Life on Florida’s West Coast

My Summer Reading List

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A lot of what I plan to do while I have the whole summer off work is catch up on my reading. I want to re-read at least four on my Truman Capote books (I have multiple copies of all his books – he is my favorite author). And, I want to get going on the books I have added this past year to my time travel fiction collection. No, not time travel romance novels (Ick), but thoughtful time travel fiction generally residing in the science fiction or fantasy. I finally got a copy of Time Camera by Terence Lee (so far, it looks awkwardly written, but holding to a cool premise) and the first in the Time Travelers, Inc. series – Reflections of Toddsville by Hollie Van Horne.

To me, the greatest pleasure of writing is not what it’s about, but the inner music that words make.
–Truman Capote

There Are Teaching Jobs

…, just not in Florida.

I’m stuck in Florida. At least until my daughter is 18. I cannot imagine her father being alright with us moving away. It’s a bitter pill to swallow, because the job situation here in the schools is horrific. I suppose I thought it was like that everywhere.

It’s not. When I was up in WV visiting family, I took the time to check out postings in various counties. In the county where my dad lives there are already posting for at least 4 high school level special education teachers. In the town where a lot of my family lives and at least four of my relatives teach – they have already posted job openings for 5 high school level English teachers and 4 high school level special education teachers.

It’s enough to make me feel like drawing blood, I tell you. I want to pack it all up and just move to a place that actually has the money and desire to hire teachers. Instead, I am stuck in a district that has cut almost 1000 instructional and support jobs during the past two school years.

I know the courts like to see children living close to both parents, but at what point so they become sympathetic to the fact that the mother is struggling to support the child. Sheesh.

Free Starbucks Ice Cream…

…and more.

Now that I am back in town, I am back to my couponing hobby. I love getting more “bang for my buck”, so to speak, when it comes to groceries and personal care items. I have found that if I plan carefully, I can combine weekly sale prices with coupons and often come out on top.

This week at Publix I came home with 10 free packs of Bic Soleil Bella razors, 8 free packs of Fisher Fusions fruit and nut mixes, as well as 6 free pints of Starbucks ice cream and a couple of Morningstar Farms entrées. I also bought a couple of pints of Starbucks for less than 25 cents each last week, before the very cool $2/1 coupons that came out in this past Sunday’s Smart Source insert. We love coffee ice cream that actually tastes like a cup of rich coffee.

Now, if I only had a bigger freezer.

In addition to the free food items I got this week, I also picked up a couple packs of Perdue breaded chicken breast nuggets – which came out to about $1.20 a pack after the Buy One Get One sale and coupons in this Sunday’s Smart Source. Even without the coupons these nuggets were a great deal with the Publix sale price.

I picked up a couple of Duncan Hines cake mixes for about 35 cents each after using Target coupons (my Publix will accept Target coupons as “competitor” coupons). I like to make my cakes from scratch, but at that price it will be nice to have a couple of mixes on hand.

There are a lot of good deals this week if you carefully pair the sale prices up with coupons. I’m looking for my coupons for Honey Maid graham crackers and Dannon kids’ yogurts. Free or almost free will be the outcome if I can locate those particular coupons.

Money is tight for everyone. Be a smear shopper. Make sure you get your hands on the weekly coupon inserts. Save them from week to week, because they might not garner the great deal for a month or so out – but it will always be worth it. I go to my local Wal-Mart where they package two copies of my local paper on Sundays and sell them for the price of one. I pick up two or three sets and I always recoup my investment tenfold. Be on the lookout for coupon booklets available at grocery stores. Look for online printable coupons (they tend to have the highest dollar amounts).

About an hour or so of planning a week for me always returns great results.

Forks of the Cheat Winery

Back when I lived in Morgantown, WV I stumbled upon the Forks of the Cheat Winery. I had been out picking wild blackberries with my mother, who was in town for the summer from Florida. We decided to go to the winery and pick up some local wine and the owner, Jerry, asked what we had been out and about doing, since we were all smudged and rumpled from being out in the wild berry patches.

When I told him we had been picking berries all morning and still did not have enough for a pie, he took us up the hill and showed us the Vineyard’s lovely cultivated blackberry patches. In the end, he and I had made an agreement that I could come out and pick berries anytime I wanted and all I needed to do in return was leave half the berries in the vineyard’s freezer.

That was an amazing summer, filled with amazing blackberry pies and blackberry ice cream. I remember, in particular, hosting a blackberry ice cream party at my apartment for a bunch of my friends.

Anyway, today as my dad and my daughter and I were driving back across the state from my grandmother’s house to my dad’s place on the Shenandoah, we made a little side trip to the Vineyard. A few years ago my dad stopped and bought some of their Bad Cat and Airmail Jones (both sweet whites). He wanted some more and I wanted to pick up a bottle of their Niagara. She tasted it that day when we had been out picking berries and tells me often that it reminds her exactly of the grapes that used to grown in front of her childhood home.

Of course, I ended up with two bottles for myself – Reisling (my favorite) and a bottle of their Schwarzer Bär, which they categorize as an off-dry white. Both were outstanding.

The Forks of the Cheat Winery has changed a lot, but the wine is just as great as I remember. Now the grounds have terraced gardens and areas to sit and look out over the mountains. Apparently they have a lot of food and wine events there now. No wonder, it’s one of the most lovely places in the area.

Now, the challenge will be to get all of the bottles safely back to Florida in my suitcase, because the winery is unable to ship to Florida.

When Food is Spectacular: a WV foodie report

I have been thinking lately that my daughter and I dine out too often for my budget. We eat at places that are reasonable and I’m not breaking the bank, but I had a food epiphany today.

My dad took me to a little place in Charles Town, WV today called John’s. It’s right up the road from the old Rainbow Room bar, where Patsy Cline used to perform. It’s unassuming to look at and advertises country cooking, but it is anything but. The menu is expansive and everything on it is high quality and absolutely amazing.

My epiphany is basically this – I have no business dining out at all unless the food I am paying for is at least as good as the food at John’s, and that is not something you are going to find all that often in the price range of John’s. Therefore, I really have no business spending my money of food that is only mediocre when I am really rather a good cook on my own.

John’s is no particular style. It’s just skillfully prepared food at about the same prices you might expect to pay at any given chain steakhouse. I had an almond crusted chicken tonight that actually had me scraping the pan-drippings off my platter. The crab cakes and breaded shrimp were better than any seafood I have had in all my years of living in Florida. My daughter had vegetable soup that was more like a stew and a meal unto itself. I could go on and on, because I shamelessly sampled from everyone’s meals to make sure I had a taste of everything. I kid you not, if you are within 50 miles of this place you need to take the time to give it a try.

I’m looking for a good link now, but they must not have a website. So, here is the information:

John’s My Pappy’s Place
U.S.340S (south of Charles Town)
Rippon, WV 25441
Map
304-725-4348

Heading North

The last day of school for Gigi was Tuesday. My last day was yesterday. Some of the teachers went in today, but I was told I could stay home, which suits me fine while I sit and lick my wounds after the layoffs.

Anyway, Saturday Gigi and I are flying into Dulles. We are spending a week or so with my dad. He built a lovely home on the banks of the Shenandoah River and I can relax while Gigi runs wild and plays in the fields and in the water. We will probably take some time to go into DC, most likely so Gigi can see the National Zoo. I told her I would take her to where mommy went on field trips as a child and she is quite excited. We will also take time to drive out to see my grandmother. My daughter is fortunate to have a great grandparent alive and I feel bad that we did not get over to see her last summer. I had a set of great grandparents alive until I was about 13, and then another great grandmother who lived until I was 23. I was super fortunate and I want to make sure Gigi appreciates the time she has with Grandma Dot.

I know when we come back into town I have to resign a lot of my time for a job search, so I am determined to make the most of relaxing at the beginning of the summer break. I will be SO happy when I am finally at a place where I have a continuing contract with the school district so I can let down my guard just a bit.

The Letter of Doom

OK, so it’s not doom, really. However, Saturday I got the dreaded letter from the school district informing me that I have been terminated. On the bright side, it’s not due to my job performance. On the dark side, I am still trying to get used to working in a system where seniority is more important that job performance, effectiveness in the classroom, and talent.

My boss is livid. When someone like me is let go to make room for someone else in the district that lost their position and has more seniority, the school gets no say at all in who is placed with them. She told me that the last two people they have been assigned to them have been useless. They are essentially dead weight in the department. Those of us who she has interviewed and hand picked end up picking up the slack. It’s good to know I was appreciated.

I went through the tears and panic over the weekend. Today I have been able to let off some steam with my co-workers. I feel a lot more ready to face the months ahead now. I may very well be placed quickly in another position. Or, there might be an instructional position out there for me. That is what I really want anyway. Still, I wanted to be the one that decided I was leaving for another position. I did not want to be forced out by circumstances and the fact that I am just a name on the list to the people at County.

Pray for me.

My Daughter Got Her Ears Pierced

I was 23 when I finally got my ears pierced. I was just not interested before then and when my room-mate bought me a gorgeous pair of earrings for my 23rd birthday, I figured it was high time to get the holes to match the jewelry.

My daughter asked me if she could get her ears pierced back when he was about five-and-a-half. I sat her down and explained the process and what happens in the weeks and months following the piercing. She backed off.

This week she was sitting in the van with me, on the way home from school, and told me she had been thinking about the ear piercing and felt ready. She finally felt like the little bit it would hurt during the process was worth it. So, I called her father and got his opinion. He was all for it, and only asked that he be invited along. It was a little harder to work a trip to the mall into his work schedule, but we finally settled on an evening we both found workable.

She was excited right up to sitting in the chair. Then, she held the doll she had brought along, tensed up and cried softly. However, she did not flinch or back out. Sure, she cried when they inserted the earrings, especially when one of the girls had a problem getting the back onto her left ear. At one point she even gave off a little howl, but all in all she was brave.

A lot of my friends feel I allowed this at too young an age. Some of my other friends actually had their daughters’ ears pierced when they were infants. It is all a matter of opinion. I think if the child shows an interest and can take part in caring for the wounds as they heal, they are old enough. So far, Gigi has been better than me in remembering to clear her ears twice a day.

Manta at Sea World Orlando

Even though the newest thrill ride at Sea World Orlando does not officially open to the public until May 22, I got to ride it today! Manta is on soft opening. That means they are up and running, but testing various aspects of the ride, like line timing and such.

I went to Sea World as a chaperone with some of the kids from my high school. It was mostly Biology and Marine Science students and this particular trip had an overload of people volunteer to chaperone initially. I’m not sure what happened, but about a week ago they ended up with too few chaperones. I was not even going to ask to go, but I’m thrilled it worked out. I’m not sure I will ever have another opportunity to go to Sea World for free. ?

Anyway, I’m sure you are much more interested to hear about Manta. It is amazing. I am a roller coaster fan and have never really played on anything quite like this. Besides that jolting second loop, the ride is smooth, freeing, and made me laugh with pure glee the entire time. I rode Manta with a couple of other teachers, one of which was dead set against going when we got to the park that morning. I think she just experienced so much enthusiasm throughout the course of the morning that she got all caught up and in the end she was the most excited person in our group.

I know Sea World is not known primarily for the thrill rides, but I think they made a brilliant move when they brought this one on board. It’s worth the entire price of admission. Well, that and those super cute puffins.

Free Schick Disposable Razors at Publix

If you happen to have saved your Buy One Get One Free Schick Disposable Razor coupons from the April 5 Smart Source coupons insert, now is the time to use them. Publix has Schick Disposable Razors Quattro High Performance 3-packs or 3 or 4-packs for Buy One get one Free this week. Since you can legitimately combine the manufacturer’s B1G1 coupon with the store sale, you walk out just paying tax for two packs of razors.

Overall, you save $6.29 x 2 = $12.58

About a year ago, I noticed the prices for razors and replacement blades went way up. Turns out it was due to an increase in steel prices. Now, more than ever, free is a very good thing.

Jack Hanna

Jack Hanna has been well-known since I was young. I grew up seeing him make the rounds on late night talk shows and TV specials. However, I have never been to any of his appearances.

Today I took my daughter to see Jack Hanna at Busch Gardens. I bought season tickets in January and made it my goal to go at least once a month. Here we are near the end of April and I realized we had not been to Busch Gardens this month. I was thrilled when I looked online and saw that Jack Hanna was scheduled to appear today. He will also be at the park next weekend, for any of you who may be in the area and missed today’s events.

He is just as endearing in person. I like the way he seems to blunder about verbally, almost stepping on his own words – all the while sounding casually informative. He’s never boring and his sense of humor is understated, sneaking up on the unsuspecting.

We had a great time and will make a point of seeing him the next time he is in town.

I Miss Mascara

I do. I miss mascara. And lately, I have been missing eyeliner.

I am so very ready to go back to normal eyes. My eye allergy season generally lasts about a month, but it has been longer this year. I have a hard enough time wearing my contacts when my eyes are swollen from pollen. Adding mascara or eyeliner just makes my yes even worse – and when made to choose, I choose contacts.

My depth perception is way off when I wear my glasses and that just leads to overall mental fogginess. Mental fogginess is decidedly not a good thing when you are working with high school kids all day. They are lovable, but you need to be on your toes at all times.

Somehow, not wearing makeup on my eyes makes me feel more like I blend into the crowd. I have always thought that adding a little eyeliner has quite a dramatic influence on my face. It’s night and day, so to speak.

On top of the makeup issue, my yes just plain hurt. They are sore and sensitive, weepy and red. It’s across the board uncomfortable.

Mom Review: Hannah Montana Movie

As I always state, if you want a synopsis of the film, you can probably get it on a hundred other blogs and websites. I am not going to repeat that information.

I just want to talk about my experience as a mother of a six-year-old girl. We went to see the Hannah Montana movie early this morning. My daughter really wanted to see it last night, but I reminded her that if we see a movie before noon on a weekend, we can both get in for $5 each. It would have cost me considerably more last night and although the movie was actually very good, I think it was much more worth my money at the $5 price.

The movie is chock full of references to family devotion, honesty, and the search for humility and looking for your dreams in your roots. The superstar side of the character (Hannah Montana) is not the focus of this movie. The story revolves much more around Miley Stewart and her family. She struggles with her desire for the lifestyle her fame as Hannah affords her, but we ultimately watch her discover that her family is a nobler pursuit.

When taking my daughter to a movie, I am much more concerned with the small details, like any use of questionable language, the way the young female characters dress, and how love relationships are portrayed. In true Disney style, we don’t see belly buttons or short skirts in this movie. There is no objectionable language. And, though there are a couple of onscreen kisses, the camera angle is such that actual lip-lock is obscured.

The movie uses many of the same characters and inside jokes as the Hannah Montana television show, but the movie also gives us some of the back story many of us may have misses – the story of Miley’s mother, how Miley got her nickname, and why Miley’s dad keeps such a tight hold on his county roots.

All in all, it is completely appropriate for a young child. Though a bit simplistic for adults, the movie still made me smile.

Oral Allergy Syndrome

It is SO comforting to finally see science and the media outlets talking about Oral Allergy Syndrome. I have had it since I was a pre-teen and my daughter developed it by age two. I had to learn about it years and years ago by reading obscure allergy journals and other scholarly publications I would find in the moldy stacks of university libraries.

Even when I try to explain to people that I can eat cooked apples, but not raw apples (and peaches, plums, pears, cherries, etc.) I get looks of disbelief. My own family struggled to understand. I went through years of assuming it was due to pesticides. Then, I finally figured out it was due to enzymes in the fruit — or proteins if that makes more sense to you.

 CNN is currently running the most concise explanation I have read to date:

Have you ever experienced itchiness or hives in your mouth area after eating raw fruit or vegetables? Do you also have seasonal allergies?

If so, you may have oral allergy syndrome, whose symptoms occur because the proteins in some fruits and vegetables are similar to proteins in some pollens.

“They’re not identical proteins, but they’re similar enough to confuse the immune system to have these reactions,” said said Dr. Robert Wood, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center.

That’s not to say that everyone with pollen allergies has oral allergy syndrome. A person may sneeze all spring long and not have any obvious food sensitivities.

But oral allergy syndrome may help explain why some people have seemingly mysterious reactions to certain foods — for example, raw apples but not cooked apples. That’s because there are proteins in raw apples that are very similar to the proteins in birch pollen, experts say.

Cooking the offending fruits and vegetables will “denature” or change the shapes of these proteins, so people with oral allergy syndrome will usually be able to eat them without a problem, said Dr. Stanley Fineman, allergist with the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic.

Some people find that the peel of a fruit has more allergens than the meat, so peeling first helps, Wood said.

Because the reaction is usually localized to the mouth area, including lips, tongue, and throat, some people will choose to ignore the symptoms and continue to eat offending foods, Wood said. For people with reactions confined to the mouth, this is a “reasonable” choice they could make.

“Patients will typically decide on their own, without any discussion with a doctor, whether they enjoy the apple enough to put up with an itchy mouth, or whether they hate the itchy mouth enough to avoid the apple,” he said.

But in rare cases people with oral allergy syndrome experience anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that may include blocked airways, hypertension, anxiety, vomiting and diarrhea. The most severe reactions require the use of an injection of epinephrine to subside, which is why many people with food allergies carry auto-injectors for emergencies.

Over-the-counter antihistamines alleviate symptoms of reactions for some people, experts say.

Studies have shown that some people who undergo allergy shots for pollen allergies will experience relief in oral allergy syndrome, Wood said, but at this point no one should get shots just for that reason, since they don’t work on most people’s food allergies.

“If you are a good candidate for allergy shots otherwise, this may be a side benefit,” he said.

While other kinds of food allergies present in the first two or three years of life, pollen allergies that contribute to oral allergy syndrome develop more slowly, Wood said, peaking in the teenage and young adult years. Some people may develop allergies even later in life, he said.

A person who moves to a new part of the country, having never been exposed to the native pollens there, may become allergic to those pollens and have some spill-over into food allergies, Wood said.

Typically, once people start to react to some foods, they will also react to other foods in the same group. People may find that their allergies to raw fruits and vegetables subside during the season when the associated pollen levels are low. For example, a person may react to raw apples from March to October, but feel fine when eating them from November to February, when birch pollen is low, Wood said.

About half of people with pollen allergies have improvement from puberty through adulthood, which correlates with associated food allergies, Wood said.

“The better the pollen allergy gets, in most people, the less the food allergy will occur,” he said.

I Passed the English 6-12

*sigh*

That was me releasing the pent up stress I have been holding onto for the last week and a half – ever since I took the FTCE certification exam for English 6-12 here in Florida. I went in so confident. I’ve been immersed in literature all my life and I have spent the past three years absorbing everything there is to know about teaching theory, methods, and best practices. Still, I came out of that exam with my ego deflated.

Today, though, I came home to an envelope in the mail from the testing center. I got that crazy heartbeat in my neck feeling right away. I tore open just a bit of the envelope and peeked inside. I was just looking for the word “PASSED”. I saw it right away. What relief. The notice came just in time for my application packets.

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