Beautiful day; noted the mini pink azaleas in front of the house are swarmed by bees and butterflies. Driving the two miles from the house out to Highway 98, saw dogwood blooming, and honeysuckle, too; the woods behind them have been cut over and look raggedy. Some sob has dumped trash in the woods (Snarl--Gnash!) Some people in a new trailer have a mess all around their place. I look away.

Out on Highway 98 the grass in the median is green and is carpeted by tiny purple, yellow, and white flowers. This beautiful sight is marred by trash people throw out their car windows. It's a beautiful day; I won't snarl again. First stop is 15 miles away at the county seat, a town a half a block long--a mini Mayberry. 

I go through the bank drive thru. Right across the road is the courthouse, flying the US flag and the Mississippi flag, which caused a hullabaloo when it was re-designed and a small Rebel flag kept on it. On the corner is the county jail. There's a feed store, a video rental place. And a house across from the jail painted school bus yellow with a sign out front with the grand name "Brenta Royale B&B."

Turn onto Highway 29 and cross the Leaf River; old and dark. Then onto Old River Road, where there is a cluster of trees swathed with long draperies of Spanish moss. There are neat brick homes nestled in the woods along this road. A pasture in front of one house has two buffalo grazing--the owner has had them for years. In another pasture, Black Angus cattle are grazing.

Lavender wisteria is blooming, climbing up trees, over fences, around trellises. Wisteria is a thug--it'll take over everything if not kept severely pruned. After about 25 minutes I come via the back way into Petal Mississippi, another pretty town.
Mississipi is at the bottom of every list; supposedly; but once people come here they like it and stay. South Mississippi is growing, booming, I regret that everything is happening too fast.