Full Jan's Moon

Full Jan's Moon rises tonight a few minutes before sunset. tomorrow it rises about a half hour after sunset so you pick your moonrise, i'm greedy, i'll be out there for both. This post is a reminder for David Lee to take Jan out to the beach for a bit of beach combing during the extra low tides. Last month he told me that the FM is on her birthday, today or Sunday, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAN! Lots to celebrate Dave. For the Full Yellowtail last month P and I were on a journey. We drove to Burke Virginia to spend a few with Jake and family. It was a grand event. This week I begin big kids school, I'm going crazy preparing. It seems the big shirts who decide these things are telling us to go virtual with the large classes because of space issues, I have two nearing 200, but for two weeks only, we must because of the spike in covid in our rebellious maskless/part of this great nation. Then we reevaluate. This is so confusing for my students and their old prof. Please think of me for these next few days. 7-20-21 P and I raced off today for a full two day Journey to Burke Virginia. Spent the night in Knoxville. Our travels are arranged into 2 hour shift of shared driving/reading a novel to each other, great fun, with stretching at potty/switch stops. We read "the Henna Artist" and Where The Crawdads Sing" two really fun, exciting reads. 7-21-21 Arrive Burke, exausted but smiling, but not without a planned stop at the Route 11 Potato Chip Factory, fried in pure peanut oil. Did you know that for every 100 pounds of 'Yukon Gold' potatoes you only get 25 pounds of chips, the rest is lost as water vapor. Makes you think, of what i'm not sure. Good stop and we left with a 7 pound box of chips for our Burke visit to go along with 5 pounds of Legnon's boudin and 10 pounds of Legnon's smoked sausage we had in the ice chest, oh my! 7-22-21 Granddaughter Maddie (20) is hosting a roommate/suitemate reunion/party. Grilled boudin hors d'0eures and a meal by the hostess. Pretty loud. Food great. 7-23-21 Anna (15) practicing for Drivers Ed classes this school year. Now that was an experience y'all, my whiplash is slowly healing. 7-31-21 Kayak adventure on south fork of Shenandoah river which, did you know flows north into the Patomic R. Major adventure, great way to spend a warm day. The river was low so the danger of us drowning was minimal. Great day. 8-1-21 Burke Community Church with the family, well prepared homily, well delivered, good message, glad we went. Family ministry meal tonight with Boudin and smoked sausage again, oh my. 8-2-21 Raced back down hill to our flat home down on the water's edge. Stopped at Sam's Club in Knoxville to visit nephew Dave who we have not seen in years, shame on us, we missed out on kids and wife because we were too early. Slept in Chattanooga. Noted heavy haze in mountains and hills, local weather guy said it was wildfire smoke from the Western fires, thanks Dave. 8-3-21 Raced off to the Gulf Rim, I say raced, 75 is fast to Ol Possum y'all. Arrived smiling. 8-5-21 Biking past Zeus Bioswale/pollinator/Cajun Prairie habitat, 6' of wild wonder this time of year, full of insects, when i noted 3 MIKIs (Mississippi Kites) dive bombing for Mosquito Hawks and various insects. Very cool y'all. 8-7-21 Very large Hummer nectoring on our Penta 8-8-21 Very small Hummer nectoring on our Penta Hmmmmmm, y'all, this is very interesting. Normal here is for RTHB to be here March-September and Scattered Winter Hummers for the rest of the year with some overlap. The winter Hummer species are generally variable in size with RTHB being fairly uniform. Hmmmmm, this is early y'all, perhaps they don't like smoke or habitats are damaged with drought and wildfires. That is where the winter species come from, West Coast, mountain states, N. Mexico. 8-10-21 WAIT, WHAT DA, it is just a bit cooler. My old daddy always said that "you can always count on a few days in August to be just a bit cooler, just a hint of cool, a promise of fall and winter days ahead!"YAY! 8-11-21 Definately cooler y'all. Swallow Tailed Kite at La94/La182 intersection. Seldom seen this far west. We see them in the big swamp but seldom here. Unless of course you are Eddie in his East Loreauville perch, he has the grandest sunrise/sunset and moonries/moonset views along with regular Swallow Tail Kite sightings. STKs are larger than MIKIs and a bold white and black bird, a real specticle, and quite the gift. 8-12-21 Cooler, dryer, storm in Gulf, cloudy, Persied Meteor shower (thanks Eddie). I looked but saw no signs of Persieds. Cooper Hawk on rail of Vermilion River Bridge on way in to work, that girl was wet, just sitting there drying her "hair" on the bridge railing after her morning bath. Coops have an attitude, I call them Bird Feeder Hawks because that is where you see them often, eating their bloody breakfasts. 8-16-21 I have a big pot full of Mexican Milkweed and Gara. Not much happening there most days. Today i "discovered", right under my nose a Milkweed full of Monarch larvae, caterpillars, full sized, chowing down. 8-17-21 Milkweed foliage thinned down quite a bit, I quickly count 10, nice promise for a colorful future. 8-18-21 Milkweed cleaned down to stumps, caterpillars running out of options. 8-19-21 caterpillars gone, hopefully ready to pupate. 8-20-21 Mimi and I went to a bar in Youngsville to hear Maggie sing. Her friend Brennan plays the guitar and does harmonies and even a bit of pretty good harmonica. They are in Asbury Methodist on sunday and the bars on Friday or Saturday nights... We have 5/6 granddaughters who sing, two are pretty shy about it. Maggie has P's genetics and her dad is pretty supportive and is related to much local talent, but he only sings at parties. Soooo.... Our girls in Virginia are both related to Mimi AND Barbara Fairchild their mom's mom, so they have genetically imposed talent too. Oh wait, no poems this round? how about a quote? this one from P's friend Mary, this one by William Golding: "I think women are foolish to pretend they are equal to men. They are far superior and always have been. Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she will give you a baby. If you give her a house, she will give you a home. If you give her groceries, she will give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she will give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So if you give her any crap, be ready to recieve a ton of shit! Good advice William! Get out and enjoy the full moon. P and I will raise a glass of tart red to you our friends. peace love possumhugs BT