A Ride in the Country

The first day of November was everything a Fall day in Mississippi should be — brilliant blue skies, trees just beginning to show their Fall colors, and field after field of hundreds of bales of freshly cut hay ...

The only thing that could have made it better was if the temperatures had been in the lows 70s, instead of the low 80s.

I decided to take a short drive, and headed southeast on a country road not far from the city limits of Vicksburg.

This old church sits "on a hill far away." I love the old church bell — can you see it there on the left? You can click on the picture to enlarge it, if you'd like. I wish I could have gotten some closeups of it.

Bluffs on the Big Black River

I soon discovered that I wasn't the only one out enjoying the glorious day.

There wasn't much traffic at ten o'clock on a Monday morning, so I was able to stop and capture a few pictures of some cows that were close to the road.

Must you take pictures of me while I'm eating?

Oh, No. 26, what big ears you have!And didn't your mama teach you that it's
not nice to stick your tongue out at people?

Cows are always so much fun to photograph. The expressions on their faces are priceless and always make me wonder what they're thinking.

If you would like to see more of my cow pictures, you can click here: Cows, Cows, and More Cows!.

Pomegranates: Fall's Seeded Apples

Happy November 1st!

This is a familiar sight just about everywhere you go this time of year ...

But if you will look closely in the produce section of your local grocery store the next time you go, nestled among the apples and oranges, you will probably find a bin filled with this pretty fruit ...

For those of you who do not recognize it, it is a Pomegranate.

The name pomegranate literally means "seeded apple," and it is sometimes referred to as Chinese Apple.

The pomegranate's rustic beauty has long been an inspiration for poets, writers, painters, and sculptors. Its beautiful rich color and interesting shape make it a perfect addition to Fall and Thanksgiving centerpieces, wreaths, and garlands on mantels and holiday tables.

The Bible and writings of Homer mention pomegranates, and ancient myths cite the fruit as favored by the gods. Pomegranates, bursting with seeds, symbolize fertility in Chinese, Greek, Persian, Roman, and Hebrew lore. They symbolize hope in Christian art, and according to Jewish tradition, pomegranates are a symbol of prosperity.

The ruby-colored fruit we refer to as seeds are called "arils." Each aril is a delicious sac of sweetly tart juice that surrounds a seed. Pomegranates contain 840 arils that are compartmentalized between shiny, tough membranes. Isn't it amazing that each fruit contains the same number of arils!

When I was a child, my grandfather had a pomegranate tree is his backyard and in the Fall, he would pick one and break it apart and feed me the plump little juicy seeds hidden inside. Every time I see a pomegranate, it brings back memories of those times with my grandfather, and I wanted to share the experience with our granddaughter Avery Grace, who is five. Last weekend, Avery got her first taste of a pomegranate, and loved it.

When I was in Wal-Mart one day last week, I saw a display of pomegranates which had a brochure featuring an easy way to eat them. They can be quite messy if you open them with your fingers — the juicy little arils pop and juice goes everywhere (just ask Avery!).

I scanned the brochure so I could share this easy way to enjoy pomegranates, without the hazard of being splattered with the juice.

The arils can be enjoyed for seven to ten days after opening the pomegranate. Just make sure you store and refrigerate them in a sealed container.

[Note: The first two photos and some of the background information were borrowed from the Internet]