Let it snow... let it snow... let it snow...

Can you guess what today's blog is all about? Yep. That's right. It's all about our recent cruise in the Bahamas ... NOT! It's all about snow. I sure am glad none of my Michigan friends are followers of my blog. They'd be laughing at the big deal I am making about a little bit of white stuff. Exactly one month ago the Memphis area had our first snow storm of the year. Here are some pictures I took during that snow storm.

I kinda find the picture of our house nice and cozy. That light on in the kitchen let's you know something warm is going on inside.

So, what's the big deal about that winter storm? It doesn't even look very deep. You're right. It was only about four inches deep. The big deal is that normally, we would be saying, "We've had our snow for the year. Let's move on now." However, that's not the case. This year, we have actually lived under the threat of snow pretty much every week since the beginning of the year. We have had at least flurries every week. School has been closed early multiple times, and the snow we had last night was the second time all schools and universities in the Memphis area closed down. I know those folks up in Michigan give snow plows out for wedding presents, but they are few and far between down here in the "sunny south." That's the big deal.

Normally, I go to work on snow days, so others can stay home. Today, the kids convinced me it was someone else's turn. We didn't get out and make any snow men. But my lovely wife did come up to me and say, "I want to go to the pond." Crap! That sucker's almost a quarter mile away! You heard me right. We live on 4.5 acres of land. Doesn't seem like much, except our land is just a few hundred feet wide. The rest is all straight back. Take a look at the picture above. The pine trees on the right mark one edge of our property. The end of the carport on the left is only about 10 feet from the other edge.

Anyway, I digress. Needless to say, Momma won. We went to the pond. Along the way, we say a lonely piece of metal with a tire attached.

Riders! To the gates!

That, my friends is an old starting gate for the horse race tracks. Why would one of those be on my property? Well... a few years back (Okay! Almost thirty) some savvy business men were absolutely certain gambling was going to be legalized in Tennessee. So certain were they, that they began construction on a horse track. Guess where that track was going to be? That's right. That old hunk of metal and tire is not the only thing left from the horse track though...

Makes you want to get out your skates...doesn't it.

We finally reached the pond, and the other remaining part of the horse track. This pond was built to be the centerpiece. I don't think the business men intended there to be so many trees around it though. In fact, I think they may be trying to clear out for the racetrack again! Did I hear you ask what evidence I have? Just take a look.

I think these pictures are evidence enough. Beavers!?! No. It couldn't be those buck toothed varmints. You mean they are in cahoots with those savvy business men!?! Oh dear! What am I gonna tell Momma?

Okay, most of what I said was true, up to the point I blamed those savvy business men for the current destruction. I'm sorry for deceiving you like that. After all, I know you were clinging to every word I was writing. We do have an active beaver colony nearby. I think our property is the epicenter of their logging enterprise. They have even built an extended stay hotel at the site so they don't have to drive home each night.

Motel 6 for Beavers. I hope they don't expect me to leave the light on.

Every good beaver lodge has a secret back door.

I'm just afraid I'm going to have to deal with an angry beaver mob later in the year when I come down with a chainsaw and relieve them of some of their lumber. Hehehehe!

Well, Momma says I've wasted enough of your time. I guess I had better go. Say goodbye, Momma.

Goodbye!

It's been a long time. Did you miss me?

I know. I know. It's been four months. How could I be so callous and unthoughtful? Especially after all of the love and devotion my massive fan base has shown me. I won't try to make any excuses. It has been pure laziness. I've told myself many times that I need to update my blog if I don't want my fans to leave me for another blogger. I just kept finding other things to do. Can you ever forgive me?

Let's see...

In September, we took the kids to the Delta Fair. That was fun. Joseph is twelve years old, and until this trip to the fair, he had never been in a ferris wheel. We took care of that. Below is a picture of the ferris wheel Joseph and I rode...several times.

Delta Fair 2010

It wasn't a giant ferris wheel, but hey! We take baby steps.

Then October came. What does October mean? Well...in my family it means we spend all of our money, all of our free time, and all of our sanity making a Halloween costume for Daddy to wear to the office and maintain his standing as "also ran". I'm sure you guys have seen through my clever attempts at trying to pass pictures of other critters off as me. However, I promise, the below picture really IS me. I know. You had no idea I was so good looking. However, I did tell you in a previous post that I was Adonis, so you should have at least had an inkling.

I'm the handsome feller on the left

I know you're wondering, so I will confess. I really am a natural redhead. Don't worry, Brad Pitt. I'll be happy to send you my beauty secrets.


This next picture is of Joseph. No! we are not so poor he has to resort to sleeping on the front porch. Although his room cleaning skills are such that he does currently have more floorspace in this picture than in his room. In fact, we're not even sure if he still has a floor in his room. We assume he does, since nothing has fallen through below in the living room.

zzzzzzzzzzz

Finally, I am such a narcissist that I couldn't resist one more picture of me. Actually, in this picture I am doing what I love to do. I just seem to have a natural connection with kids in the six to nine range. I'm sure that explains a lot to those who know me. For the past four years now, I have had the pleasure of being Santa Claus for our local Cub Scout pack. I love to see the joy on the faces of all the kids...even the ones who are sure they know who I really am. This little boy is Gabe Corbin. He and his twin sister are an absolute hoot. No, Deb. That doesn't mean they can leave your house and live with me. Their an absolute hoot because I only have to deal with them in small doses...before hoot changes to an altogether less pleasant descriptor.

Dear Santa, I need a 2x4. I promise not to hit my sister! Really, I do!

That Santa suit is actually a holdover from a previous Halloween contest. Yeah, yeah! Sometimes I get my holidays mixed up. I made the suit myself. You guessed it! I lost that contest too.


I've run out of things to say for the moment. Oh, shut up with those snarky remarks I know you're making. I really can run out of things to say. I thought I would leave you with one final picture. This was found on the back of a bench in Hardy, Arkansas. The message in this picture is so profound that I almost have an epiphany every time I see it. Unfortunately, I seem to have broken the spirit of the picture from the moment I started this blog. I don't intend to change either.

I think you get the message!

Reelfoot...Real Nice...REAL HOT!!!

It was the last week before school started up again for the kids. Poor dears (I use that term loosely) had not had a true family vacation all summer. Grandma had an awesome idea (as Grandmas often do). Grandma thought it would be a a great idea to take the kids to Reelfoot Lake. Ma and Pa put on their thinking caps and thunk! After thunking for a while, they came to the conclusion that it would make for a nice little getaway. So...we packed up the kids, took the doggies to the kennel, and headed to Reelfoot, picking up a stray kid on the way.

For those who aren't aware, Reelfoot is a natural lake in Northwest Tennessee that was created in 1811 when a massive earthquake struck the area. It is said that the Mississippi river flowed backward for some time as the lake filled. While scientists aren't all in agreement as to how much of that story is true, both fishermen and bird watchers agree that Reelfoot is one of the best kept secrets around. Besides having some of the best fishing in the country, Reelfoot is also home to what I believe is the largest population of Bald Eagles east of the Mississippi. Hundreds of Bald Eagles come to Reelfoot for the winter with 17 nesting pairs that stay all year long.

Sunset at Reelfoot Lake

The picture above is of the Upper Blue Basin at Reelfoot Lake. It was taken at sunset. Pretty picture, huh? What that lovely picture doesn't tell you is it was 102 frickin' degrees up there! That's right folks! We left the sweltering temperatures of 104 in Memphis to visit the downright chilly 102 temperature at Reelfoot.

While at Reelfoot, we stayed at the Sportsman's Resort. Let me tell you about that place. If you are a Hilton or even Hampton Inn kinda person, Sportsman's Resort is NOT for you. However, if you are looking for a clean, quiet place to get some rest, with some of the friendliest folk around...then this is the place for you. Sportsman's Resort caters to the hunter and fisherman. That becomes quite apparent when you look at the sleeping arrangements. All linoleum tile floors. Not a shred of carpet around. Makes for a quick cleanup. Other than a couple pictures for decoration, the rooms offer just what is needed. I don't want to make the place sound bad. It isn't. It just isn't plush in ANY sense of the word either. It is clean, however, and reasonably priced. It is also run by very friendly folk, and far enough away from the touristy part of Reelfoot, that you really do feel like you left the world behind. I'm still trying to figure out exactly where the "resort" part comes in.

Fishing boat at Sportsman's Resort

I just couldn't pass up taking a picture of the boat. It was just so peaceful and "country." That algae you see was all over the place the first night we were there, was gone by the next morning, and not seen again.

Snowy Egret at Sportsman's Resort

The wildlife gets pretty close. Joseph and I caught a glimpse of the Snowy Egret as we were walking to the dock.

As mentioned above, Reelfoot is well known for some excellent fishing. WELL! We certainly had to try our hands at this wonderful fishing.

Christina

Joseph

Keegan

That last picture is Keegan. He's the stray kid I mentioned earlier. Anyway, I am proud to say that with three kids fishing at Reelfoot, our total catch was...

...three clumps of algae. WOOHOO!!!!!

It might have had something to do with the LOUD voices that were coming from the dock area. We seem to have issues with volume control.


Reelfoot lake is also the home to some miracles of rather biblical proportions, such as walking on water.

Snowy Egret Defies the Odds!

Okay. I admit, it's not really a miracle. However, scenes like this were popping up all over the lake. The Egrets and Heron love to stand on bald cypress knees. What is a bald cypress knee? Just look below.

Bald Cypress Knee

Bald Cypress are all over Reelfoot. the knees are part of the root system. Sometimes they stick above the water, like this one. Other times, they lurk just below the surface. Great for Egrets. Bad for boaters! I'm sure a jet ski hitting one of these suckers would be capable of some serious acrobatics.

Reelfoot Lake has a nice visitor's center. One of the cool things about the place is a cypress boardwalk. Below are some pictures taken from the boardwalk.

Inlet to the lake

A real purty flower

Snowy Egret

Gettin' ready to catch a snack!

Rare Blue-Shirted Neva bird!

Another purty flower

That last picture wasn't really on the boardwalk. It was in front of the visitor center. It was such an unusual flower, though. If you know what it is, leave a comment. If you don't, lie to me. I sure as heck won't know.


I told you that Reelfoot lake was great for birdwatching. At this point you are probably thinking that snowy egrets are the only things around. They're not. As I mentioned, it is a great place to see Bald Eagles. Did we see any? Heck, yeah! Did I get a picture? NO! It's kinda hard when you're lounging in the comfort of the swimming pool waters.

I did get some pictures of some osprey though. These things are also called seahawks, and are as large as eagles. We were lucky enough to see some osprey doing what they do best.

You can run, but you can't hide!

Enemy spotted at 7 o'clock!

Dive! Dive! Dive!

We're havin' catfish tonight. Woowee!

This sucker weighs a ton! Can I get some help here!?!

So, are you thoroughly bored with our trip to Reelfoot yet? No!?! Great. I have more pictures! Come back! I promise, only two more. We travelled to the far end of the Upper Blue Basin on the day we headed back home. That area is the beginning of the Black Bayou Waterfowl Refuge...and lily pad heaven. See what I mean?

Lily pads everywhere!

The perfect picture to leave Reelfoot with

As promised, those are the last of the pictures. I hope you guys enjoyed our little family vacation. I certainly did.

Attack of the killer mantis!!!

Meet Killer! He's a little hard to see, but he is in there. I normally reserve this blog for better quality pictures (Yes! I do try to be picky about what I post!). However, I had to post this picture, hastily taken with my iPhone? When I first saw Killer, I told my wife I never knew green beans grew on cucumber vines. She saw right through my pitiful attempt at wit, and informed me that it was a giant praying mantis. Foiled again!

Why do I call him Killer, you ask. Well...because that is exactly what this sucker is! He is a bonafide killer. It seems that his favorite meal is chicken! Two days ago, Neva called me out to the front porch (Again, yes! We grow cucumbers in a pot on the front porch. We cleared that up in a previous post.) to look at something. There on a cucumber leaf was a little pile of fluff. she wondered if it was some type of weird moth. It had wings and we have definitely gotten weird moths before. It wasn't a moth. Not unless moths have claws. It turns out Killer killed a hummingbird. Poor thing. It was completely missing its head, and all internals. Yikes! We're certain it wasn't a cat, because the cats in our area are not known for grace, and would have completely destroyed the cucumber vine. Nope. It was lying on a perfectly unmolested cucumber leaf...right next to Killer. So! There ya go.

I'm back! ...And hotter than ever!

I promise. I'm not really bragging about my Adonis like body (I'm living proof Adonis did not age well). It is just super hot down here. It started early in May and has rarely let up. I know, I know. Just a few posts ago I was complaining about all the water. Now I'm complaining about the heat. I just can't ever be satisfied. I'm not completely complaining. There have actually been some benefits to both the extremely wet spring and the summer that followed. Look below.

Lovely critter, that dragonfly. We have had massive swarms of dragonflies this year. I don't think I have seen so many before in my entire life. Any place where there is the slightest semblance of an open field, there will be swarms of hundreds. The bad news is, it has looked like an alien invasion. It has gotten scary a time or two to have massive B52 sized dragonflies come up and buzz you, or smack against your shoulder. The good new is the mosquito control has been much better this year than in previous years. Dragonflies love mosquitoes even more than I love pizza (I know! Astonishing that anything could beat my passion for pizza!). All of the rains provided excellent breading grounds for the mosquitoes (An alien's favorite dinner!). I think having a hard winter this past year also kept the fish from eating the dragonfly eggs and larvae. This has all resulted in an almost mosquito free summer, thanks to a swarm of aliens. That beauty up there was flying around another wonderful result of the spring and summer weather.

The beauties above are our Lady Neva day lilies. Some of you astute readers (Okay. There's only two people following me. Maybe one of them is astute.) may have picked up on the fact that these are Lady Neva's and my wife's name is Neva. I was searching the internet several years ago for day lily providers. I like day lilies. They produce beautiful flowers, and require very little work, other than the initial planting. I was browsing the web site for a provider and what to my wandering eyes should appear, but a lily named after my lovely wife. It even has a flaming red patch on each petal to match my Neva's red hair. I purchased six lilies back then. As you can see from above, these suckers multiply. I say, "The more, the merrier!" These lilies started blooming in mid June. The last bloom died yesterday. That's a pretty darn good show if I do say so myself.

You might be asking yourself, "Self! What's going on up there!?! Those people seem to be saluting a funeral pyre." Self is going to tell you that they're saluting a US flag. Remember those floods that happened way back on May 1 & 2? Well...on that Saturday, Joseph's Webelos den was supposed to have an Arrow of Light ceremony. The Arrow of Light is the highest rank a boy can earn in Cub Scouts. It is also the only rank he can continue to wear on his uniform as a Boy Scout. Anywho, it took a while, but after much consternation, constipation, tempers flaring, and such, the Boys were finally able to have their ceremony on June 18. That was two days before heading off to summer camp, and almost two months after the original scheduled date. Better late than never. We almost thought we were going to have to cancel again! It started raining, and raining, and raining. Well, several of us decided we were going to have the ceremony, even if it was on a raft. God heard us, thought the raft was a pretty stupid idea, and stopped the rains.

We started the ceremony off with an official US Flag retirement ceremony. We have an official retirement center at our church. It was built as an Eagle Scout project several years ago, and dedicated to the memory of my father. Even when not in use, it is a great place to collect your thoughts.

The night ended with the traditional burning Arrow of Light. The little red headed boy is not worshiping the great arrow. He was just warming his hands. After all, it was a chilly evening in the low 90's. It was a perfect ending to a looooooong day. I think it might have even mended a couple of fences that started to break down in the process of finally getting there.

Dragonflies aren't the only critters we've seen about this summer. We walked out on our front porch one afternoon to find this fine fellow sitting around and having a good rock in the rocking chair. Unfortunately, I think he might have been a little camera-shy. As you can see below, he was doing his best to avoid the paparazzi.

We have 4.5 acres out here and nary a garden. Oh well. We do have a big flower pot on the front porch with some cucumber vines. Joseph looooooooves dill pickles. Christina is pretty fond of bread-n-butter pickles herself. We certainly don't get enough cucumbers off our little setup, but it is still fun to pick the ones we do get, supplement them with some store bought cukes, and end up with something like this.

Joseph and I canned 7 pints of dill pickles today. Since we made 'em they are chock full of garlic. Each jar has a clove of fresh garlic, as well as half a teaspoon of granulated. In a few weeks the two of us will open up a jar and partake of this manna from heaven.Umm! Umm! Good!

Spiders Everywhere!

I really don't have much to say today. I took this picture yesterday. Cute little critter! After last week's big blog this has been a relatively slow week. Nice weekend though. Joseph spent Friday night with Memaw, and Christina is on a canoe trip. It has been nice being either alone, just the two of us, or with one child, all weekend.

Anyway! Back to the picture. Since the flood, we have been blessed...or cursed, depending on the day, with a larger number of little critters than usual. Out here in the country, we always have a pretty good variety of six and eight legged friends, but this spring and summer seems to be extra plentiful.This fellow was hanging around the steps to the back deck. He was really only half an inch across at best. Just imagine the monsters I will be able to discover if I ever get a true macro lens.

Much to do in May

Wow! May has been one heckuva busy month.It has really been the last few weeks that have been going at a super revved up pace.

It all started On May 21. That was both Joseph's birthday and graduation from 5th Grade. I no longer have children in elementary school. That thought certainly does not make the knees and other joints feel any better. Fortunately, I'm not suffering too much...since the brain went a long time ago. The picture above is Joseph with the Rivercrest Elementary principal, Portia Tate. If there is ever a person who deserves teacher of the decade, it is Mrs. Tate. She has been a constant solid rock through many ups and downs during Joseph's schooling.

That's Joseph at Stevi B's pizza, getting ready to blow out his candles. A bunch of family got together to stuff our faces with pizza and cake, and help Joseph celebrate his birthday. Special Warning! Do not walk up and give a big smile to some poor little kid after eating a cake with blue icing. Blue teeth and big smiles do not provide a very comforting feeling to small children. It does provide a great laugh for the rest of the birthday party, though.

The next big event was this past Saturday, May 29. For the past 27 years, thousands of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts from the Memphis area have gathered on the Saturday prior to Memorial Day to place American Flags at the foot of each grave at the Memphis National Cemetery.

This tradition started in Memphis, and has now spread to 75 other National Cemeteries. The Memphis National Cemetery was established during the Civil War and is home to the second largest number of unknown soldiers in the US. Memphis National Cemetery is also the burial place for the victims of one of the worst maritime disasters in US history, the explosion of the USS Sultana in 1865.

Over 40,000 graves are decorated in about 30 minutes by this massive wave of scouts and family members. Once the entire cemetery is decorated, it is a truly magnificent site. If you have a National Cemetery close by that holds one of these events, I highly encourage you to go participate one year. It is definitely a life changing experience.

On Sunday, we picked up one of Joseph's friends and the whole family went to the Memphis Zoo. We have a membership to this zoo, and during the spring, summer, and fall, we definitely get our money's worth. By the late 80s the Memphis Zoo was very forgettable. Over the past couple of decades millions of dollars have been pumped into improvements, and now it consistently ranks as one of the top zoos in the country. It is one of the few to be honored with a Panda exhibit.

Let's be clear about one thing. While I have often been accused of having the manners of an ape, the picture above is not me. It does look like this fellow has been receiving lessons in transcendental meditation.

This still is not me. However, I wouldn't have minded an invitation to this critter's swim party. It was a tad bit warm that day.

One of the newest exhibits at the Memphis Zoo, is the Birds & The Bees. This exhibit just reopened for the summer, and gives people a chance to feed and interact with a plethora of parakeets. Even with food, it takes a special person to attract these birds. Some people couldn't get one to land, even with a full stick of food.

This picture of the two blue lovebirds is NOT the picture I intended to take. It is just one of those moments that turned out much better than what I could have planned.

It is hot already in Memphis. Thankfully, our Old Faithful is much more refreshing than the real one. Momma wasn't too happy about having a wet little boy though. I tried to stop him...Honestly! I did!...sorta...kinda.

 I had to throw this one in. What can I say? I am an Eagle Scout, and a member of the Eagle Patrol in Wood Badge. I like Eagles.

My busy May finally started to wind down. I'm sure you're really hoping this blog post is about to wind down as well. I just thought you might like to see an example of the terrible suffering I had to endure on Monday. Man! Those were good. I might just have to end this post and go downstairs and suffer some more.

Finally! Some of you might be wondering what I look like. You've seen pictures of my family, but not me. Here I am. The camera really makes my eyes look big, though.

;-)