We Still Love Lucy and Update

One day last week my husband was eating his lunch.  Sitting in a recliner and watching the local weather.  I was in the kitchen when he suddenly said, "Oh, my God!  Look in the tree.  QUICK!'

I grabbed the camera and hurried to the door, expecting to see a special bird.  Lucy was at my heels of course and looked out, her body stiff with excitement.

What?  I don't see any squirrel"

There was no squirrel to see.  Lucy was scanning the deck and did not see what was in the tree.  A big black blob that my brain finally identified as a black bear.  Climbing the tree nearest the deck.  In the middle of the day.

I took two quick photographs only because I had camera in hand.  The bear is hidden behind the leaves but I did not want it to climb any higher.  (Although I did give a fleeting thought to let it climb to a clearing so I could get a good picture.  Fleeting thought, folks.)  My primary fear was that the bear might jump onto the deck when I (hopefully) would scare him away.  The deck is on our second story living space, directly above the screened porch.  (And the screen porch is about twelve feet above the ground,)  So had the bear jumped to the deck it would likely have climbed over the deck railing and then shimmied down the screen  porch below.  Imagine the damage those bear claws would have done on the way down.

Putting down the camera, I grabbed two sheet pans and ran back to the door.  Lucy was aware something serious was going on but still had not seen the bear.  She was still scanning the deck.  I prayed that she would not try to bolt out the door when I cracked it open to bang the pans together.

Bear in the tree.  Likely a second year cub whose mother had "kicked" him out on his own.

The bear continued his slow climb up the tree.

I told Lucy to "stay" and opened the deck door slightly.  I started banging the pans together, unsure of what the bear might do.  "PLEASE do not jump onto the deck," I thought.  To my great delight, the bear did not even glance my way.  Clearly terrified by the noise, it scampered quickly down the tree and ran as fast as he could down toward the creek.

Why would we have a bear wandering around in the middle of the day?  I suspect he was roaming since his mother had evicted him.  He likely followed our creek from the nearby lake it feeds into.  At some point he might have smelled our bird feeders.  Bears have an unbelievably keen sense of smell and perhaps the wind was just right to send the scent of the hummingbird nectar or suet to the bear down in the creek.  So perhaps he ambled up the hill and climbed the tree to get closer to the marvelous scents and perhaps even some food.

How fortunate for all of us that we were not only at home, but my husband was watching out the windows.  We are not terribly concerned about this particular bear returning.  In the first place he did not actually get anything to eat.  In the second place he was totally frightened by the noise so it seems this was his first encounter with humans and not a pleasant one at that.  He did not return at all and we have not seen him since.  He ran down the tree and out through the woods as fast as he could, never even glancing back.  And I watched until he was out of sight, and he was still running.  We have lived in this house for ten years and this is the first time we have had a bear climb a tree near the house.  We never leave any food out and we bring the birdfeeders inside at dusk.  So we are assuming this was an isolated incident, not to be repeated.  Interestingly enough, I had been sitting on the deck reading not ten minutes before the bear arrived.  I'm not at all sure what I might have done, but I now have a large metal spoon and pot on the table where I sit to read.

As for the update...all is well and there is absolutely no reason for my failure to blog.  Truth is, every time I think of doing a post, it feels like a chore.  So I decided to remain dark.  And will likely continue to do so for a couple more weeks.

Our lovely granddaughter is two months old now and growing like, well, like newborn babies do.  I'm heading up next week for several days of quality baby time.

Our county is bursting with excitement about the August solar eclipse.  Our house is within the center swath of the maximum darkness.  There are eclipse shirts, stickers, glasses, mugs, shot glasses and almost anything you can imagine.

We are having unseasonably hot weather.  It was 70 degrees last night when I took Lucy outside around nine.  And it was 70 when we got up this morning.  The air is still and it rains intermittently, just enough to increase the humidity even more.  YUCK!

Today's quote comes from Aristotle:

"Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way."

 I hope life is treating all of you well.  I am reading and following your blogs and will return at some point.  When it's fun again.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE

Be like Elizabeth Warren of whom McConnell said,

"Nevertheless, she persisted!"

We Love Lucy

Another topsy-turvy  week for us.  Thunderstorms brought heavy rain almost every afternoon.  As I've mentioned before, Lucy doesn't mind thunder and loves to sit on the screen porch and watch the rain.  She does not, however like to be outdoors in the rain.  I think it's the drying off part that she dislikes most.

Another thing she loves is the fireplace.  She loves it on winter mornings when we light it to take off the morning chill.  She also loves it in the summer because there is a spot of hardwood and the stone hearth for coolness.

I'm going to be taking another two-week break.  Our daughter is coming for a visit and we will ride the mountain roads come rain or shine.

It is wise to heed the words of those more articulate then I when you become so frustrated with the goings on in our world.  These fine words come from Ada Louise Huxtable, Pulitzer winner in 1970.

Summer is the time when one sheds one's tensions with one's clothes, and the right kind of day is jeweled balm for the battered spirit.

A few of those days and you can become drunk with the belief that all's right with the world.

Here's hoping that we all can have some of those jeweled balm days.  Heaven knows we have a sufficiently battered spirit.

HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

HAPPY FATHERS DAY TO ALL FATHERS

Rethink this one, NBC.

The man is a far-right radio talk show host.  In its profile of him, the Southern Poverty Law Center described him as "the most prolific conspiracy theorist in contemporary America."

All images from the Internet

The man claimed the attacks on September 11, 2001 were perpetrated by the US government.  As were the Oklahoma bombing and Columbine shootings.

The man called the shootings of the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando a "false flag terror attack" (one of his favorite terms) orchestrated by the Obama administration to enhance the acceptance of the LGBT communities.

The man claimed the Clintons are murderers.  Beginning with the suicide death of Vince Foster and continuing through the slaying of five police officers in Dallas.

The man said his gut told him the death of Antonin Scalia was murder by the Obama administration and warned that Clarence Thomas would likely be next.

The man said the Boston Marathon bombing was nothing more than another "false flag terror attack," this one designed to take away the rights of citizens to bear arms.

The man said that the US government has a "weather weapon" that can generate and steer tornadoes to certain areas causing floods and thus contributing to the fallacy of global warning.

The man has said far too many outrageous statements to list.  To me, the most egregious of his comments came when he called the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary School "synthetic, totally fake with actors" portraying the murdered twenty small children and six adults.

In case you did not recognize him in the photographs above, the man is Alex Jones.  And the man was recently interviewed by Megyn Kelly for her new show, "Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly." Outrage followed the announcement of the plan to broadcast the interview, none more poignant than the ones from the parents of the slain children from Sandy Hook Elementary.

NBC has declined to comment about the upcoming broadcast which gives this outrageous man a platform. Megyn Kelly, on the other hand, defends herself by saying that President Trump had praised Jones and had been a call-in to his broadcast.  In fact, Jones was issued White House press credentials.   She further went on to say that many people don't know him and it is "our job" to shine a light.

To make this interview more onerous, NBC plans to air it on Father's Day.  A day when so many fathers will grieve for their children killed at Sandy Hook.  If you are so inclined, you can contact NBC here.

I hope the powers that be will take a look at photographs such as this one and rethink whether it is appropriate to give any credence to Alex Jones.  On Father's Day or any other day.

[Purely Personal Note:  I cannot recall a time when I have objected to an interview without having seen it.  My view is generally "watch it, don't watch it; listen, don't listen; read, don't read."  My objection is not so much on my own behalf.  It's for the parents, victims and relatives still grieving from the horrible acts so demeaned by Alex Jones.  They should not have this dredged up again in such a malicious manner.]

We Love Lucy

It's June already.  We have immensely enjoyed the number of birds who are bringing their young to our feeders.  It's such fun watching the parents feeding the greedy little ones.  And even more fun when the parents stop the feeding and the young ones must find their own way to the feeders.  Often they make several awkward attempts before they are finally successful.  Soon enough most of the birds will have another brood and we can watch the whole process again.

Lucy is enjoying our weather.  It's cooler than normal with sunny mornings and rain most afternoons. We are fortunate to have several areas where she can run safely off leash. Like the rest of our household, Lucy refuses to acknowledge that she is getting old.  She runs like a puppy but then relaxes the rest of the day.

We have a wide swath of grass between the road and the woods.  Wide enough for a short jog.

Her face shows that she is not pleased with a recall.

We interrupt her fun periodically for no reason.

I'll do it but I don't like it.

We frequently hop in the car and take a short drive to a park or other grassy areas.  One of our favorites is the top of an earthen dam on one of our lakes.  Although she gets good exercise on trails, she really loves open areas where she can run full speed ahead.

Heading back to the car.

It has been quite an interesting week, hasn't it?  It seems that we are supposed to overlook all the failings of our President.  According to the Speaker of the House  we should take into account that the President "is new at this" and does not understand the protocols of the relationship between the Department of Justice, the FBI, and the White House.  Well, excuse me Mr. Ryan, most of us learned this relationship in grade school.  It's part of that "separation of powers" thing.

Several quotes once again:
"Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting in a particular way."
Aristotle

"To know what is right and not to do it is the worst cowardice."
Confucius

"I think I am almost too honest to be a politician."
Donald J. Trump

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE

Pinket Revisited

A while back, we gave both our children some of their things we had kept from their childhood days.  Our son took his Christening gown and baptism items, his religious education certificates and achievements among other things.   His favorite lovey was included in the items.

Interestingly enough, the item to which our baby son became attached was a blanket that had been his sister's.  An ordinary pink baby blanket with a satin border.  As he began to add words to his baby sounds, he called the blanket "Pinket."  (Obviously a combination of "pink" and "blanket.")  This blanket and another lovey were with him constantly until he was three or so.  The other item was a small stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh.  Ironically, it also had belonged to his sister who never cared much for it.  (Her constant companion was Eeyore.)  If our toddler son wasn't carrying the two loveys, they were surely somewhere close at hand.  He called them "PinketandPooh" as if it were a single word.

Fast forward if you will to 2017 and the arrival of our lovely little Violet.  Violet's parents are fortunate to have some good friends who are excellent photographers.  One of them came to do a newborn photo-shoot when Violet was two weeks old.  Our son sent me a picture of the photographer taking one of the photographs.  The message was captioned, "You might recognize the blanket."  And there was tiny Violet covered by Pinket.  The same blanket that covered our son forty years ago.  (And his sister three years before that.)

iPhone photograph taken by our son

She is indeed a tiny little girl

If you click to enlarge the photograph, you will note that the edges of the blanket are frayed.  Over time, the satin border became detached.  I bought the pink satin to sew on a new binding but my husband objected.  He felt replacing the binding might attach too much importance to the blanket.  I suspect that he also thought that the blanket would unravel without the binding and shrink thread by thread.  But somehow the blanket remained relatively intact despite the constant use.

You can't imagine how thrilled I was to see the photograph of our dear granddaughter covered by Pinket.  Who knew when we gave the items to our son that he would have his own daughter so soon? Oh, we are blessed.

We Love Lucy

Another week has gone by.  Another week in which we humans are perplexed and saddened by the statements and actions of our leaders.  Another week in which we vow again to follow the wisdom of our dogs.  And fail yet again.

Even our trouble-free Lucy looks a bit down.

"No, Mom.  I'm just adjusting my pillows 

Ready to relax and snooze again"

Our little Violet is thriving.  Eating well and gaining weight. Her parents and grandparents are over the moon with delight.  I got a text from a good friend after some particularly onerous happening this week.  She said, "My sincere apologies to Violet since she will inherit a total cluster-f--k."  I must admit that having an infant grandchild makes me even more fearful of our planet's future.

Once again, there are several quotes for today:

From Marcus Aurelius:
"That which is not good for the beehive is not good for the bees."


And an anonymous one:
"Everything happens for a reason but sometimes that reason is that you are stupid and make bad decisions."


And from Isaac Asimov:
"No sensible decision can be made any longer without taking into account not only the world as it is, but the world as it will be."

HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND,  EVERYONE!

Moment of Remembrance

In the midst of our picnics, our fun at the park, our drive in the country, let us spend some time today to reflect on those who gave their lives in service to our country.

Little white crosses and their rows are so long. How will it end if you don't know it's wrong?

From "Little Play Soldiers"

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McCrae

So this afternoon at three o'clock (your local time) stop.  Reflect for one minute on your country and those who gave their last full measure of devotion for you.  For this one minute in time, we can have national unity.  It's only a minute but the symbolism of it is huge.  Imagine.  One minute of unity.

Peace to each soul that sleepeth

Rest to each faithful eye that weepeth

                    Thomas Moore

We Love Lucy

We had a bad experience with Lucy's regular groomer.  And that one was enough for us to seek a new person to care for our precious golden girl.  I visited several places and found the perfect one. Unfortunately, they had a long waiting list.  More importantly they did not groom dogs larger than fifty pounds so Lucy exceeded that by a bit.

Finally I found another perfect place, hidden behind some resale shops.  I had never visited any of those shops so I had no idea the perfect grooming place was in a building behind them.  We made an appointment and yesterday we took Lucy there.  They did a marvelous job and she came out so soft and silky and expertly trimmed.  Not only that, she seemed to have enjoyed herself.  Apparently the staff let her roam around freely since she gets along well with other dogs and with people.  They have specific appointments so they are ready to work on your dog when you bring her in.  And they call you when she is dry and brushed and ready to go.  We are delighted to have found this new place, especially since they will do day care for well behaved dogs like Lucy.

Here's the gorgeous golden girl, so soft and fluffy.

"That's nice, Mom.  But a cookie would be better."

She loves to relax in the sun with her pillows.  She arranges them herself with no special method. The smallest pillow is usually under her neck.

I think she likes having more of her hair trimmed off a bit.
We are all enjoying this morning's sunshine.

We have had a chilly week with lots of rain.  We did not turn the heat back on, but we did light the fireplace a couple of mornings.  This Memorial Day weekend appears on target to be perfect.  It's White Squirrel Festival all weekend so we will go downtown visit the local vendors and enjoy the crowds for a short period.

And we will keep in mind what this holiday represents.

A couple of quotes again this week.  The first is an American proverb.  (I think that means anonymous old saying.)
"Arrogance is a roadblock on the highway of wisdom."

The next is from George Eliot:
"He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen just to hear him crow."

And the final one is from Roald Dahl:
"Having power is not nearly as important as what you choose to do with it."

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND

REMEMBER THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR ALL FOR US

Small Things

I have always loved small things.  I often carry a small polished stone in my pocket.  I have another polished stone in my jewelry case.  It was given to me by a dear little girl who got a rock polisher for Christmas more than 45 years ago.  And I have several small things scattered over my study.  A talisman for every need.  I do so admire people who can work in miniature.

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when our daughter gave me a little sea hutch, filled with items for a scientist at the sea.  She knows that I love the ocean.  And I love small things.  So this was a perfect gift.  The top shelves of the chest contain various sea items.  Note the chest has four drawers, all of which open and contain miniature treasures, and two side panels which also open to reveal tiny surprises.  I will not reveal all the surprises in this post.

The lovely wooden hutch

Here you can see the items in the left panel.  And the tiny wooden box which was behind the right panel door.  It is complete with metal hinges and handle.

What could be inside this box?

It's something every would-be scientist needs.

A microscope

These are the items from the left panel.  Note the little insect in resin

The papyrus does indeed open as well.

I often take the hutch down and open all its treasures.  Then I give my imagination leave to go wild.  And for that moment in time, I am not a mountain woman at all.  I'm a child of the sea.

A quarter leans against the chest to give you a perspective on the size.
The height of the hutch is a mere six inches

[NOTE:  I'm having camera issues so these photographs were taken with my somewhat older iPod.  So the photographs do not do the hutch justice but you get the idea anyhow.]

The chest was handmade by Janice VanBeck.  You can find her  shop here but she is currently not taking any orders.  Click on the reviews to see more of her amazing work.

Lucy Upstaged this Friday

Lucy, you don't mind if we don't give you center stage this Friday.  Do you?

"I don't like it but I guess not.  But only this once.  And only if my picture goes first."

Deal

I really don't see what's the big deal here.

Monday's post contained a hint of a secret.  A photograph of violets.  Well here is another photograph of a violet; and this one is our first grandchild, born last Friday afternoon.

Right out of the delivery room into her new mother's arms.
(All photographs taken by Violet's mom and dad.)

Our Violet is a tiny little thing, but strong and healthy.  She and her new parents stayed in the hospital until Monday partly because it was the weekend and some legal stuff needed to happen.  It was a good thing, though. Her parents had more time to learn hands-on how to provide all the care she needs. The classes they had taken helped prepare them, but nothing is quite like holding your own infant.

The neonatal nurses held her a lot.

At five and a half pounds she looks even smaller in the car seat getting ready for the ride home.

Had she been even a few ounces smaller, a new car seat would have been mandatory for the trip home.

Here she is swaddled and comfy and finally home.

Our little Violet saw her own pediatrician on Wednesday who pronounced her perfect.  We are so blessed to have this little girl in our family.

At the pediatrician's office

Seriously bonding with her daddy

Violet's dad's lovey was a little Winnie-the-Pooh which he carried around with a pink blanket.  Both of them had been his sister's but she never cared much about them.  He abandoned the loveys when he was about three. When he was about five our son identified with another A.A. Milne character.  Tigger.  Yes, "bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy, fun, fun, fun, fun, FUN."  It fit the boy perfectly.  So it was only fitting that Violet's paternal grandparents (that's ME and my husband---we are grandparents, people) should send her a Tigger.

Our son sent us a photograph of  Tigger and Violet.
He immediately wrote that yes, he took the toy out of the crib as soon as the picture was made.

Special thank yous go to all the social workers at the adoption agency, the staff at the hospital where Violet was born and all the friends who helped get things ready when things happened at a warp speed no one imagined.

And most of all our deepest and heartfelt thanks to the courageous and wonderful birth mother who selected our children to be the forever parents to the child she felt she could not keep.  Our hearts are filled to the brim with love and gratitude to her and the most wonderful gift she gave us all.

Today's quote is from Carl Sandburg:

"A baby is God's opinion that life should go on."

HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE

AND MAY YOU FEEL HALF THE JOY WE DO

A Couple of May Birds

We spend a lot of time watching the birds.  We look for them when we are out on the trails.  We look for them at shopping centers and downtown.  And we are truly lucky to find plenty of them right at our house.

The banks along our street have shrubs that are home to several Eastern Towhees.  We hear them very early in the morning and throughout the day.  It is not uncommon to see one of them sitting on the mailbox post in front of our house.  In May, one of the males sits there and sings his "drink your tea" song loudly.

He is so lovely in the bright sunshine

He looks a bit angry as he begins his song.

But it is a sweet song indeed.

We have known for a couple of weeks that the Red-bellied Woodpecker's eggs had hatched.  The adults would gorge themselves at the suet and then fly off with a mouth full deeper into the woods. We are also certain a Pileated Woodpecker pair, and a Downy Woodpecker pair have nestlings as well and wondered which would see first.  Turns out it is the Red-Bellied.  While Red-bellied Woodpeckers have a small streak of red on their lower breast, they have more marked red on their heads.  The juveniles lack the red.  Their heads are gray, perhaps as a safety feature.

Fat little Red-bellied Woodpecker waiting for food

The parent (in this case the male) goes to the suet and comes back to feed the young one.

It is not obvious from this angle that the red on the head is unbroken, but it is.

Both parents feed the young.

This  is such an exciting time for new growth and new birth.  Which brings me to a little secret.  No, I can't tell you yet.  I just said it's a secret.

But here is a little hint:

"Sweet violets, sweeter than the roses"
Photograph from Pinterest

We Love Lucy

Here it is Friday again and there has been so much "breaking" "news" that the week has seemed much longer than usual.  Our weather has warmed but we had begun to believe there is no such thing as "typical" weather anymore.

Our dear Lucy continues to keep us grounded with her routines and lack of concern for the world outside Lucy.  She loves to lie on the deck and soak up the sun even when it feels quite warm.  We bought canvas beds so the dogs would not have to lie on the rough deck, but Lucy doesn't care for them at all.  If she gets too warm she will move under the umbrella.

The deck has a south-eastern exposure and is one of the few places that gets full sun.  So that is where we plant our little herb gardens.  And baskets of blooming flowers, of course.

Lying on the hot deck

Lucy always looks a bit unkempt even if she has just been brushed.

She's very interested in the contents of the trunk any time it is opened.

She does not ever try to jump up into the back.

After all she rides in the passenger seat.

She stands inside the garage to see what is being unloaded.

I'll wait here out of the way.

But when the first of the herbs are placed on the floor she investigates.  She buries her face into each one and sniffs but surprisingly enough does not try to taste anything.

We will enjoy the fresh herbs all summer long.  It's ever so nice to watch the plants grow and to snip off enough for a meal.  In a very short while we will have wonderful summer tomatoes from our local farm stand.

And that means two of my very favorite things to eat.  One is a tomato sandwich on white bread.  The tomatoes must be room temperature and the slices must be very thick.  The sandwich is so juicy that the best way to consume it is standing over the kitchen sink.  I'm rather a purist and I don't want bacon or lettuce on the sandwich.  Just tomato, Duke's mayo and salt.  The other summer favorite is a Caprese salad with slices of fresh tomato alternating with slices of buffalo mozzarella, and basil leaves from the little herb garden.  A sprinkling of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.  This is consumed in a more mannerly fashion---sitting at a table and using utensils.

There is nothing to compare with the promise of comfort food to take one's mind off the happenings around us.  Hooray for these small things.  We enjoy them all the more in these troubled times.

It's is unfortunate that today's quotes are timely.

From Aesop (of the fable fame):
"A liar will not be believed even when he is telling the truth."

And an anonymous quote:
"We live in a world that is built on promises constructed by liars."

And from Fyodor Dostoevsky:
"The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to such a pass that he cannot distinguish the truth within him."

I came across this marvelous explanation of many things.  By Stephen Fry, it's well worth the seven minutes it will take for you to watch and listen. Here is the link .

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE

Cold Snap and Blackberry Winter

Ask almost any Southerner why it is so unseasonably chilly right now in May (it was 31 degrees here this morning) and most of them would respond, "Well it's Blackberry Winter, of course."  Most of us learned this phrase as children.  After warm shirtsleeve days, we awoke to find the house chilly and we pulled out a sweater or sweatshirt instead of a tee shirt.  Upon asking why it was so cold we were invariably told it was because of blackberry winter.

The blooming of the blackberries  (rubus fruticosus) in the South coincides with a weather pattern that occurs each Spring.  Simply put, the air flow in the upper atmosphere is blocked over the Arctic, thus diverting the cold air over the Southern United States.  This is an annual weather event and the timing may be early to late May.  The blackberries bloom for three to four weeks, so invariably a cold snap will occur sometime during that time frame.  Southern logic says: the blackberries are blooming and the weather turns cold.  Obviously the two must be related and we have blackberry winter.

Throughout Appalachia (and in many other areas of the country) blackberries grow wild in abundance.  A drive along any mountain road this time of year brings sights of the lovely blackberry plants in full bloom.  Native Americans used blackberries for centuries before the early pioneers moved westward.  Blackberries were an important seasonal food for the pioneers who ate the fruit but also used many parts of the plants for other purposes.  To this day, blackberries are used by herbalists and others to make natural remedies.  Roots are used as astringents to treat mouth ulcers and sore throats.  The leaves can be crushed and used to treat thrush.  Crushed blackberries, along with bits of the root are mixed with honey to make a soothing cough syrup.  Tea made with the berries, roots and leaves can be used to treat diarrhea and bladder infections.  The roots and leaves can be made into a poultice and placed on wounds to help stop bleeding.  All parts of the blackberry plant contain a lot of tannin which seems to be the primary medicinal "active ingredient."

[NOTE:  I am in no way advocating the use of blackberries to treat illness or disorders of any kind.  I do however, strongly advocate a big serving of blackberry cobbler to treat your soul.]

These photographs were taken of blackberry bushes grown right along the roadside at Looking Glass Falls in our county.  Just a step off the sidewalk.
Visitors pick them as soon as they ripen.

Notice that there are five petals on each blossom

The green center of each blossom will continue to grow and ripen into a blackberry.

As a food source, blackberries are quite nutritious.  They are rich in Vitamins C and E, have antioxident properties, and are a good source of fiber.

Nowadays I buy fresh blackberries from our local produce stand.  But I went berry pickin' many a day in my childhood.  My mother paid my brother and me a dime for each Karo Syrup can full of ripe blackberries we picked for her.  She was quite a taskmaster and would penalize us for rejects such as green ones or leaves in with the ripe berries.  Each pail held three quarts of berries and they had to be filled flush with the brim.  We picked several pails of berries three times a week while the berries were ripe.

This photograph is from Pinterest displaying antique items

And yes, I do feel old when I see things common to my childhood classified as antique

Even before my time, these pails were used as lunch buckets for rural children.

Blackberry picking is hard work even for children.  They ripen in the hot summer sun.  We encountered the stinkbugs and other insects and the occasional snake.  Not to mention the typical childhood quarrels and berry smashing each other.  Since I am so old much of my youth pre-dates sunscreen so we came home not only scratched and bleeding from the blackberry thorns but also with sunburn on all exposed skin.  But all that was forgotten once inside the house where we got our dimes, washed up and enjoyed a dish of blackberries with cream and sugar.  And best of all, Mom would bake some blackberry cobbler for dessert after dinner.  You might think we would be tired of blackberries by then since we had eaten them all day but you would be wrong.

I do remember asking my mother why the blackberries didn't get ripe in blackberry winter when the berry picking weather would be nicer.  She gave me one of her common phrases, "In God's own time, honey.  In God's own time."

My paternal grandfather had yet another use for blackberries.  He made blackberry wine while the women put up the jams, jellies, and preserves.  He thought that was the best medicine of all.

We Love Lucy

Our Lucy continues to keep us grounded during these times.  She accepts whatever happens and lives her life to the fullest, running free in the sunshine whenever possible.  Lying on her beds and snoozing when it's raining.  Unlike too many of us humans, she is not at all reluctant to indicate that she needs a bit of affection for whatever reason.  She will walk over and lean against your legs.  After some head scratching, petting, and an occasional belly rub, she walks back contentedly to snooze again.  If she could talk, I'm sure she would say, "Thanks.  I needed that."

We have had only a bit of sunshine this week.  Mostly we have had heavy rain and high winds.  And that's all right too.  Today the high is 48.  Strange weather indeed.

Lucy and her shadow running in the brightest sunshine.

Her smile says it all.

I cannot comment of the events of this week. My son sent me a text saying, "Ugh.  I hate everybody." I feel much the same way, so this post will be short with three quotes:

"We are going to be considerate and compassionate to everyone.  But my greatest compassion will be for our own struggling citizens"
Donald J Trump

And this quote by Bernie Sanders yesterday, as Republican members of Congress joined the President at the White House to celebrate their victorious passage of a new health plan:
"Donald Trump and Republicans just celebrated voting to let thousands of Americans die so that billionaires get tax breaks.
Think about that."

And from the Dalai Lama:
"I truly believe that compassion provides the basis of human survival."

And from an old poem, author unknown:
"Oh Lord, help us and save us."

Continue to write your elected officials and tell them what you think.  They may not listen but it's still the least thing you can do.  Look for appearances at town hall meetings or other times when you might join others to express your feelings.  Do whatever you can to make your voice heard.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND

TRY NOT TO WORRY SO MUCH

Yard in the Woods

When we built our home, we asked that every possible tree that could be spared would be left in place.  It made life a bit more complicated for the contractor, but has paid tremendous dividends in having birds come right to our deck.  The widest area of cleared space is the front yard.  Three terraces keep the sloping yard level and livable.  There is not full shade, but the sun is the milder late afternoon sun.  So the plants are shade tolerant.  We worked with a great landscaper who drew up plans that allowed us to have a little something in bloom all the time.  We never have anything in profusion, but even in the dead of winter there is something perfuming the air or bringing a bright spot to the eye. We also focused on plants that are generally not highly favored by the deer with whom we share our space.

In March, April, and even sometimes February we can count on the hellebores.  They seem to love the soil and brief late afternoon sun.  We have several of them, white and purple.

We have two large camellias.  One has bright pink blossoms and the other has more fragrant white blossoms.  They seem to have no predictable pattern to their blooming.  If there is a streak of mild winter weather, they will burst into blossom.  Many times they have large and full buds that are ruined by another cold streak.   So it's hit or miss with the blossoms.  But the lush green plants are gorgeous even without the blossoms.  Both are about ten feet tall.

The rain has beaten down the lower branches.  Daisy Duck ignores them.
This one is Camellia japonica, also known as "Pink Perfection"

Pieris japonica blooms in late winter and continues through most of the spring

The leaves and the nectar from the flowers are quite poisonous.

Despite its beauty, the plant could be deadly if eaten.
All these plants are near the house.

Today, all of these flowers are drooping as we are having heavy rains and gusty winds.  The birds are having a bit of trouble getting to the feeders.  But they persevere.  We suspect three of our woodpecker varieties have fledglings.  So while we appreciate the flowers in the front yard, we also appreciate the birds in back.  All the bird boxes are swinging wildly and we suspect a few might be on the ground before this weather system passes.

We are safe and comfy with no need to go outdoors except as Lucy dictates.  Since she hates the rain, she will wait as long as possible.

Time to brew some tea and watch the rain.

And So Lucy is Back

Life has been good up here on the mountains.  We have had lots of much needed rain although we are still far below normal.  Everything is green and the dogwoods and mountain magnolias are blooming throughout the forests, adding their lovely white to the various shades of green on the hillsides.  Our injured player is very nearly back to normal and life is rich and good.

Why, then, am I so disconcerted?  Why this feeling of unease that permeates my soul?  It has to do with government, both Federal and State.  I watch the "news" only to get the weather reports for the real climate.  Yet I'm drawn Online to newspapers and publications that give me the current political climate.  Difficult as it is, it's a bit easier to digest in print.

I think my biggest concern is that for the first time in my life, I have little or no respect for people who still support certain leaders.  In the past I've had many friends whose politics differed from mine.  I still respected people who have supported leaders whom I did not care for.  But this time it is quite different.  For the first time in my life I consider certain people no longer important to me because of their political support for certain leaders and the direction our country is heading.

I need to be more like our Lucy.  She does not worry about anything.  She doesn't even fear we might forget her breakfast or dinner, because at the appropriate time she will lie down in front of the person in charge of feeding her.  When that person gets up, she runs to her room and stands next to the dog food bin.  Just in case we might have forgotten where the food is kept.  If the day is rainy and cool, she doesn't care that it's mid-April.  She is happy enough to lie amongst her pillows and watch the rain.  She doesn't care about anyone's politics.  She is interested only in whether or not they are willing to pet her.

Perhaps she does worry about things.  Because every now and then she hides her head under a chair. Or other times she will root one of her pillows until it covers most of her head. I really don't think she is worried, but I'm not sure what it means.  I'm sure she is not feeling the same things I am when I want to go lie in bed and cover up my head to get away from worry.

I have no idea why this is comforting for her.  But it seems to be.

I am trying to be more tolerant of those whose views are different from mine.  Honest.  But these people seem to believe that their religious beliefs allow them to discriminate against anyone whose lifestyle does not conform to theirs.  They seem to believe that no religion is valid except Christianity. Not just Christianity, but Christianity as they believe it to be.  And they seem to think they are immune to the laws of this country if every detail does not reflect their own specific belief.  In fact, they seem to believe that the very idea of humanity is no longer meaningful.  They don't even want to help the poor and disenfranchised.

OK.  Stop it.  No more ranting.  I truly am trying to be more charitable to people on the other side of this humongous divide in which we live.  But it is so very difficult for me.  And believe it or not---I accept that they are having just as much difficulty in respecting my views as well.  So we all have a lot of work to do. And I admit it has to start with each of us.  And I will try. For a while I was content to simply write off these people and I know that is not fair.  Every single person with whom I come in contact has something to teach me.  And I'll never learn that with my mind as closed as it has been since November, 2016.

So I will heed the words of those much wiser than I.  Beginning with this quote from Mahatma Ghandi:

“You must not lose faith in humanity.
 Humanity is like an ocean;
If a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty.”

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE

Now It's Really Spring

Seems as if I've been absent for quite a while.  I did have a good  reason for putting the blog on hold.  I was caring for an injured player and taking on the many household duties he normally performs.  But truth be told, I have actually been apathetic about my blog.  Some call it a lost muse.  Whatever it has been, I have not missed writing and I have managed to keep up with most of you even if I might not have commented.  Now it's time to decide whether to continue so I will give it a try.

The injured player is nearly normal now and we are delighted.

Like much of the country, we have had very strange weather indeed.  Temperatures all over the place. We are turning on the air conditioner one day and turning on the heat the next.  But some things remain constant.  Our woodpeckers are nesting and we are almost certain one pair of Pileated Woodpeckers has a nestling.  The adults come to the suet to eat and then grab a mouthful for carry-out.  Our Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are back and the spring migration is in full swing.  The trees are filled with American Goldfinches as the migrants join our resident birds for a while.  The Purple Finches are leaving us for parts to the north.  And we've had several little Red-breasted Nuthatches join our large White-breasted Nuthatches for a brief while.

One of our favorite visitors is passing by now and we are always delighted to see them.  These lovely migrants are the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks.  The males always come first and in a week or so are joined by the lesser brilliant but still beautiful females.  Not long after the females arrive, the males will move on to the north followed a week or so later by the females.  How lucky you are if you live where the gorgeous birds nest and raise their broods.  Still we are happy to have them for the few weeks that we do.

The male Rose-breasted Grosbeak takes a break while getting a drink of water.

In coming days we will welcome more migrants.  And throughout the summer we will take delight in seeing adult birds bring their fledglings to our feeders.  It's a great time of year.

Seeing these lovely birds gives me great solace in times of such concern over our Mother Earth and what is happening all around us.  But sitting on our deck and watching all the wonderful birds fills me with peace.  Would that it could last.

We Love Lucy

We are finally having some normal winter weather.  And none too soon.  Two weeks of unusually warm weather have not been good for the plants or for us.  We're glad to see the frost again.  Lucy loves the cooler weather and I had her out to take some pictures of our camellias in full bloom.  (Alas, those lovely blossoms are already turning brown.)  I decided to snap a few pictures of her while we were out.

She definitely did not like having to stop her running and sniffing to sit for a photograph.  And the look on her face says it all.  No caption needed here.

OK, Lucy.  Let's move over next to the bear.

I hope you don't think I will like that one bit better.

Come on, Lucy.  Give me a smile and I'll give you a cookie.

Nope.  I'll not be bribed with a little treat.  I'm tired of this sitting stuff..

I decided to give up and let her have her fun.

I just discovered that my new laptop does not have an opening for my camera card.  And the extra USB cord I have does not fit my camera.  (The camera was bought in 2005 and I'm not sure where to find the cord that came with the camera.)  So the only way to load a photograph to my blog is to download it to another laptop and either email it to this one or put it on a flash drive.  With the injured player and the upcoming surgery, recovery, and rehab, I simply won't have time to manage the blog, so I'm going dark again, probably for a month.  I'll still be reading your blogs but I won't be posting.  All is proceeding well.  But as you might imagine, we have lots to do.

Today's quote is from Anne Frank who had more reason to despair than any of us:

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.”

So let's be about improving the world even as some around us try to destroy it.  We don't need to wait a single moment.  Get going and do what you can.  We must rely upon one another as never before.

HAVE A MOST WONDERFUL WEEKEND

REMEMBER WE ARE ALL ONE WORLD

Lucy is Back

Of course, Lucy has not actually been anywhere.  My computer limped along, allowing me to read your blogs but not to comment.  Or to post on my own blog.  What with the holidays and so many other things going on, I did not get a new laptop for a while.

It became more and more clear that my laptop was seriously impaired so I had it checked and was told that if we were lucky, they could obtain the really important data from it.  But there was nothing to do for the major problems with the C drive.  I was lucky.  The computer expert was able to pull all the data from the laptop.  Off I went to get a new one and in no time I was back in action.  I am totally in love with this new one.

Turns out that 2016 had one more kick in the posterior for us.  We have an injured player again who is impaired and awaiting surgery in early February.  We will definitely be able to call him a bionic man because of his metal joints.  So while I am back in cyberworld, I am also back in the real work of undertaking all the work of maintaining the household.  So I won't even try to post on a regular basis, but will hope to give you some glimpses of our Lucy in action.  (Or inaction as the case may be.)

This week we had record high temperatures, so it's hard to believe that we had 12 inches of snow just a few weeks before.  I managed to keep up with shoveling the decks and made a three-foot wide path up the driveway to the street.  Several people walking their dogs offered to come back and help.  I explained that we weren't going anywhere but thanks, anyway.

Lucy "helped" me by running zoomies in the snow until I finally made her stop and took her inside.  Goodness knows, we don't need another joint injury around here.  I was too busy to take any photographs, but this one from last year is exactly what she looked like.

Go dog go!

I had no plans to shovel the entire drive since I knew we would not get out anyway.  But the next morning, I heard people outside.  And there were three of our neighbors with their shovels working on the drive.  I grabbed my shovel and went out.  We had such a good time, catching up on the latest gossip and shoveling the snow.  In fact, we had so much fun we decided that we would gather and do all the driveways next time it snows.

While I'm glad to be back,  but I will not be posting much since I have more important duties at  home.  Good thing, too.  I can more easily avoid the "news."  I've changed from a news junkie to someone who avoids it all.

Today's quote is from Henry Ford:

When everything seems to be going against you,
Remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE

WE NEED ONE ANOTHER MORE THAN EVER