Quick Post

Yesterday I spent a lot of time working around the house and yard.  I did a little additional work on the chicken house and made it a little more "friendly" for them.  I found too extremely large wasp nest and got rid of them.  I moved some of their nesting boxes (buckets) upstairs so they will get used to getting up there when they start laying.  I groomed the horses and the pig and did some basic clean-up that has been neglected due to youth sports and work at the office.

It is summer in Mississippi now and though the temperature has not been excessive for this time of year, the heat index has been over 100 degrees numerous times already.  Our humidity has been fairly brutal.  I have taken the doors off of my jeep and they won't go back on until September or maybe even October.  I don't know if it was because we had a long cool spring but, my garden hasn't been doing as well as I would have liked for it to.  My squash, and cucumbers are almost not producing.  I have harvested a couple of sqaush and no cucumbers.  My tomatoes are doing pretty well.  Dre' and I had scrambled eggs, toast and fresh sliced tomatoes for breakfast this morning.  That is a good country breakfast.

I am about to go out and check on the chickens that are ranging free in the yard and look at the horses that are doing the same.  If all goes as I expect it to post a little more completely this afternoon.

Until next time...John

Late Spring & It Might As Well Be Summer

I drive to work in an old unairconditioned 1995 Jeep Wrangler so outside temperature doesn't mean  the same thing to me that it does to a lot of folks.  I take the doors off and drive through the warm months with nothing but the passing breeze to keep me cool.  Today, I was in the elevator with some of my fellow workers and made the comment that it was really a warm day out.  A small, no very petite lady looked up to me and said, "no, it is hot as hell outside."  There were at least three people that nodded in agreement and two that openly said "amen sister." So, I guess according to the elevator survey summer is definitely already here.

Meet Emma.  She rules the roost.  Some people have parrots
for their shoulder. I have Emma the Chicken.

The temperature in our hometown is supposed to hit 93 degrees today with a heat index of over 103 degrees.  Okay, I will agree. That is hot not warm. Right now we are dangerously close to the 93 degrees with very high humidity.  Unlike some parts of the United States, we are not in a drought.  In fact we have had a pretty wet spring which makes for a great growing season.  Our tomato plants are almost five feet tall and full of green tomatoes. Squash, garlic, peppers and everything else is growing like gangbusters but, unfortunately so is the grass.  I cannot keep it cut.  Tonight, the horses will be outside of their fences grazing and working on getting some of the overgrown grass into control.  I will also let the chickens out to graze around the yard a little. If you are not aware of it, they graze just like a cow.  They will eat grasses, seeds and everything a cow will eat.  Unlike the large four legged grazers, chicks will eat bugs, ants, ticks, fleas, worms, crickets and scores of other outdoor pest.  They are wonderful animals.

"I'm Baaaaack"

A thistle growing at the pasture's edge.

Those of you that live close by know that I am an alderman in our little city.  I have been remiss in my writing for the past few weeks because I was running for re-election and had to spend a good deal of time on my campaign.  Well, the election was yesterday and that is behind me.  I did win re-election but it was very close.  That is good news to me and hopefully the citizens of our city.  I hope it is good news that I will be able to spend some time with my fingers on this keyboard, typing out a blog or two every now and then.


Thank you for your patience during this busy time in my life and as Jack Nicholson said in the Shining. "I'm baaaaack."

John