Cloudy days make you live longer

Cloudy days vs. sunny days, which is longer?

Although the weather on Monday morning was cloudy the relatively warm temperature of 57 degrees made the walking easy.  The  humidity was in the high 90s due to a southerly flow of air up from the Gulf of Mexico.   At this time of year the cloudy days can outnumber the sunny days or at least it appears that way.  Sometimes it seems to me that a day which remains overcast will drag on and on whereas a sunny day seems to slip away without notice.  This effect probably has something to do with not being able to see our Sun's position in the sky, or maybe it is just my imagination.

 The dog has been very chipper and healthy lately and has been enjoying his walks a good deal each day.  As I have said before cooler weather agrees with him.

Harvesting of the Turnip Greens
continues at a steady pace. 

We headed out and walked halfway up the paved road and stopped at the Turnip Green field.  The greens there are magnificent this year.  I am a garden oriented person and looking at these beautiful plants doing so well really inspires me to work in my own garden.

In this unharvested corner of the field the plants are
thriving in the cool fall weather. 

The plants are so big now that the dog almost disappears when he walks down the rows.  We turned and headed back toward our home and along the way noticed that the new home in the pecan orchard is close to being dried in.

The basic structure of the new home
is now recognizable.  That was quick.

I stopped and talked to the homeowner who was running some temporary plumbing from the new water well.   He too was struck with how fast the project was moving now that it has begun.   He told me he had a 90 foot water well drilled with a submersible pump installed at the bottom.  He felt that this would be more dependable than the surface installed jet pumps most homes use in this area.  I also received some information from the owner of the pecan orchard that the corner lot which had sold is now for sale again.  I have always like the corner and though I don't know how I could swing it, I would like to purchase it.  Miracles can happen.  I will put it on my pray list.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

Finding sunshine on a cloudy day

The Live Oaks appear to be a frozen wave crashing down. 

On Wednesday morning when the dog and I walked out of the yard we were surrounded by mist and fog.  The temperature was a balmy 70 degrees and the humidity was 100 percent.   It may not have been raining but it was just as wet.  We walked toward the west end of the dirt road stopping on the way to look at the interesting way that the trees have grown over the road.  The growth of the trees there curls toward the ground and  made it look  as though a frozen green wave was crashing down onto the road.  Sometimes I have seen the full moon coming up and passing through the round opening created by the trees.  The illusion of the huge moon at the horizon created a startling bullseye effect that made the hair stand up on my neck the first night I saw it.

The new home is progressing
very quickly. 

 As we walked on I saw that the new home being constructed in the pecan orchard has progressed dramatically since Tuesday.  The walls are now up and the rafters are on the ground waiting to be lifted into place.  At this rate the house should be dried in by weeks end. The dog led the way and meandered along the road until we reached the west end where he found a rotten tree limb.  He decided to sit and chew on it for a while so I decided to take a break as well.

Yellow maple leaves stand out
even on a cloudy day. 

While he chewed on his tree limb I took a look at the southern maple trees in the woods whose leaves were turning bright yellow.  They really stand out in the woods at this time of the year and especially on a cloudy day.  I might not have seen them if the sun had been shining as their bright colors would most likely have been lost in the dappled sun coming through the tree tops.

The two trunks and green moss create a strange but
beautiful Live Oak tree. 

Nearby I stumbled up against a massive Live Oak tree that had an unusual trunk.   The trunk was single up to about 10 feet above the ground then it split into two separate trees.  The trunk was also covered with a green moss consisting of shiny hairs that hang down.  I have noticed that this moss is on a lot of the trees in the area.  It most likely prefers these shady tree covered areas to grow.  As the dog and I headed home I thought it was nice to have the opportunity to walk in almost shirt sleeve weather in December.  The cold weather will eventually return as it always does but on this Wednesday morning the dog and I enjoyed another interesting walk in this strange and wonderful place known as Grand Bay Alabama.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye

Calm weather and wild greens

A few small clouds in the distance are all that the sky had to offer. 

Tuesday morning the dog and I walked in very  quiet and comfortable weather down to the Pig Farm.  The temperature was 64 degrees and the humidity was 90 percent.  The weather is warming quickly in anticipation of the passing of our weekly front which will probably lower temperatures into the 40's or 50's during the day again in a day or two.   The sky was blue though and things looked good for the morning walk, so on we went.

Camphor berries are falling in large
amounts onto the dirt road. A small
Camphor bush is in the background.

On our trip down I saw that the Camphor trees are making some shiny black berries which are falling onto the road in great numbers.  The Camphor tree is an introduced species, I believe from asia ,which is spreading through the forest in Grand Bay and the south much like the Popcorn tree or Chinese Tallow.

We also saw that construction of the new home in the pecan orchard has begun in earnest now.  The foundation crew completed the pouring of concrete on monday and the carpenters are now working on putting up the walls.  The speed at which the construction is moving now is breathtaking.

The wild greens may be attractive
to the wildlife in the area.

When we arrived at the end of the road we stopped to look at the wild greens that are growing there.  They appear to be some kind of wild mustard which reseeds itself each year.   These plants can grow pretty big by spring time.  They also produce a strong smell when bruised which is what attracted me to them.  It appears the animals coming out of the woods are either walking on them or eating them as they come onto the road.   I am watching closely for tracks on the dirt road so I can identify what is passing by this spot.

Natures Christmas trees.

As we left the farm to head back home I saw our summer friend the golden rod looking very nice in it's fall apparel.  The fluffy seed pods on the tops of the plant make them look like several small white Christmas trees clumped together.

I hope everyone is getting to enjoy the slow but sure transition of the seasons the way we here in Grand Bay have been.   It has taken me a lot of years to learn what is important.  Living life is not the house you live in or the car you drive or what you do for your living.  Living life is walking through this world and enjoy God's creation the way he meant for us to enjoy it.  We need to see, hear, touch, taste and smell the real world  then and only then will we be able to find our place in it.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

Too wet to plow

Cold north wind at our backs we walked on down to the Pig Farm.

On Tuesday the dog and I walked down to the Pig Farm.  Earlier in morning around 5 am the temperature had dropped from 65 degrees to 45 degrees in one hour as a cold front made it's way through our area.  The gray clouds were sweeping to the south now and the wind was blowing hard from the north making it feel very chilly.  1.5 inches of rain fell in the early hours causing a deluge in the local drainage ditches and woods.

I feel sorry for the guys
Working here. 

I was pretty sure the rain made a mess of the plumbing construction going on in the foundation of the new house being constructed in the pecan orchard.   The red clay that the contractors use to make up the foundations of  new houses can turn to a sticky goo that stains everything red when it is wet. Makes me glad I am not a plumber or foundation man.

Oh well, another year, another road washes away.

We continued down the road toward the farm and I noticed the work done on the road earlier this year by the county is slowly but surely being washed down the hill to the little creek  that runs under the road near the farm. Why should this road repair be any different from all the others before it?
.

What is the difference between a
Creek and a stream?

Upon arriving at the end of the road I entered the woods and walked up the stream a little way to have a look at how high the water had risen.   There was  a gentle flow of about 2 inches flowing steadily by not really in any kind of hurry.  All the leaves that had fallen here before have now washed farther on down stream to places where they pile up and wait for an even bigger deluge to occur.

The rain was dripping loudly onto
the magnolia leaves.

 The woods were soaking wet but no water was standing except in the big magnolia leaves that cover the ground.  These woods are perfect sponges for all but the heaviest of downpours and any runoff not absorbed will run down hill into the stream.  While I was looking around in the woods and along the stream the dog found himself a telephone pole sized rotten log that he chewed a big dent into.

My dog's name should be termite.

 I left the woods and headed for the house and found that the dog had not followed.  I walked back down to the woods and found him still chewing on his log.  He barked pitifully when I called to him that he needed to come with me.  He did not want to leave such a great prize there for some other animal to steal.  After realizing that it was just to big to carry he reluctantly gave up and came out of the woods and started back to the house with me.   Most of the time he is a good sport about leaving sticks behind and immediately finds something more portable to have me throw along the way and then carry on home to his collection.  I haven't told him yet but, we are going to burn his stick collection during the Thanksgiving holiday when it is supposed to be fairly cool.  He likes to chase the sparks that jump up from the fire at night so maybe that will make him feel a little better.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Stay warm.  Bye.

Here comes the neighborhood

Nice morning for ambling on an empty dirt road. 

Thursday morning the dog and I walked down to the west end of the dirt road.  The weather is slowly but surely returning to a more summer time character.  The humidity is rising as a result of the southerly winds blowing warm moisture up out of the Gulf of Mexico.  The temperature was in the mid 70's which made our walk fairly comfortable.

Day 2 of  new home construction.

 We saw that the dirt work has begun on a new home under construction in the pecan orchard.  I guess the people who live there will not want me walking across the field anymore but you never can tell about that.

I can't find this one anywhere.

I spotted a nice big fungus of a type I was not able to identify.  It looks as though it should be fairly common but I could see nothing on any of the websites I normally use.  It is strange in that it doesn't have any gills on the underside but is instead smooth both top and bottom.  If you know what it is you can enlighten us all in the comments section.

This should last me a couple of days.

  I also managed to get some jars of pickled okra put up this morning before our walk.  I have been putting this off for a few days now but I had to get it done.  Now I will just wait a week or two and see if I will be having nice crunchy okra all winter or if I flubbed it up which, has happened before.   Well time to go to work.   Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.