Nothing on four feet is identified with Florida as much as the alligator. The toothy grin is found on post cards, T-shirts, and a nearly unending list of tourist promotional items which invite visitors to come to the sunshine state and leave their money. Florida has two native species of crocodilians, the American alligator (Alligator…Read more
Most, if not all, of the migratory birds have reached their summer destination and have begun the nesting process. Incubating eggs and raising chicks is currently ongoing in warmer environs. Residential birds are doing the same here in panhandle Florida. Watching the broods and fledglings is a popular pastime with many residents. While songbirds, wading…Read more
Officially, summer begins on June 20, 2025. The thermometer and humidity have already reflected this reality and the plants are responding with unrestrained growth and production. Ample moisture encourages lush growth from both ornamental horticulture specimens and fruit and vegetable production. As such, there is plenty to do in the gardens and landscapes in panhandle…Read more
The pace of life typically slows in panhandle Florida as the temperature rises. For the youth, the exhilaration of freedom from the daily schooling grind passes into a leisurely lull which requires forethought only about the next snack. For most air conditioner acclimated adults, it is all about the thermometer readings and the rain. The…Read more
In case it has escaped anyone’s attention, May 2025 is turning out to be a hot and humid month. This trend is not a surprise for anyone who has lived in panhandle Florida for at least a year, but there are many new residents to the region who are having their first experience with north…Read more
One of the seemingly permanent casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic has been salad bars. This restaurant offering had mass appeal to the public and as such, there were many to be found. Diners on a diet could feast on a variety of leafy greens and raw vegetables. There were, of course, a few high caloric…Read more
As April 2025 quickly progresses towards May, the thermometer readings feel like June going into July. The little creatures which live in this region are reacting to the sultry environment. One of the many creatures which is encountered in or near freshwater are frogs in one of their developmental phases. Florida has 27 native frog…Read more
It is a weird and perverse universal cosmic law. This particular statute compounds all that is positive and correct, and turns it into a negative. This is why if a slice of buttered toast is dropped, the chances of it landing with the butter side down is directly proportional to the value of the rug….Read more
“Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced.” So said William Bradford, five-time governor of the Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts’ early days. He certainly had the credentials and track record to make this observation valid. Bradford was one of the pilgrim leaders who guided his followers out of the Netherlands and to a…Read more
Navigation in contemporary panhandle Florida is far easier than in decades past. The roads are named and numbered with identification information visible on reflective signs. When venturing beyond the county or state lines, or even international boarders, the task of finding one’s way is simpler and exceptionally accurate. Handheld devices and vehicle mounted mapping systems…Read more
