Butterflies and Birds

I just did some weeding.  Weeds are so easy to pull after a good rainstorm.  So Skipper and I strolled and pulled, and laid the pulled weeds on the ground where we will mow them into pieces to fertilize the earth.  As we strolled, the birds were chirping and singing and butterflies and bees abounded.  A hummingbird went to the red caps on the ladder we use to access the roof when needed.  Quickly he/she realized this was not an edible red plant and sped off to find the begonias, passionate in their redness, and attractive to this hummingbird.  Starlings are often here in droves and sometimes in little numbers only...such as three or four at a time.  This wee visit of Starlings is the order of today's afternoon.  An early rising owl could be heard hooting from high in a tree.  A woodpecker tapped a tree and then tried to peck the gutter.  Bad move...went back to the tree.  We have had yellow birds, bluebirds, bluejays, orioles, robins, a white bird with a ring around its neck (can't remember the color of the ring feathers but this was a very friendly bird.)  Had a peacock on the roof one time, to the delight of our grandchildren.  We missed it as we were in Virginia visiting Uncle Tom.  There are birds that have music in their sounds, as well as the crows that "caw" and the buzzards and hawks that cruise the skies.  Robins come early.  Canadian Geese fly over late in the season.  Often I am mesmerized by how much the birds on this mountain sound like the birds on our boat when we are at the coast.  When here, bird sounds make me think of the coast; when at the coast, I am sure bird sounds will have me thinking of here.

Not to be outdone by the birds, butterflies abound - and the white ones we find love to flit and drink from any purplish-colored plants.  The multicolored butterflies seem to enjoy any flower.  The bees tend to mass around flowing shrubs on a regular basis, but do not sting.  Good.

And Praying Mantis have taken up residence in our front yard gardens for several years now.  Ruth Woodard, our dear neighbor, told us they are a protected species.  We now go out of our way to provide them the best care we can, even when they clamp down upon our fingers ready to fight!  Did you know that mantis molt?  We just learned this recently when we found a molted skin.  Ruth showed us their winter eggs and we are careful not to disturb them ever.  Each Mantis is a mighty warrior who looks us straight in the eyes...and we yield!

Nature is a blessing here at Fairwinds.  Protect the plantlife and the wildlife. Be lifted in spirit by their sweet sounds.

PS:  See the webpage that has the story of this praying mantis picture:
http://collabowiki.wikispaces.com/Cool+Science+Pics!

Lightning Bugs and Fireworks Light Up Our Summer Sky

Several things enjoyed on America's 4th of Julys:

1)  Our 3 acres are covered  with glittering, flickering lightning bugs, by the thousands.  This glowing in the dark spectacular begins in June and lasts into or beyond July.  Many are in the front yard and gardens and thousands blink on and off and on again in the back acres.

2)  We watch fireworks from our house or our sidewalk and even through our bedroom windows upstairs as we enjoy HDTV fireworks in Washington, DC!  We watch fireworks sparkle  in the distance from Fletcher, and the South from Hendersonville, and the North from, I guess, Lake Julian in Skyland.   We hear their sounds lightly in the distance. We see them reach for the sky, twinkle in myriads of colors, and spectacularly fizzle to the ground.  Amazing.

3)  Seeing the bioluminescence of the many, many lightning bugs and the sparkles and arrays of the fireworks at the same time is truly breathtaking and moving.

Patriotic and spectacular views.  We, as Americans,  must never compromise or give up our freedoms and our constitution...and always let the few fireflies we capture fly free too.

                                                                                   Photo from: http://serenityknitters.blogspot.com/

Seeds from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Estate

Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello in Virginia, includes shrubbery exactly like the three smaller bushes along the porch rail in this picture.  Exactly!?  Yes, they were raised from the seed of Jefferson's shrubs.  The seed was found during a visit while roaming the grounds, scooped up, planted and "OOO EEE OOO-AH-AH TING TANG WALLA-WALLA BING-BANG," new offspring in NC from Monticello.

  Thank you dear Thomas and BF for raising these shrubs.  

All things "cow"

When we moved to Mills River we knew we were moving to a cherished farmland and dairy area of Western North Carolina. They even make cheese in Mills River! This has always been the town to live in. When people ask, "Where do you live" and you tell them, "Mills River" they brighten and elaborate on what a great area to live in!

Many people said we would be collecting farm memorabilia, such as all things "cow" but we just never did. When I saw this wallpaper border for the workhorse area of the house (laundry area, lavatory, deep sink, etc.) it became our first "cow" memorabilia.

Gladly welcomed! Moo!

June Gardens

June gardens and views - Slideshow

Huge Office!

Our office is a major room for us.  We do volunteer work here, create, invest, write, play games, ebay, craigslist, etc., etc.  A very important place where we spend many hours with breathtaking views out every window.  Nice.  

Gracie's on the roof again!

Our Gracie Girl cat is a jumper.  She jumps up on the roof of our first floor by leaping from the porch rail to the garage roof and then to the house roof.  Gracie then proceeds to "secure the premises" by scouting out any stray invaders to the house - such as bugs or starlings or other birds on the roof that just might slip through the screen and get in the house (little likelihood of that, Gracie).  She is very good at this security position.  Gracie does on occasion eat a bug or two while "on duty" but she has never eaten a bird on the roof - yet.  Notice the cows in the pasture.    They must think she is "Superwoman Cat" - leaps tall buildings in a single bound.

Gracie is the epitome of grace, agility and flexibility.  She loves the other other cats and all the people who live here and visit.   She has always been on this farm with us. She is a joy to watch, even when on the roof.

Fields of Gold

We have been aplenty with golden blooms this year.  Fields of Gold...Buttercups.  This is the breathtaking view from the backyard looking towards the property across the road at the end of the three acres.  As a child, and even as a playful adult, I would hold a buttercup under my chin to show everyone that I  liked butter,

and I do.  

Although I do not have a photo of the flood plain in the far distance down the driveway, those fields are also bathed in yellow.  Spring.

Buttercups and daisies,

Oh, the pretty flowers;

Coming ere the Springtime,

To tell of sunny hours.”

Mary Howitt

Underground utilities

Look at that wide stripe!  Through our upstairs office window we can easily see the strip protecting newly planted grass covering the path dug for underground utilities.  It is amazing to live in the country and have no overhead wires around the house.  The power, phone and DSL should never be lost!  Occasionally we still need to "reboot" DirecTV, but it is wonderful having so many channels on this hill overlooking the flood plain in the far distance.  Never a worry about flooding either.  Can it get any better?  Why would we want to move to Florida and its hurricanes and tornados and 4pm daily thunderstorms.  Only one answer...family, family we love and want to be near to.  We will miss the security of our underground wiring and Dr. Joe and Jean.   Thanks to Dr. Joe next door for arranging for the underground service.  Nifty!

Grammy's Kitchen

Clean, white, large.  That's this kitchen.  It is often filled with people - young and old.  Many  gatherings have been held here with the serving of meals both sit-down and buffet style, with people making ice cream sundaes along the counters, by serving cups of coffee and tall glasses of fresh brewed iced tea plus the bonus of my husband's breadmaking, the results of which are scrumptious to eat and wonderful to smell as it bakes.  A happy place for us and for many friends and family members.    And for yours....

Let the light pour in, and it does.  Thank you, Lord.

Oak leaves, Pollen, Pat's office

We had the builders remove the wall between the two bedrooms on the second floor of the house.  This allowed for one huge office.  Pat's desk is shown here.  Neat.  See the oak leaves through the window?  The pollen is a curse of Western North Carolina for about three weeks, and then the beauty makes us forget all the sneezing!

Redbud Tree

Often wonder why they call it Redbud, when it is really more majenta?  This is a nice time with this tree as the new leaves are breaking free and the redbuds are still very much adorning the limbs.

Notice the young cows in the background.  Love to see the animals here on the farm.  They are well taken care of by Chuck who was raised a farmer and loves being a farmer.  Even his stepsons who are at NC State are aiming to become farmers upon graduation.  They work here a lot.  Nice young men.

Azalea and Spirea

Spring is truly here when the Azaleas pop!  Although we have just finished (I think) Blackberry Winter's cooler blast of air reminding all of us to cherish warmth as winter will come again.

Ashley's Stepping Stones

   

Over the years here, Ashley painted 5 stepping stones - her landscape artwork. 

Four are pictured. 

Her mom is going to place these in her garden. 

So glad these have a new loving home for Ashley to enjoy for years to come. 

Thanks, Alicia!

Sweet Woodruff and a Climber

We used to live in a shady area and when we were building here, we brought a couple of plant rootings to place in our new yard.  This is a sunny yard of 2.95 acres, so I sought out the perfect place for my shade-loving sprouts.  After 8 years, they are still thriving - Sweet Woodruff is the ground cover and I don't know the name of the climber, but it has white and green leaves, is non-invasive, and is a great accent to these mature trees.  I am glad I brought them! 

Sunrise

Sunrise Easter 2010 over the flood plain of the French Broad River.  This is a typical view from our side porch and master suite on the first floor of the house and from the office/bedroom areas on the second floor.  Begins each day with new wonder!

"On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer."   Douglas Horton

Weigela is an early blooming shrub located in our transfer or perennial garden in the back acreage.   These are so nice to cut and display indoors while having a vast number of blossoms on the shrub outside to brighten up the outdoors Spring with pink!

A friend of mine grew these years ago and she would bring them to the office and display with Forsythia and opened Pussy Willows.    Lovely.

I have never tried to propagate a new Weigela shrub, but I understand it is quite easy to root from a fresh cutting.  Trim off the lower leaves, dip in rooting compound, and start rooting in moist peat moss.  Roots should start in a couple of weeks.

 Worth a try one day to share with others or locate in a new place on the land.

Musical Home

My father was musical,  but my mom was not.  I took after Mom!  Imagine the joy of having talented grandchildren filling our home with the songs of many decades as well as classical music.  They sing, they play trombones, keyboards and violins...plus an occasional harmonica tune!  They play CDs, iTunes, you name it.  They bring their musical friends and play concerts in our living room!!  Oh, and, of course, they play WII Rock Band and sing along with American Idol.  Whatever!!  It is all fun to us.  Thank you dear grandchildren.  May this home always be blessed with music of the heart and soul, of the past and present, and of the talents of its owners and visitors. 

Home in winter....

                                Fairwinds - serene, safe, warm.

Dog cousins...

Oh, to have Spring again and to frolic in the grass as did Kolo and Skipper, "cousins" who love their time together on the three acres.