Food or fuel?

Grown as a food staple since prehistoric times, corn is today the most widely grown crop in the Americas. But not all is grown as food. In recent years corn has increasingly been used to produce corn ethanol for use as a fuel or fuel additive.

Today 40% of the corn crop is used for biofuel production which critics content is a waste of valuable farmland that is contributing to higher cost for food production.

Anyway, it makes me happy when corn season comes along. Food or fuel? I pick food.

By the seat of my pants

I guess more accurately I should say "From the seat of my MINI".

I just don't seem to have the time to properly capture photos, or more precisely, I do not take the time to properly capture photos.

I see a composition, or something catches my eye when I am on the road. That can mean a mad dash to grab my camera and snap a picture before the light changes. But more often, as I drive along, I am attracted to a possible photo, and that usually means I turn around, stop the car, but (being rushed or lazy) shoot through the rolled down window.

One of these days I need to find the time to be more focused... but till then, it will be by the seat of my pants.

Dark cloud

Abandoned businesses are sad to see. Where once there was vitality and employment, there is now crumbling empty buildings that look tired and lonely.

Mattresses on sale

I often wonder, why there are so many mattress stores? How often to people buy mattresses? And how many do they need when they do buy?

It must be a profitable business because there seems to be a lot of interest in setting up stores.

After the deluge

Another sky shot... second in a row... but after a strong blast of rain, the sky began to clear and I could not resist.

Pending storm

Rose hips

You don't think of a rose plant having a fruit, but here is the rose hip, about a half inch in diameter hanging on a simple pink rose bush. Of course rose hip tea is pretty common as an herbal beverage, but rose hips have other uses as jelly, pies and even wine. The fruit is also fed to chinchilas and guinea pigs as well as horses to improve their coat.

Rose hips are very high in vitamin C and were used for medicinal purposes in Europe when other sources of the vitamin were not available.

Apparently ants prefer the blossom to the fruit.

Queen Ann's Lace

Daucus carota, commonly know as Queen Ann's Lace is actually a wild carrot. The blossom does resemble lace, and if you look closely you will see one small flower in the center that has a deep red tint. The story goes that Queen Ann pricked herself with the needle while making the lace.

What I think is interesting is the overall form of the blossom is almost a hexagon.

Glass brick modern