Where do we go to Eat?

Being an organic food lover, it's difficult at times to find a place to eat with healthy food choices... and make choices amongst the many non-organic food items. Living here in the Keys though tends to open up some of the food choices because of the wealthy abundance of fresh fish! Just yesterday one of the fishing charters (where I work) came in with a Swordfish!! It weighed 228 lbs.! I've never seen a swordfish, so it was a delightful treat to actually see one in person... it was a bit shorter than I thought it would be, with a small tail but a rather long sword. I've been told that they're THE BEST fish to eat... maybe the charter boat captain left us some samples! :-D

But besides the fish... we do have a few places in the Upper & Middle Keys for organic/vegan eating choices, although some are far & few between. One great place in Key Largo is Eco Eats. They create really delicious wraps full of chicken, fish, veggies that are large but not overly filling. I enjoy going to this small restaurant whenever I'm up in that area. I believe they're opening another (smaller) location at Froggy's, the local gym, in Tavernier.

On Big Pine Key, there's the Good Food Conspiracy! Wish we had one of these up in the Upper Keys! They combine health & organic food, organic products, good-for-you products, and a snack bar with awesome smoothies and cookies made by Deer Run (a Green Lodging B&B nearby-link is to the right). This is a definite stop on your way to Key West, and be sure to make time to visit The Crystal Loft next door for beautiful crystal gifts for yourself! :-D

There's a new health food store in Marathon, Food for Thought... I'll touch on this at a later date (after I've had a chance to visit & sample)! Sure wish a health food store w/organic snack bar would open in Islamorada! It would make eating so much easier & healthful!! :-D

If you're looking for a location somewhere else in the U.S., a great online source of vegan/organic restaurants is Happy Cow. I've tried some of the restaurants recommended while travelling and it's been an enjoyable eating experience!

Some *new* soap...

I just ordered some soap from Jackie, and she has a *new* scent: Pomegranate Mango!! I am definitely looking forward to trying that!

She's also made some new guest & bar soaps for the Christmas holidays... I decided to try the guest soaps. My order is sitting at the post office presently... I'll pick it up tomorrow, and let you know how wonderful the *new* scents are!! '-D

I forgot that she also has a new Chocolate soap available also. I can't imagine using a "chocolate" soap, but if you love chocolate... you'll probably love this soap too!

See: Handcrafted by Jackie Turbot

Note: The Pomegranate Mango is absolutely delightfully sparkling! :-D It gives a wonderful lift to your morning shower! The Christmas Memories soap is also very nice... I'm looking forward to receiving the larger bars for the holidays this month!

What a GREAT Weekend!!

My friend, Jeanne, and I had a HUGE BLAST in Key West this past weekend! It felt so wonderful not to worry about what time we had to get somewhere on Friday! We left in the morning, stopped for mail p/u, then wandered down to Key West. We stopped in Marathon for lunch at Keys Fisheries... GREAT place to take a vegan friend! :-D We enjoyed grilled mahi-mahi sandwiches... then drove on to Big Pine Key where by sheer chance at the Visitor's Center (on the oceanside) we saw a Key Deer! I turned right around, drove in, and she got some awesome pics of this lone male deer.

I don't think we stopped again until we got to our B&B, Courtney's Place, in KW. What a wonderful B&B... GREAT breakfasts -- in fact, I think they had the most incredibly large continental breakfast I've ever seen! All kinds of wonderful & spoiling danish (time to go back on my diet!), cereals-hot & cold, french toast/waffles, bagels/rolls/bread, h-b eggs, yogurt... Wow! I LOVE breakfasts... as if you couldn't tell! '-D LOL

The room we were in was fabulous... two queen size beds side by side (hard to find in KW)... and VERY VERY thick!! I know we both slept deeply on those beds! They also had bikes to rent at 1/2 the price of the rental bike companies. On Saturday, we biked & saw as much as we could on those bicycles... and they didn't have any gears either, so you can bet that all the walking up the stairs I've been doing (to/from my new apt.) has helped my legs be in shape for THAT bike!! :-D LOL

On Friday night we decided to do the Ghost Tour! I've been wanting to do this for a long time, and finally got the chance! I haven't checked my phone camera yet to see if there are any ghost sitings on the pics. On Saturday, we started out at the Hemingway House, then... Lighthouse Museum, Southernmost Point (got a pic of Jeanne during a major downpour that lasted a good 20 min!), lunch at Camille's on Simonton St. (we were definitely very WET rats when we got there! LOL) which was really very delicious, West Martello Fort which is now the Key West Garden Club, Higgs Beach, Butterfly & Nature Conservatory... THEN we went back to the room thinking we were going for a swim before we went to see the cloudy sunset @ Mallory's dock (I wonder who Mallory was... do you know?). No swim... no time! Showers and new clothes then back on the bikes to Mallory's dock... as I mentioned it was quite cloudy, so we didn't get to see a good sunset. Oh well... then on to Turtle Kraals at the Seaport for dinner. They have THE MOST WONDERFUL Pork platter dinner! If you LOVE Pork as I do, you'll love eating it there... with a choice of 5 different sauces! YUM!

We rode our bikes back up Duval... it was wonderful, I had a dress on... it was so much fun to ride a bike with a dress on! :-D I felt so happy & free!! LOL Anyway, I wanted to buy a few things at Fresh Produce but they appeared to be closed early, rather unusual for a Saturday night we thought. But had to stop at Mattheson's for a choc. chip cookie & an oatmeal cookie, treating Jeanne to a choc. chip macadamia cookie as well! This is a tradition for me (buying the 2 cookies). :-) Then back on our bicycles to the B&B... it was so nice & cool & windy after the rain storms in the afternoon. Our cold front finally arrived... it lasted only about 2 days. Hope it's a preview of what's to come in January! :-D

As I mentioned... we slept VERY WELL with all the activities we participated in on Friday & Saturday! We left early (about 9:30a) on Sunday... I had to work that afternoon. It took us longer than I anticipated... almost 2 hours to get back home; there wasn't much traffic, so I don't know why it took so long! But of course we had to stop on Big Pine Key again and get some Key Lime Pie on a Stick... EVIL, EVIL, EVIL!! :-D And then I drove down Long Beach Road to see some more Key Deer... mostly females.

What a wonderful weekend it was with her!! We're already planning to go away together on our 55th birthdays... maybe Europe, maybe So. America! :-D

See: Keys Fisheries, Key Deer, Courtney's Place B&B, Ghost Tour, Hemingway House, Lighthouse Museum, Southernmost Point, Camille's, West Martello/Key West Garden Club, Butterfly & Nature Conservancy, Mallory's Dock, Turtle Kraals, Matheson's.

It's Time...

...for a mini-vacation!! :-D This weekend my oldest friend will be coming down from the cool North to visit & celebrate our "milestone" birthdays... 29 & holding!! :-D LOL We met when we were 12... at YMCA Camp! She lived on the other side of the state, but in NJ that's only about 45 min. away. On weekends, we would have sleepovers. Her father was a psychologist in a nearby school district, so on Fridays I'd drive back home with him. Then my parents came down & picked me up on Saturdays. :-) We have a lot of nice memories together!! :-D She's an Art Historian... I would just LOVE to go to Europe with her (some day...) and learn about all the historic buildings & paintings!!

We're planning to spend the weekend in Key West... snorkeling, discovering, museuming, eating, walking, catching up, celebrating (that should really be first!), etc.! She's visited me just about everywhere I lived (except for Atlanta), and she's never been down here to the Keys, time to show it off! :-D

We're staying in a B&B I've never stayed at, but then again there's A LOT of B&B's I haven't stayed at in KW yet! I would have liked to stay near the Seaport, but it wasn't meant to be. This time we'll be in the vicinity of Hemingway's House. Something different... '-) There's a wonderful restaurant on that side of town called "7 Fish"!! It has WONDERFUL food! The last meal I had there was absolutely exquisite... and it's not fancy nor crowded. It's small & intimate. I definitely recommend it! '-D

Well, wish us LOTS of Fun this weekend!! :-D

Litter Pick-up...

Guess I've been on a "litter pick-up" mission for the last several months! My new job is at a marina... and I find it odd that they're not a "green" or "clean marina". But after eating my lunch under the little Tiki before I go to work, I can understand why they're not. There's all sorts of litter strewn on the beach plus a HUGE black tarp that washed ashore!! I can't imagine that huge tarp being out on the water... I suppose it would be a GREAT place for dolphin (mahi-mahi) to hide, but otherwise it could be very deadly for the sea life! :-/ Last week, before going to work I brought a garbage bag with me and cleaned up a good portion of the beach... probably the southern portion, and ended up filling up that entire bag! I still have more to do one day this week. I can't believe all the garbage that rolled up... and I noticed today that there's MORE that came ashore in the past week!

Then I was thinking that with all the beer cans that are purchased & emptied there, we could fill a huge can (if not more) with all these wonderful recyclable items! I have to work on this with the boss! '-)

So many places could be clean & green if we would all pitch in & pick up the garbage!! :-D

I don't have much to report about any new products... I'm still using Shakleen cleaning products as well as the Green Works line (by Clorox) for other cleaning; I like these two product lines the best. :-D

On the Move & Cleaning Up...

I've been moving AGAIN for the past month it seems (I'm really getting tired of it now, but I'm very close to being done!)... and the one thing I'm really going to miss is the Oceanside park that I've been frequenting since I moved to this area of north Tavernier.

Recently, while taking a break from packing (it seems like that's all I do lately is pack & work, work & pack)... I took my usual bike ride down to the park, stopped on the jetty for a 1/2 hour to enjoy the sun, listen to the wonderful sound of the water rolling up onto the rocky shore, do a chakra clearing... then continue my bike ride down the path. A few WEEKS ago the water was so high and coming onto the land past the barriers they installed (moreso to keep people off the coral I think than to prevent the water from coming onto land :-D), and of course, LOTS & LOTS of trash rolled in as well. Do you know that that trash stayed there for several weeks... people would just bicycle/run/walk/picnic by it but nobody would stop and pick it up!! I guess you can tell this is a "pet peeve" for me. I can honestly say that there are 3 other neighbors who make an effort at cleaning up this park. Three neighbors out of possibly over 200 houses in this development! :-/

So as I rode my bicycle past, I noticed there was a blue fishing bucket that was sitting there amongst the trash. How convenient that this bucket was here ... for me/us to collect the trash in this bucket to put in the trash can. I got off my bike and started to pick up the trash... I filled 1-1/2 trash cans full of ocean trash and there was still more!! But I felt like I did my share of taking care of God's land... he gave us this land and waters to take care of. It felt good to clean it up... I wonder if anybody helped to clean up the rest of it. The most interesting find this time? A ping pong ball! :-D LOL

So how is it that a person who is busy moving out of the development has time to stop and clean up the park so that everyone else can enjoy it? So many other people need to take time to notice their surroundings more and not think that "somebody else" is going to always do it. We're all in this together. I have considered writing a letter to the Editor of a local newspaper about this... but I don't have time... I'm moving!! '-) And I'd rather pick up the trash! :-) It makes ME feel good about it... and that's what counts. '-) Hope you do the same!

I guess I have to add here also that I volunteered to clean up the small stretch of beach at the resort I work at. I talked with the timeshare manager and he said they had to cut back on personnel who would normally do it and "what comes in with the ocean, can roll back out with the ocean". I did my :-/ face and said I would clean the beach... in my spare time. I can only imagine what kind of a message is sent to the resort visitors when they stroll amongst the seaweed & garbage (as well as a LARGE tarp). A little volunteering can make it a nice, enjoyable place for everyone! '-)

Cleaning Up...

I've always been interested in cleaning up the environment... and since I started living in this area with the oceanside park, it's just amazing how MUCH trash rolls in with the seaweed: flip flops, plastic bottles, fishing line containers, styrofoam... but it's certainly great to see that people aren't bringing glass on their boats, but nonetheless the plastic & styrofoam aren't the greatest for the oceanlife NOR the flip flops!!

It was explained to me that the county is understaffed to pick up the garbage that rolls in from the ocean... so neighborhood volunteers pick up the trash. Yesterday my bike developed a flat while at the park, and lately there's a lot of foreigners (outside of Miami) visiting the Keys (this is the time for them... Sept./Oct. must be REALLY RAINY over there now!). So I just felt the trash was rather unsightly and I started picking it up and putting it all into a pile. A young visiting boy said hello to me while I was doing it. Hopefully it stuck in his mind to do this himself at some point in time! '-D I read something somewhere about "courtesy", and if you see something that fell on the ground, don't walk around it... pick it up!! It makes me feel good to give back to the county and to the visitors who visit our chain of islands, AND to the neighbors (like myself) to enjoy our beautiful park! :-D I also noticed that there are specific "groups" (noted on a sign) that are supposed to be helping to keep the park clean... I don't know that they exist anymore. It would be great if some local groups adopted it since it IS such a big park!

I've always wanted to be involved with ocean clean-ups, i.e., when dives are scheduled to specifically clean up under the water. There can be a lot of junk while diving underwater like glass bottles (there they are!), rope/line, fishing line, hooks, weights... all kinds of harmful stuff! A few years ago while diving in the Bay, I found a crab with a lot of fishing line wrapped all around it. I felt like I was performing surgery on the poor thing, cutting all of it off, freeing him to move around more easily... it made me feel SO GOOD to send him on his way free of all that line! '-D

Tonight I went for another walk, this time down the end of my street (the first time earlier was to the park - remember I have a flat tire). My street seems to go a bit farther down than the other streets, or so it seems. Anyway, down at the end is a place to put a kayak in and paddle around a small lake, Dove Lake I think. Kids/couples go down there for "other" things as well! People fish there too... and I heard recently that there's a salt water crocodile resting in there -- so you won't find ME there!! :-O Anyway... as you can well imagine, people like to leave their their trash: beer bottles, fast food containers, etc. and there's no garbage can. Some day when I have nothing better to do (like when?) I'll go down and clean it up and LEAVE a trash can there! I'm surprised the county doesn't leave a can there... but I guess we can only expect so much!

So-o-o... what have YOU done lately to decrease the amount of litter in your area? :-)

Angels' Kisses...

I have a *new* blog... called My Angels' Kisses. I'm still fine tuning it, but it does appear to the right in the Blogs To Share section. Just click on it, then put it in your Favorites for the next time. :-)

There are several interesting links so far, and there's also a *free* Angel reading you can do for yourself, guidance from the Angels... it's rather accurate.

I have some angellic items to offer in the future... so as soon as I figure out HOW to post them on the blog, it will be done! :-)

I've also moved a few links over to that blog since they pertain more to Love and the Angels, and less to the "Green" life. :-)

I hope you enjoy reading my new blog... feel free to post comments on either.

Growin' Some Herbs...

In the late Spring, I took a class about growing herbs. It was given by a woman who owns Redlands Herb Farm with her husband and son. It was a very interesting class and she brought lots of herbs for us to grow in either pots or gardens. She said the herbs were very hard to grow in the heat of the Summer, not only in So. Florida but especially in the Keys. I remember reading that the Community Garden down in Key West had been harvested in late Spring/early Summer, and all will be replanting again in the Fall. But undaunted by this "impossibility", I purchased two herbs and two veggie plants, and repotted them in pretty clay pots and set them out on my front porch, which gets a bit of sun in the morning, then mostly shade by the afternoon.

What did I buy? Mint -- which has been doing rather well, believe it or not; I'll make some mint tea soon with those leaves. Another plant which is a cross between Parsley and Celery, but smells like Celery. I was fortunate to have some of this in my chicken salad one day... but that one has (just recently) unfortunately bit the dust. :-/ I thought it was "Borage", but I guess I got the name mixed up with another, 'cause borage tastes more like cucumber.

I also have some mini carrots -- they have to be the SWEETEST little carrots I have EVER tasted!! It's too bad their so tiny!! Perfect for a tiny person the size of an ant!! :-D LOL She said they should be potted in a deep pot so that they'd grow deep & long, but that hasn't happened. Maybe I'm supposed to do something else, I don't know. Maybe you know? :-)

...and English Lavender... she said this one was especially difficult to grow because of the Summer heat, but so far so good! It smells SO NICE when I run my hands through it! And believe it or not, it's holding up rather well!! I'm looking forward to drying & using in sachets maybe, or in my bath... or maybe in my food! '-D The woman who hosted the class made some sugar cookies with lavender sprinkled on top... how simple and how fun! :-D When I lived in IL back in the 90's, I had a HUGE garden full of lavender, right out in front of the house! It was wonderful... did I do anything with it, not then... just enjoyed the flowers and the scent mostly. NOW, I wish I had a garden full of lavender since I use it so much.

So, I've made it through a good part of this hot Summer with most of the plants! I'll take a picture to show... so you have a better idea! Coming real soon... '-)

Somebody recently gave me some pole bean seeds... but I'm not a bean person, so some lucky person may be receiving those from me. If you're interested, let me know! '-D

Electrical INfrequencies...

These past two months I've experienced various electrical INfrequencies... what about you? My internet connection has been down most of the last two months, so getting on here to update this Blog (and a *new* one)... has been extremely difficult. And a visit from the AT&T Tech Guy gets it to work for a day, and off it goes again! :-/ I've been going to the Library to use the computers within the last hour that they're open! I don't mind this though because it reminds me how much I used to really love going to the library... sitting in a quiet corner and reading; and it's amazing how fast I can do my e-mail in an hour compared to how long it takes me at home! :-) This is quite an adjustment for someone who used to check her e-mail boxes twice a day... I don't want to tell you how many I have! :-D LOL I don't check them that often anymore... maybe it's the Universe's way of telling me to GET OUT & SOCIALIZE!! LOL That there IS life outside the computer! Yes there is! '-)

Besides the computer... it seems like I also have to replace the batteries in my digital camera a little too often as well. I just about put them in, and I have to change them again! Guess my camera isn't used to taking so many pictures... I'll share when I get them uploaded. '-)

AND my cell phone battery has decided to "bulge"... as I was told by the Verizon guy, it's not very good when your battery does this... it's from "overcharging"... it can explode if you don't replace it soon. EXPLODE?!?!? That's all I'd need... So if you can't get in touch with me, you'll know why. It's either the computer or the cellphone!

So what else is new besides the electrical issues? Not a whole lot... Guess I should be writing about "green" things... just wanted to gripe about something else! I guess it all has to do with "change"... something we're all in the midst of presently.

Have a GREAT evening!

Note: The cellphone issue has been fixed... with a new battery! :-D

Morning Glories...

Morning glories were the flowers of my youth. When I was young... just outside the backdoor of our home, I planted some morning glory seeds and had a wonderful scape of intertwining vines of this beautiful flower. I think it's the color... sort of a periwinkle color that captured my attention. Wherever/whenever I see this flower, I always smile... as it reminds me of a peaceful & happy time of growing flowers.

Apparently it has some medicinal properties (China) as well as hallucinogenic properties (Mexico)... but I enjoy it for it's pure beauty!



I was reminded of these beautiful flowers while on break this morning. In back of the gallery in which I work there's a fence with the morning glories' vine trailing along the top. I just noticed today also that the inside of the flower sports a "star"... sort of like a sea star! It's nice & warming to see this flower of my youth... :-)

What's your favorite flower, and why? :-)

A HOT Show...

I was invited to do an art show with a fellow glass artist this past Sunday @ Hawk's Cay Resort just north of Marathon. Veronica Guitierrez is a stained glass artist in Key Largo, dabbling in mosaics. To me, she's a "master" glass artist... having been involved with glass for over 20 years!

Anyway... it was BLOODY HOT, as I like to say!! It was a trial show for the resort, they offered it *free* to Keys' artists, whoever wanted to come out and BRAVE the HOT Marina area for the whole weekend. Keys' artists don't generally do Summer shows here because it's just too hot all around; that's why many travel up to New England or the Midwest & do those shows -- it's A LOT cooler! '-D I don't know... maybe they do down in Key West, but they may be on the waterfront where it might be cooler. I believe 7 artists showed up on Saturday, and only one came back on Sunday (Gyotoku - fish prints). We did the show on Sunday... so there were only 3 of us there. We did well... made a few customers, Veronica gained a new student (thanks to me), and a possible commission (also thanks to me, I think!). I'm hoping that when I step on the scale tomorrow, it'll tell me that I lost a few pounds due to all the sweating I did that day! LOL

It was FUN to do the show... I haven't done one for several years and that was when I did the jewelry shows. I enjoy seeing customers, but I really don't enjoy all the set-up and breakdown and sweating it out. But this wasn't a bad one considering there were only 3 of us there... the odds were with us! '-)

These ring colors are popular these days:

Fruit & Greens...

Recently, like in the past month, I've signed myself up for Annie's Organic Buying Club. Annie & her husband used to run Delicious Organics (outside of Miami) delivering organic food/veggies/fruit from West Palm Beach to the Lower Keys. But now... she's doing the Organic Buying Club; which basically combines everyone who's interested to purchase fruit & veggies for a much lower price. There's a small share and a large share, plus you can order extra fruit. The latter is always a nice bonus!

I'm a total believer that fruit & veggies are good for everyone's bodies and souls. The MORE you eat of them, the better you and your body feel in the long run. I can't say I'm a total Vegan... I DO still enjoy pork, chicken, and fish... no, correct that: I LOVE pork (couldn't NOT have it for any length of time!), but most of the time I do prefer to eat fruits & veggies, and have tried numerous times to eliminate processed foods -- it's difficult, but I limit them. Harry & David's Moose Munch isn't organic or vegan... but it sure as heck tastes great!! LOL

Anyway... Annie has her Buying Club in a variety of cities around FL, not just in the Keys. I've tried the small share initially, but found it wasn't enough fruit for me, but good on the veggies. Now I get the large share every 2 weeks (believe it or not, for one person!!), and there's plenty of fruit, but now there's TOO many veggies... but I deal with it. It's good for me and I need to eat more green veggies, so that's how I rationalize it! LOL

Annie includes lots of recipies for the veggies you receive, like kale, spinach, beets, chard. But I just found a website that has some additional recipies that are less complicated and more to my liking -- Earthbound Farm. They not only give recipies for a variety of veggies, but pictures, where it comes from, colors, etc. You'll probably learn more than you ever thought you would about kale!! :-D LOL I've never been a fan of Spinach, wondered about I guess because Popeye ate the whole can! But I just saw a really scrumptious looking recipe I can't wait to try: Spinach & Tuna Linguine -- YUM!! Check out this pic @ right. I also just printed out Orange-Glazed Beets; my Mom always used to tell me how her grandmother made her eat Beet Soup, which really never sounded good to me... so I'll try this recipe instead. '-)

I'm gettin' back into cooking again, which I really enjoy! Cooking "good for ya" stuff! So... if you want to eat more fruits & veggies... give Annie's Buying Club a try. For what you get and the price you pay... it's a STEAL!! Then visit Earthbound Farm for some awesome recipies (they also sell organic food).

Visit: Annie's Buying Club, Earthbound Farms

Natural Sunscreen for Kids...

Here's an interesting article on the Organic & Thrifty blog about Natural sunscreen for kids & adults... focusing on Omega-3 fatty acids, and eating healthful, all natural from scratch meals (no packaged or fast foods).

Sometimes the higher the SPF goes, it seems like the product doesn't have enough coverage. So maybe changing our diets can/will eliminate sunscreen all together! '-)

Visit: Organic & Thrifty

Don't know if you've heard...

Starry Night Creations, my fused glass business, is now operating full time (4 days) out of the David Mellor Fine Art Gallery in Islamorada (MM 81.9)! I'm so happy about this!! I'm also selling David's artwork as he's having Visa return problems (he & his wife live in the UK).

I've been fusing daily... and producing some rather interesting creations! Fused glass plates, sushi plates, and of course, more rings & pendants, and Glass-cast dolphins. In fact, I have a drawing this month for a "Free custom glass dolphin - winner's choice [valued up to $65]" -- read about it in the Blog on the website!

As soon as I have the pics downloaded, I'll post one or two here!

Stay tuned...

Visit: Starry Night Creations, David Mellor

Bicycling, bicycling...

Do you like to bicycle? I LOVE bicycling... always have!! I've had a lot of bikes in my life, several new ones stolen in high school, but somehow or other I always had a bicycle wherever I went in life. My Dad and I used to go on 20-30 mile rides around NJ... we'd tackle some rolling hills, passing huge estates and farms, have lunch at a country deli, and come home exhausted!! Nice memories... :-)

Have you ever seen the two guys who bicycle up and down the highway between Key Largo & Islamorada? One guy must ride in 1st or 2nd gear (the lowest gear, greatest workout), and he always shirtless and has a basket with a box that he hunches over on. I think he rides down to Islamorada somewhere & back up north -- EVERY DAY. So that's about 40 miles per day, at least! Note: Believe it or not, I've just learned who this guy is... "Box Man" is a retired special ed. teacher who rode with a box on his bicycle (usually of fruit he purchased @ MM103)... for 25 years he's been riding his bike like this -- definitely an eccentric! ONLY in the Keys!! Then there's the other guy who was featured in the paper a little while back... he wears a blue baseball helmet. He used to ride his bike from Key Largo to Plantation Key Convalescent center where his wife used to be, but after she passed away... I think he just rides to the Tavernier Post Office now. He says "hi" to everyone he sees, and just wears that distinctive blue helmet. He's a harmless sort of fellow... but here's another guy who does about 40 miles every day ... in the HEAT no less!!

I just rode around Old Town in Key West today... 20 miles believe it or not!! And I did it in the middle of the day just like those guys do! Gosh, if I did 40 miles/day every day... I would be pretty SVELTE!! :-D LOL But then I might have to be living under the bridge or somewhere similar since I wouldn't have a job. Come to think of it, maybe some advertising company should put a sign on either one of those guys' backs as they ride up and down the highway!! LOL

I had a really enjoyable day riding in and out & up and down the streets of Old Town. My favorite streets are Elizabeth and William Streets... I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the architecture of Key West! Since it didn't seem to work out to live there several months ago, I still enjoy going there and riding around... and dreaming of living there some day. :-) I must have lived in a similar house (gingerbread or Victorian) in a past life... because I really love staying in similar type B&B's whenever I'm away.

I was interested in eating at an Organic or Vegan restaurant for lunch. Not that I'm totally Vegan, but I do eat Organic food & feel so much better when I eat healthy like that. Happy Cow pointed me to (3) different places... but twice I seemed to end up at the same place, so I decided to eat there -- Help Yourself on the corner of Fleming & Margaret Streets. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the Smoothies... but since I was riding, I felt I needed something more substantial. So I ordered a chicken salad wrap... it was GREAT -- it has bits of apples with the chicken, sort of like a Waldorf Salad wrap. There's a great place in Key Largo that makes a great one of these... Eco Eats... they're in the Office Depot shopping plaza. I learned about Healthy Cow, which is a great reference site for Vegans/Organics, through a Green Lodging B&B on Big Pine Key... Deer Run B&B. They're great - Jen & Harry! They make the most wonderful Vegan/Organic breakfasts and it's truly a relaxing paradise... along with visiting Key Deer! Great place for couples and singles who need a break from the world.

Besides doing the East side of Old Town, I went over to the West side... found myself at the courthouse then wandered beyond that to the Truman Annex -- BORING!! I went a little further south and decided that area wasn't worth pursuing since I seemed to be riding through some run down areas. Not a good area for someone like me on a bicycle, so back over I went to the other side of Truman Ave. I must have circled the Cemetary at least 4 or 5x today... and I still got confused as to which direction I was going! Thank goodness for maps!!

A nice HOT Bath is looking really good tonight! LOL So... be sure to check out bicycling Key West! There's so much MORE to see than Duval Street! So many more options of places to eat and new people to meet! '-D

General Synopsis: The next time I decide to go to Key West and do that much bicycling, I'll stay overnight! I was SO EXHAUSTED making that drive home! A-a-a-CK! Thank goodness for a stop in Marathon & a high protein smoothie... only that got me back home!

Spring Cleaning...

I've been trying all kinds of "organic" and green cleaners around the house. Seventh Generation isn't bad in some instances... but I'm not fond of their dish soap; hardly suds', I don't feel like anything is getting clean, AND you have to use too much of it! I guess as a society of using things that "suds up"... if something doesn't suds up enough, then we don't feel like it's cleaning very well. All these "suds" come from using coconut in the ingredients. Coconut oil or coconut-based "surfactants" (used by most commercial cleansers). I've been using the laundry soap and softener; the softener especially after I learned Mrs. Meyer's Dryer Sheets weren't softening the laundry. I like the laundry soap & softener, but my towels aren't as soft (as using Shaklee's Get Clean Laundry Soap). I've been using the Seventh Generation laundry products as a less expensive alternative to another series of products that I really like (Shaklee Get Clean), and for the money and it's not a bad choice.

But before I get to the Shaklee products... I'd like to comment on Clorox Green Works. I've been using this cleaner around the house, on the walls, in the tub, and toilet. I like how effective it is... green as well as cleans (well), it's affordable, and has a nice scent too! (I've used the Original scent plus Tangerine.) It appears that other users, like the Sierra Club are also "pro" for this product, which is really a plus+. Their A-P (all purpose) Cleaner is a MAJOR PLUS in my book -- it cleans everything! The stove, the countertops, the walls... just about everywhere! A pet peeve I have about some of these "green" products is they don't list the ingredients on the label. But Green Works does! I like that; I want to know what's in something I'm using whether it be a cleanser for the home or my body (especially my body!)!

A lot of people want to "go green" but a lot of people feel that it's expensive to "go green"... and I feel Clorox Green Works is a nice, affordable way to achieve those green goals for many people. I hope they decide to come out with a Laundry Soap... '-)

Above I mentioned Shaklee's Get Clean products. They are a little pricier, but buying one bottle of Basic H2 (an A-P cleaner) and using a few DROPS mixed with a spray bottle of water to clean your house (a little more for windows), just goes to show you how LONG you will have that one bottle. I bought a bottle of it last year and I STILL haven't bought another bottle since! And the Laundry soap... I purchased the largest box which if you measure it out equally for each wash, you should get about 84 washings out of it... that box lasted 7 MONTHS!! I don't have any laundry soap that has EVER lasted 7 MONTHS! Have you?? They also have this wonderful little compound, Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste (made from pitted cherries I think)... I've cleaned boats with this product! It's SUPER on fiberglass... gets all kinds of stains out, especially rust, and it's o.k. for the water ... and works wonderfully on the tub & tile as well! If you'd like to try Shaklee products, contact me. Their products work GREAT for the home as well as the body!

Of course, if you're not into any of the store-bought green cleaners, you can always mix vinegar or baking soda with warm water and still have just as good a cleanser! This way is rather economical and eliminates all those various bottles under the sink!

So... DO Tell what your favorite cleaning product is! These products I've described are available here. Maybe there are others available that I'm not aware of! Please share with us your experiences!

Feel Free to Visit: Seventh Generation, Green Works, Shaklee

Trying some *New* Things...

I've been away... went up to NJ to visit family and had a really NICE time! Also enjoyed visiting my favorite shopping area: New Hope, PA... an artsy quaint town in Bucks County, PA, right on the Delaware, across the river from another favorite town, Lambertville, NJ. I met a friend in New Hope, besides having lunch, we perused the shops. I hadn't shopped there in 20 years!! LONG TIME!! LOL But... it was fun to see which shops had stood the test of time and which ones moved on or closed entirely. This was the type of town that had the quintessential bong shop (and I think I still saw part of it in the Vintage store on the corner!) amongst other artsy shops, eateries, and of course, the best ice cream shop in the valley!

A wonderful shop we stopped into was Strawberry Jam... the owners have been running this beautiful little shop in the same location for 35 years! It seemed like a quaint shop with lots of exotic cards, glass, vintage jewelry, and bath products (my kind of store!). Most of the bath products weren't organic or handmade, but they sure did smell good! They featured a soap from Portugal -- HUGE bars with very colorful wrappings and wonderful scents... but a little on the pricey side. One product from Stonewall Kitchen in Maine was Lavender Mint soap... had to bring a bar of this home to try. I just checked out their website... and they have SO MUCH MORE than just soap! :-D Lots of yummy looking pancake & waffle mixes (m-m-m-m-m!)... seems like they have lots of cooking/specialty foods, things for the kitchen/home, and I finally found the soap... under "Fine Home Keeping"... that's a New one (shown at right)! Lots of all natural products and essential oils in this soap plus Shea butter. They also have a nice selection of gifts for Mother's Day, which is right around the corner!

Another shop we stopped into called Heart of the Home had a lot of pottery from various U.S. artists, unique handmade purses w/rather exotic pictures, soap & body products (another +++ for me!), handmade jackets, 2 garden rooms with outdoor treasures, two floors of perusing -- I LOVED IT!! LOL My original reason for going into this shop was for a handmade mug I saw in another store (being used by the owner). Although I was interested in possibly purchasing this handmade mug, it was a little out of my budget. Instead of a handmade mug... I found this collection of organic soap that I found on the internet a few weeks prior called "Fraiche" (pronounced "fresh"). A little on the pricey side, but I figured this was my (only) opportunity to try it -- bite the bullet & buy it!! As soon as I do try it, I'll fill you in. But the Set of 3 soaps I purchased (similar to that shown above right): bare naked/lavender fields/soothe me smell really awesome, and are all finished off naturally on the top portion of the soap (Bare Naked bar at left). You'll see more when you visit the website! These are definitely organic soaps, and they promise "an unforgettable bathing experience"! I'll let you know... :-D LOL Another product I found that I did purchase for my Mom was a Lotion Bar made entirely of Shea butter from Footbridge. What a WONDERFUL bar this is (shown at right)! Just rub it right on to your dry skin and the shea butter sinks right in! She loved it and I can't wait to get one for myself! '-D LOVE the Dragonfly!! LOL

I perused a few of the shops on my own after my friend left to go back to the Philadelphia area. I lingered as long as possible, enjoying the cool air and the warmth of being in an area of which many past fond memories were created... always wanted to live there, one never knows what the future holds! '-) But I hope it doesn't take me 20 years to get back there again! LOL

Conclusion(s): The Fraiche soap: Bare Naked. Very nice soap, no grittiness, nice scent... great on my dry skin. If the cost of it doesn't kill you, try it! Actually, the best way to try it is to buy the "Trilogy". Then you get (3) 1/2 bars and you pay roughly $6.25/bar. Each bar lasts approx. 5 days on the average person. :-)

Note: I also found the Fraiche soap at The Gallery at Morada Bay in Islamorada.

Visit: Strawberry Jam, Stonewall Kitchen, Fraiche, Footbridge, and Heart of the Home

Show & Tell...

When one talks about their art or expertise and uses names of techniques (like glass casting, glass powders, hot mosaics, etc.), others have no clue as to what we're talking about! So, today I'll tell you about "Frit"... and glass powders. What is Frit? Frit is/are little pieces of glass. There are (3) different types available: Powder/Fine, Medium, & Course. I've used medium & course Frit in my jewelry, some sprinkled here or there, but I've hardly used powders. Here's an example (upper right) of the kinds of "frit" available.

One of the classes I took at the Glass Expo explored the use of glass powders (or fine frit) on different bases: black glass, white glass, clear glass -- this can be an extensive process, as there are different types of glass Frit available in the (3) sizes of Frit, and there are a variety of colors available as well! Once the design is created on the base glass, then it needs to be fired in the kiln. So, just for starters... here are 6 samples I created that explore the use of powders & frit, as well as certain papers, and faux techniques. Completing these samples allows me to see how certain colors show up (or not) on various bases, how the colored powder is layered (how much should be applied), what effects I can create, what happens when I mix various colors together. Notes are also kept with each of these. On to more testing...

Visit: Starry Night Creations

New Creative Directions...

Just came back from the Glass Craft & Bead Expo out in Las Vegas!! What a wonderfully creative trip it was!! So much information to digest between the classes and the exhibits. I took a few classes in hot mosaics as well as exploring glass powders and its use in glass fusing. I also learned more about glass casting and it's application to the ideas I have floating around in my head!!

There's certainly some experimenting of all to be done '-D ... but above is something I created entirely out of glass which combines the craft of mosaic and the art of fused glass, in addition to a textural highlight or two! This is entitled "Lighthouse Shore". It's certainly more beneficial to view this in person, especially the "water" that the sailboat is sailing on. I had a lot of fun designing & creating this... but it was certainly quite a bit of work at the same time... my fingers can attest to that! LOL

The artist who taught the above project (Christine Stewart) was actually a fused glass dichroic jewelry creator also, then she moved into glass mosaics. I'd LOVE to show you her beautiful work but unfortunately she doesn't have a website. But she HAS authored 5 books relating to the subject!! I hope to create things myself in such a powerful yet subtle way that allows the Universe to introduce many more exciting possibilities!

Stay tuned for more *new* creations...

Visit: Starry Night Creations

Think & Live GREEN...

It's really great to see so many people turning to use more Green living in their lives! Today I visited the FL Keys GLEE Expo in Marathon! GLEE = Green Living and Energy Education What a wonderful day it was too! Windy, but mostly sunny... definitely a day for my SPF 50 Baby Blanket lotion (but sometimes I feel like I only have SPF 30 on with THIS sun)! Incidentally, according to Safe Cosmetics.org this is one of the BEST suntan lotions you can use that doesn't have harmful ingredients... for baby AND you! :-D I'm really careful about what I put on my skin... oh! I was talking about GREEN Living!! LOL

There were so many exhibitors with great ways to save energy in our homes and all around us, free workshops with all kinds of great tips (eating & living well, recycling, creating a healthy home/office, solar energy in living, etc.), the food court featured organic food and I especially loved the farmer's market with all kinds of delicious organic fruits and vegetables (some home grown or community garden grown)! I LOVE organic pink grapefruit... and made several of them mine! LOL Then there were also a few artists with recycled art, and... oh! I LOVED the electric scooters! I could see myself riding around on one of those! Or how about the little truck with 3 wheels! :-D One wheel in front and two in the back, in bright colors... how cute! LOL I've always loved electric vehicles. I also contributed to the local Upper Keys Girl Scouts by buying a recycled bracelet! '-)

It was a fun day... definitely worth doing if you're into Living Green (whether you live in the Keys or anywhere else) and eating & using organic products; happens once a year. It's by far the most healthiest way to go.

Visit: FL Keys GLEE

Get Happier!!

Are you wondering HOW you can become happier?? Have you tried just about everything?? Well, this website offers online (and iPhone) exercises and tools to increase your Happiness, encouraging various exercises to focus on the positive, and track your progress, plus a Blog to learn more about other ways to increase happiness. Sure, you have to log in and use a password to get in, but the site is yours to peruse and keep track of your overall Happiness in Life!

Let's face it... being positive brings a lot more GOOD into our lives than being negative! Get Happier!!

Check it Out: Get Happier.com

Changing the Routine...

We all get into RUTS in our lives... driving the same route every day to work/school, dealing with the same job day in and day out, having the same routine when waking up/going to sleep. Sometimes it's nice to just CHANGE that routine... do something different. Imagine what we could learn if we changed our schedule just a little bit!


Recently I decided to take the advice of a daily newsletter I receive from "First 30 Days - Everyday Change"... and break up my routine! I decided to change my morning routine a little. After having breakfast & cleaning up, I take a walk down to the Oceanside park, several blocks from my home, rather than going to my computer and checking my mail & etc..


Instead of putting the tea in a favorite mug, it goes into the travel mug. The walk (instead of bicycling) can be quite nice and quiet, in & out of the warm sun, breeze or wind blowing, birds chattering... It's amazing what *new* sounds can be heard. My favorite place is to sit on a large jetty with picnic tables, and just LISTEN... listen to the water rolling up against the rocks... it sounds so soothing; just like those CDs we listen to for relaxation! Everything is calm & quiet or if the wind is kicking, white caps on the waves! I enjoy sitting here for a short while taking in all the new sites and sounds around me... and enjoy my morning tea! '-D


Changing my schedule doesn't seem like such a bad idea after all! New sounds, new ways to relax/meditate, possibly new people to meet... Change can be a very positive experience! EMBRACE IT!! :-D



Visit: First 30 Days

Organic Liquid Hand Soap...

Have you been seeking an organic liquid hand soap to use at your kitchen or bathroom sink(s)? Well, search no more... I've been using Terressential's Real Soap for Hands for several years now. Made with organic tea tree oil, organic essential oils, organic extracts, and other organic ingredients it comes in nice scents such as Chillin' Mint, Zingin' Citrus, Lovin' Lavender, and Jammin' Spice.

Terressential's products are hand made in Maryland. They're very particular about their products being as organic as possible, so much to the point that they refuse any shop that's not strictly health food or organic-related to sell their products. They also give you a list of the ingredients in each bottle -- what they DO put in and what they DON'T put in!

Nonetheless, they're products are authentic and great! They ARE worth it!

Check it out: Terressentials

Creamy Chocolate...

Guess it wouldn't be Valentine's Day if I didn't mention something about Chocolate! Of course, everybody has their own favorite... mine are Swiss and Belgian chocolates (far less sugar and more cacao than U.S. chocolate). But here in the U.S., I enjoy Dove Simply Smooth Dark Chocolate on a regular basis. Somewhere along the way, somebody said that dark chocolate is good for the heart. This particular variety of Dove dark chocolate has "cocoa flavanols" in it which makes it good for the arteries and the heart! I eat several small pieces daily, Dove Promises are a good way to keep this in control, lest I gain weight!

Dove Chocolate was created by a Greek-American gentleman named Leo Stefanos in the late 1930's with a candy shop in Chicago. In the 1950's, after his son went racing down the street after an ice cream truck, DoveBars were born. He created the bars out of blocks of vanilla ice cream dipped in chocolate, and for safety of his children. In the late 1970's, over 1 million DoveBars were sold by street vendors! What a hit!! Of course, we all know that the DoveBar is probably the most delectable ice cream bar on the planet! LOL

Other good organic chocolate I've tried are the Art Bars, made by Ithaca (NY) Fine Chocolates... fair trade certified Swiss chocolate bars that include a collectible card of art inside the wrapper!

All this chocolate reminds me of the computer game, Chocolatier. If you LOVE Chocolate and love buying chocolate, you'll probably enjoy this game! Have fun! ...and feel free to share your favorite Chocolate!

Visit: Dove Chocolate, Art Bars

Lots of Kisses...

Kiss My Face... have you heard of this line of beauty products? I first learned of this line while staying at a B&B on Big Pine Key, in the FL Keys. The toiletries given in the room were Kiss My Face shampoo & soap. It's rather rare that I find a shampoo in a travel destination that I like and will use again. But I found myself seeking out this natural & organic company, and buying the Whenever Green Tea & Lime Shampoo, twice now!! It has a wonderful lime scent, includes essential oils and organic herbs... PLUS it has no SLS! It can be used everyday!

I've also tried the Lip Balm, I think it was peach, nice fruity flavor w/SPF of 15. They have other tropical flavors including Coconut Pineapple, Ginger Mango, and more! The SPF 30 Sunscreen and After Sun Aloe Soother I found to be great suncare products. I've tried a lot of natural sunscreen products, but liked this product the most. Some natural products have too much TD (titanium dioxide) and it leaves your skin white while sunning, how attractive right? This product is very moisturizing, water resistant, and paraben free! Maybe they'll come out with an SPF 50 one of these days!

There's lots more products to try with Kiss My Face, oh! I don't want to forget about the "Kisses on Trial" Gift Collection you can purchase to try out their most popular products in trial sizes... that's my next stop! And right now... the website has 15% off storewide!
Go there: Kiss My Face

Essential Oils for Your Laundry...

I just cleaned off my computer completely a few days ago and it freed up some things, so maybe my access to this Blog won't be a problem now. If so, I'll create another blog elsewhere!

Tried something *new* this past week... Mrs. Meyer*s Clean Day Dryer Sheets. I've tried Shaklee's dryer sheets and they're nice, if you don't mind no scent. But, I decided to give Mrs. Meyer*s sheets a try as I do like a scent... it includes the essential oil scents: geranium (helps to balance the mind and emotions), rose, and clove. I like these sheets...for the scent before I use them in the dryer. They also seem to scent up the whole cabinet as well! They soften the clothes in the dryer too, but the clothes don't have a strong scent of the dryer sheets; it's very very light.

The box says they're scented + for static cling... they do work both ways, but if you're looking for that really FRESH scent in your dried clothes, you may not find it with these. You can find all these and more at: Mrs. Meyer*s Clean Day Aromatherapeutic Household Cleaners.

Daily Om...

This is a rather interesting site that encourages nuturing of the mind, body, & spirit. I have found this Daily Om (mantra) to be rather uplifting in times when I've needed more strength, maybe for a particular day or transitions over time. I've also found that it manages to hit very close to home with whatever I may be experiencing at the moment.

Something I learned from a recent Daily Om has to do with "Opening our Hearts"...

To open our hearts to another person’s suffering is a revolutionary act that has energetic implications. Many experiments with meditation have proven that we can reach far beyond the boundaries of ourselves and heal others when our hearts are open.

After reading your Daily Om, other interesting things to check out are the Online courses available for a reasonable cost.

Visit: Daily Om…

Some new things coming..

I feel like this is the year for trying *new* things!! My 2009 Resolutions' List includes Yoga, Meditation, and Kayaking. I had Kayaking on my list last year, but now that I have a creek in back of where I now live, I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl! :-D The idea of trying a kayak overnight in the Everglades has spurred some interest as well!

I'll be trying some new products this year, and I look forward to sharing them with you!

Stay tuned for an update...

Other Memorable Body Products...

A very nice bar for very dry skin is the Calendula and the Cocoa Butter soaps from La Marguerite Farm. Missy sells her soap products on "Etsy", which hosts a variety of artists in every medium! It's a great place to explore if you LOVE buying anything handmade! You just need to create a User ID & Password to gain access. But if you're not logged in, you'll miss out on her products (as well as a host of others)! It's a real TREAT to explore Etsy and all the wonderful products & artists in there. I've purchased a variety of things from within and never had a problem. '-)

Jennifer of Alchemille's Garden has also evolved into a Master Herbalist with her exquisite selection of artisan & healing handblended teas, skin/body products, incense & candles, and readings & healings. She hails from France and has been studying Herbalism for 15 years. In her own words: MY PRODUCTS ARE INSPIRED AND INFLUENCED BY TRADITIONAL FOLK MEDICINE AS WELL AS THE WISE WOMAN TRADITION WHICH FOCUSES ON NOURISHMENT, HEALING AND INTERCONNECTEDNESS WITH NATURE & THE SPIRITUAL REALMS.

Her website gives a description of all her products with ingredients, however, if you'd like to order anything... you'll need to become a member of Etsy. There's a link to her Etsy shop on her website. I am a devoted fan of her teas. I did sell a variety of her teas in the boutique, most notable were the "Teeny Bits" Samplers.

Links to the above & most mentioned sites & products in this blog can be found on the right side of this blog.

Wonderful Body Products...

I can't say enough about the soap that Jackie makes. I even have customers who haven't bought her bars in a while (for one reason or another) come back and tell me they really LOVE her soap! It's made with all natural ingredients and lasts far longer than many handmade soaps! And what's "far longer"?? At least 2 weeks... :-) And I can tell you that I've tried a lot of handmade soaps that only lasted 4-6 days. Her scents are always fresh whether clean or fruity or warm out of the oven or made with essential oils! She also makes the best (that I've tried) lip balm and bath salts, and offers a variety of other bath products!

Some of my favorite scents include: Cranberry Kumquat, Sweet Pea, Green Tea & Summer Cuke, Sea Salt & Dead Sea Mud, Oatmeal Milk & Honey, Coconut Orange, Anise...


Try her soap & body products for yourself! Visit her website and place your own order... you'll get it lickety split via Priority Mail! Handmade by Jackie Turbot

Chock full O....?

The name of this blog began with the coffee, Chock Full O Nuts. If you're from the NY/NJ area, you've heard of this brand of first nuts, then coffee. Just a little bit of history... William Black started Chock Full O Nuts in 1926 in NYC; by 1932 all nut shops were converted to coffee shops, selling a good cup of coffee and a sandwich for a nickle! That man who lives under the bridge here could be SET for life with that kind of deal! LOL I grew up with the coffee cans holding not only coffee, but nails/small hardware, and other small objects!

And the Coffee is still going strong 75 years after it's birth... now offering a *new* selection made with Organic coffee beans!

Something New to Share...

There's lots of knowledge I acquired in my years of creating as well as owning a boutique full of handmade products. Even now, after closing the boutique (which running it was a rather awesome experience), there are still and always will be *new* products to try, suggest, and share with others.

This Blog has developed over a desire to share my acquired wisdom with you if you're looking for something new to try on your body or delightful teas to tickle your palate or maybe even a place to learn more about things you always wondered about (surprise!). And maybe it's a place to gather old friends, and make new ones with the variety of topics available! '-)

Feel free to post *clean* comments... '-) ... and WELCOME!