I have learned to sleep through my alarm clock. Eventually, it turns off and I drift back to sleep. No need to even hit the snooze button. I added an alarm to my cell phone to get double the alarm noise. I learned to sleep through both. Here, I do not need an alarm clock…
Hurricane Matthew is long gone, not even a speck on the map. After whirling around for a week the storm system dissolved into nothingness in the Atlantic. Although a power line downed by a tree left me without power, I was safe and snug in a protected metal building. Matthew was an adventure. Others, who…
The nice people that I work with obtained permission for me to pull the camper into a huge, new, metal building on site. One of the garage doors is tall enough for the 10’6″ camper to enter! Electricity and water! Tango and I will stay in there with the camper. I know this sounds scary–not…
Tracking maps now show Hurricane Matthew hovering along the Florida (Atlantic) coast. I am about 57 miles inland, in Melrose, FL. If Matthew were a Category 1 storm and I lived in a house, I would not worry much. However, the storm currently is Category 4 and will likely be a Category 3 when it brushes…
Downtime! I decide to pick up a few groceries at the local market. As I pull in, I notice they have changed the sign. What is cooter anyway? I don’t want to miss something yummy. I do a quick phone search and discover it is a turtle. I do not have cooter or any of…
This is my fourth week volunteering and living at Ordway-Swisher. A full calendar month has not passed, but I have been 4 weeks on the job! The two biggest challenges for me have been fear and hard work in the humidity. I felt a momentary burst of fear when I learned that I am the…
At 6:30 AM, the sky is still dark. I keep the outside awning lights on so that Tango can roam around. He is afraid of the dark around here. Too many turkeys and deer that spook him. I just sit inside, with the door open. Cool, cool air wanders in. No breeze yet to push the…
I took a few photos while out monitoring invasive plants. These only give a feel for a small lake ecosystem. While we were working, the gal holding the turtle found a native lily. She has been looking around here for 10 years. It was an exciting moment. They took photos and set GPS markers. More…
Ordway-Swisher Biological Station (OSBS) land was donated to University of Florida by the Ordway Family and Carl Swisher. Most stories I hear center on Mr. Swisher, the creator of Swisher Sweets cigars. He quietly bought up thousands of prime Florida sandhills and pine forest acreage, south of his home in Jacksonville. The land was Swisher’s…
I am here safely! I misplaced my computer cord while driving down here, which is why I have not written. I have so much to share. I am overflowing with many blessings. “Here” is Ordway-Swisher Biological Station”, outside of Gainesville, FL. The station is about 9,500 acres of restored Florida habitat—classic live oaks draped with…