doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com OT - Good day yesterday

I started Independence Day by going to the sweet corn patch, under one of our irrigation pivots, early yesterday morning and breaking some fresh ears of Obsession, a white/yellow mingled variety. Went back to my shop and shucked it and put 45 ears in the freezer for future meals and cookouts. When leaving the sweet corn patch I noticed that one of our sunflower patches for doves is in full bloom, so I swung by it for a quick pic as the heads were turned facing the early morning sun.



We have two small fields like this this year, for doves, and I will be planting a 10 acre field in brown top millet either Monday or Tuesday. It matures in 60 days so it should be just about ready for the early season which comes in on the first Saturday of September, which this year is the 6th.

I came home and cooked a rack of baby back ribs along with two ears of the fresh sweet corn, on the grill, for my wife and I. We had a great lunch and I headed down to the river, about two miles from my home, to meet friends for an afternoon on the sandbar.



I say "sandbar" tongue in cheek because the river is a little high right now and it's underwater, but as you can see we made the most of it and anchored on top of it and kept cool in the cold water. Lots of friends met up there and we stayed until about 5:30 when we left and went back to the dock at the landing and had boston butts, chicken and ribs that had been slow cooking on a big homemade iron grill all afternoon. A fresh coleslaw and a homemade blackberry cobbler accompanied it. About the time we finished a rainstorm blew in from across the river (South Carolina). We sheltered in and under some of the houses there until it passed, and I headed back home to Queen.

I realize how blessed I am to live where I do, have the opportunities I have, the family and friends I have, and just wanted to share a tiny bit of it with my forum friends here. My wish is for a blessed weekend for you all. It is not lost on me that I have these opportunities because armed citizens took matters into their own hands when they decided freedom was more important than fortune or even life itself and sacrificed for me, delivering us a nation of free men. May we never forget that.

That sounds like a perfect day

Sounds like a good time, Stan. You let me know when you want a dip in some “cold” water, and I’ll set you up. About 50 degrees around the Apostle Islands right now, a brief swim will wake you right up.

Have a great weekend.

Best,
Ted

a hard working guy such as yourself deserves a cooling break

Not many sunflowers planted in ND anymore. I should have my last 20 acres of cropland [pamted to native tallgrass prairie species early next week.

I saw the various reasons why Independance Day should not be celebrated this year but here’s one report you’ll not likely see anywhere (but here). There was such a spirit of joy last night in our little town out here in flyover country that a life long resident told us she’d never seen anything like it in her decades of 4th of Julys here. Driving home before dark from a family BBQ we marveled at the crowds of cars at so many homes and the front yards full of folks in lawn chairs waiting. The fireworks began a little after 8:00 and didn’t end until nearly 11:00. We sat out in our own driveway and marveled as neighbors in very direction celebrated America and our freedom in the streets and in the sky of “our town.” I know I date myself but to quote Dinah Shore from her Chevrolet commercial of my 50’s childhood: “America: The greatest land of all.”

nice...

Stan, a couple of weeks ago Floyd and I saw a lowcountry field (high fenced) that was in corn and sunflower. On the end of the field was a stand of Mexican sunflowers, which is a perennial around these parts. It blooms all season and the doves were already in the field eating its seeds. The planted sunflowers hadn't bloomed during the time of our visit. The manager has had great success with the Mexican and Floyd hunted over it when he grew up in TX. Gil

Gil, I'd really like to see them and speak with that manager about the "wild" sunflowers. I feel sure these must be the same ones mel5141 has on his ranch in TX. Paul (Melton) talked to me about them some years ago. I ordered a bag of the seed from Turner Seed Co. in TX, against the better judgement of the salesman, who told me that they would not do well here on our sandy land, that they needed clay to reproduce and become annuals. I planted 6 acres of them and only got a few to come up, and abandoned the idea.

Maybe discussing it with the manager would help me learn how to better establish them agronomically.

Glad to see that you and yours had such a great day. Thanks for sharing. 👍