Life in the New Year ... thus far

I hope ya'll had a great New Year's 'cause I sure did. Here's my brother's backyard pier which faces Fort Bayou - a great place to pick on my guitar. We shot fireworks off the deck last night. In the summer, they catch their dinner from here - mostly crab. Not bad, eh?

Meet Joe, the Most Grateful Dog in the World. Not long after my brother purchased Phoenix, a German shorthair specifically bred for hunting, an incredibly sick and undernourished black lab came wandering out of the woods. Rob took him to the vet who told him the dog had a severe case of heartworm and may not survive. They treated him, he recovered and Rob took him home and named him Joe.

Turns out, Joe an experienced and highly skilled bird dog. And Phoenix? Not so much. Joe - when not going after ducks fallen from the sky - wags his tail with extreme gratitude and gives love to everyone he meets. He'd put his head in my lap as I was working and it was pure HEAVEN.

Ah, Wal-Mart. My arch nemesis. I like to brag that I have never set foot in one and it's a life goal to go to my grave without ever having done so. Who knows? It may even end up being a big chunk of my obituary. Eventually, a family member ends up going there with me stuck in the car and I have to sit in the parking lot, sweating alone with my principles. I think they get a kick out of it. I don't mind too much as long as they crack the window a bit for me.

I found this cookbook in the kitchen. It's a beautiful book and goes into the history of humans living off the land here in the South. Recipes include "Frog in the Hole" and "Wild Boar Chops." Yum.