Hi ESH! So nice to hear from you and knowing someone thinking of me.

Last time I posted seems I put my big foot into my big mouth, so been refraining.

Congrats on the 2 inches of rain! I'm sure your natives love it! WoW! Think yesterday we got maybe a tenth or so. Will know when it gets good light today so I can check the rain gauges. Was holding off hoping that during the night we would pick up a little more, but seems it passed us by.

Haven't been doing much here as I have mowed everthing down for the winter. Can you believe I am waiting for spring so I can start planting again???

Had to put my oldest dog down as his body functions had shut down and he was suffering. Was really hard to do as he was my buddy. Always with me or keeping an eye out for me. If it was hot and I went out into the field then he would stay in the shade as long as he could see me. If I went into the woods then he would come to investigate. We fixed him a pretty grave out front.

Enough of that! How have you been? Any more lectures or workshops? Did anyone record any of your previous ones?

Thanks again.

Shot

There you are! I certainly don't remember your putting your foot in your mouth!

I am SO sorry to hear about your dog. How you must miss him. I think you had another dog too ... are you going to get a companion for him now (and you)?

Haven't done any workshops lately except that I went to another that Georgia Botanical Society hosted. It was about identifying Oaks. Very nice. Now I can look at leaves under a hand lens and make some EDUCATED guesses.

Worked on planning the native plant society symposium for February. Most of the details are set on that now - whew!

Sorry you didn't get the rain as well. It is "love-a-ly" as we used to say. I could just hear all the plants saying "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh". Now I can get enthused about Fall.

You keep posting on the board now. Active voices are always welcome, I'm sure everyone would agree.

Shot, I'm sorry about your dog (and your foot? I don't remember you sticking it in your mouth either, but who would care,anyway??)

If you decide you might like a new best pal, there are PLENTY of fantastic dog rescues here. A friend has a nice dog right now needing love. I just rescued one last week and had it adopted THAT DAY it was such an awesome dog! Our office manager at work took her, so she comes to work and the customers flip over her!

For some reason our area gets an inordinate number of strays or dogs not properly cared for needing "rescue".

No winter crops? I'm just planting all my greens. I love winter greens. Put up tons of food for winter and now have to get a freezer ASAP to fit in the rest.

Gardeners need company in the garden. I'm just sorry my Boo Boo Kitty can't garden with me outside anymore. She was an awesome gardener! Now we just do the seeds together.

GGG

Good morning. Hope all is smiling after the rain. We got some more last night and will go look in the rain gauges after I get dressed. Figuring close to ½ inch which makes me :).

ESH, thanks for the comments about the old dog. Had got pretty use to him and don't think I want to go through that again. Yes, another dog (about 6 months old at the time) took up here and I tried to run him off, but he just cowarded down and wouldn't leave. Wife said he saw how fat the other dog was (and me :( ) and knew we fed good here. We took him to the vet and had him fixed and his shots. The older dog was his mentor and he would follow him around and repeat his actions. If older ate dirt... so would he. Grass... the same. He turned out to be a pretty good dog... just doesn't bark during the day even if someone comes up in the yard.

Sounds like you have been keeping busy. Glad you have learned about oaks so you can pass some of your knowledge onto us. There are so many varieties of them. You know that I use a lot of oak in my workshop. Saw somewhere that you could go by the leaves as to what kind they are. White Oak has round tipped leaves as the white man's bullet. Red Oak has sharp tipped leaves as the Indian's spear or arrows. Don't know if this is correct information or not.

Guess the kids are back in school now. How is it coming with the son's driving? So good to be back with you.

GGG, thank you also for your kind words. We don't get as many stray animals as we use to, but still get our share. Cannot understand why people will put an animal out on the street to starve, die or go wild when they could take it to the shelter. Haven't made up my mind about a companion dog yet. If the right one comes along...

Can see from your posts that you are still active at church with people and plants. Oh yes... I planted three different kinds of turnips for the wife. She is the only one that eats them and I don't know one from the other so I planted Purple Tops, White Eggs, and Shoguns. Have them close to the house to I can keep them watered. They are all up and growing.

Really nice hearing from both of you.

Shot

Well, good morning to you. Glad to hear you got some rain.

Your understanding of a basic difference on oaks is correct. The native oaks are divided into two groups: the white oak group and the red oak group. Red oaks have "bristle tips" on the lobes - identifying this characteristic immediately lets you cut your choices down by identifying the group. However, there are still plenty of oaks within each group! Apparently looking at the cap of the acorn is another good way to determine if it is in the red or white group. Red oaks have caps that look like they are made of shingles, overlapping you know; white oak caps are nubby.

We learned how to use a "key" which is a written comparison of characteristics to help you figure out which species it is. The first statement in the key is the part about the bristle tips and from there you work your way through size and shape of the leaf, if the leaf has fine hairs on the back (and where they are) ... sometimes (towards the end) you have to even look at the tip of a branch or the acorn until you can decide. But many can be identified without those last two things.

These days I am picking up oak leaves in the neighborhood and bringing them home to identify them! We certainly have a big variety around here.

Oh, and one confusing thing ... oaks "hybridize", creating combinations of babies that make it tricky! So actually having a lot of different ones around can make it hard for me to nail down the id. But it's just fun.

Yes, I'm glad the kids are back in school. Son's driving is still way behind. The kid would much rather play WOW than practice driving!

Shot~ Just chiming in to say I too am sad to hear about your dog. It's always hard when you lose one. I had to put down my girl after 13 years last year. You know, they're not just "man's" best friend. :-)

And I don't recall the foot-in-mouth either. And like ggg said, who cares. I'm sure we've all done it a time or two.

Esh, if you're looking to pick up some leaves, I've got a whole yard full. haha. None of them are oaks though. Err...maybe they are. Yeah, why don't you come pick them all up to identify them. ;-) (*I hate fall yard work!)

So happy it finally rained!!!!!!
~Michelle

And a good Saturday morning to all!

ESH, I probably know more about oaks now than ever. Thanks! I enjoy these old loggers and farmers identifing(?) what they need for a specify job. Example: a good friend that use to pulpwood and farms now also builds ponds and such in the off months, needed to replace the ramps on his low-boy on which he hauls equiptment. He cut down a Post Oak, had it sawed and fitted. The scaps I built a table for girl when she was in college. (CPA in Atlanta now... toot toot) Think she still has the furniture I built for her while she was in college.

Oh yeah, the boy (30's) finally bought his own place in Smyrna. A townhouse I believe... built him a coffee table and end table when he graduated from college. Thank God they are all through!

Can't believe the son would rather play video games than drive... I remember growing up and helping my bro-in-law plant... would gladly keep his fertilizer distributers full just so I could move the truck up a few feet at the time. LoL... times have changed.

Michelle, thanks a lot about the kind words. I am not a big animal lover, but I don't like to see anything abused... people or animals. We got him when he as just a little ball of fur and the wife would go off to work and the girls off to school, so it was just him and me here. Guess after all these years I really got attached to him. Never found anyone so dedicated as him without asking anything in return.

The leaves are starting to fall here. I remember the little ole ladies raking up their leaves and burning them. Now my wife gets on her ZTR mower and cuts them in for fertilizer. Two fold gain... it helps the ground and gives my wife a chance to get on her mower after the grass has stopped growing.

Here is a photo (blame ESH for teaching me how to do this) of the table I made from the Post Oak scraps.

Hope all have a great weekend.

Shot

You sure are talented. I don't blame esh for teaching you about posting pix (she taught me, too!), especially because you share such nice ones. Glad to hear all is mostly well. Sorry to hear about your dog.

Don't worry too much about ruffling people's feathers. It will happen, and most folks on here are pretty forgiving. :)

What a beautiful table! The grain is delightful mix of colors, stripes and even a knot or two. Nature at her finest, highlighted by a good craftsman.

Hi all. Hope all had a great weekend. Was kinda rainly all weekend here, but we enjoyed it. Went over to my bro-in-law's to help look for his dog. He is old (both dog & bro-in-law) so we rode around a bit looking, but didn't find anything. Think he may have just went off to die somewhere.

Have company coming in from Florida and Atlanta this week so got to keep the house spic n' span. We are having our annual family reunion this coming weekend and lots are getting here early so they can get the choice sleeping spots. Went over and visited with a niece this morning that came up from St. Pete (Fl). Was good to sit on the front porch and talk over old times.

Pam and ESH, thank you very much concerning the table. I use to surf around the internet and find tables that were unique and build them. I can't read instructions worth a dang, so just show me a picture of it and how tall, long and wide. ESH, there was some pretty grains in that wood. Included a knot or two also.

Pam, since retiring, woodworking has become one of my hobbies. Here is a link to some of the stuff I have made.

Got to vacuum the house. (yukkk)

Shot

Here is a link that might be useful: Shot's woodworks

Shot, your woodwork is beautiful! You must be busy, with that and all of your crops.

I love all the kiddie furniture you have made -- the toy chests are great. You've even made a beautiful "time-out bench" -- those kids will be playing up just to get to sit on it!

WOW! What a gorgeous table! You should start a business!

Beverly

Aww shucks....... you embarrass this ole country boy...
Thanks for the compliments though.
Beverly, I would starve if I had to make a living selling this 'stuff' as I give most of it away. A salesman, I am not! Once the local church was having an auction and wanted to know if I had anything to donate, so I gave a half round table unfinished so someone could stain it to their likings or not. The preacher's wife fell in love with it before the auction so at the auction it brought $12.50... I can't even build them for that. Next time am going to donate $12.50 in cash... cheaper that way. lol
Made quite a few of them. Some with a lower shelf. Gave two matching ones to friends in Florida and they appreciated them... that is all that matters. :)

Mayland, I enjoy both woodworking and farming. If I could afford it I would be a commercial farmer, but I don't have the land or the money to lose.

Shot

Shot you need blackberry planting 1 to 3 acres maybe some strawberries. Search out sweetberryfarms blackberry variety very important pick this one Natchez thornless.

Gator, I planted four thornless blackberry bushes this past year and we have some wild ones that have thorns on them. The wife of a friend of mine retired from the school system this past year and is planning on opening up a strawberry patch near me. They already have put down a 14 hp irrigation system and beds with gas covered in plastic. No telling how much they already have invested in it... Wish them the best of luck.

ESH, look what we saw in the back yard yesterday!!! You know in the wild they are the major spread of Oaks by burying the acorns.
Any of you that don't know, this is a Fox Squirrel. They come in various colors and some are as big as a house cat.

Shot