Tomorrow I leave for Perry, GA. I have the wonderful luxury of NOT having to pack. I am a full-time RV’er so I don’t have need of a suitcase, and it’s impossible to forget my toothbrush.

But I do have other chores. My least favorite task is putting away the water hoses!! There are three sets that I deal with……that translates to three chances to get wet. I have yet to finish the job dry. But I did enjoy some of it today. I repaired several things. I did get wet, but now my three water hoses are fixed!

My favorite task is hooking the truck to the trailer. But it wasn’t always my favorite. My stomach used to knot up into a crocheted afghan when it was time for hooking up. I would backup and miss; change the angle and backup again; change again and still miss. I would see folks gathering and whispering amongst themselves. Finally, some would approach and begin offering suggestions and trying to help.

But no more! I have learned to use a mirror and a stick to guide me in! I now backup and hit the mark each time. It has gone from the worst job to the best. I still provide entertainment to folks, but this kind I don’t mind!

I’ll be gone a couple of months. Should be a lot of fun.

Got to go for now,
Take care,
Suzanne

A while back, I told you about a plant that looked dead. I had walked over and seen that there was some green (at the very bottom), but everything else was crispy brown.

I’m happy to report that IT’S ALIVE and full of green. My mom had told me that it would come back, John the Naturalist had told me that, and so had my neighbor. It’s still neat to see it actually happen! Here's the "Before-And-After" shots.





Since that plant looked so healthy, I decided to go check on the other plant that was also suppose to survive. Here's it's picture.......


I guess the heat of Texas was too much for this plant. The only thing growing here is weeds!

Take care!
Suzanne

I remember the Disney program on TV. You remember, don’t you? It came on every Sunday night at 7:00 PM. Sometimes, there were nature stories; sometimes, there were science stories; sometimes a story about a dog or horse. I remember the thrill when Daddy brought home a color TV, and we could finally see that program in color!

The nature stories were my favorite. One week, there would be an hour-long show all about rabbits. I’d learn about their diet, their social structure, their nests, and their raising of the young. Then a few weeks later, there would be a nature program about fish. Later on, there would be a program on foxes.

From watching Disney, I realized that it was necessary for one animal to die so that another could live. I would find myself rooting for the fox to get the rabbit so that she could survive and feed her young. Then, I would remember the program where I was cheering for the rabbit so that she could return to her nest.

The Disney program came to mind this morning. I was checking on the turtle nest, and I’m sorry to tell you that the nest has been opened and the eggs are gone. There are no shells lying around to give hope that the turtles had hatched and gone off. So, I’m reminding myself that the turtle snatcher is not a thief….she is some lucky animal that found food that will help her survive another day. I wish it didn’t happen this way, but that is nature. Nature works very well, and I wouldn’t change a thing.

Talk to you later,
Suzanne

P.S. I was rooting for those turtles, though.....dad-nab-it!

While on Trash Patrol, I spied a brownish clump of papers/hairs/strings lying on the ground. I swerved over and picked it up and discovered that it wasn’t trash at all. It was a bird’s nest. A small, delicate, and decorated bird’s nest. That decoration had caught my eye. A shiny pink ribbon woven in the twigs had reflected just enough sunlight for me to notice it.

I examined it closer. And found all of those things that the animal shows have been showing me for years and years. Twigs were used for the basic structure. Then smaller twigs and little papers and that little ribbon were inserted to fill in the gaps. Finally, very soft bedding was laid in the bottom for the eggs to rest on.

I took the nest to John because I knew he would be interested. (John knows a lot about nature.) He pointed out a couple of more things……the lint and insulation in the nest showed that the bird was not afraid to come near houses and people, and the bedding for the eggs came from a rabbit.

I did take a picture for you. The pinkness of the ribbon didn’t come out too well in the picture, but you can still clearly see that it is a tiny ribbon. And you can also see the lint pieces throughout the structure. I added the pencil to give you an idea of size and to point to one feather. (Can you see it?!?)

Ya’ll take care,
Suzanne

I just never know when I’m going to be amazed. I heard some of my friends talking today about making Mother and about eliminating Mother and about taking Mother. You guys out there probably already know what my friends were talking about.

The subject was Mother of Vinegar. I just got on Google, and its definition pretty well explains it……

Mother of vinegar is a slime composed of a form of cellulose and acetic acid bacteria that develops on fermenting alcoholic liquids, which turns alcohol into acetic acid with the help of oxygen from the air. It is added to wine, cider, or other alcoholic liquids to produce vinegar.

(The word slime instantly turned me away from considering Mother as a health potion.)

Not only is the definition interesting, it’s also interesting that my friends who knew about Mother were all in different age groups. They were also raised in different regions of the USA. And there were just as many raised in the city as raised in the country. I just wasn’t able to understand the connection amongst my friends who knew about Mother.

So, I’ve decided to just enjoy this little bit of interesting trivia. And, one day, I’ll figure out why my 60-year-old friend from Chicago and my 80-year-old friend from Woodville both knew about Mother.

Meanwhile…………

Take care,
Suzanne