Wild Wonderful West Virginia Part II

Part II - The New River

We arrived at our destination around 11 a.m. The day was overcast and foggy, which did not make for the best photo opportunities.

The Canyon Rim Visitor's Center. Inside there was a museum detailing the life of miners and Appalachian folk. They also offered a 10-minute film on the river and the local area.

The New River flows north - which most rivers on the east coast do not do.

The gorge was relatively inaccessible until 1873, when the railroad came in along the river. This allowed for shipments of coal. Mining towns grew up near the coalfields. There were many clashes between miners and coal company bosses. You can read about The Battle of Blair Mountain, which was one such fight, at the link.

The New River Gorge is the east coast's version of the Grand Canyon. The river is a tiny ribbon winding its way through a forested carpet. The river has rapids and is frequented by kayakers and fishermen. The ecosystem also houses many rare plants. Congress established three parks in 1978 in order to preserve and protect the watershed. The parks encompass 53 miles of the river and 40 miles of tributaries. The parks are called the New River Gorge National River, Gauley River National Recreation Area, and Bluestone National Scenic River areas.

The New River is actually the oldest river in North America. The river has been heading north for 65 million years. The New River was once part of a longer river called the Teays, but about 10,000 years ago, glacial ice buried much of the river and changed its course.

The New River was in place before the Appalachian Mountains were formed. Scientists can tell this because it flows across the Appalachian Plateau, not around it. The river begins in North Carolina, then flows north into Virginia. It passes through Radford and eventually winds its way north to West Virginia. The river later merges with the Gauley River to form the Kanawha River.

The link here on Wikepedia has some good photos if you're interested.

Next: Part III - The New River Gorge Bridge

Wild Wonderful West Virginia Part 1

Part 1: The Journey Out

Yesterday we took a day and headed north and west to West Virginia. Our destination was Fayetteville, specifically the Canyon Rim Visitor Center on Highway 19. We wanted to visit the New River Gorge. This is a 70,000 acre park along the New River between the towns of Hinton and Fayetteville. The park is part of the National Park Service.

The two-and-a-half hour drive took us through Iron Gate. This is a small town that sits on the borders of Alleghany and Botetourt counties.

Blink and you will miss it.

I wish I had a better picture. Outside of Iron Gate, not far from Clifton Forge (which you no longer drive through but bypass on I-64), a U.S. flag sits high on an outcropping of rock called Devil's Backbone. Someone has been placing a flag there for as long as I can remember. My father has family in Summersville, WV. We used to visit when I was a child and I would always look for the flag in the rock. You can read a story about the flag here.

Heading into the mountains.

We took a detour off of I-64 to pass through White Sulphur Springs. Hubby wanted to visit an ATV dealer while we were in the area.

White Sulphur Springs is like most of small town America today - older, not as vibrant as it once was, beaten down by Walmart. Yet it still had some folks moving around. I thought it had a little more movement than some small towns I have traveled through.

Before I knew it, we were at the entrance to The Greenbrier. I barely got the camera up in time to snap some sort of photo. The Greenbrier is a place for the very wealthy. However, they offer a few things, such as the bunker tours and casino gambling, that might be of interest to us peons. I could never afford a room there, though. At $285 per night for a single bedroom, I think I'll just drive on home.

You can't see much of The Greenbrier because it's all fenced off. That was rather disappointing. Anyway, we weren't stopping there today so we simply drove past.

Next up: Part II - The New River

Books: Miles to Go

Miles to Go
By Richard Paul Evans
Copyright 2011
Unabridged
Read by the author

The story of Alan's hike from Washing to Key West, Florida, continues in this second installment of his journey.

Alan is in a bad way. When we left him at the end of the first book, he was in the hospital, having been beaten and stabbed just a few hundred miles into his journey.

In the first book, The Walk, Alan told how his wife died and he lost his business. He was so despairing that he considered suicide. Instead he decided to walk.

In Miles to Go, Alan must recover from his wounds before heading out on the next leg of his walk. A young woman named Angel aka Nicole agrees to take him in. Alan had helped her during his walk by changing a flat tire. He and Nicole become friends and Alan helps her overcome her own emotional trauma before he continues on his journey.

Then he meets a young girl named Kayla May. He helps her out, too. Then he keeps walking.

He is in South Dakota when the book ends with a mysterious visitor.

The author's website has a youtube video about the book, if you're interested.

These are feel-good books with a message of hope. I don't mind telling you, in this day and age, a little hope is not a bad thing. Evans is a good writer and I enjoy his style. The books are relatively short, so pick them up for quick, enjoyable reads.

Thursday Thirteen

It's the first Thursday in a new month, so here we go with the Positive Thirteen! Today I give you 13 great things that happened in the month of July.

1. On the last day of the month, I attended an all-class reunion for my high school, Lord Botetourt. It was great to see old friends.

2. We spent an evening at Blue Ridge Vineyard, where we had a buffet meal and spent a relaxing time with friends old and new.

3. I lost 5 percent of my body weight. I have been dieting with Weight Watchers.

4. I saw the last Harry Potter movie.

5. I read (or listened to) these books: U is for Undertow by Sue Grafton, Tomb of the Golden Bird, by Elizabeth Peters, Animal Farm, by George Orwell, The Return of the King, by J. R. R. Tolkien, King Lear, by William Shakespeare, Burnt Mountain, by Anne Rivers Siddons, and four books of the Bible: Genesis, Exodus, Daniel, and Judith. The last is in the Apocrypha, for the Protestant Christians out there who may be wondering.

6. I started Christmas shopping.

7. Things in the garden began ripening, and suddenly there were tomatoes, yellow squash, and zucchini galore. I discovered a squash casserole recipe that I really liked, too.

8. I received an A- on my first paper for my class.

9. I went to an allergist to see about a food allergy, and discovered I had (a) uncontrolled asthma that required two bronchial inhalers and (b) a low immune system. With any luck, correcting these issues will make me feel better in time.

10. I had a job interview. I didn't get the job, but I consider these things to be good experience.

11. My friends met me for lunch on various days, so I saw them frequently. I was glad of that. I love my friends. I also had lunch with a new friend one day.

12. We rented out our rental property. The place had been empty since April, so we were pleased to find someone who wanted to live there.

13. I stepped foot in my father's house for the first time in 10 years.

Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 202nd time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

All the Noise, Noise, Noise

If there's one thing I hate, all the noise, noise, noise.
All the squeaks and squeals racing 'round on their wheels
They'll dance with ting-tinglers tied onto their heels. - The Grinch in How The Grinch Stole Christmas

This is the way the world seems to me to be today. Up in Congress, we have a whole slate of idiots on both sides of the political spectrum dancing around with ting-tinglers tied to their heels, as if that will find jobs for the millions who are out of work and create a good economy. They're creating a new economy, alright. It's called F-You and Hurrah for Me, I got mine, and if you don't, so what?

The media is nothing but noise, noise noise. This side yelling, that side screaming. Neither one listening to the other, and nobody saying anything that makes any sense anyway. All the noise, noise, noise.

The entire world thinks it lives in a TV show now, eh? That's what it seems like. Everybody wants a solution that takes an hour - then let's move on to the next episode, the next thing. As if there will be happy endings, life is jolly, deck the halls and fa-la-la. I have news for you - this ain't The Brady Bunch era anymore. This is more like The Waltons get the hell beat out of them by the rich dudes on Dallas.

And why do so many of you apparently think you're the rich dudes on Dallas? Maybe because you have a $10,000 in savings or something. But since only 2 percent of the population are truly rich, I can pretty much guarantee that you who are reading this aren't one of those lucky few. You aren't the rich dudes. You're the paupers on The Waltons and you're getting your asses kicked.

This morning I read an essay that I agreed with entirely, with one exception. The article, which you can find here, says Republicans fit the profile of an abuser. My quibble is this - all of the leaders in Congress fit this profile to some degree, regardless of party. Some are more abusive than others. But none are compassionate. None love their fellow man. All of them want to take what is yours, take whatever little bit you have left, and run off laughing while you lie in the rain and drown. They don't care about you. If you're drowning in the rain, they think you deserve it. If things aren't going well for you, then you haven't prayed right or something. They don't care if public policies are in place to keep you down. They have theirs. F-you and Hurrah for Me. That's their motto.

Frankly, I am annoyed and appalled at the lack of simple common courtesy in this country. How in the world can anyone call this a Christian nation when the tenants of Jesus Christ are so quickly tossed aside? No, we are not a Christian nation. We're an Old Testament nation, with zero regard for anything other than guns and money. It's like the entire country has gone insane.

The corporations can't be taxed because they need the money to create jobs. Here's a new flash: they aren't creating jobs anyway. If it were up to me, I'd tax the hell out of them unless they were creating jobs - then they could have a tax break.

Here's another question: why is that only social programs are in play? The government spends tons of money on all sorts of crap, but the only thing we hear about are the programs that directly affect people. Had there been no agreement and come Wednesday the Social Security checks hadn't gone out, were you prepared to take in Grandma? Were you going to make her house payment, pay her doctor bills, buy her food? Or were you going to stand by and watch while she lost everything and ended up living under the bridge off the interstate? Well? What were you going to do?

Why is stupid a good thing?

Oh the noise, noise, noise, noise! If there's one thing I can't stand, it's the noise, noise, noise, noise.

LBHS All-Class Reunion

Last night we attended the first-ever all-class reunion for Lord Botetourt High School.

It was held at Braeloch in Vinton (which is not in Botetourt). I thought it was a very nice event.

We arrived around 6:15, but because my husband had to go to work today, we left around 8 p.m. Things were just starting to get into a grove about the time we headed home.

They had a board where people could put their name under their class. Most of the folks, I noticed, were from the classes of '73 and '74. When I left, there were only seven names under my class (1981) and only five under my husband's (1977).

My brother was one of the people there. He did not put his name up on the board under his year (1984). He's like that.

This is my hubby enjoying the festivities.

Just like in high school, people stood around and did a lot of talking.

Unfortunately, the weather soured and it poured buckets of rain after a time.

Another look at the inside of the pavilion. It is a nice facility.

Even though we did not stay long, and I did not see many people I knew, we had a nice time. I hope they do this again.

Go Big Red! Yay Lord Botetourt!

HELP WANTED

WANTED: 586 people with the following qualifications: forward looking, results driven, compassionate, intelligent.  Must relate well to people on all levels from the poorest to the richest. Must be willing to compromise for a greater good. Must be willing to work for no more than 8 years. Must not take money from lobbyists, read opinion polls, or listen to talk radio of any kind.  Must never sign pledges. Must be willing to listen to a multitude of bosses (aka voters). The various jobs involve running the country and include the seats of Congress, Senate, President, and governors of all 50 states. All current and former seat holders need not apply.

Thursday Thirteen

Today, I offer up 13 things that happened on this date. All of this came from Wikepedia.


1. In 1540, which was a very long time ago, Thomas Cromwell, an English statesman, was beheaded. He served Henry VIII of England as his chief minister. They apparently had a falling out. The king married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard, on the same day. Maybe the minister's head was a wedding present?

2. In 1750, Johann Sebastian Bach, a German composer died. He was born 1685. He was a great German composer. You can hear a young man playing Bach on a guitar at this link.

3. In 1844, Gerard Manly Hopkins, an English poet, was born. (He died in 1889). He wrote this:

As kingfishers catch fire, dragonflies draw flame;
As tumbled over rim in roundy wells
Stones ring; like each tucked string tells, each hung bell’s
Bow swung finds tongue to fling out broad its name;

4. In 1864, the Battle of Ezra Church took place near Atlanta, GA as Confederate troops attempted to drive out Union forces. They were unsuccessful.

5. In 1866, Beatrix Potter was born. She died in 1943. She was the author of The Tale of Peter Rabbit and other stories.

6. In 1929, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was born. She died in 1994. She was the wife of John F. Kennedy and was with him when he was shot in Texas. She later married a Greek shipping magnate, Aristotle Onassis.

7. In 1932,U.S. President Herbert Hoover orders the United States Army to forcibly evict the "Bonus Army" of World War I veterans gathered in Washington, D.C. The Bonus Army was a gathering of 43,000 WWI vets who wanted cash redemption of their service certificates. The certificates were not redeemable until 1945, though they had been given in exchange for service in the first World War. During the skirmish on this date, two veterans were shot and killed.

8. In 1945, A US Army B-25 bomber crashed into the 78th floor of the Empire State Building. Fourteen people were killed and 26 were injured.

9. In 1965, U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson announces his order to increase the number of United States troops in South Vietnam from 75,000 to 125,000. The Vietnam War was well underway.

10. In 1973, 600,000 people attend a rock festival at the Watkins Glen International Raceway. The Allman Brothers Band and the Grateful Dead were among the performers.

11. In 1976, An earthquake measuring between 7.8 and 8.2 on the scale demolished Tangshan in the People's Republic of China. It killed 242,769 people and injured 164,851. It is thought to be the largest earthquake of the 20th century.

12. In 1996, The Kennewick Man, that is to say, the remains of a prehistoric man, were found near Kennewick, Washington. The skeletal remains are thought to be between 5600 and 9500 years old. The remains were the subject of a very long court battle as scientists, the federal government, and Native Americans fought over ownership.

13. Today is a Christian Feast Day. This has something to do with honoring saints. I confess I don't really know what this is even after reading the Wiki article on it.


 Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 201st time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Blue Ridge Vineyard

Recently, we spent an evening at Blue Ridge Vineyard. This winery is located in Eagle Rock. They have music on most weekends - you might want to check it out if you're looking for something different to do.

The store and a pavilion area are in a renovated barn.

This is the exterior of the store area.

A frothing display.

Picnic area. Check out the lovely views!

The vineyard!

Inside the pavilion.

A cask for making wine.

Wine-making equipment.

Big plastic vats for the early stages of wine-making.

A gazebo with a lovely view!

The vintner!

A Modest Achievement

So, this morning I got on the scales and I have lost 5 percent of my body weight.

I started doing Weight Watchers in late May. It's not falling off fast, but at least it's falling off.

On My Mind

Recently, I tried a new Hershey's Air Delight Aerated Milk Chocolate bar. Half of it went into my trash can, if that tells you anything. This is not something I want to eat. Obviously, Hershey's is now trying to mix in air bubbles with chocolate in order to bulk up a product, sell us the very air we breathe, and maximize profits.

Leave this on the shelf, please. Let's not encourage this kind of corporate maneuverings, particularly with something that barely passes as chocolate.

***

Am I the only person on the planet who wasn't all that thrilled with the last Harry Potter movie?

***

We read Genesis in my Politics in Literature class, along with a few other parts of the Bible, and I am still left with the question I always have when I read that biblical book. Where did the wife of Cain come from? How can this very important question simply be glossed over for thousands of years?

***

My brother has lost more than 100 pounds of weight in the last year and a half. He doesn't know it, but he has inspired me.

***

What is with the fascination with things swamp on History and Discovery? We have Swamp Loggers, Swamp People, and Swamp Brothers. Have you seen any of these shows?

***

And last, but not least, why do people think emails must be forwarded? This has become such a problem that I refuse to discuss anything of importance by email anymore. I pick up the phone and call. It's a lot less traceable.

Books: U is for Undertow

U is for Undertow
by Sue Grafton
Copyright 2009
Read by Judy Kaye
Unabridged

This is the latest in the alphabet series by Sue Grafton, which feature Kinsey Millhone. The next in the series, V is for Vengence, is due out this November.

I think I have heard most of these books. This is a series I enjoy in the car. Judy Kaye has read all of them that I have heard, and she does a very nice job. The reader does make a huge difference when listening to a book.

The year is 1988, and Kinsey is 38. I like that Grafton has kept her heroine in the past - however, I wonder how tough it is to keep things like cell phones and email from showing up. We're over 20 years out from the year of this novel, and the author does a great job of keeping it real. On top of that, the book jumps back and forth in time, traveling to the 1960s.

The mystery begins when Michael Sutton comes to Kinsey for help. He has a memory from when he was six years old that troubles him. He remembers running across two "pirates" burying treasure in a nearby ravine in 1967. This was about the time a young girl was kidnapped, fated to never return. He believes now that he ran across the kidnappers burying the body.

Kinsey agrees to look into the matter, and things move on from there. The author bounces back from Kinsey's point of view to the point of view of different players in the crime, giving us short glimpses of all of these folks. It doesn't take long to figure out who the kidnappers are, but Grafton is such a master storyteller that it doesn't matter. You have to listen to the end to see how Kinsey figures it out.

The only thing I did not really care for was the "false memory syndrome" in the book. Michael's sister, a newspaper reporter, shows up in the story to tell Kinsey that her brother was coerced by a therapist into making accusations against their parents. He later recanted and admitted the accusations were untrue, though he thought they were true at the time.

I tend to find it distasteful when mental health issues are tossed in as plot movers. It feels like it denigrates people with very real problems who need our help and sympathy, not our disdain. But I digress, and while this became central to the plot, the politics of the issue of mental health treatment was not a main course and it was handled with a light hand.

Ultimately, the indictment against Michael means that now his entire story is suspect, and Kinsey almost drops the matter. Fortunately, her dear ol' friend Henry comes up with a different angle, and she doesn't let it go. She also takes up for Michael when his family comes calling again in yet another effort to discredit him, and I give the author many thumbs up for that.

I have always liked Kinsey as a character. She is a loner, quiet, and not forceful, yet she always manages to solve the case and move things forward. I am wondering, as the series heads down towards the inevitable "Z," if Grafton will retire her and move on to something else?

If you like mysteries, pick up a Grafton book. You won't be disappointed.

Thursday Thirteen #200

Well, here it is. My 200th Thursday Thirteen. I pondered what to do for this momentous occasion, and I have decided I will simply list the 13 greatest things that have ever happened to me. I hope you will forgive me for the indulgence.

My guy!

1. My marriage. We said our vows on November 18, 1983, but we met on Friday, October 8, 1982, and our first date was two days later. We had vaguely known each other as children, because we rode the same school bus, but since he was four years older than I, he paid me little attention.

2. Obtaining my BA from Hollins College in 1993. It took me eight years to obtain this piece of paper, because I went part-time, dodging illnesses and work issues to stay in school. I was the only person in my immediate family to obtain a college degree, and next year I will have my MA. I am quite pleased with this.

3. Building our own home. In 1987, my husband, with hammer in hand, set out to construct our dwelling. Some days I joined him, when the work was something I could handle. It is not a big or fancy place, but we enjoy it and love it. How much dearer can it be, since we built it with our own four hands?

4. In October 1984, my first published article, "Making Shiloh Apple Butter," appeared in The Fincastle Herald, our local newspaper. I went on to write for that publication as a staff writer and then as a stringer. My byline appeared there at least annually, if not more often than that, for the next 25 years.

5. In 1986, I won the first of several Virginia Press Association Awards for my newspaper writing. The awards were a great acknowledgement of the work I was doing.

6. In 2009, I won first place in the Sherwood Anderson Short Story Contest, something I'd tried to do several times before. I always placed but "first" had proved elusive until that year.

7. In 1999, we bought our first new car, which was a white Ford Taurus. Prior to that we had always purchased used vehicles, usually dealer models with about 10,000 miles on them. Unfortunately, the Taurus had issues and in 2003 we traded it for a brand new blue Toyota Camry. That is the car I am still driving. I have no plans to rid myself of it anytime soon.



8. In 1981, I graduated from high school. I was 5th in my class (out of about 225) and a committee of my classmates chose me to be a senior speaker. I was very honored to give such a speech, though I was not then, and am not now, much of a public speaker.

9. In 1986, I went up in a hot air balloon. The trip went from Daleville to Amsterdam, roughly following US 220 for about six miles. My husband was in the chase crew; he would not ride in the balloon. It was fantastic to be above the world in something so quiet.



10. In 1979, I went to Spain and France on a trip sponsored by my high school Spanish teacher and the French teacher. I was a Spanish student. We visited Madrid, then took a train to Paris. We had to leave Madrid a day early because the train workers were calling for a strike on the following day. I confess that I remember more of Paris than I do of Spain, for Paris had the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre Museum, and all of those other things that just cry out to be remembered. This has been my only trip across the Atlantic, so far, and it was certainly a wonderful opportunity. I probably never properly thanked my parents for giving me this gift.

11.  In 1976, my parents, my brother, my grandmother, and my two young uncles, then ages 16 and 12, and myself all climbed into a van and took a long ride from Virginia to California. Along the way we saw a lot of the United States. We took the southern route down and the northern route back. We stopped at the Grand Canyon, went to Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, and saw Old Faithful blow its top in Yellowstone National Forest. We saw giant California redwood trees, vast plains, and big cities.

12. In 1993, for my graduation present, we went to Disney in Orlando, Florida. We spent four days in searing heat, visiting the Magic Kingdom and Epcot. I loved the nightly fireworks displays, the rides, and the feel of the place.

The palace in Williamsburg,
 from our 2006 trip.

13. Visiting Williamsburg. I first visited Williamsburg when I was in the sixth grade. Our entire class went, taking buses first to Richmond then venturing on to the colonial town. I have been back several times as an adult, and I always find the place enchanting.






Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 200th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

Spittin' Seeds

When I was a child, there was nothing like watermelon.

Dad would bring home a melon from some place, and he'd carry it down to the springhouse. He'd stow it in the water trough that was built inside the spring.

Later, he'd bring the melon up to the house. He'd take a knife to the rind and split it open.

Always, there was a satisfying chunk and the sound the something yummy making an appearance.

My brother and I, plus any visiting relatives, would take our slabs of watermelon outside to the front porch. From there we could see a field, the springhouse, and a small creek. Some of us would sit on the porch swing.

We'd take great big bits of springhouse-cold watermelon. The goodness of it would make our eyes roll back in our heads.

And then we'd spit seeds at one another.

Watermelon seeds are great for spittin'. They are much more aerodynamically shaped then, say, a cherry pit or a grape seed or something.

We'd spit the seeds far and long. Some sailed out into the yard. Others sailed into someone's face. "You'll put somebody's eye out," some grown-up would inevitably say.

We never did, of course.

This summer I have eaten many watermelons. Every single one of them has come from the grocery store. Each has been cooled in my refrigerator. Not a one has tasted as good as any I can remember from childhood.

And none of them have had seeds.

I am sure many people hail the invention of the seedless watermelon as a perfection of the fruit, but I confess I miss the hardness of the seeds, the feel of them swishing around in my mouth while I try not to swallow them, and the option - the option, mind you - of spittin' the things out at something or somebody.

Surely an entire generation (or maybe two?) has grown up without the joy of spittin' a watermelon seed at a sibling or cousin.  Many folks don't know that grapes once had seeds. I suppose if they could breed the cherry pit out of a Bing cherry, they'd do that too.

Some watermelons are genetically engineered, but most are hybrids - a type of selective breeding. Unfortunately, because of lack of labeling laws and regulations on genetically engineered foods, one can scarcely know which is which and what they are buying. It is entirely possible that the seedless watermelon I purchased this morning is not a hybrid but genetically modified food.

Big corporations are pushing GM foods upon the US population at a rather alarming rate. These changed-up foods are not well-tested, and people with allergies or other food issues should be wary of pretty much everything they eat these days, at least in America.  The loss of seeds in watermelons and other fruits is the least of our worries, although I must point out that without a seed, reproduction is impossible.

Indeed, reproduction of many foods is nearly impossible, for big corporations claim intellectual and property rights on most seeds these days. In the name of stopping terrorism, the government last year attempted to pass legislation that would have turned all of us with home gardens into criminals. They called this the Food Modernization Act and it was listed as SB 510 and HR 875 & 2751. The initiative did not pass the House (though it passed the Senate) - this time - but expect it to come up again in some new form in upcoming legislative sessions, if it hasn't already.

It would be a good idea if we all would pay more attention to what is actually happening in the halls of government. We should also pay attention to what corporations are doing and why. Ultimately, of course, it is about the money, not about feeding the masses. And frankly, that reason there is enough to make me suspicious of every single thing that Monsanto and other food companies do. When something is only for the money - and what isn't these days, thanks to capitalism - it's all suspect.

The Praying Mantis

A praying mantis, which is an insect, has taken up residence in my whisky barrel of summer mums.

I see it every time I water, because the water sends it scurrying out of the pot.

There are 2,200 different species of Mantis.

These insects eat other insects. They have been known to eat each other, too.

Can you find the little guy in the picture above?

Here he is!

Picky, Picky

As a general rule, I am fairly easy going. I don't have a lot of preferences for myself and I try very hard not to project onto others.
So imagine my surprise when by 11 a.m. this morning, I had two spats of pickiness.

The first occurred when my husband came home from work. He handed me a pack of report covers he'd purchased for me while he was in town.

They were rolled up.

I gave them back. "I can't use these," I said.

"Why not?"

"They're not flat and pristine. I am not putting my papers in something that will roll back up," I told him.

He looked at me like I was crazy, but I have a real thing about my office supplies. My notebooks have to be carried home gingerly, because if the paper gets a little crimped or the cover gets bent, as far as I am concerned, it's trash. Or it might as well be, because I certainly won't use it.

Apparently, I have managed to keep this little quirk to myself fairly well.

My other picky thing is my feet.

I am not a fan of feet. I hate to go barefoot. I dislike looking at my tootsies. And I despise getting anything at all on my feet.

So imagine my dismay when, long after the sun was up, I slipped on a pair of clogs and went outside to toss some things in the compost pile, and found the grass was wet.

The dew got on my dainty little feet. My heels were wet. I couldn't stand it.

I had to come in and wash my feet off, and once dried, I put on my socks and sneakers to ensure that those feet did not come into contact with anything else today.

Picky me.

The Joys of Living

So in July, the weather goes from 100 degrees to 75 degrees and mighty fine. Is it June weather, or an early Autumn?

I stepped outside yesterday morning to work on my roses. The gardening was fine. I spent a lot of time talking to three garden spiders. They were full of the secrets of the universe. They spun me tales of lives long lived, a time when morals had meaning and life was worth living. They were very smart garden spiders, and I asked them how to make the days better, and they shared a story of webspinning that made my head spin. And then they went on their way.

Our fields are bursting with baby calves and little fawns. The groundhogs are growing fat, too, as they store up for winter.

Yesterday evening we had dinner at Cracker Barrel, and then we ran a few errands. I bought my first Christmas present for the 2011 celebration. I bought two of them, actually.

I am thinking of winter, also. Thinking of cold days and darker nights. Looking ahead, I was, but just for a moment.

For now the birds are singing wildly outside my window. The trees are green and full, lush with sunlight and fragrant earth. The clouds are voluminous, keeping down the heat, and the grocery stores overflow with cherries, peaches, and apples.

Goodness is great. Bounty is nigh. Life is wonderful.

Thursday Thirteen

Today I offer up a list of my favorite sounds.

My husband. Ain't he a cutie?

1. My husband's voice. Actually, pretty much any voice of a loved one, including my friends.

2. The opening lines to American Pie (and the rest of the song as well) by Don McLean. Here's a link to the song on youtube. Have a listen.

3. Birds chirping. They are the original twitterers and can't be beat.

4. "You've Got Mail" in my inbox.

5. The whistle from a train on a still summer night.

6. Night noises, such as crickets and peepers. Here's a nice video of night noises, well, except for the coyotes howling in it. Although they're interesting to hear.

7. The ocean lapping the beach.

8. The rhythm of a train as it rushes down the tracks. Yes, I like trains.

9. The satisfying thunk of a knife slicing into a ripe, red watermelon.

10. The fizz of a soda pop when you twist the bottle top.

11. The absolute silence of the house when no one but me is at home.

12. Water gurgling along the rocks at the creek.

13. My husband's heart beat. Yes, I like him, too.


Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 199th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

The Debt Ceiling

"Where is the horse and the rider? Where is the horn that was blowing? They have passed like rain in the mountains, like wind in the meadow. The days have come down in the West behind the hills into shadow. How did it come to this?" - Theodan King, The Two Towers movie (and an apt question to ask these days. Where is our Frodo? Who will destroy The One Ring?)

This is a political rant.

What do you think of this debt ceiling thing with the US? Most people seem
to think Congress is posturing and something will pass at the last moment,
and so are not taking it seriously.

I think if they do not pass something, the fallout will be swift and very serious, and there will be no hope of an economic recovery for at least a decade, probably longer. Maybe not even in what is left of my lifetime.

Does anyone have a clue as to what will happen? What will folks do when they have to start caring for Grandma because Social Security and Medicare has run out?

Then the big corporations will have what little money we have left, won't they?

And who will be blamed? Democrats? Republicans? The means of communication are completely controlled - oh, you may think there is freedom of speech but there is no free speech. Just look at the BS going on in England with Murdoch empire and consider the greater implications there. Tight-fisted, with the hammer down, that's the press these days. You are only reading and hearing what *they* want you to hear. You only know what *they* think you should know.

I never dreamed I would see this in my lifetime. I never thought it would happen, period. And to be sure I think it is all needless - it is all a big grab by the greedy, individuals and corporations alike, and they are quite willing to upend the world to obtain their goals and amass their wealth. The fact that they have snowed so many with "social and moral" issues is key - and a great testament to the stupidity and lack of thinking among the masses.

That our education system has failed has not been a mistake, I think. Keeping people unable to think by making us stupid - by taking away liberal arts and not teaching philosophy, for example - is key to keeping  us under the thumb.

This is a power grab, you know. As a friend of mine writes, "The wealthy are working very hard to destroy social democracy and restore the control of the gilded elite. This is happening, and succeeding, all over the world. Whether it is austerity in the UK, or in Ireland, or it Greece, or the US states stripping their public servants of the bargaining  rights and benefits, or the threat to social care for the elderly and health care for the ill everywhere, it is all part of the same shocking thing - the determination of the rich elite to withdraw their money from the state and deny ordinary working people rights and benefits.

They want wage slaves, nothing more."

And yet for some reason, we still vote for these bastards.

Religion is of course right there helping to keep everyone on the lower level, raising fears and alarms over ghosts and specters, all designed to keep us from thinking about the real concerns.

The lowest common denominator has won, I fear, and this country will fall. It is the way of things, I guess, this rising and falling, but it would be nice if the world could all rise as one and we all could keep and maintain some decent standard of living. Greed is the only reason this doesn't happen.

But we have been crushed. We the people have fallen. We're too busy sitting in front of our little computers to pay attention, trapped in some cyber-bubble, our own version of bread and circuses. We're deaf and blind to the real world and the reality of what is happening.

Woe unto us all. Our days are numbered, and those numbers are short.

The Lynchburg Museum

The Lynchburg Museum is located in downtown Lynchburg. Lynchburg is about 1.5 hours away from us, give or take a few minutes depending on traffic.

This statue stands outside of the Museum. That's Uncle Buddy (left) and Cousin Don.

 

The Museum is located in the old courthouse. It's a good use of the structure.

 

The museum's entry price was just right. There were many things to see, read, and look at.

 

A special Civil War display was located in the basement.

 

I liked reading about the role women played in the Civil War.

The upper level housed a toy museum.

 

Hubby enjoyed reading about a local race car driver.

 

I liked looking at this old guitar, played by a local music legend.

Mother and Child: A Doe and Her Fawn

I have been incredibly blessed this year in watching the does and their fawns - and then being able to shoot video of it.

Here's another of a doe nursing her baby. I set this one to peaceful music. I hope you enjoy it.

Lost in Space

I was six years old on that hot day in July, 1969. We were outside playing - myself, my brother, and my two young uncles - when my grandmother called us in the house.

The men were going to walk on the moon.

We were lucky enough to be able to watch this amazing feat and to hear those historic words: "One giant leap for mankind." And so it was on July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and his fellow astronauts stepped foot on another planet.

I was 23 years old in 1986 and driving down Interstate 581 on my way to my part-time job after taking a class at Virginia Western Community College. I was listening to the radio report of the launch of the Challenger, a space shuttle which would be taking a teacher into space.

I nearly wrecked the car as I heard the horror in the announcer's voice as he cried, "It's breaking up, it's breaking up! Oh my God!"

I was 40 years old and had the TV on while I was cleaning house. I wanted to watch the landing of Columbia, a space shuttle returning from a successful mission. I was horrified all over again as the shuttle disintegrated over Texas. I remember I called my brother to tell him to keep the nephew away from the TV so he wouldn't see the tragedy.

All of my life I have taken time to watch the rockets and space shuttles launch when they showed the events on TV - these three I remember best because thankfully, the others were quite routine. When I was young, I even though I might work for NASA, but fate had other plans. But I watched the space program with great pride and admiration.

The idea of it! Exploring the vast unknown. Moving through space and time in a way no other people ever have done before. Opening up the heavens to find - who knew what - and learning for sure that the moon was not made of green cheese. Seeing for sure that the earth is really a big, blue round ball orbiting the sun.

The space program moved the thinking of humanity forward like nothing else. It eliminated myths. It brought home the reality of how small and insignificant we really are. It gave us great inventions and changed the way we looked at ourselves as a nation and as a people.

Because of the space program, we have a progressive weather alert system complete with rather accurate and amazing radar that let's us see the thunderstorms heading our way. Because of the space program, we have water and air purification systems that allow people to breathe in small spaces and which cleanse the air in our homes and drink water from the sea if need be.

Because of the space program, we have GPS, heart pumps, better microwaves, KEVLAR, enriched baby formula, scratch and glare coatings, athletic shoes, helmets and padding, wireless stuff, video stabilization, heat protection, ... it's a long list. These and many other things came about because of the space program. They invented what they needed and then someone else took the applications and created a public use for the item. It's about as innovative as you can get.

The space program gives back about $8 for every $1 spent. The billions spent on the space program are merely pennies per person when it comes to tax dollars.

And yet there are folks who would end this program. Cut off the exploration, stop the inventions, cease the forward momentum. They do this in the name of money. Money, at this time in history, has become more precious than time, more precious than innovation, more important than life itself. Thank God this is not a morality I subscribe to.

While the space program isn't ending, this door closing sure feels like a final slam on the America I once knew. It's the feeling I get all over - let's close the doors, turn the lock, hide our faces so we can't see the reality of what we're facing, much less where we're going.

Today is the day of the last space shuttle launch. Godspeed to those on board. Thank you, NASA, for all you have given us.

Thursday Thirteen

As has been my habit this year, on the first Thursday of each month I've been making a note of the good things that happened in the previous month.

So without further ado, here are the great highlights of June!

Uncle Buddy (rear) and Cousin Kathy.

1. We had a week-long visit from relatives from Chicago. Uncle Buddy, Aunt Marjean, and cousins Kathy and Don stayed with my mother-in-law, but we helped her play hostess and went on various day-trips with them.

2. The tomatoes ripened before July for the first time ever! They were scrumptious. The idea of a tomato sandwich had us dancing around the kitchen.

3. A doe and her fawn (there's a video of them at the link) has been staying around the house, and another with twins has shown up in recent days. They are great for the video camera.

4. I spent time doing research for my thesis, which I must write in order to finish my master's degree. I have a had a good time doing this.

5. Classes resumed for summer session. I am in class two nights a week, and loving it.

6. I lost six pounds in the month of June.

7. I exercised for at least 2.5 hours every week in June.

8. I read Dante's Inferno, Thomas the Tank Engine, Grimm's Fairy Tales, and the Arabian Nights. I also read the short story The Monkey's Paw, which I highly recommend reading if you somehow missed it in English in high school. If you suspect I did this all for class, you would be right.

9. I had a birthday in June, and grew another year older. I am not yet 50 but I can see those numbers heading down the track in my direction. However, I had a terrific day.

10. My husband gave me a color Nook as my birthday present.  It's a neat little device. At the moment, I am more entranced with the idea of downloading classics from Project Gutenberg than I am with purchasing new novels, but I can see where the thing may have its uses. I do not think, though, that e-readers will completely eliminate books. I do think they will put a dent on the profitability of publishing.

11. Other birthday presents included a gift certificate to the Swinging Bridge restaurant in Paint Bank and a gift certificate to Barnes & Noble.

12. My niece, Zoe, had a dance recital, and I spent four hours on a Saturday watching young girls dance and whirl around the stage at the Roanoke Civic Center. I was pleased that I was able to see my niece's talent. She did a fantastic job.

13. My husband also had a birthday this month. He's on the other side of 50 and he is a great fellow. I am honored and humbled to be his wife.

Lots going on in June! I could have listed a few more good things about this most recent month. I hope I can say the same about July!




Thursday Thirteen is played by lots of people; there is a list here. I've been playing for a while and this is my 198th time to do a list of 13 on a Thursday.

It's a System of Justice, Not Trial by Media

Yesterday in a highly publicized case, a mother was sent home a free woman and not charged with killing her child.

The media has been all over this particular trial. I don't know why, exactly, as I did not follow it at all except to see the headlines. However, I do know that each year, 300 children die at the hands of their parents. Many of those parents are convicted.

Some are not.

Why this case stood out and others don't is a mystery to me. Where is the outrage for these other kids?

Anyway, people all over my facebook page are indignant and calling the American justice system a failure.

They weren't at the hearing. They didn't hear the evidence. Really, their judgment and perception matters not the least, though the media would have them think otherwise.

However, it's called "reasonable doubt" and obviously the jurors had some doubt regarding the evidence that this mother murdered her child.

The legal system did not fail. It worked just like it is supposed to.

Would these folks rather see the mother found guilty and murdered in the gas chamber, only to find 10 years from now that the guilt lies with someone else?

Would they be outraged, then?

Books: Tomb of the Golden Bird

Tomb of the Golden Bird
by Elizabeth Peters
Read by Barbara Rosenblat
Copyright 2007

I am not an ardent fan of Peters' Amelia Peabody series, but I did enjoy listening to this book. Fortunately, Peters is a good writer, so I didn't have to have the background of other books to keep up with what was going on and who was doing what.

The year is 1922, and a great discovery is about to take place in Egypt. Unfortunately, the discovery will not be made by Amelia's family, and her husband, Emerson, is most unhappy about this. When Howard Carter finds the tomb of King Tut, Emerson goes off the deep end and utters words most foul. In so doing, he gets himself and his family totally banned from the excavation.

But never mind. Emerson's brother, Sethos, turns up, and where Sethos is, there is always trouble, for he is a spy. Soon the reader is happily involved in a world of intrigue and speculation, and only Amelia can sort out the issues and set things right.

Peters continues to crank out these Peabody books, to the delight of her fans. If you're looking for an interesting and different sort of mystery, you might wish to check this series out.

Happy Fourth of July!