Vampire Deer

Although not likely to be seen in Covington Georgia, but maybe? I mean they are taping the Vampire Diaries t.v show for the CW network. There really are vampire deer in this world. They can be seen in China as the Chinese water deer.

Last year, according to an article in Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine, someone brought a deer with fangs in to a local taxidermist in Wisconsin. It is believed to be unusual but not unheard of to have a deer with fangs in North America. The "fangs" are actually maxillary canine teeth and seems to be a throwback to prehistoric times. The fangs were used to stab prediators or their prey in addition to their antlers. The article goes on to point out that this phenomenon is more prevelant than most think. The "fangs" just can not be seen on live deer that often since they rarely protrude past the gumline. Now I have something to look for when I'm in the woods this fall!

Fall, Fall, Fall !!

Image via WikipediaMonday is the beginning of the fall season. Here in Georgia it is beginning to feel more like fall. The lows are in the upper 50's. Football is going strong. ESPN game day is on the loveliest village on the plain also known as Auburn, Alabama. Fall to me is not only cooler weather, college football but also homecoming.

Where do I feel at home? My home of twelve years is Covington. Where else can I sit on my front porch drink tea and listen to the squirrels gathering nuts, the birds singing their last summer songs and hear the cows from a distant pasture. Auburn is also another place that is home. Just seeing the pictures from the loveliest village makes me want to make the two and half hour trip. Instead, I have to watch it from the t.v. Just a few more weeks and deer season will begin. Then I will be spending a lot of time experience the great outdoors. There is nothing better but just sitting outside in the woods watching the world around you. The interaction of the different species is nothing like it.

You Know your from Newton County!

Image via Wikipedia I just joined Facebook. Many people at my work have joined and I thought I would see what it is about. I can keep up with my co-workers, old schools, the younger generation of my family and my church. I joined several groups but my favorite so far is "You Know your from Newton County."
Here is their list that is listed on the group's page:
It's simple really...

You know you're from Newton County, GA when:

1.You consider El Charro fine dining. (Edited thanks to Josh Whittington!)

2. Football games, homecoming, prom, and weddings can end up at the Waffle House.

3. You know that the bypass, Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, and Eagle Dr are all the same road.

4. The Wal-Mart parking lot isn't a place to park you car in, but the social event of the weekend.

5. All roads lead to the square.

6. Jim Stalvey holds a monopoly over the Covington/Social Circle restaurant business.

7. You've caught yourself at some point in your life going to Legion Park when there was nothing else to do.

8. You go to Stonecrest mall, even though you know it's pretty crappy.

9. The closest Starbucks is over 10 minutes from your house.

10. The Newton vs. Eastside football game is the highlight of fall semester.

11. The "It" girls truly think all that makeup is good for them.

12. We know the significance of the Dukes of Hazard.

13. And In the Heat of the Night.

14. The General Lee has a celebrated day on the square at least once a year.

15. You used to see the fireworks display in Newton Plaza before it got banned.

16. You remember when Chick-fil-a was first built and still treat it like Mecca.

17. Will a Burger King ever NOT burn down?

18. You've been to Maime's Kitchen for biscuits. And liked them.

19. Conyers is your idea of a metropolis. If you want anything "good" you have to travel 10 mintues.

20. The little movie theater that is now inhabited by Stevi B's used to rock your world.

21. Hunan's is a scary place. And still really tasty.

22. When Belk's moved to Conyers you realized you'd have to make do with Goody's now. And you do.

23. Girls are the last to know about trends...like the fact that Uggs were out of style before they hit Covington. So were really big highlights.

24. Oxford College is not in England. It's near Cousins Middle School.

25.You know the best night to commit a crime is when Eastside and Newton play each other in football or basketball, because everybody in town goes to watch, and all the cops in Newton County are there to prevent gang fights from breaking out. (Jared Eakins)

26. Seriously, El Charro pretty much brightens your world.

27. You're the only person around who knows where and how to get to/has heard of Mansfield or Newborn. (Dallas Hollaway)

28. Dozier: The name says it all. You've had her AT LEAST once. (Dallas Hollaway)

29.Fresh Air Barbecue

30. You're the only town in the area that holds a barbecue at the local park for Sherman's Last Burning.

31. After attending said barbecue, 31 people turn out to have salmonella poisoning from pulled pork sandwiches. And it shows on on Channel 2 News.

32. Your proud that at least your not one of the lost children of Rockdale County. (Marshall Mason)

Feel free to add more..

Flight of the Bumble bee

Image via WikipediaOver the weekend I picked our garden. We had green beans, tomatoes, yellow squash, green bell peppers and hot peppers. For the first time in over twelve years I saw bumble bees in the garden. I wonder if it is because we put the squash inside the fence. If you are new to my blog, I live on six acres in Covington Georgia. We have deer who regularly come to our back yard. After our first year of gardening we had to erect a eight foot fence around the entire garden to keep the deer from eating the fruits of our labors. We had kept the squash and tomatoes out for the last 10 years since the deer had never been interested in them. Last year they ate the squash.

I saw at least 10 bees and I am excited not only is our yield up this year but it speaks well in Covington that the bees are back. There have been a lot of disease and other factors that have been depleting the bee population in Georgia. Getting back to the deer, Paul has had to put a fence around the upside down tomatoes. The deer have been steadily eating the tomato bushes. If they don't watch out they will be food for someone else....

Living in a Small Town

I love living in a small town. Last week we took Seamus to the vet. Dr. Krueger is a Georgia graduate so when we take the pets to the vet, we always talk about the Georgia vs. Auburn game. Paul mentioned before we visited that we ought to make a wager. I told Dr. Krueger about the proposal. If Georgia wins we would be pay double and if Auburn won he would give us a visit free. He was very agreeable to the bet. I however, was a little weary. I am not sure if Auburn get beat Georgia this year! I guess in the fall we shall see.

Living in a small town is great. I love that people remember you and all about you. Having grown up in the city where people just pass you by without saying anything. Of course, I learned at Auburn through "Hey day" to always to say hey. I love to be at work and call everyone by their name. It always amazes people.

Commuting We will Go!

Image by Hidden Peanuts via FlickrI don't think I have ever shared that I live about 40 miles away from where I work. That's 80 miles a day that I drive for about 2 -2.5 hours a day. That's a lot of time out on the road and with gas prices rising like they are.... I am a lot more thoughtful about just jumping in the car. Paul and I figured out last weekend that we spend about $500 a month in gas.

With all that time on the road, I have observed some very bizarre behavior out on the road. I think the most dangerous was a man on the cell phone while trying to manipulate his GPS unit. He barely was holding a lane leaning from right to left. I have seen people eat, put on makeup, reading, texting etc. Thursday night, I even saw a guy in a pickup truck watching a DVD while driving!! Like you can really watch a movie and keep your eyes on the road. The next thing I wouldn't be surprised to see is someone surfing the net while driving. No wonder there are so many accidents around Atlanta.

Hummingbirds Galore

Image via WikipediaTwo weeks ago, we saw our first ruby breasted hummingbird. We have been feeding them for over ten years. It never ceases to amaze us that they know where to come back. Ten years ago we heard that you could put a feeder out to attract them. This is what we did. Ever since, they show up on their own each year. We usually see them sometime in early May. They will hover around where the feeders are hung. We have one on the front porch and one on the back porch. It is fun to watch them. There are often many a fight over the nectar.

In Covington, every spring they hold the Hummingbird festival. It celebrates these amazing birds. There are of course lots of arts and crafts for sale also. There is usually a demonstration on how to band these birds to keep a record of them.

Covington- Hollywood of the South

Image from Wikipedia
Covington considers itself the Hollywood of the south. It all began with the Dukes of Hazard in the mid 1970's. All though they only taped the first few episodes here in Covington, it did get the town noticed. Other television shows taped here were "In the Heat of the Night" and "I'll Fly Away". Many film have been filmed over the years here. Some of these include "My Cousin Vinny" and "Remember the Titan's".

This past week we again were the filming scene for a new Tyler Perry film "The Family That Preys Together". An old established restaurant here in Covington was one of the places selected. The film stars Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodward. This restaurant is the Town House Café. The film has closed down Washington street from Emory street to the square. Driving by today, they still had the police barriers up and around. To read more check out the Rockdale Citizen.

Coyotes and wildlife!

Image from WikipediaI heard and read of coyotes in North Atlanta. Coyotes are not only moving in to suburban Atlanta, they are having a major impact on many of the native wildlife here. The opening of hunting season started last Saturday. Unfortunately, for those who enjoy hunting these great birds or for those who enjoy seeing them in the woods the coyotes have done damage. The turkey population has decreased over the last ten years or so. We as humans have made some impact as we sprawl and take over the habitat. The coyotes prey on the young turkeys, often killing them when they are in the baby stage.

The coyotes, I think are also impacting the deer herd. I know on my properties and the ones that my husband and I lease for recreational purposes, we have seen less deer. We have seen an increase of coyotes in the area. Here where we live, we can hear at night the coyotes yapping. The coyotes do not have any prey after them so I wonder will they rule the woods and all our beloved pets???

Storms

If you hadn't already heard there was an F2 tornado that hit the city of Atlanta on Friday night. I worked until 3 p.m. on Saturday and was able to experience the big storm that hit Covington. About 4 p.m the t.v. weathermen announced that there was a Tornado warning for south-central Covington. Paul and I looked out the window to see hail pound the ground and house. They reported that the hail was about 3.75 to 4 inch in diameter. These are pictures that Paul took immediately after the storm. The piece of hail was not the largest hail we saw. I saw one twice as big as the one pictured hit Paul's shop. Luckily, no one was hurt but the stories were shared at Church this morning. I think everyone felt thankful that we did not experience what they did in downtown Atlanta.

Community

I have lived in Covington Georgia for 11 years. Over the last few years it has really grown. It still has a small town feel to it, which I throughly enjoy. For example, last weekend Paul and I ran into someone we knew in each of our errand runs. On Friday, we ran into one of the pastor's wives. We not only ran into her at Wal-mart but also Kroger too. I told her the second time that I was not stalking her!! She and I had a good laugh. Saturday, at Home Depot we ran into a friend of ours who has been fighting cancer. He really looked good. He had a liver transplant almost a year ago and looked back to normal. I love that I can go around town and talk to people I know. It reminds me of growing up when everyone seemed to know each other and the neighbors watched out for each other. This is a short post. I have worked seven days straight, so I have a lot of chores to catch up with.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

So last week we had two "snow events" here in the Atlanta area. I had to work both events. In fact, I worked seven straight days. I have been off the last two days which I am enjoying just hanging around the house. We got a couple of inches on Wednesday, but it melted overnight. Saturday it snowed but it melted almost immediately here in Covington. I watched Commanche Moon, yesterday but because of the snow I missed several minutes. I might have to try to get it on dvd when it comes out. Steve Zahn did a great job getting the character Captain Crae down. You could see the same mannerisms and speech inflections that were done originally.

Hot and Hotter

Yesterday it reached 104 degrees in Atlanta! It hasn't been this hot since 1980. At least this time around I have air at home. Only three more days and we take off for the mountains. I hope it will cool off like they are promising. We had one of our last conference calls for fellows in my ELI program yesterday. We got our last assignments. The hardest one looks to be finding five jobs that I would realistically apply for that are a step or two ahead of where I am. There are really no jobs in this area open at this time that are a step or so ahead of where I am. Paul and I have made the commitment to stay here in Covington. I love where I live and the opportunities for outdoor activities. So I really wouldn't consider any jobs farther than where I am right now. Oh well.. I may have to do some stretching. I've got to run to work. I'll try and post before we head off to Maggie Valley. If not when I get back.

Busy

I have been busy over the last few months. I need to try and find time to post more often. In early May I went to Baltimore again for ELI. It was a productive week. On the project front- all of the surveys are complete and I'm in the process of producing a report of the results. The staff focus group was held and a lot of good information was gathered. The Senior Advisory board will meet later this month to review and discuss the report. I just need to finalize a pilot project to conduct.

We finally received a little rain yesterday. It has not rained in over 2 months. It was the 2nd driest May ever here in Covington and Atlanta. The temps have been good without the humidity but we definitely have needed the rain. Maybe this coming up weekend I can go fishing. I haven't been since early May and it was not productive at all.