The Lake walkers

I was parked just a half hour at Lake Tomahawk. I decided not to walk around the lake last Saturday because
1) there was the Sahara Dust to deal with as well as Covid-19
2) nobody (NOBODY) was masked

 The pool is closed for the season. I feel sorry for all those families who usually spend the summer splashing around in it.

So I just sat there and took some photos...very poor quality because they were through the windows of the car. Sorry about that.

People were meeting together to walk at the lake, coming in different cars. The playground is clearly taped over so children can't climb on the apparatus. I guess they could dig in the sand if they wished. Unfortunately one of the remaining activities is to chase the geese and ducks.

Today's quote:

Somewhere in every heart there is a discerning voice.  This
voice distrusts the status quo.  It sounds out the falsity in
things and encourages the dissent from the images things
tend to assume.  It underlines the secret crevices where the
surface has become strained.  It advises distance and opens
up a new perspective through which the concealed meaning
 of a situation might emerge... Its intention is to keep the heart
clean and clear.  This voice is an inner whisper not obvious or
known to others outside...  Yet much depends on that small
voice.  The truth of its whisper marks the line between honor
and egoism, kindness and chaos.  In extreme situations,
which have been emptied of all shelter and tenderness,
that small voice whispers from somewhere beyond and
encourages the heart to hold out for dignity, respect, beauty
and love.  That whisper brings forgotten nobility into an arena
where violence has traduced everything.  This faithful voice
can illuminate the dark lands of despair.  It becomes both the
sign and presence of a transcendence that no force or horror
can extinguish.  Each day in the world, in the prisons, hospitals
and killing fields, against all the odds, this still, small voice
continues to echo the beauty of the human being.  In haunted
places this voice carries the light of beauty like a magical
lantern to transform the desolation, to remind us that
regardless of what may be wrenched from us, there is a
dignity and hope that we do not have to lose.  This voice
brings us directly into contact with the inalienable presence
of beauty in the soul.

John O'Donohue

A bit of Sahara in North Carolina

All afternoon the ridge line across the valley was hazy...and a different color than our usual foggy clouds. So around 6:30 pm I went out for a drive. Wearing a mask of course, until I got in the car. The Covid orders from our Governor asked us to. More on another post about how people in Black Mountain are (NOT) wearing masks.

 Sorry these are just shots through the car windows.

 The sky was mostly cloudy, but where blue showed through, even it looked a bit faded. Here at Lake Tomahawk. I know people were saying it would make for beautiful sunsets...but I didn't really want to wait around for 2 more hours! I'm not like a dedicated photographer!

Driving down US 70 going west, even though the windshield was tinted, the lighting was a bit dull.

Sunday I woke up to more warnings about air quality. So even though I'm already wearing the mask, I will be doubly careful. No walks around the lake till the dust from the Sahara Desert has settled. It hit all of the southeast in the last few days. We are all so connected on this small blue planet.

Today's quote:

Willing to experience aloneness,
I discover connection everywhere;
Turning to face my fear,
I meet the warrior who lives within.

JENNIFER WELWOOD

A bug, flower and birds...

 Not 10 minutes after reading Vicki's blog about a Beetle...this little guy was right in front of me. I didn't do like she did, however, and look it up.

It's nice to see some variegated lilies around.

Three fuzzy (sorry out of focus) little wren chicks in the little house on my balcony. Finally the parents returned to feed them. The babies are quiet at least, but the parents aren't!

Today's quote:

It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts. -Arthur Conan Doyle, physician and writer (22 May 1859-1930) 

The 1920s women's attire

An afternoon with friends...perhaps, but not dressed up for a tea party!

Sharing with Sepia Saturday this week.

A fabulous photo of the various clothes women wore, from top to bottom...well, head to toe anyway.

1925 afternoon shopping

Sally's doggie

Though I knew his name once, I forgot it. And he was not too friendly toward me, yelping and trying to attack me.  Sally said it was my mask that scared him. But I did want some photos, so she kept yanking him back before he was wearing my mask in his teeth!

I must admit I hate yippy barking small dogs. Somehow they are the most annoying.

Today's quote:
​Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to a divine purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: That we are here for the sake of others. For the countless unknown souls with whose fate we are connected by a bond of sympathy. Many times a day, I realize how much my outer and inner life is built upon the labors of people, both living and dead, and how earnestly I must exert myself in order to give in return as much as I have received.

—Albert Einstein

Blossoms in the parking lot

I was happy the other day to walk to the mailbox without getting out of breath. That was not very far, (right next to the laundry room, maybe 300 feet) but the first time I've felt capable. So now I'm going to try to do that again daily. And of course carry the phone to take photos if there's anything pretty along the way.

 Butterfly bush near the porch where people used to sit in rocking chairs.

You might get a bit bored with day lilies and the butterfly bush. I'll see what I can do - maybe the dogs that people are walking?

Today's quote:
I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it. -Alanis Morissette, musician (b. 1 June 1974)

I did the dishes!

Here I am being all proud of myself...this is one of my most unfavorite chores to do. And as a single person who seldom cooks, there really weren't that many. (No dishwasher in this one bedroom apartment.)

Just what I'm good at doing these days...jamming my finger onto the blade of the blender. A bandaid was all I needed.

And I was back into soapy water and finished those dishes!

So that was the excitement yesterday! I watched the robins who have a nest just too far away to take good photos (OK, I could get out the real camera and put batteries in it, which of course would need to be charged first.)

I refilled the hummingbird feeder. And scared the little wren who apparently is nesting again in the spirit house (right behind the door to the tiny balcony.) I haven't been seeing 2 of them, so maybe she's got eggs and will try doing this batch alone. She stayed away from me while I hung the hummingbird feeder, but the minute I was back inside she flew out of the spirit house.

Today's quote:

As a leader, you have to have the ability to assimilate new information and understand that there might be a different view. -Madeleine Albright, diplomat and author (b. 15 May 1937)

Remembering an old friend

I had Panther from September, 2012 until June 23, 2018. I loved her free spirit, and her beautiful coat.

I was the care giver of Panther after her previous owner died of cancer, at home, surrounded by friends family and all her cats. There were 3 cats that she cared for, and I offered to take one of them. My friend's daughter asked if I wanted the calico, and of course I said yes.

Panther had been feral, but kept coming to Ramya's house to get fed and hang out with the other kitties. She finally started coming in the house, but left whenever she wanted. I wasn't sure she'd be safe where I lived, going outside...there was a busy road nearby. So I kept her inside with my other calico queen. The other one was established, and Panther was kind of second in command.

After I moved to my tiny apartment, my first calico cat died within a month, and Panther was much happier, again an as indoor cat. We had great times together, except when she would scratch my thinning skin. I had to have her claws clipped often. Then her thyroid gave her trouble, and we worked on medications for a long time, until she couldn't take them any more. It was time for her to go. I was so sad, because I am too old to start with another cat, and I don't want to have to have another one killed kindly by a vet.

Quote to ponder:

Could, he asked again,

walk out into the desert

of himself, let his self go.

the one built by the labor

of lifetimes - this one -

drop away into the ageless

void; and as he asked, he

knew; this is what it comes

to anyway, tonight as he

slept, or tomorrow, as the

result of old age, a natural

death, that waited closer

each day, a wordless chant,

it will all go, all of it,

castles and skyscrapers of

who you are, who you built

yourself to be; it ends at

the end - that's the idea - you

step from here, your

construction, into there,

the body abandoned - and

you saw it was not a despair,

but a ship to be boarded,

unmoored.....

free.....

Richard Wehrman

From: Being Here

Grateful Dead and Marilyn Monroe, with masks

Just being.

On masks...(thanks to fellow blogger, Vicki Lane, for posting this on FaceBook.)

And my comment on her FB post:

When I recently (last month) spent 5 days in Mission Hospital, everyone (nursing and doctors) wore regular surgical masks, after they tested me for COVID-19. Before that they wore full PPE. Patients didn't have to wear masks. And 4 visits in the last few weeks to various doctors offices, everyone was wearing regular surgical masks...So there aren't any N-95s around for any medical staff. I'm wearing sugical masks except when shopping, and I put on my one N-95 mask. I keep it in the car where it gets lots of sunrays that might sterilize it. Thanks for sharing this informative talk, Vicki.

A bit of music for today...Playing for Change with these great musicians, Grateful Dead's "Ripple"



Todyay's quote:
Marilyn Monroe said, "I don't want to make money, I just want to be wonderful."

Black Lives Matter in Black Mountain NC

Anyone who has seen the news, looked at FaceBook, or has a news feed, knows in the last month, just about every community has held some gathering to remind everyone that Black Lives Matter. Not more than ever, but more noticeably because of recent horrible events by white policemen killing black people.

A few weeks ago Asheville NC had some rallies including some terrorists who looted and burned after the curfew was in effect. The curfew has been lifted.

Last Friday the people in Black Mountain NC (where I live) held a rally to show support and care towards the movement to end racism and police violence against blacks, and to honor the loss of so many black lives.

 Shirlee Lytle

"Monroe Gilmour opened by leading chants of "Black Lives Matter,” a refrain that has become popular once again in the weeks since the death of Floyd at the hands of the Minneapolis police officers who were terminated (from their jobs) after the incident.

“Why, on the 155th Juneteenth holiday, are we having to say it again?” he asked.

Racism is not exclusive to the big city, Gilmour cautioned, “it’s right here in our mountains.”

He encouraged people in the region and across the country to speak up for equality." The Valley Echo

 Black Mountain Police Chief Shawn Freeman.

“Let me first say that me and my officers have seen the (Floyd) video,” he said. “We’ve never been more appalled, disgusted or enraged than by the actions of those ex-police officers in Minneapolis. Their actions contradict everything that we stood up for in our oaths of office for our position, and our code of ethics as law enforcement officers in this state.”

He derided the act captured by the video as having “dismantled years of progress in building relationships within our community.”

Freeman assured the crowd that the Black Mountain Police Department is working to prevent biased policing practices.

“My heart is touched by the number of people who showed up to this event,” he said. “We are united for change and fairness for everyone, regardless of age, race or ethnicity.” The Valley Echo

"Rev. Herbert Grant, pastor of Hopkins Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church and graduate of Owen High School...delivered a powerful message about human nature and the need to find common ground.

“The most important basis for successful living is the art of knowing how to get along with people, and how to adjust ourselves, day-to-day, to the different temperaments we experience with our relatives and friends,” he said. “How to see the good in them and in their actions, and how to ignore the evil they sometimes do to us.”The Valley Echo

Small groups of people carried their signs down to the business area on State Street following the rally.

My friend Anna (on far left) with the green sign, and her husband Rhea with Black Lives Matter sign. (Sorry, I don't know the others.)

My friend Sarah Vekasi was there! There was a moment of silence 8 minutes and 46 seconds to remember George Floyd's horrific death.

 My friend Kathy Phillips (with Black Lives Matter sign on black board) and her husband Kenny (or far right.)

 My friends Molly and Russ Keeney were there! Many people faced State Street so traffic could see their signs. No disruption of traffic occurred.

Each balloon has the name of a deceassed black person on it.

 A friend who was there said the crowd was about 100 strong. If you live here, I hope you saw some of your friends!

Shirlee Lytle, one of the organizers.

Photos above are from Sarah Vekasi, Molly Keeney and quotes are used with permission from: The Valley Echo, "The Swannanoa Valley Shows up to Say that Black Lives Matter, Vigil held in Black Mountain Town Square," by Fred McCormick. Thank you so much for posting your article and the photos.

In Raleigh NC on Juneteenth (June 19, 2020) a crowd pulled down 2 Confederate statues and one was hung from a post. Photo by Travis Long, Raleigh News Observer.

The South continues to deal with the many Confederate statues, and how they represent slavery which began all this racism.

Today's final quote:

Melody Gardner (at Black Lives Matter in Black Mountain NC) recognized Juneteenth as a “special day in American history,” before recounting the struggles for freedom and equality that Black people have experienced in the country. She detailed a timeline that began with slavery, included oppressive Jim Crow laws, redlining that enabled segregation in communities and a judicial system that issued harsher sentences to Black offenders than those enforced on their white counterparts.

“Have we come a long way since June 19, 1865, when all slaves in the South learned they were free? Yes, we have. African Americans can vote, own land, own homes in neighborhoods where the property values steadily grow over the years, own a business, go to college, work in leadership roles, serve in government, marry interracially, etcetera,” she said. “We’ve come a long way for sure. However, with the recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery and the encounter in the park between a Black man and white woman in the park (he told her to put her dog on its leash, she reported him as harassing her to the police) in New York City, we all know there is something wrong systemically.” The Valley Echo