Beauty Out My Front Door

As I step out my front door you're almost blinded by the beauty of the trees across the street of yellow and orange.  Of course, it want last long now with a storm headed this way later today and winter starting next week.  I don't remember it being this pretty last year but glad to be able to enjoy the fall foliage mid-December.  

At top is a huge limb from an oak tree next door.

A huge water oak tree that hangs over our house from next door.

Used to be four huge oak trees next door but one was cut down.

 

A Dog's Seeing Eye Dog

This is one story that will warm your heart....it is truly inspirational!

Lily is a Great Dane that has been blind since a bizarre medical condition required that she have both eyes removed.  For the last 5 years, Maddison, another Great Dane, has been her sight.  The two are, of course, inseparable.

"People will forget what you said; People will forget what you did.  But people will never forget how you made them feel."

Some Senior Fun

On Monday afternoon's I enjoy going downtown to the Vicksburg Senior Center to a dance class.  We mainly line dance now for about an hour and half.  When I joined back in the late '90's we had line dancing for an hour and then ballroom dancing for another hour.  The center is run by the City of Vicksburg with Jennifer Harper as the Director and lots of activities to enjoy. There are educational programs, exercises, card games, water color art, oil painting classes, bingo, a knitting class and open use of the computers.  My husband, Bob, enjoys the oil painting classes.  The Senior Center just had their Christmas Party at the Old Southern Tea Room this past Friday and this coming Friday will have ladies playing Dulcimers of Christmas tunes and Dirty Santa.  In January and February our Pi Alpha Kappa, Omega Chapter, meetings will be held at the center.  We are very fortunate to have this facility in our hometown.  Below are a few pictures I took last night at the dance.  We each brought some snacks for our little Christmas Party to enjoy.  I made some lemon cake cookies and will share that recipe with you.  They are very easy to make and delicious!

Lemon Cake Cookies

1  box lemon cake mix

1 stick butter - melted

salt

3 eggs

Vanilla or Almond extract

Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 mins.

Place on rack to cool.

Icing

1 pkj. cream cheese

1 box powdered sugar

Lemon Extract

salt

Spread icing on cookies w/knife

(You can also use a strawberry cake mix and put vanilla extract in icing)

Vicksburg Senior Center's Christmas Tree

Merry Christmas!

What A Fantastic View!

What a fantastic view - at a new angle!

My sister, Laura, had her birthday party Saturday afternoon at the home of my nephew, Joey's, girlfriend near the bridges.  What I would give to have a view like this out my window everyday!  As you know, I love taking pictures of the towboats going up and down the Mississippi River.  I was so excited when I saw how close we were and was able to take some pictures before it got too dark. Above is towboat, J. Russell Flowers, pushing a barge just passing under the I-20/Old Hwy 80 bridges loaded with coal going south.  

Princess, her pit bull, was in the backyard.  

I zoomed in and got towboat, Joe Bobzien, passing under the bridges from her front living room window.  

A small supply boat catching up to deliver groceries to towboat, Joe Bobzien.  

My great niece, Anna Claire, Chris, brother-in-law and sister being handed her cake to blow out her candles by her son Joey, my nephew.  My husband, Bob, sitting in chair out-of-view.

The bridges are all lit up like a Christmas tree after sundown.  She's also a deer hunter and told me that deer are always in her yard walking around within the city limits.  Her 10 year old son is also a hunter and puzzled why he cannot shoot them!

Our Christmas Lights!

Our front door.

Where I like to sit and watch the world go by on our porch!

Our Christmas tree.

Vicksburg Youth Deer Hunting

Christian Oakes shot this 10-point, 17-1/2 inch buck on November 21 in Claiborne County.  The deer weighed 200 pounds and was shot with a 7mm-08 rifle.  Christian is the son of David and Ida Oakes. (Ink spot on face from paper)

Jay Jackson, 13, killed his first buck on November 26 while hunting on private land in Yazoo County with his grandfather, Michael Morrissey.  Jay shot the 9-pointer from 130 yards with a 7mm-08.  The deer weighed about 160 pounds.  Jay is the son of Darryl and Suzanne Williams Jackson of Thomasville, Ala., and was visiting his grandparents for Thanksgiving.

Dillon Little, 12, took down this 9-point buck while hunting on private land in Warren County with his father on November 5.  The buck weighed more than 300 pounds and its rack measured 17-1/2 inches.  Dillon is the son of Joe and Nichole Little of Vicksburg.

Tobbie Koestler shot this 8-point buck, his first, while hunting with his father, Daniel Chester, in northern Warren County.  The buck had a 15-inch spread with 20-1/2 inch main beams, and weighed approximately 165 pounds.

My congrats to all our young hunters in our great wild outdoors!  Fantastic!

A Coyote Assassin

With a friend in camo and a nights worth!

Recently I had a visitor, Duane, of the Wild Wisconsin Blog who calls himself a Coyote Assassin. He started his blog back in February of this year on How to Skin a Coyote.  Duane is also an assistant editor for Fur Taker Magazine.  Being a certified trapper he is an education instructor teaching newcomers to the sport and getting them on the right track.  He traps for fur and animal damage control.  He has trapping DVD's on the market of coyote, beaver and open water/under ice.  Duane has been doing this since he was a kid and really enjoys the sport and also an avid deer hunter as well.  He has an 8 year old son who loves to fish and said if we don't mentor or teach the youth in the ways of hunting, trapping, fishing, etc., we risk losing it.   Check out his blog with videos and you may can pick up some pointers on being a coyote assassin yourself.

A nice catch at Pine Lake!

Happy Birthday Laura!

Today my only sister 
is 69 years old.  I 
want to wish her a 
very Happy Birthday 
and may she have many 
more to come.
Love
and 
Hugs,
Your Big Sis!
xxoo  

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Not only is it cold outside but we are also under a River Flood Advisory that has been issued for the MS River at Vicksburg. Temps will be in the high 20's and low 30's in the early morning hours for the rest of the week. Brrrrrr Brrrrrr

Friendship

After losing his parents, this 3 year old orangutan was so depressed he wouldn't eat and didn't respond to any medical treatments.  The veterinarians thought he would surely die from sadness. The zoo keepers found an old sick dog on the grounds in the park at the zoo where the orangutan lived and took the dog to the animal treatment center.  The dog arrived at the same time the orangutan was there being treated.  The 2 lost souls met and have been inseparable ever since. The orangutan found a new reason to live and each always tries his best to be a good companion to his new found friend.

They are together 24 hours a day in all their activities.

They live in Northern California where swimming is their favorite past time, although Roscoe (the orangutan) is a little afraid of the water and needs his friend's help to swim.

Together they have discovered the joy and laughter in life and the value of friendship.

They have found more than a friendly shoulder to lean on.

Long Live Friendship!!!

I don't know...

some say life is too short, others say it is too long,

but I know that nothing that we do makes sense

if we don't touch the hearts of others...while it lasts!

May you always have, 

Love to Share, 

Health to Spare, 

And Friends who Care.

Moose Hunting?

This actually happened with some guys from Maine.  They thought it would be funny to dress the truck up with the guy spread eagle on the roof of their truck.

The driver and passengers put on Moose heads...drove down the Maine Toll interstate causing approximately 16 accidents.

They were arrested and taken to jail.

Where's Allie Cat?

Here I am on the back porch steps!

In the bathroom sink!

In the wooden bowl on dinning table!

Hanging out on the porch ledge!

My favorite SPOT...sleeping in a BOX!

Vicksburg's 15-Point Trophy Buck!

Vicksburg resident Jerry Brown took down a 15-point trophy buck while hunting on private land south of Bovina on November 27, 2011.  The buck weighed 280 pounds and scored 151-3/8 points on the Boone and Crockett scale.  Its rack measured 18-1/2 inches across.  Bovina is only a hop, skip and a jump from Vicksburg!

My congrats to Jerry Brown!  

Bradley McCullough bagged this seven-point, 180-pound buck with his 7mm-08 on November 12, 2011.  The buck's rack measured 18-1/2 inches on the main beam and 14 inches across.  Bradley is the son of Tim and Kim McCullough.

Austin Neihaus, 14, killed this 10-point buck while bow hunting on November 21, 2011.  Neihaus made the shot from 30 yards away.  My congrats to Austin and Bradley on their trophies in our great wild outdoors!

Watch this video of this little girl who took her first deer.  It brought back a lot of memories when I got my first deer, a six-point buck!  She is so lucky to be young and becoming a lady hunter for years to come.  I was in my mid-forties before I became a hunter and was so fortunate that my 2nd husband-to-be, Bob, took me hunting and soon told him, I can do this!!! 

Deer Season

A friend sent this to me...kinda funny, in a way, yet not funny?

As I approach my deer stand, I decided 

to go home and mow the grass instead.

From the mind of R. Wayne Detmar

Mike's Buck After Snowfall

It recently snowed in Troy, Michigan, where Mike lives and headed to the 100 acres inside the city limits and took some pix of his friendly/special buck.  You can see his shadow on the tree to the right.  I am using this one as my wallpaper on my pc.

I recently posted some picture of this special buck and you can read about it HERE or scroll down to view it.  

He is so majestic!  Love the snow in the timbers!