My Thoughts Exactly by Annette Kniola

I have a theory and I feel it's a pretty good one.  Simply put, our water is contaminated! From reading my last blog, "Breathless", which clearly gave you the indication I can't breathe, let alone I have been in and out of doctors since January, fighting who knows what. And this is not just me, it's many people I know in Southwest Florida.  The most recent; Enterobacter cloacae is a nosocomial pathogen that can cause a range of infections such as bacteremia, lower respiratory tract infection, skin and soft tissue infections, urinary tract infections, endocarditis, intra-abdominal infections, septic arthritis, osteomyelitis, and ophthalmic infections.   That's what I am still fighting and it's causing my voice to be so raspy and my breathing to be so difficult. I do believe it's connected to the green algae blooming all over SW Florida.  And the primary algae found here is the cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa . It is able to pr...

First and foremost I want to wish all the fathers a Happy Father's Day!  I recently took a trip to Wyoming. I went because there was good reasoning behind it. I needed to find a place where I could actually breathe. I don't feel well anymore. So I looked up the cleanest and best state for air quality, and it was Wyoming!  So off I went, and wow, what a difference it made.  Coming back here was daunting. When I did, I feel breathless once again. 😞 And so many asked why I was going there via Facebook. This is what I wrote back in a post. And I tell you, being alone may not be all that great, but doing something for yourself may be that much greater.  I wrote; So many of you ask why I'm here?  This is why... "In the midst of the complexities of modern life, with all its pressures, the spirit of man/woman needs to refresh itself by communion with unspoiled nature. In such surroundings- occasional as our visits may be- we can achieve that kind of p...

A few weeks ago when I was working out of Southwest Florida Regional Airport, I came across a situation I will never forget and was thankful I was there at the right place and time. It was a long day for me, and I was waiting on a flight for a group to come in at 11:28pm, to be exact.  As time went on, so did the weather up north. The winter storms began to brew even harder and the fog here in Florida started to thicken.  My flight was then delayed until 1:15 am, so I had time to hang out and watch a little Netflix. So as I sat upstairs in the airport, in a nice quiet place off to the side, a young woman, clearly drunk, a young girl, maybe 14, and a baby, who looked to be around 9 months old, show up.  Trailing behind is a woman cop on her Segway not looking too happy. I sat there for quite some time, practically 45 minutes, and could not help but to listen because they physically were less than three feet from where I sat.  I heard everything and it's sad to ...

(THE FONT IS TOO SMALL...GOOGLE TRYING TO FIX IT...IT'S ON THEIR END, NOT MINE) Yep, that's right folks, 'tis my season of work. The time has come to prepare for the busiest season I will more than likely ever have. Most people have no idea what I do, so I shall tell you. Up until this past July, I have been pretty much an independent contractor and work for many companies. I recently added NTT, Naples Transportation and Tours to my list.  Actually, it's the first time I have been on someones payroll for many years. They handle many things such as staffing and transportation for groups that come down from all over the US. Working with groups such at ATT, Merrill Lynch, New York Life, etc. They contract the handling of group arrivals and departures from airports, dine a rounds, trolley tours, excursions, and yep, I drive for them too!  I also continue to hold my real-estate license, catering(service side)for private homes/yachts, and still do that n...

Do you ever feel like everyday most children need instant gratification? They want it and they want it now. I can't stand it. It's like they think we as a society owe them something.  What that is, I am still trying to figure out. Then again, it's nothing to figure out. We don't owe them anything! When I hear, "I want this, I want that."  I cringe. Not necessarily from my kids, (Ya know, those perfect angels...lol), but from just walking around places hearing those little brats demanding what he or she wants, and knowing more than likely they will get it. Pffft!...If my kids acted like that, I would whip their butts!  But now that they are older, they know.  I just have to give that "look" 😒 and they won't ask again.  Yes, if they need new shoes, or haircut, of course I take care of that.  But don't ask me for money to buy a new "skin" on the Fortnite game because it just came out today and they must have it now...

If anything hits the heart, it's the red tide that is effecting our area and most of the western side of the Gulf of Mexico. It is the most heartbreaking thing to see here in Naples, Florida. So what it Red Tide? In simple layman terms, it's basically the releasing of Lake Okeechobee water into our rivers and canals that flow out to the Gulf of Mexico. With that is all the algae in large concentrations pushed out causing red tide and suffocation of all sea life. Though it's more complicated than that. Much more. I say this because my brother's brought it to my attention about US Sugar and of course our government that allows it to happen.  As one brother quotes, " 100% Man Made Ecological Disaster. US Sugar is so deep in the pockets of Tallahassee, (including absolutely worthless outgoing Gov Rick Scott) it's disgusting. They are killing Florida while earning BILLIONS in revenues!"  The other, " Don't forget Bill Nelson, he is bough...

I don't know about you, but living in this county is getting more and more grim each day.  The fact that we have voted in Commissioners and hired government staff that continuously go against the will of the people just blows my mind.  And many are my friends!  Over the many years, over a decade now, I have been much involved with future parks, roads, and developments in support of the people. But now it all seems to have been a complete waste of my time. I am a positive upbeat person that absolutely loves living here, but every time I try to help move things along, voice my opinion, support projects, I am simply shunned and ignored. Sure, I still get phone calls by news stations as to what my thoughts are, but so what. Our government will continue to push in the direction they see fit.  And personally, I don't get it.  They do work for us you know! So now most of you will finally realize why I am not in those meetings anymore and have since res...