Tennessee

Final journey

/ Rebecca / 2 Comments

For many years, the Illinois Central carried passengers through West Tennessee on its journey between Chicago and New Orleans.  Watching the trains pass through our small town, as a child, is a little piece of local history that I recall fondly.   Sadly, these two old passenger cars, sitting on the side tracks at a local scrap metal recycling facility, have made their final journey.  Somehow, I can’t help but wish that they had met a kinder fate.

Life is like a journey, taken on a train
With a pair of travelers at each windowpane.
I may sit beside you all the journey through,
Or I may sit elsewhere, never knowing you.
But if fate should make me sit by your side,
Let’s be pleasant travelers; it’s so short a ride.
~Unknown

Great Egret

/ Rebecca / 2 Comments

“Calmness is the graceful form of confidence.”  ~Marie Von Ebner-Eschenbach

Red-Winged Blackbirds

/ Rebecca / 2 Comments

A male and female Red-winged blackbird sitting in a marshy area near the Mississippi River.

The marsh, to him who enters it in a receptive mood, holds, besides mosquitoes and stagnation, melody, the mystery of unknown waters, and the sweetness of Nature undisturbed by man.  ~ Charles William Beebe

Clothed in white

/ Rebecca / 7 Comments

White is not a mere absence of color; it is a shining and affirmative thing, as fierce as red, as definite as black.  God paints in many colors; but He never paints so gorgeously, I had almost said so gaudily, as when He paints in white.  ~G. K. Chesterton

Northern Flicker

/ Rebecca / 10 Comments

I saw this stunning bird sitting in the yard using her curved bill to dig for insects in the ground.  Though I was quite thrilled with my encounter, others didn’t share my enthusiasm.  I was told that while beautiful, flickers can also be a nuisance —  pecking holes and doing damage to both trees and houses.

“I am, as I am; whether hideous, or handsome, depends upon who is made the judge.”  ~Herman Melville

Young sparrow

/ Rebecca / 4 Comments
Waiting patiently …
Finally, some food! …
Any more??? …
Where’d you go? …
I want some more!!!

“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”  ~Barbara Johnson

White-marked tussock moth caterpillar

/ Rebecca / 13 Comments

IMG_9577

The White-marked tussock moth caterpillar is easily distinguished by its red head, black stripe down the center, four white tuffs near the front and two red dots toward the back.  Though its bright colors make it pretty to look at, it is best to avoid any contact, as its stinging hairs can cause an irritating rash.

“Our best decisions are often what we choose not to get involved in.”  ~Doug Cooper

Indigo bunting

/ Rebecca / 13 Comments
An Indigo bunting spotted in a brushy area of the Black Bayou Refuge adjacent to Reelfoot Lake.
She had blue skin, And so did he.
He kept it hid And so did she.
They searched for blue Their whole life through,
Then passed right by – And never knew.
~Shel Silverstein