Date: Saturday, January 31, 2026 Morning Status: 5:53 AM (A deceptive calm before the storm) Evening Status: 2:30 PM (The sky has turned to slate)
The Great Descent There is a specific kind of darkness that settles over Northern Florida when a historic freeze is moving in. It isn’t the soft velvet of a summer night; it’s a heavy, bruising grey. By 2:30 this afternoon, the sun had already surrendered to a wall of clouds. The news is full of talk about the “coldest night in decades” wind chills expected to hit a bone-shattering 7 degrees by morning, and even whispers of snow flurries reaching as far south as Tampa.
In fact as I type this I am noticing small flurries falling already. Nothing shattering but fun to see, and very unusual.
Down here in the shop, Hughey and I are hunkered down. He’s been watching me move around gathering items and preparing for a winter’s night. He’s already claimed the thickest wool rug, and he has it winter sweater on. I’ve spent the last hour ensuring the “Uncommon” is ready for whatever old man winter decides to drop on us.
Ready for the Dark I’ve prepped for the worst. The house is toasty for now, but I have my lanterns ready and my flashlights standing like silver sentinels on the desk. Thick socks, extra blankets, and the soft hiss of the kettle on the stove, we are as ready as we can be for a long, cold night of isolation. It’s just me, a three-legged poodle, and about a hundred years ago of newspaper’s to sift through.
A Glimpse into 1906 To pass the hours, I’ve pulled a handful of old newspapers from a collection I recently acquired, original broadsheets from Tampa, dated April 1906.
I’ve always found that the “history” isn’t in the front-page headlines; it’s buried in the fine print of the classifieds and the medical advertisements. People were different then, yet remarkably the same. I stumbled upon one ad today from a certain Leon Hale that gave me a much-needed laugh as the wind started to pick up outside:
“How To Avoid Appendicitis
Most victims of appendicitis are those who are habitually constipated. Orino Laxative Fruit Syrup cures chronic constipation by stimulating the liver and bowels… Refuse substitutions. — Leon Hale”
It’s a marvelous bit of weirdness. To think someone in 1906 was sitting by a lamp, perhaps during a cold snap just like this one, reading about “Fruit Syrup” as the cure for a surgical emergency. I’ll be keeping these papers close tonight. They are a reminder that no matter how strange or cold the world gets, humans have always been looking for a “mild and pleasant” way through the dark.
Current Task: Topping off the water, checking the flashlight batteries one last time, making sure I have enough blankets and settling in.
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