As I write this, I am enjoying the first really cool day that we have had in Central Florida in quite a few months. The windows are open, there is a nice breeze, and a misty sort of rain is falling from a cloudy sky. The temperature is 69 degrees outside, and it’s official: Florida Fall is here. This is the time of year when I put on Youtube videos like this.
A nice, calming sound to play in the background as I do whatever around the house. My memories drift back to when I was a child, the weather the same as it is today, and I watched my mother hang fall decorations like these.
It makes me a bit nostalgic. Now my mother is gone. My father is gone. My innocence is gone, as is my childhood. So is the country that I grew up in.
I miss all of those things. It seems that all is left is an aging guy who is about to become an old man, and a country that seems to be disintegrating. We aren’t coming back from this, are we?
15 Comments
Boneman · October 12, 2025 at 5:12 am
It is weird. “Autumn” here in SW Florida is more state of mind than anything else. Currently 68 in N. Ft. Myers and yes a WELCOME change. Does seem a bit early though. But I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth for sure!
DMLMD · October 12, 2025 at 5:54 am
Similar situation here, old enough to have been told not to come back until the street lights go on. On the bright side, it is easier to buy something that will last me the rest of my life.
None Other · October 12, 2025 at 5:58 am
Your post made me smile. I put up Halloween decorations. People who know me think it’s not who I am. But, it takes me back to a time that I loved…Fall. And for a brief moment, in the evening, I no longer feel like I live in a country that has lost its way.
Old Maine Farmer · October 12, 2025 at 6:13 am
No, we are not coming back from this; it is runway behind us. Look forward. God put you on this earth for these times; they will be hard times but He wouldn’t have put you here if you couldn’t handle it. Hard times are good for a man’s character, if they let it. So do.
Honk Honk · October 12, 2025 at 8:19 am
Cooling down here with 40s-50s in the morning.
The trees are starting to get colorful and the light jackets come out of storage.
SiG · October 12, 2025 at 8:26 am
It was 66 this morning over on the east coast, and extremely welcome. Part of that is because it’s the end of a week of crappy weather, with too many days of rain, but this is the time of year we put up with summer for. All my big outdoor projects like antenna or tower work start with the words, “when it cools off…”
Henry · October 12, 2025 at 9:37 am
I’m a little more optimistic than most. I think there’s a good chance we are coming back from it, perhaps not in my lifetime (I’m 72), but within 2 generations. Charlie Kirk was a force that moved the needle, so to speak. Look at the number of young people who turned away from the democrat party and are leaning conservative. They are voting conservative. More and more are churchgoers. Democrat party approval rates trend lower and lower, and many (D) politicians are painfully unpopular. Mainstream media, with their overtly leftist bias, are increasingly irrelevant. My optimism is based on the chances that more and more folks will no longer reflexively pull the (D) lever in the voting booth and actually think about policies, platforms, results, and the impact on their own lives.
Exile1981 · October 12, 2025 at 10:14 am
Today is Canadian Thanksgiving and last night was the first snow of the season. I got the last of the garden in yesterday and right now I’m looking at about an inch of snow on the ground.
Divemedic · October 12, 2025 at 2:48 pm
Is it early for first snow? Or not?
worker · October 12, 2025 at 12:17 pm
Believe it or not, the small really out of the way, rural and farming/ranching community that I reside at (maybe hide at?) of only about 50+ folks still operates this way. We have a landscaped plaza (fenced to keep the wandering cows and horses out) with a stage/electricity and fire pit. It’s used for various holiday events which mostly everyone shows up for….
I have lived in major metropolitan cities and some really nice Southern Calif. communities (think Santa Barbara) but by far, this is the best place ever (mid-southern New Mexico). BTW, did I mention that mostly everyone is armed and can live for months, if necessary, without a trip to town. Gotta love it….
Steady Steve · October 12, 2025 at 1:19 pm
Every man dies in a foreign country. It was difficult for those like my father who was born during the hard times of the Depression. We are living through a similar time now. Societal and technological changes our parents couldn’t have imagined coming at us much faster and causing upheaval on a daily basis. We drew the lucky (or unlucky) straw of going through a Fourth Turning. Society will be much different when it is over, some time in the 2030’s. The best we can do is win the internal fight over what our society will have as its’ moral structure. Be the person your grandchildren will admire and want to emulate. If you have no heirs then be the person your neighbors will trust and point out as a worthy example to their children.
Dan D. · October 12, 2025 at 1:47 pm
“We aren’t coming back from this, are we?”
No, we aren’t. And we need to take a deep breath, do some burpees and sally forth. Jocko would have stronger words.
The near future of the small worlds around us will be determined by US. I am no fan of central Texas – hot, flat and lazy – but I have actively made friends with my neighbors to build out a tribe. Thursday 0600 rucks, keeping an eye on each other’s houses, etc.
You are doing the same. Don’t give in to despair.
Maverick · October 12, 2025 at 2:06 pm
I’m about 15 years behind you, with teen kids, and though everything is screwed up, I agree with Old Maine that it’s the time to gird your loins. Never blackpill! 9/11, the Great Financial Crisis, C19&vxx, everything is designed to steal from and destroy us. Yet we persist. The country I grew up in – latchkeyism in city and mountain woods of California, no digital panopticon – is long gone, and I watch the company I’ve worked for for 30 years get taken over by foreigners and the “stale pale and male” get kicked out or not hired. Yet the kids step forward boldly and remind me that I’m a doomer – and they’re right! Things will be bad, things will be good, who knows, but either way be prepared for anything and take the fight to them, whoever they be.
Mark · October 13, 2025 at 3:59 am
Dude, I watched that entire video, 11 some odd hours, and not a SINGLE customer ever walked in. How does that place stay in business?
Divemedic · October 13, 2025 at 4:45 am
One cup of coffee is $500
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