Living Rural

for December 28, 2008, the first Sunday of Christmas…

• Endangered Species Act signed, 1973

• sunrise- 7:07 AM

• sunset- 4:57 PM

The New Moon began on Saturday, December 27, at 7:22 AM. I’m sure you are wondering, who cares? If you do not know the reason, then you are not the spouse or significant other of a HUNTER!

Every evening when HOM (husband of mine) returns from his ‘outing’, he gives a blow-by-blow account of everything he saw, missed, etc. and then the question, “When is sunrise and sunset tomorrow?” Now you would think he would/could use the Farmer’s Almanac that I bought for him in 2008, but he would rather his DG (Domestic Goddess) look it up on the weather site on the Web … usually request made when the DG is in the middle of writing or studying. Most of the time I stop and look it up for him - for 2009, I will not do it! He has a copy of Farmer’s Almanac for 2009 and my New Year’s resolution is: HOM WILL LEARN to USE IT!

A quote: “When all is said and done, more is said than done.” Unknown

Don’t forget December is the month to find gardening tools on sale.

Also, review gardening tips, plantings, plants, and items on sale in December here

Remember… “Y’all come back, ya’ hear!”

Technorati Tags: December, gardening, hunting, weather, quote

The post today is an article from our area paper, Morning News. It was written by Jamie Rogers. Thank you for a well written warning for all drivers during this hunting season.

Motorists need to keep both eyes out for deer

FLORENCE — S.C. motorists constantly are reminded to practice defensive driving techniques to avoid collisions with other drivers, but during the fall and winter months, motorists also need to be on the look out for deer.
According to the South Carolina News Service, the number of deaths, injuries and accidents because of deer increased last year in the Palmetto State.
Most deer-related accidents are reported during the fall and winter, which are the primary times for deer migration and mating.
Florence resident Amber Hines said several dents on her Honda Civic are the result of a close encounter with a deer one night last winter.
Hines said she was traveling on Enterprise Drive in Florence just before hitting the deer.
“I saw it on the side of the road, so I said to myself, ‘let me slow down until it passes,’’’ Hines said. “It’s one of those pee-in-your-pants moments because you’re not sure what it’s going to do.”
The deer walked into the roadway and crashed into the driver’s side of her car before darting off into the woods.
“I looked at it, and it looked at me, and he just bumped my car; I’m not sure what part of him hit me,” Hines said. “But it was big; it was huge.”
There were more than 3,000 deer-related car crashes reported last year, with about a thousand of them resulting in injury, according to data released by the S.C. Department of Public Safety.
There also were a reported 17 deaths because of deer and other animal collisions last year.
In Florence County last year, there was 1 death and 21 injuries out of the 61 reported deer-related crashes.
Hines said she considers herself blessed because she was not injured or killed by the deer.
“Yeah, it definitely could have been a lot worse,” she said. “He could have jumped in my car and rocked my world.”
News service officials say there are certain precautions drivers can take to avoid hitting deer or, in Hines’ case, deer hitting them.
Motorists should drive with caution in areas known to have a large deer population, especially during early morning and evening hours.
Drivers also should use their high-beam lights to see the eyes of deer that might be standing on or near roadways. If one is spotted, drivers should sound their horn to scare the animal away.
If hitting a deer is unavoidable, drivers should brake firmly and stay in their lane—swerving can make matters worse.
Motorists should call 911 to report the accident, and then call their auto insurance company immediately. Hines said she did not report the crash because she was afraid the accident would cause her insurance premium to increase.
South Carolina News Service Executive Director Allison Dean Love said that is not necessary true.
“There are a lot of factors that companies look at. Such as the number of miles, you drive to and from work. But the most important factor is the type of car and your driving record,” Love said.

By Jamie Rogers

What are you … for or against? Why? Please comment and we will compare notes on Monday. Check out my post on hunting at my personal blog.

deer, woodlands, sport, hunting

Today was a day of “waiting”

… for word that my daughters made their flight from Boston

… that the flight was on time

… driving to MYR airport to meet their flight … tourists and their crazy driving!

… to eat lunch

… to get home

… to hear from my youngest (21, as of 6/4), left behind in ME

… YAY, she did get the second job with Lane Bryant!

… to find out when a doctor appointment was scheduled for daughter #3

… did her hubby kill a hog while hog huntin’?

… is my ankle sprained or a slight hairline fracture … I’ll explain in another post

… to connect to online help with my Internet provider’s technical support, for 2 hours (I know, unreal, but my ankle was elevated and I really didn’t have anything else to do … RIGHT!)

… to eat the wonderful plate of country cookin’ my hubby was bringing from his monthly Wednesday night Men’s Supper Club … yum … WORTH the WAIT!

… to finish this post

… to put my tired self to bed.

And I thought I didn’t have anything to say today … except,

“Y’all come back, ya’ hear!”

flights, airports - MYR, grown children, driving, Lane Bryant, Internet, country cooking, hunting, Boston, Maine, sprains, tech support