One of the nice things about living in Florida during the tropical season, is that when systems go by -- but miss us entirely -- it really clears the air out. You get crisp, blue skies and plenty of sunshine. Best of all, very low humidity, which is a rarity in these parts. All of the available moisture is sucked into the system rather than left hanging around like a wet blanket over your face.

So courtesy of Isabel, I ventured out into the backyard for the first time in a very long time this morning to become one with nature.

We've had so much rain this summer, it's very tropical and lush outside. We can barely keep up with the plant growth. Quite a far cry from the severe drought conditions we had after buying the house two years ago! I'm continually grateful we chose to purchase property that backs up to a nature preserve. Well, that is until we find another snake in the house...

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