I had a few things left to do today to finish my set up here on the refuge. Most important was getting some bird seed for my feeders. Mice really like birdseed, so I haven’t had any on board for a while because of the mouse problem at Anahuac.
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I headed for Ocean Springs and the Rouses Grocery store. I was a tad bit hungry when I arrived there, so you know what that can do to your shopping cart. 
They had a huge display of King’s Cakes with free samples so I was sucked right in. Yesterday was King’s Day, and, I believe, the beginning of the Mardi Gras season. Traditionally, King’s Cakes have a little baby baked inside, and the person getting the piece with the baby will have good luck for the year. Since the baby was on top, I decided to choose a piece to eat with it on it. Had enough bad luck last year, so hope this will help.
That cake is more than one person can eat, so I shared it with my fellow volunteers this afternoon. The cakes come in many varieties, but all are adorned with green, yellow, and purple sprinkles, the traditional colors of Mardi Gras. I chose the Bavarian cake because of the chocolate. It was stuffed with Bavarian crème.
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As I was unloading my groceries, I noticed this pileated woodpecker working the pine trees around the rigs. Hello Woody!
In the afternoon, Emma and I took a hike around the Dees Nature Trail on the refuge. This was the area that had the prescribed burn last April. Fire has brought needed life back to the under story.
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The remains of last year’s pitcher plants were evident. Can’t wait to see this year’s crop.
The trail goes through the pine savannah and along Bayou Castille. It was a gorgeous afternoon for a walk.
There are several benches along the trail where you can sit and enjoy the solitude and nature’s geometry. (A=Pi r squared) 
You can take the teacher out of the math classroom, but you can’t take the math out of the teacher…
Emma, of course, doesn’t give a crap about math. She just craps when and where she wants to, and sniffs her way through life. Phew!
Thanks for stopping by… talk to you later, Judy
