Last day of May potpourri

 

Yep, those mountains are green all the way up. And this is the north face, so it says to me that most of the Blue Ridge Parkway will also have green trees. Maybe not all the way up Mt. Mitchell yet though!

I was going to repot this plant and make my old fish tank a "terrarium" but instead I gave the aquarium away, so now I'll just have to find a bigger pot to put these succulents in.

The last of the purple orchid...I post photos of the buds of things, so why not the ends of them as well?

The orchid plants will be out on the porch all summer, getting lots of warmth and some real sun, and I hope they'll give me more blooms to get me through another winter!

Today's quote:

Our very own lives can be magical, like the fleeting morning dew on a flower tip

Amelia's bowl

 Amelia has been a long time member of the clay studio at Black Mountain Center for the Arts. She now is throwing her pots at home. I don't know who made that pretty pale peachy cream color glaze, but I love it. And I love this bowl. She's one of the Mud Buddies who sell their pottery weekly in Black Mountain NC at the Tailgate Market.

Amelia has always had a slightly oriental flare to her decorations, and this glaze design is really pleasing.

And it's just right for a serving of pop corn...or rice and veggies...or whatever! It's very well thrown and light-weight. A good pot.

I used to be a Mud Buddy also. I am glad to be a potter who supports potters...and have often heard this from other shoppers.

Today's Quote:

In a time of destruction, create something: a poem, a parade, a community, a school, a vow, a moral principle; one peaceful moment.

MAXINE HONG KINGSTON

Indoor Soccer anyone?

 A recently painted mural...I wondered why I hadn't noticed it before!

I don't know the last time the Grey Eagle Arena was used. The artist of this mural is Asheville resident, @ianthepainter, Ian Wilkinson.

I pass it when going to the Community Gardens. Of course I am not visiting on Saturdays, when there might be some indoor soccer happening.

Today's quote:

Compassionate action starts with seeing yourself when you start to make yourself right and when you start to make yourself wrong. At that point you could just contemplate the fact that there is a larger alternative to either of those, a more tender, shaky kind of place where you could live.

PEMA CHÖDRÖN

Marty's birthday

My oldest son's birthday is today. He's 57 years old. I am so proud of him. I will just share a few shots through the years.

Marty was born in Texas.

My  dad and 6 month old Marty!

Marty and  "Snakie" around 3-4 years old

Marty and little brother Tai

Marty and his own two little ones, Will and Cayenne.

 Marty and brother Russ

Marty and his own "little ones." The young lady shown here has just graduated college.

Marty and Barbara's wedding

Marty went to Cuba

Marty and Barb's wedding vase (made by yours truly)

Marty and Will at Seminole Casino for Christmas dinner

Me and son, Marty

May you live happily ever after...dear son Marty.

And hi to Sepia Saturday again...sharing this blog with that meme!

Blogger problem

 I've not been able to load any photos from my computer to my blog...which means I can't post much of anything, because the photos are the most important part.

I keep getting this message....

Sorry! An unexpected error occurred while processing your selection.  

Please try again later.

When I went to "help" I found lots of people had this happen in 2019. I'm on a new computer (relatively) and phone (relatively). I thought it was due to the "live" function on the iPhone camera, which takes several shots of the same subject. I've finally figured out how to get it turned off.

So I just cleared the cache (and history) I think by rebooting the computer. I will try doing it manually if I can figure it out in Chrome. Ugh.

Sorry about this...and really sorry it happened today! UGH!

Ha! It's a problem with the add photo part of the program...this was a simple copy and paste, and it worked! Except who wants to copy each photo into Word so it becomes another kind of file!

The Swannanoa River again

 

I'm not sure the movie will run. I've learned it's all garbled until final publication (which is not a good feature for editor bloggers, to my mind!)

I stopped by this one access to the river. It has big rocks to keep it within its banks. There are going to be reestablishing the banks in other places by the playing fields on the other side of the Interstate in Veterans Park...so apparently there won't be any changes here near the gardens.

On the other side of the river is a low area that can easily flood. But it's not in use for anything, so that may be alright.

Today's Quote:

There is a hard truth to be told: before spring becomes beautiful, it is plug ugly, nothing but mud and muck...But in that muddy mess, the conditions for rebirth are being created.

PARKER PALMER

Community Gardens May 2021

 

The Town of Black Mountain sent out a notice that some of the Frisbee Golf Course would be closed while they work on something on the Swannanoa River, until sometime in August. The woman closest to me was playing her own round with frisbees. I don't know about the person in the distance. The car and truck are on I-40, a bit further away.

The Dr. John Wilson Community Garden.

Many plots!

I'm pretty sure these are raspberry blossoms. I've tried clearing some of those canes when they intruded through my chain link fence once...many thorns!

I wasn't sure what these pretty purple flowers were. You're probably used to my ignorance by now.

Another purple bloom which eludes me. These were in rows under some other kind of plants which will hang from some wires.

Today's quote:

Caregiving often calls us to lean into love we didn’t know possible.

TIA WALKER

Ducks and geese and Rhododendrons

 

A quiet spring day at Lake Tomahawk...

Today's Quote:

Grief and gratitude are kindred souls, each pointing to the beauty of what is transient and given to us by grace.

PATRICIA CAMPBELL CARLSON

At the Tailgate Market 5/15 & 5/22/21

 

This was the second week of the season, and the first Saturday morning after the state gave announcements (as did the whole country) that we didn't have to wear masks outdoors if we'd been vaccinated. I enjoyed walking around bare faced that day. A lot of my friends kept masks on though.

The Mud Buddies were back showing their beautiful wares. They didn't have them out last year because of the Pandemic.

I signed a petition for our Black Mountain library branch to remain in town, rather than merging with the Swannanoa library branch as part of Buncombe County's new plan...which would mean a new facility rather than renovations at either or both of the old well used buildings. Our Friends of the Library are also selling some used books here.

Amelia and Bette are smiling at me (they said so!)  Bette has been making jewelry with beads...nice pieces each week. She says she does them to exercise her hands. 

Cathy is smiling at me too, showing her pottery with its cheerful colors.

Amelia has a new style of pottery with this warm yellow matt glaze...I bought a bowl last week from her!

This is the new nursery school that was built last year...but I only went to the market once last summer with the pandemic limitations.

Today's Quote:

It is when we are confronted with...poignant reminders of mortality that we become most aware of the strangeness and wonder of our brief life on Earth.

KATHLEEN BASFORD