Independence Day--July 4th

I wanted to share a thought provoking piece about Independence day written by a gentleman I know, Art Davis, who is over half-way to his 100th birthday.

It is a holiday commemorating the Reading of the Declaration of Independence by John Hancock to the Congress, July 4, 1776, meeting in Philadelphia. A Declaration from the representatives there gathered, Congress assembled, knowing that British troops, legions of mercenaries, approached the shores the country to be.

From such, drama and history are forged.

Independence Defined: State or quality of being independent, freedom from subjection, or from the influence of other, or, controlled by other in matters of opinion or conduct.

Thinking or acting for one's self, being autonomous, not dependent upon someone else for support. Free unconstrained. Liberty!

But with liberty goes responsibility, don't you agree? For as we enter society we must give up a share of Liberty to preserve the General Good. It is, we probably should agree, difficult to draw with precision the line between those rights, which must be surrendered, and those reserved.

We have the power to choose--the greatest power we possess. No one can take it from us! We can do--we can be as long as we are free--and again with this freedom goes responsibility.

Unfortunately, we have in our liberal/democratic journey diluted the true definition of:

Independence

Freedom

Liberty

to enter the present era of license--licentiousness,

I can't in thirty minutes, of course, resolve or define the rewards and resolve or define the rewards and limitations of Independence. This being in Sunday SchoChurch endowed, we can at least be grateful for our freedom to worship!

Since July fourth, 1776, we have played an ever increasing role on the World Stage. Revolution, Civil War, World Wars, and to such atrocities we seemingly dedicate Independence Day--for didn't these events keep us independent?

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Reading Art's piece made me realize the old adage is true. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Shame on me

I almost fainted when I saw I had not written anything since August of last year. To make matters worse my blog address has disappeared from my signature on emails. That must be the price I have to pay for my addiction. Yes, I have to confess I am addicted to writing. It has taken over my life. I spend hours each day staring at the computer screen, composing stories, delving into the Thesaurus, my best friend. Then there are the hours doing research. No wonder soothing eye drops are a staple on my desk top. To make matters worse, my addiction aggravates me to come along on my vacation. Being the weak person that I am I take it with me. Oh, well, there could be worse things.

Learning about Florida

Whenever I have moved someplace I have to learn about that particular place. Maybe it's because I'm a writer or maybe because I'm just nosy. Then again, I didn't start writing until I moved to Florida. Being raised in Virginia, I was immersed in history at a very early age by my history loving father.

Now back to Florida. I heard a friend say that before she moved to Southwest Florida she thought of the State as a place for wild spring break parties and theme parks. To a degree that is valid, however, the state has a rich history dating back to the 1600's when the Spanish first set foot on the coast.

Some people are aware of horse country in Ocala but not many know about cattle ranching. If not, I recommend The Legacy of the Florida Pioneer "Cow Hunters" In Their Own Words, by Nancy Dale. Many of these families came here after the Civil War and rounded up the wild cattle left by the Spanish.

Back in the early days men were not called cowboys, but cow hunters because there were no fence laws and cattle roamed the open land and had to be gathered from the woods, swamps and prairies. They rode "cracker horses" also know as "marsh tackies." Post WWII they were called cow men or cowboys but prior to that time they were cow hunters. There was concern that the cracker horses or cracker cattle would become extinct but are being preserved by the Department of Florida Cracker Cattle and Cracker Horses. The herds roam in the Withlacoochee State Forest near Brooksville, FL.

The term "cracker" refers to the whips the cow hunters used, snapping or "cracking" them in the air to move the cattle out of the palmettos or the swamps.

I try to incorporate tidbits of Florida history in my contemporary stories without becoming "preachy."

Hope you enjoyed reading this piece of Florida history.

Virginia Czaja, writing as Virginia Crane.

Best made plans

The old adage about the best made plans of mice and man oft times going astray were in full force in my world this morning.

Not being in the top 100,000 individuals when it comes to doing other than normal tasks on the computer, I ended up in a muddle. The blog I had planned for today has been put on the back burner for next week and I was so looking forward to sharing his story. There! At least you know it deals with a male.

Today I had to work with a new vocabulary filled with browsers (and I wasn't looking for a sale), cookies (not one Oreo or Fig Newton) and cached images I didn't know I possessed and still don't know what they mean.

Followed all the instructions to the letter only to find I could not sign on to either of my email accounts, Facebook or Twitter unless I had my passwords. I could remember one. Had to think up a new one for Facebook, which took time because everything I typed in was considered "weak." thought about using "semtexboom" but thought if I did some government agency would have my house surrounded by dinner time.

By now who in their right mind could get in the groove to work on their current manuscript. I couldn't. Soooooo, will have lunch and hope for the best and get back to writing later.

Have a great day!