H is for....

House and Home....


Happy days with sunshine streaming into the kitchen....


Hectic days of meeting deadlines....


Homey, cozy evenings after a long day of work (and play).

Making Progress

Dyed Shetland/Mohair Roving

Busy getting things ready for the festival; yesterday evening I watched out the window and wound roving into these balls while my brother and sister-in-law mowed grass around the tent. Today I think they want to get the canopy up. Then we can start moving stuff up so it's not so overwhelming on Saturday; displays and tables, etc.

I'm trying a different way of displaying the wool this year; I don't know if it will work but I saw several booths at SAFF with roving wound into balls. Theirs looked a lot better than mine; these look OK in the picture but they're sort of bumpy. Each weighs 4 ounces. I love the purple. They still need to be labeled with my logo and stuff.


A bad picture of silk skeins

This is the silk that I've been plying with the Coopworth. I have a bunch of it; I did it all a long time ago on a spindle and didn't have the nerve to try to ply it together. These light colors didn't look great with the white Coopworth, so I plied these singles back on themselves. The skein on the left is green and pink, while the one on the right is shades of orange. I really like the one on the right. Trouble is, there's not much there, maybe enough to make an edging on a scarf or something. It would make pretty embriodery floss.


Wool, Silk and Angora Blend Yarn

This is a blend of moorit wool, tussah silk and fawn angora. It's a lovely tweedy hand spun yarn and I thought I had more of it done. But there's enough in these two skeins to make a scarf, I think. I'm really short of yarn right now, so I'm pulling whatever I can to fill my tables!


Wool and silk yarn, plus some walnut dyed wool

All of this needs to be labeled. Most of it is the silk and Coopworth two-ply, plus a couple of skeins that are left of the walnut dyed Coopworth. I've designated Friday as labeling and packing day. This will be the time to make sure everything is in good condition and ready to be sold. Hope we have lots of customers!


Mohair Bag with copper pin and rhinestone buttons

One bag done with some sparklies; the other is blocking. A friend suggested wooden buttons as embellishments but I don't have any, and don't want to buy anything. So I went with copper colored metal in the pin and buttons; kind of nice, I think!

Today I'm hoping to paint some display pieces we got last week and shear a couple of bunnies. Then I'll wind more roving and try to get a few more skeins of yarn done. I'm still working on the crocheted rug at odd times but that won't be done for this show. And I have a nice little green bag that won't be ready, either. But I think my sister-in-law plans to have her tent open every weekend from now on; I haven't talked to her about it but I assume so. Unless it rains all of May, like it seemed to do last year!

Blue Ridge Gazette Magazine, May Issue

The Blue Ridge Gazette Magazine May Issue has been posted. There are some fantastic articles and wonderful photographs this month. I'm particularly proud of the slideshow on the front page. Because of all the great material, we added eleven pages to the original set. There are some great new and talented writers on the Blue Ridge Gazette blog, so check in there often and see what's happening!

A Little Hectic...

for a couple of days. A quick trip to West Virginia to pick up bookcases and lumber for the shop, then yesterday I worked at the hardware store. In between I've been spinning and crocheting like mad. It just occurred to me that the first festival here on the farm is next weekend!

Today will be a peaceful day at home. The sun is out after a day of much-needed rain, and I'm planning to work on the computer, getting the May issue of the Blue Ridge Gazette magazine up by tomorrow. I hope. We have some terrific articles this time; Blue Ridge Gazette blog has added some talented people this month. Speaking of talent, Jagasaurus has a great article on the May issue.

Spring is bursting outside; new green leaves haze the hills, with bursts of white sarvis and dogwood. Gardens are full of iris and lily leaves, ready for May bloom. And inside allergies are plaguing. I'm not inspired when I have allergies. I think the whole situation short-circuits my brain, either with the sneezing or with the medication to prevent the sneezing. Bleh.

Mostly plying lately on the spinning wheel, which now needs another drive band. I need some cotton cord; the nylon I have just doesn't work well. I'm searching around for some beads or buttons to embellish the little mohair bags I've finished, but nothing is striking me. The cranberry and dark green are hard colors to match. Uninspired; see paragraph above!

Adventure, or what I'll do to have something to write about

A very tall tree....

Me in a very tall tree....

and how I got there:

On our trip to Richmond a couple of months ago I was very impressed to meet Bob Wray of Blue Ridge Tree Climbing, LLC. He teaches recreational tree climbing just four miles south of here on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I immediately thought of what a great article his business would make for the Blue Ridge Gazette magazine. But he was talking about an article for a national magazine so I didn't say anything at that point. A little while later we corresponded on another matter and I timidly asked if he would be interested in having me do an article about tree climbing in BRG. Mr. Wray seemed delighted, and he graciously invited me over to see what recreational tree climbing is all about. And to climb a tree! Since the previous reporter didn't make the climb, I really thought I had to!

We arrived at the lovely site just off the Parkway to be greeted by three cheerful dogs and Mr. Wray, who invited us in to show us new T-shirts with his wonderful logo and to explain a little about tree climbing. Then we headed out to the edge of the woods where a tall poplar tree stood in a convenient location for climbing. Fortunately my young nephew came along and volunteered to climb first, so I could watch them work with the equipment. There wasn't a great deal: a harness and some ropes and a special pair of gloves. Hunter went up the tree calmly and they both made it look so easy. NOT, I discovered, when it came to my turn.

I'm terrified of ladders, but climbing the tree didn't frighten me, oddly enough. The big problem was that I am SO out of shape, despite walking and a bit of gym over the winter. The climbing technique Hunter learned involved a lot of upper body strength, which I really don't have, so Mr. Wray showed me a different technique that involved pushing up with one leg. That took more coordination than I seem to possess, but I finally managed to struggle up to the first limb. I'm not good at judging distances but it was maybe fifteen or twenty feet up. Hunter went to the next limb, much higher.

Mr. Wray was an excellent instructor, patient and quick to see what needed correcting in movements and technique. He was also interesting to talk to; he has climbed trees in so many places and told us about one expedition that involved taking a trampoline into the trees to sleep on. The idea of sleeping in a tree is awesome to me. On the way back up to the house we stopped in at his teepee, just set up last year, with an outdoor classroom under a canopy.

I can really see the attraction of tree climbing, particularly after watching Mr. Wray. He spends hours in the trees and it is a delight to watch him climb with such ease and tranquility. He has a great respect for the trees and seems to consider himself a caretaker his lovely property. We're hoping to get him involved in Sue's festivals here on the farm; having a tree climber in town is really, really cool!

Sheep Shearing Day

Greenberry's Highland Mary

It has been an eventful couple of days. Friday I spent the day at home, catching up on paperwork for taxes and then taking a break to shear my lovely pure German Mary. "Highland Mary" is named after an early mountain ancestor, who married the son of a Scots immigrant. The pronounciation of "highland" was more like "hey-land". Mary has a wonderful coat; her daughter Bina Wade, also named for an early ancestor, is the best pure German I've produced here. I bred Mary to Storybook Dreams Alm Uncle. He's a little small but has a great textured coat; he's also from different lines so there's good genetic diversity there.

Friday evening fried Kym came over and we walked down the Parkway, dodging traffic. Seems that things are getting busy with the lovely warm weather. I have to go back across the ridge today with the camera. There are some lovely spring sights to be recorded. After our walk we went down to the Hilltop, a local restaurant for a really nice dinner. It was late but several people were still eating. A relative gave us chocolate Easter eggs!

After we came back I loaded up the truck for the trip to Tazewell on Saturday. It didn't take long. To my dismay I realized that I hadn't done enough to get ready. Yarn still needs to be labeled, and I really need to have a lot more by the next show. The piles of dyed roving need to be bagged and labeled, and I need to finish these little bags. Yikes! I comforted myself by working on my crocheted rug while watching an old episode of Dr. Who. I love Netflix!


View from Thistle Cove Farm

Despite predictions of rain and storm, I headed out in a silver dawn for Tazewell, watching a swift sunrise in my rearview mirror as I crossed the ridges. The trip is lovely; I headed up the Interstate and then ventured across Bland and Tazewell counties on a country road that wound between high mountain ridges. I got a little lost; took the wrong road out of the town of Tazewell but soon realized my mistake. A cheerful local, probably used to lost travelers, set me onto the right road and I arrived to see a bustling Sandra, busy getting ready for the day. Thistle Cove Farm was as beautiful as always, with blue skies overhead.


Ready for a hair cut

The sheep were all gathered in the barn, dry and ready to be clipped of their heavy fleece. As you can probably tell by the picture, Sandra's sheep are well cared for and live on clean pasture. There's a bit of staw here and there, but nothing that doesn't shake right out of the fleece when you start to process it. Sandra has posted a nice article on the Blue Ridge Gazette blog describing a bit more about the care the sheep receive, and about the process of shearing. I visited with the flock for a few minutes and then headed up the hill with my spinning wheel and stuff to set up a little booth in Sandra's farm store.


Spinning Demonstration

It wasn't long before guests arrive, to see what was happening on the farm. I love talking to interested and interesting people, and soon we were all chatting away about fleece, sheep, processing and spinning. I had to mention (probably too much but I'm excited about it) the festivals we're doing in Meadows of Dan to everyone. Many of the people that came to Sandra's also visit the Blue Ridge Parkway.


Broom Maker

Sandra took pictures while I talked and there are several posted in a set called "Sheep Shearing Day" at flickr. Watching them as a slideshow is fun. There was a broom maker there, plus a young man who was whittling walking sticks. A Civil War soldier presided over parking and Sandra's Komi Kids Yarn Project donations. When I went into the house after the festivities there were piles and piles of boxes in the hallway. Sandra said they were yarn donations for the children in Russia.


Enjoying the day

There were a lot of cheerful helpers on hand. Everyone pitched in when the shearer showed up, with one young man guilding the sheep to the shearer, who swiftly clipped off the fleece before the sheep really had time to become annoyed. Sandra gathered the wool quickly and brought the entire fleece to a high table made of plywood on sawhorses. This was the best part of the day for me; plunging elbow deep in wonderful smelling fresh fleece and getting to handle it. We pulled off the messy bits, which is called skirting; there weren't many but these are animals, after all. Even the spectators jumped right in, with everyone taking the opportunity to learn about the wool and what will happen to it after it is sheared and skirted.


Whittling and discussing wood craft

All too soon the shearer left, with some problems of his own to deal with at his farm he couldn't stay long. I could have played with wool all day! I went back up the hill to spin, and talked to several more people throughout early afternoon. I forgot my hat and sunburned my forehead and arms; calendula oil is easing that right now. After things slowed down we sat and chatted about knitting and visited with friends and neighbors.


Church in Tazewell County

Sandra offered a lovely lunch but I had to head for home. I had wakened Dad early to make sure he was feeling all right and promised him I wouldn't be late. I had a lovely trip home, with a detour through the mountains toward Christiansburg. The road wound through beautiful stands of redbud, miles and miles of it, along a rushing mountain stream through a narrow mountain pass. I had a camera disk already filled with pictures and was pressed for time, so I didn't stop along the way. I was tempted by this lovely old building, though, not far out of Tazewell. It was a Methodist Church at one time, and I think the community must be Nebo.


Shetland Hogget Fleece

Of course I came home with wool. This is a hogget fleece from Dolly, a Shetland sheep. A hogget is the fleece of a year old sheep. This wool is just the right length for blending with angora, soft and oh, so crimpy!


Shetland Fleece

It's really fun to see a fleece come off a sheep, pick through it on a table, and then put it in a bag and bring it home! This was Carly's fleece, a Shetland sheep with a sweet nature and a gorgeous, just right for me length. Despite the fact I was exhausted last night, I unloaded the fleece and wheel from the truck and started spinning Coopworth. I want that out of the way so I can delve into all this lovely Shetland!

Busy days ahead; the next festival is here on the farm at the end of April. I have a lot to do before then!

Update: Sandra has posted more about Sheep Shearing Day at her blog, with photos of the shearing and of me elbow-deep in fleece and looking thrilled!

Dueling Wheels

Linda learns to spin!

I got out early to do blogging and bunny chores yesterday morning, because I had a full day planned. My first stop was at Nancy's Homemade Fudge to drop off a grant application that the town is working on, and then I headed up the ridge to Floyd, where I was to meet with Linda from Goin' Up Cripple Creek, for a spinning lesson. The local library generously loaned us a nice room for our session. On the way in a young woman offered us some llama wool she had that she wasn't going to use!


Spinning away

I don't consider myself much of a spinning teacher, because I learned by myself and have no idea how anyone would teach a beginner. Most of the time I just show people what I do, and if they haven't touched a wheel, I have them spin a 'store bought' skein of yarn through the wheel, using the proper hand and treadling movements, to get them used it. Linda had been plying with her Ashford, and since we'd had trouble getting our schedules worked out, I hadn't had a chance to buy a skein of yarn. But she caught on fast! After watching me for just a few minutes she was producing a nice, even yarn, with a few slubs once in a while.


Bloggers Meet

We headed over to Cafe del Sol for the second bloggers' meeting. I was still feeling a little fuzzy, although time with Linda would perk anyone up. She has so much positive energy. I had a nice pasta lunch while we were waiting for the group to gather. There was a lot of discussion, once again in groups, about blogging, attracting visitors by comments, getting the word to readers about when a blog is updated by RSS feeds and services that send emails about updates. I had completely forgotten that I put up an email service with Blogrhythms. So if anyone want an easy way to know when I blog, you can sign up. Linda has been using it, I understand.

Mostly I just sat and listened, since I was still feeling a little dull, but I did have a nice talk with Colleen of Loose Leaf Notes about her lovely son and his work. I'm hoping she will do an article about him and his work with 'wild clay' for Blue Ridge Gazette magazine. Dave of Ripples did a good job of including everyone in the discussion and it was a treat to meet his lovely wife. New people interested in possibly blogging were musicians Abe Goorsky and Bernie Covenay. A musicans' group formed at one end of a table, with a lot of talk going on there. Before it was done Linda's daughter and Bernie had set it up for her to take guitar lessons from him. Dave has a great post about the meeting on his blog.

A couple of pleasant hours with my aunt on the hill completed my day out, and I came home to feed bunnies and tend the dogs. The bunny house was completely clean! My sister-in-law and I had worked on it the day before, collecting manure for her garden. When I went in to feed, the floors were all tidied up and the bunny house looks great! Nice, because I had planned to finish it today and now I can tackle some other chores. I hope to get Mary sheared and bred today.


Look, it's Mommy!

The dogs had stayed inside all day because I was gone, so TJ was bursting with energy! I took him with me on a walk to Mom's to try to use up some of it. He was very good on the leash while we were walking down the road, but not quite so good at Mom's. Wendell kept after him to mind, though, and TJ finally settled down. I don't know about other Lab puppies, but TJ is afraid of "wild water". I threw him into the little pond there. He swam right out, tore around the field dripping, and came back to me for another plunge. He still won't go in by himself.


Crocheted Rug from Brown Sheep Company Yarn

Last night I worked some more on the crocheted rug, while watching an old Dr. Who episode. Ok, I'm a little juvenile. The rug is shaping up fast and I love the colors. It's going to be such a pleasure to have it this summer for demonstrations! I worked a little on the small green purse during the bloggers' meeting. I still haven't decided what to do about the flap on the mohair purse but I need to do something about it soon.

Another busy day planned here at home. I need to shear Mary and get packed up and ready for Sandra's Sheep Shearing Day tomorrow at Thistle Cove Farm. A load of mortar sand is supposed to arrive today, and the block man might show up on Sunday. Or Monday. Or next week!

What a Day Should Be Like

Greenberry's Autumn Joy

Except for the minor annoyance of having to do an unfamiliar little writing job, yesterday was just about perfect. Friend Kym came over early for our walk, and the day came out around us beautifully as we headed over the ridge. Warm enough and not too warm in a rosy dawn.

The rabbits were cheerful and hungry, with just a few empty water bottles to fill. The dogs romped in the sunshine while I did the chores. There early daffodils have faded, but the late daffodils, jonquils and some bluebells are filling the bed in front of the house. Everything is coming up all at once; irises, lilies, hostas, and leaves are coming out on the climbing roses. I picked dandelion leaves and flowers for the rabbits.

I came back in to the surprise of being picked as Michele's Site of the Day. That was fun; I had just found her recently because of seeing the odd comment "Michele sent me" on different blogs. Finally someone mentioned just where Michele was. Fun site, with lots of comments games. I tend to stay with the fiber bloggers and neighbors, so it's interesting to wander to different types of blogs occasionally. There are some talented people out there.

In the early afternoon I went down and brought Autumn Joy up for shearing. This girl is one of my favorite rabbits, a chocolate chin with a sweet personality and a wonderful mother. I sheared a heavy coat from her while she lolled patiently in my lap. It was a bit windy so I brought her inside. Lily pretended she didn't see the rabbit from her spot on the couch.


Sheared!

I haven't posted a naked bun picture lately. Joy was quite happy to get rid of the heavy coat, now that warmer weather is coming on. I bred her to Quenten and she was happy to oblige. My nicest bunnies last year were from a litter from these two, so I'm excited to see new bunnies coming from them. There will be chocolate bunnies in this nest box. Joy will be retiring this year from motherhood. She's almost three and has done a good job with lots of babies for me. From now on she'll just grow lots of wool.


Stash Enhancement Delivery

I rarely buy yarn, for obvious reasons, but I have been looking and looking at this pattern in the last Interweave Press Crochet magazine. I don't use patterns often, but the colors in this just grabbed me. It's a felted rug and chair pad, and I'm thinking to use them when I go out on spinning demonstations and for craft shows. I want to dress up my booth a little, no, a lot, and this will be a fun first step. The pattern is extremely easy and I started on the rug last night. I think it will go fast.

Didn't feel as well this morning as yesterday, so slept in instead of getting out to walk. Feel very guilty. Busy day ahead, though, so I wanted a little extra rest.

A to Z

Dave at Here, There and Back has tagged me. So if you want to know the A to Z, here it is:

Accent: Southern Highland, corrupted by years spent with an English boyfriend and living in other areas.

Booze: Not a big drinker. I like poofy drinks, strawberry daiquiris, pina coladas. A good dry wine.

Chore I Hate: Housework; you name it, I hate it. Love a clean house but hate to do it myself!

Dog or Cat: Yep, both of them. Always. Two dogs now, a spaniel cross and a Labrador Retriever. Spaniel Lily is my protective constant companion, Lab TJ is a bundle of puppy love and energy. Three cats, an ancient calico, a sweet heart tabby and my personality boy, a long-haired black.

Essential Electronics: The computer. DVD player is nice but I'm not as attached to it.

Favorite Perfume: Anything lavender.

Gold or Silver: I adore jewelry! Silver is my choice, or white gold.

Hometown: I was born in Danbury, NC, because there was no closer hospital at the time. My parents are both fifth + generation Meadows of Dan natives, so this is home.

Insomnia: Very rare.

Job Title: Bunny lady, bookseller, collectibles dealer, gardener, magazine editor, minister, computer operator, blogger, writer, accountant, web page designer, artisan.....

Kids: Nope!

Living arrangements: Living on the family farm with my dad, a Springer Spaniel cross, a Labrador Retriever, three cats, a cockatiel, a roomful of wool, twenty German and German Cross angoras and tools of the trades.

Most admirable trait: I dunno. Patience, maybe.

Number of sexual partners: Can't tell. My mom reads this. (Not many, really. REALLY!)

Overnight hospital stays: Just once, I think, when it was me. When I was about seven, with pneumonia.

Phobias: Cockroaches. Shudder.

Quote: Many, but my all time favorite is at the bottom of the blog in the footer.

Religion: I was raised Presbyterian and don't reject any faith.

Siblings: One younger brother, who is a musician.

Time I wake up: Always early, time depending on whether we're walking or not.

Unusual talent or skill: Don't know of anything.

Vegetable I refuse to eat: What, you can refuse to eat something?

Worst habit: Procrastination.

X-rays: Can't remember any.

Yummy foods I make: I don't cook much anymore, but used to do a good soup and chili.

Zodiac sign: Sagittarius.

I know, pretty dull. Go have a look at the Lifecruisers. I would love to have these folks as neighbors!

Spring Chores!

Redbud at Greasy Bend

Quiet, cool weekend; I spent most of the time working on the computer for different people in different places. Then there was a little gathering for my dog groomer's birthday; I was a bit late because of working but got to see a few people I know. Nice to visit a little, and I passed out flyers for a couple of the festivals coming up here.

After more computer work in the cool of yesterday morning, I got out and tackled more bunny house cleaning chores. My sister-in-law brought a little wagon over and parked it close to the barn so I can fill it with bunny manure and waste hay. I worked on emptying trays for a couple of hours and then had to head down the mountain for some accounting catch-up at the hardware store. It's a different world down there. Lots of green leaves and new-mown grass.


Redbud in Late Afternoon

I stopped on the way back up the mountain and took a picture of some of the lovely wild redbud in the mountain. When they straightened the road at the foot of the mountain, they cut out a treacherous curve known as "Greasy Bend". The story is that a pig truck turned over there a long time ago. I love seeing the redbud; it's a beautiful first sign of spring!


Bunny House Gold!

When I got home my industrious sister-in-law and her son were busy collecting more bunny poop from the manure pile by the old apple tree stump. They had already spread the wagon that I had filled earlier in the day.


Market Garden

I walked down with the dogs to get some pictures of the market garden for Sue's web page. They've plowed five beds, and are just waiting to have my uncle come over with a disk to break things up better before they till and we start planting. Sue has a LOT planned; this is a nice big garden!


Skunk Cabbage in the Swamp

One of my favorite spring sights on the farm is seeing the skunk cabbage coming up in the marshy areas around the creek. I don't get near it; the dogs even seem to stay away but to me it's beautiful to see the bright green leaves unfurling above the dead straw of last year's growth.


Moonrise

The dogs and I headed in under a wonderful sky. The moon was up as the sun set, high above the shadowy woods. There are violets blooming in the fields, and dandelions in the yard. Already the grass has turned a rich green in the yard, and will soon need mowing. Bunnies will enjoy the dandelion leaves.

Settled in last night to more work on the slip-stitch purse, but I'm not happy with it right now. I had planned a decorative stitch for the flap closure, but it's not working with this yarn. Too bulky against the neat rows of slip-stitch. So I'll probably frog what I've done and make a simpler design.

On the Wild Side

It was a beautiful morning to be out early; I drove down the mountain to walk with friend Kym. Redbud is bursting at the edges of the road and woods, with sarvis lacy against the new green leaves of the lower slopes of the mountain. Creatures were wandering the darkness again; deer ambling across the road toward the day's shelter of the woods, a blinking raccoon nosing in the ditch, looking for a last minute meal. Our walk was peaceful, watching the rising sun between the hills and seeing the light streak and shadow across the mountains.

On the way home a collie dog trotted across the field after a night out, heading back to the house for his breakfast. Stretches of quiet fields along the way, with long shadows of hummock and shrub shadowing hollows and rises. Then, a sudden movement, right by the road, as a fox, golden in the new light, pounced with a flick of a bushy tail into the grass to capture her prey.

Yesterday we saw a hawk over the fields, circling, hunting. Small birds sheltered in twiggy shrubs. The grass is greener, and my favorite quince is starting to bloom. But most of the trees still look bare, with a red haze of buds that promise new growth. My daffodils and bluebells bloom in the cold, while irises, lilies and tulips spike up through the leaf litter and dead grass. Cold mornings warm into beautiful days.

G is for...

German Angoras!

And....


German Crosses!

Animals and Adventures

Biltmore Forest House

I took a couple of days and accompanied my sister-in-law down to Fletcher, North Carolina, to a seminar on farmer's tailgate markets this week. Not really a venue that I'm working with but I thought I might learn something. And since the farmer's market is what Sue is doing, she was certainly interested.

It was a lovely day for a trip, cool and clear. Windy all the way down; nice to have that settle while we were away. We got to the hotel where I had reserved a room, which happened to be the same place I stayed with Chris in October for SAFF. Best price, decent room, check out the Day's Inn if you happen to be in Fletcher. Nice people at the desk, too.

Whenever we go anywhere the most important question is where are we going to eat? My brother had taken Sue to a neat sandwich shop in Richmond, and there was one just outside of Asheville. So we went up to Panera Bread, and had a delightful soup and sandwich dinner. I love soup better than most anything. And I have a half dozen bagels in my freezer; lovely!


Vine Covered Mansion

On the way to the restaurant we saw a lovely shaded avenue and drove down just to see what was there. It turned out to be a beautiful community of wonderful houses and mansions, street after street of classic Georgian, elegant Colonial, grand Tudor and almost every other style you could imagine. There was even one house right out of a Wright album. We thoroughly enjoyed driving around, gazing at beautiful homes and lawns. Almost worth the trip by itself!


After the Conference

We spent the day at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center, learning all about running a farmer's market. As I say, it really didn't apply to me but I hope it was helpful to Sue. And you can always learn something, if you keep your mind open. I have a stack of handouts and notebooks to go through. At these things there is always so much ground to cover; it's hard to get much detail at the actual meeting but there is more in the paperwork. I did think they had some great points and it was valuable to hear about the experiences of other managers. I didn't get a chance to talk to many of the participants; they looked like an interesting group.

Home again, to find two rabbits wandering in the yard. Fortunately they were both bucks! Dad caught one of them but the other, a cute chocolate buck, wasn't interested in going home yet. I was tired so I left him to fend for himself after a couple of unsuccessful tries at cornering him. He spent the night out and this morning was happy to let us corral him by the barn. My friend Kym came up to walk and she was gracious enough to help with bunny wrangling. No crawling under the barn this time!

Retrieved the dogs from the kennel. TJ has been neutered. I spay or neuter the cats and dogs, since I don't intend to breed them. TJ hasn't noticed a thing; he's batting around outside and having a good time getting reacquainted with all his toys. Lily had a wart on her face right next to her eye. Disgusting to get older, even for a dog! It was bothering her and I asked the vet if it should be removed. There were some signs it was becoming irritated so we went ahead and had that done while Lily was being boarded. She has several stitches and is being very quiet, sleeping here under my desk. She's usually tired after time at the vet anyway, but I think the pain pill might be making her sleepy. I'll see if she does OK without it tomorrow. I'm having to keep TJ right away from her; she doesn't need the stitches torn out!

Wind

Evening on the Farm

The wind is back. Roaring and tearing away at everything, rocking pine trees into a wild dance and slamming loose windows in their frames. After two gorgeous days this is discouraging! But we had some much needed rain yesterday, along with some rumbles of thunder. It would have been nice if it had rained longer. I went down in the evening to walk with friend Kym; we saw lightning on a hill not far away and retreated. Dinner in town and fixing up her income taxes without our walk was sufficient with a storm threatening.

Quiet here this weekend; I worked on the computer and took the dogs for long walks on the farm. I finished some articles for Blue Ridge Gazette; especially enjoyed doing some local mystery and the author interview with Fred First (see below).

Nice morning, JAG called and asked if I could go to breakfast with her, CTG and favorite cousin. Sort of a mini-bloggers meeting, although the main subject was an idea JAG has about language. We had a fun time, with old stories cropping up in our conversation, as usual. JAG sent me a wonderful photo of my dad that she took on Friday; I'll have to print it out and frame it!

Early morning walk today, but the wind was a bit disagreeable, even below the mountain. I feel dull and wiped out, as always after fighting wind. Spring will be back! Right?

Interview - Slow Road Home

I was honored on Thursday morning with the chance to interview Fred First, author of a wonderful new book of memoir, Slow Road Home. I didn't say much about it before, partly because I want to save my impressions for the book review I'm writing for the Blue Ridge Gazette and partly because I wasn't sure if Fred was ready to announce that he was doing interviews. But his blog is commenting on the exciting news that the book will be available soon.

Personally I can't wait to get my hands on a real copy of this book. I have been delving into a review copy .pdf file on the computer, but there's nothing like holding a volume in your hands. I'm a person that devours books, reading cover to cover in a rush to absorb words and meaning and experience. But this lovely book stopped me cold sentence after sentence. It's a book to pick up and savor, then put down to think about the phrases and meanings. I'll be reading this memoir for years. It speaks of a man's personal journey, and it speaks to my personal journey. I am in awe.

Pay a visit; you'll be delighted!

Slow Road Home ~ A Blue Ridge Book of Days
by Fred First / Goose Creek Press / Floyd, Virginia
website: http://goosecreekpress.pbwiki.com/FrontPage
weblog: http://fragmentsfromfloyd.com
email: fred1st@gmail.com

Down the Crooked Road

Shelor family; of a musical tradition
Click on pictures for a larger version.

Another day out, with loved people and well-known faces. Yesterday was the dedication of the first Crooked Road kiosk, which has been placed in Meadows of Dan. This was a very personal event for many people in our area; the musicians honored are friends, relatives, and mentors. The tradition of music in the Blue Ridge Mountains is becoming well-known, thanks to modern invention and the popularity of bluegrass. But old-time music still survives, with different and softer rhythms.


Local musicians jamming

The kiosk is a lovely simple structure, set at the end of one of the store parking lots. The two panels describe a little of the history of music in the area and there are pictures and stories of the musical families. Music runs with the blood, inherited from Scotch-Irish and German ancestors that settled the mountains, with traditions that have lasted two hundred years and more. The old songs reflect the themes of mystery, murder and love, and there is a strong gospel trend. Even today on every bluegrass CD there is usually one gospel song.

When I was small I remember being surrounded by music. My mother played piano at the church, my grandfather almost constantly had a banjo in his hands, my uncle played a guitar. Every gathering meant music, in some form. At our Shelor family reunion, one of the highlights of the day was the gathering in the old Concord church building of the singers of the family. I played outside in the creek with cousins, while old hymns rang across the rough-cut lawn, echoing in old time a cappella harmony through the narrow woods beyond.


Shelor Women

The Shelor girls sang yesterday, softly, old time hymns so often heard and long remembered, as the musicians gathered by the kiosk. I'm not a musician, can carry a tune if someone else is there, so I'm always astonished that a collection of musicians that have never played together can form a group on the instant and produced such wonderful sound. The tradition runs deep but so does the talent.


Serenade

The kiosk has a transmitter, and a five minute or so recording is played that describes the music of the area and samples the music of Meadows of Dan, past and present. A litany of names is called, Boyd, Blackard, Cockram, Foddrell, Shelor, Spangler, and more, that are a record of my heritage and of my memories. A Cockram boy honored favorite cousin with the credit of starting his musical life with her teaching so long ago.

The wind blew. We stood and held the tents down while the honored guests spoke, music played, food was served (of course) and there was much talk and visiting. Then chairs were packed away, tents folded, wires wrapped and banners rolled, while the organizers breathed a sigh of relief that once again, a successful event was over. The memories kindled by a morning's reflection remain, and a little part of Meadows of Dan will be shared with the world, one tourist at a time, as they listen to music from the past by the side of a crooked road.