Recovering from Lightnin Strike

KA BLAMMMM!

We had a freak super storm cell hit 2 weeks ago while at work. Mom thought she heard a crack over at our place- but when we came home - no clocks blinking, power was on-  that is until we tried to use the compter and then the TV. 

When I went out to see the pups, they were prancing about with huge chunks of bark in their mouths and it became evident that the point of impact was a maple tree in our dog yard.  Thank goodness we did not have pup-kabobs!

After hours of sleuthing we deduced the surge ran in on the phone line and fried our computer and DSL modem. Our satellite reciever was also affected

I won't deny the absence of connection the the outside world was not fun, but it is a challenge when one tries to work from home.

Of course life at the ranch has been packed with the impending summer- weeding.  We have had record heat and until today all the major thunderstorms have passed by leaving the land parched.

Just when you think you are fed up with Mother Nature- she brings the much needed water, cool after storm breezes and oh yes!  Art in the form of a huge rainbow.

Treatise on Ironing Sheets

I am very excited this week to prepare for a visit from my Auntie Cheryl and my Meemaw.  Meemaw is my only living grandparent, and I want to make sure this is a comfortable, special visit for her.

The preparations have been full of excited hustle and bustle and a good excuse to do some late spring cleaning.  While many folks find cleaning a drudgery, I find it relaxing to care for our little spot of heaven on this earth.  So I was happily humming, dusting, organizing and leaving behind order out of chaos until the sad realization hit me.  Oh God, the sheets!

Meemaw is very particular about her bedding- her bed was The Crown Jewel of Order in her household.  As kids, we were never allowed on her bed after it was made every morning.  Her bed never had a wrinkle or a seam out of place.  You could dent a quarter on the darn thing.  One of my most fond memories is of my Dad - running in her bedroom to waller and roll around on her bed like a dog rolling in cow shit.  He LOVED  to "mess it up".  She would get so aggravated with him!

The creation of Meemaws guest bed has been a labor of love. I had a good excuse to replace our well loved and worn knit sheets with new, crisp white cotton.  Washed in lavender soap and line dried in the sun...   ahhh images of June Cleaver and Martha Stewart danced in my head as I ventured out to retrieve the dry sheets.  

Then the horror of it all dawned....  They weren't billowing beautifully in the fresh mountain air!  The damn things were WRINKLED.   Did I mention Meemaw also IRONS her sheets?

So choking back my inner Erma Bombeck who sagely said 

"No one ever died from sleeping in an unmade bed. I have known mothers who remake the bed after their children do it because there is wrinkle in the spread or the blanket is on crooked. This is sick. "

I withdrew the iron from the back of the laundry cupboard, fished out the mini- ironing board from the depths of the closet, and proceeded to pour myself a large glass of white wine in an attempt to add some glamour to the task of ironing the sheets.  Sheets which looked great for 5 minutes and re-wrinkled because I do not, nor have I ever used- starch.

Now the bed is made, the rooms ready and while I am inclined to agree with Mrs. Bombeck, I feel I have at least made an attempt to make Meemaw's stay a comfortable one- despite my failure of Ironing 101.

 

Misty Morning Memories

I awakened with a start this morning- "Oh No-  did I remember to turn the crock pot off last night?"  After running downstairs and out to the back porch to confirm I had turned off the chili, I was much too awake to crawl back in bed.   We try to use the crock pot on the back porch in the summer to keep the heat out of the house- but sometimes out of sight is out of mind. 

I went about the morning chores - the dogs giving me sleepy looks as it was 6:30 and they like to sleep in on weekends too.  I made myself a cup of Earl Gray and savored one of Moms Cream Scones to break my fast.  Sunday mornings are my favorite- our community remains quiet- no mowers, trimmers, radios.  I am free to enjoy the sounds of the farm sans electronics and other people.  I will often find my mom doing the same thing on her porch- quietly enjoying nature.  Our inability to sleep in must be genetic.

Today the fog encompasses the landscape, muffling some sounds while accentuating the birdsong.  I can barely make out the outline of my mom's house just a few 100 yards away.

This weekend I have been thinking a lot about my dad, who passed away 3 years ago this very weekend from a sudden heart attack.  He would have been up on a morning like this- having a hot cup of tea or coffee.  In fact, this morning he would have been camping.  Dad would be the first one up, stoking a fire and preparing for breakfast.  First I would hear him pumping vigorously to prime that old Coleman fuel stove, then the hiss of the flame followed by the plunk of the percolator- no instant camping coffee for my dad!

Then we would hear breakfast- he had this really cool toaster ( I still have it) for the stove top.  We would have scrambled eggs, toast and sausages.  I remember our devastation one such morning when we discovered the coons had out foxed my dad by pulling an entire loaf of bread out of the small hand hole in his camping supplies box.  The toast was soooo good and never tastes like that at home!  Plus- camping was the only time we were treated to WHITE bread because everyone knows whole wheat bread makes for crappy camping toast.

Karl and I both have cause to remember this weekend- both losing a parent that same year.  We talk about them now with less sadness and now fondness and laughter as we share the stories.  I find now it is comforting to see some of my dad in myself.  Funny how as we age- it is OK to be more like our parents.  Now I am nearing 40 (ugh), all those traits and beliefs I hated as a teenager and young adult now make sense and I embrace many of them. 

All those years we scoffed at Mom's "hippie whole foods cooking" and Dad's "don't pay someone if you can do it yourself".  I can now cook ( tho not as good as mom) and help Karl tackle most of the repairs and work around the farm. 

On your Sunday Morning- I encourage you to take some time to quietly sit and think.  It does not matter if  you choose to worship in a building or in the great cathedral of nature, but I think it is imporant- even if you can't take the whole day to rest- grasp a few minutes to be thankful and remember.

HOGWIRE SMACKDOWN!

It is not a good idea to get creative in the garden at dusk-  I had the bright idea this evening to increase my "vertical growth space" for maters, beans and cukes.

Earlier this spring, Karl and I cut 16 foot hogwire panels in half to make them easier to carry.  We had used them for a portable chicken pen.  Hogwire is heavy duty welded wire- wire the size of one's pinky.

So I have these panels laying round and got the bright idea to zip tie two in an arch and put them in my beds- arching over the pathway.  Suffice it to say the wire does not bend so I then got out the heavy duty green fence posts, post pounder and proceeded to pound in supports.  My plan was then to zip tie the panels to the posts in a secure arch.  It was totally gothic and so neat!

I had one zip tie not quite right and proceeded to cut it-  completely forgetting that I had to throw my shoulder into the wire to place the zip tie to the post.  So I cut it and....

WHAM! 

It sprang off the post and smacked me at close range right in the face... right over my sore nose which I injured last week moving a step ladder.

Let's just hope I don't sport a fence wire shaped bruise on my face tomorrow- that will be a hard one to explain at work :)

Plant Swap 2010 a Sunny Success!

The ladies came from near and far- all driven by a love of plants and a desire to share and acquire new specimens for gardens in Haywood Co, Winston-Salem and as far away as HotLanta!

I had the joy of hosting the annual plant swap this year and after a questionable morning, Saturday turned sunny with LOTS of wind.

The flurry of mulching, planting and weeding in the weeks prior was worth the effort- but I also had plenty of "Don't Plant This Demonstration Spaces" that I did not get around to polishing up prior to the party.... alas- there are only so many hours in a day!

After a wonderful potluck brunch- the girls walked around on a tour of the gardens and I was able to point out many of the plants shared from years past... there are pieces of my friends all over the gardens.   What a great legacy to share - knowlege, plants and lots of ideas!

Now the swap is over and the new tender plants are in the ground- the work of the summer veggie garden looms ahead.  The weather has been cold and rainy this week- hampering much needed work- but after years of drought- we can only afford to complain a wee mite.

The Gathering - Merle Fest 2010

The lack of postings as of late reflects not only the pressing work of springtime, but also the need to prepare for our annual "Gathering".  MerleFest!  We have spent daylight hours tending the farm and nights packing and pickin' in preparation for the festivities.
 
I had some time to think on the drive home from a wonderful long weekend away-  about why Merle Fest is so special to many of us - and also why we are so sad when the event is over.

For ye Bluegrass Neophytes-  Merlefest is a music festival hosted the last weekend of April in the Brushy Mountains of North Wilkesboro, NC.  Check the link above and you may find it peaks your interest- good music, beautiful surroundings and proceeds go to a good cause.... edu-ma-ka-shun!
Each year a group of friends reunites at the Moravian Falls Campground to attend the music festival.  While the nidus of the group attended college together lo these many years ago, these folks have cast  wide their net and welcomed many others into the fold.  We hosted a few "MV's or Merle Virgins" this year and we hope they had fun and will return again!  We camp, laugh, cook, laugh, relax, laugh, make music, laugh ..... well you get the point.

The entire process is EXHAUSTING yet so uplifting to the spirit.

The concept of a Gathering harkens back to the history of settlement of our mountains by the Scots and Irish.  Many travelled here to the moutains escaping persecution and famine.  "Gatherings" were a chance for far flung people who farmed this rough terrain to reconnect to the homeland.  Highland Games and Scottish Clan Gatherings are still held in Grandfather Mountain and Tryon NC each year.

This year we had folks from CA, RI, OR, FL, PA, TX, NY and all over NC!  New friendships were made and old ones rekindled.  Merlefest provides great music and a chance to reconnect with each other away from TV and the many distractions of life.  We may not come together under the aegis of the same tartan or country- but we join for a love of music.

I encourage you all to find your own Gathering- a place you can go to connect, recharge and have fun.

Stay tuned-  no rest for the weary- next weekend we are hosting a Plant Swap on the farm!