current and not so current events

In the last two-three weeks:

• I had a "moderate" allergic reaction to something outside. Doctor thinks allergic reaction to poison ivy, though we're not really sure. On last round of prednisone, and it is improving though far from well. Basically my legs and torso are covered in whelps and sores of various sizes. Yuck.
•  DOT mowed the sides of the road, cutting the phone line in the process. The line has yet to be buried properly even though it has been repaired twice, so every time it rains heavily we lose phone and internet.
•  There have been two hail storms near us, though thankfully not at our place. Last night we made an emergency stop at Wal-mart at 42, and there were tubs scattered all around the store. I thought it was really odd, and then I saw water all around one. When I looked up, I realized the tubs were under all the sky lights. Evidently during last week's hail storm the hail broke through the sky lights and was coming into the store forcing customers to duck under clothing racks. I have honestly never seen anything like it.
•  My garden looks good, though we've not had any produce yet. Some of it is due to late start and late fertilizing. When Bobby's parents had their garden, we would be well into green bean harvest and beginning butterbean and cucumber harvest. So I'm learning as I go, and each year is a little better. This is the first year that I've been on top of the weeds this much. And while I've kept the geese away from the green beans, we discovered that chickens will also peck the leaves off through the fence. So I now have one row blocked off from the chickens. The other row I'll just have to give up.
•  And egg laying time should begin within the next month. That also means snake season will soon be upon us. We've already found one skin, so I know they are there, waiting.
•  I've come to the realization that I have entirely way too many ideas and brainstorms for one person. I'm trying to conquer what is necessary and limit my overactive brain to a few other things, but I fear that horse left the barn a LONG time ago and is no hurry to return.

Last weeks' freeze

January 2018, North Carolina has set a record for the number of days below freezing.

I was determined to break through the ice.
I wanted to know how deep it was.
This is after I pounded 1/2" away.
Two days later as it warmed up I pulled a 1" piece away from the edge.

Several cracks were deep in the ice near the pier posts.
This one appeared to be 3" deep.

My favorite shot.

Our geese walk on water. :)

Monday, August 21

Last Monday we drove to Sumter, South Carolina so we could view the eclipse in "totality". (My uncle was laughing that he had never heard that word in all his life and in the span of a few days he'd heard it so many times he was tired of it.)  The public park there was having a special event, but the traffic to the park was quite long so we drove on down the road to Lowe's hardware store and parked. Evidently quite a few other people had the same idea. :)

Due to the heat, we headed inside, and would walk back to the garden center every 10-15 minutes to see how much it had changed. About 15 minutes before totality, Bobby came out and joined me. The lights in the parking lot that were on sensor came one, as did the ones in the garden area. A few workers slipped outside (despite the announcement not to abandon their posts) a few minutes before, and it was amazing. A worker who had glasses told those without when it was safe to look. A HUGE cheer went up from the parking lot. We were able to spot two stars, even with the night lights on around us. And the temp dropped at least ten degrees.

As the sun begin to be uncovered once again, we suddenly realized all the birds had gone silent. They began to chirp again. The lights slowly flickered back off, and we headed back inside to finish looking at a few things and check out somewhere between the 2nd crescent shape and bitten cookie shape.

It was a great day, and I'm thankful we were able to go where it was totally darkened. Bobby wants to know where we're going to visit in 7 years when it passes over the US again. :) It's not often he mentions wanting to go somewhere or do something, so I think this might be something we have to do!

97 and fall

Bobby laughed at me last night when I declared it was fall, reminding me that it was to be 97 degrees today. And yes, we are under a heat advisory here in NC today, BUT my surroundings are saying otherwise. The poplar tree has been shedding its leaves for over a week, and the grapes are ready for picking. I was too busy yesterday to take pictures, but I now have 3/4 gallon of muscadine juice in my refrigerator waiting to be made into jelly later today (and I only had time to pick 1 side of 1 row). Grapes are ripe in the fall.

And, as if that wasn't enough, school is starting back this week (or starts back next week for the last track of year rounders) in our area, and I had my dry run for fall elections training. (Trainers teach the class to elections staff to make sure we understand the process before classes begin.) So everything around me, except the temperature, is screaming fall.

So happy fall, y'all, sweat and all.

flooding

With every major storm (hurricane or tropical storm), or even torrential and long-term downpour, we can expect water to overcome the pond drain and head over the spillway (which is how it's designed so the water pressure won't break the dam). This week's 5+ inches in two days was no exception. Our pond level didn't get quite as high as during Hurricane Matthew, but came fairly close. 

Water rushing from the spillway down the hill.

This doesn't do the spillway justice. The water was a little over my ankle and moving fairly fast.

I thought this was a turtle, but as I got closer to snap the pic, I thought it resembled more of a frog. As I went around Bobby to zoom in, I saw the body and quickly backed away, which he found quite funny. As we returned from our walk it was actually out on the dam a little ways out of the water...a brown water snake.  I'm not sure but we think we saw an eagle take one off while fishing last week. 

Over the new drain pipe...it was actually swirling in slow motion like the water going down the bathtub drain!

And water gushing out the other side of the pond drain. We could actually hear it halfway from the house.

and silly me, even after seeing the snake, waded through the water on the spillway to see the other side. I was able to save a few of these guys (about half of them), but I tossed them downstream instead of back into the pond. We've got enough bream without saving any.

a fast update

I'm on limited time so if there's a lot of typos in this post, please know there was no time to proof and I was typing quickly.

In case you've not watched the news, there's a hurricane coming this weekend. And to some degree or another North Carolina will be impacted. Which means I'm beginning to field phone calls or messages from folks back home who've never lived through a hurricane but see all the dvestation they cause on television. I've only been through one small one here, so I'm certainly no expert, but here's what my family needs to know:

• Rain and lots of it, along with a lot of noise. That's what it will mean for me.
• :) The pond behind our house as both a drain and a spillway. Our house is on the highest point of our property. The hill behind us to the pond is somewhat steep. We're in no danger of flooding.
• We're more likely to face flooding three roads away at a nearby bridge which is very old, forcing us to drive a different direction, or wipe out on a slippery, muddy dirt road than we are to drown or lose our house to flooding or wind damage.
• Stocking up for us means having enough water on hand in case the power goes out. That's what non-city people have to do since we have well water.
• EXCEPT, we have a generator. So as long as we have gas, our electric well pump will work. 
• And yes, this generator will also operate the charger for Bobby's wheelchair.
• We have a gas grill, and a pantry and freezer well stocked.
• I might bake cookies the day before it hits. And if any bread is left in the store tomorrow, I may buy a loaf.

So our biggest issues are medical supplies, which I keep well stocked, and having adequate water and power to operate and tend to medical needs. The generator my in-laws gifted us with takes care of the majority of those needs. 

But if you just really feel the need to worry, my older sister is 3 hrs away in a town called Washington (NC) which is prone to flooding. I suggest you spread your concern on down the road to her. And she'll be glad to dramatically tell you all about it. :)

plans

I had all these plans for our big snow. I even went to the fabric store so I could spend half of my inside time working on a quilt.  And then we lost power. And had two roof leaks. Then Bobby got sick. I am very grateful for our generator, as much as I've griped every year about it. (It was one of those marriage situations where "this is happening and it really doesn't matter that I've not consulted you", and for the first nine years we had it I complained every time I had to take off work for the maintenance guy to come or with every bill we've had to pay on it.) But I cannot imagine having to look after someone who is sick without lights, heat, water, or the microwave to heat things. More than once this week I've felt more than a little chagrin for all my griping.

Last night, in the midst of Bobby's fever spike, and in one of those "I simply cannot do this again; I just want to sleep one hour" moments,  I headed to the bathroom for a cold washcloth. Outside the bathroom window, the clouds had parted and the full moon was finally shining through. It was hitting the ice on the upper branches of two trees, making it look like the tree tops were illuminated with little white Christmas lights. It took my breath away. After I got Bobby settled, I tried to get a picture so he could see, but it was a no go. Later, the sight was gone as the clouds had come back. I was more than a little happy when it happened again around 5am. I know such circumstances are not unusual, but for me, the timing of that sight was a breath of fresh air, a gentle reminder from God that I am not alone and His grace is sufficient. Sometimes it's the little things that give me the strength to keep going.

And as I know everyone wants to know - Bobby's heart is doing well. We'll start with the urologist tomorrow to try and see what is causing the fever and weakness. Praying they can work us in.

 

ice

We've had sleet/freezing rain since about 5:30am. By 3pm the ice had backed up in the gutter and on the roof, which meant as it melts, the water accumulates under the ice and has nowhere to go...except through our ceiling. It's happened once before - only during ice storms, never snow or rain. It was becoming quite bad (as in 1/4 a buck of water in about 30 minutes) and I was texting my brother-in-law for suggestions when my neighbor stopped by. She had just found out about Bobby being in the hospital and was bringing a meal and checking on him. We both just looked at each other, and I wondered why on earth I never thought to call her husband, who builds houses for a living. She went and got him, and he came, crawled up in the attic and found the spot, put some pans there to stop the downpour, then got a ladder and broke away the ice from the roof AND our gutters around that area so the water would have a place to go. He told us more than once to call us if it backed up again, as well as what I needed to tell the roofer when the weather cleared up. I'm sitting here listening to an occasional drop and feeling more than blessed and overwhelmed at how God has placed the right people in the right place at the right time this last week. I have captured a few pics of the ice laden pecan trees and the tiny icicles on the roof, but those will have to be uploaded another day.  For now I'm counting my blessings and cleaning up messes.

the sun has come out!

After 12 days of drizzle/mist/rain, our area of North Carolina is finally seeing the sun! I actually made it outside today for thirty minutes of yardwork, and then my arms said "No more!" so I quit for the evening. Yes, I'm turning into a big wimp. And with tomorrow's temps rising higher, I'm hoping the sun and air will dry out the ground even more, and I can cut the grass and weedeat. And MAYBE I'll finish trimming the shrubs. But realistically, I think that will wait until Friday. :) Or perhaps I'll do two more shrubs tomorrow and then finish them on Thursday. No point in over-doing it, you know.

Meanwhile, my parents are coming next week. A small part of me says I need to be inside cleaning like mad. Another small part of me shrugs and says "Why? Your Mom is going to clean most of the time she's here anyway!" I think it goes without saying that I did not inherit Mom's "every item must have a place and that place isn't in a pile" mentality.

And if there's any doubt that it's fall and October, the spiders are out. They're starting to take over the back porch again. If I don't get out there with a broom soon, all the hard work a teenager did power-washing our house this summer will not be anywhere near as noticeable. And that would be sad indeed.

more winter pics

From last week's ice storm: (Broken off the hen house; left a good 2" in the chicken wire next to the roof)

17" icicle

The dogs weren't too crazy about the ice last week. Buster enjoyed running and sliding some, but Little Dog stayed in the insulated dog house most of the time. The snow was a different story, however. Both dogs played and played and played. The funniest part was when I threw a stick, and Buster actually got a mouth full of snow picking it up. He had the strangest look on his face, chomped his jaws a few times, bent down to pick up the stick, dropped it, and repeated the above process. 

What? You're going inside? Already? I've still got three more sticks and two tennis balls!

Once the chickens realized the snow wasn't the same as ice, they headed out. I don't know why, but their prints always make me laugh.

And amidst the melting snow, flowers are coming up.
(The small ones in the middle are bulbs I planted this fall from a friend).

and the newest shoots coming up, also from the fall bulb

and one of my two lavender plants is still living!
Planted these down by the pond where the dogs hang out. I've read they're supposed to repel ticks.

 The drain to the pond has been either temporarily stopped or totally stopped since the beginning of January. (We've occasionally had a trickle going through.) With all the rain we've had this year, the pond has consistently stayed at a high level - high enough the spillway has seen a fair amount of action, which seldom happens. Above is the duck house. For those who've never been here, there's a walkway on the left and a small boardwalk on the right, as well as a platform in front and behind...all under water.

 And the water is now to the bottom of the pier. At one point when the pipe was totally stopped, it rose even with the floor of the pier. A neighbor was has been regularly working on it and was able to get a trickle streaming through again. With that and the spillway, it helped bring the level back down.

 I know everyone keeps saying this is the coldest winter NC has had in a long time, but this is the first year the pond has not froze off an on all winter. Last week was the first time it started freezing. I love this pic cause it shows the layering of the ice (not sure if that's from the wind blowing or the depth of the ice).

 This shot is close to the edge. It's quite thick here (at least two inches), but you can see the water underneath and where the water is beginning to crack the ice underneath.

 Cracks further out in the pond.

 I made this picture larger. See that pole out in the pond? That used to be a foot or two from the edge (about calf deep).  Not anymore! There also used to be a small island and a creek that are now flooded.

And the view facing the dam. Those white spots are the geese on top of the dam eating the corn I put out.

It was so nice out this afternoon and almost all the snow is melted. It's hard to believe they say more snow/ice is coming tonight.

snow day!

I had set the alarm this morning so we could take my car to the Honda dealership to replace some parts that have been recalled, only to have my husband inform me we weren't going anywhere. We now have a good 2" of snow on the ground, and it's still (as of 4:54pm) lightly falling. I've not looked at the weather forecast, but I think there may be more on the way in the next two days.

The chickens are treating the snow the same way they treated the ice last week...mostly staying in. The dogs are liking the snow (they tolerated the ice and slid around some for fun) and have continued their daily ritual of chasing each other. They're not happy because I won't go outside and play, and Buster recently started chasing all the birds eating seed off the ground. I guess he's bored. FedEx and UPS haven't been to our neighbors today, and he loves to race the trucks (inside the fence line).

Meanwhile, I've done some family research and baking. No sewing yet today, though maybe after supper I can. Meanwhile I'm off to feed the chickens and check the mail. Last Thursday when it was so bad our mail didn't run, and we're joking that she may not come today either. There was once before that she left a note and didn't deliver a package because "there's a dog and it's raining." But realistically, I don't blame anyone for not coming down our road in inclement weather.

flood gates

The pond dam behind our house has a small flat area in one "corner" called a spillway. I've only seen water flow over it a a few times since we've lived here - during hurricanes or extended heavy rain times, and once when a dead turtle got stuck on top of the drain pipe and we had a day of rain.

But about a month ago, something got stuck inside the pipe (the country in me wants to write "down inside" but Bobby always gripes when I stick the extra preposition "down" in front of another preposition), and the water level has been quite high and has been going over the spillway at a regular rate since then. Since the workers have cleared a path for the sewer line near the spillway, I was able to walk through part of it and see exactly where it returns to the stream (as opposed to where the pipe empties water on the other side of the dam).

The pond easing over the spillway. It's usually at least a foot lower.

and the stream heading to the woods
 (last week during the heavy rains this entire grassy spot was covered)

and the water easing through the debris that's been cut and mulched for the sewer lines

where it begins to reunite with the stream. I was amazed at how deep this culvert is - at least 7 ft down.

and the water has fallen hard enough that it's created a tiny pond back behind all this mud

a water trail from last week when we had 2 days of rain

standing behind the culvert.
If you look hard through the trees on the left, you can see our house up the hill.

I have pictures somewhere of how high the pond is, but I'll have to find those at a later date. But for those who've been here, it has stayed even with the bottom of the floor boards on the pier the last few weeks (except for 2 rainy days when it rose to the top of the floor boards).

subtle changes

When I first moved "up north" as folks back home in Alabama called it, I wondered why on earth North Carolinians complained about Yankees so much. The war was a very long time ago. (150 years, to be exact.)  Then after five years of living here, I attended Wake Tech (a local community college) and learned the saying that there's two types of Yankees: a Yank, and a Yankee (with an expletive in front of it). And I sadly must admit, within 8 years of living here, I too had learned the difference.


Having lived in different places, including one overseas stint that involved learning a whole new culture, I understand what it's like to long for something familiar, to feel out of place, and to be totally baffled by everyone around you. It's not a pleasant feeling.  I've always tried to gently rebuke those who have never ever had the privilege of living somewhere else and are totally ignorant of what that's like when they criticize others for being totally "normal".


So I was more than a bit surprised today to find myself biting my tongue in Target while waiting in line at the register behind a girl from Massachusetts and the cashier who was from New York. After 24 hours of reading comments from all my Yankee friends on Facebook, making fun of southerners and our "snow phobias", it was a bit much to listen to the two go on and on about how "it'd have to be knee deep at least before they'd even consider dismissing school for snow" (while customers are looking for anything that resembles a boot in the store and not being successful at all; and snow shovels? Who on earth sells those?  What do they look like?)


For the first time ever, I found myself wanting to say/ask "Then why did you move here?  Why don't you go home? No one is making you stay."  I understand.  It's so foreign from what they knew. It's a different way of life, a different way of thinking, a different climate that presents different challenges. I get that. I really and truly do. I also understand the frustrations, the emotions, and that stark realization that just when they thought they were meshing quite well, suddenly they realize they aren't. It's unsettling. But at times like this, when everyone around me is all excited, I get a little sick and tired of hearing the arrogant recitations of how much better and superior their lives were back home.


So now I'm at home, in my warm house, reading reports from AL, TN, and MS of snow, skipping Facebook posts from the complaining Yanks, and knowing that when they show the news tomorrow with wrecked cars on the roads, at least half of the wrecked drivers will have northern accents. You know, the ones who know how to drive in the snow. 

the dusting

Yes, we are southerners.
Yesterday was my planned day to go to the grocery store for the week. When they announced on the news at lunch that Wake County was cancelling afterschool activities, Bobby looked at me and said "You better get on to the store now."  And he was right.
I parked at the very end of the parking lot (think malls at Christmas time), and was expecting the bread and milk to be almost gone (which they weren't, thanks to the bread and milk men making a new delivery). That evening I was telling my mother-in-law about it, and she said, "Oh, you know Tuesday is senior citizen day. That's why everyone was there, for there discount."  So now Bobby wants to go grocery shopping on Tuesdays. Sorry buddy-o, but I'm not there yet. I'm not fighting a huge crowd for a discount they won't give me anyway. I'll stick to my shop on the day I need to go plan.

And at 6:30pm, we turned on our floodlights so we could see the snow when it began to fall. And when it had changed over from rain to snow enough to officially call it "snowing", he sent e-mails to all the kids who've been talking to him the last month about their prayers for snow. :)

I've enjoyed seeing pics on Facebook this morning, and we're laughing a little that the snow was so light that Bobby was actually able to go out in his wheelchair and get the newspaper without any problems whatsoever (which would be impossible in anything more than a dusting), and vehicles are flying by on our dirt road (which would be frozen mud if we'd had a true snow). In a few hours, we'll head out for our day's appointment, get home this evening, and then venture back out to church.

Shakespeare could have written his play "Much Ado About Nothing" about snow in the south, but I'd much prefer a title like "When Hope Springs Eternal".  There's something about that childhood fervor of desperately desiring this thing called snow and being amazed once you finally see it. It is mesmerizing, and I wouldn't trade our southern snow for anything.

And after being stuck in the horrendous icing that happened in 15 minutes around 2pm a few years back, I now understand the panic behind the prediction of snow or precipitation and freezing weather. Gridlock and on the interstate and wrecked police and tow trucks? No thank you!

the global colding :)

Eighteen degrees outside, with the sun shining, at 10:30am.  And yes, I am in the South.  I've tried hard not to laugh the last few days as people everywhere are taking precautions (which is wise) and over-reacting a bit (which is crazy) to the thermometer.  About 15 years ago I lived in an area where the temp never reached above freezing from October-April. We walked a mile to the market at least twice a week to buy food, we walked to the post office, and we rejoiced that unlike the Chinese graduate students,  our classes were held in our building so we didn't have to walk half a mile to our classroom across campus. (And I learned that when the temp hits 0, your nose hairs freeze...a fun but disgusting fact.) And now I watch and listen to people cancel doctor's appointments and refuse to leave their adequately heated houses because of the cold weather...when we have heated cars and heated everything else.  Granted, we southerners do not have clothes appropriate for such weather because a)it's not sold here and b)no one in their right mind would spend a fortune on clothes that can be worn once every 5-10 years. But when I saw posts on Facebook last night from HOMESCHOOLERS that they were going to have a cold weather day, I couldn't help but wonder if my fellow Americans have not lost their minds.

And everyone is hyping about "taking care of the poor animals". I can't help but wonder, for every post a friend has posted about caring for animals, how many of them have actually called an elderly person or a neighbor to check on them, to make sure they have adequate heat and have taken precautions to ensure their pipes don't freeze?

And lest you think all my friends are wimps, I had two friends laughing this morning about how crazy they looked all bundled up while walking their dog...while it's 10 degrees outside. So I guess all my friends fall into two categories: wimps or crazy. And I can hear my grandmother's voice saying "Birds of a feather flock together!" :)

And with that, I'm heading out to make sure my birds still can get to their water and have plenty of food.

birds

This past Friday when we had sleet and freezing rain, I spent a good chunk of the afternoon bird watching. Bobby was working from home so he had the computer, and instead of tackling the myriad of tasks before me, I found myself continuously stopping at the kitchen window to watch the influx of cardinals. I've never seen so many at one time.

a Papa cardinal on top of the dog pen. Notice the ice on his wings & feathers?

And a Momma cardinal, before she flew in to check out the dog food.

I don't know if this is a boy or girl, but there were quite a few "teenagers". 

It seemed only the Poppa cardinals went to the bird feeder.

And all the rest hung out beneath the feeder. I counted at least 7 at one point.

And I was NOT happy to see the hawk fly in the pine trees down by the pond. My zoom wouldn't go far enough, but you make out it's image a little in the center of the pic. Thankfully we left all the chickens locked up that day.

swirly clouds

There's nothing like Facebook to be able to see what's happening. When the earthquake shook NC a while back, Facebook updated everyone long before the news media. And when a tornado hit Huntsville, AL this morning (in the Madison area where my cousin lives), it was on Facebook before the weather stations carried it. In lieu of the storms, I'm posting the words to a song that is a favorite back home. Almost every music group sings it; almost every 5th Sunday night singing (where the congregation got to choose the songs) it was requested. And given the tragedies of this last year, it's so very fitting.

In the dark of the midnight,
Have I oft hid my face;
While the storm howls above me,
And there's no hiding place;
'Mid the crash of the thunder,
Precious Lord, hear my cry;
"Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by."

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

Many times Satan whispers,
"There is no need to try;
For there's no end of sorrow,
There's no hope by and by";
But I know Thou art with me,
And tomorrow I'll rise;
Where the storms never darken the skies.

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

When the long night has ended,
And the storms come no more,
Let me stand in Thy presence.
On that bright, peaceful shore.
In that land where the tempest
Never comes, Lord may I
Dwell with Thee when the storm passes by.

'Til the storm passes over,
'Til the thunder sounds no more;
'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky,
Hold me fast, let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

Hold me fast, Let me stand,
In the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by.

'Til the storm passes by.

rainy Tuesday

It is raining here in the Triangle area of NC, and boy do I mean RAINING!
The pier is flooded.
The duck house is flooded.
The goose's nesting pen is flooded.
Our yard has multiple "ponds" in it.
And I am nice and dry at home.
It sounds like a good day to finish canning some grape jelly, do some ironing, and tackle those two bedrooms a little more.

And I had a little motivation in the room renovations from an unusual place: a magazine. I don't usually buy magazines, but this one caught my eye in the bookstore the other day.  It's titled cloth paper scissors studios and the entire edition highlights different studios and their artists.  Almost all of them do something with fabric, and at least four of them mainly quilt. It's taken me almost a week to look and read through it, and I have absolutely enjoyed it!  It's only put out four times a year, but there is an ad on their website where you can buy all four issues from 2 years ago on a CD (for the price of one magazine!).  I'm not sure that would be quite as enjoyable though. While I didn't get any ideas for my room now, it did make me want to hurry up and get my room in working order so I can start tackling projects on an organized and regular basis.

So happy rainy Tuesday and may you find time to accomplish at least one indoor activity today! :)

tracks

front tire tractor tracks

Monica tracks

rear tire tractor tracks
(my brother-in-laws cleared our driveway)

Lucy & Linus tracks

bird tracks
(they made quite a pattern around the chicken pen eating the corn I dropped)

Bobby braving the elements and scaring me half to death.
He had fun.