*The name has been changed to not identify the guilty!!

One afternoon a few years ago, I came home from work to discover that a few of my plants on the steps and front porch were tipped over, so I righted them, put the potting soil back in and went to get the dogs. We head back outside for a potty break with Kiwi on a leash and Ginger running free. When we get to the spot where the plants were knocked over, Kiwi goes crazy with the some lovely-to-dogs smell. She really wanted to just stay and sniff there for awhile. But necessities await. We are near the flag pole/planting bed you see in the photo when, I hear the unmistakable sound of cracking underbrush. From the sound of it, it was something large in the tree line ahead of us. I realize that we are not alone and pick up Ginger who has yet to go potty and wait to see if it moves on or stays put. I am watching the tree line as a bear moves out into view and just stares at us. (Gulp.) I know I’m not supposed to turn and run and I really don’t want to ’cause Ginger still needs to go potty, so I just take a few steps backwards. The bear, seeing me move, decides to turn and run away from us. (Whew.) Unfortunately, it runs into the road just at the end of the driveway as a car was just going by. We get maybe four cars on our dirt road every day, so the odds that a car would be driving by at that EXACT moment, confounds me! The car misses the bear, but spooks him enough so that he turns back around and start running towards us!! My sensible back-up, baby steps plan turns into a full fledged turn and run maneuver. The bear is headed towards us. The car that spooked the bear sees what is happening and backs up and watches (My hope is that they wanted to lend a hand if I got into trouble!). I make it to the front porch and see that at bear has turned off and is now running parallel to the road/stream, across our front yard and back into the woods. But he is going slow, so we all got a good show of it and I got to snap off some quick photos.

Now the old “terrified-of-bears” me would have turned tail and gotten back into the house as soon as she had heard the cracking in the woods. Or she would have figured out that those plants were probably knocked over by a bear and not ventured out at all for the rest of the day. But, no… this is the new “embracing-all-parts-of-country-living” me and she knows that bears are all around us and has decided that she is not all that scared of ’em anymore. Respectful, but not scared!

I am a fourth generation Floridian who’s family’s past revolves on or around the sea. My father, along with his father ran a fishing charter boat from Hillsboro Inlet. My great grandfather was the longest head lighthouse keeper stationed at the Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse. My great uncle was also a rum runner out of the Hillsboro Inlet during the Prohibition, but that’s a whole other story! I have been on many deep sea adventures with my dad in the waters off of Florida, New Jersey and the Bahamas. I’ve caught tons of fish over the years, but the biggest was a 95 pound yellow-fin tuna I landed outside of Walker’s Cay in the Bahamas. My dad also had a fabulous green thumb and besides growing fruits and vegetables for the family, he cultivated a number of lovely orchids in his backyard orchid house. He also grew the biggest avocados that I’ve ever seen! The secret to his growing success was the fish guts he used for fertilizer! I try mightily to be half the gardener he was, but I’m still mastering the art of organic pest control.

Thanks goes to the strong, Southern women who raised me because not only did they teach me the fine art of biscuit making, but how to have a hostess’ heart. My mother, grandmother and aunts showed me how to welcome company into my home, how to make folks at ease and simply to enjoy their company. Many of my fondest memories happened on my Great Aunt Ada’s porch, sitting in a swing or rocking chair, sweet tea with a splash of her homemade key limeade in hand, catching up with family and friends, telling good stories, singing gospel hymns and just watching the world go by. I surly do miss those days.

I know that it’s so cliche to say this, but I’ve been lucky to be married to the man who has been my best friend for more years than I care to count. We’ve worked hard through the years to make sure that the good outweighs the bad and we sure have made some fabulous memories along the way. Charles has taken this summer lovin’ southern girl from native palm trees, beach sand and tourists to the northern Pennsylvania “wilds” with bears, spotty cell service and snow! Lots and lots of snow… Besides traveling around the globe, sampling all kinds of foods, assisting family in their later years of life and blah blah blah, we also helped to raise thirteen children (and counting!) Yep. You read that right. Thirteen kids! Our biggest calling in our life together has been to serve our community by being foster parents. We are currently licenced in our county and we eagerly wait for “the call” to meet the next child we will welcome into our home. The last two sweeties who came to stay never left and we were thrilled to be able to adopt them. Our home is also full of furry “children”. Currently we have one senior Chihuahua/Rat Terrier mix and two cats. We adore having animals in our home and the number fluctuates from year to year. Our house is usually bustling with kids’ activities, crafting projects, visiting friends or a favorite movie playing on TV. If I get to pick the movie it’s usually an old musical, if they pick, it’s Sharknado!

What brings me to share some of my interests with y’all? Well, I have done a lot of different things through my years around this ‘ole Earth. I love learning new things and sharing with others. I’ve held many different kinds of jobs. I started out working at a Christmas store at the age of fifteen and now at fifty…er…something, I’m known as “Misses Jen” to a hoard of kiddos in the crazy-fun toddler room of a local preschool. In between I’ve worked as a nanny, a picture framer, a travel agent, a scrapbooking maven, a personal chef, a department store gift wrapper, a sign language interpreter, a bowling alley attendant, a candy counter girl, an on-air scrapbooking product spokesperson for a large television shopping channel, at a fast food Chinese joint, and an actual lunch lady! Whew! One might say that I’m a jack of all trades… I feel most comfortable cooking in a kitchen and especially enjoy cooking for large groups. I love the sound of distant train whistles, a large sweet tea with lemonade, political humor and reality TV. I have a pathological fear of bears, though I’ve learned to live with them traipsing all around my yard! I have acted on stage and love the moment backstage just before an entrance. I adore movie musicals and have too many favorites to count. I’ve been lucky to lead a jam-packed life and thanks to my dad, have an affection for storytelling. So grab a glass of iced tea, kick off your shoes, head the to front porch with me and let’s have some fun together.