What a Time of Year!

     My cameras are working overtime at this time of year. Every day brings forth new joys and gifts of unexpected bird sightings, a wonderful downtown festival, volunteering and gardening. Last night we joined folks at Mountain Vale for an American Idol watch party that did not end the way we had hoped for as Braden was not one of the top three. That said, it was probably for the best because ABC insisted on the town having a parade and concert should he be in the top three which sounded pretty neat until you checked the weather forecast. 95% chance of rain would have been pretty miserable should it actually happen! Early last week heavy rain was predicted for Saturday and the day turned out to be picture perfect, so there you go.   

     I just came in from a garden survey and much to my surprise, the celery was completely gone. While it didn't seem to be growing as much as I would have liked it to, I never expected it to vanish. Perhaps this fellow is responsible?

.         Of course there is more than enough clover, the little white flowers, to eat but maybe the celery looked tastier? If you like me had always heard the word clover but never really knew what it looked like, now you do! Having just looked it up there is a crimson version as well. 

     The intensity of color that is our Japanese maple tree right now is really something.  Some of the inside leaves are beginning to put on their summer green color but seemingly, there is a long way to go before it is all green again.

     This will be our third Spring here in Murphy and I still cannot get over how dramatic the changes are during the seasons. What once was so barren looking is now so lush it is hard to imagine, even though I am seeing it with my own two eyes. The brilliant yellow flowers are beginning to diminish somewha,t but continue to amaze in whatever stage they are. The scene below has changed so dramatically I hardly recognize it.

          Should you walk the other way it is lush with green foliage.

     The above is where the river runs through the park where the American Idol concert was to be held should he have made the top five. I was thinking last week that people love visiting in the fall when all this begins to change from intense green to a multi-colored landscape and while that is super great, this is darn good as well. Plus the birds right now are abundant, and as I mentioned in the first paragraph present themselves as little gifts to me when I spot one like this Yellow-Rumped Warbler.

     Isn't it so cute??? I also came across some Brown Thrashers that I am pretty confident are a parent and baby.

          While we are still in the park here is a mama bluebird with a goodie for her brood.

           A tree swallow guarding her box.

     Look at this little Carolina Chickadee! So cute. 

     Perhaps you are wondering why, if I have already photographed a species of bird many times, why I continue to do so and my answer is because each one is unique even though I may not recognize any difference; not to mention who doesn't love a gift which I consider each bird sighting? There were several years when my gifts consisted of seeing owl and their owlets, as well as eagles and their eaglets, and believe you me, my long-time readers probably grew weary of my obsession, but they seemed to have stuck with me. This past week Cliff Swallows, a new bird to me, are having a hey-day under the pedestrian bridge beside the playground and pickleball courts. It is quite the spectacle seeing dozens of birds flying around like little missiles, seemingly never stopping in their quest to catch flying insects for their young who they are raising in nests made of mud. It is hard for me to stay away even though I've already taken countless pictures in my quest to get a good one!

     Picture this: a dozen or so fly every which way, round and round, finally one drops down to the riverbank to gather mud and others swoop down joining in their quest to build their nests. Should you be interested, here's a link with more details. For me their behavior is nothing short of amazing, however, lots of folks walk over the bridge and never even seem to notice them zipping around overhead. While studying them from my perch on the bridge, first off I am so grateful to have a zoom lens, and secondly with said zoom lens I see things that are sometimes hard to notice.

     My phone tells me this is a Solitary Sandpiper and most of the time, the phone is correct. But not every time, so don't quote me on this one. 

     This is the entry closest to our home. Everything basically was brown a month ago.

     We are so fortunate to have this free resource in our town and I am so grateful for the folks who continue to maintain it. I was walking along the other day and the word that came to mind to describe the experience is "wild". Yes, there is a boardwalk or paths, but aside from that, it's nothing like we were accustomed to and that's a good thing! Before too much longer, they will open the dam and the level of the river will rise, meaning no longer will there be little rapids or the sight of big rocks on the river bed. I like it better low, but for those folks who love kayaking, the high level is ideal. I love seeing all the wild plants at this time of year including maidenhair ferns.

     Raindrops on a cedar tree branch that was bare sticks but a month ago. The fresh green is so lush. 

          One day as I was standing on the bridge I noticed pink blossoms floating in the water. Here's why....

     Let's turn our attention to the home front where exciting outdoor things are happening. It was so funny one day last week, well at least to me, but anyway, I opened the front door and saw a bird on the feeder that was a first time visitor, a female Rose Breasted Grosbeak, a bird we once had at the cottage feeders but I've never seen since. Naturally I was freaking out and called out to Bruce to bring me my camera PLEASE! Looking everywhere he brought me two cameras, neither of which have good zoom capabilities so I had to bite the bullet and instead of a nice close up, see if you see said bird in the photo below. 

    Yup, I figured as much. No can do. Once our lady friend flew away I went in search of the bigger camera and I'd left it downstairs on the garden potting bench! Yeesh! When you see a bird, one must act with expediency. She has not returned. :(

     A closer look at the beautiful double petunia. Having the right camera lens makes a big difference.

     One afternoon Bruce tied up the abundance of peonie blooms and buds that were weighing the plant down; so far none have opened yet but any day now. There are fifty, yes you read that correctly, fifty! (actually I started this post yesterday and my garden tour just now showed several opening up)

      Very close to this amazing plant, I kept hearing a bird call from the giant plants, over and over like a youngster. Sure enough, here's a young Song Sparrow. Cheep, cheep, cheep and the beat goes on.

     Gosh, just so much to show you...I hope you are interested!

     One day we drove to Young Harris, a small nearby town, for Bruce's regular medical check up. Remember I told you how green the mountains were? Well, here's the evidence.

     We spent some time last week preparing for my role in providing refreshments for the dedication service at the grand re-opening of the Harshaw Chapel. Built in 1869 as the first church for the early Methodists in this region it was in dis-repair but after the new roof went on and other improvements because Pastor Wil is leaving soon, the weekend had three separate events to commemorate the occasion. A highlight was when Demi and her brother Hoyt sand, "I Wander as I Wander", a beloved  song composed here in Murphy. 

     It was so precious. 

     

     Lori and I at the refreshment table graced with our neighbor Sandy's gorgeous peonies. And yes, I saw this dress in my closet and said, "this will do."

     Friends, I have a feeling you've had enough so I will leave you with a few items perhaps I can cover in my next post.

      

* Someone is arriving soon from Asheville to determine once and for all the viability of the fireplace working again.

*The Spring Fling was a great success this year. Perfect weather and good crowds.

*We finally bought a painting to replace the one over the fireplace that came with the house!

*Bruce is in his shop making a frame.

*I am entering two photographs in the Silver Arts again. Due on Thrusday this week, we shall see.

*Jonathan flew to Japan for the month for work and he arrived safe and sound.

*Mr. Christian, aka our grandson is now wearing little shoes that are so cute.

I do so hope you've enjoyed this week in our little slice of heaven here. Thanks for coming along for the ride!

your friend,

Gail

     

     

April Showers

We woke to the rumbling of thunder in the mountains which tends to echo and to my hearing, is super dramatic. A long time has passed since there has been measurable rain. A burn ban remains in place because it has been so dry presenting me with minor challenges for keeping my garden watered. I call it my garden, but let's be real, without Bruce there would be no garden! I am having so much fun filling it with all manner of plants.  Much to my dismay, I think it might have been last Tuesday that something bit me on both my right arm and ankle. You've heard it before....incredible itching and scratching ensued as the tissue swelled over the next two days before finally subsiding. Seriously, I was going mad! Nevertheless, I kept planting and planting, being mildly obsessed at the moment. 

Speaking of obsessed, our town is obsessed with American Idol and there's a big billboard on the highway through town to prove it. Forgive me for the poor photograph but I took it through the open window as we waited for the light to change at the entrance to the Ingles parking lot.

I still don't understand how it works, but we have been watching the show each Monday night and it's actually been quite fun. The update is that last night he made the cut to the final five and will have to have a killer performance next week because he has stiff competition. And then there is the matter of getting votes so if you are inclined to help a small-town boy and his town win this thing, please consider the above as in voting next Monday between 8-10pm. We have learned that should he make the top three, ABC will return to town to do some filming next week. Pretty crazy, huh? Furthermore, the town is planning a parade should he make it!! So there you go, a young man who graduated Murphy High School and still lives here. 

I neglected to mention that a week ago Saturday, Bruce sat with John most of the day as he set up his handmade furniture on the church lawn, with all his profits going to Soul Table, our weekly free lunch. It was a busy day in the area and he gave ALL of what he sold to the ministry. I went over in the afternoon to hang out and when the wind picked up a bit, John's paper towels went rolling...

Bruce is over at John's shop right now helping with the Big Brother's project, helping local children make things. Bruce tells me that all of the young people are so well-mannered.

Once again, my strong man came through by removing the rocks that lined this bed and amending the soil. There were two trellises in it, one of which had fallen down. Adding to that, it is in a very good spot for full sun and it was going to waste. So..

The day I planted it was overcast, so wearing long-sleeves and pants to keep me from getting bit, and since Bruce had done such a wonderful job with the soil, I managed to do it by myself and not get bit as well.  I used some plants I'd already purchased, some bulbs that won't be coming up for a while, the Easter Lily we got as a memorial to brother Cris, and two new plants whose name I forget, one of which is blooming right now with the other one not far behind.

Isn't it cute? Here's the bed after planting minus the zinnia seedlings I added later.

The huge rainstorm I mentioned revealed a stopped-up gutter just above where the bird bath is and it did my seedlings no favors however getting the big ladder out Bruce cleared it and it is now in good shape, just in time for the predicted overnight rain. The roses are just beyond and I am thrilled to report, they began opening this week!!

Plenty of the color above, but the yellow one is still on it's way to becoming more fruitful.

The good news is that both of them are SO fragrant!

Aren't they so pretty? 

Look at the potatoes growing!

One plant has a flower forming, but who knows what is happening underground!! Those are peony buds in the foreground, and oh my goodness, last Saturday Bruce was meant to throw the discus and shot put for Senior Games but it was rained out, so we went to the farmer's market downtown instead. As we parked I noticed that in front of the Hackney building there were a big display of blooming peonies and oh my gosh were they gorgeous!

I just love how the pollen is so thick it is running down the flower in the light rain.  

I finally decided to enter some photographs in the games and they were ordered and delivered this week, both bird shots taken in our yard. I'm happy about that, keeping it local. This little Song Sparrow has been in the hedges or on the growing plants for over a week, singing like crazy.

That day before we met our new neighbors who just bought the house behind ours that has been for sale for a while. It will be more of a weekend home for them because they aren't all that far, living in an Atlanta suburb. Of all things, she manages a pickleball/tennis club there!! We hit it off right away and who is surprised that when we went out to lunch they were at the restaurant! It was totally unplanned but we shared a meal and it was delightful. His mother was along for the fun.

More new plants from the farmer's market for us including this Jacob's Ladder plant that is doing so well.

I also bought some vegetable plants for their beauty, neither of which we normally eat. Mustard green on the left and a Peppermint Swiss chard on the right.

Don't they have such great leaves? 

There were two very old Rhododendron plants in the yard when we moved in and they are just beginning their bloom cycle. BTW, on May 3 it will be two years!! Two wonderful years I might add.

What a color, right? Another old and leggy plant is the azalea plant on the shady side of the house that has also just begun blooming. The color is outstanding!

Most of us grew up with the saying April showers bring May flowers, but until the last few days, showers have been few and far between, however, this week might be the week to break the drought as it is meant to rain very frequently, including on Saturday when the big Spring Fling is planned for downtown. I sure hope the weather is clear for the vendors and also our ladies group who are planning on having a booth with popcorn and face painting. I'll let you know.

A broken record; that's what I probably sound like when I exclaim over the abundance of flowers, but seriously, I am not exaggerating. Jason has a Snowball viburnum in bloom with both pink and white flowers, more flowers than one can count.

Here's a close up.

Exquisite!

The garden is coming along, teaching me patience each and every day. 

As you might notice, there are marigolds planted all over the place as they are meant to ward off bugs. I planted sets of them between the roses as well, and we shall see how it works. I have baby broccoli heads forming, we have been eating romaine lettuce like mad, and the cabbages are forming. All very exciting indeed, but never think for one moment that everything turns out perfectly. I finally gave in and pulled all of the radish plants because I knew in my heart there were no radishes, only foliage.

My mistake, or so I think, is not thinning them out early because the plants were so close together, bulbs could not form. I did plant more seeds at least a week ago, so perhaps round two will be a winner. And then again, maybe not!

All kinds of good things are happening but sadly one unexpected thing has popped up. Last Tuesday I was counting the offering at church when Bruce sent me a message that Pastor Wil wanted to meet us at our home around noon. His thought was that he was going to ask us to take on a project so when he told us he was leaving Murphy, along with his wonderful family, we were speechless.

He has been transferred to Waynesville, which while it is a big loss for our congregation, a big blessing for theirs. Plus, Lea's parents live there, so they will finally be able to spend time with their grandchildren. He was the kind of leader who never asked you to do more than he would. It's been a week now that we have known, but so far it is not getting any easier to accept! That said, we will. He will be here for six or so more weeks so we have time to get used to the idea before a new pastor arrives. Big shoes to fill and I don't just mean physically!

Although Bruce went to the school to spend time with Grayson, he was not able to see him because they were in testing mode. Instead we did some leisurely errands. While driving I could not help but be struck by GREEN everywhere, including all of the mountains, most of which were all brown only a month ago. 

It's so thrilling. 

My heart is full despite our disappointment. It's a case of turning a frown upside down isn't it? Selfishly we want Pastor Wil to stay, but what we should be focusing on is his and Lea, Norah and Nathaniel's opportunities ahead. 

Yea, that's the ticket.

your friend,

Gail

Back to Our Routines

As promised in my last post, I am here to share neighborhood flowers and more! 

For those who have lived the sort of life when all manner of trees bloom profusely in the spring, perhaps this won't excite you, but for those of us who have not lived that way, and that means me, I continue to be overwhelmed with awe and gratitude that I can witness the magic of spring in the mountains. 

And yes, there is a lot to absorb from the photo above. The azaleas here are absolutely awash with blooms, so much so that the leaves are almost non-existent.  In the foreground is a gorgeous pink plum tree, dogwoods above and two gorgeous shades of azaleas. Yup, I could not get enough of it!

Other neighbor's homes with both white and pink dogwood trees.

Not to mention green leaves on the non-flowering trees that have been bare branches for months on end or so it seemed! 

I'm not sure if I prefer the white or pink version of dogwoods but one thing I know is I like them both!

While I wish I had more than just two tulips, that is a little greedy thinking considering I went almost seventy years with none!

Another neighbor had this cute display.

All of the shoots I was seeing in the side beds turned out to be lovely hostas that seem to me to be larger than last years bunch.

What is not to like about a redbud tree? Absolutely nothing.

Because the weather has warmed a bit, many nights I've left our bedroom windows open and we wake to the sweet and loud songs of the abundant robin population, another thing that is new to me. In Orlando, once a year robins would come through and eat the camphor berries on the trees in our back so I was familiar with them, but it was maybe a two week relationship, rather than months on end.  Oh yeah, windows open is another plus!

There are lots of pretty old houses in our neighborhood that are even prettier when the trees are in bloom.

That said, most of these photos were taken when we returned and a good many trees have lost all of their flowers and replaced them with green, which if you are anything like me, is just fine because there is just something so refreshing about spring green!

The garden is going well and I am doing my best to document things in order to learn something about having a vegetable garden. I am also watching numerous YouTube videos.

We have eaten more salads in the last week or two than we had for the previous two months as the romaine is going crazy! I wish I could say the same for the radishes but I think that is going to be a bust, however, hope springs eternal. or so they say!

The little container in the foreground with the blue latches contains last year's marigold seeds which have done nothing when I planted them in my seedling trays. I'm not sure what I've done wrong, but I relented and bought a few plants. 

Speaking of plants, our neighbor Sandy gave me some lily of the valley and variegated hostas and let me tell you, the fragrance of the lily of the valley is heavenly. 

Apparently they are prolific spreaders, so hopefully next year at this time I will have a bunch.

Let us now turn our attention to some friends and outings, all of which have been so good. It just turned out that we were busy, busy, busy last week beginning with Easter lunch at David and D'Anna's house where she outdid herself on seasonal decorations.

We enjoyed a lovely lunch and time of visiting with other friends, Gerri and Rhonda.

The picture of the guys did not turn out but the one of D"Anna and her favorite chicken Henrietta did except for her having to squint in the bright sun which no one complains about after such a cold winter!

Monday evening we finally saw the finished product that is David and Randy's new home and holy cow, what a place! It is absolutely wonderful and filled with their craftsmanship in both rug hooking, and cross stitch ,and let us not forget David's magnificent quilts. 

Two of my favorite food groups in one picture!

Their whole house is filled with eye candy and although I am sick to death of hearing the word "intentional" when it comes to decorating a home, in their case it seems fitting. Aren't most people at least a little bit intentional in what they put in their homes? How has it becomes such a buzz word?

I am standing on a rug hooked by Randy and I am saying publicly that it is even better in person.

The meal Randy cooked was wonderful, the sunset from their back deck, magnificent,

and the drive down the mountain in the dark, scary!! Most all of the folks we know that have moved here did so after visiting for years during which time they became accustomed to dark and winding roads. We are not there yet, or what I should have said is, Bruce, our chauffeur, is not there yet! 

That Saturday we ran into Julie at the farmer's market that has just opened on the first Saturday in April.  We have discovered a terrific plant vendor, but I will save anything about that for another day. Anyway, Julie had out-of-town guests and invited us to join them for dinner and a hymn sing, an invitation too intriguing to decline. Gosh it was fun. They cooked out and we ate in their magical back yard that you have seen before. Her twin sister Jamie, along with her husband Colby joined us. 

The guests whose names I have forgotten, and I'm embarrassed to admit that, were a great couple from Vermont who are long time friends; the husband went to school with Jamie and Julie in West Virginia. We did our best to sing along being led by him and his wonderful voice.

A chill as the sun was setting sent us indoors where we continued with our singing and listening. Jamie and Julie are twins and both have tremendous singing voices.

A few years ago Jamie (r) had a stroke making things a little more difficult for her but singing with her sister is second nature. Her two daughters are getting married this summer so we have two weddings to look forward to! Bonus points for the abundance of stars we saw, oh my goodness, not something I want to forget. 

We have met some pretty amazing people here, although truth be told, they are everywhere aren't they? Nevertheless, it's a first for us working side-by-side with a 91 year old woman doing yard work which is what we did a week ago on service Sunday. Esther can work with the best of them.

As can Dottie who is 81 and as sturdy as a 50 year old!

Talk about service with a smile. Sue is trimming and Bruce and a lady I do not know are doing clean up.

We were tasked with putting mulch down and trimming at a blind parishioner's house. 

Maybe two years ago Bruce worked on that ramp adding stability, but it looks like it could use refreshing. Lots of good downtown projects were completed by our church members including working on removing invasive species from the riverwalk, as well as picking up trash that people so thoughtlessly throw on the ground.  

Two more things to talk about, well actually there are more things than I can count, but for our purposes let's wrap this up with one of my strawberry plants that had such a cute strawberry ripening and doggone it, it disappeared!

I will say, so far so good on critters, something I am very thankful for. The broccoli are forming, the potatoes are fourteen inches tall, as is the romaine lettuce. Look at the cabbage!!

Isn't it cute? This has been so much fun and I could not be more grateful for the privilege!

I lied. One more image of the riverwalk that has been knocking my socks off. (the river is on the right)

Seeing such abundance is anything but routine, so my title is not very good today, but it was the best I could come up with! 

I remain, 

your friend,

Gail