T-Minus...Six Months

This is one of my most favorite deer pictures. Whoever took it obviously pictured a doe, because nobody in their right mind would try this number on a decent buck. Ingredients for this was a rifle scope and a digital camera. Pretty neat, huh?? We have approximately, 5 months, 17 days, 20 hours, 24 minutes, and 0 seconds until the next rifle season. At some point soon I am going to plant some summer plots, which I have never done. This past season was very promising so I am going to give the deer a buffet complete with cowpeas, soybeans, lab lab, milo, and millet to feast on this summer. It should be a good protein mix so hopefully it will pay off this winter. I will post pics of the planting....

Birthday Bikes

Sorry it's been so long since we last posted. We don't have any excuses- we just haven't posted. :) Our birthdays are less than a week apart- which is fun because we can just have a week long birthday celebration! This year (which is only our second year to celebrate our birthdays together) we decided to get something we can enjoy together- we got bikes! And yes, we have actually been riding them! Which is unusual for me because riding a bike would be somewhat athletic...Anyway, here we are after a bike ride...

Yesterday was Brookie's birthday! We had a really good day! Below is a picture of his cake (look at all those candles!) He requested the smallest cake I could find. He had been telling me for weeks that he didn't want a cake and then the night before his birthday, he decides he wouldn't mind a small one. So, off to Wal-mart- and it was between this red, white and blue one or hot pink roses...

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday! I hope he has a great day!!

Happy Birthday!

Today is my mom's birthday! Jeff, Abbey, (I'm sure Flat Reed), Brookie and I are going to visit this weekend to celebrate her birthday!

A very proud Aunt!!

I'm so excited with the news of my new little nephew! He was born February 16, 2007, weighed 6lb. 3 oz. and was 18.89 inches long! Abbey and Jeff will go pick him up from Taiwan sometime this summer!! He's the cutest Taiwaiin baby ever. For more pictures and even a video check out their blog Landlife. (The link is to the left.)

Wife in Training

My wife always finds some way to brighten my day. In most cases, it usually occurs when she says something absolutely random. A friend of mine is a residential and commercial landscaper and he is in the process of shaping up our yard. He has a "tractor", which happened to spend the night in the backyard with Mon-roe, that is nearly identical to the attached picture. After Patrick left for the evening, Ava had an idea that she wanted me to take a picture of her sitting in the seat of the "bulldozer" while she was wearing her red cotton logo t-shirt so she could put it on the blog. Well, babe, it made it on the blog, but not exactly how you wished. I know that Bateville isn't considered to be in the Delta (strangely enough, North Delta Academy happens to be located there), but I thought it was close enough for her to be able to positively identify a tractor. That's what you get for assumptions. Granted, she is a lovely front yard farmer, but it is going to take a little more work than I originally anticipated to transform her in to that of a cotton farmer. I guess a few more gin shows and she'll have it down.

Weekend Pics...

We had a great time this weekend. My parents came into town to visit. We got so much accomplished around the house (Dad did most of it!) We put down our new rug, hung curtains, hung a mirror in the dinning room, and Dad fixed our disposal! We took Mom and Dad to Nagoya for them to try sushi and Hibachi. They really enjoyed the hibachi, but I doubt they'll be having sushi anytime soon! After they left on Sunday, Brookie and I worked in the yard. I potted a few flowers for the front yard and trimmed some bushes, Brookie finished trimming the crepe myrtles and then we both worked on planting flowers around the mailbox. It was hard work for such a small area!

Sunday Yard Work...

Brookie and I went to the Pinelake Madison campus and Sunday and afterwards made a trip to Lowe's for various items. While we were there, we picked up two yellow hibiscus for the front porch. I planted them once we got home and I washed off the front porch. I think they are going to look really good with the yellow wreaths once they both bloom! Brookie also worked in the yard- he fertilized the front yard and tried planting seed in the backyard.

Lindsey and Lee's Wedding

This is Lindsey and Lee's engagement picture.
We headed to Monroe, LA this weekend for my old roommate's wedding! Everything was beautiful and went so well! Here are some pictures...

This is a picture of me and Lindsey. You can see the groom's cake in the background.

This is the beautiful arrangement under the main tent.
















From left to right: Christy, Zach, Mamie, Brookie, me, and Allison. Mamie and Zach will be getting married in June!
















Lindsey and Lee got married at her parent's house. The ceremony was on the front porch and the reception was in the backyard. This was a shot of the front of the house.

And here is the wedding cake!

New Hobby on the Horizon

Since my duck hunting has been pretty much a flop over the last couple of years, it is time to research a new outdoor hobby. I have been bitten by the hunting bug again and have been chomping at the bit to get back into the woods. It appears that spring is here and I must admit that there a few things prettier in the woods this time of year than a gobbler in full strut. Although I have never chased one of these birds, their reputation precedes them as being being very wary adversaries given their keen senses. Nicholas is responsible for my newfound interest in trying to claim what Benjamin Franklin suggested to be our national bird. I have yet to invest in an owl call and a good slate call to get started. The mouth calls are just too tricky and since I am a newlywed, I don't exactly feel that my wife will want me to practice yelping all over the house. We'll just have to see whether or not I actually pursue this new venture, but I have tons of friends who swear by it. Who knows, maybe if I get good at it I can get Ava to get up at 4:00 in the morning and dress in full Mossy Oak, including facemask and snakeproof boots. Well, at least there's always wishful thinking.....

It's about time for us to post!

Sorry we haven't posted in forever. We bring our camera everywhere and we always forget to take pictures! These are pictures of the cookies that I brought to a super bowl party we went to. They were a big hit! And no, I didn't make them. I've been home the past two days with Bronchitis and haven't been able to do much. This is the first time that I've been sick since Brookie and I have been married so he's been taking care of me. He's doing a great job especially for his first time!

We're head to Monroe, LA this weekend for my friend's Lindsey's wedding on Saturday. Hopefully I'll take some pictures and be able to post them when we get back. After I learn to post links, I'll have to post the links to Jason and Leslie's blog and Molly, John and Brady's blog!! Now the pressure is on for Richard, Karen, and Hugh! :)

A Year Ago Today....

Brookie and I met at Family Bowling in Pearl, Mississippi, specifically at the snack bar. There was a large group of friends from Pinelake that decided to get together for a night of bowling. A friend and I went to get a bottle of water, and Brookie just happened to get thirsty at this very same time even though he had just visited the snack bar for a drink 15 minutes earlier. He had noticed my excellent bowling skills earlier in the night, though he really just thought I was hot (he's helping me write this post).

We introduced ourselves and then we didn't speak to each other for the rest of the night at the lanes. Then we all decided to go to a friend's house and order pizza. Somehow or another we both ended up next to the pizza and chatted for a few minutes. Right before he left, my friend suggested that I invite Brookie the next night to another friend's house for a strange night night of karaoke. He asked for someone's number to call the next night. Of course, I volunteered mine. After I gave him my number, I made sure to ask, "Do you even know my name?" The sad thing is he shook his head no. A few days later he text me out on our first date and I responded- Sounds good. A year later....we've been married for three months.

Big Buck Down

The Lord works in mysterious ways in our lives and that same rule applies to the deer woods. Dad, Shelton, and I went to the farm on Sunday to put out our new Cuddeback Trail Camera to take after-season photos of the survivors to give us an indication of what lies ahead for next year. We were walking around one of our fields trying to find a favorable location to gather some Kodak moments. Dad decided to ride the 4-wheeler to another location. He returned moments later and expressed his excitement about what he had just seen. A sad daddy had rubbed a tree that I couldn't put my hands around completely to the core. I then walked to a small opening at the back of the field and saw something that resembled an antler lying on the other side of a ridge. Dad and Shelton both saw it shortly thereafter and to our surprise this is what we found. It was like discovering the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Based on the wear of his teeth, he was probably no more than three and a half years old. However, I guess that he will score close to 140 on the Boone and Crockett Scoring System. He was 15 inches wide and had 13 scorable points (11 typical with a split brow tine and a kicker off the left G-3). We obviously have created a habitat conducive to producing deer with genes such as these and it is incredible that a deer of that age sported such a fine set of headgear. His dad is out there somewhere and he may just be the new county record typical if we are fortunate enough to harvest him. The problem is that these old deer have been around the block a time or two and know all too well to only move at night. Maybe we can get a snapshot of him on the game cam since it has the capability of taking pics 24 hours a day.

There is no way of knowing for sure if this was the final piece of The Trifecta since there is no definitive evidence (though coincidental) to prove it. It is a lot like instant replay at the Super Bowl....there has to be indisputable evidence to overturn the ruling on the field. At any rate, it is a memory and trophy that the family will enjoy forever. What may or may not be will certainly look outstanding on the wall.

Here Kitty Kitty

Well, the Trifecta didn't quite come to completion. There was really no opportunity to go back into the Congo with the bulldog to find my deer. It pretty much rained every weekend since the incident. Weather in the Deep South is so unpredictable. It is clear and cool all week, but the rainclouds will always open on Saturday. Not very conducive to successful tracking. At any rate, I did happen to go hunting again with my old hunting buddy in search of another fuzzy forest creature to replace the lost one. We got into our enclosed elevated shooting house very quietly around 3:45 and just like clockwork the deer started coming to feed around 4:00. At first two twin yearlings emerged and then a four-point appeared at the opposite corner of the field seconds later. The trail the buck used was fairly open just inside the woodline so I was able to notice the back of another animal creeping towards the field. We really thought we hit the jackpot. Suddenly the year and a half old buck started getting really nervous. Of course I was thinking old sad daddy (a really old mature buck to you novices) was going to slip in on us. The new guest happened to not be very popular with the party crowd.

Dynamite in a 50 pound package. The meanest, nastiest, gnarliest, bad to the bone, Eli's Coming critter in the woods. These guys don't go to the store to get their Kibbles and Bits, they get theirs direct. You seriously can't intimidate these dudes and you don't want to be in a briar thicket with one. They have a growl (yes growl, they don't meeeow) that will turn even a human's blood cold. As Nicholas (one of my esteemed groomsmen) puts it, "You don't wanna be tied up with one of them. That'll put you in a bind quick." Anyway, little bucky could just tell that he was being followed. He went full alert and started stomping and snorting (of course the whole day was shot now). Too young to know any better, he went to investigate. Adolescents! About two steps later, felis rufus comes over a a small ridge and flicked his claws at the face of the youngster, who happens to be three-and-a-half times his size. Bucky wasn't all too keen on this mess so he skirts on out of the way. In the meantime, the little devil sees the fresh meat in the other corner of the woods so he breaks back on another trail. Seconds later, he eases out across some water that was ankle deep on us (they aren't afraid to get wet either). Being the expert stalker he is, he slips totally undetected less than ten yards behind the twins making not a splash or a ripple trying to get downwind of them. Knowing what I know now, I should have flipped him with the 325 grain Hornady's I was slinging, but it was only 4:15. He never showed his face again, but the twins were restless for the rest of the afternoon. By far the largest and darkest of that sort I had ever seen, he was seriously pushing 50 pounds and was almost pure coal color. I had always heard that deer were terrified of them, but I had no idea until I witnessed this fiasco. Trappers have told that they were the fiercest and fearless of all southern predators. They have been known to pounce on deer from branches and take them down to the ground using their inch long teeth and razor sharp claws, which happen to come five to a paw. The wonders of the Delta flatlands.......

Homegrown Trifecta.....Almost

Over the last five or so years, the family project has been developing the habitat for the benefit of the deer herd on the part of our farm that we refer to as "The Johnson Place." While I have been in the Metro area for the most of the last two plus years, Dad and Shelton have spearheaded the food plot efforts. Fittingly, the story begins with them. Going backwards to come forwards, the first several years were pretty bleak with minimal deer sightings at best. If any deer at all were seen, they were slickheads (does to those who aren't familiar with the term). However recently, the select cut timber has provided unpenetrable briar thickets complete with cane and palmettos. As a result, the deer have more food sources in the woods and much more cover to hide from predators (that's another story within itself). This has by far been the best year as we have struck a homegrown trifecta....almost. Dad was the first to strike with the .45/70 during the first muzzleloader season. We have complete footage on camera to support the facts that it took about eight bullets to finally take the 9 point down for good. It was very entertaining to see Dad and Shelton playing the Geronimo twins on this deer, which later happened to be so old that the teeth were completely worn. Thanks to deer management, this buck could expire in a humane manner without starvation. Shelton's deer (photos to be included at a later date) was a 7 point that we claimed putting a slip on one afternoon. We had been searching for one that he hit the day before on another one of our select locations. We had just enough light and the perfect wind direction to come within 75 yards of Shelton's victim. Finally, last sunday I had the opportunity to sit in our shooting house with my Dad. It gave me the opportunity to have the type of conversations that is a blessing for a son to have with his role model. It was a little warm so we both knew that it may not be our day for hunting. About ten minutes before dark, Dad noticed a good buck sneak down the edge of the field in my direction. There was a little nook where he was going to come out that would provide a car's width of shooting room before he would reenter the woods. Pops instructed me to have my gun out the window waiting since it was so close to dark and so little margin for error. Several seconds later, I saw a brown object emerge in the near darkness. Through the scope, I saw antlers so I placed the crosshairs on the shoulder and squeezed off. Water and back legs flew high behind the deer indicating a chest shot so we went after him. After fours hours of looking the next day in the freezing rain, no pictures yet. Maybe Jeff's bulldog can help us out. To be continued.........

Reed's Nursery

I am working on painting canvases for Reed, our future nephew, to go along with the theme of his nursery. Here is a picture of the bedding Abbey and Jeff picked out and they have already received it all! They are going with a green, brown, and blue color scheme. Here are three of the canvases I have already painted and next is a frog! I haven't decided if I'm going to repaint the monkey yet. Brookie's favorite is the giraffe and mine is the elephant!

Cell Phones....

I had limited use of my cell phone this weekend. If you called me, you could hear me, but I couldn't hear you. I've had the same cell phone for almost two years now and I've been very pleased with it, but I had to get a new one. I went during lunch to upgrade my phone and of course they make you sign another 2 year agreement. That's a long time! Anyway, here is a picture of my new little cell phone and it is little. It's only 1 1/2 by 2 1/4 inches. I am sure it will be very easily lost in one of the huge purses I always carry around.




















Be sure to check back soon- if all goes well, we're going to pick up my new car tonight after work!

Fiesta Chicken Pasta

Brookie and I have been doing good this week cooking at home instead of eating out. Monday night we had the steaks I've already posted about, Tuesday night we had Chicken Enchiladas, and last night we had Fiesta Chicken Pasta. It was pretty simple and we both liked it! Tonight we are having Chicken Parmesan. Here's a picture of our completed dish:


And the recipe incase you're interested:
Fiesta Chicken Pasta
2 cups rotini pasta, uncooked
1 Tbsp. oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 cups chopped red peppers (about 2 medium)
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 cup TACO BELL HOME ORIGINALS Salsa
1/2 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
1/2 cup KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
COOK pasta as directed on package.
MEANWHILE, heat oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add chicken. Cook and stir 6 min. Add peppers, dressing and chili powder; cook 3 min. or until chicken is cooked through, stirring frequently. Stir in salsa and sour cream.
DRAIN pasta. Toss with chicken mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.

Monday night...

On Monday night, Brookie decided to grill steaks on the grill. He comes home from Kroger with two steaks- one that was 2 1/2 lbs. and the other one was an 8oz. filet. Can you guess which one was mine? We didn't eat until 8 because it took so long for his steak and for the potatoes that I made to cook!
Here's a picture of Brookie grilling:



















Here are the steaks wrapped up in the microwave keeping warm while waiting for the potatoes to finish. In case you were wondering mine is on the right.














We finally hung the picture above our mantel: