Yay us! We North Carolinians can take a measure of credit for the freedoms all Americans enjoy! We fought the “Federales” and won! We didn’t ratify the original draft of the Constitution until we knew that certain personal and state freedoms were guaranteed. We rock!

Happy Independence Day!

What every grade school student knows:

Then she came back to protect her eggs. She was tapping loudly on the side of the [...]]]> We checked inside the bird box again today and were lucky to find the mother titmouse away, giving us full view of 4 eggs. They lay one a day for 4-6 days, so she may not be done yet.

Then she came back to protect her eggs. She was tapping loudly on the side of the bird box, telling us to scram!

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Bluebirds did check the box out, as did tufted titmice and Carolina chickadees. I [...]]]> This is our first effort at a bird box. We were hoping for a bluebird, but weren’t holding our breath because bluebirds like open spaces, and we wanted the bird box on our deck so we could easily watch the comings and goings.

Bluebirds did check the box out, as did tufted titmice and Carolina chickadees. I missed it, but Princess Gail got to see a pair of Carolina chickadees come and go with soft materials to make their nest during the course of one day. You can see a few pictures of them on Gail’s bird blog here. So we were quite surprised to find that the birds that actually occupied the nest were not the chickadees. We think they let the chickadees do most of the work, and then a tufted titmouse just took over. They are known to be aggressive nest makers. Gail posted a few pictures of the tufted titmice on the bird box here.

Now we can peek inside through the hinged roof and respectfully observe the wonders of nature, right on our own deck! Here is the mother titmouse sitting on her eggs. They typically lay 5 to 6, so we eagerly expect a hungry brood in 1 to 2 weeks!

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A Writing Exercise. The Long Sentence You’re going to write for a total of ten minutes straight. No breaks. You’ll write one long sentence, not stopping for punctuation. Do not [...]]]> I am participating in a writing exercise today, something like a meme. It is directed by my good friend and Easy Writer Kanani Fong. Here are the rules:

A Writing Exercise. The Long Sentence
You’re going to write for a total of ten minutes straight. No breaks. You’ll write one long sentence, not stopping for punctuation. Do not go back to correct grammar or re-organize sentences. Let the words come forth, just get them down even if the sequence doesn’t make sense. This release will help you relax and get you into the groove of writing.
I’m giving you the first five words:
“The last time I saw ……..”

Ready? Set the timer, now breathe and go!
This was one of the first exercises I ever did, and it led to the writing of this poem.

Remember, you are loved and you are blessed! Breathe and write!
-Kanani

And here is my stuff:

“The last time I saw…” the mountains will not be my last. I became even more convinced that this is not only something I desire but something I need. We did not have the greatest weather, and it didn’t make any difference. The peace was still there, and the silence and the big sky. The clouds passed by in slow motion, some above us and some below. I could see the steam of the clouds slowly taking on new shapes. I can stand there watching clouds for minutes on end, as if there aren’t more important things in the world. There is something timeless about the mountains, something healing, something awesome in the truest sense of the word. This last experience was near Asheville, North Carolina, with the Blue Ridge in full view and in fall splendor. The air was chilly but not cold. Overnight rain had left the valley full of dense cloud below us, with only certain peaks that were high enough popping through. The heat of the morning sun quickly dried that up. leaving a green valley with distant houses and specks of cars that were barely visible. I could hear the rustle of the leaves and the caw of an occasional blackbird. I listened for the wild turkeys I have heard in the area, but was disappointed not to hear any on this trip. They’re probably in hiding with Thanksgiving right around the corner! Ha! Car trips up and down the mountains are very much fun for longtime flatlanders. The roads are windy and single lane in the steepest parts of the mountain close to the cabin where we stayed. Rutted gravel makes the car shimmy and shake and adds to the driving suspense. There was a part near the very top that was so steep the car couldn’t make it except in reverse! But we got up safely and thanked the Lord for surviving and for the adventure. Going down is much easier of course, and allows full enjoyment of the view, especially as some of the trees have lost much of their foliage. Down in the valley, little towns like Old Fort and Black Mountain can take up most of our day if we let them, and we do. It is healing and enriching to lose sense of time for a while, and go where the heart desires, aimlessly and joyfully. We like to have a mission on those days, but never mind if we are distracted over and over again and never quite accomplish what we set out to do, knowing full well it was merely and excuse to get going and a starting point. Back at the mountain cabin, like on most vacations, I try to never miss a sunrise or sunset. Why is that so mystical and serene? Why do I feel connected to all people who have ever roamed the earth when I am watching a sunrise or sunset? I don’t know, but what happens to me is an easy reflection at sunrise about what the day might have in store, and at sunset what the day that just passed was like. Promise and hope in the morning, and a sense of accomplishment and gratitude in the evening. What could be better than that?

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