It Isn't That I Don't Have Anything...Maybe, I Have Too Much!

It is certain that I'm not the only agent ever to look at the calendar and bemoan the fact that it's been at least a week since I posted. (Wow, does that transport me back to being a Catholic kid going into the confessional and making up stuff to confess).  This time I'm not making it up, there's been people locally telling me that they're so glad I started blogging again that I really do feel bad about the temporary lapse.

It surely isn't because nothing is going on, there's plenty to talk about.  For example, at the elevation I live at 3400 ft, now is the time to get a number of things into the garden.  I have raised beds and for years I've been planting too early. Recently I attended the Mother Earth News Fair in Asheville, NC and sat in on Ira Wallace's seminar about raising garlic and onions.  She is an owner and founding member of Southern Exposure Seed Exchange. I bought her book Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast and am gaining some insight as to how to work in harmony with gardening in the mountains of Western North Carolina.  Our chilly weather persisted even later this year.  Last week we were still having overnight temperatures in the 40s!  Right now it is only 57 degrees.  So that has been one time sensitive road block to daily blogging.

The other happened late Saturday night.  We'd been out on the deck admiring the fireflies and some shimmering lightening in the sky.  We hadn't been back in the house for more than 10 minutes when the winds whipped up and the skies opened with a deluge of rain.  A minute later there was tremendous cracking, popping and thudding outside close to the house.  As soon as the rain let up, I went outside convinced that what I'd heard was the lid to the compost bin being ripped off.  Nope. It was fine.  What had fallen though were a few huge trees and what looked like a million limbs and branches.  It is hard to tell in this photo of wreckage but normally, there is nothing but lovely clear ground leading into the woods like in the second photo.  I'm feeling nothing but grateful that no living inhabitants nor their structures were hurt or damaged but I'm working my way back to pulling the order out of the chaos.  Well, that's my story and if nothing else...I have fresh blog fodder!