THREE DAYS IN REVERSE ORDER

2010 Jan. 20, Wednesday.
For our morning break, we went to the Dunkin’ Donuts a few blocks south of us near the grocery store, and then another block further to Walgreen’s to pick up a prescription we had dropped off on Sunday. It took about an hour, because they couldn’t find it. Finally, we got it, and then went to the grocery store. Lunch at home, and then we went to Bunche Beach. It’s the closest beach for us to go to, but it’s not the prettiest. There are no resorts or homes, because it’s part of a nature preserve, so they don’t clean up the stuff that washes in. We saw a lot of dead seaweed, with a lot of dead fish. All kinds of fish, many that I don’t know, but some two foot long (or more) snook. I have already written about the fish kill from the cold snap earlier, but this was visual evidence of it. We even saw a small dead stingray. Fortunately, the smell was not too bad. We also saw a lot of birds, including some black skimmers. We walked the beach for over an hour while I took some pictures. For a rest, we sat at a picnic table with a lady who lives in the area, and we had a good visit. Back home for supper and America Idol later.

WEATHER: High 78, low 52. Still a little cool in the morning, but it gets really nice quickly. They predict a light rain for tomorrow night. The panhandle had storms today, with a possible tornado. Like many times we have seen in the past, storms gradually weaken (or even disappear) as they move to the south part of the state. That’s why I like to come this far south.

FL NEWS: (1) The first panther death of 2010 was confirmed Monday night about a mile south of Corkscrew Road in Lee County. [Corkscrew is about 5 miles south of us.] The male was about 2.5 years old and did not show signs of inbreeding. The cause of death was probably caused by another panther, because the carcass had puncture wounds on its legs and had hair embedded in the claws of the rear legs. (2) [The following was an editorial.] Since 2008, when unemployment was already 6%, Publix grocery stores have hired hundreds of Peruvians and Brazilians for its stores in the tourist season. It says it’s hard to find locals for the temporary jobs. Some of those who work with the unemployed say that this is insulting nonsense. The local unemployment rate is 14%, and it seems wrong for Publix to use a cultural exchange program to import workers, get them vistas, and hire them without having to show that American workers won’t take the jobs. Good corporate citizenship and simple patriotism demand that employers refocus their hiring away from foreign workers toward getting Americans back to work.

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2010 Jan. 19, Tuesday.
Today I went for a longer bike ride (half hour) and picked up the paper on the way home. Another relaxed morning, and then we went to Skip One for lunch. Linda had fried shrimp and I had scallops, but we always share and get some of each. Again, it was excellent, and the place was crowded. Several groups were waiting by the time we left. We dropped off a few things at Goodwill that we don’t need and don’t want to haul home, and then we went to the library. I used one of their many computers so I could print some things. It costs ten cents a page, so that’s cheaper than buying a new ink cartridge for my little printer at the RV. I’m thinking I’ll probably give it to Goodwill also. We are getting closer to getting rid of the things we no longer want, but I’m thinking my new rubber raft will be coming home with us. It’s 11 feet long, pretty nice, and I can’t just give it away. I’m only asking $50 for it but have had only mild interest in it. It’s okay if it doesn’t sell, but the bad part is the space it will take in the back of the van when we pack to leave.
At about 3:00, we left the library and went to Starbucks. Miromar mall is just on the other side of the interstate, so it’s close by. Now there are more people around, so Starbucks was very busy, and there are a lot of people shopping. We sat outside, enjoyed the pretty fountain nearby, and did some people watching. When we left, we walked through the mall for exercise, and Linda stopped at a couple of shops. This is a great place to walk, because it is a very large mall. There are very pretty flowers everywhere, many palm trees, and several terrific large fountains, some with many large koi and other fancy fish. Home for supper, then watched American Idol. It was very interesting to see people we know on it! Not the singer, but Roxie and Theresa (Lane) McKinley were shown, with the girl friend of Theresa’s son getting one of the few tickets to Hollywood. That makes the show much more interesting than it already is! Now we won’t want to miss it for sure.

WEATHER: High today of 70, low last night of 48. A little cooler than normal, but not bad. A Sweatshirt felt good. Tomorrow begins a warmer trend, with close to 80 predicted.

FL NEWS: After the lengthy cold snap killed thousands of fish in Florida, the state has cancelled snook season and placed a temporary ban on the harvest and possession of bonefish and tarpon until April. It’s still unclear how many fish were killed, but SW Florida fishermen believe the situation is more dire than people think. Many of the dead snook are still lying on the bottom, so they are not visible. One Cape Coral bait and tackle shop owner said he saw about 1,000 dead snook on Pine Island Sound. He said, “I’ve been a resident here for 40 years, and I have never seen anything like it.” He thinks the snook season should be cancelled for at least the next two years. One fishing boat captain on Sanibel Island said he didn’t think the state ban would affect his business very much. He said tarpon are migratory and don’t show up in SW Florida until April, and bonefish are not found around here anyway. However, he thinks snook may be in serious danger. He suspects snook season may be closed for several seasons, which would have some affect on his business.

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2010 Jan. 18, Monday.
I went for my first bike ride - a short one, picked up the paper. Relaxed morning, reading books and the news. Lunch here, then finished washing the exterior of the RV. We had done the side where the awning is so that we could put it up, but we waited for warmer weather to do the rest. Now it looks so good someone will surely buy it soon! I wish! I have it on three web sites but have not heard anything. It looks like the place down the road will be selling it for us. At 3:00, we went to the book store for the usual. Home for supper.

WEATHER: High today of 72, low last night of 50. Cool night because a cold front came through, but it was a very mild one compared to what was happening the first part of the month. The next week looks really good, with an 80 on Wednesday and/or Thursday, but with a chance of rain Thursday evening.

FL NEWS: At Canterbury School in Ft. Myers, students are getting into farming, but it’s not the 4-H cattle-and-crops kind. These students are learning aquaculture, raising fish, tilapia to be exact. One student said, “I’d never heard about the whole idea of a farm raising fish, and I wanted to learn more about it. It will be cool seeing something go from being a little guppy to being on a plate.” The first week of December, the teacher bought 200 inch-long tilapia which are now growing in the school’s 400 gallon recirculating aquaculture system. He said, “Tilapia are such tough fish some people say you can raise them in a puddle. I didn’t want to start with something sophisticated.” Because the fish are being raised in a closed system, the water must be carefully monitored. That’s a big part of the class’s educational benefit. They learn about the chemistry of the water and the physics of the circulation system. The teacher told the class that excess ammonia, which is part of the fish waste, can kill the fish. Therefore, keeping track of ammonia levels is an important part of fish aquaculture. The students monitor ammonia levels, test the pH, and record water temperature. The students have learned that 30% of our seafood comes from aquaculture, and it is the fastest growing form of agriculture. In May, when the tilapia are about 1.5 pounds, they will be harvested and eaten by the students.