Battling Winter Blues

The winter of 2010 was a very hard winter for Floridians, especially in North Florida and the panhandle area. We've had weeks of frigid temperatures, seemingly endless periods of cold, wet, gray days that have left many of us with a case of winter time blues. I myself had to fight that "funk" frequently over the past few months. For some people, it's more than just a case of the winter time blues or cabin fever; they have a more serious condition known as Seasonal Affective Disorder. People suffering from this disorder often fall into a deep depression during the winter months. They may even need to seek medical attention to find a way to deal with their situation. For most of us though, we muddle through and there are things we can do to keep those winter blues at bay. It may be a bit late but here are some of the things I do to try to make those gray days more bearable, I'm sure we're not quite finished with winter just yet.

• Open up the blinds or curtains and let in as much natural light as possible.
  
• Keep candles burning with pleasant scents, my favorites are apple cinnamon or vanilla
  
• If you have a fireplace, use it, light a fire, there's nothing like sitting around a warm fire
  
• Winter is a good time to enjoy fresh homemade soups
  
• Make hot chocolate and curl up under a warm blanket with a good book
  
• Get together with friends, get out of the house
  
• Put on some Jimmy Buffet and dream about being in the Florida Keys where it's always warm.
  
• Winter is a good time to catch up on indoor projects, cleaning out closets and drawers are biggies for me; use those dreary days to accomplish something inside so when the weather is nice, you can enjoy doing those outdoor activities.

• Try to keep in mind, we live in Florida, our winters are shorter and we'll be enjoying spring weather very soon; we haven't had it half as bad as those who live up north trying to dig their way out of several feet of snow.
  

Hang in there friends, spring is coming and before you know it, summer will be here and we'll all be complaining about the heat and wishing for cooler weather.

So Many Books to Choose From

I'm really beginning to think I may need an intervention. I need to join Bookaholics Anonymous; I've developed a serious addiction and I fear I am losing control. It's not as if I don't have enough books sitting around my house that I have yet to read. I can't help myself, I love to read. One of my favorite things to do when the weather is nice is to sit out on my back porch with a good glass of iced tea and a good book. And that time of year is right around the corner. And there's the matter of that annual spring camping trip coming up in a few weeks. I'm going to need a good book to read while I'm basking in the sun by the springs. Some people are out shopping for their spring wardrobe, I'm out shopping for spring reading. I was just browsing the latest Book Page Magazine and there are several that sounded very intriguing to me. I narrowed it down to four that I feel like I just have to read.

The Journal Keeper, by Phyllis Theroux
Making Toast, by Roger Rosenblatt
So Much For That, by Lional Shriver
The Art of Choosing, by Sheena Iyengar

Of course The Great Jacksonville Book Sale is this weekend and I'll be there when the doors open.
Is there a 12 step program for me?

Thoughts on Reading

I was at a bit of a loss tonight as to what today's post would be. I'm currently reading a good book on which I will be sharing my thoughts at a later date. I read a few interesting articles last night which gave me an idea or two. But, nothing really inspired me today. So, I was chatting with a friend on facebook and eventually as it often does, the topic of books came up. I of course had seen another book I want to read, my list grows ever longer. Then I remembered that this week is the 2010 NEA Read Across America. So, I hope everyone has found something good to read and for those with young children, please spend time every night reading with them.

I was browsing through a book of quotes and found some quotes on reading that I'd thought I'd share.


"If we encountered a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he read."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"There is hardly any grief that an hour's reading will not dissipate." L. de Montesquieu

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body" - Richard Steele

"You may have tangible wealth untold;
Caskets of jewels and coffers of gold.
Richer than I you can never be -
I had a mother who read to me. - Strickland Gillilan

"When we read we may not only be kings and live in palaces, but, what is far better,
we may transport ourselves to the mountains or the seashore, and visit the most beautiful parts of the earth, without fatigue, inconvenience, or expense. " -John Lubbock

"To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting" - Edmund Burke

"He that loves reading has everything within his reach." -William Godwin

Quotes found in Phillips' Book of Great Thoughts, Funny Sayings, Bob Philips 1993
Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.


"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." -Dr. Seuss

The first books I ever learned to read were by Dr. Seuss. When I was a little girl, I lived right across the street from the public library. Every summer I would participate in the summer reading contest. The winner got their picture in the local newspaper.. One summer I won; I remember getting a free book and a big bag of tootsie pops! I still love tootsie pops, and I got my picture in the paper; I still have that paper today. Some days I would spend hours sitting at a table, or on the floor by the bookshelves reading. I remember when I wanted to check out a book about Hiroshima, the librarian thought it might be just a little advanced for me and encouraged me to make another choice, but no, I wanted that book and I read it all the way through. I've always had a love for books, my favorite subject in high school was English Literature and Composition. Maybe it was the teachers I had, who were so passionate about what they taught. We read some great books, Camelot, Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Flowers for Algernon, Pride and Prejudice and more, I still have some of those books. By the way, The Great Gatsby is when I discovered Robert Redford! When I go to a book store, I can be there for hours. I have to browse through books in nearly every genre and I have to have great self control, because I always spend more than I set out to. It's a joke in my house that if you're invited to go to the bookstore with mom you had better pack a lunch, you may be there all day.

Twelve Good Things About Winter

We have had an unusually cold, wet, dreary winter here in North Florida this year, in fact the entire state has seen some very cold, occasionally record breaking temperatures this year. We are normally blessed with relatively mild winters here in Florida, so when we do have an actual cold winter, we don't like it. That couple of weeks of arctic chill we had in January were brutal and I'll add that the electric bill to follow was also brutal, OUCH! We've all done our share of complaining about the weather these last couple of months, myself included. But as I sat on couch last night, wrapped in a quilt with my dog Ziggy cuddled up next to me while I read a good book, I thought to myself, this is nice, I like this. I started thinking, there are some things I like about the cold weather.

• Snuggling under a blanket reading a good book with your dog (or cat for some people) snuggled up next to you
• Hot Chocolate!
  
• Toasted Doughnuts
• No mosquitos, and a lot less of the other bugs too
• A big pot of homemade soup, my personal favorites, Chicken Noodle or Vegetable Beef with a grilled cheese sandwich.
  
• Being able to enjoy sitting around a fire in the outdoor fire pit while sipping hot chocolate or whatever your choice of cocktail
• Being able to pull my sweaters out of storage, I love my sweaters
  
• Hanging around the house in my big baggy sweatshirt and flannel pants
• It's nice to get in my car and it not feel like it's 200 degrees
• I like the fact that it's not 98 degrees outside
  
• NOT SWEATING - And at my current stage of life, that's rare.
• When spring does arrive, we're really going to appreciate the beautiful weather even more.

So fix yourself a cup of hot chocolate, wrap up in your favorite quilt, grab a good book and your favorite furry friend and hang in there for a little while longer. We'll all be complaining about the heat soon enough.

Note:
If you're a northerner reading this I know what you're thinking, we should stop whining about the cold, we don't have it nearly as bad as our friends up north. I completely agree, I watch the weather reports, see the pictures and I am very thankful to be a Floridian. I can't imagine battling the elements the folks up north have had to contend with this year.

Tomoka State Park and Bulow Creek State Park

Last weekend Richard and I took advantage of the beautiful weather we had last Sunday to take another day trip. We ended up at Tomoka State Park in Ormond Beach. This is a beautiful park located along the Tomoka River and the Halifax River and join with the Intracoastal Waterway at the north end of the park. You can enjoy picnicking, camping, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and if you're a birder, there are many species of birds to watch. Richard and I enjoyed a picnic in a secluded little picnic area overlooking the Tomoka River near the boat ramp. After lunch, we walked along the shore and watched as the mullet continuously sprang from the water. We spoke with an older gentleman while he fished, not much luck this day, but he said there was usually very good fishing along this river. We took some time to check out the camping areas of which there are plenty. They were nice, but a little too small and close together for our taste. We generally like a large area with room to spread out. If you're in need of fishing tackle, snacks, drinks, firewood, toiletries or other supplies, there is the Tomoka Outpost which is located at the boat ramp. This was definitely worth the short drive down, a really nice place to spend an afternoon. At the recommendation of the young man at the outpost, on the way back we drove a few miles down the scenic Old Dixie Highway to stop off at Bulow Creek State Park. This is a great little park to enjoy a picnic and see some of the oldest standing live oak trees around. The main attraction at the park is The Fairchild Oak, named in honor of American Botanist David Fairchild. This is a beautiful, majestic live oak tree that has branches that were so large, they grew into the ground and back out again. Also on the grounds are the remains of a historic coquina building built in 1915 that was to be the land sales office for the purpose of building a residential community at this location. Fortunately for all of us, this did not happen. There are also 2 walking trails, which I'd love to go back to take advantage of some time. One is the 6.8 mile Bulow Wood Trail which takes you to the Bulow Plantation Ruins State Park; the other is a short loop around a groundwater spring that seeps from a coquina rock bluff.

My Happiness Project

While reading the book The Happiness Project, by Gretchen Rubin, I gave a lot of thought to what I would do this year to make myself, my family and my friends happier. I have to agree with one of her 12 commandments, act the way I want to feel; this is definitely one rule that I am trying very hard to adhere to. I want to be happy, so why not act happy. I try to steer clear of people who are constant downers, why would I want to be that way myself; it makes for a very lonely existence.

I have to admit, I really need to do what ought to be done and tackle that nagging project. I admit, I've been procrastinating on that one. It's a major project that I have been putting off for a long time. Let's just say if someone were to open my bedroom closet, I would be very embarrassed. It will require that I buy a few needful things, for the purpose of organization, but it will be worth it once I am finished. It will go towards that theory of outer order makes for inner peace. A small investment in this case will buy a little happiness, my husband will be VERY happy once this "nagging task" has been completed.

I am back in the habit of doing one or two extra chores a day, so that I can have more free time on the weekend to do the things I want to do, like spend time with friends or family, take a day trip, or spend time reading a good book. Like Gretchen, I can get completely absorbed in a book and neglect everyone and everything around me. I have a few craft projects I plan to work on, I'm not exactly an artist, but I dabble and it's a way to stretch myself a little, I find that doing something creative can really lift your mood. I am also spending more time doing working on one of my favorite activities, just what I am doing right now, blogging. This has been a fun hobby for me that has challenged me to learn something new, and it has been worth the effort.

Do Good, Feel Good, there are other takes on this, all mean pretty much the same thing -
Live by the golden rule; do unto others what you would have done to you.
What goes around, comes around.
The good you do comes back to you.
Give and it shall be given unto you.
No matter how you put it, when you do good deeds, bless others, it always comes back around, and often just in the nick of time.

We all definitely need to make time to play; you're never too old for a little fun. In today's world, we all really do need to lighten up. Have some fun, laugh, relax, it's good for you; ask any doctor, too much stress is detrimental to your health, so take a little time each day to laugh and play.
If there is one statement in The Happiness Project that couldn't be more true, "The days are long, but the years are short." I think I'm going to paint that on a plaque and hang it over my desk.

Daybreak at Salt Springs

While on a camping trip with my family, I woke up early one morning while most of the other campers were still sleeping. I was awakened by the sounds of pileated woodpeckers hammering away high in the pine trees surrounding our campsite. Nature's alarm clock was sounding, telling us it was time to greet the day. I decided to take a walk down to the springs while it was still quiet. As I walked the path down to the springs, I noticed a couple of deer and a fawn, still with its spots, standing at the edge of the woods. I stood motionless for a moment and watched them until they spotted me and darted off into the woods. As I continued my walk, I was caught by surprise by several wild turkeys gobbling loudly as they crossed the path in front of me. The site of them made me chuckle. Looking out over the springs and toward the lake, there was a thin layer of fog lying over the water like a blanket. The sun was coming up and looked as if it were just perched on the water, slowly rising to start a new day. The otters came out to play; I watched in utter delight as they frolicked in the cool water as if they hadn't a care in the world. Suddenly the springs were bustling with activity; there were coots, ducks, and cormorants gliding across the water occasionally dunking their heads below for a bite to eat. Several egrets and a great blue heron took flight and landed on the banks of the water in search of their morning meal. I watched as the fish performed a ballet, springing from the water as if elated at the site of this beautiful morning. As I witnessed this miracle of nature, I thought to myself, it just doesn't get any better than this. There is no better way to start a day, and I was grateful to have been able to see it.