Seize the Day

By KATHLEEN LANG

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 13, 2000

T H I N G S T O D O . . .

Bring mom along today for a butterfly identification slide program and annual butterfly count for the North American Butterfly Association at Boyd Hill Nature Park, 1101 Country Club Way S, St. Petersburg. Learn how to identify native butterfly species during this free program. Data collected during the count will be used for the long-term study of butterflies throughout North America. The slide program is from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m.; the count is from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Picnic facilities are available; there will be no lunch provided. Call (727) 893-7326.

Find the perfect buds for mom during the Mother's Day Rose Sale from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at Parkside Mall (near Dillard's), U.S. 19 and Park Boulevard, Pinellas Park. Annual sale of the Pinellas Rose Society; experts will be on hand to answer your rose-growing questions and educational literature will be available. Call (727) 527-7241.

Step lively into spring and make new friends at the Lake Magdalene United Methodist Church Spring Singles Dance from 8 to 11 tonight at 2902 Fletcher Ave. W, Tampa. Refreshments will be provided. The cost is $5. Call (813) 961-1254.

University of South Florida professor and writer Rita Ciresi, the award-winning Italian-American author of Blue Italian and Pink Ship, will be at Barnes & Noble, 23654 U.S. 19 N, Clearwater, at 2 today. A portion of book sales goes to the Italian-American Women of Today's scholarship fund. Call (727) 669-1688.

Tune in for an unusual Mother's Day event when Alex Blumberg reports on a previously unnoticed sociological phenomenon: women imitating their mothers' voices. Hear what makes it into the imitations and what the women leave out during the program at 8 tonight on WUSF-FM 89.7. Call (813) 974-4890 or (800) 741-9090.

T H I N G S T O V I E W . . .

See how mothers and their young critters interact in the animal world on Jack Hanna's Babies Celebration today on PAX. Hanna showcases a dedicated animal keeper who must step in when animal moms are not around. 8 p.m.

Watch a Miracle in Lane Two tonight on the Disney Channel when a 12-year-old who uses a wheelchair seeks a field where he can excel -- and finds it in soapbox derby racing. This new movie is based on a true story and stars Frankie Muniz. 7:30 p.m.