Growing up in Florida, we often swam in murky lakes and rivers without giving it much thought. Due to the presence of tannic acid, the water was the color of black tea, our family's favorite iced beverage. Wading in the warm water each summer, you couldn't see your feet or legs as you went deeper. We splashed and played never fearing the alligators and snakes residing in those brownish waters.

On one occasion and never again, we floated down Ichetucknee Springs in rubber inner tubes, bottoms resting in the miserably cold water for several hours.  

More than two decades ago, my husband and I moved to the countryside of Tennessee on Holly Creek. Memories of blue lips and shivering while inner tubing on the Ichetucknee Springs in Florida flashed in my mind the first time I stepped into the spring-fed creek, here in Tennessee. When the year-round cold water reached my chest, it nearly took my breath away. 

So, I made a hard fast rule. It has to be 90 degrees before I go swimming and it does a body good to mow grass first. I mow grass for hours each week in the summer months, but appreciate the sun kissed look on my skin and nature's free dose of vitamin D.  

The best part? Plunging in crystal clear, cold water is quite refreshing on hot days. It lowers the body temperature and gives you energy to jump back on that riding lawn mower and finish taming the verdant countryside we call home. We're at home on Holly Creek. And the next generation is loving it too.