Remembering Krakatoa.

For all of you volcano buffs out there, today marks the 127th anniversary of the massive eruption on the island of Krakatoa, one of the largest natural disasters EVER and so loud the explosions were heard 3,000 miles away in Australia. According to Wikipedia (the ultimate source of all knowledge unless you have a library card), the volcanic force on Krakatoa virtually destroyed the entire island and was equivalent to 200 megatons of TNT — about 13,000 times the nuclear yield of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, at the end of World War II. For more on this subject you can always rent the disaster movie Krakatoa, East of Java, which was released in 1969 starring Brian Keith, Sal Mineo, Diane Baker and Maximillian Schell, but I’m not sure I’d trust this Hollywood dud for historical accuracy since Krakatoa is actually WEST of Java, not east, and the movie’s idiotic main theme song is a Beach Boys knockoff called “Java Girl.” (I’m serious.)

In other news, tomorrow Sam and I are taking a drive up north to Treeland, a 30-acre tree nursery in Gunter, Texas, to pick out something wonderful for our back yard. We’ve pretty much decided on the “Shoal Creek Vitex,” also known as the “Texas Lilac” (see below), because it’s the perfect size and the fragrance is fabulous. Sam and I can’t wait to sit on the patio and smell our yard.

I’m going to eat a honeydew melon and watch an Olivia deHavilland movie now. Thank you for reading this.