Chasing the morning sun

The rays of the sun drift silently across the sleeping soybeans.  

On Monday morning the dog and I had to walk to several locations to get a look at the sunlight streaming through the clouds.  The angle of the sun at this time of the year puts the morning sun very much to the south which makes getting to the place where you can see it a trick.  We walked up to the turnip green patch and I noticed that the breaks in the clouds and the humidity in the air were creating some visible rays spreading out under the clouds.  We could not see the effect very well because of the trees so we had to hurry down to the soybean field where after climbing through the barbed wire fence we were able to take a photo.  Sometimes you stumble into a good photo and sometimes you have to really look for it.  Most of the time though there is a least one good picture in every walk.   As I turned around to leave the soybean field I noticed that a summer flower common to this area was still blooming.

Latanas have not made a nuisance of themselves, yet. 

 This was the Lantana flower which is very beautiful with multicolored blooms.   The Lantanas are an introduced species that has found a home here in the southeast United States.  Lantanas have not become the invasive species here in the U.S. that they have become in many other parts of the world.  I believe our birds do not like the Lantana seeds.  Also the winters in Grand Bay tend to kill the Lantana to the ground which keeps their spread in check.  Chalk one up for Grand Bay on the invasive species score board.  After struggling with the barbed wire fence again I managed to get on the road and we made our way back home.

Liquid sunshine hangs in the trees.

 I went around to our back yard to check on the oranges.  The Hamlin Louisiana sweet oranges are now turning a bright yellow color due to the last couple of cold snaps we have had.  The oranges are turning yellow very early this year.  Usually they are still showing some green even at Thanksgiving day at the end of November.   I tasted of the juice and it is quite good for this time of the year.  All of the citrus in the Grand Bay area is ripening early this year.   Grand bay is famous for it's Satsumas.  They are a mandarin orange that is easy to peel and is segmented.  Apparently we have the best climate in the country for Satsumas.  They become very sweet and some trees bear as much as 400 pounds of them.   Look for the names Session's farms or Rebel farms in your store's produce section when you buy your fall Satsumas and you will experience the best available.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.