A Long Winter's Night 2011

Florida folks behave strangely this time of year. We hang fake icicles from eaves, despite being thrilled to live in a climate that doesn’t have real ones. We drag a tree inside, and get urges to dress in red and green. Sometimes, we really get carried away… like last year when we bought that adorable elf hat at the pet store…

Scott offered the cap for Hobbit to smell. “Look at this elf hat we got you. Isn’t it cool?” 

“Elf hat? What’s an elf?” Hobbit sniffed. “You want to put it where? No, this is definitely not cool.” 

“Get it off of me. Quick… it swallowed my ears!”

“It’s off. Calm down. I’ll take you for a piggy back ride to make up for it,” Scott cooed.

“I’m calm. I’m cool. I wasn’t rattled.” Hobbit blusters. “A piggy back ride you say?” He climbed on Scott’s back. “Is this all there is to this ride? It’s sorta lame, don’t ya think?”

“Well, I can raise up a little. How’s this?”  Scott asked.

“Ho hum. Bor-r-i-i-n-g.” Hobbit yawned.

“How about now? You’re almost as tall as the angel, although referring to you and an angel in the same breath is laughable,” Scott muttered.

“Y-you-you can pu-u-t me down now,” Hobbit sputtered.

(Yes, Virginia, Jack Russells do show fear, but Hobbit asks that you keep that to yourself.)

“Let’s settle down for an old fashioned Christmas tale,”  Scott said. ” That’s good pooches. Ready? ‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house …”

“Dad?”

“Yes, Hobbit.”

“Is this a long story?”

“No, now be still. ‘Twas the night before Christmas…”

“Ahem, Dad?”

“What is it now, Hobbit?”

“Is it scary?”

“No, it is not. Is that all?”

“Does it have Scrooge in it? I heard he’s bad news.”

“No, Scrooge is not in it. It’s about a jolly old elf,” Scott growled.

“Elf, you say? Is that the same elf that wears the dorky hat?” Hobbit smirked.

“No, it’s a bigger elf! Now, do you want to hear this story or not? Your sister left ten minutes ago.”

“Yeah, yeah, don’t have a coronary. I’m listening.”

“Good. ‘Twas the night before Christmas
and all through the house; not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse,” Scott continued.

“Mouse?” Hobbit jumped up, hackles raised.  He darted from corner to corner with his nose jammed to the floor. “Let me at it! Where is it? I don’t see it. Dad, are you yanking my chain?”

Scott sighed and called it a night.

2011 Christmas in Lutz, Florida

Video of Christmas lights/displays in various locations in Lutz, Florida

Video on a train at a display in the Old Lutz Schoolhouse Christmas display

Learning Gate Community School Apparently Plans for High School at US 41 and Sunset

**12/12/11 Update - per site plans there will be one entrance on US 41 and another on Sunset across from Lutz Learning Center, next to Nye Park. **

Learning Gate Community School currently located on Hanna is seeking a zoning hearing to place a school at the at NE corner of US 41 and Sunset. This will stretch behind the park over to Yocam and over to Lutz Elementary.

Next hearing is January 23, 2012 at 6:00PM at County Government Center Zoning # 11-0731 From a news story in the Laker http://cnewspubs.com/wp/?p=5371 I suspect they "will seek a charter to begin a high school and plans to construct a new building for seventh- through 12th-graders." Here is a link to a St. Pete Times article.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article1149764.ece

On their website is the following http://www.learninggate.org/report%20to%20parents%20on%20GATES.pdf


Here is their application with the county with details.

Here is the site plan showing details of entrances.

The Mutt Report

My wife Susan and I are collaborating on a new blog about dogs called The Mutt Report. The new venue will be entertaining and informative. There's a page for you to post your recommendations for dog products, places, and services; a page to post events and classes; and a themed photo page to post your pooch's picture. This week we introduce ourselves and later in the week, we'll explain what you can expect on the blog. We'd like it to be an interactive space where readers gather and share. We hope to build enough of an audience to justify regular columns by experts. So, please stop by and visit TheMuttReport.com

Lutz Places to Eat - Breakfast

Now that we have been here for a while, we have settled into some favorite places to eat.

For breakfast you have to eat at the Breakfast Nook. This is one of the best breakfast places I have eaten at for a very long time. Good food and reasonable prices with a nice atmosphere. For those who smoke there is outdoor seating. One thing I like to do with restaurants is to see if they make good sausage gravy with biscuits and Breakfast Nook makes it great. Located in the Tropical Village Plaza on Hwy 41,between County Line Road and Hwy 54. 1532 Land O Lakes Blvd Lutz, FL 33549 Phone: 813-948-4041.

Neighborhood Relations Neighborhood listing

The Hillsborough County Neighborhood Relations office has a nice list of the neighborhood associations and special dependent districts in unincorporated Hillsborough County. What does not make sense about the list is that there are no listings for the websites for any of the associations.

Golden In Need Of Home

This good natured golden retriever needs a new home. Two children in his loving family are allergic to him. For more info, see Florida Rescued Dogs blog.

Dibbs Delays

Well, to no surprise, the County Commission bowed down to Stephen Dibbs on Thursday (see below.)

By the way, Dibbs contributed to the election campaigns of Hagan, Norman and White. He also contributed to Sharpe's campaign, however Sharpe clearly is more interested in the people's concerns rather than the developers.

According to Mike Salinero of the Trib:
"But commissioners allowed a last-minute continuance of another bid to breach the county's growth boundary, a move that angered 50 or more citizen activists who traveled from far-flung areas of the county to oppose the development on Lutz-Lake Fern Road near the Suncoast Parkway.

Both developments require first changing the county's growth plan to extend water and sewer lines into areas normally reserved for rural development.

Developer Stephen Dibbs, who was not at the meeting, sent a letter this week to the commission asking for a delay on his proposal for a 36.6-acre development on Lutz-Lake Fern Road and Suncoast Parkway.

Dibbs wants to increase the density on his property tenfold, from one house per 5 acres to two houses per acre, and build a shopping center.

The continuance was the second granted by the commissioners this month after dozens of residents turned out to fight growth plan amendments that would push high-density development into rural areas.

"They're making a mockery of this process," said Kelly Cornelius, who then turned to the audience and asked, "Who else is tired of these continuations?" The crowd answered with a roar.

Dibbs also withdrew a proposed plan amendment that would have removed 305 acres from the Keystone-Odessa Community Planning area. The land includes the 36 acres he wants to develop. The community plan restricts development to one house per five acres.

Commissioner Rose Ferlita, who didn't arrive at the meeting until after the vote to give Dibbs the continuance, asked chairman Ken Hagan to hold the vote again so she could record her disapproval.

The vote was held again, with Ferlita and Mark Sharpe voting no.

"I think this has been done before, and it ... beats down our citizens," Ferlita said.

On Feb. 7, the commission continued another proposed amendment to extend the urban service area to allow a mixed-use development with 174 homes near Gunn Highway and Van Dyke road."

Disabled Parking at the Breakfast Nook

New Blog About Florida's Rescued Dogs

There's a new blog for dog lovers called Florida Rescued Dogs. Its purpose is to provide a venue to further conversation, supply helpful articles and links, and support rescue dog owners and groups. This week, Lutz Dog Park was featured. One of the commentors provided a very thoughtful review of Hillsborough County dogparks, including the Lutz Park.

Windemere Special Dependent District

The Windemere Special Dependent District now has a webpage. http://windemeredistrict.googlepages.com/

The Windemere Special Dependent District (SDD) is a special district created by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners in 1986 to maintain the common areas in the Windemere subdivision. $50.00 is collected as a line item on the property taxes by the Hillsborough County Tax Collector and distributed to the district every year.

The Windemere SDD mows the common areas around both ponds and at the entrance, maintains the wall and sign at the entrance, and pays for the water and power for the entrance area. Street lights are assessed separately on the tax bill. The Windemere SDD is not a homeowners association and does not handle issues regarding Code Enforcement or Deed Restrictions.

The Board of the Trustees for district is composed of 7 residents of Windemere who are elected to the positions.

All I want for Christmas . . ..

Seen on Hanna Avenue

Windemere Subdivision

Windemere Subdivision now has a website http://windemerelutz.googlepages.com and a restricted email Google group http://groups.google.com/group/windemere-subdivision-lutz. If you live in Windemere, join the email group.

Postcards From Lutz - Lutz Depot 2

Postcards From Lutz - Lutz Depot

Images From Walker Road - Part 2

My, you have big eyes!



Guardian Tweety.


Every gate has to have a painting on it.


Fixer Upper

Images From Walker Road - part 1

Walker Road is off Sunset, between Hanna and Livingston.




Totem Mail


The Lutz mascots - Sandhill Cranes


Home of Easy Rider?

How Do You Know You Are In Lutz? - Ballons

Saturday morning hot air ballons swooshing over your house.

How Do you Know You Are In Lutz?

Hay in the back of a car. (Seen at the parking lot of the Lutz Post office.)

What were they thinking?

Our Lutz house has wall to wall carpet in the the bedrooms and the living room part of our greatroom. The rest is tile. We don't like wall to wall carpet and decided to have the carpet removed and laminate flooring out down. today our installer began his work, first removing the old carpet. To our surprise, the surface underneath the carpet was not concrete, but more of the tile. The photo below shows the dining room part of the great at the bottom and the living room at the top. Dividing the room is the carpet strip.


When I saw this, my first thought was "Why?". Why did someone glue and nail carpet tack strips and glue padding onto tile floor? What were they thinking? Rugs would have been cheaper, simpler and easier. Sometimes I just donb't understand.

Now we face a decision. Rip up the tile and replace that part of the room with laminate or leave it and fix the damage.