Well, friends, I’ve been around the block a few times, and I can tell you with the solemn authority of a man who once tried to cool off in a cow pond that August in Florida ain’t a month. It’s a full-blown character witness against the notion that God don’t have a sense of humor….
Well, howdy, y’all. Name’s Leland Shipp, born and raised right here in the cracker heart of Florida. That was back when the state still smelled like orange blossoms and cow manure instead of sunscreen and regret. I come from a long line of folks who thought air-conditioning was something Yankees invented to sell electricity. We…
May in Central Florida: Hotter Than a Two-Dollar Pistol and Twice as Sticky Born and raised right here in Florida, where the cattle still graze where the orange trees used to stand, and the only thing thicker than the humidity is the sweet tea. Well, I’ll swan. Here it is, the month of May, and…
Folks, let me tell you somethin’ right off the bat: I reckon I’m what they call a “Florida cracker” these days. For those of y’all who think it means a salty snack, it’s just an old-time Floridian who’s more at home in a jon boat than a Jaguar. And in April, bein’ a cracker means…
Well, howdy there, folks. March in central Florida is when the good Lord turns down the heat to somethin’ downright pleasant. Azaleas are bloomin’ wild in pink and purple, the air’s got that fresh orange-blossom hint. The thermometer’s sittin’ pretty in the mid-70s with a breeze keepin’ things comfortable. Around Inverness or Ocala way, it’s…
Well, shoot fire, it’s me, Leland. With a fresh RC Cola in one hand and a moon pie in the other just to tell y’all about Christmas in Florida. Now, I know what you’re thinkin’: “Leland, ain’t Christmas s’posed to have snow, chimneys, and folks wearin’ enough layers to look like the Michelin Man?” Not…
Well, y’all, it’s November in Florida, and the air’s cooled off just enough to make you ditch the AC for a screen door breeze. The palm trees are swayin’ like they’re hummin’ a Jimmy Buffett tune, and the mosquitoes are still plannin’ their attack. Down here where the peninsula dangles like a mullet haircut, we’re…
Well now, listen here. October in Florida is like a good, old-fashioned ghost story told by your great-aunt. You know it’s not entirely true, but it’s got just enough spooky charm to make you shiver. Down here, the calendar says it’s autumn, but the sky’s still sweating like a sinner in church. The sun just…
September in Florida is a heat-hazed handshake with football season, where the air is thick enough to fry a flounder. Now, folks, this is just as likely to spark a good old argument about who owns the fall. Somehow, we all end up on the same porch, sipping sweet tea and cheering on Saturdays together….
Mary Lu Scholl shares a funny story about the time she gardened a mixed salad!
