I followed up on my desire to go to the nursery and pick up some new stuff for the yard. I just love that we have planting season all year around in Florida.

First of all, I got some hot pink petunias to add some color to the front flower beds. The look so delicate and soft, but they are some of the best flowers you can get for sunny spots in the yard.

I also got a red maple to put in the front yard. We had our big tree removed from out front last year and I can definitely tell a difference in the lack of shade for the front rooms of the house. The tree we removed was long past due, since the Carrotwood is technically a bush that overgrows and is officially on the list of nuisance trees in Florida. The red maple will grow quickly in our climate and provide a lot of shade. Plus, although it is deciduous and will lose leaves, it will never be 100% bare here.

I also got a variety of Red Oak for the side yard. And, I picked up a Blood Orange tree and a Naval Orange Tree. They’ll be a nice addition to the two lemon trees and the star fruit tree.

Last, I got some roses for the flower bed outside the kitchen window around back. They are just barely pink, kind of a tinted white. It will be fun for Gigi to learn to prune them as they grow.

As soon as the sun gets a little lower and things cool off, I am going to go dig some holes.

October is closer than ever now, and today is a nice indication of the weather we will have here in Florida in a matter of days. The humidity is way down, the breezes are picking up off the Gulf, and the sun is yellow warm and carrying us into comfortable mid-80s warmth. I’m a happy, sandal-wearing girl.

This is one of those days that makes me want to get out to one of the better nurseries in the area and load up on pretty blooming flowers that fit the season. I want to put in some ornamental peppers. They do well now that the sun is not as hot. Petunias like this weather, too. I can really add some color to the yard this time of year and not worry about the sun during things out.

In the back yard, we are pretty much focused on fruit. The star fruit are still coming in like gangbusters. It is exhilarating to look out the kitchen window and see the big yellow fruit. Our lemons have a little ways to go, but already they are large and round. We just need to wait for them to turn color. The apples in the yard blossom and grow at least twice a year. We have some small fruit coming in yet again. As the trees get more mature, the apples seem to get a little bigger. I’m just thrilled to HAVE apples in this climate, so small is fine with me.

I have an aunt and uncle who are coming down to their Orlando vacation home rental within the next couple of weeks. They are some of the fortunate few who maintain homes both here in Florida and up north. They hop around season to season and take advantage of the best weather possible. They were able to enjoy this past summer in the relatively cool luxury of the mountains. Now, they will hop in their car and come south to open up their winter home. One day, or at last I dream, I will do the same.

I’ll be inside and available for online communication a lot less in the coming days. If you really need to get in touch with me, call my cell phone.

It was bound to happen. Hillary Clinton is actively denying reports about her sexuality. Now, I do not like Hillary. I don’t respect a woman who stands by a man who cheats. I think that is the ONE reason a woman should pack her bags, walk out of the house, and never look back. That is a personal choice for me, though. I have to have respect for a candidate before I am able to hear the words out of their mouth in a clear fashion. Nonetheless, I’m not going to expect everyone else to feel the same way.

The reason I say it was bound to happen, though, is that in our society a woman who dresses as severely as Hillary and talks as sharply as she does is eventually going to be questioned about her strong and decidedly non-feminine vibe. Let’s face it, she is not a women how comes off at first glance as a nurturing mother or flirty, perfumed woman. She is severe and often offensive. Her voice is razor-thin and often irritating.

Appearance can mean so much when you are inviting the nation to judge you as worthy of leading then for at least four years. Packaging up a female to present to the nation is a tough task. I’m not sure how I would even go about it.

When you start up your business, hooking up with a source of funding is a whole lot easier these days. I work with a lot of women who are striving to create unique businesses that will allow them to live the lifestyle they want to live and support their family at the same time. But, getting started can be difficult unless you have enough money tucked away.

The RaiseCapital website is a community where entrepreneurs and business owners set up profiles to spotlight their venture. You can add pictures, a video presentation, and other related media to introduce your venture. In the end, you have a professional online package to present to potential investors. When you’ve completed your profile, the RaiseCapital system sends out an alert to all of the investors in the system who have indicated an interest in your industry.

They check you out, you check them out, and via online networking you can potentially make a match and find the right Venture Capital Funding. The site’s investors are primarily located in the U.S. And, the website is not just for typical money-making businesses. Non-profits and charities can post profiles as well.

Looking around the site, I see profiles for folks looking to open a skateboard shop, starting a clothing business, find backing for patent research, companies that design video equipment, and several profiles for online businesses and software concepts. If you can imagine it, people are out there looking for funding to make it happen.

I love Skype. My dad has worked very hard to get the whole family up and running with webcams and the appropriate software. Tonight my aunt and uncle called to test their Skype connection. All of the kids were in the background. Since moving to Florida, these are people I only see about once a year now. I am thrilled that Gigi will grow up with the technology to talk to ands see our relatives anytime we want to. Even though she is only a few miles away when she is with her dad, I sometimes even use Skype to call over there just to get to speak to her face-to-face.

If any of my friends out there use Skype, let me know. Pfunk, We need to get you hooked up.