The Drought

 

This is where a spring once ran out. This is the first time in the 42 years I've lived on this farm
that I have seen it dry.

This is what is left of the pond that the above spring fed into when it was running.

Before last summer, the water came all the way up to the post on the
left. One can see by the shape of the weeds and the changes in the
color of the grass where the water line used to be.

The above pictures indicate just how dry things have become in the watershed that feeds Carvins Cove, one of the water reservoirs that supplies the City of Roanoke and surrounding areas.

Carvins Cove is now nearly 18 feet low. 

This spring fed into this pond, which fed into a larger pond below, which created what is known as Rulman's Branch. Rulman's Branch flows into Tinker Creek. A tunnel made under Tinker Mountain pulls water from Tinker Creek, when the water level is normal, so that the Cove has more water.

Most of the springs have all dried up on our farm, and we've had no rain to speak of, so there has been little water runoff into Rulman's Branch. The pond below this one, which I don't have a photo of, still has an active spring trickling water into it.

But that's not enough to keep things flowing further down the line.

Thursday Thirteen

 

Here's something I haven't done in a while - a list of things on my desk.

1. My asthma inhaler. I keep one at my desk, one by the bed, one by the chair in the living room, one in the kitchen, and one in my purse. Some of them are out of date but I hang on to them until they are *really* out of date. They are expensive and if I'm going to have that many sitting around, I need to hold on to the expired ones.

2. A tin whistle. A friend gave me this for Christmas. I can play two octaves of scale on it, all of the normal learning songs like "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and even "Do Re Me" from The Sound of Music. Well, sort of.

3. A harmonica. I bought it at Cracker Barrel some time ago and occasionally pull it out and mess with it. I like to play "Big Rock Candy Mountain" on it.

4. A printed calendar. I used to print one that came from Microsoft 2003 Outlook, which I used for about two decades, and then suddenly the program stopped working (thank you Windows update). Now I use Google Calendar, which syncs with my phone calendar. But unlike the old Outlook calendar, which would print from whatever day I wanted, the Google Calendar only prints a month. My solution has been to draw a line through the weeks as they occur, even if I have to print a new calendar because of lots of changes, just so I can glance at it and see where I am. I also have a calendar hanging on the wall that I can simply glance up to see. Apparently, I have trouble knowing what day it is.

5. Extra Sugar Free Bubble Gum. This has become my go-to for trying not to eat, as well as for helping with sweet cravings. It's a little annoying to me that I am chewing this because it has aspartame in it and I've spent years trying to avoid that stuff. It's probably not good for me, but most things aren't by the time one passes over the 60 mark.

6. A note reminding me what I expect from government (federal, state, and local). It says, "Regulate Business. Provide a Basic Social Safety Net. Promote Infrastructure. Protect Civil Rights." That's it. Four things. Why is that so hard and so divisive?

7. Several Sharpie markers. I use them to mark through the weeks on the aforementioned printed calendar, among other things.

8. A fake Rubik's cube. I bought this over the summer, solved one side, sat it down, looked up the "answer" to solving it, decided I was too old to mess with it anymore, and every now and then I mess it up and solve one side again.

9. A book titled, Little Green Men, Meowing Nuns and Head-Hunting Panics: A Study of Mass Psychogenic Illness and Social Delusion. I do not have it to better understand the current state of society, although perhaps it might be enlightening, but instead because my great aunt is quoted in the book. The incident is called the Mad Gasser of Botetourt County, and my great aunt Ruth, and my great uncle Roy, were both witnesses to the incident. Only Aunt Ruth is quoted in the book. My great-great grandparents are also mentioned.

10. My "writer's notebook," which is a smallish notebook where I write down lines I like, thoughts that seem important at the time, and similar notions. I tend not to note where I found whatever I write down, but one will find things such as, "a cheap imitation of love," or "hurricanes are tornadoes that last hours and hours and drown you." Sometimes I have strange things written down, such as "mouth farts," which I assume must refer to a burp. Sometimes I have questions, such as, "Where is the doorway to yesterday's secrets?"

11. Six dictionaries and two thesauruses, the Associated Press Stylebook and The Chicago Manual of Style (15th edition). The last one is seriously out of date; Chicago's latest version is the 18th edition. Do I use them? Sometimes. It is easier though, to simply type in a word and learn its meaning now, especially when it comes to modern slang, and there's also thesaurus.com to help with that. Computers make people lazy, but at least I know how to find something when the internet eventually goes down.

12. A bottle of Elmer's Glue. Sometimes, I break things. Not intentionally, of course, but I have been known to drop something. A little Elmer's fixes it right up.

13. A magnifying glass. My eyeglasses are at the highest magnification they can be at without augmenting them in some fashion or another. Enough said about that!

What's on your desk?

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 978th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Sunday Stealing

Once again this week we aren't stealing, we're contributing! These are questions suggested by our "usual suspects." If you can, please take a moment and visit your fellow thieves. 

DIY Meme

1. If you were trapped in a TV universe for a month, what TV show would you choose? (Kwizgiver)

A. I would like to be trapped in The West Wing for a month. At least then I would have some idea of what life would be like under a real leader, as well as get a feel for how things actually work in the hallowed halls of the federal government. Maybe I could be a protege of the great C. J. Craig (Allison Janney).

2. What song instantly revs you up and gets you going?  (Annie)

A. Happy by Pharrell Williams and Uptown Funk by Mark Ronson & Bruno Mars. They make me Shake My Groove Thing.

3. Are you decorating your home for fall? (Lori) 

A. Not much. I will change the flag outside in the flower bed by the door to something more suitable for fall.

4. How do you treat a cold? (Syl) 

A. Very gingerly and with great caution. Mostly a cold takes lots of tissues, some antihistamine, hot water, chicken soup, and a good book.

5. What insignificant thing would you be genuinely annoyed if you lost it or it was taken from you? (Lisa)

A. My printed-out calendar. I know I have a calendar on my phone, and I have a calendar on my computer, and a calendar on the wall, but it's the printout of the calendar on the computer that I check every day (it syncs with my phone) to see where I am supposed to be or what I'm supposed to be doing. Obviously, it's not necessary but I like the paper and having it right next to me where I can see it.

6. What place do you remember vividly, even though you haven't been there in years? (Country Dew) 

A. I remember Myrtle Beach very vividly, as I have been there a lot. However, my memories are the Myrtle Beach of old, with an arcade and board walk and multiple putt-putt golf courses, not the Myrtle Beach of today that has only remnants of that and is instead more of a shopping destination with golf courses for the people who play golf.

7. Do you have a favorite Dolly Parton song or story? (Roger)

A.  I have a memory of my mother cleaning up the kitchen and singing Coat of Many Colors that stands out for me. I was just coming from my bedroom, and she seemed calm and happy, just wiping at the counters and singing along with Dolly. I stood and watched her until she felt my presence, and then she stopped and turned around. I was sorry I interrupted her.

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

__________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Don't Take Your Love

 

Saturday 9: Don't Take Your Love from Me (1956)

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

1) In this song, Doris Day sings about what happens when you take a petal from a rose. When did you last get or give flowers as a gift?

A. I sent someone flowers a while back.

 

2) This song is about a woman who fears losing her love. What's the most recent thing you lost? (Hopefully it's not as consequential as a great love. It could be as small or unimportant as the back of one of your pierced earrings.) 

A. I lost hope. It weighs nothing but it's a heavy thing to lose.

 

3) Doris was known as The All-American Girl Next Door. Who lives next door to you?

A. I don't exactly have a next door, but the houses closest to me on each side are occupied by nice families, each with two children.

 

4) As a young girl, Doris Day was passionate about dance. She recalled that concentrating on her lessons helped distract her from the pain and embarrassment of her parents' divorce. When you want to escape from what's troubling you, what do you do?

A. I play loud rock music on my guitar or lose myself in a book.

5) The maître d' at one of Doris' favorite restaurants wanted to ask her out. Knowing how she loved her dogs, he impressed her by handing her a bag of meat scraps and bones to take home. They began dating and, in 1976, he became her last husband. What's the best way to your heart?

A. Well, it wouldn't be with meat scraps. Ick. I would require chocolate something and intelligent conversation.

 

6) Over her long career, Doris received Golden Globe and Grammy Awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. She was also inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame, honored for being one of the most celebrated women to have been born there. Name a famous person born in your home state.

A. Ella Fitzgerald, the First Lady of Song and a jazz singer and songwriter, was born in Newport News, Virginia in 1917. 

 

7) She was frank about her financial difficulties, yet some people are uncomfortable discussing money. Are you one of those people?

A. I don't think my finances are anyone's business but my own.

8) In 1956, when Doris released this song, The Wizard of Oz was shown on network TV for the first time. What movie have you seen multiple times?

A. I have seen The Wizard of Oz many times. I've also seen The Lord of the Rings, Steel Magnolias, Under the Tuscan Sun, Practical Magic, and Grease multiple times. There are others, too, such as The Sound of Music, Dirty Dancing, and It's a Wonderful Life, that I've seen more than once.

9) Random question: Would you rather have a chef or a chauffeur?

A. I would rather have a chef. I absolutely do not like to cook.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Thursday Thirteen

 

Things I’m Tired of Pretending I Like

1. Group conversations of any kind. I don’t need multiple people talking at me at once, in person or on a screen.

2. Scented anything. If it’s not the smell of cookies baking, I don’t want it in my house or on my person.

3. Apps that think they know better than I do. Autoplay, autosync, autocorrect. It's all just auto‑nonsense.

4. Coffee. I’ve tried. I still think it tastes like burnt dirt. I’m also pretty sure the last latte I had gave me gallstones.

5. Autumn orange everywhere. Pumpkins look great as jack‑o‑lanterns, but they don’t belong in spice, lotion, candles, or anything else pretending to be festive.

6. German chocolate cake. I know it says it’s chocolate, but it doesn’t do much for me. It's a little bitter or something.

7. Tech updates that rearrange everything. I didn’t ask for a scavenger hunt. Why do my browsers have to update every other day?

8. People who say “I’ll circle back” or "I'll call you later." Just say you’re not doing it.

9. Animals. Yes, puppies are cute. Kittens are adorable. A little baby calf clicking its heels in the field is lovely. But they all shed dander and make me sneeze. They're nice to look at but I don't want them near me. (And yes, I know, I live on a farm.)

10. Loud noises. Sudden bangs, blaring TVs, people who shout instead of talk, fireworks, etc. My nerves are not built for any of it.

11. Social events that require “mingling.” I prefer conversations that don’t feel like speed dating.

12. Fancy kitchen gadgets. A knife and a pan do 90% of the work anyway.

13. The idea that everyone must love summer. Some of us are happier when the humidity stops trying to kill us.

_________________

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here if you want to read other Thursday Thirteens and/or play along. I've been playing for a while, and this is my 977th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday. Or so sayth the Blogger counter, anyway.

Keeping Time

I was in the car earlier listening to music from my cell phone, and I started hitting the steering wheel as I kept time to the beat.

My mind went back to another time, when I was eight years old. Back then, kids didn't have to sit in car seats or wear seat belts or whatever. I could climb from front to back over and over again if I wanted.

But my father was driving and he didn't put up with much messing around, so I was sitting up straight trying to peer over the dash.

We were on a windy old crooked road heading home. Dad drove fast, and he ended up behind an old beat up pickup truck.

He tailgated it. Then he pointed to the man in the truck. "See how his hand is moving? He's keeping beat to a song."

I peered over the dash and nodded. I could barely make it out, because I was so little and short, but I caught the flash of movement.

Dad said, "Let's see if we can find what song he's listening to."

He turned on the radio and switched stations until he landed on a song that had the same beat as the hands of the man in the truck.

"See?" Dad said, his own hands now hitting at the wheel. "Feel the beat of the music? You can tell a song just from the beat."

I nodded, although I really didn't see because I couldn't see the man in the pickup's hands anymore, but I could see my father's. It was always easier to agree.

"Now you do it," Dad said. And so I started tapping on the dash to the beat of the song. 

Tap, tap. 

"Keep it in time," Dad said. 

Tap. Tap. 

"There you go, you got it."

We tapped the rhythm to ourselves, along with the oblivious fellow in front of us, the rest of the way home.

Back to today, driving home and listening to my own music, I thought about how now I could never pull up to a car and watch some person tapping out a song and know what they were listening to, not with Sirius XM and cell phones with Apple Music and multiple radio stations and everything. By the time I found the beat, the song would be over, if I ever found it at all.

What a different world we live in, one all mixed up with multiple choices in everything from music to television shows to social media. Nobody lives in the same place anymore.

I'm not so sure that's a good thing. 

Empty Shelves

Made with AI

I can't find the peas I like at the grocery store.

I've looked not in just a single store. Several stores.

No steamer peas. Those are the kind I like. Easy to fix. Easy way to get a veggie into my day.

So I did what I do when something bothers me. I wondered first of all, how are peas harvested?

Turns out, they aren't picked by hand like the ones in my garden. Large‑scale pea growers use specialized machines like tractor‑mounted cutters, lifters and a mobile “viner” that strips pods and threshes them. They don't do anything by hand.

So, if it wasn't a labor shortage keeping peas from being picked, because, you know, machines, what was the problem?

"Frozen peas are scarce right now because a combination of unseasonal heatwaves in key growing regions, packaging resin shortages, and maxed‑out cold‑storage capacity has disrupted the supply chain. Retailers also prioritize their own store brands when freezer space is limited, further narrowing options." (So sayth Alexa.)

Ok. Wow. So, what is packing resin? I didn't know. I assumed it was glue because tree resin is sticky. But it's not glue. It's plastic. That means it's the film, the bag, the pouch my beloved steamer peas go into. So, the peas can be perfectly fine, but they will never reach the shelf. There's nothing to put them in.

At least part of the shortage of "packing resin" is happening because the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has cut off Gulf‑origin resin supply, which is a major source for PE and PP resins used in packaging. 

Imagine that! I can't get my peas because of the non-war in Iran.

Now, I don't know whether the bag that should contain my peas is sitting somewhere waiting for resin. But I do know that the resin supply itself has been disrupted, and that packaging is one more potential choke point between a harvested crop and my freezer.

 

In learning about packing resin, I discovered that this is also used in things like sterile medical packaging. Nothing can be substituted for virgin resin in this situation. That sounds scary and concerning, doesn't it?

 

So, let's go back to the "maxed-out cold-storage capacity" issue. This is a supply chain issue involving trucks and drivers.

Turns out that some of the people who drive the refrigerated trucks (those are the ones that keep frozen peas frozen between the plant and the store) have lost their jobs. 

The United States has spent the past year pulling them off the road. A rule change made 200,000 non-domiciled CDL holders ineligible to continue working and as their commercial driver's licenses come up for renewal, they will be out of a job. Recently, a crackdown called Operation Highway Shield detained 51 people in three days in July and put 766 drivers and vehicles out of service. The administration says it's about safety. The people losing their jobs were legally authorized to work.

But they aren't driving trucks anymore.

 

So we have vegetables and fruits and other goods just hanging out rotting because the government in its infinite wisdom decided to remove the people who drive the trucks from the highway. Are American citizens lining up to learn to drive these trucks?

Since I don't have peas, I would say not. 

And look at what Indeed has to say about these jobs!

Twelve thousand cold chain jobs!

No wonder I don't have frozen peas on the store shelf.

And I would be remiss not to also point out that we have had a drought along the eastern seaboard from the Mid-Atlantic states to Florida. I'm sure that affects the crops, along with the devastating heat waves we've had in other areas of the country. Peas aren't the easiest crop to grow, or at least they aren't for me.

What I want to know is how this will be resolved?

I also wonder what else I will be looking for soon that I won't be able to find.

Should we be worried about food this winter?

Newborn

 

Today's happiness has nothing to do with me, but my friend's daughter-in-law gave birth this morning. I am happy baby and mom are doing ok.

Nothing like a new little life. Now let's make it a better world for the tiny guy.

Sunday Stealing

 

Four Superlatives

1. Your MOST overused word or phrase: "Interesting." It covers practically everything.

2. Your BIGGEST expense: My husband. 😘

3. Your WORST fear:  Zombie Apocalypse 🧟

4. Your BEST memory of Summer 26: Giving myself a present. 🎁

Thank you for playing! Please come back next week.

 __________

I encourage you to visit other participants in Sunday Stealing posts and leave a comment. Cheers to all us thieves who love memes, however we come by them.

Saturday 9: Clown

Saturday 9: Everybody Loves a Clown (1965)

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

1) Not everyone loves clowns. "Coulrophobia" is the irrational fear of clowns. Do you have any fears or phobias?

A. Not really. I'm not a fan of snakes but if I'm the only one home, I'll move it or dispose of it unless it's a poisonous one. Fortunately, we don't see them very often around the house. There's not a water source up here to attract them.

2) This week's featured artist, Gary Lewis, sings that he jokes a lot at parties. In social settings, are you more a talker or a listener?

A. I am more of a listener.

3) He's dreaming of a special girl. Do you often daydream?

A. I daydream quite a lot. Probably more than I should.

4) Gary named his band The Playboys because they were always late to rehearsals and Gary joked that they would rather play than work. Do you tend to be early, late, or exactly on time?

A. I am generally a little early.

5) Gary Lewis had first-hand knowledge of clowns. His father was famous funny man Jerry Lewis. Who always makes you laugh? 

A. My husband and my friends.

6) In 2017, Gary was in the news when it became known that Jerry disinherited all six of his sons from his will. Have you ever attended the reading of a will?

A. I used to work for a lawyer who occasionally did a "reading of a will" like one sees in TV, so yes, I have, but generally it isn't done the way you see it on TV. At least in my state, someone has the will, goes to the Circuit Court and qualifies as the executor of the estate, and sends out notices to potential heirs listed in the will.

7) This past summer found Gary Lewis on The My Generation Tour, performing with other acts from the mid-1960s, like The Lovin' Spoonful, The Hollies, and Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Do you enjoy listening to "the oldies?"

A. I listen to a lot of 1970s music, like Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles, Bread, Linda Ronstadt, etc., so not quite as old as the mid-1960s, but old enough now.

8) In 1965, when this song was popular, Muhammad Ali defeated Sonny Liston to become the heavyweight champion of the world. Have you ever attended a boxing match?

A. I have never attended a boxing match.

9) Random question: What color is your toothbrush?

A. My electric toothbrush is solid white; my regular toothbrush is blue and white at the moment.

_______________

I encourage you to visit the posts of other participants in Saturday 9 and leave a comment. Because there are no rules, it is your choice. Saturday 9 players hate rules. We love memes, however. 

Early Voting - Vote for Beth Macy

Early voting starts today in Virginia.

I urge everyone to vote for Beth Macy, the Democratic challenger to the current office holder, Republican Ben Cline.

I am an independent voter. I am not registered with any party.

I went to college with Beth. I was working on my undergraduate degree while she was working on her masters degree from Hollins College (now Hollins University). We had several courses together because I was majoring in English and focusing on writing classes. At Hollins, the creative writing seminars had undergrad and graduate students combined, so we saw a lot of one another.

She went on to write for The Roanoke Times. I went on to write for the local weekly paper. She's written five books. I've written and edited a local magazine celebrating the county's 250th anniversary (in 2020), and I have edited about a dozen books for various people.

Varied careers, but since we were both reporters, I can say with certainty that Beth has seen things her opponent has not.

As a reporter, I visited many homes that were the living spaces of very poor people, hoarders, sick people, sad people, and indigent people. I also saw the very nice living spaces of folks who live in McMansions, and the houses in between.

Beth saw the same. We both know that there are a lot of people out there who have done their best, and their best has not been good enough. Some people can try until their arms nearly fall off, and it still won't get them where they can afford to live in a nice house with a white picket fence.

She wrote Dopesick, spent years covering the opioid crisis, won a Nieman fellowship, had her book adapted for TV. That's concrete evidence she understands real people's lives.

Beth is one person and she alone can't change the price of gas, but she can introduce legislation or endorse legislation that already exists to force the current administration to adhere to existing laws, such as the war powers act, and straighten itself up.

She is for a moratorium on data centers, and since that is a big issue right now that actually affects me personally, with new power lines going through the land we farm, then that issue alone would make me vote for Beth. New power lines mean strange people will be on the farm, gates will be left open, cattle will become unsettled by big machinery. Also, there may be a loss of land value because of the larger poles that will replace the more rural-looking ones.

Cline has been in office since 2019. He's introduced and co-sponsored plenty of bills, but when I look at what he's actually accomplished through legislation, the record is pretty thin. I don't see much there that has made a meaningful difference in the lives of people in this district. He's had seven years to make a mark on issues that matter to me, and I personally cannot find one.

If there was anything I could point to that the current office holder had done that offered support for farmers, women, children, affordability, or slowing down the growth of data centers, I might take a second look. But I do not see anything in his voting record that would make me change my mind.

Early voting in Virginia is from today until October 31. If you're in my county, go vote in Fincastle at the Office of the Registrar.

Otherwise, vote on election day, November 3, at your polling place. Check the state elections website to be sure you're registered to vote and to find out where to vote if you don't already know.