Happy Birthday Will and Noah!

Wishing both great-grandsons, William David "Will" and Noah, a very Happy Birthday. Yesterday was Noah's 8th Birthday, and today is Will's 9th. Looking forward to the family get-together to celebrate soon. They celebrated their Mom's (Lucy's) 29th Birthday last weekend on a beach in FL. She will be giving me my first great-granddaughter in Feb. 2027. Love y'all so much! Great Gran Gran

The Birthday Boys!

Happy 54th Birthday, Suzi

I'm wishing my youngest daughter, Marian Suzanne "Suzi," a very Happy 54th Birthday today. I took this picture of her, which is my favorite, outside Cracker Barrel while visiting family here in MS and LA about 13 years ago. Suzi was pregnant with her second daughter then. She is a stay-at-home mom in Fredericksburg, VA, to her two daughters, Emma and Kate, and her hubby, Dennis. I love you so much and enjoy the birthday outing you have planned with family.

Happy 54th Birthday, Suzi!

Kareen's Hog Kill in Alpine, TX

My Facebook friend, Kareen, is a hog-killing machine.  This is what she killed Monday in the great outdoors of Texas!!

So this is what has been happening with the hogs. Two nights in a row before last night, I went out after dark, and both times they were already there and ran off. I decided I would go out earlier and was there by 7:38 pm. Sure enough, some deer came in, ate, and left, and at 8:15, a sounder of youngsters came in. I waited as I wanted to see that big hog. As the moon grew brighter and brighter, I could see very well. When these hogs came in, I could see a boar outside the pen who would not come in but kept letting out a long grunt. When he did that, a few of the young hogs would run off a few feet, then go back to eating. I don't know if he was warning them or what. A little later, I saw the big boar coming up from the creek, but apparently he knew something was up or caught my scent because he turned and went back down into the creek, and I knew he wouldn't be coming back. I finally told myself to just shoot a hog. Really doesn't matter if it's a big one or not, and there were about 8 to choose from. I took my shot, and down he went, and he didn't even do a death dance. That makes only 3 for the year, but makes my grand total 215. I've got to go drag him off in a little bit. Oh, and I shot him at 8:38 pm.

My congratulations to Kareen!  Way to go, girlfriend!

Awesome Buck Photo by Mike Persichini

I couldn't have asked for a better morning, per my Facebook friend Mike Persichini from Michigan.

Rozzy's Large Trophy

Pretty confident Rozzy needs a larger trophy room!!! She is pregnant and still stacking the big bucks.  Congratulations Roz!  It looks like this is number 18 or 20, and it's over 18 inches wide!!!

My congratulations!

Great Grandson, Noah Going to Bass Pro

Kids can say the darenest things - My daughter, Debi, took my great-grandson, Noah, to the Bass Pro this morning, and on the way, all of a sudden he hollered out, "Oh my G-d, look at all the hair on my legs!! Yeah! I'm a man now! 

When they were riding the elevator upstairs at Bass Pro, he said, "Umm, is this elevator professionally made?" The guy in the elevator said, "I sure hope so." 

 My grandson will be celebrating his birthday with his brother, Will, in the next couple of weeks, since they were born a day and a year apart. He's a man-soon-to-be 8-year-old, sitting on a 4-wheeler at Bass Pro. Love him so much; he always gives the peace sign in his photos.

We Remember

 

Good Morning, Bloggers

 

Dove Hunting in Kansas

The Dove Hunting Gang!

 

Charlie (Dad) and John Kirk (my Godchild).

The Rings and a hunting friend.

  A great picture of John Kirk (Godchild), Charlie Sr., Michael, and Charlie Jr. (sharing the same birthday, 27 January).

So glad the Ring Family had a good time dove hunting with hunting friends in Kansas during the Labor Day holiday.  Their mother, Jeanette, is my bestest friend in the whole wide world.  So proud that Charlie and his sons enjoyed the great outdoors in Kansas.  Congratulations!

Buck Photo Bomb

This is my Facebook friend, Mike Persichini, taking pictures of deer and saying it was a great morning to be in the woods!

 

Not sure if this is his daughter or his wife.

He has been doing this for years, and the deer are not afraid of him.  He also feeds them in Michigan's great outdoors.

Two Deer Fawns

This picture was taken by my Facebook friend, Mike Persichini.  I told him this looks like a painting.  A beautiful picture of two fawns in our great outdoors in Michigan!

The Tomato Place @ Vicksburg, MS

Last Saturday, my daughter, Debi, and I went to eat at "The Tomato Place" in my hometown, down 61 South.  Here are some random pictures I took while we were there.  It's a quaint little place with exceptional food, and it's been around for 24 years now.

 

Daughter Debi

We had fried green tomatoes w/avocado, and it was loaded with bacon chips.  I had already picked up part of the sandwich and decided to take a picture.  When I did, the bacon fell out of the sandwich.  Also, we had fried sweet potato chips w/sauce, so good.  We both had fresh-squeezed lemonade, and it was so delicious.  Haven't had that in a long time.

Luke Hughes behind the counter.

Smiling owner, Luke Hughes!

I accidentally set my camera to portrait mode and took this black-and-white picture of the bottle tree.

Of course, I had to get a magnet for my fridge!

Tagged Out on Alligator Hunt in MS

First night hunt gains a 12-foot 4-incher in the Mississippi River! Congrats, Jonathan Wimberley and friends. Tagged out on the first night!

12 feet and 4 inches in the Mississippi River.

Public Waters Season:  August 28 at 12:00 pm to September 7 at 12:00 pm.  Hunters are allowed from 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise each day.  The active season limit is two 4-foot bags per permit, with only one allowed to exceed 7 feet.

My congratulations to all.  What an adventure in hunting in our great Mississippi outdoors!

Tropical Storm Dolly

 HELLO DOLLY!

Here she comes again! Tropical Storm Dolly is now working 9-to-5 in the Atlantic.

Dolly & her coat of many colors will swirl off to the west over the next few days, probably seeking Jolene somewhere north of the Caribbean... if she's able to keep herself together.

TROPICAL UPDATE

12 PM FRIDAY 8/28/2026

Easy come, easy go!

Just 24 hours after forming, Dolly has already degenerated into a tropical wave and is no longer a tropical storm. Relentless wind shear did it in, and that shear is only expected to get stronger, so the remnants should continue to weaken.

There’s a very small chance Dolly’s remnants could try to regenerate next week near the Bahamas or possibly the Gulf. I’ll keep an eye on it, but at this point, it’s certainly nothing to worry about.

That wind shear has been absolutely relentless this season!

A Watercolor Picture of a Doe

I watercolored a photo of a doe I photographed on July 3, 2026, with my phone.  I just happened to look out my bedroom window and see it at my apartment.  She is pregnant as well.  

 

This was taken before she left and went down the hill to another subdivision.  We have deer all over my hometown of Vicksburg, MS.

Welcome Dolly

January 19, 1946 ~ August 25, 2026

A Deer Interdigital Glands

When you harvest a deer this season, look for the hidden gland between the hooves on all four feet. It's located between and just above the hooves and underneath the fur. This small opening is the “interdigital” gland, one of seven different external whitetail glands.

The interdigital glands produce a secretion that some people describe as smelling like rancid butter. Biologists don't fully understand the function of the interdigital glands, but it's likely that they enable deer to deposit a unique scent in each track as they walk. This could help them retrace their own paths and remain within a familiar home range. Or, they could be sharing information about their location and how recently they passed with other deer.

When deer detect danger and stomp their front hooves, they might deposit extra scent from the gland, which could warn other deer about this location. All these are theories, and you can add your own when you show your friends the interdigital glands on their deer and share this cool deer science

Bucks Butting

The Big 8 got his butt beat this morning!!!

My Facebook friend, Mike Persichini, who is a deer whisperer, took pictures of what he calls the "Big 8" sparring with another buck. Someone said they were just playing right now; give them a couple of months. But Mike said they were not playing; it was pretty vicious for 15 seconds.