Friday, August 11, 2017

Oysters and a Flatbed Truck


Mountain View
If there is one thing that is popular on the Gulf Coast – it’s oysters. Raw, baked, fried, or steamed – these little delicacies either make people grimace at the very thought of them or if you’re like me, they’re the perfect flavor of saltwater and sunshine. Sometimes people ask what they taste like and just like many people say – they taste like the ocean. And living where you can get naturally harvested oysters from Apalachicola is just icing on the cake.

What is just as important as tasting them is the memories I have. Growing up, my daddy would go to the seafood market and buy a bag of oysters. Heck, try to buy one now and it’ll cost you your firstborn but back then I’d go with him and we’d bring that big bag of raw oysters home where he would place it on the tailgate of the truck. Armed with saltines and hot sauce, he’d shuck them while we ate them raw in the side yard. Usually it was cold outside standing by the truck but it sure made those oysters taste good – fresh, briny, and cold. Sometimes my mom would save some for the dressing she’d make at Thanksgiving.

If you’ve never had a raw oyster, it’s like a rite of passage. The first one should have a little hot sauce and horseradish on it if you like and then you just pick it up and let it slide into your mouth along with the oyster liquor. In fact, that liquor keeps the oyster alive out of the water and is one of the best parts of eating the delicacy. The briny taste of the Gulf of Mexico is the first thing you notice and the freshness cannot be duplicated. You’ll see tourists trying them and almost always they’ll go for the baked or fried but they don’t know what they’re missing.

You see, to me it’s not just the oyster and how it tastes, it’s the memory of my dad handing me a shucked oyster to eat or my mom making oyster dressing when most other families I knew had cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving. It’s going to a local dive and having oysters for dinner along with a basket of crackers and Tabasco sauce and it’s feeling that first cold drop of liquor hitting your taste buds – there’s a reason they’re considered umami.

If I could travel back in time, one place I’d go is right back to my daddy’s truck and share an oyster or six with him. Since I can’t travel back in time, every time I have raw oysters I think back to that little girl sharing some with her dad at the back of his truck on a cold, winter day.

Photo Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/ivanwalsh

Friday, August 4, 2017

Clothesline

As I lay my head on my pillow, I breathed in the scent of the outdoors. Even though it's been years since I hung anything on a line to dry, I can still smell the fragrance of it.



Growing up, it was a few years before we got an electric dryer so everything went on the clothesline outside. I would stand in the backyard with my mother and help her hang the clothes – trying hard to find a way to play in the sunshine instead of doing work. The laundry would come back crisp and clean with whatever scents the breeze carried – honeysuckle, pine tree, or even the fresh ozone of a storm on the way.



After I grew up, moved out, and got my own house, it too was a while before I got a dryer. I had a yellow lab who would tear down every single sheet, shirt, and even the socks that were hung with care. The laundry had to be restarted but some days I miss picking up my bed sheets out of the dirt because I miss that dog.



The only thing that comes the least bit close is being able to open up the bedroom window in the middle of fall. The breeze blows in through the window fan, covering all the sheets with the smell of grass and sky. And if you don’t have a window fan, it’s simply not the same. Some nights even in Florida it's just cool enough to bury yourself under a comforter while listening to the leaves rustle outside.



The smell of fresh sheets hung on a clothesline is more than just a feel-good moment. It's the memories of doing laundry with my mom who used the old, wooden clothespins and always took them inside with each load, rushing to bring in the laundry before a sudden storm, and it's the memory of a yellow dog named Harley who loved to leap in the air and tear down the laundry so he could roll with it in the dirt.



Photo by Michael Gäbler, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21299216

Monday, July 31, 2017

Summer Breeze

I opened the door just now to let the dogs in and had to just stand there a few moments to reminisce. 

The wind was blowing and it took me back to happier moments in my life. It was the kind of breeze that is perfect - not too strong yet enough power to make the trees sway and the wind chimes sing. 

It reminded me of hurricanes - those hours beforehand where the wind is just picking up enough to be exciting and long before it gets scary. When I was growing up I'd hear the weatherman talk about feeder bands and things like that but all I knew was that you could gauge the storm by when the breeze started picking up. 

It reminded me of being in the woods at my grandaddy's house. It was so serene and secluded there that you could hear the quietest of breezes before you even felt it tickle your skin. Where thunder could be miles away yet you'd hear it just as clear as if the storm was right on top of you. 

It made me think of fall being around the corner and while fall seems to be so far off when you live in Florida in July, it temporarily cooled the sweat on my skin and lifted the hair out of my eyes. 

Something as simple as the wind blowing may seem trivial but in that moment it made me think of happy memories like talking on the phone with my best friend before a hurricane made landfall or visiting my grandaddy and taking a walk in the woods. That friend died two years after I graduated and my grandaddy left the year after that but just for a moment, I felt them both in that breeze. 

Read more on Addictive Souls

Monday, June 19, 2017

Wireless Bluetooth Key Finder


If you need to keep up with things because you keep losing them, this is the perfect solution. It doesn't matter if you lose your keys, phone, wallet, pet (wait, who loses their pet?) or whatever - the Wireless Bluetooth Key Finder is a Godsend. #smartkeyfinder
Check out everything about this awesome key tracker:

  • ☑ Attach & Protect! Smart & Easy Slim gps key finder device is only 5mm thick to easily slide into your wallet, purse or pocket. Smart & Easy Slim key locator can also be attached to a laptop, tablet, notebook, wallet, handbag, purse, phone or lunchbox.
  • ☑ Make The Slim Ring! Use your smartphone to make your Smart & Easy slim key locator ring when it's nearby but out of sight. Can't find your phone? Simply double press the button on your Smart & Easy Slim wireless locator to make your phone ring - even on silent!
  • ☑ Easy To Use App! The easy-to-use, free 'Thingoo' app finds the exact location of your Slim bluetooth key finder locator, so if you left it somewhere, you'll always know where to look.
  • ☑ Free Set Of Panasonic Batteries! Now Smart & Easy Slim wallet locator comes with 2 Free Extra Longer-life Panasonic Batteries - One is already put in for you which if runs out, can be replaced with the second Free one provided. We are introducing High Power Brand New Panasonic batteries with Smart & Easy Bluetooth key finder. 

Saturday, June 17, 2017

Natrogix Vitamin D3


If you have to take vitamin D3 like I do, then you want a brand that is high potency, affordable, and a trusted name. I recently found #Natrogix High Potency Vitamin D3 and you can find it here.




  • ACTIVE FORM: Cholecalciferol is the Most Active Form of Vitamin D3, so it provides superior absorption compared to regular Vitamin D3. When taken directly in this format it works more quickly and can be delivered in lower concentrations without worrying about not being metabolized.*
  • HIGH ABSORPTION: Vitamin D3 in softgels form is easy to swallow and convenient to take. Some research indicates that vitamin D3 in liquid softgel form is more highly bioavailable than powdered or tablet forms.*
  • ACTIVATE THE IMMUNE SYSTEMS, PROMOTE HEALTH BONES AND TEETH: In general, vitamin D3 functions to activate the immune systems, improve immunity and increase circulation.*Vitamin D3 helps enhance calcium absorption by regulating concentrations of calcium and phosphorus in the body to provide essential support for bones and teeth. Vitamin D3 has been found to be over 80% more effective than Vitamin D2 (Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism). 

Thursday, June 15, 2017

Green Superfood Powder by Natrogix


Green Superfood Powder by Natrogix is just what I need in my life. Not only does it have all of the essential vitamins and minerals you need but it is easy to drink in the morning. I just blend it with an 8-12 oz. glass of water and I'm all set. Here's a little more on what all it has in it. #Natrogix

  • POWERFUL BLEND OF GREEN SUPERFOODS: A nourishing blend of green superfoods, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, healthy enzymes, and probiotics designed to maximize your natural health.
  • STRENGTHEN IMMUNE AND DIGESTIVE SYSTEM: Green Superfoods cleanses the body of free radicals and harmful toxins while at the same time improving metabolic and digestive health with its potent probiotic blend.
  • 100% PURE NATURAL VEGAN FRIENDLY FORMULA: All natural formula is created from natural fruits, vegetables, and leafy greens. Contains no artificial ingredients and can be used to compensate a lack of fruit or vegetables present in the modern Western diet. 


 If you need more fruits, vegetables, and greens in your diet, and I sure know that I do, then this is perfect for you to drink easily and it tastes great.

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