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gemmagcabe · 4 years ago

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parc central residence showFlat

Just between Tampa and Orlando with a growing population of over 93,000 Lakeland is located in Polk County - voted in 2007 as the All-American County.

Did you know that in 1883 Lakeland's citizens were going to name their town Munnville in recognition of Abraham G. Munn, a Kentucky businessman who purchased 80 acres which the town was located? I'm so glad that he declined the honor and eventually a more adequate name was sought out, due to the serenity of the many lakes surrounding this great community in Central Florida - the name Lakeland was selected!

Lakeland, Florida - The City of 38 Lakes

Lakeland has 38 named lakes - the most visited lakes are near downtown Lakeland at Lake Hollingsworth, Lake Mirror, Lake Morton and Lake Wire providing its residents with great recreational opportunities. Lakeland has the appeal of small town flair with its big city sophistication.

The downtown Lakeland location including the Dixieland neighborhood and various districts such as Lake Morton District has undergone extensive renovation influenced by its own charm, constructing pedestrian friendly walking areas. Moreover, predominantly enhancements were completed with gorgeous manicured lawn around Munn Park and the Antique District.

A fine collection of specialty shops, such as art galleries, boutiques, antique stores and a General Store, as well parc central residence showFlat as exceptional dining facilities and cafes that enhances the quality of the City of Lakeland are all within leisurely strolling distance of Munn Park.

Annually, the city of Lakeland in conjunction with local sponsors hosts a number of fairs and festivals throughout the year. Each spring, one of the nation's largest conventions, the Sun n'Fun Fly-In is held in Lakeland, drawing nearly 150,000 aviation enthusiasts from around the world, making Lakeland's Regional Linder Airport one of the busiest airports in the world during this event. The downtown area is the site of many of the town's activities, such as First Fridays, Farmer's Market, Mayfaire by the Lake, the Lake Mirror Classic Auto Festival, Lakeland Red, White & Kaboom - 4th July celebration, annual Christmas parade in December.

There are many things to love about Lakeland, Florida. The City of Lakeland's financial stability, along with many local contributors and philanthropists providing support for its citizens quality health care, convenient public transportation, and its established public school system are just the tip of the iceberg.

Lakeland also boasts great inexpensive tourist attractions, such as the beautiful Hollis Botanical Garden and the adjacent Barnett Park, the Polk Museum of Arts, the world's largest collection of Frank Lloyd Wright at Florida Southern College, and the Florida Air Museum, just to name a few.

Majority of the Lakeland resident's workforce finding employment in the wholesale and the retail trade sector, as well as in the manufacturing, production, mining, tourism, distribution and service industries.

In recent years Money Magazine ranked Lakeland at the 10th "Best Place to Live in America" among medium-sized cities in the South, referring to issues such as affordable housing, public safety, modern health care and school systems. The city also enjoys an ideal subtropical climate that averages a balmy 72 degrees per year. With such a pleasant climate, outdoor activities are extremely admired in Polk County.

Lakeland residents tend to be highly involved in the community. The numerous volunteer groups and service organizations in the area have a strong presence in Lakeland.

Lakeland is known to its residents when being asked where you live in Lakeland to give an answer to live in North Lakeland or South Lakeland. To me there is no distinction or separation between the two besides the name; living in North Lakeland or South Lakeland has many valuable aspects and while I have traveled the roads of Lakeland, each location and each neighborhood brings value and its own characteristics to the city of Lakeland, which why I call Lakeland as "there is no place like home".

You may now recognize that Lakeland has plenty to offer, nonetheless its closeness to Orlando and Tampa provide its residents with the opportunity to visit such notorious attractions as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens, Sea World and Epcot. While visiting the Kennedy Space Center, the Daytona International Speedway and the white sandy beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean you may realize that Lakeland is the perfect fit.

Lakeland, Florida may well just be the biggest little small town in America. With a cozy feel, friendly neighbors, and surely something to offer residents of all ages, Lakeland is truly one of America's finest cities that I call home. s

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iowamedia · 3 years ago

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Polk County lawn complaints piling high as neglect and rain add up

DES MOINES, Iowa — Stretches of rain with minimal days to dry out is creating an eyesore for Des Moines neighborhoods when it comes to lawn maintenance. “We get people on both sides that are really passionate. A neighbor not mowing their yard or somebody not taking care of their property and then we deal with property owners dealing with extenuating circumstances of why they aren’t able to take…

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stagindustries-blog · 6 years ago

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#ConstructionLakelandFlorida #ConstructionPolkCounty #STAGIndustriesCALL FOR YOUR QUOTE (863) 944-7295The STAG Standard, From Start To Finish. https://www.stagindustries.com/construction-lakeland-fl Construction of barns and outbuildings is one of our specialty. When you want the best craftsmanship in central Florida contact us. You want perfection at its best and nothing less. This type of construction and carpentry is an art. This is a skill that has been handed down from one generation to another. We take pride in what we do. Construction of barns and outbuildings is one of our specialty. STAG Industries, LLC has been building barns and outbuilding for generations.STAG Industries offers a "Start To Finish" opportunity for you and your construction project. We have been working in this industry for generations. Our experience is proven in our work history and our list of clients. Whether it is a barn, a shed or a home you won't be disappointed. We bring Central Florida the very best general construction possible. We take care of your commercial property in Lakeland, Florida as if it were our own. We offer the following construction services: Barns, ShedsOutbuildings MaintenanceFences & Gates HardscapesDrivewaysPatio, Decks & WalkwaysRenovationsNew Structures STAG Industries offers a "Start to Finish" opportunity for you and your construction project. From concept and design all the way through to the finished article, we can guide you along the way with our years of experience. We have been working in this industry for generations, and intend to continue for a long time to come. Our experience is proven in our work history and our list of clients, all of whom are more than satisfied with every job we have performed for them. To succeed in this industry, you must always provide a high-quality service. Failure to do so will mean your business is very short-lived, and won’t stand the test of time. Fortunately, we are the best at what we do and have been around for a very long time indeed – you can be certain of quality when you contract STAG Industries. Whether it is a barn, a shed or a home you won't be disappointed. We bring Central Florida the very best general construction possible. If you have a unique project in mind, we’re ready to take it on and make it the very best it can be. We’ve seen just about everything we can do over our time working in Central Florida, so we look forward to seeing what you can come up with. In addition to general construction, we offer lawn mowing and land management services in and around Lakeland Florida, making sure that your property looks the absolute best it can do. So if your building a barn and you’re worried what the land around it will look like, have no fear – we’re ready to bring you the best service you can imagine. We will always take care of your commercial property as if it were our own, looking after it, treating it with care, and improving it as much as we can. Whether the contract is federal or local we will always give you our very best service, backed up with a work ethic that is second to none. For all inquiries about general construction in Polk County Florida, please contact STAG INDUSTRIES today for your fully personalized quote.

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dowcolawncare · 6 years ago

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Lawn Treatment Mapaville Mo

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valoansdallastx · 5 years ago

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weepingsaladcollectorstuff · 6 years ago

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Appropriate lawn care is much more than simply watering and mowing

There is much more to lawn care than simply mowing the Lawn and mowing sometimes. You might be experiencing a lawn, or are considering enlarging your landscape, but are unsure the way to do it yourself to make it seem great. Whatever the situation, you might wish to consider hiring lawn care services. They can do more than simply landscaping, because they may supply you with lawn care providers to make sure your lawn remains lush, warm and lovely through spring and into the autumn. Although springtime is the best time to begin your lawn care providers West Valley City Utah, it’s never too late. Although the majority of men and women believe springtime that the very best time of year ready for summer, they might not look at the lawn care solutions which are offered to ensure a lawn to your summertime. - Polk County Lawn Mowing

Lakeland Lawn Mowing

Among the greatest things that you could have achieved for the lawn in the spring would be to get it aerated. Aerating your lawn is a process, wherever your lawn care business will return to your house and poke holes in your lawn so as to wake up your own bud, so the water will be absorbed by that your bud 46, and to loosen the dirt. In this manner your lawn is guaranteed to acquire the water it ought to remain lovely and green, but by aerating your lawn, you may lower your water bill. This is a result of the fact your lawn is compacted and tight, which raises the quantity. Your lawn will have the ability to soak up every drop of water which you supply it, to guarantee a green lawn which you could appreciate.

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peter132balzary · 6 years ago

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Central Florida Land Management

Central Florida Land Management Lawn mowing Lakeland Florida, Polk County at its best. Choose us. STAG Industries, LLC. was established in 2008 by the Stagner Family in Lakeland, Florida. We offer the very best lawn mowing, land management, and lawn care. https://peter132balzary.blogspot.com/2018/11/central-florida-land-management.html

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cartierloveshop · 7 years ago

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Tennessee: We rob graves for tourism

Ned Jilton

1 / 3 People stop to photograph the tomb of President James K. Polk while touring the grounds of the Capitol Building in Nashville.

I thought it was bad when Memphis took the monument off the grave of Nathan Bedford Forrest, but now the state legislature has voted in favor of removing not only the monument but the bodies from the graves of President James K. Polk and his wife.

And the reason the state has decided to move the tomb? Some claim it is to better honor the president, but the real truth, in my opinion, is money and tourism.

THE BACKSTORY

Polk died in Nashville on June 15, 1849, just three months after leaving office.

Because he died of cholera, Nashville law required he be buried within 24 hours of his death, so he was temporarily interred in Nashville City Cemetery. A year later, in accordance with his will, he was exhumed and reburied at his home, Polk Place. He was almost in the shadow of the State Capitol Building, where he served as Tennessee’s ninth governor.

Polk’s wife, Sarah, lived on at Polk Place until she joined her husband in death 42 years later. The two were buried side by side as Polk intended, but there was a problem. Polk had put his faith and trust in the Tennessee legislature, and the legislature failed him.

In his will, Polk had stated that Tennessee would take over Polk Place and maintain it along with the couple’s tomb. Much in the same manner as the state has done with Andrew Jackson’s home and burial site, the Hermitage.

However, the legislature never acted. So, after Sarah’s death, members of the Polk family challenged the will in court and had it invalidated, taking possession of Polk Place and selling it.

Again, President Polk would have to be exhumed, along with his wife this time, and moved to a new location.

After careful consideration, the legislature designated a new site on the grounds of the Capitol Building, roughly four-tenths of a mile from Polk Place, and had a tomb designed by the capitol architects. The Polks were interred there in 1893, and that’s where they are now. But they might not be there much longer.

A STRUGGLING HISTORIC SITE

Down the road from Nashville in Columbia is a historic site called Polk House.

Located there is Polk’s father’s home, his sister’s home and the church President Polk would attend when visiting with, and staying at, his father’s residence.

It’s a nice site. The church has been restored into a museum and is expecting to receive the bones of a Mexican-American War soldier recently recovered and returned to the United States.

Despite these efforts, the site is struggling. In order to get more bodies through the door, the site needs more than bones. The site needs two bodies from Nashville — President and Mrs. Polk.

“The folks struggle every, every year to raise money at the Polk Ball. It’s not enough money to keep the house in any type of shape,” said Sen. Bill Ketron, R-Murfreesboro, one of the supporters of the legislation to move Polk’s body. “It’s probably one of the largest tourism opportunities for Maury County because people come to the house and they can’t see him (President Polk) because he’s buried here (in Nashville). He is the only president of the United States that is buried at a State Capitol. They have the sister’s home right next door, and they want to bury him right there (Polk Home) in the courtyard.”

SETTING A BAD PRECEDENT

I have several concerns about this action by the legislature.

By moving President Polk’s tomb to Polk Home in Columbia, it should draw more paying customers through the doors of the houses and museum. But if the site goes broke, won’t the state be obligated to financially support the place because of the tomb?

This action will also cost the state the moral high ground in its battle with the city of Memphis over the removal of monuments there. After all, how can the state claim what Memphis did was wrong in light of the state going one step further and moving bodies along with a monument from graves?

Third, the state’s action sets a bad precedent.

For example, the body of John Sevier, Tennessee’s first governor and one of the leaders of the Overmountain Men, is buried on a courthouse lawn in Knoxville. I feel this place does not pay honor to the man and fails to educate people about his role in our history.

If you can move President Polk, why not move Gov./ Col Sevier?

I urge our local state legislators to introduce a bill to move Sevier from Knoxville to Sycamore Shoals State Historic Site in Carter County, where Sevier and the Overmountain men gathered before heading to the Revolutionary War battle of Kings Mountain.

At Sycamore Shoals, far more people will see Sevier’s grave, and the park rangers, interns and guides will be there to give people a better understanding of the man’s place in history.

I do think moving President Polk’s body could give rise to a new state tourism slogan. Tennessee: We rob graves for tourism.

Catchy?

TAKE ACTION TO STOP THE MOVE

However, the moving of President Polk’s and his wife’s graves is not a done deal. With the approval of the legislature, the proposed relocation now moves to the Tennessee Historical Commission for approval.

If you want to see the move of Polk’s tomb stopped, contact Patrick McIntyre, executive director, Tennessee Historical Commission at [email protected].

Ned Jilton II is a page designer and photographer for the Times News as well as the writer of the “Marching with the 19th” Civil War series. You can contact him at njilton@ timesnews.net .

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sending-the-message · 7 years ago

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The Painted Rock Game by TheRe_Writes

It was July 2011 when the Polk County Rocks game spread to my area. People were painting up rocks, hiding them around and posting photos to the Facebook group set up for it. Essentially this was a big Easter egg hunt that was reaching everywhere from Lakeland to Arbuckle, with some people even finding these rocks all the way in Tampa and Apopka. I was 15 at the time and staying with my mom and her then-new husband Joe for the summer. Usually I liked this because it meant I got to be in Florida, but it also meant that I had to spend time with my younger step-siblings. So when they became obsessed with these painted rocks, I was the one who had to go along with them. Back then I was still in my edgy, Hot Topic mall-rat phase so being out in the sunshine really wasn’t my idea of fun. Neither was babysitting. I couldn’t drive and everywhere was connected by long stretches of highway meaning I couldn’t just go out on my own whenever I wanted, so I got stuck babysitting a lot more than I liked.

I was taking Sarah (aged nine) and Tod (who had just turned seven) to the community swimming pool when they found the first one. A small pebble decorated to look like a bumblebee in the corner of the tennis court. Once they picked it up and read the rules scrawled on the bottom they immediately wanted to find more. I ended up spending the rest of that afternoon being dragged around by two excited kids and taking photos of whatever they pointed at or held up to my face. A ladybug one on a wall, a happy frog by the lake, there was even a Pikachu one in a hole on the golf course. We picked them up and carried them with us until we found places to hide them again, as were the instructions given. By the time we had to go home my legs were hurting from all the rocks stuck in my pockets. At that point I was already sick of walking around, looking along hedgerows and picking up stones but they still weren’t done with the game.

The next day I was woken up by Sarah and Tod tugging my sheets and chanting “Jess! Jess! We want to play the rock game!” I tried putting my head under my pillow and ignoring them until they went away, but my mom came in and told me that “They can’t go around the estate on their own,” and how apparently I needed the exercise and sunlight. Before I could argue back she went ahead and bribed me with “If you do this for them today I’ll drive you to see your friends in Orlando tomorrow.” At that I forced myself awake and grabbed around my closet for a matching set of black shorts and tank top. (I know it’s not the best color for the heat, but my wardrobe was very limited at the time.)

We set out with two grocery bags for the rocks we would keep and the ones we would re-hide, starting on our estate and leading up to the ones neighboring it. The colorful rocks were hidden amongst people’s front lawn ornaments, on top of mail boxes and some were just sitting on the grass. A lot of them had big pictures, mostly in a sloppy kids-art-project style but some were very well done. There was another ladybug, a clown face, and a nicely detailed squid among the rocks we ended up carrying. Tod found a US flag one under a bench and Sarah found one that was just painted green on the pier. Being the “adult” I had to carefully get the ones hidden near bushes or the edges of the woods, because apparently I “liked snakes” and somehow that would prevent them biting me. By about midday we stopped to get sandwiches from the gas station and Tod was all tuckered out. I suggested that we stop and go to the pool or go back home to play Wii games to get out of the heat, but Sarah was determined to stay out.

Tod protested by covering his ears and shaking his head. He was red faced and clearly tired, so I couldn’t drag him around anymore. I tried telling Sarah that “We have to go back for Tod, he can’t play anymore” but she was having none of it. She made an exaggerated pouty face at me and kept insisting that “We don’t have a full bag yet!” meaning “We have to go get more!” It was like a tug-of-war, trying to balance the interests of these two grumpy kids without making one have a tantrum at me. The best compromise I could think of was “Why don’t we go home and count all the rocks we have? Maybe then we can go find some more.”

Tod perked up at the thought of going back home and Sarah finally came around to the idea too, so we finished our lunch and I trudged them both back to mom’s house. As soon as we got in the door Tod waddled to his bedroom, and Sarah was pouring out the bags onto the kitchen table.

Together Sarah and I went through our hoard, separating out what we’d keep and what we wouldn’t while I photographed them all. Eventually we boiled the “Keep” pile down to a small few: a pretty cat, Tod’s flag and a yellow M&M amongst about three others. I considered keeping the squid but knew I’d probably lose it in a drawer anyway. The rest were an odd mix of basic smiley faces, bright patterns, local sports and brand logos along with some that were just scribbles and glitter. One was a crude line drawing of what looked like a spiky-leaf which I’d had to drag out of the reeds with my foot. There were a couple of basic Sharpie-drawn Pentagrams and Super-S doodles (probably done by bored teens) which I ended up skipping on the lake. By the time we had our “Re-Hide” bag full again it was close to 3pm. Joe’s usual curfew for the kids was 5pm so Sarah and I decided we’d just go and hide these ones rather than go properly hunting again.

We promised that we wouldn’t go too far, so we only went around our estate this time. I hid some smaller stones on a hanging bird house and Sarah put a few along the estate fence. Before long we were hiding the last one, a neatly-done Gators logo, on the wall of the community pool area. It was very close to her curfew and Sarah was still reluctant to stop. “Jess, can we find more? Just one more!” she begged, but I had to tell her no. I was too worn out, and mom would be so mad if she wasn’t back. Sweaty and groggy we marched home in time for dinner before both collapsing back into bed, fully drained from walking all day in the heat.

That night I was woken up by a whispering voice saying “Jess, can we find more?” I almost had a heart-attack before jolting awake to see Sarah standing there, fully dressed and waving a Disneyland tote bag at me. “Go to bed!” I groaned. “No more rocks now.” She stamped her foot and pouted at me before shuffling back out of my room. I got back to sleep pretty quickly and hoped the kids would forget about painted rocks game in the morning.

When I woke up at 11am after a good long sleep I thought I’d actually gotten lucky. Tod was watching Nick Jr when I went to make coffee and bacon, and he didn’t seem even remotely interested in doing anything else that day. I sat down on the couch next to Joe to eat my late-breakfast while he played on his tablet and joked about how “You make coffee in this house you make it for everyone.” After yesterday I was thankful for the quiet morning and cared about nothing other than mom’s promise to take me to town. I only got to see Becky and David in summer and I’d been missing them all year. By 12 I was dressed and ready (after putting on a whole rack’s worth of bracelets too) and waiting for mom to get back from Publix to pick me up. It wasn’t until then when I realised I’d not seen or heard anything from Sarah yet. At first I’d just assumed she was with mom, but Joe said she’d just gone on her own that morning. I didn’t want to leave and not know if the kid was okay, so I took a quick look around.

After checking the bathroom and the pool-deck I finally found her in her room. She was still asleep in bed. Her pyjamas were dropped on the floor, and knowing how much mom insisted on a tidy house I picked them up and put them on top of her laundry basket. As I bent down to gather up the strewn clothing my hand closed around something hard in the pocket of her pink stripy sleep shirt. Taking it out, I found another decorated rock.

It was a crappy looking one, and I felt bummed out just looking at the thing. The stone was mostly just scribbled black with some squiggle in the middle filled in yellow. It could’ve been a logo for something, but to me it just looked like a question-mark with a long swirly line drawn through the bottom dot. I didn’t remember seeing this when we were sorting out the rocks we kept. Maybe she’d pocketed it without me noticing. I put it on her desk with the rest of the “Keep” pile before rushing to get my shoes and bag in time for mom getting back. I forgot about Sarah and her silly obsession for the rest of that day, I had friends to hang out with and we didn’t care for kiddie rock-hunts.

Becky’s dad drove me home that evening and I got back in at 5pm again. I thanked him for the ride before stepping in the door and going straight to crash out in front of my laptop. As I got to my room I was met by Sarah, sitting on my bed with her Disneyland bag and playing with those damn rocks. “Can’t you do that in your own room?” I sighed, tossing my own bag onto the desk.

She bit her lip at me and went back to arranging her collection. I stormed over to the bed and began picking up the stones, putting them back into the tote “Go play rocks with Tod or something! Let me have my room.” I thrust her bag back to her and she ran out, looking as if she was trying not to cry. For a few seconds I felt relieved, but then the guilt dawned on me. I really didn’t want her to be upset, and Joe would be so mad at me if he found out! After taking a moment to calm down I crossed over to Sarah’s room and lightly knocked on the door. “Hey Sarah, I’m sorry I yelled at you” I murmured. “Can I look at your cool rocks again?” There was silence for a few seconds before she actually opened the door. The bag had been tipped out on to the rug and a few light-colored smooth stones were clustered up next to her bed.

Originally I hadn’t noticed, but these rocks were new. Mom or Joe must have taken her out for an hour or so to find them. There weren’t as many as we’d found yesterday, and most of them didn’t look that nice either. One was a splodgy potato-face and there was one painted to look like a football, but most of them just had simple marks on them. There was a basic love heart and a waving stick figure, she’d found another spiky-leaf one drawn in red this time. But most were little more than initials and letters done in a straight-lines font on white pebbles. Whoever made these probably didn’t care much. Despite their blandness, Sarah still seemed proud of today’s spoils. “They’re interesting” I humored her, “Would you like me to photograph these too?” She nodded and I went along with her request, uploading the photo to the page afterwards too. I didn’t think it was really worth sharing them but that’s how the game went.

I was able to sleep all night without any over-eager kids waking me up, and the morning was pretty dull. Both Joe and mom were at work so I had another babysitting day. I got myself dressed and ready in time for Tod waking up and asking for cereal. Luckily for me he was usually easily entertained so I could just give him a bowl of bran flakes, some juice and a Spongebob DVD to watch all day. Sarah however was still not up yet and it was my responsibility to make sure she did. Joe was very adamant that his kids kept up a good daily routine even during the times they weren’t at school. I made another tray of juice and cereal which I planned to let Sarah eat in her room, and carried it in for her. I pushed the door open, but she wasn’t there. Leaving the tray on the desk I frantically ripped off the bed covers to find nothing. I tried calling for her and dashing around the house again, but there was still no sign of her. Slipping on some flip-flops I went outside and to my relief, found Sarah sitting on the front drive in her pyjamas, humming to herself. I didn’t need to ask where she’d been as she was playing with more coloured pebbles.

I took a sigh of relief before reprimanding her, “What did Dad tell you about going off on your own?” I scolded. Usually she’d get to angry or sad, instead she merely stared up at me and said “But I want another Yellow Sign.” Not caring for her excuses I firmly reminded her “Your dad said you can’t go out without a grown up! Now get inside and eat your cereal.” Taking hold of her arm I forcefully lead her back into the house. She struggled and tried to run off but I was having none of it. Her bare feet were dirty and the bottoms of her pyjama pants were tatty too. I made her take them off and have a bath after her breakfast which she ate without complaining.

Luckily I managed to get her to sit down and watch TV with her brother, just anything to distract her from this current obsession with rock hunting. The rest of that day went by pretty uneventfully, I just pissed around online and played Sims (or whatever I did back then) in peace for a few hours while the kids entertained themselves. By then I’d gotten a lot of replies from the Facebook group, people liking our photos and saying how glad they were that we’d found their rocks. Very few people were still posting though, so I hoped that meant the game was dying out and Sarah would stop caring soon. Nobody was really responding to any of the plain rocks with the black marks, but I wasn’t surprised.

I made sure to keep checking up on the kids every hour or so to be safe in case Sarah tried to go out again. Much to my relief Sarah didn’t bug me to go back out again, she seemed content to stay in and play with Tod. At one point I caught her showing him her rock collection, getting each one out on the coffee table and giving him a lecture about them (much to his disinterest.) She had the bee and the cat face out when I walked in, but it was when she took out the weird yellow one that Tod decided he’d had enough. He shook his head side to side as his face went red and scrunched up. I had to act fast or else he’d start crying. Desperately looking for a distraction I grabbed the crayon tub and paper pad from the kitchen side saying “Hey, why don’t we sit outside and do some drawing?”

Sarah was reluctant at first, but when I sat Tod down at the table on the pool deck and put down the big crayon tub she came out and joined in. He was happily rushing random colors all over and I really wasn’t surprised that Sarah just drew her rocks. I lazily sketched out some band logos for a little bit too. They weren’t bored, so as far as I cared my job was done. When Joe came home with donuts and chips they both dropped their crayons and ran to the kitchen. Glad to be free, I packed up the art supplies, gathered up the drawings and put them in the kids' rooms. Tod had tried to draw blue-sky green-grass landscapes and I think one was supposed to be the lake with an alligator in it, and Sarah’s were mostly different interpretations of the patterns on her rocks. One page was her whole collection together but the rest were mostly rough recreations of the weird symbols from the boring ones, especially the spiky-leaf and the yellow question-mark. It seemed to be her favourite, but I didn’t understand why. The bee was a lot prettier in my opinion.

With my babysitting officially done for the day I retired to my room like an average bored teen. I stuck my headphones in and made a point of trying to avoid my step-siblings for the rest of the day. My peace was broken at about 4pm when Sarah came stamping into my room demanding that I go outside with her, insisting that “Daddy is too busy and says you’ll take me” Huffily I told her “Oh yeah? Well I’m busy too.” “No you’re not!” she insisted, but I wouldn’t let her have her way. She stormed back out again threatening to “tell her dad” amongst some other mumbling, but she didn’t come back at me again. I could hear her shrieking and arguing at Joe, but he must have taken my side and made her drop the issue because that was the last I heard from either of them until dinner. That night it was heated-up pizza and some salad, which is pretty bland but filling enough. When I got to the table Tod was sat there being served a slice by Joe, and Sarah looked considerably mopey as she stamped her feet all the way to the kitchen followed by mom. She aggressively folded her arms and stuck her bottom lip out as her dad put a big helping of salad and a slice of Classic Margarita on her plate.

“What’s wrong honey-bee?” He asked, “Don’t want pizza?” She shook her head, smushed her face with her hands and only just audibly grumbled “She said I couldn’t bring my special rock.” Joe sighed and said “It’s only while you have dinner, tables are clean and not for dirty rocks.” Sarah opened her mouth to talk back, but mom sat down at the table just in time to interject, “That thing is not coming to the table Sarah. Now eat dinner!” I finished my meal as quickly as possible while Sarah took small, forced bites until she’d eaten enough before dashing back to her room. After one and a half slices of pizza and a small handful of salad (as forced by Joe) she was shuffling away as fast as her little feet could go.

After dinner that evening I settled down into bed and flicked through whatever late-night channels I could get on my bedroom TV. There was rarely anything of interest but sitcom reruns were pretty nice to fall asleep to. I’d just started to properly drift off when Sarah came shuffling in holding a purple purse-bag. “Jess…” she started, sounding as if she was hesitant to talk to me, “can we go looking for rocks again?” I thought she’d forgotten about that dumb game by now. “Are you kidding?” I snapped at her, “It’s nine o clock, get to bed.” She gave me a faux-sad look with her teeth over her bottom lip and wide eyes. “But Jess” she tried again in her wavering tone, “I want another Yellow Sign.” Raising her hands up I saw that, of course, she had a rock in her bag. I didn’t give it a proper look but that black-out scribble made me think it was the one from her desk. She fumbled to get it out but I cut her off, “No more rocks Sarah! Go to bed!” Before she could bother me again I switched off my desk light and threw the duvet over my head. I could make out her muffled complaints of “I gotta go get another one” until mom came in and made her go to bed. There was foot stamping and shouting, a door slammed and I could hear Joe pleading for her to “calm down and go sleep.” The arguing must have gone on for at least half an hour, and it took me a while to settle down and get comfy again.

I switched back through talk shows and teleshopping before finally dozing off. I wasn’t asleep for long though before I was woken up by Mom shaking me and screaming, “We can’t find Sarah! She’s not in the house!” Her face was a mess of tears and bed-hair. Tod was crying and hugging her leg like a leech.At first I thought I was dreaming, but seeing the panic in mom’s eyes let me know this was really happening. Suddenly I was fully awake, in my nightgown and running out into the dry night air. Joe was outside with a flashlight looking for her already. We kept calling out “Sarah!!” but got no answer. Our shouting only managed to wake up the neighbors, and before long they were joining in our frantic search too. I remember the police showing up, two officers got out on the driveway and tried to ask mom and Joe about what had happened. Joe tried to keep calm, but mom was a wreck and unable to speak. I told them about the Polk County Rocks game, and where we might be able to find her. Joe and the neighbors looked all over the golf course, the community pool and the gas station while the police scanned the area around the lake.

She wasn’t found on any of the piers or boat docks, or along the water’s edge. She wasn’t at the tennis courts, or the picnic benches. Our make-shift search party checked all over the three estates to no avail. The regular ambience of cicadas and the rush of cars from the highway was drowned out by sirens and the echoes of people shouting her name. My bare feet were cold on the asphalt and my throat was sore from yelling, but it wasn’t my physical wellbeing that I cared about. I didn’t stop running across the roads and lawns until I was physically collapsing with exhaustion. The sun was coming up by the time Joe had to drag me back inside. She might have fallen in the lake, or wandered into the woods, but we didn’t find Sarah that night.

We posted her photo to all the local Missing Children’s pages, we even made Lost Child flyers which we spent the next few weeks posting in as many store windows as we could. I asked the Polk County Rocks group to look out for her too. There was a wide scale search carried out over the following weeks and she was in all the local papers. Her real mom was even investigated but they still didn’t find her. I can’t stop blaming myself for what happened. Had we gone to the pool that day like we’d set out to she’d not have become obsessed with that silly game. Living at the house in Florida eventually became too much for Joe and mom. About four months later they made plans for divorce meaning that she had to move back in with her sister, and I was stuck with dad in Washington all year from then on. The case for Sarah is still open, but I doubt they’ll find her after all this time. For a good long while I held onto her pretty rock collection, but I think they’re still in a box back at dad’s place now. I made sure to keep all the pretty ones, and the lazy ones too (all except for Tod’s, I let him keep that one.)

Even though I tried to make sure I took them all with me, there was one that I couldn’t find when I was bundling them all together. Her favourite, the one with the yellow-symbol. Sadly the Facebook group closed not long after Sarah went missing so I couldn’t ask who made that rock. I still haven’t found out if that symbol was from anything either. For some reason I feel that it might hold some sort of an answer, but I’m yet to find another one. I was wondering if there’s someone out there who could help me on this. Have you seen the Yellow Sign?

#reddit #nosleep #scary #story

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pyleslawnservices · 3 years ago

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djtrumpnetwork-blog · 7 years ago

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NURSING HOME HORROR Six dead after power outage

Fox News More than 100 people were evacuated from a Florida nursing home Wednesday after six people were reported dead at the Hollywood facility, whose residents were suffering from intense heat caused by a lack of electricity after deadly Hurricane Irma swept through. Irma may have moved on from Florida, but lingering dangers caused by the storm, including carbon monoxide poisoning and heat-related incidents caused by a lack of air conditioning, remain in the Sunshine State, as millions wait for power to be restored. Officials in Hollywood said at least six people died and 115 people were evacuated from Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills, located about 20 miles north of Miami. "We’re conducting a criminal investigation inside," Hollywood Police Chief Tom Sanchez said. "We believe at this time they may be related to the loss of power in the storm. We’re conducting a criminal investigation, not ruling anything out at this time.” https://twitter.com/wsvn/status/907973257021734912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F13%2F5-dead-120-evacuated-from-florida-nursing-home-due-to-intense-heat-loss-power.html Sanchez said investigators believe the deaths were heat-related, adding it was a "sad event." Broward County Mayor Barbara Sharief confirmed three people were pronounced dead at the facility. City officials said three additional people later died at the hospital. The Hollywood Police and Hollywood Fire Rescue received a call around 4 a.m. at the facility, and found "several patients in varying degrees of medical distress," city officials said. Sanchez said officers have been assigned to check 42 assisted living facilities and nursing homes in Hollywood to "make sure they are in sufficient care of the elderly." MIAMI POLICE RAMP UP PATROL TO COMBAT LOOTING: 'I WAS NOT JOKING' The nursing home did have a generator, but it is unclear if the generator was functional, WSVN reported. Temperatures in Hollywood were expected to be around 86degrees on Wednesday -- but feel about 10 degrees warmer. A caseworker named Ed, who declined to give his last name, came to the facility Wednesday morning to check on his 80-year-old dementia patient. He told Fox News he isn't sure yet if she's one of the dead. "I'm very concerned. I'm like a family member to her," he said. Meanwhile, in Central Florida, three people were found dead inside an Orlando home Tuesday from apparent carbon monoxide poisoning, officials said. Orange County Sheriff's Office spokesman Jeff Williams told The Associated Press a deputy responded to the the home following a 911 call from what sounded like a juvenile. The deputy was overcome by fumes while approaching the home and called for fire rescue. Firefighters discovered two people dead inside the house, FOX35 Orlando reported. Another person, who tried to get out of the home, was found dead on the front lawn, while four others from inside the home were taken to a nearby hospital. Rescue workers found a portable gasoline generator running inside the home. Further north in Daytona Beach, police said one person died and three others were being treated at a hospital Wednesday for carbon monoxide poisoning from an electric generator. The Daytona Beach Fire Department said on Twitter a generator had been running inside the home. https://twitter.com/DaytonaBeachFD/status/907916623998279680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fus%2F2017%2F09%2F13%2F5-dead-120-evacuated-from-florida-nursing-home-due-to-intense-heat-loss-power.html A neighbor told FOX35 Orlando generators were not allowed in the community, and officials across Florida are warning people to keep generators outside homes. Carbon monoxide from a generator is also suspected in the death of a man in Miami, while authorities say another dozen people were treated for carbon monoxide-related illnesses on Tuesday in Polk and Brevard counties. CUSTOMER INQUIRIES CRASH FLORIDA UTILITY'S WEBSITE AND APP One Miami-area apartment building was evacuated Tuesday after authorities determined a lack of power made it unsafe for elderly tenants, while officers arrived at another retirement community to help people stranded on upper floors who didn't have access to working elevators. Elsewhere, a South Florida townhouse that weathered the storm was gutted by fire when power was restored, which caused the stove to ignite items left on the cooktop. The number of deaths blamed on Irma in Florida climbed to 13 with the carbon monoxide deaths, in addition to four in South Carolina and two in Georgia. At least 37 people were killed in the Caribbean. "We've got a lot of work to do, but everybody's going to come together," Florida Gov. Rick Scott said. "We're going to get this state rebuilt." The number of people without electricity in the steamy late-summer heat dropped to 9.5 million — just under half of Florida's population. Utility officials warned it could take 10 days or more for power to be fully restored. About 110,000 people remained in shelters across the state.

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#NURSING HOME HORROR Six dead after power outage

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