Leland Shipp, a voice of Southern leisure and charm, catch his engaging stories in every edition.
I was born and raised in Florida, which means I learned early that the calendar is mostly a suggestion. Up north they talk about “crisp autumn air” and leaves turning pretty colors. Down here in September, the only thing turning is the air conditioner compressor, and the only crisp thing is the crust that forms…
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….
Two hundred and fifty years ago a band of daring men gathered in the hot Philadelphia summer of 1776. They pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to a radical idea. All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness….
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, folks, it’s February in Florida already. So, if you ain’t sweatin’ yet, just give it five minutes. Us down here in the Sunshine State, where the Lord decided to park His eternal summer home is different. February ain’t exactly what you’d call winter. Up North, they’re still diggin’ out from under snowdrifts taller than…
The calendar still says winter, but nobody told Florida. The thermometer climbs past seventy before most folks finish their first cup, and the light pours down like it’s got a grudge against shadows. Out on the Nature Coast the manatees drift into the warm springs of Homosassa Springs like gray ghosts looking for mercy. You…
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…
