Stubbs Acres --
Frank and I traveled out to my parent's old homestead one Friday. Frank had some work he wanted to do there. I just wanted to get away from the house :-) My parent's old homestead is about 35 miles from our home and is in Baker County Georgia. It is about 23 acres. The only buildings there now are a shed that houses the well pump, a glorified outhouse and a shed that my parents used to park their van under... now it houses the old John Deere tractor.
I could get carried away with pictures.... here are more pictures: Stubbs Acres and More Stubbs Acres .
My parents moved to this land back in the early 1970s. By that time we were living in Hawaii were Frank was stationed with the Army.
The acreage contains a stand of pine trees and many live oak trees. There is one oak tree that Mama calls a "crazy oak". Mainly because it sheds its leaves in the winter. I used to know the correct name for this oak tree, but I can't pull it out of my head today.
My Daddy passed away in January of 2000. My Mama along with my 2nd eldest brother moved away from the old homestead in 2003. The main reason was the odor coming from their neighbor's land. The Cows and Hogs were not the neighbors that were there when my parents purchased Stubbs Acres. The flies were very bad at Stubbs Acres because of the animals. There are always about 22 cows and about a fifty sows with all their little pigs. They are on about 6 acres of land for these animals. So it is crowded. Unfortunately there was no one to complain to that would do anything about the conditions on the neighbor's property. Since I have been taking pictures of the cows and hogs the neighbor has been feeding the animals better and he is down to about 10 sows with their pigs. With all these animals there is an abundance of flies. When the wind comes from the direction of the animals it is awful.
While at Stubbs Acres on Friday I walked around. I took my camera, but there wasn't much of anything to take pictures of. I stood still as a common green darner (dragonfly) flew round and round the area I was standing. He would not pose. He was torturing me... I think he knew that I'm no good at manual focus with the camera... and since the camera couldn't auto focus on him that was the only way that I could possibly get a decent picture. Well no decent picture... this is what I got:
Pretty much a blur, but I have a record of what one looks like :-) It took me about 20 minutes and several pictures... just blurs and can't even make the dragonfly out pictures... to get it.
After chasing the dragonfly I sat down at the picnic table to rest a bit. Then I walked for about 30 minutes passing by the wet-weather pond which is dry right now. I saw lots of deer tracks on the fire break. Then I sky-watched a bit. Here is the cloud picture I took:
What do you see in the clouds?
By the time I reached where Frank was working at... the tractor shed.. I was tired. There wasn't a chair there, so I walked up to the pump house and got a lawn chair... I was really tired by time I did that. Then the skies were very cloudy and were getting darker. Soon rain would come. Frank finished what he was working on and put his tools away and we had a pleasant ride home.
Saturday my back muscles were sore from the walking I did at Stubbs Acres. There is a bit of a sloping hill there and a much different terrain than I walk at home. We had thought about taking our travel trailer down there for a few days, but Frank says no... that I'm not ready yet. He is probably right.
Mama --
I talked to Mama yesterday. She said she is doing better with her back (she had back surgery a few weeks ago). She went to her family doctor on Thursday and was given a steroid shot and a presciption for Methylprednisolone. Mama said that the medications are working and easing her worst pains. This is a relief to me. She has been spending some nights in her recliner because she couldn't get in and out of her bed.
Blog Designers, Clip Art and Blog Help --
In the column just to the right of this post you will see: Blog Designers, Clip Art and Blog Help. These are links to places I've landed in search of getting my blog the way I want it. I will probably add to them as time marches on.
Change your thoughts and you change your world. -- Norman Vincent Peale
My parents moved to this land back in the early 1970s. By that time we were living in Hawaii were Frank was stationed with the Army.
The acreage contains a stand of pine trees and many live oak trees. There is one oak tree that Mama calls a "crazy oak". Mainly because it sheds its leaves in the winter. I used to know the correct name for this oak tree, but I can't pull it out of my head today.
My Daddy passed away in January of 2000. My Mama along with my 2nd eldest brother moved away from the old homestead in 2003. The main reason was the odor coming from their neighbor's land. The Cows and Hogs were not the neighbors that were there when my parents purchased Stubbs Acres. The flies were very bad at Stubbs Acres because of the animals. There are always about 22 cows and about a fifty sows with all their little pigs. They are on about 6 acres of land for these animals. So it is crowded. Unfortunately there was no one to complain to that would do anything about the conditions on the neighbor's property. Since I have been taking pictures of the cows and hogs the neighbor has been feeding the animals better and he is down to about 10 sows with their pigs. With all these animals there is an abundance of flies. When the wind comes from the direction of the animals it is awful.
While at Stubbs Acres on Friday I walked around. I took my camera, but there wasn't much of anything to take pictures of. I stood still as a common green darner (dragonfly) flew round and round the area I was standing. He would not pose. He was torturing me... I think he knew that I'm no good at manual focus with the camera... and since the camera couldn't auto focus on him that was the only way that I could possibly get a decent picture. Well no decent picture... this is what I got:
Pretty much a blur, but I have a record of what one looks like :-) It took me about 20 minutes and several pictures... just blurs and can't even make the dragonfly out pictures... to get it.
After chasing the dragonfly I sat down at the picnic table to rest a bit. Then I walked for about 30 minutes passing by the wet-weather pond which is dry right now. I saw lots of deer tracks on the fire break. Then I sky-watched a bit. Here is the cloud picture I took:
What do you see in the clouds?
By the time I reached where Frank was working at... the tractor shed.. I was tired. There wasn't a chair there, so I walked up to the pump house and got a lawn chair... I was really tired by time I did that. Then the skies were very cloudy and were getting darker. Soon rain would come. Frank finished what he was working on and put his tools away and we had a pleasant ride home.
Saturday my back muscles were sore from the walking I did at Stubbs Acres. There is a bit of a sloping hill there and a much different terrain than I walk at home. We had thought about taking our travel trailer down there for a few days, but Frank says no... that I'm not ready yet. He is probably right.
Mama --
I talked to Mama yesterday. She said she is doing better with her back (she had back surgery a few weeks ago). She went to her family doctor on Thursday and was given a steroid shot and a presciption for Methylprednisolone. Mama said that the medications are working and easing her worst pains. This is a relief to me. She has been spending some nights in her recliner because she couldn't get in and out of her bed.
Blog Designers, Clip Art and Blog Help --
In the column just to the right of this post you will see: Blog Designers, Clip Art and Blog Help. These are links to places I've landed in search of getting my blog the way I want it. I will probably add to them as time marches on.
Change your thoughts and you change your world. -- Norman Vincent Peale
Hi Zaroga, I am so glad to see you are making progress. The walk on the terrain of the ground is an amazing task to do. I love the dragon fly. And glad your mom is doing a bit better. I have all of Norman V Peale's books. I found a number on amazon for 1 c and .99. and great deals on ebay. I love his writing and Willaim D Backas is amazing. I bought almost all of his too.
ReplyDeleteHi Zaroga, Glad you are making some progress and I wish your Mom well too. The dragonfly and sky photos are so very pretty. Thank you for sharing part of your day.
ReplyDeleteI think I finally get this and I can follow the blogs. watching clouds.... :-)))
ReplyDeleteI LOVED seeing the pictures of the farm and I think the dragonfly one is great....the colors are so vivid. I'm not very good at pictures but I love seeing those who do a good job (and you do)!
ReplyDeleteHow did we post the same Thought for the day? That is really weird..don't ya think? I had just seen it so thought I would use it today..It was up to 85 this afternoon here. Quite warm. I loved the day except for the gnats. Do you have those little creatures there? They are awful..small but have a big bite that I just hate!! Glad to hear that you are better and your mother too.
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice afternoon visiting your parents old homestead. I love the trees there even if one is crazy. ;) I think that dragonfly picture you got is photo perfect, Zaroga!! I don't even think it's blurred at all. How did you ever do it with him flying around you like that. Okay, and don't laugh but I see a frog in the clouds. :) So glad your mom is doing better as well! Is it gonna get warmer out there in the next couple of months? I'm jealous if it is. ;)
ReplyDeleteDo you know you are my main source for quotes? I love Peale, such wisdom. I'm so glad you had a lovely day, with lovely weather, surrounded by nature (maybe a little too much?)
ReplyDeleteI feel for people that have a chicken house move in next to them, the smell is terrible, and completely legal. Uck!
Thanks for sharing your day (great shot of the dragonfly-I'm so bad a capturing a moving object:)
It's very late Tuesday and I just wanted to say that I hope you are feeling better and more rested by now. Enjoy the rest of the week.
ReplyDeleteThank you all for posting comments.
ReplyDeleteFlip Flop Floozie: That was weird. We do have biting gnats here, but the ones at Stubbs Acres that day were just the pesky ones that get in your eyes and mouth.
Michelle: I took lot of pictures and that is that was the best picture of the dragonfly. I didn't laugh about the frog.... I did a great big smile because I like to hear what others see and then I can see it too :-) By March our temps will be warm and by June we will be hot. This has been a warm winter here.
Carla: Glad I can help. I like reading little bits of wisdom. I only wish there had been more birds about.
Mildred: I'm going back & forth on feeling better.