Random Observances

Whether you are driving around or walking around, there is always something interesting to see if you take the time to notice.  Sometimes life happens so fast, that you don't take the time to appreciate things.  I want to make a conscious decision to take it all in or like Henry David Thoreau said: 

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms...”

What a great quote!  Don't you want to suck the marrow out of life?  While driving through Roanoke, Louisiana the other morning, an observance transported me several decades back.  Out in front of an old Bell building, I presume it was, was an old pay phone.  The really old pay phones were boxes with doors that you could walk into.  They had phone books hanging from a cable that you could use.  How times have changed.  You no longer need pay phones or phone books.  You can now talk to anyone at anytime without dropping a quarter in the slot.  The only problem is, I can't tell you anyone's number to save my life since I just press a button with the person's name.    

A "modern" phone booth (the one that followed the box-style phone booth

At home, we are in the peak season of blueberry harvest.  Approximately half of our blueberry bushes died last year in the drought.  The ones that survived are really producing this year.  We are getting about a quart of blueberries every single day.  I know that the birds are eating their fill too, doggonit!  The blueberries are plump and delicious.  I purchased some rooting hormone and I've been watching videos to teach myself to start cuttings rooting from our blueberry bushes to replace those we lost.  I'll attempt that in the next week.  We'll see if we can successfully get some starts from cuttings.  That would save some money, but I know it'll take several years.  We'll learn how to root blueberries and how to be patient at the same time!

Speaking of being patient, behold the work of the spider.  Overnight this spider constructed a masterful architectural wonder.  The dewdrops decorated the spiderweb like tiny jewels sparkling in the morning sunshine.  Think about the time that the spider meticulously built this web.  Amazing, really!  I wonder how many bugs were captured in this spider's trap?  Reminds me of the saying, "Oh what a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive."  When we do that, we get caught up in our own web.  Why does a spider not get caught in its' own web?  Have you ever thought about that?  It's because she walks on her tiptoes.  She's very careful.  In a few minutes the dew will be burned off her web and it will be more hidden.  Some unsuspecting bug will fall prey to her web and will be brunch.

I was driving south of Bell City, Louisiana, and saw a Baptist Church that was damaged from one of the hurricanes and not reopened.  It's a sad sight to see.  There are many, many churches that did not re-open after the hurricanes.  Their frayed blue tarps on the roofs blow in the wind, the facilities falling in disrepair.  Many insurers left the state after the storms.  Those that stayed increased premiums substantially.  Many churches cannot afford insurance anymore and are self-insuring their structures.  It's a sad situation, for sure.

Here's a glass half full story, to close.  Growing up, I hated Chinese tallow trees.  We called them chicken trees because chickens would roost in them.  They are an invasive species and will take over a fallow field or pasture in no time.  Birds eat their seeds and distribute them along fencerows.  Soon your fences are overtaken by the trees.  You must constantly clear them.  However, if you don't pull the trees up by the roots, it seems to make the trees mad.  They grow back from the stump with renewed vigor, determined to grow back stronger and faster than before.

But there is a good side to the tallow tree.  Honeybees love them!  Behold the flowers of the tallow tree!:

When you see this sight you know that the "flow" is on!  Bees will be gathering nectar and bringing it back to the hive to make honey.  You'd better make sure you have enough supers on top of your boxes to hold all the honey!  We were adding supers to the top of our four boxes last week.  The existing boxes are heavy and full of capped honey.  We added to the top so that they can continue filling the new boxes with honey while the flow is on.  Why, if you look to the very center of the photo below, you can see a honeybee busy working, collecting nectar from the tallow tree's flower:

If you weren't paying attention (or staring into your phone) you'd miss a lot!  Let's not miss anything.