 | |
| Autumn on Bobcat Ridge |
The mountain "season" lasts from May to October. And a glorious season it is! Pleasant days followed by cool nights, nature abounding, many opportunities to be with friends and family. But, inexorably, the trees dress in vibrant reds and yellows, the days are cool, and nights bring the need for heat. And when the trees drop their beautiful foliage, unveiling their bare branches, it is time to accept the frost and snow and move into the slowness of winter. I'm really ready (thought that would never happen), but would like to share some of the fun.
First, there is the plethora of wild life. Jim and I love to watch it, and we have even made some of the little critters part of our family by naming them (more or less). There were "Daddy and the Girls"...a small family of grosbeaks. For one reason or another the female adult was absent, but the two adolescent females ran their father a merry chase. He nearly wore himself out feeding them, but it was almost poetic to watch him teach them how to care for themselves. The two red squirrels, Junior and Freddie, were tiny, tiny little things. Unlike gray squirrels, they didn't run...they just hopped from place to place. They visited the bird feeders everyday until one day they were just gone. The hen turkey, Mamalade, lived in the yard for weeks until she disappeared, perhaps to hatch a brood of her own. I saw her last week, though, so I guess she is still around. Rackayla, the mother raccoon, still brings her brood onto the porch nightly, looking for whatever the birds and chipmunks leave behind. Chester (our dog) wakes us up wanting to get at them. We decline to allow him to do so. And then there is Scooter...about the most industrious chipmunk I've ever seen. We can all learn a lesson from him. He is on the porch looking for dropped bird seed at first light and makes many trips before dusk. Tuning in to wild life is easy up here, and provides many hours of enjoyment for us.
But we're never willing just to let the good times go, so we've had our annual "Big Chill" with our college friends. This year there were 8 of us, the Teasleys, the Shopes, the Blaylocks, and JR and me. We missed the Brooks', but I held true to my promise to stick pins in their dolls. This is always a fun occasion and we act just like college kids ...not always a good thing!
 |
| The girls: Claudia, Jane, Marti, Lynn (rear) |
 | |||
| The boys: Jim, Bob, Ken, Dave |
 |
| I promised!!! |
 |
| Old Friends: Jim R, Lynn, Eileen, Jim P |
Jim's niece lives in Louisburg and decided to come for a few days. We missed her husband Neil, but do appreciate her helping us season our stew pot. Now perhaps we won't burn our stew when we make it!
 |
| Fran and an interesting "guest" |
The leaf season has long since passed its peak, we've had our first dusting of snow, and cool nights are the norm, though the days are still generally pleasant. JR and I go to Charlotte for a wedding this weekend, and we hope to spend some time with Jon and his family. They're so busy that I have to get on their schedule early!
Love to all!
Our summer is over in Alabama too, although much less dramatically. The frogs and insects that serenade us all summer from the wetland behind the house have left for the year, and even the mosquitoes have turned in. The trees still have their fall leaves, although they don't reach nearly the brilliance of their upland cousins. We have some chilly days and nights, but the thermometer usually just dips its toe into the low regions for a couple of days before popping back up into more pleasant numbers. If you get chilly and can get off the mountain through the drifts, just drain the plumbing and come on down for a visit. We can offer a view anything like yours, but we'd love to see you.
ReplyDeleteBob