A Little Birdie Told Me

Mr. Blue

      As I was thinking about a new blog story, I noticed two bluebirds on the roof near my loft window.  (The same window near the computer that is responsible for a lot of 'daydreaming' time.)  It made me think of the bluebird family that made our porch their own for several summers.  And the ones that spent a lot of their time watching the humans through the windows.  She had an uncanny way of appearing at the very window where we were--bedroom, livingroom, kitchen, even bathroom window! (You can read the whole story of Mr. and Mrs. Blue in the archives). 

    

Bluebird House by the bedroom door

  We haven't seen the couple since a morning in late winter of this year.  A beautiful, sunny morning that made one think spring is just "around the corner".  (The weather later turned out to be very deceiving!)  But, that morning as we sat in bed drinking our coffee and looking out the window, a bluebird flew to the window and attached herself to the screen.  It had to be Mrs. Blue dropping in to say "hello, we're back!"

Early morning visitor at the window

     Then, a few days later, the very first day of spring, we were bombarded with 14 inches of snow!  It snowed all day!  Beautiful snow day!  For humans, that is!  We never saw our sweet little bluebird lady again.  We think the bird couple, and probably other birds, weren't quite prepared for a late snowfall, and fell victim to the cold and packed snow that covered the ground and, therefore, any food they would have needed to survive.  Yes, we fed the birds during the snow (and all winter), but bluebirds don't eat seeds, and we have never been able to get them to eat the bugs, suet, and berries that  bluebirds supposedly will eat.

Backyard Baby Bluebird--new generation

     We'll never be sure what happened to Mr. and Mrs. Blue who gave us so much pleasure. Later this spring, another bluebird couple took up residence in the box by the bedroom window. It obviously wasn't her.  We think it was probably one of her grown up babies who remembered the family home and made it home for the next generation.  We watched these babies as they hatched, were fed by frantic parents, and finally flew away.  We still miss Mr. and Mrs. Blue, but we feel blessed to have been the hosts for three summers for a special bird family.  Our porch (and screens :-(  aren't the same without them :-)    

    Be Like the Bird

Be like the bird, who

Halting in his flight

On limb too slight

Feels it give way beneath him,

Yet sings

Knowing he hath wings.

                           Victor Hugo



Old Barns, Old Times

Villines Barn on Firetower Road       

    
     Wonder why so many folks love old barns?  It could be childhood memories. I can still remember every "nook and cranny" in my grandparents' barn.  Or maybe it's the nostalgia of a simpler way of life.  I love them and over the nine years we have lived up here, I have "collected"  quite a few.  Some are no longer with us.

Hedges Barn near the Buffalo River

      Jack and I discovered this old barn on a hike several years ago.  It was once part of a homestead that was bought by the Hedges, who built a unique house nearby.  The house mysteriously burned on a New Year's Eve in the early days of the Buffalo National Park land acquistion.  The barnyard drops off in the back to the river. We were startled by several elk (who were startled by us!) when we walked out in the clearing.

Alice's Barn in Boxley Valley

     This is a common sight in this field.  Alice is an artist who lives in an old, remodled house down the lane beside the Boxley Church.

Parker-Hickman Barn in Erbie

     This historic homestead has been preserved by the park service.  The old house is nearby and both are open to those interested in seeing how folks lived in the Ozarks years ago.  It is at the trailhead of Cherry Grove Cemetery Trail and part of the Buffalo River Trail.  Decendants of the Hickmans still live in Compton.

Waymon Villines' Barn on Hwy  21

      We drove by this barn many times before I asked Jack to stop for a photo.  I'm glad we did.  Not long afterward, a storm blew it over.  Many barns suffer the same fate.

Mike Clark's Barn on Bradshaw Mountain Road

     The first time we saw this barn it was unpainted and neglected with a few scraggly goats out front.  Mike (you see him in front of the barn) retored it after recovering from back surgery.   He raises goats, turkeys and a few other barnyard animals on his mountain farm.  The animals look out each morning over a magnificent view of mountains and valleys.

     Oh my!  So many barns and so little space!  We will have to continue at another time.

For everything there is a season...A time to tear down and a time to build up.  Ecc. 3:1

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