So Long August

Today is the last day of August and in an old southern boy’s mind the last real day of summer.  I guess that is because we would always start the new school year just after September 1st.  This month has been one to remember for our family.  Of course Hurricane Isaac blew through yesterday but, this month has been 31 days of white knuckle excitement for us. 

Let’s start from the beginning.  Late last month Logan hurt his leg in soccer.  He had to visit an orthopedic surgeon and there was nothing structurally wrong but he went through a couple of weeks of physical therapy to gain the proper strength in his hip (though it was his knee bothering him) and now he is better than ever.  Because he is strong and healthy he had not met his deductible and we had to pay the entire bill unaided by insurance we pay for dearly each month..

Then, our 17 year old dog passed away and it was like losing a member of the family.  Henley had been with us since we rescued him from death row 16 years ago.  He passed away quietly in his sleep from complications from an enlarged heart. For sixteen years he was a constant companion to all of us and he is sorely missed.  I still go to the door every night to let him out for his last run around the yard but, he is no longer there to go.

Now, let’s move on to more material happenings.  Dre’s car had been stranding her off and on so I did a little diagnostic work on it and found that though I had been treating the battery terminals to keep them in good working shape, I had been lazy and not moved the vinyl guard back and sprayed the cable itself to protect it from corrosion.  This cable runs from the one side of the car around the engine compartment to the other side of the car and needed to be replaced.  In all I think the cable was about forty-five feet long (that may be a slight exaggeration) and because I was not able to undertake that task, cost a small fortune to replace.  Ok two days after we got the car back Dre’ was taking Logan to the surgeon for his last follow-up visit and, low and behold, they stopped to get a soft drink at a service station and it wouldn’t crank.  This time is was the starter that needed to be replaced and it needed to be towed in order to have that job done.  The cost of this repair was three times the cost of the first repair.  Oh, but that is not enough.  We were getting ready to ride out the ensuing hurricane; filling up gas cans for generator, filling up cars and basically getting ready for the onslaught of Mother Nature.  Diesel fuel was accidently put in the car’s gas tank and, thank goodness, it was not cranked so no damage was done to the car but it had to be towed again and the tank removed and cleaned and placed back on the car.  This time the cost was 2/3 the cost of the last fix

. 

Isaac came visiting in the form of a tropical storm and we observed from our porch as he sent scouting winds out the night before.  It was magnificent and powerful to watch.  Bands of rain crossed our yard and we watched as trees bent but didn’t break. We lost power in the middle of the night for about 7 hours but suffered little of no damage as he blew through during the night of the storm.  Then, yesterday, the boys were out feeding the horses and they said a loud noise caused them to look in the direction of the horses and they both looked up just in time to see a huge pine tree, about 24 – 30 inches in diameter fall as a gust of wind caught its branches, plummeting the tree to the ground.  Yes, of course it fell across a fence and the driveway.  No boys or animals were injured so, we are counting our blessings for that but, the fallen tree created tremendous amount of  tension on the fence wire and  broke it in two places and released the horses to the woods.  

At 4:30 I got the call to come home and start work.  I got there about 30 minutes later and by that time the horses were lazily grazing in high grass and Dre’ and the boys were working feverishly on cleaning up the wire so we could start rebuilding a fence.  I rushed in the house, changed into work clothes and grabbed up my chainsaw and came out to begin my “lumberjacking.” It wasn’t to be.  My rather old saw has a bent bar and a dull chain and it just wasn’t up to the challenge of a big tree.  I tried for about 30 minutes and finally I relented and let Dre’ call our friend Jeff to petition him for assistance.  Jeff McFall is a great American, by the way. In about 15 minutes he arrived with big Husqy saw in hand and he and his saw made short work of the downed tree.  All was going well.  I was pulling off ten foot sections of the tree and getting them out of the drive.  

On the last one, I hooked the chain to it and dragged it off across the pasture to its final resting place.  Literally, as I stopped, I heard a loud sound of moving air as a small tree stump pierced my tire.  Now, I have a flat tire on my Jeep and have to go and spend more on a replacement tire for it tomorrow.

 With all of this bad luck, I have decided that though I am not a real believer in the lottery, I am going to find time to go to Louisiana to buy a lottery ticket tomorrow.  With all of the bad luck we have had it is definitely time for our luck to change and we are destined to win. 

You all can just say you knew me when. 

So long, August. Hello, September.

Perfect Day ... Tempts Us for Autumn Weather Ahead

It is days like this that help us to remember why we live in Mississippi through the hot summers and the cold damp winters.  There is only one word that can describe a day like today...perfect.

Morning Mist hanging on the branches of the trees
 in front of our house.

It is noon and I am sitting in the park in downtown Jackson wishing I were sitting in the woods surrounding our house in Florence. This morning  the cool temperatures and humidity placed a heavy dew on everything outdoors and as an added benefit, filled the air with a light filtering fog beautifying everything the early morning sunlight illuminated. Spider webs were magical in that light decorated with beads of dew. just about sunrise a lonesome train whistled its warning as past first through town and then down the tracks that bisect Dre's family's land where our home is situated nicely amidst the trees and meadows.  That train's whistle seemed as if could be heard from twice as far this morning as on normal mornings.  I don't know if it was the humidity or just the still new of the early morning but I was entranced as I listened to it moving across the countryside.

Canada Geese are not heading south yet but, they are
on the move.

A small doe watching me watch her.

The  blooming of the late summer and early fall flowers are adding new colors to the landscape as mother nature readies herself to don her brilliant autumn colors and rich fall hues. As I left the drive I notice our mailbox decorated with rich green vines and the sky blue flowers of a volunteer morning glory. Anyone that knows me knows that I almost never miss work but this morning and this premature fall day presented me with an almost irresistible temptation to just that.  But, I made it to work and because I did I am enjoying this wonderful lunch hour under cloudless sky in the quiet of an urban park.The soft breeze offers just enough cooling to make this 84 degree day perfect.

I have to back to work but can easily finish the day with the memory of this day carrying me forward until next time.
Until next time...


   

Just Another Weekend in the Country

I thought weekends were for relaxing. They are a great way to change the pace and step out of the rat race but they are not always as relaxing as you hope.  Sometimes they are pretty busy packed full of chores jobs that need to be done.  There is almost never a dull moment when you have so much to do. This weekend we started early on Saturday morning.

Our first task was to start removing old fence so we can build some new ones that are stronger, better and that make our pastures larger.  We finally got tired of finding horses getting out and having to walk fence lines to find breaks and then mend them so that they could just break in another place and the whole drill would start over.  Well, this weekend we started rebuilding fences.  Tearing up an old fence can be a pretty rough job.  First you have to take the old wire off and then pull the post and then wind the old wire so nothing gets hurt on the old wire.  I started the destruction process by my self but in just a little while all four of us, Dre', Logan, Holden and I were all out working in the hot and humid day in a joint effort to pull the old fence so we can get a new one in place for the fall and winter. In about four hours of combined work we did more than I could have done in a whole weekend by myself. We are a great team.  Dre' and I were removing wire from the posts, Logan was pulling fence posts out of the ground and Logan was loading them in the truck.  We got the entire run of fence cleaned up and by next weekend we will be driving fence post and digging post holes for corner posts.  Then we will be stretching wire and we will have a new pasture for the horses...easy as that.  

If that was all we did that would have been enough but, it wasn't.  We also hauled hay and worked around in the yard. This was all done between torrential downpours and strong thunderstorms.  We bought the DVD The Hunger Games and though Logan had seen it three times none of the rest of us had seen it so we watched it last night.  It was a great day

If you look closely you see two feet up top and two feet
below.  To the right of the of the rear foot is the new baby
stretching up across its mom Actually its head is in the
pouch.  Isn't nature wonderful?

We got a watermelon at the grocery store yesterday and this afternoon it was our Sunday afternoon treat. Before the afternoon is over, Dre' will pickle fresh okra. Believe it or not Holden's favorite.  

Just a few minutes ago I went in to clean our sugar gliders' cage.  When I did, I discovered that we have a  new baby.  It is too young to tell if it is a girl or a boy but it is about the size of my thumb and still clinging to its mama, Sugar.  (For those that don't know a sugar glider is an Australian marsupial that looks like a flying squirrel but is closely kin to an opossum and  very sweet little animals)  

As I said, it has been a very busy weekend around Helms Casa.  I hope everyone had as interesting a weekend as my family.

Until next time....

A Good Night for Comfort Food

In less than a week of writing this blog I have gained a pretty good audience.  My readers have dropped in from, of course the United States but also from Canada and Europe. I am getting regular traffic and I never expected to do that, at least not so soon.  I guess I really thought that since I am writing this blog for my own satisfaction, it is a real bonus that someone else, much less hundreds others want to read it.

   

Good, old fashioned comfort food.  Pinto beans and smoked sausage.

This morning when I got out of bed the air outside was heavy with moisture and I could hear sound of thunder rumbling off in the distance.  The first storm of the day was on its way and it would not be long before it arrived.  By 6:00 a.m. the rain had begun.  It fell in torrents.  According to the weather service the rain that we received this morning was a record for this day in history.  We had two inches of rain fall in less than two hours.  Morning traffic was disrupted when a tree fell across one of our main traffic arteries in town.  Teachers and students alike were late for school but luckily no one was injured as the storms moved through.

 

Living in the country has more benefits than I can tell you about.  Running out of propane is not one of those benefits.  This morning, as every morning, I got up before everyone else and started my hot shower.  I may be the world fastest showerer…I can be in and out in two to three minutes and this morning was no different.  I ran a bath for Dre’ (my wife for those of you who don’t know us) and hers too was hot.  Unfortunately, Holden and Logan both took very fast cold showers.  I had forgotten to check on the propane tank over the past few weeks and we had run completely out.  Needless to say, the boys were not happy with me. 

That crisis has been handled.  Our supplier delivered LP to us and we again have hot water. 

Now  back to the story I started to tell you.  Because of the rain forecast for the entire day, I thought some comfort food would be good tonight.  What is more comforting than beans and sausage.  I started the dried pinto beans this morning, soaking them and putting them into the slow cooker so they would be ready for us when we got home tonight.  I seasoned them with fresh garlic, sea salt and from my herb garden, fresh parsley, rosemary, oregano and basil.  I just added an ample supply of Country Pleasin’ smoked sausage and the house is filled with a wonderful aroma. Hopefully, in about an hour that smell will convert into a savory meal of beans and rice for our family. 

Lessons Learned

We had a light rain late yesterday afternoon but, evening thunderstorms are the norm not the exception.  The heat of the day combined with the southern humidity provides the perfect environment for the hit and miss thunderstorms in the southern U.S.  On my morning trek I looked at pastures that need cleaning and fences that need to either be repaired or moved.  This weekend will be a busy one if the weather allows it. 

My to do list is just getting longer and longer:

Clear pastures

Cut firewood

Repair and move fences

Haul hay

Repair wind damage to the barn

Paint house

Finish planting fall garden

And on and on and on

I will be repairing fences this weekend for sure if the rain doesn’t move in to stay through the weekend.  I will have to pace myself for sure due to the heat.  When I wrote those last words I had a flashback that I would like to share with you. 

When I was in high school, I like almost every boy in the small school I attended in the hills of north Mississippi, played football. About mid-season our team won a particularly important game.  Or at least it was important that night.  We had not been expected to win but we did and, if I remember correctly, it was a particularly contentious victory.  After the game some of us guys and our girl friends went out to a local hangout.  We convened at Chambliss (I hope I spelled that correctly) where we listened to music, relived the glory of the game and imbibed in some beverages of choice that we were not yet of age to enjoy.  After a particularly long evening I somehow found my way home and was able to quietly enter my home “under the radar,” or so I thought. I had consumed much more of that particular beverage than I should have.  That on top of an extremely strenuous football game worked to make me want to remain in a horizontal position for an extended period but, at daylight my father had other plans.

He came into my room just as the sun was rising and told me it was time to get up.  We were going to build a fence. I got dressed and went to the door.  My head still spinning and my legs somewhat rubbery I head for the door where he intercepted me.  He offered me scrambled eggs and toast and just looking at it made me feel sick in my altered state of mind.  I waited for him in the truck while he ate and before long he finished and we were on our way to build a fence.  Once in the field we started digging postholes with a manual posthole digger.  He dug one and then I dug one.  He dug one and then I dug one.  He offered water and every time I tried to take a sip my stomach erupted in disapproval. This seemingly endless cycle of him digging a hole and me digging a hole went on for hours.  At around 11:30 Dad told me that Mom had lunch ready.  He went into great detail telling me that she had cooked pork chops, turnip greens, peas and corn bread.  I am certain he could see me turning green as the rum from the night before boiled in my veins.  I told him I didn’t feel good and that he could go and eat and I would just rest.  We had dug at least 30 post holes and I was tired. 

He told me, “you just stay here and rest. When you finish, you just fill in all those holes.  Make sure you pack them good.  We don’t want a horse breaking a leg in them.” 

He never intended to put a post in the ground. There was never going to be a fence.  He was willing to work all morning with me…just as a lesson.  He had me out there as punishment.  I had dug all those holes for nothing.  I had suffered for nothing. 

As he walked off he simply said, “if you don’t like the music, don’t play in the band.” Then he left and didn’t return that day. I filled the holes and thought about what he had said as I toiled to make certain our horses didn’t get hurt.

Now that was a good lesson I remember to this day.

Morning Walk Along Our Little Country Lane

My morning walks down my drive provide me with
sights and sounds that set the stage for my entire day  

The old saying is "red sky in morning, sailor take warning", meaning if the sunrise is red then rain is on the way. Our forecast here is for rain and I think before the day is over we may indeed get it some rain but, I learned a long time ago if there is a heavy morning dew on the grass, rain is not going to fall soon.  This morning there was indeed a heavy dew and as I write this post I am sitting in the park near the office building where I work and there is still no rain.  The skies are overcast and the temperature is warm but, rain is by no means  eminent.

This morning I found these along my way.
I hope you derive even a small portion of the joy from seeing them as I do.

I started my walk this morning in that time of day when dark has not yet departed and daylight has not yet arrived; one of my favorite times of the day.  In the warm damp morning I heard the buzzing of mosquitoes and above them the lonely sound of a train whistle riding on the still morning air.  I walked for only about twenty minutes yet I was able to experience many of the things that draw me to and keep me living in the country. As the sun rose, the sky ignited into a slowly exploding red flash of sunlight.  With it came a visible mist hanging heavy in the branches of the  trees. As the daylight encroached on the woods along the drive I saw small whitetail deer watching me as I walked within 30 yards of him.  His new small horns, were still covered in green velvet and wet from the heavy dew that clung to everything in the woods.  As I continued along my way I heard the song birds beginning their morning chorus and,  as I got closer to where our drive exits the woods and enters the field in front of our house, I heard the calling of crows as they warned each other of my presence.

All-in-all, this is just another day of the 21,000 some odd days I have been on this earth.  Hopefully, I have not taken any of them for granted.  I know that this one, like all others is a blessing to be savored and enjoyed right down to the last second. 

I hope your day is a memorable one.

John

. 

Goldenrod, A Sign of Things to Come

Living in the country we find ways to pass time and to tell the passing of time.  As a child I sat for hours at the time listening to the rural wisdom of my grandfather. He would sit with the stump of chewed King Edward cigar pursed in his lips (didn't smoke) and share stories with me which time and life had taught him. He told me how to tell how cold the upcoming winter would be by watching the signs around me.  He told me the sumac (pronounced "shoemake" in the part of the country where I was born and raised) was most often the first thing to change colors in the fall and that when it turned red it wasn't long until all of the trees would take on their autumn hues.  All it took was a walk along the railroad tracks in late September or early October to see evidence of the truth he was sharing with me.  

Another sign that he shared was that of the blooming goldenrod in the pastures, along the woodland tree lines and  the highways that crisscross my native state of Mississippi. He said that when the goldenrod first blooms it means that fall is on its way but when it is all in a total state of blooming, you can count the weeks until the first frost.  "Six weeks from the date of the total blooming of this beautiful wildflower/weed you will experience your first frost for the year", told me many times.  

Well, the goldenrod is not in full bloom yet, but we have had an early first bloom of the wild flower and while my grandfather would remind me that we don't have a sign yet, I think it is looking pretty promising that this long hot summer may end in an early fall.  I first noticed the first blooms on goldenrod while driving down my long driveway on August 1.  That is at least two weeks earlier than I normally notice its brilliant golden / yellow flowers decorating our passage to and from home. If this viewing turns into a sign, it could mean that our first frost will take place the last week of October and not early in the second week of November as our almanacs tell us to expect.

Welcome to the country

coun·try:  rural districts, including farmland, parkland, and other sparsely populated areas, as opposed to cities or towns.

This is how we define country. Country is very easy to define but extremely difficult to pinpoint. It is the part of our globe that is not in a city or town.  Country is where the air is clear and sounds are muffled and it is a good place to go to listen to your own thoughts or get lost in a moment looking at a drop of dew on a blade of grass. Country is a place where you can enjoy nature in the shade of an old oak tree.  Country is sunlight filtering through a tree and a deer watching you as you sit alone while witnessing an early morning sunrise. Country is the fog resting lazily just above the creek on the first cool morning of autumn.  Country is all of these things and more.  In the weeks and months ahead I am going to do my best to tell you of the simple things that make my life in rural America unique.  Everyday brings its own set of challenges, opportunities and above all blessings and I will do my best to share some of my special moments with you.  

I hope you will find the time to visit this blog and read the words I share.  From time to time I may share a photo or a recipe...things of real value to me.