Wind-sculpted trees crouch atop a dune at Grayton Beach State Park. Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.” – Joni Mitchell, “Big Yellow Taxi” The Florida Department of Environmental Protection, according to its mission statement, “protects, conserves and manages the state’s natural resources and enforces its environmental laws.” Why… READ MORE
Apparently Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance believes “people” should remain in abusive relationships for the sake of their children. He said this in a speech to a Christian school in 2021. When Vance uses the word “people” I assume… READ MORE
This morning I saw something I’ve never seen before. When I pulled into the parking lot at the park where I walk, two high school-age boys were playing basketball. At one point one of them lay down on the court… READ MORE
Today is Mom’s birthday. She would have been 97 (and would have killed me for telling you that). Happy birthday, Mom!
Better living through technology? Sure, when it works. But more and more I see technology becoming a dehumanizing influence on our lives, requiring that we spend more and more of our discretionary time on meeting the demands of the digital… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
Last night I had the dream again. You know, the dream. The one where you realize you have a final exam tomorrow for a class you forgot to attend all semester. Mine is a variation of that dream. It’s 10… READ MORE
Image courtesy of The Blue Diamond Gallery by way of a Creative Commons license.
I got a nosebleed last night. No big deal, right? Well, not exactly. I’ve had nosebleeds my entire life. When I was a kid my bloody nose frightened my parents into taking me to the hospital at Keesler Air Force… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Laura Joyce Stone.
The Florida Legislature continues to ensure Florida remains unaffordable to anybody who isn’t independently wealthy. The Legislature recently approved a measure, Senate Bill 2-A, which among other things requires people who insure their homes through the state pool, Citizens Property… READ MORE
Image courtesy of Luke with Pixnio by way of a Creative Commons license. https://pixnio.com/objects/electronics-devices/electric-lights-pictures/fluorescent-lights
This morning I became angry. For TWO YEARS I have tolerated relative darkness in my kitchen, all because the overhead flourescents had grown dim. They needed changing. The replacement lights had been sitting on a cabinet in the dining room…. READ MORE
All images courtesy of Del Stone Jr.
It was my first real vacation in 24 years. I’d sneaked in weekends here and there – three days in backwoods Louisiana, where the kudzu is thicker than the Cajun accents, or a weekend of schmoozing at a writers’ convention… READ MORE