Darlene's Digest

She looked out over the palmettos and pines, here where she’d grown up, where she learned to survive broiling heat in the summer, lightning storms, war and raiders, disease, and clouds of biting insects and animals that would as soon kill you as walk away from you. It was also a land of birdsong and warm winter breezes, flowers all year round, and plenty of water and sunshine. --[WIP] For Love of a Smuggler Depends where you live. Up here in North Central Florida, we can feel the change from not going outside in mid-August because it feels like you're in a sauna under a magnifying glass frying you on the sidewalk, to waking up in the morning and feeling chipper when you step outside.  For me it's also nature trails season. Florida, especially where I live, is blessed with springs, rivers, and lots of nature trails maintained by the various local and state governments and volunteers. Once the temperature drops down into the 80sF it's safe to get back out, so I grabbed my boo...

  “You want to be careful about not going into the brush without checking first. The last thing you need is for a snake or a scorpion to say howdy while your trousers are down.” “I don’t recall having to deal with venomous snakes before.” “You were a town dweller, John” she said, giving him a glance over her shoulder. “You don’t hunt, but you shoot. You’re used to tailored clothing. You can rule out being a farmer or a homesteader from your life.” “That still leaves a lot of choices.” They came around a massive live oak and he saw the creek, dragonflies hovering over the shimmering water. A blue jay disturbed by their passage called out raucously from a maple and another bird answered. It seemed peaceful out here in the woods even though danger was everywhere, according to Kate. --[WIP, Working Title] FOR THE LOVE OF A SMUGGLER  c. 2025, all rights reserved       September is college football season in Gainesville, but for me it's the beginning of Florida hikin...