Halloweekend

Doug and I had never really done anything special for Halloweekend.  We always enjoyed listening to all of the fun that the Heinisch children had that weekend, but didn't have much of an interest in finding something special to do ourselves.  That changed this year when I saw all of the events that were scheduled here in Ocala.  I didn't know if Doug or Phil would be interested in any of them, but decided to suggest a few just to see.  I was glad to hear that they each had one in mind that they wanted to try.

This afternoon we picked Phil up close to 4 p.m. for Hocus Pawcus at the World Equestrian Center.  It was the first time that the WEC had hosted a dog costume contest and from what we could tell, it was a big hit.  As Phil was the one who wanted to try it, I thought that maybe I could talk him into bringing Molly.  He had absolutely no interest as he was afraid of how she would handle all of the other dogs.  Phil also didn't think that she would enjoy wearing a costume.  Even though Molly wasn't there, Phil and I still had a lot of fun looking at all of the dogs (and sometimes owners) dressed for the occasion.  There were so many good ones.  We all agreed that the best was the "Day of the Dead," but my favorite was the Woopie Cushion, Cal's yearly costume for as long as I could remember.

Doug wasn't as thrilled about the dog costume contest as Phil or I were, but he was very excited about the next event - a Halloween party at Infinite Ale.  They had Halloween themed beers, live music and their own costume contest.  I had so much fun sitting at our outside table watching "Gilligan, Mary Ann, Slash, Captain Hook, Tinker Bell and Beetlejuice walk in while the guys sampled the beers.  

We weren't the only ones in the Heinisch family celebrating Halloweekend this year.  Cal sent me a picture of he and Maggie on their way to a party.  They made a very cute Shaggy and Velma.  Meg and Nick were also dressed for the occasion.  Yzma and Kronk were the perfect pair for Carson's Halloween party.  I loved everyone's pictures and sent out our own from the WEC.  Until recently, I had never really thought about celebrating Halloweekend before, but in the end I was very glad that we did.   

Beer Making

When Phil moved to Ocala, Doug got to try several of his homemade beers.  Doug was very impressed with them and began to ask him about the process.  Phil talked about the kits, fermentation, the bottling process and carbonation.  It was very interesting to listen to and Doug started talking about trying it himself.  

Once Phil heard that Doug was thinking about trying it, he bought him a beer making kit and tonight they put it into action.  I had fun watching them work while hanging out in our backyard.  While they were serious about the process and intent on making a good batch of beer, I watched Mollie enjoy the walking path from the lanai to the back patio that Doug had made for me.  I also got to watch my new solar butterfly light up as the blue skies turned to night.  I was happy that the guys were enjoying their beer making evening.  They knew that if they timed it right, the beer would be ready when the boys arrived for Thanksgiving.  All three of them were interested in trying it and Cal already had a name for their brewing company- "Steinisch!"  

Landscaping Part 1

 When we first moved here, we didn't really think much about the landscaping around the house.  It was alright, just nothing special.  The longer we lived here, the more I realized that I just didn't like it.  The pine needles that were used for mulch were ok to look at, but were a bug's paradise.  I also noticed that the bushes on the side of the house were overgrown while several in the back were dying.  Doug and I decided that the best course of action was to take everything out this summer except for the palm tree and Crepe Myrtle.  Just getting rid of all of that helped, but we knew that we needed to do more.

We didn't have to do a lot of research to decide what we wanted.  We just looked around our neighborhood at other homes' landscaping.  There were some that were like ours that we just ripped out.  There were others that had bushes and plants with mulch that were well maintained.  Our favorite homes, however, had rock instead of mulch and very few plants in the ground.  Instead they put potted plants in their rock and fun lawn ornaments such as ceramic gnomes and mushrooms.  

Once we decided that we wanted to use rock in the landscaping around our home, the next decision was whether we would put it in ourselves or hire a landscaper.  Before I started researching online, Doug thought that we should ask our next door neighbors.  They had the color rock that we wanted and their landscaping looked very nice.  He told Doug the name of the company which Doug called in September to get a quote for putting in the rock both ways.  

We met with the landscaper and walked through our yard several weeks ago.  After talking with him we realized that it was a no brainer.  They could do so much more than we could on our own for not much more cost.  They agreed to start the process this week letting the painter finish first before they did their work.  The process started today as they put down the black weed guard, installed the black metal edging in the backyard and filled in the rock around the palm tree, side and back.  Even though we would have to wait for the cement curbing around the front window, it already looked so much better.  I was extremely happy that we decided to hire a profession.  

Insurance Woes

I spent two weeks in August searching for the best auto insurance rates that I could find in Florida.  Before we moved, I did not realize how expensive all types of insurance were in the Sunshine State.  I hated paying triple what we did in Indiana, but knowing that Doug would not have to pay state income tax anymore helped.  At the time I was excited that I found a price that we could live with that covered both vehicles plus Cameron, Doug and I.  Imagine my surprise when I opened up our Auto Owner's bill this week and it was $2700 more a year than they had originally quoted me.  

I printed off everything from our insurance agent and the new bill.  I gave all of the paperwork to Doug as he said that he would help if there were any issues.  This was last Friday.  We found out yesterday that there had been an error and the quote that we had received didn't include Cameron.  Even though we had signed the policy with a specific price on it and were told that Cameron was covered, Auto Owners changed it and our agent never informed us.  Had I not looked carefully, we would have been paying an extra $200 a month for car insurance.

Today, I spent a good portion of the afternoon on the phone with State Farm.  I had originally contacted them for a quote in August.  The price was competitive with the bogus one from Auto Owners.  We didn't pick them, however, as State Farm had more hoops to jump through - Cameron had to take an online class and we would have to install a drive safe beacon in our vehicles.  It seemed like a hassle at the time, but now knowing that we would save almost $3000, we all agreed that it was worth it.  I signed the paperwork today, Cameron download the steer clear app to get started, and Doug cancelled our Auto Owner's policy.  Hopefully, it will be quite some time before we have to worry about switching car insurances again.

  

Siblings Get Together

My mom sent me a picture this week of her with her siblings.  She and Jan had invited Vicky to go out to lunch with them.  Once Parce found out that it was on his day off, he and Gena made plans to join them as well.  They chose Albion as the halfway point for the four of them and as an added bonus, they ate at my cousin Ann's new restaurant.  

My mom called afterward and said that she really enjoyed catching up with everyone.  Parce absolutely shocked everyone when he told them that they had sold their home in Fort Wayne and bought one in Greensburg.  It made sense as it would be closer to Gena's daughter and granddaughter.  It was just surprising as no one even knew that they were looking to move.  I guess that just means that they will have to have another get together again before they leave.  

Lizard Catcher

One thing that I haven't gotten used to about living in Florida is the lizards.  They are everywhere.  When I walk out of front door, there is always at least one scurrying to the palm tree or walking along the sidewalk.  They make me jump, but do not scare me like the chipmunks did in Indiana.  

While living here, I have come to realize that the lizards aren't just going to be outside nuisances.  I definitely have found several inside our home in the past few months, especially on the lanai and back patio door.  We have gotten pretty good at shooing them back outside.  The consequence if we don't is finding them dead later since they cannot live without water.

After trapping one in the coat closet recently with a dust pan, broom and Meg's old butterfly net, I decided that I needed to buy something that was a little more heavy duty.  I looked at Walmart on my next shopping trip and found the perfect solution - a tadpole net.  I've already tried it out and it works perfectly.  I do not know if I will ever get used to the small reptiles, but at least the lizard catching solution is solved. 

A Full Weekend in Florida

Even though we didn't travel to the Midwest, we did have a full weekend in Florida.  On Friday night Doug and I we went to "Oddities Market" in downtown Ocala.  It was filled with a lot of Halloween merchandise including jewelry, clothing and candles.  There was definitely some "odd" booths and interesting people at the market, but overall we enjoyed it.  I found a pair of candy corn earrings that Doug bought for me.  They matched my Jack O' Lantern shirt perfectly.  After the market, we had dinner at the Bank Street Patio Bar, which was very nice.

                                                 

Saturday was one of finishing projects around the house.  We had to transplant all of the landscaping that we wanted to keep, including the pineapples, aloe and succulents.  With a newly painted lanai, we decided that the fan in the Florida room need updated as well.  Thankfully, we had leftover gray exterior paint which covered the blades very well.  Doug also mowed and flagged the sprinklers so that the landscapers knew where they were.

                                                       

Sunday took us to the Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville.  I saw online that they were having a plant sale with free admission for all.  We arrived right after mass and were surprised by how packed it already was.  We walked through the flower vendors' tents, toured the gardens and ended our time at Kanapaha by buying a lemon tree.  I had always wanted one.  Doug absolutely loved the gardens and planned to go again soon.

While we were in Gainesville, we checked out Swamp Head Brewery.  It was off the beaten track, but once we found it, we absolutely loved it.  Doug tried several beers and I soaked up the atmosphere.  Lunch was at Relic, our favorite burger place in Gainesville.  The last stop of the day was The Tom Petty Festival.  It was a little underwhelming and the bands were not even playing Tom Petty music.  I was glad that we tried it, however.  He's definitely my favorite singer and I love living so close to his hometown.