Good morning, East of Tampa.
There is a little suite off the back of our house. Most people would call it a mother-in-law suite. I call it my office.
I refuse to call it a mother-in-law suite. The second you put that name on it, family starts getting comfortable.
It has not worked.
We have had visitors for three weeks straight. Lovely visitors. Visitors we are genuinely glad to see. Three weeks of them.
And it all landed on top of the end of Pop Warner season, the end of JV season, and a real estate market that does not care one bit what else you have going on.
So if your house feels like a hotel right now, your calendar looks like a rec department schedule, and work will not slow down for either one, I see you. You are not behind on fall. That is just real life out here.
Here is what you need to know this week. I kept it short so you can get back to it.
John
NEED TO KNOW
Photo: Osprey Observer
The Brandon Blvd tunnel is done. Restoration has started and every business on that stretch stayed open the whole time. North and South Moon Ave access comes back by early November; open-trench work on North Moon runs through late December. Go buy lunch over there this week. Details
South Kings Ave is back to two lanes. The southbound lane at the Buckhorn Creek Bridge reopened after barrier repairs. Details
Buddy Brew is in Riverview. New coffee bar inside the Sprouts on US 301, daily 7 to 5. Details
Weather: 87 and sunny through Wednesday. Rain chances come back Friday, right around kickoff. Next day off school is Nov. 11.
FRIDAY NIGHT
Game of the Week: Armwood at Bloomingdale, 7:30. No. 7 in the state per SI against a team that just hung 56 on Spoto. Somebody walks out of Charley Harris Stadium a lot less confident. Every game, every score
Nobody films the left tackle. We do. Robert Bouie Jr., Armwood sophomore, five pancakes against Wharton. Got a kid who should be next? Send us the clip
YOUR WEEK
Get lost on purpose. Fox Squirrel Corn Maze, Plant City, Saturday and Sunday 10 to 5. $15, 3 and under free.
Keel Farms Harvest Days. Every October weekend, 10 to 3, on Thonotosassa Rd in Plant City. Pumpkins, hay bales and an old green truck built for family photos.
RISE, Thursday 8 a.m. Brandon Riverview Chamber networking, 6437 Watson Rd. Visitors welcome. I co-host it. Come say hi. Everything this week
REAL ESTATE CORNER
Photo: Zillow
Tabatha's pick: an acre in Plant City for $364,900. Four beds, three baths, new porches, updated kitchen. Back on the market after the last buyer's financing fell through, and the inspection already came back clean. Somebody else's bad luck is your head start. See it. Tabatha Pugh of The Local Team at KW Smart, 813-476-8457.
ONLY OUT HERE
Beef 'O' Brady's was born in Brandon in 1985. Today it is about 140 locations in 21 states. Reply with your order.
OUR PARTNERS
Your leak has a 14-day clock. Many Florida policies will not pay for a leak that ran 14 days or more. Ten minutes this weekend: check the meter, the water heater, under every sink and the ceilings under your bathrooms. If you find something, 10% off through Nov 7: Fix It Today 813-743-7793, EPS (813) 438-5937.
Your driveway isn't gray. It's dirty. A clean driveway is the cheapest curb appeal there is. Prestige Pressure Washing is veteran owned, right here in Brandon. (813) 438-6315.
Six weeks to Thanksgiving. Holiday light install dates fill in October. Outdoor Lighting Perspectives of Brandon designs, installs, maintains and takes it all down. Free consult: 813-755-4344.
Tabatha Pugh · Maid Pure Cleaning · Fix It Today Plumbing · Prestige Pressure Washing · Environmental Protective Solutions · Outdoor Lighting Perspectives
Settle something for me. How many weeks before a houseguest becomes a resident? Reply with your number. I am collecting evidence.
