Pork Barrel?

You just never know what a storm system will bring with it...

Our conversation this afternoon following a thunderstorm:

"Hey, Treebeard?"
"Yes, Swampy?"
"There's a little pig in the yard."
"A what?"
"A pig. A little one. You reckon it escaped from one of the neighbor's hog houses?"
"I'll give 'em a call and find out."

Turns out we are harboring a fugitive. The hog farmer next door received a shipment of new pigs on Thursday. This little guy made a break for it and has been on the lam (you thought I was gonna say ham, didn't you?) ever since. The little guy fell in love with the pepper barrels that we are getting ready to make into rain barrels.
A few minutes after I shot the video, Treebeard snuck up on him and caught him in one of the barrels. He's in there now (the pig, not Treebeard!) munching out on a couple of ears of corn, waiting for a ride back to the farm.
Funny, I have mixed emotions about that...

Mortar Mix Madness

No pictures, just a list of lessons learned today.

Lesson one: Mortar mix and concrete mix are two very different beasts with entirely different temperaments. Right now I'm liking concrete more than mortar.

Lesson two: You can't really tell if your mortar mix has too much or not enough water in it until you start your application. While it looked dry in the wheelbarrow, it looked downright soggy when I started constructing my bird bath. Oy.

Lesson three: Eastern pondhawks (dragonflies) are a lot like cats...if you are working on something they like to get either on it or on you, or both. By the time I finished my task I counted no less than a dozen pondhawks "helping" me.

Wonder

Treebeard and I went for a wonder in the woods this morning. You know about wondering in the woods -- "Wonder how come that tree grew that way...Wonder what critter dug that hole...Wonder how we're gonna get across that mucky spot..."

Below are a few of our wonders.

An American holly growing in a baldcypress "planter"

A shelf fungus that grew around a briar cane.

Squeeze play -- two American beeches putting the squeeze on a sourwood

A little higher up, the trees aren't so tight.

An old beech just not ready to call it quits. Note the sproutings from the stump.

A crayfish looking for a little stability in life...

He built his chimney between two cypress knees

Back at the house, looks like we've got squatters! Bet it's a vulture or two using the chimney top for a roosting site. Wonder if they make diapers for vultures ;)

This first day of February is beautiful here in the swamp.
The weather predictions for the rest of the week don't sound so promising.
I'm off to refresher training first thing tomorrow and won't return until Thursday night. Keep your fingers crossed for me that it doesn't snow on us while we are requalifying with our firearms. I really hate shooting prone in the snow ;)

Icky Algae

All together now, "Yuck!"

Take A Guess

Good guesses! Yes, both are kaleidoscoped images of a butterfly's wing. To be precise, the wing of an American Lady, Vanessa virginiensis.

Apparently, I'm It

One of several "Its" actually. Nina over at Nature Remains tagged me for the Seven Random Facts Meme. I'm not planning on tagging anyone but if you'd like to tell the world seven things about yourself, go for it! The rules are simple:

1. Link to the person who tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random or weird things about yourself.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Well, here goes. My seven random facts --

1. With the exception of my aunt, I have never personally met another person with my same first name (and no, my real name isn't "Swampy").

2. When I was a child I wanted to grow up to be both Daniel Boone and a June Taylor Dancer on the Jackie Gleason show. Instead I grew up to be, among other things, a librarian, a science teacher, and finally a park ranger. Go figure.

3. In college I participated in a study conducted by a psych grad student. She was studying the responses of the brains of right-handed people to the written word and pictures. According to her, I should be left-handed instead of right-handed -- my left hand disagrees :)

4. I eat my salad without dressing. It is a shame to cover the delicate flavor of vegetables with various oils and fats.

5. Shoes should tie. I don't like slides, clogs, sandals, or flip-flops. And don't get me started on high heels!! They should be illegal.

6. I very seldom ever drink soft drinks, but when I do I drink Pepsi and it always gives me the hiccups.

7. In February, when I turn 50, I am going to get a tattoo - but you will never see it ;)

There you are. Seven totally random facts about me. Now, who else wants to play?

Playtime

Okay, I know I said I wouldn't be messing with my pictures, but I really like this incarnation of the feather from the post below...it appeals to the little hippie child that lives inside me ;)

Gotta run. Treebeard has slipped the leash and gone outside unsupervised. We can't have such flaunting of the rules! Now, where are my shoes???

Idle Hands

Things are piling up on us at the moment, stressful things. Things that I needed to take a break from thinking about for a few hours. The result? My idle hands found a program on my computer that I had forgotten I had purchased (did I mention things have been stressful lately...) Anyway, I rediscovered this program and proceeded to play with it. Thought I would share a couple of my creations with you. But not to worry, I won't be futzing around with my actual posts. Nature is astounding in its own right - I don't need to tweak it to make it "better."

What's In A Name?

Just a quick note of only trivial interest...

My real first name is a little unusual and I seldom see it in print. Today, while checking my site meter, I was startled to see my name listed in the column that tells me the location of my visitors. You see, I share my name with a city in Italy. Of course, my Italian visitor had no idea that this was the case since I have chosen not to reveal my real name. See, I told you it was trivial...but I got a kick out of it ;)

Another Year

I'm 49 years old today. That means I have begun my 50th year on this earth. So far, so good :)

Red Sky At Morning...

Sailor take warning?