Ozello Arts and Crafts Festival

The "Festival" season here in  Florida kicks off around October.  Almost every weekend you can find an arts and crafts festival of some sort with a theme - from cooters to manatees to strawberries - you name it, we can probably find it.   This weekend we went to the Ozello Arts and Crafts Festival in Ozello, Florida.  

You start out on US Hwy 19, head down W Ozello Trail, along winding roads, across saw grass flats until you find the festival...they aren't very hard to miss.

While we were at the festival, we saw lots of interesting sights, such as:

You end up seeing the same vendors, the same booths, and the same crowd at many of these festivals, but each one is endearing in it's own way.  We did our obligatory lap, bought nothing, and instead of turning left to head home, we turned right.  This is where the road took us:

It was an enjoyable day, and we look forward to checking out more festivals as the season progresses.

No Thanksgiving Glut For Me

When it comes to holidays, the love of my life and I have spent our share of them being the perfect host and hostess.  We have had all family members and a few strays at our home more times than we can count.  No guest ever had to lift a finger other than bringing their fork to mouth.  Those times are memorable, but they do end up taking their toll in the stress department. 


When we downsized and moved to Florida we decided that we would do things different and make life easier for ourselves.  We've cooked one big holiday for the family each year and left the rest to chance.  Let someone else take the reigns, find a restaurant to eat at - didn't matter.  Last year's restaurant was over priced and crappy at best.  We had to find another alternative.

This year our Uncle Jack moved into an apartment at a retirement community.  This has been his first time being on his own, and what better way to celebrate the holiday and Uncle Jack's new found independence than for the family to descend upon his residence for the Thanksgiving Feast.  


After paying our 8 bucks per head, our party of 6 was ushered to our table.  We picked and climbed our way through the obstacle course of durable medical equipment while dodging power scooter mounted seniors, but finally found our table right next to the salad bar and within sight of the dessert cart.  Oh pumpkin pie how you tease me so!  There was only one tense moment when one of Uncle Jack's normal table mates seemed like she wanted to throw down because she was forced to sit elsewhere.  Come to find out later, she's a pretty big pro at being displaced, as she was a Hurricane Katrina survivor who was relocated to Citrus County.  


Dinner was simple and tasty, and while I think most of us at the table could have used another portion or three of turkey and stuffing, we didn't push back from the table wobbly and gorged, intoxicated with gluttony.  It was actually quite refreshing to feel normal knowing there wouldn't be a fight for the couch and control of the television remote.


I found this article on holiday weight management and thought it summed up some of my current ideas on how to deal with holiday glut.  Not that I would really follow any of these things, but in the spirit of the holidays I may give one or two a shot.  I mean, I already did tip number 3 in the article, but if I am perfectly honest with myself, I only did it because I am heading out to the bar to watch football today and eat greasy bar food and drink my weight in the hollow calories known as BEER!  Thanksgiving Friday is a Football Day!  Go Hogs, Beat LSU!

Time Flies

Time sure flies when you're not lying on the couch feeling sorry for yourself!  

It's been what, three, four months since my last non-follow through with pictures post.  Let me tell you, baby rabbits grow really freaking fast.  I mean, if we could insert the DNA of those critters into human babies...there might be a chance of people like me actually having a kid, especially since I won't need to deal with that 18 year commitment and all.

So much has happened in the last few months, that I don't even know where to begin.  Bullet points are best for situations like these, because I really don't think I have the time or energy to actually write it all down and do I want to take the chance that it won't even be read in its entirety.  

• I have pretty much been told by my surgeon to go forth into the world and do what I am able to do.  This doesn't leave me with a lot of options, but I do wear matching shoes to work, I am able to go shopping if I choose, I can do stuff in our yard, and I can walk my precious little snowflake of a dog.  I still have bad days, but my good days out number them.  I've also come to the realization that I'll never be able to do a lot of the things that most normal people can't, but hey, I've never really been normal (more on that in a bit).
• I took a whirlwind trip back to Arkansas and came to the realization that you can take the girl out of the city.  I swore for the last three years that living in the "country" was going to kill me.  I didn't like the bugs, the snakes, and most of all, I hated the sheer quiet of it all.  Well, this little trip back to The Rock, well, let's just say it was too loud for me.  I couldn't wait to get back to my quaint little house and my quiet little life in Florida.  Don't get me wrong, I miss my Mom back in AR and I miss my friends as well, but they really need to get their head's on straight and move to the land of the palm tree.
• I got married.  This probably should be the biggest bullet point you can find, but honestly, it wasn't anything big at all.  It wasn't really anything.  We found out that you can get married in Florida by a notary, and being the unconventional never do anything normal couple that we are, well this just seemed fitting.  But, we didn't just go to the Pack N Post, we found someone we trust, found a quiet corner of a beach, and said our three lines of vows and exchanged rings ceremoniously.  It was short, sweet, simple, and just how we really wanted it to be.  It pissed a few people off  (okay, it really only pissed one person off), but after knowing each other for almost 22 years and living together for almost 17, I think doing it any other way would have been a joke for us.  I will never regret the way we got married.  A wedding is a day, a marriage is all the rest of the stuff.

So, that's the highlights.  I'm hoping to get back into blogging again on a regular basis.  I have more time to do the things I want to do now, so writing is at near the top of my list.

I've actually missed my little blog...a safe place to be.