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 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 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.

 

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 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.

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.

Peaks of Otter Winery

We had visitors all last week. Well, actually, my mother-in-law had visitors: her brother, his wife, and their two daughters came in. The cousins are our age so we spent some time with them.

Last Wednesday we went to the Peaks of Otter Winery. I'd never been there so it was interesting to tag along.



Johnny Appleseed and a train greeted us at the entrance.



The wine tasting room and gift shop was in this structure.



A little bit of neon.

Cousin Karen (who lives in California) and Aunt Marjean
(from Illinois) examine the wine offerings.



Lots of antique stuff on the walls piqued my husband's
interest.

More stuff.

Cousin Karen, Cousin Kathy (back to us) and Aunt Marjean.

No highway attraction is complete without the Jack-o-Lope.

Uncle Buddy from Illinois. He is 88 years old.

The California Cousin.

Some of the jellies and jams for sale.

My mother-in-law.

Uncle Buddy.

Pretty display of gourds.

Nothing else says "spend money here" like a big red devil.

Map of visitor locations.

More rustic stuff.

Uncle Buddy observes the women doing the wine tasting.

Hmm. Yum! Good enough to buy a bottle!

Another little building at the winery.

My mother-in-law, my husband, and Aunt Marjean.

Everybody but me: my husband, my mother-in-law,
Uncle Buddy in the rear, Cousin Kathy (Illinois),
Aunt Marjean, and Cousin Karen.
 

September Sunrise

Every hour, it seems, the leaves are turning. Each time I look out the front window I see a touch less green and a bit more yellow, a little rusty red.

That certain slant of sunlight slips softly through the thinning leaves. The shadows dance, delighting me, and it is Autumn.

The deer drift like shades, gliding as if never touching the ground to disturb the cobwebs that now litter the forest floor like diamond dust.

The sunsets are lengthy, the sun reaching out and over the clouds, chasing after the mountains, until only a small glimmer remains. It vanishes - poof - and darkness descends.