Blue Ridge blog

Under the hydrangea

Reality? I had a tough time finding gas today. I did get 10 gallons, but that'll have to be saved getting me to and from work this week. But hey, at least we still have electricity. So Annie and I celebrated by venturing into the foggy yard to find photos. Under the hydrangea we found a sweet little spot of damp leaves mixed with broken petals. But Annie was more interested in the nearby apple tree which yielded little sweet treasures...all for her, of course.
So what I'm saying is the lack and price of gas is messing with my blog. I ain't gonna be able to crawl around the VC as much as y'all would like, but I still will try to deliver...the photos will be limited to the likes of my hydrangea or whatever is nearby.
Love ya.

I <3 Valle Crucis

It is late and I've completed many tasks today. There is much to be said about accomplishing goals. Satisfaction,  sense of relief, heavy sigh, all come to my mind this evening. But the best part of my day, aside from accompanying my eldest and husband on one mission, was to wander through the Valle this morning after shooting a work-related project at Valle Crucis School. These shots/scenes are so easy to find that I'm almost ashamed....

I love Valle Crucis.

My props for Diane at the Waffle House, a fence, and more Squiggle...

I only took one photo the entire weekend and it was of Diane, the hostess at the Waffle House on Hwy 501 just outside the Conway, SC town limits. I mention this because twice now we've entered the doors to be greeted by Diane as well as a long line. Both times we retreated to the parking lot to find some place less full,  only to be chased down by a pleading Diane. "Aww..don't let the line scare you away. We'll have you seatin' and eatin' in 5 minutes." And, she was right...

This photo is just leftovers from last week...
And finally, here is a photo of Squiggle who I am pleased to announce, has overcome his fear of the mighty resin sabertooth skull....

In family news:
1) My brother is doing much better. He is nearly ready to be released from jail the hospital.
2) My youngest is thriving at school. She's looking very college-y.
and
3) My eldest played Army all weekend and lived to tell us all about it. Can't wait to see her ride in a tank.

On the Blue Ridge Parkway today...

I woke up extra early to go out to the Blue Ridge Parkway and catch some end of summer photos. I made an error in judgement and went to get onto the BRP from Bamboo Rd. Oops. I forgot the road was closed there and had to drive back on Deerfield Rd during the school traffic rush. I almost gave up because I thought I had missed the best light, but decided I had nothing better to do so headed south and picked up the BRP in Blowing Rock. I hit a dense fog bank near Julian Price Park and could tell that with a few more minutes of patience, I might sneak in a shot or two of pre-autumn delight.
So here you go...

(Scroll down on my sidebar and you might find a new photo of me, but shhhh...it's a secret.)

Squiggle has attitude

Yes. My daughter moved off to college and left me to care for her pets; a turtle she named Squiggle and a gold fish I named Shavodka (after a beloved ASU student) . For giggles I transplanted the pair to my office where they have quickly been adopted and adored by my co-workers. I am relieved to have the aquarium and fishbowl out of my sun room and we all enjoy watching their antics during the day. Especially Squiggle. Gnumoon gave Squiggle a brand new resin Sabertooth tiger skull to hide out in.. just what every red-eared slider wants. If Squiggle has a stink eye, he gives it to the Sabertooth. I'm certain he wil 3> it in time. Most days he swims along, riding the wave of the water filter or basking in the rays of the UVB light. I especially like it when he perches on his itty bitty turtle toes to get a fresh breath of air.
Shavodka, bless her heart, is a hungry soul. She get so excited when she sees me each morning...just like Annie. If I shake her stupid little goldfish crumbs, she does little flips in the water. Makes me want to feed her even more, except cleaning her fish bowl is almost as bad as emptying kitty litter. I'm sure I'll post a photo of Shavodka in time...

On the family front: Thanks for all your well wishes and prayers. My brother is on a roller coaster with his health. Today was better, I think. He is still in a far away ICU but has plenty of love and support nearby. My daughter is much better. She even went to the movies this evening. And Annie, awww, she's great. She's jumpy, flippy, and happy. She still wears a cone because she can't leave her stitches be, but acts as though she is one with the collar.

So this is a tough post. But, Look! The clouds are lifting...

I don't feel much like waxing philosophical about the meaning of life nor do I feel like delving into all my family details, but since this blog is a record of my life, this weekend's happenings are of major significance to me and ignoring it here would be like pretending nothing happened.

On Friday evening my mother called me sobbing. My brother, just three years older than me, had suffered a heart attack and was the way to the hospital via ambulance...

Knowing he was still alive on Saturday morning, I went to where I go lately when I need to simply be, think and see. I headed to the Valle wetlands. I wanted to take Annie along, but she is still recovering from her surgery. I had my camera though, and was fortunate to witness yet another beautiful morning. As the sun broke through the valle clouds, so did the fog lifted on my brain and I felt a renewed strength.
Turns out, I would need the fortification.
When I returned home, my youngest daughter called. She weeped when she told me she didn't feel so good. Long story, long story, one hospital visit, and lots of hours of worry, it turns out she suffers a mild case of pneumonia.

All I yearned for on Saturday was for very far away to be a whole lot closer to me.

Then the dog's wound starts oozing. At least this was something I could handle:)

Today was less eventful. My brother is almost out of ICU, my daughter is on a Z-pack and ready to go to classes Monday, and Annie is no longer oozing. All things considered, I'll run with it....

Can you hear me now?

I should have posted this yesterday, but got distracted.
My sweet Annie is no longer fertile. And because she is Annie and all mine, she gets into everything, including her stitches. So for the time being, she walks the fancy grassways of Valle Crucis wearing an Elizabethan collar. It doesn't suit her style or personality at all. Frankly, I think the contraption resembles the parabolas that tv guys hold up on the sidelines of football games to concentrate sound waves.
My largest issue with her at the moment is keeping her in resting mode so as not to tear her surgical spot. This is impossible. Keeping an eye on her makes me feel like I'm in charge of nursery full of curious 3 year olds armed with knives and live electrical outlets. The word, 'No,' has no meaning.
She has a slight bit of watery blood oozing which causes me concern, but I think we'll let it play out till tomorrow...
Other than being miffed at the inconvenience of wearing a plastic cone and the itching of the wound, Annie is still sweet.

**Update**
Blogging is fruitful in many ways. Laura from the Triangle just forwarded me this link to the Comfy Collar which is a much better solution to the hard plastic cone. I just ordered one.

Remembering...

Three thousand flags, placed in memory of 9-11, decorate the lawn of Sanford Mall on the campus of Appalachian State University Thursday morning. A sign near the display reads, "Never Forget."

I won't.

And in deference to the day, I am really trying hard to ignore the "made in China" label on the American flag...

Flipping Rocks....and flipping off poachers....

 


I'm sure it isn't on your list of major holidays, but to me, International Rock Flipping Day is the perfect excuse to don my water shoes, tripod and circular polarizer, and head to Valle Crucis park to turn over rocks on the edge of the Watauga River just to see what I could see. What the heck. The holiday is relatively new, starting only last year with this blog post on Via Negativa.
I sloshed through the waters looking for rocks which slurped up to where land meets liquid. I noticed oddles of waterbugs, minnows and honeybees enjoying calm little puddles. I did not flip too many rocks because I really didn't want to disturb too much of the life underneath. But I didn't feel bad at all about messing with the numerous snails I saw. I can not seem to identify them, but there were tons of the mothers. I've heard rumors of bad snails occupying the Watauga, but have no way of knowing if these are the bad guys or not and would appreciate any help. The little dude in the top photo is the largest. Don't know what that orange glob in the bottom photo is. It is underwater.

This final photo is one of my four-pronged ginseng babies. I gathered the ripe berries to stratify and replant at later times. The bright red berries attract the attention of poachers this time of year and after several years of unwanted wild crafters wondering our woodlands, I'm learning to get ahead of 'em. Additionally, I shared my knowledge with a young friend and gave her berries and pointers on how to spread the ginseng love 'round the area.

Keeping an eye of Yosef

Every day at The Rock is a great day and yesterday proved to be no exception. I've added a new photo album (on  sidebar) to which I will be adding photos of fans, game shots, and random items seen on game days. But for right now, it is a gorgeous day and I'm slapping up a few images...much more later. You gotta see The Deuce!