• Thoughts

    A Bunch of Lazy Bums

    Fred is the resident cat who does not wander very far from the house. Every now and then I find him far down the driveway but usually he’s cuddled up in a spot on the south side of the man cave. Or on my truck. Isis has been enjoying some freedom by jumping fences lately. Ruby inches above Mr. Stripey in the competition for noisiest cat. She’s easy to figure out when you can’t see her but only hear her. The sunshine is a great place to take a bath. Or scratch your head. Momma comes and joins the party. And parties a little more hearty by hanging out on…

  • Appalachian Trail 2010

    The Trail South of Waynesboro | AT Video of the Week

    This week we’re going to jump ahead to north-central Virginia and just go for a nice walk in the woods. We’d just left Paul C. Wolfe shelter after holing up there for the afternoon and evening the day before while it rained. We’d come nearly 16 miles from the Maupin Field shelter that morning and had made good time, arriving mid-afternoon to the Wolfe shelter. Had it not been raining I think we’d have gone straight into Waynesboro that evening instead. However, the next morning dawned clear and bright, and we booked it for Rockfish Gap where we called for a shuttle into Waynesboro. Our destination—and what I know I…

  • Outdoors

    Backyard Nature

    Sunday was a gorgeous day and I spent some time wandering our yard looking at the flora and fauna in it. The turtles started gathering at their usual spot for a morning sunbath. I noticed a Rubus trailing down by the pond. The rattlebox (Sesbania) mesmerized me for a few minutes… so much so I took two different photos. The sky was the color I always wish I could just roll in, a stunning blue that puts a smile on my face. I tried to get closer to the turtle but it saw me move and dashed under the water never to return. Some resurrection fern was rehydrated, others were…

  • Food,  Vegetable and Fruit Portraits

    Eggplants | Fruit & Vegetable Portraits

    If there is one thing about eggplant, it is that you can easily have too many! We grew all of these varieties last year, actually another one that keeled over before harvest, but I concluded one or two plants will suffice next year. I saved seeds from I think most of them, either that or we had some leftover, but nonetheless eggplants in moderation. White Star Hybrid These were pretty neat in that you could really tell that they were ripe/overripe as they turned yellow or dark orange, in addition to becoming rock hard. Not an edible stage! Rosita This size eggplant worked great for eggplant parm sandwiches. Listada di…

  • Hiking,  Outdoors,  Travel & Places,  Washington State

    Inspiration & Perfection Lakes | Enchantment Lakes

    I know, I know, I haven’t finished writing about our trip to Washington State. My excuses are a: laziness, b: a crappy computer that has on several occasions shut down when I’ve had photos open in Photoshop thus leading to loss of interest in processing photos, and c: other interesting things that have been going on. But, I’m hoping to remedy this soon and finish the photos and writing about the trip. When I last left off, I was talking about goats. The goats were still prevalent for the rest of the trip and were definitely a source of entertainment! On our second morning of being in the Enchantments we…

  • Appalachian Trail 2010

    Muskrat Creek Shelter | AT Video Of The Week

    This is the first shelter into North Carolina (going north) on the Appalachian Trail. We’d left Hiawasee that morning with sunny skies, however by evening it had started clouding over. I remember thinking it was pretty hard to leave town as it was our first town stop along the way. The next morning it started snowing and we walked up a snow covered Standing Indian Mountain. It was a long day but eventually we made it to Carter Gap Shelter for the night. I need a few nights in a tent soon.

  • Thoughts

    Reading & Listening

    These days I’m… Reading: Flower Confidential. I’ve known about this book for several years but finally picked it up at a used book store several weeks ago. I’m really loving it so far and it has me rethinking buying cut flowers, but not only that it delves into this crazy world of hybridization and growing plants. I’m about halfway through and will likely do a full review at Sprout Dispatch when I am done. Barnheart: The Incurable Longing for a Farm of One’s Own. This I picked up on a whim one day when I went to the library to pay a fine. At first glance I thought I would…

  • Appalachian Trail 2010

    Breakfast At Blue Mountain Shelter | AT Video of the Week

    Blue Mountain Shelter was a fairly nice shelter, but I mostly remember it being pretty busy that night and morning. Yes, that is a dog in the sleeping bag. The girl leaning up against the shelter was its owner, and she was doing a short section, I think just Georgia. I remember her most that she picked up a slightly bruised if not half eaten banana from the parking area from the gap below and ate it. The mother and son there making breakfast over their stove were from Germany. I believe they ended up getting off trail because of her father’s ill health. I never heard anything more after…