Tuesday

Rainy Season in Florida

CORECTION!
Animal control told me, "This is no Bob Cat", it's a "Panther"...
Ew ew ew ew!


I was standing on my upstairs balcony about 4:30 in the afternoon yesterday and I had to do a double take at what I was looking at, just slowly walking around my back yard!  Now I  have my yard registered with the "National Wildlife Federation" as a "Back Yard Habitat",  but I never dreamed I'd see a "Bob Cat"!





Now I knew that "Bob Cats" and the "Florida Panther" were 'free roamers' but not in my neighborhood!  The photo above is a 'google stock' photo.. I went through many images until I found one  that most looked like what I saw.
Back to my story..
When I first stood there watching this really beautiful 'Cat' walking around, looking into every planter I have out there, I realized the neighbor kids were playing in their yard!  I froze!  
Then my "Mom Mode" took over and I flew down the stairs and out the front door two houses down, in my jammies, and banged on their door!   Now these kids are young... 3-5 and 6 years old and they always play out back.... 
I remember the first thing I said was  "Hi, there is a 'Bob Cat' out back, and before I could say, "I hear your kids out there"... three people got off the sofa and flew out their back door...leaving me standing there!.. 
I wanted a photo so I rushed home and  ran back up to the balcony!  Well I had my cell phone in my hand and I'm sorry to say, "it took really bad photos"
The kids father came over a bit later, thanking me for the warning!  He looked flustered to say the least.. we walked out back but the 'Cat' was gone into the woods... 
"What a beautiful creature"   I've seen them in the Zoos but not walking around my yard!
She did look hungry,  Infact, "skinny is how she looked"   no wonder I have not seen bunnies out there in a while.. they always came out in the mornings for my carrots....
I think I'll not go out there in the dark anymore......
I had no idea if we were to 'report' seeing these creatures,,, if only to warn the neighborhood to be on the look out for "Bob Cat's" on the prowl?  I did call "Animal Control" but they said, "They were surprised this is the first one I've seen. Just don't let your pets and small children out"... Very unconcerned!


 
 "Hawaiian Hoya"

Every June we in Florida have "Rainy Season" settle upon us.
I remember as a kid, when my family had a home in Miami, we would walk home from school in the "Rain"... yes, the sky would open up each day around 3 in the afternoon,, really, every day! Sometimes it would downpour for about an hour then the sun would come out, and it was still raining.
We moved away from Florida and I spent the next 30 years in other places only to come back to Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area, during the "Rainy Season" and "It rained for 23 days straight!  I totally forgot about this rain!


 

I walked out on the deck this morning to find my "Hoya" plant in bloom.  Although I have 5 plants around the yard, this one I gave a name "Bloomie"... She blooms on a regular basis, about every three months.


The Hoya Plant is one of the easiest plants to grown.  The wax plant, or shooting star, is a vine that loves to be ignored.  They do very well in hanging baskets, both indoors and out. The little blooms are called Umbels.  They come in a variety of shapes and colors.  Mine have very "Pink" blooms. The books say "fragrant" but mine, "I smell nothing?" 
When you feel this little 'star flower' it has the feeling of 'bone china'... so sweet and the flower will last about a week or two!


Today, out back, my yard feels and looks and smells like a 'Rain forest'... all the vegetation is lush and green, just dripping with rain!  So beautiful!  
The "Bob Cat" must have a family out there somewhere...hmmmm? 
I do hope he/she enjoys my yard as much as I do!


I'm linking up to ....




34 comments:

Anita @ GoingALittleCoastal said...

Wow Sandy, I don't know what I would have done. Good thing you remembered about the kids down the way. I remember the afternoon rains well. It was like clockwork. Here they come and go but not as timely as it was in Clearwater!

Athena at Minerva's Garden said...

That is amazing--what a huge cat! I also really like your flower photos--I am in Washington State, and so this is a lovely change for me!

Thanks for posting.

the cape on the corner said...

yikes! that's scary! you handled it well.

Heidi said...

Wow, what a surprise! I know there are bobcats around here sometimes, but I've only come upon coyotes, racoons, skunks, deer, and wild turkeys. I can imagine your fright when you saw that big kitty! I would have freaked out!
Your garden is so pretty, with all the rain it must just flourish.
Thanks so much for linking to Heart and Home! Have a great week.
XO
Heidi

Boom Nisanart said...

Great captured !
what a huge cat !

Debbie said...

Zoink! I would have been so scared. Let's just say I'm not the wildlife kind of gal.

You did well to warn those kids!

And about "Bloomie". I love it, and I really loved that you named it. That is the kind of thing that I do too.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

Wow, I'm in Orlando, no bobcats here! I'm surprised your not missing any cats and dogs! Everything up here is blooming also, the freeze last winter sure knocked thing out, it is still not back to previous years. be careful....Here kitty, kitty!

Lynn said...

Wow, scary situation! You did great notifying the neighbors, I hope she just moves on...

Lourie said...

We've had mountain lions out here. ALthough I have never actually seen one, they have been spotted.

Tracy F. said...

Wow, I probably would have freaked!
You were such a good neighbor to think of the little children next door. How neat that you got a picture!

Light and Voices said...

I am surprised that that photo was in focus. My camera would have been shaking. tee hee
Joyce M

Andrea at Opulent Cottage said...

Hi Sandy,

What a great story! I lived in Naples in the 1970s and we had gators all the time, it's a different way of life, isn't it? Your deck and backyard look lovely! Thanks for your visit, Andrea

Susan said...

Scary! I'm glad you just happened to go out there and see it and nobody was hurt.

The Charm of Home said...

Wow! I didn't know that a bobcat would come that close to humans. You think they would stay hidden deep in the woods. Neat plant blooming. Have a great week.
Sherry

Cathy~Mille Fleur said...

Wow...how scary! I am gald they caught it! I would die if that came up on me;)!

Happy Outdoor Wednesday!
Cathy

Susan said...

Yikes!! We get coyote in our yard on occasion, but only late at night... and generaly they run from any people. Glad no one was hurt!

ellen b. said...

Oh dear me and I get nervous when I see a coyote or a raccoon. The plants are lovely. There are always great benefits from gentle rains...Have a great week.

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

Scary panther sighting! It would shake me up too!

I love your Hoya plant. I have one I grow as a house plant that I posted about here:

http://gratefulprayerthankfulheart.blogspot.com/2009/02/hoya-plant-in-bloom.html

Though the temps have been in the high 90's-100 for days our winters are way too cold to grow them outside. I am remembering we had 72 inches of snow this past winter and prolonged cold! Such extremes this year.

I have enjoyed visiting your sweet blog! Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment!

Kindly, ldh

Meadowsweet Cottage said...

Gorgeous cat! I guess that's one way to combat the bunny problem in the garden, lol.

Lovely hoya--brought back some fun memories of ours from a few years back.

Here from the Tuesday Garden Party.

Jami@ An Oregon Cottage said...

OK, you win the prize for most amazing link picture- I couldn't wait to click on it. :-) What a great story. Thanks for sharing it at the TGP.

Heather said...

How incredibly exciting and yes, a little scary. That is what I call natural pest control! Hopefully he will move along and not get himself into any more trouble.

The flowers are lovely... can't really grow tropicals up here in the NW. Thanks for sharing.

visiting from TGP

iheartsunnydays said...

WOW - what a strange thing to see! Very exciting but a little scary. Gorgeous hoya - my Nan used to grow them and they are so beautiful. I tried to grow one once but it never flowered, just kept growing and growing :)

Renee said...

Hope the Bobcat moves on to better hunting grounds.

the Hoya plant is soooo pretty.

Average Girl said...

Wow....i'm not sure what I would do if I looked out the window and saw that cat. Good reaction on your part with the neighbour's kidlets. Thanks for stopping by my blog and signing up as follower!

June said...

Sandy I was so intrigued by the panther you saw. I have a very funny story about an encounter I had with a bob cat. A very, very close encounter. it had to do with me having to potty in the woods and the bob cat not seeing me. I could have reached out and touched him had I wanted to...well, needless to say...I didn't want to!
Thank you for the sweet comment anout my garden.
June

gail@My Repurposed Life said...

whoa! crazy! I'm so glad you saw it and were able to warn the neighbors.
pretty flower!
gail

muralimanohar said...

Umm..freaky! I've lived in areas that supposedly had bobcats and mountain lions, but I've never actually seen one. Wow!

Pam said...

Ever since I saw the Florida documentary about all the pythons, etc. in the area, I'm just not surprised. Good 4 you for alerting neighbors! Already following and visiting now thru the DIY Club. Pam @ Sallygoodin

Sylvia said...

If the photo you posted looks like the cat you saw, it is a bobcat not a Florida panther. I am originally from the SE and have seen bobcats many times (including some in WA state where I now live) and they do not look anything like a panther.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Whether it was a bobcat or a panther, what are you supposed to do if you come across it while outside? Did the animal control people tell you that?

I'm glad you were there to see it to warn the neighbors.

Your hoya blooms are pretty.

Holly Lefevre said...

That is quite a sight for the backyard! We occasionally get mountain lions - I try not to go out after dark.

The Hoya is gorgeous! I must see if they will grow in my climate...plants that like to be ignored are the best for me!

Jenn Erickson said...

Hopping by from the DIY Club and your entry caught my eye. What a wild experience (no pun intended). What really fascinates me is that I'm out in California and saw something that looked exactly like your panther, dead alongside the highway. What are these wild cats doing roaming free from coast to coast? Trippy!

Erin @ The Little Apartment said...

Wow, I would never want to let my kids outside.. without a dog or something. But I think he was after your tomato plant (:

Teri said...

The animal control dude was wrong... that is a bobcat. The FL panther is an endangered variety of cougar.

But yours is a lovely bobcat! What a treat to see him! And you got a great photo too.