Ahhhh........ the gentle sounds of autumn in the mountains. The few trees with yellow leaves have begun giving them up to the breezes. We've added walking to our routine now that the humidly uncomfortable summer weather is dwindling. Our feet scuffed leaves along the path in Konehete Park this morning bringing to mind childhood memories of Hudson and Clinton. One day on my walk home from high school, I removed my shoes on River Street and finished the rest of the way barefoot. Fall leaves are meant to be raked into mountainous piles and lunged in. Fall leaves are to be throw high in the air and enjoyed as they float back to earth. Fall leaves are for pressing and saving between heavy book pages for later memories. On the back porch this afternoon, a few leaves float by me as the last three or four hummingbirds hit the feeders. A few acorns ping the roof as a reminder that soon more will follow. This morning I discovered another hu...
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We are so thankful we don't reside or have a house on the market in Florida now. At the gym two people told me that they just closed on their Florida properties in the past couple of weeks. There's increased Floridian traffic on our roads and in the Ingles supermarket and Walmart parking lots. Just like after Katrina demolished homes and displaced families, many families from Texas and Florida are being forced to relocate. After having been through Charlie, Francis, and Jeanne back in 2004, we found ourselves watching updates on Irma and empathizing with residents as they boarded up their homes and prepared for the worst. Our forecast called for two days of rain with 25 mph winds and gusts up to 50 in the higher elevations. Cliff stacked the lawn chairs in the shed so they wouldn't end up in the creek. I removed the wind chimes from the porch and tucked potted plants safely against the house out of the wind. There are reports...
Early mornings have been cool, 50 degrees, and invigorating. Not much has been done in the garden as I've been coping with right shoulder and muscle discomfort for a couple of months and allowing the inflammation to go too long in my left wrist has weaken the wrist joint. My rheumatologist suggested I wrap an ace bandage or a Velcro wrist wrap to remind myself not to overuse, misuse, or abuse myself. Who me? Cliff helped me prepare the soil for fall potatoes. I've never planted fall potatoes but Barb had such success with hers last fall that I put in a dozen and unlike early spring soil where it takes three weeks to sprout, these were up in less than a week. Just covered them with hay this morning. Cliff trenched three rows the other day for the garlic. This morning I mulched each trench with dead leaves and put ten garlic cloves in each row. I still have to cover the rows with hay to protect them from any harsh winter te...
The Great American Eclipse was truly the most awesome event we've ever experienced. We followed it with The Weather Channel as Stephanie Abrams shared her emotions in Madras, Oregon and on to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and as it approached Jim Cantore in Carbondale, Illinois we could see the eclipse beginning here. Cliff brought home two pair of NASA and AAS approved viewing glasses from his fire station after a NASA briefing at the Emergency Operations Center. We viewed the changes off and on until about ten minutes before totality when we sat outside with our viewing glasses. As darkness approached birds hushed and flocked to the trees in a hurry. The temperature dropped six degrees. Our totality lasted two minutes and twenty-eight seconds. Cliff said it was the best experience ever. It's an event we'll never forget.
02 days 23 hours 09 minutes as of this typing to Murphy's total solar eclipse! When we drove home from the gym at 11:30 today, we noticed traffic picking up. LED signs alert drivers that roads will become slow and congested in the next few days. Yesterday when I ran into Ingles for a few forgotten items, the hustling reminded me of hurricane preparations in Florida. Tall bread carts in the bread aisle, dairy coolers being stocked as quickly as possible, and dozens of unopened boxes stacked in every available space. Volunteers will man fire stations Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Cliff will be on duty Sunday. Medics predict more heat strokes, snake bites, allergy to bees stings, etc. because many people are camping in open fields that haven't been used until now. Our county's director of emergency management has advised residents to stock up on groceries and gas, treat it like a snow day, and stay home. With tens o...
Nine days until eclipse totality! Before ordering our viewing glasses from Amazon, I read about safety certifications, or so I thought I had. Today we received an email from Amazon advising us NOT to view the solar eclipse with the CE & ISO certified glasses because Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer. NASA and the American Astronomical Society advise only using glasses from their list of recommended manufactures. When I brought up the NASA site and read more, we've decided NOT to directly view the eclipse. Viewers need to beware of the tiniest pin holes, scratches, or blemishes that may have happened to the glasses as any flaws can cause retina damage. So unless we can purchase a NASA and AAS pair this week, we'll not be viewing the eclipse, just experiencing the darkness.
The mornings have been delightfully cool this past week with lows of 53 degrees. Locals tell us that for every fog in August, there will be a snowstorm. According the 2018 Farmer's Almanac, one of our snowy periods will be mid to late November. Because of Murphy's proximity to far eastern Tennessee, not only do I read the region 3 Appalachian forecast, I also include region 8, the Deep South forecast which includes Tennessee. If I don't like what I've read, I turn to region 4, Southeast, which includes northern Georgia. The weather's going to do what it wants anyway. Cliff and I met Mike and Barb at the Tin Loong Buffet in Georgia Sunday for lunch, then stopped at Tractor Supply before heading to their house so Barb and I could plan our small fall gardens. Whatever my little bunny hasn't eaten will be pulled up this week to make room for a few kale and mustard greens. My garlic will go in by the end of September and I'm attempting a small area ...