Warming up to winter

The sun is so far south now that the road is in the shadow of 
the trees till nearly 900 am.

On Sunday morning the dog and had a very cold start to our walk.  The wind was blowing hard from the northeast and the sky was a clear blue with a few fast moving cirrus clouds floating by.  The temperature was cold for me at 40 degrees with humidity in the 50 or 60 percent range.  When the wind blows from the north east after a front moves through we pretty much know it will not be long before the weather begins to warm up and become cloudy again.   We walked through the yard of the unoccupied home and saw a very pink Camellia growing there.

Alabama's state flower, the Camellia. 

 The Camellia is very popular here on the gulf coast because it blooms in cold weather when just about everything else is dead.  It is an evergreen so it's leaves stay on all through the year.

The trail to the woods is no longer in 
green grass since the frost.

We walked on down the trail through the grass to the opening that leads to the trail in the woods. I stopped to look at the beautiful view of the big blue sky spreading out over what was once the Soybean field. 

Such a beautiful morning should not be wasted inside.

The crisp clear air and bright sunshine make the available colors extremely bright and give the scene a life of it's own. 

We continued into the woods and saw that one Golden Orb spider is still hanging high above the trail even after several cold snaps.

The woods are quiet,
except for the wind.

These spiders may very well make it through the winter down there in the woods but as of yet I have not seen evidence that they do.  I have often wondered about whether or not there is any great difference in the air temperature in the deep woods as compared with the open areas where we humans live.  In my mind I it seems it would be warmer in the woods with all of the decomposing material on the forest floor.   Sounds like a job for the scientific method.  I will let you know how it goes.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  I hope it is as pretty where you are as it is here. If not, just wait, it soon will be.  Bye.

Come and buy food without money

Nice day for a walk, a little cloudy though. 

On Saturday morning the dog and I walked up to the west end of the dirt road.   Another cold front was approaching so the weather was fairly warm and cloudy.  The temperature was steady in the mid 60's.    The humidity was high at 84 percent.  On Saturdays the dog and I usually go to the gas station in my old truck for coffee.  I have a feeling the dog counts the days and knows when Saturday has arrived.  His rides in the truck give him a chance to see his enemy the squirrel in several different places along the way and the dog has a chance to give them a good barking at.  Anyway he always seems happier on our Saturday morning walks.

The first Dandelion of fall looks very healthy.

 We continued up to the end of the road where I spotted the first of this fall's Dandelion crop.  I checked out the Dandelions on eattheweeds.com and found that many parts of the Dandelion can be eaten or used in some fashion.  It can be used as greens either cooked or in a salad. You can eat the roots by boiling them.  You could also fry the blooms which is something I have never heard of.

A little sunshine on a cloudy day.

I read that the blooms can be used to make tea and the roots can be baked and ground up to make a coffee extender.  I also saw that the sap makes a good glue substitute.  I guess this plant has been in close proximity to humans for thousands of years and we have learned very well how to exploit it.  Too bad no one uses it nowadays.   There are probably people somewhere who are hungry and have these plants growing like crazy in their yard and never even realize that with a little bacon and a pot of water they could have a gourmet meal.

A large Sycamore leaf and the tree
it rode in on. 

 As we walked back to the house I picked up a very large leaf that had fallen from a Sycamore tree along the roadside.  The leaves of these Sycamores can be huge.  The one I found was nearly one foot wide.   I suppose the larger the leaf is the fewer leaves the tree needs.  If you have a sycamore in your yard you probably don't need a rake.   You just walk around and pick up a few leaves each day until they stop falling.  What a deal.  I imagine there are Sycamore owners out there who would argue with me about this though.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye

We're nutty about pecans

The dog was making shadow puppets on the road. 

Friday morning the air was cool in the mid 50's with nice mostly clear skies.  The dog and I walked up to the Turnip green field to have a look at their progress.  When we arrived we found the greens are now enormous. They are so green they hurt your eyes to look at.  More are being harvested as this is the time of the year everyone likes to have greens for supper.

One more sunny day for these greens.

People here say that greens are not good to eat until they have had a frost fall on them so I guess they should be ready now.   I love fried greens with hot buttered cornbread and butter beans.
We crossed the street to walk on the dirt road beside a former watermelon field. There are some pecan trees along the road and only one of them has produced any pecans.

A good looking example of  a pecan.

 I had to crack open a good many pecans before I could find a good one.  I think these trees have suffered from the fungus that made most of the pecan trees in this area loose their leaves and nuts earlier this year.

The dog always pays attention to me when I have pecans.

Once the dog heard me cracking  and eating the pecans he came running.  He really likes eating them and he will sometimes crack them himself although he much prefers that I do it because then he doesn't have to eat any of the shells which are bitter.  I really like freshly shelled pecans in blueberry muffins. They are really good to warm you up on a cold morning or evening.    I wonder if I have any of that Martha White muffin mix at home.   Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

The weather is here, wish you were fine

I followed the dog sleepily up the dirt road on Thursday.

Thursday morning was another of those morning where I had to get going early so I could make it to Slidell Louisiana by 900 am.   Slidell is just out side of New Orleans which is about 2 hours from Grand Bay.  The dog headed on down the dirt road to the west while I enjoyed the mild temperatures in the high 60's with humidity in the mid 80's.    The cloudy weather lately has been the result of low pressure areas in the Gulf of Mexico being picked up and moved through our area and then on up into the northeast.  This pattern will probably hold steady till the cold weather settles in up there in the mid west.  The lack of warm air up in the mid west will allow strong cold fronts to sweep through the area bringing cold weather and very clear and dry weather every few days.  I do not really look forward to that because it makes walking in the morning a chore. Oh well.  We walked on till we arrived at the newly cleared lot and stopped for a moment.  We then turned around and started for home.

I guess they look a little like popcorn.

Once we were home I walked into the back yard and saw the Pop corn tree is beginning to live up to it's name.  The seed bundles are looking a lot like popcorn now and some trees are so covered with them they appear white.

A little frost goes a long way with bananas.

 I also took a look at the banana trees which were pretty much wiped out by the last frost we had.  They are not dead but they won't do much more growing this year.  All the banana trees with unripe fruit will need to be taken down as they will not grow any more new leaves.  I repeat the Thanksgiving holiday ritual of cutting down the "Nanner trees" every year.

Everything but the dogs house and
water pan was brought here by the
Dog.  He's a hoarder. 

I also will be cleaning up my dogs collection of sticks and toys.  He has been bringing home very large sticks lately and they are really cluttering up the area around his house.   It looks like the Beverly Hillbillies live there.

 At this time of year I have a large number of projects that need to be accomplished such as the dog's sticks so I don't usually get to do much relaxing on the Thanksgiving holiday.   I have to make hay while the sun is shining as they say.  Thanks for coming by today.  Bye.

This is where the wild things are

The morning was very cool and dry.

On Wednesday morning the dog decided we would walk down to the Pig Farm.   The morning was beautiful with temperatures in the mid 40's and low humidity.  When we arrived at the farm I noticed that some type of animal has made an opening in the dead and dying Kudzu and Air potato plants.

Wild animals live in there, I think.

 I walked over and poked my head in the openings to have a look.  It was difficult for me to discern what had been walking around there in the area under the canopy created by the dead vines.  The ground has been trampled and all of the green plants have been eaten up to about 3 feet off the ground.

The floor of the forest has been trampled

 I would say that a family of pigs is most likely living here at some point during the day or night. The farm is at the end of the road and it is very dark and quiet there at night.  The pigs are probably enjoying this quiet little enclosure before venturing out in the early morning hours to forage.

The Air Potato is sort of ugly.

 I saw a couple of the Air Potatoes hanging on the  Air Potato vine nearby so the pigs maybe eating those where they can reach them.  I would like to go and spend the night in the woods one weekend and see exactly what is that is moving around down there.

 We walked back up to the house and I went around to my sad looking garden.  All the vegetables are gone now and I have almost decided that I am not going to plant a winter garden this year.  If I skip it this year it will be the first time in nearly ten years I have not had a garden growing in my yard.  I want to let the ground lay fallow for a while then I may put in some organic material for next year.

the squash beetle is clashing.

 I saw a squash beetle walking around on a volunteer Cosmos flower that was looking very orange.  The beetle is probably a late arrival that emerged from the ground recently.  It will be surprised when the next cold snap hits in a few days

The tomatoes are nearly ready. 

.
 I also have some nice cherry tomatoes growing now.  If the temperatures stay warm they should get far enough along that I can take them off and bring them in to ripen the rest of the way.  The dog likes them ripe or green so they wont go to waste.  Thanks for reading my blog today.   Bye.

Yes we have some bananas, We have some bananas today.

The sky is so blue it hurts your eyes. 

Tuesday morning the dog and I walked out into a beautiful morning.  The temperature was in the low 60's and the humidity was around 80 percent.    High up in the blue sky the cirrus clouds were rushing past once again adding their dynamic character to an otherwise clear sky.   We headed to the west end of the dirt road to survey our domain and visit with the local residents.   I have enjoyed my walks so much more since the weather has gotten cooler.  Although it has only been cold in the morning a couple of times so far this fall, I know that the weather is fickle and change is likely in our future.

The Smilax berries are pretty.

As we walked I found that the Smilax Sarsaparilla has produced it's orange berries in a small bunch along it's vine.  The Smilax is a plant which produces a root structure that looks similar to a ginger root only larger.  The root is very aromatic and can be eaten when it is small though I don't know why you would want to. The tips of the Smilax springtime vines can be clipped and cooked as wild asparagus.   Consult eattheweeds.com for a description of the plant as it is easily confused with virginia creeper which is poisonous.

First green, then yellow, then brown, then delicious.

When we arrived home I walked into the garage and snapped a photo of a bunch of bananas that I cut down on Monday evening.   I hung them in the garage to allow them to ripen slowly.   I have done this before and the bananas were spectacular.  I am hoping to repeat those results again this year.   I will document their change until they are ripe so we will have a record of the time required for them to reach ripeness.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

We're Rainy Day people

"Rainy day people all know there's no sorrow they can't rise above".

Monday morning the dog and I walked out into rainy and drizzly weather.  The temperature was in the 60's and the humidity was obviously 100 percent.   I decided to walk down into the woods behind the unoccupied home.  The dog was loving the wet conditions and ran on ahead into the woods.  I find rainy days in the woods ,when there is no wind ,  particularly peaceful and quiet.   The constant white noise of the rain on the leaves of the trees seems to muffle all other sounds in the woods.  We were out fairly early and the cloudiness and lack of sunlight made to woods very dark.   I had to go to work to a little early so we shortened our walk and headed for home.

I have seen him find a stick like this over a thousand times.

Of course the dog found his souvenir stick which he wanted to play with  as soon as he found it but I had to discourage this due my tight schedule.  I have read in the past that a very intelligent dog may require at least a couple of hours per day of walking, playing and interaction to keep him from being bored or frustrated.  That is the reason I get up each morning and go out into the rain and sometimes ugly weather to walk and play with the dog.   It  helps with my own mental and physical health as well.  Routine is good.   Thanks for coming by today.  Stay dry.  Bye.

When the temperature comes down and the Fire ants come up

When fire ants ruled the world, oh yeah I forgot, that's now. 

Sunday morning I stepped out into a day which simply could not make up it's mind about the weather.  It was cloudy and damp but not raining. The dog and I walked through the front gate and turned to the east on the paved road.  Not far along in our walk we came upon the scourge of Grand Bay.  Fire Ants.  At this time of year they build mounds high above the surrounding ground in sunny places to try and keep their larvae warm.   You have to be really careful when you are near these mounds so as not to disturb them.  When disturbed thousands of ants will disgorge from the nest running in all directions biting anything they consider intruders.  There is no getting rid of these ants you can only move them out of an area for a while.  There are so many nests in the fields and woods and under the earth that we have simply come to terms with them and leave them be.  The dog knows them well and I only need say "Ants!" to him and he immediately begins to look for them on the ground.

Squirrel nests look like trash in the top of a tree.

We walked on up the road where I spotted a squirrel's winter nest in a Sycamore tree on the side of the road.  The nests look like piles of leaves caught in the tops of trees and become conspicuous when the leaves fall from the trees.

Zig-Zag can't be bothered.

Further along the road we saw Zig-Zag the lonely bull munching quietly under the trees in his field.  He took only a minute or two to look at the dog and I as we walked by then he returned to his grass.  Zig-Zag was only a calf when he arrived but now he has reached adulthood and is a formidable bull.  Except for an emergency I would never enter his field.

 My dog the naturalist. 

As we returned to the house the dog found a turtle again.  This turtle was pretty small.  It was also a different species from the box turtles I normally find here.   After I retrieved the turtle from the dog I noticed it shell was rounded at the sides and did not flip up like the turtles the dog has found in the past.  Sometimes I think my dog may want to be famous for finding a new turtle species in Grand Bay.  A dog can dream, A dog can dream.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

A mist opportunity

Visibility is limited to about a quarter of a mile on misty days like this.

Saturday morning the dog and I walked up to the west end of the dirt road.   The weather was lowering and misty.   I felt the the temperature was quite comfortable at around 65 degrees.  The mist gave the day a peaceful start as no wind was blowing.  The dog was pouting because the temperature has risen back to the where it seems hot to him.  I had to coax him out of the yard and down the road.  Grand Bay receives around 69 inches of rain per year and walking in the rain is something you just have to get used to.  When it is a misty day like Saturday was you have to put on a rain coat or take an umbrella or just get wet and bear it.  I did the latter of the three.

The Camphor leaves hold lots of water.

  It is a good idea to stay on the road during this type of weather as the bushes are dripping wet and will soak your clothing even if it isn't raining.  We made it to the end of the road and turned to head home when I found something trying to hide in the pine straw.

Grand Daddy spiders hide well so look
close if you want to see it.

 It was a daddy long legs or Grand Daddy spider.  They come out at this time of year which seems strange to me because the weather is getting cold.  These spiders can get some pretty long legs but they weigh almost nothing.  You can pick them up and hold them in your hand and they don't seem to care.  I have noticed that they can produce a sweet smell which is probably designed to make them distasteful to predators.  I believe this time of year may be a mating season for the spiders because they sometimes congregate in groups of 5 to 10.   I have played with the Grand Daddy spider all my life and never had a bad experience with them.  They like many of the bugs, animals and plants of the fields and woods became our entertainment on the seemingly never ending days of our youth.  Thanks for stopping in to read my blog.  Bye.

When it comes to weather, boring is good

I know it looks somber but at least it is not cold.

The dog and I walked down to the Pig Farm on Friday morning.  The weather was overcast with mild temperatures in the upper 60's.  When we arrived at the farm I noticed that the building looked particularly austere in the drab light of this gray morning.  The once green grass field in front of the buildings has been transformed by the frost and is now a golden yellow color.

The Pig Farm's golden field. 

  The frosts we have in Grand Bay seem to cause more damage than they do in the rest of Mobile county.  Numerous people I have talked to in Grand Bay agree with me that we most likely live in a micro climate situation.  The micro climate may be the result of our location between the Mobile Bay, the Grand Bay and the Gulf of Mexico as well as our relative high elevation (100+ feet) in close proximity to the see level areas around us.   At any rate in the 13 years I have been here it has often been much colder, hotter, drier and rainier than the surrounding towns of Mobile county.

The dog decided to take the foot ball
on the road. 

After looking at the farm for a few minute I turned to go and found the dog standing in front of me with his foot ball ready for me to throw it.  Sometimes he likes to take his toys on the road with him and play with them along the way.  We walked back home through the pecan orchard where the foundation of the new home there is now under construction.

How can so little water get me so wet?

The cogangrass in the orchard is coming back up after being cut a while back.   The grass blades are capable of holding on to large drops of  dew and rain water which can soak your clothing and shoes from the knees down.  I prefer to walk on the road but the dog loves the cool wet grass.

 It appears we have now arrived at the time of the year when fronts will pass through on an approximately weekly basis.  The fronts will cause the weather to rotate through several stages over the 7 to 10 day period going from  clear breezy cool and dry days to warmer and very humid cloudy days followed by the passage of rain storms with their cold rainy days.  Then everything starts over.  Boring and repetitive yes but, let us hope and pray that the pattern holds steady until spring.  Any large variations can turn this place into a desert or a flood plain.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Bye.

Fall's first frost

The colors of fall are showing up here and there now. 

Thursday morning the temperature was moderate and bearable at 37 degrees.  The wind which was howling on Wednesday had calmed at last.  The dog and I set out to walk up to the east end of the paved road.  The sky was very blue and clear with just a few of the high cirrus clouds that had been so prevalent on Wednesday.

Our first frost was a light one. 

Frost on this leaf was melting as I watched. 

As we walked by my neighbor's fields I noticed that frost had formed during the night. This is the much anticipated first frost that will kick off our cold season.    I like to take a close look at the ice crystals formed by the frost on the plants along the road side. The patterns the ice sometimes forms can be fascinating.   We continued on until we were near the end of the road where the dog stopped. He did not want to go any further as he is still scared of the electric fence.   The surrounding country side on this end of the road is very pretty as it takes on the colors of fall.  I noticed also that the birds are filling the brush along the road sides taking advantage of the bounty of wild flower seeds they are finding there.   I saw quite a few finches and wrens as well as a few cardinals on the fence lines.  As we turned and headed back I decided to stop and take a look at the Soybean field.

The soybean field is empty now,
with the exception of the dog.

  The owner of the field has harvested his crop in the last few days and nothing remains of the beans but plant stalks and bean shells.  I am not sure if there are any animals that will be scavenging the lost soybeans that are laying on various parts of the field.  It seems that surely there would be something that would want to use all that protein.  I personally have never seen any birds or animals looking for the lost beans in the harvested soybean fields.  That is have not seen them at any time I was walking by during daylight.   Maybe they come at night or maybe they know something about soybeans that we don't .   We left the field and walked on toward the house and as we passed the field where we saw the frost earlier I noticed that  the frost was gone.  Frost is very fleeting.  You have to observe it while it is there because if you turn your back for a moment it will be gone.  There's a lesson in there somewhere I think.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Get out and enjoy the sun if you can.  Bye.    

Low speed walk under high speed clouds

It looks normal but it was windy and cold.   

Wednesday morning I walked out of my door and 34 degree air slapped me in the face.  I have not experienced air this cold in nearly 9 months.  The dog was ready for anything though now that nature's air conditioner was running full blast.  We started walking up to the west end of the dirt road fighting a a cold north wind along the way.

The high clouds were
on their way to somewhere.

As we went  I could not help but be in awe of the beautiful cloud patterns that were drifting over head.  The very high cirrus clouds were being swept along to the east by the wind at amazing speeds. To me it appeared as though the clouds were being stretched out over vast distances by the wind.  It was striking against such a blue sky.  When the cold air arrives it causes me to loose my easy going gait.  I have a tendency to walk quicker and I feel like I just want to get the walk over with.  Fortunately the dog is there to slow me down and he helps me to stop and notice things I might otherwise miss.

Spider or Catipillar ?
You make the call.

 Today when I stopped to play tug with a stick he was chewing on I noticed a leaf rolling insect has made a cocoon from a bent oak leaf.  I could not tell if this was a spider or a Caterpillar so it could be either one.

The fungus is having breakfast. 

 We moved along and came to the end of the road where I spotted more of those bracket fungi.  These were on a very rotten standing tree that is about ready to fall. There were also some very nice looking red lichens growing on the wood.   Good old fungus.  What would we do with out it?  I'll tell you what we would do, we would be up to our eyeballs in dead trees.  The fungus breaks the dead trunks down into particles that other creatures can consume and break down even further until the nutrients can be used by the tree roots to make more trees.  The woods are the ultimate recycling center.  Nothing is wasted.  Thanks for reading my blog today.  Stay warm.  Bye.

The Ice Man Cometh

The "COLD FRONT" even looks cold.

Tuesday morning the weather was warm but the cold front that will drop our temperatures drastically could be seen in the distance.  The clearing line is just to the north of Mobile county and the dome of cold air is hard on it's heels.  Tomorrow's blog will probably be about how cold the morning is. The dog and I walked up to the turnip green field to see how things are going.  Along the way I saw an Evening primrose blooming probably for the last time this year.

The last photo of primrose?

 

We arrived at the turnip green field and found several rows of green now harvested.  I intend to get some of these from the owner soon and have them for supper. We headed back down to the house and the dog wanted to go on further so we walked east on the paved road heading toward the soybean field.

At the gate the dog says
"Nothing to declare".

The dog went into the brush along the side of the road and found another turtle.
He turned quickly and ran back to the house and was waiting with his prize at the gate.  He went inside the gate and spent about 5 minutes walking around trying to prevent me from taking his turtle.  Eventually after much growling and snapping I retrieved it from him and threw it into the woods.  I have the feeling that the same turtle is being caught by the dog each time.   I have formulated a plan to mark the next one to see if it gets caught again.  This may just be natures way of getting rid of dumb turtles.

The last photo of bananas?

 I stopped in the back yard to get what may be my last photo of the banana trees this year.  They don't suffer freezing weather very well.   I have waited nearly two years for the stalk of bananas to grow and I do not want to loose them so I will be watching the temperatures tonight. Light a fire and stay warm.  Thanks for reading my blog today. Bye

To those who much is given, much will be required

The trees growing straight up seems strange but it's  really OK.

On Monday morning I thought that the dog and I should walk on down to the Pig Farm.  The temperature was beginning to warm up in advance of a cold front that may very well push temperatures down into the 30's.   I would guess that the temperature was a comfortable 65 degrees this morning.   The sky was very blue and the trees lined up on the left side of the road as we ambled slowly along.  The power company has paid a contractor to cut the trees a very consistent distance away from the power lines running on the right side of the road.  The tree trimming creates what looks like a wall of trees on that side of the road. .
  I am glad that they are doing this as it cuts down on power outages from minor storms due to tree limbs falling on the lines. In major storms nothing short of burying the wires will prevent power outages.

Iron weed, the name doesn't fit this pretty flower.

  As we walked I snapped a photo of the Iron weed plant still blooming nicely.  The purple color was very strong in the morning sunlight.   I think I am becoming weary of working everyday of the week now.  The extra hour added to my day as a result of my not observing the time change may be catching up as well.  Fortunately I will soon finish my office work and my days will go back to normal.  I am looking forward to the holidays of Thanks Giving and Christmas as they are a time when I can catch back up on things that I have gotten behind on like this blog.

 Remember that today is Veteran's day.  This is the day that we take a moment to remember those who gave all they had in payment for our right to live free.  I am thankful that such people exist and that they were willing to give all when much was required.  May we all be willing to do the same when the freedoms we enjoy are in jepardy.   Thanks stopping in to reading my blog.  Bye