Tuesday, October 14, 2014

More Game Camera Pics





The first one of these photos in this batch is my favorite because it has a raccoon in it. I think the other animal to the rear is a deer.

I always enjoy seeing the different critters. Most of the photos are deer. After you sift through a couple hundred of these shots, the unique ones stand out.

The other interesting thing about game cameras is perspective. These photos always look somewhat surreal to me. The difference between these photos and a photo I might take from the bedroom window (which could be as close, the way the animals look in the window) is that ones I take seem to have personality, while these are more flat.

The difference has to be whatever goes on in my brain and the lack of a brain in the game cameras. Or at least that is what I tell myself. I could be giving my brain too much credit. Maybe they don't look that different to anyone else.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Do Not Go Gentle

Botetourt is fortunate to have its very own local theater, the D. Geraldine Lawson Performing Arts Center.

The community acting crew is known as Attic Productions. They put on five or six plays annually.

Saturday night, my husband and I ventured out to see Do Not Go Gentle, a play by Susan L. Zeder. The Roanoke Times reviewed it here.

Director was Katerina Yancey. I was not familiar with any of the cast this go-round. I thought they did a good job. It is, after all, community theater and I don't expect acting on par with Sandra Bullock or Tom Hanks.

The RT review is rather negative, and I do not agree with it. I greatly enjoyed the play. I think it is a woman's play, and therefore the reviewer was unable to relate to what was going on.

He wasn't able to get the messages. Or rather, the reviewer called the messages "old hat" and dismissed them. 

Those messages were that war is bad, killing is bad, violence is bad. That actions of others have consequences that reverberate in places never even considered by those undertaking them. That love endures, despite differences. That pain and suffering are part of life, but so is healing. That art and words matter - that everyone's voice, whatever that voice may be and however those words come out - matters and can and does make a difference, even if that difference goes unnoticed or commented upon. 

These are messages that we need to hear time and again, because we certainly, as a society, don't live like that. We live as if lives are small and of no consequence, that only money matters. We live as if human beings are but another commodity to be bought and sold.

This play, at its heart, exploded that. So of course it's not the kind of show that certain folks around here might enjoy. They might actually have to think, and we can't have that.

However, I was teary towards the end, and the messages of this play came through loud and clear to me.

In the show, Lillian is an 84-year-old woman who dies. Her son comes home from Germany with his daughter to attend the funeral. He meets his cousin and they go into the house for an estate sale. The walls have been covered with dramatic and sometimes scary paintings, of planes in battle, children shooting one another, and other visions. We don't see these, but the director rightly allows our imagination to fill in these blanks. The family rifts and secrets come out, and Lillian's fears about the upcoming war (the play is set on the brink of the 1991 Gulf War) are discovered. The play covers a lot of ground in two hours.

The show continues on October 16, 17, and 18. For $12, it's a good way to spend some time, and who knows, you might feel a sting in your heart of hearts, like I did.

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Bear on the Trail Camera




I was incredibly excited when we downloaded the photos off the trail cam yesterday and these pictures of a bear were on there. This is a fairly big bear, too.

When the trail cams pick up animals other than deer, I am always happy. My husband is only interested in bucks, but I find most of the pictures interesting.

Sunday Stealing: Random

From Sunday Stealing

Random Questions

01. Who were you with yesterday?

A. My husband.

02. What woke you up this morning?

A. The clock radio.

03. Where are you?

A. Physically, I am at my desk at home. Mentally I am all over the place.

04. Is tomorrow going to be a good day?

A. I hope so.

05. What’s on your mind RIGHT NOW?

A. Game camera photos, a troubling disagreement with a health care provider, and the pain in my stomach that just will not go away.

06. Do you listen to music every day?

A. Most days I do.

07. Are you a fast typer?

A. I'm a fast typist.

08. What's your favorite type of soda?

A. Root beer.

09. Have you ever won an award?

A. I have won a number of Virginia Press Association awards for my news writing, as well as couple of poetry and short story contests.

10. Are you listening to music right now?

A. Yes. I am listening to Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

11. How long until your birthday?

A. It's next year, now.

12. Do you use ebay to buy or sell?

A. Only infrequently.

13. Who makes you mad?

A. Sometimes everybody on the planet pisses me off.

14. What do you do when you're mad?

A. Sometimes I yell. Sometimes I cry. Sometimes I shut up and steam comes out of my ears.

15. Do certain songs make you cry?

A. Some do, yes.

16. Are you usually a happy person?

A. I don't think so.

17. What makes you the happiest?

A. That's a hard question. Being with people I love and yet still having space to do what I want whilst being supported by those who love me makes me happy.

18. Do you believe in yourself?

A. Not really, no. I'm not sure anyone else does, either.

Saturday, October 11, 2014

Saturday 9: Single Ladies

Saturday 9: Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) (2008)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) Are the majority of your friends married or single?

A. Married. Most of the single people I know are widowed. It's what happens when you get older.

2) Rings are one of the items most frequently pawned. Have you ever visited a pawn shop, either to sell or to buy?

A. I've gone in them to look, but not to sell or buy. I watch Pawn Stars sometimes on TV. Does that count for anything?

3) Let's say we want to put a ring on it: What's your ring size?

A. I have no idea. I haven't bought a ring in years.

4) Beyonce does commercials for Pepsi. What's the last beverage you drank?


A. A&W root beer.

5) Beyonce also has a clothing line. What are you wearing right now?

A. Um. A Disney nightie and my robe.

6) Speaking of clothes, Sam was changing hers this morning when she unintentionally flashed her neighbor. She didn't realize he was working along the fence that runs under her bedroom window. Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments.

A. In September 2013, the cows were loose. We had taken a Sunday drive and were an hour away when the neighbors called. By the time we arrived, it was a circus, with a crowd of people standing around and police vehicles on the scene. Only one person, however, was trying to put the cows back in the lot. So my husband and I went down to work on that. I was dressed in good clothes and good shoes. One of the cows turned toward me, and I headed in her direction shrieking "ya ya" with my arms flailing to try to get her to go back toward the gate, and I slipped and fell down. The cow almost ran me over. It was kind of dangerous but I was very embarrassed because I fell. I am always embarrassed when I fall down.

7)  Rumor has it Beyonce is pregnant again. Coincidentally, Sam needs to check the Babys R Us registry for a shower present. Who will receive the next gift you give?

A. I suppose my husband, on our anniversary in November. Or maybe a friend whose birthday is a bit sooner.

8) But Sam doesn't actually want to go to the shower and is trying to come up a good excuse. Tell us a time you fibbed to get out of doing something.

A. Nothing comes to mind at the moment.

9) When did you last go inside the bank and talk to a teller?

A. Just this week. I made a deposit and I asked about the change-over that is happening soon, since our bank has been sold.


Friday, October 10, 2014

Books: Good Faith

Good Faith
By Jane Smiley
Performed by Richard Poe
Copyright 2003
Approximately 13 hours


As I listened to this book, I could easily imagine I was sitting in on negotiations for the demise of one of Botetourt's big farms as developers plotted a golf course and large homes surrounding it.

We have that, of course. It's called Ashley Plantation. It was built in the late 1990s-early 2000s, and construction screeched to a halt there when the economy soured in 2007.

In Good Faith, Joe Stratford is a real estate agent in New Jersey. He's 40 years old, divorced, and has a decent life. He's got $62,000 in the bank and he owns his condo, and he's content.

Then several things happen. One of his developers, Gordon Baldwin, buys up a big estate and farm. Around the same time, a fellow named Marcus Burns moves into the area. Marcus is a big talker, full of big ideas, and full of himself.

Almost everybody likes Marcus. He's a former IRS agent and people trust him. They think he knows things that they don't, because, well, he was in the government. He has big ideas and big theories.

He convinces Joe, Gordon, bankers, and others that they are thinking small in their development of this farm. Gordon's idea is to cut the place into lots, build houses, maybe 100 of them, and sell them. Typical subdivision. But Marcus talks them into setting up a big development company, and creating a golf course with $400,000 homes built around it.

The story is told from Joe's point of view. He sees Marcus as a friend. Joe has an affair with Gordon's daughter, and he's very involved in that family. So the reader goes along with Joe for this part of his life, in all areas. Joe is a good guy. He's you. He's me. He's every man.

The story is not a mystery, but you want to read to the end. You want to know what happens. Does this big idea work? Does it fail? And what happens either way? Whose lives change, and is that change better, or worse?

The story takes place around 1984. The book jacket calls this "a searing indictment of 1980s greed culture" and I would say that is appropriate. Except, of course, that is now our current culture, all the way to its roots, so it's an indictment of our way of life. And it should be, because we're all patsies in this big game being played upon us by the big corporations and the politicians.

Joe is generally a cautious guy but Marcus's talk of making billions - not millions - puts stars in his eyes. Looking back, I could see this kind of thing really happening all over the US as deregulation came into its own - remember the S&L crisis, anyone over the age of 30? Well, this book is a fictionalized tale of how it happened, and it rings true.

This is a tale of the beginning of the fall of the middle class, which did not start in 2007 but back in 1980 with the election of Ronald Reagan and the following loss of regulatory rules on banks, utilities, and other things that should be strongly regulated.

The book's message is deep, buried in character and story, but it's there nevertheless. That's one thing I've always liked about Jane Smiley. Her books always have a message, but it doesn't come up and hit you in the face. You have to think about it.

Thursday, October 09, 2014

Thursday Thirteen: Eclectic

1. A 4.25 oz Hershey's Symphony chocolate bar says that a serving is 5 blocks, with "about" three servings per container. To get five blocks, you have to eat a row of four plus one from the next line. In a Hershey's Symphony giant bar (6.8 oz), It says a serving is three blocks with "about" five servings but there are four across the row, so you have to leave one. The blocks are not the same size in the bars. Why can't they make a serving equal one row of blocks, whatever that is? Is this some kind of marketing ploy, knowing that if you have to leave one, you won't, or if you have to break into a second row to finish out a full serving, you will end up eating the rest of the row?

2. Pop Tarts are smaller than they used to be, but the aluminum-like packaging they come in inside the box is still about the size of Pop Tarts of old, so you have a lot of extra space. Did Kellogg's have too many of the bags to begin with, or has some bean counter not realized they're wasting a little cash with the extra packaging?

3. Speaking of packaging, who invented that plastic from hell that no one can get into? It's especially prevalent in the technology industry, where it surrounds everything from SD cards to cords to software, and everything in between.

4. What used to be 16 oz became 12 ozs, and now it's 11.5 ozs. What used to be 12 ozs in chocolate chips is now 11.5 ozs, for example. Did they think we wouldn't notice? I noticed. Didn't anyone else?

5. A dozen eggs still equals 12 eggs, though I would not be at all surprised to walk up to make a purchase and discover they now come in cartons of 10, but for the same price.

6. One of my banks sold itself to another bank, so I have to switch banks soon. I can stay with the new one that's elbowing its way into town, or I can switch elsewhere. When I called my old bank to ask questions, I told the lady who answered that I was very upset that I would not get to write check #10,000 on my account. I'm up to 9,300 and something in my check numbers. That's how long I've been with my current bank that is no longer going to be my bank. I've never switched buildings. First it was Bank of Troutville, then Sovran Bank, then my current bank. Now it will be some other name. I hate change. Sometimes.

7. Yesterday I gave my father a copy of Beth Macy's new book, Factory Man. I had her inscribe it and sign it. The inscription said, "To Loren, a Roanoke businessman with a story of his own."
 
8. I haven't finished the book. I'm on Chapter 2. I've been slow to start it.

9. Yesterday my backup hard drive had a squeak and then later I couldn't access any of my documents. No lights were on and no information was home. I shut everything down last night, and this morning, all is well. Computers are weird.

10. The other day I had my physical therapist laughing so hard that she literally had to turn her back to me in order to stop giggling and get back to work. And then to keep things a little calmer, we ended up talking about Lord of the Rings and the upcoming Hobbit movie. "Very adult conversation we have in here," she said dryly as I left, and we both cracked up.

11. I reach into a little blue bag and pull out a rune from a little kit I've had for at least a decade. It's called Stones from the Muse and the runes are for the creative journey. This morning I pull out a knapsack. "Some artistic work can only be accomplished through play," says the book interpretation. "Forget the goal for now, and let go of your time schedule. You are right here, right now. Play!" Sounds like good advice to me.

12. Now thoroughly fascinated, even at this dark hour of 7 a.m. in the morning, I reach into my little drawer of "toys" and pull out a deck of Rune Cards. I shuffle, then pick from the top. The card is beautiful, depicting a beach dune covered with greenery, the ocean behind it. It says, "Protection." The accompanying interpretative book says this: "The dunes shift and shift forever, feather grass restless in the wind. Cool your emotions. Follow your path. That is your protection." If you put the two together, it sounds like I need to spend the day at the local playground, sitting on a swing near the sandbox.

13. Last night I dreamed I was dead. No one came to my funeral.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 364th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Wednesday, October 08, 2014

Blood moon







This morning there was a total eclipse of the full moon. We had thunderstorms last night and I fully expected a cloudy sky this morning, but when I hopped out of bed at 6:20 a.m., there were stars twinkling and the moon looking very vampirish.

I stood outside with the camera on a tripod to get these photos, in near total darkness. An owl hooted in the distance. Soon, from someplace close to me, a turkey began calling. Cawl cawl cawl. Very loud, and a little unnerving. Luna, hanging low in the sky, continued to darken with that reddish brown color.

The bear in the backyard some weeks ago came to mind so I did not venture far from the door. But the moon was beautiful, the air still warm but fallish. I could smell the rain-dampened earth and feel that blessings of a new day in a way that staying in the house seldom offers.

As the sky began to turn from black to blue, with the sun slowly rising behind me, ol' Apollo there slipping back into his place in the sky, I watched the colors on the trees begin to show. The rains last night made everything that much brighter, and the colors are changing fast.

A beautiful reminder of the spirit of the world.

Monday, October 06, 2014

The Little Frog


I glanced out the kitchen window and at first I thought someone had placed a rock on the side of my little container in the garden where people sometimes leave things.
 
 
Upon further inspection, I discovered it was a frog.
 
 
Cute!
 
 
 
It did not seem happy to have its picture taken, however.
 
 
As the shade disappeared, so did the frog. He slipped backwards.
 
 
I wondered how it got up there in the first place.
 
 
The next morning I flipped open the lid, and the frog was inside the box.
 
 
I left the lid up, and when I checked back later, froggy was gone.

Sunday, October 05, 2014

Sunday Stealing: Random 20

From Sunday Stealing
Random 20

1. Have you had an argument with anyone recently? If so, do you still have issues with that person?

A. I haven't had an argument in a while. Well, I did tell my husband last night he was grounded, but we didn't argue about it. He just grinned.
 
2. Are you talking to anyone while filling this in? How about texting/chatting on Facebook?

A. Nope. This has my complete attention. I take that back. My husband called while I was answering the question below. I stopped and spoke with him and then came back to this.
 
3. Have you done something recently that helped someone else, in any way?

A. I fix dinner every night for my husband. I spent time with my mother-in-law's relatives last week. Hopefully that was helpful.
 
4. Who was the last person to pay you a compliment?

A. My physical therapist. She said she thought I was courageous.
 
5. Is there anything that’s happened in the past month, that you wish you could go back in time and change?

A. Not in the past month, unless I could do some sort of speed-healing spell and massive weight loss magic.
 
6. What colour is your purse/wallet?

A. Brown. It's fall and I switch over to darker colors after summer is over.
 
7. What’s the closest item to you that’s black?

A. My MS keyboard.
 
8. Think about what you looked like 5 years ago. How did you look different, compared to the way you look now?

A. I have more gray hair. I have additional scars, and I limp.
 
9. Before Facebook became popular, did you use any other social networking site, like Bebo or Myspace?

A. No. I blogged, though.
 
10. Has someone of the opposite sex ever sung to you? If so, how did you respond to it?

A. My father used to sing to me. Or with me. But I've never had a lover sing to me, if that is what you mean. My husband can't carry a tune in a bucket.
 
11. When did you last hug someone of the opposite sex?

A. This morning.
 
12. Have you ever seen the film “Casablanca”? Did you like it?

A. I've never seen it.
 
13. Do you have a relative whose name begins with ‘L’? Tell me about him/her.

A. My brother and father both start their names with that letter. My brother is about 5' 8" tall, he's 48 years old, graying, a little overweight, and he runs a big company. He drives a Lincoln. He comes when I need him and we are, I think, fairly close for adult siblings. He can tell great stories and he is charming.
 
14. Are you a secretive person?

A. Wouldn't you like to know?
 
15. When did you last eat?

A. About an hour ago.
 
16. If you were going to buy a present for a special person, what would you generally choose?

A. I try to find something that matches his/her personality, that I think they would like. Unless they collect frogs. Then I buy a frog.
 
17. If I’m going to buy you a box of chocolates, which kind should I definitely NOT get?

A. Anything with coconut in it. If you want to make me really happy, get me a box of Cella's Dark Chocolate Covered Cherries.
 
18. Is there something you generally always ask for help with?

A. I can't figure out percentages to save my life.
 
19. If you had to give up your phone or your computer, which would it be?

A. The phone. Well, my cellphone. You didn't ask *which* phone and we have a landline. Our cellphone reception is not the best here at the house.
 
20. Has anyone called you gorgeous/beautiful today?

A. Not yet, but I guess one can always hope.

Saturday, October 04, 2014

Saturday 9: Rubber Ducky

Saturday 9: Rubber Ducky (1970)
Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.


1) This song is sung by Muppet Ernie. Who's your favorite Muppet?

A. Kermit got to me with The Rainbow Connection song.

2) Ernie became famous on PBS's Sesame Street. What public television shows do you watch?

A. I like that show Makers. It features a lot of women, like Women in Comedy, Women in Hollywood.

3) When you were a little kid, what was your favorite TV show?

A. Land of the Giants. It lasted for two seasons from 1968 - 1970. It was a sci-fi show (yes, I have always been a geek). Sometimes, I think I am the only person in the world who remembers this show.

I was also a fan of Dark Shadows, which first aired in 1966.

4) On Sesame Street, Ernie frequently teases his best friend Bert by stealing his nose. Do you enjoy practical jokes?

A. Not particularly. However, I am married to a firefighter, and firefighters and police officers are infamous for their practical jokes.

5) Sesame Street creators developed carefree Ernie and serious Bert to show children that different types of people can be good friends. Think about your closest friend. Tell us how you two differ.

A. Hmm. One of us is incredibly dedicated to a job. One of us really loves politics. One of us really enjoys science fiction and fantasy (the other one hates it). One of us is normal weight while the other is obese. 

6) Bert and Ernie share a basement apartment on Sesame Street. Tell us about the basement of the building you're in right now.

A. We don't have a basement. We built our house on a slab, which is to say, the flooring site directly on concrete. The hill we are on is nothing but rock. 

7) Ernie and Bert were created by Jim Henson. In addition to being an accomplished puppeteer, Mr. Henson was also a talented cartoonist. Can you draw? 


A. Not very well. 

8) Jim Henson made his first puppets himself using felt, foam rubber, string and rods -- all items that can be purchased at an arts and crafts store. When is the last time you shopped in an arts and crafts store?


A. One of my friends dragged me into one back in the summer. Fortunately we do not have a Hobby Lobby in my area, for I would not have stepped a single toe in that store. 

9) When is the last time you took a bath (as opposed to a shower)?


A. A few weeks ago. I much prefer showers to baths, though. However, my physical therapist considers them therapeutic and helpful for some of my current health issues.

 

Friday, October 03, 2014

Taking the Cousins to Blue Ridge Winery

Botetourt County has three wineries, and I always enjoy Blue Ridge Vineyard in Eagle Rock. You can't beat the views. I don't know about the wine as I don't drink, but the views are spectacular.


 
Isn't that pretty?
 
 
Cousin Kathy with the official greeter at the winery.
 
 
 
Cousin Karen looking over things.
 
 
The wine tasting.
 
 
A sampling of the vineyard's offerings.
 
 
 
The tasting room.
 
 
Apparently it was good wine; they each took some home with them.
 
 
Outside there is a big floor space for dancing and gatherings.
 
 
Wouldn't it be a nice spot for a wedding?
 
 
One year we were up here and saw bears.
 
 
A contemplative moment for Cousin Karen.
 
 
And a final shot of Uncle Buddy at my mother-in-law's, because, well, he's Uncle Buddy.

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Thursday Thirteen

Today I thought I'd offer up 13 things you may not know about the Blue Ridge Parkway.

2006 Photo


1. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway in the eastern part of the United States.

2. It runs for 469.1 miles through the Blue Ridge Mountains, mostly along the ridge tops.

3. Work on the Parkway began under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. Construction started on September 11, 1935.

4. The project was originally called "The Appalachian Scenic Highway."

5. Construction took 52 years to complete; the last of the Parkway was finished in 1987.

Stylized photo of Mabry Mill, which you can see along
the Blue Ridge Parkway. (Photo taken 2006)
 
 
6. The Parkway runs from Virginia's Shenandoah Valley to the Great Smokey Mountains near Cherokee, North Carolina. Skyline Drive in Virginia, which predates the Blue Ridge Parkway, is an additional 105 mile drive through the Shenandoah National Park to the north. The two are often confused or put together, but they are two separate roads and projects.


Looking over Botetourt County from the Parkway. Photo taken 2014.
7. Commercial traffic is prohibited on the Parkway, except for tour buses.

8. The Parkway is free to drive, but the road frequently closes in winter.

9. There are miles of hiking trails along the Parkway. Some of the attractions include campgrounds. There is a fee for camping.

Another shot of Botetourt County. Below I note where our farm is in this picture.
 
10. No road signs tell you where to go or what is available at the next exit from the Parkway. Many communities are only a short drive from the Parkway. (The Parkway runs through Botetourt County and is accessible in the Blue Ridge area.)

11. You can picnic along the side of the road nearly anywhere on the Parkway. There are also designated picnic areas.

12. You are not supposed to pick flowers, gather wood, or otherwise take pieces of the forest with you when you leave.  You are, however, supposed to haul your trash back out with you.

Notation of where our farm is as seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway overlook
in Bedford County.
 
13. Dogs and other pets are allowed, but must be leashed.


More of Botetourt as seen from a Parkway overlook.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 363rd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Wednesday, October 01, 2014

The Peaks of Otter

We drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway on up to the Peaks of Otter, but we did not go up the trail to the top. It was late in the day and the bus was leaving for its last journey to the top just as we arrived.


It's a good hike up to Sharp Top. It has been many years since I went up to the top.



The Blue Ridge Parkway. It's a great drive.


The lake at Peaks of Otter. We were told in the gift shop that there really are otters living in the lake.


The restaurant and gift shop.



They had some interesting items in the gift shop.


Cousin Kathy is an otter fan, which I did not know.


Uncle Buddy was the first to spy the Bear Poop.



This is Sharp Top (I think), the mountain. Spectacular views.

We can see the Peaks from our house, if I walk a little ways down the driveway and away from the tree line. The Peaks is another of those landmarks that mean you're almost home when you've been away.