When Summer waves goodbye

This is what the warm side of a cold front looks like.  

On Thursday morning the dog and I jumped in the truck and rode down to the neighbors field to walk.  The weather was very threatening and low.  A weak cold front is attempting to pass through our area but appears to be stalling.  The stalled cold front is infamous here on the Gulf coast as it can create a series of cloudy days that put everyone in a bad mood.  Fortunately these fronts only occur in the fall and spring.  When the waters of the Gulf of Mexico cool during the winter the fronts will for the most part march on past us and proceed into the Gulf.  When the dog and I arrived we walked across the field where we found that the people who turned the grass into hay had left three bales in a secluded area.

The dog inspects the hay bales. 

 These bales are all that is left of the wild flowers in the field.  We continued along the edge of the field where the trail leads into the woods that surround it.

A turtle that escaped my dog's notice.

 In the wooded area I noticed a very nice looking box turtle walking through the leaves.  He was almost invisible as his color matched that of the leaves very closely.  The dog was chasing a trail in the brush and he sensed the turtle was there but I moved him on and he missed it.  He likes turtles a little too much for my taste.  The owner of the field is a real steward and has planted many types of plants in the woods to increase their beauty.

White Confederate rose soon to be red.

 One plant I noticed was the Confederate rose.  This plant is unusual in that the blooms emerge and open solid white and as the day progresses they slowly turn pink then finally deep red.  There are several of these in the wood which are very conspicuous in the otherwise all green and brown color scheme.  After our walk we headed back home and I walked around to the back yard to have a look at the okra.

The okra flower is beautiful.  

 The flowers are very pretty when they open in the early
morning sun.  The red throat of the flowers is so deep that it almost looks artificial.   The okra will likely continue it's production until it tires out or the first frost kills it in a few weeks.  This year has been a very good one for okra and the garden in general.  We have not had many bad storms during the summer and no hurricanes so far.  Rain has been steady and sunny days have been plentiful.   All in all a very good summer gardening season. Much to be thankful for. No time for rest though as our second spring approaches.  Time to put in the collards, turnips, carrots and Brussel sprouts.  Much to do.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

The soybeans are sleeping now

The soybeans have nearly completed their task. 

Wednesday morning the dog and I decided to walk down to the soybean field on the east end of the paved road.   We were joined as we walked through the field by a couple of small dogs that live across the street.  They stay penned in a kennel most of the time so when they get an opportunity to run the neighborhood they seize it.
 The soybeans are very near the harvest stage and I wanted to capture them at this point because it is such a brief period that most people never see it.  The plants themselves have died and the bean pods are hanging limp.
The farmer who planted them will wait till the moisture level in the beans has dropped to a precise level and he will rush in and harvest the field.

Yum! Soy protein.  

 He will even harvest them at night if necessary to get the dried soybeans into a silo.

The miracle has happened again. 

We walked up to my house where I took a quick look at the oranges I have growing in the back yard.  They are hanging green on the tree but I knew from experience that they are nearing the beginning of their harvest time. I cut one open and tasted of the juice and it is now sweet and could very well be used as my morning orange juice.  I will wait though until the first cold snap which will start the color change in the oranges and cause them to crank up sugar production.   I usually start eating them around Thanksgiving.  When I go out on Thanksgiving morning and pick oranges from my back yard to take to our dinner I am very thankful for this miracle that happens for me each year.  Thank you Lord for providing me with oranges.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

To survey the Kingdom we walk

The dog is heading for home and breakfast.

On Tuesday morning the dog and I walked down to the pig farm.   We were walking a little later this morning so the sun was fairly high by the time we arrived.   Along the way I noticed a plant that I had never seen until last year though I had walked by it for years.  It was the Japanese blueberry tree.  This a blueberry that forms a slender tall tree which blooms much later than the domestic blue berry bushes I have in my yard.  Because it blooms much later the berries don't ripen until fall or winter which is why some people call them winter blueberries.

Japanese blueberries don't taste good.

 The berries are not good to eat although they appear the same as the domestic berries.  They have a sandy gritty texture that makes them unpalatable. Last year it bloomed conspicuously and as I said I noticed it for the first time.  

Light shines through Crotalaria pods.

As we moved along I also saw that the Crotalaria is forming its bean like pods which will eventually dry and sound like baby rattles when shaken.  When I was a kid we played with these pods.  We squeezed them when they were green until they popped or we would gather the dried pods and shake them to make noise.

Golden Rod is pretty up close.

 I also stopped to get a good look at the golden rod flowers that were growing along the road side.  They are really pretty up close and are very fragrant.  They also make me sneeze if I stand there sniffing the aroma for too long.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  I hope you have a chance to get out and see your flowers and trees as they prepare for winter.  Bye.

Walking through our ever changing land

This morning the sky looked strange. 

Monday morning the dog and I walked down to the west end of the dirt road.  The temperature was in the high 60's and the humidity was around 70%.   This is the weather everyone around here looks forward to.   The high clouds that greeted the sunrise made for a very surreal sunrise that took a while to occur.  We passed by the pond which recently had nearly dried up but now has been refilled by the heavy rainfall about a week ago.   Until just about a year ago this pond was a swampy woods.

The pond has filled again

Now what was once the woods is laying in the middle of the pond waiting to be burned.  I remember how my heart sank when I saw and heard the bulldozer moving through the woods.  Things change though and we have to change with them or be left behind.

Wood sorrel is popping out of the grass. 

Once we made it to the end and started back I saw a fall and winter plant that is coming up now.  It is wood sorrel.  We always called it clover when I was young but I guess everyone else identifies it as sorrel.   Sorrel is considered edible by some.   It has a very tart peppery taste that some folks like to add to salad. I believe it also has some medicinal value and it just looks good.

The dog has ransom demands.  

 When we arrived home the dog went over by the swing and picked out a few of the balls he has collected and sat there waiting for me to throw one.  He settled on the foot ball which he likes for me to kick field goal style across the yard.  When he retrieves the foot ball he runs back and stands next to me holding the ball hostage till I scratch him a little on his ears then he will turn the ball loose again and let me kick it.   He loves it when someone is scratching or massaging his back.  Well who doesn't?  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

Hi Ho, Hi Ho it's off to work I go

This is when I should be starting my walk instead I am ending it here. 

On Sunday morning the dog and I had to walk long before the sunrise again.  I have to meet my brother early and allow him to enter the building where I will meet him to work after I attend church.  This morning we walked up to the watermelon field which is now full of turnip greens.  the greens have made it to the height of 3 inches now and look very good.  We passed the yard where R.J. the donkey would normally be but he was not there.  I noticed several days ago that a vet was in the yard with R.J. and his owner.  They were doing some work on one of his hooves.   I am hoping that everything is alright with R.J. and I will be checking on him in the next few days.  We arrived home to another spectacular sunrise this morning.  Unfortunately I could not linger and enjoy it.  This additional work will not last forever and soon the dog and I will be able to amble in the morning at our leisure again.   Thanks for reading my blog.  Bye.

Walking in the shadows of predawn

The dog walks through a beautiful sunrise.  

I had to go into work on Saturday very early, thus the dog and I rose well before the sun and drove down to the neighbor's field to walk.   The field was awash in wild flowers the last time I walked in it but now the grasses have been mowed and bailed for construction hay. The field was a dark and ominous desert as we crossed it.  This is the cycle of this hay field though and I know the seeds from the wild flowers for next  year are in the grass and ready to germinate.   I am glad I got some photos of the field before it was taken away.   When we arrived home from our walk the sun was just on the horizon and made for a nice sunrise.  I am not a big fan of walking in the dark, for some reason there is not much to see.  Sorry for the brevity today.  Much work to do.  Thanks for stopping in.  Bye.

Out for a quiet walk in the woods

The sun is rising later each day. 

Friday morning our walk took the dog and I down the trail that leads into the woods behind the unoccupied home.  As we were leaving the yard I noticed the sky was a beautiful crackle pattern of clouds with the blue sky shining in the morning sun.  The banana tree leaf in my photo makes my photo of the morning sky look tropical I think.  As we crossed the field and entered the edge of the woods I noticed a spider and its web I have not seen recently.  I think it is a relative of the yellow spiny backed orb spider I saw on Wednesday of this week.  The spider I saw this morning had a triangular shell that made it appear as though a small face was on the spider's back.

This spider has two faces.  

  It's web was similar to that of the spiny back orb weaver.  If I see the webs of the spiders I meet in the woods I try to avoid them but, they are after all meant to be invisible so I walk through many of them.  Many people around here come into these woods in search of the feral pigs and the deer that roam the woods.  They have placed salt blocks here now I suppose to attract the deer.  Soon they will place a large pig cage on the end of the trail with bait to try and get the pig in the cage.  Their aim is to catch the pig alive and take it home where it will settle down.  I hear that they don't want to kill the pig after chasing it because it damages the meat.

The dog walks ahead on the trail.  

 These woods have been trampled by cows and pigs for years so they are not in the natural state you would normally see.  They look a little sparse due to the browsing of cows, deer and pigs.  They are still very nice to look at and are a very peaceful place for a walk.  Thanks for taking the time to walk with me today.  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.  

Blue skies smiling at me

Blue sky above and open road ahead.  

Wednesday morning the dog and I walked to the watermelon field. To the south and west of us it was cloudy but there was blue sky above our road so all was well.  The weather here in Grand Bay is very nice this time of year but it can fluctuate between very warm and very cool days pretty rapidly which turns some people off but not me.  While the dog was walking around in the field I took a look at the turnip greens which have replaced the watermelons growing there before.

Look closely for turnip greens.

They are about 1.5 inches tall at this point so you can now see them in their rows.  As they grow the workers will thin them out which I am sure is a back breaking job.  Around Thanks Giving and Christmas these turnips will be making really nice greens and in January they should have good sized turnips on them.  They will most likely be purple top turnips.  When we started back to the house I noticed a very pretty example of a spider which we always call a crab spider but is actually called a spiny backed orb weaver spider.

Yellow spiny backed orb weaver. 

 This one is yellow but they show up in several colors around this area.   You can see a similar example of a slightly different color on Orkin's website.   They make an web that has dash on it that make look like highway lane markers. These like the markings on the Golden Orb spider's web are probably used to confuse and steer insects into the web.  Very tricky.  I have been having pain in my feet which is a common occurrence  for me as I walk so much.  Just a word of advice to those who walk and wear dress shoes during the day.  You know the ones , tight leather dress shoes with no cushion at the heel.  Apparently those shoes have been causing me some heel problems which seem to have abated when I substituted more comfortable shoes during my work day.   Just a word to the wise. If your feet hurt change your shoes.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  I hope you are enjoying it.  Bye.

In October fall only comes for a vacation

The road to the pig farm fared well after heavy rains.  

Tuesday morning the weather was fantastic.  The temperature was in the low 50's and it seemed somewhat cool.  I had to keep moving to stay warm.   Don't worry about me though, it will be warming up tomorrow. This morning the dog was ready to run and got out in front during our walk.   We went down to the pig farm and listened for the pigs but did not hear much.  I guess they must have been enjoying the cool morning in bed.   The dirt road as I have noted before has been repaired and for the most part held up very well during our day long deluge on Sunday.   I say for the most part because where the road turns to go to the pig farm the water washed out a section of the road.

3.5 inches of rain did little damage.   

Now all that red dirt is laying at the bottom of the hill in the ditch ready to run into the creek during the next big rain event.  On the way back I noticed the Cogangrass was drooping down with beads of water that were making prisms of light from the rising sun.  The Cogangrass has just about done all the growing it will do this year.  Soon the blades will turn yellow and lay down in a mat when the frost and rain fall on them.  I believe this is a survival trait the grass uses to prevent other grasses and plants from coming up in the spring.

The grass put on some jewelry. 

I noticed this a few years ago and began to harvest the grass clippings to use as mulch in my garden.  It is a superior mulch which won't blow away and it takes a good while to break down.  .  

Okay, but this is the last one.  

The dog found himself a large limb as his take home stick and we tossed it around in the field as we made our way back to the house.  The dog has now created a large pile of sticks next to his house that I am going to need to move to the area behind my home where I keep his souvenirs.  I wish I could train him  to bring home something valuable like gold or silver coins that may be buried on the road.  I guess to him the sticks are as valuable as a coin of any metal.  If sticks were gold coins then money would be falling from trees.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

A cold front warms my heart

The last of Karen's clouds push into Florida. 

Monday morning it was cool enough to put on an extra shirt while out walking.  As I have said before this is the dog's favorite time of the year because he has been  hot all summer long.  He runs around in the yard and picks up his ball to initiate a game of fetch without even being asked.  We walked up to the watermelon field where the owner has planted turnips.  They are only about one half of an inch tall now so it will be a few days before I will be able to photograph them.  We headed back down the road to the area in front of the unoccupied home where I had a nice view of the last of the clouds from our recent brush with tropical weather.  The clouds were being pushed along by the cold front that brought us this nice weather.

Looks like a Cone Flower to me. 

  On the road nearby I spotted a really good looking fall visitor which I think is either Sneeze weed or a some type of yellow Cone flower.  This little flower will eventually carpet this stretch of road if the county's mowers are able to miss it for a month or two.  We traveled home and I walked around to the back yard to take a look at the bananas.

The Bananas are almost there.  

  They made it through the wind from the tropical system very well.  The banana plants themselves become very unsteady at this time of the year as the bunch of bananas and the stalk can approach 10 pounds.  That is a lot of weight to have to support in addition to standing against a windstorm.  I think if I can get them to hang on for another month we may be able to ripen them the remaining amount in the garage.  It is bittersweet when I have to finish up a walk and go in and get ready to go to work on a beautiful day like today.  I would like to stay home and get some things done. But when I am truthful with myself I know I would have wasted the day wandering around with the dog or napping or going somewhere for lunch so I guess it is best that I go to work.  I hope you manage to get something done today.  Thanks for stopping off to read my blog.   Bye.

Here comes the rain again

The colors are muted as the sun rises obscured by clouds.  

On Sunday morning the dog and I went down to the neighbor's field to walk.  There was a tropical system just to the west of our area and we only had a short time to get our walk in before the heavy rain started.  As we crossed the field and we could see the dark clouds beginning to to build on the horizon.   The plants and flowers that were growing in the field were taking advantage of the last few minutes before the heavy rains to try and get some pollination done.  The Golden Rod and False Fox Glove were looking nice in spite of the spotty showers that had already happened.

The flowers do their best to look good.

The weather is predicted to be very fall like next week so I am sure that this field will be awash in flowers when that happens.  Before we had finished our walk we heard the sound of rolling thunder from a distant storm.  I wish everyone could see the reaction this causes in my dog.  He will be enjoying himself while he is jumping and playing, then he will hear the thunder and his tail drops and he immediately begins to head for home, with me if possible, without me if necessary.  Many times I have to call him back so I can try to comfort him or he will run out of control all the way home.  Sunday morning though we had rode to the field in my pickup truck so he ran to the truck and jumped in where he seems to feel safe.  He was wagging his tail and waiting for me to get in and get things moving. Why he feels safe in the bed of the truck is a mystery to me.  We headed home and just as we were arriving the rain started coming down in torrents.   I felt Thankful that I had a nice dry place to go in this kind of weather.  I wish everyone did.  Thanks for reading my blog.  Bye.    

Watch out for Leprechauns

Rainbow and blue sky, nice. 

On Saturday morning the sky was blue when we went out to take our walk.  The dog and I started walking down to the west end of the dirt road to see what has happened to the peanuts.  On our way I saw a small cloud drifting north which had a little moisture falling from it.  There was a nice rainbow dropping down to the ground which in the blue sky seem unusual.  It was a very pretty site to start the morning off with.  We continued on up the road and walked by the pond by the road.  The white egrets and herons are walking around in the mud now as the pond is beginning to dry up.

Egrets eat minnows for breakfast. 

 They are catching the minnows which are trapped in the isolated puddles which makes for an easy breakfast.  A little farther up the road I saw a Fritillary butterfly hanging on a twig waiting for the morning dew to dry from it's wings.

Look close to see the droplets.

 It probably could not fly with that water on it's wings so it let me come fairly close without moving.

As we continued our walk we made it to the peanut patch which has now been prepared for harvest by a machine which flips the peanut plants upside down.  The peanuts will be allowed to dry for a week or so and the machine which shakes the nuts loose from the plants will return to complete the job.

Almost time for peanuts.

 I am hoping that some peanuts will be left when they finish.  I like green peanuts and I also like to roast them in the oven.
As a little update regarding the tropical system I mentioned on Friday, the only evidence we have of it so far is the wind blowing steadily from the southeast.   The storm which is call Karen to the southwest of Grand Bay and is very weak  It may not make it here before being swept away by an approaching cold front.   The month of October is not know for a history of bad storms here in Grand Bay but you just can't take a chance with hurricanes.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

The calm before the storm?

The sun is headed south fast.  

Friday at last.  This morning the dog and I sat on the front porch and  watched the sun come up.  The sun has now moved far enough south that it shines on us as we sit there.  The fact that I am stopping to look at these changes in where the sun is coming up and the changes in the country side in general is a direct result of this blog and I am thankful for that opportunity.  I walked around in the yard and spotted a very small spider web that was fit neatly into one of the squares of the chain link fence that runs down the east side of my property.  The square is only about 2 inches wide and the spider was so small as to be invisible to me.

One of the tiniest webs I have seen. 

  The dew and the rising sun made the web a bit more visible.  We headed up the road to the trail that runs through the old pecan orchard and made our way out into the woods.

Watch out for webs on this trail. 

There were a lot of spider webs hanging across the trail and I probably made some of the spiders mad as I stumbled into them.    This area where the trail runs will stay warm well into the winter and the spiders will still be here till it really gets cold in mid December or early January.   While we were on the trail the dog found another big turtle and immediately started for home.  When we arrived home and he was ready to bring it through the gate he dropped it and it slid under the gate out of his reach.

 Why does this keep happening? 

 I went through the gate and left the dog outside.  Much to the his dismay I picked up his turtle took it to the woods in the back yard and tossed it over the fence.  His diet won't allow him to eat turtles. I walked back around to the gate and let the dog in and he ran to the back yard to get his turtle which of course was not there.  I am telling you that if that dog could speak he would probably be hurling dog curses at me because he keeps losing his turtle after carrying it all the way home.  The weather in this morning was wonderful.  There is a tropical system in the gulf heading north so this may be the last nice morning for a while.  Thanks for reading my blog.  Bye.

Walking through the squirrel buffet

The beautiful trees watch us as we pass.  

Thursday morning.  We are nearly through another week. This is one of those times in my life where it seems as though time is flying by very quickly.   This blog is thankfully helping me to hold on to a little of it though.  This morning the dog and I walked up to the west end of the dirt road.  The scene in the tunnel of trees this morning was majestic as usual.  The subtle light of an October morning creates a wonderful soothing effect on the mind.  As we walked on I began to notice the acorns of the Live Oak trees are beginning to show up on the road.

Big pine cones falling.  

Acorns or squirrel chow. 

  The squirrels are probably knocking them down as they begin to collect them for the winter.  Soon the acorns will fall of their own accord and the ground will be awash in them.  When we turned and headed back home I found a very good example of a green unopened pine cone from a pine tree near where the Yellow Jacket hive was.
  These pine cones weigh about 1.5 pounds and hang 40 to 50 feet up so they can be dangerous if they hit you.  They don't normally fall when they are green.  Once again they are being collected by the squirrels who like to eat them when they are green.  They carry them around in the tall pine trees and occasionally drop them which is why they are on the road now.

Patient puppy. 

  While I looked at the pine cone the dog sat up in the grass with his big stick and waited patiently for me to throw it which I eventually did. This morning's walk is the kind that always makes me want to skip going to work and just spend the day walking around but, people are waiting on me so we had to wrap it up.  Thanks for taking the time this morning to read my blog.  Bye.