Tag Archives: Okra Paradise Farms

Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS after sunset 2024-10-14

The 80,000-year comet.

[Venus in trees on left, with Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, 8:09:55 PM, 2024-10-14]
Venus in trees on left, with Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS, 8:09:55 PM, 2024-10-14

It was quite visible to the naked eye, an hour and 10 minutes after sunset, despite the bright waxing gibbous moon behind us.

All taken with a Galaxy S10+, night mode, 5-second exposure. Continue reading

Finding Gretchen’s Sycamore Tree after Hurricane Helene

We raised this tree from knee-high, so we wanted to see how it was doing after Hurricane Helene.

[Finding Gretchen's Sycamore Tree after Hurricane Helene with chainsaw and dogs 2024-10-12]
Finding Gretchen’s Sycamore Tree after Hurricane Helene with chainsaw and dogs 2024-10-12

After I chainsawed through many yards of fallen trees, bushes, and vines, we found it battered but still standing.

Blondie and Honeybun were almost as happy as Gretchen to see it.

Here is a video playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLLk2OxkA4UvwnPsm5_5P9lTV26Mqd-SWR&si=1HpY-Z3kg72Izfyx

gq

[The tree with the afternoon sun, 16:59:15]
The tree with the afternoon sun, 16:59:15

jsq

[Movie: Gretchen comes to her tree, 17:40:09]
Movie: Gretchen comes to her tree, 17:40:09

PP

[Movie: Big pine on path to the pond, 17:43:40]
Movie: Big pine on path to the pond, 17:43:40

DFSP

[Deadfall on south path, 17:55:46]
Deadfall on south path, 17:55:46

-jsq

Clyattville High School Pioneer, 1951-5

Does anybody want these Clyattville High School annuals?

[Pioneer '55]
Pioneer ’55

They’re pretty musty, but still completely legible. The ’55 one has many inscriptions in it. Continue reading

Pearson Tribune subscription 1947-08-30

My mother subscribed to the Pearson Tribune, August 30, 1947, 77 years ago.

It cost $2.00.

[Pearson Tribune Subscription Receipt]
Pearson Tribune Subscription Receipt

Notice the address is just “Ray City Georgia”.

No rural route or anything was needed to deliver.

Also, the address for the same house now and since the 1960s is Hahira 31632.

Why Pearson? She grew up there, and had only married and moved to the farm a few years before.

-jsq

Fire in wood stove 2024-10-12

It was 53 F this morning.

So cold after Hurricane Milton, that I lit a fire in the wood stove, using deadfall from Hurricane Helene.

[Movie: fire in wood stove (5.8M)]
Movie: fire in wood stove (5.8M)

Here’s a video:
https://youtu.be/JKSSZLMf6lw

-jsq

Tree on corn crib 2024-09-30

Turns out we do have one tree on one roof after Hurricane Helene.

[Tree on corn crib]
Tree on corn crib

Fortunately, it did not break through the corn crib roof.

[River and Blondie under the roots]
River and Blondie under the roots

The dogs think the tree roots are a great cool play place.

-jsq

Small saw and little dogs on a log 2024-10-03

Small saw path, or big saw path?

Small saw, she said.

[16-inch Ego electric chainsaw on water oak deadfall]
16-inch Ego electric chainsaw on water oak deadfall

In her defense, we did saw a bunch of smaller stuff before we came to this deadfall. And that EGO 16-inch electric chainsaw will saw bigger logs than that. But I prefer the bigger saw for that sort of thing.

Meanwhile, on another log, the pale dogs were doing their circus act. Continue reading

Hurricane Helene 2024-09-27

Howling and bumping from about 11:30 PM to 2 AM. Hurricane Helene made Debby and Idalia sound like nothing.

And the morning light showed it was worse than that.

When we moved back here in 2007, old timers told us they remembered this oak on the back driveway from when they were young, early in the 20th century.

[Ancient oak]
Ancient oak

This other oak just missed the red-iron building we were in. Continue reading

Gopher tortoise

This gopher tortoise was on the edge of the pavement.

[Gopher tortoise, 2024-08-10,  10:23:19, 30.9942320, -83.2697720]
Gopher tortoise, 2024-08-10, 10:23:19, 30.9942320, -83.2697720

Since the Gopherus polyphemus was not actually crossing Quarterman Road and seemed to be in no danger, I took a picture and moved on.

As you probably know, gophers are a keystone species, whose burrows host up to 300 other species, from insects to rattlesnakes.

This was on the way to the Neighborly morning chainsawing 2024-08-10.
http://www.okraparadisefarms.com/blog/?p=9507

-jsq