Saturday, January 17, 2015

Feeding Time

On a visit to St. Petersburg, Florida I made a stop at one of my favorite places: The Sea Bird Sanctuary. I found my favorite bird, the Red-Tailed Hawk, but to my surprise we caught her right at feeding time.


Between her talons and beak she made short work of the rat while two of the sanctuary's free roaming Vultures waited by the back of her enclosure; tantalizingly close to the scraps.

To view additional photographs from a previous trip to The Sea Bird Sanctuary please click the following link: http://currentsandcolor.blogspot.com/2011/08/sea-bird-sanctuary.html

Friday, January 2, 2015

Succulents

My best friend has a little collection of succulent plants on her patio table. I was over letting her dogs out early one morning and the colors were just beautiful. 


I could see little gems of dew tucked neatly among the cradling arms of the plant.


Protected by red, spike tipped leafs the glittering beads are safe until the sunrise.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

Bearded Dragons

A while ago I went to a pet store with my boyfriend just to look around. I would consider myself a cat/dog person. I have a hard time with birds, fish, and rodents. It's not that I don't appreciate them, I just find it to be a lot of work to maintain an animal that requires any type of enclosure. 

So when we went to the pet shop I was surprised that I was so intrigued by the Bearded Dragons. They are medium sized lizards that are found in desert climates. They have a good reputation for being docile and easy to care for. I remember a friend of my had one a few years back. She let me hold him and he snuggled right up in the warm nook between my neck and shoulder. 

These particular Bearded Dragons from the pet store seemed very inquisitive. They were just as interested in me and I was in them; following my every movement as I tried to get the best photos. Their skin was a lovely textured mosaic of swirling, earthy patterns. I found them surprisingly sweet and intelligent. 



Sunday, November 16, 2014

The Undeniable Appeal of Clean Laundry

It's tough to keep laundry clean in my house when it seems like such a comfy playground. 







Saturday, November 15, 2014

Leu Gardens

My boyfriend and I decided to got to Leu Gardens. It is one of those lovely little hidden gems of Orlando that tourists often miss out on. Nestled away in a modest neighborhood it is easy to overlook. 




Leu Gardens is most noted for its Rose Garden and the staff works hard to ensure blooms are present year round. However, I found that the Arid Garden was much more captivating. What can I say? I guess I'm a sucker for unconventional beauty. 








Sunday, November 2, 2014

The Day I Quit

After several years of working for Starbucks I decided to find another job. It took a few months of hard work but I found a sales job that looked very promising. I had gone through the process of leaving Starbucks. Over the course of being with the company for seven years I had made a lot friends with fellow coworkers and customers alike. Some good byes were heartbreaking. I had a lot of history in this place. But I felt the desire to change pulling me in a different direction. I wanted to do something completely different. 

The sales job was a very welcome change of pace. I relished the opportunity to learn new skills and make more money. I was meeting new people and I felt like I was stretching my wings and taking risks is ways I hadn't been in years. 

I struggled a little with learning this new job. Some things felt awkward but I would calm my nerves by reminding myself that I was comfortable at Starbucks and I needed to patient with myself as I harnessed new abilities. 

One my second day of training I was paired with a man a few years younger than myself. His sales territory was in New Smyrna Beach, the farthest from the main office. We began visiting the local businesses while he lead with his sales pitch. We visited business after business and he became increasingly rude with the people he was trying to sell to. In a few short hours I began to question his behavior. He made some off-the-cuff remark about how "that was how the business worked". It was the coldness of his tone when he said it that shocked me the most. I endured his lack of empathy has he became openly racist with one woman and almost got us kicked out of another business. I remember walking side by side with him to the next business; my hands were shaking as I stared at the ground. He was never rude to me but his remorseless lack of ethics made him uncomfortable to be around. He told me that he wanted me to make the sales pitch at the next office we were about to visit. 

There was a brief pause before I answered him. 

"To be perfectly honest I don't want to do the next one. This isn't the job that I thought is was and it is not the job for me. We can finish up the rest of the day here but when we get back to the office I'm going to quit." 

He was a definitely surprised by my decisive candor but the only response he had was a dry "Yeah, it's not for everyone." 

He made one more pitch before abruptly deciding to take me back to the office about three hours early. The drive was long and silent. His fancy car was reminder of all the money that the employees of that company typically make. After my bold declaration it was clear that I would not come close to making that kind of pay. It didn't matter. I was relieved. I just stared out the car window at the beautiful formations of the clouds. I was free. 

We got back to the office and I unceremoniously signed the paperwork. It was only my second day on the job. I rode the elevator alone and walked down the main hallway to get to my car. I thought about the money that I could have made, I thought about how my friends and family would react to my quitting a job I had just gotten. I thought about how it had taken me months to find this job and how I would have to start all over again - this time without the security of having a job at Starbucks. I was completely unemployed and that just begun to sink in. 

I got to my car and called my boyfriend. All I could say was that "I quit". He got off work early and we met at a restaurant in Winter Park. I told him what happened and I said that I firmly believed I had done the right thing by leaving that company. He agreed and supported my decision. Then we began to cheer up and laugh. Our waiter came to the table and asked us what we were celebrating. "I just quit my job" I cheerfully explained. 


It was scary trying to find a new job and then suddenly leave after getting what looked like a great opportunity. The truth was that it didn't feel right and I knew I could find a better job. I knew it would have been a waste of time to try and make it work. I have better things ahead. 

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Little Snail

After a nice long rain I decided to go check my mailbox. As I turned the corner of my building I happened to glance at my window sill and see this adorable little snail.