Punta Gorda, Florida — Ten days ago this quiet town on the western coast of Florida found itself invaded by a band of modern-day conquistadors, many of them in battle dress with plumed helmets, swords, ornately brocaded tops and black pants or tights.

Never mind that several of the invaders were also wearing sunglasses and some sported bristly white beards. They weren’t acting out some light-hearted piece of modern theater.

No, indeed. They came ashore to re-enact Ponce de Leon’s landing on the shores of Florida on April 3, 1513, some 500 years ago this week.

If I had a way to augment these words with a blaring siren — of the kind ambulances and rescue vehicles use — I’d turn it on and leave it on until our health-care system gets fixed.

If that sounds extreme, you haven’t read the March 4, 2013, issue of Time magazine. And if that’s the case, I urge you to secure a copy and start reading. Once you do, I guarantee your thinking regarding the medical industry will never be the same.

They just don’t make things like they used to.

Cars, clocks, TV sets, light bulbs — pick just about anything, and compared to a few years ago, it’s changed. Example: our granddaughter, Grace, almost 11, knows her way around computers, Kindle readers, iPods, smart phones and all the other tools of contemporary life. You name it, she’s used it, and feels comfortable doing so.

But when she came upon an old, Bell-era, black, pre-touch-tone telephone, she had no idea how to rotate the dial. What seems instinctive to us older folk was baffling to her.

Looking for some books to fill the void of lengthy winter evenings? Some stories that might ease their way into your head and gradually enrich your life?

If you’re willing to have a few platitudes challenged and brave enough to encounter characters who pulse and vibrate and occasionally erupt with life, you might consider spending time with the works of Jim Harrison.