First, a couple updates for those of you who've been asking: My dad is OK, and went home from the hospital on Monday. He seems to be recovering fully. My son is OK, but the relative who was in the car crash is still in serious condition with multiple crushed ribs, and he's elderly. However, he's in rehab and out of the hospital which is something to be thankful for. To me, hospitals will always be death traps.While I was visiting one of the three in the hospital, I contracted a very nasty bug that gave me fevers of 100 - 102 (even with Tylenol) but a good antibiotic started clearing that up right away. Of course, the moral of the story is: stay away from hospitals or wear a mask! If the bird flu ever hits, we'll all be wearing face masks everywhere. I wish I'd been wearing one!
The Strawberry FestivalThis weekend, the Strawberry Festival begins. For those of you who live anywhere close to Plant City, FL, this is the festival you really need to come to. It's just like the State Fair; but better, cleaner, nicer, and with strawberry shortcake booths as far as the eye can see.
If you want to see a great slide show, go here. You'll get to see the whole gamut; including the rides, the livestock, a plastic cow you can "milk", and the ever-famous Robinson Racing Pigs.
If you like country music (I'd rather die, first) then you'll enjoy the big-name acts that appear every night. Most of the women have poofy blond hair, big boobs, and two names (I include a picture here to prove it). Most of the men have a "y" or "ie" on the end of their names: Jimmy, Billy, Willie... you get the picture.The performers this year include Willie Nelson; Jo Dee Messina and Trace "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" Adkins (???); Steven Curtis Chapman; Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers; Mel Tillis (Yeah, I know! I thought he was dead, too!); Debbie Reynolds; and .... etc., etc., etc.
But the best part...the absolute best part...is...the strawberries! You've never seen such beautiful, ripe, sweet, succulent, bursting-with-juice berries in all your life. You have no idea what real strawberries can taste like unless you buy them straight off the farm. You can buy them prepared in shortcake, or buy them and take them home to make your own shortcake, jams, syrups, desserts, breads, and any other delectable treat you can think of.
But you need to experience the Strawberry Festival first-hand. So, go ahead! Call in sick, pack up the kids in the van, and start heading for Florida.
P.S. (added at 1:45 PM) Here's the newly-elected Queen of the Strawberry Festival (click on her pic to enlarge it). The rest of her court is very pretty and seemingly approachable. But just look at her! Her mouth is twisted into a forced smile, but the eyes are oh-so-calculating and cold. This girl is f-a-k-e!How many of you see this? I'll bet fewer men than women will see it, and I base this statement on an interesting new test mentioned in Lee Ann's blog today. Apparently women read facial expressions better than men do.
Just for reference, the rest of her court is shown below:
32 comments:
One of the most delicious things I ever put in my mouth was my first picked strawberry. Even the dirt that didn't come off on my pant leg was good. That was along side the Columbia River in Portland, OR. I've had some delicious FL strawberries, too, but there's nothing like that first one. Have a great time at your festival...
Glad everyone is improving. Thanks for the update.
Steven Curtis Chapman is a good concert.
We don't own a van so somebody will have to pick us up on their way to Fla.
That's a long drive, Saur! We have Strawberry Festivals out here too. I don't know what it is about these varrious different "produce" festivals, but they always seem to save the best food for the festival. And there are so many...
The Gilroy Garlic Fsetival
The Asparagus Festival
The Artichoke Festival
The Mushroom Madris Gras
Cherrys, Apricots, Pears, Plums, Apple, etc., etc., etc.
I just love 'em. Add to these the county fairs and the art 'n' wine festivals and your weekends are pretty much set.
I'm glad to hear that your family is out of the woods and out of the hospital - as you know, I've done my time. The hospital got me so sick it almost killed me! I wouldn't worry about the bird flu though, it's just a bunch of governmental/media hype. Do you remeber the swine flu? How about anthrax?
Finally, country music - I can stand it, but I never listen to it on purpose!
~Mike
Oh the strawberries from FL are wonderful right now! Of course I have to get them at the supermarket up here, but they're still very tasty so we've gone through several boxes this week.
Glad your family is doing better!
Country music sucks.
Oh I've heard of that before! (Yes, all the way up here in good ol' Wisconsin!)
I'm going to definitely have to make it down there sometime for that!
(..and I'm with you on the country music thing for the most part!)
Strawberry Days in nearby Farmington doesn't begin for several months. I think I'll just wait for it because the drive is much shorter.
The strawberries in the grocery stores up here are looking and tasting pretty poor so ship some of those fresh ones up this way.
First of all,....got the gasmask....that is covered. Hazmat suit? Check! Supply of water? Check! ....Supply of canned goods? .....Check! Oh Lawd...I need to see my shrink.
Anyway...another disorder of mine...strawberries. I am so allergic to these beautiful things.
I was trying to be all 'fancy' with my girlfriend when I first met her. I took her to this HUGE presidential suite to ~swoon~ her....and sent up a bottle of champagne along with the strawberries.
Well.
Listen.
She says to me, "Oh wow Deb, you're entire chest has a huge rash and hives all over it."
Me: "HUH?"
It was awful. Bad experience. Brought back bad memories.
I need my meds now.
Well, rats. And here I thought Florida was famous for its mountain climbing opportunities.
(Did you know there's hardly anything worse than a strawberry seed under your dentures? Of course you wouldn't -- BUT I DO!!!)
Hey Saur: I'm a California girl.
Strawberries are my fav.
I hate that song by Trace Adkins...Unless youre missy elliot you should not since badonkadonk! EVER!
Love strawberries! They won't be in season here until May or June. *sigh*
Big hair...LOL. Yep, that little queenie is a fake for sure.
Ummm, fresh strawberries are soooo gooood!
I don't see her fakeness. I guess I'm not good at reading expressions.
While I was in Japan, I saw many people wearing masks. They wear them on the trains or anywhere out in public.
I admire your strong feelings about country music.
But even Johnny Cash?
I love how going to the hospital makes a person sick ...
R2K
Alex, I guess hospitals are better than leaving someone to die... but not by much. Bleah!
Daniel, oh yeah. And Elvis.
Jamie Dawn, yeah, they're a smart group! Well, don't feel bad if you don't see it. And I could be wrong, but I rated out very high with recognition; higher than most women even (about 98%, roughly).
TLP, Yup! Big hair's back! Scary.
Random Girl, I knew it was Florida-ish! Yeah, strawberries are MY fave, too.
TC, Malibu barbies... :D I like the new recipe! I have that cookbook too!
Old Hoss, ow! Well, believe it or not, we actually DO have some faintly mountainous areas and there are actually waterfalls in Pinellas County (but most of my fellow citizens won't believe me). It's true, and I'll blog about it another time. And yes, they're the real thing, but in a preserved area where no one goes.
Deb, *LOL* I've gotta find an excuse to visit New York. I'll need to start hunting for clients up that way. We'll be hysterical the whole time we're out. I feel so bad for you, though! Strawberry allergies! And how awkward, huh? I remember going out for my first year anniversary with The Other Half and getting food poisoning. He took the tub, I took the toilet, and we barfed all night.
Ed, I would gladly ship some! I'll bet they'll STILL be better than anything else.
Stephanie, just collect Eddo on the way! He's said before that he wants to go. Maybe you can put together a road trip! ;o)
Notsocranky, wow! You guys are a-swim in vitamin C!
Mike A, hospitals suck. That's a lotta weird festivals! How does everyone's breath smell after the garlic one???
Suzie, well... if they're in a prepared food, they'd better have washed them. But if I buy them, no one snacks on them till we get home and they get washed. I'm with you!
Uncle Joe, OK, Chapman's the exception. See if you guys can hook up with Steph! I think she wants to go! And bring Suzie & Son.
Paul, Oooh! And fresh-picked blueberries. They're delish and nothing like the stuff you get in stores.
You are so funny...
That Mel Tillis line floored me.
Now about that girl, she is hot, smoking hot and so you are right, us men are not reading her face at all. I think I am different than most men as I do normally read the face first on a woman, but I have to admit with this girl I thought her arm was something else and I had to take a double-take.
Once I took a closer look at her face I noticed that her smile didn't travel to her eyes, but I didn't think her eyes were cold and calculating, rather I thought they were looking at me and saying, "How you doin'?"
Oh, and about this festival, I am serious, I need to come up to this one year. I need about 2 months advance planning notice though.
Eddo, *LOL* You are such a guy. Out of all the women, the brunettes on the left are the most gorgeous (to me). And one of those girls is very sweet; the daughter of strawberry pickers, who decided on a lark to try for it this year!
Eddo, you know you and your family are always welcome here, and there's a guest bedroom. So start planning for next year!
god how i miss the strawberry festival. ok not much, but oh how i miss plant city. ok not much but i miss hyde park. now that i miss.
The queen has one of those faces where each side has noticeably different characteristics. Her left side tells me she doesn't care about about much in life and would probably like to push everybody off the side of a cliff.
The Queen is saying "Take the damn picture so I can get the hell out of here - You are all so beneath me - You all want me - I am a super star" Look at the hair on the one in the blue dress! DAMN!
So glad to hear your father is improving...
Those princesses and the queen of the strawberry festival have that buxom and wholesome southern quality to them!
Looks like a picture for the 80s!
Barbara, thanks, hon. It really does look so 80s, doesn't it??? You're right!
Nihilistic, exactly what I was thinking!
Uncle Joe, you know, you're right! I hadn't noticed that specifically, and I should have, because that's one of the key ways to tell what someone is really thinking. It's known that there's always one "side" we choose to show to the world, and we usually instinctively present that side to the photographer, too.
Rev. Billy Bob, welcome! Great blog you've got! Hyde Park is wonderful, isn't it?
Saur,
Ouch, she's out of my league. But if I saw her out on the street I would show my respect by howling.
By the way - hope you don't mind I linked ya!
I have been to the Strawberry Festival in Plant City.
Billy Ray Cyrus was there.
Loved it! Love Florida!
I visit several times a year.
Here in our area we have the
Stilwell Strawberry Festival
Porter Peach Festival
and the
Checotah Okra Fest
I have never seen Strawberry Queens like that here either.....ours are a little less f-a-k-e.
Hope you are feeling better
I think all the beauties look fake. But thats just me. I'd rush right down for rthe strawberries! We had a strawberry festival in Humboldt Tennessee, where I used to live, but NOT in March! Thats a Florida bonus.
I am so happy your dad is doing okay, but the rest of this post had me laughing out loud! lol!
I didn't go to the Festival this year. But, I enjoyed the day off we get for it!
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