The Land of Painted Caves

That's the title of the latest offering by Jean M. Auel, one of my favorite writers.

Ye socks who may not recognize her name may be peripherally aware of the series of books she began some three decades ago with The Clan of the Cave Bear.

I had planned to buy the book last week when I first heard it was hitting the major book outlets, but held off til the latest gadget arrived from our friends at Apple.

After downloading it late last night from iBooks, I'm pleased to report that I've made it thru 8 chapters already. Some of these were done lakeside from the comfort of a folding chair I posted beneath a cypress tree full of jays and mockingbirds. The occasional breeze actually made it a little chilly in the shade, but I wasn't complaining . . . especially since the heat and humidity of the Florida summer is just around the corner.

Hoping ye socks are enjoying an equally blissful weekend!

Got a little ink in the Sentinel yesterday

In case ye socks missed it, yours truly was quoted in an article about the infamous Jane Green.

Check it out: http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2010-09-12/news/os-osceola-jane-green-cemetery-2-20100910_1_family-history-new-e-mail-new-sign

Oh, how times have changed

Yours truly thought ye socks would enjoy the following excerpt from one of the old Harney letters I mentioned a couple of days ago. He is responding to an unflattering editorial about Florida that appeared in a New Orleans newspaper in late 1875:

It is not pleasant to observe that an editor of ability and character goes out of his way in a little jealousy of the prosperity of a sister State to associate the origin of Florida’s present popularity with persons of pronounced unpopularity in the South,* as if that could affect her deserving. The real cause of Florida’s occupying so much attention in current literature is that her scenery is yet wild, novel and fresh. The stated sameness of civilization has not shaped it into rectangular monotony; and the romance of Spanish possessions and Indian warfare still lingers, leaving footsteps on her mounds.

I wonder what he'd say about the present "rectangular monotony?!!?" I guess we caught up with our Louisiana cousins . . .

*He refers to Harriet Beecher Stow and her family, who had recently relocated to Florida.

Weak tropical storm, weak.

I suppose given the horrific tropical season we endured in this little corner of heaven back in 2004, yours truly should never pooh-pooh all the hullabaloo the local news teams make over the slightest disturbance in the atmosphere this time of year.

But, Tropical Storm Bonnie was pathetic.

All we got was a bunch of rain. Much needed rain, actually.

The only bad thing about the rain is that it kept us indoors this weekend.

I'll take that over getting roofs ripped off any day!

Aldi Experiment: Part 2

OK, after the original experiment failed due to lack of currency and debit cards, yours truly decided to give Aldi another try this fine Sunday in sunny Central Florida.

Why oh why, ye socks may ask, would one drive 5 miles to the middle of Pine Hills to pick up some groceries when there is a Publix literally within walking distance of his humble abode?

I suppose it was just the novelty of it all.

The prices weren't bad, either.

But, I'm still unsure whether either of those considerations really made the trip "worth it."

I think "Part 3" of said experiment will involve another location, so stay tuned.

Scanning old photos

While yours truly may not be completely helpless around a computer, he must admit a lack of ability when it comes to scanning old photos.

Over the years, several friends and family members have offered their encouragement in overcoming this deficit.

All to no avail, I'm afraid.

Fortunately, from time to time, one of them will offer to do it for me!

This go-round, it was a n0t-so-distant cousin who kindly volunteered to digitize a stack of photos from my personal collection--including this one of my great-great grandfather Paul Macy standing in fron of his old home on Joyce Street in Pine Castle, Florida.

Thanks, Lauren!

PCPD update

For ye socks who have been following the ongoing efforts to revive Pine Castle Pioneer Days, the site committee met this morning on the festival grounds to discuss lay-out of arts/crafts vendor booths.

We scheduled the meeting to start at 9am, with the hope that we could get our work done before the summertime heat became too unbearable.

While we failed in that effort, we were successful in identifying a great central spot for said booths, took the necessary measurements, and should have a final map, etc., to report back to the finance committee by their meeting on June 30th. If they approve, all of this will get passed on to the next general planning session for the final go-ahead and vendor packets will be sent out next month. (For more info, email: pinecastlepioneerdays@hotmail.com .)

In the mean time, dealing with all the heat generated by the asphalt parking lot out there served as a rather uncomfortable reminder of my need for a haircut. So, I'm now headed to the barbershop. (There's must be a pun somewhere in that last statement . . .)

I need a haircut!!

Ye socks who know me well, know that yours truly tends to keep his locks trimmed.

It's not so much a function of any delusions of dapperness as it is the result of necessity.

Living in this little corner of heaven, especially this time of year, makes it extremely uncomfortable to sport a moptop.

I was reminded of this as I headed out the door at 7 o'clock this morning and heard on the car radio that the thermometers already read 91 degrees!

Unfortunately, the chop shop that I frequent is not open on Mondays. So, it looks like I'll have to wait another 24 hours . . .

Cooler by degrees . . .

Had to laugh at the radio weather forecast I heard as I was heading out the door this morning.

Apparently, this little corner of heaven is going to be welcoming a "cool front" today!

It's ONLY going to be 92.

Whoo-hoo! Break out the sweaters and hot cocoa, and I'll go get the ice skates!

Scratch that off the weekend to-do list . . .

So, I've discovered the trick to getting the lawn mowed around this little corner of heaven is to risk annoying the neighbors by getting out there early.

Not, TOO early, mind you.

8 o'clock is my own self-imposed limit.

But, we only have a very narrow window of opportunity to get this chore done before it gets too beastly hot around here.

So, if any of ye socks were annoyed by the roaring engine, you have my apologies . . . but, not my promise to abstain from said behavior again next weekend!

My congressman is indeed nuts . . .

I just don't see how Alan Grayson was ever elected to public office in the first place, but we've been stuck with his "representation" of this little corner of heaven for the better part of the worst year and a half we've seen since the Great Depression.

I cringe every time I see his goofball image pop-up on a tv screen, because I know he's going to say something even more preposterous and embarassing than he has already done to bring shame on his Central Florida constituents.

Well, the latest shenanigans invaded my Sunday routine when he got his mug on my favorite CBS morning show.

Now, I realize that a lot of folks around here depend on the tourits industry, and they've been suffering greatly during the ObamaNation's lurch toward socialism.

Perhaps that is why Mr. Grayson was on the airwaves this morning, pimping his latest scheme to mandate paid vacations?

I know, I know. I'm a Grinch. But, can somebody out there explain to me just when exactly did it become the purview of the federal government of the United States of America to decree what has always been a "perk" voluntarily agreed-upon in the free market would henceforth be an entitlement?!

What's that? Oh . . . yes . . . I suppose January 2009 WOULD be a likely timeframe . . .

Like nails on a chalkboard

ARRRRGGHHH!

For something like the 12th time today, yours truly has been subjected to the most annoying bit of radio advertising to be heard on the airwaves of Central Florida.

Without naming the offending advertiser (who deserves no free promotion for obviously hiring out-of state talent to record said annoying radio spot), the proper pronunciation of Kissimmee is:

kuh-SIM-mee

While we're at it, Melbourne is pronounced "mel-burn," NOT "mel-born." And, the e's on the end of Altamonte and Montverde are both silent.

If you want to gin-up community support for your business, try hiring local voice talent that won't mispronounce the names of places around here!

Kittens and ovens . . . what?!?

Thought I would share a bit of folksy wisdom with ye socks.

This was overheard while standing in line at my local Winn Dixie today.

Lady: "I'm proud to be a Florida native."

Man: "Me, too!"

Lady: "Really, where were you born?"

Man: "Well, actually, I was born up in Ohio, but I've been here for 30 years."

Lady (coldly): "Then you're not really a native."

Man: "Well, no, I guess technically I'm not . . . but, my kids were born here, so at least THEY are natives . . ."

Lady (shaking her head): "Honey, if the cat gives birth in the oven, you still don't call her kittens 'biscuits!'"

Made my day!

Saturday in the park . . .

Think it was the Fourth of July . . . .

No, wait . . . it was the First of May in Central Florida . . . it only FELT like the Fourth of July!!

Yep, we went straight from Spring into the depths of Summer this weekend.

The AC's are running overtime already!

ARRRRGGHHH!

And, then there were FOUR?!

The political scuttlebutt around this little corner of heaven is that former State Senate Majority Leader Dan Webster will join the already crowded field of candidates in the Republican primary who are seeking to unseat the shame of Central Florida: Alan Grayson.

Nothing's official, yet. Just heard he's going to be making a statement tomorrow. But, I think we can read the tea leaves on this one . . .

Already in the race are Orlando businessman Bruce O'Donoghue; State Rep. Kurt Kelly of Ocala; and local attorney/radio show host Todd Long.

Hold on to your seats, folks! This could be a game changer!

Seriously?! THAT is my congressman?!

Pine Castle Pioneer Days

An oldtimer once told me that Pine Castle is more of a state of mind than an actual place.

I suppose that's because it's so hard to define in terms of physical or geographic boundaries.

The original Pine Castle was a private residence, erected by a fellow named Will Harney who came to this little corner of heaven from Kentucky in the years immediately following the Civil War.

Harney was a poet by nature and training, and composed many tributes to the idyllic virtues of the Central Florida frontier. In truth, though, he endured all of the many hardships that our pioneer settlers encountered in those days. Even worse, he lost his young wife very soon after staking claim to land on Lake Conway south of Orlando. Deeply saddened, but undeterred, this single father tamed his homestead lands and erected a castle using the native pine trees. Dubbing the structure his "Pine Castle," he used it in the by-lines of the various articles he wrote as a correspondent for northern newspapers interested in the area.

Within a matter of just a few years, the name of "Pine Castle" wasn't just being applied to Mr. Harney's home, but to the entire neighborhood. (It was, after all, the most striking landmark between Orlando and Kissimmee!) Basically, that encompassed the modern cities of Edgewood and Belle Isle, and all the pockets of unincorporated Orange County that surround the Conway chain of lakes.

The people who settled the area around the original Pine Castle were a neighborly lot. They came together to work for the common good. Republican and Democrat. Baptist and Methodist. Yankee and Cracker. It didn't matter. The classic example of this community spirit was the old Union Church, erected in 1900. Just about EVERYBODY in Pine Castle had a hand in its construction, and it was used by all congregations.

Many years later, in 1974 to be exact, an annual festival sprang-up in Pine Castle to celebrate that pioneer spirit.

Sadly, the event had to be cancelled last year, and looked like it was going to be cancelled again this year due to financial difficulties of the former sponsor.

But, tonight I am pleased to report that Pine Castle's pioneer spirit is still alive and well. An organizational meeting was held, and it was agreed to incorporate Pine Castle Pioneer Days as a non-profit organization. And, a date was even set (the last weekend in February, instead of the traditional October timeframe).

That means we've got less than a year until Pioneer Days comes back to Pine Castle. (Feburary 26 & 27th, to be exact!) So, once again, the folks in this little corner of heaven are faced with a challenge.

If history is any guide, the people of Pine Castle will rise to the occasion!

Spring has sprung!

For the first time this year, as yours truly walked out the door to head off to the office, the breeze off Lake Ivanhoe was bearing the aroma of his neighbor's Confederate jasmine vines.

There are worse ways to start the day, no?!

Breakfast with the candidate

In the ongoing effort to do ye olde civic duty by getting to know the folks running for public office around this little corner of heaven, yours truly had the pleasure of meeting Matt Falconer this morning at the regular Friday roundtable.

Mr. Falconer certainly came well-prepared for our little group. He literally brought a text book he wrote on how to improve Orange County's government, and gave copies to everyone at the table.

You can't say this guy isn't thorough.

That may be just what we need in the next county mayor.

I'm still not sure I agree with his ideas on consolidation of services, though. I mean, I don't know how the folks up in Apopka would feel about having their fire department absorbed into some new mega-district. And, I doubt the folks down in Belle Isle want to give up their new police department. So, I guess I'll have to read his textbook over the weekend to try to figure out exactly what he means . . .

Man, nothing like homework for the weekend! This being a good citizen thing can really cramp your style, no?!

Breakfast with the candidate

Once again, our little breakfast roundtable welcomed a Congressional candidate to visit with us over our coffee and oatmeal.

Last time, it was Bruce O'Donoghue, who is seeking to unseat Alan Disgrayson in the 8th District.

Today, it was Craig Miller's turn.

Craig recently announced his candidacy in the 24th District, and faces some serious primary opponents. But, the ultimate goal is to defeat freshman Suzanne Kosmas in the general election this November.

Before entering politics, Mr. Miller was perhaps best known as the CEO of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse.

But, in speaking with him this morning, I found him to be more than just a businessman with the ambition to bring some real change to Washington. I also found him to be a sincere, thoughtful, and intelligent gentleman.

Regardless of where ye socks find yourselves on the political spectrum, it's hard not to admire someone who's willing to put themselves under the level of media scrutiny that comes with running for Congress.

So, I wish Craig luck, and will be keeping a close eye on the campaign in the neighboring 24th district.

If ye socks want to learn more about the Miller campaign, check out this website:

http://www.craigmillerforcongress.com/