The winner!

The winner for the Nightshade drawing at Rurality is Marilyn Greene from Taylor, Michigan. Marilyn blogs at The Stair Landing and is a great knitter.

Congratulations Marilyn!

If you didn't win in the drawing here, you still have plenty of chances to enter. Check out the Susan Wittig Albert's blog tour page for the links.

Double Dog Dare

Double Dogwood, Cornus florida.

The owner didn't know the specific variety name, but said that it came from Hanna's in Birmingham.

-----

The Circus of the Spineless is up!

And don't forget the Friday Ark.

-----

You can still register to win Susan Wittig Albert's newest book in the China Bayles herbal mystery series, Nightshade. But hurry, Rurality's drawing ends at noon today! Click here.

Game camera for late March

The last game camera location was a little far from most of the action, and resulted mainly in shots of poorly-lit mystery creatures. So we moved it a bit closer to the clearing.



Maybe a little too close. We'd have had a perfect bobcat photo if we hadn't moved the camera. Oh, well.



The little masked bandit showed up well, though.



As did the &$*#^@% stray dogs. We never see them in the daytime, but apparently they love to roam and bark all night.



No idea.



Sad looking coyote, huh? I'm tempted to say he's thin because we're no longer supplying the free chicken dinners*, but it's probably not that.

I'm not sure why the color is so odd. I tried photoshopping, but realized that I don't know how to reverse grass that looks brown, dirt that looks green, and a coyote that looks like he stepped out of a B&W movie.



That's more like it! The turkeys seem to wander much more on dreary, gray days.

I just knew we'd have a shot of a mink by now. But no. I have another idea about aiming the camera more towards the rocky edge of the creek bed.

-----

*We only have two chickens left. Coyotes and bobcats ate the others, and we haven't replaced them yet. Hubby says that the survivors should have names, and has dubbed them Chicken (the Easter-Egger) and Dumpling (the Marans). They flock together during the day, but sleep on opposite sides of the coop at night.

We'd like more chickens, but the minimum order from a hatchery is 25 -- more than we need. Local co-ops aren't bringing in chicks anymore. (Death of true rurality or rise of avian flu hysteria, take your pick.) We may try checking other counties' co-ops or the flea market this weekend.

-----

If this is your first visit:

These shots are from our game camera, a Cuddeback Expert 3.0. Click on the game camera label to read more about it and see more photos.

I crop the bottom info from the photos because
1) The Cuddeback logo is distracting, and
2) Hubby never remembers to reset the date/time stamp after changing batteries, so it's never right.

If Cuddeback wants to send me a free camera, I'll happily stop cropping their little logo out of the shots... but I figure I give them enough free publicity as it is.

By the way, I did finally remember the name of the top-of-the-line game camera that I'd been talking about before: Reconyx. Their photo quality does not appear to be any better than the Cuddeback, but the trigger times are lower: 1/10 to 1/5 second, depending on the model. And it can take up to 99 photos per trigger. But at around $1000, it's a little beyond my reach for now.

Prime Thyme Mysteries 3

Thank you, Karen, for hosting me today! This blog tour celebrates the launch of Nightshade, the sixteenth China Bayles mystery. China (for those who haven’t yet been introduced to this mystery series) is a former criminal defense attorney who has opted for a quieter life as the owner of an herb shop in Pecan Springs TX. Each book in the series includes a signature herb that has something to do with the story, the characters, and or/the themes of the book. In this post, I’ll be telling you something about the herbs in Books 7, 8, and 9. (For posts on other books, check out the tour calendar.)

Chile Death



In China’s seventh mystery, Pecan Springs is rattled by the news that somebody has put peanuts into an entry in the chili cookoff. Peanuts in Texas chili? All by itself, that’s a crime (Texans never put peanuts in chili)—but it gets worse when a cookoff judge dies. Was it a culinary error (bad enough) or premeditated murder (worse)? The investigation takes China into a couple of hot spots and nearly costs her life. But the good news is that lover Mike McQuaid (shot in the previous book) is on the mend. Are those wedding bells we hear, or the crackle of chiles roasting over an open flame?

The signature herb? Chiles, of course! Chile peppers are not only super in your salsa, but good for what ails you: poor circulation, headaches, stomach distress, and ulcers, maybe even as an alternative to Viagra. (Chiles have long had a reputation as an aphrodisiac.) While the heat of capsaicin (the chief chemical compound in this herb) can burn, it also takes the pain out of shingles, rheumatism, and arthritis.

There’s lots more about this hot herb—a member of the nightshade family—at Wikipedia. If you’d like to try one of China’s favorite chile recipes, add some jalepeno peppers to cornbread. Or put some chile powder in your hot chocolate for an exotic (and seductive) drink.

Lavender Lies



I always think of this book as the “wedding” book—although between a murder investigation (a local real estate broker is shot to death in his garage) and a surprise guest named Hurricane Josephine, China’s wedding almost doesn’t happen. But it does, and of course it’s an herbal wedding, with rosemary for remembrance, thyme for courage, sage for long life and happiness, and lavender for devotion.



If you’re devoted to lavender, you're not alone. The clean, refreshing scent of its delicate flowers was cherished by the Egyptians (who used it, with other herbs and spices, to make mummies), the Phoenicians, the Greeks, and the Romans (who called it lavender, from their verb lavere, to wash), and by gardeners everywhere. Lavender is used to scent soaps, cosmetics, potpourris, and sachets. You can also use it in your bath, or put a few drops of essential oil on your hair brush. To help you sleep, put a few drops on your pillow. You can even use lavender flowers to flavor cookies and cakes, make tangy vinegars and punches, and brew fragrant teas.

For recipes from China’s and Ruby’s tea room (newly-opened in Lavender Lies) and ideas for a lavender tea party of your own, check out this page. And for a very good review of lavender’s medicinal properties, read this article from the University of Maryland.

Mistletoe Man



It's Christmas, and China has opened her home for the annual Pecan Springs Holiday Home Tour. But she's also worrying about her friend and partner Ruby Wilcox, who hasn't been herself lately. To further complicate matters, China has to round up a supply of mistletoe, the season's most popular herb. It seems an easy enough task—until her chief mistletoe supplier turns up dead.



Mistletoe is rich in lore, mostly due to the unusual growth habit of this parasitic herb. (In fact, some linguists trace its name to the Old English word mistil, meaning different.) Mistletoe grows on host trees, from seeds planted in the bark by the birds who feast on the white berries that ripen during the winter. The plant has been a part of Yule or winter solstice celebrations since the Druids, and the "kiss of peace" that was once exchanged under this plant by warring North Country clans has now evolved into the Christmas kiss. In folk cultures, mistletoe has been used to enhance fertility and to treat epilepsy; medicinally, European mistletoe is used as a sedative and to slow a rapid heartbeat. Recent research suggests that it may also slow the growth of cancerous tumors, and it is employed in Germany to supplement chemotherapy. Mistletoe is not a culinary herb, but the berries are not deadly, as is popularly believed. Please note that European and American mistletoe are not the same species. Many traditions link the two, but they are very different.

For a serious discussion of mistletoe’s medicinal properties, go here. For a more general overview of the plant (and another view of its cancer-curing properties), check out this page.

Readers often tell me that they enjoy learning about herbs while they are entertained by the story. But I have to say that China Bayles has taught me so much about herbs. For instance, I don’t think I would ever have taken the time to explore the herb mistletoe, if China’s supplier hadn’t gone and gotten himself killed!

Thanks again, Karen, for hosting me here at Rurality. And thanks to all you folks who are trekking through cyberspace with me on this blog tour. I appreciate your notes and comments—I’ll be gone for a couple of days this week, but I’ll be dropping in again when I get back.

About the book drawing and Susan’s blog tour



If you’d like to enter the drawing for a copy of Nightshade go here to register. But do it now, before you forget. The drawing for Rurality closes at noon on April 4, 2008.

Want to read the other posts in Susan’s blog tour? You’ll find a calendar and links here.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth , Hemaris thysbe, nectaring on Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica).

They are sometimes called hawk moths, and are in the same family as those most unwelcome guests, the tomato hornworms.

-----

Thysbe (Thisbe) in myth: the Greek version of Juliet.

One web source suggests that Hemaris comes from the root haem (blood), but another says it derives from the Greek hemera (day). See here.

A hornworm on your viburnum is probably this species. Leave it! It won't eat much. And it turns into this enchanting creature.

-----

I wondered whether this moth's wing motion was the same as a hummingbird's. The second photo would seem to suggest it, but I couldn't find confirmation on the internet.

Garden Tour

Bloodroot, Sanguinaria canadensis

I was included in a group of wildflower enthusiasts who toured a private garden in Morgan county yesterday.



Our fearless leaders ordered up a day of weather perfection.



It was mainly a native plant garden, with a few interesting non-natives.


Dutchman's breeches, Dicentra cucullaria

But you can probably imagine which ones we were most interested in.


Trout lily, Erythronium americanum

-----

The purple plant around the statue is Money plant, Lunaria annua (non-native).

Easter Armadillo?

The game cam didn't capture the Easter Bunny this year...

All we got was an Easter Armadillo!

Turkey trot time-lapse

11:06 (advance scout)


11:08


11:09


11:10


11:16 (always a straggler)

Hubby moved the game camera a little closer to the watering-hole action. Unfortunately the sun from this angle is going to be a little harsh - sorry about that.

The Game cam is set to take a picture every minute when the IR is triggered. (Don't know why it didn't take one at 11:07.) I wish it would cycle faster than that, but it's primarily made for deer hunters and I suppose they aren't as interested in multiple pictures of the same animal as I am.

Wild turkey, Meleagris gallopavo.

-----

For more wild critter action at our place, click on the game cam label just below.

And don't forget to visit the Friday Ark.

Rocky top

The top of our property is a little steep.



And rocky.



I've been there once.



And I wasn't too happy about it.



I don't enjoy heights! (Such a weenie.)

Going up is not the problem... coming down is.

Needless to say, my husband took these pictures. It might be a nice view if the trees weren't in the way.

-----

Check out I and the Bird! Thanks for including me, Clare.

Rocks in their hearts

Dave's post Sunday included a video in which a woman spoke of some fused trees, saying, "even the babies have rocks in their... parts".

I originally thought she'd said, "rocks in their hearts"...



... which I actually like better.

It reminded me of these photos my husband took not long ago.



I wonder what the other trees make of this.



Do they whisper behind his back?

I'd love him better if he didn't have rocks in his heart.

My favorite billboard

The devil sign is near Montgomery on I-65 north.

Just in case you didn't get the message:



Go to church or the Devil will get you!

We belong to anti-billboard Scenic Alabama, but I think this is one advertisement that everyone can appreciate.

The original sign was even more devilish. Satan was a more dynamic figure, hovering sinisterly, attached only by his scythe. Seemingly more prepared to leap and reap.

The earlier sign was damaged in a storm, I believe. You can see a picture of it here. There's also an audio story at that link -- Scott Simon speaking to the landowner, Mr. Newell, when he temporarily changed the sign during the last governor's race.

Red-winged blackbird

One of the early sounds of spring, for me.



Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) singing. You can't actually see him in the video, sorry.¹

There's also a Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) near the middle, and an Eastern Towhee (Pipilo erythrophthalmus)² at the end. You may need to turn the sound up to hear them.

I wasn't even aware of the background highway noise until I uploaded the video. I'm not sure if the camera is just sensitive to it, or if I've desensitized myself to the point I no longer notice it.

-----

¹That's my workshop, aka Handmade Soap General, that you see through the cedar. Hubby calls it the Soap Empire sometimes, especially when saying things like, "When is this Soap Empire is ever going to make us any money?"

²The bird formerly known as the Rufous-sided Towhee. He's the one singing, "drink your teaaaaaaa".

-----

P.S. To everyone who didn't call yesterday: we're fine. An F2 tornado came through the county in the morning, but didn't touch down too near us. We got a little hail though. And a lot of phone calls afterwards.

Coming soon

Virginia Bluebells (Mertensia virginica)


Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)


Trillium cuneatum

Up, but not yet open... coming soon!

-----

Visit the Friday Ark for lovely critter pictures!

Nightshade

You may be already familiar with the long-running China Bayles mystery series, created by the very clever Susan Wittig Albert. Susan will be guest-blogging here on April 1. No fooling! Her topic will be the herbs in books 7 - 9 (Chile Death, Mistletoe Man, Lavender Lies). I can't wait!

If you don't know Susan, where have you been? And why haven't you been clicking on my blog links? Susan blogs at Lifescapes, where you'll often peek at the beautiful Texas Hill country, gain a bit of insight into her writing process, and turn green with envy over the awesome knitting. (And the reading notes at the end of her posts are one of my favorite parts.)

Other Susan-related sites you might want to check out:
PecanSpringsJournal
Story Circle Book Reviews
Mystery Partners
Susan's Garden album
Sign up for All About Thyme newsletter, "a weekly celebration of herbs, spices, and the changing seasons".

-----

P.S. I'm lucky enough to be previewing Nightshade, the 16th (!) book in the series, which will be published on April 1. I haven't gotten very far yet, but had to share this sentence:

I intended to destroy the letters, thinking what a pleasure it would be to toss them, one by one, into the fire, to watch his passion turn into dirty smoke and fly up the chimney.

Wow. I love that sentence! (I replaced the identity with "his" so I wouldn't be spoiling anything if you haven't read the series yet.)

-----

The series -- one of three Susan writes, I might add -- is well described in her Wikipedia page:
"All ... of the China Bayles novels include the names of herbs, and the subsequent mysteries invariably include detailed, meticulously reported herbal themes that invoke the title. ... Albert has described her books as "cozy mysteries," because they do not describe much violence or gratuitous behavior."

-----

I have to admit, I never thought I'd have a guest blogger who has her own Wikipedia page!

Here's the entire Blog Tour calendar. It starts March 24. There are a lot of other blogs there I'm planning to check out. And here is her schedule of appearances and signings.

Just be sure to come back here on April 1, and enter to win a copy of Nightshade!