The seasons have changed and the shortest day and longest night of the year are upon us.  Here in Mississippi we have some very cool weather for the the season and yesterday and today have been unseasonably warm.  One thing about the southern United States, the weather is unpredictable.  Torrential rains have been falling all day.  The streets are full of water and the ground is saturated.  All of this weather is riding in on the front side of a cold front that is pushing down from the north.  We will have a cool Christmas and then the weekend that follows is predicted as wet.  

I hope that wherever you are on Christmas Day, it is bright and merry.  

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays 

to

Everyone

Spring is Not the Only Time for Year for Color

Late summer and early autumn is a time for nature to show off her colors for one last time before the changing weather removes the summer leaves. Soon we will be seeing the trees cloking themselves in the autumn glory but for now they are teasing us with purple iron weed flowers, black-eyed susans, golden rod flowers, poke berries and and scores of other wild flowers and berries.  The farmers' markets are showing off corn stalks, pumpkins, scarecrows and late summer vegetables. This is one of my favorite times of the year.  It is not the beginning of the end, it is a glorious time of year when temperatures begin to moderate and we spend more time outdoors.  Autumn is not far off so we are gathering firewood for the cooler months ahead giving us time to enjoy the coklor that seems to be everywhere.

 

Finally a New Camera

Back in January my digital SLR was stolen. It was a big loss to me because I have been a photographer since I was 10 years old. I used a Brownie and then my father let me use his Kodak Signet 80 35 mm rangefinder. Eventually I bought a GAF 35 mm slr and progressed through  a Nikon F, a Canon rangefinder, an Olympus OM 1 and  OM 10.  I had a Mimaya 645 that I had to sell when I lost my job due to merger almost 20 years ago, but that is a story for another time and place. Back to my story...about three years ago Dre' bought me a Nikon D80 and I loved it. I have taken thousands of photos with it and it was my main camera. The one I used almost exclusively for this blog. Obviously I miss having that camera. I have been shopping for months for a new one a little over a week ago I purchased one.  I bought a Nikon D 5000'and will ave it my hands tomorrow.  

It will be arriving just in time for me to resume sharing photos of country life in late summer and early autumn. I am anticipating its arrival baited breath.

Until next time...John

Great Light for Photos

This time of year, as the sun is moving a little to the southern sky, the light quality changes.  On those really good days, in the early morning hours, when the humidity is low and the temperature is tolerable for those getting out and about, it is easy to find numerous subjects at which to direct your camera lens.  Below you will find some random shots taken around our place in the past few days.

Iron Weed 

Early Blooms on the Goldenrod

 Photos below by Robert Lord

Francis the first eyeing her beau, Peter Jennings.

Peter Jennings, always protective of his ladies.

A bumble bee enjoying breakfast in a morning glory blossom.

Until next time...John

Parched Peanuts, A Southern Favorite

It is peanut harvesting time down south and that means it is time to parch peanuts. This is one of the easiest treats to prepare. In fact it is so easy it is almost foolproof.  You can find recipes on the internet but his is the one I learned about 55 years ago from my Mama.  

Take 2 to 4 pounds of raw peanuts in the shell and spread them evenly on a large cookie sheet. Place them on the center oven rack, close the door and turn the oven to 400 degrees F.

Parched peanuts are a great treat anytime of the year. 

Prepare yourself a glass of iced tea and wait for the oven to reach 400 degrees. When it does turn the oven off. Don't open the oven door. Just let them parch unattended.

Take the opportunity to relax. Go take a seat in that rocking chair on your front porch and enjoy your glass of tea and the warm summer breeze. When you think the oven has had the time to cool and you know you can pick the cookie sheet up comfortably with your bare hand knowing you won't burn your fingers, remove the cookie sheet full of peatnuts from the oven and pour them in a large bowl. Enjoy cracking, shelling and  eating the country goodness of fresh parched peanuts.

Until next time...John.

Summer is in Full Swing

Mississippi claims to have a temperate climate.  I guess by the definition we do but at this time each year we all  begin to second guess that claim. So far this summer has been a very mild one.  However, now that we are in the midst of hurricane season the weather has become noticably warmer.  And by warmer I mean hotter and more humid.  The temperature for the past few days have reached the mid 90s F (35C) and the humidity has been in the 55 -80% range.

As I pen this, the heat index is over 100 F and by anyone's standards that is hot.

Yes it is summer here in Mississippi and the forecast for at least the next 10 to 12 weeks is continued hot, summer weather.

Until next time...John

I am Taking Control

I am not certain whether or not we have all experienced what I am about to write about but I am certain that at least some of you can sympathize with me when I pen these next few lines.  

I awoke a little before sunrise two mornings ago, stumbled from my bed to the bathroom to wash the sleep from my face and after flipping on the light looked into the mirror I saw a horrifying site...Me.  Staring back at was me.  Hey, listen I think I am a fairly average guy.  I don't stop clocks with my bad looks but I neither do I get many double takes because I am stunning either.  That is not what I am talking about.  When I looked in the mirror I realized that the guy staring back at me was out of shape and overweight.  

Maybe it was just that I was a little more wide awake than I am most mornings. But here I am about to finish out my 5th decade on this earth and this was the first time I realized "I need to take control of ME!"  I don’t think I am in a rut.  It is difficult to be in a rut when you have two growing sons around the house that are active in sports, school and life in general.  Maybe it is just the routine that puts me on autopilot. It goes something like this:

• Get  up in the morning just before daylight

• Shower and get dressed

• Go downstairs to start breakfast

• Wake everyone up

• Finish preparing breakfast

• Help get everyone out the door

• Water and feed all of the animals

• Drive 30 - 45 minutes to work

• Go to meetings

• Work at my desk

• Eat lunch, usually at my desk

• Go to meetings

• Work at my desk

• Daily options

• commute home another 30 - 45 minutes in traffic

• feed and water the animals

• help with dinner

• help with homework

• go to soccer practice

• go to meetings

• help with fund raisers

• watch a movie

• pay bills

• enjoy a book

• surf the web and work on my computer

• Help get clothes ready for next day

• Go to bed

• Read until sleepy

• Next morning -Repeat above
  
  

Some people would say that is a rut but, I  think of it more as a routine that gets me through our family’s busy schedule.  

Why am I writing all of this? I will tell you why.  I am not getting any younger. I feel very young but when I look at that out of shape overweight guy in the mirror I know that he is the only one that can help me to get control of my condition.  So, yesterday that is what I have decided to do.  Work with that guy in the mirror, me, and gradually get this body back to one I am proud of.

Before anyone jumps to any conclusions I am not going to be going on any fad diets, instituting a new dynamic diet program or anything else that radical.  Nope, I am just taking control of me.  Starting yesterday, I began to eat better foods, drink more water, stop drinking sodas of all kinds, and stay away from all artificial sweeteners.  I am going to do what I want to do, eat what I want to eat but, do everything in moderation.  

Here is the hard part.  I am going to post my vital statistics on this blog from time to time in order to accomplish two things. First, it will show you of my progress if I make any. Second, it will make me accountable to you and me for what goes on in my life as far as health maintenance is concerned. In other words, I am purposely seeking peer pressure to help me reach my goals.

Now the hard part for me. Here are my first statistics.

I am allowed to eat 2347 calories each day in order to lose weight.  This is based on my current weight and the MyDietDiary app which I have downloaded to my iPhone.  My weight started out at 227 pounds and, just so you know, I am a little over 6 foot 1 inches tall.  I want to lose roughly 30 pounds and then maintain that weight over the long haul.  

The first day I ate about 1200 calories, drank 56 oz. of water and got next to no exercise.  Yesterday, I consumed just under 1500 calories and about 72 ounces of water.  I walked one mile. I am not mentioning my weight again for a while because I have lost a few pounds but I am certain that most of that is water weight and I won’t post the change for about a week. 

I hope you will watch my progress and help me meet my goals. My living in the country keeps me active and I hope that by intermingling my lifestyle changes with my country life I will be able to meet the goals I have set for myself.  

Until next time…John

Reflections on Fly Fishing

Artwork From "A River Runs Through It"
A film by Robert Redford
adapted from a book by  Norman Maclean 

I love to fish.  It is just that I am a horrible fisherman.  Well, let me clarify that.  I am a horrible fly fisherman. 

A few years ago my wife, Dre’, presented me with a nice fly rod and for a birthday gift.  She knew that I had dreamed for years of learning to fly fish.  I read books on it, I watched videos, I went to clinics and I talked with friends and acquaintances about the art of fly fishing.  I learned to tie all of the knots I purchased a beautiful selection of flies, a creel, a wooden net even an nifty little floating fly case from Orvis to hold and protect my flies.  I practiced casting in my front yard for months before I ever got my line wet for the first time.  I got to where I could place a fly in a glass of water 40 yards away. (That may be a slight exaggeration.) Once I felt I was ready I went to a lake not many miles from my home and fished.  Needless to say I left a lot of fish in that lake that day.  I fished for hours and I was less than productive but, I completely enjoyed my day of fishing.

It was at that point that I figured out that fly fishing, to me at least, is more about “fishing” than about catching.  I fell in love with ritual of fly fishing.  Since then I have gone fly fishing many times.  I don’t get to go as often as I would like but each time I go I am rewarded by the act of fishing.  The quietness of the stream or lake, the ritual of the preparation and the rhythmic casting of flies upon the water.  Seldom do I actually catch fish but, often I find a peace and relaxation that many people never experience.  For a while it is just me and nature.  There are no pressures, no deadlines and above all no phones ringing for me to answer.  Fly fishing brings me closer to my creator.  Standing there in the midst of his great creation I become as much a part of the stream I am in as the rocks that have been there for millennia.  I am a part of nature; one of God’s creations no more, no less than what I was meant to be.  I am a fly fisherman.

Until next time…John

Time in the Wilderness

Smoky Mountain Retreat

Laurel Falls Trail Overlook
The Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Illustration by J. Helms.

Recently my family and I took a much needed holiday in The Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina USA. While I have traveled there scores of times, each time awakens my senses and I see new and different things I have never seen.  We only had five days in the area and we didn't get to spend as much time on the trail as any of us would have liked but the memories we made in the park will last a life time.

"The Smoky Mountains are a composition of endless themes and variations, changing with every season, with every month, in every cove and hollow, on every summit, with ever pair of eyes thats see them."
Michael Frome
Conservationist & Author

...as seen on in the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Smoky Mountain National Park.

The Power of (Not) Unplugging

Last evening I read this article in National Geographic and thought I should share it.  With all the stories of people "getting off of the grid", this is an enlightening tale of a writer who chose to find a better way to explore self-awareness by not getting off of the grid.



The Power of (Not) Unplugging

Checking in on the Mead

The mead is pretty and clear as it is
being bottled.

Well over a year ago I wrote of my entry into the world of Mead making.  For those who might not remember, Mead is a honey wine that dates back tens of thousands of years.  I decided after reading a little research on mead that I should try my hand at making it.  Try I did. I made about four gallons of the fermented beverage and a couple of months ago I found it had aged sufficiently to begin tasting it.  I have done just that and I have shared a bottle or two with friends and now that it is aging more and more, I am finding myself having a glass here and there.  I know it is not going to last forever.

As I reported earlier, the beverage is not difficult to make. There are scores of recipes on the internet and the instructions are very easy to follow.  The recipe I made was one of the simplest I could find but the end result was superb.  I purposely made my mead relatively dry by comparison but my next batch is going to be a little sweeter if I can accomplish it.  The mead is pretty and clear and even creates fingers on a wine glass when swirled.  (I think they call those cathedrals in Australia.) I know not everyone is as interested in having their own "micro-meadery" as I but this has been very rewarding so I think it is time I  get busy making more so it will be aged about the time I deplete my current supply.

Until, next time...John

Our Red Star Hens are Real Producers

Our girls our working hard to give us breakfast. They get extra good today.

Ladies are doing their Jobs

Our hens are doing their jobs.  They are averaging almost an egg each every day...That is really good for anytime but in the shorter, colder days of winter that is fantastic. I am proud of Emma, Mary Louise, Jeffy, et, al.are doing well.

Cold Mid-Winter Morning in Mississippi

It is a cold mid-winter morning in Central Mississippi and I took the time to sit on my porch and do a little bird watching this morning.  We have had a lot of precipitation here over the past couple of weeks, ending a very dry autumn and early winter.  Last week the precipitation came in the form of sleet and snow accompanied by temperatures in the single digits with windchills below zero.  In spite of the unusually cold weather, ths morning I saw my first robin of the season. It appears they have started their journey back north and we are one of their first stops.  

My grandfather, Pop, told me that when you see birds feeding frantically onthe ground, prepare for bad weather.  Well, they were doing just that. I saw sparrows, robins, crows, black birds and even a flicker on the ground. Though the weather man doesn't predict it, those birds are seldom wrong.  

I hope all is well in your part of the world.

Until next time......John