Parsley, Sage, Petunias and Thymne

Petunia
Originally uploaded by toadshade

And Rosemary of course. These are some the herbs I'm putting out this year along with Sweet Marjoram, Greek Oregano and Lemon Balm. Was trying to see how long the Pansies were going to hold out but the last heat wave got 'em. Put out Petunias since they did so well last year. Already need to harvest the herbs.

toadshade

Post Rain 3 Mile Night Flyer

Was just itching to get out there tonight so I waited til the rain finished and cooled everything down. It was a great fast 3 miles at 9:14 pace for 27:41. It was foggy and humid but great running weather. I had to dig out my night reflector so I wouldn't get creamed on the road. This is red neck city out here and they think runners are two bit yuppie wimps who should be yelled at and given absolutely no space on the road. Fortunately they were all drunk, passed out or in jail this evening. You wouldn't even know they were there except for the sirens.

toadshade

3 Rivers Greenaway

James and Beaver
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Went on about a 3-4 mile hike today with my friend Ann-Marie. She just quit smoking a few months ago and is trying to get in shape to go backpacking in the mountains later in the early fall. First test will be Table Rock next weekend!! The Riverwalk is always beautiful and a great place for hikers, joggers, strollers, dog walkers, and kayakers on the river. Summer is here with 90 degree weather plus high humidity. It was pretty sticky for the first part of the walk but a light wind picked up in the 2nd half and made it a lot more pleasant. The main foliage consisted of Sycamores, Hackberries, Box Elder, various Hickories, Smilax and plenty of Poison Ivy. The river was up and everything was lush and green. I heard on NPR that South Carolina is finally out of it's 3 year drought. Ann-Marie treated me to coffee and a drink at Starbucks and I treated her to a cookie.

Great way to spend a Sunday morning in the Cathedral of Nature.

toadshade

The Butter Glory 5

MorningGlory
Originally uploaded by toadshade

Saw some beautiful Morning Glories on my 5 mile Cornfield Run today. My time was 49:39 at 9:55 per mile. The 91 degree heat slowed me down but it felt good when an occasional breeze would come up. Plenty of Butterflies - Sulphurs, Buckeyes and American Ladies but photos turned out too fuzzy. They were nectaring on South American Vervain. Am considering adding more hikes to my blog and break out of the running mold a bit.

toadshade

The FrogKiller Five

FrogKiller
Originally uploaded by toadshade

The Salamander Priests were giving last rites to the Frogs as this deluge drenched the Midlands with heavy rain, wind and hail. I took a 5 mile run right afterwards, and this normally dry dirt road was a water hazard today!! But it was fun; the rain cooled it down from the 90s earlier in the day and I felt like a kid again out there splashing around. Heard some Blue Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings out there. They must love the corn as much as I do!! My time was 47:13 which is 9:27 per mile.

toadshade

Corn Rigs are Bonny

CornBlog
Originally uploaded by toadshade

This is the first year I've been jogging where they planted corn in Dickcissel Field. The rain has been good and the corn is tall and healthy. Twill be John Barleycorn come Lammas when we all share in the bounty of the land. Since a lot of people don't know or care where their food comes I thought I'd take a picture of an absolute blessing. This comes before the little cereal boxes in the grocery store.

My jog was good - 5 miles at a 9:49 pace for a 49:01 time. The little plants growing in the road I mentioned earlier were some of the wild mustards that appear in late Winter. The fact that we've had such a moderate (heat-wise) Spring is probably why this little yellow beauty is holding on.

toadshade

Back by Popular Demand!

Well, Bill said he missed reading it. Been lazy lately, not so much on the jogging front as the blogging front. Hate to drag a camera along so will do some text media instead of multimedia stuff for while. Went 5 miles yesterday on Dickcissel Field which is ripe with a corn crop now. As I said earlier they have closed off the road to traffic (except for farming) and the road is filling in with grasses and other flora I can't ID as of yet. It's interesting to see the deer tracks everywhere and my jogging prints along side. Maybe I'm a shapeshifter.

Went out to Whitehouse Road last weekend with some friends to pick strawberries at Cottles Strawberry Farm. Tons of Bluebirds out there and a few Indigo Buntings and Blue Grosbeaks. Will post my last White House Road birding list later today.

On the home front, Fred's Birch tree is getting so big that the squirrels are jumping from it to my platform feeder. We cut it back some and everything seems ok for now. No birds to report on but it is nice to hear the croaking rasp of the Great-crested Flycatchers in the neighboring yards.

Later - Toadshade