Spatter

New Air

Yesterday's rain ushered in new air to us.
It is fresh.
Windows are open again.
The gentle currents in the house caress me.
No sweating today. 

Knowing The Rain

It’s wonderful to see storm clouds in the distance and the gray streaks of rain streaming from their bottoms. Somewhere over there it is wet.

Later, the rain comes to me. It has such a distinctive fragrance – one that never fails to touch a primal part of me.

I recognize it somehow, someway.

 

First Steps

My childishness today is not chasing the wind, or gazing at the sky, or even being playful with friends. As the month draws to a close, it is the part of childhood when first steps are taken or first voice is found that I'm relating to.

This month, I found the motivation to start this blog and, as it happened, I  also became more involved with my photography.  Like for the toddler, it's been a portal crossed.   

Both the writing and the photography are providing outlets for expressing and nourishing my creative spirit. The resulting personal benefits can't be overstated. 

How it came to happen at this particular point in time, I can't say.  But I do know this: I know that once it came to happen, the feedback and support I got from my friends was, as the commercial says: priceless. It made all the difference. 

Thank you.

 

A Green Day

As planned, Judy and I spent a good part of the morning looking at bushes and trees at Nikki Giovanni's house.  It was time well spent since there were several plants and trees that we'd be interested in incorporating here at BBR.  She's got herself quite a sanctuary...a little of everything and great for bringing in the birds. 

Our day had an added bonus.  It turns out that Nikki was home after all...and... she came out to visit.  We chatted for more time than I would have expected...about birds, dogs, and trees.  Very nice, since she certainly could have stayed inside.  Accompanying her were two Yorkies:  Kennedy and Alexandra. Both had golden faces with silky silver bodies.  Both were as sweet as can be.

Coincidentally, I joined the Arbor Day Foundation today. My friend Donna will be proud of me!  The foundation made supporting them sweet by adding a list of freebies for doing so: 10 flowering trees - 2 Redbuds, 2 White Dogwoods, 2 Crabapples, 2 Washington Hawthorns, and 2 Goldenraintrees.  You also get a Crapemyrtle; a subscription to their newsletter; "The Tree Book"; 33%-56% discounts on trees; and then, some little extras like a calendar and address labels.  I know the trees will be little twiglets, but for $10, how could I lose!  Word of warning though, in case you want to get in on this offer:  it seems it was just that - an offer.  When I explored their site and started to sign-up on line vs mail, I found that you didn't get the same deal. 

I'd be interested in hearing from you re: if you have a favorite tree, or if you have personal experience - pro or con - about a particular shrub.  Post in "Comments".

Post Katrina: Year 2

It's the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  There's been lots of news coverage about what's happening and what's not.  It's good we don't forget the tragedy it was and continues to be. 

But during all of this, I do take issue with a phrase I keep hearing repeated: that Katrina was the worst natural disaster in our country's history. 

While Katrina did do severe damage to Mississippi, it was New Orleans that gave it the status of "worst disaster"...and in New Orleans, it was man, not nature that was responsible for the destruction...for the death.  Nature for New Orleans was a cat 3 storm. Bad, but typically not devastating beyond the immediate eye-wall.  No, the killing field was set before Katrina...long before 2005.  First, the deltas were destroyed; then, funds earmarked to repair/improve the levees were diverted to pet projects and political payoffs; and of course, who can forget the "heck of a job" Brownie, et al did in getting relief to the victims.  Yes, Katrina was a disaster, the worst we've seen.  But natural...I don't think so.

Moral Majority

Senator Craig.  The latest in a long line of "moral majority" hypocrites to be exposed (no pun intended).   I am reminded of a bumper sticker I used to see saying "The moral majority is neither".

The Coming Season

There's a woman here in Floyd who writes prolifically in every format:  news articles, poetry, books, and blog  - Loose Leaf Notes .  Recently in her blog she used a poem to speak about the departure of one season and the coming of the next. It's called "August Rust".  What struck me was the imagery she used.  It is not the obvious leaves turning, but the small things that are usually not noticed.

The poem can be read by clicking here: August Rust . 

Expanding Circle

Today, by way of our may-be landscaper, we met a very nice couple who live just "around the corner" on Woods Gap Road.  We went to look at the work the landscaper did there.

They're from Winston-Salem and are in our general age group.  He's recently retired (pathologist) and they spend most of every week here, and just a couple of days in NC.  They're both hobby artists: he's a wood turner and she's a photographer.  They both have an exhibit on display at the Jacksonville Center.   I've not seen them yet, but intend to soon.  By the way, they both have their own studios on the property.  I was drooling! 

In talking with them we learned that they play golf.  In fact, we've made a future play date once my shoulder feels up to it...whenever that is.  After steady improvement, this last week it's seemed to have regressed a bit.  Maybe tomorrow's rolfing session will help. 

Aside from playing golf and doing their art, we found out that he's a naturalist;  that they're both into hiking and biking (no question: they're definitely more fit than we are!); and that they also like playing frisbee golf...so much so that they fashioned a nine hole course on the upper tier of their property.  At his insistence, Judy and I played a couple of holes with him.

We certainly hope to get to know them better.  I'm thinking we'll invite this couple over along with our down the hill neighbors from Greensboro sometime.  I think they have a lot in common and it'll make for a nice evening.

Let's see...Wednesday, we're going to Christiansburg to see Nikki Giovanni's house - same deal - through the landscaper.  Maybe we'll make a contact there too!  Not.  Nikki won't be home.  Too bad. 

My Personal Trainer

I have a personal trainer: 

Like a good trainer, every morning Shaynee gets me going.  Here's what she does.  She plants her feet and hunkers down by lowering her neck and head some, and then, she stares.  She doesn't blink.  She just stares.  This photo isn't the pose, trust me! 

She stares until I get up and start to dress.  Then the pose disintegrates into a frenzy of jumping that only intensifies as I put on sneakers and cap.  I get a supply of treats and off we go, walking down Blackberry Ridge. Well, I walk...she runs.  The downhill slope gives her such momentum that sometimes I swear her back feet are ahead of her front ones.  Along the way, she'll detour into the hay, pouncing on some unknown creature and sniffing for deer. 

While she's doing that, I'm busy enjoying her, feeling the morning air, looking at the dew on spiderwebs, and whatever else is happening around me.  If I need to, I whistle for her to come along.  She runs to me like a bullet, tags my hand, and comes to an abrupt stop.  Treat time.

It's a wonderful ritual, actually...and oh yeah, I'm doing something that's good for my body...especially the part of coming back up the hill!

Job Not Done

It's so frustrating to have a job needing done and it can't get done because I'm not strong enough to do it. 

Judy and I had concluded the other day that the water filter needed to be cleaned out again.  It needs this once or twice a year because mineral deposits start restricting the flow into the house.  Each time this task is before us, we curse ourselves for not having thought to make the filter more accessible.  It's under the house and we have to become contortionists to get to it. Here's the "scene of the crime":

This time was even worse as the we almost couldn't get the door hatch open. At first, I thought it was because clay had pushed up against its bottom, so I dug  it out. But when it still wouldn't open, we realized it had swelled from moisture.  I persevered, and finally got it open.  Now we're inside the crawl space and,try as we might, neither one of us could get the darn filter off to clean it...and we could see that it needed it! 

Maybe a vacuum had developed or maybe we're just wimps.  It doesn't matter why. The job could not be done. We crawled out, shut the door, and are waiting...waiting for someone who can.