Carolyn Merryman

Jimmy's Adventures in the Green Swamp Carolyn Merryman

Jimmy's Adventures in the "Green Swamp" Is a fictionalized account of "Cracker " Lifestyle in the Central Florida area in the 1960s, it is written to enrich the study of Florida History. Each chapter is designed to stand-alone. Jimmy Reno, a Florida "Cracker" with an adventurous spirit, grew up in the 1060s on Hog Island in the heart of Central Florida. He lived with his Gramps his only living relative, who allowed him the freedom to explore the Withlacoochee River and the woodlands that surrounded his home. Gramps taught Jimmy to make a living from the river and to conserve its precious resources. Jimmy's curious nature frequently led him into a heap of trouble: two cut-throat poachers caught him and left him for dead on an island in the middle of the "Green Swamp": In engaged in an ongoing battle with "Ole Amos" a large catfish that lived in the heart of the "Green Swamp"; He experienced a close encounter with "Ole Cotton-eye an evil tempered giant 'gator and lived through a twister on Hog Island, that injured Gramps. Through all of this Jimmy learned a powerful lesson on friendship when Bill, his best friend, and all the neighbors came together to give him a helping hand. A key event in Jimmy's life occurred when he met Mattie Sue at the age of nine. They shared adventures that wove a tapestry of friendship and finally love, that continued when they went to the University of Florida where they prepared for lives of service and sacrifice for their beloved Central Florida Home. This Story is told through a series of flashbacks triggered by childhood pictures in Gramps old tattered photo album. The characters are based on a combination of real people. The story is fiction based on some true events.