a slice of old Florida

I have always been intrigued by old Florida. I'm a Floridian (born and raised) and I love the magic that Florida holds for non-Floridians. The promise of endless sunshine, gorgeous beaches, the happiest place on Earth (Disney World, of course!).

But, there is a forgotten piece of old Florida that out ranks all of this for me.  Just north of Tampa on US 19 sits a relic of Florida that is still standing tall. Weeki Wachee Springs is slice of nostalgia that has been preserved for future generations. Hailed as the world's only city of live mermaids, it beckons tourists away from the all mighty mouse. It promises them a wonderful, if not gimmicky, show full of magic and sights beyond belief. Since 1946 tourists have been coming to Weeki Wachee to marvel at the beautiful mermaids that seem to effortlessly dance without the need for air in the crystal clear spring. A spectacle and a must see for sure!

The draw of old Florida and the magic of such a place is what drew me into my current read, Swim to Me. The book tells the story of a 16-year-old girl who leaves her home in the Bronx for the sunny promise of Florida. After her father walks out on her family, she feels as though she must get out and make a better life for herself. Weeki Wachee seems like the perfect place to do just that after visiting the park on a family vacation the year before. She auditions at Weeki Wachee and gets the job. Now, how will she deal with her new found stardom and what will happen when her family suddenly reunites in a most feared twist of fate? This book is not the most substantial book but it is a good read none the less. I would recommend this for a long drive or a day at the beach. It left me with dreams of old Florida and I am now planning a trip to Weeki Wachee as soon as possible!

books and what not

I have recently been devouring books. This isn't really out of the ordinary. I read about 6 books last summer. What can I say, I've always loved reading. Hence, my career choice of an elementary school teacher.

I finished two books last week.

One: The Elegance of the Hedgehog.  It was a good book, although I'm still unsure as to whether I liked it or not. I spent the first few chapters very confused and feeling like I had no idea what was going on. The story is actually two stories that intertwine. One is of a twelve-year-old, upper class, Parisian girl living in a very nice apartment building. She is searching for beauty and purpose in her life and has set her mind on committing suicide. The other story is of the concierge of the apartment building. She is secretly a very worldly person. She hides her intelligence and worldly hobbies from the tenants because she thinks she needs to keep with the idea that concierges are simply there to serve the tenants and should not be knowledgeable about upper class topics. These two characters eventually meet and become fast friends. They each find what they are looking for in life, but in a most peculiar way.  

Two: Wench. I was so into this book I finished it in two days! I found out about it from O Magazine. Wench is the story of four woman slaves who only see each other during the summer when their masters take them on vacation in the North, free country. The book delves into the relationships the women have with their masters, most are forced to have their master's children. It also explores the relationship the slaves have with each other and what they are willing to do for each other and their children. The book provides great insight into why a slave would not run while in the free territory of the northern United States. The most interesting part is the way the masters interact with and think of the children they have with their slave mistresses. A great, and interesting read, I highly recommend it.  

Check out the sidebar to see what I am currently reading: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. 

In other exciting news.....I GOT A JOB!!!! I am the administrative assistant at a local home health agency. It's not a teaching position which would be ideal considering I do have a degree in elementary education. But, it's a job and it will get me out of my house and stop me from going absolutely bonkers! I start tomorrow and am very excited for someone who will be leaving behind her life of leisure and the ability to sleep until noon. 

Susie Homemaker....not so much

I have recently discovered a love of cooking. I have not, in my previous years, been a big fan of cooking or any other domestic chore for that matter. You see, I was not raised in a cooking household. When I was younger my mom was an "out-of-the-box" cooker. By this I mean that if it did not come out of a box we did not eat it. We ate a lot of Hamburger Helper and Stouffer's frozen dinners. Don't get me wrong, I think all that food is great and am astounded by what can actually come out of a pre-made dinner box. It truly amazes me. But, because of this I never really learned to cook. For example, I just learned to make Quaker grits about two years ago! And I still don't know how to make scrambled eggs for that matter.

I owe my newly kindled interest in cooking to The Food Network. I love watching The Food Network and get very inspired by the meals they create. I always think, if they can make it, so can I! How hard could it be? Right? I have had some flops, I won't mention the empanadas I attempted [i knew something was wrong when the recipe wanted me to use curry powder]. But I've also had some great successes.

Recently I have come across a wonderful cookbook. I am an avid reader of Confessions of a Pioneer Woman, it is a wonderful blog about a Los Angeles city girl who married a country guy and now lives on her ranch in Oklahoma with their four children. She is a great writer and a wonderful photographer [all the pictures on her site and blog are hers!]. Anyway, back to the point, Pioneer Woman is a also a great cook and she published her own cookbook [you can check it out here].

I have fallen in love with this cookbook. Not only does it have some very yummy looking recipes but also, it has illustrated steps in all the recipes. Yeppers, each step in every recipe comes with a beautiful photograph so that you can see what everything is supposed to look like. This is probably the best idea ever! For those of us that are not natural born chefs, we need a little reassurance that what we are doing is right and a picture is a great way to supply this much needed confidence. Also in the cookbook are amazing photographs of her ranch, all the animals on it, and her children [or her punks as she calls them]. She also includes cute little stories between sections, most of which are previous blog posts. I plan on adding this wonderful book to my Christmas wish list [which is now rather extensive].