Fridays Are Golden

 

 

I don't know how 2013 is passing by so quickly.  Yet here we are on the cusp of June!  We have enjoyed a week of wonderful weather and our only complaint is about the pollen.

 

Our neighbors had a gathering for Memorial Day.  Just before dinner was served, she announced, "I hope you all like Mexican."  I glanced at my husband who did not change expression.  You see, in general he HATES Mexican food.  But he batted not an eyelash, rolled not an eye and graciously followed everyone to the table with a smile on his face.  Fortunately our neighbor served do-it-yourself carnitas so he found several things to enjoy.

 

The Golden Girls do not enjoy the heat of the summer days, but they love the cool breezy mornings and the late evenings.  Like small children, they go to bed during daylight hours right now.  Bedtime for dogs is 9:00 and believe me, they don't mind one bit.  When we come in after our last time outside, the girls head straight downstairs to their crates.

 

Among the various commands we find important, the command "wait" is near the top of the list.  Wait simply means, "Stop what you are doing.  I'm going to give you another command and you need to listen for it."  When we were training them we used this command to make certain they never went outside the door before we did and that they never jumped out of the car until we give permission or started across the street without a command.  We no longer have to say the word for doors and cars and streets, so we practice at other times.

 

I took them outside and asked them to wait at the top of the stairs.  They especially hate to wait just before heading out for some fun.  And that makes it a perfect time to practice.

  

We use the word, "release" to signify that they no longer need to follow the command, whether it's sit, stay, go to your mat, or whatever.  We use this word rather than OK or all right because it isn't often said by mistake.

 

Waiting at the top of the stairs.

 

 

 

 

 I did nothing more than aim the camera and Ellie immediately sat although I did not tell her to.

It's difficult to get candid shots of her.

 

 

 

 Lucy takes a moment to decide where to go next.

 

 

 

Ellie smells something beneath a plant. 

 

 

 

 Move, Ellie.  You need to really get in there if you want of find something.

When they come inside, they bring pine straw, pieces of mulch, and flower blossoms in their long hair.  You gotta really love your dogs to put up with all that.  And we do.


The quote for the week comes from one of my favorite authors, Barbara Kingsolver:

"Empathy is really the opposite of meanness.  It's the capacity to understand that every war is both won and lost.  And that someone else's pain is as meaningful as your own."

So in times of stress, remember that you are not the only one in pain.  And that the pain of others is just as meaningful as your own pain.  So reach out to others in empathy.

HAVE A WONDERFUL FIRST WEEKEND IN JUNE, EVERYONE!!!

 



Breathing in a Small Town

 

 

 

I love living in a small town.  As John Mellencamp sang, "I can breathe in a small town."  I grew up in a small town and now we are retired in a small town.  And I love it.

 

 

After the Memorial Day service, Brevard kicks off our largest street festival.  The White Squirrel Festival includes all you might expect, races, vendors, food and music.  The festival includes a White Squirrel Derby in which children race their cars down jailhouse hill.  A separate race is held for merchants who build some very fancy cars.

 

The crowds begin to gather early.

 

 

 

The coolest little camper you can imagine.  Sets up in minutes and is light enough to be towed by a car.  Called the "Go," it is versatile and fun.  You can read more here. 

 

 

The Courthouse

 

 

 

 

And the ubiquitous (and scary) white squirrel.

 

 

 

The real white squirrel, a variant of the gray squirrel.  A pair of them were released more than 50 years ago.  They now they make up 40% of the squirrels within the town limits.

 

 

 

White Squirrels, waterfalls, mountains and bikes, that's our small town.

After Memorial Day our small town welcomes the return of the tourists.  And for most of the summer our roads are crowded and downtown is very busy.  The summer camps are filled with young people enjoying the mountains.  We will have festivals all summer, but none capture the excitement of the first and biggest one.  White Squirrel Festival is synonymous with summer fun.

I love living in a small town!

More Than a Picnic

 

 

Today is Memorial Day.  For people who are working, it is a much-welcome three-day weekend.  For children it is time to head to the swimming pools and parks.  For many, it will be a day filled with activities and fun, culminating in a picnic this evening.

 

In the United States, Memorial Day is a day set aside for remembering all those who died while in service to our country.  Known as "Decoration Day" in the past, it was originally for remembering the Civil War dead.  Now it is for remembering those who died in all wars.

 

In our little town, Memorial Day competes with the White Squirrel Festival, Brevard's largest street festival.  However, for those willing to arise a little earlier, we mark Memorial Day much the same as other cities and towns.  Marching to the county courthouse, veterans carry flags to fly and wreaths to set at the memorials to the fallen.  Only when this service is ended does the White Squirrel Festival begin.

 

 

 

 

The small cannon in on the courthouse lawn.

 

 

 

 

Wreaths at the monument

 

 

 

So on this Memorial Day, stop and reflect on what it means to give one's life for country.  And think of those who have lost loved ones and had their lives altered forever.  Spend several minutes giving thanks for those brave men and women.

 

As President William Jefferson Clinton said,

 

"There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured with what is right with America."

 

Now, you may grab your hot dog or chicken and enjoy the day.

 

HAVE A SAFE MEMORIAL DAY!!!

REMEMBER WHAT YOU ARE HONORING TODAY

 



Fridays Are Golden

 

 

 

Can you believe it?  We're at the last weekend in May?  And as we celebrate Memorial Day, we also unofficially welcome summer.



 

We have had stormy weather and lots more rain this week.  No surprise that parts of Transylvania Country are considered rain forests.  And as we have these minor weather patterns our thoughts still go out to those in devastated Oklahoma.

 

 

Surprisingly enough, this time Ellie has most of the bed.

But Lucy still maintains the upper paw.

 

 

 

Such a sweet face...

 

 

 

And Ellie deep in thought...

 

 

 

I told you I couldn't stop taking pictures of the Biltmore Gardens

As we approach this Memorial Day, let us pause and remember those who have helped make our country great by their sacrifices.

Trappist monk, Thomas Merton provides this week's quote:

"The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another."

HAVE A SAFE AND WONDERFUL MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!!

 

 



We Are All Sooners

 

 

How can we turn our minds away from the tragic consequences of the tornadoes in Oklahoma?  We cannot and we should not.  Please give to the charitable organizations that are helping these suffering people, many of whom have lost pets, loved ones, and all their material possessions.

 

 

Photographs by Reuters

 

 

 

 

 

 

Moore, OK

The two US Senators from Oklahoma are Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn.  It is of interest that both of these men repeated voted AGAINST funding disaster aid to victims of Hurricane Sandy.  Both opposed increasing any funding for FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency).  In the interest of honesty, I must shamefully admit that our representatives voted against the aid as well.  Yes, we whose eastern border is the Atlantic Ocean.

Right now we all need to put politics aside.  There are people in great need.  We are all Americans, and this week we are all Sooners.  Do as much as you can to help.

Titmouse Cleans House

 

 

Among the advantages of living in the woods, watching birds do what birds do is one of the best.  We have several bird houses throughout the woods and always enjoy seeing them occupied.  One nesting box in particular seems to appeal to several different types of birds.  In previous years this house has been rented by chickadees, White-breasted Nuthatches, and titmice.  And many times, a pair of birds will spend a couple of days building a nest in this house, only to decide they don't care for it after all.  Since we never know the stage of nest-building, we do not clean out the house during the summer.  We let the birds do that.

 

The other day, a Tufted Titmouse decided the house was to her liking.  She spent quite a while removing the old nesting materials.



 

What a mess!

 

 

 

 

I can't believe they left all this stuff in here.

 

 

 

 

This is getting harder and harder.

 

 

 

 

And there is still more inside.

 

 

 

 

Oh, forget it!  I'm tired of these fixer-uppers!

So the little titmouse abandoned the idea of nesting in this house.  At least she did some good housecleaning for the next bird who has an inclination to use it.

Don't you just love watching the birds?

Fridays Are Golden

 

 

Our lot slopes so that our deck is on the second story at the back of the house.  We are eye level with the forest and the birds and the girls just love being out there.  Oh, the sounds and smells.

 

 

Ellie is trying to figure out where the hummingbird went.

 

 

 

She feels a bit foolish.

...what?...

 

 

 

Proof that the dogs do not always share a single  bed.

 

 

 

But more often than not they do, thanks to Lucy.

 

 

 

I'm ever so glad we live so near the Biltmore Estate.  There is so much to see and do.  We go over there several times a month and love to see the changing gardens and walk the trails.  Oh, and get a scoop of ice cream.

 

 

Yet another shot at the Biltmore azaleas.

The quote for this week is about kindness.  Our vitriolic Congress seems to be lacking in kindness, courtesy and compassion.  So all of us need to pick up the slack.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama said:

"Be kind whenever possible." He added, "It is always possible."

Be kind to those you meet, even if you don't even like them.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!!