Summer

This post is inspired by an article from Odyssey Online.

“Summer in the south can be described as sunny, sweaty, humid, sandy, more humid and amazing. It really is the best of times, and the worst of times. No school, some work and all 90-degree plus days. You start to wish for rain just to cool things down a bit.”
Very true. My office is kept at a slightly refrigerated temperature, to the point where many offices have space heaters and many people keep sweaters or light jackets on hand. Then you step outside at the end of the day and melt, then enter your vehicle and totally dissolve. Those windshield reflectors that are sold to keep your car’s interior ‘less hot’ may help for a short stop but have no impact on a full workday. 

“Somehow, there is sand everywhere. Even if you have not been to a beach, lake or river in weeks, you will find sand in your shoes, sand in your shower, sand everywhere.”
Also true, especially since ‘sand = soil” in this area of Florida. There is no ‘dirt’ unless you buy
it. All sand. Really.

“Afternoon thunderstorm when you watch the lightning pass by are amazing. So are afternoon thunderstorms when you can be lazy and nap.”

Storms in Florida appear like clockwork every afternoon in the summer. They last for a far shorter time period than thunderstorms up north, but are daily. Really. It is not at all unusual for these thunderstorms to have a clear, sharp, beginning and end. No drizzling building to a storm, then diminishing to a drizzle. Weird. 

“Humid. Every day. Every moment of every day. You walk outside with glasses or sunglasses on and the lenses immediately fog up.”

Once more, true. My glasses fog up on a daily basis as I leave the refrigerated office and hit the heat and humidity of a Florida summer. I believe that if I stepped straight from the office door to the car, the glass would actually crack from the thermal shock.
Summer begins in March/April and lasts until October/November here. It’s nice at first, but endless. July and August seem to be the hardest months to live this far south.

Politics - Republican Debate #1

I watched both of the Republican debates last week, and had a couple of conversations with various friends, family, and co-workers. Keep in mind that personally, I am purple. My father was a Republican and my mother a Democrat. There were no significant arguments while I was growing up, but then, things were not so polarized back then. Personally, I look at both candidates and choose the one I think is best for the country. I voted for both Reagan and Clinton. 

Now, things are different. My blue Democrat friends/family hope that Mr. Trump is the candidate, as they feel their candidate would be a shoo-in. My red Republican friends/family feel the same about Mr. Sanders, feeling he is too Socialist for the general election.  

My personal feeling is that regardless if you lean Red or Blue, you need to pay attention to BOTH sides and hope for the best candidate possible on both sides. Why? Let's pretend that Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders (both a bit on the fringes of their respective parties) are the candidates. This means that one of them will be our next President, while neither seem to have the mainstream's values at heart. What if ii is 'fringe candidate' vs. 'ideal candidate?' What is something happens? What is 'ideal candidate,' who is a shoo-in against the 'fringe candidate,' suddenly has a serious scandal, or even a serious accident/health issue?  We've seen promising candidates, over the years, who fell suddenly due to one or another of these types of issues. 

'What if' the candidate you consider 'fringe' actually wins? I doubt it would be good for the overall country. I feel it is my responsibility as a voter to root for two viable candidates, who are both centrist enough to potentially win, and neither of whom would be a disaster for the mainstream voter. 

Personally, I was more impressed with the 'JV' roster of debaters than the 'prime time' candidates, but then again, the atmosphere was different for each group. I can't wait for the first Democratic debate!

Palmetto Leaves

Over the past few days, I read a book called Palmetto Leaves by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Wikipedai says:

"Palmetto Leaves is a memoir and travel guide written by ... Stowe about her winters in the town of Mandarin, Florida, published in 1873. Already famous for having written Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), Stowe came to Florida after the U.S. Civil War.

After visiting [her son in the area], she became so enamored with the region she purchased a cottage and orange grove for herself and wintered there until 1884. Parts of Palmetto Leaves appeared in a newspaper published by Stowe's brother, as a series of letters and essays about life in northeast Florida.”

I wish I'd read it in my first months. I landed in Mandarin (now a neighborhood of Jacksonville) on New Year's Eve 2012, and the book begins with Stowe's arrival in January of 1872, so the season fit. This excellent guide to Florida in its early years of being noticed would have helped me learn more about the area at the time, instead of the stark change I experienced. It is summer now, but my husband only arrived mid-May, so I hope he reads it soon. It's a wonderful introduction to the area.