I have a love-hate relationship with my home state of Florida.

Love:

  • Publix (Publix is a great grocery store...love the bakery, love the Boar's Head meats, love the subs!)

  • No such thing as a "nonsmoking section" because there is NO such thing as a "smoking section"

  • Swimming in October (pools in FL don't close like NC...swimming is handled with common sense, you quit swimming when it gets to cold to enjoy, usually around November, then back to the pool by late March/early April!)

Hate:

  • Humidity. All my life I heard "it's not the heat, it's the humidity" and never understood what that meant. In mid-August, it is the stinkin' heat, not matter what the humidity is like. But in fall, humidity makes all the difference. It's heavy like an old lady's thick shawl is thrown over your shoulders the minute you step outside. And it makes my hair a mess.

  • Fire ants. I know we have them here but I was bit by more ants in my 4 days in FL than I have been in nearly 2 years here.

  • Frogs. I really hate frogs, this applies to toads as well. I have seen 2 here in NC, total, and they were from a distance (in the road). That's an average of one per year. I can handle one per year. I do not like frogs and toads waiting at the doorstep, or taunting me with their croaks after a rain like they do in Florida. Florida is frog infested, like an Egyptian plague.