The merry month of May....
May can be a month of madness in south florida. The dog days of summer arrive as if to sneer at you and announce the return of all the reasons not to live here.
Time seems to move at a snails pace. The sky is like a teasing woman. Looking like much needed rain, heavy and grey and yet withholds it. The heat soars well into the 90's and scorching breezes pull the moisture out of every living thing. The promise of the rainy season hovers in the air, and nature holds its breath in anticipation.
Plants wither and droop, grass brittle and dry turns into tinder and wildfires burn in the Everglades. The acrid, choking scent of the smoke lingers, and permeates everything. Tempers flare, fights increase, road rage is everywhere. The pent up frustration the heat causes turns otherwise calm people into aggressive beasts looking for any reason to become combative.
With the returning rains comes the season of fear... The hurricane season, where all watch intently the storm formations in the deep ocean of the west african coast far away where the maker of monsters lives. Pantries and closest become stocked with lamps, candles, and canned food. The expense is like a tithe offering to the monster maker to spare us from the storm of a lifetime. For to not buy supplies would surely cause one to appear. The season is long, and taxing....
The state bird of florida, the mosquito, will appear once again by the billions. Eager to drink the blood of anyone who dares venture outside after dark. The fear of west nile virus and other nasties becomes almost palpable. Chemicals are applied, sprays are slathered on. Mosquito netting is packed in compartments of boats in case of a breakdown far from the dock. For to not have one would drive you completely insane before the sun broke the horizon, sending the tiny vampires into shady areas until nightfall.
But, you can get a vacation rental for a song........
Time seems to move at a snails pace. The sky is like a teasing woman. Looking like much needed rain, heavy and grey and yet withholds it. The heat soars well into the 90's and scorching breezes pull the moisture out of every living thing. The promise of the rainy season hovers in the air, and nature holds its breath in anticipation.
Plants wither and droop, grass brittle and dry turns into tinder and wildfires burn in the Everglades. The acrid, choking scent of the smoke lingers, and permeates everything. Tempers flare, fights increase, road rage is everywhere. The pent up frustration the heat causes turns otherwise calm people into aggressive beasts looking for any reason to become combative.
With the returning rains comes the season of fear... The hurricane season, where all watch intently the storm formations in the deep ocean of the west african coast far away where the maker of monsters lives. Pantries and closest become stocked with lamps, candles, and canned food. The expense is like a tithe offering to the monster maker to spare us from the storm of a lifetime. For to not buy supplies would surely cause one to appear. The season is long, and taxing....
The state bird of florida, the mosquito, will appear once again by the billions. Eager to drink the blood of anyone who dares venture outside after dark. The fear of west nile virus and other nasties becomes almost palpable. Chemicals are applied, sprays are slathered on. Mosquito netting is packed in compartments of boats in case of a breakdown far from the dock. For to not have one would drive you completely insane before the sun broke the horizon, sending the tiny vampires into shady areas until nightfall.
But, you can get a vacation rental for a song........
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The okra is s-l-o-w-l-y starting to get its grow on.
Sadly, I have a blight of some sort in the ground planted tomatoes, and the topsy-turvy has blossom end rot. I never knew how fagile the tomato plant is, or how contaminated south floria soil is..
But, I'll soldier on and fight to save my 'maters. After all, a country boy can survive...