Hot Florida ... Cool Garage

One of my concerns about moving to Florida was the hot weather.  Summer is my least favorite season...hot and muggy.  Brian assured me that if I couldn't handle the heat, we would get out of Florida.

Here we are in the heat of the summer...high temperatures, high humidity, little breeze.  And I am handling it just fine.  Even playing golf three days a week.

In the afternoon, the hottest place in our house is the garage.  The garage doors (a two-car door and a golf cart door) are non-insulated steel.  The morning sun beats down on the steel doors and pumps up the temperature in the garage to nearly 100 degrees.

Our garage is multi-functioning...park the car and golf cart, trash station, freezer, hot water tank, water filter system, storage and more storage.  Plus, Brian has an area for his motorcycles and ATV.  And I have a craft area.  It is unbearable to work in the garage in the summer.

My solution...insulate the garage doors.  Or technically, install a radiant barrier.  I did all my research for this project on YouTube.  To my surprise, no one did it the same.  In some videos, the foam was thicker, some double the pieces, some glued the foam to the metal, some put the foil side against the steel, some put the foil side out.  All those options made the decisions more difficult.  Finally I had a plan.

I used PERMA"R" 3/4 inch foam board.  The sheets come in 4' x 8' sheets and cost $11.48 a sheet at Lowe's.  Four sheets fit nicely in the back of Brian's truck.

First, cut the foam panels.  My best advice...measure twice, cut once.  You need to measure each panel.  They could be different sizes.  Because of the way the door is made, I cut each panel into two pieces to get it to fit in.

The hardest part was bending the foam panel to get the bottom edge in.  You can create your own technique.  The panels are remarkably bendable.  It took a couple of hours for this project.  Here is what is left over from the 4 pieces of foam board.

For less than $60, the garage is cooler.

The project was a big success.

A Pinterest Party ... Party of One

I am addicted to PINTEREST.  PINTEREST is a free website where you can save images and links from the Web.  These images are called pins.  You organize the pins on boards.  I have boards for crafts, home decorating and recipes.  Oh, but the fun doesn't stop there.  I can search in PINTEREST and look at pins from everyone else's boards.  I spend hours lost in the Land of PINTEREST, drifting from one idea to another.

Some PINTEREST addicts enthusiasts have PINTEREST Parties where they invite friends over, serve recipes and make a craft from their PINTEREST boards.  After a recent adventure in the Land of PINTEREST, I started noticing the things around my house that came from my PINTEREST boards.  It looks like I had a PINTEREST Party...a Party of One.

Here are some pins from my Craft Board (on the left) and my creations (on the right).  Keep in mind that some pins are successful and others aren't.  First there are those pins that look fun and practical, but aren't.
I like "recycle crafts".  I saved toilet paper rolls a long time for this craft.  But the project looked a lot more fun that it actually was.  I ended up "recycling" this frame into the trash.

Other pins are good for one try.  I liked the idea, but how may Crystal Egg Geodes can one person want?

Or where do you put more than one paper clay barnacle?

This paper wreath was quick and easy, plus it covered a window with no view.  But one is enough.

Then there are the pins that are just right.  Oh I do like silver shiny things.  In fact, in one of my first blog entries , I shared examples of my silver leafing projects.  (You might notice there are a few more silver shells now).

Another successful pin was the silver painted refrigerator magnets.

Aren't these silver birds precious.  I made my version by silver leafing porcelain birds I picked up a thrift store.  I thought it would be easy to find the bird chotchkies, but these are the only ones I have found so far.  Another excuse to stop at thrift stores (like I need a reason!)

Not everything has to be silver leafed.  This wreath is FUN!  It's made from coffee stirrers and wire.  No, I didn't try to recycle stirrers from a coffee shop.  I found a pack of 100 at the local grocery store.

PINTEREST has lots of inspiration for my latest crafting adventure...bottle cutting.   I am still practicing on my technique.  This is a project that got me started wanting to cut bottles.  So far the plant hasn't died (which is good for me).

Check out PINTEREST.  It is a fun way to search the Internet.

Froggy In Florida - Part 2

I have encountered lots of new wildlife in Florida...alligators, birds, bobcats, armadillos, snakes.  But the strangest encounter I have had is with FROGS.  A year ago, I wrote about tree frogs taking residents in our wind chimes.

The latest frog encounter happened at my 89 year-old Mother's home.  She lives alone, enjoys playing cards, reading and makes the best spaghetti sauce in the family.

She found a frog in her toilet (and it wasn't the first time).  After figuring out that flushing them doesn't work (they swim right back), she found the courage to scoop them out with a plastic container and releasing them outside.  When she told me about the latest frog, I remembered some information I found when researching our wind chime frogs.  I found several websites that show how to make tree frog houses out of PVC pipes.

• University of Florida 
• Instructables
• eHow

These are the same types of PVC pipes sticking out of my Mom's roof (part of the drain-waste-vent plumbing system).  I also found some Internet discussions suggesting that frogs can get into toilets through these pipe.  OH MY!  The solution is a vent pipe guard.  Brian was recruited to get on the roof and install the guards.  When he was on the roof checking the pipes, he saw A FROG IN THE PIPE!  

This confirms how the frog got in.  Brian didn't need to rescue the little guy, because the frog was gone when he got back with the guard.  Brian did a little maintenance while he was up there...caulking the skylights, cleaning the gutters.

He even took two service calls on the roof.  Brian is a service technician for CFLGEEK.COM.  Next time you get a technician who says, "I can't get to my computer at this time", think of this picture...

More likely he would be doing this...

After Brian put on the guards, the frog came back, but couldn't get in.  Persistent little thing.

At least my Mom won't be worrying about her privacy in the bathroom.

Blue, Blue Blueberries

The best part of being a REAL RETIRED HOUSEWIFE OF FLORIDA is I can make an adventure out of anything.  My latest adventure was BLUEBERRY PICKING.  It started with Brian and I riding our motorcycles to CENTER HILL BERRY PATCH.

A motorcycle ride adds to any adventure.

Center Hill Berry Patch is owned by Rick and Bonnie.  They make picking easy and fun.  No preparation needed to pick blueberries.  You just show up.  Buckets are provided.  Bonnie drove us out to the farthest row and pointed out the different varieties (Jewel, Emerald, Windsor and Star).

We picked blueberries here a couple years ago at the end of the season.  Even though we got plenty of berries, we had to hunt through a lot of bushes.  This time we were amazed at how loaded the blueberry bushes were.

Bonnie mentioned that the berry patch is free of chemicals, so we could eat the berries while picking.  Of course, I had to taste-test to make sure I was getting the sweeter varieties.

I noticed dragonflies hovering overhead.  It wasn't the blueberries that attracted the dragonflies, it was the irrigation system.  They were drinking water.

After you are done picking, there is a lovely shaded area under a large Live Oak where you can rest, review your harvest and wait for a ride back.  Our berries were weighed (we both picked 4 1/2 pounds) and paid for.

There are lots of animals on the farm...emus, cows, rabbits.  Bonnie called the emus, lawn ornaments.  They were as curious of us and our motorcycles as we were of them.

At home I cleaned the berries, laid them out on sheet pans and put them in the freezer.  Brian requested a blueberry pie.  I like to check out recipes at allrecipes.com.  The site has some great recipes and helpful suggestions in the reviews.  I used this recipe with a few suggested modifications.  

I used 5 cups of blueberries, 1 1/4 cups of sugar (which I will reduce to 1 cup next time(, added a dash of lemon juice, baked at 400 degrees for 50 minutes and covered the edges.

For the crust I used a recipe from Ten Dollar Dinners host, Melissa D'Arabian.  It is a easy recipe using a food processor, plus how can you go wrong with 2 sticks of butter. 

Oh my, the pie is so good, I might need to get more berries.  I don't think I have enough for blueberry muffins, blueberry pancakes, blueberry cobbler.

Home is Where the Heart Is

A month ago, my heart was back home in Akron,Ohio visiting family and friends.  The planning started when I couldn't resist following up on an email from ALLEGIANT AIRLINES telling me about great specials on flights from Sanford/Orlando, FL to Youngstown, OH.  I found out there were good prices the week of my daughter, Michelle's, spring break.  Michelle is a Title I Tutor in the Cuyahoga Falls Public Schools.  The tickets were purchased!

The trip started early...real early on Wednesday morning.  I had a 6 a.m. flight out of Sanford (a little over an hour drive from home).  That meant getting up 3:15 a.m., out the door by 3:45.  WOW.  Not only was Brian supportive of my trip, patient with my list of things he needed to do while I was gone...he even volunteered to take me to the airport.  I thought there wouldn't be many people on this flight or at the airport.  I was wrong.  The airport was bustling when I arrived at 5 a.m and the plane was completely full.

The flight was uneventful, but the fun was just starting.  Michelle picked me up in Youngstown, OH (an hour east of Akron), we stopped for breakfast and drove directly to Cleveland, OH (an hour and half northwest of Youngstown) for the 38th CLEVELAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.  This festival is no small event.  This year there were over 97,000 people attending the 12 days of movies (168 films from 68 countries). Michelle and I are big fans of independent films and attended the film festival once before.  This time we saw 2 films and a collection of short films.  All were very good, but by 6 p.m. the early morning was catching up with me.

Here are some highlights of my time in Ohio, visiting family and friends.

FAVORITE FOODS

No trip, short or long, is complete without visiting some favorite food stops. 

LUIGI'S, best pizza in town. The city rerouted Main Street, cutting off traffic past Luigi's and it didn't stop a customer.  Good food and great atmosphere.  I have been going here since college.

SWENSONS, best drive-in burger and onion rings.  The car hops run to your car, so there is entertainment while you eat. 

BURNTWOOD, great happy hour. Michelle took me to new fun spot in my home town.  The drinks were interesting, lots of infused vodka, muddling, fresh fruits.  Michelle's drink had infused pear vodka and muddled cucumbers...mine was served in a copper cup.  I loved the décor and the view of the Cuyahoga River.

DON DRUMM STUDIO

DON DRUMM is an artist known for his cast aluminum pieces.  His studio and gallery show not only his work, but also a variety of pieces from over 500 designer-craftsmen from across the country.  I leave the studio inspired.

I have been a fan for a long time.  I bought these pieces for my bathroom over 30 years ago (towel rack, toilet paper holder, platter).  They have followed me from house to house.

 
 I have several other pieces throughout my house.

WEATHER

I handled the weather better than the locals (of course they have been suffering through a very long winter).  I experienced freezing temperatures and a couple days of snow.  I saw some old time favorite reminders of Spring.

• Potholes.  So may potholes, so little unblemished roads.  I predict road construction will be busy this summer. 
• Spring Crocuses.  I forgot the thrill of watching the crocuses push through the snow.
• Blue Heron Nests.   Each year Blue Heron return to the Cuyahoga Valley.  Last year there were 176 nest in the Bath Road heronry.   The birds look similar to Florida Sand Cranes.  In addition to seeing them in the nests, they can be seen quietly sanding in wet areas, looking for food.

A FROGGY KINDA EVENING

Completely unplanned, we had a FROG-themed evening.  We started with dinner at a local brewery, HOPPIN' FROG BREWERY and had dessert at SWEETFROG.   The menu at Hoppin' Frog had 8 pages of beers and 2 pages of food...interesting.  I am not sure what is says about our group, but we left Hoppin' Frog early and stayed at sweetFrog Yogurt till it closed...wild and crazy!

A LITTLE BIT OF FLORIDA IN OHIO

In order to have a car to run around in during the day, I would take someone to work.  I noticed these BIG things in the back lot of Mallory's office.

Mal works at THOMARIOS, a diverse contracting company that has restored spacecrafts for display, including the Saturn Apollo V rocket.   A display in the lobby further reflects the company's connection with the space program.

I was invited to talk with a third grade class at Michelle's school (Elizabeth Price Elementary) about Florida.   After a brief history of Florida, I talked about "What does Florida have that Ohio doesn't".
Of course I covered the basics...Disneyworld, beaches, Kennedy Space Center, orange trees, alligators.  I ended it with saying, "There is one thing Florida has that Ohio doesn't and you can try all you want, but you won't guess this one."  When I flipped to this picture, there was a large groan.  LeBron James is from Akron, but defected to Miami.

There were many more fun times...breakfast with friends, a day with Keith (Michelle's boyfriend), game night at Mike and Mallory's, a party, dinner with Dan and Kelly, thrift store shopping, more movies.  It was such a fun trip, I might make it a yearly tradition.

Show Me A Sign

Last year I saw a lot of SIGNS.  Seems like everywhere I went I noticed a SIGN.  I am not talking about a SIGN to give me guidance.  I am talking literally...SIGNS...placards, notices, bumper stickers, posters tshirts.

Some pictures tell a story.  Here is how my son-in-law, Mike, proposed to Mallory.

And that led to some more great signs.

Of course, being A REAL RETIRED HOUSEWIFE OF FLORIDA, I saw a lot of signs on the golf course. 

Some of the golf course signs gave me pause...

 

Here is my golf cart sign.  I thought it would warn a fellow golfer before they agreed to ride with me, but most people don't see it until it is too late.  Sometimes I use all of the sign, other times I just point to one part...mostly the "sit down" and "hold on".



Tshirts come in all sizes.  Here is a collection I saw in Destin, Florida.  Way too cute.  I don't have any grandchildren (yet), but I was tempted to get one.

 

I saw lots of humorous warning signs used to get across important message.  This collection of signs is from Gatorland. 

 



Brian brought this sign to my attention while I was watching Lu the Hippo at Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park.  I moved away just in time.

Even stores and restaurants use humorous signs. 

I have seen this same message at several places.  The message would have scared me into keeping my kids under control.

Florida wasn't the only state where I found funny safety signs.  Brian and I saw this sign at Chimney Rock State Park.   We made the climb to the top of the 315 foot Chimney Rock (a mere 491 stairs).

When we got near the top and looked down to the parking lot, there was this sign.

To make my own sign, I followed the instructions at Inspired By Charm and spray painted magnetic refrigerator magnets.  At Christmas I gave the kids their names.  I wonder how many words they made out of their names.