Our Town - May 2020 Special Edition

SPECIAL EDITION: We’ve compiled a sampling of some of our most favorite stories, profiles and features from the last 10 years of Our Town to share with you. Please enjoy and stay safe — we’ll see you again soon!

BACKYARD GARDENS MARGARET ROSS TOLBERT MEDITATION STUDY TIPS

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MAY 2020 | VOL. 11 ISSUE 03

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CONTENTS

G A I N E S V I L L E | V O L . 1 1 | N O. 0 3

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IN THIS ISSUE >> ENJOY SOME OF OUR FAVORITE UPLIFTING STORIES FROM PAST ISSUES. THESE ARE

UNPRECEDENTED TIMES AND WE HOPE THIS ‘LOOK BACK’ WILL INSPIRE YOU TO HOLD ON FOR BRIGHTER DAYS AHEAD. STAY SAFE, OUR TOWNIES! WE WILL GET THROUGH THIS TOGETHER BY STAYING APART FOR NOW...

COV ER P H OTO G R A P H Y BY ER I C K A W I N T ER R OW D

FEATURE STORIES 42 DIY CACTUS ROCK GARDEN

106 VISION BOARDING

62 LAUREN DEFILIPPO

116 THE POWER OF POSITIVE THINKING

Create your own natural, no-maintenance cacti environment without fear of being stuck by thorns.

A professional documentary filmmaker, and UF grad, continues to push the boundaries of her craft as she captures the unique stories of those she meets.

What goals and dreams do you have in store this year? You’ve got to see it to believe it!

Explore the connections of body and mind while learning about the power of the placebo.

May 2020

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CONTENTS

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MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION Sit still, focus on breath, and reflect.

The ancient practice of meditation has now gone mainstream.

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TAP WATER JOURNEY Follow the fascinating path our water takes to get from the ground into our drinking glass.

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30 N AKED SALSA

by Crystal Henry

46 H EALTHY EDGE

by Kendra Siler-Marsiglio

STUDY TIPS Figure out your specific learning style while picking up some tips on what might work best for you.

98 F ARM TALES

by Mother Hen

110 E MBRACING LIFE

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by Donna Bonnell

RECIPE WONDERS Looking for a meal to satiate a healthy appetite? Try some Easy Stir-Fry Chicken!

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PAINTING THE SPRINGS Artist Margaret Tolbert has been capturing the beauty of the Florida’s springs for decades. Her art book “AQUIFERious” includes science as it delves into the artistic, poetic, environmental, historical and geological depths of what makes the springs so vital to Florida.

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WHAT’S THE BUZZ ABOUT? For every one in three bites of food we eat, we can thank the bees. Learn how to do your part to save these fascinating flying insects.

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GROW YOUR OWN & THRIVE Learn about the benefits of home gardening by checking out these helpful tips for green thumb success.

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120 F UREVER FRIENDS Spotlight on Rescue Animals

REVIEWS 118 R EADING CORNER

by Terri Schlichenmeyer

INFORMATION 58 T aste of the Town

in

Our Town

SPECIAL SECTION: Showcase

that lifts up the kind words in customer testimonials for local businesses and organizations.

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COLUMNS

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May 2020

The articles printed in Our Town do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Tower Publications, Inc. or their editorial staff. Our Town Magazine endeavors to accept reliable advertising; however, we can not be held responsible by the public for advertising claims. Our Town Magazine reserves the right to refuse or discontinue any advertisement. All rights reserved. © 2020 Tower Publications, Inc.

2017 • 2018 • 2019

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PUBLISHER Charlie Delatorre ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Hank McAfee

Complete Pregnancy Care from Conception through Delivery

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ericka Winterrowd editor@towerpublications.com CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Mary Wood Bridgman, Crystal Henry, Savanna Kearney, Kristin Kozelsky, Denise Trunk Krigbaum, Steph Strickland, Victoria Vargas, Cynthia Wonders Winterrowd CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS TJ Morrissey, Kristin Kozelsky

Anthony B. Agrios, MD Joseph S. Iobst, MD Jean C. Cook, MD

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ADVERTISING ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Jenni Bennett jenni@towerpublications.com Nancy Short nancy@towerpublications.com INTERNS Dana Bryan, Emily Felts

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS If you would like us to publicize an event in the greater Gainesville area, send information by the 1st day of the month prior to the next issue.

For example, submissions for the March/April issue are due by February 1. All submissions will be reviewed and every effort will be made to run qualified submissions if page space is available.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR We want to hear from you. Send your letters to the attention of the editor at 4400 NW 36th Avenue, Gainesville, FL 32606 or editor@ towerpublications.com. Letters must be signed and include a phone number in the event we need to contact you. (Your phone number will not be published.)

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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BI-MONTHLY BY TOWER PUBLICATIONS, INC. REPRODUCTION BY ANY MEANS OF THE WHOLE OR PART OF OUR TOWN WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM THE PUBLISHER IS PROHIBITED. VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE EDITORIAL PAGES DO NOT IMPLY OUR ENDORSEMENT. WE WELCOME YOUR PRODUCT NEWS. INCLUDE PRICES, PHOTOS AND DIGITAL FILES WITH YOUR PRESS RELEASE. PLEASE FORWARD PRODUCT SAMPLES AND MEDIA KITS TO REVIEWS EDITOR, OUR TOWN MAGAZINE, 4400 NW 36TH AVENUE, GAINESVILLE, FL 32606. WE CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSOLICITED PRODUCT SAMPLES.

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The New Normal In a time of so much uncertainty, it is common to look for a sense of reassurance as well as sources of strength and resilience. I know that is true for me, and I have observed that same sentiment in many people over the past month and a half. When faced with challenges and difficult times, I believe we must always go back to doing what humanity does best: helping each other. This includes our local business owners, advertisers and readers with whom this publication could not exist without.

We know so many lives have been turned upside down, both emotionally and financially, by this pandemic. It can be hard to stay positive and find the silver lining when in the trenches of such unprecedented times. This is when we must hold on to the four Fs: Family, Friends, Facts (not fear!) and our Faith. We must not forget to fuel our bodies, minds and souls either. Offering ourselves a little extra grace as we find our new normal wouldn’t hurt either.

And breathe.

It’s like John Lennon once said, “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”

In this special digital edition for the month of May we bring you some of our favorite uplifting stories from past issues, such as our feature on Mindfulness & Meditation and the Power of Positive Thinking. Enjoy one of our favorite Recipe Wonders, too, offering a healthy meal to satiate a healthy appetite.

Our hope is that these stories might bring you back to happier times and will stand as a reminder that sunnier days always lie ahead.

Lastly, I am so proud of our community and the selfless healthcare professionals, grocery store employees and many other essential workers who have been working tirelessly on the frontlines – making sure our residents are safe and healthy, equipped with everything we may need. You and your actions reflect the very spirit of our beloved town and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Stay safe, Our Townies! We will get through this together by staying apart for now…

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May 2020

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Wherever you are right now, all of us at Tower Publications hope you are safe, healthy and doing as well as possible during this unprecedented time.

It’s been an incredible few weeks.

There’s really little else I can say to describe what it’s been like to close our office and have our entire staff work from home. Like many of you, we’ve managed to stay together, help our clients, stay supportive of one another and wait… for something to change.

So even though life has changed these last few weeks – it goes on. And now, more than ever, we need each other.

As a small, family-owned business, we rely on the support of our advertisers to develop, execute and deliver our magazines on a monthly basis. And for more than 20 years, the success of our business has been linked to theirs. In the coming weeks many of the restrictions that we’ve been living with will slowly ease and some level of normalcy will return. As it does, I hope we can find a way, safely, to support the small businesses that are so important to our local economy.

We love to tell stories about the incredible people, places and happenings that make our community special, and rest assured that this crazy and weird time we’re living in will soon pass. And, when it does, Our Town will continue to do just that, to share the rough draft of our past and present – together.

Stay safe, Townies!

Charlie Delatorre Publisher, Owner at Tower Publications, Inc.

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CONTRIBUTOR S

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OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

May 2020

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SAVANNA KEARNEY is a University of Florida grad and freelance writer. Her hobbies include reading, writing, taking photographs and petting dogs. savannak@ufl.edu

VICTORIA VARGAS is a journalism student at the University of Florida. She is constantly looking for the perfect pasta dish and loves conspiracy theories. victoriao.vargas@gmail.com

CYNTHIA WONDERS WINTERROWD is an award-winning writer who was raised in Illinois and lives in Gainesville. She is proud to be a “Gator Mom” of three daughters, all UF graduates. Cynthia loves sharing family recipes that have been passed down in her mother’s handwritten cookbooks. recipewonders@gmail.com

CRYSTAL HENRY is a freelance writer and columnist born and raised in West Texas. She received her B.S. in Journalism in 2006 from the University of Florida. She is in love with the Florida landscape. ces03k@gmail.com

MARY WOOD BRIDGMAN is a retired lawyer who grew up in Alachua County. Her work has appeared in national, regional, and local publications. Mary, an active member of the Writers’ Alliance of Gainesville, is an alumna of the University of Florida. marybridgman@msn.com

STEPH STRICKLAND is a journalism student within the UF Honors Program and she loves telling stories through writing, photography and digital media.

Outside of her studies she enjoys mountain hiking, nature photography and spending quality time with friends and family. stephanieannestrickland@gmail.com

KRISTIN KOZELSKY is a classically trained photographer. Since completing her art degree in 2001, she has built a wide body of work and honed in on an interactive approach to working with her clients. kristin@kozelskyphoto.com

DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM is a freelance writer, adjunct professor at UF, wife and a mom. She has lived in Gainesville for eons and has managed to turn over a few stones while here. She has found many hidden gems. More remain to be discovered. dtrunk@ufl.edu

CAMERON COBB is a UF grad with a master’s degree in Mass Communication. She’s also an Air Force veteran. Cameron loves traveling, writing and all animals (her favorite being her rescue dog, Maggie). cameronacobb5@gmail.com

STEPHANIE RICHARDS is a freelance writer and a native of suburban Chicago. She was the Story Editor for The Sturbridge Times Magazine before moving to Newberry from New England.

She loves to exercise, volunteer and spend time with her family. sarichards7@gmail.com

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SPIRITUALITY >> MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION

OM

Mindfulness & Meditation Focusing The Mind And Body For A Better Life S T O R Y A N D P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S AVA N N A K E A R N E Y

I

t’s been shown to reduce stress and increase clarity. It’s practiced by Hollywood celebrities.

It may even improve overall happiness. It’s the practice of meditation.

Although it dates back to ancient times, meditation has recently become popular among people of all religions — or no religion at all. For early Buddhists, the goal of meditation was to reach a state of enlightenment called nirvana. The Hindu religion used meditation as a form of worship. But for many today, the practice of meditation is not associated with any one religion. According to a National Health Statistics report, 8% of U.S. adults and 1.6% of children used meditation as of 2012. That’s almost 9 million people in the U.S. participating in a practice that has only recently become very popular.

But what exactly is meditation and why is it so appealing?

While there are many different types of meditation, it is widely regarded as a practice of deep mind and body concentration.

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Allyson Reinneck, 18, demonstrates a common meditation pose, the Quarter Lotus, on the University of Florida campus by Lake Alice. This is just one of many different postures that can be used for meditation.

May 2020

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SPIRITUALITY >> MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION 22 |

A ccording to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), meditation usually involves the following four elements: a quiet location, comfortable posture (whether that is sitting, lying down or walking), focused attention and an open attitude.

As for why it’s so popular, meditation has been shown to offer a variety of health benefits.

The most obvious is that it can reduce stress and increase calmness. This comes from the relaxed posture and mental focus that goes into meditation. In turn, alternative practices such as meditation and yoga may aid in reducing blood pressure, according to a scientific statement from the American Heart Association. A small study conducted by the NCCIH in 2016 suggested that mindfulness meditation can help to control pain, such as chronic lower back pain.

Another NCCIH study found that a certain type of meditation aided in depression and anxiety, and even improved sleep for insomniacs. It has even helped some people quit smoking.

Meditation doesn’t just benefit the body; it’s good for the brain as well. The results of a 2012 study suggest that people who have meditated for many years have more folds in the outer layer of the brain, which may increase the brain’s ability to process information. Multiple studies from 2013 show that meditation can slow, stop, or even reverse changes in the brain that happen during the aging process.

Although meditation is generally considered a safe practice, people with physical health conditions should be careful and consult their doctor before attempting any physical meditation practices. And it’s important to not replace any conventional care or medicine with meditation; it should be used as a supplemental practice.

Although it may seem like a general practice, there are a wide variety of types of meditation, including Zen, Vipassana, Metta, Vedic, Transcendental and more. A form of meditation practiced in Gainesville is Shambhala meditation. The Gainesville Shambhala sangha, located on 23rd Avenue in a small, white, unassuming building, offers an array of options for beginners and advanced meditators. Open meditation sittings are offered every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Free Shambhala sessions are lead by Dr. Jan Snyder, a clinical psychologist in the private practice of psychotherapy. According to Snyder, the teachings of Shambhala center around the fact that all human beings contain a “basic goodness.”

OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

May 2020

“We have these qualities of being human that are just natural to us. We don’t have to work to get them… they’re just sort of part of us,” Snyder said.

But the purpose of Shambhala meditation is not necessarily to achieve a certain state of mind, in a way that some religions use it.

“The purpose is to tune into this innate basic goodness,” Snyder said.

Although Shambhala meditation was founded on principles of Buddhist teachings, it is open to people of all religions. And it’s not just found in Gainesville; it’s a worldwide network.

“Shambhala’s pretty active in having programs where people from all over the world can participate in classes, so often we’ll be in classes with people from literally all over,” Snyder said.

But Shambhala is just one of a variety of types of meditation offered in the Gainesville Area. The Gainesville Vipassana Society offers a free open sitting meditation sessions in addition to meditation retreats. Visit floridavipassana.org for updates on when they will be resuming their normal schedule. The Gainesville

Retreat Center, located 10 minutes away from the UF campus on more than 100 acres of secluded land, offers weekly meditation retreats. Check gainesvilleretreatcenter.com for a schedule of their Zoom Meditation classes during social distancing orders due to COVID-19. And The Free Community Meditation Group of Gainesville is scheduled to resume their Saturday meditation sessions at Sanctuary Yoga (530 North Main Street) in September (gainesvillemeditation.tumblr.com). Prior to social distancing orders, UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital would offer free meditation and relaxation sessions for beginners, patients, family members and the general public in the Sanctuary and Silence of Peace (Room 2002) every Monday at 4:30 p.m. Stay updated on schedule changes at artsinmedicine.ufhealth.org.

For those who would rather practice yoga on their own or in the comfort of their homes, there are multiple free apps available. Insight Timer offers thousands of free guided meditations, as well as meditation playlists and peaceful bells to indicate time tracking. Breath+ is another free app that offers several free meditation and paid upgrades. MINDBODY Connect

SPIRITUALITY >> MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION

While it is a simple practice, meditation takes a lot of dedication, so having others to hold you accountable can be helpful when getting started.

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SPIRITUALITY >> MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION

gives you access to abundant resources for meditation sessions and connects with your Fitbit to track your progress. Omvana provides meditation sessions from three minutes long to an hour and allows you to mix your own meditation music. The app store has many other free and priced apps for different kinds of guided meditations.

Another type of meditation that has become increasingly popular is mindfulness meditation. Dr. Jennifer Alonso, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Florida, practices and teaches this kind of meditation. She defined mindfulness meditation as “the focus of having nonjudgmental awareness, and really living in the present moment.”

“Really, it’s about paying attention on purpose,” Alonso said.

Mindfulness meditation can be done either sitting or lying down in a comfortable position. Eyes can either be opened in a soft gaze or closed. Then, focus on an anchor to “stay tethered to this present moment,” Alonso said. But mindfulness meditation is not just a formal practice. As an informal practice, it is a way of life.

“It’s the act of having that awareness of your surroundings and your inner experience,” Alonso said.

Alonso said you can turn any daily practice into an informal 24 |

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May 2020

meditation experience. For example, taking a walk and feeling the sunshine on your skin, hearing the sounds of nature around you, noticing the colors of the flowers at your feet can be a mindfulness meditation experience.

Mindful eating is another form of informal meditation, which can be a big help with weight loss.

“You really slow down and taste each bite of your food, noticing the colors of your food and the textures and the different flavors that come out,” Alonso said.

No matter how you choose to meditate, Alonso recommends doing it with others, whether it’s in a class setting or just you and a friend. While it is a simple practice, meditation takes a lot of dedication, so having others to hold you accountable can be helpful when getting started. So, whether you meditate to improve your health or to find a community of like-minded individuals, it’s important to be intentional and consistent with your practices, Alonso said.

“Just as little as five minutes a day can make a big difference,” she said.

This story was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2017 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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EDUCATION >> LEARNING TYPES

THE MORE YOU KNOW

NOT SURE HOW YOU LEARN? DON’T WORRY, WE’VE GOT THAT COVERED

Learning Types & Study Tips W R I T T E N B Y V I C T O R I A VA R G A S

Heading back to school can be a readjustment.

Maybe you’ve spent past summers reading, writing and practicing differential equations. Good for you. Or, perhaps you’ve enjoyed the time sitting on your couch watching the entire “Gilmore Girls” series like the rest of us. However you’ve used your summer time in years past, getting back into a steady routine of going to class isn’t always going to be a smooth transition.

“I don’t really remember having to study all that much in high school,” Olivia Clark, a 21-year-old advertising student at the University of Florida, said. Her study habits changed when she started going to college, she said. For her, studying meant memorizing ideas for tests. “College, on the other hand, is about knowing, understanding and analyzing concepts and why they’re important so that you can work things out and put things together.”

Establishing a study routine for a subject you’re learning is crucial for a successful outcome. Understanding your learning style is a great place to start.

There are three main learning styles: visual, auditory and physical. Unsure of your learning style? Here are the characteristics and study tips for each one.

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VISUAL LEARNER Characteristics: According to the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, you may be a visual learner if you are best able to perform a task after watching someone perform it first. Visual learners are good at reading charts or maps. Visual learners may also have a strong sense of color or have trouble following lectures, according to American River College. They say, “show me” or “let’s look at that.”

Tips for visual learners: • Try writing out directions for a task and color-coding notes. Develop a system for the colors. Green can be definitions. Blue can be examples.

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EDUCATION >> LEARNING TYPES

• If using a computer for taking notes, you can also experiment with different fonts and sizes. Try putting your words in bold.

• Utilize flashcards for learning definitions or broad concepts.

• Create diagrams, maps and illustrations.

AUDITORY LEARNER

Characteristics: Auditory learners are likely to remember all the words to the songs they hear and can easily follow along in a lecture.

Auditory learners are usually good at oral reports and presentations, according to thoughtco.com. These learners may have issues following written instructions and will say “tell me” or “let’s talk about it.”

Tips for auditory learners: • Auditory learners benefit from studying in quiet areas like a library.

• If allowed, record lectures to listen to later. Read aloud directions or instructions. Read aloud your notes.

• Have a conversation with someone about a topic you’re studying.

• Put a rhythm or tune to material to repeat.

• Examine illustrations in textbooks and describe them.

PHYSICAL LEARNER Characteristics: Physical learners are also referred to as kinesthetic or tactile learners. According to thoughtco.com, physical learners may become more bored listening to a lecture than their peers.

Physical learners may study with loud music playing. This type of learner can assemble parts without looking at instructions. Physical learners are better at completing a task by trying it out first and will often say “let me try.”

Tips for physical learners: • The top tips for these learners are to take frequent breaks when studying. Break your study time into digestible segments.

• Physical learners should try experimental learning like making models or role playing.

• Try snapping your fingers or pacing when reviewing material to help you retain the information.

Studying is different for each person. What works for you may not work for your best friend. It is helpful to know what kind of learner you are so that you may better utilize the time you spend studying.

Understanding what kind of learner you are helps you better shape the way you retain information. Knowing the best ways to study ensures you’re making the most of your time throughout the year.

Clark said her learning style depends on the content she’s studying. “For math it’s physical, I need to do it myself to learn,” she said.

“Sometimes just hearing things on topics I’m better at is enough, other topics I need to see it and do it.” Clark’s best study tip is, regardless of learning style, establish a good environment to study in. For her that means a place that isn’t too quiet, but also not so loud that you can’t hear yourself think.

Now it’s time to hit those books!

This story was originally published in the Sept/Oct 2019 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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COLUMN

CRYSTAL HENRY’S

Naked Salsa WHAT’S GOOD FOR THE GANDER MAY HAVE KILLED THE GOOSE

CRYSTAL HENRY IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND COLUMNIST BORN AND RAISED IN WEST TEXAS. SHE RECEIVED HER B.S. IN JOURNALISM IN 2006 FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA. SHE IS IN LOVE WITH THE FLORIDA LANDSCAPE. ces03k@gmail.com

I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY HUSBAND OF 14 YEARS IS MARRIED TO SOMEONE ELSE.

W

e were in the mountains of New Mexico enjoying a nice night out when he relayed this information to me over dinner. We were talking about taking a summer vacation, and he suggested we drive around the country with the kids in a tiny camper. I laughed and suggested we just get a nice hotel on the beach in the Keys. That conversation triggered my husband to passionately confess, “You’re not the woman I married.”

His official position is that in the early days of our marriage I was full of adventure. Unpretentious and wild, I relished the weekends we spent driving out into the wilderness on our motorcycle with only a tent, a sleeping bag and a lust for the great outdoors. Our early trips to the Keys were spent laying in the sand drinking beer at 10 a.m. and taking fishing charters at midnight. We camped near lakes, and we cooked our catch over a campfire.

I tried to interrupt and point out that perhaps it’s not that I’ve changed as much as our lives have changed. Two kids, full-time jobs and the list goes on and on. But he was hearing none of it. In his mind I’ve grown into a spoiled princess who enjoys the comforts of a Marriott over the character-building slumber of a mosquito-infested tent.

In all fairness, I was game for a lot more when we were first married. We didn’t have the money for a hotel, so $12 campsites were the only way we could vacation. We’d hop on the motorcycle with a tent, a sleeping bag and our mess kit strapped to the back and we’d go. However, I might be able to pinpoint a turning point in my adventurous side.

One of the most memorable trips we took was a motorcycle ride to the Smoky Mountains. We left the house at 5 a.m. and we headed for Georgia on the bike. I was surprisingly okay in the early morning hours when it was still dark, but as the sun rose I was in a full-blown battle with my eyelids. And they eventually won. When I woke up — still thankfully upright on the back of the bike — I was first confused, then terrified. I also had a real understanding of the “If you can read this the bitch fell off” t-shirts.

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We stopped overnight at an abandoned campground in Georgia. It wasn’t supposed to be abandoned, but we were having an unseasonably cold weekend. So all the sane people canceled their plans. That evening as we lay down in our tent, and the sun started to set, the forest came to life. We were camping on the edge of a beautiful pond, and as the crickets stirred, we could hear the geese start to gently call out as well.

“Isn’t it so strange how the animals get all riled up just before sunset, then once it’s dark they’re completely silent?”

Those were the famous last words of my husband before the most hellish night we’d ever experienced. In hindsight the squawking we endured for the next 10 hours was probably due to the massive cold front blowing in. But at the time we just assumed it was punishment for our life’s transgressions. Those geese didn’t shut up the entire night. But that wasn’t even the worst part.

As I said, it was an unseasonably cold weekend, and we thought — in our adorable 21-year-old minds — that sharing one sleeping bag would be sweet and romantic. It almost ended us.

Trying to zip up in our tiny sleeping bag that was only rated for one person in 50 degree weather was the antithesis of romance.

My husband eventually put on his motorcycle jacket to try and keep warm, so I was snuggled up next to a rock hard Kevlar jacket for most of the evening. Not that it mattered. No one slept. Not us. Not one single goose.

The next morning, just as the sun peeked over the pond, the geese quietly settled. We had already given up on the idea of any sleep. My husband chucked a few rocks at the birds and yelled a Clark Griswold-worthy string of expletives.

We bought an extra sleeping bag on our way out of town, but that was just the tip of the miserably cold iceberg of a trip to the mountains. We’d later experience other icy horrors, such as the frozen bologna nightmare at a Shoney’s I dare not speak of.

But my husband remembers that adventure through different eyes. It gave us bragging rights to a trip that we can always look back on and say we survived. However, I think that was the trip that ruined the outdoors for me. It’s safe to say he’s right about me not being the woman he married. She fell off the back of the motorcycle and died a horrible freezing death — figuratively speaking, of course. And all that’s left is a shell of a girl who isn’t terribly fond of camping and has an irrational hatred of geese.

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RECIPE SERIES >> EASY STIR-FRY CHICKEN

EAT UP!

Cynthia Wonders Winterrowd ’s

RECIPE WONDERS FOOD ST Y LING & PHOTOGR A PH Y BY ERICK A WINTER ROWD

EA S

T

Y S TIR- FRY CHICKE N

his mandarin-style chicken stir-fry has been a favorite in our family for years. It’s so quick and easy I would make it every week when our children were in high school and running off to softball practice or games. Once the veggies are cut and the chicken strips are sautéed it is ready for the table in minutes. You

can even make it ahead of time and heat it up later — it doesn’t get much simpler than that! If you have fussy eaters, it’s a sure way to get them to eat their veggies. The recipe below lists the typical stir-fry vegetables, but you can mix things up with any fresh vegetables from a farmers market or supermarket. Let your taste buds lead you to try new combinations. Serve with white rice from your rice cooker, and you have a tasty meal for your family!

CYNTHIA WONDERS WINTERROWD IS AN AWARD-WINNING WRITER WHO WAS RAISED IN ILLINOIS AND LIVES IN GAINESVILLE. SHE IS PROUD TO BE A “GATOR MOM” OF THREE DAUGHTERS, ALL UF GRADUATES. CYNTHIA LOVES SHARING FAMILY RECIPES THAT HAVE BEEN PASSED DOWN IN HER MOTHER’S HANDWRITTEN COOKBOOKS. recipewonders@gmail.com

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RECIPE SERIES >> EASY STIR-FRY CHICKEN

MANDARIN STIR-FRY The first step is to prepare the sauce for the Stir Fry. SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

In a bowl, mix: 2 Tbsp. cornstarch 1 1/4 cup cold water Stir in: 1/3 cup soy sauce 1/3 cup Karo light or dark syrup 1/3 tsp. crushed dried pepper Stir and set aside STIR-FRY INGREDIENTS:

4 Tbsp. corn oil 1-2 lbs. fresh or frozen chicken breast strips 1 clove garlic, minced 2 cups broccoli flowerets 1 sweet onion, sliced into wedges 1 carrot, sliced into julienne strips 1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced *Optional: Cashews, water chestnuts, peppers and sugar snap peas METHOD:

In a large skillet or wok, heat two tablespoons corn oil over medium heat. Add chicken strips.

Beef or pork cut into thin strips will do as well.

Add a little garlic if you have it. Stir-fry until tender and lightly browned. Remove from the skillet and set aside on paper towels.

Heat two tablespoons corn oil in the same skillet and add two cups broccoli flowerets, a sweet onion, sliced into wedges, and a carrot cut into two-inch julienne strips. Sautee for two minutes.

Then add a half-pound of sliced mushrooms.

Stir-fry the entire mixture for one minute, or until the vegetables are tender/crisp.

Return the meat to the skillet. Re-stir the sauce mix in its bowl, and then pour slowly into the skillet while stirring constantly. Bring it to a boil over medium heat and boil one minute. Makes 4 – 6 servings.

So there you have it, a quick and easy meal to add to your collection of “go-to” recipes. I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as we do.

This story was originally published in the Jan/ Feb 2017 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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PROFILE >> MARGARET ROSS TOLBERT

AQUIFERIOUS

Painting Springs the

Local Artist Margaret Ross Tolbert Pulls Her Inspiration On Location W RIT TE N BY DE NI S E TRU N K KRIG BAUM

A

searing, icy blue swirls, bubbles and collides with swathes of sapphire.

The vibrant shades mingle and dance across the canvas with all the energy of the Florida springs they represent. Here and there the crystalline images are clouded with tea-colored tannin, or streaked with twining eelgrass or sparked by a silver grey flicker of fin and fish.

Gainesville artist Margaret Ross Tolbert has captured the energy and essence of Florida’s springs in her paintings for decades. Tolbert’s paintings, which are often created on canvases nearly as large as the springhead she paints, invite the viewer into an underwater oasis of cool, gushing water.

In her 160-page book titled “AQUIFERious,” Tolbert takes a more-than-refreshing dip into the subject of the springs. Conceived initially as an art book to coincide with a New Orleans exhibit of her work, the project expanded to include science as it delved into the artistic, poetic, environmental, historical and geological depths of what makes the springs so vital to Florida.

Because Tolbert photographs, swims and kayaks in the spring water as part of her painting process, she has witnessed changes to the springs’ pure, ageless water. Subsequently, she has recorded the water’s increased cloudiness and algae growth in her paintings. Tolbert learned that many of the ecosystem’s subtle changes, such as species die-off, were occurring because of increasingly high concentrations of unseen pollutants and chemicals like nitrates in the water.

“I see that information and history is presented in a science museum, but in an art museum what is presented are these objects that increase in value,” Tolbert said. “I want the springs to be seen as that — something that have increasing value.”

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PHOTOGRAPHY: TJM STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

Artist Margaret Ross Tolbert, paintbrushes in hand, stands waistdeep in the cool, clear water of Blue Springs. As part of her process, Tolbert photographs, kayaks and swims in the spring water that she paints.

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PROFILE >> MARGARET ROSS TOLBERT 38 |

Tolbert said she became interested in doing something more direct by combining science and art to bring the threats to the springs into the public’s awareness.

In 1998, she began a website that featured scientists, artists or anyone involved in the springs contributing information about the nature of the springs. That site is now defunct, but it provided a springboard for the idea of a book.

“Part guidebook, part art book, part information-about-the-springs book, it is created to suggest a whole world readers could get involved with,” Tolbert said.

In “AQUIFERious,” Tolbert gathered essays from writers, artists, cave divers, biologists, and geologists and combined them with her own writings, poetry, photography and paintings to immerse readers in what could be considered the lifeblood of Florida.

With its veins running beneath a sandand pine-covered limestone skin, Florida is blessed with a constant flow of fresh water that pulsates through the underground rivers of the Floridan Aquifer. In places where that limestone skin is weak or the aquifer flow is strong, water bursts to the surface in the form of a spring.

Tolbert, who earned both her undergraduate and MFA degrees at UF, was captivated by the unique qualities of the springs and began painting them in 1983. Her inquisitive nature brought her to meetings of the springs working groups, which are organized to address problems that cause damage or degrade the springs.

“I began learning about the springs and the fact that they are very threatened,” Tolbert said.

Rather than report in the book what she had learned, Tolbert brought together knowledgeable contributors to disclose different perspectives of the springs. The contributors include scientist Jim Stevenson, former chief biologist for the Florida State Park System for 20 years and chairman of Florida Springs Task Force Initiative who implemented springs protection projects; Tom Morris, biologist, cave diver; Jon Martin, geological sciences professor at the University of Florida; Eric Hutcheson, extreme cave diver, cave cartographer, artist; Howard Jelks, fish biologist; Dan Rountree, artist; and Bill Belleville, writer and filmmaker, among others.

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May 2020

In her backyard studio (top), Tolbert creates a base paint layer by throwing paint from a bucket and using a mop, tape and gravity to guide or restrict the paint’s movement. Applied this way the paint acts like the water she is trying to depict, Tolbert said, and the process establishes the basic energy of the painting.

Margaret Tolbert stands in front of two works-in-progress (above) in her backyard studio. She prefers to paint outdoors, using a ladder to reach upper areas of her larger works.

PHOTOGRAPHY: DENISE TRUNK KRIGBAUM, STEFAN CRACIUN

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In addition to essays, poetry, stunning art, photography and maps of underwater cave systems, the book contains useful links, information, and how-to advice for helping conserve and protect the springs.

Belleville, author of five books and the soon to be published “Salvaging the Real Florida: Lost and Found in the State of Dreams,” said when he met Tolbert he was pleasantly surprised to realize she was an artist who could also write.

“AQUIFERious” is not just an art book, it is a work of art itself,” Belleville said. “The book is far more than art — it is an alert, too. I’m hoping people will see this and learn that the springs are losing magnitude, and water quality is down, and that it’s a trend and a tragedy.”

In addition to his essay, Belleville helped in the creation of the book by recommending other sources to Tolbert.

“It was a magical process,” Tolbert said. “I wasn’t sure how I was going to cover all these things, but one person led to another.”

And for Tolbert, one project leads to another. She sees “AQUIFERious” developing in many forms and directions.

“I would like “AQUIFERious” to also be exhibits,” Tolbert 40 |

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said. “Ideally it should include a show that includes a film festival, and exhibits in both art and natural history museums. I would like the book to be a template for exhibits in art venues.”

She and Bellville are considering a “making of” documentary on the book and use that to expand on the topic of springs.

Tolbert said she hopes people can really come to understand the value and uniqueness of springs as a natural system and not just something visually beautiful. With a deeper level of awareness people might be moved to work to protect the springs before they simply become something missed and regretted.

“There are cultures in which a body of water, a grove of trees, or a spring — they achieve a level of devotion. And there is not a hierarchy [that differentiates] ‘well, that is the natural world and this is art.’ I think that this thinking should be here in our culture as well.

“The state of grace is here.” Tolbert said. “We are in it.”

This story originally ran in the Autumn 2010 issue of Our Town Magazine. To learn more about Margaret Tolbert and her latest projects, visit: margaretrosstolbert.com.

PHOTOGRAPHY: TJM STUDIOS PHOTOGRAPHY

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Margaret Ross Tolbert and Tom (T.J.) Morrissey of Lotus Studios photograph each other during a 2010 morning photo shoot at Blue Springs. T.J. often goes to great lengths to get the shot, in this case wading up to his elbows with camera in hand and perching his expensive lighting equipment on a ladder submerged in the spring.

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As the morning fog lifts at Blue Springs, Tolbert floats out to paint on a large canvas that sits upon her kayak.

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DIY CRAFTS >> CACTUS GARDEN

RELA XING ROCKS!

Cactus Gardens ROCK DIY! Create Your Own Natural Environment S TORY A N D PHOTOG R A PHY BY ERICK A WINTER ROW D

A

s each month passes it seems that stress inevitably continues to build up throughout the year. “That’s life,” as they say. There are ways to combat the stress and anxiety, though, such as changing your environment and connecting with nature.

According to takingcharge.csh.umn.edu, research reveals that our environments can increase or reduce our stress, which in turn impacts our bodies. An unpleasant environment can cause you to feel anxious, sad, or helpless.

This in turn elevates your blood pressure, heart rate, and muscle tension, and suppresses your immune system. A pleasing environment reverses that.

But what if you can’t change your environment? Your job might be what’s most stressful in your life, or maybe you have a co-worker who is driving you crazy and you can’t necessarily afford to up and leave your job. What can you do? How about bringing some nature inside your office environment, or your home — wherever you may need it the most.

An article from the University of Minnesota titled, “How Does Nature Impact Our Wellbeing?” states that being in nature, or even viewing scenes of nature, 42 |

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DIY CRAFTS >> CACTUS GARDEN

reduces anger, fear, and stress, which increases pleasant feelings. Exposure to nature not only makes you feel better emotionally, it contributes to your physical wellbeing by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones.

If you don’t have a green thumb and are worried about killing a houseplant, have no fear! This is a tried and true DIY project that will leave you with an indestructible cactus garden made entirely out of rocks. WHAT?! Yes, you heard it right — rocks, paint, and a whole lot of creativity. Goodbye stress, hello happy thoughts!

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SUPPLIES:

• Stones • Pebbles • Paint Tray • White Paint • Green Paints • Paint Marker (white) • Ceramic Pot • Paintbrush, sponge • Spray paint in varying colors

STEP ONE: If you found your rocks outside, make sure to wash them so all the dirt has been rinsed off.

Now it’s time to sort your stones. Different sizes, such as long and round, will help give your cactus garden some dimension.

1

STEP TWO: Paint your rocks. Using different shades of green, cover each stone. Make sure you allow time to dry. Using a contrasting shade of green, you may want to choose one stone to add some stripes to. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

2

STEP THREE:

3

After you have allowed your painted stones to dry, it’s time to use your white paint marker to add the famous cactus spikes we all know too well (except these don’t hurt!). Also, consider adding a few red cactus flowers to some of the cacti. It’s another fun way to add a pop of color.

STEP FOUR: Now it’s time to paint your pots. There are a couple different techniques you can use for this. For a nice clean modern look, use a sponge to dab white paint onto the pot. Spray paint also works, and bright colors will help to create a funky look for your cactus garden.

Also, any small-sized terracotta pot would work well for this project. Just be sure to add more cactus stones depending on the space your pot allows.

4

5

STEP FIVE: After your pots have dried, pour pebbles into the base of each pot.

STEP SIX: The time has come to “plant” your cacti.

Gently nestle your cactus stones into the pebbles and arrange according to your taste.

Now, all that’s left is to find the perfect spot for your new touch of nature — one that won’t stick you!

This story was originally published in the Jan/ Feb 2017 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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COLUMN

KENDRA SILER-MARSIGLIO’S

Healthy Edge KIDS NEED SLEEP

KENDRA SILER-MARSIGLIO, PH.D. IS A NEUROSCIENTIST, MEDICAL WRITER, COLUMNIST AND PRESIDENT OF THE NON-PROFIT COMMUNITYHEALTH IT AT NASA/KENNEDY SPACE CENTER. KENDRA ENJOYS TRAVELING, DANCING LIKE NO ONE’S WATCHING, AND LISTENING TO PEOPLE’S STORIES. kendra.sm@gmail.com

WANT YOUR KIDS TO HAVE THE BEST CHANCE TO BE HEALTHY, HAPPY, PRODUCTIVE ADULTS? GET THEM TO SLEEP ON TIME. ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION, ONE IN THREE CHILDREN UNDER 11 AND OVER HALF OF TEENS GET LESS SLEEP AT NIGHT THAN RECOMMENDED.

H

ave a one-year-old? He or she needs 11-14 hours of sleep per day. School-aged children need 9-11 hours. Your teens need between 8-10 hours.

WHY DO KIDS NEED SLEEP? As kids develop, their brains are soaking up language, cognitive, social and motor skills like a sponge. Before a good night’s sleep, what they experience can’t be fully retained as long-term memories. For children and adults, researchers call this process “memory consolidation.” Sleep helps kids learn and gives them the opportunity to make connections between their learned information and new experiences. (It makes me wonder: how much information did we lose as kids because we crammed overnight for tests?)

Sleep also cleans our brains. You know how our lymphatic systems drain daily metabolic waste from our bodies’ cells?

Our brains and spinal cords have their own waste drainage

The glymphatic system allows waste from our brains to travel to our livers for elimination. system called the glymphatic system. Not a joke! The glymphatic system allows waste from our brains to travel to our livers for elimination. It works twice as fast when we’re sleeping. One of the latest studies from the University of Rochester Medical Center research team shows that mice’s glymphatic system’s waste clearance works best when they sleep on one side or the other, instead of on their backs. Since research findings in mice can often be replicated in humans, you may want to consider encouraging your children to sleep on their sides.

Lastly, our bodies need extended periods of sleep for rejuvenation, muscle growth, injury repair and certain hormone synthesis and use. You don’t want your kids missing out on those needed benefits!

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WHAT TIME SHOULD “BEDTIME” BE? The National Sleep Foundation supports the recommendations that children of all ages should fall asleep independently, go to bed before 9 p.m., have an established bedtime routine, include reading as part of their bedtime routine, refrain from caffeine, and sleep in bedrooms without televisions.

Have a kid that’s up super early and wired? It may mean that your kid needs to fall asleep EARLIER. Sleep-deprived children release hormones including cortisol, adrenaline and noradrenaline. These hormones are notorious for keeping children (and adults) up at bedtime and make it harder for them go back to sleep early in the morning.

Earlier bedtimes also protect the mental health of teens.

The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health shows that adolescents with parental set bedtimes of midnight or later were 24% more likely to suffer from depression and 20% more likely to imagine suicide than adolescents with parental set bedtimes of 10 p.m. or earlier.

Have a teen who can’t sleep because of computer screens?

He or she may benefit from eyeglass lenses that block blue-light.

According to Zeiss, a leading precision optics company, some people find that blue light exposure can make them more restless at night.

Lastly, kids going to college need to develop good sleeping habits. As kids get older, fatigue can lead to poor grades. A recent study of 3,000 New England high schoolers showed that students with As and Bs get 17-33 minutes more sleep on school nights and go to bed 10-50 minutes earlier than students with Cs and below. On weekends, students with Cs or below went to bed an average of 2.3 hours later than on school nights. A/B students went to bed 1.8 hours later on the weekends. The study findings carried over for college students.

For more tips about healthy sleep and the importance of healthy sleep, check out sleepfoundation.org. Want to learn more about the glymphatic system? Visit www.sciencemag. org/news/2013/10/sleep-ultimate-brainwasher.

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Florida ’ s UNDERGROUND

ECOSYSTEM >> TAP WATER JOURNEY

WATER WAYS

Riches

W R I T T E N B Y C R Y S TA L H E N R Y

Follow Water’s Underground Journey from Our Springs to Your Faucet Tap

W

ith just the turn of a faucet, Central Florida residents have access to one of the most valuable resources in the state: drinking water. People across the country pay good money to buy a bottled version of what is available in their own kitchen sinks. But many residents are blissfully unaware of how that water gets from the ground to their drinking glasses.

Jennifer McElroy, a supervising utility engineer at Gainesville Regional Utility, said one of the biggest advantages Central Floridians have for good drinking water is that it comes from an underground source.

“We are starting with a pristine source of water,” McElroy said in a 2016 telephone interview.

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Unlike other communities across the country that get water from surface sources such as reservoirs or rivers, Florida taps into deep underground aquifers. Surface water interacts with pollutants in the environment such as animals and people.

But the water in the Floridan Aquifer is protected with natural barriers.

The water in the aquifer flows through a lime rock sponge.

Although most people picture caves and open pools and springs when they think of Florida water sources, that’s only the exposed water. Most of the aquifer system is porous lime rock. This water flows underground out of reach of harmful bacteria and animals.

McElroy said while in the aquifer, the water stays clean. GRU has a specially permitted well field with 16 wells from which it draws the city’s water, and the average depth of each well is about 500 feet. Pulling water up from that far underground further ensures that the water is clean and safe.

The Environmental Protection Agency and other local

agencies still require that they test the water regularly to ensure its potable safety. So, McElroy said they are constantly testing.

Since the water is pulled from a natural ground source, it also has an unpleasant sulphur smell. It’s still very safe to drink, but because people are turned off by water that smells like rotten eggs, GRU adds chlorine to get rid of the hydrogen sulfide.

Also, because the water has been sitting in lime rock, it tends to be very hard. Hard water doesn’t hurt people, but it can wreak havoc on plumbing. So they also have a process called lime softening to help customers avoid buildup — and to protect GRU’s pipes.

The softening happens in a reactor clarifier, but the process makes the water very basic. So they add carbon dioxide to adjust the pH balance. Since the American Dental Association suggests that public water systems add fluoride, GRU adds it to the water to help prevent cavities.

After the fluoride treatment, the water goes through filters May 2020

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ECOSYSTEM >> TAP WATER JOURNEY

to ensure that it is free of bacteria and other pollutants. The filters are made out of sand, gravel and other media.

The water will travel through about 1,100 miles of pipe in Gainesville, so even a small amount of bacteria could contaminate the water source and make a lot of people sick. As a preventative measure, they add chlorine to the water to ensure that harmful bacteria stays at bay.

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McElroy said the water is 100% safe to drink straight from the tap. Since many major brands of bottled water come from a municipal source, GRU customers essentially have bottled water coming straight from their tap. A filter such as the Brita system takes out the chlorine and changes the taste. The chlorine is only important while the water is going through the pipes, so if people want to remove it before drinking it’s just a matter of preference and is fine, McElroy said.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ERICKA WINTERROWD

Some people live in rural areas, far away from a city water source. It might be too expensive to connect to city water, and so they drill a private well.

McElroy said the difference between a private well and a city source like GRU is that it is the well owner’s responsibility to ensure its safety. GRU has chemists and other people monitoring water quality 24 hours a day, but a homeowner would use other resources to monitor their water. They often work with

“We do a full complete water cycle balance,” McElroy said.

She said 70% of the water withdrawn at GRU’s Murphree Water Plant is returned to the Floridan Aquifer. But some people are repulsed thinking they are drinking wastewater. McElroy said that is most definitely not the case.

Once water is used, whether it is in a shower, a sink, a toilet or any other source, it is considered wastewater and drains into

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FOR SALE the health department to understand if their well water is safe and how to continually ensure its safety.

Private wells are also typically not as deep, but because they are pulling from an underground source the water is usually just as safe. The key is to make sure the water is good quality when you first drill the well.

The shallower the well, the greater the risk of contamination.

Private well owners should also be aware of any underground hazards such as gas tanks that can leak into the ground and into their water source. But monitoring the quality of private well water is very manageable, so those using well water can take advantage of one of the best underground resources in the state.

McElroy said communities such as High Springs, Alachua and Newberry operate on a smaller scale than GRU. They also take advantage of the fact that the aquifer is such a clean source, so while their water treatment process is not as extensive as GRU, the water in those communities is just as safe.

Whether private or municipal, once that water drops from the faucet to the sink it is wastewater. And wastewater in Gainesville is treated through an entirely separate facility and process.

a wastewater collection system. At GRU this consists of a system of pipes and pumps underground that take all the wastewater to a treatment plant or water reclamation facility. This is a completely different facility than the water treatment plant that draws clean water up from the aquifer.

Most people think of raw wastewater as brown sludge, but McElroy said most of the wastewater that comes through is just water.

The first place it travels is through screens to remove debris. McElroy said people flush all kinds of things down the toilet that they shouldn’t. The number one thing they see are “flushable wipes.” The screens are filled with these and other things such as rags and debris that are technically flushable.

“A golf ball is flushable too, but you shouldn’t flush it,” she said.

After screening for large solids, the water travels through a grit chamber that removes all the dirt and sand. When it rains really hard, runoff carries sand and dirt into the manholes, so this process removes that grit.

That’s the headwork.

The next step is the microbial process.

McElroy said the biggest secret of wastewater treatment is that a lot of the work is accomplished by microorganisms that break

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ECOSYSTEM >> TAP WATER JOURNEY

An aerial view of the man-made groundwater recharge wetland in Paynes Prairie resembles Albert the Alligator and is designed to return reclaimed water into the wetland and let Mother Nature work her magic.

down raw wastewater and turn it into usable water.

Through a biological treatment called activated sludge, different types of microorganisms, or bugs as they call them, work to break down the waste.

These bacteria, protozoa, rotifers, amoeba and

There is no such thing as creating water outside nuclear fusion, so the water we have is the only water we get. We need to conserve and take care of what we have. nematodes are all microorganisms that can be found in a mud puddle. But they are essential to the process.

GRU has an entire team whose job is to make the bugs happy — and happy bugs eat the organic matter out of the wastewater. Staff give them time to chow down on this all-you-can-eat buffet, and the bugs metabolize the wastewater. McElroy said the bugs basically just eat until they pop. Once they die, they start to stick together and go into the next

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basin. In the clarifier, the sticky bug bodies all sink to the bottom. The bin is like a big swimming pool on the top that funnels down to a cone-shaped bottom.

The water is very still and the bug bodies sink to the bottom where they are pumped out.

The water that leaves the clarifier is very clear.

After the clarifier the water goes through filters, and McElroy said if she showed someone a glass of this water it would look just like tap water. However, this water is still considered wastewater. Even though it’s clear, they treat it with chlorine because their facility treats wastewater to primary and secondary drinking water quality. People still can’t drink it, but it is possible to treat it further. McElroy said there are places in California that do a direct reuse — with

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ECOSYSTEM >> TAP WATER JOURNEY 54 |

further treatments to make it drinkable — but they don’t have to do this in Florida because they can put it back into the ground and let Mother Nature finish the job.

“We don’t need to,” she said, “because we’re taking good care of our aquifer.”

The reason GRU treats its water to such a high quality is that they send out reclaimed water for irrigation and cooling.

The water isn’t potable, but it can be used for farming or for cooling large facilities such as hospitals or malls. It takes a lot of water to cool the air in a large facility, so if they can use reclaimed water they aren’t pulling from the aquifer.

They also use the water to recharge the aquifer. This doesn’t mean they dump the water back into the same level they’re pumping from;instead they have groundwater recharge wetlands such as Paynes Prairie. They recently constructed a manmade wetland in the shape of a gator head out at the prairie, and an aerial view of the wetland looks just like Albert the Alligator.

They put the reclaimed water on the wetland and let Mother Nature get involved in the process. The plants on the wetland continue to polish the water and treat it to an even higher standard.

GRU also backfilled an old canal made by ranchers who wanted to drain the prairie to raise cattle. By backfilling the canal, they restored sheet flow on the prairie, and now the water flows like a big sheet over the level ground, rehydrating about 1,300 acres.

As the plants polish the water, it slowly percolates back into the ground water. It’s a slow, but much easier process on the environment. The good bacteria in the soil continue to clean the water, and the water recharges the aquifer.

GRU also has groundwater recharge wells. These wells are even deeper, at about 1,000 feet, and they are across town from the drinking water wells. The recharge wells push water down into the earth to increase the water pressure in the aquifer. By increasing the pressure, they keep the drinking water up high.

McElroy said they return 70% of the water they withdraw to sustain the drinking water supply, while 30% is lost to things such as irrigation. But the process of recharging the aquifer takes much longer than drawing water from it.

The best thing people can do is water conservation.

There is no such thing as creating water outside nuclear fusion, so the water we have is the only water we get. We need to conserve and take care of what we have. Using reclaimed water or even using water after cleaning fish tanks on plants and irrigation can have a huge impact.

“We have a great source of water,” she said. “But it’s not infinite.”

The best thing to do is to conserve this precious underground resource.

This story was originally published in the May/June 2016 issue of Our Town Magazine.

OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

May 2020

W H A T

A B O U T

SEPTIC TANKS? Regular maintenance and inspection of your septic system will help to limit the amount of pollutants reaching the environment and improve the health of your septic system.

For homes and businesses not connected to a city sewer system, septic tanks are used to collect wastewater.

• Inspect your tank annually to determine sludge depth.

Have your tank pumped to remove sludge every 2-5 years. It should be pumped and inspected by a licensed professional.

• Plant only grass or other shallow rooted plants above your septic system. Trees should be planted away from the system because their roots can damage the pipes or the tank.

• Direct down spouts and rain runoff away from the septic area to avoid saturating the area with water.

• Do not compact the soil above the septic system.

Avoid parking cars or building any structures (e.g. sheds) in the area.

• Avoid using a garbage disposal. Increasing the amount of solid waste in your septic system will shorten the amount of time between pumpings.

• Place paper towels, facial tissues, cigarette butts, disposable diapers, feminine products, and other material in a trash can, not the toilet. These items do not break down quickly and may clog the septic system. Toilet paper breaks down quickly and therefore can be placed in the toilet.

• Overloading the system can occur in the early morning and evenings when water use is highest. Run dishwashers and washing machines at other times of the day. Avoid doing all the family’s laundry on the same day. Practice water conservation in all areas of water usage.

• Fats and oils poured down the drain may build up and clog septic system pipes.

• Do not use chemicals or cleaners in your septic system.

They may harm the septic system.

SOURCE: WWW.LOXAHATCHEERIVER.ORG

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What You About Each recycled aluminum can saves enough energy to power a television for three full hours!

Recycled plastic bottles and jars can be made into durable clothing!

Recycle your water bottle today and wear it tomorrow!

Blue Bin Recyclables • PLASTIC BOTTLES & JARS

(including yogurt cups & margarine tubs)

• METAL CANS, INCLUDING AEROSOL CANS (empty first please!)

• GLASS BOTTLES & JARS (New item) beverage cartons

PLASTIC

Any plastic containers are recyclable in Alachua County, as long as the containers have a pourable spout or neck up to 2 gallon in size. Yogurt cups and margarine tubs are now recyclable too.

Please rinse, remove all caps and lids, and step on plastic to save space! Empty household bleach bottles are acceptable. No petroleum product, pool chemical and pesticide containers. No plastic bags or food trays.

METAL CANS

Please rinse all metal food and drink containers thoroughly. For containers with a lid, please keep lid attached or place lid in the bottom of the can and squeeze the top together to keep the lid secure. Empty aerosol cans and remove plastic lids.

GLASS

Recycle all clear, green, and brown glass bottles and jars. Rinse and remove lids (labels are OK). Please, no windowpanes, glasses, Pyrex or other dishes. Beverage Cartons (New Items) Cartons such as milk, juice boxes, soymilk, etc. can now be recycled in your blue bin!

RECYCLING CONSERVES NATURAL RESOURCES RECYCLING CONSERVES ENERGY. RECYCLING REDUCES WASTE. RECYCLING SAVES YOU MONEY. BUYING RECYCLED MATERIALS COMPLETES THE REUSE LOOP.

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SOURCE: ALACHUACOUNTY.US

Should Know Your Bins Orange Bin Recyclables • B ROWN BAGS & NEWSPAPERS • P UBLICATIONS • C ORRUGATED CARDBOARD • OFFICE PAPER & JUNK MAIL (New Items) Paperback books, workbooks and soft-back textbooks.

Brown Bags & Newspapers

Recycle clean, dry newspapers and inserts. Wet newspapers cannot be accepted. If it is going to rain, please either cover the newspapers or save them for next week. Brown shopping bags are accepted in the orange bin, but not plastic bags. Take plastic bags to grocery stores for recycling.

Publications & Cardboard

All magazines, catalogs and telephone books are recyclable.

Clean corrugated cardboard (the kind with a wavy layer in the middle). Cardboard boxes should be no larger than 3’ x 3’.

Pasteboard boxes, such as cereal or shoeboxes or beverage cartons. Empty all packing materials and FLATTEN boxes. It is not necessary to cut boxes apart.

By recycling a commodity, such as newspaper, magazines or cardboard, we are reducing the number of trees cut down.

Recycling also reduces the amount of waste being sent to the landfill and extends the life of the landfill dramatically.

Office Paper & Junk Mail

Office paper and junk mail is recyclable. Please no plastic credit cards or shredded paper. Window envelopes are recyclable.

Place the blue bin on top of the orange bin to keep paper from littering the street.

Paperback Books

Paperback school workbooks, textbooks and coupon books can now be recycled in your orange bin. Paperback novels that are still in good condition should be donated if possible, but damaged or unreadable paperbacks can be recycled.

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SPECIAL RESTAURANT ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL

352-372-5468

FOR RATES AND INFORMATION.

Copper Monkey West

14209 W Newberry Road, Jonesville, FL 32669 Across from the Steeplechase Publix Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Sunday-Thursday 11:00am - 11:00pm Friday-Saturday 11:00am - 11:00pm Menus may be changed.

Please check website or call for accurate information.

352-363-6338 mycoppermonkey.com Restaurant & Pub — Now serving Breakfast on Saturdays & Sundays 8:30am - 10:45am. We are located in the heart of Jonesville, this All-American dining is convenient to all neighborhoods in Gainesville, Alachua, Newberry, High Springs and beyond. Our family-friendly dining features great food at a great price. Whether you come in for the “best burger in town” or try any one of our freshly made salads, pastas or sandwiches, you will not leave disappointed. Our USDA choice steaks, served with 2 sides, offer a great alternative for the perfect celebratory meal. We also feature a full-service bar with signature drinks.

Cilantro Tacos

Tioga Town Center - 12921 SW 1 Rd Suite #103 Monday - Saturday from 11:00am to 9:00pm Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Menus may be changed. Please check website or call for accurate information.

352-472-1300 Authentic Mexican — A family-owned restaurant that was founded through a passion for great food and hosting dinner parties with friends. Originally from Southern California, their love for Mexican food moved to the wonderful community of Newberry in 2013. They take pride in the quality, freshness, and vibrant flavors of their food — with meats that are never frozen and everything prepared fresh and made-to-order.

Enjoy the tastefully marinated meats and savor the mild, spicy, and mouthwatering salsas that are created from scratch. They feel their purpose is to spread happiness, make contributions to the community and create lasting memories of fun, laughter, and great times. When you eat with us, you’re family. So come on in!

Leonardo’s Pizza

4131 NW 16th Blvd (Millhopper) Sunday - Thursday: 11:00am - 9:30pm Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and FridayMenus - Saturday: 11:00am - 10:30pm may be changed.

Please check website or call for accurate information.

352-376-2001 leonardosmillhopper.com Mouth Watering — Family friendly and locally-owned-and-operated pizza joint with a unique, nostalgic atmosphere that is as distinctive as our delicious food.

Chicago-style pizzas, hand tied garlic knots, and Italian baked dinners and salad bar, we know you’ll be back for more. Come and see why Gainesville loves our signature deep dish pizza pie, the Big Leo. Since 1976 Gainesville has grown up on pizza from Leonardo’s Millhopper and we are still going strong! Our dedicated staff (many have been with us for 15-20 years) knows how important it is to treat you properly. We take great pride in our welcoming atmosphere. We can’t wait to make you part of our family.

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Bangkok Square

Two Gainesville Locations: 6500 SW Archer Road & 8181 NW 38th Lane Lunch: Monday-Friday 11:00am-3:00pm • Saturday-Sunday 12:00pm-3:00pm Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Dinner: Sunday-Thursday 5:00pm-9:30pm • Friday-Saturday 5:00pm-10:00pm Menus may be changed.

Please check website or call for accurate information.

352-375-4488 Archer 352-672-6969 39th Ave. bangkoksquarefl.com Authentic Thai Cuisine — Thai cuisine, blending the best elements of the freshest foods. Thai herbs; garlic, basil, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal root, chili and more, prepared with the finest blending of fish sauce, shrimp paste, and coconut milk. All of our meals are made to order and prepared on site. We specialize in vegetarian, vegan and gluten free orders. All of our foods can be prepared to your satisfaction with mild, medium, hot, or Thai hot, balanced to the four tastes: sweet, sour, salty, and slightly bitter. Meals can be prepared for take out and we cater to any event. We also have gift cards available. Save 10% off your next dining experience when a gift card is purchased.

Crafty Bastards

4860 NW 39th Ave. ( Magnolia Parke, between Starbucks and TiresPlus) Open at 11am every day Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Menus may be changed. Please check website or call for accurate information.

352-872-5970 www.thecraftybastards.com Restaurant - Pub — Crafty Bastards Restaurant is located in NW Magnolia Parke.

Open daily at 11am. We offer great lunch specials M-F 11am-4pm, including 1/2lb Angus grilled burgers and juicy chicken handhelds, fresh fries, salads, soups and more. Check out our Happy Hour M-F 11am-7pm. Looking for fun in the evenings?

Check out Trivia Tuesdays, Karaoke Wednesdays and Live Entertainment on Thursday, Friday and Saturday! Crafty Bastards is also a great place to enjoy your sports on large screen TV’s. Private Party Room for office or birthday parties available. Come see why Crafty Bastards is NW Gainesville’s Best Kept Secret! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Twitter!

Dave’s New York Deli

Two Locations - Open 7 Days Tioga Town Center 12921 SW 1st Road, Newberry, FL Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Haile Plantation – 5750 Please SW 75th Court, Gainesville, Menus mayArea be changed. check website or call for FL accurate information.

352-333-0291 Tioga 352-363-6061 Pk Ln DavesNYDeli.com North East Flavors — Dave’s NY Deli has been delivering the flavors of New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia to the Gainesville area since 2009. Owner Dave Anders says “We are very excited about the addition of our new location in Park Lane Plaza near Haile Plantation. Now it’s even easier for you to enjoy our authentic Philly Cheesesteaks, NY Style Pastrami and Corned Beef, Nathan’s Hot Dogs, NY Kettle Boiled Bagels, Nova Salmon, Paninis, Wraps, Cubans, Hot & Cold Subs, Kids Menu and much more.” Come see us soon for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner at either of our two locations.

Open 7 Days a week.

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SPECIAL RESTAURANT ADVERTISING SECTION. CALL

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Pepperoni’s Pizzeria

19975 NW 244 Street, High Springs (located in Mills Plaza) SunAvailability -Thurs 11:00am — 9:00pm • Fri & Sat 11:00am — 10:00pm Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and ORDER ONLINE OR DOWNLOAD APP Menus may be changed.

Please checkOUR website or call for accurate information.

386-454-3858 PepperonisPizzeria.com Pizzeria — Since its establishment in 2000, Pepperoni’s Pizzeria has been serving up some of the best pizzas, calzones, entrees, wings and salads in town using Grande brand premium mozzarella and other top ingredients. We also have great lunch specials starting at only $5.99. All of our specialty pizzas are loaded with toppings. Pepperoni’s is locally owned and operated and is proud to serve the High Springs Community and surrounding areas. We are located on U.S. Highway 441 in Mills Plaza.

Brown’s Country Buffet

14423 NW US Hwy 441, Alachua, FL 32616 Monday-Friday 7:00am - 8:00pm Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Saturday 7:00am - 2:00pm 8:00am - 3:00pm Menus may be changed.Sunday Please check website or call for accurate information.

386-462-3000 brownscountrybuffet.net Casual — Country-style cooking at its finest, just like Grandma’s house! A buffet style restaurant, Brown’s Country Buffet is open seven days a week! Foods like fried chicken, grilled pork chops, real mashed potatoes, steamed cabbage, banana pudding and coconut pie, just to name a few, are served in a laid-back, relaxing environment. We offer AYCE fried shrimp on Friday nights from 4-8 along with whole catfish & ribs. In addition to their buffet, Brown’s also offers a full menu to choose from. Serving lunch and dinner daily and a breakfast buffet Friday-Sunday until 10:30am, you’re sure to leave satisfied, no matter when you go. So, when you’re in the mood for some good home cooking, Grandma’s style, visit Brown’s Country Buffet.

The Social at Midtown

1728 W. University Avenue, Gainesville, FL Monday-Sunday 11:00am – 2:00am Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Menus may be changed. Please check website or call for accurate information.

352-373-7383 www.thesocialgnv.com Upscale restaurant and rooftop bar — Hidden among the college bars of the midtown area, The Social at Midtown provides an unique, upscale, and affordable dining and late-night experience for the diverse and ever evolving population of Gainesville. Whether you are in search of high end spirits and craft cocktails or one of the 37 beers on tap the Social at Midtown will undoubtedly bring you back for the next big game with its fantastic menu and over 60 Large LED TVs. Check out our web page to see our weekly specials and plan your next Happy Hour with $4 Local Craft Pints!

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Bev’s Burger Café

315 NE Santa Fe Blvd. • High Springs Monday - Saturday 7am-9pm Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Menus may be changed. Please check website or call for accurate information.

386-454-9434 Casual — If you’re looking for fresh, homemade food in High Springs, look no further than Bev’s Burger Cafe. Known for the best burgers in town and fast, friendly service you’re sure to leave satisfied. You may also want to try one of their BBQ dinner favorites such as sliced pork, smoked turkey, BBQ chicken, baby back ribs, and more. Stop on by with the kids on Monday nights for some magic & balloon animals with Magic Mike.

Every Tuesday pork sandwiches are $3.00 all day. Also, on Wednesday nights starting at 5pm sodas and their famous tea are only $1.00, and bottled beer only $1.50. Don’t forget Bev’s is open for breakfast, also, served from 7am to 10:45am. Come check out our newly renovated kitchen & dining room, and our new menu items including fried chicken!

El Toro

15202 NW 147 Drive, Suite 1100, Alachua (Rolling Oaks Plaza) Monday – Thursday 11:00am – 9:00pm Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and FridayMenus & Sat may 11:00am – 10:00pm Noon or – 8:00pm be changed.

PleaseSunday check website call for accurate information.

386-418-1039 www.eltorogainesville.com Get Full At The Bull — Bienvenido! Welcome! We are a family owned and family friendly business. We have been serving our guests high quality fresh food for over 28 years. We welcome our guests with our Award Winning Salsa and warm homemade chips, add some fresh guacamole and our homemade white queso and you have a great start to a great meal! Try our Fish Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, Fajitas, Aaron’s Overstuffed Burrito, Nachos Supreme or one of our Daily Specials, we have something everyone will enjoy! We serve Lunch 7 days a week till 4 P.M. and our Kids Meals come with a drink and dessert. Check out our menu on our website. Our outdoor patio is perfect for “Para Cenar Afuera”. So, won’t you please come join us and Get Full At The Bull! See you there!

Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza

(Archer Road) 5757 SW 75th St. — 352-371-8646 • (Millhopper Road) 5200 NW 43rd St. — 352-371-7437 (University) 1250 W University Ave. — 352-375-2337 • (Grand Oaks Plaza) 2575 SW 42nd St. Ocala — 352-351-6000

Availability Notice: Due to Covid-19, Store Hours, Pick-up and Delivery Options and Mon-Thurs: 11am-10pm Fri-Sat: 11am-11pm Sun: 11am-10pm Menus may be changed. Please check website or call for accurate information.

www.piesanostogo.com Pizza, Pints & Pies — Piesanos is a locally owed and operated restaurant that is proud to use only the finest ingredients available, including Grande brand premium mozzarella. We are a full service dine in restaurant with an attached take out center and also offer catering.

Our dough is made fresh daily and all of our pizzas are baked directly on the stone in our unique Granite Stone Fired Pizza Oven. We offer a great variety of Specialty pizzas, such as our Pizza Antico-(ultra thin crust- Fresh Mozzarella, mini cup & char pepperoni & fresh basil) Specialty Pastas, Calzones, Fresh soups and salads, classic italian entrees, and a great selection of craft beer. We also offer a gluten free menu. For full menu please visit PIESANOSTOGO.COM. Order online or download our APP PIESANOSTOGO.COM.

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FILM >> LAUREN DEFILIPPO

RIGHT AT HOME

LAUREN DEFILIPPO PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF A TRADITIONAL GENRE

Reinventing the Documentary STORY & PHOTOGR A PH Y BY K R ISTIN KOZELSK Y

Lauren DeFilippo had just recently moved into her house, but one would never know it.

Everything looked like it just ‘fit’ with the mid-century house in the heart of Gainesville. She wasn’t planning on coming back to the town where she grew up, but she’s glad she did.

“I think it’s a great place and a great community of artists, and it’s really cool to me to even be a part of a community that I feel I can really impact,” DeFilippo said. “First off, with my students and being able to teach production at UF has been amazing, but also building that little student community — we have screenings of their work at the end of every semester down at The Wooly.”

DeFilippo is a professional documentary filmmaker and teaches film and video production at the University of Florida.

During a 2015 interview in her home, she wished her boyfriend, 62 |

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Sam, a good day as he headed out of the house, and settled down in the cozy sunroom to chat about the arts community in Gainesville.

She said that she appreciates “…coming in contact with other people here that are making films, and being able to help them with their scripts and they can help me with recording sound.

I feel that of course that exists everywhere, and it’s always important to have your community of people, but it just feels like you can really see your effects here.”

DeFilippo senses that the arts community is beginning to take a bit of a foothold, and between the growing tech startups and the fledgling arts community, Gainesville is a great place to be right now.

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FILM >> LAUREN DEFILIPPO

the documentary is to give the viewer the experience of attending a service there.

The church was originally a drive-in movie theater, and as popularity declined in the 1960s, it was converted to a church. To this day, attendees drive up to the church, a pastor conducts the service from a balcony of an A-frame house and people tune in on their car radios to listen.

DeFilippo lit up as she described the church and talked about the opportunity to visit, meet the peoArchers prepare to ignite the boat for the Viking funeral that Lauren DeFilippo staged for her dad in the film ple who attend and tell the “The Here After.” The film explores her father’s relationship with death as well as DeFilippo’s relationship with story of the church. One of him. DeFilippo is a nonfiction filmmaker and an Adjunct Instructor at the University of Florida. Learn more about her films at www.defilippofilms.com. the themes she explores in the film is the contrast of the traditional institution of a church, which is normally strongly Last summer, DeFilippo held a residency at Fermenter, a community-focused, and this church with each family sitting studio residency program associated with Gallery Protocol on alone in their cars as they attend service. The film was screened N.W. 6th Street that provides free space to accepted artists in the Gainesville area. While there, she created a short documen- at the end of her residency at Fermenter, and again at the end tary film on a drive-in church in Daytona. She said the goal of of October.

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May 2020

sense of living in the future. As they began to research the idea further, they decided to focus on the concept that humans would supposedly be occupying Mars by 2030. As they began to research the idea further, they learned of a dome on a volcano in Hawaii that houses six people and simulates the conditions of life on Mars. They visited the site and filmed the individuals as they underwent training for life in the dome. They are currently working on a trailer, which they will use to launch a Kickstarter campaign to help fund the completion of the film. Once finished, they will submit it to festivals and hopefullly have a limited theatrical release in select cities.

When asked about the life of a film after it’s completed, DeFilippo said that film festivals are an important part of the process.

“What’s equally as important as making the film is getting the film out there,” she said.

The number of festivals is so high that it’s almost overwhelming to determine the best options in submitting the film.

To start, there are smaller niche festivals. Once accepted there, the filmmaker can leverage the acceptance to apply to larger festivals to expand the audience and hopefully land in one of the larger, well-known festivals such as Sundance, Tribeca, or even South by Southwest.

DeFilippo admitted that she never had ‘the moment’ where she knew that she wanted to be a filmmaker. Instead, she came to it through her love of research and how much she enjoyed the

FILM >> LAUREN DEFILIPPO

DeFilippo majored in English literature as an undergraduate at UF, then went to NYU to pursue a graduate degree in the same field. While in New York City, she took an internship at a filmmaking company that produces documentaries for organizations like PBS. She worked her way up through the ranks from an assistant editor, to an editor, to an associate producer and was able to work on large projects all over the country. It is this experience that helped her fully understand the process of filmmaking and confirm that this was the right path for her.

“I got to see all the different moving parts of it and that was a good way to suss out whether it was the right thing for me,” she said. “I think that’s ultimately what’s so appealing about filmmaking, is that it requires so many different parts of your brain, and I love that. I have to worry about all these technical components, I have to worry about the aesthetic of my film, I have to make sure that my camera is on and my mics are working and that the subject I’m filming is comfortable, I have to have people skills… all of that goes into it and so it’s this mass of skills.”

While working for the film company, she applied to Stanford’s MFA Program in Documentary Film & Video on a whim and was accepted. She moved to California and spent two years in the program there, where she met her filmmaking partner, Katherine Gorringe.

DeFilippo and Gorringe are currently working on a feature-length film that explores the future. While living in San Francisco and experiencing Silicon Valley, they felt an undeniable

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FILM >> LAUREN DEFILIPPO

“I’m really interested in the overlap between narrative and documentary filmmaking.” opportunity to speak to everyone involved in a situation or experience. Through the process, she recognized film as an ideal medium to tell the stories of the people she was meeting.

She said that her background in modernist literature has had a definite impact in her filmmaking. She attributes some of her skill in editing — piecing together the story in an interesting way — to that background, and it’s visible in the films she makes. Her films document the obvious objects and people in a scene, but she has a skill for weaving in the quiet details that help complete the story in an interesting way.

DeFilippo said she is interested in pushing the boundaries of what people know as documentary filmmaking. For example, her thesis film is a personal piece that tells the story of her dad and his interesting relationship with death.

Her father has a deep interest in legacy, paying tribute to those that have passed, and already has a plan for his own funeral. It will be a Viking funeral. In the film “The Here After,” DeFilippo talks with her dad about life and death. They also enact his Viking funeral, complete with flaming arrows being shot at a boat launched into the water at sunset.

Even though the film is a documentary, it focuses on the character of her father and stages his funeral.

“I’m really interested in the overlap between narrative and documentary filmmaking,” she said. She described finding a narrative arch in the piece, compelling characters, as well as the performative aspects — the way people present themselves on camera.

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“I think it is critical to making a film, to recognize the camera’s presence and my presence in all of it… it’s definitely not ‘fly on the wall’ documentary filmmaking. It’s really getting people to present themselves as characters in ways.”

Ultimately, the piece became much more than a simple documentary. It required DeFilippo to be vulnerable and cross the line between making a film and being part of one.

“In the end, it ended up being a film about the relationship with my dad and about losing a parent and the harsh reality of that… when you get to be a certain age and realize that they’re not going to be around forever,” she said.

If this is any indication, DeFilippo is on the right path. She is still early on in her journey, but she has the skills and the vision to create some incredible work.

This story was originally published in the Nov/Dec 2015 issue of Our Town Magazine.

in

Our Town

DURING THESE UNPRECEDENTED TIMES, A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE GOES A LONG WAY… The purpose of this special section is to build community, appreciation and hope.

Now, more than ever, words of encouragement are needed as we all find ourselves navigating a challenging new normal. These are testimonials from local people sharing what they love about the people and places that form the foundation of our beloved community. When times get tough, it always helps to know that someone’s got your back and is cheering you on.

We hope you’ll be inspired to support and love on some places of your own, too! :)

May 2020

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“Barre works so much more that I realized it would. A smaller group setting, motivating music, encouraging instructors, and seeing results is worth coming back for! You leave feeling amazing and can tackle your day!” — DIANA KENDRICK “I truly believe and feel that the instructors want to provide all clients with the best

tools to reach their highest potential in class, whether it’s strength, balance, focus, or just having a good time!”

— CHRISTY HILL

AUXO Fitness

Empower Your Body 4994 NW 39th Ave, Suite D | 352-727-7800

auxofitness.com 68 |

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May 2020

“We had a fantastic time working with Adrienne! She paid close attention to detail and managed to capture the essence of who we are in this season of life. Cannot wait to work with her again!!” — ZAKIYA SMITH-DORE

“Adrienne is extremely helpful, prompt, and professional. Working with her you can tell she is

very experienced and knows her way around the lens. She helped us elevate our Family

business and we at Cilantro Tacos could not ask for a better photographer!

Thank you Adrienne

”

— NATE METH

Adrienne Fletcher Photography Weddings. Portraits. Life.

352-514-7277

adriennefletcher.com May 2020

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“Excellent service, very professional, explained everything beforehand; afterwards Jake explained what he found and what I should expect at the next visit. So glad someone recommended Dayton Heating and Air to me. I rate this company 10 of 10” — CHRIS N.

“I recommend Jacob and Dayton Heating and Air to anyone who is looking for professionalism coupled with a fair cost. I was so pleasantly surprised after dealing with other companies who don’t call you back, overcharge and don’t understand customer service. My experience with Jacob and Dayton Heating and Air has been exemplary.” — PAMELA P.

Dayton Heating & Air Conditioning, LLC Affordable Service, Repair and Installation CAC1819132 | 352-317-2132

daytonheatandair.com 70 |

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May 2020

“The food and service are always on point!

EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious!! I’ve never had a mediocre meal or service here!

Great atmosphere inside and out!”

— CHRISTIE A.

The Great Outdoors

Open at 11:00am Tuesday through Sunday 65 N Main St, High Springs | 386-454-1288

greatoutdoorsdining.com May 2020

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“Huge shout out to Tina for saving the day by creating a last minute boutonnière for homecoming!!

What a great new Alachua business!!! Thank you!!”

“Really beautiful and unique flower arrangements.

stayed fresh for a long time!”

— MICHELLE J.

They smelled great and — LIZ S.

Alachua Flowers & Tuxedo Rentals

alachua-flowers-and-tuxedo-rentals.business.site Like us on Facebook | 352-339-6290

14520 Main Street, Alachua 72 |

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May 2020

“Excellent prices, great sales!! Clean store and friendly staff! I have no trouble finding anything!!

Keep up the great work!” — SANDY S.

“Orders my favorite specialty items and always remembers what I favor!!

Great staff, very friendly. LOVE THIS PLACE!”

— TAMARA B.

“Love. Love. Love love love! I came here just for a browse and left awed. The selection of staples is absolutely ridiculous, and the variety of cordials blew my mind.” — APRIL O.

The Liquor & Wine Shoppe

Great people, prices & monthly wine tastings 14451 Newberry Rd, Jonesville | 352-332-3308

facebook.com/LiquorShoppes May 2020

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“I absolutely LOVE this salon! Their products are amazing too!” — TURI D. “I am very pleased for a first-timer and so is Goldie! I’m sure she can’t wait for her next spa day with such wonderful people! A big thanks to everyone who works there.” — ANGELA V. “I’ve been taking my two dogs there for many years and have always been happy with the groomers — I’ve used a number of them, but especially love Ashley. They are wildly popular in Gainesville, so book early for an appointment.” — VASSILIKI S.

Nature’s Pet Day Spa

The world-class care and attention your pets deserve 500 NW 60th St, Suite C | 352-331-8681

naturepetsgrooming.com 74 |

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May 2020

“Wonderful staff! they treated my son like he was their own.

They’ll work with you for even same day appointment… I have not one negative thing to say.”

— KELLYE G.

The doctor was so sweet to my girls, and I felt that he was extremely knowledgeable and did

“Everything was perfect. The staff were amazing, so nice.

not leave out a single detail. The nurse was very kind and welcoming. You could tell that this is a great place! Loved our visit!” — TONYA D.

Little Pine Pediatrics

Lifelong Partners in Your Child’s Health 15551 NW Hwy 441 Suite 40, Alachua | 386-518-0102

littlepinepediatrics.com May 2020

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“At the Einstein school children are taught empathy and acceptance, while their individuality is encouraged. Our child could not be in a better place.” — LORI S. “The Einstein School, while we’ve only been there a short time, has literally saved my son. I was told that he couldn’t read, I was told that he couldn’t learn, I was told that he couldn’t talk well enough for his SPED teacher to understand him, so she made him point. The Einstein School has brought out the best in him and shown that he can do all of these things. All he needed was someone to listen to him and understand that he learned differently — someone who believed in him and cared about him.

Thank you so much Einstein School!” — JEMMA D.

The Einstein School

Where Children Learn How To Read 5910 SW Archer Rd, Gainesville | 352-335-4321

emschool.org 76 |

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May 2020

“Today with the help of my Credit Union, I was able to help a lot of great people.

And if you are looking for a great place to do your banking, check out SunState Credit Union. Thanks to SunState Federal Credit Union!” — A VERY HAPPY MEMBER “I am so happy and proud to have businesses like you in our community who give so much back. In the

last couple of years, your generosity has been amazing, and you have helped so many children and other worthy causes. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!” — JORDAN M. SunState Federal Credit Union

Proudly serving our members and our community since 1957

www.SunStateFCU.org May 2020

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“One of the best and my personal favorite pawn shop around!

All of the staff are extremely helpful. They keep the place clean and are always very

friendly and professional.” — LACEY S.

“I absolutely love Oaks Pawn. I will never go to any other pawn shop.

They treat you like family and are always kind and respectful.” — TERESA S. Oaks Pawn at High Springs

Buy, Sell or Pawn 18522 US 441 South | 386-454-3776

oakspawn.com 78 |

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May 2020

“I have rented steam cleaners and thought our carpet came out nice and clean in the past but I had never had it professionally cleaned.

WOW, what a difference! The carpet looks like and feels like new again. It is fluff y and soft and looks really white again. I can’t believe the difference it made and for a very good price.”

— MAT T D.

The Best Restoration

Masters of Disasters 7230 W. University Ave. | 352-505-3321

thebestrestoration.com May 2020

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the best urgent care facility that I have ever been to. The staff and physician was very thorough, kind and had a phenomenal bedside manner. I didn’t feel like a number. I felt like I was being listened to. Thank you so much for the great care that I received!”

“This is by far

— KAYLA F.

OneStop Medical & Urgent Care

TriWest Authorized Facility 15652 NW US Hwy 441 Ste 2D, Alachua | 386-418-4060

www.OneStopMedCenter.com 80 |

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May 2020

“Great food, a lot of great choices. Mojo pork tacos excellent, the plantains in it are an awesome touch. You can never go wrong with the Tuscan sandwich.”

— JORGE G.

“Fantastic menu. Red fish over grits is a spicy explosion of flavor. Filet mac & cheese is creamy goodness to die for. Exceptional local draft list. Craft cocktails too. Quick, competent service. Highly impressed!”

— CRAIG D.

“The fun place for pre game meeting other Gators. The drinks and food is great and bar tenders & waitress are very friendly a accommodating. Just lots of fun for everyone.” — GUY T.

The Social at Midtown

Premier upscale sports restaurant and rooftop bar 1728 W University Ave. | 352-373-7383

thesocialgnv.com May 2020

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I just got back from a visit at Gainesville DPC Physicians. It was a fantastic experience. The blood draw was as painless as I have ever experienced (thanks

Megan). The people are very friendly, courteous and caring. It was so nice not to be rushed through a system, but rather to be listened to I would highly recommend! — CHRIS JET TÉ

“There aren’t words to describe the blessing that this practice is to me and my family. Dr. Cotter is so personal and kind, compassionate, prompt, and just brilliant. I

would recommend either of these fabulous doctors for your family’s primary care.” — JOY SALYERS Gainesville Direct Primary Care Physicians You’re our patient. We’re your doctors. It’s that simple.

13577 NW 2nd Lane, Ste 20, Newberry | 352-204-0120

GainesvilleDPCMD.com 82 |

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May 2020

“Melissa is incredibly helpful in getting us the right coverage at the best price. She advocates for us proactively.

Best insurance agent I have ever dealt with!”

— JOEL BLUMENTHAL

“The most pleasant insurance shopping experience I’ve ever had! All the staff are extremely welcoming and friendly. Brent, our agent is particularly professional, prompt, and courteous! I’ll no longer spend hours

Schneider provides us with one of the most competitive rates and customer service!!!”

shopping for deals online,

— CHUNGLING YAN

Schneider and Associates

Insurance Agents You Can Rely On 285 Nw 138th Terrace, Suite 100 | 352-333-3775

schneider-insurance.com May 2020

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“I have used Carpet Systems Plus for a long time, and I

wouldn’t use anyone else!

They are friendly, thorough and punctual. So far I have used Carpet Systems Plus for my carpets, a sofa and grout cleaning. I have always been pleased with their services.

They are a 5 Star company!” — DIANE D.

“I highly recommend them for move outs, seasonal cleaning, or prior to renting/listing a property. On time, professional, trustworthy — phenomenal results!”

Carpet Systems Plus

— CHRIS B.

Love Your Floors Again!

1406 NW 6th Street, Suite C | 352-258-1357

CarpetSystemsPlus.com 84 |

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May 2020

“Dr.Montini and staff are amazing, I wouldn’t go anywhere else. I do not have one complaint always so nice and always very helpful and wonderful work. Will continue to refer to this wonderful office.”

— TAMRA B.

“My daughter got her braces on yesterday and was little nervous. The Staff and Dr Montini were awesome. They went out of their way to make it the best experience possible. And that is the best thing any parent can witness. Thank you.” — ROSIE G.

Montini Orthodontics

Healthy Smiles Are Our Greatest Reward 7520 W. University Ave. | 352-332-7911

MontiniOrtho.com May 2020

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My boyfriend and I had a wonderful dinner here. Probably our new, favorite place to eat out.

The food was very delicious and they gave great proportions.

They actually had some of the best sushi I’ve had since being in Gainesville. My boyfriend loved his steak — very juicy, no fat, cooked perfectly and the meat really felt like it just fell apart in your mouth. It was that delicious! Very fast service when we went. Will definitely be back. — POLLY HWU One other thing: I love the staff. They are so friendly and helpful. If you haven’t tried dining at Ballyhoo, you won’t be disappointed. — THOMAS PERNICE “The seabass dish was the best I ever had! The taste was delicious, a very thick cut and the presentation was beyond reproach!” — KEN B. 86 |

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May 2020

“This place is fantastic. The service was great and they went above and beyond to ensure we had a great experience, especially our server, Trey. The food was perfect and all 6 of us were extremely happy. They even paid special attention to my toddler and brought him extra crayons and things to keep him occupied.

Definitely will be back!” — TARYN COOPER

“Awesome place to go after the game.

Great variety! Must try the Bananas Foster! Great experience and dessert!”

— NORMAN C.

Ballyhoo Grill

Serving Gainesville since 1998 3700 Newberry Rd | 352-373-0059

ballyhoogrill.com May 2020

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“Always fresh, well prepared food. Warm hearted owners who stay involved.

Great local joint, and the food truck is spotted all over.” — BOBBY P. “For the second time in a year, I arranged to have Nathan bring his food truck out to feed about 60 employees. Nathan is very nice, professional and does what he says he’s going to do.” — PACA S. “Even with a 4.9 review rating, Cilantro Tacos is an underrated restaurant. Most people that I refer to Cilantro Tacos have never heard of them. After eating there, they are devotees.” — CHRISTIAN M.

Cilantro Tacos

Freshness You Can Taste 12921 SW 1 Rd, Newberry

352-472-1300 88 |

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May 2020

“They are the best! Got me exactly what I needed, saved us money and I’m comfortable enough that I’ve referred many of my coworkers and friends.” — DARA MARINO “I know my family can trust and depend on Perry to make sure everything is taken care of.”

— PASTOR MARK SPRADLEY

“We’ve been with P&L Financial going into our third year. Perry has always been informative,

problem solving, reliable and accessible. We definitely consider him our friend.” — DENNIS & LISA KOZAK P&L Financial Services, Inc.

American Senior Benefits 5700 SW 34th St. Suite #106 | 352-745-7546

www.pandlfs.com May 2020

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“We love this place! The food is delicious, especially the steamed dumplings!

The staff is so sweet and the atmosphere is warm and inviting. My family can’t get enough.” — NANCY S.

“Best Thai restaurant in Gainesville. They have a plenty of options for vegetarians/ vegans too. Their Thai hot spice level is great for my Indian taste buds. Great service.”

— HIMANSHU V.

“Excellent flavor. Crispy tofu salad was amazing. Sticky rice with mango was delicious. Friendly waiter who explained the menu well and a decent amount of vegan options!” — SRI G.

Bangkok Square

Family-Owned Serving the Best Authentic Thai Cuisine Two locations | 8181 NW 38th Ln. | 6500 SW Archer Rd.

bangkoksquarefl.com 90 |

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May 2020

“I love that I will have direct access to my provider (phone, text, messenger and email) and won’t have to wait days or weeks to be seen.

I’ll keep my health insurance for emergency care and specialists, but financially this just makes sense. If you’re looking for something better, you should definitely check this place out! — MONICA S.

“I just had a patient who is a patient at Celebrate Primary Care, she just went on and on about what an amazing amazing practice y’all have! She’s never experienced such personalized medical care. You are doing great things for people!” — COURTNEY G.

Celebrate Primary Care

A Personal Relationship with your Medical Provider Gainesville (352) 474-8686 | Alachua (386) 518-0200

celebrateprimarycare.com May 2020

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“Dr. Webb will treat you like family.”

— ROD S.

“Always smiling and always a pleasant experience which is weird when you consider that it is the dentist.

Love Dr. Jordan and Dr. Patti.” — TONY M. “The Gentle Dental Care staff were very friendly, kind, and concerned about my welfare. I would definitely recommend them if you are looking for a new dental professional to take care of you!” — MICHELLE G.

Gentle Dental Care

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GainesvilleDentist.com 92 |

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“Friendly service with an excellent variety of food. The burgers are fantastic and on special every Monday night! Family friendly, country atmosphere makes this place an easy local gem!”

— J. CUCCHIARA

“The food and bar staff are the best!! My go to spot for cold drinks and great appetizers.

Burgers and soup are always great.” — DENISE ROSE “I am so happy to have this restaurant in Jonesville! I frequent here often with my family as well as business meetings for lunch. Friendly and efficient staff. Great food with plenty of choices.” — NANCY SHORT

Copper Monkey West

Your wait is over — our legendary burgers are back!

14209 W Newberry Rd, Jonesville | 352-363-6338

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“This place is amazing! :) They are so patient and loving.” — MERI B. “This was my son’s first and only preschool. We loved the staff, who are so caring and knowledgeable.

I always refer other families to them who want quality care for their children.” — CHERIE K. “My daughter went to the Education Station for a year and it was by FAR the greatest daycare/ preschool experience I have ever had the pleasure of experiencing!” — PEGGY M.

Education Station & Preschool

Where Learning Never Stops 2411 NW 41st St, Gainesville | 352-335-0026

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“What can I say except that all of the beds one could dream of are neatly displayed in a beautiful store. No pressure to buy or push us to any action at all. Very pleasant store to visit.”

— JAMES CLEMENS

“The Sleep Center is my go-to place for all beds. As a busy Realtor, I refer all my

clients to Brent and his team. Brent’s philosophy is that he’s not satisfied until his

customer is and I see that in the people he hires as well.”

— BETSY PEPINE

The Sleep Center Superstores

3242 SW 35 Blvd., Gainesville | 352-872-5665 4994 NW 39th Ave., Gainesville | 352-872-5668

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“I went to Kirsikka with a couple ideas in mind for an engagement ring and was so happy to talk with the shop owner - Alexis about different possibilities. In the end he made a customized ring especially tailored for my (now) fiancée and she absolutely loved it!” — JESSE A. “Kirsikka Jewelry is the kind of boutique business that makes living in Gainesville a positive experience.

The service, attention to detail, and expertise that I have consistently received here makes it worth the trip.” — PHILIP A. Kirsikka Jewelry

Jewelry Beyond The Seven Seas 5750 SW 75th Ct, #48 | 352-353-6968

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The End. Or is it really just the beginning?

Now it’s up to you to spread some kindness by sharing a positive experience of your own.

We encourage you to take a moment and tell us what you love about these or other local businesses. Words have power – and what we say can have a meaningful impact, especially as we face these uncertain times. Your support not only matters, but also is imperative to fueling our community forward.

Share The Love by posting on our Facebook page and telling us more about the people and places you LOVE. Stay strong & Love on!

This special section was brought to you by Our Town Magazine and Adrienne Fletcher Photography.

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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Our Town does not endorse any business, product, place or service. Nor does the content of this publication intend to do so, but rather is for your entertainment and informational use. The content used in this publication was collected through various online and offline sources. We have not independently verified any of the claims made in this publication and have no liability for the completeness, accuracy or fitness of any of the information. That means you are solely responsible for verifying any claims. ©2020 Tower Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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COLUMN

FARM TALES

From Mother Hen THE GREAT OUTDOORS

MOTHER HEN IS PROUD TO BE A “BABY BOOMER” RAISED ON A FARM POPULATED BY DOGS, CATS, CHICKENS, DUCKS, GEESE, HORSES AND COWS. THE WISDOM SHE GAINED WHILE GROWING UP IN THE COUNTRY CAN’T BE FOUND IN BOOKS. YOU CAN CONTACT MOTHER HEN AT motherhenfarmtales@gmail.com.

AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, WHILE GROWING UP IN THE COUNTRY AS A FARMER’S DAUGHTER I EXPERIENCED LIFE AND NATURE ON A VERY PERSONAL LEVEL.

W

hen I took my first steps as a toddler, my mother told me I stepped barefooted right onto the gravel lane leading up to our cottage.

My grandmother gasped as she watched my tender feet on the gravel, but I was born for the country life and didn’t even seem to notice. From that time until the present, when I am home (indoors or out) my shoes are kicked off immediately.

I also quickly developed an inner oneness with nature. My mother would instruct me as early as I can remember to “take a deep breath; breathe in that clean, fresh air.” We would stand on the hillside by our little home, where the breeze rose gently up from the river, and it really was the cleanest, freshest air I have ever breathed in. Today yoga and Pilates instructors value the benefits of deep breathing for health and well-being, but my mother was ahead of her time. She knew that nature and the great outdoors are “good for what ails ya’.”

My father was a born farmer. He had instincts for his occupation that other farmers often envied. He was the first to open his fields in the spring to start planting, and the first to begin the harvest in the fall. Much to my dismay, when we had a family outing in our car he would slowly drive past his fields, painstakingly creeping by the rows of crops he had recently planted. What he was doing was keeping watch over his fields, looking for early signs of weeds or insects that might be putting the young plants at risk. However, he also had an eye looking upwards to the sky, watching what his “silent partner” had in store for him.

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could read the signs she would give him. I remember my father often saying, “She’s going to storm tonight,” or, “It looks like she wants to rain…” As I grew older, I noticed that he personified the weather by doing this, and realized he was demonstrating exactly how he felt. Weather wasn’t just a random chance happening; nature was his silent partner—and she was quite clear when speaking to him. My father was such a successful farmer because of the many years he spent working with Mother Nature, and listening when she gave him signs.

My own experiences with the outdoors centered mostly with my exploring the hillside near our cottage. I loved picking the wildflowers in the springtime, finding snails along the base of

the large oak trees, or nursing the occasional critter that was injured or orphaned. I even rescued fireflies from spider webs during the summer evenings. If I got there quickly enough before Mr. Spider started the process of preparing his dinner, I would gently untangle the firefly from the web and send him on his way. I’m pretty sure I saw him blink a thank you in “firefly code” as he flitted away in the night sky.

On a spring day one of our cats brought up a baby bunny from the woods. It was tiny and helpless so I wanted to keep it, of course. My mother inspected it and found that the cat hadn’t injured it, just gently carried it up to the house like a cat would

carry a kitten. Since there was no way to return the bunny to his mother, we nursed him until he was old enough and then released him into the woods where he had come from. He was a little wild thing, never bonding with the humans who had rescued him. I learned from that little bunny that some wild things never can be domesticated.

One successful experience I had with nurturing a wild creature was with a tiny sparrow hatchling. A strong rain and windstorm happened one June afternoon. Later that evening my parents and I were visiting neighbors and I went outside to escape the boring grown-up conversation. As I was walking through the damp grass outdoors, I noticed a baby bird that had been blown down during the storm. He was at the base of a tree with his mouth open and looking helpless. He was no more than a small blob of skin with a few shafts of feathers that were just beginning to grow—and of course, that yellow beak stretched wide open begging for food. I gently scooped him up and tenderly brought him in to show my parents. My father said he was too young and would never make it. But I promised I would do whatever it took to keep him alive, even if it meant feeding him every two hours around the clock.

My mother came up with a plan to feed him raw hamburger rolled up to simulate the worms his mother would have brought to the nest. He gobbled up the “worms,” waking every two hours and demanding more! He thrived on his diet and grew quickly, his feather shafts filling in and unwrapping to show the feather pattern of a sparrow. I named him “Harvey” after a Jimmy Stewart movie I had recently watched. Harvey thought I was his mother; and, truly, I actually was. I fed him “worms” every two hours when he was a baby and taught him to eat birdseeds when he was old enough. And when all his feathers were grown in, I would hold him perched on my finger and drop my hand to encourage him to fly. One very special day he did fly from my finger, taking laps around the living room high up near the ceiling. I was a proud mama on that day.

Harvey and I spent the rest of the summer in bliss. He would ride around on my shoulder inside the house, and whatever I was eating he thought he should have a bite to eat too. If I slept late in the morning, he would squeeze his little body between the crack of my bedroom door and wake me up by flying to my pillow and gently tugging at my eyelashes. When school started back up in September, my mother said he would sulk in his birdcage all day even though the door to it was open. Somehow, he knew when I would be arriving home from school and he would come out of his cage flying laps around the living room, excited for my return. We would have snacks together and he would sit on my shoulder while I did my homework.

Harvey was a precious gift sent from above to this little country girl. Our time together was short, but a time I will always treasure. I’ve heard that God knows when even a sparrow falls from the tree, and I hope one day I’ll find my little friend again—waiting for me at the Pearly Gates.

Yes, there is beauty in the Great Outdoors. Get out there and breathe it in! Go find your silent partner, and listen…

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NATURAL WONDERS >> POLLINATOR BEES

BUSY BEES

What’s the Buzz About?

Doing Our Part to Save the Bees W R I T T E N B Y S AVA N N A K E A R N E Y

T

hey’re deadly to some, but essential for a stable environment. They’re miniscule, but can build colonies 50,000 strong.

They’re bees, and their existence is in jeopardy.

There are about 20,000 different species of bees in the world, including bumblebees, carpenter bees, killer bees and more. But the species we’re probably most familiar with is the honeybee. According to Dr. Jamie Ellis, the Gahan Associate Professor of Entomology in the Department of Entomology and Nematology of UF, there are nine different species of honeybee. And all but one of them exist exclusively in Asia.

“So, unless you go to Asia, you will only ever see one species of honeybee,” Ellis said.

And none of that one species is native to

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Florida. Those honeybees were introduced when the first settlers traveled to America on ships from Europe. However, there are between 315 and 325 species of bees that are native to Florida.

According to Josh Campbell, a postdoctoral researcher at the Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory at UF, species native to North Florida include four or five species of bumblebees, dozens of species of sweat bees, many different leaf cutter bees, carpenter bees and more.

“We have a pretty decent diversity of bees in this area,” Campbell said.

Unlike honeybees that build large colonies, most native bees are solitary.

“Generally, a lot of bees, the only time they associate with a member of their own species is when they want to mate,” Campbell said.

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One of the bees on the left of the hive eats pollen. The tiny orange pellets on either side of the bee, pollen, are bees’ main source of protein.

About 70% of Florida’s native bees are ground nesters, meaning they dig tunnels or find a preexisting hole to nest and lay eggs. The other 30% nest in a hollow cavity such as a hole in a tree.

Honeybees, on the other hand, are eusocial, which means they build colonies consisting of anywhere from 20,000 to 80,000 bees. Most are female

“They’re working together in this utopian society trying to advance the cause of the colony rather than the cause of the individual bee.”

In recent years, many articles have been popping up left and right with titles like, “Where Are the Bees?” and “Vanishing of the Bees.” It all started in the fall of 2006, when some beekeepers in Florida

“They’re working together in this utopian society trying to advance the cause of the colony rather than the cause of the individual bee.” worker bees that perform the majority of the tasks within the colony. Each colony is headed by a queen bee, whose sole job is to lay eggs. Male drone bees are the last component, and their job is to mate with queens in other colonies.

“These girls and guys live in harmony to kind of perpetuate the existence of the colony,” Ellis said.

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reported their colonies dying at high rates.

Over the last 10 years there’s been a gross decline in managed honeybee colonies of 30%. But beekeepers have been able to maintain a gross increase of 1% over the past decade.

“So, to kind of put that in perspective, that means if I have 100 colonies, I would lose 30 because that’s PHOTOGRAPHY: SAVANNA KEARNEY

(From left to right) Richard Jones, Forrest Crawford and Ray Goldwire stand in front of four of their 11 “supers” where their bees are kept.

“Smokers” are often puffed into the frames to calm the bees. The bees communicate using smells or “pheromones,” which the smoke masks. Richard Jones (below) brushes some bees off a frame back into their own hive before transferring the frame to another super. Supers hold 10 frames, each of which is designed to hold honeycombs that the bees use to store honey and pollen.

the gross loss rate. But I would split my colonies and manage my colonies to recover 31,” Ellis said. “So, with a gross loss rate of 30%, I now have 101.”

Sounds good, right? Well, since honey and pollination prices are reasonably high right now, beekeepers can afford to invest in the recovery of these colony losses. If the production of honey or the pollination industry became economically unsustainable, researchers and the general public would really notice the impact of these bee losses.

“Beekeepers are carrying the entire burden associated with colony losses,” Ellis said. “Beekeepers are feeling tremendous strain right now, whereas a lot of public is being shielded [from this issue].”

The loss of bees is caused by multiple factors. Ellis said that most beekeepers agree that the principal killer of honeybees is a mite called Varroa that latches onto the body of the bee to feed and pass viruses. Other things that cause colony loss are poor queen quality, nutritional issues in the colony, fungal and

bacterial diseases, pesticides, extreme weather and more.

But how can we save the bees?

“Just being educated on the issue will make [people] more likely to be sympathetic to the plight of the bees,” Ellis said.

You can donate time, money and resources to reputable organizations such as Defenders of Wildlife, The Honeybee Conservancy and more. Using pesticides responsibly is another way to help with bee losses. An easy and beautiful solution is to plant wildflowers that attract bees near your home. This can include Florida native wildflowers, sunflowers, clovers, tulips, hollies and many more. You can find a more extensive list of flowers for bees on HoneyLove.com.

Another simple way to help the plight of the bees is to become a beekeeper. Backyard beekeepers are probably more common than you think. The Gainesville Area Bee Club meets once a month to provide educational outreach programs about beekeeping.

Ray Goldwire, 82, has been beekeeping for almost nine years May 2020

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“We really want people to know about bees … because bees are so important to us.”

at Oak Hammock at the University of Florida, a retirement community where he lives with his wife.

“The way I started was that … we had a post-doc honeybee guy from the university from Finland that was working on honeybees, and I invited him out for dinner,” Goldwire said in a 2017 interview. “And he looked around and said, ‘This would be a great place for honeybees.’”

Located on a stretch of grass between RV parking and woods sits 11 hives, managed by Goldwire and his friends, Richard Jones, 77, and Forrest Crawford, 81, who are also residents of Oak Hammock. They call themselves the “Bee Buddies.”

“I’m not sure I do everything a good beekeeper does,” Goldwire said with a laugh.

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come out to visit the bees. Goldwire checks to see if there are eggs in the hives and if the eggs are pupating. He feeds the bees a mixture of water and sugar, a substitute for nectar.

“The key thing, I would say, if you’re really interested in having honeybees, I would join the local bee club wherever you are,” Goldwire said.

He also recommends reading books about beekeeping and doing research online. He says just about anybody can do it, unless you’re seriously allergic to bees.

“You build up an immunity,” Goldwire said. “Over the years I have been stung a lot. You get used to it. You don’t like it, but you get used to it.”

At Oak Hammock there are about 500 people that are very PHOTOGRAPHY: SAVANNA KEARNEY

Locally owned & operated 20 years experience

Richard Jones (top left) examines a frame from a deep super. Bees keep their hives very clean and tidy in order to prevent disease.

A brood refers to a bee in one of its three stages of development: egg, larva or pupa. Broods reside in cells, the hexagonal-shaped honeycomb compartment. Nectar gets passed from bee to bee until it becomes honey and gets stored in honeycomb cells.

Honey, which comes from nectar, is made from a combination of sugars dissolved in water. It contains vitamins, proteins and enzymes.

Each hive has its own pheromones and is protected by guard bees. If bees try to enter and don’t smell right, the guard bees would restrict them from entering.

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supportive of their beekeeping — and the honey that comes from it.

“We have a built-in demand for our honey, and our problem is that we have not been able to meet the demand here,” Goldwire said.

They can produce up to 110 pounds of honey in one season. They sell it for $10 per jar, a recent $2 increase since honey demand at Oak Hammock is so high. Right now, they break even in honey sales. But that’s OK with the Bee Buddies — they’re not in it for the money.

“We really want people to know about bees … because bees are so important to us,” Goldwire said. “Now it’s sort of a part of my life.”

This story was originally published in the May/June 2017 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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INSPIRATION >> VISION BOARDS

VISUALIZE

See it to Believe it A Guide to Vision Boarding S TORY A N D PHOTOG R A PHY BY S TE PH S TRICKL A N D

FIND YOUR PURPOSE The most important aspect to consider prior to creating a vision board is understanding the purpose behind it and what you hope to achieve with its creation. Though taking these steps require self-reflection, it also allows yourself to become inspired by the future.

While vision boarding requires its participants to look into the future, it isn’t a concrete plan with dates or numbers. Instead, consider ideas that develop you ethically or spiritually in personal or professional spheres.

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minimizing portions that drain this happiness.

After all, the purpose of the vision board is to display how you want to feel, and often times that includes elements that already exist within your life.

Vision boards may include photos of loved ones, ticket stubs or souvenirs from a special trip. These elements of the vision board may have taken place in the past, but they still serve as a reminder to spend more time with family, go to your favorite shows or plan more vacation time.

Finding your purpose is a unique process, and while the core elements of vision boards are important, each board is meant to represent individuality — no two vision boards are meant to be the same.

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INSPIRATION >> VISION BOARDS

THE PSYCHOLOGY Visualization boards have recently gained popularity in response to authors, athletes and psychologists promoting the effectiveness of visualization, if done correctly.

In her popular novel “The Secret,” Rhonda Byrne shares a personal account of how visualization led to her own successes and claimed that those who discovered this ‘secret’ went on to become some of the greatest individuals in human history, such as Galileo and Abraham Lincoln.

Byrne was able to change the course of her life through the use of vision boards and visualization, and she encourages readers to pursue a similar commitment to their future.

Christopher Clarey of The New York Times reported that Canadian bobsledder Lyndon Rush was among numerous Olympic athletes to utilize visualization and achieve tangible success in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Additionally, four-time Olympic discus champion Al Oerter and tennis-star Billie Jean King used visualization techniques throughout their professional careers in the 1960s, according to reports.

AJ Adams of Psychology Today supports the findings of Byrne and Clarey.

Adams reported that “mental practices are almost as effective as physical practices,” and he encourages individuals to pursue a combination of both elements.

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effective if you are imagining the path to achieve success rather than success itself.

The experiment used three groups to test the visualization theory. The first group visualized scoring high on an exam, the second visualized how they were going to study for the exam and the third group imagined nothing.

“Students visualizing studying prepared better, studied more, scored higher grades, and were less stressed,” according to Psychology Today in response to this experiment.

GET CREATIVE Your vision board should capture your thought process in visual form. For some, this means a messy and colorful display, whereas others may have a clean cut and minimalistic approach.

Stray from including material goods on your vision board, and instead flip through your favorite magazine, newspaper or book and cut out elements that creatively inspire you. For example, a photo of a beautiful landscape or motivational quote could generate more inspiration than just a photo of a new car, according to this theory.

Vision boards are not only meant to serve as an aid to generate positivity in life. They can also serve to uplift you when experiencing a lack of motivation or creativity. Be on the lookout for photos, quotes and items that generate happiness and represent personal growth when designing your board.

Including quirky or unique elements in your vision board is essential. And once completed, your vision board should

represent all aspects of your life.

For some, photos of their favorite healthy foods will encourage them to live a healthy lifestyle. Others may gravitate toward photos of suitcases or planes, reminding them to travel often.

Essentially, your finished project should include all items that hold meaning to you, even if it seems haphazard or confusing to others.

Also, making your vision board visually pleasing will make you more apt to proudly display it. Keep in mind elements such as color coordination or sizing can be important in making an effective vision board.

There are numerous guidebooks, such as “The Complete Guide to Vision Boards”

by Christine Kane, that are dedicated to creating a visually appealing and effective vision board.

Once completed, be sure to find a home for your vision board that is clearly visible to encourage you to accomplish your goals.

This story was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2018 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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COLUMN

DONNA BONNELL’S

Embracing Life MY SECRET INGREDIENT

DONNA BONNELL BECAME THE AUTHOR OF HER COLUMN, EMBRACING LIFE, MORE THAN A DECADE AGO. SHE SHARES HER PERSONAL CHALLENGES AND VICTORIES WITH THE GOAL OF INSPIRING HER READERS TO ANALYZE WHY THINGS HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. bonneldj@gmail.com

THEOLOGIAN NORMAN WIRZBA DEFINED FOOD AS “GOD’S LOVE MADE EDIBLE.”

P

reparing food for others is a tangible expression of God’s love and a gift. It is a gift not only for the recipient, but also the cook. Cooking and writing are my ways of expressing creativity and relieving stress.

Numerous subjects of Embracing Life columns have included the therapeutic benefits of seeing my thoughts published. Those intrinsic values are multiplied ten-fold when I receive feedback from regular readers. It has been an immense source of personal pride that I will never tire of telling. Aside from writing, little else fulfills those essential needs, except cooking. So, I began to ponder my hesitation to share rewarding culinary stories.

We all know that food consumption is necessary to remain alive. Though, sadly, millions of people around the globe are emaciated and famished. At the same time, many folks take for granted their access to bountiful yields of fruits, meats and vegetables. Perhaps I felt shame in knowing that many individuals are starving. Maybe that guilt curtailed my desire to publicly display the pleasure I feel while creating and serving meals.

While I am very fortunate, I do appreciate and express gratitude for having my daily nourishment. My parents grew up in the Great Depression. They taught me years ago how to buy bargains on a budget, stretch meals and repurpose leftovers. We did not have lavish feasts, but our family never went to bed hungry.

In addition to widespread famine, our society faces other challenges relating to food. Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia and overeating, are life-threatening diseases.

Discovering the insightful quote from Wirzba helped me work through my dilemma. Food, when properly understood, is a gift — an edible (physical) gift from God. With that in mind, I realized that food is not the foe.

Hallelujah! I was almost free to share my stories and secret ingredient. First, however, I did a little research to confirm that I am not alone in experiencing the benefits of culinary creativity. There are countless articles, studies and surveys available confirming that my feelings are on target. The following are three professional opinions:

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• First, Julie Ohana, licensed clinical social worker, specializing in culinary art therapy states, “In many cultures, in many countries, food really is an expression of love, and it’s actually beautiful because it’s something we really all relate to.”

• Second, Susan Whitbourne, professor of psychological and brain sciences, also refers to food as a cultural norm. She said, “It can be helpful for people who have difficulty expressing their feelings in words to show thanks, appreciation or sympathy with baked goods.”

• Last, but certainly not least, author Ellen Kanner explains, “Preparing a meal is unlike anything else I do in the course of a day. It’s a nourishing, centering act that gets me to slow down and focus.”

If you dislike baking and cooking, your attributes are found elsewhere. Many are creative in other areas where I consider myself a pathetic participant. Gardening, playing musical instruments, sewing and singing are examples where my skills are nearly nil. I applaud those who have different talents. That, too, is God’s plan.

As for me, cooking is my gift. My dinners are simple, casual and usually served buffet-style. I do not use formal place settings, china or silver. However, my secret ingredient is love. Everyone is welcome, and recipe mistakes are considered minor.

The only requirements at my gatherings are to enjoy the company of the others present and laugh at life. For that brief period of time, my goal is for everyone to escape their daily human trials and tribulations. I even try to convince my guests that calories do not count when sprinkled with love.

I have many powerful memories deeply connected to food.

Sometimes tastes and smells trigger emotional flashbacks to times in my youth and are reminders of loved-ones lost. Those precious moments of reminiscing prompt warm, fuzzy feelings and treasured goosebumps.

If my family and friends remember me long after I am gone for my expression of love through cooking, then I will have succeeded in life.

Bon appétit!

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GARDENING >> GROW YOUR OWN

Grow Your Own & Thrive The Benefits of Home Gardening W R I T T E N B Y M A R Y W. B R I D G M A N

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ackyard gardening offers many benefits — lower grocery bills, higher quality and tastier food as well as plenty to share, but the benefits don’t stop there.

Growing your own fruits and vegetables can actually improve your physical, mental and spiritual health.

When you grow your own vegetables, you will likely eat more of them, making it easier to cover half your plate with plantbased foods, as recommended by dietary experts. In addition to digestion-aiding fiber and healthful vitamins and minerals, evidence indicates that fruits and vegetables contain compounds that play a role in preventing certain cancers as well as heart disease and stroke. And these compounds are more beneficial when they come from the food on your plate than from a pill or

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a bottle. For example, beta-carotene found in carrots and sweet potatoes has been shown to be helpful in preventing lung cancer, but it can be harmful when taken in pill form. Similarly, calcium supplements may raise the risk of heart attack in adults while doing little to benefit bone health — better to get the nutrient from spinach and broccoli instead.

Backyard gardening can inspire you to take an interest in the origins of your food and make better choices about what you put on your plate, according to Dr. Helen Delichatsios of Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital.

“When you grow your own food, you savor it more because of the effort it took to get to the table,” she said.

And if you think it tastes better, it’s not just your imagination.

The produce you purchase at the grocery store is often harvested

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GARDENING >> GROW YOUR OWN 114 |

burn 240 to 448 calories per hour. Generally, the more you weigh long before it is ripe and has probably traveled many miles and and the more vigorous the activity, the more calories you will several days before you drop it into your shopping cart. Growers burn. Gardening may not do much for cardiovascular fitness that ship food across the country select varieties that travel unless you are hauling wheelbarrows of dirt long distances each well, often foregoing tastier and more fragile varieties, such as day, but digging, planting, weeding and other repetitive tasks heirloom tomatoes. When you grow your own, you can choose that require strength or stretching are great forms of the most flavorful and colorful varieties, and harvest low-impact exercise, especially for people who produce at peak ripeness, when flavor is best. find vigorous exercise too challenging, such as The long journey from farm to table Studies elderly, disabled or those suffering from can cause nutrients such as vitamin C to have documented the chronic pain. Because it is a pleasurable, degrade, especially if the foods are exposed better moods and goal-oriented outdoor activity, gardento heat. Temperature is usually the most ing has a unique advantage over other important factor in keeping harvested lower levels of the forms of exercise. People are more likely fruits and vegetables in good shape — stress hormone to stick with it and do it often because it’s something that is much easier to control not just exercise for exercise itself, which when you pick them in your backyard and cortisol in people can become tedious. Gardening is exercise carry them into your kitchen. who garden. with another motivation, in this case the pro Color is important too, often indicating duction of healthful, great tasting food. the presence of phytochemicals such as lycopene One thing about that activity, though — it can lead and beta-carotene that give humans some protection to sore muscles, especially aching backs. But utilizing proper against aging. Another type of phytochemicals, anthocyanins, gardening techniques can prevent back pain. For example, found in blueberries and cranberries, has been shown to aid if you sit on a bucket or stool while pulling weeds you avoid memory. Eating a variety of colors will ensure you get an assortputting pressure on the back as well as the knees and hips. Keep ment of nutrients and protective phytochemicals. feet planted firmly and evenly on the ground. With legs spread In addition to enhancing taste and nutrition, gardening can apart, position your arm into your leg to help secure your sitting provide a good workout, promoting overall fitness. Depending posture. Use your elbow on the inside of the knee to create an on how much you weigh and the type of work you do, you can external brace for your body pressure.

You can also use the elbow brace position when standing to weed. Remember to keep your spine long and move from the hips and not the back.

Gardening has also been found to relieve stress. Studies have documented better moods and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in people who garden. It can be particularly effective in fighting “attention fatigue” — the kind of directed attention required by cell phones and email. Humans have a finite capacity for this type of attention, and when it gets used up, they become irritable, error-prone, distractible and stressed out. Fortunately, engaging in “involuntary attention,” an effortless form of attention used to enjoy nature, can reverse attention fatigue. The rhythms of the changing seasons and the outdoors and the repetitive, soothing nature of many gardening tasks are all sources of effortless attention.

This effortless attention may even improve depression symptoms. Some researchers believe that the novelty of gardening may be enough to jolt people OUR TOWN MAGAZINE

May 2020

out of their doldrums, but others believe there is more to it than that. Mycobacterium vaccae, a harmless bacteria commonly found in soil, has been found to increase the release and metabolism of serotonin in the part of the brain that controls cognitive function and mood — much like serotonin-boosting antidepressant drugs.

Of course, digging in the dirt isn’t the same as taking Prozac, but some experts believe that the relative lack of “friendly bugs” like mycobacterium vaccae in our current, mostly indoor environments has thrown our immune systems out of whack. This can lead to inflammation, which is a factor in a host of modern ills, from heart disease to diabetes to depression.

And if that isn’t enough to make you get up and grab your hoe, research also suggests that the physical activity associated with gardening can help lower the risk of developing dementia.

This story was originally published in the Jan/Feb 2016 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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352.472.3111 May 2020

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PSYCHOLOGY >> NEGATIVE THINKING

THE TIES THAT BIND

EXPLORING THE CONNECTIONS OF BODY AND MIND

The Power of Positive Thinking W R I T T E N B Y C R Y S TA L H E N R Y

There are plenty of books and theories about the power of positive thinking, and now the medical community is exploring just how far these powers extend.

The placebo effect has been around for centuries. Shamans and witch doctors relied on it to treat patients through spiritual healing. And even modern medical doctors and researchers have seen that sometimes just believing that a treatment will work is enough to yield significant results.

An article in Smithsonian Magazine explored one of the most powerful medical treatments for migraine headaches.

It was shown to be just as powerful as one of the most used migraine drugs, rizatriptan. And it’s the same treatment used to reduce the symptoms of clinical depression, panic attacks, ADHD, irritable bowel syndrome and erectile dysfunction.

The treatment was simply a placebo. And researchers are now trying to find ways to use the human brain to unconsciously heal the human body.

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But a recent article in Psychology Today, researchers examined the flipside of placebos and discovered something they call the nocebo effect. According to the article, placebos yield actual physically beneficial results 18 to 80% of the time. Researchers see improvements in blood pressure, dilating bronchi, healing ulcers and disappearing warts. Bald men who thought they were taking Rogaine regrew hair using only placebos.

The mind clearly has an amazing effect on the body, but what happens when positive thinking turns negative? Patients in a double-blinded clinical trial were warned about the side effects of a drug they believed they were taking. Even when taking sugar pills, 25% of the patients experienced side effects, some as severe as fatigue, vomiting, muscle weakness, colds, ringing ears, and taste and memory disturbances — all from simply taking a sugar pill.

In one study, patients who thought they were undergoing chemotherapy threw up and lost their hair, when in actuality

they were only given saline.

In 2012, about 5.2 million Nocebo results are starting people in the to show that bad news from a United States doctor could be just a self-fulwho were 65 filling prophecy. Another group or older had of patients were asked how they Alzheimer’s felt before going in for surgery. disease – a Those who were convinced they type of were going to die typically did just dementia that, whereas the group who were that impairs “unusually apprehensive” fared memory, much better. thinking and A phenomenon called “voodoo behavior. death” is explained by nocebos as well. In these deaths, the person is cursed and told they will die, then they do. But voodoo death isn’t that far-fetched. A modern voodoo death is seen in patients who are believed to have a terminal illness who are told they only have a few months to live. The patients have died within that time frame, however an autopsy neglects to find any physiological reason for their demise.

The Psychology Today article mentions the concept of medical hexing, where a doctor tells the patient they have an incurable illness or gives a survival time frame. They’re simply trying to provide all the information they have so patients and their families can prepare. But they are now exploring the idea that when the subconscious mind believes there is no hope, the body follows suit.

These studies aren’t conclusive against modern medicine, but they are one aspect of the mind-body connection.

Another interesting aspect comes from a more physical connection of the body and the mind. An article from the Mayo Clinic explores the important function of a nerve in the body called the vagus nerve that seems to physically connect body and mind. There is a vagus nerve on each side of the body that runs from the brainstem through the neck to the chest and abdomen. Known as cranial nerve X, it is the longest of the 12 cranial nerves, and it forms part of the involuntary nervous system that commands unconscious body procedures such as constant heart rate and food digestion. This is the nerve responsible for fainting at the sight of blood. When stimulated, people experience a drop in blood pressure and heart rate, less blood flows to the brain and they pass out.

However there is a positive side to vagus nerve stimulation.

This treatment sends electrical impulses to the vagus nerve in

order to treat epilepsy, depression and is being considered for conditions such as multiple sclerosis, migraines and Alzheimer’s disease.

In treatment, a device is implanted under the skin on the chest, and a wire is threaded from the device to the vagus nerve.

Electrical signals are sent from the device to the brain along the vagus nerve.

The treatment is performed on patients who haven’t responded to medication and other treatments, and it isn’t considered a cure. But many patients have had 30 to 50% fewer seizures or seizures with less intensity with the treatment.

Those with depression who haven’t responded to medication or psychotherapy might be suffering from an underactive vagus nerve. But it could take a long time for the treatment to work.

There is still much to be discovered about the connection of the body and mind. But there is solid evidence that there is a very real power in positive — or negative — thinking.

This story was originally published in the Sept/Oct 2015 issue of Our Town Magazine.

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BOOK REVIEW

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER’S

Reading Corner HIS ROYAL DOGNESS, GUY THE BEAGLE

by Guy the Beagle with Michael Brumm and Camille March, illustrated by EG Keller C.2018, SIMON & SCHUSTER, $17.99 / $24.99 CANADA, 48 PAGES

TERRI SCHLICHENMEYER HAS BEEN READING SINCE SHE WAS 3 YEARS OLD AND SHE NEVER GOES ANYWHERE WITHOUT A BOOK. SHE LIVES WITH HER TWO DOGS AND 11,000 BOOKS. HER BOOK REVIEWS ARE PUBLISHED IN MORE THAN 200 NEWSPAPERS AND 50 MAGAZINES THROUGHOUT THE U.S. AND CANADA. bookwormsez@yahoo.com

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our hair is really growing out. You’re getting to be such a good artist. You’re so much like your Mama. Everything changes, including you, and in the new book “His Royal Dogness, Guy the Beagle” by Guy the Beagle, Michael Brumm and Camille March, illustrated by EG Keller, it may be a change fit for a prince!

Not long ago, in the backwoods of Kentucky, Guy the Beagle was born.

There, he spent his puppyhood exploring and sniffing at things until the day someone found him and took him to a shelter for animals, where he sat for days, even though he’s quite “a catch.” He was then sent to Toronto, Canada, which was where he met his forever owner, Meghan Markle.

Oh, how Guy loved Meghan – but he wasn’t the only one. A human named Harry loved her, too, and he asked her to marry him.

You might know Harry.

He’s a prince, a real live handsome Prince.

But when thinking about moving to Great Britain, Guy started to worry. What if the Royal Corgis were mean? What if he hated Kensington Palace? What if the Queen didn’t like him?

He couldn’t worry for long; there was a lot to do and so much to learn in London, squirrels to find, and a whole new language to speak. Guy was happy to see that the Royal Corgis were nice, if not a little uppity. He enjoyed wedding preparations and he 118 |

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learned how to get out of taking blame for making messes.

He was “determined to be the perfect royal dog” for everyone at Kensington Palace, but that was going to take a lot of change.

Guy didn’t want to ruin the wedding, but being a good boy was hard. What was going to happen?

Then, just before the ceremony, Queen Elizabeth came outside, fretting. Meghan needed a “sprig of myrtle” for her wedding bouquet. It was tradition, and the Queen couldn’t find any. But Guy the (Future) Royal Dog knew exactly what to do…

Head to the bookstore or library and you’ll probably find this story in the children’s section, shelved in with the picture books. Start your search there, even though it also has plenty for adults, too.

In a sea of books about the latest Royal Couple, “His Royal Dogness, Guy the Beagle” stands out as very different. Yes, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex appear in it, as does the Queen, but authors Michael Brumm and Camille March aren’t writing about them, specifically; instead, this story is reminiscent of Millie Bush’s book, and those about Socks the Cat. They were largely for children, however, this book has enough in it to keep an adult entertained.

You might even LOL, because the illustrations by EG Keller are purely delightful.

Your four-to-seven-year-old will like this book, and it’s perfect for Royal Watchers and all dog lovers. If your reader (of any age) is just like that, then “His Royal Dogness, Guy the Beagle” could be a big book.

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Pawn Store  �  �

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SPOTLIGHT

RESCUE ANIMAL ADOPTIONS

Furever Friends SCRUFFY AND JULIE

FUREVER FRIENDS IS A RECURRING PROFILE THAT FEATURES A LOCAL RESCUE ANIMAL AND THEIR OWNER, WRITTEN FROM THE ADOPTED PET’S “POINT OF VIEW.” NOMINATE YOURSELF OR SOMEONE YOU KNOW FOR OUR NEXT RESCUED PET PROFILE! CONTACT: EDITOR@TOWERPUBLICATIONS.COM.

Hi there! My name is Scruffy – a name given to me due to my appearance of having a permanent case of bed head.

I’m a three-year-old Petit Basset Griffon Vendéen, which is just a fancy name to say white, gray and tan ball of fluff. When I first met my mom, Julie Tucker, at the humane society two years ago, she seemed really blue – the emotion, not the color, not that I could tell anyway because you know I’m colorblind over here – and I just wanted to give her a big hug. Apparently she had recently lost her two dogs Bear and Lucy just six weeks apart from one another and she needed someone to comfort her, which is where I came in.

Despite looking at all the other dogs there, my mom kept coming back to me – probably because of my big chocolate eyes, which are sometimes hard to see over my bushy eyebrows but can still melt your heart. She decided to take me home, my third home, as a foster dog where I met my dad’s dog, Baby, who instantly became my best friend. I also share the home with my two feline best friends Miss Priss and Sabrina.

Though my name is Scruffy, I probably should have been named Houdini because my mom said that I’m an escape artist. My latest achievement has been getting over an 8-foot fence. I don’t run away or anything, it’s just the challenge of it that I enjoy.

Sometimes I just want to go out to visit my neighbors like my doggie friends or the cows down the street, which drool on me if I get too close. Other times I just wait on the other side of the fence until I’m let back inside. Besides acrobatically jumping over fences, my other qualifications include being somewhat of an archeologist. If my parents are away too long, I find all kinds of things around the house and bring them to my mom’s 120 |

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bed to show her everything I uncovered.

My mom is an animal nurse by education and has worked in the Navy’s marine mammal program taking care of dolphins and sea lions. She also helps more commonly known animals like dogs (that’s me!) and cats at a vet office. However, for the past four years she’s owned and operated her own quilt shop called Julie’s Pins & Needles in Alachua where I am the official shop greeter. In my youth I suffered from separation anxiety, which is why my mom initially brought me to work with her, but now it’s just part of my routine. When I’m not greeting customers

I spend time sleeping in my chair with my handmade quilt or drinking from the water fountain in the back of the shop.

Though it took me three chances to find my forever home, you know what they say, “the third time’s the charm.” Now I spend my days playing with my animal friends or meeting new people at the quilt shop. I just hope my other friends back at the shelter get the opportunity to find their forever home too!

If you’re interested in adopting from a local shelter, you can find out more information at alachuahumane.org.

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Plan ahead for your new car or truck purchase, and SAVE!

It’s easy to walk into a dealership, let them do all the math, and make all of the arrangements.

It could cost you thousands of dollars over the life of the loan, but it is easy. Let’s face it, the dealerships are used to twisting and turning the numbers on auto deals and financing every single day, and they are experts at making even the highest rates and delivery expenses look great! If your budget can’t absorb thousands of dollars in unnecessary up charges associated with your next auto purchase, why take the chance? Speak with a SunState Federal Credit Union representative before you hit the dealerships. Once you decide on a payment amount you can or want to afford, we will work with you throughout the process to finance the vehicle of your choice.

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