My traditional Thanksgiving includes lights and siren

Like the rest of the civil service world, us paramedics tend not to get to celebrate holidays as traditionally as we would like.

And if you work nights like I do, Thanksgiving dinner is more often than not a hotdog from 7-Eleven at about 2 a.m. I'm not complaining; it's the nature of the business. I haven't had a Thanksgiving Day off in ten years or better. I've delivered a baby, taken care of umpteen choking victims, gone to fatal wrecks and shootings, and everything in between (except sit down and eat turkey). My mother in law makes me a plate every year, and every year it gets eaten the day after.

But to me, the unusual has become the usual during the holidays.
I'd like to share this bit with you: One year, I was at a bad accident scene in St. Pete that happened in a residential neighborhood at dinnertime. The car was twisted around a tree so badly that it took the fire fighters more than 30 minutes to get the patient extricated out. I was waiting with my equipment, and was aware that families had come out of houses to watch. An older lady asked me how we could do this job on Thanksgiving. My answer is the same it always has been: "How could we not?"

Later at the hospital, my patient safely delivered, I got in the cab of the truck to write my report and almost sat on a plate of food! Turkey and gravy and potatoes and collard greens and stuffing and corn bread! No 7-Eleven hotdogs that night, as my partner and I got to have a feast thanks to that lady, who snuck that food into the ambulance while we busy taking care of the patient. Just one of the little miracles along the way...

So I invite all of you to tell your unusual Thanksgiving stories, as I'm sure there are some out there that need to be told. Log on and share your tale! We all need some little miracles and laughter.

Pick 'em fresh!

With the weather being pleasant and cool during the day, it’s a prime opportunity to take advantage of nature’s fresh bounty. Many fruits and vegetables are in season right now at the local farmer’s markets, bursting with fall’s explosion of colors and flavors. A feast for the eye.

Because I’m a New Englandah, autumn to me means picking it myself; I miss the days when we went out as kids to select pumpkins and gourds, and picked apples from the trees. When times were simpler and slower; and the only rush was the sun going down.

Locally, there are still places you can pick the produce on your own, and load up a basket or two of the freshest stuff around. Dover, Ruskin and Plant City all have u-pick ‘em farms, and there are a few more off of I-4 going towards Orlando.

Closer to home is Hunsader Farms in Bradenton, 5500 C.R. 675, which is about half-way between State Road 64 and State Road 70, about ten miles east of I-75. They’re known for their cantaloupes but have a bevy of other fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re not sure what you’re looking for, they have a U-Pick Hotline at (941) 331-1212 listing the produce and their harvest dates. How convenient is that!

Ready right now are cantaloupes, various citrus fruits, cucumbers, gourds, hard squash, beans, okra, black-eyed peas, zipper peas, peppers, pumpkins, sweet corn, tomatoes and watermelons. After December 1, broccoli, cauliflower and Florida sweet onions join the list.

It’s worth throwing a cooler or two in the back of the car and taking the family on a little daytime getaway. Beats a trip to the grocery store any day.

Promoting yourself

Tom Shay, nationally acclaimed writer, speaker and business coach, has tons of ideas to help you promote your business. His Web site is http://www.profitsplus.org/

Here are a couple marketing tips:

Public speaking: Many community organizations need speakers for their meetings. If you sell clothes, you can talk about fabric care and the colors and fashions for the coming season. If you sell auto parts, you can talk about how they can take care of their vehicle to maximize mileage. When you complete your presentation, you can give away samples, have a 'door prize' and leave your business card with attendees.


Advertise your employees: What is one of your biggest competitive advantages? It is likely that you would say it is your employees. So, why not make a point to remind your customers? In your print advertising you could include a picture of an individual with each ad. The copy in the advertisement could have an employee telling why they like a particular product. Your television advertisements could utilize employees as models or the voice of the commercial. Your employees could be the voice of your radio commercials. In the store you can put photos of the employees so that your customers can get to know them on a first name basis.

It's official!

In the Times' business page Monday!!!


Ester Venouziou announces the launch of Local Shopper LLC, P.O. Box 530144, St. Petersburg, at www.localshops1.com. Local Shopper promotes locally owned, independent shops, and previews about 500 stores and restaurants in Manatee, Sarasota, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article905725.ece

Gift ideas that'll rub you the right way

I'm sure, like me, you guys get some strange gifts each holiday season. Like frou-frou bath stuff in some weird scent that gets thrown in a drawer, or a crazy sweater no one has an use for. I admit, it gets tougher and tougher to shop for people as the years go by. Sometimes, I give up and get people gift cards.

If we're going to go that route this year, let's at least make it something you know that they will use and love: massage and spa gifts. An affordable way to support local business, and much more appreciated than a plastic card from Target.

The best gift I ever got under the tree was an hour-long massage at a small local spa in Ellenton, North River Body Therapies, given to me by my hubby. Yes, jewelry is pretty and perfume smells great, but an hour under the expert hands of Nicole Dietrich took the cake.

It's one of those little places that you miss if you're not looking for it; it is hiding in the Plantation Bay Ellenton Plaza, tucked away far from the madding crowd. The signs on the parking spaces read "Relax - you're here now!"

Soothing doesn't even begin to cover the atmosphere inside.

I looked around. These little local spas in our Tampa Bay area are advertising great specials right now for the holidays. Hot stone relaxation massages, facials, sugar scrubs, body wraps and more. What better way to say you love and appreciate someone than to give them an hour of bliss for Christmas?

My spa near me, North River Body Therapies, has an interactive website at www. NorthRiverMassage.com and offers evening and Saturday appointments. I think most of them are extending their hours for gift-giving and getting.

They really do have what I'm "craven"

The advent of cellphone use has done nothing to improve my husband's communication. He hates the phone. He hates being on the phone. He carries one only for emergencies - and, I'm certain, to watch it flash and ring and ignore it when I'm calling.



So if he's off to the store with a list, and heaven forbid I need to add something, most of the time the call goes unanswered. And we go without peanut butter or something crucial like that.



He backed out of the driveway just the other night on a mission to secure us some pizza. Raven's Pizza to be exact. There's a little buzz in the backroads of Manatee about how good their food is. So when I got an ad in the mail from Chef Marko telling me not to cook that night, I took him up on it. Then I saw them on the menu, just as my husband was leaving:

"WINGS!" I shouted in my driveway, waving my arms. "Get the hot wings, too!"

He would have never answered the phone had he hit pavement. Good thing, because those wings were GREAT. Definitely not the typical wings you get as an afterthought from some pizza places. Saucy, and big, not a bit dry. Even the mild ones had some bite! They get a place on the list!

Of course, I welcome you to judge for yourselves. Raven's is open daily at 8255 U.S. Highway 301 N in Parrish. (941) 776-9116 take-out or delivery. Or logon to www.GetRavenPizza.com to order that way, too.

Second-hand stores a better stop for knick-knacks

It's not everyday that I get to educate my very-savvy mother.

She has all the tricks when it comes to deals, and seems to be forever pulling some little unknown mom-n-pop place out of her purse for the cutest shoes or dress. She's the kind of gal that always has a one of the kind accessory or wrap or conversation piece on the table.

So when she dragged me recently into Pottery Barn to look at some knick-knacks for the house, I was a little fahklempt. Not that I have anything against Pottery Barn, mind you; it's just that I bust my butt for every cent I earn and like to hang on to as much of it as possible. I'm a little thrifty.

The things she picked up, like an antique-y looking wooden photo frame and watering can, were cute, yes, but when I glanced at the price tag .... whew!

"Ma! You can so get this stuff at a little second-hand place, and do it yourself!" I whined. My mother, besides being savvy, is very skilled with the whole crafts thing. (I haven't gotten farther than making the clay ashtray in grade school.)

There are little second-hand places all over the Tampa Bay area, too numerous to count in fact. And the treasures there are great! I can't believe some of the things that get left at these little shops, just waiting to be discovered and reborn with a little TLC.

We easily found a similar wooden frame and watering can between a couple of stops at some thrift stores. My mother picked up the few necessary supplies needed to finish them at a crafts store, and over she saved about $75. Yeah, $75. That's a nice chunk of change right now.

And, we supported two local businesses! Yay, us!

Did you all see this?

We were in the St. Petersburg Times!!!

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article884571.ece

Here is a preview!

Web site for independent businesses is off the chain

By Austin Bogues, Times Staff Writer
In print: Sunday, November 2, 2008


Ester Venouziou enjoys shopping at independent stores with good customer service.

The 38-year-old page designer at the St. Petersburg Times avoids the big-box stores.

In fact, her devotion to shopping small was so great that she started a group on the social networking site Facebook.com.

The group, "Breaking the Chains," was an instant hit with friends and co-workers.

In August, Venouziou took it a step further. She launched an online business that promotes locally owned, independent stores, restaurants and service providers.

The Web site, www.localshops1.com, allows independent businesses in the Tampa Bay area to market themselves online.

Follow link for the full story:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/article884571.ece

How many lives did you save today?

If you don’t have a fire extinguisher in your home, the answer may be none. And the better question is “Why?”

The reason shouldn't be because you or family don't know how to use one. I know they look intimidating. But a local fire equipment distributor (there are quite a few in the Tampa Bay area) will come out and not only install extinguishers in your home, they'll give a how-to lesson for the whole family. Good way to protect yourself, your loved ones and support local business while you're at it.

Fires, no matter what their cause, grow and spread rapidly. They feed on oxygen, and will use almost anything in your home as a fuel source. Small fires become big fires, and then become tragedies.

A portable fire extinguisher can save lives and your home by putting out a small fire or containing it until the fire department arrives. Multi-purpose fire extinguishers that can be used on all types of home fires are large enough to put out a small blaze and compact enough for anyone to handle easily.

And most can be purchased for under $20. Less than the price of a pizza.

And far less than the cost of a tragedy. Local fire equipment distributors offer hands-on fire extinguisher training in addition to professionally installing this life-saving device. So everyone in your home has access, and knows how and where to use it.

Of course, having a fire extinguisher in your home is only part of your survival planning. An escape route laid out ahead of time with your family, along with smoke detectors on every level in your home, can mean the difference. Know when to go.

Featured Business: If and Only If

Our awesome intern, Lauren Fuino, recently caught up with Teresa Letize, owner of If and Only If in St. Pete. They talked about Black Friday, happy customers, and, of course, fashion!


You can read more about Terese and her wonderful shop on our Web site, www.localshops1.com, under Featured Businesses.

You can click here for the direct link.

And make sure to check out the Contests link to find out how you can win this beautiful purple necklace and some other prizes!