The Hermits' Rest

Through the Woods We Go

Today’s travel day took me and Lee from Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Valdosta, Georgia. Before we left, I got in a walk to a park behind the hotel, where I saw a couple of interesting plants, many non-native. I also enjoyed watching dozens of high school baseball players getting ready for a national tournament. No wonder it was loud last night.

Much of the day featured interstate highways through commercial forests. It took longer than we expected, because there was construction and a big delay due to a horrible accident where a semi truck appeared to have slid sideways a long way off the road. Not a happy start.

Occasionally I got to see some non-forests, like in Mobile and other coastal places. Mostly it was trees. Good thing I like them.

I worked much of the day, including before and after the drive, but I got a lot of knitting done, too. This little jumping spider decided to join me and hop all over my project. I sure enjoyed watching it moving its eyes and mouth and checking things out with all those legs. I think it was a paradise jumping spider (Habronattus coecatus) but I’m not sure.

The trip got more interesting when the GPS took us off the interstate near Quincy, Florida. We then embarked on a magical hour or so traveling through small towns and beautiful rural properties of north Florida and South Georgia.

We went through long stretches of road where it seemed like the trees were reaching out toward us to envelop us in green. With the draping moss, the overgrown old homesteads being taken over by immense crape myrtles, and the wooden fences…I felt like I was in one of my dreams of being home. I was so entranced in the deep woods that I forgot I had a camera. It was so Gothic. There was even mist rising from bogs. This is some beautiful country.

It’s places like this, far from my everyday world, that remind me of why the Deep South is so beloved by people from there, despite the legacy of hardship for so many, despite societal changes. It’s so peaceful, quiet, and still. It engulfs you.

And here we are in small-town civilization (Valdosta)

Tomorrow we see more of Georgia before heading through South Carolina. Some of the trip will feature back roads. But today created plenty of moody memories to get me through boring highways and lookalike suburbs.

Non-Controversial Travel Day

Thanks to all who read my entry from yesterday. It got the most “likes” since I started the blog, but no comments. How weird! And I only got supportive comments on other platforms. I appreciate it. But today I’m not controversial.

I saw many more great egrets today. What a great start.

It’s time for our annual trip to our condo in South Carolina, the one where I forgot to get a two-bedroom unit. Oops. We decided to try a new route and drive three days of equal length. That’s a lot easier on Lee. I took today off from work, so I knitted and enjoyed the scenery, which consisted of many small towns, forests, rivers, and fields.

The highlight of the trip for me came after we hit Interstate 10 in Louisiana. That means we got to cross the Atchafalaya swamp. It’s my favorite. My second favorite sight was getting to see rice being harvested and all the birds following the harvester. There were WAY more great egrets than the dozen I saw at home this morning, plus large green of what appeared to be white-faced ibis in the mud flats. It was gorgeous, but you’ll have to accept my egrets and herons from this morning, because I didn’t take photos.

When we got to Baton Rouge there was a traffic jam, so we took surface roads to our hotel. We saw many fixer uppers (I think we were actually in a low-income part of town), then fixed up houses, and suddenly were in a good neighborhood. Fascinating.

The hotel is fine. It’s one with a big central courtyard that echoes a lot, but I enjoyed the nice landscaping and creole stylings. We enjoyed the overly generous free happy hour drinks then had a darned good meal for hotel food! Salmon and shrimp pasta. The staff were all so dang friendly, too.

Plus it rained a little! I hadn’t seen rain in well over a month. It was a fine day. My car is wonderful to ride in. No controversy.

What I’d Change Today

What would you change about modern society?

I looked at this question at just the right moment. I’m not my usual disappointed but quiet self on this particular topic. I’m actually feeling nauseated after reading that a nearby university has fired professors for criticizing the Governor of this fascist-leaning state and leading a liberal arts group. Fuck that. So, here’s what I’d change about modern society:

End the encouragement of divisiveness and distrust of fellow citizens. It does indeed distract folks from what’s actually going on. Not good.
Stop the headlong slide into fascism and dictatorship here and abroad. My Goddess, World War II wasn’t THAT long ago. I remember people making fun of Germans for following an obviously crazed and dangerous leader. Why is it cool now? Just because you’re pissed off that the gays, blacks, and others who were always here now get a voice, too? It doesn’t have to be us or them. We can ALL have a right to a good life.
End gun worship. Guns aren’t your children, best friends, or deities. They are tools that improperly used by people who hate their fellow humans to kill your children and best friends.
Make lying bad again. Let’s value truth and other positive character traits in our leaders, not lies and cruelty to others.
Remind “Christians” of what Jesus actually taught or find another word for the faction that’s giving Christianity a bad name. The Trumpians do not love their neighbors, care for the least among them, or welcome people different from themselves.
Stop censorship. Period. You can share your anti-human crap all you want, but let us share our thoughts, too.
Give women the autonomy to make my their own decisions. After all, we all used to live inside someone with a uterus.
Value life. Yes, even after conception. Care for our children, our elders, those of us with special needs, city dwellers, rural people…you know, people who are alive. I still can’t figure out why protecting children ends after they are born, leaving them to be abused, shot at, or worse.
Care about the planet we live on and protect its residents. I’m not saying don’t eat food. Just treat animals and plants well and manage them in positive ways.

Other than that, everything is fine.

I’d love to just fly away to somewhere peaceful. Where would that be, though?

I know I don’t live in a place where my dreams will come true. But I’ll do my part.

Remember I care about you even if you disagree with me. I’ve been patiently unfollowing people and snoozing others. I’ve deleted comments I know won’t make a difference. But I beg you, readers, to consider that someone from a different background may not be evil, and that there are many good, kind, and morally upright folks out there that may not share your spiritual or political beliefs.

Some glad morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To a home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away…

Keep your beliefs and convictions. It’s your right. But. Please stop belittling others. You may be belittling someone you love.

Listening?

What do you listen to while you work?

The prompt for today was easy. I listen to things at work, but not music or podcasts. Here are the things in the background when I’m working from home:

Dogs barking. The most annoying sound. Love the dogs, not as fond of being notified every time a cow moves.
The ice maker. This went away for a while when it moved up to my bedroom (and was turned off at night) and in winter, when the residents don’t need so much ice for basic survival. It hums, whirs, and clatters along quite briskly.
Swallows. They may not be breeding, but they are still swooping into the semi-enclosed area outside my office and yelling at each other.

That’s not so bad. I like to write in quiet, so I think I’m pretty lucky.

Today, however, I worked to the sound of music on hold, as I patiently waited AT&T out. I knew if I just let them yammer on and try to sell me shit, they’d eventually realize they’d been charging me for a broken modem that they no longer service and come groveling back. I did a lot of deep breathing, attended an online conversation with friends, and just kept saying Okay when I was put on brief holds for 2.5 hours. I ended up getting refunds for the broken equipment back to the beginning of the year, no charge for my hotspot that I use in the RV because it’s no good at home, and $55 a month off our satellite tv for a year. HA!

I was so busy today the only photo I took was my fingernails.

I’m glad that went well, since I messed a bunch of other stuff up and was displeased with my lack of attention to detail. I messed up an Airbnb reservation, but if I PAY ATTENTION I can end up making money. I just need to wait two months.

Then I realized my reservation for my next Myrtle Beach trip was for only a one-bedroom condo. I was just sure it was two, because I didn’t look hard enough. There goes my visit with my stepsister, who needs a good bed. I’m gonna visit with them somehow in the not-too-distant future. Or else. And I doubt my other friends will want to visit either. Not much privacy.

There’s a reason I’m not in charge of business stuff usually. I can’t keep all the details straight.

In better news, the reason I skipped blogging yesterday was that I drove over to the ever-expanding suburbs to see my friends Susan and Brian, who were in Texas to meet their newest grandchild. That was a happy reunion. The baby was doing well and had bright, white hair. Really cool. We ate at a nearby Pan Asian restaurant. I got phô and sushi both. Heavenly.

Susan and I are trying to look friendly across a table.

Mostly we talked and talked. It was good to talk and talk in person rather than on Zoom. Susan and I are old friends with much history and much in common, so there’s much to cram in during just one meal. Brian did get in a few stories, too. It was quite cathartic. New grandparents have to do a lot of tongue biting, you know. I did do listening last night, so I’m barely sticking to my topic.

I did take another photo. Spotted Cucumber beetle (*Diabrotica undecimpunctata*) — a major agricultural pest.

Other than that, I’m still having trouble with the heat, as are the animals. The horses are very jealous of shade patches and are grumpy. Fiona is especially full of territorial kicks. No listening there. At least the Zyrtec is helping Apache.

All Is Well in the Bird Kingdom

This morning when I went out, the black vulture was still on top of the rock pile. It looked like some of the water that had been left after Drew messed with it was gone. Good sign.

The rocks, the bird, and the water dish.

I watched the bird a while. It’s black eyes were bright and it kept stretching its wings. They both looked more similar than last night. Still, I was worried about it.

While the bits of flight were a good sign, I still decided to call the folks at All Things Wild. The woman I spoke with said we could catch to trap it and bring it in, but that would be traumatic. She suggested we keep offering water and give it some raw chicken necks or backs. I put those on the grocery list.

Meanwhile, I did find Billie Idyll under the tack room. She is not as good with heat as the other hens. Poor dear. They all just hunker down near water in the heat of the day and run around around sunrise and sunset. seems smart.

The great blue heron, as you can see a above, was stretching himself into interesting positions all morning. I wondered if he was showing off for the female, but I didn’t see her.

It was very hard to get a cow-free photo.

I went back out to check on the vulture around noon, and I was relieved to see it had flown off. I guess its injuries were better and it could go seek a tree or deeper cover. I called off the order for chicken parts, and was glad I didn’t have to throw a blanket over it and stick it in a box to go to Georgetown.

The heron wants nothing to do with that!

All is well with the birds, at least. Dogs and horses are fine, too. And the fish. Yep, they’re just fine, because they are in the shade.

My Conspiracy Theory

Today I went out to work with the horses and saw a black vulture sitting on our rock pile. That confused me.

Bird, leftover limestone, and sunflowers gone to seed.

Why was it there, I wondered? Then I noticed I didn’t see any of the chickens. Usually they’re over by the pens that time of day, scratching at horse poop, taking dirt baths, and drinking out of the troughs. Living the grand chicken life, for certain. No chickens, just vulture.

When I went back to cool off in the pool, I looked under all the trailers, under the motorhome, and in the garage. No chickens. I started developing conspiracy theories. Something ate all my hens and the vulture was there to snack on remains. Was it a fox? Coyotes? Owls? Hawks? A Bad Person?

Lee thought I was very funny. But something had to have enticed the vulture. But why just one? When the roadrunner got bonked in the windstorm, there were a dozen vultures. Hmm. I did my usual wild imagination of the worst-case scenario. When will I learn?

I went back out to feed the horses and was so distracted that I forgot Apache’s Zyrtec. Oops. As they ate, I went to the back of the pile of rocks and found nothing dead. Just the vulture hopping around. Then I saw this.

Out from under the tack room came these four.

There went my conspiracy theory. Nothing wiped out the hen population. Around the corner, under the air conditioner condensation, I found Bertie Lee. So only Billie Idyll was still hiding. I think she was behind Bertie Lee. Whew.

So, I still wondered what was up with the vulture. That mystery was solved later, when I found out an injured vulture had been seen across the road. Sure enough, when I tried to take it some water (Drew drank it), I saw it had a hurt wing and couldn’t fly well.

So, if it’s still there tomorrow, I’ll call the animal rescue folks near Georgetown and get their recommendations. It’s doing well enough to get food and can hop up enough to get water from the trough once the horses aren’t gathered there, so I’m not too worried. It may just need to rest and heal a bit, and the rock pike is a good place for it.

I need to rest and heal, too. The heat is making me queasy, so I’ve had to cut back on horse stuff. Even this morning I couldn’t do much other than groom some. I think we all need to take it easy.

Hi There, Ranch Neighbors

Yesterday I wrote about farming, about which I don’t know much. Today I enjoyed residents of our greater ranch community, which I understand a bit more, and always get much peace and pleasure from.

I was delighted to see that the folks whose cattle live here had put some cows and their older calves out behind us. I recognize many of them, which is kind of cool. Some cows have been here since these folks first came here.

The cattle brought some friends with them, a little flock of cattle egrets (Bubulcus ibis). These small herons have spread across the world as farming practices have made their lives easier. They hang out near cattle and other large mammals and keep them free of insects and ticks.

Their expansion is fairly recent. I remember them being an exciting newcomer when I was a small child in north Florida’s cattle country. Mom loved to see them sitting on the Brahma and Hereford cattle.

The resident great egret is graciously sharing the pond. I’m not sure how the green herons are taking it. I haven’t heard them in a couple of days.

This afternoon, after a change in plans, I went over to Sara’s to see how her horses are getting along. Of course, this entailed much time oohing and aahing over Jhayati, who I hadn’t seen in a while.

She’s 2.5 months old and already getting gray hairs. Sara says that means she probably got two copies of the gray gene. She’ll finish graying out before Drew does!

Love the shape of her face, which is typical of an Andalusian.

Her coat is softer than velvet, and she’s very friendly. Sara’s doing a great job slowly teaching her life skills. Meanwhile, her mom, Sully, spends a lot of time pointing out that she is beautiful and needs to be petted, too.

The lead rope setup is what Tarrin recommended to Sara. And how about that tie dye! She made it.

Aragorn pretends the foal doesn’t exist, which is cute and probably right for the Head Horse, but the other horses are helpful. I really enjoyed my visit, though it sure was hot. Mornings are much better horse time, even if mine aren’t thrilled at first.

You can see gray on her face. She’s also shedding baby hair, so it’s a bit awkward.

I guess that’s it for the ranch neighbor report. It’s so hot and dry that we just can’t drum up any excitement. That’s absolutely fine with me.

Harvest Time

Since I was raised in towns and cities, I have had limited farming experience. Typical American, I guess.

Now, I had more than some people, since my dad’s best friend when I was little had a cool farm, where he raised corn, tobacco, sugar cane, cattle and hogs. It’s where I met my first real horse, Babe, a gray mare. I especially loved the hogs, because they were very friendly and were quite colorful. Some had curly coats.

And my favorite memories are of harvests. Blackberry picking at the abandoned chicken coop was fun for all us kids, but the most exciting was the sugar cane harvest. Oh my gosh, that was noisy, busy, and sugary. It was such a treat to sample the fresh cane juice and suck on a cane. I’m so glad my brother and I got to see this.

In grad school, I lived in an urban oasis in the middle of huge corporate farms in Illinois. Where the town stopped, corn and soybeans began. I learned a lot from the endless TV commercials for herbicides, fertilizers, and hybrid seed, even if I wasn’t a farmer. Driving through Illinois at night during harvest time in the fall was spooky, because you’d see immense combines out in the friends with bright lights, plus all the trucks lined up to take corn or beans off to be sold and stored.

Here in Texas, I’m learning a bit about ranch work by living next to our cattle lease. There isn’t much farming here in Walker’s Creek, so mostly I watch corn, cotton, and other crops being grown from a distance.

However, there’s one cultivated field across the road from us that belongs to the folks across the street. I think some elected official farms it. They rotate crops, like good farmers.

Last year it was cotton. I hate cotton years, because they spray herbicides, which messes up me trying to grow anything. This year I believe the crop is sorghum, which they also call maize here. It’s been really pretty the last few weeks, as it’s a reddish orange.

Harvest started yesterday, and since I am a city person, I’ve enjoyed watching the process. First a really big piece of equipment showed up in two pieces. One harvests the seed and the other holds the harvest. The whole deal is pulled by a tractor, I think. Or the tractor just pulled the harvesting thing over here.

Hoppers showed up next. The big harvester shoots sorghum into the hoppers periodically, then goes out and gets more seeds. Soon, very large semi trucks arrive, and all the hoppers get emptied into them. They take the grain away to wherever grain goes.

It’s really cool to watch the harvest. And yes, we don’t harvest in the autumn. This stuff and corn are both harvested in July, since it never rains in the summer. They’ll put in a cover crop or something in a little while.

I’d know a lot more about the harvesting if I just asked someone, but I’ve had more fun just watching and trying to figure it out for myself. Like I have mentioned many times, I’m easily entertained.

And I learned more about sorghum by going down a Wikipedia rabbit hole and reading Sorghum 101 (linked above). I learned not all of it is sweet and there are a lot of different kinds for different uses, like animal feed, flour, and biofuel, not to mention sugar from sweet sorghum. By the way, the US is the leading producer of this crop.

Bird Report: Cliff and Cuckoo Edition

It’s been an interesting couple of days, bird-wise. We don’t tend to get many new or unusual birds this time of year, since no one’s migrating and we just have our summer residents. But yesterday, I realized we had new guests.

I thought the birds on our electric wire were the grackles who’ve been hanging out here the past few weeks. Earlier, they definitely were grackles. But these birds were shaped more like the barn swallows who nest at the house.

I thought maybe since the babies hatched, the swallows were gathering in new places. I do still see them, just not as many. However, the Merlin Bird ID app I’m so fond of these days clued me in yesterday morning. It heard cliff swallows. Huh!

I went in and got my binoculars, and once I got a closer look, I could confirm that we now have two different swallows flying around. Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are more brown than barn swallows, have a distinct rust-colored patch on their rumps, and their tails are more squared off. They have whiter breast feathers, too. Otherwise, they are similar to barn swallows. They’re found all over the US and nest on cliffs (duh) and under bridges.

Unlike barn swallows, who build separate mud nests for each family, cliff swallows have huge communal nests, also made of mud. They are more social than barn swallows, so if you see large groups flying or hanging out on wires, these are probably what you’re seeing. I noticed a cool thing—the birds always face away from the sun. In the mornings I always see them facing west, and in the evenings, it’s east, at least on our north-south wire.

I’ve been enjoying watching them feed over our front pond. The barn swallows seem to have claimed the back pond for their territory.

The back pond is also the favorite hangout of our yellow-billed cuckoos. I’ve mentioned before that I only realized we had them when Merlin Bird ID heard their sounds. You may have heard them, too. Go to this page and click the “listen” button. Sounds like the jungle!

Lately, many of my Master Naturalist friends are seeing them for the first time. I was getting jealous, since I’d only seen them way in the distance. My friend Donna even wrote a blog mentioning it.

Yesterday, I was reading something from my friend Carolyn Henderson about how she had just seen one, and feeling a jealous twinge, when right above my head was the unmistakable cacophony of a cuckoo, and sure enough, one was right above me, flying low. I guess it was saying, “Fine, here I am already!”

I guess this is the year of the cuckoo and painted bunting, thanks to the sound ID app. Even Lee knows when he hears them now.

Security for Me

Are you seeking security or adventure?

It was a pretty laid-back day, so I’ll answer the daily prompt. It’s an easy one! I’ve never been the adventurous type. I’m not especially fond of trying new things. I like comfort and familiarity. That’s why I have a good imagination; I can do risky things there.

Besides, I don’t have to go far to find beauty.

As I age, this is yet another of my proclivities that has mellowed. I’m finally trying out saying yes to invitations, moving outside my comfort zone, and just taking one step forward and seeing what happens.

Once again, the horsemanship experience has provided a relatively safe place to be adventurous. I learned to ride alone (until I got hurt). I then learned to communicate better with my horse. I finally trotted and didn’t die. Now I enjoy it. Maybe before Apache turns 20 we can canter together. That’s adventurous.

Sara realized that Apache, formerly known as Dingle or Dinghy, showed up at her house 14 years ago today. He was 4. I am hoping he stays as healthy as he is for a few more years! We both started our adventures together rather late, but we’re getting there.

Two things impress me about this picture of my two friends 14 years ago. One, his mane is so white. Two, Sara still wears that cap.

I think I’m always going to prefer security. My mind can go far as long as I feel safe in my home and loved by those who matter to me. it takes all kinds!

I hope this tiny caterpillar stays safe. It’s on a passion vine tendril that curled as I held it.