A Walk Through Sam's Place

Along one edge of the glade is a small cattail pond that gets plenty of attention from deer and other critters. A large cottonmouth gave me a bit of a start as I walked the edge. Thankfully he high-tailed it into the grass AWAY from me.
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Here is another plot I call the "Pear Plot" as it is surrounded by pear trees. It is planted in a similar mix of grains, brassicas, and some left over buckwheat.
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Here is an interesting find. This is a "green dragon" plant. It is an indicator of natural hardwood habitat. This one was growing along the edge of a hardwood ridge, nearly suffocated out by other vines and grasses. It is a beautiful plant related to Jack-in-the-pulpit. Interesting, but not much habitat use as the berries are toxic.
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I love seeing all the cool critters as I walk the property. This is a little brown skink, Missouris smallest lizard. This one had already given up his tail to some predator.
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OkieKubota said:
I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your lug nuts are on backward...the shouldered bevel go's toward the hole to center the wheel stud in the lug hole...I can see how it is wallowing your lug holes in your wheel out in this photo...
Click to expand...
It's good news whenever I learn something useful! This is why I am not a real farmer. Thanks Okie :)!
 
Doctorbrady said:
It's good news whenever I learn something useful! This is why I am not a real farmer. Thanks Okie :)!
Click to expand...
You're welcome...you need to check all of the studs because they are what are wallowing out the holes in your wheels. When you flip them over the right way they will seat deeper which means if the wheel stud threads are boogered from the wheel wearing on them you are going to get the lug nuts bound up on the bad threads on the wheel stud...

How many wheels are like this?
 
Two of my jujubes are now in production. Here is a large fruit off one that I picked a little prematurely :(. It is a nice large fruit. I hope to have hundreds of them next season, as they are quite tasty!
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OkieKubota said:
You're welcome...you need to check all of the studs because they are what are wallowing out the holes in your wheels. When you flip them over the right way they will seat deeper which means if the wheel stud threads are boogered from the wheel wearing on them you are going to get the lug nuts bound up on the bad threads on the wheel stud...

How many wheels are like this?
Click to expand...
Not sure. Sad part is that it goes into the dealership for service each year! I hope it is only the front tires, as my backs are fluid filled. It is getting ready to go in for its yearly maintainance, so I should be able to get it fixed either way. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Here is another jujube off my other tree. These are smaller, but incredibly good to eat fresh. The semi-circle on my hand is the "biopsy" that gave myself by holding the end of a brass .223 case while I reamed out the military primer crimp.
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After spending a little time in celebration we got to work on our annual project. While cleaning out all the brush and small trees that had grown up around the large oak tree, my wife stopped me and yelled "Snake!" I stopped the tractor in hopes of seeing something special. And what do you know, it was exactly what I was hoping for!
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It wasn't a snake at all. It was a Western slender glass lizard. I had seen two of these dead on my property over the years, one dead from a warm up followed by a cold snap, the other the victim of my brush hog. According to the Missouri Herpetological Society, there had never been one documented in my county. Last year, I sent them a picture of the one that I killed with the brush hog, and had they published the finding in their yearly Atlas update. Still, I had never seen one alive. The day prior, while mowing, I saw a "snake" travelling very fast through the grass, and was able to positively identify it as a glass lizard before it escaped into the brush. This little fellow allowed me to capture it, and hold it for a short time prior to releasing it into the brush. Glass lizards are rare to see, but are commonly found in close association or "colonies" with other glass lizards. They are traditionally a plains animal, so it is really cool to see them on my re-established prairies.
 
After a little more dirt work and brush removal I spotted this guy, a Western worm snake. I used to catch these as a kid, and keep them in the house, much to my Mother's chagrin. I hadn't seen one in years. He also got released into the brush.
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