I was sitting reading when I looked out the window past the bird feeder to a slim tree where in descending order sat a blue jay, a male cardinal, a blue jay, a male cardinal, a blue jay. No way to get a picture other than the one in my memory.
Last night I was watching tv when a lady bug fell in my lap. We put her in a plant to be safe, but within a minute she was back on the lamp by my side.
One of the female cardinals is learning to sit on the feeder for extended periods to eat the feed seed by seed.
The wind is picking up so the picture book of snow etched branches is disappearing.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Not so durable goods
When I bought my first post divorce house in 1994, I got the appliances which were left in the kitchen. Both the refrigerator and the range were dated but serviceable. I don’t remember much about the refrigerator except that it wasn’t frost free. The range, however, made an impression since I remember some family friends having one like it in their brand new house in the early 1960's. It was an avocado Frigidaire Flair . The ovens still worked, but only a couple of burners did.
When I checked the internet to see what the range was called, I found a site that was a bulletin board for people looking for cannibalized parts to keep their 1960’s ranges going. Now that’s durable. About a year after I moved in to the house, after trying to get the range repaired and being told that parts were no longer available, I replaced the Frigidaire with a gas range.
Friends of ours have a huge old O’Keefe and Merritt range and GE refrigerator with a small freezer. Both are from the 1950s or before and are still in good working order. They probably aren’t as energy efficient as some of their recently manufactured counterparts on a day to day basis, but I wonder how they stack up when you figure in the environmental costs of manufacturing and transporting new ones and disposing of the old ones?
About a month ago our washer went on the fritz. I spent $65 to have the repairman tell me that it would cost about $225 for the part to fix it, and that it probably wasn’t worth it for a washer that old. The washer was about six years old. When I went to the store to store to buy a new one, the salesman told me the kind I was considering was a dependable brand, that it would last five or six years. When I expressed surprise, he told me that was the norm now. Appliances don’t last very long. I was amazed.
Not long after that, I took my Electrolux vacuum to be repaired. I bought this brand because I remember Mother’s Electrolux and one just like it I picked up at a garage sale many years ago. They were just about indestructible. I used to ride around the house on Mother’s when I was little, sitting on it and propelling it with my legs. While the repairman worked on my sweeper, the salesman told me the new facts of life. At some point not too long ago, but before I bought the one I have now, the Electrolux brand name was sold to a company which has them made in, you guessed it, China. The parts are mostly plastic and the sweepers have a lifespan of about five years. I paid my $30 bucks, took my Electrolux home and hope to get a couple of more years out of it.
I know about built in obsolescence. It makes new jobs and keeps the economy humming. We see the latest new thing all the time with cars and tech products. I am writing on a dinosaur laptop which is probably five years old. But some things don’t need to keep adding new bells and whistles every year to do their jobs. If there is a real improvement in functionality, fine, otherwise, make them to last. Because, basically, I use my appliances the same way my mother used hers. The stove needs to cook at even temperatures. The washer needs to get clothes clean without beating them to shreds. The vacuum cleaner needs to suck up dirt. And they need to keep doing these things for years and years.
When I checked the internet to see what the range was called, I found a site that was a bulletin board for people looking for cannibalized parts to keep their 1960’s ranges going. Now that’s durable. About a year after I moved in to the house, after trying to get the range repaired and being told that parts were no longer available, I replaced the Frigidaire with a gas range.
Friends of ours have a huge old O’Keefe and Merritt range and GE refrigerator with a small freezer. Both are from the 1950s or before and are still in good working order. They probably aren’t as energy efficient as some of their recently manufactured counterparts on a day to day basis, but I wonder how they stack up when you figure in the environmental costs of manufacturing and transporting new ones and disposing of the old ones?
About a month ago our washer went on the fritz. I spent $65 to have the repairman tell me that it would cost about $225 for the part to fix it, and that it probably wasn’t worth it for a washer that old. The washer was about six years old. When I went to the store to store to buy a new one, the salesman told me the kind I was considering was a dependable brand, that it would last five or six years. When I expressed surprise, he told me that was the norm now. Appliances don’t last very long. I was amazed.
Not long after that, I took my Electrolux vacuum to be repaired. I bought this brand because I remember Mother’s Electrolux and one just like it I picked up at a garage sale many years ago. They were just about indestructible. I used to ride around the house on Mother’s when I was little, sitting on it and propelling it with my legs. While the repairman worked on my sweeper, the salesman told me the new facts of life. At some point not too long ago, but before I bought the one I have now, the Electrolux brand name was sold to a company which has them made in, you guessed it, China. The parts are mostly plastic and the sweepers have a lifespan of about five years. I paid my $30 bucks, took my Electrolux home and hope to get a couple of more years out of it.
I know about built in obsolescence. It makes new jobs and keeps the economy humming. We see the latest new thing all the time with cars and tech products. I am writing on a dinosaur laptop which is probably five years old. But some things don’t need to keep adding new bells and whistles every year to do their jobs. If there is a real improvement in functionality, fine, otherwise, make them to last. Because, basically, I use my appliances the same way my mother used hers. The stove needs to cook at even temperatures. The washer needs to get clothes clean without beating them to shreds. The vacuum cleaner needs to suck up dirt. And they need to keep doing these things for years and years.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Stuff you probably don't need to know, but here it is anyway.
Our house is surrounded by rhododendrons, so I have the opportunity to observe them a lot. As in no matter where you look out of a window, there they are.
Most of the time, they are unremarkable. They put out a few pretty white blossoms in June, then in the fall a few leaves yellow up and drop off. That's pretty much it until the temperature gets down to freezing or below, that is. Then they do this:
Isn't that pathetic? I know that these are Southern Rhodos, but really, they are mountain plants and should be tough. When they do this, you can practically see them shivering.
Here's what they look like when it warms up to 32+ degrees.
Most of the time, they are unremarkable. They put out a few pretty white blossoms in June, then in the fall a few leaves yellow up and drop off. That's pretty much it until the temperature gets down to freezing or below, that is. Then they do this:
Isn't that pathetic? I know that these are Southern Rhodos, but really, they are mountain plants and should be tough. When they do this, you can practically see them shivering.
Here's what they look like when it warms up to 32+ degrees.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Free Cell
I play lots of Free Cell, the solitaire game available on most computers. By lots I mean that since I discovered the game on my first computer in the mid 1980's, I have played thousands and thousands of games. Over all those years and all those games my winning percentage has remained constant. I win two out of three games on average. Sometimes I will have a winning streak, but it is always followed at some point by a losing streak. A 67% winner, that's me.
When I was doing my MSW clinical practicum, I spent many late night hours at the emergency room waiting. One of the main diversions of those late hours was playing free cell. My supervisor played as well. Once I asked him what his winning average was. He said in the 90's. I asked him how he did that. He said that he was a chess player and always played several moves ahead. I tried that strategy. I still averaged about 67%.
In life as in free cell some people seem to win 90% of the time, some 67% and some less. Free cell is like that. Life is like that. 67% is just fine with me.
When I was doing my MSW clinical practicum, I spent many late night hours at the emergency room waiting. One of the main diversions of those late hours was playing free cell. My supervisor played as well. Once I asked him what his winning average was. He said in the 90's. I asked him how he did that. He said that he was a chess player and always played several moves ahead. I tried that strategy. I still averaged about 67%.
In life as in free cell some people seem to win 90% of the time, some 67% and some less. Free cell is like that. Life is like that. 67% is just fine with me.
Friday, September 10, 2010
Just the facts, ma'am.
Like Joe Friday, I just want the facts. I would like to read and hear news stories without bias. I just want to know what happened and why. Not the writer, editor or publisher’s version of why, but the person making the news.
I would like non news to stay non news. The latest media fabrication, that of the threatened Koran burning in Florida, is a classic example of a nonevent which would have probably gone away, being grabbed by the media and distorted. It is a relief that some in the media have the sense to question their role. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/us/10media.html?emc=eta1
Like the Fred Phelps family in Topeka, Terry Jones more than anything seeks publicity for his extremist views. The media played right into his hands, just as they often do the Phelps’s. They fan the flames rather than letting them go out.
I am tired of the media including bloggers jumping on statements and blowing them way out of proportion. This has effectively killed any attempts at civil discourse and the sharing of conflicting ideas on important topics.
I am tired of reading the same thing misinformation over and over. It’s time for news withdrawal.
I would like non news to stay non news. The latest media fabrication, that of the threatened Koran burning in Florida, is a classic example of a nonevent which would have probably gone away, being grabbed by the media and distorted. It is a relief that some in the media have the sense to question their role. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/10/us/10media.html?emc=eta1
Like the Fred Phelps family in Topeka, Terry Jones more than anything seeks publicity for his extremist views. The media played right into his hands, just as they often do the Phelps’s. They fan the flames rather than letting them go out.
I am tired of the media including bloggers jumping on statements and blowing them way out of proportion. This has effectively killed any attempts at civil discourse and the sharing of conflicting ideas on important topics.
I am tired of reading the same thing misinformation over and over. It’s time for news withdrawal.
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Growing pains
The other day when I was out walking the dogs at Holloway Mountain, I met a woman also walking her dog. As my three dogs ran to greet her's, I yelled that mine were friendly and that I hoped hers was. She and I stopped to chat as the dogs sniffed tails and exchanged scents and other dog courtesies.
The woman commented that one of my dogs looked young. I said that yes, Sadie was just two and a half. She said her dog, an Aussie, was just two,that he was growing out of his puppyhood.
"So is Sadie," I said. "We just got back from taking her on a long trip with us. She behaved beautifully."
As we went our separate ways, she wistfully remarked, "I kind of miss my puppy."
Me too.
The woman commented that one of my dogs looked young. I said that yes, Sadie was just two and a half. She said her dog, an Aussie, was just two,that he was growing out of his puppyhood.
"So is Sadie," I said. "We just got back from taking her on a long trip with us. She behaved beautifully."
As we went our separate ways, she wistfully remarked, "I kind of miss my puppy."
Me too.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Berries
My supporting local farmers and gardeners has taken a step beyond going to the local farmer's market. This week I've gone out into the country to pick berries. Tuesday, I picked blackberries in a patch of thornless bushes. It was easy. The berries were huge and accessible. In an hour I had picked almost two gallons of the sweet berries. I forgot to take my camera, so I can't show the patch or the setting. But, here is a shot to show just how large some of the berries were.
I went to a blueberry patch today. Once I turned off the highway, it was so picturesque. I went down a hill to a little bridge across a brook, then up a winding single lane gravel road. Up,up,up it went through gardens, flowers, and orchards, past quaint little houses that hugged the hillside.
All the time following little numbered signs that counted down until you entered a large orchard and found this leanto where I got my picking bucket and instructions on where to pick. Note the bluetick hound dog, little kids, grandma, the kayak on the roof,etc.
I found the row where I was to pick and starting filling my special picking bucket which hung around my neck by a string. This is so you can use both hands to pick.
Picking blueberries is not hard, but it is slow work. Blueberries are pretty small and to fill your bucket takes a lot of berries, even when they are thick on the bushes.
At last after close to two hours of steadily picking while visiting with other pickers, I had enough for one day. Here's my full gallon bucket and my empty picking bucket.
As I paid for my haul, the woman who owns Grandfather Mountain Orchard said to remember I didn't have to wash the berries; they aren't sprayed. I didn't see a single bug except for a bee on any of the berries where I was picking. Nice to know I didn't poison myself while sampling the wares.
I went to a blueberry patch today. Once I turned off the highway, it was so picturesque. I went down a hill to a little bridge across a brook, then up a winding single lane gravel road. Up,up,up it went through gardens, flowers, and orchards, past quaint little houses that hugged the hillside.
All the time following little numbered signs that counted down until you entered a large orchard and found this leanto where I got my picking bucket and instructions on where to pick. Note the bluetick hound dog, little kids, grandma, the kayak on the roof,etc.
I found the row where I was to pick and starting filling my special picking bucket which hung around my neck by a string. This is so you can use both hands to pick.
Picking blueberries is not hard, but it is slow work. Blueberries are pretty small and to fill your bucket takes a lot of berries, even when they are thick on the bushes.
At last after close to two hours of steadily picking while visiting with other pickers, I had enough for one day. Here's my full gallon bucket and my empty picking bucket.
As I paid for my haul, the woman who owns Grandfather Mountain Orchard said to remember I didn't have to wash the berries; they aren't sprayed. I didn't see a single bug except for a bee on any of the berries where I was picking. Nice to know I didn't poison myself while sampling the wares.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Sitting around watching the ice melt.
Sounds like the height of retirement excitement doesn't it? Well, I'll take all this excitement I can get.
We had a ice storm. Yesterday and last night freezing rain fell steadily. Everything is covered with a thick coat of ice. The sun has come out and turned the countryside into crystal. Step outside. It sounds like a heavy, summer downpour. The ice is melting that quickly. Each drop a prism making its own rainbow as it falls. There are millions of them. Once and a while, I hear crashing as a larger section of ice slides off a wire or limb and smashes on the ground or pavement.
Having the time to take it all in is wonderful.
We had a ice storm. Yesterday and last night freezing rain fell steadily. Everything is covered with a thick coat of ice. The sun has come out and turned the countryside into crystal. Step outside. It sounds like a heavy, summer downpour. The ice is melting that quickly. Each drop a prism making its own rainbow as it falls. There are millions of them. Once and a while, I hear crashing as a larger section of ice slides off a wire or limb and smashes on the ground or pavement.
Having the time to take it all in is wonderful.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Wither Thou Goest
One week before Christmas, Boone and the rest of the High Country received a big snow dump. At the house we got 15 inches. Other areas nearby got up to two feet of beautiful snow. It was said, by those who know such things, to be the biggest single snow event in over 20 years.
Christmas eve freezing rain moved into the area. When it moved out it left broken trees, downed power lines and and a landscape coated by a half an inch of ice in its wake. Three counties were without electricity for the holidays. No heat certainly made cozying up to your relatives a lot more attractive. Our electricity was off for about 30 hours. We were lucky. Some others went several days before the crews got them back on line. It was the worst power outage since hurricane Hugo blew through in 1989 the paper declared.
On New Years Eve the wind picked up; the temperature began to drop and kept going down. The wind from the northwest howled through the trees and set them swaying. And so it will go for the next week. It's to be the longest cold spell (It's 6 this morning with negative wind chill.) in, you guessed it...20 years according to Ray's Weather Site.
I'm beginning to see a pattern here. I'm not looking forward to mosquito season.
Christmas eve freezing rain moved into the area. When it moved out it left broken trees, downed power lines and and a landscape coated by a half an inch of ice in its wake. Three counties were without electricity for the holidays. No heat certainly made cozying up to your relatives a lot more attractive. Our electricity was off for about 30 hours. We were lucky. Some others went several days before the crews got them back on line. It was the worst power outage since hurricane Hugo blew through in 1989 the paper declared.
On New Years Eve the wind picked up; the temperature began to drop and kept going down. The wind from the northwest howled through the trees and set them swaying. And so it will go for the next week. It's to be the longest cold spell (It's 6 this morning with negative wind chill.) in, you guessed it...20 years according to Ray's Weather Site.
I'm beginning to see a pattern here. I'm not looking forward to mosquito season.
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