Store Bought is Fine

I love Food Network in general and Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) in particular. She is among my favorites for several reasons. Her recipes are delicious and look complex although most of them are simple. She uses everyday ingredients. (Although I do love it when she advises to use a GOOD mustard, or a GOOD mayo.) She loves to cook and to entertain and she has a way of making her guests feel at ease. She's the kind of person you would like for a friend. Another quality I like about her is a quality that Julia Child also had: 1) It's all right if you make a mistake, and 2) you don't have to make EVERYTHING from scratch.

Sorry, I got this in an email from a friend, so I cannot credit it.

When we wanted some more boulders on our property, I thought of Ina. We decided that if we didn't have enough natural rocks, then store-bought would be just fine.

I'll give you to process if you ever want to get some rocks for yourself. First you call different companies and ask if they deliver and set up. You'd be surprised how many of them only sell rocks and do not deliver them. When you find someone who does deliver, he makes a visit to your property to see if he can set them without damage to your property.

After deciding how many rocks you want and how big they should be (and what you can afford), you go to the place of business and pick out your rocks. [I went with my husband to the first place (where we found they don't deliver), and then he made the final trip since we both liked the same character in the rocks.] My husband was quite surprised when the owner advised him to watch his step since there were rattlesnakes around there. [IMPORTANT NOTE: Don't wear your Tevas like my husband did.]

The owner gets machinery to lift the rock so you can see it from all sides. Rocks really do have character and some of them are far more appealing than others. Once you've decided on your rocks, you pay the owner half the cost and set up delivery.

When delivery day comes, you pray that it will not rain. You also pray that the people do know what they are doing and will not damage any of your trees. Oh, and you keep your dogs indoors.



Here, the rocks are off-loaded from the huge truck that brought them.

This spot is desperately in need of a rock.

See? I told you it needed one.

Here are some of the other rocks in place. The workers dig holes in which to set the rocks securely. The rocks are great for sitting on to read or just enjoy being outdoors. And I think they are lovely to look at as well. They all look so natural, as if they had always been there.

I always make cookies or muffins for the men who do such work on our property. Such a simple thing and they really seem to enjoy them.

Oh...better make more coffee and extra cookies for the neighbors. As soon as the works leave they are going to "drop by" to see what's been going on. They have been waiting ever since they saw the two big trucks arrive. Ina would be pleased.

Fridays are Golden

We are by no means dog trainers. That said, we have taken every dog we have owned to puppy kindergarten and then to a series of obedience training classes. More importantly, we have done the class assignments and worked with each dog on the training. Keeping your pet well-behaved is not a one time event. It takes ongoing work on your part.

One of the first commands one teaches a dog is "sit." This seems an extremely simple command and shouldn't ever cause any difficulty, right? Wrong. Some dogs (like our Lucy) have a dozen questions about the command. "Oh, you mean NOW? Oh, you mean HERE? Oh, you mean keep sitting? Oh, you mean watch you? Oh, you mean I can't just get up when I want?" She had similar questions about every command. We had to use a more stern training approach with her to let her know these commands were not optional and not open to discussion, especially with her.

While not trainers, we have learned one very important thing about training. Dogs simply do not translate activity allowed (or disallowed) in one area to the same behavior in another spot. For example: we expect our dogs to do a "sit/stay" when a guest is at the door. We first trained them at the front door. Surprisingly enough, if someone came to the garage door the dogs did not understand they had to sit/stay. So if you want to train your dogs to sit/stay at the door, you have to repeat the training at every outside door in your house. And if you move to a new house, you have to repeat the training at every door in the new house.




We also need to give the command from other areas as well. They obey the command if we are also inside the house with them. So we have to teach them the command applies even if we are the ones outside the door. Here they are at sit/stay while I am outside the door.

"Down/stay" is a natural follower of sit/stay. If the dogs are expected to remain for any real length of time or if we have children involved, we give them the down/stay command for two reasons. First, it's more comfortable. More importantly, it puts the dogs in a true submissive position. Some dogs have great difficulty with the down/stay command. It just goes against their nature.

The sit/stay command must work outdoors as well. Periodically, we will simply tell one or both of the dogs to sit/stay while they are doing different activities. This helps to reinforce to them that sit/stay means sit/stay no matter where you are and no matter what you are doing. Here is Lucy on a bench. She obviously doesn't like it that I told her to sit. She looks as if to say, "I have no clue what you are thinking."

Before we went inside, I told them to sit/stay on the porch. They both turned toward me and sat down. From the looks on their faces, I don't think they like it very much either.

Even these two basic commands require regular re-inforcement. Our dogs don't really forget these commands, it's that sometimes they would just prefer to ignore them. That's why we regularly repeat them and let them know they are not optional no matter the circumstances. Consistency is an absolute. It may seem silly to some to require that a dog consistently follow commands. Perhaps it is with a command like "sit." But if you have a command to bring your dog to your side it must be obeyed. Dogs don't know that some commands are more important than others. And their very lives may depend on whether or not they will follow your command to come to them away from danger if they are off lead. So, like other commands, you must practice when the command is unnecessary so the dog knows to follow when it is. BTW: "come" is not usually the best command when the dog must return to your side. That command has almost always been corrupted within weeks of bringing your puppy home. Use a new command that the dog has not heard before when you teach him or her to come to your side immediately.

I'm showing you this photograph because our dogs usually look so well groomed. It's nearing bath time, and we've had some rain so the girls have been wet a couple of times. This is what they look like before they are brushed. Poor little parallel strays

Let's all enjoy these last golden weeks of summer. We have a lot to look forward to and so much to be thankful for.

Have a wonderful weekend. Look up an old friend, visit a lonely relative, and do one little special thing for your family and one for yourself.

Almost Ready to Feed Herself

We have one remaining Pileated Woodpecker fledgling still being fed by the parents. The parents are taking longer and longer to give her something to eat, a sure sign that they are hoping she will feed herself soon.


OK, I think I can do it. I'm going to try to make it to the suet.

All right. Here I go. I'm going on the count of three. One...two

Three! Well, at least I made it to the baffle if not exactly to the suet. I think I'll just watch from here.

Mom! You'd better hurry. I'm hungry and I don't think I can hold on here much longer.

Wait a minute! Where's breakfast?

Thanks, Mom. I'll try again tomorrow. Honest I will.

We have so enjoyed the various fledglings this summer. We have some baby titmice right now, likely the last brood of summer. The end of summer always makes us a bit nostalgic. We really look forward to the fall migration, but we already think about the missing hummingbirds and our other summer visitors. Thank goodness we have so many birds that will winter here and provide us with plenty of entertainment.

I Do Too Have a Red Belly

All of our neighbors love to watch birds, but few of them know much about them. Before we moved in, hardly any of them knew that this bird is a Red-bellied Woodpecker. His head is prominently red, so most neighbors called him a Red-headed woodpecker. Not too surprising, since we do not often see the red feathers for which the bird is named. I just love Red-headed Woodpeckers and at first I thought they must be common around here. I was a bit disappointed to find that all the reports of the Red-headed Woodpeckers were actually Red-bellied Woodpeckers.

This is our typical view of the Red-bellied Woodpecker.


Oh, I wish you could show us your underbelly.
"All right, Lady. I'll stand upright so you can see the red feathers on my belly."
Thanks, but now I can barely see your head so it's hard to decide what kind of bird you actually are.

"OK. How's this?"
Perfect. Thank you very much.

We are delighted to have our Downys, Hairys, Red-bellieds, and Pileateds but I would dearly love to see Red-headed Woodpeckers in our forest. Oh, and I want a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker too. I've seen them in our community, but none near our house.

---------------I had a repeat endoscopy early this morning. I had so hoped (unrealistically it seem) the ulcer would be completely healed, but my gastroenterologist was quite pleased with 85% healing, given the large size of the ulcer. As long as I take my medications, I am free to eat whatever I want, so bring on the fresh raw veggies!!! No wine (or other alcohol) until my repeat endoscopy in eight weeks, but that's not a big deal. We've still got plenty of fresh local vegetables and fruits.

Fridays are Golden

The girls have been pretty bored this week. We've had intermittent thunderstorms, and the weather has been hot and humid. Our walks have been in the early mornings and late evenings with only brief potty breaks in between.

My husband does most of the dog walking, but Wednesdays are my responsibility. Every Wednesday, my husband does hard labor volunteering to repair trails, dig trenches, and build bridges in Pisgah National Forest. He comes home exhausted, sweaty and filthy and very, very happy.

This past Wednesday morning the girls and I got caught in a downpour! When we were about half a mile from our house, it started pouring rain...not a light misty rain...a real downpour of those giant drops. Wearing no jacket, I was absolutely drenched when I got home. I arrived home dripping wet with two equally wet Golden Retrievers. Breakfast always follows the morning walk and the girls were not happy that I took the time to change into dry clothing before feeding them.

With the weather and our busy schedules, the girls have spent most days doing what they do best...just hanging around in the air conditioning.

As soon as Ellie decides where to lie, Lucy immediately squeezes herself in and uses Ellie for a pillow. I don't think Ellie likes it, but she never challenges Lucy and rarely gets up and moves. It is never Ellie who lies down next to Lucy.

I think they both look incredibly bored in this photograph and I often wonder just what they are thinking.

Ellie was not around to use for a pillow, so Lucy used the rung of a hard chair. I can't believe that could be comfortable.

We would probably all do well to follow Lucy's example...make yourself comfortable using whatever you have available.

I hope this is a great weekend for you. Summer is speeding past despite our best efforts to slow it down. Make the most of the weekends we have remaining.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend, full of love and joy.

The Devil Holds Court in the Mountains

Regular readers are well aware of my love of the Blue Ridge Parkway (BRP). Hardly a week goes by that we don't drive up through Pisgah National Forest to the Parkway. It is a lovely drive in all seasons. Since we live nearby, we can drive up during the week when there are fewer tourists. Mondays and Tuesdays are best.

The various shades of green rival the colors of Autumn. The scenery is spectacular in every direction.


A famous rock formation along the BRP is known as "Devil's Courthouse." It is clearly visible from an overlook and there is a well-maintained hiking trail to the summit.

There is a cave inside this rock formation and according to the Cherokee Nation, the Devil himself had a courtroom in this cave. From this courtroom, the Devil judged the evil people of the world. At other times, the legend tells us, the cave was used as a ballroom for a slant-eyed giant who loves to dance there.

The summit of Devil's Courthouse provides a panoramic view. In the past, four states were visible from the summit; North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia. The view is still spectacular, but the view of the four states is now relegated to the outstanding photographs of days gone by.

---------------I have wonderful memories of trips on the BRP as a small child. The mountains seemed so much more vibrant and beautiful back then. For a long time, I thought the difference was a childhood illusion. The brutal truth is that the views from the photographs of yesteryear are simply not present today. The clear and crisp resolution in the old brochures has turned into a smoky haze that tremendously reduces the visibility of the distant mountains. It is estimated that fossil fuel pollution has reduced the distant visibility in some areas as much as 80% in the past 50 years. Let's all hope we wake up and make some REAL changes in our lives to reduce pollution. It's not simply the view...the pollution is acidifying the streams damaging the trees, hurting the fish, the trees and plants (and thus the birds).

Three Woodpeckers

Do you ever take a photograph and then totally forget about it? I took the following photograph on June 5. Yesterday I was moving some photographs to my portable hard drive and took a closer look at this one. At first glance I had thought it was a Red-bellied Woodpecker feeding a fledgling. The quality was not good, so I never posted it. The quality is obviously no better than before, but the subject is different from my first impression.

There are actually three woodpeckers in the photograph. The one being fed has more red than one would expect on a fledgling and looks more like a female. The bird on the upper right appears to be the fledgling.

I have never observed feeding as courtship behavior among these woodpeckers, so I don't know just what this means. I would appreciate any information you might have.

The bird being fed looks almost like an older fledgling beginning to get some red, but it's hard to believe it would be that old on June 5. Perhaps the color came early. Assuming it is a fledgling, then the photograph is a parent with two fledglings. What do you think?

I apologize again for the poor quality of the photograph, but it's what we have.