It’s funny how some things become more important, or at least more interesting, as you get older. Back in the late 1950s and early 1960s (during my grade school days), I found it nearly impossible to get interested in American History and Geography. That didn’t change a lot going into my high school years, and it was something of a miracle that I passed those subjects when they were a mandatory curriculum.
This year is America’s 250th anniversary, and I stumbled on a show on Netflix that I couldn’t keep from watching. It’s titled “The Men Who Built America” and is a documentary of sorts that gives the watcher very interesting information about Daniel Boone, who pioneered the first settlement west of the Appalachians. The show explains how settlers faced off with Indian tribes and the British army while America declared its independence in 1776. As of this writing, I am about halfway through the documentary and have learned how Lewis and Clark expanded what was then uncharted territory all the way to the Pacific Ocean on our west coast.
Daniel Boone’s settlement was named Boonesborough, and it attracted settlers from the East Coast, most of them making the journey on foot. In the very early years of our nation’s history, settlers earned money in the fur trade and had to hunt and grow crops for their food.
During the early years of our nation’s history, Americans fought in battles against the British and Indian tribes, all wanting to claim the vast lands of what is now central and western America.
Looking back at my school years, I wish I had had more interest in how our nation was formed, and I’m sure glad I happened to come across the Netflix show now.
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Much of Florida is experiencing a drought, and most areas have been placed on irrigation restrictions to conserve water. A very large area around where I now live is under a “Red Flag Warning,” which means fire danger is great. The lack of rainfall has been very noticeable.
The “rainy” season begins in about a month, and if it’s a normal year, we’ll have almost daily rainfall. Which is very necessary since the temperatures will be in the mid-nineties from May through September, and things dry out fast when it’s that hot – especially since the ground is very sandy. Normal summers are the time when our irrigation is used less than during the winter months.
I’m guessing weather patterns are difficult to predict since they seem to change often. Most of the time it’s sunny here (which is probably why Florida is called the Sunshine State), so if I need to know what to expect from the weather, I’ll just keep an eye on the sky.
Have A Good Week!
