Stormy Day

46 this morning, and raining. We had rain off and on all day, some sunshine, and some storms. Higb about 73, and humid.

It was a wild day, storms off and on. We had town stuff to do, and booth stops too even though we were at both yesterday. Mostly though it was garden things we needed to get....more potting soil for my planters and pots, carrot seed, seed wheat for a cover crop on the garden we are letting rest, etc. 

I have been trying to soldier through either a very bruised or broken tailbone, the result of coming down hard on concrete after tripping over my sandal. Add that to the broken toe from a few weeks ago (from dropping tbe top of the paper shredder on it) and as you can see, life hasn't been as fun as it could be. Fortunately tbe toe only hurts if I wear certain shoes, and the other is fine if I am standing,  walking, or bending. It's just sitting or lying down that causes problems.

But since it is garden time, there's naught to do but keep on keeping on, right? Thank goodness I am a tough old broad! And pain or not, I am so enjoying this beautiful time of year.

As we have all heard,  if you're gonna get old, you better be tough. True words there.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 220: Rain and Living Off the Land

It's been a rainy, cloudy week and today, we have the remains of Hurricane Zeta, now just rain and more rain. 

It's been a nice respite, really, the rain and the cloudy, cool weather, after so many weeks of mostly sunshine. The rain has greened up the gardens again; even the tomatoes have come back to life after getting hit hard by blight, and are showing some bloom--which I am sure will come to nothing. But we are still gathering a few peppers and ripe tomatoes, a blessing since November looms close.

Larry is doing well, following doctor's instructions for the most part. It's hard on him to have to let some things go and I have to hold him back sometimes. The biggest danger right now is pneumonia, so that's what we're guarding against. Am I still as stressed and worried? Not as much. He seems to have had some sense knocked into him with this fall, thank goodness. I am anxiously waiting for his doctor appointment, which isn't until later in November unfortunately. Until then, the focus will be on getting those ribs healed. It's been good for him to slow down, and he's back to the way I liked him best. Love is a funny old thing, isn't it--as angry and upset as we can get with the one we love, it's the glue that keeps us together and moving forward. He's still my best friend.

So while he's more house-bound than usual, I've been concentrating on my ebay store. Packages are flying out the door these days as I have a 30 percent off sale running that's really brought in the sales. It's helping a lot to clear some inventory. You can find a link to my store on the right side of this blog, if you'd like to take a look. 

And painting. I'm back to painting furniture, although today I'll have to pull off and start canning pears. They've ripened nicely in their paper wrappers, although quite a few rotted. I think wrapping them has helped keep the bad ones from ruining the others though. I also have peppers to do something with. Probably pickling those.

As I listened to the rain this morning, I started looking for folktales about rain, specifically Appalachian ones. Surprisingly, I didn't find any. Perhaps I need to write a new tale, then? I found a wealth of weatherlore, which I've written about quite often on this blog. But no folktale. There are some ballads, however, one of my favorites being Wind and Rain. I found this version being sung by one of my new favorite singers, Molly Tuttle. 

And as I was roaming about the web looking for stories, I happened on several youtube videos about older people living simple lives on the land. My favorite is Margaret Gallagher, of County Fermanagh, Ireland.

This was taped at an earlier time. In 2017, Margaret was 75 and still living her simple life in her cottage. There are later videos of her on Youtube, like this one:

She's an inspiration. For several years we considered leaving our place to live someplace more convenient, but after watching this, I think I already have a very convenient life after all. 

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Covid Journal, Day 126: Pickings, and Rain at Last

73 this morning, with a light shower falling at 7am.

I can't believe it! The heavens finally relented and gave us a little rain. Not much, about a half-inch, but beggars can't complain. I told Larry it was enough to make me want to strip naked and dance in it--but then decided to spare him the sight. Joking, of course! I can't actually imagine me doing that, although as dry as it's been I think I'd do anything.

Which is so funny, when looking back at May and the continual rain and cold we had to endure then. I do wish Mother Nature would get over her menopause or whatever it is that's causing these extremes of weather. The meteorologists say we'll be having these 90-degree days through the end of the month. It's bearable if there is rain to go with it.

And tomorrow, we get a break from watering. I'm proud of us for keeping up as well as we have. Larry's done the bulk of it; my part is the manual filling of watering cans for the flowers. I did help figure out a tripod for the sprinkler, though--my microphone stand! It works perfectly and we get a better coverage than sticking the waterer on the ground.

We've had a little break the past two days. Yesterday we drove over near Columbus, Ohio to pick up a cabinet a lady offered me. We had only the one day to get it so we had to go. It was a nice road trip, and a break from the routine. After a while, watering, weeding, and sweating does get monotonous. Then today we visited my favorite picker and got some really nice things to re-sell. And Larry got several sprinklers too. I hadn't priced those things in a while as we usually get them at yard sales or the like, but they're over $25 in most places now. Our friend gave Larry 5 sprinklers today, for free. They will be put to good use.

So here's a bit of what we got from our friend today.

Huge Blenko vase. This thing is over 25" tall, just a beauty!

All kinds of good things--reproduction cobalt jars, a cool graniteware spoon, a wall ceramic Christmas tree, Pyrex Fridge dishes and bowl, Blenko ashtrays, a graniteware refrigerator drawer, and a No Parking sign. There were also some ice skates, a crate, and a few other things that didn't make the photo.

Old treadle sewing machine drawers

Early American Pattern Glass large cruet, Dew Drop pattern by Model Flint Glass, circa 1899

Stovetop aluminum popcorn popper

Awesome old tricycle

Beautiful cranberry swirl lamp. This might be Fenton, but it's not marked.

And last, an antique oil lamp I've yet to identify. I added the chimney and shade from my stock but I think it needs a different, bigger shade, maybe?

I spent the afternoon washing these things up and looking up IDs while Larry went fishing. And then spent the evening on the porch watching the rain and the lingering showers. Altogether a nice day. Tomorrow we'll be back to our usual work, but these two days were a needed break from routine.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Living Folklore

Yesterday when I pulled a fork from the spooner, a spoon dropped out on the floor.

One of my dozen or so actual spooners. These were part of "table sets" that included sugar, creamer, butter dish and spooner. This one is by Cambridge Glass, made before 1906 (no. 2579). Almost all pattern glass has either a pattern name or a number. 

I should clarify--we use an antique sugar bowl that's missing its lid on the table to hold silverware. The old sugar bowls were larger than you might think because sugar used to come in lumps, not granulated like today. So this bowl is large enough to hold 8 each of forks, spoons and knives.

Now, according to folklore, dropping a spoon means money is coming your way. A good sign! And since I had a storytelling performance last night, I knew that it was indeed true.

My left palm was itchy later in the day, which means I'll be spending money, so I rubbed it on oak in an attempt to cancel out the bad omen. Why take chances?

At Spencer, where I was presenting, I was talking with a friend when I realized that I had my top on backwards. It's one of those that looks the same either side, but the neck felt funny, and when I felt inside the neck, there was the tag. I went to the ladies' room to turn it around, an easy fix.

But wearing clothes inside out or wrong way round also means money coming your way. So, was this just predicting what I already knew, or is there more money in my future (I hope)?

We had a severe storm the other day that tore branches out of trees, like this one in my garden.

The weather has been difficult and conflicted as far as folklore goes: last night the sun set with a pinkish glow, a hopeful sign because that means no rain, right? And yet it rained overnight. Today is supposed to be clear after morning fog, and as most folklorists know, if the morning is foggy there will be no rain that day.

Can we trust it? Our gardens surely need a chance to dry out, and the farmers need the hay they cut--because we were supposed to have three dry days last week, but only had a day and a half before the rains came back--to dry out too. Many may have lost this first cutting to the rain; others who waited to cut are probably anxious to get the first cut down. It's June 1, and most farmers around here try to have the first cutting in the barn before June.

At any rate, be sure to say "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" this morning to bring good luck your way this coming month!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Cats Don't Like Baths: Welcome March Lion!

March came in like a lion in this part of the world--a soaking wet, angry, windblown lion at that. But then what cat likes a bath?

We are grateful that the temperatures are above normal for this time of year because if all of the rain we've had lately had been snow, we'd have to stick a flag on the chimney to locate the house. Often we already have some garden planted by now, and that is something else I am grateful for--we haven't planted yet, except for lettuce in a cold frame. If gardens had been planted, the seeds would end up sprouting somewhere along the banks of the Ohio. The lettuce is undeterred by the wildness of the weather as it sprouts its tiny greenness beneath glass. Thank goodness for glass!

Even here on top of the hill water is running off in streams, some cutting new channels and gurgling and making mini-whitecaps as they go. There will be some work to do straightening up the mess when things dry up a bit. It reminds of the days when my sons were young and a big storm would strike. As soon as the storm was over they would run over the hill to our little run, build dams, float sticks to see how fast they'd go downstream and all sorts of other boy activities. It would keep them entertained for hours. I didn't have to worry because our run is never dangerously full; it's a very small stream and often is completely dry. Which, I was once told, is why it's called a run--"Sometimes it runs and sometimes it don't."

So now here we are in March. The month of spring's arrival, of daffodils and forsythia and early garden planting. And yet it feels so odd, as if we somehow skipped winter. I remember a winter when the temperature dropped to 30 below zero here, and stayed below zero for weeks. When wells froze 42 inches down, when city water pipes froze and burst two feet below ground. When our road was piled so deep in drifts that it was March before the state came with big endloaders and dug us out and the boys missed a month of school because we couldn't get out except by walking and the bus was stopping four miles away.  So perhaps this is the other extreme; instead of memories of the worst winter ever, we will have memories of the mildest winter ever. I sincerely hope that this is just that, a record warm winter, and not what will be the new normal. Because I like winter; I like the quiet, the snow, the complete change, the forced opportunity to just gather in.

The electricity has been up and down, surging and dimming. Lights flicker, the computer goes off, the surge protector protects, and my writing is interrupted over and over again as one storm after another roars passed this morning. So perhaps I had better close while I can, and leave you all with a wish for the best of days in this coming month, and may winter not rear its head again now that the flowers are in early bloom and the fruit trees are budding. Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit, yall!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Fleeting

The other day as I was carrying in groceries, I noticed that one of my little succulent plants had bloomed. I've never tried growing succulents before beyond aloe or hen & chicks, but I've been enjoying this planter of unusual-looking plants. The one that bloomed had bright, hot-pink flowers at the end of each stem. I showed it to Larry and thought I'd go back out to take a photo of it. But I got busy putting away groceries and forgot about it. By the next day, the flowers were gone.

This morning as I drank my tea on the porch, the sun shone through a drop of rainwater dangling from a branch of our redbud tree. It prismed beautifully, from red to blue and green and brilliant silver. It made me smile watching the play of light and color. Within minutes it was gone, just a memory of fleeting beauty.

Today I have read posts from friends who lost a parent overnight; who salute the memory of a lost relative on their birthday; a poem by a friend's daughter who lost her baby when nine months pregnant; a friend's story of a miscarriage many years ago and how healing came recently with a trip to a lake;  an account, terrible and touching of the history of Warsaw Poland by a young friend traveling there; distant cousins' adventures traveling in France; another cousin's rafting trip on the Colorado River and a musician's trip across country on the Cailfornia Zephyr; tens of pictures of children and young adults first day of school.

Stories, memories, joy, sorrow, excitement and more pour from my computer as I follow the lives of friends and family scattered around the world. I do my best to keep up, to send prayers, congratulations and condolences. And through it all I am struck by the speed of life on this whirling, tilting globe. Like that tiny drop of rain on the redbud tree, it shines...and then the moment is gone, the world moves on.

But I cling to the pictures in my mind, the touches on my heart, doing my best to see the connectedness of it all. I feel blessed to be included in so many lives, even at the minor level of a Facebook or blog post. I am humbled by those tiny bright flowers on my cactus that shared their beauty, if only for a moment, with my eyes.

It's all fleeting, every moment passing is one less we have to savor. Thank you all for coming here to read, and for being sharing your life with me.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Blight Weather

Rain, humidity and heat: the perfect recipe for blight. Already the grapes are showing signs of black rot, even though Larry has worked hard this year to prevent it.

It rained on June 1 and June 2, and some people believe that's a bad sign for the grapes--and for the blackberry crop too. My neighbor Belvie told me that rain on the first of June meant there would be no berries. I wonder, will this year prove her statement?

This week has been hotter than I can recall for the time of year, in the upper 80's-low 90's with rain almost every day. Monsoon season in the mountains. It's good growing weather and the plants I put in recently are doing great. I really hope this isn't the sign of a hot summer, because this one-half English woman does not like hot weather at all. Give me snow and cold any day over heat and humidity.

We humans, though, we worry about what's ahead, don't we? I tried to shrug off my worries yesterday and took a short nap in the porch swing. The gently swaying, the patter of rain, birds singing and the wind in the trees. Ah. This is really what I should be focusing on, and not what might happen that I cannot change anyway.

But I'll be watching my berries, and you keep an eye on your berries if it rained in your area on June first. Let me know if your berries blight. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it won't hold true here.

You know, I might have to have another nap in that swing today.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

This Doesn't Look Good

It has rained since Sunday evening. Now the creeks are looking like this:

This is not good. Chances for rain the rest of today are 100%.

It has been a long time since we've had a real flood in Jackson County. I remember floods in past years that devastated homes, businesses and communities. Seven watershed lakes were built to hold back water that caused these floods and they've done a good job. The only downside is that communities behind the dams now see higher water than in the past because the creeks back up as they enter the lakes created by the dams. Still, it's rare now for anyone's home to be flooded, so a little inconvenience is worth it.

But this rain? If it doesn't let up soon, we're in for trouble, I think.

Home looked good after being soaked as I got in and out of the car in town. I don't mind being wet; I just hope the water doesn't ruin anyone's holiday this week.

I wonder, how is the weather folklore holding up to this deluge?

Around here, I have always heard that rain before 7am ends by 11am. That didn't hold true today, but it seems to be true most of the time.

Also, if it's foggy in the morning it's not supposed to rain that day. Not true today.

Frost in the morning? No rain that day. That one was true because it's unusually warm for this time of year, with a high of 65 degrees expected today.

Red sunrise portends rain but the sun was almost invisible as it came up today.

A cat scratching behind its ears means rain on the way too--Charlie is always scratching her ears, though (and always needs dosing for ear mites) so if we went by her activities it would rain daily.

Do you know any other rain lore? Does it vary from one part of the US, or one part of the world, to another?

Stay dry and warm, wherever you are.

Book Review: Rain Gardening in the South

Rain Gardening in the South is a how-to book for those who are interested in "ecologically designed gardens for drought, deluge and everything in between," according to its cover. That intrigued me.

We've had droughts the past two years and further south the drought has been even longer. This summer I thought I heard old Noah out back measuring in cubits during the many long rainy spells we've had; flooding has been imminent many times. As for the "in between": we've had snows, high winds, late frosts, and a killer ice storm six years back. So certainly a lot of variety in the local climate. I wanted to know what the authors proposed as a solution to the many dangers a gardener faces from the weather.

As it turns out, what I expected the book to be about wasn't exactly what it was about. The authors give step by step instructions for constructing garden spaces that preserve water and drain off excess rainfall in an ecologically healthy way. Double-digging, soil corrections, drains, mulch, contouring and careful selection of plants are the keys to this gardening method. Each chapter covers a different part of the process, from the planning stage to the completed garden. A section on resources and contacts, a chapter on troubleshooting and one on water barrels and cisterns, and an index round out the book's offerings.

The benefits of this method of gardening are manifold. Protection of topsoil and waterways and healthier gardens are the obvious ones. The impact is deeper and wider, however; less water runs off onto hard surfaces and into storm drains; rainfall is filtered before entering storm drains, and stored water is also filtered as it makes its way to the water table. The careful planning and attention to plant selection results in beautiful, hardy gardens that do not need as much maintenance as the traditional method of planting.

What can this method of gardening benefit those who live deep in rural countryside? There are few hard surfaces in the country to worry about runoff, and often nary a storm drain in sight. Even the roads might be gravel and porous enough to handle some run-off. Why would someone in the country want to try rain gardening?

It only takes watching a heavy thunderstorm pass through to realize the answer. Run-off, especially in hilly country, is a real problem. Gullies carve down the hillsides, creeks churn red with washed-out soil. In drought conditions, every drop of rain is precious, yet if we have had a long period of dry weather, the rain that does fall often pounds on hard soil and runs off. So for those who are willing to put in the time, effort and expense of a rain garden installation, the results would a boon to the environment both immediate and further downstream. For anyone who has gardened in raised beds, the methods employed in rain gardening are very similar, and the costs probably comparable. We're not talking thousands of dollars, except perhaps in terms of sweat equity.

The book includes some excellent planning tools and plant selection charts that detail the varieties by height, sun/shade and water requirements, color and other features. Even if you never plant a rain garden, the plant charts are a great resource. I was disappointed that the book did not address vegetable gardens, a topic near and dear to us country types. These plantings are purely ornamental and functional, not edible. Maybe there is another edition in the works for the vegetable gardener.

Rain Gardening in the South: Ecologically Designed Gardens for Drought, Deluge, and Everything in Between by Helen Krause and Anne Spafford. Eno Publishers, 2009
ISBN-10: 0982077106
ISBN-13: 978-0982077108

$19.95

Rain

More rain today, pouring like an angry river from the sky. The creeks are bank-full, grass is almost too soaked to grow but weeds are gloriously tall. Everyone is worrying about their gardens because the soil is too wet to work and the weeds are getting a strong start.

There are good things that come with a rainy day. A chance for Larry to focus on cleaning up inside the house. Time to plant fruit trees that just arrived in the mail (2 apple, 2 plum, 1 apricot). Time to pay a little more attention to the dogs. Time to call a few people and catch up on news. And as the evening is blanketed with fog, time to read a book, cover to cover.

I could do other things, of course, and actually had good intentions. I would cut out 50 finger puppets for upcoming programs. I went to the closet for the felt--and remembered that I gave all my leftovers to the local library last summer. So much for being productive! I could have tackled a lot of other things waiting for my attention, too, like:

• paid the bills. That would make some other people happy.
• sorted the piles of mail on my office table.
• put away books I've pulled out recently for research.
• dusted (Larry will clean, but he hates to dust)
• hung up my clean laundry.
• hemmed the new summer pants I bought last January, figuring I'd have plenty of time to work on them before summer.

I suppose I'd better pray for another rainy night tomorrow so I can check some of these things off my list. But for tonight, it was pure pleasure to stretch out on the couch and read.

Spring Tides

It was a damp and stormy day today. The humidity was so high I felt like I was breathing underwater this afternoon, a fair sign that storms were on the way. The weather alert radio in my office kept sounding off about "severe thunderstorms" (part of my job is keeping track of weather in case it might affect our services) and such things.

When I left at 5:30 pm, I drove right into the teeth of one or several storms--it was hard to tell because the rain would slack off briefly only to come on strong again. The trip was slow, 40 mph on the interstate because the water could not run off fast enough.

But by the time I reached Joe's Run, the sun was shining and the sky was crystal blue. The only sign of the storms was the water--which was everywhere.

This little creek, known as Poverty Fork, was all over the bottomland as it back up trying to feed into Joe's Run.
Further up the road, the creek had come out of its banks, but then subsided, leaving the road covered in water that was slowly finding its way back to the creek. A small run coming down the hill to the right fed the pond in the road, so it might be a few hours before it settles down.

Through the water and looking back--to see neighbors fording through it too. It was actually not very deep, perhaps 6 inches or so. I crossed through several places like this. On our road, it's not so dangerous to cross the flooded sections because it's usually where the creek came up and went back down, and the ditches are still overflowing. There are places I would not drive through if the water was over the road, but generally there's no problem with most of the areas that tend to flood. We tend to get minor flooding like this most years, sometimes several times a year, because of the steepness of the hills and the ferocity of the storms that hit us first after crossing the flatlands of Ohio.

Then, up the hill we call Kenneth Parrish hill. The runoff was too much for the ditches so the water found its own path downhill.

At home, the sudden sunlight on the damp logs of the house created steam in the nearly tropical air.

But my goodness, do the gardens seem to love it! The green is almost painfully beautiful this evening.

And maybe tomorrow the rains will hold off for our grandson Jared's graduation. That would be nice. Very nice. And dry. Dry is good, after such a wet week.

Action Rhymes for Rainy Days

This is for those of you with little ones, stuck inside while the rains drip down. Instead of parking them in front of the TV or DVD, have a little fun playing games like these. some will be familiar, some may be new to you.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around
Teddy bear, teddy bear, touch the ground
Teddy bear, teddy bear, tie your shoes
Teddy bear, teddy bear, read the news
Teddy bear, teddy bear, go upstairs
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say your prayers
Teddy bear, teddy bear, turn out the light
Teddy bear, teddy bear, say good night!

Alphabet Game
A my name is Annabelle
My best friend’s name is Albert
We like Artichokes
And live in Alabama

(Continue with each letter of the alphabet)

Sailor Went to Sea
A sailor went to sea sea sea (hand above eyes, looking out to sea)
To see what he could see see see
But all that he could see see see
Was the bottom of the deep blue sea sea sea

A sailor went to chop chop chop (chop across elbow with hand)
To see what he could chop chop chop
But all that he could chop chop chop
Was the bottom of the deep blue chop chop chop

A sailor went to knee knee knee (slap knee)
To see what he could knee knee knee
But all that he could knee knee knee
Was the bottom of the deep blue knee knee knee

A sailor went to oo-wash-ee-wash (do the twist)
To see what he could oo-wash-ee-wash
But all that he could oo-wash-ee-wash
Was the bottom of the deep blue oo-wash-ee-wash
(repeat faster and faster)
Clap Your Hands
Hello everybody, glad to see you
Clap your hands to show you’re glad to see me too.
Clap your hands, everybody, clap your hands
Clap your hands and say you’re glad to see me too.
Stomp your feet, nod your head, blink your eyes, shake your hips, clap your hands

Counting Game
I eat my peas with honey
I’ve done it all my life
It makes the peas taste funny
But it keeps them on my knife
How many peas did I eat?
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,…..

In and Out
Room for rent
Apply within
When I move out
Let (name) move in!

Changing bedrooms #1
Changing bedrooms #2
Changing bedrooms #3
(assign each child a number; then enter the circle when their number is called)

Clap Your Hands
Hello everybody,
glad to see you
Clap your hands
to show you’re glad to see me too
Clap your hands,
everybody, clap your hands
Clap your hands
and say you’re glad to see me too
Stomp your feet,
nod your head,
blink your eyes,
shake your hips,
clap your hands

Joe
Hi, my name’s Joe
I work in the button factory
One day the boss
Came up to me and said Joe
Are you busy?
I said Not!
Turn the button with your left hand high (left hand turns button)

Repeat, changing to right hand, right foot, left foot, head. Last time the question is asked, Joe replies YES!

Never-Ending Song
I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves,
everybody’s nerves, everybody’s nerves.
I know a song that gets on everybody’s nerves
and this is how it goes.

(repeat over and over and over until it even gets on your nerves!)

Raptors, Story, Rain, Crafts, Home

The lake at Little Beaver State Park

That's the short version of our day today. Today was the annual Migration Celebration, the fundraising and awareness raising event for the Three Rivers Avian Center.

Larry and I drove to Brooks Mountain last night for the pre-event picnic at Ron and Wendy's house. If you like wild country, you would love this place. You drive out of Beckley, up Sandstone Mountain, turn at Crab Orchard, pass the Ramp Holiness Church (I kid you not), turn on Brooks Mountain Road and drive uphill for a solid 15 minutes through wild woods. No houses, one electric line, gravel road, up and up. You come out at a log cabin with a view over the mountains that is breathtaking. You might be asking yourself, how do they get up here in winter--then you see the view, and who cares? Who would want to leave that place in winter?

A storm was rolling in over the hills when we arrived and I watched mountain ranges disappear one by one as I listened to the thundering of Sandstone Falls far below. We left shortly after dark to check in at our motel in Beaver, driving through pounding rain all the way. It rained all night and we wondered, will anyone come? Will we simply be entertaining each other all day in the rain?

We heard that some places in Beckley were being evacuated by boat. The rain continued to fall all morning but we set up at Little Beaver State Park anyway. Changes in plans because of the rain sent most activities indoors, but as the rain slackened people actually came out to the festival and we ended up having a very good day. Here are a few photos of what went on:

A dark and stormy start to the day...

creeks almost out of their banks...
footbridges just inches from the rushing water...

the lake higher than any locals remembered...

a magician who can roll with the punches and put on a quality show...

a golden eagle with Wendy Perrone...
owls and other birds of prey with Ron Perrone...
spinning with a drop spindle...
and making LOTs of birdhouses.

More about the day later. Right now, this ol' lady is for bed!

Rain, Rain, Go Away

Flowers with wet, wet feet. No garden work this week.

Rain rain go away,

Come again another day.

Little Johnny wants to play;

Rain, rain, go to Spain,

Never show your face again!

(for the history of this poem go here)


(illustration by Arthur Rackham)

Perhaps that's a little harsh. We don't really want the rain to leave, but it would be nice to see a little sun sometime. The past two weeks have been pretty much rainy days. The gardens are still happy but much more of this and we'll see some problems--rot, leeching out of nutrients, lodging the the stems, etc.

The vegetable garden continues to thrive. Don't mind Larry's weird scarecrow. The man is warped. A skull with deer antlers and a red light inside? Sheesh.

Around here, people predict rain (or lack of it) by watching the "signs." Some think of the signs as the Zodiac, but generally my neighbors are referring to what they observe in nature. Here is a list of some of the things I have learned about rain since living in the country:

A broken bone,even if it's long mended, will ache before rain or a change for the worse in the weather.

A tipped-up moon holds the rain.

If after a rain you can see enough blue sky to make a Dutchman a pair of breeches, it will clear (this one was from my English mother).

If the crow flies low, it's going to blow (as in a storm).

Biting flies means rain will fly.

No dew on the grass in the morning (or in the evening, depending on who you talk to) is a sign of rain

When chairs squeak, of rain they speak. Catchy drawer and sticky door, Coming rain will pour and pour. Humidity makes wood swell, so this makes sense. I heard this from a teacher not too long ago.

A ring around the moon means rain or snow coming soon--according to my neighbors, the number of stars within the ring predicts how many days before the rain comes.

If sound is traveling long distances, stormy weather is on the way. We can sometimes hear the tugboat horns on the Ohio River, or the train whistles on the tracks about 15 miles away when rain is coming.

When leaves show their undersides, rain is coming-probably because the wind has changed direction with a coming storm.

Sugar and salt clogging up in bowls and shakers means high humidity, and the possibility of rain.

Red sky at night, sailor's delight, red sky in morning, sailor take warning. I think we've all heard this one, and it's generally true.

Chimney smoke lays on the ground, rainy weather is coming round.

Thunder in the morning, all day storming, but thunder at night is the travelers delight

All smells are stronger before a storm--flowers, barnyards, stagnant water; this is due to the low barometer pressure which holds the smells down, just as it keeps smoke from rising.

Will we ever have a chance to enjoy the firepit this month? So far we haven't had a dry enough evening.

Too much rain is a problem; so is too little (are we humans never satisfied?!). Here is a folktale from China that I like very much:

The Four Dragons

Once upon a time, there were no rivers and lakes on earth, but only the Eastern Sea, in which lived four dragons: the Long Dragon, the Yellow Dragon, the Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon. One day the four dragons flew from the sea into the sky. They soared and dived, playing at hide-and-seek in the clouds.

"Come over here quickly!" the Pearl Dragon cried out suddenly.

"What's up?" asked the other three, looking down in the direction where the Pearl Dragon pointed.

On the earth they saw many people putting out fruits and cakes, and burning incense sticks. They were praying! A white-haired woman, kneeling on the ground with a thin boy on her back, murmured,
"Please send rain quickly, God of Heaven, to give our children rice to eat."

For there had been no rain for a long time. The crops withered, the grass turned yellow and fields cracked under the scorching sun.

"How poor the people are!" said the Yellow Dragon. "And they will die if it doesn't rain soon."

The Long Dragon nodded. Then he suggested, "Let's go and beg the Jade Emperor for rain."

So saying, he leapt into the clouds. The others followed closely and flew towards the Heavenly Palace. Being in charge of all the affairs in heaven on earth and in the sea, the Jade Emperor was very powerful. He was not pleased to see the dragons rushing in.

"Why do you come here instead of staying in the sea and behaving yourselves?"

The Long Dragon stepped forward and said, "The crops on earth are withering and dying, Your Majesty. I beg you to send rain down quickly!"
"All right. You go back first, I'll send some rain down tomorrow." The Jade Emperor pretended to agree while listening to the songs of the fairies.
The four dragons responded, "Thanks, Your Majesty!"

The four dragons went happily back. But ten days passed, and not a drop of rain came down. The people suffered more, some eating bark, some grass roots, some forced to eat white clay when they ran out of bark and grass roots. Seeing all this, the four dragons felt very sorry, for they knew the Jade Emperor only cared about pleasure, and never took the people to heart. They could only rely on themselves to relieve the people of their miseries. But how to do it? Seeing the vast sea, the Long Dragon said that he had an idea.

"What is it? Out with it, quickly!" the other three demanded.

"Look, is there not plenty of water in the sea where we live? We should scoop it up and spray it towards the sky. The water will be like rain drops and come down to save the people and their crops," said Long Dragon.
"Good idea!" said the others as they clapped their hands.

"But," said the Long Dragon after thinking a bit, "we will be blamed if the Jade Emperor learns of this."

"I will do anything to save the people," the Yellow Dragon said resolutely.

"Then let's begin. We will never regret it," said Long Dragon.

The Black Dragon and the Pearl Dragon were not to be outdone. They flew to the sea, scooped up water in their mouths, and then flew back into the sky, where they sprayed the water out over the earth. The four dragons flew back and forth, making the sky dark all around. Before long the sea water became rain pouring down from the sky.

"It's raining! It's raining! The crops will be saved!" the people cried and leaped with joy.

On the ground the wheat stalks raised their heads and the sorghum stalks straightened up. The god of the sea discovered these events and reported to the Jade Emperor.

"How dare the four dragons bring rain without my permission!" said the Jade Emperor.

The Jade Emperor was enraged, and ordered the heavenly generals and their troops to arrest the four dragons. Being far outnumbered, the four dragons could not defend themselves, and they were soon arrested and brought back to the heavenly palace.

"Go and get four mountains to lay upon them so that they can never escape!" The Jade Emperor ordered the Mountain God.

The Mountain God used his magic power to make four mountains fly there, whistling in the wind from afar, and pressed them down upon the four dragons. Imprisoned as they were, they never regretted their actions.

Determined to do good for the people forever, they turned themselves into four rivers, which flowed past high mountains and deep valleys, crossing the land from the west to the east and finally emptying into the sea. And so China's four great rivers were formed -- the Heilongjian (Black Dragon) in the far north, the Huanghe (Yellow River) in central China, the Changjiang (Yangtze, or Long River) farther south, and the Zhujiang (Pearl) in the very far south.

The story is from this website, although it's available widely online: http://www.newton.k12.ma.us/Angier/DimSum/Fourdragons%20Folk%20Tale.html . A print version can be found in Dragon Tales: A Collection of Chinese Stories. Beijing: Chinese Literature Press, 1988.

Oh Hail!

It was a dry, dry September. So when October came in with some showers, we were happy. Then in the middle of the afternoon, a sudden hailstorm caught us by surprise.



Larry was splitting wood--and found himself trapped in the woodshed until the storm abated. It was quite a show for about 5 minutes, complete with thunder and all the trimmings.

Still, it was water and at this point I'll take it in whatever form it chooses to descend to earth.

I have to admit, it was right pretty too.

Morning Drive to Work

Turkey family--or perhaps this is an extended family?--in the ridge road. How many can you see? I think I counted 12, but it was hard to count because they kept moving.


I have no idea why these photos have such an odd appearance, except that it was very misty that morning, after a light rain.



Quiet morning on Joe's Run, as the sun breaks through the mist to light the way.



A bright blue flower on a Tall Bellflower plant caught my eye, and posed for a good photo. It's a funny name considering that the flowers of this member of the bluebell family are actually rather flat. These pretty flower spikes love the rich, moist soil along Joe's Run.


A sudden shower yielded this faint rainbow just outside of Ripley and before I reached the interstate. I got some strange looks from other commuters as I stood in the rain in my dress clothes, taking pictures. This is the best of the photos I took, conditions being what they were.


A good day for pictures--and I managed to not be late for work!