I was looking for a little christmas tree, something that would fit on our coffee table, but I never found anything that I liked while doing my other shopping. Mike found this adorable fiber optic tree, but when plugging it in, there was no light. The motor that turns the color filter was running, so we hoped that the little bulb had just burned out. We were lucky.

Not satisfied with a still shot (although I put together an animated gif too!), I decided to try out the video capture on my little point and shoot, something that I’ve only accidentally used before when I bumped the mode dial on the camera. After several minutes pondering and googling avidemux, the first linux video editor I came across, I managed to rotate the picture and strip out the audio. I am hereby contributing to the mass of pointless video snippets on the internet by sharing with you these 8 seconds of happy, twinkly christmas tree. At least I didn’t add in my favorite 8 seconds of Carol of the Bells.

There is of course no snow. There are still mosquitoes even. But people do decorate. Here is the Florida Botanical Gardens. When we arrived, the vendors had not yet set up. Most of the handful of people there were photographers, who also wanted the evening light. By the time we left, the parking lot was full and children and oblivious adults were plowing through and standing in the way, respectively, with their little point and shoots flashing away at everything.

So, the nursery-bought Roma is pretty spindly, and would probably benefit from being repotted. It has a few fruit.

The red-robin, probably around 6″ tall now, is blooming, and has a tiny tomato.

While this is the most we’ve ever gotten a red robin to do, it’s far too small and its leaves are not the right color, dull on top and yellow below, like everything else. The squash are once again trying to bloom with these anemic, mildew covered and brown edged leaves.

Happy squash looks like this, with dark green leaves as big as your outstretched hand, overflowing the pot, with the blossoms peaking out from the shade below. The new basils are still doing ok. We are going to get rid of our remaining dirt and plants when we move and sterilize the pots before we start over in our next place.

It was too yucky on Saturday to go to the beach after Friday’s storm, but on Sunday it was pleasant enough, and the most deserted that we’ve seen Fort De Soto.

I take pictures of sea oats whenever I can.

They all look nearly identical to me, especially in winter plumage, but someone must be able to tell what kind of plover this is, since it has bands on its legs. Or maybe because of the bands on its legs.

A ruddy turnstone, munching on a decaying urchin.

Sandpipers (again, maybe Western, maybe Semipalmated, maybe even Sanderlings, though these seem darker than the winter Sanderling pictures I’ve found) hopping one footed away from us.

Cockle shell halves.

Pen shell in the surf, the largest of the common shells that get carried onto the beach, easily 6 inches long. They are iridescent inside, but not so pretty on the outside.