Perseid Meteor Shower ......not

I was awake until 3:30 this morning, in an attempt to see the Perseid Meteor Shower. Based on friend Carolyn Arender's statement, I should have gotten out of bed and gone back outside. I'm so glad someone saw it and corroborated the theory that there was going to be one. I made several trips outside to view this heavenly display, and I saw about 5 in about 5 hours! (It wasn't a shower, it wasn't even a trickle!)

As I was standing on my back deck, looking to the Northeast (as directed), I wondered "why do I need a chair?" One of the television stations had suggested a comfy chair, a blanket, some snacks, and bug spray. (I had none of that.) Standing there, looking toward the Northeastern sky, I was bothered by a tall tree in my line of vision (or so I thought.) Precious decided, about this time, that it was time for a potty break. I took my flashlight and followed her out into the yard, and looking up I realized this was where I needed to be. About that time, quick as a flash, sorta' up above my head and not too terribly high above the tree line.....not falling from sky to ground, like a falling star, but horizontal like a plane landing.....it was there and it was gone. This explained why my cousin Teresa, in Iowa, had mentioned they "heard a sound, like a whoosh, not loud but audible." I had wondered "how, in the world, can one hear a sound from that far away?" (like the falling star) It wasn't that far away, and it was UP.....facing north and facing east, but UP. Now, the crick in my neck was explaining why they had suggested a comfortable chair!
I also understood the need for a light blanket, or jacket. The air had cooled off, considerably. It was really quite pleasant. The quiet of the country night was only interrupted by the sounds coming from the Georgia Pacific plant ...... meaning that the breeze was blowing from that direction. Occasionally, the Lab in the outside pen, next door, would bark to let me know he was still guarding things. It had gotten cool enough that other "creatures of the night" were beginning to stir.
There's a small branch (brook) that runs in the gully behind my house. It has very little water and flows into Okohay (Cohay) Creek - about a mile down the road. I suddenly heard some type of cat - not a kitty cat - a much larger cat, calling from the water. It was enough to get all the dogs to barking, and it was enough to get this "Meteor viewer" headed back indoors.....for awhile, anyway. NASA's website had stated the time for viewing was 9 p.m. - 1 a.m., and the television station had stated 3 a.m. - 5 a.m. Could I stay up that long? Why yes, of course I could, and I had been known to do so. So then, if I was still awake at 3:30, why didn't I get up....just one more time....and go look? It wasn't about the "cat on the branch"....I had long forgotten that, and it had probably moved on. I made a prediction (when I didn't get up), in those early morning hours. I thought, "tomorrow morning, I'm going to be disappointed that I didn't get up and go look." I'm such a psychic....that prediction was right, I am disappointed......especially since I've heard how magnificent it was!
#PerseidMeteorShower #creatureofthenight #largecat #CohayCreek

There is no comparison.......

I decided to try to find a comparison between "The Donald" (Donald Trump), candidate for U. S. President and "The Silent Knight" (Robert Gray), an unknown (literally) winner of the Democratic Primary for Governor of Mississippi. The Democratic Party doesn't even have an idea who this guy is!
I personally think The Donald is on an ego trip. He certainly has plenty of money, and he has no problem saying "I'm rich." The Silent Knight probably has no money, and he spent none on his campaign. He didn't even vote. He said "I got busy and forgot!" Sorta' makes me wonder if he ran, as a joke.....well, the joke's on him, and us! The Donald is running against everyone on the Republican ticket. The Silent Knight ran against two females - one an attorney and one a doctor. The Silent Knight visited the Mississippi State Capitol for the first time, yesterday - at the request of the media. Mississippi doesn't have an Open Primary. One has to either vote a Republican Ticket or a Democrat Ticket. I doubt that our current Governor, Phil Bryant, will have any problems but one has to wonder if the Republicans switched over and voted Democrat. Elect an unknown so Governor Bryant will have no issues in the General Election, in November. Of course, the other probability is that Mississippi isn't ready for a female to tell them what to do. There was a man, on the ballot - in the first position - don't know him, but what the heck.....don't want a woman.....he's got my vote!! (No, I didn't vote for him). The Donald is a wealthy entrepreneur with many business ventures. The Silent Knight is also an entrepreneur. He owns 'Fancy Horse Transportation' company, an over-the-road livestock hauler. The Donald has everything, and Silent Knight doesn't even have health insurance. The Donald likes to be the center of attention, and Silent Knight wants no attention - hence the reason his C.B. Moniker "The Silent Knight." Wonder how that will work for him, if he accidentally wins? I think I finally figured it out. They both have aspirations of power. In The Donald's case ......more power, and in Silent Knight's case possibly more power than what's under the hood of his truck. And just suppose The Donald becomes President and The Knight becomes Governor. The Donald could balance the budget with his own money, and The Knight might understand how the majority of our state lives - paycheck to paycheck. There is no comparison.....
#RobertGray #TheSilentKnight #DemocraticPrimary

You can't go home..........

This morning, I drank my coffee on the porch among the ferns, on the beautiful day set aside to honor mothers. (And, like most mornings, I had to visit the microwave a couple of times. I’m such a poor excuse for a coffee drinker!)  My little red throated hummer flitted about, sipping nectar out of the feeder. Ever so often, it would make a quick visit to the petunia blossoms and just as quickly would hurry away, as if to say....."I really don't care for those."

The resident squirrel ran head first down the old water oak. I think it must be "yard smart”, for it quickly looks around before scampering across the expanse of yard to another tree.  

I can see, by the pot holes in my yard (yards have pot holes?) that we were visited by an armadillo or maybe an army of armadillos, last night.  I can just imagine a contingent of armadillos, marching across my yard, stopping ever so often to dig another hole!!

Behind me, the blooms on the magnolia tree that we planted about 10 years ago have begun to open and greet this beautiful day. There will be hundreds of beautiful white blossoms, soon. And, in the backyard, “Bob’s magnolia tree”…..a gift from our neighborhood, when he passed away, will soon be in bloom. I can see it, from my kitchen window…another reminder of my honey, among the hundreds of reminders that exist, in the house that he built for us.

As I sat, I heard the hum of a bumble bee, apparently just waking to greet the day and search for food. It headed toward the blooms of the bougainvillea as a mosquito circled my head. It was too early in the day for mosquitoes!!

The light breeze stirred the leaves on the trees and caused the ferns to spin, on their hangers. Precious gave chase to the bee that buzzed around her head and woke her from her nap, in the sun. Little black Bella just lay there, with her eyes half closed as she watched Precious, as if to say “stupid dog, you can’t catch that bee!”

Church and then lunch with my son-in-law, granddaughter, her honey, and a favorite cousin, and now I’m sitting on my porch, again. The plants have all been given a drink, and I can enjoy the rest of this day. The day began, on this porch, with a cup of coffee, and the day is ending, on this porch, with a glass of wine. (I’m a much better wine drinker!)

I sit and look across my driveway at the old house where first my granny lived and then my parents lived, after her death. Little did I know, as a teenager spending summers and weekends there…..and as an adult visiting my parents that I would, one day, be just across the drive…..on my own porch.

And they say you can’t go home……….
#frontporch #home #life #southernliving #countrylife

The Old Lemon Tree

Lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet
But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat.

I'm not sure why I loved that old lemon tree. It wasn't very well shaped - actually, it wasn't shaped at all. The tree had long, ugly thorns, and the lemons were dark green and covered with fuzz. They were obviously not edible.

The ugly old tree stood, just to the right, at the end of the front walk in front of my Granny’s house. It was in the middle of the yard, so I have to assume that it had been planted on purpose. I never asked who and why, and so many years later I wish I had.

In the spring, the tree had small white blooms and shortly after, the ugly lemon fruit began to form and grow. My younger male cousins used them for ammunition as they played “War” against each other. Thankfully, no one ever tried to use the long thorns against one another!

I don’t know when the old tree was removed or who did it. I just know that one day, it was gone, and I was sad. Perhaps I was the only grandchild who had an affinity for the old tree. It didn’t matter to me that it was unsightly. Not everything or everyone, on this earth, is pretty. It had a place in my history and in my life, and like many other things and many other people, it was gone.

Lemon tree very pretty (this one wasn’t) and the lemon flower is sweet.

But the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat. 

#lemontree #ugly #memories

Dogs, Cats, Trees and.....Water

Several days ago, I walked into my kitchen and found a puddle of water in front of my refrigerator. Now, my little girls (pups) often have accidents......but this puddle looked as if they had invited every dog in the neighborhood to participate (and they don’t have that many friends!)

The dishwasher, just a cabinet down from the refrigerator, was busy taking my place (washing my dirty dishes), but it did not appear to have come from there. I checked the fridge to see if something had turned over (even though it looked like water).

I mopped up the water and decided this mystery would have to be left for later. I was trying to get ready for my “birthday trip.”

In the meantime, indoor girlie cat named Bob, had begun to earn “outdoor privileges,” because when I called “Kitty, Kitty” she came running – usually.   When she sees me, heading toward the door, to let Precious and Bella out, she runs to join them. She also howls if they’re outside and she isn’t. (They’re becoming more and more like children, everyday!)

I’m a big fan of mysteries and solving problems. After I returned home from my trip, I decided to do a little investigative work on the dishwasher. I had, after all, fixed my dryer vent hose, with duct tape, a few years earlier. If the water had come from the dishwasher, maybe the drain was just stopped up. That, I could probably fix!

After putting the girls outside, I opened the dishwasher door and removed all removable parts: the bottom basket, and the thingamajig that spins and spurts water on the dishes, and also sits atop the drain. I removed a piece of broken glass, a washer and something that should have been attached to the washer somewhere else, in the dishwasher. 

After making sure I had done a thorough investigation, I put the parts back together and started the dishwasher (on a short cycle, of course) to determine if I had solved the problem.

I went to let the girls in. Precious and Bella came running, but calling “Kitty, Kitty” didn’t produce a cat. I walked out into the yard and heard a faint “meow,” every time I called to her. Finally, after quite a lot of walking and searching, I looked up and there.....in the old Water Oak tree beside granny’s old house, walking toward the end of a very thin limb was my scared little cat. 

I walked toward the trunk of the tree to get her back on larger branches. All the while, I was calling to her. Finally, she got back to the tree trunk and began to try to find a way down. She kept choosing thin limbs, and I was afraid she would fall onto one of the big roots that were spread out, at the bottom. Several times, she almost fell and would end up hanging precariously, upside down, by all four feet. 

I had a couple of options - neither of which I exercised. I couldn't imagine calling '911' to have our Volunteer Fire Department come and rescue a cat nor could I imagine me climbing on a ladder! 

The later the day got, the more concerned I became. Another cold winter night would soon be upon us. The Weather people were giving warnings about leaving pets out, at night. What would my little cat do, up in a tree?

Finally, I very carefully stepped up on one of the big roots which gave me a little more height. I coaxed Bob onto a lower limb that I could reach and pull down, and as she came toward me, I grabbed her before she could decide to climb back up.  Into the house we went.

Oh, and by the way.......back in the kitchen, I had water to mop up! There’s either a plumber or a new dishwasher in my future.

#trees  #cats  #dogs  #leak