Watching for winter's shifting front lines.

Angry clouds rush north to take part in a winter storm. 

On Thursday morning the dog and I took a short walk over into the yard of the unoccupied home down the road.  The dog love to run around in the yard looking for the squirrels and rabbits that play there when no one is looking. The weather on Thursday was very warm and humid with temperatures in the low 70's.  There were clouds rushing north out of the Gulf of Mexico and occasional patches of blue could be seen between them.  When we arrived in the neighbors yard we walked around to check all of the buildings and found everything secure.

"A rose by any other name would
smell as sweet"

I noticed that the rose I wrote about during the summer is still blooming and has two blooms showing now.  They are not the most beautiful blooms but they are very fragrant.

The Blueberries have very red leaves.

Nearby the summer's blueberry bushes are now putting on a show of color.  The leaves are bright red and orange.  The brightness of the color may be due to the recent below freezing weather.

Oxeye Daisy?  I can't be sure. 

As we left the yard and headed home I saw a small wild daisy that shows up at this time of the year. It has very fine petals and to me it resembles a fried egg.  I believe it is a version of the Oxeye daisy family but I have not been able to positively identify it as of yet.  This tiny little daisy puts up with a lot to grow on the bleak roadside in the winter time.  I have seen on the internet that some states consider it a noxious weed due to the fact that is will cause grazing milk cows to give bad tasting milk.  Well I don't feel there is any reason here to eradicate it so I will let it be.

A dozen Grand Bay oranges.

When we arrived home I walked around back and picked a dozen oranges for my coworkers.  The oranges don't look like much off the tree but after they are washed and dried they become the classic "Orange".  They are really tasting good this year and are very juicy as well.  The dog likes them too.  I hope the weather where you are is warm enough that you can get outside for a walk.  The official start of winter is still a couple of weeks away but I have heard on the news that a good deal of the U.S. is experiencing very cold and snowy weather.   If that is your part of the country, throw another log on the fire, get a good book and enjoy.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

Letting my sleeping dog lie

Those clouds can tell the future. Rain.

Sunday morning was very warm compared to the two previous days.  The temperature was in the high 50's and the humidity was very low.  The dog and I tripped up to the Turnip Green field to take a look at things there.  We found the greens bigger than ever.  I would guess most of the plants are approaching 18 inches with some probably 2 feet high.  They are really looking good.  The weather is in a transitional state now.  The clouds are beginning to move in and it appears we will be having some much warmer and wetter weather in the next few days.

The sudden change a few days ago to cold weather has brought with it the colds and sinus problems that always seem to appear at this time of the year. My co-workers and family are experiencing the seasonal illnesses as well.   I will inevitably succumb to the dreaded cold at some point in the future.   I had a cold on Christmas day last year and I hope that doesn't happen again this year.  Once we were home the dog and I rode up to the gas station for coffee.

Come on, just 5 more minutes.

When we arrived back home the dog ate his breakfast, got himself a drink of water and went right to his house where he climbed back into bed.  When the temperatures are cool he will spend a lot of his time in his house sleeping.  I have placed some soft carpet, bedding and a big pillow in there for him to sleep on and I think he likes it.  Who wouldn't?  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

I walked beneath the dreaming clouds

The sky will pose only for a moment.

As the dog and I set out on our walk on Sunday morning the sky was overcast but the blue sky hung close to the horizon all around us.  The morning cloud layers at this time of year tend to be isolated and temporary occurrences.  They result from warm humid air from the Gulf of Mexico to the south interacting with the colder night time air high in the atmosphere.  On Sunday morning that interaction created a pattern that was very nice to behold.   The IPhone as good as it is, was not wide angle enough to provide a view of what the sky really looked like.  I guess I should have used the panorama feature.  I took my sky photo on the edge of the as yet unharvested soybean field and then we walked on down into the woods behind the unoccupied home.

Silence was my companion in the woods. 

 When we arrived at the end of the trail I noticed the dog was not with me and I concluded that he was chewing on  a stick he had found somewhere back up the trail.  The woods were extremely quiet with the exception of a squirrel barking at me.  These woods are home to numerous animals most of which only come out at night.  Our daytime is their night time.  My neighbors have seen deer in this area during the day so I hope one day to see them myself.  I walked back up the trail and found the dog sitting in the high grass waiting for me.  Many times when we walk I will loose track of him and call and call for him and then find him sitting and staring at me in the grass a few feet away.  I believe the dog thinks that if he can see me then I should know where he is so, he doesn't respond.  It can be annoying sometimes.

Nandina is a quiet spectacle. 

We walked on toward home and along the way I spotted a plant that is very pretty this time of year.  It was the shrub called Nandina.  The red berries and pointed leaves of this plant are very popular as a backdrop for gardens here in Grand Bay.  This particular plant has grown up in an unlikely spot under what appears to be an old potting shed once used by the lady who used to live in the unoccupied home.

Golden rods launch their seeds. 

We continued on and found that the once beautiful Golden Rods growing on the roadside have transformed into big fluffy tufts of fur like seed heads.  The wind will blow the seed heads far and wide and the Golden Rod's season will be complete.  The tall wood like stems will remain as a silent reminder through the winter that the Golden Rod was here and will be back after it's winter rest.  I look forward to it's return. Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.  

My debt repayment plan

The clouds are running away from the blue sky behind them.

On Saturday morning the clouds were moving quickly to the south and blue sky could be seen on the western horizon.  The air was very cool and dry with a temperature of 57 degrees.  The dog and I walked up to the east end of the paved road to have a look at things. When we arrived at the end of the road we turned around and were greeted with a very nice looking cloud layer just ahead of the clearing line.  The patterns made the sky look like a painting.
  On the way back to the house I saw an evening primrose blooming quietly on the roadside covered with droplets of dew.   This is one of the last wild flowers still blooming this season.

The four o'clocks are very pink.

Look closely to see the dew droplets.

  When we arrived home the sun had broken through and a beautiful day complete with blue skies and cool temperatures lay ahead. I decided to  walk around to the back yard and have a look at the plants that were still growing there. I have some four o'clocks growing on the side of the house and they are continuing to bloom and make seeds for next years plants. The pink color of the four o'clocks is very intense.

Will my tomatoes make it?

The tomatoes I planted awhile back have really begun producing green tomatoes.  I am not sure if they will make it to harvest though as the first frost is headed our way quickly.

These peppers are pretty hot.

I also have a pepper plant with quite a few peppers on it.  The pepper plants just loaf around all summer then come on strong about this time every year.  I am going to make some hot pepper sauce from these colorful peppers when I get a free moment.

Enough walking. Let's ride.

The dog ran around to the front yard and jumped into the truck ready to take a ride.  On Saturdays and Sundays we ride down the road in the truck to get coffee and danish at the gas station.  My family, friends and acquaintances tell me I have spoiled my dog by walking him everyday and taking him in my truck with me to various places.  I guess you would have had to be there for the past five years to know that my dog has given to me far more than I have given to him.  All my dog asks in return is the opportunity to spend time with me.  What a deal.   Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

The sky is His canvas

THE ARTIST is at work. 

This evening I walked down to the soybean fields.  As I walked the weather began to lower.  There was a large thunder storm forming to the north of the field which was affecting cloud formation to the south.  I was going to take a photo of the soybean field but the clouds were very interesting so I made them the subject of the photo. This evening was filled with clouds lit by the sunset. The colors of orange, yellow and blue really did look like a painting.  I actually took quite a few photos of the sun lit clouds but this was the best one.  The thunderstorm brought cool temperatures and breezes that were very welcome after the heat of the day.  Eventually it began to ran and the storm died out.  At some point later in the year we will look back on these days and wish for a rain storm so I am going to enjoy them while they are here.  Thanks for coming by.  Have a restful night.