I am on the porch swing, absorbing time. It's another 45 minutes until Our Florida opens for their first Gallery Hop, and I'm here to lend my support. In a historic cottage in downtown Dunnellon, Florida, a quiet town at the confluence of the Withlacoochee and Rainbow Rivers, Our Florida Books & Art is chock-a-block full of art and literature devoted to my favorite subject: Florida. Jeanie's never had a website, but folks find her anyway. She has a little something special here, the only bookstore in Florida fully devoted to its own authors, and I've respected that since the day I walked in six years ago or so to do a book signing.

Most days, I can find a lot to do in 45 minutes. Not today. While my husband dashes off to take photos of the historic district, I rock back and forth, inhaling the scent of marigolds. The fairy lights - they aren't really Christmas lights, since they're orange - match the color of the flowers, and some even hang in the same droopy way as spent buds. A few people stop by. "Is the store open yet?"  "No," I answer, and keep swinging, attuned to the creak of the swing. They are well dressed, the idea of a Gallery Hop transforming everyday working folks into fashion plates. I relax into the zen of motion, swaying back and forth like the marigolds in the breeze. It's time to just be.