{"id":19805,"date":"2022-01-24T12:06:10","date_gmt":"2022-01-24T17:06:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=19805"},"modified":"2022-01-24T12:08:46","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T17:08:46","slug":"episode-518-florida-brazil-and-ontario-january-contrast-can-be-a-comfort","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=19805","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 518 FLORIDA, BRAZIL AND ONTARIO …JANUARY CONTRAST CAN BE A COMFORT"},"content":{"rendered":"

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EPISODE 518   FLORIDA, BRAZIL, AND ONTARIO\u2026.JANUARY 2022 CONTRAST<\/div>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Jan. 2022
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\"May<\/div>\n

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A friend just sent these three pictures from a lush wilderness in<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Florida.  January 24,2022\u2026seems some Canadians are on the move no doubt<\/p><\/div>\n

carefully.  While the rest of us are cocooned up in eider down bags counting the<\/div>\n
days to spring and the end of our two year terror of Covid 19.  <\/div>\n

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Another friend sent a note from Brazil where the alligators or their kin await <\/div>\n
foolish swimmers and on shore the tiger ants await a bum that is lowering to rest on a log.<\/div>\n

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What do we face in Southern Ontario after that huge snowstorm?  In our case Woody<\/div>\n
Marjorie and I were pleasantly surprised while playing Scrabble .<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhat\u2019s that noise?\u201d\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJack and Andy have arrived with the snow blower\u2026.digging us out.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWait until I get the blueberry pie for them?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cIs that really necessary?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYes,\u2026for your son and grandson\u2026nice to know they are thinking of us.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBut half a blueberry pie seems excessive.”<\/div>\n
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\"May<\/div>\n

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“Is that a gator just behind your boat?”<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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NOTE FROM PATRICIA\u2026THAT SHOULD BE COMFORTING TO THOSE OF US IN ONTARIO

I got an email this morning from a friend who is a kayaker and here’s her description of kayaking on the Myakka.  It is bang on. We were shocked at the size of the gators when we canoed down the river  – easily 12 to 14 feet. Huge!  We were glad to be in an aluminum canoe.  Use what you wish from this description below. I confirm it\u2019s validity. 

\u201cHiking along the Myakka ….interesting….we kayaked down ( or up…I don\u2019t know) the Myakka last week and there were alligators all along the bank , Hugh prehistoric looking creatures, who would get up and walk down to  the River and  slip in directly in front of my kayak. And that River is very shallow, I always thought that I was going to hit one on the head with my paddle….and that he might be a tad upset….but there were an awful lot of them.\u201d

By the way, hiking is done on a marked trail. Alligators stay by the water. A wild pig dashed across in front of us. That was scary. Bigger than a Labrador, quite black. 

We both carry large thick walking sticks. 

Best!
Patricia 
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    Another friend sent<\/div>\n
pics from Brazil\u2026.water looks grand but no swimming or the alligators (?) will get you\u2026and the ants love to bite.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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It is a malicious comfort to know the alligators prevent you from swimming.  Is that one following your boat?<\/p><\/div>\n

Envious?  No, how could I be envious?  I am currently deep into our  230th game of  Scrabble.  Why should I be<\/div>\n
envious of you basking in Florida sunshine  or even our friend Arnaud on a sand beach with <\/div>\n
scantilly clad swimmers.<\/div>\n

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Below are some pictures that show we are having a great time up here where there are no gators or bum biting ants.
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alan<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n


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\u201c:Some of these pictures are repeats , Alan.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cI know that.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThen why send them?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cJust so those Florida people will feel sorry for us\u2026”<\/div>\n

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\u201cI am expecting notes from Florida and Texas?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cThey will want us to shovel out their driveways.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cALAN, tell them about the coyotes.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou mean tell them the coyotes are mating and howling on winter nights?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNo, tell them how cute the coyotes are as they jump through the snowdrifts.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cCute?   They are looking for cats.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWoody seems to like them.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot after that coyote bit him on the ass.\u201d<\/div>\n

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\u201cLook, Marjorie, the old iron bridge still exists.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBlocking the Fifth line below Steeles Avenue\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow long will it be here?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot much longer the assassins with chain saws are cutting the trees on both sides<\/div>\n
of the Fifth line.  Soon the old iron bridge will be in a scrap yard.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cDo you think we could move it to the farm\u2026to span two of the ponds.?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWe could but doubt it.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cBecause too many of our goddamn friends\u2026would be helpers\u2026are now in Florida or Texas\u2026or Mexico\u2026or Brazil?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cYou sound bitter Alan?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cNot me\u2026”<\/div>\n

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\u201cAlan, send that picture of the isolated farm house to the sun seekers down south\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhy?<\/div>\n

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\u201cTo make them feel guilty for sending all those pictures of FlorIda!<\/div>\n
\u201cGood idea\u2026”<\/div>\n

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EPISODE 518   FLORIDA, BRAZIL, AND ONTARIO\u2026.JANUARY 2022 CONTRAST alan skeoch Jan. 2022 A friend just sent these three pictures from a lush wilderness in Florida.  January 24,2022\u2026seems some Canadians are on the move no doubt carefully.  While the rest of us are cocooned up in eider down bags counting the days to spring and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19805\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}