After the rain

The red roof is the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly building across the Swanannoa Valley.

 I found a new hill from which to photograph the clouds hanging around the mountains.

Looking over US 70 and the railroad to see the mountain ridges with the cotton candy clouds as the hot August sun hit their slopes.

Today's quote:

The more people engage in worrying, the less they feel
confident in their ability to solve a problem and the worse
their solutions to that problem tend to be.  If you're going to
be spending six or seven hours a day worrying about the
coronavirus, you're going to be building up and strengthening
the neural connections that support this activity.  Worrying
breeds more worry.

So what can people do to combat the effects of uncertainty?
...focusing on the present can help dispel uncertainty and the
anxiety it foments.  Do things you enjoy.  Get out a book you've
been wanting to read, or watch a movie, or talk with a friend.
Occupy your brain with work, chores, entertainment, [creativity],
or other activities related to the source of uncertainty; something
that gets your brain into the present moment.

Markham Heid
From an article in Medium.com

Living with black mold

Kitchen sink sprayer...I use almost daily. Yikes. I had noticed it gets some spots, but last week it was covered like this. That was the week I was sick. (No wonder.)

Wiped off. But it needs to be disinfected inside too, I'll bet.  A job for bleach!  My friend Martha told me which cleansing product would do the best job.

And I'm not leaving windows open on cool nights because the humidity is high still. Keeping the AC units going to get the house a bit dryer inside.

I am distraught that there are so few products for sale at my local grocery to disinfect. I will have to go to a big-box store and try my luck there.

But I am surviving, and fighting against anything that might bring me down...small as mold spores may be. Take that (she says, spraying the shower with disinfectant.)

Today's quote:

We are tied together in the single garment of destiny, caught in an inescapable network of mutuality. And whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.

...and on another topic...

 Someone who owns a cat, and has lots of take-out/delivered meals, and drinks Pepsi pretty regularly...

Perhaps the same person...but these are certainly not recycleables...yet that's the bin which Mr. Bear tumped over.  It's possibe that someone righted the other black one. Food stuffs are supposed to have been placed in that brown bin to the far left, which has toggles that insert through rings, and is bearproof.

I was dismayed to see these piles of garbage left out over Sat and Sun. last weekend. The management had sent out a letter as to how we should place our garbage, and if we didn't we might have to clean it up and be fined.  Apparently everyone is now suffering because of this one person's mistake.

I had garbage waiting to go into the brown bin, but didn't take it out until this was settled. I fear the person at fault, who has a cat, also can't clean things up, as she rides an electric wheel chair herself. And from her eye level, she must not have even seen the "Recycle" sign on the top of the black bin. There's no way she'll be able to maneuver and clean up that trash either.

It was cleaned up by Monday morning (probably by the management.) I wonder what they will do the next time...

Poor bears get used to eating people's food, and it makes them more likely to have healthier cubs, which depend upon people's garbage more and more. Not a pretty cycle. These are wild animals and a close encounter may well leave a person injured, and then the bear would be killed.

And just to make this a bit of a Sepia Saturday post...

A dear friend/relation who was also a former Pan Am flight attendant... posted this to share. I can't resist adding it so all of you who remember Pan Am can smile at the good ol' days.  Check out other Sepia Saturday posts this week - the last Saturday of August!

Today's quote:

There will be something, anguish or elation, that is peculiar to this day alone. I rise from sleep and say: Hail to the morning! Come down to me, my beautiful unknown.

JESSICA POWERS

Window dressing

Pepperoni's Pizza in Black Mountain had some entertaining monkeys on the windows.

Today's quote:
We understand that we want to be better, but have no clear definition of what better means and that is part of the process.
Madisyn Taylor, Daily Om

Zooming along

The zoom birthday party. It didn't work so well at singing Happy Birthday. But it was great to see everyone (except the 3 grands who are grown.)

I've not seen all three of my sons together since the oldest got married in April 2019. And it was a bit hard to see all three together at that event...so this was really special!

PS...adding a screen shot from one of my sons...his view of the occasion.

Today's quote:

Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.

JAMES BALDWIN

Do you eat egg whites?

No more cream in my coffee...so I've got honey sweetening it (for now.)

And these are Morning Star Farms plant based sausage inks. Sort of ok.

But eating just scrambled egg whites is taking a bit of getting used to. I sprinkled good tasting nutritional yeast on them so they would have some flavor. But while cooking they smelled like hard boiled eggs, which I dislike. And that's basically what they were, though a bit moister.

But the yolks have all the cholesterol, apparenty.

Here's a (perhaps) more palatable photo...my birthday portrait.
I received that purple batik caftan from my son and daughter-in-law, Marty and Barbara.  I love it!

Today's quote:

Take refuge in this moment.
One lightning bolt of wonder
through the heart of a child
incinerates ten thousand
books of philosophy.
All the speeches of politicians
burn to tasteless ash
in the diamond eye of a lover.
A wild mushroom springs
from the manure pile, pungent
as the breath of a dark angel.
There is no war in this meadow.
Stars yearn to fall here
and become wild poppies
on an April morning. 

Fred LaMotte

Thanks and a fence of sunflowers

 Driving down a nearby road I'd never traveled, these are among the beautiful things I saw...

I add my sincere thanks to all my friends and relations who made my birthday Sunday feel so special for me. I had a great hour plus zoom group meet-up with my three sons' families. I feel so grateful to have such a wonderful family of loving people, even if we live miles apart. And besides my wonderful Facebook friends sending wishes all day long, my blog buddies were also sending wishes early and late! How blessed I am!

Today's quote:
This may also be the perfect time to finally give mindfulness a try.
...embracing [what you are doing in] the moment can distract us
from worry and what may or may not happen. ..."letting go" of
things one has no control over may be the best way to shrink
worry down to a manageable size.  
- Markham Heid, From an article in Medium.com

Blue Ridge Apartments

 The sign at the entrance to the apartments. It's not totally accurate, as the office is now open until 4 pm.

A lovely little begonia plant, dropping it's old flowers onto the ground. That's why I stopped raising any begonias indoors...too messy.

Today's quote:

When all the ordinary divides and patterns are shattered, people step up to become their brothers’ keepers. And that purposefulness and connectedness bring joy even amidst death, chaos, fear, and loss.  - REBECCA SOLNIT

My 78th

This will be a quite day.

Finally out from under the weather from whatever gave me a fever, and then the meds to kill every bacteria known to medicine that might be in my body...but it's fortunately not Covid-19. That doesn't mean it couldn't be another viral infection...but hopefully next week I can get back in the loop.

I'm taking it easy now that my fever has finally broken. Just putzing around the house. Please no surprise party that would give me another heart attack! OK, I'm looking forward to a zoom meet-up with my three sons in the afternoon! Yay.

I just got the link to the Red House Gallery Virtual Exhibit, of which I'm a part. HERE.

Sharing one photo and one quote...and ok, another one too!

How does a single-celled embryo grow up to be a differentiated biological body of organs?

An embryo expands by cell division, making an exact replica of itself with all the same DNA, the same genes. But in the adult body, the cells are differentiated as to their functions. 

... The proteins a cell makes determine cellular function; the genes have the code to make the proteins. ... But the source of the programs is not part of the DNA. 

... Rupert Sheldrake (1981) has shown how nonlocal and nonphysical morphogenic fields are essential to understand biological form-making from the one-celled embryo. The instructions of form-making cell-differentiation (all cells contain the same genes, yet toe cell genes are activated very differently from brain cell genes), are nowhere to be found in the physical body, and that includes the genes (which are more or less instructions for protein-making).
—Amit Goswami
Quantum Doctor

Grateful to still be alive...now what do I do this moment of this wild and precious life?

Today's quote:

“Go to the edge of the cliff and jump off. Build your wings on the way down." Ray Bradbury, born Aug 22, 1920.

Happy birthday to Barbara B

My newest daughter-in-law...who is also somewhat of an outlaw, come to think of it! She's such a fun person and I'm so glad she joined my family a bit over a year ago. (In my fevered state when I wrote this, I forgot another daughter-in-law joined my family this year...so Barb is my next-to-newest daughter-in-law. I claim brain fart.)

I love you Barbara! Have a happy day, week, month and year...and many more.

I'm not feeling well enough to sit here and gather more FB photos that I've saved since I met you and became FB friends. Later...

OK, here's a better pic of you!

Well, it doesn't show your face all that well...

Even though this one is somewhat perspective truncated (tiny feet youall have!) I love it!

Neighbor's porch decorations

 Both these planters have little solar powered lights for during the night to have some light.

At the building housing the office (it once was called a club house, but we're not allowed inside except wearing a mask to the office.) Along the railing are a few plants that cheer the place up.

Health update...went to see my MD, and his PA put me on antibiotics...and did and EKG which was normal. She also informed me nitroglycerin which relieved my left side back pain this morning just lets everything relax. It certainly did stop the pain. So hopefully the fever is now going to stop. I love modern medicine.

Today's quote:

Often it takes something major to wake us up, as we struggle to maintain an illusion of control. 

Daily Om

Waiting for test results

Fever for two days.
Had to drop out of Ornish until I get a negative test result.

Yesterday I dragged my feverish self to two sites doing Covid-19 tests, in your car. But they both were doing it only by appointment. Fortunately the second one said I needed to get tested, and if I could wait around a while, they would be glad to give me the test.

That was our new urgent care center right here in Black Mountain. I gave them my insurance information, so they said I was now in their system.

I watched the first 15 cars as they each got their tests. I had been asked to pull over to the side until there was a lull. And it finally happened.

They said it would be 2-6 days for results. They would text me if it was negative. They would call if it was positive. There's nothing available in writing, which I need to have in order to return to the Ornish Cardiac Rehabilitation program.  I do hope it's negative, and then I'll call the Urgent Care Clinic and ask how to get it in writing.

In the mean time, I've listened to a digital book checked out from the library. I haven't felt like cooking or cleaning up the kitchen, but was glad I stashed some vegetarian soup in the freezer back when we first started isolating.  It's pretty good. I haven't done the Ornish Program tracking, because I haven't really eaten much at all, nor exercised. I have stayed happily in bed, alternating between taking my temperature and taking Tylenol. It's never been very high, so I'm thinking this is just another flu. But how I caught it is kind of awkward. I've worn my mask everywhere.

Perhaps from touching things in the pharmacy or the grocery store...and then forgetting to sanitize my hands when I got home. Oh well. I'm sick. I'm not a detective. I am tired. And yesterday I slept all afternoon after not sleeping well the prior night. Last night was much better, so I haven't slept at all today. So I'm saying goodnight, and hoping tomorrow will bring good news.

Stay safe y'all!

Post Script:
At around 8:15 this morning I got the text that said my test results were negative for Covid-19. What a relief. I went right back to sleep. I still feel about 50% of my regular self. Fever is down. I'm getting better from whatever it was. Yay!

The pitcher plants

My friend Tim raises pitcher plants...but says they have to have lots of water for the roots...this one seems pretty happy with it's hanging planter, and just look at all the carnivorous mouths it has!

Today's quote:
Passive aggression is most often wielded by those who feel powerless and want to avoid their own true feelings. Madisyn Taylor, Daily Om

Exercise

These are the houses on Walker St. which indicate as far up the hill as I've been reaching on my walks. I aim to go further ...and longer. That is what my Exercise Physiologist recommends. I need to be able to walk an hour. So far I'm pushing it at 1/2 hour. But he says I can rest along the way. Mmm, I think I can, I think I can, I think I can (The Little Engine That Could.)

On the days that I don't do the walk, I can do strength training. Jay (The EP) hasn't taught us how to use the bands yet, but there are lots of exercises in our book showing their use. We also can use weights. These are mine.

They probably aren't quite a pound each, which is all I'm able to use at the gym.

One of the example pages from our Ornish workbook.

The daily tracking of food

The weekly tracking of food, see below for an example.

These are some of the tracking charts we fill out each day...then summarize each week. I've had to learn what amount of each kind of food counts as a "single serving." Often I end up eating two servings or sometimes just a half.

Today's quote:

The voice of conscience is so delicate that it is easy to stifle it; but it is also so clear that it is impossible to mistake it. 

-Madame De Stael, writer (22 Apr 1766-1817) 

Lunch by the creek

 A motel across the creek and parking lot, while I sat on the patio waiting for my friend.

 Everyone wore masks until they started to eat. Except wait staff, which continued to wear theirs.

And so we ate lunch by Flat Creek, out on the patio at Ole's Guacamole. The table next to ours was removed for more spacing between people. I found a great list of vegetarian dishes and settled on vegetable enchiladas...which had lots of cheese which isn't on my diet. Oh well. It was delicious.

Today's Quote:
For what is a poem but a hazardous attempt at self-understanding: it is the deepest part of autobiography. 
-Robert Penn Warren, novelist and poet (24 Apr 1905-1989) 

Happy birthday, son Russ

Your roots, Russell.

A couple of years ago you turned 50 and I posted a few pics of you then with my wishes for continued happiness.

Here's the post from a few years ago, where I reminded you that you're the 13th generation since an ancestor came to America on the Mayflower, through your father's family.

And here's one about the what I thought was the furthest back I've found in  the Rogers tree, going back to Italy. I think Aaron Rogers might not be the furthest back, but here's that posting.

Your Rogers grandfather's mother's Swasey tree goes back to Edward I of England.

An interesting 20 min. video HERE gives an overview of the rulers in Europe since 400 b.c. Sir Roger was our ancestor who ruled in Sicily (Italy) before the Aaron Rogers noted above. In just a bit I'll find the post that includes details about him...

Roger II, King of Sicily

Here is the first of four posts about the Norman conquest of Sicily, including the ancestors of Aaron Rogers, Roger from Normandy, king of Sicily.

Second post of the Roger kings in Sicily

2013 vacation

And the third of this series about early Normans and Italy: HERE.

Finally (and you may have noticed different information of wives and children continue to plague ancestry searches) HERE. This post came on your brother Marty's birthday originally!

Thus I come full circle and

WISH

You 

  A Very

Happy

Birthday!!

Mr. Bear visits

Disposal...disposing of waste...disposition of discards.

Once a week, Fridays, our trash is collected into a big truck. It sits (the trash) in several garbage cans until that time. But kitchen waste, usually everyone has some by the end of the week, has been placed into "bear proof" plastic cans.  They failed last night (this is Fri. morning when I'm writing this.)

We had a bear who managed to get into all the bear proof garbage cans last night. So the maintenance man is out shoveling up all the garbage he left lying about. We are supposed to save our other household garbage and put it in the other cans just Fri. morning (which is how I found out the mess Mr. bear had made.)

Black bears are in the woods of North Carolina

These bear-proof cans have 2 "D-ring" closures...and maybe they were closed, with the long pin having been threaded through the ring, and the wire cord closing the lid. But the lids are a bit smashed today. Somehow a heavy pawed individual (I'm thinking a male but not necessarily) has managed to root out lots of goodies from our kitchens. Perhaps there was some food inadvertently put into the other bins (where only paper goods are supposed to be until Fridays.) They are easily tipped over.

But this also hits close to home for me. My car is parked about 2 spaces away from the collection of garbage bins. I don't eat in my car any more, thanks to cutting out all fast food meals. But there's a tiny container of cranberry raisins on my console, for when I might get light headed and need some sugar. (So far that hasn't happened since I've given up sugar.)

I'm glad craisins didn't invite Mr. Bear to punch in my windows of my little car. I'm sure if I'd had any left over fish sandwich he could have found a way to get it. What a relief, both ways.

I know many people in neighboring homes have a tendency to put their garbage out the night before pick-up. But they've also been having nighttime visitors, so have to wait till Fri. morning to haul those bins out. Fortunately we have seldom had bears traveling around in the daytime hours...but a few years ago I saw one that could climb a 6 foot privacy fence easily at the corner of the yard, and he helped himself to some berries that were ripe in that yard. He just sat on that corner of the fence and pulled them into his mouth.

Thus Black Mountain feels more like a country town at times. There are many mountainous woods around where all kinds of wildlife still live. We've taken a lot of their territory and paved it over and made our homes. And when the bears are well fed by eating some of our wonderful waste, they become more prolific.

A Facebook posting "Walker St. 2pm Aug. 14" the next block over from mine.

Today's quote:
When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir, naturalist, explorer, and writer (21 Apr 1838-1914)

Photos from the internet.