Blowing Through the Jasmine In My Mind.....

"Summer breeze, makes me feel fine, blowing through the jasmine in my mind."  Seals & Crofts

Summertime in Florida... is just... too hot!  I love how pretty everything is.. how green and lush it is here in the South, I love the fresh summer produce, and the sounds of the crickets at night.  I love the gorgeous summer night sky, and all the sounds of the summer night...   but the unGodly heat, humidity, and the Jumanji sized mosquitoes are the WORST.  

During the summer, some days it's so hot, even in the air conditioned house, you just don't want to turn on the stove.  Forget heating up that oven!   Getting up early, and getting errands done, so you can go hide indoors during the heat of the day.

At the beginning of the summer, I got new sunglasses.  I know some folks go for the ooh-la-la ones with the fancy design or the name brand.  Not me.  I want the ones used by construction workers... so dark that people think I just had cataract surgery.  They have "sides" on them too... I don't know about anywhere else, but the freakishly bright Florida sun makes hellacious glare. The combination of heat and glare can make for a seriously wicked headache.  So I am all for the ugly dark shades.  

Right now our driveway is NOT "so hot you can fry an egg on it".  Nope.  It's hot enough to fry the carton of eggs, a side of bacon, and even hoe cake.  We've had family get blisters on the bottoms of their feet THROUGH THEIR SHOES... after hours walking on scorching hot asphalt.  Even sand at the beach will fry your feet.  Yet another reason I love my Birkenstocks. That thick cork is truly your friend. :)

There's something about summertime that makes eating shrimp, having a cold drink, (beer, cider, sweet tea, or Co-cola) just a pure treat.  I like putting raw green peanuts in the crockpot and cooking them for hours, and then enjoying.  Summer afternoon naps... the heat just "takes it out of ya".   Peeking through my lacey dining room curtain and seeing tons of pink blossoms on the branches of our crepe myrtle tree, and the afternoon is starting to make long shadows... it's hot as Hades out there, but it sure is pretty.

Yesterday it was 102F.  I called my Granny, and she tells me tomorrow, (today) is supposed to be the "hottest day we've had so far".  Oh, goody.  "At least 110F," she says.  I told my hubby last night, "I ain't going NO WHERE tomorrow."   Joke was on me.  I was up early, going and picking up shrimp for dinner.  

So now it's late afternoon.  Eldest daughter is napping on the loveseat.  Both our dogs are stretched out, snoring.  My youngest is quietly playing with her dollhouse... in her own little world.  

Lazy summer afternoons... you just can't beat 'em. :)   

Summertime, Unschooling, and Deviant Art

Summertime, Unschooling style.

Okay I am still getting the hang of this unschooling stuff.  I still feel like we're just on permanent vacation, and that I am doing my kids a huge disservice, and it's only a matter of time before the authorities find me guilty of being an unschooling mom.  Yes I know this is perfectly legal, and we're not doing anything wrong.  And my kids are healthy and happy and learning every day.  But it STILL feels weird since we stopped doing traditional lessons.

My sister called this morning, and we went to her house to swim.  Before going I put on the crock pot of Navy Beans, seasoned with an onion, a very meaty ham bone, salt, garlic, and a bay leaf.   My girls swam with their cousins while my sister and I attempted to tan our legs... with her little son pouring water on our feet.  :)   I do love all kids... but I especially love my sister's kids. :)  Next to my own children, they are hands down my very favorites. :)

Now we're home. Lunch of leftovers has been eaten.  Over lunch we discussed how our pet guinea pigs would be on the menu in South America.  Robyn is reading a Guinea Pig Care Guide which talks about piggies in an agricultural sense, which horrifies her.  She says, "Our guinea pigs are family members, Mom, not food!" As I hold and pet our baby Phoebe, I can't help but agree.  How could anyone think of barbecuing our little Sweetie?

Robyn has been doing a lot of reading lately.  She is reading a lot on preparedness, and wants us to start trying to dehydrate fruits and vegetables.  My hubby already makes homemade beef jerky, and Robyn loves watching him.  I got a recipe last night from a friend about making homemade fruit leathers.  I definitely see this in our future.  I'm thinking blueberry, and strawberry. :)  Yum.  And I'm not even a fruit leather fan!

Sometimes a gal just feels 'crafty'. :)  I am wanting to get back into beading. I have made anklets, and I'd like to make more of those and other things as well.

 My eldest helped me make a Deviant Art account.. so yep.. I'm there now too.  (obviously I don't have nearly enough to do)  Anyone who is curious can check it out at http://topazstar67.deviantart.com/

Hurricane Season & Summertime in Florida

Hurricane season has begun.  Well, not really til Friday... but since we just had three days of rain from Tropical Storm Beryl I guess we can say it has officially started.   Beryl showed up Sunday, and didn't leave until last night (Tuesday night).  She took a lady's roof off of her house, blew down a lot of trees, trashed signs in front of businesses, flooded roads and neighborhoods.... and.... for us personally... she blew down a huge limb in our side yard and ripped of part of our gutter and drain pipe.  I am just thankful that no harm was done to our one year old roof.   

Living in Florida, I realize, makes us "sitting ducks" as far as the rest of the world is concerned.   Hurricane Andrew that devastated South Florida was almost twenty years ago.   Yes, we do have our share of puny storms... but contrary to popular belief we don't get big storms regularly...  actually I can count on one hand the ones of significance we've even had in my 40+ years of life.  Generally, my attitude is "hurricane, shmurricane", and shrug it off.   Most are just rain-makers.  But I admit that Beryl made me nervous.... I fear damage to my home.  She might not have been a hurricane, but she was head-on.  

Here in the "River City", we have seven major bridges.  Which means you have to cross a bridge to get anywhere.  Through out our city, which, by the way, is barely above sea-level, is entwined creeks and branches of the river.  Literally, there is water everywhere here.  Heavy rains cause flooding.  Fortunately our neighborhood is on "built up" land, so it won't flood our neighborhood.  Would a Cat 5 flood us?  Probably, if it came close... or, God forbid, hit us head on.   Personally, I think a Cat 5 head on would wipe us off the map.  

Like other Floridians, we keep our emergency supplies handy during hurricane season.  Canned food, water, candles, oil lamps, batteries, flashlights, waterproof matches, a solar powered//hand crank short wave radio.... and more I can't think of.   Just "normal" stuff for us, since we have hurricane season every year without fail and it is instilled in us how to prepare.  Even children who were raised here know what to do. :)   Part of our Southern DNA, I guess. :)

Living in Florida means lots of lightening... we are the Lightening Capitol here.  Hurricanes... ultra mild winters... only two seasons... Summer, and January.... and we have weather that can and will drastically change in literally 5 minutes.. 

I hate hearing people bad-mouth it here.  If you don't like it here, then MOVE BACK UP NORTH!!!  Yes, it's hot here!  It's Florida!   It's sub-tropical... which means lots of heat, rain, humidity, and very lush vegetation.  And yes.  Bugs and snakes.  Sorry... those go with a hot and humid climate.  I don't like them either, but since I'm a second generation Florida Native, I know that like them or not, they are Natives too.  And it's just something you learn to deal with.

In North Florida, we have Southern accents.  Orlando and below is more Cuban, but there are still those with Southern accents in South Florida, but not as prominent as it is in North Florida.  We love swings, shady trees, sweet iced tea, and breezy afternoons.... and cooking.  Food = Love in the South.  That's something else that is just bred into us.  

I have a love/hate relationship with summer here in Florida.  I HATE the heat.  I hate it with every ounce of my being.  But, I love how gorgeous everything is in the summer... I love the smell after the rain when everything has that earthy smell.  Very lush... very green.  Very Florida.   I love our Thunderstorms.  They rock! :)   We do have a healthy respect for the lightening... best to stay indoors!!   

Here's to a gorgeous and fun Summer!! :)

It's Pesky Business!!

Summer comes early for us Floridians.  Matter of fact, the running joke is that we don't have four seasons like other regions.  We have two.  Summer, and January.   

I hate bugs.  I know everyone hates them, (except for those rare individuals who find them fascinating).  At any rate.  We seem to be having trouble with flies.   And here in Florida, we don't have normal houseflies.  We have these huge, pre-historic looking "blow flies" that are huge and have attitudes.  Vile, disgusting creatures.  Flying mutant germs.  Flying filth.  I HATE them. 

So I've been thinking what can I do to get rid of them without spraying poison.  I have children, and pets, and poison is just not a consideration.  At. All.   So after much googling and reading, I have come to the following ideas on how to combat this vermin.  

A spray bottle of half Pine Sol and half water.  Okay, okay yeah it's a chemical.  But here's the deal... I found a bottle in the back of my cupboard and I will not hesitate to use it if it works but no I don't plan to buy any more of it.  Stupid to waste what I already have on hand.  

Since we have piggies, (Guinea pigs), evidently from what I've read I can toss a few handfuls of their cedar bedding (cedar wood shavings) around my porch/flower bed area and that will make our home less attractive.  Flies don't like the cedar oil.  

Other essential oils that deter the disgusting things are eucalyptus, peppermint, (which I won't use since hubby is allergic to peppermint), and lavender.   Oh.. and citronella.   Put the oil in your oil burner and supposedly the flies will pack their little fly suitcases and leave.   Sounds good to me.  :)

Lets see it it really works. ;)   Anyone else have any good "natural" ideas that arent too gross?   The swatting is seriously gross and after killing ten in row, I tend to start spazzing.  Hoping to cut down on that.  LOL  Hmmm.  Think I'll go for the lavender.  No flies and calmness for me.  LOL  Sounds like just what the doctor ordered! :)   

Heading to "the hippie store" tomorrow for essential oils... we'll hit that right after the Farmers Market.  New "hippie store" for me. :)  Grassroots Natural Market.  I'm looking forward to checking it out!! :)