Winter Doldrums Got You Down?

Have a drink! It's called South of the Border Cerveza Cocktail. >It's quite simple and works well whether you're looking out the back window at a snow covered lawn in Indiana or the sea oats surrounding the path to the beach.

In a tall glass:

Squeeze the juice of half a lime.

Drop a manzanilla or jalapeno stuffed olive.

Pour a dollop of the olive juice.

Shake several drops of Tropical Pepper Company's XXtra Hot Habanero Pepper Sauce.*

Pour 1 bottle of Pacifico Clara beer.**

*The type of hot sauce isn't essential, so use what you like or what you have on hand. I prefer something with heat to interact with the cold temperature of the beer.

**If you don't have Pacifico, give Carta Blanca a try. Those are options 1 and 1A. You can always go with Modelo, Tecate, or Corona if limited. In perfect conditions, the beer will be iced. Electric refrigeration will work as well.

Upon completion of consumption, eat the olive, use the other half of lime, and start a new!

New Year's Resolution # 2: Support Local Businesses

EAT AT YAT'S! Yat's is a local restaurant that started in the Broadripple area a number of years ago. It features a Cajun cuisine made from fresh ingredients daily. Go in and order at the counter. The day's menu is written on a chalk board, with 5 or 6 featured recipes, plus a few vegetarian fares. You can generally count on red beans and rice and jambalaya as a daily staple, but can expect other tasty possiblities on a rotating basis. The crawfish e'toufee has been a best seller over the year.

Now that the location on 96th Street in Fishers has opened, I have found times I absolutely had to get a fix. Yes, it's like that. It starts as a craving and ends up as a bodily necessity. No frills. The staff is friendly and will talk you through the menu if you're a novice. Give it a try.

Check it out on the web! http://www.yatscajuncreole.com/

New Year's Resolution # 1: Move to Key West

There are 3 reasons I need to move to Key West. Their names are Thorne, Doc, and Rutledge. Thorne, a fly tier by trade, lives off Blackwater Sound in Key Largo. Doc Ford, a marine biologist, lives in a stilt house on Dinkins Bay in Sanibel Island. Rutledge is a professional photographer who lives on Dredgers Lane in Key West. Each man loves his occupation, but occasionally finds himself in the middle of somebody’s problem, fighting violent miscreants that have sledged their way into the undercurrents of south Florida fiction. Yes, these men originate from the imaginations of James W. Hall, Randy Wayne White, and Tom Corcoran.
The relevance of these characters is the satisfaction they receive from their occupations and the connection they’ve made with the places they call home. Though fictional, Dinkins Bay, the location of Doc Ford’s stilt house/marine lab, could represent any number of inlets on Sanibel. Thorne has an unimpeded view of the mangroves and Blackwater Sound in one of the upper keys. Rutledge has his bungalow with outdoor shower on a quiet lane near Old Town. Each man understands the essence of the place, and, when not being tormented by some underworld thug, realizes just how good he has it. Thorne, Doc, and Rutledge always seem to adapt to the hazards that sometimes interrupt their day jobs.
A teacher by trade, I know a thing or two about adaptability. I’ve learned what the books, professors, and workshop gurus have preached about how to best educate children. In reality, I face 28 young people on a daily basis from different homes, varying dynamics, and a mishmash of hardships. In an effort to teach state mandated curriculum and standards, I model, drill, act, sing, and dabble in a little stand-up comedy if it means I connect with my students in their endeavor to learn.
No, I am not a Conch. But I understand that Key West is changing. I’m enamored with its history and concerned about a place on which many can’t afford to live any more. I will honor the richness of the Keys’ past, its current natural beauty, and changing culture in my job with Lazy Dog. Like Thorne, Doc, and Rutledge, I’ll savor each day as I smell and feel the salt in the air as I go to work, which, by the way, isn’t possible in Indiana. In conclusion, I’m confident the 3 great authors of Florida fiction would never allow their main men to adapt to any other literary locale. Lazy Dog or bust.

I'm not actually moving to Cayo Hueso, but when it's 2 degrees Fahrenheit outside like it is today, it's a warming thought. This was my contest entry from last fall to win a job at an outdoor outfitter in Key West. I wasn't a finalist, which may have saved an epic battle about what's best for the family!