This is why people and cats bond

Recently I wrote about cats and received this letter from my friends Scott and Ann of Pensacola, who said: “Everybody has a cat story, so here’s ours. “Our cat is a master thief!” A partial list of what their cat… READ MORE

Holy penguins, Batman! The Aquarium of the Americas is pretty cool!

Aquarium of the Americas visitors stand eye-to-eye with species of fish that inhabit the Atlantic Ocean. The aquarium is a favored tourist attraction of New Orelans. Image by Del Stone Jr.

I was editing Staff Writer Pam Golden’s account of her trip to the Aquarium of the Americas in New Orleans when I was stung by the idea of getting in the face of a jellyfish. Let’s do it, I told… READ MORE

Restore island land tract to its natural beauty

Today, Okaloosa County holds the last of its workshops to decide the fate of a 54-acre tract on Okaloosa Island. The debate has been fractious, with many people and institutions expressing their opinions about how the land should be used…. READ MORE

My relief was cheap at 40 cents

I had just cracked open a 20-ounce Diet Coke after finishing a steaming-hot Styrofoam cup of coffee when I pulled onto the Interstate 294 toll road in Chicago. The day was freezing. An icy northwest wind cut across the eight… READ MORE

8 a.m.? Time to vomit in the big guy’s shoe

Pavlov, about to get up to no good. Image by Del Stone Jr.

Today’s cat itinerary: 5 a.m. – Sit outside the big guy’s door and meow frantically, as if to shout, “The house is on fire!” When he’s standing in front of you, wild-eyed and hair sticking out at crazy angles and… READ MORE

Technology is doing more than just alienating us from one another

Damage in the Fort Walton Beach, Florida area caused by Hurricane Opal, which struck on Oct. 3, 1995. Image by Del Stone Jr.

On Aug. 5, 1995, and again on Oct. 3, 1995, something strange and wonderful happened in Fort Walton Beach. Hurricanes Erin and Opal had roared through the days before. The town was in a shambles – trees down, boats sunk,… READ MORE

It’s those cats!

Image by Del Stone Jr.

Note: This was an essay I wrote that later became the basis of a short story, “Aunt Edna’s Cats,” which was published in the Barnes & Noble anthology “101 Crafty Cat Capers.” — As I stand in my kitchen, hands… READ MORE

It was a ‘Wild Kingdom’ kinda day at the golf course

Image courtesy of Flickr user Dennis Church by way of a Creative Commons license. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dfc_pcola/

When I want to experience nature in the flesh NATURE’S flesh, that is, not mine – I don’t hike in the woods. I go to the golf course. Such was the case the other day when Scott, my golfing accomplice,… READ MORE