Author: Debbie Roney Smith

New Marianna Murals

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There are four new, gorgeous murals decorating downtown Marianna. Funded in part by the Marianna Community Redevelopment Association, the murals depict key aspects of Marianna such as southern magnolias, the Marianna High School bulldog mascot, and peanuts. Completed last month, the murals are the work of Kollet Hardeman. began painting the murals two months ago. She spent 12 to 15 hours a day painting and spent approximately about a week working on each mural. The designs were created digitally before being approved by the Main Street Marianna board members. Hardeman had this to say about her experience in Marianna while completing the murals, “This city has absolutely just come alive. They are smiling. They’re honking, they’re waving.”(1)

So get out into town and see if you can spot all four!

 

Operation Spay Bay’s New Location

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Operation Spay Bay began in 2011 when the county was experiencing a need for free and inexpensive spaying and neutering. The clinic is part of a large collection of shelters and rescues within about a 50-mile radius. They are focused on working together to reduce pet/stray overpopulation and make animal care affordable for owners despite income levels. These local rescues have come together to help reduce the needless deaths taking place in the numerous kill shelters in northern Florida.

After seeing a steady increase in services provided after Hurricane Michael (2018), the clinic has decided to move to a new facility. Located at 3610 E 14th Street in Panama City, the new location was possible thanks to nearly a million dollars in donations and grants. What used to be a degrading, empty church has been renovated into a rescue, wellness, and surgery center. There will be additional housing areas for animals and even a kitchen for the tireless employees who keep the public service up-and-running. 

Stan Lee, one of the clinic cats.

According to the Spay Bay Facebook, they provided:

  • 13,539 Spay/Neuters
  • 5,657 Ear Tips
  • 8,714 Clinic Exams
  • 511 Dentals
  • 28,885 Vaccines
  • and 2,673 Microchips! 

Interested in helping them continue providing these crucial community services? They have an Amazon wishlist with items that would help make them continue to operate. You can also visit their How to Help webpage. 

New Year Resolution vs. Intention

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Happy New Year everyone! Last year we talked about the danger of resolutions and the beneficial alternative, SMART goals. This year, we’ll explore New Year Intentions, a trend that’s been gaining traction for a few years now.

First and foremost, what’s the difference between a resolution and an intention? Resolution brings to mind challenges, hardships, and endurance despite obstacles; it’s Sisyphean endlessly pushing his boulder up the hill, over and over and over again. Not to mention that failing at New Year’s resolutions is so common that there’s a number of unofficial days that celebrate the inevitable: Ditch New Year’s Resolutions Day on January 17 and “Quitter’s Day” on the second Friday in January (January 10th this year). 

Goals/Resolutions vs. Intentions: Click to Learn More

An intention, on the other hand, is inherently forgiving and takes into consideration all the complexities of human existence. Essentially, an intention helps guide someone towards a goal using a general plan. It’s an aim, not a set result. Setting intentions over resolutions allows you to reach a state of being over a specific goal. Trying to hit specific targets (like a certain amount of steps walked or saving a specific amount of money) can stress the nervous system out as it doesn’t allow for the reality of being human. Some weeks you can easily save $20 from your paycheck and other weeks, you have to dip into your savings to cover a blown tire. As The Intention Habit blog says, “New Year’s resolutions often hinge on lofty goals, laden with pressure, that frequently lead to disappointment. They tend to emphasize outcomes over the journey itself.”

Living with intention means making choices that match up with your values and knowing your purpose. So try setting an intention today to better your tomorrow. An example would be moving beyond the open-ended goal/resolution of ‘losing weight’ to the intention to ‘make food choices that make my body feel good and that I enjoy.’ This can help prioritize things that taste good AND help you feel good; maybe you often go for a microwave meal for dinner but really want to make a rice bowl. The best thing about intentions are that they can change – just like you! So consider trying a new intention this year. 

Snow Much Fun Day

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Northstar Church invites you and yours to a Snow Much Fun Day on Sunday, December 22 from 10am-1pm! Open to all Bay County residents, there will be fun for all ages. With real snow, inflatables, food, Christmas photo ops, and much more! The event is being thrown in collaboration with FOR Bay County, so if you would like to volunteer to help create holiday joy, visit the FOR website here. Want to learn more about upcoming Northstar Church events? Visit their website here. 

Opossum Claus & Holiday Shopping

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Have you met Opossum Claus?!

Tallahassee Native Nursery says “Opossum Claus loves relaxing by the cider station, lounging in the swing, greeting everyone as they enter the gift shop, and taking pictures with people. If he doesn’t talk or move, don’t worry — he’s probably just playing dead.”

Opossum Claus only sticks around until December 24th, when he heads off to help Santa deliver gifts. So come see him while you can! The Nursery also has a gorgeous gift shop called The Wren’s Nest. It offers gardening goods like tools, seeds, fertilizers, and more. Holiday gifts such as ornaments, books, shirts, gift certificates, and more are also available. Visit them to find the perfect gift for the plant lover in your life!

Pensacola Winterfest

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The Pensacola Winterfest is here! This annual event features three live action Christmas-themed train tours are leaving the station even earlier this year. The options include: Polar Express, The Grinch’s Merry Match, and Christmas Tree Heist. Each adventure includes special guests along with musical performances, live readings, and other entertainment. For an additional fee, you can have your holiday photos taken with Santa or Grinch! 

Tickets are $16-26 for adults and $10-17 for kids. Open select dates: Dec. 6-8, 13, 15, 20-24. Learn more or purchase your tickets by visiting the Winterfest website.

National Hiking Day

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Ocala National Forest

Today is National Hiking Day! This is an excellent time of year to go out and explore the wilderness around you. Here in the Florida Panhandle and surrounding areas, there’s a number of unique ecosystems to explore at local, state, and national parks. Here’s a list of just a few of the beautiful places to explore today:

Flutterby Arts Festival

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Come out to Inlet Beach on 30A to help celebrate the monarch butterflies’ 2,000-mile fall migration from North America to Central America! The Flutterby Arts Festival is Walton County’s annual art, craft, and science fest all about butterflies. This is a family-friendly event that includes live entertainment, hands-on youth art activities, self-guided tours of the Watersound Monarch Art Trail, a butterfly parade, and more. The event runs on November 10th from 9am to 4pm. Learn more by visiting the Cultural Arts Alliance event page here. 

Fall Home Maintenance: Gutter Cleaning

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Fall is great time to clean your gutters! Over the year, sticks, leaves, dirt, and other debris have been falling into your gutters. Debris can build up, restricting the flow of water and potentially leading to home damage if not taken care of While you can find someone to take care of the job for you, cleaning the gutters yourself can save you a nice chunk of money. So, what do you need to keep in mind while tackling this task?

  1.  Follow proper safety protocol! This means wearing the appropriate safety gear, including long pants, a long-sleeve shirt, closed-toe shoes, gardening gloves, and safety glasses. This will help you avoid scratches, pest bites, and more. You never know when a wet clump of leaves contains an ant nest! Safety protocol also means being smart when getting up to your gutters; DO NOT climb on the roof to clean the gutters – use a ladder. 
  2. Follow the right procedure! Start by removing any material near the downspout and clearing any downspout strainers. Then clear out the upper gutters by the handful, removing any large debris collections. Then, using a water hose, flush the gutters and downspouts. At this point, any clogs should reveal themselves. Feed your water hose down the pipe and turn the water on full blast; be sure not to stand at the end of the gutter least you get a face full of gutter gunk! Make sure to give your gutters one last flush.
  3. Repair any leaks! During the last flush, keep an eye out for any leaks or drips. Repair the area if possible. If not, be sure to replace the gutter piece within a few weeks. Leaks can lead to system shut down, gutter collapse, and other issues.