When an ancestor was a Civil War veteran, your search for information can lead to genealogical gold. The Civil War produced substantial records, starting with military service files and applications for pensions, both of benefit to family historians. ...more

August 3, 2008

Fifty-five years ago, I started on a journey that would take me all over the world...... ...more

June 28, 2008

AVON PARK — Just in case they haven't been paying attention to the news, Judy Puffen gave high school students a personal account of what Iraq is like: frequent sandstorms, constant danger, grinding poverty, unvarying boredom. "Please let me come home before I die," former Sgt. 1st Class Puffen said she would think. She was one of the first American soldiers to go there after Operation Iraqi Freedom commenced in 2003. "It was all sand over there," she said. "The first thing I wanted to do when I got home was kiss the grass. It was like biblical times. The houses were made of adobe — mud." "What kind of weapon did you carry," asked one student in Amy Love's American History class. "An M-16," Puffen said, a 22-year veteran. Even though her job was administrative and financial, she carried a rifle. ...more

February 23, 2008

"I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out." - Rodney Dangerfield ...more

February 10, 2008

Maybe it was boredom. Whatever the reason, it put the 19-year-old behind bars. ...more

November 27, 2007

My horoscope for this past Tuesday as determined by Eugenia in the Highlands Today Astrology column, stated; "Things are looking up and opportunities are apparent. Try your hand at something new or offer a service that you can do for extra cash. You can learn something new if you research over the Internet, sign up for a course or talk to someone with experience." It is a five star day for me. Well, she is right in one sense, as I am up to my eyeballs in a job that I have taught myself and have no idea most of the time exactly what I am doing. Somehow in the past I have managed to pull off my bluff and get the job done with what many call exceptional success. ...more

October 11, 2007