Water-sogged

The adjoining property between Kingswood Condo complex and Ocean Palms retirement home is a sort of small preserve and possibly a former a "lovers' lane" before the AARP set took control of Kingswood. Located only a city block from the St. Lucie River and a few miles away from Indian River Lagoon and Atlantic Ocean, it is land-ho from a distance and hope of salvation when absolutely necessary. A variety of wildlife passes through the area, as do the interests of a crumbling city roadway as mapped. The property holds a considerable amount of litter sometimes that is purposefully discarded as if such activity is a way to initiate new jobs (such as 'chief litter-picker-upper' or some other such role).

Tropical Storm Fay dumped a considerable amount of water on Stuart, and the wooded lot shows standing water all alongside the sidewalk, which protects pedestrians with a heavy-metal rail. Of course, the water has thereby freed up some embedded litter not easily removed by hand. The owner has apparently been taking some flack about the litter, which also serves as reflectors (aluminum cans, plastic bottles) that apparently are some reassurance near retaining pond and river-stream water-pocket. Water is pooled around two marker-type utility posts near a yellow-clad utility pole line.

The days-long drenching added to a late summertime atmosphere "as thick as hasty pudding" and the local journalism tells us that a tornado struck a Shell station. Last month, an ATM was ripped from a Stuart Shell station as well as from a few other places; and ATMs were then found lying in a canal.

In past years, tornados have caused damage in Florida environs without the Tropical Storm designation in effect, freeing up board-mounted fish trophies and other such errata from shattered homes.