Blue Ridge blog

I'm no fan of poachers or fruit flies...

I hope ginseng poachers don't read my blog. But if'n they do, I sure as hell ain't gonna tell 'em where my lovely patch grows which is NOWHERE NEAR Valle Crucis. Just yesterday, a poacher raided a slope with several plants I had been keeping my eye on for several years. There were 4 or 5  four-pronged mother plants. Surrounding each were plenty of healthy youngins. The poacher  a.k.a. thieving wildcrafter took the berries, roots and all the babies. I nearly cried. Afterward I tore through the woods despite it being the season of spiders, snakes and poison ivy and collected as many berries as I could find. spent a good portion of the evening stratifying ginseng seeds. 
"Look! It's Marie vs The Poachers again," exclaimed my husband.
And if'n you poachers do read my blog, then rest assured I find the word 'poacher' way too kind a word to describe such filth...And my snakecharmer is loaded.

On the inside of the home front:
Years ago I told my girls I expected them to keep their rooms free of breeding diseases. But I forgot to mention that this  included the farming of fruit flies. Somewhere within the inner sanctum of my youngest child's bedroom is a tiny morsel of food which feeds a cast of thousands of Drosophila. After entering her room and witnessing the mating of fruit flies on her mirror, my virgin eyes begin to fill with tears. I'm not sure if this was disgust so much as the vinegary fumes simply overwhelmed me. But youngest had crossed the Mother drawn line in the sand and tonight I am happy to report her room is now clean--errr, cleaner.

(Note to my own mother: Do not even compare me to her. Mt. Much More was a tame bump in the road compared to this Invasion of Drosophilia.)

A farm on Baird's Creek Road

I took this photo this morning as I detoured my usual route to work. If you look closely you might see the golden rod blooming in the field as well as the fall webworms that have invaded our area. I'm not feeling particularly prolific with my words at the moment so I'll just leave you with this scenic for today.

"And I could eat seafood like, whenever I wanted...."

I had been committed to a serious Sunday sleep session but when I roused around 7 am and poked my head out the window, I saw this. Instant engagement. I ran to the deck and joined Harley and a beaucoup of huge hornets to capture the scene. I returned to bed and pretended to sleep.
I've been working all weekend, yet the rest of my family has played. Eldest returned late from a Cross Country overnight meet. Youngest returned late after playing with friends and my husband has yet to return from a motorcycling adventure through the southern Appalachians. S'o.k., I found the freedom from their schedules refreshing. And, I ate what I wanted whenever I wanted. On Friday evening I enjoyed a meal of grilled tilapia on a bed of fresh spinach. On Saturday, I boiled crab claws I dunked them in copious amounts of lemony butter. What a delight to eat without anyone squooshing up noses in gesture of disgust...

Ironweed in Valle Crucis

An August Bouquet

As early morning fog lifts, Joe Pye blossoms join august golden flowers along Clarks Creek Road in Valle Crucis. If you ever get a chance, be sure to watch the morning 'happen'. About 8 am the dense fogs begins to thin with an occasional glimpse of the sun through a weak spot in the clouds. Right along 9 am the magic happens.

Went to the farmer's market this morning with my mom-in-law. Gonna have some tomato pie, swiss chard, and local catelope for dinner tonight.

Not worthy of her love...

At last night's soccer game I ran into my friend B.B. I don't know how or why B.B. and I became friends because heck, the last time we socialized and shared adult drinks together was probably at a BONKO game in 1999. But still, whenever I run into B.B., our conversations easily pick up where we last left off.  We speak of the highs and lows of raising teenage daughters. We speak of our self-inflicted work loads. And we always speak of the joys of being with our golden retrievers.
Last night, B.B. informed me that Harley has not appeared on my blog in quite some time. "How is Harley?" she asked with a concerned tone in her voice.
I immediately felt guilty because Harley has been neglected as of late. There. I admit it. Sure, everyday I feed her, pet her and say kind words to her, but I haven't walked Harley nor have I played ball with her in at least two weeks. When I returned home last night, Harley didn't run to greet me. I think she has given up on me....
Thanks B.B. for reminding me of the important stuff in life. Today I shall play ball with Harley.

Visiting back door friends..

Doesn't this entrance look inviting enough to peck on the door and beg to borrow a cup of sugar?  I actually was working when I ventured to the Blair farmhouse on Deerfield Rd yesterday. I met Sharon during a series of stories we have done over the last year or two on her hopes to restore and revive her family's home. The progress she has made is astounding...wish you could see her progress. At one point during our conversation, I told Sharon that she should be blogging her experience. It would be a great way to archive the process because not only could she keep all her archives organized, but she could share her daily successes and setbacks with others as well as possibly benefit from others who have gone through similar renovations. Anyway, I don't know if she will start a blog, but if she does, I will certainly link to her.
Then, as if some sort of prediction, I was looking at Amy's  linkfest and she asked, "Is there a blog in your future?"

The Loch Ness Monster of Valle Crucis Pond...

I walked around the pond at Valle Crucis this morning and noticed a strange something in the water. At first I thought it was a frog. Then I noticed the snake like figure beneath the water. But, the snout of the animal isn't all that snake-like and the eyes on this something are huge. What could it be? Does Valle Crucis have its own version of Nessie lurking in the pond.

My favorite garden

I was able to steal a couple of meditative moments in the garden of the Mast Farm Inn in Valle Crucis. I stood in the middle of the garden this morning and at any given direction, I faced beauty. Jeff, the master gardener has done a fine job of blending the old-style appalachian gardening traditions while maintaining a fully functional kitchen garden that serves the Inn. Of course, Celia's garden by the sea looks like a dreamy spot to contemplate something or just sit a spell as well.

I know I promised...

...to post earlier but the day/night/weekend job got in the way again. I attended the Eleganza Gala Saturday evening in Blowing Rock, NC.

**Update** I I deleted some of this post because everything was just a misunderstanding. No harm, No foul. And all is well.

This sweet West Highland Terrier was auctioned off for $2,600.  A lunch date with Joely Fisher goes for $10,000 as does the opportunity to be on the set of American Idol and possibly beat the living daylights out of Simon Crowell.

Wanna see who else was there?