A June Wedding

On June 9th my amazing daughter and her wonderful man got married up at Cooper's Rock State Park. This is the rock that they got married on...it is not THE Cooper's Rock, but a fabulous rock nonetheless ! It's hard to tell how large it is without people around it, but I'd say from the ground to the level part by the ferns, where they took their vows, is a good 10 feet or so. The weather was perfect,this after thunderstorms and drenching rains moved in the evening before. The Bride and Groom wanted a casual ceremony with "a picnic in the woods" sort of theme, which suited them perfectly. I love how they did just what they wanted and didn't sweat all the silly details and expectations created by various religious notions or the very wasteful and profitable Wedding Industry. They've started their life together with care, honesty ....and a nice piece of land to build on !

Summer Solstice

Here it is, the longest day of 2007 already ! This is the view from our front yard, practically. It was taken at about 5:45 this morning. The light plays over it all day, a constantly changing show. The seasons work their magic, also...fog, snow, rain , even the amount of humidity in the air all create very different effects.

It overlooks a "calf and cow" farm...I think that's what it's called....pasture impregnated beef cows on these rolling hills, let them calve and keep the young ones with their mothers for a few months and then it's off to a " finishing" process for the young ones while their mothers stay , graze and grow wide with the next calf developing inside her. I read somewhere that that cycle goes on for 5 or 6 years for the mother cow and then she herself is sent off for slaughter. I can see how people have a hard time connecting the contented looking animals they see out in the sunny pastures, to the meat industry as a whole. They never see the fear, pain and suffering endured by the animals in transport to and at the industrial slaughterhouses that turn living, breathing sentient creatures into sanitized steaks, burgers , leather, dog food and so on.

This morning while walking with two friends ( and all of our dogs ) we walked by another such pasture, only this one was empty but for one very young calf all alone, not another cow or calf in sight in the acres and acres of fenced fields. He could not have been more than a few weeks old. He stared and stared at us, about 15 feet away, unsure what to do. WE weren't sure what to do...and as we moved off , he just hung his head and slowly wandered off, stumbling a bit. My heart about broke...he's given up already ? Where are the other cows, where's his mother ?! About that time a truck drove by that we flagged down and pointed out the calf. Luckily it was one of the men who work with the cows and he was going to take care of the situation. He said that they had moved them all to another pasture yesterday and this little guy must have gotten separated. I'm happy in one way...the little calf will be reunited with his mother and won't starve , he gets to live on to.... make it to the...slaughterhouse and become...just...another piece..of...meat. Oh.
While going vegan and taking oneself out of the meat-eating loop does make you feel good about not participating in an incredibly cruel and unnecessary industry, it doesn't lessen the heartache felt for the animals having to live their lives out as resources, commodities or entertainment. I think it actually heightens the emotion. Advocating for the animals, speaking up for them, is about the only thing that really lessens the pain and anger on this end, for me , anyway. Not that calling attention to the stranded calf was advocacy ( that was just common sense )...I mean leafleting and supporting vegan efforts to raise consciousness of the cruelty of animal agriculture.

Wrens

This Carolina Wren was furiously stuffing this decorative bee skep with grasses...he ( she ? ) seemed to be in a BIG hurry. I think I saw another one flitting in and out of the shrubs. This skep is on our front porch, just sitting on a table. I don't mind them moving in, but I worry that it is not such a great place...in fact, the cats ( two ) could just reach right in, really. I think I'll move the whole thing up...maybe hang it in the corner of the porch. There is also a pair of house Wrens out back...raising a second wave of wrenlets in a Bluebird house hanging in the Wisteria. Early eviction of House Sparrows ( removed nest ) back in April seemed to send the Sparrows on their way,and then I left the door open...didnt want ot keep clearing out HS nests ! But then J closed the House back up, and within two days the House Wrens took charge. I'd heard that you can have multiple wrens in your yard, they just need to not see each other. So front and back yard territories seem to suit these couples just fine.
A friend, Laureen, and I monitored the Bluebird boxes out at BRCES this morning. She was really great to have along, unafraid to get dirty and intensely curious, as is requisite of all of us amateur naturalists :) She did most of the work...unscrewing the door, looking or gently feeling for babies or eggs. We saw some VERY young , naked babies. The tiny nubs of wings; wrinkled, pot-bellied translucent bodies and gigantic bulging still-sealed up eyes seem far to frail to digest still-kicking robust insects caught by the parents and stuffed down their throats...yet they not only manage, but thrive. Amazing.
We also saw a Northern Oriole, a Worm-Eating Warbler and several Indigo Buntings. The birds were all pretty quiet, perhaps because of a big Scout Training event with Wood Badge.
Zillions of gnats swarmed around us , but none of them bit ( thank you Gnats ! )
What a great start to June !

volunteers

What is it about volunteer plants sprouting up as seedlings in our yards and gardens that gives me such a thrill ? Is it that they mysteriously show up, unaided by human hand, in unexpected places...leaving us to wonder just how the seed got there in the first place ? Maybe it's that little feeling of gratitude: our garden was chosen as the perfect site for this particular plant. Now, I do spend an inordinate amount of time ripping out volunteer grasses, mints and bindweed gone wild, but I still feel surprised and honored when something totally unexpected shows up. This little Dill plant was hiding amongst a thick patch of weeds next to the strawberries , down in the Fenced Garden. A bird was almost certainly responsible for delivering the seed ( or seeds ) from my neighbor's Dill Forest that takes over her garden every Summer. But still. Its tender pale stalk and feathery bluish leaves were instantly recognised for what it was, and carefully weeded around.

Wow...it's been awhile since I've posted. Last i wrote we were heading out to AZ to spend time with my brother. He thrived under Mom and S's care while in Sun Lakes, but once home started to lose weight again. He's now in the hospital...I think it's been a week since he went in. Liquid nutrition is all that he can take in now, and the hospital is trying to track down how he can get the stuff he needs outside of the hopital. Uh, why don't they just sell him what he needs, since no one ele on the island carries the stuff ? How hard is that ?
The dinosaur amongst the pansies is to remind myself just how fleeting life on Earth is, to fully appreciate our lives and those of our family's. The Brontosaurus ( does that name still apply ? ) was found on a gravel road while out on a morning walk with my walking friends...seemed a shame to leave it lying in the road. It had already lost one leg and deep dusty gouges run the length of its body. Why not give it a new life in our garden ? Toads, slugs, worms, birds and uncounted insects will keep it company.

Couldn't Resist !

Every Dandelion in the County got the word to open up today, it seems ! Thousands of the gorgeous little things are everywhere...in lawns, on roadside edges, in fields. In light of the awful shootings at Virginia Tech down in Blacksburg, and my brother's and father's cancer...these obstinate, persistent YELLOW flowers are a strong cheery sight. Grazing animals eat their leaves ( our chickens love a basketful of their leaves, stems flowers and roots) and flowers...people even cultivate Dandelion greens for themselves. Insects collect pollen and nectar, and the seeds feed various finches...including Goldfinches. Last year, out at the Blue Ridge Center, Jamie and I saw hundreds of Goldfinches lift off of a field of Dandelions gone to seed in a single undulating wave. I'll never forget it.
Who knows what sort of microscopic agreements, arrangements and connections are happening underground between the Dandelion and the incredibly abundant world on the other side of the grass ? Despite being labelled a Weed by some people, it carries on its multifaceted life, laughing all the way, I hope !

Off To Arizona

Jamie and I leave for Sunlakes, Arizona , to visit with my Mom and my 4 brothers. The main reason for the gathering is that one of my brothers has pancreatic cancer and we all want to have some time together. Dad can't make it..he's staying behind to deal with one of his own cancers, and then he's off to Hawaii to spend some time with his son and his wife, who I got to know some when Mom and I went out in November '06...I'm so glad that they have each other. I really like her down-to-Earth attitude, and her compassion :>
We'll be gone from Virginia for a week....a lot can happen in a garden in a week ! This picture is of a big Dicentra (I took today ) that puts on quite a show for weeks in the Spring, and wears out later in the Summer. I'll take another picture when I get back and see how much it's grown. No sign of the Garden Toads yet, although we've heard some frogs/toads or peepers in the area. We are honored to host an area for some toads to live. Each Summer evening they patrol the Stone Patio for bugs and slugs. We leave out little Toad Pools ( shallow dishes of water ) for them to soak in when it's dry, hoping to create a nice toad habitat.
We've had close to 3" of rain over the last few weeks...maybe more...our electronic rain gauge fell over, and I didnt keep perfect records of the manual gauge...and it looks as thought it is finally going to warm up. The Stitch Club is on Junco Departing Watch...we're trying to figure when they leave the area. Their numbers have definitley fallen in the last few weeks...they are off to the Boreal Forests to nest and raise their young on the forest floor...I can't get over that...why not up in a tree ??!!! We'll be looking for the first Catbird before long...last year I saw the first ones in our yard on April 25th. It was a great year for Catbirds...they were everywhere it seemed ! Love their tiny little black caps.