tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84937591861945570562024-02-07T22:20:36.304-08:00Notes From the Buffer ZoneNeighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.comBlogger306125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-46184264004849194482022-11-27T11:46:00.002-08:002022-11-27T11:48:10.320-08:00Moved<p> Hi!</p><p>If you are looking for me, I have moved to <a href="http://afterthebufferzone.wordpress.com" target="_blank">afterthebufferzone.wordpress.com</a> . My blog there is called The Weekly Muse.</p><p>I am still learning how to get it going, but check it out.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75kEmIaO1VAYcbfbNW2fvMTlo0dYj2LZKW0Fw-89-dA7VCRbNuNtH-WG9GcbpLcJp9uf-HnMXHQ_yPsw1_QfK_lNwhrZw1ngLaRL8wb-KecOJLiNa2OSQ7jVHFLRxgtqo6oLakjsq72ejMASvgvzp-FtqM8URXCink-d8MPfQtf2UCkoxTQBjKcik/s4032/red%20maple.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh75kEmIaO1VAYcbfbNW2fvMTlo0dYj2LZKW0Fw-89-dA7VCRbNuNtH-WG9GcbpLcJp9uf-HnMXHQ_yPsw1_QfK_lNwhrZw1ngLaRL8wb-KecOJLiNa2OSQ7jVHFLRxgtqo6oLakjsq72ejMASvgvzp-FtqM8URXCink-d8MPfQtf2UCkoxTQBjKcik/w640-h480/red%20maple.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-4972434319234975182022-11-13T11:11:00.000-08:002022-11-13T11:11:01.328-08:00Signing Off--for now<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvnxpkkbbbN_LVieDoa7l47_rxBk9Wj2sUzJPMOjIOViA1mdoy9aADwUKoBo3z_nk6vi1KGO93irlBtclh-hZX07M7QPEioI0EKNfsuUyhEll45dW5IkPnYtQe0KY0SriFZC4SE_HeszjtS__z-1-JMwvAR1vmZ5YUUNgQPbXd2zKJDd5t80HUKkl/s4032/November%20patio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTvnxpkkbbbN_LVieDoa7l47_rxBk9Wj2sUzJPMOjIOViA1mdoy9aADwUKoBo3z_nk6vi1KGO93irlBtclh-hZX07M7QPEioI0EKNfsuUyhEll45dW5IkPnYtQe0KY0SriFZC4SE_HeszjtS__z-1-JMwvAR1vmZ5YUUNgQPbXd2zKJDd5t80HUKkl/w640-h480/November%20patio.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Hello!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am just stopping in to say that I am going to stop blogging here. I'm going to take a break and move to a new platform.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll post here when I get it all set up. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I've never really had a lot of people regularly follow this blog, and that's okay. Amassing followers was not really the point for me. It has mostly been a way to write about my musings and activities. I have been lucky to interact with a lot of nice people here in blogland although many people seem to have gone on to other things. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Anyway. That's all for now.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzr5X8gAWBDWYJF2iNig3G-gLvcSKt-y5vuzrEluLa01VjXCN987MAdW07EH4G7AVl8hEqWeEthZybyQx8M3kC0j9fCyibIU8CvhZyCMD5B6cnI737lXzQWFm1syC654wzppXpOrCuvwu0nCD_HQRPZd08fiFsrxP3aLRwVPxlXsfGiCb7gCZri0C/s4032/knitted%20pumpkins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtzr5X8gAWBDWYJF2iNig3G-gLvcSKt-y5vuzrEluLa01VjXCN987MAdW07EH4G7AVl8hEqWeEthZybyQx8M3kC0j9fCyibIU8CvhZyCMD5B6cnI737lXzQWFm1syC654wzppXpOrCuvwu0nCD_HQRPZd08fiFsrxP3aLRwVPxlXsfGiCb7gCZri0C/w640-h480/knitted%20pumpkins.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-21341847297390386392022-10-30T16:00:00.003-07:002022-10-30T16:00:31.249-07:00Little by Little<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">I went to the Georgia Grassroots Event with President Obama, the Democrat rally to rev everyone up to VOTE! There were many 100s--no--1000s of people in front of us in line, but we got in. We didn't get a seat, but we got a good spot to <i>lean</i>. Look! We even got our picture in <i>The Guardian</i>! Hahaha! (Really, that's us!)</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCk8SEUepw68ETjmAvPnu-WN0Bz2J6mBwKAEkP1UWiLZ5sig4YGAXEb6DQrI2lR1DtTKN0J2PfAh2_QtFQrOIh277pRbGJZKpGq6E8_MuWeoUrIOjavDVglZDfOHVAw0rRs0yoWT_6sovU4m-I30ExCnIgD2VTiUTk9TvQWi1clAe6IH6Eg21AtDa/s1760/Democrat%20Rally.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="1760" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQCk8SEUepw68ETjmAvPnu-WN0Bz2J6mBwKAEkP1UWiLZ5sig4YGAXEb6DQrI2lR1DtTKN0J2PfAh2_QtFQrOIh277pRbGJZKpGq6E8_MuWeoUrIOjavDVglZDfOHVAw0rRs0yoWT_6sovU4m-I30ExCnIgD2VTiUTk9TvQWi1clAe6IH6Eg21AtDa/w640-h384/Democrat%20Rally.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It am so proud to support Raphael Warnock and Stacey Abrams. These people genuinely work hard to help all of us. These leaders reflect the spirit and diversity of our state. They are positive, hard working, and REAL.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I was inspired by President Obama saying not to despair and hide our heads in the sand, but to go out and vote and work and raise our voices to be heard above all the negative noise. We <i>are</i> more the same than different. Change takes time and we have to keep at it doggedly. I remember Michelle Obama writing about how Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison opposing apartheid--Talk about keeping the faith! Change is slow. And sometimes it is painful and we move backwards. But anything worth doing is often very difficult.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have been canvassing a lot, trying to reach people who might not know that they should go out now and cast their vote. It has been inspiring to talk to the many immigrants in my part of town. A man from Sudan talked with me a minute about the lost boys. Another woman told me I could take some of her cactus blooms if I wanted. She said I could make a kind of tea with them. Some Vietnamese women were drying plants on a cloth on their front lawn, something to make into a soup. Other people told me they could not vote, that I had their landlord's information, that they were not citizens, though they wished to be one day. It was uplifting for me to talk with these people and see the faith and hope they have for this country.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiKOAsjmDopFW6XsIXbl04NNbHui_4G_ER0_zXKlyt4fyfpboLyMZ-rYeKLQRAiOvNreM8uTu9StHa5I_bly_kJGOtco8DSSRVFg5GSDmqqek_lwfPTzwVcIWRjAROjhTCY5wnQ1Y93y4UUmiBnLe4faVVNWFqScBfHsbz3wamOhTOtq7uYq3zGgc/s3024/IMG_6100.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifiKOAsjmDopFW6XsIXbl04NNbHui_4G_ER0_zXKlyt4fyfpboLyMZ-rYeKLQRAiOvNreM8uTu9StHa5I_bly_kJGOtco8DSSRVFg5GSDmqqek_lwfPTzwVcIWRjAROjhTCY5wnQ1Y93y4UUmiBnLe4faVVNWFqScBfHsbz3wamOhTOtq7uYq3zGgc/w640-h640/IMG_6100.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Meanwhile, fall is here in full. The colors around me are all yellows and shades of orange and red. Yesterday I planted bulbs. Those bulbs are now deep under the ground. Little by little, their tips will peek up out of the earth and the buds will emerge and then the flowers will show themselves. Little by little.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-28351225430460223362022-10-23T14:16:00.002-07:002022-10-23T14:16:33.299-07:00Jazz<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEmnIvEfhYCzEfeWjohxsCmZEaAinGO6_xQs0igAqblRlp-_V6r2V6S1KYN0tgyZzcdJkeQafijNXcdbqzxboKZ6z9Y6FljwwXVpVxR3f_owvHbz7d-WtYtzhcl9dM20q09anGznvwawryrKYS2hMFnsDpxWCz841-Aqrm7ud_p-JL75QLRUSfF7t/s3024/IMG_6071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguEmnIvEfhYCzEfeWjohxsCmZEaAinGO6_xQs0igAqblRlp-_V6r2V6S1KYN0tgyZzcdJkeQafijNXcdbqzxboKZ6z9Y6FljwwXVpVxR3f_owvHbz7d-WtYtzhcl9dM20q09anGznvwawryrKYS2hMFnsDpxWCz841-Aqrm7ud_p-JL75QLRUSfF7t/w640-h640/IMG_6071.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">One summer, when I was in college, my boyfriend gave me one of those homemade cassette tapes we used to make with Dave Brubeck on one side and Thelonious Monk on the other. I listened to that tape over and over and over and over again as I illustrated and painted costume designs. I also listened to Herbie Mann, Live at the Village Gate that summer. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Shortly after college, we took a rainy drive to Florida in a humongous Lincoln continental. We drove it from Atlanta to for a company called Auto Drive Away. We wanted to a big car to haul our bicycles in because we planned to cycle back to Americus, Georgia. On that drive, we listened to an interview with Joe Pass. In that Pensacola restaurant, we sat and watched the rain on the window and talked and thought about Joe Pass. When we got back home, we bought our first of many Joe Pass records.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In those years, our house didn't have air conditioning, so in the summer, we'd sit out on the cool cement front stoop at night and listen to jazz on the radio coming through the window screens in of the living room. We'd listen to H. Johnson on 90.1 on Saturday night, a show called "Jazz Classics." We'd listen late into the night--all the way up until 2 A.M. sometimes. He'd always play some version or two of "Around Midnight" around midnight.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Back then, we'd mostly drive around on Saturday night. We'd pass the Majestic Diner all lit up, "Food That Pleases, Food to Take Home," and the flashing sign for "Hot Donuts Now" further down on Ponce at the Krispy Kreme. We'd drive over to go hang out at Oxford Books on Peachtree and browse art and photo books and everything in between, listening to classical music with the smell of coffee we could not afford. We'd drive downtown to art openings in the mattress factory, or go to some party in Cabbage Town or Inman Park, the lit up Marta train clattering above us on Dekalb Avenue. H. Johnson accompanied us during all this driving. H. and John Coltrane, and Oscar Peterson, and Stephane Grappelli, and so many others--that guy always singing about "Yaprak! Harissi!" and Coleman Hawkins and that long, long blow on the sax.</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uoZUgByxFXf5QWj6VK_qasWvTGd1KIYOTWHj_YuwgNtXJz5opF_WLquAqXNWPzufYjdCSXjNpONJp5Q362lbSJ7lNu-wG7RFmLpTK3CasqgAEuDQXkHGgSF3d3WowKRU6NXO7b0U5h007sVA4VVOQg-IBVVW8Qyb36BM-PPN78AM52nPvJwcZyAJ/s3264/IMG_1513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2448" data-original-width="3264" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7uoZUgByxFXf5QWj6VK_qasWvTGd1KIYOTWHj_YuwgNtXJz5opF_WLquAqXNWPzufYjdCSXjNpONJp5Q362lbSJ7lNu-wG7RFmLpTK3CasqgAEuDQXkHGgSF3d3WowKRU6NXO7b0U5h007sVA4VVOQg-IBVVW8Qyb36BM-PPN78AM52nPvJwcZyAJ/w640-h480/IMG_1513.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I got to thinking about all of this because I heard H. Johnson last night, grooving and singing and sharing his enthusiasm for all things classic jazz. I was driving along in the dark about eleven o'clock, not in the city this time, but it didn't matter. The music, the show, his voice, brought it all back. H. Johnson on Saturday night IS the ATL for me. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Qw_53MwBsm0LTCfbx0j5Q4ylMQD5QMT9JzJfTzThxDJLDgyrvZV--XjTgtsu-GehCj44zJqs6MW8PQUi0HRLBNt5ItHDoH3WAgS8q10uVaDTm6q_MckSPVemOaUUvQQOa354XSMVx6Y9myHEdN-4RVKkTuBUJ1jaaySbdzmB4KRP4_Qll7n_-C9h/s4896/DSC00311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Qw_53MwBsm0LTCfbx0j5Q4ylMQD5QMT9JzJfTzThxDJLDgyrvZV--XjTgtsu-GehCj44zJqs6MW8PQUi0HRLBNt5ItHDoH3WAgS8q10uVaDTm6q_MckSPVemOaUUvQQOa354XSMVx6Y9myHEdN-4RVKkTuBUJ1jaaySbdzmB4KRP4_Qll7n_-C9h/w640-h480/DSC00311.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-4079985698879145362022-09-25T14:22:00.005-07:002022-09-25T14:22:54.294-07:00About Books<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RqBQyu1qG7eksvNALKSUJj41bKfdZLmL9yYRYx1ubunJSm3O5dzMc7kX4ys_ipgGr99ziudxSKXEMUrUMEdNjz6yiHSOG8j4eKr2ahfiynSpHsnxoHCTwNSqKsyZmLIlOggGaEobkcitSsieerPxiQnfHqcreTEiFz6H52_9hemSoB4WtoDcEA4F/s4032/IMG_6004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4RqBQyu1qG7eksvNALKSUJj41bKfdZLmL9yYRYx1ubunJSm3O5dzMc7kX4ys_ipgGr99ziudxSKXEMUrUMEdNjz6yiHSOG8j4eKr2ahfiynSpHsnxoHCTwNSqKsyZmLIlOggGaEobkcitSsieerPxiQnfHqcreTEiFz6H52_9hemSoB4WtoDcEA4F/w480-h640/IMG_6004.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I was a young teen, the money I earned mostly came from babysitting. I would save up that money to buy books. I wanted books more than anything else. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I got into B Dalton, or maybe it was Walden Books?, <i>anyway</i>, the bookstore at the mall--I would be so excited that I couldn't stand still. Literally, I would stand in front of the young adult section tipping from side to side about to wet my pants! I learned to go to the bathroom first, right away, as soon as I got in the store. Then, I could come back and browse to my heart's content. So many books! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This was circa 1975 and the young adult section was one bookcase. But to me, it was heaven. I had favorite authors I looked for right away--Kin Platt, Judy Blume, and Paul Zindel were at the top, and S.E. Hinton of course, and Robert Cormier. I followed the suggestions or comparisons in the back of the paperbacks I already had to find more authors I might like. This led me to books like <i>A Separate Peace </i>and <i>Lord of the Flies</i> and <i>The Catcher in the Rye--</i>old books I could (and did) get at the library.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I loved being immersed in the world of the story! I was able to go to places I had never been to--like New York City or California or a boarding school. And I could find out about drugs and pregnancy and domestic abuse without experiencing any of that in my real life. I could empathize with kids in difficult situations, and feel an easing of my own normal angst.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">In eighth grade I worked in the school library and me and the other library aide had this game where we would go around and name at least one book on every shelf that we had read. If we hadn't read any on a particular shelf, we would take it home and read it. We read <i>a lot</i>. She started reading these books her mom had, Barbara Cartland romances, and left our game behind. I tried these romances, but found they just were not for me. All dukes and counts and fancy dress and stolen hand holding was just not that appealing to me. I'd rather read things that seemed like they could actually happen.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As child, I was always free to leave the children's section and check out any book in the library. I was never restricted. At home, I read from the encyclopedia or from my mother's shelves or from the books my parents bought in sets more as decoration than as something to be read. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Books are powerful--so powerful that some people are afraid of them. !</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lynda Barry, a fabulous graphic artist who often draws and writes about teenagers characters, said to me, "If a kid made a book about their life, a lot of their parents wouldn't let them read it." Unfortunately, this is true.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTItDzonHp4lNmUrUrvWhSOr_xZvYCEYtG8yDo9VFT57LvBiY-xSvrBVr6Huuxw5ARKu8h7t_RFsva_XWH6wEVrwVWa297xNktX9JwqNgjmktje_32_zI4tMo-B6JaQtTUkruBQ24er5dlltoxNNwJhCt1ZzvdGsQZUrJYh20pQSn7X7f0yI17sddb/s4032/IMG_5995.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTItDzonHp4lNmUrUrvWhSOr_xZvYCEYtG8yDo9VFT57LvBiY-xSvrBVr6Huuxw5ARKu8h7t_RFsva_XWH6wEVrwVWa297xNktX9JwqNgjmktje_32_zI4tMo-B6JaQtTUkruBQ24er5dlltoxNNwJhCt1ZzvdGsQZUrJYh20pQSn7X7f0yI17sddb/w640-h480/IMG_5995.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View form my writing room</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I know, that as humans, we need stories. And this is why I write.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I read and write whatever I want. And I hope that you will too!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUKu52q39cZNBvrxNmUo9XSB6P6AtocmFYC8GhfZVt-Ts-hiizHUVddr0HzHdiT5YAOQKSs9BqYLZ_HjupBPt-j900K4RsfwvSznfgdUXb23iqDRoFZfUeknVD4231NqaHXM6cPazpFLebC4LtDo7LzSJVg6pZyA20byG41YPfmzEJ2nxcKszRh20/s4032/IMG_5997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeUKu52q39cZNBvrxNmUo9XSB6P6AtocmFYC8GhfZVt-Ts-hiizHUVddr0HzHdiT5YAOQKSs9BqYLZ_HjupBPt-j900K4RsfwvSznfgdUXb23iqDRoFZfUeknVD4231NqaHXM6cPazpFLebC4LtDo7LzSJVg6pZyA20byG41YPfmzEJ2nxcKszRh20/w240-h320/IMG_5997.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-62715284901185454532022-09-05T13:02:00.003-07:002022-09-05T13:02:34.114-07:00Serious Books, Serious Films and a Pullover<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Here is my progress on my <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lunenburg-pullover" target="_blank">Lunenburg Pullover</a>. As you see, I am nearing the end of the first sleeve. Hooray!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2q2_PoWdR-15ieJfPUGNz9edernibZyKeie9HHD8DBZY4xZI_NHLRNiGCmQel6S2018tKE8k2NuKBrA8H4N3SEamSTPm4KIaCZDD_9X4lp84lCOzsIUwvrezzjnAMl1ljD7V5gc_EzhO9a4aHVzWK0-iMi49OIOVC3y9UQcscz3rqT7ytnTWloEX/s4032/one%20sleeve%20sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2q2_PoWdR-15ieJfPUGNz9edernibZyKeie9HHD8DBZY4xZI_NHLRNiGCmQel6S2018tKE8k2NuKBrA8H4N3SEamSTPm4KIaCZDD_9X4lp84lCOzsIUwvrezzjnAMl1ljD7V5gc_EzhO9a4aHVzWK0-iMi49OIOVC3y9UQcscz3rqT7ytnTWloEX/w640-h480/one%20sleeve%20sweater.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, the sweater doesn't look it's best yet, because it's unblocked and has been going round and round and round while I do the sleeve. I'm disturbed about how much the increases at the bust line show, but I am hoping blocking evens that out. This picture does not show how great the purple/blue colors go together on the yoke, but when I finish, I'll post some better looks. This has been such a fun pattern!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Aside from occasional knitting, I have been reading a lot. These are the last few books I've read.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFV-t5Y3RpBFsgNQ522kEjBWp5jMf1l-QQAEa00RF4Ov1msd-DhC4iFnj_iuzZftibmxBoF2-GfcvzHGSpXZ3Exhn6UMyMHe94Lnj3iBxuPrshYitCJIFgIYFA6XMwmXVL_46hM2aQtvgFhbJ1oWEr3RBPGfchvC_yhaxj37Ewp-1qDkIct9uCzWNR/s4032/book%20stack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFV-t5Y3RpBFsgNQ522kEjBWp5jMf1l-QQAEa00RF4Ov1msd-DhC4iFnj_iuzZftibmxBoF2-GfcvzHGSpXZ3Exhn6UMyMHe94Lnj3iBxuPrshYitCJIFgIYFA6XMwmXVL_46hM2aQtvgFhbJ1oWEr3RBPGfchvC_yhaxj37Ewp-1qDkIct9uCzWNR/w640-h480/book%20stack.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Actually, I'm still reading the middle book because it is a collection of short pieces that need to be taken in and digested slowly. I am finding it inspiring and reassuring and am reading it with a pencil in hand because I'm underlining so many things!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> The other two books cover some pretty tough topics, but they are told in a way that is compelling without being crushing. I guess I've been in a mood for serious books. Next up I think I'm going to read a book called <i>Black Cake</i>. (Also serious.) Seems I just can't read fast enough these days. There are so many books I want to read!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I was in New York, My Italian friends gave me this DVD and book.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNSA0BsZ13vkdJ4pcbzvN0NJB6GtbwWCsEOjt2KIberZvW-oolaxGX2QrgT09AXXm7Ptz9Rs1MVxRuPK9H1-Zk9QCsTVNMl3DPvDZVEXj6QMde9DUSP7XzbPYR-p43qxqMNL1ExBBp-fHQVU6YAvTvju1xUYOBnLocM0X2POohAI7Qbwa3GBs_c7X/s4032/Fellini.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBNSA0BsZ13vkdJ4pcbzvN0NJB6GtbwWCsEOjt2KIberZvW-oolaxGX2QrgT09AXXm7Ptz9Rs1MVxRuPK9H1-Zk9QCsTVNMl3DPvDZVEXj6QMde9DUSP7XzbPYR-p43qxqMNL1ExBBp-fHQVU6YAvTvju1xUYOBnLocM0X2POohAI7Qbwa3GBs_c7X/w640-h480/Fellini.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p> <span style="font-size: medium;">What a fantastic gift, eh? So many Fellini films are among my very favorite of all times. I especially love <i>Nights of Cabiria</i>. So much to love in that film! The way Cabiria dances in her ankle socks and scabby rabbit fur coat and is awed by the elegant man who picks her up and takes her to his amazing rooms! So much whimsy in such a heartbreaking story. I could go on and on about so many scenes in Fellini movies--! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm looking forward to a big Fellini retrospective that is happening here this fall.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYDR09ea_u8_-UtW7o0ccYkFnkPSbj50Nd-yixBvQWyjgC8FY0CYkZDmI1Rtcj4ZFe-nx-CxjqIh3-D90xU3ffzO01WgwfzcumQ20yoaY9MplU6tM4mG1sYFgsgqUiWx39F5nPfn5dgz2vdWzkNPlSRzd1eOXtN6Daw-RiVdPTw6171epQSbppByj/s4032/Juliet%20M.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIYDR09ea_u8_-UtW7o0ccYkFnkPSbj50Nd-yixBvQWyjgC8FY0CYkZDmI1Rtcj4ZFe-nx-CxjqIh3-D90xU3ffzO01WgwfzcumQ20yoaY9MplU6tM4mG1sYFgsgqUiWx39F5nPfn5dgz2vdWzkNPlSRzd1eOXtN6Daw-RiVdPTw6171epQSbppByj/w300-h400/Juliet%20M.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giulietta Masina in Nights of Cabiria</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Things in the garden are finishing out their season, but the ginger lilies are blooming and hummingbirds are still busy buzzing around. Here and there I am seeing little frogs. This last one was about the size of my thumbnail!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKh6jtlcGWegDRKiQvy56mL3gOH81UjWeXwoOTRsYhVsiF9r66SoNtDwT9a0Msbq_O098DBta4fr5A4FRC9rkvPszbduHosAFNpEjoY2YMMRCwwd_rd3_lgZhY2GRAHHc9kC4JRpbrfK8I3GvmJsa1dG67KwI5ar4uR40RVHyngjkg_5_Y_xM179fP/s3024/frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKh6jtlcGWegDRKiQvy56mL3gOH81UjWeXwoOTRsYhVsiF9r66SoNtDwT9a0Msbq_O098DBta4fr5A4FRC9rkvPszbduHosAFNpEjoY2YMMRCwwd_rd3_lgZhY2GRAHHc9kC4JRpbrfK8I3GvmJsa1dG67KwI5ar4uR40RVHyngjkg_5_Y_xM179fP/w640-h640/frog.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtghEbA8a0Pvrh3k12DVWMZGOvV2lq_AVkazF6W3IBhWRv-JETKGrrJZAgnq1B90ToyNJj6gj3JInJN5iN-NKFd31WVIXwkek15cdlDWyaFGzMElUNcyYM_MDGXwlpFK1dQKgeglXCiwW6Wcy_fHySoWre9hOC4LR2e4tHyJqhttYQOJefeUdlw8qy/s4032/ginger%20lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtghEbA8a0Pvrh3k12DVWMZGOvV2lq_AVkazF6W3IBhWRv-JETKGrrJZAgnq1B90ToyNJj6gj3JInJN5iN-NKFd31WVIXwkek15cdlDWyaFGzMElUNcyYM_MDGXwlpFK1dQKgeglXCiwW6Wcy_fHySoWre9hOC4LR2e4tHyJqhttYQOJefeUdlw8qy/w480-h640/ginger%20lily.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ginger Lily smells so fresh!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope you have a lovely week. It is all routine here, which all in all is not a bad thing.</span></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-67904698361874418102022-08-21T11:19:00.003-07:002022-08-21T11:19:41.513-07:00Weekend in New York<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6zTrvNKgBgfhN68hlQjtSY0EoVM-mTelTQXMWOADrw_SpW_96t4zQyu89zQ8cpIMe6fNHaLNfqsgLhrgpTSSnai_RZqwAOBZwe2ds0kmXf6fjOZ54M2EBYfPWjQK41lxGSp19sUcA0C-17VqS4bpGrS6v3c5qA0N8uVYXlcdLxqiPSoM_hAwXk1P/s4032/Empire%20State.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif6zTrvNKgBgfhN68hlQjtSY0EoVM-mTelTQXMWOADrw_SpW_96t4zQyu89zQ8cpIMe6fNHaLNfqsgLhrgpTSSnai_RZqwAOBZwe2ds0kmXf6fjOZ54M2EBYfPWjQK41lxGSp19sUcA0C-17VqS4bpGrS6v3c5qA0N8uVYXlcdLxqiPSoM_hAwXk1P/w480-h640/Empire%20State.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, last weekend we did a most unusual thing! We went to New York!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We were there for a wedding which was out in Long Island. We only had one short day to spend in Manhattan because we had to gather early Saturday for a rehearsal dinner. The wedding was Sunday and there was no time to travel to the city and back. So, what did we do with our part of a Saturday? We took the train in to Penn Station--the first major stop--and got out. The first thing we saw was the Empire State Building, so that is where we headed!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There were very few tourists there and we were able to take an elevator to the top. These pictures are from the 86th floor where there was no glass and we were out in the open air. We went all the way to the 102nd floor. Up there, I swear I could feel the building swaying slightly.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGluB3PBUKngl6ijsUyFqA3W1qj8WnrFiRo57-lNxoI71LkseGUBRWKpcQQ8mF6m6gzE32CzF25veJf1Nrilr723P7pH1hy78mjGHuBSEu0QPa5Ime4a2OzGCoBGs0Mpq0y-McbM1EAAODX6o9kafRMBK3fdzSqdwpRU1nHJgAbaGaKWLx75aTReW_/s4032/IMG_5901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGluB3PBUKngl6ijsUyFqA3W1qj8WnrFiRo57-lNxoI71LkseGUBRWKpcQQ8mF6m6gzE32CzF25veJf1Nrilr723P7pH1hy78mjGHuBSEu0QPa5Ime4a2OzGCoBGs0Mpq0y-McbM1EAAODX6o9kafRMBK3fdzSqdwpRU1nHJgAbaGaKWLx75aTReW_/w640-h480/IMG_5901.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGy_VIUJBpIsud5RG3b8TDmsBIpcTqwPJHo6jd7MsASqXCg7tlxZO6MpoueLtvzgXJlmAuVqlGfuRabxPEs_-tPNUViNgISMWrGKBGxWUe-6QaMuNf6Xghr81buNtNb6s-xzPvKIXCZVxV3CUTVirkXzZbTKVzl0tgu4c8bWz8ILGhP3G37CSDS9r/s4032/IMG_5902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCGy_VIUJBpIsud5RG3b8TDmsBIpcTqwPJHo6jd7MsASqXCg7tlxZO6MpoueLtvzgXJlmAuVqlGfuRabxPEs_-tPNUViNgISMWrGKBGxWUe-6QaMuNf6Xghr81buNtNb6s-xzPvKIXCZVxV3CUTVirkXzZbTKVzl0tgu4c8bWz8ILGhP3G37CSDS9r/w640-h480/IMG_5902.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can you see Central Park? The big green behind the skinny towers on the middle left.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6PbjgFex2mFj0O4I3u_AUP3WgBmnBHmEPTSuP2CBsPB3lbxANzr1vyREbGpp0gHjnXSOPO_gu9YhQ5GxNai55DYGaAITSCbwf4830POQX4YD0uweYxmLyvdRuij4YGTHZkhiLkMNADo1VxSmBnGFILxxZbID9MmYEmOqtizLYGVbq6tD7ivEp8uG/s4032/IMG_5904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz6PbjgFex2mFj0O4I3u_AUP3WgBmnBHmEPTSuP2CBsPB3lbxANzr1vyREbGpp0gHjnXSOPO_gu9YhQ5GxNai55DYGaAITSCbwf4830POQX4YD0uweYxmLyvdRuij4YGTHZkhiLkMNADo1VxSmBnGFILxxZbID9MmYEmOqtizLYGVbq6tD7ivEp8uG/w640-h480/IMG_5904.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's the Statue of Liberty sticking up on one of those islands to the right.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The day was clear and cool. Well, <i>we </i>thought it was cool--some guests from Alaska disagreed!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We wandered around a little and stopped for a light lunch in Bryant Park before passing through Times Square and heading back.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm23i6yMtFk3aJRJR0gC9F6apMifb1jtTnmKRiKdx2pGC5Vs0MdkmQS5-x5TuP4fBi6tuqfCdVNbsVQ6wPn-NaNd0OV2t6iARjCiYoUMORt8n_NCgDUZ2ILNkDoD9bhWaC7f9S6rT7B6FAV669w9zIZte_BWm8mrTsYrSq-7u7g0iJnLw4CVITgAIZ/s4032/bike%20parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm23i6yMtFk3aJRJR0gC9F6apMifb1jtTnmKRiKdx2pGC5Vs0MdkmQS5-x5TuP4fBi6tuqfCdVNbsVQ6wPn-NaNd0OV2t6iARjCiYoUMORt8n_NCgDUZ2ILNkDoD9bhWaC7f9S6rT7B6FAV669w9zIZte_BWm8mrTsYrSq-7u7g0iJnLw4CVITgAIZ/w640-h480/bike%20parade.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVxBNe9rtBLo-6NvIM-I_3dTUZgdmdR-kDQVSnaCcSS2Mct16jwpKG8j0Royw4-9vz0rzmPNCMcAq_hcoxaoMRbZVWGtfJiz8_rREDlUz3ZpeiAhpEScu20JtaLXNTi6COn8qDVXx4ziKO_zdWLfrmKzXL-mJ_cG7Hh4dECqL1wAJNhZrytWnBFhF/s4032/street%20view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVxBNe9rtBLo-6NvIM-I_3dTUZgdmdR-kDQVSnaCcSS2Mct16jwpKG8j0Royw4-9vz0rzmPNCMcAq_hcoxaoMRbZVWGtfJiz8_rREDlUz3ZpeiAhpEScu20JtaLXNTi6COn8qDVXx4ziKO_zdWLfrmKzXL-mJ_cG7Hh4dECqL1wAJNhZrytWnBFhF/w480-h640/street%20view.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcrP57-HpvB9kySRc-zfFs_3yYTUeFSrDP9139lK39rOO9WbElVVKbLlpXFNMKnoVUVofk8xd5kHzrdX3sr6EI70_z-v5t_H3koK0Y-VqtCRgGfbqp8QPCZgbNiQ7bBFriAqpEMvTEHAaKRkUXAueso23OETzVIOUF4uT6-k_w1hDEfrwKXBa0PyN/s4032/Bryant%20Park.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcrP57-HpvB9kySRc-zfFs_3yYTUeFSrDP9139lK39rOO9WbElVVKbLlpXFNMKnoVUVofk8xd5kHzrdX3sr6EI70_z-v5t_H3koK0Y-VqtCRgGfbqp8QPCZgbNiQ7bBFriAqpEMvTEHAaKRkUXAueso23OETzVIOUF4uT6-k_w1hDEfrwKXBa0PyN/w480-h640/Bryant%20Park.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bryant Park</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87zn9pSq5yUaEIjlkgtQ4t2BJBibzVk-M8QuEkxlNBVLPkJQGhn87aMSPT7XF1XkZ2XGacCs6mmlcdwhbTvQBpL4hvjTnEUqmLmRoTnhnpW9LuZ_TfeU3WYYNYR3GLxtqx_l2-FQ3uT3cV0HDxHM0R3NTpv8Z4ylbujkEeEJC59n56lSJd8Zx-8NR/s3088/IMG_5911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh87zn9pSq5yUaEIjlkgtQ4t2BJBibzVk-M8QuEkxlNBVLPkJQGhn87aMSPT7XF1XkZ2XGacCs6mmlcdwhbTvQBpL4hvjTnEUqmLmRoTnhnpW9LuZ_TfeU3WYYNYR3GLxtqx_l2-FQ3uT3cV0HDxHM0R3NTpv8Z4ylbujkEeEJC59n56lSJd8Zx-8NR/w480-h640/IMG_5911.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHxETX2L7v25v3fC3rmeccnkawZyLGskZTpS6TP8MklTBHaEXVqg6NKL5dWfWUqsxPUxoc04dXkGXeAkl6nWpDURWhzPMlp2lmbhmcb4XQHiqJqIiBmO2CQvSGmtuMZqwzS8i_VynUnArCrnL_WHC3ssjitiuFRIexDbhZwuXCExsIulLmsDe9NTl/s4032/times%20square.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioHxETX2L7v25v3fC3rmeccnkawZyLGskZTpS6TP8MklTBHaEXVqg6NKL5dWfWUqsxPUxoc04dXkGXeAkl6nWpDURWhzPMlp2lmbhmcb4XQHiqJqIiBmO2CQvSGmtuMZqwzS8i_VynUnArCrnL_WHC3ssjitiuFRIexDbhZwuXCExsIulLmsDe9NTl/w480-h640/times%20square.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjgv1z8XWODi-gE5Gt2idayLZS-Tt0_sA3B-0yL8IzoopFlefqmIUiLtEWDrLDkEFQ9XjHPDbm-1DhWMZshjL-sGFD3zJMD3VxhQbZl1DWWuewIqzMUAlVUcAAODUDcvIYcrsqef0-3vwRHrtTE6bn2JF1ps2jv7erANJMVwXgBf4WV2J4vQ16N_y/s4032/train.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCjgv1z8XWODi-gE5Gt2idayLZS-Tt0_sA3B-0yL8IzoopFlefqmIUiLtEWDrLDkEFQ9XjHPDbm-1DhWMZshjL-sGFD3zJMD3VxhQbZl1DWWuewIqzMUAlVUcAAODUDcvIYcrsqef0-3vwRHrtTE6bn2JF1ps2jv7erANJMVwXgBf4WV2J4vQ16N_y/w640-h480/train.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The wedding was a HUGE event. This is a wedding that was cancelled because of Covid. I feel like maybe because there was so much planning time, the details in this wedding snowballed and there was just a little too much going on. I was happy to just be a guest!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though New York is a long way to go for a weekend, I felt I really needed to go because the parents of the young man getting married are some of my dearest and most generous Italian friends from the time I lived in Italy. I remember when the groom was born! I remember his first birthday party! And I remember when he came to the hospital to see my little son when he was born. He kept pushing the call button for the nurse.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> At the wedding, I realized that he is the age of his parents when we met! I can't believe it. Time turns and here we are.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy5Aj-3Ld9haAQWGMMQaxT-aUboPnyeS6HsOfsHh_qQCICumW3Jm8hSyXfS4ZlOKLvUTGYsrWeb-8o5Jvk543yRlZLJ7H14kQlRkJYXUIIOH6Jg3g1xl0b8c1BajudBzINFjEO-vW2Gklzeqo4adDVwkiNmjGc66f7Fi1MnmkiCKSyRCnz9_p1yQ8/s4032/wedding.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAy5Aj-3Ld9haAQWGMMQaxT-aUboPnyeS6HsOfsHh_qQCICumW3Jm8hSyXfS4ZlOKLvUTGYsrWeb-8o5Jvk543yRlZLJ7H14kQlRkJYXUIIOH6Jg3g1xl0b8c1BajudBzINFjEO-vW2Gklzeqo4adDVwkiNmjGc66f7Fi1MnmkiCKSyRCnz9_p1yQ8/w480-h640/wedding.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Although the groom was born Catholic, he converted to Judaism. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYh_yx1_GvXPxU3U4FybfcOFSOeWwdFKxDebxMyosnDbdmWi_4Ij0snaj_GHZ_mmb0cAdB20acS7FgzKEAh-N4AbqRibpG1XiDbX1RIL2kt03bxt7tk5jzeajk5AufdWQCakzipgQJsw2VsVrriCbBZ-ChA48m3jo7rICRi-mADmOpdpqt6jtq_vfU/s1334/high%20in%20chairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYh_yx1_GvXPxU3U4FybfcOFSOeWwdFKxDebxMyosnDbdmWi_4Ij0snaj_GHZ_mmb0cAdB20acS7FgzKEAh-N4AbqRibpG1XiDbX1RIL2kt03bxt7tk5jzeajk5AufdWQCakzipgQJsw2VsVrriCbBZ-ChA48m3jo7rICRi-mADmOpdpqt6jtq_vfU/w360-h640/high%20in%20chairs.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdNcwRP4MlwoHxN4DqBVb7iYwukLlLLDKfLICpIPc7wjqkRgBabP2COXH9AZQ5qzgUJPrHrIw5ACWyJxLMDDs9MAu7ghZn3dC2d1MXmmVCq89DQE3W-KBJwhgsJfbJ5CRbBt7EDYK9-xkWmm-mxbifvDohysVtj7fPhII7OHEXc7JvMj-4JH8Hwn8/s4032/speaking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihdNcwRP4MlwoHxN4DqBVb7iYwukLlLLDKfLICpIPc7wjqkRgBabP2COXH9AZQ5qzgUJPrHrIw5ACWyJxLMDDs9MAu7ghZn3dC2d1MXmmVCq89DQE3W-KBJwhgsJfbJ5CRbBt7EDYK9-xkWmm-mxbifvDohysVtj7fPhII7OHEXc7JvMj-4JH8Hwn8/w640-h480/speaking.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mother gives a speech in Italian and the father translates into English.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Italian friends and their children were at the wedding. These are people I haven't seen in probably 20 years! It was remarkable to see the children all grown up and find that they had memories of me being places and doing things that I had forgotten. My Italian was shamefully rusty, but it was wonderful to be able see and talk with these people again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">When I was a little girl, my mother went to New York and brought me back this book.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYbroBvRa-K5zRQV4uHQd7VOIS7y5PR6V5PVtjzMc94AO4IrdCqL8ziqTSnwrzrPRywm0h_127o4d6cMviwKJWm0VtO_8p6QqBdGbgu5b7l440BW2XYx8Eriav-xIeo4yQxEBK5QLI5Mb4n2Vjv-pweJEfzwdaWD0iI3PRnTl6oqzCudGD5eioCq9/s4032/IMG_5965%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOYbroBvRa-K5zRQV4uHQd7VOIS7y5PR6V5PVtjzMc94AO4IrdCqL8ziqTSnwrzrPRywm0h_127o4d6cMviwKJWm0VtO_8p6QqBdGbgu5b7l440BW2XYx8Eriav-xIeo4yQxEBK5QLI5Mb4n2Vjv-pweJEfzwdaWD0iI3PRnTl6oqzCudGD5eioCq9/w480-h640/IMG_5965%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><span style="font-size: large;"><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>It's funny that it took me practically my whole life to get to New York! I have been all over the world, but this was my first time in New York. It was truly a "whirlwind" trip! And we had such a great time.</span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMcp6YBiL78A6QHmfEBOt8_9TgFSh_JQ0GPGQ7e02RAlNnyX9rSXydRfu0SEhyRCAW0lKTnPJMJFALKfVu4DwYW3QZ2oySMiC13hOi4myqRinIdt6JoJEQHCoAu34PzXvkQxzI11MtoOotwCrwOGezWaHza-2Un5VTXG4maAAb0VIEzQV5c4Qb2zU/s3088/dressed%20up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEMcp6YBiL78A6QHmfEBOt8_9TgFSh_JQ0GPGQ7e02RAlNnyX9rSXydRfu0SEhyRCAW0lKTnPJMJFALKfVu4DwYW3QZ2oySMiC13hOi4myqRinIdt6JoJEQHCoAu34PzXvkQxzI11MtoOotwCrwOGezWaHza-2Un5VTXG4maAAb0VIEzQV5c4Qb2zU/w480-h640/dressed%20up.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwczhhbZlSKa95iJZpUUDXJLETZrigp5-P9e_YfBBEKtp-d2TG3CELQZ0gIM8bqyi2noC8MQ7QQO9eAvDal5jCQNKpOvV8aHqKXEHpCkuxq9p86ztBSm15XEEiZkKO7i4xsOohu55OqEdNZlA7Rf20mGRtUnDdxQMMIs3n8sEHwXmPgp0qFMrN7Zx/s4032/IMG_5966.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQwczhhbZlSKa95iJZpUUDXJLETZrigp5-P9e_YfBBEKtp-d2TG3CELQZ0gIM8bqyi2noC8MQ7QQO9eAvDal5jCQNKpOvV8aHqKXEHpCkuxq9p86ztBSm15XEEiZkKO7i4xsOohu55OqEdNZlA7Rf20mGRtUnDdxQMMIs3n8sEHwXmPgp0qFMrN7Zx/w480-h640/IMG_5966.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-9186089520964120302022-08-07T14:10:00.000-07:002022-08-07T14:10:30.418-07:00Lost<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zYfB_sqxBs01cEIdxLHjQawP5a66F5mLySf8L2I_DYBOglRsj5V2nw9h1MdAnBGoAssyjxtYrj1-wDaKUyzDNmPPYnf-SFJ47FLfZBXTd_Hl5leaZeG-MNkZ_vJD4MSB7EE1w45znlq1WGu1-KftsKIsavMHT2eF9E4E7rB0TebqmwnLCbErulcz/s4032/IMG_5886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3zYfB_sqxBs01cEIdxLHjQawP5a66F5mLySf8L2I_DYBOglRsj5V2nw9h1MdAnBGoAssyjxtYrj1-wDaKUyzDNmPPYnf-SFJ47FLfZBXTd_Hl5leaZeG-MNkZ_vJD4MSB7EE1w45znlq1WGu1-KftsKIsavMHT2eF9E4E7rB0TebqmwnLCbErulcz/s320/IMG_5886.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My brother has been lost for a long time. I took this picture the last time I saw him, over 25 years ago. He called me on the phone once around that time, and once maybe 10 years ago he chatted with me on messenger for about twenty minutes. We chatted about going to the drive-in when we were kids.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But then he disappeared again.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">That was his way. He preferred to remain remote. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Last week we got news that he had taken his own life. He was alone in a pay by the week motel. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, he is really lost.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I remember when we were younger, we went to a local amusement park together, just me and him. It was a night in late summer/early fall, and not many people were there. We were thrilled because there weren't any lines for the rides. So we rode the roller coaster and got off and ran around to the entrance and rode again and again. We went on all the rides as many times as we wanted! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One ride was a type of ferris wheel, but you rode inside a cage that had a sort of steering wheel in the center. If you got that steering wheel going fast enough, it turned the cage <i>upside down </i>and you would not only be making the big ferris wheel circle, but you would be flipping around in your own personal circles. It was incredibly thrilling! We were bold and got our little room hurling us around and around and around. That night, when we went home, we lay on the bed and looked at the ceiling and laughed and moaned because our brains thought we were still spinning.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">A lot of times I think he and I were not very good companions. I was the oldest and could be cruel in the petty way of annoying older siblings. But, more often perhaps, we weren't dueling. We were side by side as a matter of course; part of the neighborhood kids playing kickball in the street, part of school kids trying to win free popcorn, or part of the church kids toilet papering someone's front yard (oh! we did a wicked one of those once). We had little inside jokes from these shared experiences, and small understandings. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But when we got older, to high school I guess, the space between us widened. The way space opens up between you and your parents at that age. You start to move into the next phase of your life, and, at least with me, I didn't look at what I was leaving behind.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">And so, I lost him. He always knew where to find me--where to find any of us--but he was going forward in his own way. Only, he got tumbled around, like being in that ferris wheel cage, and lost his bearings.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It has been a dark and mournful week, and particularly heartbreaking for my parents.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, I hiked up a mountain on a cloudy, humid morning. As people moved ahead, they disappeared into the mist. I knew they were there, but I little by little they vanished. Of course, this made me think of my brother, who has not been far from my mind all week--and also of my late first husband. I imagined their souls disappearing from view ahead of me on the course. Perhaps their souls are just over there, out of view from where I am traveling now.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I don't know if I believe that, but I would like to. And maybe our little dog is following along with his white little flag of a tail.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h9eeto8g0j8Lc7Rmk5a4G9E92hsk6YdUkRhF4ycJd8STISvuZjW6KPDRYaC05WyF97BEHG-365eefIiDPtxEU60Lv0ICjLfZa3XzOtPmCWQtOilircYmCgTrGNrD7m_muZeRR_xaXStoetk0_UjmSn7Tacz5MMj7CzElcabIeJJSb_Y0VMlndTy-/s4032/IMG_5877.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7h9eeto8g0j8Lc7Rmk5a4G9E92hsk6YdUkRhF4ycJd8STISvuZjW6KPDRYaC05WyF97BEHG-365eefIiDPtxEU60Lv0ICjLfZa3XzOtPmCWQtOilircYmCgTrGNrD7m_muZeRR_xaXStoetk0_UjmSn7Tacz5MMj7CzElcabIeJJSb_Y0VMlndTy-/w480-h640/IMG_5877.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-36770307851888564232022-07-25T15:30:00.004-07:002022-07-25T15:30:55.237-07:00Cars and Gardens<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Aren't old cars interesting? Cars of our modern era just don't have much pizzazz, if you ask me.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfqBNbPUFD3VWjwrUlnqVcA86XYHPIJjr34RbyPsM8-cyq5LjU9OkyoBZRODzi0tU0K_xgHOZVBnXtmC3E45fJlLclyk-lXnlK9il3F6JF1v8VMawe38CyK3JoZrouI3NWyDM1m63RMIJME173UbOgujAa1WPRbsfRzhhozmDSb4PkVH2Ylofgga5/s4032/hood%20ornament.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtfqBNbPUFD3VWjwrUlnqVcA86XYHPIJjr34RbyPsM8-cyq5LjU9OkyoBZRODzi0tU0K_xgHOZVBnXtmC3E45fJlLclyk-lXnlK9il3F6JF1v8VMawe38CyK3JoZrouI3NWyDM1m63RMIJME173UbOgujAa1WPRbsfRzhhozmDSb4PkVH2Ylofgga5/w640-h480/hood%20ornament.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">massive flying hood ornament in front of the museum</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We went to a car museum and saw so many beautiful cars! When I see those very early models where the tires are just barely one step above bicycle tires, I have to believe they had a lot of flats. Except, I guess they weren't really going that fast, were they? I really love the cars of the 1930's and 40's with those wide running boards. I imagine Humphrey Bogart driving those, or maybe a driver if the car is a Rolls Royce, and some lovely lady in a gown getting out under the lights of a dinner club in Manhattan. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The museum had quite a lot of race cars, if you are into that sort of thing--I am not. But it had many other kinds of cars as well. I only took pictures of some of my favorites. It was hard not to go around taking pictures of every single car though!</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzolImQIUYlpdjAD6zELsj1-deyrkksYGa6yrE4zOE_8g4mxFupaocza-aDSsL1vR1W1MpYo3B64zR_owX2rEV6maK-jdNSnzCrscMq9TIrzVHl9P6Dby3bpDDyZgg4xlzADYQ-G9bgdO0rCCdDACIe_WPDv1Acn3cn1HF2bsAvw9TNTeItEiuydqB/s4032/Kaiser%20Dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzolImQIUYlpdjAD6zELsj1-deyrkksYGa6yrE4zOE_8g4mxFupaocza-aDSsL1vR1W1MpYo3B64zR_owX2rEV6maK-jdNSnzCrscMq9TIrzVHl9P6Dby3bpDDyZgg4xlzADYQ-G9bgdO0rCCdDACIe_WPDv1Acn3cn1HF2bsAvw9TNTeItEiuydqB/w640-h480/Kaiser%20Dragon.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1953 Kaiser Dragon--very cool bamboo top and interior!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFvu1ZkBb1PBZ2ugUjQyDqPyWnc4Pl_RdMQF6LIw15V2L1vdaz1knyjx6h589AlrR3e9sQyaXkqTp0tG4xBXrgSys6XPJaL2gFvz7cqDEe0RZQhzj5_birnxTw96KkxWTgzncAyjfj5lPu2yFTPcF9LzJgKyjTufi-9W0sF8M7qWvkew0kBLAxvXf/s4032/off%20to%20the%20woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDFvu1ZkBb1PBZ2ugUjQyDqPyWnc4Pl_RdMQF6LIw15V2L1vdaz1knyjx6h589AlrR3e9sQyaXkqTp0tG4xBXrgSys6XPJaL2gFvz7cqDEe0RZQhzj5_birnxTw96KkxWTgzncAyjfj5lPu2yFTPcF9LzJgKyjTufi-9W0sF8M7qWvkew0kBLAxvXf/w640-h480/off%20to%20the%20woods.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like an old Go to Yellowstone Vehicle: "Hey kids! That picnic is for us, not the bears!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKPn-rtMv7CmIgwajZu8WMm8te15pnaTHGqf-LBLMZYApwiiYkKs1kgcuQcoE9RTO2n8yd-0nprZdPiAVtr0KiVprJ89gFI9BJiewVpbRkqdplIqpy5YsiMwhTT6t-8Vka4Un7sjyNsa8U48YnN478oxVslQSASJ6VrPRjVPHqbIqeACnej-zFHzy/s4032/scarab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAKPn-rtMv7CmIgwajZu8WMm8te15pnaTHGqf-LBLMZYApwiiYkKs1kgcuQcoE9RTO2n8yd-0nprZdPiAVtr0KiVprJ89gFI9BJiewVpbRkqdplIqpy5YsiMwhTT6t-8Vka4Un7sjyNsa8U48YnN478oxVslQSASJ6VrPRjVPHqbIqeACnej-zFHzy/w640-h480/scarab.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Scarab. It had a moveable table and chairs in the back! So much cooler than what the museum called "the first minivan."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We also went to the botanical garden one evening. The garden has an amazing collection of orchids, but the orchid house was just way to humid to enjoy. We'll have to go back in the fall--some cold day! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1pRRgJRtVy2SLaeakboyh-7FKGcNHaZ4Qeb8E7DGa74NXfkFhEvQMpY3GXqgOSrYpbYHMinLgFB3CU_3_wWYTkU73DS_HvLC61hsPFMmaYIGz8I6Gk8p9d3oG-njJ5f55ER5GQ5FiFXmA1piMdjHaQOvUa9Cnp85JnsFrz-dPmPWzFB7-tK8bkSL/s4032/orchid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv1pRRgJRtVy2SLaeakboyh-7FKGcNHaZ4Qeb8E7DGa74NXfkFhEvQMpY3GXqgOSrYpbYHMinLgFB3CU_3_wWYTkU73DS_HvLC61hsPFMmaYIGz8I6Gk8p9d3oG-njJ5f55ER5GQ5FiFXmA1piMdjHaQOvUa9Cnp85JnsFrz-dPmPWzFB7-tK8bkSL/w480-h640/orchid.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnhl_9vVNzE4nE0N2ctDGz_S2haimFjhQ2CcwkMUquuOr69d5o_JtRPgFEztiJwFeMS_NYYY86PAzoNwRvmUDIxBh_B5pSxfE_d-KyHcxEEztOckHcn79tFXTLYqRJ-ADXnlAY_ztH2co_6fo0Uautr7Kw5fMiVUmg2axDPvuUlUHoHPSwAZlj77K/s4032/view%20of%20downtown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnhl_9vVNzE4nE0N2ctDGz_S2haimFjhQ2CcwkMUquuOr69d5o_JtRPgFEztiJwFeMS_NYYY86PAzoNwRvmUDIxBh_B5pSxfE_d-KyHcxEEztOckHcn79tFXTLYqRJ-ADXnlAY_ztH2co_6fo0Uautr7Kw5fMiVUmg2axDPvuUlUHoHPSwAZlj77K/w640-h480/view%20of%20downtown.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">We really enjoyed the vegetable garden (of course) and took notes about what we can grow here that isn't in our garden now, but <i>could </i>be. Well--mental notes.</span></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Look at all these kiwis! I don't think I've ever seen kiwis growing before, although I have seen their vines.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfxrvuRITxkyG6y2OaxtHS24-vf7pFdG0JbIV93bPQsfJXorT3o4dtkF1WeRR6mY_ORhFeL9wrxJ_jwlrir9CQVuLJFRCld8TKEAgukUXuxJsw3dlz3HXYoIaDZX9193IBixkXoVlAkiXjin3NeIK6MyLOoeEIy3udAg274UGMynWi3rFrHDnKAOn/s4032/kiwi%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSfxrvuRITxkyG6y2OaxtHS24-vf7pFdG0JbIV93bPQsfJXorT3o4dtkF1WeRR6mY_ORhFeL9wrxJ_jwlrir9CQVuLJFRCld8TKEAgukUXuxJsw3dlz3HXYoIaDZX9193IBixkXoVlAkiXjin3NeIK6MyLOoeEIy3udAg274UGMynWi3rFrHDnKAOn/w480-h640/kiwi%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I loved this arbor of bitter melon. I like bitter melon, but probably not enough to try to grow it. I've eaten it in a Chinese dish. I don't think I know how to cook it. Wouldn't it be cool to grow a squash arbor though?</span></div><div><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Io41pq_dIr28ByBhHjXVdOt1AUS0I0PU6f0dBD5V76vtFwisKkoHrtVikr_SV6U3zSvTVPU7OeqfUEFnM5gzjyfbC9AtbSmOONk9WLhVqHhJvhjc42s2vYO3Q5zjzNqPUzQ6GmP-xNLn7inFX0DQ00DE3Vcz-1BskhH3r0hPHtBag3ejth_STMCF/s4032/melon%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_Io41pq_dIr28ByBhHjXVdOt1AUS0I0PU6f0dBD5V76vtFwisKkoHrtVikr_SV6U3zSvTVPU7OeqfUEFnM5gzjyfbC9AtbSmOONk9WLhVqHhJvhjc42s2vYO3Q5zjzNqPUzQ6GmP-xNLn7inFX0DQ00DE3Vcz-1BskhH3r0hPHtBag3ejth_STMCF/w480-h640/melon%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF-KxaLj_SxCVJMo3O00nyd-ODR2YpA0vgov5IvBFXFPU-SeAA6n5Ja2Q0foc0btqdIM0-4Fm9XLGkJ7hPW7Cdau5_nm-gcp6qMPwSommoypJxaGfuE3YaOUMOW0TA3pwUtIcXPUefVclvvdoUZtcap61Mlwr93qwa2J6Gj3Gfmlz0ca4h24Eve1H/s4032/melon%20arbor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinF-KxaLj_SxCVJMo3O00nyd-ODR2YpA0vgov5IvBFXFPU-SeAA6n5Ja2Q0foc0btqdIM0-4Fm9XLGkJ7hPW7Cdau5_nm-gcp6qMPwSommoypJxaGfuE3YaOUMOW0TA3pwUtIcXPUefVclvvdoUZtcap61Mlwr93qwa2J6Gj3Gfmlz0ca4h24Eve1H/w480-h640/melon%20arbor.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These were lovely days out!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFOpxgtqI-E25a7HBV-eL4EbKJHc-3HadtCbQUkj-OhVtIT4XzJYxPHv_pvnAt0E_m_9S4BgcZB0ojR66ImzaJRfGyZvv0qVceRx2-KU6HrBKxMn3i1QGfiB_sv25y1wlQy6DIvTw4t8Tg-397agG2o0CYh2scSqdNg3iJPlSAe4uUXbMTMVlUydV/s4032/bird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFOpxgtqI-E25a7HBV-eL4EbKJHc-3HadtCbQUkj-OhVtIT4XzJYxPHv_pvnAt0E_m_9S4BgcZB0ojR66ImzaJRfGyZvv0qVceRx2-KU6HrBKxMn3i1QGfiB_sv25y1wlQy6DIvTw4t8Tg-397agG2o0CYh2scSqdNg3iJPlSAe4uUXbMTMVlUydV/w640-h480/bird.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Now, vacation is over and I am back to work. Some people complain, but I always feel very lucky to have a big stream of weeks off all at once. This year we traveled around more than last year--even if it was just to local places of interest. Maybe next year we'll get out to a further destination. Who knows?</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Have a great week! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30VsLMsHSD_-LrJBJdnm3pxVXMovAs11eoS_UTeiSyXyQ8WAZKq14ITi114O9eKKeUh6s21qrfKKqfaMiPFwHt3d0NzhARJeZ5EiL7K5i6Hp62GFGyuhyqFy7j1Co-_Eom3ii3LFFon3QyEODFpK4XcGL_efDhWcvhu0Ts5eVw5W7JNdrlqWWml1E/s4032/IMG_4465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj30VsLMsHSD_-LrJBJdnm3pxVXMovAs11eoS_UTeiSyXyQ8WAZKq14ITi114O9eKKeUh6s21qrfKKqfaMiPFwHt3d0NzhARJeZ5EiL7K5i6Hp62GFGyuhyqFy7j1Co-_Eom3ii3LFFon3QyEODFpK4XcGL_efDhWcvhu0Ts5eVw5W7JNdrlqWWml1E/w480-h640/IMG_4465.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-46428236751256899452022-07-10T16:52:00.000-07:002022-07-10T16:52:16.834-07:00Around the Museums<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">We took a few days out in the city.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUZiUO70uv5qp00k4yHInyvqcY92S-EO4fA5Sy2ztHr8fix8ErUQk3hAQXvnUSr1gVHNMlLTKVUTQbrS4t6NzhZslgxp8sXsoFDwLkNLZ-S4aHy3c7BJCWfDDyYYv6QDTtSVC_hmjNW7dy4ZaZbMKxWGqa1nOIMUdtCdyxvN8lo2wBHM1iG1r5PPp/s3580/high.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2759" data-original-width="3580" height="494" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUZiUO70uv5qp00k4yHInyvqcY92S-EO4fA5Sy2ztHr8fix8ErUQk3hAQXvnUSr1gVHNMlLTKVUTQbrS4t6NzhZslgxp8sXsoFDwLkNLZ-S4aHy3c7BJCWfDDyYYv6QDTtSVC_hmjNW7dy4ZaZbMKxWGqa1nOIMUdtCdyxvN8lo2wBHM1iG1r5PPp/w640-h494/high.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At the High Museum I enjoyed the works of Camille Pissarro. He is always a big favorite of mine, and I was happy to see his <i>Snowscape with Cows. </i>It's always a pleasure to fall into a snowy day painting in the middle of summer!!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhmXVqSzIOvWDBu5m-Pc3W-ZSH6GTn_i6Marw01dhUeqMsugU-4BzOfn-vkso0BefMcfe4M2aq9oqzwEWFkhggj4B-azZ8jbFb-utUDWGkA8M0UI_V1wdUp1aLNnDl2QcI3tzCy0O6m_-UsPSOL1sbzj1cxR2lPzjmiZD3k0as2OimDv9KMtiVMf6/s4032/Snowscape%20with%20Cows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlhmXVqSzIOvWDBu5m-Pc3W-ZSH6GTn_i6Marw01dhUeqMsugU-4BzOfn-vkso0BefMcfe4M2aq9oqzwEWFkhggj4B-azZ8jbFb-utUDWGkA8M0UI_V1wdUp1aLNnDl2QcI3tzCy0O6m_-UsPSOL1sbzj1cxR2lPzjmiZD3k0as2OimDv9KMtiVMf6/w640-h480/Snowscape%20with%20Cows.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Can't you just <i>hear </i>the crunch of this snow as the animals and people walk along? Can't you just smell the cold of this day? I first encountered Pissarro at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris when I was twenty something, and to say I was overwhelmed is an understatement!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here in town, I also enjoyed <i>Beach and Rocks </i>by Thomas Worthington Whittenredge<i> </i>which I guess speaks to my lonely soul (!) and to <i>Moonlit Market</i> which seems to me to be a very narrative painting--something Sherlock Holmes and Charles Dickens. Interesting that it is by John Mengels Culverhouse an American born in Holland. The buildings here appeared to me to be very Dutch. Imagine a time before electricity!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNEf3OtS07w_R-IRbwLxrdYMI4E-8Zw5zfpDu6y2-H2ZAVgif6fp8y4VZ-TkETQ2I9nW3vHmekuikdrzeBeBXojGRj5J0rpsp7HOVEO5jiipRYX3ZQlJkJTf1B3fwOkg8YhuGhNDSqNYX9pqAcXOrJvLcsPKvUgvxYqpaETmkYwrPNN_fA4OKvvme/s4032/Beach%20and%20Rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvNEf3OtS07w_R-IRbwLxrdYMI4E-8Zw5zfpDu6y2-H2ZAVgif6fp8y4VZ-TkETQ2I9nW3vHmekuikdrzeBeBXojGRj5J0rpsp7HOVEO5jiipRYX3ZQlJkJTf1B3fwOkg8YhuGhNDSqNYX9pqAcXOrJvLcsPKvUgvxYqpaETmkYwrPNN_fA4OKvvme/w640-h480/Beach%20and%20Rocks.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXImCcMP1wBPc9jIoQDNtCvmXiy3lIgXtvdvvmstBtkNWFZ_ZLedxio1O9SvbCvT3yg9kaRVcon7wtlHLkrpEtM85wf7LH394PjB3IUTxSjkIazPai6UbP6dvKronqYckNqIzX6Bf6Y8fL2btECCzUbY4IXYqqHJD1RZ9Nk0dLnDJbIG1i0WWB-yM/s4032/Moonlit%20Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXImCcMP1wBPc9jIoQDNtCvmXiy3lIgXtvdvvmstBtkNWFZ_ZLedxio1O9SvbCvT3yg9kaRVcon7wtlHLkrpEtM85wf7LH394PjB3IUTxSjkIazPai6UbP6dvKronqYckNqIzX6Bf6Y8fL2btECCzUbY4IXYqqHJD1RZ9Nk0dLnDJbIG1i0WWB-yM/w640-h480/Moonlit%20Market.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We enjoyed a light lunch out and went out again the next week to the puppetry museum. Here I learned that old Italian Pulcinello is the same character, sort of, as Punch. Punch was just easier to say in other parts of the world. I had no idea.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4i5cpyHVH1hSBYZQSWwiOANgbiUVJaUnaDcYbyNftR7FS4__VMDm2eTLSBreYYXw88E8zHJYbxt1MfPh18yM5Xiv4BZfno5-O1JWpjONyE5C9bJInT2zSvjMenUDJetbE1o6TKtYWxmksAmUJDtP-8hogtTdM_8GV2csG1IHG8s63HLoPRL_0_Gdz/s4032/punch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4i5cpyHVH1hSBYZQSWwiOANgbiUVJaUnaDcYbyNftR7FS4__VMDm2eTLSBreYYXw88E8zHJYbxt1MfPh18yM5Xiv4BZfno5-O1JWpjONyE5C9bJInT2zSvjMenUDJetbE1o6TKtYWxmksAmUJDtP-8hogtTdM_8GV2csG1IHG8s63HLoPRL_0_Gdz/w480-h640/punch.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I have always had a love for puppets, for making them and working them. Once, long ago, I was even in a children's television show and worked a puppet! In more recent years, I have tried to explain difficult stories to my high school students using puppets. It is so much better to have a puppet Reynard the Fox when I tell the story about him!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">One of the most fascinating things I saw at the museum was a video of a Vietnamese puppet show done in water! The puppeteers stand behind the stage in the water to work the puppets. It is really exciting to see a swimming snake attack a man on a boat, or even better, a dragon!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2DxBt75LzMGGGEECltog9BU2ePrssAYdWaN5pKaT55zjAeMRsxB6J5BMlPESLlxU6kHaJURFTdCNqOF4dZnTfEb8_0Z44N29lCUsaIVW-5moKyfFBuKbhJodS6XrkqfgRZG2G29GTEj6eP2iLxH-LjFMVmAAqdFdX_7agcnvEwn4NJcWX-SLinjJ/s4032/water%20puppet%20masters.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2DxBt75LzMGGGEECltog9BU2ePrssAYdWaN5pKaT55zjAeMRsxB6J5BMlPESLlxU6kHaJURFTdCNqOF4dZnTfEb8_0Z44N29lCUsaIVW-5moKyfFBuKbhJodS6XrkqfgRZG2G29GTEj6eP2iLxH-LjFMVmAAqdFdX_7agcnvEwn4NJcWX-SLinjJ/w640-h480/water%20puppet%20masters.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEaD0k-m8AbpOYX6vhmN6CuyFk5WNsC_pRgk40HlO7liq3zQh_emWgG-cIj9stdxduXnDfhXzUwoQxajzOzCEs_klbCBWAvGGrFg6S2kKvZAO3sh6h6nbRibkauY9Oe7JSUrHzWd8Nr-s6rtXqNNWtUAMrkwk9y79LSnyr0h-Xljm-K4iwDFOodkU/s4032/water%20puppets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicEaD0k-m8AbpOYX6vhmN6CuyFk5WNsC_pRgk40HlO7liq3zQh_emWgG-cIj9stdxduXnDfhXzUwoQxajzOzCEs_klbCBWAvGGrFg6S2kKvZAO3sh6h6nbRibkauY9Oe7JSUrHzWd8Nr-s6rtXqNNWtUAMrkwk9y79LSnyr0h-Xljm-K4iwDFOodkU/w640-h480/water%20puppets.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am hoping that we get out and around again this week. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, I am knitting. I frogged a pair of socks with a fleegle heel because I just did not like the fit. I may try--gasp!--two at a time knitted socks instead with an afterthought heel. I also finished the yoke on my Lunenburg pullover--I'll post that next time.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am also writing <i>a lot </i>while looking out this window at my lovely garden. Thank goodness we've had rain! The weeks are going by so quickly now! Happy summer!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZKgTx7O2m2fogAdo8HLzxhny18bUIntr-lZdtyxQvQKfCDF2FfbSdTFeaU5KHrZ1vrifyLm62LUs8AbJGcGNUGXGyFgovXLGWsNRC8AmthZz5W8H3UIPtbbzRslL_ubV5ZUVvK7CbcHQP9feX2Je9LziQ-TYE88jHM1sTG1h-JEsiYIjXvSAtSjF/s4032/evening%20out%20the%20window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9ZKgTx7O2m2fogAdo8HLzxhny18bUIntr-lZdtyxQvQKfCDF2FfbSdTFeaU5KHrZ1vrifyLm62LUs8AbJGcGNUGXGyFgovXLGWsNRC8AmthZz5W8H3UIPtbbzRslL_ubV5ZUVvK7CbcHQP9feX2Je9LziQ-TYE88jHM1sTG1h-JEsiYIjXvSAtSjF/w480-h640/evening%20out%20the%20window.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-88282161355578216662022-06-26T12:42:00.001-07:002022-06-26T12:42:30.231-07:00Not Feeling So Great<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">This picture of a little frog statue in my backyard kind of sums up how I feel at the moment.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1TF_Ja6sspCX6S69zL0t7tN-5qZYfxet1fqO0RXVyobJKR97azBM00axJDu2Oz3N423zBIR96wvN3vbo7_VSIgtZ4SZJXUm7gCsqzGOQdDGFR3SZZakejaI30JNpMRNkcOOtFv1Nih1fNEjjr5whdQi7O8ZEZBmGJ2QrDYGit6DI2tr91jll55Lq/s4896/hot%20frog.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4896" data-original-width="3672" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1TF_Ja6sspCX6S69zL0t7tN-5qZYfxet1fqO0RXVyobJKR97azBM00axJDu2Oz3N423zBIR96wvN3vbo7_VSIgtZ4SZJXUm7gCsqzGOQdDGFR3SZZakejaI30JNpMRNkcOOtFv1Nih1fNEjjr5whdQi7O8ZEZBmGJ2QrDYGit6DI2tr91jll55Lq/w480-h640/hot%20frog.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am not feeling very happy right now. I feel frustration and disquiet about recent political decisions in my country. I am concerned about all those marginalized by society whose rights are in jeopardy. I am not hopeless, but I am finding it hard to hope. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, it has been very, very hot and dry, and each day I water sections of the garden to keep things alive.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXS0vX5nXGEsr8Q1RciEvTD5X9_MejCZN2o4T8-fVguxAlWune3kv-dLtMsunO-qGYfFjZ99YzJ3PBY6Kn9QFEKrlUUTsFz9cfPFs5g_x_ZFSxewGmFwy4z0vfOERBGIwHxLjCQl_oNTS3vfKWGYz6iuOeiRH47gypHKQVxzwtR8SJUo5e6a63WOq/s4032/hot%20garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWXS0vX5nXGEsr8Q1RciEvTD5X9_MejCZN2o4T8-fVguxAlWune3kv-dLtMsunO-qGYfFjZ99YzJ3PBY6Kn9QFEKrlUUTsFz9cfPFs5g_x_ZFSxewGmFwy4z0vfOERBGIwHxLjCQl_oNTS3vfKWGYz6iuOeiRH47gypHKQVxzwtR8SJUo5e6a63WOq/w640-h480/hot%20garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The cucumbers are bitter and the tomato blossoms are drying up because of the heat. At night it isn't cooling off enough to give the plants a rest. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Any plant that is a perennial volunteer is being neglected.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zJvxpOhZdfvtnn0r9CuODupM4N3xFqxzvYus-_jWd--oagckon7LgBClbiDYkUDnRhIBIc6mTvtIfj_M9-1yzQ3COQ2kFDcyYZI6TfMIRUd4jNzoUuUDSe0H9MQAAp4AO8KhdRZ_9Z62sF53g5YhLTNdlTSslLHHpb2erWX65HFzjqP6NM4Zb_he/s4032/dying%20plants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zJvxpOhZdfvtnn0r9CuODupM4N3xFqxzvYus-_jWd--oagckon7LgBClbiDYkUDnRhIBIc6mTvtIfj_M9-1yzQ3COQ2kFDcyYZI6TfMIRUd4jNzoUuUDSe0H9MQAAp4AO8KhdRZ_9Z62sF53g5YhLTNdlTSslLHHpb2erWX65HFzjqP6NM4Zb_he/w480-h640/dying%20plants.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> <span style="font-size: medium;">Most of the yard makes me feel hot and desperate and overwhelmed. If only it would rain!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, there are some plants who love the sun--like peppers and eggplants. And some flowers too that are getting enough water because they grow where the A/C sends its condensation, or they grow in the shade.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOsJ0gTj3kGkJO5BO7y7B0VWDLJnsrq2hbPNQ6yJnMlGXQzz_J5kE1oyPmlZ_OxA6Ui-GzqiIzxR5Ucq8VuQSs2k7YYzQNl7hLmV6CAwAZMUGSjnpBnsIai1mMI9LBKMQZHl4Ln81Jp3lujJ0zky1BjB1sJzgVNi4CbR6_XmLNyTxZv0ew23oNfeI/s4896/hot%20pink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3672" data-original-width="4896" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOsJ0gTj3kGkJO5BO7y7B0VWDLJnsrq2hbPNQ6yJnMlGXQzz_J5kE1oyPmlZ_OxA6Ui-GzqiIzxR5Ucq8VuQSs2k7YYzQNl7hLmV6CAwAZMUGSjnpBnsIai1mMI9LBKMQZHl4Ln81Jp3lujJ0zky1BjB1sJzgVNi4CbR6_XmLNyTxZv0ew23oNfeI/w640-h480/hot%20pink.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgRz88Z8mxeGPpbMkyxs_UYHrBTPAHszJui1aBPFC-JPqFxKUumrSIPtwtHhAn3liSV7EkOZjt9xS0-ooNxeDs8w6l2_72pvcdy55yXbNuNltho5OvYmrM8VXC_-OmiDSuys3o_laFxBcS2PK1rFBNatq8P3b3InvqZaD9aEs7VRu8B74S5dAh0iv/s4032/lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgRz88Z8mxeGPpbMkyxs_UYHrBTPAHszJui1aBPFC-JPqFxKUumrSIPtwtHhAn3liSV7EkOZjt9xS0-ooNxeDs8w6l2_72pvcdy55yXbNuNltho5OvYmrM8VXC_-OmiDSuys3o_laFxBcS2PK1rFBNatq8P3b3InvqZaD9aEs7VRu8B74S5dAh0iv/w480-h640/lily.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQjfC1d8LUax8DUze8jGRNSYw0jktPtfYTjGLbIspvDjZYU-ygt5sib4Jicg0_SQ6RlAhpGNNvHowWRf9jwA9l9sRYIWDFo7Sg1JjkbM2g9egMmStqTs-y1yHEfkw2tlzwQCD2O3H4iM7t82XVm7cw5ldB01vJfL7Q0I26qt2XVafmuah5xAFBbyE/s4032/orange.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGQjfC1d8LUax8DUze8jGRNSYw0jktPtfYTjGLbIspvDjZYU-ygt5sib4Jicg0_SQ6RlAhpGNNvHowWRf9jwA9l9sRYIWDFo7Sg1JjkbM2g9egMmStqTs-y1yHEfkw2tlzwQCD2O3H4iM7t82XVm7cw5ldB01vJfL7Q0I26qt2XVafmuah5xAFBbyE/w480-h640/orange.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though it isn't really the season for baking, when I saw fresh rhubarb in the farmer's market, I had to make a pie. (I just used a ready-made crust. Why not?)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyo33WLLdofrSgkQ6elOQ7TjLsGABnxbEKFzSSsG41-1AUgN12BWkYXBwQlfY6A3cmgV6Vhq0RLLANNI0oiZRoTFdO2UYZUS94zS4i8xmFYiC7Oh5mtsvb0Zgi7fmmRG_o7s254zJOvCD075VWZwj1FIkK4hQebarIzdWk1XztRR2wv3lU9aTMY1v6/s3024/rhubarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2268" data-original-width="3024" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyo33WLLdofrSgkQ6elOQ7TjLsGABnxbEKFzSSsG41-1AUgN12BWkYXBwQlfY6A3cmgV6Vhq0RLLANNI0oiZRoTFdO2UYZUS94zS4i8xmFYiC7Oh5mtsvb0Zgi7fmmRG_o7s254zJOvCD075VWZwj1FIkK4hQebarIzdWk1XztRR2wv3lU9aTMY1v6/w640-h480/rhubarb.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvPeAZVAPRkINA2ifJ5prFLaa4-gHeUpvrTcwEnK6p_jDFUG-z5l4geil9mmnhEU2af_xllrqql8-TpUUs2OK7yso9-Ej7tj-OcgpZj7i7tLwkjWxkWBHltztpdIHK5P1r4XGFqx9Qi0o619viFkWfnQflp99SpwoTvuMpp9W03XhAQZ_Y-49Y25l/s3024/rhubarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRvPeAZVAPRkINA2ifJ5prFLaa4-gHeUpvrTcwEnK6p_jDFUG-z5l4geil9mmnhEU2af_xllrqql8-TpUUs2OK7yso9-Ej7tj-OcgpZj7i7tLwkjWxkWBHltztpdIHK5P1r4XGFqx9Qi0o619viFkWfnQflp99SpwoTvuMpp9W03XhAQZ_Y-49Y25l/s3024/rhubarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1UrWqeWk_zRP57G_thk8FAeYPGmDGcKUP25RKQRErECz6jbuLbQpCCmvmHAQI38O5Rt2EBHqBbQW_khG28ET37kkzHM8ygilFccoAqF_n0iLYFUdz6x-ipXPOI5da2ZuBolMfVYRUk23RzDwdJSYvsXGGi153bqIZCB6naprjZ8a7IsWvFlImx_7/s4032/pie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS1UrWqeWk_zRP57G_thk8FAeYPGmDGcKUP25RKQRErECz6jbuLbQpCCmvmHAQI38O5Rt2EBHqBbQW_khG28ET37kkzHM8ygilFccoAqF_n0iLYFUdz6x-ipXPOI5da2ZuBolMfVYRUk23RzDwdJSYvsXGGi153bqIZCB6naprjZ8a7IsWvFlImx_7/w480-h640/pie.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am hoping that in the coming week it will rain.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I am hoping a lot of things . . . </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-13637770879534735192022-06-19T17:26:00.000-07:002022-06-19T17:26:49.924-07:00Getting too Hot to Hike<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Over the past 7 days, I have done two hikes. They were great fun, but I am deciding that it is really getting too hot to hike much more this summer. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first hike was once again up near and on the Appalachian Trail at Raven Cliff Falls. We started out on an easy walk along a beautiful creek. Suddenly this <i>huge</i> stone wall seemed to rise up out of the woods and water plunged down from several points in the split in the cliff. It is really quite spectacular! I decided to attach a video rather than my sorry phone photos.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwXpQURvrvXwgQjeJptPBTzPWQQeWpTiAGMdZl76OI6vMTGCGYzt5vY9OT4AeDCKUqw4UkP_vWUsmWqpIm06w' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Someone said that earlier in the week a woman fell off the top of the cliff, but was not hurt. I cannot imagine!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Because this was a rather short walk, we drove a little ways near Hog Pen Gap and hiked Wildcat Mountain to Cowrock. The views at the top of both peaks were excellent! I love any time you can get a view of nature without evidence of man.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCQy3hheqGsARbtwSGz4H8zidaVBW3-UXqE9onNTpwqBIT5NaE5GufzFcNJ-v0O8bkk_PJ61QDMBwRr8L6NLxgRmt9hH_FT6NulT_i4hSNrespuMp9_D_69BCy0zPecmrDa13GweB3Aoz14ElbLwXq44Yv0vJ1i-EfW4fTKjh--HiYzMOioKbmD1q/s4032/wildcat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisCQy3hheqGsARbtwSGz4H8zidaVBW3-UXqE9onNTpwqBIT5NaE5GufzFcNJ-v0O8bkk_PJ61QDMBwRr8L6NLxgRmt9hH_FT6NulT_i4hSNrespuMp9_D_69BCy0zPecmrDa13GweB3Aoz14ElbLwXq44Yv0vJ1i-EfW4fTKjh--HiYzMOioKbmD1q/w640-h480/wildcat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fellow hikers taking a picture of the view from Wildcat Mtn</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQwmMi04IG3ilirkSnUyYRTn0sKrjhHmLsqih9XzS6e5DS5xLekAHKHZ2DM8eJJX7l-GS7QCxB-iZigONr6ZvHuETpesNJDoC9yu5mA1U-4ix1W48dzZHN-wBdvdjOdb2rOQ6hPQglmj8hdTJ2R8E-xHjJoBT35coUweWV37YzJHi8qCogrPpll9f/s4032/cowrock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQwmMi04IG3ilirkSnUyYRTn0sKrjhHmLsqih9XzS6e5DS5xLekAHKHZ2DM8eJJX7l-GS7QCxB-iZigONr6ZvHuETpesNJDoC9yu5mA1U-4ix1W48dzZHN-wBdvdjOdb2rOQ6hPQglmj8hdTJ2R8E-xHjJoBT35coUweWV37YzJHi8qCogrPpll9f/w640-h480/cowrock.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up on Cowrock where we saw a nest of copperhead snakes under the most obvious stone to sit on!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqTwb1lHv4vk20drvrelt8OaVmKpyo8-gY11dV-IW5irI1nz8R-uWizihYiCuqApHeIRG07GJqyWcEj4_FOLpjxVsDfR2u1Rj2w16K0x16QNDQuY7zQoJsthGtKmT26d5LP8AE7dkFhmyh_Cpt-WTcevpUC9U_hlzyGtCzzrbdb9MnB2HpA6Jhwa_/s4032/light%20pink%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdqTwb1lHv4vk20drvrelt8OaVmKpyo8-gY11dV-IW5irI1nz8R-uWizihYiCuqApHeIRG07GJqyWcEj4_FOLpjxVsDfR2u1Rj2w16K0x16QNDQuY7zQoJsthGtKmT26d5LP8AE7dkFhmyh_Cpt-WTcevpUC9U_hlzyGtCzzrbdb9MnB2HpA6Jhwa_/w480-h640/light%20pink%20.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, I went to Alabama to hike. This was totally new for me. I really hadn't thought about Alabama having mountains or hills. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9-KUa_F7SB9DrWnRbE7QI4wuSX31aYhdObEJ3aYoTXqKuSGs2vjD-N8Zv7gbDw_gBIBsO6bnqnHsZg64L55-n7oB57I7iCwxRoLT71HLzZo69stFwKUbcnwkz1CWcDzuy247NcvxdAUlN6vWyh7fVakEA-KUJR49Sm7wrt10Sao4gryeCGSpOYrN/s4032/trail%20head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY9-KUa_F7SB9DrWnRbE7QI4wuSX31aYhdObEJ3aYoTXqKuSGs2vjD-N8Zv7gbDw_gBIBsO6bnqnHsZg64L55-n7oB57I7iCwxRoLT71HLzZo69stFwKUbcnwkz1CWcDzuy247NcvxdAUlN6vWyh7fVakEA-KUJR49Sm7wrt10Sao4gryeCGSpOYrN/w480-h640/trail%20head.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My hiking mates and I enjoyed snacking on the masses of blueberries that covered the hillsides as we walked. The trail was often through woods, but there were parts where the trail was totally obscured and we were scrabbling through jungle, and other parts were extremely rocky and technical. I loved it all!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgMrgdu2NkjscDqsInaBBA6mDLxltZfMPwjghMloQ1I-gK67xB5yI6Sfbsmj_oK01S282_gQiw8IwdN3Cdlazygpqv1w9veT1UpuCf0P4I3Ah6Wl9fpOrEqaMCAAorRxW58RAORSa_FNz6gZ58y4VJF-ADCSfhNgQGpwgoJGablPbMtPU2fJNXF5Q/s4032/woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgMrgdu2NkjscDqsInaBBA6mDLxltZfMPwjghMloQ1I-gK67xB5yI6Sfbsmj_oK01S282_gQiw8IwdN3Cdlazygpqv1w9veT1UpuCf0P4I3Ah6Wl9fpOrEqaMCAAorRxW58RAORSa_FNz6gZ58y4VJF-ADCSfhNgQGpwgoJGablPbMtPU2fJNXF5Q/w480-h640/woods.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVv7CQTporZmvZft3hJ5LCpvOZG2ZKlQbT1lvtb_gbCEcderffekPkyQ2WCEfQjxeC_887XOV1TnYIGB3MOLmDLNOD4724d56BmtCH3aUfsWLjfeJCNX3i8eXiSCkWZPwtpBlwEudYEFmZvoo-1lMj8r1pWxX15AXbZARZlMsFo1subD5k46OTaU8X/s4032/rocks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVv7CQTporZmvZft3hJ5LCpvOZG2ZKlQbT1lvtb_gbCEcderffekPkyQ2WCEfQjxeC_887XOV1TnYIGB3MOLmDLNOD4724d56BmtCH3aUfsWLjfeJCNX3i8eXiSCkWZPwtpBlwEudYEFmZvoo-1lMj8r1pWxX15AXbZARZlMsFo1subD5k46OTaU8X/w480-h640/rocks.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9wmAMKOyIu2hw9vEIYPGE46d2GEyWjSCQ2ziwU_qMGzF-ZxVo33lmTIUvoVbDMOIa9bSe-aHzTIPcHoJaQtKmgk8S2gHpCXihTO0HjeEcC4aM8NvB2oM4e_vWNYWpGrem4WejLE3QdWCvP9RRM6Bxf9fncZ_FhqaK99HiTHjb_Kwi7WiZLcMKvsa/s4032/trail%3F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-9wmAMKOyIu2hw9vEIYPGE46d2GEyWjSCQ2ziwU_qMGzF-ZxVo33lmTIUvoVbDMOIa9bSe-aHzTIPcHoJaQtKmgk8S2gHpCXihTO0HjeEcC4aM8NvB2oM4e_vWNYWpGrem4WejLE3QdWCvP9RRM6Bxf9fncZ_FhqaK99HiTHjb_Kwi7WiZLcMKvsa/w480-h640/trail%3F.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxfNi-lKMPutSbkdMgTxPOsfFmsxreLkN5hWUtR6s6R_MgMQ7LIZttO3u758GZr2HzLCrEI5LgwhXNFySQPIEwa7wF7vkyz4eR_0BXLofplOUSTfHSagh5XNwsYqrW5-yLi6ba6cKqypMsmwxQkfVuycLVlkvLME47AJ0jCMPj_rkuN1RrKHTDZ8H/s4032/view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyxfNi-lKMPutSbkdMgTxPOsfFmsxreLkN5hWUtR6s6R_MgMQ7LIZttO3u758GZr2HzLCrEI5LgwhXNFySQPIEwa7wF7vkyz4eR_0BXLofplOUSTfHSagh5XNwsYqrW5-yLi6ba6cKqypMsmwxQkfVuycLVlkvLME47AJ0jCMPj_rkuN1RrKHTDZ8H/w640-h480/view.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panoramic view here was impossible to photograph. It was a great spot for lunch after 9 miles!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We also saw the remains of a small plane that crashed! Very unusual.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcTeKBNIUqLpBMPNhj86_MaLbv-k5v4x7-w5irgycbCNkgFVQkCnI3Mu7w3ShxNNwx_PE2DtXkNz3yivPGPuqnO4C0-g5gxm3PPF5CqubGolRL9PXCsACohHilfda-ETOqkjkVm5Szw8T2xxNv74z9GVyAupSFoNGJoDXspdU5g0MUYDQemjjzKI9/s4032/plane1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcTeKBNIUqLpBMPNhj86_MaLbv-k5v4x7-w5irgycbCNkgFVQkCnI3Mu7w3ShxNNwx_PE2DtXkNz3yivPGPuqnO4C0-g5gxm3PPF5CqubGolRL9PXCsACohHilfda-ETOqkjkVm5Szw8T2xxNv74z9GVyAupSFoNGJoDXspdU5g0MUYDQemjjzKI9/w640-h480/plane1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxh2u8fkcDyGUHQ7z3uK49miGTyDHs2MPZiUXv0OJFXM2ad9vdFIPixtXYyYMyF3VmabylSAhYOHCu_PqkdL1ebBGiBYTgOTlQJJkutJ2WbW_LTxgwSU9JyT9HItPQduAy7Z0KOknKamHj0d1ne52HDt5THuNuHToYOEgSSChpOGO-k8wHifMf-OT/s4032/plane2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxh2u8fkcDyGUHQ7z3uK49miGTyDHs2MPZiUXv0OJFXM2ad9vdFIPixtXYyYMyF3VmabylSAhYOHCu_PqkdL1ebBGiBYTgOTlQJJkutJ2WbW_LTxgwSU9JyT9HItPQduAy7Z0KOknKamHj0d1ne52HDt5THuNuHToYOEgSSChpOGO-k8wHifMf-OT/w480-h640/plane2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm planning on another hike nearby next weekend, but after that I think I will give it a rest because it is so stinkin' hot! Even in the hills it is in the 90s plus humidity--ugh!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The garden is growing great in spite of a lack of rain. We don't have 10,000 cucumbers this year, but the ones we do have are delicious!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSQX8SBOwAdwfJ4jR97ShtrpQopaB0npGvre_uXfDa61Gt5VvglA2UCij67V6UPAHL4otCImAguGn-OA2xcpW41-Phf-plGqPKlZShpXkZL9klfYwDaJ-HV8G0I7YBTsnU_5oO4pAJCvS3J9xyg0BdhpFvxPOAaLDQAR2Rc6ecOhggFXjZ4WQm7zi/s4032/home%20produce.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGSQX8SBOwAdwfJ4jR97ShtrpQopaB0npGvre_uXfDa61Gt5VvglA2UCij67V6UPAHL4otCImAguGn-OA2xcpW41-Phf-plGqPKlZShpXkZL9klfYwDaJ-HV8G0I7YBTsnU_5oO4pAJCvS3J9xyg0BdhpFvxPOAaLDQAR2Rc6ecOhggFXjZ4WQm7zi/w480-h640/home%20produce.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Enjoy your week!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIcoiTz25I51xFvqM7u7_OuhUfcm9T2x8LONd7vI7EdR6znV6PPtN67ml1SknNL9DC5-aYiwRO1eYNP8jvhShocTDUAW6HeElx4QuiP3Q4vh5_fjoI4Tf87pbBu2weZLyV9W9St1PsuZq9oSaB0zUdhpTPllz9ndtQSSrmRFZLJgYcfOQrfnERWz9/s4032/IMG_5720.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIcoiTz25I51xFvqM7u7_OuhUfcm9T2x8LONd7vI7EdR6znV6PPtN67ml1SknNL9DC5-aYiwRO1eYNP8jvhShocTDUAW6HeElx4QuiP3Q4vh5_fjoI4Tf87pbBu2weZLyV9W9St1PsuZq9oSaB0zUdhpTPllz9ndtQSSrmRFZLJgYcfOQrfnERWz9/w480-h640/IMG_5720.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-66671971558434848532022-06-05T17:17:00.003-07:002022-06-05T17:17:42.825-07:00Knit, Garden, Hike, Repeat<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">On the knitting front, I finished my pair of socks using the <a href="https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/sockalong" target="_blank">Winwick Mum</a> pattern and the Turtlepurl yarn. It took me several weeks with school and everything to make the first sock and I messed up the toe part so badly that I actually took scissors to it and cut it off (!) and went at it again. Of course, the second sock went like magic and I finished it in 2 days. I was a little dismayed that the yarn ends did not weave in very well (especially as I had alternated colors for the cuff, heel, and toes) and did not improve after blocking. When I went back to look at the yarn, sure enough, the yarn is superwash wool, so will not stick to itself. If I had known that, I would not have just knit straight ahead and not switched colors. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqqi0UHsY-yJO4jMMLn0u_W5s6ZOUcSYjXeR7bfJu8C-VYDIw_y7E6z2DJoZSyELetE60qZHWZpjPCYPCL9g6Br2Bl_vYkq3oo-f_NJ1ZB6t1CbxbrIEGk75e-lvdTgMamcexAndnsEFBJNLUSc7H4z4-cq5_4nQwt6nAEloF-0nF1YFQp49mqZEo/s3024/IMG_5640.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFqqi0UHsY-yJO4jMMLn0u_W5s6ZOUcSYjXeR7bfJu8C-VYDIw_y7E6z2DJoZSyELetE60qZHWZpjPCYPCL9g6Br2Bl_vYkq3oo-f_NJ1ZB6t1CbxbrIEGk75e-lvdTgMamcexAndnsEFBJNLUSc7H4z4-cq5_4nQwt6nAEloF-0nF1YFQp49mqZEo/w640-h640/IMG_5640.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am pretty happy with these overall though. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">What I am NOT happy with is the cardigan I started last summer. It is a cotton cardi with no buttons and it <i>should</i> be easy. I stopped knitting it because the cotton yarn was giving me no end of grief with the stitches seemingly constantly slipping off the needle. Well, I pulled this UFO out this week and had another go, but when reading the directions I was at a loss. "Selvedge stitch"--"Sew on sleeves"--"Sew on collar." I fiddled and thought and just <i>could not</i> wrap my head around what to do. It seemed the selvedge stitch was to be put in the wrong place--and wouldn't I need a row of those stitches? The more I looked at my uneven knitting and thought about having to somehow <i>evenly</i> pick up stitches on bound off stitches, I just said to myself, <u>no</u>. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Alas, this project is officially scrapped. Life is too short for this kind of thing.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUaVMBl89DyV3FjHirsRUhm7GPBOgnSM8ULx5W-XQvC2DXWJp4DQqq-Dx4fv79ZM-6NZPswzlG4YGQxix37CAuxdjJVED1TEs-g4-e-bdfpraqxh3FDd3NpPU_O1axlpHRSOqJgwSZpTrVOUNAIsm9Rg_HqToZPAILOiQ9xHEXg6tFspmR1_hnm4PC/s3024/abandoned%20sweater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUaVMBl89DyV3FjHirsRUhm7GPBOgnSM8ULx5W-XQvC2DXWJp4DQqq-Dx4fv79ZM-6NZPswzlG4YGQxix37CAuxdjJVED1TEs-g4-e-bdfpraqxh3FDd3NpPU_O1axlpHRSOqJgwSZpTrVOUNAIsm9Rg_HqToZPAILOiQ9xHEXg6tFspmR1_hnm4PC/w640-h640/abandoned%20sweater.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Instead, I cast on the Lunenburg pullover by Amy Christoffers. This may have 5 balls of yarn going all at once, but I definitely feel more comfortable knitting something like this.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRXGt5S1YqoMmiQZmQcw1fWQTZxOSCSJJzOaPhE06ybykFRxoKDJGwhwFUTisgt-84XkO5MQR-PE7QneUjBvx1ZPIYBGgSJWD7JPHc6PyJFdHYFUknmSGABXZt_rKWX5pm1LQhZ6Hfb5E8vBIqIhaT724n02r5-lfofL-X_KxFt4T6rJ2UxcUihlk/s4032/fair%20isle%20yoke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiRXGt5S1YqoMmiQZmQcw1fWQTZxOSCSJJzOaPhE06ybykFRxoKDJGwhwFUTisgt-84XkO5MQR-PE7QneUjBvx1ZPIYBGgSJWD7JPHc6PyJFdHYFUknmSGABXZt_rKWX5pm1LQhZ6Hfb5E8vBIqIhaT724n02r5-lfofL-X_KxFt4T6rJ2UxcUihlk/w480-h640/fair%20isle%20yoke.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, the flower garden is over the top! Bursting with color and variety.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK6NctAFnAHoOCZdB4KYkWLyZMAFkx8KLiDhMWqkPM7SG7av-AfShXdQYdI5roYhDzhpPsJ_11ypgHRtICUHmQ4o__PA7hiYbJeuJol9__jsnxtVQCedAEnOvagmKBKnNVZpYyQDl3vtaf4JcoQJo9nCg3ymQCSSBpY67eJaysh8ROblsHsvipI2U/s4032/pond%20iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqK6NctAFnAHoOCZdB4KYkWLyZMAFkx8KLiDhMWqkPM7SG7av-AfShXdQYdI5roYhDzhpPsJ_11ypgHRtICUHmQ4o__PA7hiYbJeuJol9__jsnxtVQCedAEnOvagmKBKnNVZpYyQDl3vtaf4JcoQJo9nCg3ymQCSSBpY67eJaysh8ROblsHsvipI2U/w480-h640/pond%20iris.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofsO_EHJHnWI4fco8gi0-Hu04xQvUT-MJ0MEucvDYUk4TwD6Gl2cARrn2EFFk_HJYZz7Xwp30kAnzq9RXvRhV9tAeBXD-RLOYU6KSasxTvUrB8NVPEi0FSxP-w8byPtl5SlNeHcd4LNwWWPzCtX35qdQJYddJFhWAaefjzP0dJhNjUcIuXulboXej/s4032/red%20and%20yellow%20lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhofsO_EHJHnWI4fco8gi0-Hu04xQvUT-MJ0MEucvDYUk4TwD6Gl2cARrn2EFFk_HJYZz7Xwp30kAnzq9RXvRhV9tAeBXD-RLOYU6KSasxTvUrB8NVPEi0FSxP-w8byPtl5SlNeHcd4LNwWWPzCtX35qdQJYddJFhWAaefjzP0dJhNjUcIuXulboXej/w480-h640/red%20and%20yellow%20lily.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lTgQcw2x04eBu20l4cSixT2cg6AyIsGWsIa3RM1s4RmBarUunawNeGM39ro1t7QI-Wct5dL6jW7o8YR7idSq7Tuyax2n3O4RCkB344lOk_t9zBqLOkE6T9I4VyonLxrMponJvUVMLmHzGDa8srnnyVH-T5YI9MOzIOGgMRLPNJaBZE6PQz9ObO7U/s4032/satin%20lily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6lTgQcw2x04eBu20l4cSixT2cg6AyIsGWsIa3RM1s4RmBarUunawNeGM39ro1t7QI-Wct5dL6jW7o8YR7idSq7Tuyax2n3O4RCkB344lOk_t9zBqLOkE6T9I4VyonLxrMponJvUVMLmHzGDa8srnnyVH-T5YI9MOzIOGgMRLPNJaBZE6PQz9ObO7U/w480-h640/satin%20lily.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Saturday, I went on a group hike up to Anna Ruby Falls, a dynamic double waterfall. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscS_zjrsOzpeB6-DOyCXgzhH369PMyx18-RMMl17h-1xq9EO4b7ScHCOlf-HmNctsb8s-wDY-gR202UxzLYvoSMurg69rlHWhaOBbvWq1DK3Dx8RGua5YCcGeSuOfPHbaIx8v6mgxZCCbiG_6tB7BylepL_m8qCXDIuimfWAUo8lea25k4aEpyfAj/s4032/hike%20sign.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjscS_zjrsOzpeB6-DOyCXgzhH369PMyx18-RMMl17h-1xq9EO4b7ScHCOlf-HmNctsb8s-wDY-gR202UxzLYvoSMurg69rlHWhaOBbvWq1DK3Dx8RGua5YCcGeSuOfPHbaIx8v6mgxZCCbiG_6tB7BylepL_m8qCXDIuimfWAUo8lea25k4aEpyfAj/w480-h640/hike%20sign.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The trail was thick with rhododendron and passed over many water ways. It was a fairly challenging ascent, but the falls at the top were a fabulous reward and a great place to stop for lunch before heading back down. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Everyone on the hike was so nice and interesting and enthusiastic. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk-oqGeCNNyZ3l7B8XsxNBQUbtoVwaBaF2loJ2d6T07t2zJg1TIc53huGAooHwU-JwnIj5byGLyUWEYmglB1tMx_9DMIo6hMnXfLxva1Ct9GjNXPTIqW1iAYCgA7yx7c7KGOxadFsOLYpA7j2vImczJfmU0nOuoDEdhiDpgAhCiwqKoQcZcRcyqVZ/s4032/2%20falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEk-oqGeCNNyZ3l7B8XsxNBQUbtoVwaBaF2loJ2d6T07t2zJg1TIc53huGAooHwU-JwnIj5byGLyUWEYmglB1tMx_9DMIo6hMnXfLxva1Ct9GjNXPTIqW1iAYCgA7yx7c7KGOxadFsOLYpA7j2vImczJfmU0nOuoDEdhiDpgAhCiwqKoQcZcRcyqVZ/w640-h480/2%20falls.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGczRSA7fesW8kahefUdxeDG6qsGVw3ySpjrJ1G7XAf_qzOaxKIIvE3VbRKorONXgDpLf8EuqPSzpyFU6axaSc_DLwawAeCAGUkHhNuPXurda9Plz4bxUhxzm2RBOYqzkyY71aL9WX9nvW5ekDNZDiwNQzQZVBo9rQNJ9fdZAvAVzWeGqqLI7XZ5UI/s4032/Anna%20Ruby%20Falls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGczRSA7fesW8kahefUdxeDG6qsGVw3ySpjrJ1G7XAf_qzOaxKIIvE3VbRKorONXgDpLf8EuqPSzpyFU6axaSc_DLwawAeCAGUkHhNuPXurda9Plz4bxUhxzm2RBOYqzkyY71aL9WX9nvW5ekDNZDiwNQzQZVBo9rQNJ9fdZAvAVzWeGqqLI7XZ5UI/w480-h640/Anna%20Ruby%20Falls.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MGxHPTUpqqYXzz2LmBDQ6dsuXbzSOrpkHGh94i3pXbR_6_mDR_XvLsoUrcfeUlVxzELQ6kO4dhTHI0XrAiJpzH6fFJuoNWi2zg9TuN_a2JKc0qnwVA63PBuAaYd4KcsCmZa_iCP8hmxICxL-8xNHjnB-R5T6n_SX_lUS9Klg9-UoxB3YHIqNa7F7/s4032/hikers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6MGxHPTUpqqYXzz2LmBDQ6dsuXbzSOrpkHGh94i3pXbR_6_mDR_XvLsoUrcfeUlVxzELQ6kO4dhTHI0XrAiJpzH6fFJuoNWi2zg9TuN_a2JKc0qnwVA63PBuAaYd4KcsCmZa_iCP8hmxICxL-8xNHjnB-R5T6n_SX_lUS9Klg9-UoxB3YHIqNa7F7/w480-h640/hikers.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">My son and I went out this morning, poking around in the woods for snakes. We saw a pair of water snakes, but didn't even bother to take a picture of them. He calls them "lowest of the low tier snakes." In other words, super common. It was really just too hot for snakes today.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"> But we didn't mind. We did get to see this this glorious mimosa in full bloom!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jGW2fNglauOA-AzO7bk7aYGIZSQD04hDnp11H6hTL1hJtI0bgy1q1cv742yhGX3IjJ2RMIdGz56CmYUklwu0bV77TB5AzeiNCwzsU79dq6C-1XXHAM3Ss-R8NJGYOWz2LdOZ-9ztKVo7Ky42itgoukF_GQ9tM6F4amIeA2JKkpbl73U9N2c4NMEV/s4032/mimosa%201.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-jGW2fNglauOA-AzO7bk7aYGIZSQD04hDnp11H6hTL1hJtI0bgy1q1cv742yhGX3IjJ2RMIdGz56CmYUklwu0bV77TB5AzeiNCwzsU79dq6C-1XXHAM3Ss-R8NJGYOWz2LdOZ-9ztKVo7Ky42itgoukF_GQ9tM6F4amIeA2JKkpbl73U9N2c4NMEV/w480-h640/mimosa%201.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfJhHUoTncUvkGC6mwxrjmbwOwhgJgCdnr-XfBUmxBqHJK6oujfpgYnt3ybfxcZwOvacQy6KMctB9RKiMQgf7ls0wyRap_2cFblFIxbqdmokIAtBzeEWqq0h0_Nk-_IJcyeB2fYOQ-lTL2riO6TI6D4IBu3vnkSOwlkJuNarI97UsbI7e4mnD5CXO/s4032/mimosa%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyfJhHUoTncUvkGC6mwxrjmbwOwhgJgCdnr-XfBUmxBqHJK6oujfpgYnt3ybfxcZwOvacQy6KMctB9RKiMQgf7ls0wyRap_2cFblFIxbqdmokIAtBzeEWqq0h0_Nk-_IJcyeB2fYOQ-lTL2riO6TI6D4IBu3vnkSOwlkJuNarI97UsbI7e4mnD5CXO/w480-h640/mimosa%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-21539107942172253172022-05-22T13:31:00.000-07:002022-05-22T13:31:04.763-07:00A Solo Hike<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> This weekend I gave a tai chi demonstration and did a ton of garden clean up. Why do the weeds grow so fast and the things we plant struggle so? </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">But <i>last</i> weekend I got up very early, took a longish drive, and went for a mountain hike. I hike the Gahuti trail at Fort Mountain. It is a fantastic 8 mile, well marked trail. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rz6feBuUDyWiREk_q5trpux-YV-UgFZAIxcVVTvxlgt0S9iQgJqgsGyTjsmj-M9VoZNWpc16WqpucUMEBF7TtneMqvAEY5zRosm8WvhLgyM8GYxNbXjBQyHFQnX5aNWLAN2Ewvdfp7NNY-ATdlgucJknZDnb6eqPmCNoQOPkrzYtmn8fNE1iteE9/s4032/gahuti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6rz6feBuUDyWiREk_q5trpux-YV-UgFZAIxcVVTvxlgt0S9iQgJqgsGyTjsmj-M9VoZNWpc16WqpucUMEBF7TtneMqvAEY5zRosm8WvhLgyM8GYxNbXjBQyHFQnX5aNWLAN2Ewvdfp7NNY-ATdlgucJknZDnb6eqPmCNoQOPkrzYtmn8fNE1iteE9/w480-h640/gahuti.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoLnzgRb7buKkZuoHP4ZkPshtKLhg8RggTZQ0xbuU8nEnHEytdSDD_nE5iOFGwHHyw4gkLDmgh-bd42un8riXvE8hafb0-LNcy3lETqjhFjCJV-uY6KvQObtdgaMobRtSAoVQQfkdIx10tzF6cOlSWX8Tq95Z6EK9EdI6u-THzCzhWCWSbNaFP8hg/s4032/fern%20forest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifoLnzgRb7buKkZuoHP4ZkPshtKLhg8RggTZQ0xbuU8nEnHEytdSDD_nE5iOFGwHHyw4gkLDmgh-bd42un8riXvE8hafb0-LNcy3lETqjhFjCJV-uY6KvQObtdgaMobRtSAoVQQfkdIx10tzF6cOlSWX8Tq95Z6EK9EdI6u-THzCzhWCWSbNaFP8hg/w480-h640/fern%20forest.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">It had rained the night before and was still overcast when I started off. I had my raincoat in my pack, but hoped I wouldn't need it. I didn't, but the humidity stayed WAY up all day. I was pretty soaked even without the rain.</span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">When I was a kid, we read the book <i>Where the Red Fern Grows</i> and I believed ferns growing in the wild was part of the fiction of the story. No way ferns could grow in the wild! Well, then I moved to woods of a different kind and saw all the ferns. I am still amazed by them.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutxqhMbs_X40G3dSFPHVZRMTXr2t6lH-jJHnyp2lkAz3QEhwIiNlvjCRDPxM_Ov2NLxFLpmuIRMPc7UVsyDzaYcUgs4y3qSFGd7lP9MDnZh7BL-CAxyxEhin2y9Sjg9xCrShj13Yv3qP0qAs7uQVz0mqQx2xdNZXrarvbCXcwF5lD4kSZsoi2aTlE/s4032/nc2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgutxqhMbs_X40G3dSFPHVZRMTXr2t6lH-jJHnyp2lkAz3QEhwIiNlvjCRDPxM_Ov2NLxFLpmuIRMPc7UVsyDzaYcUgs4y3qSFGd7lP9MDnZh7BL-CAxyxEhin2y9Sjg9xCrShj13Yv3qP0qAs7uQVz0mqQx2xdNZXrarvbCXcwF5lD4kSZsoi2aTlE/w480-h640/nc2.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOov-Q0QYS6vus8kKbpWDhp90ZZNnGoq4V0GFx1iOb19b-Xi7MxDi3iYm8jMEkoIjEc574U5jBqHCGSeVZfYTq5zg79ot2vDKt5RJEPMPrOIj0J6cZ2bzfFA1soyjdJ9X19XjsoxzZ-t5l7byU4yUN8znAISAh-aA6667_y9enc3g3d1zUm6rVMDZs/s4032/pink%20lady%20slipper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOov-Q0QYS6vus8kKbpWDhp90ZZNnGoq4V0GFx1iOb19b-Xi7MxDi3iYm8jMEkoIjEc574U5jBqHCGSeVZfYTq5zg79ot2vDKt5RJEPMPrOIj0J6cZ2bzfFA1soyjdJ9X19XjsoxzZ-t5l7byU4yUN8znAISAh-aA6667_y9enc3g3d1zUm6rVMDZs/w480-h640/pink%20lady%20slipper.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw this little newt/salamander guy right in the middle of the trail. Didn't he pose nicely?</span></div><div><span style="font-size: large;">And I was absolutely </span><i style="font-size: large;">thrilled</i><span style="font-size: large;"> to see that I hadn't missed all the pink lady slippers! There were a lot of them that had already passed, but I didn't mind. The ones I saw filled my soul with joy!</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_1cci4XCP0FESKqSOaKRWRWCnGITJR0bpntzXPyNBuQY040Uz7ybZQLmas1UJnM96oCIsPysNzQt9WibXAfonEGohbr_yfqox0P8uyLRVHYwaA2aUmlb1hXPx7flTgcUIP_PTcSmb4g1M-5-MXfvf2s69DcPgG_J6LWOqPMYl7-cZzv-k8T4gm-p/s4032/trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_1cci4XCP0FESKqSOaKRWRWCnGITJR0bpntzXPyNBuQY040Uz7ybZQLmas1UJnM96oCIsPysNzQt9WibXAfonEGohbr_yfqox0P8uyLRVHYwaA2aUmlb1hXPx7flTgcUIP_PTcSmb4g1M-5-MXfvf2s69DcPgG_J6LWOqPMYl7-cZzv-k8T4gm-p/w480-h640/trail.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7IJR5eP6A0_gJDgnauPJmNsrJTtLhf58s6lZufz_q3cOogZIV1f2WA1ii30gdNYeBMHqbwnPBgaHzFRPZa26iMped4YFpkziViVGdrOUn8dHgGBerBHSGwnm2YEEalhwdjCgYvSSiedSlXrloSzwBsX1LNweiX_-FXK_TYIaSMFabTuTDvo7llwh/s4032/trillium.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga7IJR5eP6A0_gJDgnauPJmNsrJTtLhf58s6lZufz_q3cOogZIV1f2WA1ii30gdNYeBMHqbwnPBgaHzFRPZa26iMped4YFpkziViVGdrOUn8dHgGBerBHSGwnm2YEEalhwdjCgYvSSiedSlXrloSzwBsX1LNweiX_-FXK_TYIaSMFabTuTDvo7llwh/w480-h640/trillium.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ZCyvjPS19t-EBVOS1P3mZ4Ka9UV-wbnDl9o9J6X9RN8dhoQeQEJEY1L-r7iVqIL5TQ0AM3gG4aWHtcNKkD9RY154DMTBgOeBIypu0e1SzJ0nShVcKS6a-8lm8b0ONBRdLsGFv5sDhJR2bMVGfH7_yy0kO9iBpdklouDmuJlAoA4R_u-7DTlbrtx/s4032/snail%20race.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5ZCyvjPS19t-EBVOS1P3mZ4Ka9UV-wbnDl9o9J6X9RN8dhoQeQEJEY1L-r7iVqIL5TQ0AM3gG4aWHtcNKkD9RY154DMTBgOeBIypu0e1SzJ0nShVcKS6a-8lm8b0ONBRdLsGFv5sDhJR2bMVGfH7_yy0kO9iBpdklouDmuJlAoA4R_u-7DTlbrtx/w480-h640/snail%20race.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">snail race</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">As I walked, bird song filled the air, and mountain laurel bloomed overhead.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3TvCoFZeAI_K38ANmo1MEfQ98_VqXP13GOld3_M0Mbp0KYoK_m_d2vS7aARZtBMW5ANTUmRiEHHDe24QyEerVGeGdRIsVzVaFZejn-BJz9gQYjhFV7bUEIy25jFHx3xc-xzr-Q7lIQKrrch11JVVCMOJX9T5CfyP0DQmWtj84IMxMn4vP0T7nPex/s4032/laurel%20overhead.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD3TvCoFZeAI_K38ANmo1MEfQ98_VqXP13GOld3_M0Mbp0KYoK_m_d2vS7aARZtBMW5ANTUmRiEHHDe24QyEerVGeGdRIsVzVaFZejn-BJz9gQYjhFV7bUEIy25jFHx3xc-xzr-Q7lIQKrrch11JVVCMOJX9T5CfyP0DQmWtj84IMxMn4vP0T7nPex/w480-h640/laurel%20overhead.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAvcJ5CktAIAdocLo--XENIarNcF3BpfOwqtIX58F6CtBy_OahAo1-Uh29wJN1kmsXJmPX2xVVs8Hcdq9_fQ4TgEsDSUfMWuUQLLhA6YUMQAXbnH0-KWYyNPAA3CGVQ89wz6Z7uLBRK-Pt6fstb_Wj6VIWaqqYj2L8PrKkb-vbfDHoIBnx1RoSrEw/s4032/mtn%20laurel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEAvcJ5CktAIAdocLo--XENIarNcF3BpfOwqtIX58F6CtBy_OahAo1-Uh29wJN1kmsXJmPX2xVVs8Hcdq9_fQ4TgEsDSUfMWuUQLLhA6YUMQAXbnH0-KWYyNPAA3CGVQ89wz6Z7uLBRK-Pt6fstb_Wj6VIWaqqYj2L8PrKkb-vbfDHoIBnx1RoSrEw/w480-h640/mtn%20laurel.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKm-0hS3Rmgx4BU0o-5cX6DkFJn-OtMqKzb6sO7OMimhHmJGVogHjGiSgPGTxla-0FZPwKutznCWT7y46fi6ldJv7y5t4u4JMbLYMQ3YxYj0nOfjrLZVgjCU7FcEvhaoQ1Eo6hLqqDI5EkPNPUNKaPqA0TtnQpVa75bStD1tbwjG2OJDLrO7FtthJk/s4032/first%20view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKm-0hS3Rmgx4BU0o-5cX6DkFJn-OtMqKzb6sO7OMimhHmJGVogHjGiSgPGTxla-0FZPwKutznCWT7y46fi6ldJv7y5t4u4JMbLYMQ3YxYj0nOfjrLZVgjCU7FcEvhaoQ1Eo6hLqqDI5EkPNPUNKaPqA0TtnQpVa75bStD1tbwjG2OJDLrO7FtthJk/w640-h480/first%20view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoayx0iDQJXuRf3Q069UyIkptdFY6HAYo_pyVI1rvHvU5WnAtolTle4dVfHmJcZkpAuOQWlWXMUwnrtYv7t--0A5gT6963aYsYWgIkPXKGgxuHnTZxQzfxqm8h5z5b9I_bjV8qKhG2MgaDCdc_uNT-Gnn9rCGfebWsGLeaO9s3HXMMpVPOUTQ2atxI/s4032/tight%20trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoayx0iDQJXuRf3Q069UyIkptdFY6HAYo_pyVI1rvHvU5WnAtolTle4dVfHmJcZkpAuOQWlWXMUwnrtYv7t--0A5gT6963aYsYWgIkPXKGgxuHnTZxQzfxqm8h5z5b9I_bjV8qKhG2MgaDCdc_uNT-Gnn9rCGfebWsGLeaO9s3HXMMpVPOUTQ2atxI/w480-h640/tight%20trail.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I began to see lots and lots of pink rhododendron blooming like crazy. I cried out in delight!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu1RctkS5wfT_hjtPYIFtjcBlNSg9O7AIbqt0ogmIl1dnhPdjPKz-bbLjMR4ULXFi62XrI-AFXpLDMDybqDC6HKUU03au_SnMYHVEqqNAe2VuJwf1KRVW6OtztKsi_5zKikcseN3s9HPWLOH2pPc4eIt2gqpZsWZUL_uSrlK_pnzQneWPGJRF29Vn/s4032/rhodedenron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKu1RctkS5wfT_hjtPYIFtjcBlNSg9O7AIbqt0ogmIl1dnhPdjPKz-bbLjMR4ULXFi62XrI-AFXpLDMDybqDC6HKUU03au_SnMYHVEqqNAe2VuJwf1KRVW6OtztKsi_5zKikcseN3s9HPWLOH2pPc4eIt2gqpZsWZUL_uSrlK_pnzQneWPGJRF29Vn/w480-h640/rhodedenron.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXBh9KtGyF8rj2cXcvYsQ7IoTW8I5b7Bmi7NusXZIrD8hWMhDMve8G24DPaS8lDNdA_m5D8nBLj3tHfgNWZOBaXCK7CKWwOZoXJz1hlsEhXPNCgVOba9SdIq8vlAoZmgtYbABX4d8MOSGyOxnd7mSjov8Eltf1VELb7puIV68KpgYvU_10VnKaPVR/s4032/rhody%20trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQXBh9KtGyF8rj2cXcvYsQ7IoTW8I5b7Bmi7NusXZIrD8hWMhDMve8G24DPaS8lDNdA_m5D8nBLj3tHfgNWZOBaXCK7CKWwOZoXJz1hlsEhXPNCgVOba9SdIq8vlAoZmgtYbABX4d8MOSGyOxnd7mSjov8Eltf1VELb7puIV68KpgYvU_10VnKaPVR/w480-h640/rhody%20trail.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I stopped for lunch beside a waterfall--my usual hikers lunch of nuts and dried fruit. This time, I had some oatmeal cookies too. What a fabulous place to stop and rest!!</span><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3zCGMppDLk2bafFFkWOwxoIkeRJ-5woTT6O4g5ieiqL31KsA6tora1Dzvr3JOsanIkxPQEkfj1iOjT5O7lXQkcgkkvmIR5exfMA8P-_hN-A2Pp42z-DmqHbqxLHszqQ6SxRJFHYbqmdbElEzSdIclavvssRzML-VPk64kUNmddtURLpz2P7cSOji/s4032/lunch%20spot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw3zCGMppDLk2bafFFkWOwxoIkeRJ-5woTT6O4g5ieiqL31KsA6tora1Dzvr3JOsanIkxPQEkfj1iOjT5O7lXQkcgkkvmIR5exfMA8P-_hN-A2Pp42z-DmqHbqxLHszqQ6SxRJFHYbqmdbElEzSdIclavvssRzML-VPk64kUNmddtURLpz2P7cSOji/w480-h640/lunch%20spot.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">There were times on the trail when I was literally walking in a cloud, but little by little the sun took over. The last mile or so was mostly uphill. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">When I came to the final look off, I was surprised how near it was to where I parked my car. I knew I could have <i>started</i> the hike (it is a loop trail) at the look off, but I am glad I went the other way around, especially seeing it was such a short distance from the parking area. In fact, I met an elderly couple walking to the look off point just as I was leaving it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was hot and sweaty and exuberant. It was a perfect, soul filling day! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcatWIS4e2myjneVVy1PgIcQyONXYVgAAHpNP90_eXdgVUlKSqVM-UEKAkPknz91ctq1HERf0T0SIwOdoWbLWcIWblZNEbJPvklVDHA8gLuBERs5U1vJdj-B2FYBzhjr7zOT7lOMe18d8Uqu_Ywumvk3UILhqv655UY-4qkgtC907BfnLRkGoVRmD/s4032/final%20view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLcatWIS4e2myjneVVy1PgIcQyONXYVgAAHpNP90_eXdgVUlKSqVM-UEKAkPknz91ctq1HERf0T0SIwOdoWbLWcIWblZNEbJPvklVDHA8gLuBERs5U1vJdj-B2FYBzhjr7zOT7lOMe18d8Uqu_Ywumvk3UILhqv655UY-4qkgtC907BfnLRkGoVRmD/w640-h480/final%20view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-80072384043049741912022-05-08T16:47:00.004-07:002022-05-08T16:47:44.954-07:00A Bunch of Frogs and a Moment of FEAR<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">We got up early today and went south to the Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cSwFAQjUVmNWxQD9pv0Jth2wI3PH-VR7rzMyfz9UsjvojpDH3iatq_80CzVIaoeRJbSsoiobdIxsXHuX8pqEOhdJi0YksFyzNyRvSxAZiqgb87ipHx-kwFkqChpq4PUMslLJUsSJdrPA35L-F4O7iPwb-9delQR9u_tdW6ZxXQCr6sDloYctdKWF/s4032/alison%20lake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cSwFAQjUVmNWxQD9pv0Jth2wI3PH-VR7rzMyfz9UsjvojpDH3iatq_80CzVIaoeRJbSsoiobdIxsXHuX8pqEOhdJi0YksFyzNyRvSxAZiqgb87ipHx-kwFkqChpq4PUMslLJUsSJdrPA35L-F4O7iPwb-9delQR9u_tdW6ZxXQCr6sDloYctdKWF/w640-h480/alison%20lake.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Allison Lake</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZmeSHft-UiA9Lqr-EAkFE56ol37HOOWoysZM1BNspcMciMUkQrlb4HvEE_S4k3SbDyu0Z2-7ykL_r823vTbVjnSZ4d3uC0iF8XXE7HtTRkTuWbuwML0arUClLm6BG7u9QbtGBvifQu1kVplJDQG8G4ZFDcoiO0ca7BsW32af2IkjZbYz_CfkJvst/s1029/green%20tree%20frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="942" data-original-width="1029" height="586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGZmeSHft-UiA9Lqr-EAkFE56ol37HOOWoysZM1BNspcMciMUkQrlb4HvEE_S4k3SbDyu0Z2-7ykL_r823vTbVjnSZ4d3uC0iF8XXE7HtTRkTuWbuwML0arUClLm6BG7u9QbtGBvifQu1kVplJDQG8G4ZFDcoiO0ca7BsW32af2IkjZbYz_CfkJvst/w640-h586/green%20tree%20frog.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green Tree Frog</td></tr></tbody></table> <div><span style="font-size: medium;">Although this place is known for being a haven for woodpeckers, we did not see any. We <i>heard</i> them, but they were elusive.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">What we <i>did</i> see (and hear), were lots of frogs and toads.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9-AfA9cNjQ2AqrNM5A6YfRr1BKFedJuWMwOEv8fucb3GdeMw0YQJ5ypdzAapwy0y4Imo1650szym-uK4f0m8-2BzUL9qDAFTFaBm5xjocXhC5QZ1NuFeOze4LpZWJ2rN7ieFqPXoVPXjCl6hZNyMPktHZyUVvKbNItcg7_cRc7vDOK7E9uSRTNcr/s4032/IMG_5555%202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9-AfA9cNjQ2AqrNM5A6YfRr1BKFedJuWMwOEv8fucb3GdeMw0YQJ5ypdzAapwy0y4Imo1650szym-uK4f0m8-2BzUL9qDAFTFaBm5xjocXhC5QZ1NuFeOze4LpZWJ2rN7ieFqPXoVPXjCl6hZNyMPktHZyUVvKbNItcg7_cRc7vDOK7E9uSRTNcr/w480-h640/IMG_5555%202.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAvspqljcPP6yo3wvZKifbHJMlt7ebs1Pladc0xjzm3f2jdUJZsnOJZThEFAl_EnGbJqA9dUnl7ahyjWF6qzAdhR83FWerHulkm3mh7RqQKXSgNQRmQkH27h0HOlNQ1YVxEga-8ANO1PjcmPiIZnLBaoYdASixMlPYP7O61NY9vZfOpM6Jumpt8RC/s4032/bird%20blind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnAvspqljcPP6yo3wvZKifbHJMlt7ebs1Pladc0xjzm3f2jdUJZsnOJZThEFAl_EnGbJqA9dUnl7ahyjWF6qzAdhR83FWerHulkm3mh7RqQKXSgNQRmQkH27h0HOlNQ1YVxEga-8ANO1PjcmPiIZnLBaoYdASixMlPYP7O61NY9vZfOpM6Jumpt8RC/w480-h640/bird%20blind.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birding Blind</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIEww4laK7-0aFQy-zOW3HbTVDpHwLMTyCgjRL1M8kdBwtk0IH3RUjAbWSpf9clumVU1FSI4Uq59Rhgcu6rMRFSpgDopqVlvj5f0Jb_NBP8S796eXLdZQ6YbfokfVzP-pAC_HSyqJk1gWRXiJtG0ok1HhSo_R1yJyor45OKY7fZ2MJnaWGgrH7cPj/s2062/cricket%20frog%3F.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="2062" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiIEww4laK7-0aFQy-zOW3HbTVDpHwLMTyCgjRL1M8kdBwtk0IH3RUjAbWSpf9clumVU1FSI4Uq59Rhgcu6rMRFSpgDopqVlvj5f0Jb_NBP8S796eXLdZQ6YbfokfVzP-pAC_HSyqJk1gWRXiJtG0ok1HhSo_R1yJyor45OKY7fZ2MJnaWGgrH7cPj/w640-h480/cricket%20frog%3F.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cricket Frog ?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDKx82lGZiclrg3L184nbCMVUbTe8eKlzTeZZd_zaLxrl7eHwYJPR1xYTYoUNmHtx7IJBOOUhGSlUzhktyTEZig1_3GnKxOFWVKVWUcw2w_SqlQIvnEfFVfYFks4iMgOcNo2m7geX05-qKnlP1fGbZXtFcBjpZ3HjmrQjPrmkKJfn233o5Olhd-GH/s2286/narrow%20mouth%20frog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2286" data-original-width="1714" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikDKx82lGZiclrg3L184nbCMVUbTe8eKlzTeZZd_zaLxrl7eHwYJPR1xYTYoUNmHtx7IJBOOUhGSlUzhktyTEZig1_3GnKxOFWVKVWUcw2w_SqlQIvnEfFVfYFks4iMgOcNo2m7geX05-qKnlP1fGbZXtFcBjpZ3HjmrQjPrmkKJfn233o5Olhd-GH/w480-h640/narrow%20mouth%20frog.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Narrow mouth frog</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzptGhJS-fjFN7GnE0LcuJyAByqOlcOiDBpwj6aOWeW1Ljd74i4-7E685X860W-OD5QhTuAtaFMY14VRO1kKUhzf2dP2y_Iyt-WhLKiO_Qza6CVAzeoXTgEw_mobYKavkQ6tEIMXRq2gQDAIA4Oz9v7WSckP_063ZWb3Z8NlA1H7e02MutOUIdZ9Xi/s2029/toad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2029" data-original-width="1522" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzptGhJS-fjFN7GnE0LcuJyAByqOlcOiDBpwj6aOWeW1Ljd74i4-7E685X860W-OD5QhTuAtaFMY14VRO1kKUhzf2dP2y_Iyt-WhLKiO_Qza6CVAzeoXTgEw_mobYKavkQ6tEIMXRq2gQDAIA4Oz9v7WSckP_063ZWb3Z8NlA1H7e02MutOUIdZ9Xi/w480-h640/toad.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Toad</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We also saw salamanders and skinks and lizards of various kinds.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeagKkslclni-dm_gQm2XDjfG8dx9dtj6P8px0nEjcBBhPy3ddiw9H9i7qILl1RSbuHLxOC_5HSyxeO3EhJz9_TSom1QyeD0xVS3ZnrZqUqdRNkW73MUxZY3jUij8pd0g__DQyLxpdK9x5VEFGPjuBQf8uT9zQKdmtnDL47bRtfOB-ugkS4CmyH4x/s4032/fence%20lizard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHeagKkslclni-dm_gQm2XDjfG8dx9dtj6P8px0nEjcBBhPy3ddiw9H9i7qILl1RSbuHLxOC_5HSyxeO3EhJz9_TSom1QyeD0xVS3ZnrZqUqdRNkW73MUxZY3jUij8pd0g__DQyLxpdK9x5VEFGPjuBQf8uT9zQKdmtnDL47bRtfOB-ugkS4CmyH4x/w480-h640/fence%20lizard.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fence Lizard</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE10IowQH7IOPkOfMFKO3qC5XxBti03CJ8MnzgJRGOaqHUZWEOuyhXerUqgtlBQZsXnvlwsOt-WzBa2f0f9TVctglvg7IVKQAdK1xYiZttVRKYqq29W_qdBeUdjNGKbhSmI98JhenqA93j5rLu8WyQ4qtrP5qsOtOsr8m5mwQsT7mB0aPdP2jcC4s8/s2238/slimy%20salamandar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2238" data-original-width="1678" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE10IowQH7IOPkOfMFKO3qC5XxBti03CJ8MnzgJRGOaqHUZWEOuyhXerUqgtlBQZsXnvlwsOt-WzBa2f0f9TVctglvg7IVKQAdK1xYiZttVRKYqq29W_qdBeUdjNGKbhSmI98JhenqA93j5rLu8WyQ4qtrP5qsOtOsr8m5mwQsT7mB0aPdP2jcC4s8/w480-h640/slimy%20salamandar.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Slimy Salamander</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The sky was overcast, and the day was hazy with humidity. It was a little eerie and close.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpHsbmKCalvCZKXRclsB80c8QmDt1avgQGTvPSmHDfgmpuZkhXICkIYyUEb3qCqSAEoWaizOGxKcVs0_PDjLo7QbgxVU71TI7mwS2Rd63vvEr-GLFLivB6jyeFiPV9Z7XqN8wUk_3UX0vyB79RXEeo0AgBdr8xmz_Fw0bl2a-NOjwbLwwGpMcT3Ov/s4032/piedmont%20woods.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglpHsbmKCalvCZKXRclsB80c8QmDt1avgQGTvPSmHDfgmpuZkhXICkIYyUEb3qCqSAEoWaizOGxKcVs0_PDjLo7QbgxVU71TI7mwS2Rd63vvEr-GLFLivB6jyeFiPV9Z7XqN8wUk_3UX0vyB79RXEeo0AgBdr8xmz_Fw0bl2a-NOjwbLwwGpMcT3Ov/w640-h480/piedmont%20woods.jpg" width="640" /></a></div></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-sYqnExW5ZgMSLDP5rS-nyJwREv39E0_tkHr7Qwz48pk0gdJel5029exFNOJXhEO2sKKvoejz4mvGS9DPxLxy4sb9R17rcyqesTr0uG-ISdWitBjwbPTmZOtIxA-nX_T_zXmC2JxhWDeXuVYUmTpVa8vZ_btnZ5hrClgoTBQGJwDAuKYfqvGtTcK/s4032/swampy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje-sYqnExW5ZgMSLDP5rS-nyJwREv39E0_tkHr7Qwz48pk0gdJel5029exFNOJXhEO2sKKvoejz4mvGS9DPxLxy4sb9R17rcyqesTr0uG-ISdWitBjwbPTmZOtIxA-nX_T_zXmC2JxhWDeXuVYUmTpVa8vZ_btnZ5hrClgoTBQGJwDAuKYfqvGtTcK/w640-h480/swampy.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swampy<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was glad it wasn't summer, and when it <i>is</i> summer, you will not find me here. It was just starting to get buggy. My son got about 20 or 30 ticks--What?? Haha! Just starting to get buggy?? Sounds pretty full out insect laden already!</span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">At one point, we got off track in our explorations and came to this tumbled down barn. There was a vulture on the roof who flew away when we approached. On closer inspection, my son and I heard an ominous breathing or hissing sound from within this barn. It scared me! It has been a long time since I have felt any kind of primal fear, but today I felt it. I could hear this big thing <i>breathing </i>and I knew to <i>get away</i>. So we did.</span></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRflopf0SwBjGQle0K65mO7njEOkwsXDup63Mja-VQF8f3tbwDlwy7jG8OyKVDEWvYxzcvA70mnStYjlLyWjD7tUbXV-1Um5MBlsBY_7I0niT7NHLQVsy3Z_KVKVbNNlqGPD0k3VmW_XyFn3GeAPyXMxg8N-MqVhULmisJyM8CMOtraQRLzfQlISn/s4032/house%20of%20hiss.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRflopf0SwBjGQle0K65mO7njEOkwsXDup63Mja-VQF8f3tbwDlwy7jG8OyKVDEWvYxzcvA70mnStYjlLyWjD7tUbXV-1Um5MBlsBY_7I0niT7NHLQVsy3Z_KVKVbNNlqGPD0k3VmW_XyFn3GeAPyXMxg8N-MqVhULmisJyM8CMOtraQRLzfQlISn/w640-h480/house%20of%20hiss.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hissing House</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Of course, my mind imagined a bear or maybe an injured wild pig, some dying animal that had brought the vulture. What if it got mad and came at us? </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">We thought about it as we walked, calmer after the initial creepy panic. Maybe it was another vulture on a <i>nest</i>? We think now that is most likely what it was. --Creepy!!</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">It was an unusual day all around. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlsa9aU1loVSzGsb7DNJftoAJ71J0UnLhcSUhDId6h_obM9N_s7N20wXxjudccpHfvJJUhgZcKReyUgaWUhdSWdX93N4Ar1O16AUZdzE0lPlRnaro3wML7KN7kZJvpEbfFEEGnsLKP-Fd_QOSNxgXRP98tbXCUb1JIu7YNjIdbrNKitN9hB3rby9G/s4032/thistle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLlsa9aU1loVSzGsb7DNJftoAJ71J0UnLhcSUhDId6h_obM9N_s7N20wXxjudccpHfvJJUhgZcKReyUgaWUhdSWdX93N4Ar1O16AUZdzE0lPlRnaro3wML7KN7kZJvpEbfFEEGnsLKP-Fd_QOSNxgXRP98tbXCUb1JIu7YNjIdbrNKitN9hB3rby9G/w480-h640/thistle.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thistle<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table> <span style="font-size: medium;">I was happy to be outdoors. And especially happy to be with my grown up boy.</span></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfWfIl4BZOBRdzU0pep2yLbVn95JOkxnIoJv3tCouLdttLVdi2_QlKpYtMcHUzxunl6A-JqWwJM2TcGJ43ZjjzufnxclGzNAISLXATlsmLfFddluC06M2SK2A5QpbBqvs3ww2s0EvjMyF0_UVojUyjXD8DYN4cmtZLEN-w_zL_lOJSZJ9NQ4ZqB_m/s3088/me%20and%20my%20boy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBfWfIl4BZOBRdzU0pep2yLbVn95JOkxnIoJv3tCouLdttLVdi2_QlKpYtMcHUzxunl6A-JqWwJM2TcGJ43ZjjzufnxclGzNAISLXATlsmLfFddluC06M2SK2A5QpbBqvs3ww2s0EvjMyF0_UVojUyjXD8DYN4cmtZLEN-w_zL_lOJSZJ9NQ4ZqB_m/w640-h480/me%20and%20my%20boy.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-756110226957714752022-05-01T15:17:00.001-07:002022-05-01T15:17:23.921-07:00All About the Plants<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">So, all the vegetables are in and coming along nicely.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtANzuZ7RiQWaU-vY_Ze_qmjN6eP9GhIHLsutOkeXt9TlEJjKmdOLG5GXf0hJRzwpXmO0QRJk1fCkV2R2sGpTcx2-ZnPIc3QyYdg0TV2TJAHv17uHolokZ-pDXudQkML0gCFr-djapaPurqju6Sf2ISAxkkyjosw_lw6BtmKnH5ZDpiKAJIe395TYo/s4032/garden%20back%20to%20front%20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtANzuZ7RiQWaU-vY_Ze_qmjN6eP9GhIHLsutOkeXt9TlEJjKmdOLG5GXf0hJRzwpXmO0QRJk1fCkV2R2sGpTcx2-ZnPIc3QyYdg0TV2TJAHv17uHolokZ-pDXudQkML0gCFr-djapaPurqju6Sf2ISAxkkyjosw_lw6BtmKnH5ZDpiKAJIe395TYo/w640-h480/garden%20back%20to%20front%20.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6kszc5QbcDaR_Uo5KtbhY87Qqlznv5Hw6_ECfJDkqnSnxgZ9zH815V0hcqCI3K7lmiDSCvyh2d7S_j7Ej0tnjeLe_elN9ThOGjd1Z61sVTZZqwosw3q2ZJulpJ8euLFwvrnKH-_cMpEGt_GRsZO4Knyc6b1kHIiiYYcktNp-L-SaMniBv42ykB2u/s4032/kale%20view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje6kszc5QbcDaR_Uo5KtbhY87Qqlznv5Hw6_ECfJDkqnSnxgZ9zH815V0hcqCI3K7lmiDSCvyh2d7S_j7Ej0tnjeLe_elN9ThOGjd1Z61sVTZZqwosw3q2ZJulpJ8euLFwvrnKH-_cMpEGt_GRsZO4Knyc6b1kHIiiYYcktNp-L-SaMniBv42ykB2u/w640-h480/kale%20view.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We've been eating the kale and the fava beans and radishes as they come. And hope for snap peas before too long. Everything is still looking fine and the inevitable insect and disease troubles haven't really begun yet. Ha! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Honestly, though we've attacked the weeds much more seriously this year and have kept pushing back a lot of "volunteers" that shoot up perpetually like wisteria and English ivy and jasmine and nandina. So far, so good.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Iris' of all colors are opening everywhere. More varieties than I have pictures of.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLGG5OENVyFA_jKn6JY-hqcbi2p5sUzZ6mXSgiQ3Nvww4ogbAzSRgjoOeDW9Osf7Mtla5tvbx1Z7_LYg5n-lJQ6yA3XPy3EnGkN1RRAdrnnenLxMcKdaRzWDWi7ChyEOTg2jX-VnK3BdrPnlsZYt0UGmRUIBKCsnxyabPAc7tV8rTNDUPwXXzWIAZ/s4032/purple%20iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLGG5OENVyFA_jKn6JY-hqcbi2p5sUzZ6mXSgiQ3Nvww4ogbAzSRgjoOeDW9Osf7Mtla5tvbx1Z7_LYg5n-lJQ6yA3XPy3EnGkN1RRAdrnnenLxMcKdaRzWDWi7ChyEOTg2jX-VnK3BdrPnlsZYt0UGmRUIBKCsnxyabPAc7tV8rTNDUPwXXzWIAZ/w480-h640/purple%20iris.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis2prrYgacDoUYN5vEjqLUQ3dc5IISdGY5nh2spk_d7UGMC9RvMM_UL7riqhvffbH3Op16N5t2wKfruvsaFy3ydkbWWVFBMaJ75dC4I-vth7EOQVSUtNMpZD37ntXQWyfqlAZZaP-8dqmakpdFbSmoFn-EcE1fvDnrqfDfOn6BVWoPwbzwcjbh433/s4032/yellow%20iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhis2prrYgacDoUYN5vEjqLUQ3dc5IISdGY5nh2spk_d7UGMC9RvMM_UL7riqhvffbH3Op16N5t2wKfruvsaFy3ydkbWWVFBMaJ75dC4I-vth7EOQVSUtNMpZD37ntXQWyfqlAZZaP-8dqmakpdFbSmoFn-EcE1fvDnrqfDfOn6BVWoPwbzwcjbh433/w480-h640/yellow%20iris.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p>And big washes of orchids are everywhere too.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8vbwQUuhaIa1uRyacWIC2i3_GREEhYqun9buwNFB8i1Om3Epp_A_S1x4zmi86MPo2hHBqFI-A8eKSH1OWrDELzsQ-lna44HmP7QAUswPgXEpBt0dQanR05qt9IMpWlDi9H9t_Kd50-T1yMQKk3dLCidZ0mugaDUOExFy1dXTSLK2UYK2ZVjFT_V-/s4032/orchids.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY8vbwQUuhaIa1uRyacWIC2i3_GREEhYqun9buwNFB8i1Om3Epp_A_S1x4zmi86MPo2hHBqFI-A8eKSH1OWrDELzsQ-lna44HmP7QAUswPgXEpBt0dQanR05qt9IMpWlDi9H9t_Kd50-T1yMQKk3dLCidZ0mugaDUOExFy1dXTSLK2UYK2ZVjFT_V-/w640-h480/orchids.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The peonies and roses are opening. And even the clematis on the gate has blooms this year.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iB3nYKEJtjgSDvk8sE2wPiUOX97EwKWdEaHdw_C6MkptxM2iU7BBrCbsn0Jd4Lfjev21etqURS4o_Tc-JOYSfRKt4sJWEaKxLczJs1ZeUTxb4_PL_AAn2Txc4ffp0ovn8gGgVBvNVEZSo1nNear8Dze1WRJAp1rTAk1G8woKUhUuprlJrt6kvRUa/s4032/clematis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_iB3nYKEJtjgSDvk8sE2wPiUOX97EwKWdEaHdw_C6MkptxM2iU7BBrCbsn0Jd4Lfjev21etqURS4o_Tc-JOYSfRKt4sJWEaKxLczJs1ZeUTxb4_PL_AAn2Txc4ffp0ovn8gGgVBvNVEZSo1nNear8Dze1WRJAp1rTAk1G8woKUhUuprlJrt6kvRUa/w480-h640/clematis.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaopRanUYUV9Hb_yXqkupy3b3DuSbaApRDfS4Pq80_wypHHWr88_4tSHYaaseCFkxqNKTgi9I9dCUENkXt8YK0cJeQI_41-44p8UHNBjxen1K47XG9o-qXNAknm6vu1i3fLXmn2YcCXgC6JgPc6Sh1zjBUSt-c32exlmb1VW7-kOkRxvN_lWoZXSM/s4032/white%20peony.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLaopRanUYUV9Hb_yXqkupy3b3DuSbaApRDfS4Pq80_wypHHWr88_4tSHYaaseCFkxqNKTgi9I9dCUENkXt8YK0cJeQI_41-44p8UHNBjxen1K47XG9o-qXNAknm6vu1i3fLXmn2YcCXgC6JgPc6Sh1zjBUSt-c32exlmb1VW7-kOkRxvN_lWoZXSM/w480-h640/white%20peony.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTE8fV-W2q7srQvvFhia3Ey1lbGoJEE9hfIURrjOfK_M00EoQhgAJ2QZIiYvELezSH_UbLJSA5B8ZLM611n9sPMLAX6cAZBKV3RqKnqRXIgjUzX2YolihE9d1GthtVFAfnNSvWGYI1XJQNNzQp5fclAKROSgYbe5xx_Hx1eBgujbyxCdUY8Pr8RKe/s4032/wild%20rose.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTE8fV-W2q7srQvvFhia3Ey1lbGoJEE9hfIURrjOfK_M00EoQhgAJ2QZIiYvELezSH_UbLJSA5B8ZLM611n9sPMLAX6cAZBKV3RqKnqRXIgjUzX2YolihE9d1GthtVFAfnNSvWGYI1XJQNNzQp5fclAKROSgYbe5xx_Hx1eBgujbyxCdUY8Pr8RKe/w480-h640/wild%20rose.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The hostas have come up an unfurled. We have so many varieties! The area here in the picture looks so good now, but fern comes in and takes over by summer's end. Right now, I can keep it tamped down more or less, but each day more little fern ends poke up.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BDA6GG4VCSkEawcKs-_C0TsMZDJgEtU-_JqBalZk-0mKE0C0DRBRjMYrvVKfqC1-BFMMeckBmtoiM0xFjvz_7urDd6kLa3zME5YbrYWtLqOvMZQ7P62bXTZUAXUXq3hSyWtcSLvwVHaV7OgD2zVAMdGiuqOJeCdDnzvjVzmVbNWM5YZrhOszTGov/s4032/hostas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-BDA6GG4VCSkEawcKs-_C0TsMZDJgEtU-_JqBalZk-0mKE0C0DRBRjMYrvVKfqC1-BFMMeckBmtoiM0xFjvz_7urDd6kLa3zME5YbrYWtLqOvMZQ7P62bXTZUAXUXq3hSyWtcSLvwVHaV7OgD2zVAMdGiuqOJeCdDnzvjVzmVbNWM5YZrhOszTGov/w640-h480/hostas.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The frogs are out in the evening (along with the mosquitos!), and there are little green or brown anoles hiding out in their favorite plants along the brick work on the patio. The fish are happy in their (FINALLY) functioning and clean pond. Today I saw a pair of goldfinches pass through and a big flock of cedar waxwings. So, late spring is here full on. All the early golds have turned to green. I've brought the hibiscus back outside and now they are even out of the shade too. Most of my seeding is finished. I've only some zinna and marigolds to sew here and there.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Such a pleasure! I hope you are enjoying spring as much as I am.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-3445442755913697612022-04-24T12:34:00.003-07:002022-04-24T12:34:40.309-07:00A Trip to the Mountains <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyUPpxfEqHIem6hf6fdLZBpj1JlEXD4ZIFvBYzM1L2DYeHExl1ef8XSMbbD7aql78tN3hRsDwfB1CRZSFejTxaA_WJ4Y-660-B6UtStT9DTasnNVenk7KADxouB0bpNTsahZ_-9nkSjzwBMU67Q91GnGzlckbSY7yk7cANR3i51pqOlnXoz7PgkR-/s4032/pink%20peonies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyUPpxfEqHIem6hf6fdLZBpj1JlEXD4ZIFvBYzM1L2DYeHExl1ef8XSMbbD7aql78tN3hRsDwfB1CRZSFejTxaA_WJ4Y-660-B6UtStT9DTasnNVenk7KADxouB0bpNTsahZ_-9nkSjzwBMU67Q91GnGzlckbSY7yk7cANR3i51pqOlnXoz7PgkR-/w480-h640/pink%20peonies.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Look at these amazing peonies! These blooms were some of the first of our spring rewards. I know some people have little patience for gardening, but for me, it is important to be surrounded by as many flowering plants as possible. It brings joy to my life. Even when I lived in places where I just had a balcony, I always tried to fill it up with some kind of flowers.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, I went on a most splendid hike! It was quite a long morning drive, but it was well worth it.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We walked along the Bertram Trail starting at Warwoman Dell. It is an incredibly beautiful path alongside streams and waterfalls. There are those amazing rhododendron "tunnels" of twisted branch overhead. The wildflowers were beginning to emerge--lots of various kinds of trillium. There were also shoals of dwarf irises everywhere.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OAMdbGymgPc8kta19cxDCYq2fnToAXLA0dCIn-6uqQ_Y_svC7_twbvWd_DSzJ8aJveDi2bbAsTdhERSYF5dzRZIAyvl_L62Rne2F7UA4V4bfFDPjhHJaoQYQVJeWj0mDH9cO3lMMrwLY466w0r6E_uZxciL2DGVqTnQxInAlWes41D5Z0UjCadnC/s4032/bertram%20trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6OAMdbGymgPc8kta19cxDCYq2fnToAXLA0dCIn-6uqQ_Y_svC7_twbvWd_DSzJ8aJveDi2bbAsTdhERSYF5dzRZIAyvl_L62Rne2F7UA4V4bfFDPjhHJaoQYQVJeWj0mDH9cO3lMMrwLY466w0r6E_uZxciL2DGVqTnQxInAlWes41D5Z0UjCadnC/w480-h640/bertram%20trail.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2dZotZ7E6P1IUnFq3exbI51k0qtmwMIpK_mhObp33GJGnJUlVGjZr6s2bnSY0bcAgw0mneaTG-9140lZpd72FRm9EKprMtc0NQSN0qSybfCKIcB159y_gRyLiGR8anQGRD_yQqzkrwDMB2T-McyYqeY7uAc-PJJopOMbrQPmJmXrwSq3nE8hpsrd/s4032/waterfall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2dZotZ7E6P1IUnFq3exbI51k0qtmwMIpK_mhObp33GJGnJUlVGjZr6s2bnSY0bcAgw0mneaTG-9140lZpd72FRm9EKprMtc0NQSN0qSybfCKIcB159y_gRyLiGR8anQGRD_yQqzkrwDMB2T-McyYqeY7uAc-PJJopOMbrQPmJmXrwSq3nE8hpsrd/w480-h640/waterfall.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7v8SG6aC8y3GXUlUq3_4JAdgjoHZDuzzulIJeX4EbqQ64D8zeWZZrP-eco8vxtpyI7Lz9AMmwoPDUzjrJxHzL5Zr7xTgVnVqa-3hIWB7-3HraNpJTQRraizxJFwBfXU4BDAM9MXcGkNhgq4nYOEb41ySS2aVUixbJT6cjB9yh8yPIRNGBgWxu_9d/s4032/shoal%20of%20iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC7v8SG6aC8y3GXUlUq3_4JAdgjoHZDuzzulIJeX4EbqQ64D8zeWZZrP-eco8vxtpyI7Lz9AMmwoPDUzjrJxHzL5Zr7xTgVnVqa-3hIWB7-3HraNpJTQRraizxJFwBfXU4BDAM9MXcGkNhgq4nYOEb41ySS2aVUixbJT6cjB9yh8yPIRNGBgWxu_9d/w480-h640/shoal%20of%20iris.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp3nHXt2nKtGYZvBy6ZUFl5CxQ093c61xR72iEVzLtztUkHwuJ1b9cwhyOD3oRwRdDUHEGTyM_Ibh2zZmYwU51m3dRYDFe6jcEPUbpraDNe0NCa2U9uFtFzRN0CldHPgDveWkwlwvRnUFJtXheLV603g9W0or1cIH0STfZEpiUAae40QSQ1gm17lA/s1334/dwarf%20iris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp3nHXt2nKtGYZvBy6ZUFl5CxQ093c61xR72iEVzLtztUkHwuJ1b9cwhyOD3oRwRdDUHEGTyM_Ibh2zZmYwU51m3dRYDFe6jcEPUbpraDNe0NCa2U9uFtFzRN0CldHPgDveWkwlwvRnUFJtXheLV603g9W0or1cIH0STfZEpiUAae40QSQ1gm17lA/w360-h640/dwarf%20iris.jpg" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We left the Bertram Trail which intersected with another trail that led through what seemed to be a young forest, up to Pinnacle Rock. The view from up there was stunning! It was possible to see the hills of North Carolina. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SyXtDhU8K94Z3vtcJ9xzhunXdYT821XxI6IgYNX5OtOURYhvluiQJO1pVnwe6bPe1MAP0BdP4-i3KMoFnZOZdAssWuaUA4RWK0sh9iKtM-HiXAwDnWdUJ-fTyaAUo3A899jJdrdGPPdlwaiYvw1Y3qwDC5kIdmHBX07esRzX5X9zKR4k3FeI-lN7/s4032/IMG_5490.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SyXtDhU8K94Z3vtcJ9xzhunXdYT821XxI6IgYNX5OtOURYhvluiQJO1pVnwe6bPe1MAP0BdP4-i3KMoFnZOZdAssWuaUA4RWK0sh9iKtM-HiXAwDnWdUJ-fTyaAUo3A899jJdrdGPPdlwaiYvw1Y3qwDC5kIdmHBX07esRzX5X9zKR4k3FeI-lN7/w640-h480/IMG_5490.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">What a fantastic place to sit and enjoy lunch! (No matter that the "lunch" was only dried fruit and nuts--.)<br /></span><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Along the way, there was some kind of trail run and we kept moving aside for all these people running 50 or 100 miles. !! I felt happy just to <i>walk</i> my measly 9.5 miles.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This book is written by William Bartram who explored the trails and for whom the trail we walked part of is named after. It is a fascinating book--although archaic in a way that is not for everybody, I know. Bartram was a naturalist who explored and documented his findings in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas in the late 1700s. Aside from his documentation of the flora and fauna, he also wrote extensively on his encounters with the Native tribes. I find that most interesting of all.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjMNhHeoyU80hR6xJVNJaqzyzRKeK3vadxNCF3rWyueh1oCFpO5tkdoAFWLL2LNX8B0NAGO6zszmINq_Cr9P2tTMjxcG0MABvdMTK7PJMCPJuJgTDdDNkC-ZwXft6qSiYfwW9mkJYOBhPQZzlji9KiwZWMydedYb6iZbQ5v6Q-7OCV8ZU0vFpL-fq/s640/IMG_5498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMjMNhHeoyU80hR6xJVNJaqzyzRKeK3vadxNCF3rWyueh1oCFpO5tkdoAFWLL2LNX8B0NAGO6zszmINq_Cr9P2tTMjxcG0MABvdMTK7PJMCPJuJgTDdDNkC-ZwXft6qSiYfwW9mkJYOBhPQZzlji9KiwZWMydedYb6iZbQ5v6Q-7OCV8ZU0vFpL-fq/w300-h400/IMG_5498.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Meanwhile, all is warm here with lizards on the patio and the vegetables growing by inches each day. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoTYFI69Tn2lJNevBNn-fR8bTWsoyfGivmopFghYTh0cmHpaCU6rdcAtxYqmKHtrhlrMhPR375YbxR2twfZhYFnCigONHxMaCmFl3p2leyuEUM26lFbXJ9iIzspoRdAGBG2JXZvepqyB2n65WFkOE7ENsfNjKxxrx-nU-y1WScah17mDomABOXXgr/s4032/first%20favas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdoTYFI69Tn2lJNevBNn-fR8bTWsoyfGivmopFghYTh0cmHpaCU6rdcAtxYqmKHtrhlrMhPR375YbxR2twfZhYFnCigONHxMaCmFl3p2leyuEUM26lFbXJ9iIzspoRdAGBG2JXZvepqyB2n65WFkOE7ENsfNjKxxrx-nU-y1WScah17mDomABOXXgr/w480-h640/first%20favas.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKHN9A40ef9RAVrfn_85dMa1Wb0YQMyWq9_Uxq5GdOuaqX-0PdqyGOub4oaCOlPzyPLjEBTLEpWzry8JhITaZIcUG722h9zpP6CBl5R97YTwbeB8A5pdTX7wFEJcFCIJYjZki5xOOzxCZU_OaG5NnUdvbTjIqS3SQmZroIrELX-swfHVZcuQ1uP2y/s4032/handful%20of%20beans.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKHN9A40ef9RAVrfn_85dMa1Wb0YQMyWq9_Uxq5GdOuaqX-0PdqyGOub4oaCOlPzyPLjEBTLEpWzry8JhITaZIcUG722h9zpP6CBl5R97YTwbeB8A5pdTX7wFEJcFCIJYjZki5xOOzxCZU_OaG5NnUdvbTjIqS3SQmZroIrELX-swfHVZcuQ1uP2y/w480-h640/handful%20of%20beans.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;">Holding these bean like this had me feeling a bit like Jack and the Beanstalk's mother!</span><p></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-87625765686214449842022-04-10T16:01:00.001-07:002022-04-10T16:01:35.503-07:00Warm and Cold Spring<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Typical of spring, some days this week were wonderfully warm and some were seriously cold. Like sleet in April cold. That was yesterday. We were talking to someone outside when suddenly, the sky opened up and freezing rain was falling on us!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I don't mind cold weather, but I had hoped to plant my garden and get the bulk of the annuals in during my spring break.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, no worries, because today was warm as ever and we got the vegetable garden planted.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7_uy5biFfcCYw96AP19QJLAfkmFBnd7EhOVDbaTrRT4XlG_v-oHXgOcT9RyFoY1z8RxHZScF5qTrJcWNNaXrQzdeHhJ_UB9e6uhexeq_KCVH0ko0e6FLTcL7mUyLu2YnQ7Ehb0MWo8pWqI-buJCzPGnnrzk9jT3y5u6ZuNhreLGxPFjdG6GbjnTI/s4032/april%20garden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7_uy5biFfcCYw96AP19QJLAfkmFBnd7EhOVDbaTrRT4XlG_v-oHXgOcT9RyFoY1z8RxHZScF5qTrJcWNNaXrQzdeHhJ_UB9e6uhexeq_KCVH0ko0e6FLTcL7mUyLu2YnQ7Ehb0MWo8pWqI-buJCzPGnnrzk9jT3y5u6ZuNhreLGxPFjdG6GbjnTI/w640-h480/april%20garden.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTBdFV1dvptGimh1sBF7e-T40bGx0_VSeB7PqUOkzoutKnT06KvE90LgMTQRcYsycXLu8Xta_97fe3Ar1eZF-hTQonGZ2FF3j3_ljU4qB8TNxB1rOi-5HV6Aea0zbvSiMy1FS79x0AZHbzupM---i3dimZGolbN_hfT-8enNN0bZMzmpLQnxHTpgj/s4032/fava.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTBdFV1dvptGimh1sBF7e-T40bGx0_VSeB7PqUOkzoutKnT06KvE90LgMTQRcYsycXLu8Xta_97fe3Ar1eZF-hTQonGZ2FF3j3_ljU4qB8TNxB1rOi-5HV6Aea0zbvSiMy1FS79x0AZHbzupM---i3dimZGolbN_hfT-8enNN0bZMzmpLQnxHTpgj/w480-h640/fava.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnYKC4pqAgUnsplSKI0hgqqzZ6PBvu2qXHxDTqoibbeNz8qjVflg6gZs2P9FTexynDk91NlnS5g80E1GeYNXrjJzbrMNdeKBtGhRV1zFXh3A_puz4OWDUNIUIfCrxkKhPWCGuaIh0oDANl7EOaCt4SxpOWxpyi0nhPdiLOGrDlPIgzLx99elbg9wM/s4032/kale%20and%20peas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxnYKC4pqAgUnsplSKI0hgqqzZ6PBvu2qXHxDTqoibbeNz8qjVflg6gZs2P9FTexynDk91NlnS5g80E1GeYNXrjJzbrMNdeKBtGhRV1zFXh3A_puz4OWDUNIUIfCrxkKhPWCGuaIh0oDANl7EOaCt4SxpOWxpyi0nhPdiLOGrDlPIgzLx99elbg9wM/w480-h640/kale%20and%20peas.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Every year we add a few more vegetables it seems. Last year we had incredible yields from the poblano, but the plant began to die before the peppers were mature. This year, we put the poblano in his own pot like we have traditionally done. We hope this helps the fruit mature. ?? Gardening is fun for me because each year I never know which plants will do well and which won't, and I love problem solving and trying to fix mistakes from one year to the next.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The fava beans are all finally taking off (some people call these broad beans) since the weather warmed up. And the sugar snap peas are coming up alongside the kale (Nero di Toscana). The kale seeds were free!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I also put in a ton of flowers, but half of those are seeds so I didn't take any pictures. Someone gifted us some amaranth--which grows like 5 feet tall. I sewed a few of those seeds and we shall see what results!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On the cold days, I was able to read and knit. I knitted a pretty simple colorwork hat. It is called the <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/nordic-fair-isle-slouch-hat" target="_blank">Nordic Fair Isle Slouch Hat</a>. I made it with Cloudborn Fibers fine highland wool I got on closeout last year. The weight of the yarn was an exact match for that in the pattern which is why I bought it.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87tOIQVQ0Zu_b61_Js3UGXSrDM71NpYgsCgtmXLZ21wbnTkGP3CdCwirOKsbLYC_cQToP2QF9aESS0UY0URlzPbX7H7fTjZIZyeGYSkgRKi-QShkor-_dYdZyS45X56emc7ATtvOVcJI6sUJOimpiCU1OLnH8aCGOXrysWIJGwcu7mFe8r0GTlQIC/s4032/slouch%20hat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj87tOIQVQ0Zu_b61_Js3UGXSrDM71NpYgsCgtmXLZ21wbnTkGP3CdCwirOKsbLYC_cQToP2QF9aESS0UY0URlzPbX7H7fTjZIZyeGYSkgRKi-QShkor-_dYdZyS45X56emc7ATtvOVcJI6sUJOimpiCU1OLnH8aCGOXrysWIJGwcu7mFe8r0GTlQIC/w480-h640/slouch%20hat.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I loved making a cable cast on and knitting the corrugated ribbing! I made this in one day and never had to tink back even once. I guess I am getting better--finally--at knitting. Hooray!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I also started a sock using self striping yarn from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/turtlepurl" target="_blank">Turtlepurl</a> in the color Bob's Camping Trip. This yarn is so soft and delicious!! It is a bit more costy than some other yarns, but when I got it out to drape over my swift, I fell in love with it. I LOVE these saturated colors. I got the pack that has the alternate color for the cuff, heel, and toes.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2skn3LhmFOHp2OdKL_Oz-9__jNnsxi5ONevza2zqqnT5oGr7Prr_sRLNXartZWADw6KvL-zx4oQi6WdNNqoFiPN-GrOLMI1umb9CxjbFHm3p8M29qmXltHHBnQeAcPf1OrWBRPyP0_xZxfOJ-HWsHdwDFLuADTSqIsV7rr-8rwEA3QAlj019P_Ck/s4032/sock%20start.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin2skn3LhmFOHp2OdKL_Oz-9__jNnsxi5ONevza2zqqnT5oGr7Prr_sRLNXartZWADw6KvL-zx4oQi6WdNNqoFiPN-GrOLMI1umb9CxjbFHm3p8M29qmXltHHBnQeAcPf1OrWBRPyP0_xZxfOJ-HWsHdwDFLuADTSqIsV7rr-8rwEA3QAlj019P_Ck/w480-h640/sock%20start.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am using the sock pattern from <a href="https://www.winwickmum.co.uk/2014/05/basic-sock-pattern-and-tutorial.html" target="_blank">Winwick Mum</a>. I have 2 pairs of socks I made from her pattern, and they fit me better than other socks I have made, so I am using her pattern again. It is a straight forward top down sock. So nice to knit a sock and listen to an audio book on a rainy day!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Tomorrow is back to school. I am looking forward to seeing all my youngsters again and hearing how bored they were on break and yet how boring school is too except that now they get to be with their friends. Ah! Teens.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Have a great week!</span></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-71164745854519221782022-04-03T15:18:00.007-07:002022-04-03T15:18:41.540-07:00Spring Break Begins!<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">Here is a look at my finished sweater! I am so happy with it. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9kV54TJ79rIM1ggcMGMXKYL6APwa6w0gX9iFjWg30HypI7QP4P6ssixFZ8PrN4M11q1TCEhpCmKLQEUNCKbVK-zwR0LLV_A5ZnIBZmqkjglAZVthBLI8U2wlFPsoX62VYfWspCuDUoh4b40Mc99WZBM-BZFYKum-dcaybckezAV6-u5tr6TRljvc/s4032/IMG_4417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij9kV54TJ79rIM1ggcMGMXKYL6APwa6w0gX9iFjWg30HypI7QP4P6ssixFZ8PrN4M11q1TCEhpCmKLQEUNCKbVK-zwR0LLV_A5ZnIBZmqkjglAZVthBLI8U2wlFPsoX62VYfWspCuDUoh4b40Mc99WZBM-BZFYKum-dcaybckezAV6-u5tr6TRljvc/w480-h640/IMG_4417.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHIa4YY-lVtJzpL0wDMZTdwYa1MUV__g_rMl0SDtJeIooGTI49lHmRmDfqke8Gji1NznCeiK_XmxYQLd9o1GRi8kmDzQgR5s2o-G6Wwsw8FlaOyrMowkq3ReJHapa3OhdeKU_8XON2dsbSNshJomtHkZm1sAYzDuLGYI0mUPGmgvMjdFGdBm3vuxz/s4032/IMG_4418.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLHIa4YY-lVtJzpL0wDMZTdwYa1MUV__g_rMl0SDtJeIooGTI49lHmRmDfqke8Gji1NznCeiK_XmxYQLd9o1GRi8kmDzQgR5s2o-G6Wwsw8FlaOyrMowkq3ReJHapa3OhdeKU_8XON2dsbSNshJomtHkZm1sAYzDuLGYI0mUPGmgvMjdFGdBm3vuxz/w480-h640/IMG_4418.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Even though it is 100% wool, it is lightweight. Of course, it is too warm to wear around here now, but next fall it will feel good. I joked with a colleague that I could wear all my knitted things to Iceland one day, and she said that if I go, I can buy wonderful yarn. Yes--to knit up sweaters to wear for future trips to Iceland, I said.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This morning I did a cable cast on and am starting some corrugated ribbing for a hat. This beginning was fiddly as ever, but making a hat is a nice in-between type project, something that doesn't take 200 million days to complete. Next up, I've got another color work yoke sweater planned to use up that neutral color yarn I changed my mind about.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUxPJ05shtT7XCfPMMzpPtdtJGLQom0ArpzEMrU4suBcTY4MnOJNcb1AA7om77fEb-Ui16mCvzwPJqXpTPcme7-mIuUVOYTAu0znDkZ0ww3PSyAh911-X3c8cd3BRZyAlJsayKDXteJ8y6NtUqi8WWeRrHjnGYjsZyqiUmfoGCNwGe-BF4DY7dZWk/s4032/IMG_5442.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSUxPJ05shtT7XCfPMMzpPtdtJGLQom0ArpzEMrU4suBcTY4MnOJNcb1AA7om77fEb-Ui16mCvzwPJqXpTPcme7-mIuUVOYTAu0znDkZ0ww3PSyAh911-X3c8cd3BRZyAlJsayKDXteJ8y6NtUqi8WWeRrHjnGYjsZyqiUmfoGCNwGe-BF4DY7dZWk/w480-h640/IMG_5442.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday, day ONE of spring break, I hiked Blood Mountain again, but came at it from Lake Winfield Scott.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRS2jw6ZpluF4vpXCKhU92JGklfltjiQEkPe29RFM2s78m-nfjrRdjhTtyK1yPM2TO_RJw85Ke-If1iO8z-z--YaRrXMaPmEQILu4tyWdIpVoJpFXmBSEFW5vZHmHBPdQvMyHE_ndBB3Rww3uNSbRUfIpX3zAN4_yDLdlj4_WKZeOrVaVWngY4TuX/s4032/IMG_5433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtRS2jw6ZpluF4vpXCKhU92JGklfltjiQEkPe29RFM2s78m-nfjrRdjhTtyK1yPM2TO_RJw85Ke-If1iO8z-z--YaRrXMaPmEQILu4tyWdIpVoJpFXmBSEFW5vZHmHBPdQvMyHE_ndBB3Rww3uNSbRUfIpX3zAN4_yDLdlj4_WKZeOrVaVWngY4TuX/w640-h480/IMG_5433.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Standing here, I realized that I have a picture of myself in probably this exact spot some thirty years ago! It was early morning then too, and I was coming off the trail from overnight camping and having a little breakfast with my dog by the lake. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_k8eRldpxSl0jK4mLOdm1Wy0ey2kBTqTHovtZNl2quMGtv5GSeyligbT4sFxYztM9bNRuUqxpdj32z58t6QIl3mhj7wk8LtXve5umGH2dx2HCCDpzjJKo7d4B3sHy6LFY2pZzpLFuxs3MUompIC2g-eSAz512np4w5--Ui8GZ1axBtW6hnWUr4_E/s4032/IMG_5436.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo_k8eRldpxSl0jK4mLOdm1Wy0ey2kBTqTHovtZNl2quMGtv5GSeyligbT4sFxYztM9bNRuUqxpdj32z58t6QIl3mhj7wk8LtXve5umGH2dx2HCCDpzjJKo7d4B3sHy6LFY2pZzpLFuxs3MUompIC2g-eSAz512np4w5--Ui8GZ1axBtW6hnWUr4_E/w640-h480/IMG_5436.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvwIqjC5WvC6L5GoIioaXqxN4vXialbIwMZBATewQZf69hTLdsgHey1ltzRdcmRhTPWnNoYm9g9xejR37E7PNCqEqM3fqjcGJaXDIHEy8qYP564z6fym2p_E2NIGSqK2_9ZVw0gVrNsEc6LrVZHbpH06_YeRg4sJpnOLRY3XsCq8YfKSh-41OcdAu/s4032/IMG_5437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGvwIqjC5WvC6L5GoIioaXqxN4vXialbIwMZBATewQZf69hTLdsgHey1ltzRdcmRhTPWnNoYm9g9xejR37E7PNCqEqM3fqjcGJaXDIHEy8qYP564z6fym2p_E2NIGSqK2_9ZVw0gVrNsEc6LrVZHbpH06_YeRg4sJpnOLRY3XsCq8YfKSh-41OcdAu/w640-h480/IMG_5437.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYWN7FDEqhZlq3o_oOCXrpTMx_X7UhzsjqFLYBE_8jaKr4cldgYF3AlPpIp2HQEDw85eF6KD5BJ0EFyNCVBoG1ecRLC0pko8sdqiK5PW8MWJ3lFObX15WYAVzlZ8bIAgohfZ4X9l_uDDoz0HnRTEptLdGUAzdnQ6BfX9VOwdNveprzKHSwxjk9h4A/s4032/IMG_5438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLYWN7FDEqhZlq3o_oOCXrpTMx_X7UhzsjqFLYBE_8jaKr4cldgYF3AlPpIp2HQEDw85eF6KD5BJ0EFyNCVBoG1ecRLC0pko8sdqiK5PW8MWJ3lFObX15WYAVzlZ8bIAgohfZ4X9l_uDDoz0HnRTEptLdGUAzdnQ6BfX9VOwdNveprzKHSwxjk9h4A/w640-h480/IMG_5438.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The day started out sunny, but clouds rolled in while we ate our lunch on top of the mountain. Luckily, the cold wind died out, and it made for a peaceful and cool tramp back down through the woods. This time we didn't take the super rocky Freeman trail around the side of the mountain, but a more wooded decent back to the lake. Some flowers were just beginning to peep out, and I will hopefully be able to come back to see them all in bloom. I think then I will not go with the hiking group, as their pace can be pretty fast and stopping for many photos leaves you behind (I had to run to catch up when I paused to tie my shoe!).</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Today, day TWO of spring break, I spent time preparing the soil in the big bed for annuals in my front yard, and tidying up the vegetable garden area. It doesn't sound like much--but it was a full day's work!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am so happy to be able to have this time to celebrate my beautiful plants and the outdoors! I hope you have a great week!</span></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-62079195847375177572022-03-20T14:12:00.004-07:002022-03-20T14:12:25.527-07:00Celebrating the Last Day of Winter Outdoors<p><span style="font-size: medium;">The last day of winter here was happily spring-like! I joined a few brave souls for a mountain hike. I say brave because the number of people who dropped out of the hike was about ten--maybe a little more. I think they got scared off by the black skies and pelting rain the day before.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The trail was soggy here and there, but not a problem, my waterproof boots held up well! We climbed Blood Mountain, the highest peak on the Appalachian Trail in Georgia and rambled over other trails to give us a good 9+ miles.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWEspCW3i7VluuHoZb8fiQnrVoWChCu5-LTe6OWk_5XDX8r5vhLOYj7IvXFfcgrQArqu6Cq9_TAyh5VrPOWdzgmJw_j6Gpl1dFrcD7IuyWx7xQM7WDBxgxEHYLGoXwme3MX9EAIlL9CIPLu2z9-1kPGp1EPX5XpFjocW77YQBdbW9Kky2CSq5Puqs/s4030/peak2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWEspCW3i7VluuHoZb8fiQnrVoWChCu5-LTe6OWk_5XDX8r5vhLOYj7IvXFfcgrQArqu6Cq9_TAyh5VrPOWdzgmJw_j6Gpl1dFrcD7IuyWx7xQM7WDBxgxEHYLGoXwme3MX9EAIlL9CIPLu2z9-1kPGp1EPX5XpFjocW77YQBdbW9Kky2CSq5Puqs/s4030/peak2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDny8f-8k_ZguEezK4lUjyDelGaNNYTtOQJyvhkjPKETJLiFP4NgreI8kY9-m7IlH0-_XxTrmiLpiWmifHPhJ0GFNjBrV7zBlB6IuX_a1KOMywHea4kruqML8PMcDTsxTOyAUCp90wXjZtF_dLzFdpQtaF8-GEcYO8q2lo5pNrmcTjYAbQS7QkEqoT/s4032/peak.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDny8f-8k_ZguEezK4lUjyDelGaNNYTtOQJyvhkjPKETJLiFP4NgreI8kY9-m7IlH0-_XxTrmiLpiWmifHPhJ0GFNjBrV7zBlB6IuX_a1KOMywHea4kruqML8PMcDTsxTOyAUCp90wXjZtF_dLzFdpQtaF8-GEcYO8q2lo5pNrmcTjYAbQS7QkEqoT/w640-h480/peak.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><img border="0" data-original-height="2774" data-original-width="4030" height="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWEspCW3i7VluuHoZb8fiQnrVoWChCu5-LTe6OWk_5XDX8r5vhLOYj7IvXFfcgrQArqu6Cq9_TAyh5VrPOWdzgmJw_j6Gpl1dFrcD7IuyWx7xQM7WDBxgxEHYLGoXwme3MX9EAIlL9CIPLu2z9-1kPGp1EPX5XpFjocW77YQBdbW9Kky2CSq5Puqs/w640-h440/peak2.jpg" width="640" /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQ5Ce0U1Y7sLeMiGQBWUDnOR_nD8R0p9ZKz4FwJhJULfq5uU-ZQwDWJj3E1Zx3KLXxOX_YRFFZcCZRqN7kmn9_tns4y0LbqhViPaw7Q7eyy3OwSZ0dGhp4n0-2ktLlq4cqXlinoVqvP_wWcGqFXFlhIHnsqHXLvoIGqA5Hqozmw-bjPTcVJvhjGx9/s4032/near%20peak%20trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuQ5Ce0U1Y7sLeMiGQBWUDnOR_nD8R0p9ZKz4FwJhJULfq5uU-ZQwDWJj3E1Zx3KLXxOX_YRFFZcCZRqN7kmn9_tns4y0LbqhViPaw7Q7eyy3OwSZ0dGhp4n0-2ktLlq4cqXlinoVqvP_wWcGqFXFlhIHnsqHXLvoIGqA5Hqozmw-bjPTcVJvhjGx9/w640-h480/near%20peak%20trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The trail was extremely rocky--which I like--managing the puzzle of where to put your foot. It always makes me think of mountain goats, how easily they seem to scramble. But they've got four feet and are lower to the ground, so perhaps it is easier for them to maneuver, eh? Anyway, we crossed little creeks all day, and that is fun to me too. The stones were surprisingly unslippery--or maybe that's down to my good boots again. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Mountain laurel and rhododendron grew along the paths. In a few weeks they will be blooming! I hope to get back to the mountains when they do. It was great to see the brown woods going green. And of course the views of the surrounding hills were different without all the leaves.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We stopped to eat our lunch at a shelter, but it was too cold to sit at the table in the shade. We chose to sit in the sun on the ground. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCLNhZxNuEZwyH57MSVTqYtwF4bysh8kvBtj9uh65YqmeCiVKmnbIt-w_z7Huudnm_wpnUWLAcrbL_YPyiwFVG71hjxdoQ-PB4KWFDQFOT80iqBpJCqgCt0cp7qgFfeqcaU50GDh0yrxdjeEv-XmE6L0BmNu2H2eZSTPTDwyEHRLToeG99UxSsfHf/s4032/shelter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDCLNhZxNuEZwyH57MSVTqYtwF4bysh8kvBtj9uh65YqmeCiVKmnbIt-w_z7Huudnm_wpnUWLAcrbL_YPyiwFVG71hjxdoQ-PB4KWFDQFOT80iqBpJCqgCt0cp7qgFfeqcaU50GDh0yrxdjeEv-XmE6L0BmNu2H2eZSTPTDwyEHRLToeG99UxSsfHf/w640-h480/shelter.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7J_jcTHf-LaqffgcsEuHTofQiRlD4jdrvrdh2BoZsLdx6df6T-yOGZATc2YTJNVGjs_fnX7EUs9h4j7uRk-zdwUEHzMyZNKmagKTvfNpTBR6-wgQRhG76_xfJ0qL3n2xi-MTED7gvBCaXmDeMGvUCCs4YrdSAz-RclTzIzZbKpQ6n2NOfnLioU7RG/s4032/trail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7J_jcTHf-LaqffgcsEuHTofQiRlD4jdrvrdh2BoZsLdx6df6T-yOGZATc2YTJNVGjs_fnX7EUs9h4j7uRk-zdwUEHzMyZNKmagKTvfNpTBR6-wgQRhG76_xfJ0qL3n2xi-MTED7gvBCaXmDeMGvUCCs4YrdSAz-RclTzIzZbKpQ6n2NOfnLioU7RG/w640-h480/trail.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It was just such a 100% great all around day!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">At home, the garden is coming to life and I really have to get out there and get to work next weekend--although there is another hike tempting me.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My sweater is finally done and blocking! One hank of yarn was a little off color--had a lot of yellowish streaks in it like it was at the end of the dye lot. I'm not bothered. Chalk it up as looking "distressed." I'm sure not many people will notice. The hank was all one sleeve and the top of the next.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I'm glad I went with the green for the body. It looks good doesn't it? I'm very happy with this end result.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsX8ZlMqFg-lSJrzNMZKBCsIUOH8R1lbqtW3fLtB7wZZYwl936i9puOs5NSGCXU_J8PBMji6Ggntuzi1ruGMZSqlZvJbjBO_aLhaI4rmoJba1_YGfbEPjQIuHVJvuPfDM5C9E46dW6E0w25oDig8nq3gUHIpVuKdjgAsjqJy3nJrr2O9DUjFhoSaU/s4032/forsythian.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZsX8ZlMqFg-lSJrzNMZKBCsIUOH8R1lbqtW3fLtB7wZZYwl936i9puOs5NSGCXU_J8PBMji6Ggntuzi1ruGMZSqlZvJbjBO_aLhaI4rmoJba1_YGfbEPjQIuHVJvuPfDM5C9E46dW6E0w25oDig8nq3gUHIpVuKdjgAsjqJy3nJrr2O9DUjFhoSaU/w640-h480/forsythian.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-76592334759865539852022-03-13T17:43:00.000-07:002022-03-13T17:43:13.430-07:00Art Days<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">A good friend of my husband is an artist called Linda Hall. Over the years, we have gone to see her exhibitions. I always find them exciting and beautiful and arresting and strange--all the things I love about art.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Lately, these past "mask" years, she has been expanding her ideas about masks. Her work has often had masks of a kind--full body masks, animal skins or forms made of fabric that humans or animals can/could inhabit. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA4h1F1Yv6prr1rhnGrwy329pcrlSO8tHDZCoMZwfMx9m-dKg42MoF0-951YQm_-6rHD2GMFSPx496iCfIRvIn1MkmNCKrBLpk8WZb6bS4b10GUvosA9dvJQEe-Fe0rzktIVCf6vr8oT_5abzK18B2nzPitjWIqKR4OeXUA_zSlWWSgX7MGdVdYuwp=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgA4h1F1Yv6prr1rhnGrwy329pcrlSO8tHDZCoMZwfMx9m-dKg42MoF0-951YQm_-6rHD2GMFSPx496iCfIRvIn1MkmNCKrBLpk8WZb6bS4b10GUvosA9dvJQEe-Fe0rzktIVCf6vr8oT_5abzK18B2nzPitjWIqKR4OeXUA_zSlWWSgX7MGdVdYuwp=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYT0lZRfYBQzcSMu8Cl7-1wk3PvaZFozez87ROswVLncmnHZ0p4b3lcTlN5hPAqwn6NzI4nPiCVoKmvSKXwOA0_gg1FHx6XF8kqUBjIepcoL6ao1ODLjBJVPVjwKNvGtm8PEKSXBDKqCZaty0Yhel_dVklGQCbfYEBluufz9qD0bCmfmOHZ30IRnVb=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgYT0lZRfYBQzcSMu8Cl7-1wk3PvaZFozez87ROswVLncmnHZ0p4b3lcTlN5hPAqwn6NzI4nPiCVoKmvSKXwOA0_gg1FHx6XF8kqUBjIepcoL6ao1ODLjBJVPVjwKNvGtm8PEKSXBDKqCZaty0Yhel_dVklGQCbfYEBluufz9qD0bCmfmOHZ30IRnVb=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">These works are truly incredible!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On several of these, you can see the influence of sea life embedded in the work. I always think that is so very cool.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWrBzfJGhpRL92Ab7cLyNYQNUMp6S5eL-KIDe7AgKmk_kikpy_kz_ucBEuHRPT5ndbpV-cwPokBKpXC5-eudOA8YlvxYOIKrJDlpiKHanXAgYl5y3-nXOWFYqMhLWMjtTrzWXwlcorFZRnn47MFi9A_T41_V_rY544YWFwjGY6b1OVrJN5C8SGfsH8=s1334" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgWrBzfJGhpRL92Ab7cLyNYQNUMp6S5eL-KIDe7AgKmk_kikpy_kz_ucBEuHRPT5ndbpV-cwPokBKpXC5-eudOA8YlvxYOIKrJDlpiKHanXAgYl5y3-nXOWFYqMhLWMjtTrzWXwlcorFZRnn47MFi9A_T41_V_rY544YWFwjGY6b1OVrJN5C8SGfsH8=w360-h640" width="360" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAdfx965dNffT5JD_YE-6nMJXz1Pgcw1F8itupnaxA9qDk6Um-ALJjSUUI4qOK-cWr8jpqi6P6TvMbQVDJpfumwr6nvyfbnW8GcvZQucj6fvg16rMEKJELnUW2tn0oXJC_6tNGwSJzoxfbRYeKPjgKoxU-vAm8GtQ0DNIdA7nUHhtp3e0BY_hLSLcb=s3648" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="3022" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAdfx965dNffT5JD_YE-6nMJXz1Pgcw1F8itupnaxA9qDk6Um-ALJjSUUI4qOK-cWr8jpqi6P6TvMbQVDJpfumwr6nvyfbnW8GcvZQucj6fvg16rMEKJELnUW2tn0oXJC_6tNGwSJzoxfbRYeKPjgKoxU-vAm8GtQ0DNIdA7nUHhtp3e0BY_hLSLcb=w530-h640" width="530" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnQRHZkzC9Wy5Th4l66rJzd8zloIs420Tc7pDL-zowtjQyu6wsiAITd-mVJGTzGNrumsgT57RIFMyWN2goeQ1FcaJuXgtOlWJYn7lRtVQEsTZX9WQkO5W-BE4KVjdQ_LzR_9JoLrdStinnoAGIX_R3ZLzmhrjiwkrv9MfG7fuqeRP1yxarmvqbAJrx=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhnQRHZkzC9Wy5Th4l66rJzd8zloIs420Tc7pDL-zowtjQyu6wsiAITd-mVJGTzGNrumsgT57RIFMyWN2goeQ1FcaJuXgtOlWJYn7lRtVQEsTZX9WQkO5W-BE4KVjdQ_LzR_9JoLrdStinnoAGIX_R3ZLzmhrjiwkrv9MfG7fuqeRP1yxarmvqbAJrx=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4OAz1C0m6VerNGGjp31Jbv-b-0JykQdliAMNYhx4NXIRSIfvZP5WAVtvnNzo7EUAzHC3yKq9i2bLi1aYCHrWDoiMQ3deVcbhMjrPqBBuz6XkB5oQ01uQIOdl3yogNV0Rr-vjuTG1tgdHyxfhmHzIt_onKGttprceaeSMh_hrnriKh4bhHNZYgBqZk=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj4OAz1C0m6VerNGGjp31Jbv-b-0JykQdliAMNYhx4NXIRSIfvZP5WAVtvnNzo7EUAzHC3yKq9i2bLi1aYCHrWDoiMQ3deVcbhMjrPqBBuz6XkB5oQ01uQIOdl3yogNV0Rr-vjuTG1tgdHyxfhmHzIt_onKGttprceaeSMh_hrnriKh4bhHNZYgBqZk=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Not all of the works were made of these cheerful colors. Some were somber, much more serious. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Sometime last fall, and then again this weekend, I was lucky enough to be part of a sort of art "happening" which was a procession with music and masks, interacting subtly with the audience or bystanders. It took me back to my college performance days.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhPXAi30cNPDndJk-NBKTqCc-RhwtZOyXGp5BFIGrtirFZXgFD9mVGJvUhSM_Uw5wr0E2Sa-3gGINyTU3K1qhibwJvn_GK_Kmy4AYwJdSJf_g9xs-mpzg43kt46OmAdoojZheaWB_savpglrRR_m-DXx0eEZFej9lDH86gaGm9wy-TU0vCVvQKglos=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjhPXAi30cNPDndJk-NBKTqCc-RhwtZOyXGp5BFIGrtirFZXgFD9mVGJvUhSM_Uw5wr0E2Sa-3gGINyTU3K1qhibwJvn_GK_Kmy4AYwJdSJf_g9xs-mpzg43kt46OmAdoojZheaWB_savpglrRR_m-DXx0eEZFej9lDH86gaGm9wy-TU0vCVvQKglos=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_I4UVDLCMX_XyAD6-wlnmW1gHBzSiVJ268pVkOt7QpHHy-gPskPZsJS7SYDZbPZjTAvETnKMSroqWJ9HgZI56kYZbEmUVWyzbrUWU8nbX3tdiaj-yQJ-kw2cZa4nfK3BQYpXHfRzNND5oiHF8C1rgy5Le9NMQkp4OA5kUzbQ7W3WoYR_qZXt6WA0H=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh_I4UVDLCMX_XyAD6-wlnmW1gHBzSiVJ268pVkOt7QpHHy-gPskPZsJS7SYDZbPZjTAvETnKMSroqWJ9HgZI56kYZbEmUVWyzbrUWU8nbX3tdiaj-yQJ-kw2cZa4nfK3BQYpXHfRzNND5oiHF8C1rgy5Le9NMQkp4OA5kUzbQ7W3WoYR_qZXt6WA0H=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This latest exhibition also included collaborative works with photographer Becki Rutta which I also loved.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For more information on all of this you can check out: <a href="https://mofa.fsu.edu/social-distance/" target="_blank">https://mofa.fsu.edu/social-distance/</a></span></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-39690291690391271802022-03-06T11:42:00.001-08:002022-03-06T11:42:33.743-08:00An Early Spring<p><span style="font-size: medium;"> I'm not sure what the groundhog saw this year, but around here, it is spring.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRTB3Lf6t5iVycPtx25z7Cw1Ev8LumXUKb_bkTnhhx-GP5cu7wG8xBA6d3a_qkp4pjdDhPeHvRqiXomg3UYkv5_ly_ZZvFfXJaOY0PiAr5M8XSvesbfqt1nvtp9qsHsHV3idr0Lm_vvtPAamUykGWshq7UDY_XpdCeqPlVOJLPTAcrn3x4D1uzJ6wM=s1794" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1794" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRTB3Lf6t5iVycPtx25z7Cw1Ev8LumXUKb_bkTnhhx-GP5cu7wG8xBA6d3a_qkp4pjdDhPeHvRqiXomg3UYkv5_ly_ZZvFfXJaOY0PiAr5M8XSvesbfqt1nvtp9qsHsHV3idr0Lm_vvtPAamUykGWshq7UDY_XpdCeqPlVOJLPTAcrn3x4D1uzJ6wM=w514-h640" width="514" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We spent time today setting up a new raised bed and planting peas. I am so pleased with how tidy this garden area looks!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMqOSaXq2suc3sGHqnbSXIbrr9LxV4OHZtYKA8bLk4P3L32ZNJUSSZ_7egRK3ESU--l03iX4ycTQtdMy2zaBztxjyScU1jsPbfWwVfIFn837Z8YtKsxa03HUsKqofMVDkLL2R-k0u7-KQu5o5_JbmUN4RiZNKnGquyNsnqfuG5bgaVo821GqLO58Ak=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjMqOSaXq2suc3sGHqnbSXIbrr9LxV4OHZtYKA8bLk4P3L32ZNJUSSZ_7egRK3ESU--l03iX4ycTQtdMy2zaBztxjyScU1jsPbfWwVfIFn837Z8YtKsxa03HUsKqofMVDkLL2R-k0u7-KQu5o5_JbmUN4RiZNKnGquyNsnqfuG5bgaVo821GqLO58Ak=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZVXpxS0Fmb_HnhXz0R4GjpQbgdRSMk0VLZrSYraJ8RB8pi1nT0Qt3stD_vgi-OFEtEIAkUXZ4Nmv0gj10EyR8S9WPNCfqtyRnJc4mbny3tAzsIxVqan3loFbr02cWmhcMtr-IrpnimXZhRx_PMek_cQ6pxkLH1WhmXcWWR_JNe3xzGGWtE_4XV_Lv=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgZVXpxS0Fmb_HnhXz0R4GjpQbgdRSMk0VLZrSYraJ8RB8pi1nT0Qt3stD_vgi-OFEtEIAkUXZ4Nmv0gj10EyR8S9WPNCfqtyRnJc4mbny3tAzsIxVqan3loFbr02cWmhcMtr-IrpnimXZhRx_PMek_cQ6pxkLH1WhmXcWWR_JNe3xzGGWtE_4XV_Lv=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">As the summer progresses, this area gets very tropical looking with all the crazy plants that come up. In fact, much of the fence will be barely visible! Right now, kale, radishes, broad beans, and carrots are growing. They are all really taking off now that it is warm.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I was thrilled to see this carrot! I've never in my life actually grown a carrot from seed. This was a fabulous first! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisJEiBt6YSoESSpF-c6TuMHD_8iSD06Ut-DE0oBNmZHRzc6bCsajIbaaZVwJ4GyDSa7CONQD1xnXmrU0agWdUXWMdauboyaNZsURzfLnCtgjXd6oJQj87EX9TzjHmZAfa8ZDT0pjYuB1SHOANY1xYoQw__BLqrmWUlBc8lXOYpe19zoPTWd2Zy3nMj=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisJEiBt6YSoESSpF-c6TuMHD_8iSD06Ut-DE0oBNmZHRzc6bCsajIbaaZVwJ4GyDSa7CONQD1xnXmrU0agWdUXWMdauboyaNZsURzfLnCtgjXd6oJQj87EX9TzjHmZAfa8ZDT0pjYuB1SHOANY1xYoQw__BLqrmWUlBc8lXOYpe19zoPTWd2Zy3nMj=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The flower garden is all still pretty sleepy and a mess. Little by little I will get it in order too. I enjoy being outside working , smelling the jasmine today and hearing a pair of hawks calling to each other as they flew overhead.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoG2JkwoO5iSIv6AarXyVMC_HbJ4ojO0ArThbBb0Yf70Jgb3G8xMpc6cCGABroadP-THEMtwqwA0bXH0n-uMHzWgR8GAGrbMdy2EXYvQRJTnR6xvlUhBy4_XpGUaM8TpXu0ItgdbYjGJlhgc0k6kaTV4_YTY7Ae6ypzRe2UhJai6jtmCwnc0zOGon1=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhoG2JkwoO5iSIv6AarXyVMC_HbJ4ojO0ArThbBb0Yf70Jgb3G8xMpc6cCGABroadP-THEMtwqwA0bXH0n-uMHzWgR8GAGrbMdy2EXYvQRJTnR6xvlUhBy4_XpGUaM8TpXu0ItgdbYjGJlhgc0k6kaTV4_YTY7Ae6ypzRe2UhJai6jtmCwnc0zOGon1=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicLGuKPfHPUJuEvVLwfElB7iQqGdJ09Gg-Uc2ZcVLIbXMe9MyZhia45IFGY5fCRwGzFig8oKNbLIFIGVZJPaX0IUJ1A60m8SOp2EIveQkrih2ny08GVEEre5slRjsBQyk9nLi4i71IRfyL58w66l9jq7wkPZf0-qhdScC4dvw68WOCAnkRRFzff891=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicLGuKPfHPUJuEvVLwfElB7iQqGdJ09Gg-Uc2ZcVLIbXMe9MyZhia45IFGY5fCRwGzFig8oKNbLIFIGVZJPaX0IUJ1A60m8SOp2EIveQkrih2ny08GVEEre5slRjsBQyk9nLi4i71IRfyL58w66l9jq7wkPZf0-qhdScC4dvw68WOCAnkRRFzff891=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday I went for a hike. It was slow and easy. Another nice day outdoors. I love this time of year when the hike starts out and its cold and everyone wants to get moving to warm up, and then midway you de-layer if you aren't too sweaty (because then you get all cold again). I love that no insects swarm at you. But, I do miss the leaves. Soon though, the wild flowers will be coming up. I don't want to miss them this year. I often miss them in the woods because spring is my busy yard work time.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8z5XMITqEB0a-sIWnFNv7dJQDOt_DLxqh55pQJVOZUks3cBRmrgDSHpy7IhiOOdAmnUUu_VBg1055kAPz92fKI9xIpcTSxSgSt7hE-PIQqxbIwmn6QaNyM6gIBAsl1rWsz0hgVJVqFz15l92k6f-mTKB7vnnIaEWmRnayM4uKfk_X_PSlzLGEylrM=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi8z5XMITqEB0a-sIWnFNv7dJQDOt_DLxqh55pQJVOZUks3cBRmrgDSHpy7IhiOOdAmnUUu_VBg1055kAPz92fKI9xIpcTSxSgSt7hE-PIQqxbIwmn6QaNyM6gIBAsl1rWsz0hgVJVqFz15l92k6f-mTKB7vnnIaEWmRnayM4uKfk_X_PSlzLGEylrM=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noses Creek</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilvYc4B7dbzTN5kCPZf8yBo1Kp6ZIBzr8NzitTtPys77k3qLUuIMZrEYHKjZOrmWDBvheqY5GL5GkCs1qO1Sy5MeStMu7YnzLFYjOiHi5F2_CQV_W4NhoXt4C8eYH-QWYr-2EjeCitUdrgcgECv1ZSP3of5fJDRBswWnkdh-v_m_6Q67E3DXbx7P1_=s3024" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilvYc4B7dbzTN5kCPZf8yBo1Kp6ZIBzr8NzitTtPys77k3qLUuIMZrEYHKjZOrmWDBvheqY5GL5GkCs1qO1Sy5MeStMu7YnzLFYjOiHi5F2_CQV_W4NhoXt4C8eYH-QWYr-2EjeCitUdrgcgECv1ZSP3of5fJDRBswWnkdh-v_m_6Q67E3DXbx7P1_=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noses Creek Trail</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">It's another busy week coming up. Lots of school and meetings. I've got one sleeve left on my forsythia sweater. Maybe I will get it finished this week. Well, that's a pretty big maybe. We'll see. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJJ6rJKA7DGrVm-MIpv6_ml3JqRB3HgGxU2rYUnl0JSaOLzVacEOMOwAiK7jdHBJmqb2FJUP_D9MQHBaKeN0sHs0q2rIvIJ4jQ9SzqHxUFnZGyR4V6FagfIFp_KKpLhYOxBmrQYzNV2SCyiqh88K_Q_UylvqGVWSdmoo3ukL7l1rBIPUzi_1Zphrcq=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJJ6rJKA7DGrVm-MIpv6_ml3JqRB3HgGxU2rYUnl0JSaOLzVacEOMOwAiK7jdHBJmqb2FJUP_D9MQHBaKeN0sHs0q2rIvIJ4jQ9SzqHxUFnZGyR4V6FagfIFp_KKpLhYOxBmrQYzNV2SCyiqh88K_Q_UylvqGVWSdmoo3ukL7l1rBIPUzi_1Zphrcq=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-53388448678305228842022-02-21T06:57:00.003-08:002022-02-21T07:29:30.786-08:00A Walk in the Woods<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">After several delays, I arrived home on Wednesday to find the pond leak and liner problems solved! It was a wonderful start to my 5 day break. Instead of looking out at a muddy, brown water bog (which made <i>frogs</i> very happy), I can now hear the sound of the water moving and see it as it rolls along the stones in the stream. So nice!!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwRpNT7ZDZiW_vzp9LhNUvYDeWH3mDumNYNSX5NIDXl_RwrPgR-FqULhjAhabB6Ck3ju4Oh18fyaXE96n87cA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I went on a hike yesterday with a few people from the hiking club I joined. We went to Clinton Nature Preserve which I had never heard of. It was an easy walk through surprisingly mixed terrain. Parts of the walk were very wooded, while other parts were across great slabs of granite, much like Mount Arabia or Stone Mountain. Still other parts of the walk were paths mowed through tall grasses. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I didn't take a lot of pictures because I only had my phone camera, and I find that pictures of woods here all look sort of brown against brown and indistinct. However, there were a lot of ruins in these woods, remnants of a by-gone community. When you walk in the woods here, and you see piles of stones and lots of daffodils, you know that once upon a time there was a house and garden here. Sometimes even the chimney is left. On this walk, some of the houses have been preserved (see the tin roofs) although they are still mostly falling in. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhq5VMhh3foFpJXMTbMW14hYKCvuiXehwszz8N-FHgOge3A5yf1s9TgvFxikLD_PB-HTKLXxkQ0TTm4VdclGQWXEqHaE2A5NG3fNcKcM1wmib6n93wWQ6XJZ_oD5-tNlyxfW9gSKmod4mVsi0etUT0SYxpwolWzRJpzvojAy2wLp-Dk7rSrfL4UlS6o=s1813" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1428" data-original-width="1813" height="504" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhq5VMhh3foFpJXMTbMW14hYKCvuiXehwszz8N-FHgOge3A5yf1s9TgvFxikLD_PB-HTKLXxkQ0TTm4VdclGQWXEqHaE2A5NG3fNcKcM1wmib6n93wWQ6XJZ_oD5-tNlyxfW9gSKmod4mVsi0etUT0SYxpwolWzRJpzvojAy2wLp-Dk7rSrfL4UlS6o=w640-h504" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHZ2Okl-QeNWPGNpftI82ji0sv_f9ztNoYkExNTtFwO0EQ6S-Zos_K7QWOz6NBeLyGPWoNYDBAKiKfpvb12DOwN9hKB7_3dxYvcylOKetXfQsF-gE3gHmazWUzhAW1ka3kJSP_2VMvxi1qsZ3-kt_O8WHGDxOhN6vcZRnAGFk68M1ne2FzIb_MkBNK=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhHZ2Okl-QeNWPGNpftI82ji0sv_f9ztNoYkExNTtFwO0EQ6S-Zos_K7QWOz6NBeLyGPWoNYDBAKiKfpvb12DOwN9hKB7_3dxYvcylOKetXfQsF-gE3gHmazWUzhAW1ka3kJSP_2VMvxi1qsZ3-kt_O8WHGDxOhN6vcZRnAGFk68M1ne2FzIb_MkBNK=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZGWSEtwkrcbikTtK1ePSvbhoZS9c01Er2Qvou_0JAluXOCly0pr_hhIQYhk7ONtUj1V2e8RTN2rVN2iONGMJXzqj_okPCDfd6OwpVCPh30MKtOFiRRZZvEhBklm0u9JwsTldlVlQi4LeRZkiuCc5A8xI6lgnRSXOjO0HsY-Y3BB-MzJPhtNAdTK8E=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjZGWSEtwkrcbikTtK1ePSvbhoZS9c01Er2Qvou_0JAluXOCly0pr_hhIQYhk7ONtUj1V2e8RTN2rVN2iONGMJXzqj_okPCDfd6OwpVCPh30MKtOFiRRZZvEhBklm0u9JwsTldlVlQi4LeRZkiuCc5A8xI6lgnRSXOjO0HsY-Y3BB-MzJPhtNAdTK8E=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">This last picture is where slaves used to live. It was the smallest house and set apart from others. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Isn't it astounding to think that people made and assembled these houses with hand tools? And isn't it beyond comprehension to think of the normalcy at one time of slaves and slave ownership??</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAFZ2OkhMlngBAft1HJroin_BH11QVhzvI0m4wDStiMnj_AdMQhMBdpU5y11TssKKX3JoQG5MULv5up4MOjWvD7ILqTh7cTTBCXD7O7KONTjLZIx0R571z_Z8Tmydsk9wWh2XN1zxOQnKuq5-0_p8_-779gEAqS183peg11gwe3n2TGT1JBKH6yUiD=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAFZ2OkhMlngBAft1HJroin_BH11QVhzvI0m4wDStiMnj_AdMQhMBdpU5y11TssKKX3JoQG5MULv5up4MOjWvD7ILqTh7cTTBCXD7O7KONTjLZIx0R571z_Z8Tmydsk9wWh2XN1zxOQnKuq5-0_p8_-779gEAqS183peg11gwe3n2TGT1JBKH6yUiD=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqaaMCj-yDoM3kkK1_WjG6dmAIlSJ4uSPQMAAj6g7vWaoCSH3C8yiSQzNckp2v-oczLXJftMJphv-lPW58Duz_KuBzyrb8XTYELiKCbWH_ARNt0wiQnw72tQF6pdV_LTziSwN3EKn5Q29BHbRwUZBHrzga_vwwnCgSwTQPmR68XEEtGYil2BmqvDsj=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjqaaMCj-yDoM3kkK1_WjG6dmAIlSJ4uSPQMAAj6g7vWaoCSH3C8yiSQzNckp2v-oczLXJftMJphv-lPW58Duz_KuBzyrb8XTYELiKCbWH_ARNt0wiQnw72tQF6pdV_LTziSwN3EKn5Q29BHbRwUZBHrzga_vwwnCgSwTQPmR68XEEtGYil2BmqvDsj=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I saw this hawk and got this rather poor picture of him because I didn't want to get too close. He was a beauty!</span></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-33300184395823088022022-02-13T14:50:00.000-08:002022-02-13T14:50:22.257-08:00Crazy Testing and Knitting Sweaters<p><span style="font-size: medium;">Last week I was soooo busy with work. Each day I came home and just wanted to collapse on the bed. We have to test every kid in our program (about 250 students). They have to take 4 different federally mandated tests. They have to take the tests in small groups on computers. They have to wear headphones and record their voice which they are loath to do. During testing, we had moments when the server went down intermittently. We had a REAL fire with fire trucks and ambulances (no one was hurt). We had a child break into tears from stress. We had many student aides running around rounding up kids who forgot about the test or who thought if they didn't report to testing we would forget about them.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">All of that PLUS normal school. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, now that is behind me, I am trying to catch my breath. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The days are getting longer and daffodils are starting to show their faces around the neighborhood.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6Gi55GFYXmzEpQoEgPaey-vomX9f9LOZt43Z5anuQqquOUDupQKc7v-JK9rwY0xvT1xcH-J7X9Kgg1QGsrbXNvQx-XHV535cHEI3FfYdzya8-uHo9ETfRE9_QtKku0os-QJ5rJm1_2lxzNY3g2NRrJp3bu_ebck0MTpCVLpH-nXVhb1zZdjhTDyRn=s3350" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3350" data-original-width="2750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6Gi55GFYXmzEpQoEgPaey-vomX9f9LOZt43Z5anuQqquOUDupQKc7v-JK9rwY0xvT1xcH-J7X9Kgg1QGsrbXNvQx-XHV535cHEI3FfYdzya8-uHo9ETfRE9_QtKku0os-QJ5rJm1_2lxzNY3g2NRrJp3bu_ebck0MTpCVLpH-nXVhb1zZdjhTDyRn=w526-h640" width="526" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Yesterday was one of those "spring teasers"--warm and sunny.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I got a beautiful box of tea as a gift in the mail and have been trying a different flavor each day. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNngEqQZVTo9eBvFddmaUJR2aT2zmBpIFJgMmCfOyCVmEgpUDO_tf_iF803WieVNMTCjyr8x7_KGRNutAx6ToCHUImcOLqRJYYX7Dk4fFGJ-5cPwhtuTpPSgUO5CUknhXSAs2caj_M63FfCuu84mX9OQ44T_zHjlyzrw-XAQ780fcnRVinLD8qHtvM=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNngEqQZVTo9eBvFddmaUJR2aT2zmBpIFJgMmCfOyCVmEgpUDO_tf_iF803WieVNMTCjyr8x7_KGRNutAx6ToCHUImcOLqRJYYX7Dk4fFGJ-5cPwhtuTpPSgUO5CUknhXSAs2caj_M63FfCuu84mX9OQ44T_zHjlyzrw-XAQ780fcnRVinLD8qHtvM=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaH_JPuhYKAPdQ9_M_0ptWyCyaNP1YH_jtuM9nQXjuKT1NCeYJhH3elKUgqg6_kSYDEa2lba8Fw6_X4vogfc5p32gWl4_FJA2cf8csNhC-6GLb-_mWIjpkCuDOUTfEGQxtPHZLl1rvB4-zRnKakuq5pN_Vjva2od0iqrTQ8gUkFazDhCzlr8rk_16_=s1334" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaH_JPuhYKAPdQ9_M_0ptWyCyaNP1YH_jtuM9nQXjuKT1NCeYJhH3elKUgqg6_kSYDEa2lba8Fw6_X4vogfc5p32gWl4_FJA2cf8csNhC-6GLb-_mWIjpkCuDOUTfEGQxtPHZLl1rvB4-zRnKakuq5pN_Vjva2od0iqrTQ8gUkFazDhCzlr8rk_16_=w360-h640" width="360" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">My sweater is coming along. It's almost time to do the bottom rib. Then on to the sleeves!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNsWls2zbkNCI7_zz6Ld8wCHG7txEQ3yV0NGxKdK3B0U6pyVSp_YDwhOo0d5XY-S8h8A2zlTi8HAIJY-NtNacaFurxCfxNrm54dDW-dyv5NyAJcaUhnDThYStaysWbMlGNEYCX3rkV145GxnnRke4MPDhFmVjo4on1jcBcdkfto4Y87bcmaRoRS9m8=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgNsWls2zbkNCI7_zz6Ld8wCHG7txEQ3yV0NGxKdK3B0U6pyVSp_YDwhOo0d5XY-S8h8A2zlTi8HAIJY-NtNacaFurxCfxNrm54dDW-dyv5NyAJcaUhnDThYStaysWbMlGNEYCX3rkV145GxnnRke4MPDhFmVjo4on1jcBcdkfto4Y87bcmaRoRS9m8=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I am determined not to get stuck on sleeve island. I have some more yarn--so lovely I've been keeping it out on my table so I can admire it. (All of this wool is from <a href="https://www.barrettwoolco.com/" target="_blank">Barret Wool Co.</a> and is sheepy, American wool). I plan to use this in combination with all that neutral colored yarn I first planned to use before I switched to the green for this <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/forsythian" target="_blank">Forsythian</a>. I'm still forming ideas about what I will actually make, though I am pretty sure it will be <a href="https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/lunenburg-pullover" target="_blank">Lunenburg Pullover</a> . I think this must be the year of the sweater! There are so many I want to make. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDlziTsV_KLGTi_i5zHqITBSKqk-or_mc9u8sFXHUC73gRcaYGELmUSkSHqdiCuCzq3A4Xbq0JlS4QnoyDfElsExpHJ-N7Xj5MSmLPZO6At0-DCwqUFl9bJFTJ3rzkiOVBjLhYSFJcrirIewVoVVxLvd60xxBz1JkaspQhh1BeuzRwsa6SVcni7nOQ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjDlziTsV_KLGTi_i5zHqITBSKqk-or_mc9u8sFXHUC73gRcaYGELmUSkSHqdiCuCzq3A4Xbq0JlS4QnoyDfElsExpHJ-N7Xj5MSmLPZO6At0-DCwqUFl9bJFTJ3rzkiOVBjLhYSFJcrirIewVoVVxLvd60xxBz1JkaspQhh1BeuzRwsa6SVcni7nOQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Nice wool sweaters for my tropical climate!! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I was joking (sort of) with my husband that I should get a sewing machine and learn how to sew simple cotton dresses. That would be more useful. Once upon a time I was gifted a fantastic sewing machine. This was many, many years ago. But I never really learned to sew and loaned the machine to someone who never gave it back. Probably sewing machines are even more fantastic today. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Who knows? Maybe one day I will start to sew. ???</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Here's hoping this week is a little more sane than the last. Some guys are coming to fix my pond again tomorrow. May the third time be a charm!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguLDkKiMdCz7VMTHPyjHh7MQEds19x1OV7TiwdZ7SRuSJwWNHPyzeQ_7trBCFeI7RpCvGDQ4Ji9tHPrf8R18qgPk1bjfQ1h7Ac93MHfXYIOYQyLzjwozKXMZvNqgQepTlMRJViGLiDq2VYrVgLwd01YRPcuaQY2otWCQ6MtU9EAHBknwHPTejojYm0=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguLDkKiMdCz7VMTHPyjHh7MQEds19x1OV7TiwdZ7SRuSJwWNHPyzeQ_7trBCFeI7RpCvGDQ4Ji9tHPrf8R18qgPk1bjfQ1h7Ac93MHfXYIOYQyLzjwozKXMZvNqgQepTlMRJViGLiDq2VYrVgLwd01YRPcuaQY2otWCQ6MtU9EAHBknwHPTejojYm0=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8493759186194557056.post-83626837770575893902022-01-30T13:52:00.003-08:002022-01-30T13:52:45.560-08:00Morning on the Moon<p> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibEhtfOH2VZVq0KFwfvWXIuWa2LM_OiP3Ba-UMTYI5R9Jum3jL9SLkjPF_tzbKNe67zqb2ZSJgRnPTKMmmyfLb68XTf6Jd3mXgVlIHUXlhNQRp_kIEFrvOisd__qsrGlENAkaeMCoiR5omtqwt5vrL4yNBDPdgwWiTR5hGHxtAlnSGHCusTHzL6J6-=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibEhtfOH2VZVq0KFwfvWXIuWa2LM_OiP3Ba-UMTYI5R9Jum3jL9SLkjPF_tzbKNe67zqb2ZSJgRnPTKMmmyfLb68XTf6Jd3mXgVlIHUXlhNQRp_kIEFrvOisd__qsrGlENAkaeMCoiR5omtqwt5vrL4yNBDPdgwWiTR5hGHxtAlnSGHCusTHzL6J6-=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">Well, this looks a little like the moon I guess.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Really, it is a HUMONGOUS chunk of granite. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioqtiVZTk5u0oS3YwtTuAWqWUOZJ1P4vJ6hTQ5Pprz_RSRMmXnmzF0HJapW1Z81KZjmd4HKVzEa3kLf1MPDGT12p7e2rLDD2Jjo_oBbILWDe2ap30E_HRnfYStqoJzC00EZyg6RKf0-FIpPVvBbQ2QvjovzKkFd-BMp3DYHleCtVT-Au6yWecXah2j=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEioqtiVZTk5u0oS3YwtTuAWqWUOZJ1P4vJ6hTQ5Pprz_RSRMmXnmzF0HJapW1Z81KZjmd4HKVzEa3kLf1MPDGT12p7e2rLDD2Jjo_oBbILWDe2ap30E_HRnfYStqoJzC00EZyg6RKf0-FIpPVvBbQ2QvjovzKkFd-BMp3DYHleCtVT-Au6yWecXah2j=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mount Arabia</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcWDC9Zyum5TP4E-rq71hBsZil48cnaW4sr62HEGm9OGUi535XPpNOntr51MnboHyhEJq_hrjw0ZZm6-FgSBABlSTQaYBv1GXX6gf1opVTn_37vqFf7cGdXJusU3H4NeJ1hOTf78_W8lb-xXLL4j4FpJslnV7tus2ZJTayZKNmV2c2kfN5onvzfzkZ=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgcWDC9Zyum5TP4E-rq71hBsZil48cnaW4sr62HEGm9OGUi535XPpNOntr51MnboHyhEJq_hrjw0ZZm6-FgSBABlSTQaYBv1GXX6gf1opVTn_37vqFf7cGdXJusU3H4NeJ1hOTf78_W8lb-xXLL4j4FpJslnV7tus2ZJTayZKNmV2c2kfN5onvzfzkZ=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvjqy9KTTC74Q3FTZB57bFAKjxqO_cI5_qutvzAsykftEFonkzHatnyfMzCaKDL3Y6m_kzq1g97DSor-pI0EHYqMfQhV0sgmxUWn5AFatiU3FUW87ll_gKb0_Kp-B6McYqpzpbfoNaVH8XgtrC4JPLA7OuRRp4mh7uKzTpocobyL0BNcumLbrm3JG3=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhvjqy9KTTC74Q3FTZB57bFAKjxqO_cI5_qutvzAsykftEFonkzHatnyfMzCaKDL3Y6m_kzq1g97DSor-pI0EHYqMfQhV0sgmxUWn5AFatiU3FUW87ll_gKb0_Kp-B6McYqpzpbfoNaVH8XgtrC4JPLA7OuRRp4mh7uKzTpocobyL0BNcumLbrm3JG3=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Growing here and there along this unfathomable stone are little bits of plants whose seeds have found purchase in the bits of stone that have eroded enough to become soil. It boggles the mind to imagine these little bits of stone, after eons of rain, breaking free of the larger stone, costing along, and eddying into these random shoals. !</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGO3SA4e4cyUvXKS2JqutcSAKK1k0borC_uEeJ-eVhl0sisz8gCmFl6r9kCTzZJ2-FbMBk3t1SwcPhSBEcfc5kF0hTweHu4Z51lV7EUHvpGCfXMwhr9BNk-n9VhFmEc1loIy9wLWKX42dGuOoEmtdnAubw-tTMLiCA5lUm0kYB3AXBEYZaov_oHHkz=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiGO3SA4e4cyUvXKS2JqutcSAKK1k0borC_uEeJ-eVhl0sisz8gCmFl6r9kCTzZJ2-FbMBk3t1SwcPhSBEcfc5kF0hTweHu4Z51lV7EUHvpGCfXMwhr9BNk-n9VhFmEc1loIy9wLWKX42dGuOoEmtdnAubw-tTMLiCA5lUm0kYB3AXBEYZaov_oHHkz=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /> <span style="font-size: medium;">There was ice in the puddles today. I didn't mind. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The last time I was on this part of the mountain was in summertime and I had a black dog with me. It was WAY too hot. Poor black dog. A black dog in summer suffers in the South. I prefer the ice!</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">We hiked up and around the mountain and rambled into the woods as well. It was so nice to be outside breathing the fresh winter air! It was early and hardly anyone else was there.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsmN81BOcMtqN6HOlCszs9eL2ZWRuuyVnU77SjypD3mZg4u5yeoOIUbK4z3CxivOSqv9VUd7RweZxME_cvaNCz30d4MPJjUfQh7Z6Q_Lsj-BlDI6KjHKvnbtpJ12qO_6IVTkqCyR_hE9moHFa5x581EILS7Xi6tCdZZDQVRTqmvBaS-FFmx_5Lw8d9=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjsmN81BOcMtqN6HOlCszs9eL2ZWRuuyVnU77SjypD3mZg4u5yeoOIUbK4z3CxivOSqv9VUd7RweZxME_cvaNCz30d4MPJjUfQh7Z6Q_Lsj-BlDI6KjHKvnbtpJ12qO_6IVTkqCyR_hE9moHFa5x581EILS7Xi6tCdZZDQVRTqmvBaS-FFmx_5Lw8d9=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPpV1abxAOmTkEA7WvRmXTJU1vSQ44TNAT_X7rRR5hPjObG_a0XVI3bhBKPtGB-rdSbX137O2aYydAnXCUggbG5h2bAFOB8cDXDe1n6NJBEpC34gCoeIIVuU-7aAsoDrUX3skZclmKyQ8hl5CCBLgHW7F0QRGtEeeptaIvp1hu81sV0bbkdStcvE_h=s4032" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPpV1abxAOmTkEA7WvRmXTJU1vSQ44TNAT_X7rRR5hPjObG_a0XVI3bhBKPtGB-rdSbX137O2aYydAnXCUggbG5h2bAFOB8cDXDe1n6NJBEpC34gCoeIIVuU-7aAsoDrUX3skZclmKyQ8hl5CCBLgHW7F0QRGtEeeptaIvp1hu81sV0bbkdStcvE_h=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">"Scholars, I plead with you, </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Where are your dictionaries of the wind, the grasses?" </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Norma MacCaig</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I just bought a book called "Landmarks" by Robert MacFarlane (it isn't new, I'm late to the party as usual--in fact, I bought it used) and I found that quote in the front. Of course, I cannot wait to read this book!</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div>Neighborhood Watchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11344280490113831120noreply@blogger.com4