Welcome to Selma and 100th Post!

Welcome to Selma and my 100th Selma, Alabama, Daily Photo Blog post! I thought it would be appropriate to post a photo of one of Selma's city limits welcome signs. This sign is at the foot of the Edmund Pettus Bridge on U.S. Highway 80. The city limits begin on the bridge across the Alabama River. At the top is the city seal, signifying our town's civil rights and civil war history and acknowledging the "beyond." The butterfly represents our designation as the Butterfly Capital of Alabama. The other seals represent some of the active civic clubs. Thanks to all of you who have visited this blog and especially for your kind comments.

Summer Shower

Yes! There is rain!
Three days in a row...
There are tomatoes...
See the crape myrtle, sagging beneath the weight of great big raindrops.
Wonderful!
Summer has arrived!

Kate the Persuasive Horse

Hey there! It's me...Kate...the horse. C'mon over here! See that latch. It's on the gate. Just undo it, and I'll walk out. I won't rear up or kick my heels or anything. There's a big pasture over there, and it just rained, and I need to check it out, splash in a few puddles maybe.
Don't mind the bearded guy over in that truck. He's just looking at the cows, and I know he won't care if I get out for a few minutes. Besides, he'll never know. I promise not to follow him around.

Hey, where are you going? I thought you were my friend! C'mon back and talk to me!

Where's the Range Cubes?

"We want a handout, and that's no bull!"

These Red Simmental bulls stopped lounging in the shade and immediately headed toward the truck. They wanted a handout...range cubes to substitute for the lack of grass. This is the second consecutive summer that supplemental feed has been necessary.

Though a good two inches of rain fell the past couple of days, the drought will be around a long while...unless a tropical storm heads our way. That's about the only way a 15-inch thirst can be quenched.

The Running of the Cows

Cows race across a pasture in Dallas County, Alabama, shortly after a rain shower. Invigorated after weeks and weeks of drought, the cows took off toward the cedar-tree horizon, frolicking and mooing "Thank You!" to the great Rainmaker in the Sky.

Hunkering Down

These cattle are "hunkering down" as the first big rain shower in months pours a good half inch or more of H2O on some parched pasture near Selma. The area received a lot more rain Sunday when the chance was 20 percent than it did last week when the chance was 80 percent. But did it rain at my house and on my garden? NO! Maybe today!

Little Yellow House

I've been trying to figure out what this big green bush might be! At first I thought it was a fig, but the leaves are shaped differently. Now, I think it could be a confederate rose. Any other ideas? Besides the beautiful bush, the yellow house caught my eye. Selma has lots of these small, narrow dwellings. I like the yellow paint on this one as well as the shingles and trim. They add a lot to a cozy little abode.

Pink Crape Myrtle

It finally rained! Not much...but enough to cause the crape myrtle branches to droop a bit. These medium-pink blossoms are nearing full bloom. The deep pink blossoms on our other bush will bloom in July.

Have a good weekend!

Summer Baskets

A splash of color adds so much to background shrubbery. These pretty pink hanging baskets are enjoyed by residents and visitors of Cedar Hill Assisted Living Facility.

Oh! It looks as if Flopsy and Mopsy are running on home without Peter! Now what could that rascally rabbit be up to?

The Ghost of John Parkman

Let's go indoors on this first day of summer...inside where the ceilings are tall and the air conditioning is cool.

We have arrived back at Sturdivant Hall, the antebellum mansion that is Selma's showplace. This room is one of the parlors and features Victorian furniture and an Oriental rug...very typical for the time as many furnishings were imported from Europe.

Hmmm, I wonder if the Ghost of John Parkman could be seated in the chair at the corner table or perhaps watching from the entrance hall. Shortly after we arrived, the great double front doors opened by themselves, and a breeze blew by...only our tour guide reminded us there was no breeze outside, just thick humidity that was as still as the angel statue over by the water garden. She greeted the moving air as if it was alive, even welcomed it!

Then she told us how the home's owner, bank president John Parkman, had been arrested during Reconstruction, something to do with speculating in cotton futures and losing the assets. He was taken to Cahaba Federal Prison and locked up as if he was a common criminal or heaven forbid, a ***Yankee! His young wife was left to manage the property and raise their two children. Their good name was tarnished. But friends worked out a plan. They would rescue Parkman by boat in the Alabama River, if he could just escape those walls and run for it!

He did escape! He did run for it! But he never made it to the boat. A guard shot toward him, and some say he died from the gunshot. Others say he just drowned in the river... so close, but just a few feet too far from freedom.

Now, a century and a half later, the ghost of John Parkman haunts Sturdivant Hall. But he holds no thoughts of evil. He just wanders the mansion looking for his long-lost family.