Green green grass of home

A sunset so beautiful even the dog stops to watch. 

This evening the dog and I drove over to my Mom's home to take her some purple hull peas I had shelled out last night.  When we left my Mom's house we drove down to a grass farm that surrounds a trailer park I lived in about 12 years ago.  I lived in that park for 8 years and walked the grassy fields every morning and evening.  I had another dog then.  His name was Bubba.  I walked hundreds of miles with Bubba round and round the fields.  He loved the grass fields so much he just could not wait to go walking in them.  Everyone laughed when I told them my dog's name was Bubba but every one remembers him and his antics.   He and I became a fixture on the farm and pretty much were given the run of the fields and irrigation ponds by the owner who became my friend.  It was a wonderful and peaceful time in my life I will never forget.  The dog and I took a walk around the fields as the sun went down but it was not quite the same.  Too much time has passed and the place is different now.  I guess what they say is true.  You really can't go home again.    But after thinking about it for a minute I remembered that they also say that home is where your heart is.  So the dog and I jumped in the truck and hurried down to the little patch of ground where my heart is in  Grand Bay, Alabama.   This evening at least I was able to really go home again.  Thank you for coming by.  Have a good evening.

Peanut patch as promised

The human eye reacts well to green and blue. 

This morning the dog and I walked out into the peanut field and took a quick photo just in case anyone may not have seen what peanuts look like when they are growing.  The peanuts are actually little sprouts or roots that grow from the side of the plant and then turn down into the soil.  A peanut will form just below the surface of the soil where the sprout goes into the ground.  Once the peanuts are mature a machine will scoop them up and flip the entire plant upside down.  This will expose the peanuts which are still in the shell to the air.  After a few days of drying another machine will come along and shake the peanuts free from the plant and suck them up into a hopper.  The dried plants will be picked up later and used for feed or fuel.  Peanut harvesting time is very dusty and plays havoc with some people's allergies.  If you look closely way down past the end of the rows in the distance you will see a silo used to hold grain for a dairy farm that used to operate there.  The buildings and the silo are made of terracotta tile and are still very attractive even though they are in disrepair.  It is a dream of mine to see that dairy farm come back to life one day.  A man can dream. A man can dream.  Thanks for visiting today.  I hope it is a great day for you.  Bye

When Moccasins aren't shoes

Very young water moccasin. 

As the dog and I walked out into the cool evening I wondered what we would see today.  As is usually the case when I think there is nothing left to see during our walks something literally jumps out at me.  Today we walked down to the east end of the paved road to have a look at what might be there in the culvert.   We saw several things there and I photographed a couple of them as possible subjects.  As we walked back I noticed something familiar on the road. I had mistaken it for a stick several times before but this time I knew what it was.  I grabbed the dog by the collar because I knew what his reaction would be.  It was the ever present water moccasin crossing the road.  This one was a juvenile and was approximately 1 foot long.  It was copper and bronze colored now but it will change to a dull black as it grows when the patterns will nearly disappear.  The snake was very angry that we had come near to it and jumped at me and the dog.  The dog would have loved to have had it out with it as he has a burning hatred for snakes.  I am not sure why that is because he was bitten about three years back and had to go to the emergency vet on a Saturday night due to swelling.  As I have said in a another post the dog has been bitten several times by snakes but only once was the bite bad enough to go to the vet.   The little snake we were looking at as I said was very angry and moved into the grass on the side of the road.  There it took up the classic head up and mouth open pose which gives this snake the nick name cotton mouth moccasin.  I wanted to get a photo of the "Cotton Mouth" but it moved into the brush too quickly for me so I only have a photo of it rearing up.     When they are larger they will coil and spring and you really have to steer clear of them.  Many people here don't avoid them though and instead just shoot them or hack them with a shovel.  No telling how many big rats and mice we are trying to get out of our houses that those dead moccasins might have taken care of.   Well, thanks for coming by.  I hope I didn't give you the creeps.  Bye.