Balcony views

 

On July 20-21 the morning sun came through the front door and hit my little moon-goddess sculpture. By the 24th it had moved on (the sunlight angle). I like that the sleeping goddess from Malta stayed in the shadows, appropriately enough.

Then one day I sat on my pocket balcony with my first cup of coffee. I was sitting in my new blue fabric sling chair. I had to throw away one of my first, since the fabric finally split along the weakest point. The new one was somewhat itchy fabric, but I think that might go away with time.

 These are the sights I see from my pocket on the second story. 

I like seeing the squirrels play sometimes, but there are many fewer than in the past. And it was good to see the lilies of the valley snugged up under that old maple tree. Drainage pipes from the roof gutters are strewn about. 

Our current landscape crew follows the corporate instructions to prune drastically and then cut little ditches next to the sidewalks, which are crazy dangerous for people on wheels who might run a bit over the edges.

My next door neighbor's balcony shows her green thumb.

You can see one of our air conditioning  units...we each have one in the living room and bedrooms. What my son brought up has made me wonder ever since. Why isn't there any drain for the air conditioning?

This is the downstairs neighbor from my view...next door balcony is her entryway roof. She also has some great plants.

I finally hung up the little windchime, but seldom hear it because most of the time the windows are closed to the heat.

The first of my second batch of blooms on this orchid. Another plant has also sent up a stem with buds. The heat is good for something!

So glad to say goodbye to July. Well, some things have been good. But I'd like to skip it next year, ok?

Today's quote:

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us, or we find it not.

RALPH WALDO EMERSON From the old  photos  album: Sons Marty and Russ preparing the wedding decorations to go on the stage in the bar where Marty and Barb were married. The bar usually had a boxing logo on the back of the stage. Marty and Barb are married on stage. The reception was in the same place, and a wonderful venue...dance floor and a wet bar for those interested (most of them) Good sound system. A bit difficult for the cake cutting however. I discovered cake pops!

An imaginary trip

Considering

          mountains...

              and valleys ...

                          and rivers!

The attraction of the Appalachian mountains...the wonderful vistas.

In Colorado and Utah, hikes are working through different formations of rocks. Here son, Tai, and wife, Kendra, pause for a dual-selfie.

Tai is standing next to a little stream under a cliff.

Me standing near the overflow falls from Lake Susan which continue the path of Flat Creek from Montreat to Black Mountain NC.

Flat Creek in Black Mountain, a few summers ago, when it was behaving itself. It goes under a highway and joins the Swannanoa River waters, which definitely ran amok in September 2024.

Flat Creek when it flowed nicely by Ole's Guacamole restaurant, before 2024 when it flooded it for the second time. Ole's is being renovated at this time, and due to reopen.

A brilliant high school buddy, Jinni Stahl, spent her later years using scooters to help her get around after MS took so much of her mobility.

My other high school friend, Rosemary Beddingfield, had breast cancer that was in remission the last 5 years of her life. She always had a positive silly attitude. Both of these friends may be gone from walking the earth in their bodies, but their spirits are still part of my life. They both had birth anniversaries last week.

Son Russ and wife, Michelle seem to have found a way to cool off, maybe in FL.

And where our American adventures all began, when Giles Fitz Rogers came to Jamestown VA in 1664. (Here are replica ships moored in Jamestown VA, much as his would have been.)

And that reminds me to check out some Ancestry "hints" to see if there's any new information that can be substantiated. My cousin who's a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution thinks we descended from Giles' son, Peter, where I think it was more likely through his son John.

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Today's quote:

Incorporating human touch into our everyday lives is vital to the healing of our emotional and physical selves

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An old photo:

Granddaughter Cayenne and her Great Uncle Norm Dewolfe in 2011. Norm is husband to my ex's sister.

When the heat gets to ya!

 

A normal weekday at Black Mountain pool.

But on July 25, there were no kids enjoying the pool. It was already for a weekend of swim meets.

Last week or so, we went to Filo's Bakery.

Filo's bakery offers delicacies. I tried their very expensive carrot cake. (There are better ones much cheaper in Black Mountain, IMHO)

I should have tried to figure out who owned this car, since we noticed it (and photographed it) on our way into Filo bakery. It was gone when we left. Lots of young people were there with toddlers.

The Tennessee Mule stopped at the stop sign, after running the red light from Broadway onto Sutton to get to this spot.

And he proceeded to run the red light again turning from Doughtery onto State St. He was thus a half mile ahead of me going west on US 70 by the time I got home. Must wonder where he was in such a hurry to get to. Can't get home that way...well, maybe eventually.

Some of the residents and Peggy Brewer (seated landlady in turquoise) at Blue Ridge Apartments, waiting for a hot dog luncheon to start. Our maintenance man brings his grill over and cooks up the dogs, while everyone contributes sides and deserts. Lots of good food!

Most of my mornings start at dawn when I open up the apartment to the cooler morning air (which is also humid.) I water everything on the balcony and am so grateful for the huge maples which provide shade on my windows most of the day. The windows are closed sometime when the temperature outside hits mid 70s usually. Then I enjoy the drier air of the air conditioners until the next day...when I again admit I live in a rain-forest environment.

Today's quote:

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.

MARGARET MEAd

An old photo:

My mom at Epcot around 1982-3. She was blind in one eye  (undiagnosed cataracts). Later when she had been hospitalized with a stroke, the cataracts were removed. She was a devout Christian Scientist. Here she was about 65. She lived alone after dad died in 1985 and then in assisted living or nursing care after she had dementia until she died in 2003 at 86.

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Y'all know  I have various medical issues. I keep trying to convince myself (and maybe you too) that my brain isn't too bad off, considering all the stuff I'm dealing with.

So today, as I was on line and about to place an order, huge thunder strike within a mile of me. Rain too, though I couldn't see much of it since I've got the blinds lowered to keep more heat outside.

I had already picked up my lunch at the Lakeview Center, and eaten it watching old Endeavor episodes. When I got back from driving the 1/2 mile over and back, I put down some of the windows in the car so it wouldn't be so hot when I went out again. I'm not sure where I thought I'd be going, maybe groceries?

Anyway, I closed computer and even turned off the surge protector before the second big crash of thunder. Then later turned it all back on again and read blogs, emails etc. Placed that order too.

Watched another episode of Endeavor, since I'm now on season 5 of my binge watching.

Ate dinner. I've done some dishes and walked all over my apartment, looking at the wet sidewalks through the windows.

And finally at 8 pm I looked at the car through one of my windows. Oh oh. Barbara's done it again!

But somehow I must have known that lowered windows in the car might let in some rain - and it was forecast lower than 40% chance today. But I did do one thing right. I didn't lower the drivers window at all.

So I'm leaving it like this to perhaps dry out a bit before I need to go get my lunch tomorrow.

Art from the internet and...

 

How many times do we see Fibonacci spirals all around us?

Watercolors by Rachel

Bertha Lum Paper Lanterns and Parasols 1907

by Ellen Harding Baker 1876 Solar System Quilt posted to The Marginalian

Thanks to Asheville Art Museum for this last sculpture below

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Art by Aleah Chapin - from Facebook "Girl God Books" posted to encourage women to take care of themselves.

Today's Quote:

The most precious inheritance parents can leave their children is their own happiness.

THICH NHAT HANH From my family albums: In college I had a supporting role in the musical play, The Boyfriend. The only thing I remember about the performance was seeing my parents in the audience, then missing my line completely. I'm on the far left in the scrumptious pink velvet flapper dress, which of course belonged to props.

Some historic views

 

1914 - a few months before it burnt down.

Springtime in Black Mountain...an ornamental  cherry tree gave beautiful blossoms. The birdbath was a leaky gift, so I stuck an old sculpture in it. This was my rental house on Beech St.

Enjoying my son Marty's family at my last Mother's Day in Tampa before I retired in 2007. Marty, Cayenne, Cinnamon, and William, with me standing!

William achieved his AA, and sister Cayenne her High School degree and enough honors classes she entered college as a sophomore (or maybe a junior!) 

I love seeing what women can do with their hair these days, and most of them say yes when I ask if I can take a photo of them.

Before Sept. 27, 2024, when many of the tracks were washed out along the route through the mountains over the continental divide, there would be one or two trains a day from the east going to Asheville. Tracks have apparently been repaired going west from Asheville to Tennessee, but not going east. We're not sure they will be. This engine is crossing US 70 to deliver supplies to an outfit near Swannanoa, perhaps the most eastern business the trains are doing at this time from Asheville.

Some interesting art...

From the Asheville Art Museum

I still can't see any recycled cans in the finished products!

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Environmental news:

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued a landmark opinion this past Wednesday, stating that countries have a legal duty to protect people and ecosystems from the "urgent and existential threat" posed by climate change. It’s true that the ruling is an advisory opinion with no legal mechanism for enforcement. However, it represents important precedent that will have weight in other courts as litigation continues. 

For example, it means that the countries most impacted by rising temperatures – typically poorer countries who’ve contributed least to the problem in the first place - may be entitled to reparations from the world's top emitters. “This ruling is a powerful tool we can use to demand that those most responsible for this climate crisis be held accountable,” said Flora Vano, Vanuatu country manager for the non-profit ActionAid. “As the planet’s weather becomes more chaotic, this ruling paves the way for the protections and reparations we desperately need to rebuild our lives and secure a just future.”

The litigation was dreamed up by law students from the Pacific island nation of Tonga in 2019. One of those students, Siosiua Veikune, was at the ICJ in the Hague this week to hear the opinion, telling the BBC, "I'm lost for words. This is so exciting. This is a win we take proudly back home to our communities." And I agree: this ruling is yet more proof that ordinary people, when they use their voices, can change the world.

Thanks Katharine Hayhoe!

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Today's quote

Surrender isn’t a sacrifice of the known, but rather a celebration of the infinite. NIPUN MEHTA My old photos: Tai proposing to Kendra with garlic, around 2013, used as header the week of July 23, 2025