Rutledge Falls TN

I have been accused, by my husband and son, of having a case of OCD as it pertains to the cleanliness of my house and the condition of my gardens!  Of course, I completely disagree with this unsolicited diagnoses, though it appears to have some ( a very small "some") merit.  Apparently, it is the amount of time I spend on these activities that is the true issue here.  According to the men  in my life I don't spend enough time having FUN.  I usually respond to this accusation with the my standby response of  "Gardening IS fun to me" and "A clean and orderly home makes me happy".  Here's the thing, when I stop to really think about it...they are RIGHT!!  Oh, I'd never let them in on that tidbit of information, as the gloating would be more than I could bear.  Instead, I made a promise this Summer, a promise to them and to myself.   I promised that I would spend less time obsessing over the house and gardens and more time having fun.  Fun is subjective, of course.  It means different things to different people.  To me it means spending more time experiencing new things, reconnecting with enjoyable things not done in awhile, and allowing some things to go undone.  With that promise in mind, I put aside the garden and housework this past weekend, packed up a picnic lunch, grabbed my husband and headed to-

Rutledge Falls

A mere 20 minutes from home, Rutledge Falls is THE swimming hole of choice for locals.  Privately owned, the family has chosen to leave this area open to the public. 

The falls give way to shallow rock areas perfect for setting out a picnic, wading or sunning.

Never overly crowded and free of charge, generations of local children have spent their summers herel

It was peaceful, cool, romantic and FUN!  I think I'm going to like this Promise!  Next on the list, Tubing down the Elk River.

An Ending And A Beginning!!

     Hello my fellow bloggers!  It has been a whirlwind year and I've had little time for gardening and even less time for blogging.  My year began on a sad note, as my mother lost her fight with cancer in January.  Losing a parent is incredibly more difficult than I had imagined.  I'm sure that many of you have experienced this and know the terrible sense of loss and change that I have felt.  Nature being my healer, I'm currently working on a memorial garden in her honor and will be sure to blog on its' progress as it moves from paper to reality.

On a Joyful Note--we welcomed our first grandchild into this world on June 4th!  Sweet Baby Adrian as I like to refer to him!  He is truly a blessing in our lives and has brought great joy to me in my time of grief.  We are looking forward to all the wonderful "grandparent" experiences ahead.

So my dear friends, you can see that 2011 has been anything but normal for me.  However, I have managed to get in some tomatoes and cucumbers this year and am attempting to keep up with the garden of weeds!  In the next few days I will post some pictures on the beautiful Gladiolas that have managed to do wonderfully with no upkeep from this busy gal.  See you then!

Happy Gardening!

     

Copyright Infringement and the Internet

Many of you will notice that I have not been blogging.  However, the other day I received a comment on my last post which was called "A Silent Plea for Winters' End"  the post included a poem which I had located online.  I had given credit to the person and blog on which I had found this poem.  The commenter was a bit upset, she indicated that she was the author of this poem and did not have a problem with me posting it, as long as she was given credit.  I attempted to contact this person concerning the issue, but no email or link was available.  Obviously, she did have a problem because today I received an email from blogspot, they had a complaint of copyright infringement on this post and have removed the post.  And they also had some stern words concerning the issue.   Many bloggers post poems or quotes on their blogs, most of which are not their own. I have always given credit where credit is due, however, I have also gone by the assumption that the source from which I've gotten the material has also given proper credit.  It is apparent, from this situation, that this is not always the case.
The problem I ran into was who to believe, the person whose blog I had gotten the Poem from or the commenter who claimed she was the author.  While I understand the commenter being upset, I certainly think it could have been addressed differently had I been given some type of contact information and a chance to explain and correct the problem.  Dear Bloggers, please be careful or your sources when you are adding material to your blog.  While I enjoyed the poem, it was just a fill in post and certainly not worth the hassle. 

Happy Gardening!

Learning From The Garden

I was perusing some older photos of the garden the other day and it struck me how much it has changed in the 3 years since I began to carve out the beds and give each plant a home.  We know, even expect, that a garden will change from moment to moment, day to day, year to year.  It will grow, some will not make it through, some will flourish and become unruly, seeds will blow about creating beauty you never knew possible, your best laid plans may or may not come to fruition, and some under appreciated plants will suddenly become the best thing you ever planted, the only thing certain about a garden is that it will change.  Our lives are no different than the garden!  This was never so obvious to me as it has been this year.  I am not particularly fond of change, though rationally I know it will happen whether I want it to or not.  I prefer quiet change, a gentle type that simmers awhile before it boils and am much less happy with change that seems to run up and smack you hard in the head...you know the kind I speak of!  I have been smacked in the head so often lately, I honestly think I have a concussion!  In the span of 5 short months my Mom has been diagnosed with cancer, gone through treatment to no avail and now faces having her voice box removed, my husband suddenly lost the job he had been in for 18 years leaving us without our main source of income and putting us into a state of shock and panic, he has since been fortunate enough to secure a better position and just as we began to believe the storm had passed, a very close and dear friend suddenly died of a massive heart attack, leaving everyone who loved him to ponder the fragility of life.   We have come out the other side intact, but forever changed in a multitude of very personal, deep down in the soul ways.  We have grown, much the same as the garden after a storm.  Today, we were informed that we are to become Grandparents....Hallelujah, the sun is shining and the birds are singing!!  Change, my friends, happens moment to moment, day to day, year to year.  In life, as in the garden, the sun will shine, the storm will come, change will happen, it is inevitable!
Happy Gardening!
  

Cemetery Centennial Potluck 2010

Every 2nd Saturday of September our mountain community gathers for the annual cemetery potluck.  This tradition has gone on for decades, starting as an annual clean-up and transforming into a day spent decorating the headstones and enjoying good food and good company.   I'll admit that I originally found the concept odd, at best.  I simply couldn't wrap my head around eating at a cemetery, uckk!  However, I have found it to be a truly sweet way of showing respect for those family members that have passed on.  Our little mountain is predominatly inhabited by folks whose families have owned this land for generations and our cemetery serves as the final resting place of those who have gone before them.  The tradition brings generations of family home each year allowing them the opportunity to spend time with cousins, aunts, parents, siblings and grandparents in one visit.  While the potluck takes place for only one day, the family gatherings go on for several days beforehand and even afterward.    Wondering what a Cemetery potluck looks like?  Well, here are some pictures of this years gathering, which happened to be the Centennial Anniversary of the mountain cemetery.

 The tree over the cement tables is an oak whose acorns have been known to cause serious injury so several years back the community got together a built a covered pavilion to avoid this.  It's a great addition and helped hugely when a storm came through this year.

Tucked up under the tree in the corner is a wonderful little gospel band that plays during the gathering.

Four generations of the Sisk Family, a local family who have been on the mountain for over 100 years.

We always have a great time visiting with everyone and I find I look forward to this event every year.  My husband and I own plots in this cemetery and hope that our extended family will continue to participate in this wonderful tradition.

Got Roosters?

I'm joining in on the Rooster Blog Party at Bella Vista today.   My Rooster collection began 20 years ago when my Great-Grandmother gave me several Roosters she had displayed in ther kitchen for years.  I was thrilled and the love affair began.  I have refrained from including all of them as it could just go on forever, but you'll find some of my favorites below.

(You can click on the photos to enlarge them in another window)

I love the curtains in my breakfast nook (upper right) the crazy looking Rooster to the left of those is about 2 feet tall and sets in a corner next to the kitchen table. 

Even in the garden, you'll find the wonderful Rooster weathervane that resides in the Potager Garden.  I apologize for the snow, I just didn't get a chance to get a current picture and I really think he looks lovely all white and frosty!  From top right: my favorite as it was one of the wonderful pieces my great-grandmother passed to me.  Next is actually the chandelier that hangs in the breakfast nook and the beautiful guy next to that is my newest addition.  I just fell in love with his tail!  

If you get a chance hop on over to Bella Vista and check out some other bloggers Roosters.  If you don't have them already, I guarantee it will inspire you to run out immediately and begin a long and happy love affair with all things Rooster!  Find the Rooster Blog Party button to your right, click ..and your off!!  Enjoy!