Dreams of Autumn

 

Maple in Ponca

     The hot, dry winds blow across the brown crispy grass that covers the yard.  As I look out my kitchen window I see the those plants that are still alive crying out for a drink of water.  In a few minutes I will go out and relieve their thirst.  I am ready for autumn winds and rains to come, and come in abundance!  Here is what I am "thirsty" for.

Eagle's Rest Cabin at its finest

     

     Our little rental cabin, Eagle's Rest, stays full  most of the year with guests who come to soak up those cool mountain breezes. (Yes, even in the snow!)   They might take a hike down one of our hiking trails then come back to the cozy cabin for a soak in the whirlpool tub.  They might curl up by the fire with a good book!  Oh! My!  I can hardly wait to do the same!

Hikers on the trail to Hawksbill Crag

     No doubt, hiking the Ozarks is a spiritual experience. One is mesmerized by the palette of fall colors--maples of red and orange, black gums of scarlet, oaks of burnt orange, sassafrass of yellow, all framed by a sky of blue and earth of brown. 

Autumn at Mountain Springs 

      We sat on the porch at daybreak this morning-- with our coffee in hand--there was definitly a feeling in the breeze that promises us fall will come soon.  Until then, the thirsty plants are crying for relief!

 Trust in the Lord and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Be still in the presence of the Lord and wait patiently for him to act.  Psalm 37:3,7

Beat the Heat

A Walk Thru My Ozark Garden

      Our favorite place in the summer is the wrap-around-porch.  There is usually a breeze somewhere on that porch.  Our house was built on the basement of an old house that had burned.  Amazingly, the plan we had chosen was almost a perfect fit.  It was built by Amish builders.  The carved bear was done by them also.  The white hydranga is from my friend Mary Ruth's yard.  She is 94 and still lives by herself in a little stone cottage on a nearby farm.
                                                         

    
     My garden is like a memory book of family and friends.  I call this rose "Aunt Marie's Rose" after a dear lady in Jack's family.  I have given cuttings to many friends, who, in turn have also passed along cuttings.  It is a 'repeat' bloomer and will have another show of blooms in later summer.
                                

                                                                         
     These lilies came from my mother's yard on Jackson Street in Hamburg.  I dug these bulbs and some of her prize iris rhizomes before she sold her home of 50 years.  It was the only house I really remember living in.  Lots of sweet memories left behind....   The old picket fence came with the yard.  Every year Jack props it up and says it probably won't make it through the next winter!

    
     These garden phlox came from my grandmother's backyard.  I have transplanted a clump of them everytime we have moved.  I can remember, as a child, smelling the sweet fragrance as butterflies fluttered 'round.  I would often pick some to put in my playhouse.

                                                              
     This sedum, or Autumn Joy, (I love the name!) is from Louis and Jean, an elderly couple who live in a sweet little cottage in Boxley Valley.  There is always something blooming in their garden.  He always refers to Jean as "my love".  The blooms start in late summer and still look pretty in their dried state in late autumn.

     The lavender is one of my favorites (and, obviously the butterflies love it too!).  It comes from my friend Debbie's Belle Rose Farm located on Fire Tower Road nearby.  I have one plant that is at least six years old.  I could never grow lavender in south Arkansas--too humid!


     Must go now!  Next time we will walk the other side of the yard.  Wait till you see my "mountain spa"! Or "hillbilly hot tub, as Regena's husband calls it!


 You're only here for a short visit.  Don't hurry.  Don't worry.  And be sure to smell the flowers along the way.  The Walter Hagen Story


                                                                 

The Fruits of Our Labor

 Mountain Springs tomato patch(the Have-A-Heart trap is behind the scarecrow)

    

     My early recollection of anything 'tomatoes' is when playing in and out of the laundry/canning room in my grandmother's backyard.  I remember the hot, steamy, 'tomato' smelling air as my brother and I would run in and out of the room, always banging the screen door. My grandmother, mother, and aunt would spend a day or two every summer (always the hottest day of the summer, I'm sure) canning tomatoes for the winter.  At the time, you couldn't get me to even taste a tomato!

     Things change.  Maybe the aroma of all those hot tomatoes simmering in a pot on the stove finally 'took'.  Today, I LOVE tomatoes.  Red better boys and Park whoppers, yellow Lillians, orange-lobbed Kellogg Breakfasts, green striped Zebras, green and red Mr. Stripys, little sungolds,  and the dark, rich red/green of Cherokee Purples.  I have never met a tomato I didn't love--EXCEPT those 'cardboard' tomatoes you find in the grocery store in winter.  I don't consider those tomatoes and resort to canned tomatoes at that time of year. 

Summer bounty

     When tending a garden, as all gardners know, there is competition with the 'critter' world.  A few days ago, I noticed signs of one of these 'critters'.  The half-eaten, nearly ripe, tomato, still on the vine, alerted me that I wasn't the only one that appreciated a lucious tomato.   Again, the next day, more half-eaten tomatoes still clinging to the vine.  We suspect a groundhog  made a trip or two through the tomato patch. 

     Jack googled 'trapping groundhogs'  and soon found "How to Quickly and Easily Trap Nuisance Groundhogs".  Obviously, it is a hot topic since there was lots of advice.  We now have our Have-A-Heart trap baited with carrots(that's what they say groundhogs love!) and set out in the midst of the vines. 

     No groundhog this morning, but no new half-eaten tomatoes either.  We have also encouraged Molly and Daisy to make rounds every hour through the area.  They are such a help.  Last week they rid the garden of a mole who had made several tunnels through the garden. And,  woefully, a few rabbits!

"But don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden."

                                             The Tale of Peter Rabbit

                                                             Beatrix Potter

     

    

Notes On A Summer Day

Dude, Chipper and DeeDee waiting for a treat

      We are experiencing a heat wave--temps in the upper nineties, no rain for nearly 3 weeks!  Jack and I spend our days watering the garden and flower beds and trying to find 'cool' chores.  The middle of the day is definitely a good time to settle down with a good book or garden magazine.  Or, in Jack's case a nap!

      I make a habit of stepping out the bedroom door onto the porch just before bedtime and savoring the soothing nighttime breeze that is almost always present even after the worst of daytime heat.  I lay on the lounge chair allowing the wind to blow across my face taking away the cares of the day.  If that doesn't do the trick, the "wild night orchestra" will.  The "wild night orchestra" as a guest described the night sounds, is a symphony of crickets chirping, frogs croaking, whippoorwils singing, with an occassional coyote blending in. 

     Speaking of stress!  Many Newtons County residents, including ourselves, are upset (no, angry) that our Carroll Electic Cooperative --supposedly owned by all who pay electric bills to them, are contracting with outside companies to spray chemicals on power line right-of-ways to kill vegetation.  We have many certified organic farms in the county as well as regualr customers that use ground water (this is always been the case, historically) and they want to protect it.  There are are farms and ranches with livestock, as well as other businesses who are also concerned, and rightly so.  Carroll Electric and the board members elected to represent the interests of the coop members has been especially dictatorial and heavy-handed (and rude) to those who speak against this problem at board meetings and such.  (By the way, those who object are some of the most unassuming, peaceful, and 'just plain nice' folks you will ever meet, and they are working to preserve what makes Newton County and the Buffalo River Country so special.)  The company now require a unbelieveable amount of paper work and documents in order to put in a 'no spray' request.  Then, there is still  no guarantee that the request will be granted!  I find it hard to believe this can happen in Newton County where most people are independent and very conscious of the environment. For more on this go to http://www.grassrootsozark.net/.

     Good news!  Our cabin association, Upper Buffalo River Merchants Association is sponsoring a 5k run, The Running of the Elk 5k to benefit Arkansas Children's Hospital in Little Rock.  It will be held September 11, 2010 in Boxley Valley.  We are hoping folks will turn out for a fun time and a good cause. 

     My Ozark garden is coming along regardless of the weather.  All it requires now is water!  We are getting squash and beans.  Tomatoes are beginning to ripen.  I am at war with the moles right now, but I have brought in help in the form of Molly, the Jack Russell, who hates moles and usually clears them out quickly!  Her backup is Daisy, who digs the holes!   If only they could do as well with those pesky squash bugs which Jack 'squshes' by the hundreds everyday!

Must go to get my "Request To Avoid Herbidical Vegetation Management" to the post office.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think on these things.  Phillipians 4:4-8

    

Notes From A Librarian

                                                                                      Bluebirds at the "pool"

    

     Summer is supposed to be a 'laid-back, lazy' time of year with trips to the 'pool'--or river in our case--or just a peaceful afternoon on the porch is nice.  I imagine that image of summer doesn't happen for most of us--unlike to birds in the photo.  However, this summer I plan to set aside time to settle down and 'get lost' in a few good books.  The librarian in me compels me to recommend a few of my favorites---

     The first one, which turns into several on the same subject, goes on my 'all-time most memorable' list.  THREE CUPS OF TEA by Greg Mortenson and David Relin will change the way you look at the people and conflicting religions of Afganistan and Pakistan.  I quote the blurb on the cover, "The astonishing, uplifting story of a real-life Indiana Jones and his remarkable humanitarian campaign in the Taliban's backyard."            Mortenson, a lost and weary mountain climber, drifted into a remote village in the Karakoram Mts. of Pakistan, and his life and the lives of thousands of children, especially girls, was changed forever.  When he promised to build a school in return for the kindness the village had shown him, his quest became not to conquer a mountain, but to conquer illiteracy and make possible an opportunity for children to learn by building one school at a time in the most remote and dangerous regions of the world.  His portrayal of the people who are so willing to do whatever it takes, at whatever it cost, to bring education to their villages could be a great novel on its own.  However, it is a true story, and an ongoing one at that.
     You will also want to read the sequel, STONES INTO SCHOOLS, that picks up where the first book left him--confronted by a group of horsemen, much like those in Marco Polo's day, who asked that he build a school in their village--in what is called the 'rooftop of the world'. 
     THREE CUPS OF TEA has a your reader's edition. And, there is a read-aloud version for young children with illustrations by Susan L. Roth entitled
LISTEN TO THE WIND.      "Beach" reads are a great way to 'get away' for a while, but, this one will stay with you for a long time.

Education is the long-term solution to fanaticism.

Col. Christopher Kolenda, U.S. Army, Afganistan

I have made links to Amazon.com in order to make it easier to purchase these books.  All money from sales on my blog, and 7% from Amazon will go to the Central Asia Institute which funds the building of schools and promotes the educations of girls in Pakistan and Afganistan.  By the way, it costs them $1.00 per month for one child's education and $1.50 per day for an average teacher's salary.  What a bargin! 
This will also be true for any books I recommend in the future.
                                                                   After reading these books, I would like to hear your comments.  I hope you are as inspired as I am to do a small part to support education and learning in this part of the world.  I believe the adage--'where much is given, much is required'  though this isn't 'much' as compared to those, including our soldiers, who are on a battlefield much different (or maybe not) from the schoolgrounds of these villages.

Chocolate Chip--a Horse of a Different Color

DeeDee and Chipper

     We proudly announce the birth of Chocolate Chip (Chipper) the colt, born Friday, April 23 11:30 p.m. at Mountain Springs.

     

     Other than the birth of a grandchild, the arrival of a new baby animal at our house is a major cause for celebration.  We have closely watched our mare, DeeDee's behavior for the last two weeks, knowing the birth was near.  Every evening, Jack put her in the stable for the night.  Before bed, he would make a trip down to the barn to check on her.  Friday night about 10:30 he went down and stayed a long time.  In fact, I was in bed and debated whether I wanted to get up and check on things.  Fortunately I did.  As I stepped out on the porch, I could see Jack was down in the lower pasture on the four-wheeler.  Slowly, I watched the light he was carrying move slowly up the trail to the barn, stopping occasionally along the way. Since it was pitch dark, I wasn't sure what was going on. 

     When he go closer, he called to me to bring the towels and lights-- she was in labor!  I quickly dressed and gathered everything I needed (including the camera) and ran down to the stable. Though it was only a minute or two, little Chipper had already arrived!  It was close!  She had managed to get out of the corral and down to the lower pasture before her water broke!  Jack said, as he lead her up the hill to the barn, there was a time or two when she balked and he envisioned the baby  being born right there on the trail! 

     We watched in the stable for two hours as the baby struggled with those four long, awkward legs getting on his knees, then flopping (litterly) back on the soft straw of the stable.  Occassionally, DeeDee would encourage him by gently pulling at an ear or quietly neighing in his ear.  It was a memorable moment when I watched as she slowly, deliberately, breathed her breath into his nostrils to imprint her scent on her baby.  Something all mother animals do to assure her baby will always know who she is.  This is so apparent when you watch a pasture full of black cows with black babies--they can always find each other no matter how many other mothers and babies are in the crowd.

     After a while, he had all four legs working together, then he was hungry.  Again, it took him a few minutes to find just the right place to nurse.  Even with his mother's help, he made a few 'dry' attempts before his first meal.

     How fast animal babies develop!  Now, has no problem eating--other than when his mother 'nips' him for biting in a sensitive place!  And, his legs are working very well!  He runs and bucks around the corral kicking up his heels just for the joy of being alive!  When not sleeping or running, he is checking out everything within his reach--'tasting' everything from the rope tied to the gate to the stable door.  He will nuzzle us when we reach out to him, often 'nibbling' my jacket or whatever he can reach. 

     As with a grandchild, I will probably have a lot to say about our new baby.  Speaking of the grandchild, he is excited with the baby pictures we sent, and is insisting that his parents get him up here right away! We are encouraging this by sending more baby horse pictures!

Trust in the Lord and do good, dwell in the land and enjoy safe pastures,

Delight yourself in the Lord , and He will give you the desires of your heart.  Psalm 37:1-4