Amazing:

 We took April, age 12, in to see the vet several weeks ago. She was unable to make it up the slope in the back yard. She now gets a shot  once a month and can bound up on the sofa. We have our active April back again. She will get these shots for the rest of her life but we like her mobility.

Prior Articles:

Every few years I google my name and check as to what I am doing or have done. Here is a link to an article I wrote years ago. I wrote across a broad spectrum. 

https://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/witty-sayings-zbcz2004/

Zoomies:

 

Keep him calm, don't introduce him to new people, no walks, can go potty on a leash in the back yard they say. German Shepherds have pent up energy that they need to burn off and if we can't take him for walks or any of the things mentioned, they will take it upon themselves to burn off that energy, in the form of zoomies. When the zoomies kick in we can't keep up with four dogs who go along with the exercise. 

Our home is a small home with 1,100 sf, and when an 83 pound dog burns off energy in the form of zoomies with three other dogs of equal size it is pandemonium.   Keep him calm they say...that is a joke. We might as well try to put a hurricane in a mason jar. 

Biting Bugs:

 

We have both been eaten up with biting insects so we bought this bug zapper that is suppose to eliminate biting insects like mosquitoes and their cousins. Something about the mosquitoes here is different than prior places we have been. These are very small and mostly transparent. We are being bitten and don't even know it. This zapper is effective for a radius of one acre.   Go get em zapper.

Blind Eyes:

This 9 year old boy was an owner surrender at the same shelter he was adopted from as a little puppy. What is so sad is that people see this but don't really see it at all. Abandon at a shelter where he will be put to death because they need the space. 

This reminds me of a bible study I led at a church in Tallahassee, Fla, many years ago.  We were discussing the homeless in the city and one of the members stated with a authoritarian aire that there were no homeless in Tallahassee. I knew where she lived and told her to slow down when she went under a bridge on her way home and look carefully under the bridge. 

She was not at the bible study the following week. People tend to deny the heartache of dogs and people like this and pretend it doesn't happen or it is someone else's problem. It does happen way to often and this is the sad reality of life. People who surrender their dogs to a shelter when they get old are the bottom dwellers of humanity in my opinion. 

We just adopted Rex from Dallas as he was 8.5 years old and has heartworm.  He is an absolute delight and a perfect family member. I just wish more people would see the value in these senior dogs and would not turn them into the shelter when they get old or sick. He has more love, loyalty (something his owner lacked) and compassion to give. He is a real blessing to our family. 

Drunken Squirrel:

 

 

We have a few blueberry bushes that are about 12' tall and some of the blueberries are fermenting on the bush. Squirrels love them. I saw a squirrel yesterday laying on a limb in a tree at the end of our deck and figured he might be a little drunk. We learned about this when camping in Torrea State Park in N. Fla several years ago. We were camped in an area with very tall pine trees and laying in my hammock I kept hearing this thump noise. All I would see was a squirrel on the ground.

I finally figured out what it was and watched this squirrel fall off a scuppernog grape vine that was high up in the trees. He was eating those scuppernog grapes that were fermented and then falling off the vine to the ground which was soft with 5-6" of pine needles. He would lay on the ground until he recovered and then go back for more. 

Apparently it is the same with blueberries. 

Getting To Know Your Canine:

In a little over a week and a half we are slowly getting to know Rex's personality. He is a very intelligent boy with a sense of humor. He will take the air deflectors off the vents and carry they around without any damage and just lay them down with a smile. He is not above sneaking freshly baked bran muffins off the counter and sharing them with his sister.  He is very gentle and loves praise and attention. He has taken his heartworm treatment in calm stride and was such a good boy at the vets. We are learning his traits and he is learning ours. 

Sounds Easy:

 One of the most important parts of Rex's heartworm treatment is to keep him calm so the dying worms don't break off in large chunks and cause blockage in vital organs. If his heartrate goes up the risk is greatly increased. That sounds "easy enough" but in reality it is not as easy as it seems. 

Take last night for example. Some of our nearby neighbors were setting off fireworks and firing guns until almost two in the morning. That set two of our dogs into full blown uncontrollable panic.  Calming  Rx did not faze them and they were totally out of control. While Rex was not directly effected by the loud explosions he was indirectly effected by two full blown out of control dogs.  

Under normal circumstances we have been able to keep him calm but then there are inconsiderate people who we can't control that impact our lives. While fireworks are illegal in NC it is not something the local law enforcement is willing to handle. It was not a good night and seeing two of our dogs in full blown, uncontrolled panic and not being able to help them was a nightmare. For five hours they were in full eye bulging panic. 

Happy Birthday America:

 Today in the USA we celebrate our country's 249th birthday. People will go on picnics, to the beach, BBQ out with neighbors and a host of other things to celebrate. Tonight will be fireworks and those will drive our fur family crazy. Those around us will celebrate by shooting off guns/fireworks into the air. That drives our pooches absolutely nuts. 

Unfortunately what they shoot up into the air comes down and last January 1st what goes up did come down.  We went out the next morning and found a dent in the hood of our vehicle where one of those bullets came down and hit our car. There is so much gun fire in our area that any invaders would be very negligent to ever try to take our area. In fact it would probably be highly dangerous to attempt that anywhere in our country except the gun free zones established by liberals/progressives. 

As I look around the area where we live it looks calm and peaceful but on the fourth of July and new years it is anything but calm. Other times of the year I hear people out practicing to stay proficient. I used to have a .22 rifle but I gave it to my son years ago. I learned to shoot by laying a Coke bottle on its side and shooting through the small end you drink from and knocking out the bottom. That helped me maintain my expert status when I was in the military. 

Being able to shoot firearms is one of our rights but I sure hate what it does to our dogs. 

Sad But Predictable Behavion:

 Over our 26+ years in the mountains of S. Colorado and also here in NC we have seen pretty much the same behavior in people. In S. Colorado people would build a home in our area for the cool summers. We rarely got above 80 degrees and they would move to our area to get away from the triple digit temperatures. It is similar here except the summer temperatures do go up to the high 80's - mid 90's plus the humidity is high making it seem hotter. 

Then they would discover that while the temperature is cooler and they would be out on hikes with the wild animals; bear, lynx, mountain lion, bobcat, wolves, badger and a host of animals that were dangerous  that city life had not prepared them for this.  They had no experience with wild animals except where they are well fed and enclosed in zoo's were different. They would slowly realize that they were a possible food choice for many of these animals. Instead of getting along with the animals they would take a more aggressive approach which does not always work out well. 

Then would come winter where our average snowfall, according to the HUD report, we received when we bought the property averaged 264"  per long winter. Having to deal with that much snow each winter and wild animals in the warmer months suddenly made city people aware that lifestyle wasn't for them.  

Here in NC it is the heat, humidity, bugs and abundant rain that  brings some people to the realization that they are essentially living the same lifestyle that they were living  from where they left. They venture out on nice days and the rest of their time they spend in air conditioning. Some people are unable to adapt to a vastly different environment. Those who adapt best are the ones who are able to afford two homes - one where they came from and one where they can live part time. 

Not all people are suited to a different lifestyle as they are unable to adapt. That is okay with me as otherwise our area would be so full of people that it would be uncomfortable for those of us who can and are willing to adapt. They also tend to bring the very things that they didn't like from where they moved from to the new area. People need to research the area they want to move to before they move to it and consider if they are willing to make the changes it will require. 

Heartworm Treatment Update:

Our Visit yesterday with the vet was informative. Rex has the shot that slowly kills the heartworm. 
As the worms die small pieces at the end of the worm break off and go into his body where the body deals with them.  It is imperative that he be kept calm all the time because if his heart rate increases there is a definite risk that larger pieces of the worm will break off and they can lodge in his lungs and other parts of his body in the form of a clot that can kill him. 

So we have to keep him calm for the next 90 days to avoid that from happening. He can go out two times a day to go potty and Rex can have no activity that will increase his heart rate like guests and such. We have a crate for him but he doesn't have to stay in it as long as he can stay calm. Our vet does not treat heartworm in the summer months because the heat can cause an increase in the heart rate. 

Heartworm Treatment:

 Today Rex goes in for his heartworm evaluation and to initiate treatment. I will post his status as I am sure the heartworm treatment has vastly improved since I had experience with   it many years ago. 

A County Gone Wrong:

 We hear and read about these shootings but never expect to have one in our small community. Today a prisoner was taken to the same hospital we use and the correction officer was taken off guard and he and the prisoner scuffled for his gun and the prisoner got it away from him and fatally shot and killed him. Even here in our small tourist community. The prisoner then commandeered a car and went on a one hour pursuit before being captured again. 

Rejection:

 This is a photo of complete rejection. A pet that has been a member of a home where they felt secure and wanted and loved that suddenly ends up in a shelter - in some cases a kill shelter where they know either by sight or smell that they only have a limited time left. Like Rex who is such a good loyal, loving boy. 

People walk by their cage and keep going and they soon become hopeless like this photo shows. I see photos like this far too often. There is no gratitude and love like a rescued dog from a shelter. 

Know Your Canine:

 When I was just a young man I thought I knew all about dogs. Now that I have years of experience I can look back and realize that I actually didn't know anything. Having lived remotely in the mountains of S. Colorado for over 26 years where we did not have many people around except when we drove the 50 miles into town for groceries we lacked social interaction. 

We would occasionally get together with others but mostly it was our choice and when we encountered people in town we usually couldn't wait to get back home where it was quiet and peaceful. Then when we moved here one of the first places our daughter took us was to an orchard that had a large building full of things they grew. It was also a popular attraction. There were people everywhere and when I went into the building it was chock full of people. 

I had never experienced a panic attack before but being surrounded by people so close and on all sides I had a full blown panic attack. Rex and other canines experience many of the same emotions and feelings as we do. 

Rex is on his 4th day here and he goes to the door and just stands there to look out. He was an outdoor dog who lacked the type of interaction we have here. He went from largely being alone to coming into our house with three other dogs. He has had a couple of panic attacks, when the other fur pack members sometimes come in close proximity to himself. 

When that happens he will curl his lip and snarl at them - unfortunately they don't fully understand what is going on. I however do because I have experienced the same type of panic.  By observing his behavior I understand why he reacts like that.  When he gets panicky he will go by himself to a door and look out until he calms himself down then he will go off by himself, to rest, away from the other dogs. 

It is only by closely observing his behavior that we understand what is going on with him. One of us is usually there to correct the action - but that doesn't stop his panic. First knowing what is going on with him and knowing also that time and patience will eventually resolve it, is the remedy. That observation may not seem like much to others but to us it is vital to know what is going on with him and our other dogs. 

To accurately know the problem is to control the problem and make the transition into our family much more smooth and peaceful for him. I would not have been able to identify that situation when I was younger because then I knew it all  but really didn't know anything.

Rex Update:

Rex has been here three days and he settled in pretty good.  His records tell us he had been surrendered to the Dallas shelter two times in his life. One time is hard on a dog but two times presents even more challenges for him and now we are his third new family. It has to be hard for him to comprehend.  We can see he was used to being the only dog and an outdoor dog at that. He has much to adjust to. 

He was transported by car across the country and is in his third home with three other dogs and two different humans. The dogs are feeling their way around each other and next week he will go in for more change, by starting his heartworm treatment. I would say that under the circumstances he is doing well and will adjust just fine, given time. 

He has to learn to trust again and there have been a couple minor incidents where he let the other fur family know he wants his space. All very normal considering his last few days at the shelter and being on death row, then going across town to be examined by a new vet, then going in isolation for three days. 

Dogs know they are in a kill shelter and I can only guess what went through his mind when he was in isolation. The dogs are still giving him space to adjust and relax.  It will be a challenge for him but I think he is doing well considering everything he has been through. More updates to come but I don't know many people who could cope with the circumstances he has been through. 

I wish we didn't have to take him in for heartworm treatment so soon but he does cough enough to make me realize that the sooner the better in order to give him a better chance at life. The other dogs will let us know when he has acclimated and is a part of the pack, it may just take lots of patience and time. 

Heartworm:

Heartworm is a nasty disease; many years ago I had a dog that had it. Back then there was no remedial treatment for it and it does not improve on its own. Rex coughs on minimal exertion and he has an appointment to see our veterinarian in less than a week.  We are providing the vet with abundant records that came with him from Dallas TX. 

We hope that his treatment starts on his first visit to give him the best chance of recovery. In just the day that we have had him he is a very mild boy who fits right in with our pack and family. We were able to rescue him off death row as he had a time and date he would be euthanized. We jumped through several hoops to get him cleared and transported to us and we want him healthy and over his heartworm disease. 

From what I have learned so far the 6 weeks after his initial treatment he has to be still, no exertion and no excitement. No running, jumping or any activity that will increase his heart rate. That will include meeting new people or any excitement. His recovery will depend on his staying calm. 

Heartworm is an insidious disease and something we did not have to be concerned with when we lived in the mountains at 9,800' elevation as the mosquito could not survive there long enough to pass it on to animals.  

Rex:

He is here -  arrived about 45 minutes ago. Initial introductions went okay as long as our three give him room now to decompress. HE IS SO HANDSOME. 

We have now had a chance to review the paperwork sent with Rex. It appears he went through this shelter four years ago. We have given him time today and for the next few days to wind down and relax. I found a new age channel of calming music on the television and that has been a calming and relaxing influence for him. He has been resting and sleeping for most of the day which is good.  

It troubles me that his time was going short as he was on death row and no one spoke for him. It was God's providence that I saw him on a site that I don't usually visit. From the day I saw him everything has just fallen into place and now he is here and we can see what a wonderful boy he is. 

Rex:

Rex has had his vet visit and passed with flying colors. We just heard  from the transport company and he is on his way and expected late tomorrow afternoon. We already have an appointment with our vet for him and he will have a new orthopedic bed and food bowl.  Come on Rex to your new home and hope you will get along with your new fur family members. 

A Matter Of Perspective:

 Sometimes it is wise and prudent to look at the other persons point of view and conflicts can be eliminated without doing battle.. 

Blueberries:

Our blueberry bushes are starting to ripen and if they all ripen we will have a lot of berries. The branches are so laden with berries they are hanging down. 
 

Confusion:

 I used to volunteer for a German Shepherd rescue for several years, investigating, processing and approving, or not, applicants who desired to adopt a German Shepherd Dog (GSD}. By adopting Rex it may confuse some who have known me for many years. It was my goal to only approve applicants that would provide a home for one of our rescues that would provide the dog an environment where it could succeed and prosper.

We would get applicants who were my age now - senior in their 80's - who would want to adopt a  young GSD without providing for that dogs future when they would pass away. They did not consider the dog or its future care, they just wanted a GSD.  They would get angry when I would not approve them to adopt. In fact I had a friend that did just that and left the GSD to his son when he died. The dog was neglected and had injuries and allowed to run free where there were numerous predators. It was not a good situation for the GSD.

We are elderly and we adopt senior dogs. Most do not want a senior dog as their life span is only a few years, as is the case with Rex; he is 8 years old but that could easily be 8 years 11 months old. Average age of a GSD is 10 years old. Most don't want to go through the heart ache of losing a dog so the older dogs languish in a kennel until they die. I don't blame people as losing a dog is one of the most painful experiences people have in life. 

Older dogs like Rex who are turned in at a shelter to be euthanized is one of the lowest forms of human life in my opinion.  We will pamper Rex just like our other dogs so he will experience real love and affection. With him being an outside dog I doubt he had much affection but he will have to adjust to being inside and an integral part of our family. It will be new to him and he will be spoiled in no time at all. 

He will learn commands which he does not now possess, and  we will need great patience but if he learns fast and we endure he will be a good member of our family.  It will be exciting to see his personality come out in the next few months. His initial treatment will be costly since he is heartworm positive but it will be worth it. Rex deserves a good rest of his life. 

My hope is that those who read this blog will change their attitudes if necessary toward senior dogs. 

Introductions:

 We thought we were through adopting another dog due to our age but here we are adopting Rex. When I was writing articles for Mother Earth News I wrote several on dogs including one on how to introduce a new dog into your pack. 

Normally we would make first introductions at the shelter by taking our family members to meet the new addition there. In this case the shelter is a thousand miles away so that is not possible. We will make the introductions here but at a distance from the house/property on what could best be described as neutral ground. 

We will introduce our present pack one at a time based on the order in which they were adopted and then walk them for a short walk, each singular, along with Rex and then return our present pack to the house to wait.  

I will then take Rex into the fenced back yard to check it out by himself and relieve himself if necessary. The rest of the pack will be allowed into the back yard one at a time until they are all comfortable with each other. They will all relieve themselves and their excitement and any tensions at this time under our watchful eye. The usual routine is that where ever Rex goes potty the others will mark his spot which will tell him where he is on the pecking order. 

Then we will let them all into the house together but with the leash still on Rex.  This will tell the pack that he is now a member of the pack and tell him he needs to conform to be a part of the pack.  Proper introductions are very important to introduce a new member and it also conveys who are the alpha members(myself and Carol) which avoids conflict later on

This has been our method over the years and it has worked well. A good start usually means a happy pack and less trouble/problems and tension. Rex will then take all his cues from us and the pack. 

Rex:

 We adopted Rex last night and now all that is left is getting him vet checked and transported. I don't know what others see in his eyes but I see concern and worry. We adopted him from a kill shelter and usually owner surrenders are killed the first day or two. He had until Friday and when I saw the concern in his eyes  I knew we needed to do something. There is a smell in kill shelters that the dogs know they are on death row. 

His first trauma is knowing he is in a kill shelter and his time is limited. The owner had him as an outdoor dog and turned him in when he was a senior of 8 years old - possibly because he tested positive for heart worm. They never trained him in basic commands and he probably got little attention as an outdoor dog. 

His second trauma will be when he is taken to the clinic to get a health certificate so he can cross state lines. Then he will be transported by vehicle to us which will also be traumatic. When no one spoke up for him - probably due to his age - we did and hopefully he will be here next week. That look in his eyes is wonder and fear as to what happened to him to be in this place. 

Not knowing any commands, having been an outdoor dog who probably did not have much interaction our work will be cut out for us but we have experience so we can handle it. We look forward to the challenge so he can have a long and happy rest of his life. 

We will do further blogs as we go further in his acclimation and training. 

This Guy May Be Our New Family Member:

Since I am on so many animal rescue sites I got this guy today. He is in Dallas TX and is 8 years old and in a kill shelter. His date was June 20, 11:00, We completed the application today and have arranged for a transport company to pick him up and bring him to us. He is positive for heart worm, is 8 years old and was an owner surrender who kept him outside so he is not house broken.  

Those are things we can deal with. Hope it all goes according to plan.  He is reported to be a gentle boy and I hope that is true. 

A Word About Chiggers:

 

If you look up chiggers they are described as tiny immature mites that latch onto human skin and feed on it. That would be the more technical description. I have my own definition:  They are tiny little red bugs that come from the very pits of hell. They itch miserably and when you think the itching is finally over it starts all over again. 

They like to live where it is wet or moist and since we live in a temperate rainforest we are in their home base headquarters. There are several things you can buy to relieve the itching but none seems to work over a few minutes. The bites are usually around your waist, your private areas, behind your knees or actually anywhere on your body. Especially where your clothes are tight like around your waist. 

Mosquitos are bad but are nothing compared to chiggers. The one thing to remember about mosquitos is that only the males buzz but they don't bite. The males buzz to attract females.  The females are the ones that bite to use your blood to nourish  the eggs they lay. The females don't buzz so when you don't hear them buzzing that is when you need to be extra vigilant.   Like when you are trying to go to sleep at night in a tent and it is quiet. 

Chiggers are worse as they are hard to see and suddenly you start itching and it continues for days if not weeks. It is also embarrassing, like when you meet someone for the first time and  the chiggers get active in your crotch. The impression you leave with that person or those in a checkout line in a store is not always the best. 

Hanging Dog Recreation Area:

 

1. 

                                                                                               

   Finally a day without rain so we took a sandwich to a local  picnic area and enjoyed the view. 

We Live In A Temperate Rainforest:

Yes, North Carolina has a temperate rainforest.  We live two miles from the N. Georgia state line and about 10 miles from the Tennessee state line. We are in the western end of the state. As such we can get up to  80 inches of rain per year. We have a cooler milder climate than the rest of the state. 

It is also known as a cloud forest and it has a unique ecosystem. It is one of the most biodiverse temperate areas in the world. Our heavy rainfall creates lush vegetation. Our temperatures range from cool to crisp to warm which makes it desirable for those from nearby states where the temperatures are triple digit in the spring, summer and fall. 

We have a wide range of plant and animal life and it is reported that we have over 10,000 native species. Because of the mild climate it faces threats from development as more and more people want summer cabins or homes in this area and hence land is being gobbled up and developed. With our heavy rainfall and mountainous terrain not all land is suitable to live on. 

Those who do move or build here discover that we have  numerous insect life and some like chiggers and mosquitos are the biting kind. We have snakes with some species being poisonous plus bear and many other species that share our area. 

When we moved to the mountains of S. Colorado it was sparsely populated but over time more and more people gravitated to the area from cities and urban over crowding and they demanded the same amenities that they were leaving and the area lost its appeal quickly. 

With an influx of population and their demands the county and state  doubled property taxes and then every two years doubled them again. Amenities have costs and the state passes those on to others. Self reliant homesteaders are now becoming fewer and fewer and only a few will remain. Those who do will  face higher taxes and costs. 

I am seeing the same thing happening here in our area. Since we moved here there are new developments adjoining ours. Summertime traffic is increasing  It is sad to see but over the years we have seen it numerous times. I have also noticed that there is a vast difference between those who live and work here and those who just want to use the area for their enjoyment and comfort. 

Arthritis:

 Spent yesterday at the vets to get an X-ray and we found out April has arthritis. She suddenly last week started to have trouble getting up as her back legs just did not work right. We have been through this before with other senior fur family members. She is now on pain meds and anti- inflammatory and seems to be doing somewhat better this morning. 

I have arthritis in both knees and an ankle and I can attest to how painful it is. It doesn't matter if you are human or canine it is a painful and disabling disease. I take over the counter Rx but it does not help that much. It is just something to cope with as you get older. We don't know April's age but we believe it to be around 12 years old. It could be a year one way or the other but it hurts my heart to see her like this. Lucy and Klaus are aware of her condition and are careful around her.

Other of our dogs who have had it lived longer on proper Rx. We are hopeful it will extend April's life also and maybe in the future we will consider a doggy wheel chair for her. 

One Little Bird:

During the severe thunder storm yesterday this little bird perched on top of the bird house on our deck where it was nice and dry and watched the storm for a good half hour. Finally another bird flew up to join this little bird and the little bird flew off as did the intruder. Obvious that the little bird was not inclined to share his dry spot. 

Golf Cart Cover:

 We bought a golf cart to go to get our mail which is a distance from our house. With my walking limitations I no longer can walk that far. They do not deliver to our house so we have to get our mail at the entrance of our community. The pollen is very thick here so we bought a cover for the golf cart. 

It has been raining off and on for the last 16 hours plus the electricity has been out and just now came back on. The cover for the cart is obviously water proof which is good. At least the power does not go off as frequently as it did at our mountain cabin in Colorado. 

Living in Colorado for a quarter century prepared us well for power outages so being off for 16 hours here was a walk in the park. 

LIfe Lesson:

 I used to lift weights and work out at a gym with a small group of men who were serious about weight lifting. Not for bulking up but weight lifting for. One was a fierier, two  professional football players, another owner of a store, and one a minister. We worked out on a regular basis and I found out it was best to have a spotter on the bench when I was moving up in the weights. 

I was pushing my limit one time when I needed some help. My mind told me I couldn't lift that much weight and I got stuck part way up but not enough to get the bar into the rack. One of the guys came over to help me put the bar and the weights into the rack. He stood at my head and put his hands under the bar and from where I lay it looked like he was helping me lift the bar and weights into the rack. 

When the bar was safely into the rack he told me he had not lifted the weight at all just put his hands under to where it looked to me like he was helping lift. It is called a "sticking point" and I actually did the lifting even though my brain told me I couldn't do it. It goes to show just how our brains can limit us but be tricked at the same time. Sometimes we just need to push through what we think we can't do and not be limited. 

Mountains:

 We love the mountains and we moved from living at 9,800 feet elevation to the smokies at 1,800 feet elevation. There is quite a difference in the two places but the mountain life is pretty much the same. One thing I noticed is that my ankles tend to swell at the lower elevation and I have been checked out and my heart is normal. It is the elevation difference. While these mountains seem like foothills to me they are rocky just like the mountains we came from. The photo below is from our front deck in S. Colorado. Our views were much better in the Rockies. 

Peaches:

 South Carolina peaches are in and while Georgia is known as the peach state, South Carolina peaches are some of the best I have tasted. When we lived in S. Colorado our peaches came from California and they were hard as rocks and when we would let them ripen they would be okay for maybe a couple days and then turn brown inside. 

The peaches native of Colorado were tasty but not anywhere near as tasty as the one we get here. 

Pretty soon the Georgia peaches will be ready and they truly are good ones and we look forward to having them. Both Georgia and South Carolina have the best tasting and ripe peaches and this is a nice treat for us. 

Cast Iron Sign:

My stepson and his wife have been visiting the past 4 days and are on their way back to VA. as I write this. They spent some time shopping at the indoor flea market plus shops in down town Murphy. Carol found this cast iron sign and brought it home to put on our pedestrian gate. 

Our family and friends know to keep it closed but delivery and service workers tend to leave the gate open and we don't want our fur family members to get out and wander off. We love them too much.  Hopefully this will let them know that they need to close the gate when they enter and leave. 

One Down - 3 To Go:

 We started the cauliflower inside and it took 6 weeks and then another two months outside. One was ready and we ate it yesterday and there are two about ready and one is growing pretty slowly so it will be another two weeks at least. Home grown cauliflower is much tastier than store bought. Worth the effort and wait. 

Cauliflower:

 Cauliflower for lunch today on pasta.. Yum we are eating our first cauliflower today and two more are about ready to go..

Garden Status:

 
Cauliflower is coming along good and will be ready to pick soon.  We are about half way through the spinach and lettuce. Our small garden on our deck is doing well if I can keep the critters out of it. We now have several blooms on our turban squash in the back yard. 

i

Death Smell:

We have been smelling something dead for a few days and finally found the source - it was under our shed and it looks like a fox. We think someone shot it and it crawled under our shed and died. I like foxes and don't know why a healthy fox would die under our shed as they usually have dens that they live in. 

Temperate Rain Forest:

 We have been getting rain or thunder showers every day for the past couple weeks and it is forecast into the next several days.  While North Carolina is not considered a rainforest the western part (our area) is considered a temperate rain forest. We do get a lot of rain and enough to qualify as a temperate rainforest. Everything is so green and growing very well. When people move to this area they don't expect as much rain as we get in this part of the state. We have learned to live with. 

As such my small garden is growing faster than we can eat it so I will be doing some sharing. I will also plant a second time so we will have leaf greens all summer long. The opposite of what I had in Colorado where the growing season was so short I was limited in what I could plant. 

Mothers Day:

 

Happy Mothers Day to all mothers, grandmothers, prospective mothers. May God shine his love down on you this special day that you are valued and loved.  

4.1 Earthquake::

WOW The house started shaking and there was a rumbling noise. Earthquake for sure. No damage that I can see or tell. It was an earthquake in Greenback TN, 70 miles from us. The house shook for almost a minute. Haven't hear if any damage was reported yet.

UPDATE: Earthquake Shakes Tennessee-North Carolina Border Area

A magnitude 4.1 earthquake was recorded early Saturday morning near the Tennessee–North Carolina border. The U.S. Geological Survey says the quake happened at 9:04 a.m. local time on May 10, 2025.

The earthquake’s center was about 13 miles southeast of Greenback, Tennessee, and around 14 miles south of Maryville. It was measured at a depth of 16 miles underground.

There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, but people across eastern Tennessee and parts of western North Carolina said they felt the ground shake.

Earthquakes of this size are usually considered minor, but they can still cause light shaking and surprise residents in areas not used to seismic activity.

More information and updates are available on the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program website.

Educating Squirrels:

 I need to educate our grey squirrels. They come up on the deck to eat on the bird seed and drive the dogs crazy. I don't want the dogs to injure themselves on the sliding glass door and I don't want the squirrels to get into my garden. In Colorado I used to feed the squirrels non salted peanuts in the shell and they stayed out of my garden. I put some peanuts out here and they sniffed them but didn't know what they were or that they were something to eat. 

I need to educate these squirrels so they will go for the peanuts and I can feed them somewhere off the porch and away from my garden and the deck. It did not occur to me that they wouldn't know that peanuts in the shell would be something good to eat. 

Super Delicious:

The front package are blueberry muffins that I took a chance on.  What a find!!!  The muffin tastes just like rum cake with tiny blue berries in it. I love rum cake for its texture and different taste. Yum,,

We went back and bought more to freeze. We took two packs over to our neighbor to experience the great taste. 

Fresh Bread, Muffins, Eggs;

 How nice to have a store 10 minutes away where we can buy bread, eggs, tomato, strawberries, muffins and English muffins. Two of the bread products, and muffins and it all came to $32.00. The eggs were fresh as the farm lady just brought them in while we were there. Maybe two hours old.  

Tree Removal:

Here are photos of the tree crew taking down our large oak tree.  It took them about one hour and forty five minutes to take two trees down and run them through the mulcher and clean up. I have cut down hundreds of trees if not thousands but never by  climbing. This was a good decision as the tree in question was probably 20+ inches in diameter and when it fell it broke in two about 15' up. Thank God because the tree was probably 40' high and the climber was all the way to the top and it was rotten inside.  Chastain Tree Service is very efficient and professional.

 

Apple Tree:

 We were out in the back yard watching the crew we hired take down two trees. I looked over at the apple tree that has never produced and lo and behold there were apples on it. All it took was some pruning and Jobe spikes fertilizer. Carol counted 9 apples. 

Being Self Sufficient:

 Several years ago I was discovered by a very popular magazine that is about going back to nature and self sufficiency. I ended up writing blogs that would be published on their web site about our self sufficient lifestyle. We grew much of our vegetables, made do with materials on hand, milled our own lumber and basically were largely self sufficient. 

I wrote for the magazine for over ten years every week or two. I now see more young people moving in a more self sufficient path with groceries so high. Being self sufficient is something that will benefit people for many years as the direction of our country swings back and forth. It doesn't appear that being self sufficient does not go out of style. 

Happy Easter:

 

Just A Memory:

 These sunrises are just a memory now. Being high up on a mountain did produce some memorable sunrises in S. Colorado. Have not seen any here that compares to those in Colorado. 

Life Lessons:

 

When we lived in Colorado we often visited a wolf refuge that was about an hour's drive from us. They had a program where you could sponsor a wolf and they would keep you up to date on that wolf and what was happening. We chose to sponsor a wolf named Lucas because we liked the way he looked. Were we in for a life changing education! 

What we learned was that Lucas was one of the most unusual wolves at the refuge. Lucas was unique in the aspect that he was pack leader not by muscle, cunning or might but out of his capacity to love each wolf in his pack more than any other wolf could. He was pack leader because of this love and out of consensus's of the other wolves. 

When the pack leader gets old it is only natural that a younger male will challenge them for leadership. In Lucas' case not one of the young stronger wolves even attempted to do that because they could not match the love Lucas had for each of them. Lucas was pack leader until the day he died by choice of the other members of the pack. 

Just knowing Lucas taught me more than I could ever learn from a book, pod cast lecture or otherwise.  Just knowing Lucas was more of an education than I could get  anywhere else. When we would visit the refuge I would spend time watching Lucas and once I knew what to look for (wolf behavior is much different) it was plain to see how much Lucas loved his pack members. 

I could write for days and not fully capture all the attributes that Lucas had and how his pack members loved him back and totally respected him. 

 

Garden:

 As I was going through some photo memories when we lived in the mountains of Colorado there was still snow on the ground and in places around the house it was still hardpacked and deep. This time of year we would have had up to 249-380' of snow. No way I could get my garden started yet. 

Here I have spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, cherry tomato and parsley coming up. Our blackberry bush is growing well, squash, as is the apple tree and blueberries. Unfortunately they have to grow in container for our land is mostly rock, some very large and must weigh tons. That is okay because we have a large deck to grow them on. The spring rains are really helping things grow so I should have a harvest before I could even get my garden going in Colorado. 

Growing at 9,800 ' elevation is hard but so is growing in rocky soil here. But grow we do and fresh veggies is worth it.