The 2008 Florida Strawbery Festival

Yesterday we visited the annual Florida Strawberry Festival in Plant City, FL.

This is a great American farm fair with exhibits of agriculture, commerce, industry, livestock, fine arts, horticulture, and crafts. We liked seeing all the different kinds of cows, chickens and rabbits!

The fabric of American life is woven into this festival through ethnic traditions, social events, competitive contests, youth developmental programs, top-name entertainment, parades with scores of glorious floats, and high-stepping marching bands.
The festival dates back to 1930 when members of the newly organized Plant City Lions Club conceived the idea of an event to celebrate the bountiful harvest of the strawberries.

Over 5,000 acres of strawberries are planted annually in Florida. There are some 2,600 farms in Hillsborough County (where the festival takes place, just north east of where we live).

One of the main events of the Florida Strawberry Festival is the annual scholarship pageant for the selection and coronation of the Florida Strawberry Festival Queen. Sarah got to take a picture sitting on the Strawberry Throne!

Sarah on the Strawberry Throne

The weather was lovely if a bit hot. We also enjoyed the annual pig race which was a fun event to see!

The field where the pig races took place.

Sarah and I also went on a few of the many rides at the Festival's midway. We even tried one called the Ring of Fire that scared the crap out of me! I pulled a muscle trying to stay in the ride, scared we would fall to a certain death... Sarah wasn't too happy about the ride either. Too scary! But she insisted to try , so...

The Ring of Fire Ride

We also tried the mandatory Strawberry Shortcake, which pretty much is a piece of cake (sockerkaka) with lots of strawberries and then topped off with whipped cream. The portions were huge, the picture below shows how much was left of mine AFTER I was finished eating!

My Strawberry Shortcake after I was done with it! Just imagine how huge it was!

We did get a bit sunbruned after walking around in the sun for over three hours, but it was lots of fun! And I really enjoyed not having stomach problems one single time! Awesome

Sarah and I taking a break from all the walking

Floor galor!

I had an appointment this morning at 9:30 AM to get an estimate. I have been working like crazy all week, so the house looked, well, less than clean. I woke up early this morning and did a mad dash clean. Nothing motivates you more to clean than having strange people coming over!

Well, she isn't here yet. She called and said she is running late...

I hate waiting around for people. I am myself one of those who is always too early. A pet peeve if you want. Don't like people being late!

After the quote is over I am taking the dogs for a looong walk, then dashing over to the place where we are having the birthday party to get some paper work that needs to be filled out, and pay $25 for the rental of the pavilion. Then off to get some lunch, eating it at Ken's office in between some of his client meetings. Then Sarah and I are off to Target to find the perfect gift for one of her best friend's birthday. Sarah told me he really likes Spiderman and monsters, preferably zombies, so hopefully we can find something nice that fits that bill. Maybe a zombie Spiderman?

So, a busy day. But at least the house is clean, and no laundry to do. Always something, right?

The weather is beautiful, should be in the upper 70s today (close to 30C). Oh, and the citrus is in full bloom, which smells intoxicating!

Enjoy your weekend!

Ideas please!

This year Sarah is turning 5, and things have changed quite a lot since last year. She is really into her friends at school, and we are going to have a BIG birthday party with all these friends for the first time. Last year we just had a handful of kids at our house, with just the regular goodies to eat and no games or anything.

This year the party will be at an outdoor park. We have rented a large pavilion (with electricity) next to Sarah's favorite playground. It is a very nice place with lots of green areas to spread out on and a nice lake as a backdrop. Another plus is that there usually is a breeze here, and since we will have the party on May 10, it will already be Florida HOT!

We have a theme! Mickey Mouse and friends. Rumor is that Mickey Mouse himself will be making an appearance (Ken was able to find a professional costume, just like the once at Disney World, cool!) Sarah is going to die when she sees that!

My question now is for you with experience: what do we do during these 2 hours? Games? Music? I have no clue! I know most of the kids, and they all like to have fun. We are not going to rent any ponies or have any magicians or jugglers and all that other crazy stuff parents do nowadays to out do each other.

I just want a fun party with a few activities to make things flow. Any ideas would be welcome!

Corn and plants

I found out Saturday what caused the clog. A whole bunch of whole corn came out. I haven't had corn since Monday, so that was definitely the culprit. I have to remember with these things: chew, chew, chew! After the corn passed everything was fine, so I could eat again!

As you know we are having our floors replaced on April 28. The entire house (except the bathrooms which are being remodeled next). This means we will be living someplace else for at least a week. So we already booked and paid to stay at a La Quinta Inn & Suites April 27-May 1. They are very dog friendly as well.

BUT we are having problems with the contractor we chose. He just seems a bit... aloof! Ken things he is on drugs or something. I like to deal with a professional when I am shelling out thousands of dollars, and he aint it!Weeks have gone by, and we still haven't gotten the contract that he keeps promising. That and just a bunch of small little things that keep adding up. So we decided to find another, more reliable guy. Which means, starting from scratch! Arrgh! I spend so much time on this already! I have found a promising local company, apparently ranked very high ion customer satisfaction. They are suppose to call me to set up an appointment to come to our home for a quote. I sure hope this is it. I am sick and tired dealing with this!

On another irritating note: we went to the Florida Strawberry Festival yesterday. Almost 1 hour drive there... to discover it isn't until NEXT freaking weekend! How could I have missed that when I bought the tickets online? Oh well... We took it pretty good I think... But it isn't like Ken has a lot of extra time now at the height of tax season, but we made the best of it and took a long walk together around a lake nearby. It was actually pretty nice too! And hey, we still have the festival to look forward to next Sunday...

Doing some gardening today. The weather seems to have stabilized now with highs in the 80s (over 30C), and we are going towards warmer and warmer days. Time to get my annual herb garden going! 7 different herbs this year. I love cooking with fresh herbs! We are also planting some Mexican Petunias by the front door. Every year we try something new, but nothing seems to like growing in that spot. Well, the Mexican Petunias are suppose to be almost impossible to kill, and some people hate them because they just grow and grow. Sounds like what I need! Plus, the flowers are pretty too!

Mexican Petunias

Have a great day!

A close one!

Earlier today after being out for lunch I was on the phone with a friend from Sweden, and when she asked how I was doing after the big surgery and all I was very happy to report I am doing super great!

I had barely hung up the phone until I noticed I was having major stomach discomfort. It kind of feels like when I get one of those clogs, but much much worse. I have been feeling a bit "clogged", that is, partially obstructed in my new plumbing, the last couple of days. But this was so much worse! I was starting to worry it might be a blockage, which means a total stop in the intestine and needs immediate medical attention. I was a bit nauseated, which can be a sign. I know that if you throw up you have to go to the ER immediately, since it can be very serious.

Finally it was so painful I had to call my doctor. I was told as long as I didn't throw up I was OK. They couldn't prescribe any pain medication, since opiates have a tendency to slow things down and make a clog worse.

So I was left to try the best remedy the doctor have found over the years: lots of hot, green tea!

But unfortunately while making my first cup i had to rush to the bathroom to throw up big time. Oh man! I do NOT want to go to the hospital, no way! So I called back , begged to get a chance to try and fix it myself, and they said OK as long as I didn't throw up again. Phew...

So I laid on the bed and gulped down that tea... After about an hour I felt some major gurgling and the pain started to subside! Yes! I was in the clear, no hospital needed... So now I am staying on clear liquids for a while just to be sure. That was a close one!

Coins and such

My sister's boyfriend is an antiques dealer in Sweden. He deals mostly in coins, but also jewelry and money.

My sister works with him and they go on buying trips together. They usually set up shop at a hotel and have an open house for a day or two when people can come by with their valuables to sell them. They have even been featured in the media!

They also sell a lot over Tradera, the Swedish version of eBay, and they have been thinking about expanding by maybe establishing some kind of contact in the US.

Well, I might have found them just that! Behind Ken's offices is a huge building with a lot of security. We have always wondered what goes on in there, and the other day Ken happened to talk to one of the guys that work there. Turns out they are antiques dealers too, mainly coins, just like my sister's boyfriend. They were very interested in meeting with him and show us around when he gets here, so we will see if this might lead to something good. Who knows?

I have been busy trying to upgrade a few things around the house. It might not seem like a big thing, but it really have a positive impact when you replace and improve small little things you use everyday. New bedside lamps, new clock radio (I had irritated myself for years on the old one, what a difference!), and I am waiting for delivery of my new phone system today, that will be nice! I am also on the hunt for one or two basic small arm chairs for the bedroom. And a pair of folding chairs for the kitchen table for when we have more guests than our current number of chairs, I am really tired of having to drag the big office chairs to the dining room all the time... SO we wills ee what I can find!

Delicioso!

I love food. I love to cook it and I love to serve it and I love, love to eat it!

I also collect cookbooks. As inspiration or to follow by the letter. I can read a good cookbook as it was a good novel! Of course a good match for me is to be a member of the Good Cook's Book Club. The latest selection just arrived today, and it looks really juicy. I mean, the pictures are dripping with yum! Can't wait to sink my teeth into this one. It is called "Simply Delicioso: A Collection of Everyday Recipes with a Latin Twist" by Ingrid Hoffman.

Perfect for someone living in Florida for sure!

You only hear what you want...

My cold is doing better, which is great since I have lots of work waiting!

I was sitting here working when Sarah just came into the office. After looking out the window for a few minutes she said: "Someone is taking off their pants".

What? I looked out, but couldn't see anything. I asked where, and she pointed to the neighbors working hard in their yard. "See, someone is taking CARE OF THEIR PLANTS"... Me and my dirty mind! :-)

She has a lot of interesting idea in that little mind, and some matter-of-fact answers all of the time. It is always interesting to see what she has to say nowadays.

Last night I was being funny when we were getting ready for bed. Before washing up and brushing her teeth she usually change into her pajamas. So I asked her to take her regular clothes off. She wasn't quite paying attention, so I had to ask several times. After a few times I started to add silly things to get her attention, like" take of your pants and your ear", and "take off your shirt and your nose".

She just looked at me seriously and chuckled: "Mom, that would be too bloody!" True in deed!

Have a continued great Sunday!

Sick

Got hit with a nasty cold out of the blue. Sore throat, achy, and fever. Oh, it will be a lovely day...

Broken toy day

Just a little while ago Sarah came to me with a toy that had broken after a little rough play. She was very sad her little mini-bear had lost a leg. Well, I don't think it was designed to be jammed into a Hungry Hungry Hippo game, he essentially lost his poor little leg due to guillotine-ing!

A little while later she came back with yet another broken toy. This time it was a little miniature toy chair that had lost a leg. This was completely understandable since it was actually MY toy chair from 1982!

I asked her with a chuckle if it was "broken toy day" or something... She sadly looked at me and replied: "I am having a very bad day" . Awww...