Welcome Back to A Country Journal with John Helms

By John Helms | Florence, Mississippi

Morning sun breaking through the darkness
with her early brilliance

Well, friend, it’s been a while, and it is a new day.

If you’ve wandered back to this little corner of the internet, I’m mighty glad you did. And if you’re new here—pull up a chair, pour yourself something warm, and let me tell you what this place is all about.

This is A Country Journal with John Helms, a space where I share stories from the land, reflections from the porch, and the kind of practical wisdom that only comes from chasing chickens in your retirement years.

After a long career in marketing and business research, I traded boardrooms for barn doors. My wife and I have lived on this patch of Mississippi soil for over twenty years, but it’s only in the last three that we’ve truly leaned into the rhythm of a retirement farm. The kind where the tomatoes are stubborn, the hens are opinionated, and the weather has more personality than half the folks I used to work with.

We started with twenty-four hens. Thanks to a few clever raccoons, we’re down to ten. The survivors are tough, vocal, and still generous with their eggs—when they feel like it. The vegetable garden is growing, slowly but surely, and I’m building a small greenhouse to stretch the seasons a bit. We recently invested in a bigger tractor and the kind of equipment that turns good intentions into real progress.

This blog will be a Periodic dispatch from the farm—part journal, part photo album, part philosophical ramble. You’ll find:

• 🐓 Henhouse Happenings – Tales from the coop, predator patrols, and chicken drama

• 🌱 Garden Notes – Seasonal tips and soil reflections from a veteran grower

• 📸 Behind the Lens – Stories behind the photos I take, and the ones I miss

• 🪑 Porch Swing Philosophy – Musings on life, weather, and the quiet beauty of country living

• 🌍 World Meets Farm – How national and global events ripple through our little corner of Mississippi
  

I am also planning to launch a podcast under the same name—A Country Journal with John Helms—where I’ll share these stories in my own voice, southern U.S. accent and all. If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to live by the rhythm of the land while still holding on to many of the luxuries of modern life, or just want to hear a good story with a little dust on it, I hope you’ll tune in.

So here we go. A fresh start, a new season, and plenty of stories to tell.

Thanks for stopping by, friend. Let’s see what the land has been telling me recently. 

Let's look into the future by seeing what our local weatherman is saying

Central Mississippi Weather Forecast: August 15–21, 2025

This delicate Ceastrina Neglecta
(or at least that is what Google says she is)
decided to visit me in the shade as I
spent a little time outdoors reading.

Expect a classic late-summer stretch: hot, humid, and peppered with passing showers. For those of us who live here in the heat of summer, you don't really need a weatherman for daily weather because almost every day this time of year is hot, humid, with a chance of afternoon showers or thunderstorms. It is when the weather decides to bring us extraordinary or severe weather, such as the threat of an approaching hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, a band of tornadic weather heads our way out of the western skies, that we truly need their assistance. As I write this, the sun has just risen, and the temperature is 71 degrees, and rising with the sun.

After that little statement about our weather dependability, here is the forecast for the week ahead:

• Friday (Aug 15): High of 92°F with light rain showers likely in the afternoon. Humidity near 96%.
  

• Saturday (Aug 16): Mostly sunny and steamy—high of 96°F. Slight chance of evening rain.

• Sunday (Aug 17): A brief shower is possible, with highs near 98°F.

• Monday–Wednesday (Aug 18–20): Continued heat with highs in the mid-90s. Scattered light rain showers each day.

• Thursday (Aug 21): Slight cooldown to 91°F, but rain chances increase to 52% by evening.

Evenings will stay warm, with lows hovering around 73–75°F. The air will be thick, so keep an eye on your garden’s water needs and make sure the hens have shade and fresh water. And with tropical moisture stirring in the Gulf, it’s a good week to double-check storm prep.

That is about it for today. Next time, I will tell you about the raccoons that have been wreaking havoc on our flock of hens.  

Watch for upcoming editions of A Country Journal with John Helms

Click above to follow me and this blog.