Simply Living - OrlandoSentinel.com

Gator trapper removes aggressive 5-foot reptile

Sherry Boas — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Alligators are scary.

Lesson in bobcat sighting: Be prepared to capture on film

Sherry Boas — Mon, 21 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

I never know what I'll encounter when I take a walk around the lake but I know enough to bring a camera along in case I happen to be in the right place at the right time to catch sight of something spectacular.

Picking blueberries is springtime passion in Lake

Sherry Boas — Mon, 14 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Call me a blueberry magician. Place a bowl of the marble-sized fruit before me and I make them disappear.

Maternal roles change but desire to ease hurts remains constant

Sherry Boas — Mon, 07 May 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Although I've been a mother for 33 years, my parenting role isn't the same as it used to be.

Surinam cherry is unexpected roadside treat

Sherry Boas — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

I may be beginning my sixth decade but I felt the giddy excitement of a 6-year-old the other day when I made a foraged food discovery along a rural stretch of a west Orange County road.

Rhymes, rhythms of poetry are balm to the spirit

Sherry Boas — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

April is national poetry month and Thursday marks Poem in Your Pocket Day, an occasion begun in 2002 to encourage people who love poetry to share their favorite poems with others as they go about their daily routines.

White prickly poppy is pretty, but treat with caution

Sherry Boas — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 02:54:00 GMT

"It's tricky picking pretty prickly poppy plants." Try saying that five times fast.

Drought reveals island of peat in drying-up lake

Sherry Boas — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

An island is being born. I can see it from my kitchen window.

Rope swing on live oak tree brings enjoyment

Sherry Boas — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 04:00:00 GMT

My husband and I have designed and built several houses over the past four decades but only two have been on large undeveloped parcels where we intended to live for a long time. Both times, before putting pencil to paper or picking up a hammer, we spent hours walking the land surveying our surroundings.

Beach sunflower a sprawling plant with attractive flowerheads

Sherry Boas — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

My daughter Amber brought me a gift — a rooted cutting of beach sunflower from her garden. Amber knows I'm partial to daisy-like flowers and beach sunflower (Helianthus debilis) fits the bill.

Spring arrives with aroma of sweet smelling brunfelsia

Sherry Boas — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

"Where's that sweet smell coming from?"

Sandhill cranes sound alarm when chased by dog

Sherry Boas — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 04:00:00 GMT

Insistent bellowing drew me away from dinnertime preparations.

Rare sighting of tree swallows is special

Sherry Boas — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The first time I saw the lakeside property where we now live, a flock of swallows was flying overhead. The acrobatic birds — there must have been at least two dozen of them — took turns skimming over the water's still surface before soaring upward, circling about then swooping down for another go-around. I remember standing on the shore mesmerized by what looked like poetry in motion. I felt privy to a private show.

Bottlebrush plant adds color to small spaces

Sherry Boas — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A bouquet of bottlebrush blooms is sitting on my kitchen counter. The red, bristly flower spikes add a bit of brightness at a time of the year when most plants are just beginning to awaken from their winter rest.

Butternut Squash Soup makes for filling, flavorful and healthful meal

Sherry Boas — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Hot soup is the perfect food for a cold day, but some soups are so tasty and easy to prepare they are a welcome meal in any weather. That's the case with Butternut Puree, one of many flavorful offerings at Karma, a restaurant in Northampton, Mass.

Sherry Boas: Plenty of heartfelt ways to say Happy Valentine's Day that don't cost a lot

Sherry Boas — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. If you haven't already done so, shop owners are hoping you'll come into their stores today and buy-buy-buy. As lovely as many store-bought presents are, spending cash isn't the only way to express love. A wealth of gifts awaits that special someone and the only thing needed to procure them is a little creativity.

Gas fireplace makes for toasty toes, less messy than wood

Sherry Boas — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

I've been spending quite a bit of time lately sitting by the fireplace. My bare feet rest on the raised hearth while a steady blaze warms my toes.

Goldfinches, a seasonal fixture in Florida, feast on weedy gardens

Sherry Boas — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

There's an upside to having a neglected landscape. A weedy garden or overgrown field is a boon to some wintertime visitors.

Witnessing snake devour tree frog brings home realities of nature

Sherry Boas — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

People have it easy. If we're hungry, we go to the store, select food, go home and prepare a meal. If we're pressed for time, feeling lazy or indulgent, we eat at a restaurant.

Farmers markets offer bargains, entertainment

Sherry Boas — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A Sunday morning spent perusing the farmers market in downtown Clermont can be a thrifty as well as fun experience.

Laptop turns treadmill into Web workout

Sherry Boas — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A year ago this week, I replaced the desk and chair in my office with a treadmill. For the past 365 days, whenever I've wanted to check email, write a column, do online research or see what's new on Facebook, I've done so upright. My fingers tap the keyboard while my feet pad along on a band of movable floor.

Mother-of-thousands can be a prodigious pest

Sherry Boas — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:23:48 GMT

There's a plant growing in my yard that I can't get rid of. Some people call it Mexican hat plant, devil's backbone or alligator plant. Others know it as "mother-of-thousands," though in my experience, "mother-of-millions" might be more appropriate.

Sandhill cranes return, despite insecurity of nesting spot

Sherry Boas — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

We haven't had a significant rain in weeks and because of that, the level of water in our lake has gradually decreased. Islands of peat and sand that are normally submerged have begun to appear.

Keeping a journal provides a way to reflect on passing of years

Sherry Boas — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:36:00 GMT

At the end of December, I enter reflection mode. I flip back through the pages of my journal to review annual goals and consider our accomplishments. Each turn of the page triggers memories. I remember the good times, the bad times and everything in between.

It's Halloween — a holiday of broken rules

Sherry Boas — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 02:39:00 GMT

I often found myself smiling as I drove through town these past few weeks. The reason for these sudden bursts of levity was tonight's holiday, Halloween.