If there is one thing that people in Florida like to do, it’s take advantage of the fact that fun in the water is pretty much year-round here. The ocean and the Gulf eventually cool off in the winter, but we tend to use our pools and spas non-stop. Actually, we use them even more in the winter to make up for not having as many opportunities to go play on the beach. My daughter has swim lessons that go through a few days shy of Halloween. By then we might start seeing some cooler nights, but the days are still blissful and spring-like.

Since we use our pools and spas so often here, it’s good form to take care of them. Even if your hot tub came with a cover, the rain here tends to wear surfaces out, so replacement spa covers are a fact of life. You can find the Best Spa Covers from HotTubWorks. They make covers for nearly every make and model hot tub.

Their site even provides a helpful video how-to on measuring for a new spa cover, printable instructions to use while you measure, a video about their manufacturing process and a FAQ that addresses additional issues. If you still have questions, you can use their quick email support or live phone staff. You want to get it right, because a great fitting cover means a longer lasting spa system.

Of course, they also carry spa filters, chemicals and even a cool line of Aromatherapy products that are designed for use in your spa. I mean, we all know taking a hot tub is relaxing, but add stress-reliving fragrances like Lavendar Palmarosa or Green Tea Peony and you’re all set for the ultimate bliss-out!

I bet you can guess what I’d like to be doing right about now.

In an earlier post today, I talked about how 14-year-old was killed Saturday when the car she was riding in crashed. The driver of that car was 15-year-old Shawn Ledesma.

Carreras’s family is focusing on the fact that the girl pulled a “bait and switch” on them, along with two other teens. They told their families they were spending Saturday night at a friend’s house. Instead, the grandfather of one of the girls drove them all to the Shoppes at Park Place, a mall in Pinellas Park. Why? Because he thought one of the other parents was going to pick up all of the girls later that night.

Instead, all three girls got into the car driven by Ledesma. By the end of the night, Carreras was dead.

Florida Highway Patrol spokesman Larry Coggins said an investigation is under way into who will be held responsible for the accident. Speed and carelessness are factors. Also in the spotlight is the fact that Ledesma’s mother allowed Shawn, who has only a learner’s permit, to take the Saturn.

This is not the first time Ledesma has been in trouble. His name came up as part of report that there was to be a brawl near his high school, but the brawl never occurred. He was also arrested last year after being accused of stealing cold medication from a Winn-Dixie.

My mind still keeps flipping back to the fact that the kid’s mother ALLOWED him to use her car. She willingly allowed her son to break numerous laws, including driving with someone over 21 in the passenger seat and driving after dark.

She should be prosecuted just as harshly as should her son.

Just his week I wrote about my desire to travel to London, as well as take the time to see home of the English countryside. I’m the first to admit that I have no idea where to begin and I will rely heavily on online reviews, tour books, and recommendations from friends. I want to see as much as possible in whatever time I will have and I won’t want to spend that time wandering aimlessly.

A handy source of said information is the Trustedplaces web site. The reason I am drawn to Trusted Place is that you don’t just read reviews posted by professional travel critics or someone who was bribed into giving a good or bad review; you read comments and experiences by real people. They even want YOU to contribute reviews.

I’ve been poking around to find some good input about the London bar scene and the best places to eat local dishes that are actually palatable. And although Trusted Places is based in and primarily focused on London, there are reviews contributed by real people all over the world to give you solid recommendations for almost any of the world’s major cities.

I have a couple of friends over in London, but not so many that I don’t need others to help me out with where to go and what to see. Using this site feels a little like e-mailing your closest friends and asking, “Where to?”

One common complaint from almost any parent of school-aged children si that the amount of homework kids have to muddle through these days is getting more and more cumbersome as the years go by.

Although a parent may have the best intention and really want to sit down and help their child with the homework being sent home, often things get in the way. There are busy schedules and long work hours. Also, parents often do not feel confident they can actually assist their kids with the actual subject matter.

Here in the Tampa Bay area, there is a free resource that is often overlooked. The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative pays an annual subscription fee to Tutor.com to bring Live Homework Help to their website at www.hcplc.org.

All a student needs is any computer with access to high-speed internet. The tutoring service is available from 2 p.m. to midnight seven days a week and offers help in math, science, social studies and English for grades 4 through 12 and college freshmen.

This month is particularly poignant for me. On the first of September we held the funeral services of my grandmother. She died of Alzheimer’s.

How many of you have a friend or loved one with Alzheimer’s. A new report out last week said Alzheimer’s annual deaths have increased 5% and it is now the 7th leading cause of death in the US.

Alzheimer’s isn’t a small issue.

In light of that, I want to draw attention to the fact that September 21 is World Alzheimer’s Day. It’s a day of remembrance and you can get involved. Host a Purple Party.

Bring your friends together and host an event to raise awareness about Alzheimer’s. Those who suffer with the disease cannot speak for themselves, so we have to do it for them. Who knows, maybe one day I will rely on someone to speak out for me! Purple is my favorite color, so I can think of a hundred ways to incorporate it into a classy shindig.

If you register your party at actionalz.org, not only can you create your very own page to announce the party and send e-mail reminders to your guests, but your guests will also be able to make donations online. Plus, if you are one of the first 500 people that register a party and agree to raise at least $150, you will receive a free World Alzheimer’s Day party kit.

It’s in the best interest of the cause to host your party in September, because all donations this month will be matched dollar-for-dollar by The Harrah’s Foundation.

Help find a cure. Every day is another day where someone else is diagnosed with this disease — another memory is lost, another family member forgets the faces they love, another life is robbed of a past.

Back on August 2nd, I wrote an editorial on my blog called Get Control of Your Teens. It was sparked by looking at the headlines here in the Tampa Bay area and realizing that overnight TWO underage drivers had caused horrific accidents, one of which killed an innocent 34-year-old wife and mother.

Saturday night brought death to yet another victim at the hands of an underage driver. This time the victim was 14-year-old Raquel Ann Carreras of St. Petersburg. She was killed while riding in a 2006 Saturn with five other students. The driver of the car was 15-year-old Shawn Lynn Ledesma. He was just barely 15, having had his birthday in July. In early August he got his learner’s permit.

According to Florida law, a licensed driver over the age of 21 should be in the front passenger seat of the car while a Learner is driving. Additionally, in the firs three months of holding a Learner license, the driver may only drive during daylight hours. After the three months, the driver may operate a vehicle until 10 pm. On all counts, Ledesma was absolutely driving illegally.

Again I ask, where is the parent in this situation? A 15-year-old is highly unlikely to own his own 2006 Saturn. In all likelihood, this is his parents’ car. Diligent parents will not only know where their young teen is after dark, they will know who has their car.

Another unruly teen and another senseless death – when will parents wake up and exert the control they are allowed by law? A 14 or 15-year old is still a child. You have all the right in the world to insist they follow rules and laws.

I am beginning now, more than ever, to feel that giving a driver’s license to a 16-year-old is not responsible. I feel that an individual should earn the right to drive the same time they earn the right to drink: at the age of 21. There are a lot of decision-making processes that are slightly more mature at 21. I am on these roads, often with my daughter. I have a vested interested in keeping the roads safe.

So many times you hear people say that what makes it dangerous to drive in Florida is our elderly population. I have to disagree. While I see many halting ands slow elderly drivers, I see the young drivers speeding ands weaving in and out of traffic. I see them realize at the last possible minute their lane has ended. I see them ignore lights ands stop signs. I see them as the biggest danger on our roads.

I pray for the friends and family of young Raquel Carreras.