My "Pop" Knew an Awful Lot

My Pop's Wisdom

On August 14th I wrote:

"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."  I guess there might be something to the words my Pop passed down to me.  We had our first frost last night in Florence and we would have had one the night before if it hadn't been for the wind blowing the moisture away.

If that sounds at all like an "I told you so," it shouldn't.  This little bit of knowledge came straight from my Pop even though he passed away close to half a century ago.  My father's father was a County Agent for the extension service, a 1910 graduate of MSU...actually Mississippi A&M and one of my greatest confidants during my younger years.  He played football and  studied agriculture while at State.  By the time I came along he had retired so he was able to share a lot of the knowledge and above all wisdom he had gained through the years with me. He taught me to whittle, identify birds and trees and weeds and at least a million other things through the years.  He and my Granny took care of me during the day while my Mom and Dad both worked and, from the two of them I learned volumes of the useful knowledge I have today.  From time-to-time I will mention them in this blog because they still mean so much to me.

On Saturday, we were rushing around taking care of potted plants and our raise bed gardens.  I built two little simple structures to extend the growing season and I will post photos of them and let you know how they worked.

Thoughts and Prayers

With hurricane Sandy closing in on the northeastern United States I want to offer up  prayers for the millions of people who will feeling the force of her winds, rain and fury over the next several hours.  Having seen the results of several of these storms through the years doesn't do anything but strengthen my respect for their fierce power. I am praying for the safety of everyone in her path in the upcoming hours and days and have our neighbors to the northeast in my thoughts.

Until next time...John