Chapeltree

At the Maple Tree Watering Hole

2011-12-17T11:54:00.001-05:00

There's a hollow in the maple tree out front,
where an old branch died
and dropped off.

When it rains,
the hollow fills with water,
and all the neighborhood birds
come to partake.

Fun to watch them
tilting to drink
right outside the dining room window.

Growing Up with Tarzan

2011-12-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

On weekends in my childhood,
we would sometimes visit my mother's parents
who lived on a farm in rural north Florida.

I can remember spending Saturday mornings
watching old Tarzan movies
with my grandfather
on their little black and white TV.

I didn't know at the time
that many of those movies
were filmed at Silver Springs,
not an hour away from where we sat.

Was it the black and white
or just my ability to believe
that kept me from recognizing the jungles
of my own home state?

(These pictures come from Leesburg, FL, taken last February at a camp counselor reunion.)

Value Added

2011-11-16T16:39:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to cut back
on watching TV,
surfing the internet,
even reading books.

When I am doing one of those things,
I am perhaps staying out from under foot
and not causing trouble,
but neither am I contributing to the world around me.

I'm trying to figure out
more ways each day
to add beauty,
kindness,
creativity
and something interesting
to a world full of noise and clutter and meanness.

Even if it just means sharing
a picture in the woods
celebrating that spring does come
whether we watch for it or not.

I will ask, not for guilt or pressure,
but simply as a reminder
and some focus:
as my presence here added anything worthwhile
to the world today?

Public Spaces

2011-11-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

Sick days at home often stimulate blogging.
I know this from spending much of yesterday
breathing through my mouth
and reading through blog entries
going back six years.

Another thing I realized
was how many of the pictures
I treasure and share
come from
places we own together.

State parks, national parks,
public land and forests.
Even the privately owned places,
like the Shaker Village in Kentucky,
are held in trust
so that the public can visit, learn and enjoy.

It turns out that together,
we share an incredible wealth
of views, hiking trails,
winding roads and places of beauty.
How rich we are, my friends!
How very rich!

Craggy Gardens Hike, May 2011

2011-11-09T10:16:00.002-05:00

This has been
one of the most beautiful falls
in recent memory.
Which, of course,
leads me to post
lovely pictures from spring.

I was very excited when I took these shots
at the prospect of sharing
this vivid green
on the blog.

It took me a while to get around to posting.
But the spring green is worth the wait.

And perhaps,
as we drift towards winter,
this green is just what the doctor ordered.

A Well Rounded Blog

2011-10-23T18:32:00.000-05:00

According to a recent
New Yorker cartoon*
most blogs consist of

"1/3 stories about crap
somebody cooked, knitted or sewed;
1/3 self-promotion
and 1/3 conspiracy theories."

The cartoon awakened me to a basic fact.
I am way behind on my
share of conspiracy theories.

I just happened to come up with one
on my way to church this morning,
which I will now share with
a public in need of some
new paranoia.

In North Carolina there is a roundish
brown, garden eating mammal
called a groundhog.
(Click here for pictures)
We did not have them in Florida.
Apparently they are
NC's answer to armadillos.

You'll see them as you drive around town
perched on the side of the road,
facing traffic
making little chewing motions with their mouths
but always right there on the very curb
with their nose practically under the cars.

I couldn't figure why an animal,
much less an entire breed of animals
would perch so precariously
with cars whooshing by
and threatening their fuzzy existance.

Finally I realized:
they are not mammals at all.
They are electronic devices set there
to monitor us in our cars,
disguised as mild mannered
fuzzy brown garden destroyers.

I know some ground hogs are real
and a real pain in the patooty
if you are growing your own veggies.

But those omnipresent roadside hogs...
they are machines,
put there by The Man
keeping us under
his controlling eye.

Beware of both kinds.

*September 26, 2011, The New Yorker, page 90, "Blog Breakdown" cartoon.

Ode to Spanish Moss

2011-10-22T12:48:00.001-05:00

One of the ways
I know am near my original stomping grounds
in the heart of north Florida
is to look to the trees
for the gentle drapery of Spanish Moss.

These pictures almost seem
like black and white photography,
but they are color shots on a cloudy day.

The gray of the plant
covers a green interior,
life within something that looks
not quite so living.

Gentle breezes add a certain
living movement,
but one beyond the plant's control.

While I love my home in North Carolina,
I have to visit the land of moss
(or more accurately, the land of angiosperm)
on occasion to set things right with my soul.

(Photos from the Warren W. Willis camp in Leesburg, FL, taken last February).

More on Spanish Moss

Looking Down

2011-10-18T19:49:00.002-05:00

I am sometimes criticized
for looking down at the ground as I walk.

But it pays
to pay attention
to the ground beneath your feet.

There are treasures
all around,
just there for the looking.

Same springtime hike in Indiana....one walk, so many things to ponder and photograph.

Water flowing over rocks

2011-10-04T21:00:00.002-05:00

Here's something you don't see
while hiking in Florida.
While my home state has lots of water,
they are lacking in cool rocks.

More pics from Brown County State Park.

What is better
than rocks and water
and the bright green
leaves of spring?

Brown County Trails

2011-10-03T06:16:00.000-05:00

With four months' worth of pictures
stored on the computer
and never posted to blog,
I'm going to start back in May
and share some of my favorites.

More hike pictures from
the State Park
in Brown County
Indiana.

Wonderful place.

Made in America

2011-09-26T19:24:00.002-05:00

We've become too cheap for our own good.
We want LOTS of STUFF
for not much money,
and we don't want to think too much about it.

So jobs have disappeared, disappeared, gone overseas.
And that has led to more bargain hunting
and more disappearing jobs.

It is time for those of us
who still have jobs and savings
to start investing
in our neighbors,
in each other.

My new motto....
***Buy less,
***spend more.

Spend more effort in the shopping
(stop to think and research),
spend more money
(it costs money to pay decent salaries)
and BUY MADE IN THE USA.

I started with musical instruments.
Both my mandolins
were hand crafted
here in the U.S.
One of the luthiers
has become a valued facebook friend.
The instruments mean more
(and play great!)

Now I'm moving on to shirts.
I don't need a lot of shirts,
just a few for work and home.
So I'm going to chuck out
more money
for each American made shirt.

I'm going to think
each time I wear that shirt
of people who got up,
drank their morning coffee
and went to a job
that paid a living wage.

You know you are going to buy something soon.
Why not spend a little more time and money
and help make an investment
in our future together?

Links for further thought:

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/MadeInAmerica/

Links to American made products

The World's Smallest Watermelons

2011-08-20T20:01:00.001-05:00

Okay, so they are not really watermelons.
But aren't they cute?
They are "fairy cucumbers"
that I grew from seeds
given to me by a good friend.

They taste kind of like
a lemony cuke.

And they are cuteness itself
growing on the climbing vine
and hanging down like little jewels.

I hope to save seeds...
but have been warned
that they might have cross polinated
with the nearby pumpkins, cukes and squash.

We'll see what happens next year.

(**Note...the more common name for these is "Mexican Sour Gherkin.")

Lookout at Brown County State Park, Nashville, Indiana

2011-06-07T06:40:00.001-05:00

On a recent trip to Indiana
for a family graduation,
took a hike to see woods and wildflowers.

Found a great old structure,
an elevated log cabin.

Cool as the place was,
the point was really the views.

Windows all around
with vistas
and the showy
green of spring.

So many places of beauty in the world--
so many areas left to explore.

On a weekend in May
the world in Indiana
was just waking from winter.

I love state and national parks
and Brown County is on my list of favorites.
The park's Abe Martin Lodge
is a great place to stay.

And the north lookout tower
is a fine place to visit.

Scarecrow maybe, but Mockingbird Unafraid

2011-06-04T19:48:00.001-05:00

I just missed the shot
of the mockingbird sitting
on the scarecrow's shoulder.

The backyard, with young beans, corn, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and ancient scarecrow.

Glowing Shaker Barns

2011-06-03T17:41:00.000-05:00

More shots from the Shaker Village in Kentucky.

I liked the way the evening glow picked up the reds and yellows.

Glimpsing a Quieter Time

2011-05-09T18:19:00.001-05:00

Visited the Shaker Village
at Pleasant Hill in Kentucky
this past weekend.

The Shakers are long gone,
but a non-profit group has restored the village
to more of what it was like
back in the day.

While it seems quaint and old fashioned today,
when the village was at its peak in the 1800's
they were ahead of their time,
including having the best and latest in farm equipment.

Today it is a shock to see
a horse team pulling a plow or discs,
but it was a beautiful thing.
No tractor roar or fumes
and fertilizer added as you go.
Plus, the sound in the air
was the song of dozens
of small birds.

I was fascinated by this window to the past.
The Shakers controlled this land from 1806 to 1910.
At that time hundreds of people lived and farmed here.

Such historical sites teach us
not only who we were,
but a little about who we still may be.

And they remind us of the beauty and dignity
of a horse drawn plow
on a spectacular spring day.

Babies!

2011-04-25T16:45:00.001-05:00

Robins faithfully sat on their little blue eggs
and hatched out young mouths to feed.

Interest wanes when the bug is gone.

Although we suspect another bug will come soon.....

The parental units are keeping the hunting and gathering going
while keeping an eye on the nest.

Bird Nest on the Party Porch

2011-04-16T09:32:00.000-05:00

The other day
when I locked myself out of the house
I went and spent some time
sitting on the party porch.

I was amused to see a bird's nest
up on top of the ceiling fan.

Will keep you posted of future happenings
in the nest.

Plowing

2011-04-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

You never know what is going to happen
if you go outside for a while.
Last night while walking around the block
the neighbor with the huge garden
(who has been known to trade greens for honey)
said that she was hiring someone to come plow her garden.
She was looking for other local business to make it worth his while.

This fit right in with the plan
to convert a huge chunk of back yard
into garden space.
So next thing you know....

Eventually this area will be raised beds,
but no reason not to start the old fashioned way this year.

With chickens in half the original garden space
and raised beds in the other half
the back yard gives room for space eaters
like corn and pumpkins
and an expanded production of dried beans.

We turned the chickens out after he finished plowing.
They found a feast of worms and bugs.
He'll come back in a few days to smooth things out a bit.

Perigee Moon

2011-03-20T14:50:00.000-05:00

The moon came close for a visit this week. At perigee, the moon is 31,000 miles closer to the earth than when it is at apogee, its farthest orbit.

This week's moon is 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than it will be at apogee.

I missed the full moon yesterday, due to the clouds that always seem to come to cover interesting astronomical events, but took these photos on Friday when the moon was still amazingly close and full and bright.

Only 18 years until our next close lunar snuggle. Safe travels, moon.

Stewardship Proclamation

2011-03-02T07:46:00.000-05:00

Pay a little more...buy local products and food.

Use less plastic. Can the things we throw away break down into dirt?

Recycle.

Turn off lights you aren't using.

Consume less. Treasure more.

Share. Tithe. Donate. Think of the needs of the community.

Volunteer.

Play more with others. Make connections face to face and voice to voice.

Learn that wealth is not the opposite of poverty. Enough is the opposite of poverty.

Live in gratitude and generosity.

Face addictions, all addictions, honestly. More of what you never needed will never feel like enough.

Will Work for Food

2011-02-12T15:36:00.000-05:00

Today's project...yogurt!
Heated a quart of whole milk
two tablespoons of powdered milk
and about a quarter cup of half and half to 180 degrees,
stirring constantly.
Heating kills bacteria we don't want.

Then put the heated milk in a sink of water
to cool it down to a temp
that would not kill the bacteria we want to grow.

Added a package of store bought
unflavored, "all natural yogurt" from the grocery store
for our culture.
Used Greek yogurt, which is a bit of an experiment.
The bacteria list looked good,
and it is just hard to find a small container
of unflavored, all natural yogurt.

Put it in little jars
put the jars in the yogurt machine
and set it for fifteen hours.
When I get up in the morning,
I'll take them out, put on their wee lids
and pop them in the fridge.

I plan to add a touch of honey
some frozen or canned fruit
and some granola for eating.
Yum. I hope.

Chicken Love

2011-02-06T14:28:00.000-05:00

This is Cooper eyeballing the camera, with Iris on the left looking for snacks on the ground. Below is Ethel, who appears the picture of shiny chicken health these days. Cooper and Iris run over for us to pet them. Ethel avoids us ever since the "catch me take me to the vet and shove antibiotics down my throat twice a day for two weeks" incident.

I Feel Definitely Overdue for a Walk on a Beach

2011-01-31T17:24:00.000-05:00

A Picture Doesn't Do it Justice

2011-01-26T17:13:00.000-05:00

Shells

2011-01-24T08:16:00.000-05:00

What is more interesting and peaceful
than walking down a shell covered beach
looking for colors and shapes
textures and surprises?

I wonder sometimes
about the lives of the mollusks and shellfish
and crabs and such who left these remnants behind.

Tybee, fall 2009. Need to go back soon.

Warning Signs

2011-01-22T10:10:00.000-05:00

Tybee Island offers a warning
for those on the coast
who think they can tough out a hurricane.
The sign shows that a category one storm
can produce a storm surge one person deep,
and a category two storm can produce a surge 11-15 feet deep.
That's a lot of water.
*
Life gives us lots of warnings and advice
to help us avoid the big mistakes.
So often we ignore the signs,
insisting on charting our own course
through the deep waters.
Nonetheless, I'm grateful
for those who have told stories
and posted signs in my own life
helping me avoid some of the deeper waters.
I get in enough pickles as it is.

Fort in the Sunshine

2011-01-21T07:03:00.000-05:00

Most of the morning was a little dark and overcast
but after a while the skies cleared to a beautiful blue.

More pictures from fall of 2009's
day at Fort Pulaski.

The Geometry of Fort Pulaski National Monument

2011-01-19T17:39:00.000-05:00

Visited Fort Pulaski near Tybee Island, Georgia
in the fall of 2009
and took pictures with blogging in mind.
Then, apparently, got distracted and never posted them.

Here are some of my favorite views
with bricks and curves and tunnels.

I love National Monuments.
They are usually worth the stop.

Ice Curls

2011-01-18T12:21:00.001-05:00

Another addition to the "things you don't often see in Florida" list.
These photos were taken in my back yard in December
prior to the massive snows.
I went out one morning to see ice curls
covering the red clay of a recent dig in the back yard.
I'm told these sort of curls are common
in construction sites.
I found them lovely and a little strange.

In other livestock news....

2011-01-17T21:05:00.001-05:00

Ooh, look, I've figured out how to put up really big pictures.
This is good, so you can see a more lifesize view of the really big eggs the girls lay.

That's Iris on the left above and Cooper on the right.
(Yes, Cooper is a hen. Chickens don't care what you name them.)

Ethel, still alive and kicking (but not laying eggs), above.

Three chickens, hanging out in their little coop, but grateful for some clear days this week
and some opportunities to go outside.

Big Red

2011-01-16T14:34:00.009-05:00

Saw this wonderful bird
across the street
and caught it with the telephoto lens.

I love pileated woodpeckers.
They are enormous,
reaching around seventeen inches long.

The red of their topknot
is vivid and bright.

And you can hear the echo
of their tapping from all over
the surrounding area.

This fine bird was working hard,
searching the branches of the neighbor's tree
for food.

For more info, click here.

Need some color

2011-01-14T08:02:00.003-05:00

Fascination with
the black and white lines of winter
is not the same thing
as feeling at home in them.
I still need regular bursts of bright color.
A picture from May
often helps a great deal.

The Black and White of Christmas Day

2011-01-13T07:29:00.004-05:00

Perhaps a better title
would be
"the brown and white
of Christmas day."

They are color photos
after all.

And perhaps people
who did not grow up in Florida
are less surprised
by the way color is replaced
with interesting two tone lines
and contours.
But I am still amazed
by the visual effect of snow.

Sticky snowscapes

2011-01-11T21:32:00.005-05:00

These pictures are from
December 26, the snow just after Christmas.

I love the way the trees look
when the snow covers them
in clean white.

The effect never lasts long,
as the snow blows and falls out of the trees
usually in the first few hours.

The ground outside
is still bright white
even in the dark of night
after our most recent half foot of snow.
Pictures from this snow soon.

Ordering the Summer Garden

2011-01-10T08:48:00.003-05:00

A few days ago
when there was no snow on the ground
I paced off the back yard
and current vegetable garden space
and mapped it to scale.

Last weekend
when there were two inches of snow on the ground
I paced off an area in the back yard
that might be expanded garden space.
I also ordered seeds from Johnny's and Bountiful Gardens.
I have some seeds purchased locally from Sow True Seeds.
*
Now as I look at snow continuing to fall
on half a foot of accumulation,
I look at last year's pictures of green growth
and continue to dream and plan.

Home by the Bay Tree

2011-01-08T16:56:00.007-05:00

During a recent trip to Georgia,
I walked with my cousin
around land owned by her family
for generations.

She pointed out a magnolia tree
of enormous proportions,
something her great Aunt Eula Mae
has always called "the old bay tree."
Aunt Eula Mae has known this tree
for almost 100 years.

The house behind the tree
has also been there for a century or more.
It is abandoned and slowly falling apart
but still full of family memories,
particularly for those living
on other parts of the land.

There is something
about this history of place,
knowing that your relatives
have walked the same soil
and seen smaller versions of the same tree
and lived in buildings
still in sight
that provides connections
seldom experienced
in transitory modern life.

Modern city folk
are so quick to knock down
old trees
old houses
old memories.
Sometimes we are just
more limited in space,
not having extra acres
to build something new.
Sometimes we are simply
too quick to dismiss the past
as irrelevant or painful.

I believe we understand
who we have become
with more insight
if we remember
what came before.

Red-bellied Woodpecker

2010-12-29T09:47:00.004-05:00

Blue Jay Observations

2010-12-28T08:59:00.006-05:00

Put a glass bowl of birdseed out
for the little dudes
and found that blue jays were
the bird of the hour.

I'd never noticed
how the tips of their wings
and the whole of their tails
look like stained glass.

This particular bird
has an underbite
perhaps more evident
in pictures I didn't post.

But he seemed
hale and hearty
nonetheless.
*
I also noticed
that blue jays,
like chickens,
have fluffy bottoms.

Christmas Night

2010-12-26T08:33:00.005-05:00

Light in the Darkness

2010-12-19T21:02:00.003-05:00

Sunset at the Tybee Island lighthouse
Photos taken last fall during a visit.

Posted in honor of the upcoming solstice
and my great relief
that the days will get longer
and light will return.

Also honoring the Christian tradition
of Christmas celebrating
the dawning of spiritual light
in a dark and difficult world.

A Winter Reminder (with pictures from June)

2010-12-14T07:56:00.006-05:00

The Rose of Sharon plant died last summer
after sending up a few last leaves.

Even in death it was covered with life,
providing home to mosses and lichens
and bugs.

A good reminder on the coldest day
that life is a cycle.

Even the icy snow
that covers the garden
leads to new life in the spring.

Snow in Trees

2010-12-12T13:54:00.008-05:00

Exfoliating Bark

2010-11-28T08:57:00.004-05:00

A few years ago
I sat under lovely shade trees
in my cousin's side yard.
I admired the trees
and my cousin's husband
asked if I would like one.
I said yes, thinking he was kidding.
Still in his tie from church,
he grabbed a shovel
and dug up a little shoot
that rode in my backseat
back to North Carolina.
That shoot grew into a small tree
as tall as the house.
I was dismayed last week
to see all the bark peeling.
I was sure this meant death.
Turns out, Drake Elm trees
shed their bark in the fall.
"Exfoliating Bark."
It is not a sign of disease,
but a normal rite of passage,
and a thing of beauty.

Misty Morning Spiders

2010-11-20T18:55:00.004-05:00

Went out to open the chicken coop
and felt the need to go grab my camera.
The spider webs were so cool
on the garden fence.
Much of the fence
just had diagonals of spider web
here and there
and everywhere,
but some of the webs
were quite involved.
This web intrigued me.
It was between two sections of fence,
very three dimensional in form.
The top was a crosswork of webbing,
with a trampoline-like net
on the bottom.
I went back later in the day
and could see the spider
who built this web,
and the small flies
lying on the netting below,
but could not achieve focus
on the camera
in order to share an image.
I've since learned how to manually focus,
so perhaps next time
I can share.

The New Baby

2010-11-14T16:03:00.002-05:00

Having lost the old dogwood tree
that fronted the living room window
and held the bird feeders,
we planted a new baby
that fit in the back seat area
of my little Honda Fit.

Grow, little tree.

On Chestnuts and Video Games

2010-10-12T07:20:00.007-05:00

Our neighbor walked
down the street this weekend
sharing bread bags full of chestnuts
with all the neighbors.
They had fallen from one tree
in his family's backyard.

I asked if I could glean a few
from under the tree,
and his reply was along the lines of
"knock yourself out."

So yesterday afternoon
I paced a little grid under the tree
and I discovered
a growing sense of delight
every time I spotted a shiny brown nut.
I could feel the biochemical splash
of positive reinforcement
upon each discovery.

I realized that this is the same
biochemical reinforcer that hooks
so many people on video games.

Before my nieces and nephews
begin mocking me
for leading such a dull life
that I get excited finding chestnuts,
let us remember that
the whole reason our bodies
give this kind of rush of happy
upon discovery
is to help us survive.

Finding food
is the reason we're wired this way.

For those who came before us
(and perhaps for us in the future)
our true survival depended upon
on hunting, gathering and growing.

Here's another quirk of modern culture:
If you ask someone
how to eat a chestnut,
9 out of 10 people will say,
"Roast them over an open fire?"

Easier to cut a cross in the top
(so they don't explode while cooking
and so you can peel them easily afterwards)
and roast them in the toaster oven
at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.

They are nutty and bland,
but they smell like heaven.
They provided last night's protein
at supper.

The Microcar Museum Pilgrimage

2010-10-10T19:20:00.006-05:00

http://microcarmuseum.com/
Last March I finally stopped
at the Microcar museum outside of Madison, GA,
after passing it for years on my way to visit family.

It was one of the more fabulous museums
I have ever visited.
Row after row of tiny little cars,
most from Europe after WWII.

A lot of these shiny little cars
came to my waist
when I stood next to them.

If you're ever near Madison, GA,
this is a fine, fine place to go.

The Next Generation

2010-10-03T07:35:00.002-05:00

While I garden and raise chickens
for my own eating and living pleasure,
I have something else always in mind as well:
Teaching the children.

I remember the little girl next door
digging her first potatoes,
and marching home singing,
"We will have these for supper
in the morning!"

Or teaching the little city child,
who came back in February
ready to pick strawberries again,
that food grows in its season.

Most recently,
I remember the shock
on the face of the young fellow
who mows the front yard,
when he apologized for not
cleaning up every single leaf.
I told him it was okay,
those leaves would become dirt.

It was obviously the first
he'd heard of it.

This week he mowed
when I wasn't home.
I came home to find
the grass catcher full of grass
leaning against the front door.
He came by later,
proud that he had left the clippings
for the garden.

These clippings went around the grapevine,
just as my grandmother used to put
organic material
around the base of her grapes,
creating rich soil
and sweet, juicy goodness
every summer.

Harvest and Storage

2010-08-30T20:48:00.004-05:00

Grew black beans this year
for the first time.
One garden bed of black beans
produced exactly one pint jar
of dried beans.

Also froze romas...
canned some previously.

Canned seven quarts of green beans,
harvested honey,
pulled up onions,
cooked a squash casserole.

I want to plant a fall garden,
but it is hard to find the time.

Need to make better priorities.
And maybe build a hoop house....

Free (At Last) Range Chickens

2010-08-16T19:34:00.004-05:00

Tonight we got out of the coop and into the yard. We dig the yard. We are Cooper (on the left above, with the brownish tail) and Iris (on the right above, with the pretty white tail).

We walked around like we owned the place.

We ate bugs and grass and goodies.

And Ethel did not eat us.

A Flock for Ethel

2010-08-15T17:06:00.005-05:00

Meet the pullets...don't know their names yet, but they are Golden Comet chickens, a cross between New Hampshire Reds and White Rock chickens. They are sex-linked chickens, which means roosters are one color and hens are another. In this case, the hens are speckledy golden red with white highlights.

After the sad death of Lucy, Ethel has spent a few lonely days as the only backyard chicken. She seemed interested in what was in the chicken carrier.

But also not sure quite what to think.

For now we'll keep them together but separated while everyone gets used to the idea of everyone else. Hopefully three chickens will be much happier than one.

Fourth of July Davidson River Hike

2010-07-07T06:19:00.003-05:00

The European Cat Bed

2010-07-03T16:28:00.002-05:00

Friends went to Europe
and brought us back a beautiful platter.
It came in a blue box,
perfect for cat naps.

Where the Wild Cilantro Blooms

2010-06-22T06:02:00.003-05:00

I only had to plant cilantro the first year.
Since then, I've let it go to flower
(those tall white flowers, above)
and it roams about the garden,
coming up in a new spot each year,
lush and fragrant.

The tall yellow flowers are mustard
that also went to seed
and roamed last year.

The onions are blooming...
and yes, I know they have
a major crabgrass problem.
I'll get right on that.

All in all, got a late start
on the summer crops.
Friends are already
reeling in squash and such.
But come August
we'll be eating well, I hope.

Have the last peas of the spring
all shelled and cooked
and ready to incorporate
into supper tonight.

The Reason for Flowers

2010-06-20T13:40:00.006-05:00

There are many people
who would think that
my field of flowers
has become an eyesore.
While there are a few blooms
(pictured further below)
most of the flowers
have turned to brown seed heads.

The goldfinches
think that these seeds
are a marvelous feast.
They land on the stalks
and nibble happily at the seeds,
breakfast, lunch and supper.
So when is a flower at its peak?
When it is pretty and bloomy
or when it is dried up
and ready to eat?

Behind the Fence

2010-06-19T12:23:00.006-05:00

Sunflowers are funny things.
They never come up where I plant them.
But they cheerfully grow in surprise locations.

Spotted this one over the garden fence,
growing next to the railroad tracks.
It got me back behind the fence,
poking around in rarely explored territory.

The thistle patch will soon bloom.
And the dead tree will host woodpeckers
and other guests.

The Garden in May

2010-05-22T13:50:00.010-05:00

Pea plants with white blooms, radish plants below them.

The back half of the whole garden.

Strawberry...yum!

Onions in front, strawberries behind. The patch of dirt behind the strawberries contains squash seeds.

Tiny tomato plants and marigold plants, mulched with pine straw.

Asparagus plants.

Potato plants.

Young, not quite blue blueberries. That's a pretty color, though.

Greens.

Four beds of polebeans, just planted. More potatoes in the background.

Flower Meadow in the Back Yard

2010-05-16T12:44:00.003-05:00

One of the things that made
Grandmother's farm
a magical place
were the flowers
that filled the yards around the house
every spring.

Having scattered seeds
for a couple years now
I'm beginning to see
the early stages
of my own flowering meadows.

Biltmore in Springtime

2010-04-26T12:46:00.006-05:00

Church in the Springtime

2010-04-18T15:34:00.006-05:00

Some photos out in front of church
this sunny spring morning.
Blue skies, flowers blooming,
and inside full pews
echoing with laughter and joy.

Starting from Seeds

2010-04-17T15:28:00.003-05:00

In the garden peas, greens and lettuce
are all coming up in little rows.
On the sun porch
Amish paste tomatoes and marigolds
have sprouted and are beginning
their tenuous little lives.
Hard to believe that these might one day
be large plants covered in fruit and bloom.

Remembering Summer

2010-02-20T18:37:00.003-05:00

Flipping back through old pictures from August,
I was shocked at how GREEN everything was.
Today we were just so excited to be outside
with temperatures almost to fifty degrees
and the snow melting on the brown grass.

Only a matter of time before the world
turns green once again.

Living in Plan B

2010-01-25T13:46:00.002-05:00

Perhaps the meaning of wisdom
is reaching that stage in life
where you can stay calm
when the first plan goes out the window
replaced by some unexpected catastrophe or crisis.

Priorities turn on a dime.
Being able to let go of the first set of plans
and to pick up the new reins
and to move forward
into the unexpected future...
ultimately the challenge we all face.

The second part of wisdom
is finding community
who likewise change gears
pick up loose ends
brainstorm and watch your back
while engaging the shifting realities.

There is nothing more powerful
than being part of a team,
be it family, coworkers, church or friends,
who rally together
work together
and offer mutual support
while moving on through
the alphabet of plans.

The Third Place

2010-01-03T07:47:00.002-05:00

http://www.pps.org/info/placemakingtools/placemakers/roldenburg

Last night I watched the director's commentary
to "You've Got Mail."
Throughout the commentary
and the special additions on the DVD
Nora Ephron demonstrated her love
of the "small town" nature of New York City
and of the importance of third places.

The idea of the third place
comes from the work of Ray Oldenburg,
who states that we have our first and second places
of home and work,
but that cultures thrive best when people
have a third place to go and to claim.

Nora Ephron shared her belief that coffee shops
had become important third places for city people.

Traditionally, third places have been pubs, cafes, churches,
anywhere that people can relax and interact and
form real social connections.
I believe at one point she identified third places
as places "where people can fall in love."

I've been thinking about my third places
and their importance in my life.

My church, particularly my Sunday School class.
My neighborhood Mexican restaurant,
where they know my name
and my drink order.

People need third places
to keep us engaged with the outside world,
to provide us with interaction with people
outside our work and outside our family.

I like the idea.

The link at the top of this blog leads to further information on Ray Oldenburg and his ideas.

Christmas Peace

2009-12-24T20:24:00.001-05:00

Snow Chickens

2009-12-19T16:22:00.006-05:00

The chicken coop was just a lump in the snow this morning.

But inside was a tropical paradise with happy chickens and green grass.

Food and water in abundance.

But we still want out.

Snow Day...and it is still snowing!

2009-12-18T16:46:00.006-05:00

That lump in the foreground, above and below, is the chicken coop, complete with two chickens.

Today in Plumbing

2009-11-16T11:21:00.003-05:00

It turns out that the sewer connections in Asheville
have a dirty little secret.
The pipes connecting to the house are metal.
The pipes between those metal pipes
and the sewer
are made of some sort of laminated tar paper.
It is really a miracle they lasted 60 years or so.
But now the time has come
to pay the big bucks
and dig the big holes
and replace the pipes
so that water will continue to leave the house
and not pool in the basement.

2012

2009-11-05T07:22:00.002-05:00

I have been thinking about the short and long of the Mayan calendar.
The calendar ends in December of 2012,
so people are cashing in with books and movies
about the end of the world
at that time.

Working with hospice patients,
I'm familiar with the energy
that comes with this way of thinking.

If I have two years (or less) to live
what do I need to get done?
What do I need to say to people?
What do I need to learn, to forgive, to resolve?

It is a good and healthy thing
to live with short term deadlines.

Motivates us to get moving,
to do the things that we keep putting off
for uncounted tomorrows.

But I'm also intrigued with the LONG
of the Mayan calendar.

In our culture it is unheard of
to plan ten years ahead,
much less 5000 years.

If I make a new calendar
not for this month or this year
or this decade or this hundred years...
but for the next 5000 years,
what sort of planning does THAT entail?

The Mayans were truly remarkable
with their calendars short
and their calendars long.
They were people comfortable with
both the short view from harvest to harvest
and the long reach into the vast unknown.

Biltmore's Flower Quilt

2009-09-06T17:19:00.004-05:00

Some pics of the great flowers at the Biltmore House last Sunday evening. Very pretty.

Below, the view on the other side of the wall from the flower quilt. I basically took the above picture, pivoted, and took the one below.

The Backyard in August

2009-08-13T14:52:00.006-05:00

Butterflies and Godchildren

2009-06-05T15:30:00.005-05:00

Butterflies

2009-06-03T06:07:00.001-05:00

The butterflies started hatching out yesterday.
So far there are three.
No clear pictures as of yet,
but they are sitting quietly
in their butterfly habitat,
with sugar water in a feeder
at the bottom.

Chrysalides

2009-05-27T07:39:00.004-05:00

It turns out that plastic cup photography
is not my best, but still...
Over the last couple days the catapillars
all made their way to the top of the cup
and each changed into a chrysalis.
In a week or so, they will be butterflies!

Hiking John Rock

2009-05-24T16:46:00.008-05:00

Hiked up John Rock yesterday.
John Rock is the rock face behind the flags. Here we are at the top.
That's me behind the camera.
You can see the parking lot
in the lower left hand corner
of the picture.
There was a lot of "up" in the hike.

As unenthused as I was about portions
of the "up" in the hike...
those portions where I was sure my
out of shape heart would explode
in my chest...it was worth it.
The picnic at the top
was simply lovely.

The hike down was also lovely.
The mountain laurel were in bloom.
Down is easy on the heart
(and hard on the knees)
but you can enjoy the views more.

Bigger

2009-05-22T20:09:00.001-05:00

The future butterflies are making great progress.
I think they double in size daily.

The Painted Ladies are Coming

2009-05-18T17:33:00.007-05:00

My brother and sister-in-law
started sending word this week
that a package would arrive
that required "immediate attention."
When asked if the package had air holes,
they replied in the affirmative.

Open mouthed children not included.

The cats were interested in our new bugs,

thinking the cups would roll nicely

along on the floor,

like all good cat toys....

so for the time being,

catapiggles live in the china cabinet.

They apparently live their little cattapiggle lives in their cup,

then turn into crysalides under the lid,

at which point we move them to the butterfly habitat.

How Green is my Grapevine

2009-05-15T06:14:00.001-05:00

The Budding of the Grapevine

2009-04-25T08:26:00.002-05:00

Was it six summers ago

that I planted a twig in the ground

and declared it a grapevine?

This summer promises plentiful grapes...

the vine is established and rooted,

and is breaking out in little pink leaves

with vigor and enthusiasm.

Likewise, the asparagus patch

is sending up huge, tender stalks

left and right.

Had a fist full for supper last night,

fresh from the garden.

The blueberries are younger,

only planted last year.

I look forward to year six

and seven and eight with them.

I need to start thinking of apple trees.

Home on the Range

2009-04-19T06:56:00.001-05:00

Easter Potato

2009-04-14T08:35:00.005-05:00

Local wisdom says to plant your potatoes on Good Friday,
but it was raining, and I was working,
so Easter afternoon
instead of hiding eggs
we tucked potatoes in the ground.

We planted a mix from Burpee of red, blue and yellow potatoes.
One of my favorite things is to watch the potatoes grow
(they grow fast into sturdy plants with purple blossoms)
and then to dig the treasure out of the ground,
pounds and pounds of good eating.

I also planted some shallots and Egyptian walking onions left
abandoned from last year...they are probably all completely kaput,
but if even one grows, I'll be a happy camper.

Spring always brings wild onions (wild chives?)
in wild proliferation...they stand tall and proud amongst
the raised beds of the garden.
They smell nice when you mow,
and are good for picking and chewing
as you walk around the yard.

It won't be long before the garden is green with veggies and weeds.
The green in the far end
of one of those middle beds, above,
is STRAWBERRIES,
which come back stronger every year.
One of my younger friends (I think she's five)
was most disappointed when she came
to visit mid-winter
and was told there were no strawberries to pick.
Gathering eggs from the chickens
was considered a mediocre consolation prize.

New Vegetable Garden Fence

2009-04-12T19:46:00.003-05:00

Chickens love the vegetable garden.
Lots of dirt to scratch,
lots of bugs,
lots of fun hopping the little red fence.

We trimmed their wings, but it turns out
they don't really fly over the fence so much
as leap it in a single bound.

This new metal fencing should do the trick.
Still working out the gate piece,
but on the whole, spring vegetables
are again on schedule.

A Video to Put a Smile on Your Face

2009-04-12T08:03:00.001-05:00

http://www.new.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=76148416916&h=0RcqI&u=5blqe&ref=mf

Cooped Up

2009-03-02T17:19:00.004-05:00

The chickens stayed cooped up all day today...

since their coop looked more like a triangular igloo

when day broke this morning.

Local Recipe

2009-02-24T19:06:00.001-05:00

This from a sign at the Cradle of Forestry:

Winter Green

2009-02-21T11:00:00.003-05:00

So it is 39 degrees outside (Fahrenheit),
and the garden is flat and brown.
What can one do to experience a little sprouting?
Cut the top off some carrots
(real carrots, not those whittled things),
and put them in a small dish with some water.
Tiny green trees will grow.
Many root vegetables will do the same....
something to sustain our spirits until Spring.

Water, Water, Everywhere

2009-02-15T19:10:00.003-05:00

Here are the girls drinking water
out of the tiny plastic pond by the beehive.
While they have their very own water source,
they like to sample everything available.
Yum!

A particularly good time was had drinking water
racing from the downsprout
during a rainstorm last week.

Two HUGE eggs today.
No eggs yesterday.
Two the day before that.
One egg the day before that.

As spring progresses, they should get more regular,
with one egg each every day.
Yum!

Mrs. Edison's Moonlight Garden

2009-01-17T10:50:00.004-05:00

Another lovely spot at the Edison estate in Ft. Myers, FL.
When they moved Edison's original Florida lab up to Ford's museum up north,
they replaced it with a small office for Mr. and a pretty garden space for Mrs.

A good spot to sit and think.

Peaceful Places

2009-01-14T18:10:00.000-05:00

Also at the Edison Estate...a quiet pond and reflected palms.

Thomas Edison's Swimming Pool

2009-01-11T13:20:00.003-05:00

We visited Thomas Edison and Henry Ford's summer estates in Fort Myers, Florida just before New Year's. 100 years ago they were spending parts of their cold winter months in the warm Florida sunshine. I liked the pool and thought the diving board looked pretty against the blue, blue sky.

Dining Room Project

2009-01-05T22:18:00.006-05:00

Before: old accoustic tile ceiling, water-stained paneling, horrific beeblie-bob plastic chandelier. Chandelier gone to Goodwill and replaced with a nice ceiling fan. Accoustic tile ripped out and replaced with bead board.

Paneling primed (got to get in those groves) and painted.

Cats dig drop cloths.

End product: cheerful yellow walls with clean white ceiling. Lots of texture with the bead board and paneling.

Ghost Pirates and Blue Skies

2008-12-13T08:39:00.004-05:00

Even ghostly ships

can find a home in retirement,

hanging out in the shallows

at Disney's private island.

Arrr.

The Sun is Shining Somewhere Today

2008-12-11T09:29:00.006-05:00

This rainy, dark day seems a good time to call up some of the

tropical Thanksgiving pictures from this year's Disney cruise....

This was the day at sea, as we cruised past Disney's island,

with her other ship in port.

Today in the Yard

2008-11-06T11:17:00.004-05:00

Local Politics MATTER!!!!!

2008-10-19T14:12:00.003-05:00

All the news focuses on the presidential race
and the vice presidential Saturday Night Live fodder,
but they don't make decisions about our local schools
or whether to put a superwalmart next to your house
or whether we protect the local views, the air we breath,
the courts that we might actually go to
and face the judge.

I just spent an hour researching the local elections
prior to voting.

My conclusion...some of the people running for local office
ARE NUTCASES.
For heaven's sake, do some research about the local folks,
so that you can cast a vote for the school board candidate
who was a teacher for 36 years,
rather than the guy who is running
"to protect the rights of childless taxpayers."

Oy. I'm highly suspicious of the fellow who says we should
vote for him because he is "a genius."

Here's what you do.
Use the internet. Look up the local elections
under the Elections 08 section of
your local newspaper's website.

Or...Google the name of the candidate
with the name of the office.

Stuff will pop up.
Interviews,
endorsements,
bizarre testimonies.

Talk to a lawyer you know and trust
and ask who they endorse for judges.

Take the time.
While the president will certainly
impact our future,
so will these local folks
whom we may never see pictured
or quoted
or portrayed in a comedy skit.

But they will sit at a table somewhere
and vote on things
that will change the way
our own small future
rolls forward.

All God's Children Love Ice Cream

2008-10-12T20:20:00.005-05:00

When God-daughter Julia was here in August,
we went out for ice cream.
Julia loves the ice cream.

Her little brother, Paul, also thought ice cream looked delightful.
In the picture above, he has just snatched the paper
off of his mother's ice cream cone.
She kept the cone, but both were a bit bemused
by the unsuccessful cone snatch.

In November Paul will be baptized, and I will again have the honor
of being one of the Godmamas.
More ice cream for everyone!

Nature Abhors an Empty Box

2008-10-10T14:42:00.004-05:00

I just finished unpacking a box
that has lived under the bed since the year 2000.
It was not empty long.

Now it is a cat wash.

Kids Dig Chickens

2008-10-03T14:57:00.002-05:00

And chickens dig chicken scratch snacks.

Late Entry...September 1st Harvest

2008-09-20T15:23:00.002-05:00

Chickens and people both dig little tomatoes