Shuck It, Y'all!

Here we have a lovely picture that Jessie took today at the fort in St. Marks. There's a state park built around the fort and its name is San Marcos de Apalche Historic State Park. 
Which makes sense. The original fort was built by the Spanish in the late 17th century. There's not a whole lot to see or do at the park but it's pretty cool anyway. They have a little museum and the setting is lovely, right on the banks of the St. Marks river. 
The reason Jessie, August, Levon, and Gibson were at the fort is because the boat ramp Glen wanted to use today for their scalloping adventure is less than a stone's throw from the fort and there was an issue with a friend's boat battery which of course Glen and Vergil had to go help him with because the friend was taking his wife and granddaughter out on the river to scallop too. 
Got that? Don't feel bad if you don't. I'm still confused myself. 
Anyway, to get the kids out of the heat, Jessie took them to the fort to hang out where there was shade. 

And there was no way I wasn't going to post that photo of the Georgia Thumpers making more of themselves. Just what the world needs! 
Well, critters are going to mate and that's a scientific fact. I don't think I knew that the male was the smaller of the two sexes but I am not surprised.

I got regular updates and pictures from Jessie. Here are some of them. 

I think they probably had a pretty good time. The little guys love their cousin Gibson so much and I hear they clung to him like little sandspurs all day and he put up with them most graciously. 

Gibson took this one himself. 

They only got about thirty scallops which is sad but I hear they had a good time and everyone got to get in the water and snorkel around, looking for them. Our scallops here are bay scallops which are very small. Thirty of them would probably make one entree or two appetizers, once shucked and cooked. They are mighty good in ceviche as well as cooked. The meat is sweet and tender if it is treated properly in the preparation of it. 

Here's what they look like in the water. 

See all those little blue dots? Those are their eyes. I always compare them to Paul Newman's eyes. 

Now let me ask you a question. Is the word "shuck" used where you live? Around here we shuck scallops, we shuck oysters, we shuck corn, we shuck peas, we shuck our britches. I am sure we shuck other things too but I can't think of any more at the moment. I would be interested to know if the word is universally known and used or if it's just a regional thing. 

I have been, if anything, lazier than I was yesterday. My knee screamed at me when I got up. It got a little better as the morning progressed and I moved around some and then I gave in and put on my Dollar General Rexall knee brace. Honestly, it has helped. I just cannot sit for too long nor can I take any serious walks or work in the garden. It does not want to bend. I am not doing much stair-climbing. I tried to do a little bend-over weeding in the garden and in the front yard by the gate but that's not really a very effective technique. Also, it was hot. I did, however, pull up the last two non-cherry tomato plants along with their cages and that felt good. Getting things ready for fall. 

Those still-growing-very-much-alive plants are the field peas which again, I am surprised and happy to report, the ants and aphids have not yet taken them over. 

So I've shelled (shucked) the few peas I picked this morning and I worked on my jig saw puzzle and I hemmed up another of my cheesecloth rags. Well, not really rags. I just don't know what to call them. I am accumulating a nice little stack. Their uses are so many and varied. While I was shelling and hemming, I started watching some rather horrible movie from 2012 that I'd never heard of before. "The Magic of Belle Isle". The director was Rob Reiner, and Morgan Freeman is the lead so it's not horrible horrible. I mean, I'd watch Morgan Freeman announce the winners of a Jr. High School Science Fair with great delight and some of the lines are pretty good or maybe Morgan just makes them sound that way. But you know. Sometimes you just want to sit back and hem your cheese cloth rags and be vaguely amused and listen to Morgan Freeman. 

Mr. Moon just got home. Once again, he is soaked through with sweat and exhausted. But he's happy. The boat ran great, it was easy to tow, easy to clean, and got everyone around the bay. 

And I do not have one molecule of regret that I didn't go. I am very, very glad that the ones who did go wanted to and had a good time. 

I'm going to cook the peas I've picked and shucked for our supper with a tiny bit of ham that may or may not have come from last Christmas. Don't worry. It's been in the freezer! Ham never goes bad! 

And some cornbread. 

Of course.

Love...Ms. Moon