Holiday Season May Turn Out Jolly Good

Christmas on Centre Street, Historic Fernandina Beach, Florida

Judging from initial readings, the Christmas holidays may turn out to be a jolly good season — and a respectable finish to a tumultuous year. This is not to sugar-coat a U.S. economic landscape with a 10 percent unemployment rate, a ballooning national debt, and a chaotic political scene. Or to be insensitive to those of us falling upon hard times. Let’s count our blessings either way. Remember, just one year ago, things looked a lot worse than they do now in the financial and economic senses.

Ghosts of Christmas Past: Backyard Economics 101

"Christmas on the River," a shop open year round on historic Centre Street in Fernandina Beach, Florida.

Doing business locally when possible in our own backyard is more important than ever in the current economic environment. Local residents should remember the ghosts of Christmas past and think twice before spending dollars outside of Nassau County, Florida this holiday shopping season, and throughout the coming New Year.

Florida Gardening: Winter Lawn Watering, Oleander Moths

Oleander Moth Larvae

A University of Florida faculty member and Nassau County Extension Horticultural Agent, Rebecca Jordi addresses some of the questions she receives about landscaping and gardening in northeast Florida, in GARDEN TALK. The Extension also offers helpful clinics throughout the year, providing assistance to local gardeners…

R.I.P.: Bosque Bello Cemetery, Fernandina

Oak Tree Draped with Spanish Moss, Fernandina Beach, Florida

Called “beautiful woods” by the Spanish, Bosque Bello is located off North 14th Street in Fernandina, toward Amelia Island’s northwest, close to “Old Town.” Here in the Amelia Island area, oak trees draped in Spanish moss are a distinguishing characteristic of the local landscape. To most people not living here, “Florida” connotes coconut palm trees — not these ancient oaks with “beards.” The name, “Spanish moss,” is thought to have originated from its resemblance to the Spaniard explorers’ beards. Legend has it that the Indians called it “tree hair.” It’s not a true moss, but rather an epiphyte (or air plant). Visually, it adds interest, and drapes the local landscape with a distinctly southern charm.