Time and Again

This fossil shell stood out among the small crushed rocks of a local driveway. It told of life in the distant past when seas were much higher than they are now, and what was to become Florida was mostly under water. Over the eons, oceans have risen and fallen, time and again, hundreds of feetContinue reading “Time and Again”

Unsteady She Goes?

I did a doubletake on the name of the pickup ahead of me at a local intersection. I expected a name much more fitting of this beefed-up behemoth. Nope, it really is named “Tremor.” Good grief this is Florida, land of snowbirds and old farts who are desperately afraid of getting the “tremors!” Slapping thatContinue reading “Unsteady She Goes?”

Sky Delight Tonight

Shortly after sunset, Venus commands attention in the western sky. Tonight (October 12, 2024) and for the next several nights another heavenly interloper may be visible as well. About 30 degrees to the right of Venus and slightly lower, comet Tsuchinshan (A/2023 A3) should be visible to the naked eye and through binoculars. It willContinue reading “Sky Delight Tonight”

Aftermath II

A full rain gauge and a tree-littered driveway and yard greeted us the morning after Milton. But we had it easy, others had whole trees down in their yards. Around the neighborhood, fallen trees and limbs broke a car windshield; fortunately, no homes were damaged. The power was out for 22 hours and our generator,Continue reading “Aftermath II”

That Trick Was No Treat

The storm has passed. What a trick! We had much it better here in Ocala than farther south. Our maximum wind was on the order of 30 mph gusting to around 55 mph; not that bad. Our rain gauge topped at 5″ and we don’t know how much more we got, but the pool wasContinue reading “That Trick Was No Treat”

Plum Creek Railroad Attack 1867

This memorial is about four miles from my childhood home near Lexington, Nebraska, which had been a homestead of Michael Delahunty, a railroad section boss at the time of the raid. Cheyenne Chief Turkey Leg (or Turkey Legs, depending on the source) had fought at the Little Bighorn in defeat of General Custer, and hadContinue reading “Plum Creek Railroad Attack 1867”

Trick of the Treat

Morning rays briefly beamed across an end table casting a captivating light trick upon the treats and bunny. Poor bunny is bound up like a mummy and is just dying to get to some of the candy. The tantalizing question is: Will any candy be left on Halloween for the furry little trick-or-treater? I doubtContinue reading “Trick of the Treat”