Home Again...wet again

Driving the final leg of the trip home from the Lone Star State was a bit soggy. A deluge of water beginning just a few miles from the Arkansas border ushered us out of drought parched Texas and into the drenched over-watered river basins. From the rapid flowing Arkansas River, top of the banks Little Red River, fast running Buffalo and all the creeks so full of themselves, I couldn't help but wish we could spread some of this moisture westward a bit to Texas.

It was a bit nervewracking driving in pounding rain where visibility often extended only a few feet in front of the hood...further exacerbated by gray and tan cars with no lights. If you have driven in pouring rain you realize that despite the fact that you can see in the daylight, other cars are visible only by their lights. Pulling a trailer added to my discomfort and Ol' Abner was exhausted and nursing a painful leg injury as he crawled into the back seat to sleep. I was a bit tense throughout the ordeal. Anyone who knows me is aware that rain never makes me happy. I welcome a rainy day with about as much enthusiasm as a trip to the dentist for a root canal. Give me sunshine or just let me sleep.

Home was a welcome sight despite the pouring rain. We just parked and came inside without unloading. By that time my sinus congestion was most painful and Ol' Abner's foot was still throbbing. Even though it was early afternoon, we drove the other car to pick up the four-legged family member and just cocooned the rest of the day. The sunshine of the following morning gave us the energy to venture out to notice that the rain guage had filled and overflowed, the trees had stopped moulting, added leaves to the branches and our privacy was again reinforced on the mountain.

Ol' Abner and I usually travel to the Lone Star State this time of year. Two very important birthdays easily justify the ride, but bonuses include wildflower viewing and a fun weekend down on the Llano River. The latter two were sadly disappointing this year. Drought conditions have made the bluebonnets sparse and a bit anemic, the crawfish was over salted and brisket was rubbery at the big cookout. We didn't get to camp in our usual spot, so everything was just a little out of sync!

Son and Daughter in law have their house on the market. Their house was beautifully decorated in a style that boasted of both personalities in a most unique way. To stage for the sale, the entire house was repainted in soft neutral shades and the "hot rod room/office" became just an office...tasteful, but with little personality. The kitchen cabinets no longer display the vines and lovely heirloom pieces passed down from generations before. The table leaves have been removed to make the dining area more spacious. The back deck is the only place that remains as it was...tranquil and inviting in the morning breeze.

The four legged kids clearly had to make a statement this morning. D-in-law awoke with two shoes shredded beside her bed. Unfortunately they were the right foot side of two pairs of flip-flops. She sadly lamented that she has two shoes now missing their "sole mates", someone suggested that they were just recycling in honor of "Earth Day". I guess we will watch the yard for signs of the recycled remains.

Seasons

I was just about to say this is my favorite time of the year in Dogpatch when I remembered saying the same thing last Autumn. That exact thought crossed my mind one morning when I was awakened by the stillness of new fallen snow, but mid summer on the lake is absolute joy.

Spring brings with it the thrill of budding flowers and fledgling birds attempting to fly from the nest. Dogwoods dot the hillside like soft lacy scarves draped throughout dormant trees. Daffodils planted in late autumn emerge from frozen soil as little green shoots only to erupt in yellow and white blooms while there is still a chill in the air. The Redbud trees crinkly spears of pink and magenta contrast with the clear blue skies to which they seem to point. Buds are showing on the deciduous trees and the forsythia is blooming yellow or red as it gradually adds leaves to replace the blooms. Birds are strangely absent from the feeder. A wealth of food is now available in the area near their nests. Eagles have hatched their young and we watch anxiously as the fledglings prepare for flying lessons.

In a couple of months summer will blaze in and days on the lake will bring welcome breezes only when the boat is moving. The remnants of all the oak tree droppings that color everything a mustard color in late spring will be cleaned from porches and cars. Ah yes, the infamous "tree poop" arrives on the winds of late April. That's when the honeymoon of spring ends and we gratefully welcome summer. Honeysuckle blooms perfume the air and hummingbirds flit around visiting anything with a blossom. Nothing beats the thrill of fireworks on July 4th, or the preceding barbecue. Ripe juicy watermelon and mountain grown blueberries make the mouth water in anticipation. The mountains are decked out in all shades of green and the roadsides are dotted with wildflowers. Fireflies sparkle in fields and hollows at night while mosquitos are blessedly absent here.

Changing colors of leaves announce the end of summer as we complain about the oppressive heat. Oh yes, by autumn, the glorious blaze has lost it's sheen and we hope for the cooler days and even anxiously await the first freeze, signaling the end of the growing season (ticks and chiggers, that is). Driving through these mountains in late October is spectacular. The journey during these balmy days is like candy for the eyes. The gold, orange, red, and yellow shades are vibrant in midday light and soften to frame magnificent sunsets over the lake. Young fawns born in late spring are losing their spots and their parents are beginning to exhibit grey winter coats as they feed incessantly. Watching the leaves dropping and floating on the soft breeze relaxes one's spirit. We could just enjoy these mild days forever.

Sometimes winter sneaks in with gradual drops in the temperature and other years it arrives as a sudden winter storm the day after a crisp sunny afternoon. It matters not the version of winter's appearance, it just feels so good to know the leaves have probably covered the yard, the driveway, and filled the gutters for the last time for the year. The end of autumn heralds the last of the leaves to be raked and burned. Snowfall on these mountains provides a tasteful display in black and white and shades of grey. The spot of red that is a male cardinal accents this soft background in a most pleasing way. We have a much better view of the lake when the leaves are gone, and my back porch is about as close to the water as I want when the winter chill hits. A warm fire and soup cooking in the kitchen are indulgences of the cold days when leaving the house is not a requirement. Holiday music and celebrations of Christmas just make the icicles seem to fit.

After a few months of freezing temperatures, it feels so very good to throw open all the doors and windows to air out the staleness of a closed house. Firing up the treehouse grill and putting away the soup pot signals that warmer weather is coming. For now, this IS my favorite time of the year!

I never did figure out how to attach the photo discussed to the previous post, but as you can see it's here now. If you look closely to the right of the baby eagle's head, you will see a bit of white just above the edge of the nest. Ah yes, it is confirmation of my belief that all creatures thrive with two parents. Perched proudly above the nest, one eagle is on guard while the other safely sits on the remaining eggs incubating.

The Eagles have Landed

Last spring a ride down by the river resulted in an exciting find for me. We spotted an eagle nest with a pair raising their young. Unfortunately, my favorite camera only zoomed to 3X, so the photos I took were sadly deficient. I vowed then, to have a camera capable of capturing a better view before they returned...and I knew they would. Eagles mate for life and usually use the same nest, just adding to it for each season. New camera in hand, I have visited the incubating pair as often as good etiquette will allow. The nest sitting began in February, and last week I noticed one little head looking out at the world. An adult eagle was perched proudly on a limb just above the nest. I snapped a few photos and watched their movements for a bit. Returning home, the photos were viewed on a larger screen, cropped, then posted on a social network. One friend sent me a link to a live feed of an eagle pair nesting. Photos of newly hatched eaglets, Mama Eagle turning her eggs then carefully feeding the new baby were fascinating. Guess I'm not the only one who loves to watch the eagles. As I looked more carefully at my uploaded photo, I noticed not only the baby's head, but the white topped head of an adult just behind him. The proud eagle watching must have been the papa eagle. I had feared for the future of the probable two additional eggs in the nest. A "clutch" usually will be three eggs incubated together. What I did learn from the live feed, is the laying sequence of the trio may be over three to five days. Now I'm excited again. May be more babies coming! Now if I can just figure out how to add that photo to this post. The issues bemoaned in yesterday's post are further complicated. When I finished writing and tried to publish, nothing happened. The preview was visible, but publish just ignored me. I uploaded the latest version of Internet Explorer and have had fits with everything I try to do on my laptop. This morning I am on the office computer, where I was able to publish yesterday's blog post. The photo is on the old dinasaur computer in the basement. Perhaps I am making this more complicated than it really ought to be!

Just a little baffled

I love skimming through blogger to see what others are posting. Sometimes it's rather depressing to see all the beautiful photos, artwork and graphics, many even set to music. I can manage to save, post and edit. Some days, even that seems complicated. My purpose in starting this blog was primarily as a public diary relating the often mundane happenings in our little town on the mountain. Even though I love to take and display photos, uploading them to my blog is ever frustrating. Remembering this blog's original purpose should be sufficient...but wouldn't it have been much more interesting to see the bulldozer discussed in a long ago blog on the ledge covered in water, or some of the views I so proudly tout at the side of the post? I may have to do some research or maybe even take a class. Is there a blogging class offered at the college nearby? Where does one go to learn such things that everyone else seems to just know?