The following is the script I wrote for my first reenactment with the West Volusia Historical Society. It is based on my research on Skydiving in DeLand, my own experiences as a young female skydiver in the 1970s, and on the amazing good luck of locating an alive and well JoAnn. We spent many wonderful … More Jo Ann Lekawitch – Beatty: A True DeLand Pioneer!
What do I do with all this food? Farm to fork? Ha! My harvests don’t get that far. Every morning first thing I do while waiting for my tea to brew is walk through the garden and pick string beans, peas, tomatoes, leaves, berries, herbs, whatever I find and eat them., then and there, who … More Gardening for Life part 8
Mulch Madness Following that workshop by Lonny Reid on soil amendments, I was obsessed with mulch. It seemed to be the most sensible, doable, natural, inexpensive, and just plan simple means of making my Florida sand useable. I needed mulch. I wanted mulch. I craved mulch. I dreamed about mulch! And I got it in … More Gardening for Life – Part 5
Following our standard Wednesday morning card game, Robin, Carol, Claire and I had gone to lunch at Bake Chop. We were led to the back table against the wall. I took the seat in the back corner facing the restaurant and Carol was sitting on my left. Robin sat across from me with her back … More Why I’m Terrified of Babies
Of course, I got all the money. Dad disinherited both my brothers because they all hated each other. Now they hate me too even though I do send my younger brother money every month. He wants more so he hates me. There was no way our dad would repair broken fences or rebuild burned bridges … More Dredging the Depths
When people ask me about my strangest experience, it is usually my early days in New Zealand that come to mind. It was a very hard story to tell because it is simply too bizarre to be believable. For years I never told anyone because they were sure I was making it up. It is … More Culture Shock New Zealand: a New Yorker does the South Island – 1980
For my 17th birthday, my high school boyfriend, Jerry, took me skydiving. It was summer 1972 and we drove to Stormville, NY, about an hour from Northern Queens where we both lived. I did not know it at the time, (or maybe I did but don’t remember), but this ‘gift’ was intended to scare the … More The First Time: My Adventures in Skydiving
When I was about 15 years old in 1970, my Aunt Sylvia let me ransack her attic and take with me anything I wanted. She was a professional singer and her collection of street and stage outfits consisted of dozens of boxes of items dating from the 1940s through to the 60s. I was set. … More Gloria Swanson’s Dress
Laine Berman 