Osage Orange Tree

The other day we took what has become an almost weekly trip around the town and country side of Carrollton and Carroll County Kentucky. We went up on General Butler State Park and stopped by a tree we had passed dozens of time and never stopped at. After walking up to the tree we found what we took to be unusual fruit laying under it. Very large, about the size of a large grapefruit. Pale yellow-green they looked like a mass of worms or maybe brains. (Not that I have ever actually seen brains.) The leaves were small tree leaves, nothing special about them, the bark of the truck was ribbed and rough. So when I got home the first thing I did was get on the computer and see if I could find it. I found out it was an Osage Orange. And not eatable. At least not for people. It did say that it is sometimes eaten by deer. Of course as everyone knows deer can eat a lot of plants that people and even other hoofed animals can't. The Osage orange is native to the United States and was found mostly in Texas but has been planted lots of other places. Native Americans like the wood for making bows and spears as it is hard but bends easily. Of course with the shape and look of the fruit or seed pod there are all kinds of nick names for this tree. Some are Monkey Brains and Horse Apples. (For those that don't know horse poop is sometimes called horse apples but as much as I have been around horses I have never seen any horse poop this big.) Some of the information said this tree makes a good hedge to keep deer our of gardens but I like it better as a large tree. 

On part of our drive we stopped at Point Park by the Ohio River.

Nice clouds by some large fields.

 

After the Harvest

This was one of the fields that were full of soy beans yesterday when they were harvested. Sure is nice to be able to see across the field again.

Ziva checking out the field and smelling for mice and other rodents that are out there.

As good as that harvester seems to be at getting the soy beans out of the shells it does seem to loose quite a few. This is a picture of a few that got left behind.

This red tree is across the field and I have been trying to figure out what kind of tree it is. Maybe I'll be able to walk over there some time and see it closer. 

 

Harvesting Soy Beans

A crew came out over the past few days and harvested the soy beans that are in the fields around us. I hope they didn't mind that I took some photos. I find it very interesting. So many people that live in cities have no idea of the work involved in farming which is where we get all of our food. The soy beans were planted in the spring and I have watched them growing all summer and now into the fall. These are photos of the harvesting. It is amazing that they can make a big machine like this that can cut the whole plant then separate the beans from the leaves and stem. The leaves. stems and hulls are discarded by the machine to go back into the soil as a mulch. 

This photo is of the dried you bean plants right before harvesting.

The beans being sent from the harvester into a waiting truck. I guess from the truck will take the soy beans to a silo near by until they are bought by a company that will process them into a food product. 

 

Visions of Fall

 

My Random Thought #10

 I figured out why books are better than movies. You don't have to put up with the background music and noise like you do with the movies. Sometimes the music is good with the movies but most of the time it isn't. 

My Random Thought #9

 Editing!

     I know that I am not a good speller, and don't always write the best grammar. But I try. I use spell checker even though it can't figure out what I am trying to spell sometimes. But ---- I am noticing more and more that there is not as much editing of what people write on the internet. And not just the internet.  I see bad spelling and grammar in magazines and newspapers and even in advertisements that are sent in the mail. No one seems to care anymore about simple editing so that what ever you are writing makes since. 

    One of the places I see this the worse is in the instructions sent out with products that are made in another country. They expect us here in North American and other English speaking countries to be able to understand their horrible excuse for English spelling and grammar. 

    The other day I bought one of the small phone chargers that can be charged and then carried to re-charge your cell phone when the electricity is out. It seems okay and does the job but I almost sent it back as I didn't want to be buying from a company that couldn't be bothered to find someone that knew a little about English grammar, even though they want me and other people here in the United States to buy their products. 

     Example ---

    Best quality products and Sincerely customer service at here 24hours 7 days. 

Freely contact us for any helps:

Say your voice happy day from Aibocn

Thanks for your trusting!

     Do they really think I can trust them when they can't write something in English any better than this. 

    So please, next time you write a post, or text someone, or have to write a report make sure you reread it several times. If it is important like an article for a magazine or a report for school ask someone else to read it and help you correct any mistakes. I remember asking my mom or a friend to read and edit a lot of school papers. I did the same for my friends and children. If it isn't written correctly you won't get as good a grade or be taken seriously by your friends and others.