My Feelings for Florida

Dear Lucy,
Everyone warned me before I headed out for my adventure, that this was a bad time to go to Florida because it was the hottest time of year.
They were right.
It was cool for Florida while I was there; I don't think it got up to 100 degrees at all, and though it was humid, I was told that it wasn't the worst it could get.
I have to say that it is beautiful there; very green and lush with beautiful beaches and lots of interesting history.
But when I considered the many critters just waiting to bite, sting, or eat me, it dampened my enthusiasm immensely. I found myself as I rode in an air-conditioned car thinking that lots of the places we passed would be interesting to hike or go camping in. But, then when I thought of the fact that I wouldn't even walk in the grass at the house for fear of snakes or fire ants, it made the idea of hiking or camping out of the question.
There was also the fact that in the small town that I was in, I stuck out like a sore thumb. While walking through the Target store parking lot with Donna and her daughter, some man drove by and screamed, "hey dyke" at me with such venom in his voice that it felt like a gunshot.
I was thankful at that moment for two things: One was that it wasn't a gunshot, and two that he didn't stop to wait for my reaction.
Had he stopped for my reaction, with my temper these days, I am sure I would have confronted him in some smart-ass manner that would have certainly ended up bad.
After that incident, I felt pretty intimidated whenever I was away from the house.
I would have to say that, maybe had I been in Miami instead of a little town, my attire and tattoos would not have been so unusual. And maybe folks would be too busy with their lives to care about a dyke walking in a parking lot minding her own business.

--Kathy