takes in about 700 wounded and orphaned raptors from all over Florida, tends to their wounds, and nurses them back to health with the ultimate goal of releasing them back into the wild. About 40% make it.

On display here is a giant birds nest.

Birds of Prey is located on the beautiful shores of Lake Sybellia.

Sam, has been a staff Vet Tech. for 5 years. Here she is holding Bogie, one of the center's Educational Ambassador Birds. Bogie is a Great- Horned Owl and came to Birds of Prey as a baby in 1992 after he had fallen out of his nest, (hence the name). He has a fractured wing and is unable to fly so cannot be released into the wild.

Here is Scott with Bogie. Although the birds are trained and able to be handled by the staff, while wearing a heavy padded suede-like glove to protect them, they will not go to others.

Spike is a Red-tailed hawk, also one of the Education Ambassador birds. Spike was admitted in 2000 with an eye injury to her left eye. The injury became chronic and her eye was later removed.

Here Scott is getting a closer look at Spike. Birds of Prey is open to the public, except Monday as I learned. They accept donations to maintain the facility. They are always trying to raise money to support their programs. An easy way for folks to get involved is to join the Adopt-a-Bird program, a fun and interesting way to participate in the conservation of Florida's magnificent raptors housed and treated at the center.

Hours: Tues-Sunday 10-4PM
Admission: Adults $5, Children $4, under 3 are free
http://www.audubonofflorida.org/. If you are looking for something interesting to do check out The Center for birds of Prey.

In this close up photo of Spike, you can see the missing eye. When I asked Scott what he would like to do next, as we still had several hours to "mess around", and hearing his response, you could have knocked me over with a feather! Never- never would I have guessed his response. He asked to go to a Judaica Shop, a venue for finding that special and unique 'Jewish gift'. He and his brother are currently studying for their Bar Mitzvah which will be next year and he was interested in looking at Tallit Sets. Now, I had no idea of where to find such a shop.....at the time. I made a few phone calls and came up with exactly, if not better then he ever expected, right here in Orlando.

The Bar Mitzvah and Bat Mitzvah are "rites of passage," crossovers from childhood to adulthood; milestones in a Jewish life. In the eyes of Jewish law, the child becomes responsible for his/her own deeds, spiritually, ethically, and morally.... It is a true connection to Judaism.

Scott happily tried on several Tallit Sets, and to watch him do so, so excited, I thought of the phrase "he had a smile on his face from ear to ear".

Sisterhood Judaica Shop

Congregation Chev Shalom

5015 Goddard Ave.Orlando, Florida 32804

407-298-4650

Happy Birthday Scott! We had fun didn't we? What will you request for your next birthday? Perhaps a trip to Israel.....

Extreme Makeover......

From "Farty to Funky" Following a complete "gutting and renovation" of this home in Pt. Saint Lucie, selecting the paint colors was the next step. I found this fabric which was perfect with the color selections on the walls throughout the home and it was what was used to upholster a chair that had been in the family for 60 years. The first piece of furniture to begin the next step of decorating and furnishing the Great Room. And Great Room is the proper name in this case as the room is approximately 30 foot x 30 foot....where to begin????

We will most definitely refer to this chair as "Farty". Not at all what this young family would ever select. As a matter of fact, they were not sure they would keep this old chair.

Upholstered with the selected fabric, it takes on new life......becoming funky! I will refer to this as an extreme makeover!

It was decided to also upholster the existing dining room chairs which were ready to be "tossed to the curb". The style of the dining room furniture with a little rehab, fit this family's lifestyle and budget....and that is exactly what was done.

I decided to look for 2 fabric chairs in a light color so that when looking through the room, they would not block or distract from the incredible water view. Hopefully I would locate swivel chairs that would work with the other pieces, so that when sitting on them, it would be easy to focus on the fireplace/conversation area, turn to enjoy the view of the water or turn to be part of the dining room. I could not locate an acceptable chair that fit the description, however this chair was perfect and the upholsterer was able to convert them to swivel chairs installing a swivel mechanism. Yes he is a magician and wonderful!

The pieces were coming together, I loved this cocktail table which came out of a Model Home, but the problem was moving it. Having a solid granite top it weighed about a "gizillion" pounds.....I mean really heavy!

Locating the correct sofas was the biggest challenge. I carried around my fabric samples and cushion from the chairs to every furniture store in Orlando....and I believe I located the perfect sofa. Things really fell into place as there were two in stock and I was able to get them delivered in 5 days. The very same day that I was planning a trip with the upholsterer, from Orlando to Pt. Saint Lucie to deliver some pieces and install the window treatment, also done with the funky fabric.

This is the view from the Great Room that I did not want to distract from.

Do you blame me?

Here it is put together from various views.

Note the "Queens" chair over in the dining room next to the hutch.

Except for some minor accessories, like some silk plants, etc., this room is pretty much complete. It is functional, comfortable and inviting. Denise and John are thrilled with the finished look and everyone is happy.

Even Max the family dog has found his spot.

( In this photo: Bruce Ross & Maxine Thomas )

Thank you Bruce for working with me on this project. You are creative, extremely talented and an artist at what you do. Together we make a great team, not to mention great friends since we met about 10+ years ago. I look forward to doing the next project with you.

Contact Ross Upholstery @ 407-880-3331
Buying or Selling Real Estate or

need help with decorating, contact me @ 407-718-8323

Your home should be your castle and reflect your personality.

4 Cucumbers and an Eggplant....

This is my harvest from my garden this morning... Squash plants are spreading and taking over my garden.

It is obvious that a critter got into this squash.Japanese Eggplant on the vine.

Ripe tomatoes ready to pick.

My Sago Palms are healthy, no scale as many people have struggled with. I go to one of the local coffee shops, where they are happy to share bags of brewed coffee grinds. I generously sprinkle the coffee grounds within the top mound of the plant and make a trench around the base and fill with coffee grounds....looks like its working for me.

Several critters visit my garden.

I believe this is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterfly.

This dragonfly was happy to sit quiet and be photographed.

Back to my "edibles", a cucumber on the vine. There is nothing like a fresh off the vine cuke sprinkled with a little salt.

Spaghetti squash......

Just a garden ornament......love my dragonflies.

Before I pulled out my Brussels Sprout plant, which is a cooler weather plant, I picked these off the plant and prepared them as follows. They were a bit smaller then the first batch but mighty tasty.

This Brussels sprouts recipe is for the "I don't like Brussels sprouts" people. The super-fast stir-fry in butter and lemon retains the beautiful color, and the Brussels sprouts get the most wonderful sweet flavor, and tender texture. The secret is the thin slicing, and the quick cooking time.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, washed, bottoms trimmed
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:

Cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise, and then slice each half into very thin ribbons (see picture). Place a large skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the butter and oil; as soon as the butter is melted, toss in the Brussels sprouts. Saute, stirring and tossing constantly for about 45 seconds. Add the lemon juice, and toss for about 15 seconds more. Remove from heat, add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste, and transfer into a serving dish. Do not overcook, and the Brussels sprouts will stay green, sweet, and tender.

Oyster plants, my ground cover in my back yard islands is finally filling in from the Winter freeze.

A little bit of scattered color.

The Impatians planted around the borders are starting to get bigger with constant color.

Love those flowers.....Lily of the Nile.

Everyday in my garden brings new discoveries.

Life is a gift

Meyer (Mike) Deutsch

May 26, 1913 - February 29, 2008 With Fathers' day approaching, I find myself thinking a lot of my dad. Death is usually thought of as something sad and terrible. But, something that is so final has a way to make us put our mortality into a new perspective. When one dies who is 94 years old, it's also amazing to think about the gift of life and longevity.
My dad lived a strong and independent life. When he passed peacefully February 29, 2008, he was 94, with an extremely sharp mind. He lived independently until Jan 12 when he broke the second hip and went to the hospital. He recovered from his first hip surgery exceptionally well.

My dad was not formally educated, but he was very smart. My dad was self-educated, he read the New York Times almost each day of his life. He would have loved to be formally educated and was always very sensitive to the fact that he was not. (The photo above is of my dad dressed in a Graduation Gown for one of his grand children.)

I have several physicians in my family, but my Dad always said he was the first MD in the family...get it...Meyer Deutsch...he was full of humor and had corny jokes always! Dad, your influence on me shall live on.

Happy Fathers Day!

Life is a gift and 94 years is certainly a precious gift!

WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD.....

When I first heard the title of this book, which got my attention immediately, I thought to myself, "dam", someone got my book title first! I immediately went to the library and found out that I had to put my name on the list to reserve it. I actually love that system, I get an email when the book is ready to pick up. Isn't technology great. When I received notification that my book was ready for pick up, several weeks later, I went to the library to check it out.....at that time I still didn't even know what it was about, I just was intrigued by the title.

I was really enjoying reading this book, when I got yet another email message from the library. Since this book was still reserved by others, it was now due, after only two weeks, not the normal 3 weeks. With no time to finish it, I thought about just keeping it and paying the fine when I returned it. But....I felt guilty, so I brought the book back to the library, paid my 20 cents fine, and inquired about putting my name back on the list. The librarian told me that I should have just kept the book till I finished it, then returned it and paid the fine.....that is what most people would do. There are 18 other people who have the book on hold ahead of me, and only 2 copies in the county. It was too late to reverse my decision, once I paid my big fine and it was put in "the system".

With 18 others ahead of me, I wonder if I will live long enough to get my 2nd chance to complete this interesting story!! But, I have learned my lesson. Next time, I will just keep the book longer, pay my fine, and not ask questions! What would you have done?


I couldn't be in better company in enjoying this story. Look at this, it's me and George Clooney!
"Now, I could tell you stories about Jerry, but Jerry is the first and best to tell them. He's funny and grumpy and perfectly inappropriate. When it comes to work, nobody works harder. When it comes to charities, nobody guilts better. And when it comes to friendship, he has no peers. That's Jerry's great talent. He doesn't just light up a room, he lights it on fire. He's a great producer, a great organizer, a great friend, and truly the greatest showman on earth." (George Clooney )


Wondering what this book is really about? It is the biography of Jerry Weintraub, a most colorful man who was an "out of the box thinker", and always seemed to be in the right place at the right time who always met the right people.

From Publishers Weekly
Hollywood power player Weintraub, now 72, is always in control and goes to great lengths to prove it: besides having managed musical legends like Presley, Sinatra and John Denver ("I cooked him from scratch"), Weintraub once closed a deal by faking a heart attack, and won the respect of one of Chicago's most powerful men, Arthur Wirtz, when he cursed Wirtz out for making him wait (Wirtz would go on to become one of Weintraub's mentors). Weintraub's also produced plays, TV shows, movies (from Nashville to the Ocean's 11 franchise), and more, summing up his talent simply: "When I believe in something, it's going to get done." Edgy and honest but refreshingly spare in his criticism of stars, colleagues and family, Weintraub can be forgiven for glossing over speed bumps in his career (one failed business lost $30 million before it closed in the mid-'80s) and occasionally showing his age with wandering rumination. As Weintraub repeatedly states, he is not a star, which perhaps that explains the disappointing omission of photos. Still, with a bold voice, a storied career, and a cast of superstars, his memoir makes a rousing insider tour of some five decades in the entertainment industry. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Good, interesting reading! I highly recommend this book and I will go back for my 2nd chance to finish it.