Brittany's Beautiful Turkey

Brittany Boddington, a hunter, journalist and adventurer showing off a beautiful ocellated turkey. Brittany is also a host of The Boddington Experience TV Show and Petersen's Hunting TV as well as a writer for Wild Deer Magazine and California Sportsman's Magazine. Check out her story above in the June issue of California Sportsman Magazine with Tankab Outfitters in our great wild outdoors.

June Bug (Doe) Had Six Fawns

"Dwight and Debbie Knight of Knight Farm in Old Town, Florida are pleased to share this amazing miracle. On May 20, 2015 around 2:00 PM, our bottle-raised 7-year-old doe named "June Bug" gave birth to 6 fawns (4 bucks and 2 does). Their weights ranged from 3 to 6 pounds each. She has been consistently giving birth to twins, so this was a BIG surprise!"

Dwight Knight
Knight Farm LLC.

Father/Son Turkey Hunt

Prayer vs. Trespassing!

Memorial Day Snapshots

Vicksburg National Cemetery is the largest internment of Civil War dead in the nation.  It is the burial place for nearly 17,00 Union soldiers.  As I drove past the graves I took some pictures that I wanted to share with you today.

Memorial Day ~ May 25, 2015

Vicksburg National Military Park

Vicksburg, MS

The American Flag is Folded 13 Times

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life

.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veterans departing our ranks who gave a portion of their lives for the defense of our country to attain peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in time of war for his divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, "Our Country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong."

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie.  It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States Of American, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered into the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on Mother's Day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood, for it has been through their faith, their love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great has been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to the father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit.

With the final fold the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost reminding us of our nation's motto, "In God We Trust."

Remembering

Sunset Pix Last Night

Last night's sunset at Ameristar Casino in Vicksburg, MS.

A beautiful painted sky!

M/V Garyville of Marathon Petroleum Company passing by.

Close-up of M/V Garyville.

Heading to the bridges at Vicksburg, MS.

Southbound

Candid Shots of Tiger Cub Scout #193

Last night I was invited to my great grandson, Ian's Tiger Cub Scout Pack meeting at the Redbone United Methodist Church south of town. My daughter Kathy was also there to see and visit with her grandson. The den leader/assistant den leader of Cub Scout Pack #193 started the meeting with the pledge of allegiance and after the awards were given out a social was held. We both ended up taking some pictures of Ian.  My daughter and I had so much fun spending some quality time with him which gives both of us a lot of joy. Here are a few candid shots we took together.  

Ian before the meeting with his scout friend Matt Malone.  They even favor one another. Picture taken by Great Gran Gran.

Ian with his cousin Steven Kelly, my oldest grandson.

This picture and the rest taken by my Grandmother Kathy.  

Really?  Be glad when this is over with! 

I've had enough already!

I'm trying to hide!

If I look away maybe she want take another pix of me.

Do you have to take another one?

Pleasssseeee...not another pix!

I'm happy now playing with a toy that my Grandmother Kathy got me. Thanks Great Gran Gran for taking this picture of me.

Ian will have a fun summer going to camp with the other cub scouts and possibly earning badges.  My congrats to Ian who will become a Wolf Cub Scout in July 2015.  

Boy Scouts of America!

A Scout is Loyal.  An ounce of loyalty is worth a pound of cleverness.  What makes families and communities and countries work - indeed, what makes the world go 'round - is loyalty.  And a Scout is Loyal.

A Deer Kiss

A Florida Black Bear

This is Florida's state record of a black bear weighing in at 720 lbs. Picture taken from Outdoors International Facebook page site of hunting and fishing.  

Big Black Bear!

A Lion Named Will

Footage shared last week by the Rancho dos Gnomos Santuario in Brazil shows the thrilling moment a lion named Will experiences, for the first time, the feeling of soil and grass beneath his feet.  Prior to being rescued and taken to the sanctuary, Will had been forced to perform with a traveling circus.  For 13 long years, the lion had been confined to a cramped cage and denied any semblance of a normal existence.

Within seconds of his release, Will can be seen eagerly running his paws through the soft soil - - tragically, a foreign material for a creature who, up until then, had known only cold metal floors. Will's reaction to the grass that covers his sprawling new home is equally ecstatic. Despite his age, advanced for his species, the lion rolls around like a happy cub discovering life's simple pleasures. But perhaps the most touching part of Will's transition into his new sanctuary can be seen in this moment of repose, as if mot impressed not by the feeling of dirt or grass, but by a new found sense of peace.

A lion can live up to 14 years in the wild, or up to 26 in captivity.

Published on May 12, 2015.

Sounds Like A Song...

A funny on a rainy day!  

Foggy Morning

Hunting is...

Deer Swimming

Lot's Of Love & Kisses

Wild Boar Fever

How Great Thou Art

It would be easy if we could spend our lives just going downstream all the time.  Let the current push us along.  Don't exert as much effort. And get where we want to go faster.

All of us, without exception though, have a life of upstream travels. The problems and complexities of life are constantly pushing against us. We have to work harder and hard to make progress.

But there is good news!  For Christians, we have a bigger boat with a bigger motor!  It's Jesus Christ!

Those without Christ in their lives have to face all that life throws at them without that added support.  They have to depend on friends and family only to get through the tough times.  And, as you know my friends, that is simply not enough.

Jesus Christ is the secret ingredient.  But it should not be a secret. Use this analogy today to talk to others about the saving grace of Jesus Christ.  You don't have to quote scriptures.  Just tell a  story of a tough time in which a bigger boat with a bigger motor helped you make it upstream. - - Marty Kittrell

Photo:  A towboat and barges makes it way upstream at the Mississippi River bridges in Vicksburg, MS, this past Saturday morning.

Doe With Piebald Fawns

Many piebalds usually display one, a combination of; or even all of the following conditions:

a.  Bowing of the nose (often called Roman nose)

b.  Short legs

c.  Arching spine (scoliosis)

d.  Short lower mandible

e.  Internal organ deformities

Though rare, piebald deer are more common then the white, albino, or the extremely rare melanistic deer.

Happy Mother's Day!

Photographer ~ Michel Soucy

Cajun Country

What is a Cajun?
By Bob Hamm

According to the history books, a Cajun is a descendant of a hardy group of Nova Scotian exiles who settled over 200 years ago along the bayous and marshes of South Louisiana. The name Cajun (they tell us) is a contraction of "Acadienne .. Acadian." So much for the textbook!

Little Cajun children are made of gumbo, boudin and sauce piquante ... crawfish stew and oreilles de cochon. The Cajun child is given bayous to fish in, marshes to trap in, room to grow in, and Catholic churches to worship in. (In other parts of the world, little girls are made of sugar and spice and everything nice; while little boys are made of snips and snails and puppydog tails.)

A Cajun likes fiddles and accordions in his music, plenty of pepper in his courtboullon, shrimp in his nets, speed in his horses, neighborliness in his neighbors, and love in his home. He dislikes people who don't laugh enough, fish enough, or enjoy enough of all the good things God has given to the Cajun country. Also, he dislikes being hurried when he's resting and distracted when he's working; seeing people unhappy, and he'll do all he can or give all he has to bring a smile to a face stricken with sadness.

A Cajun likes to dance and laugh and sing when his week of hard work has ended. And just as Saturday night at the fais-do-do replenishes his store of energy, Sunday at church refreshes his spiritual and moral values and keeps strong his always sustaining faith.

A Cajun is a link with a proud past. His is a glorious heritage! He is a man of tolerance who will let the world go its way if the world will let him go his. He is a man of great friendliness who will give you the crawfish off his table, the sac-a-lait off his hook, or the shirt off his back.

A Cajun is a complex person, with as many ingredients in his makeup as the gumbo Mama makes for special company. He has tolerance for those who earn it, charity for those who need it, a smile for those who will return it, and love for all who will share it.

If a Cajun likes you, he'll give you this whole wide, wonderful world; and if he doesn't, he'll give you a wide berth. When you cross a Cajun, he gives you the back of his hand and the toe of his boot, for he can be stubborn as a mule and ornery as an alligator. If he sets his head on something, he'll fight a circlesaw before he'll yield to your opinions -- you'd as well argue with a fence post as to try to convince a Cajun.

And, as fun-loving as he is, a Cajun can work as hard and as long as any living man. He carved out "Acadiana" by hand, from the swamp and marshes and uncultivated prairies. But when the work is done and argument is ended, a Cajun can sweep you right into a wonderful world of joie de vivre with an accordion chorus of "Jole Blone" and a handful of happy little words ... five little words to be exact: "Lessez le bon ton roulle!" -- Translated: "Let the good times roll!"

Tour @ 2200 Clinic

Yesterday at noon I toured the new 2200 Medical Office Building with other members of the Senior Circle at the Merit Health River Region Hospital north of town.  Next Friday twelve doctors will be moving into the new building and will began seeing patients on Monday, May 18th. The Doctors moving there are: Thomas Moore, Gordon Sluis, Timothy Kerut, Alfred Windham, Gloria Butler, Thomas Sligh, Feras Hamadeh, Walter Johnston, Dedri Ivory, Tulio Figarola, William Porter, John Fagan and the Outpatient Rehab Services. 

Touring the 2200 Clinic.

One of many exam rooms.

AquaFIT

The Aqua Fit Underwater Treadmill System by Hudson Aquatic Systems, LLC, is a newly redesigned stand alone system.  You can turn an hour workout into 20 minutes with the same healthy effect, but without the sore joints and muscles.  This allows for a low impact high resistant workout.  We were told that this is the only one in the State of Mississippi at this time.  

Picture of Merit Health River Region entrance at 2100 Highway 61 North. The new building is to the left of the hospital. 

Took some pictures of pretty petunias planted around the hospital.