Good morning and happy Monday!
What dreams may come? Most all of us have our dreams but often life gets in the way. In the end, it’s usually for the better, it seems.
Lisa McCorkle grew up in South Hillsborough and dreamed she would someday live in a condo in Ybor City, an urban life of so many dreams. Instead, she found her happiness in the country. On a farm. With chickens and some really cute goats. Oh, and a cool patrol dog who keeps track of them all (yes, probably Lisa and her husband, Jason, too).
Monday is a good day to think about our dreams. And a good day to appreciate how some of them turned out.
Read Lois Kindle’s story about Lisa here: https://www.observernews.net/2017/06/14/goat-farm-enables-couple-to-get-away-from-it-all/
Today’s weather: No, this isn’t Groundhog Day: from the whiz kids at the National Weather Service Office in Ruskin:
“Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly after 2pm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rain. Cloudy, with a high near 87. Southeast wind 8 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.”
Overnight our low will be the high for some northern city: 76. And a good chance of rain.
Personal forecast: Wear tennis shoes to run quickly when the rain breaks out. Avoid roaming packs of mosquitoes. By now, they probably have tattoos.
Eye on the tropics: Somehow, someway, we are all connected by the weather. especially big, climatic weather. According to the National Hurricane Center:
For the North Atlantic…Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico:
The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on Potential Tropical Cyclone Two, located several hundred miles east-southeast of the southern Windward Islands.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…90 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent.
A broad area of low pressure located near the east coast of the Yucatan Peninsula continues to produce a large area of disorganized showers and thunderstorms along with winds to gale force several hundred miles to the east and northeast of the estimated center. The low continues to lack a well-defined center of circulation. However, gradual development of this system is expected when it moves over the southern or central Gulf of Mexico later today and Tuesday, where a tropical or subtropical cyclone is likely to form. Regardless of development, heavy rains are expected to continue over portions of Central America, the Yucatan Peninsula, Jamaica, the Cayman Islands, and western Cuba during the next few days. An Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft is scheduled to investigate this system later today, if necessary. For more information on this system, please see the High Seas Forecast issued by the Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch.
* Formation chance through 48 hours…high…80 percent.
* Formation chance through 5 days…high…90 percent.
What to do?
Join “Floss and Friends” from 12:30 to 3 p.m. at the SouthShore Regional Library today. No, you don’t need teeth but do bring along a possible needlework project. The group is a place to share tips, techniques and experiences about fiber and fabric arts.
The SouthShore Regional Library schedule is found here: http://hcplc.evanced.info/signup/calendar?lib=10
Busch Gardens in Tampa celebrates “Summer Nights” with extended hours.
MOSI, the Museum of Science and Industry, 4801 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa is offering free admission to exhibit galleries to active duty military personnel and up to five immediate family members from today through Aug. 13. Proof of service is required. https://www.mosi.org/explore-mosi/plan-your-visit/special-offers/
Check out what’s playing at the Ruskin Family Drive-In. And yes, I really do want to hear about the chili cheese dogs.
Happenings in Hillsborough:
Just in time for hurricane season, FEMA is offering advice at the Brandon Senior Center at 10:30 a.m. and at the Wimauma Senior Center at 12:30 p.m.
Do you suddenly have the drive to fulfill the long-running Tampa dream (well, mine, anyway) to build a real-life rocket launch pad in your backyard? If so, you might want to start by checking out the Zone Hearing Master meeting at 6 p.m. at County Center downtown tonight. One of the agenda items is “Expansion of non-conforming uses” which probably applies to backyards and launchpads. Visit: http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/calendar/05-publicmeetings/2017/20170619-zhm
Happenings in Manatee:
Some meetings today with some cool stuff coming up this week (I hope to hear about “Before You Tie the Knot” on Wednesday). The Manatee County calendar is located here: https://www.mymanatee.org/home/county-calendar.html
News to know:
Pick up an actual printed copy of the Observer News — it’s filled with stuff that’s good to know to start your week.
And, in the end:
Father’s Day 2017 on Riverwalk in downtown Tampa.
On this day, in 1910, the first Father’s Day was celebrated in Spokane, Washington. Well, in this country it marked a beginning. In parts of Europe, a day of celebration for paternity and the influence of fathers has been celebrated since the Middle Ages.
But it didn’t happen without challenges here. After Mother’s Day took off, lots of people tried to start a day for dad. What did the trick was the work of Sonora Smart Dodd. Her father was a Civil War veteran and a single parent who raised six kids. He certainly deserved a day.
And then…it quickly took off with the retail industry who loves “<Fill in the blank> Days as little Christmas gifts with people gifting like it’s Christmas (that made sense, right?).
If you are a father, and for all of us as the son or daughter of a father (blessed to still be here or in memory), I hope your day / his day was a good one.
And yes, even though it seems like it’s every other week on Facebook, there is a real “Siblings Day.” It’s not federally recognized but the “Siblings Day Foundation” is trying to change that. Seriously, who sits on that board? Regardless, 49 states have issued proclamations to recognize Siblings Day since 1998. Alas! We missed it. It is usually celebrated around April 10. Go ahead, give your brother or sister a hug, anyway (I wish I could but they all live on the tundra).
And if you are an only child? Celebrate the fact that you didn’t have a big brother scare the daylights out of you as a child, resulting in your smacking your head against a concrete wall and a trip to the emergency room (on the plus side, those stitches were the best “show and tell” of my kindergarten class the very next day, likely to the horror of my kindergarten teacher who was probably an only child and happy for that…).
Have a great day!
Observer Today is a morning briefing out (usually) by 7 a.m. (or so) and updated until around 10 a.m. Do you have news tips or suggestions for this feature? Please email or leave a comment.
