Christmas Collection Part Three

I may have mentioned that we have a lot of the Byers Carolers.  Fortunately we have them spread over the house so they are not overwhelming.

These are the street vendors, including Molly Malone and her kitty.  I think my favorite is the organ grinder with his little monkey holding a cup.  My dear husband made a slip of the tongue one year and called him the "monkey grinder."  In our family we remember things like that for a long time.  Perhaps it is because he seldom makes such a misstatement so we have to rely on the few he does.  Not a Christmas goes by without mention of the monkey grinder, usually more than once.

These are the villagers, including the lamplighter.  The nurse figure was the first Caroler that we had, a gift from our son.

 Once again I am posting a photograph that someone sent me and I cannot credit.  But I think it does emphasize that Christmas is a time of peace,  misinterpreted as piece.

Well dear readers, I wore my lucky Packer shirt.  My son and his wife ate tacos at halftime for the fourteenth week in a row.  But somebody dropped the ball and the Green Bay Packers lost their first game yesterday.  Actually, more than one person dropped the ball.  Unfortunately they were playing on the field and couldn't hold on to Aaron Rodgers passes that hit them in the numbers.  So, Suz, you can relax.  The shirt is in the dirty clothes.  I'm hoping that washing it will restore the good luck for the next game.

We Just Bought Some Stock

We bought a new stock this week.  It will never go up in value.  It cannot be sold but can purchased as a gift for someone else.  It does not pay dividends.  Once you own the stock it can be transferred only within your family.  It has not been available for the past fourteen years and will no longer be available after February 29, 2012.

So what does this stock do for us?  Well, all modesty aside, we are now part owners of the Green Bay Packers.  This team, in relatively small Green Bay, Wisconsin (population 105,000) is the only publicly owned team in the National Football League.  We fell in love with the Packers when we moved to Wisconsin many years ago.  A good friend with season tickets provided the opportunity to attend games at Lambeau every year.  We loved seeing the outstanding quarterback Brett Favre before he threw his adolescent temper tantrums, retiring and un-retiring and took his football and moved on to play for two other teams.

Since Brett moved on, we have seen that a quarterback can be immensely talented, have a deep love for the game, be as enthusiastic as a teenager, and still be a grownup.  Aaron Rodgers is unbelievably talented and after leading the team to win the Super Bowl last year, he has led them to an unbeaten season this year.  (I was actually sort of wishing Eli Manning might have beaten him.  I'd hate for their first loss to be during the playoffs!)  Watching this team is so much fun.  You will see Rodgers chatting with the opposing team.  The players seem to be having fun as well.

The fans certainly enjoy the team, especially when they do the "Lambeau Leap" after a touchdown.  Lambeau Field is outdoors and when there is snow during the season, local people vie for the opportunity to work with shovels clearing the stadium.  Every summer the fans line up several persons deep at the fences surrounding the training field to watch the players in training camp.  Little kids stand at the gate with their bicycles.  Many of the linemen will take a kid's bike and ride it to the fieldhouse.  What a wonderful sight...a three-hundred-pound player on a kid's bike.  The excited kid runs alongside.  More often than not the Packer riding the bike stops to autograph it for the kid before going into the locker room.  And pose for a photograph if Dad or Mom brought the camera.

(Both photographs from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel)

Aaron Rodgers and his winning smile.

 My two favorite players, Rodgers on the right and Donald Driver on the left.

So what will we get from our new stock?  Although we are not likely to do so, we can attend the annual meetings that precede the training camp.  We have voting rights.  So why would we bother to purchase stock that will never appreciate in value and that we cannot trade or sell?  Because the stock sale is to raise money for renovations at Lambeau Field.  And, as I mentioned before, because technically speaking, the stock makes us  team owners.

Next Packer game, I can more honestly say they are MY Packers.  I will be glad when the season is over and I can wash my Packer shirt.  (I don't dare wash it for fear it will jinx the team.)  Of course I wear it only on game day.

A Visit to the Bass Pond

Regular readers know that we often visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville.  Because we go often, we usually focus on one area.  For our visit last week, we decided to take the easy hike (more like a stroll) down to the Bass Pond.  Of course, we had to stop in the garden to see the mums so beautifully planted.

A glimpse through the gate gives a hint of what's in store.

 A profusion of mums in all different colors.

 The cypress knees look like a scene from a Tolkien novel.

 The water is calm and lovely.

 Some trees are bare but some color remains.

 Even the spillway is a work of art.

The arched bridge is also a work of art.

There were dozens of places one could have stopped and just sat, drinking in the color and the beauty of this magnificent and peaceful place.  We are indeed fortunate to have access to this wonderful place in all seasons.

Every visit to the estate brings the question of where we will have lunch.  In spite of the really great places to eat, we always wind up at the same location every time.  Where is that?  The Dairy Bar, of course.  Fresh ice cream made on the grounds.  It hardly gets any better than that.

Just a note about football and the Green Bay Packers.  They remain undefeated although Sunday's game gave us a bit of a fright.  Quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw touchdown passes to four different receivers and completed 21 of 26 passes during the game.  Right now there is not a better quarterback in the NFL.  We have nearly forgotten the previous Packer quarterback...Brett something or other.  [A note to Brett:  We're just fine if you go into the Football Hall of Fame with your #4 Viking jersey.]

OK, We're Tacky Too

I mentioned that my neighbor puts a smiley-face pumpkin cut out (a LARGE one) by her mailbox every year and I think it is tacky.

I must admit she is not the only tacky person around.  Here are my two favorite tacky Halloween decorations.  But at least we keep them in our own house and not outside.

Not just a lighted ghost.  This beauty is a lava lamp.  When the light heats up the liquid, tiny swirls of goop move around.

And this scarecrow has been around for years.

Not just any scarecrow.  He's fiber optic.

He casts an eery glow when the room is darkened.

The next two photographs show just how tacky I am.  They were taken immediately after Monday night's game and are from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel.  They have become my favorite photographs of Brett Favre.

Oh, yeah, Brett.  So sorry it was your passing that cost the Vikings the game.

No looking up at the Packer fans this time, huh?

I wouldn't be so hard on Favre if I hadn't watched his arrogant happy dance when he mistakenly thought he had thrown the game-winning touchdown pass.

We still have his personally autographed poster hanging in my husband's study.  However we give it a somewhat different salute than we used to.

Fish, Roadside Art, and Brett

As the title suggest, this is a Monday morning mixture of totally unrelated topics. The weekend was something of a bummer. Promised sunshine did not appear. It rained on Saturday's Halloweenfest, our biggest downtown festival of the year. The dogs did not understand why dinnertime came on Sunday with no dinner. Both of them frequently nudged my husband's arm as if to remind him of dinner.

When our neighbor's grandsons came over for trick-or-treat, I totally forgot to get a photograph. They are usually the only trick-or-treaters we have and I always purchase three large bags of candy and dump an entire bag into each boy's pumpkin. According to their mother, the boys had become heroes of their schools when they told their friends about the "candy lady" who gives each a whole bag of candy.

There were a few bright spots in the weekend. My daughter caught her life-time biggest salmon, a Chinook, she thinks. She caught it fishing from the shore of Lake Michigan. She sent a photograph from her cell phone. This is her fish, being held with some difficulty by her fishing buddy. Yes, my nature-loving bird-watching daughter is also quite an angler.




A couple of weeks ago we drove to our favorite cemetery. On the way we noticed some interesting art work on the roadside. Initially I thought it was an old truck that had run off the road. Closer inspection revealed that it was not abandoned at all.





Here's the driver...a full-sized black bear.





A boar peeks from behind the front wheel.





Just a bit further and we found the ultimate flower child car. This one was also driven by a bear.





I suppose I am obliged to talk about THE GAME, painful as it may be. Brett Favre brought his Minnesota Vikings onto Lambeau Field to resounding "BOOs" from the fans. He took off his helmet and revealed his grin that says, "Keep it up, folks. It inspires me." The game was pretty pathetic with the Viking offensive line protecting Farve on each play and a receiver named Rice who caught anything within arm's reach. Meanwhile the Green Bay Packers still could not protect quarterback Rodgers, and committed far too many penalties. It was a sad day. The defensive coordinator apparently knew nothing about the blitz until someone told him late in the game. Penalties made some great plays returned. In short, if you can't protect your own quarterback and you can't get to the opposing quarterback and you add stupid penalty after stupid penalty you don't have much chance of winning.

This photograph shows the mixed feelings among the crowd. Some felt betrayed and others wore their Packer green #4 jerseys.

(Photo from The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel)

A small plane circled the field with a trailing banner that said, "Retire 4 Ever."

This morning the sun came up as usual. And I'm looking forward to a much better week. I hope the same for all of you.

Not So Great Photos of Interesting Birds

Sometimes the lighting is perfect. Sometimes the birds are clear of obstructing leaves and branches. Sometimes the sun is shining. But sometimes you see and photograph the best of birds under the worst of camera conditions. And so it is with this post.

I finally got a glimpse of the migrating Rose-breasted Grosbeaks. The males will soon be followed by the females. Their winter coats are not as glamorous as their spring garb, but they are beautiful and welcome nonetheless.

This little chickadee looks amazed at the new bird at the feeder.

He does look pretty large sitting there stuffing himself.

And I saw a most uncooperative little bird. He gave me two quick looks and then flitted away. I was happy to see him anyway. Black-throated Blue Warblers are rare in our area.

He turned his back on me and you can see his hallmark "pocket handkerchief."

Except for his size, it would be hard to identify this little bird.

When he turns, it is even more obvious that he is a hummingbird. We still have a few of them around, but it won't be for long.

I couldn't let the post go without some mention of the game that kept me up past midnight on Monday and sent me to bed angry.

I'm always one to give credit where it is due. And Brett Favre played like the Brett Favre I used to watch years ago. He was so outstanding that everyone stood in awe to watch as he made one bullet pass completion after another.

(Photo from the Associated Press)

As a matter of fact, the Packer defense acted like the other observers and they also stood to watch in awe to watch. I've never seen ANY quarterback have more time in the pocket before having to release the football! Sometimes it seemed as if he were practicing since no one bothered to rush him. As for the Packer offensive line...they are going to let Aaron Rodgers get killed or seriously injured. He was sacked EIGHT TIMES during the game. Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback, but he cannot throw the ball when he's knocked down almost every play. I don't think I've agonized over a football game since I was in high school and that, dear reader, was a LONG time ago.

---------------If I sound a bit bitter about Brett Favre, it's because I am. His adolescent behavior did a great deal of damage to the Packer team and to their fans. He acted like a spoiled brat. His waffling created a major distraction to the team and to Aaron Rodgers, already installed as the quarterback. Rather than play as backup and work his way back into the starting position, Brett decided to take his marbles and go home, or in this case to New York. So don't tell me about his enthusiasm and his love for the game. Don't tell me he plays like a much younger man...he acts like one as well. Much younger, as in 18 years old.

---------------I'm not the only one who feels this way about Favre. The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel did an Online poll after Monday night's game. The following question was asked, "So now do you think the Packers did the right thing when they parted ways with Brett Favre?" Nearly 24,000 people responded and 66% of them answered "yes."

---------------Of course, we will all sing the praises of Brett Favre when the Packers retire his green #4 jersey. And we all hope he will enter the NFL Hall of Fame as a Green Bay Packer. And we will honor the tremendous player that he has been over the years. But we will still remember his childish behavior and the damage he did to our team and its fans.

Land Where the Water Falls Part Two

Among our favorite activities we include hiking, especially to the many waterfalls in our area. Recent heavy rains have filled our streams and rivers. We have continued to have around two inches of rain every week since the flooding rains in September. After three consecutive years of drought, the rain makes us happy indeed.

One of our favorite hikes is an easy hike in Dupont Forest. Hiking only a mile, we are rewarded with three amazing waterfalls, Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls.

This photograph of Triple Falls was taken in May of 2007. The water level is somewhat less than "normal" because of the drought.



Compare that photograph to the following photographs taken last month after some heavy rains. Note the amount of visible rock below the falls in the 2007 picture. None of those rocks are visible in the September photographs.

The pictures do not do justice to the marvelous falls. To really appreciate them, one must be standing there listening to the roar and watching the spray.

Tonight is the BIG game. The Green Bay Packers are heading to Minnesota to play former teammate Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. [Thanks, Rae, for pointing out my error about the location. Guess I got carried away.] Here's hoping the Packer defense will intercept Brett several times and sack him just as often. Here's hoping the Packer fans will have a happy trip back to Wisconsin. Here's hoping the Viking fans will go to work in the morning tired and depressed at having lost to the Packers. As Vince Lombardi said, "If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?" And if the Vikings happen to win, I'll be thinking of another Lombardi quote, "We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time."

HERE'S HOPING...

Miserable Sunday

I've mentioned that last week was rainy and foggy. The rain has continued (and is falling right now) and we have widespread flooding throughout our county and neighboring Henderson County and Jackson County. We have a rain gauge and recorded 11 inches of rain from Thursday thru Sunday afternoon. Four inches of that fell during the night on Saturday.

Here are some photographs from the Asheville Citizen Times showing some of the flooding problems in Transylvania County and Henderson County. We remain under a flash flood warning and many roads are closed due to high water. Several trees have fallen due to saturated roots and there are intermittent power outages all over.


The river banks lie just beyond the trees in the background. The rest of the water is a flooded pasture.

With most of this pasture under water, these animals take to the higher ground.

This street is under several feet of water.

The river has taken over this highway as well.

With the rain and fog, Sunday was a great day for football, wasn't it? NO, NOT IF YOU WANTED THE GREEN BAY PACKERS TO ACTUALLY PLAY THE GAME!!! Aaron Rodgers is a great quarterback but it's pretty hard to get the ball off when you are flat on your butt on the ground. Rodgers was sacked SIX times and knocked to the ground an additional FOUR times.

Photo from The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel.

The receivers couldn't hold on to the ball even when Rodgers managed to get off a good pass. They were hit solidly on the numbers and dropped the ball at least FIVE times. FIVE CATCHABLE BALLS. With a few miracles, the Packers were within a touchdown/extra point with the ball and 45 seconds left. Still they managed to lose the game with mistakes and penalties. All in all, my Sunday was a pretty lousy one. Hope yours was better.