The leaves are turning

 

Our sad Bradford pear tree in the apartment complex is the first to show color. Sad because it looked like it wasn't even going to have leaves this last spring, and certainly skipped the usual blossoms.

I went down Central St., hoping to see the remains of the Friend's Meeting House, which sat on a horseshoe bend in the Swannanoa River. I saw this pretty fall tree, and was stopped from going any further when I got to the group house which may or may not be relocated from it's original location.

The maples outside my windows have started to turn orange. Then overnight last Sunday night (about the 4-5th night with frost) they just boomed into orange!

Tuesday Oct. 22, 24

Thursday, Oct. 24.24

A bit of bright sunshine even makes this Bradford pear tree look pretty good.

A bit of the view from my bedroom window.

Behind the bank building are a lot of cars for early voters at the next building, the Black Mountain Library. You may notice all the blue skies. No rain since Hurricane Helene came through 27 days ago. None is forecast either. Strange.

Sharing with Floral Friday Fotos and Skywatch Friday

Today's quote:

When we trust our creative energy, we encounter a supreme kind of enjoyment—an amazement at the natural unfolding of life beyond our ordinary way of looking at things.

DZIGAR KONGTRUL RINPOCHE The photo of our surrounding area:

Early voting in North Carolina

CNN published that early voting in NC was 200,000 on the first day, Thurs. Oct. 17. 

That's about as high as was the voting for Obama when the state actually went blue for the first time since Jimmy Carter. According to a Wikipedia.

Just to give everyone some high hopes.

Here I was standing close to the doors into the voting room to take this shot...I'd been in line about 25 minutes so far. It wasn't too bad because some of the time my lower half, below the waist, had been in the sun. By the time I got to this place I was totally in the shade, and it was a bit cool and I was glad of my jacket.

Here's one of the women (there were a couple of poor women deranged by the lies I guess) sitting at Trump electioneering sites. There were lots more (not deranged by lies) at the Harris/Walz area, including providing a handy Democrat sample ballot.

The woman sitting in the middle of the room in a purple sweater is an observer. Guess which party she's probably from. Well, I have no idea, but there was only one, so that makes me lean toward our predominant party of Democrats here in Black Mountain. But then the GOP is more interested in finding faults in voting.

My ballot was cast and entered the machine as number 999 for this Black Mountain early voting site. 

Must admit the internet connection with Spectrum has been iffy for the last few days...off for hours at a time. So I'm glad it's working again. I'd ask for credit for the time it was down from service completely, but I don't mind paying for the linemen who were out there reconnecting me to the internet. I guess I don't really know when it was returned to service since I was gone.

I'm having to push myself to eat the good food that I have. I just haven't much appetite for some reason. And I had to make a new hole in my belt for my new jeans...for which I rolled up the legs that were too long. Too much trouble to try to send them back with iffy delivery still from Amazon etc. The nearest Amazon warehouse wasn't damaged by the floods, according to some news or another. Plus the jeans will probably shrink with the first wash.

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Here's Open Culture showing the voting test from 1964 to keep Blacks from being eligible to vote in LA. Take the Near Impossible Literacy Test. You and I will fail!

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Here's a PBS clip that talks about climate change as being a topic for each of the presidential candidates:

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Today's quote:

There is always more goodness in the world than there appears to be, because goodness is of its very nature modest and retiring. -Evelyn Beatrice Hall, biographer (1868-1956)

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The sobering photo of the area around me after Hurricane Helene

Surviving and maybe voting

Argh! I've reached some kind of limit. First thing this morning, I wanted the warmth and compassion of a mother. Me? At my age? Well, that's the inner child who has certainly been pretty quiet while all this hullabaloo of 25 days has happened/

And now I want, desperately, a normal meal. One that doesn't have the work-around things like bottled or boiled water, paper plates so I don't have to wash them...just sit down and enjoy a meal. Sorry, going to get pizza yesterday were we had paper plates, canned sodas, and plastic forks...was just more of the same.

We're adapting! Damn it!

And surviving too!

But maybe I could drive 50 miles and find a restaurant with ice water, and cloth napkins...and a menu of more than 6 items. I'm thinking about it...

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Last Thursday I gladly picked up two more flats of drinkable bottled water by a church in Swannanoa. They also gave me a bucket of cleaning supplies. I could use the bucket (but not the size large rubber gloves!) I'll give away the caustic chemical cleaners.

I was actually looking for the hot free meal which was prepared by the World Central Kitchen, behind a place I'd never been, called the Burnt Pretzel. 

There was a sparsely populated parking lot and I walked from there to a couple of tents from which people were walking with a black take-home container. I walked right up and received chicken chunks and beans and rice, and supposedly potatoes and carrots, and some cut up fruit. I also got a cold bottle of water and ambled over to sit at one of the picnic tables within a little fenced area. 

One bite of the chicken and it's dryness and whatever seasoning was on it meant I chewed for 10 minutes (so it felt.) I tried one of the funny cubes of "potatoes" and it was hard...and I thought maybe they were passing turnips as potatoes, so I spit it out (delicately of course). So I just picked up and went back to the car, thinking a good nuking and adding some barbecue sauce might help things.

But first...

right down the street, as I drove closer to turn onto US 70, there was more flood evidence. 

I tried to slow down and get a photo of the repairs near my apartment in Black Mountain on S. Blue Ridge Rd. where the bridge over the Swannanoa River had washed completely away. As I drove, this is what I could get...

Then I decided to try to vote. A neighbor in the apartments said they'd voted by parking in the handicap voting slot...so I gave it a try. First there was a funeral going on across the street from the library, and the bank on the corner had someone out by its parking lot to keep voters and mourners out. A whole lot of cars had been parked on the street as people walked to either of those venues. 

I parked next to the disabled voting slot, where a big SUV was parked doing the curb-side voting.  I was in the disabled parking slot for voting...but I'd have to park and get in line.

So guess what I did.

Yep, decided I could get behind another 40-50 people later, but I needed to eat something. So home to put some of the food into a bowl and add barbecue sauce, and heat it up. Yum. Noticed I didn't even try the "potatoes."

And Friday...I went back to vote.

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The sobering photo of around my area hit by Hurricane Helene Sept 26/27, 2024

Tuesday Treasure

 And another Tuesday Treasure, the Ennis House by Frank Lloyd Wright in Los Angeles CA.

This is a 10 minute tour of the inside of his last Mayan-inspired designs. Unfortunately there are ads thrown at you, but I recommend using a mute button. Oh I forgot to mention it is for sale, in case you have $23 million.

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A clay artist whom I admire and have visited several years ago, Akira Satake, lost his studio in Asheville. Here's a clip of his work and philosophy which was taken at his Swannanoa home before Hurricane Helene.

 I don't know how to add a  clip that's a Vinmeo...so here's the link.

 https://vimeo.com/846373243?&login=true

Akira welcomed me and my son and his (son's) clay teacher, Brian Ramson into his home a few years back, and showed us his small studio and huge kiln at that time. I've even bought a few very small pieces of his work. 

Asheville's River Arts district was 80% destroyed, and housed more than 300 artist's studios and warehouses.

Here's an editorial piece about how Asheville had a flood in 1916 and made some efforts in 2004 to mitigate flooding. Will we Even try to prevent future flooding?

At noon our little nearby town of Swannanoa had lots of dignitaries descend upon it, with all local as well as interstate traffic closed down so tRump could come make a speech with the GOP senator and representative and Franklin Graham (not like his father Billy Graham I've been told) standing behind him. He gave the speech about 10 feet from his big SUV with some debris piled in the background. Less than 6 minutes.

 It was well covered by WLOS including our Governor Cooper (D) saying tRump lied about the lack of help from the government after the disaster. Here's the link: https://www.wlos.com/news/local/donald-trump-tours-helene-storm-damage-north-carolina-swannanoa-election-day-kamala-harris-campaign#

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Today's quote:

When we live with intent, we own our actions; instead of habitually performing them.

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Pet parade in Black Mountain in 2023 and yes it is scheduled again for 2024!

22nd Annual Black Mountain HowlOWeen Pet Parade & Costume Contest Oct. 26 2024

Walking in the Parade is free & starts at 3. Registration for the Costume Contest starts at 1:30 and just $8. Great prizes donated by local businesses! Proceeds to benefit Rusty’s Legacy.

Monday Murals

Saturday last I finally did a bit of grocery shopping. Hopey's is a locally owned smallish store with 2 locations in the Asheville area which sells some items that are out of date but otherwise has lots of goodies. I had just 4 items to find, jelly, bread, eggs and fish. No fish was there, but I got chicken instead. The prices were understandably higher than the last time I shopped, but it's a recovery time! And today I had a breakfast of bacon and eggs! All cooked in the microwave to avoid dirtying a pan that would need to be washed. I'm still not running hot water because my tank has the clean water from before the hurricane still in it. If I run it then it will start refilling with the current water which has sediment and high chlorine content in it. Who knows how long it will take to get clear water here. For now I have a tea kettle of potable boiled water (no sediment) for washing dishes. So I still refrain from using real ones and defer to paper and plastic as much as possible.

While visiting my friend, Martha, we went in search of murals.

This is all mosaic tiles, including some mirrors.

As a tourist I'd never have found these hidden places where Pittsboro natives enjoy themselves. There are a lot of micro-breweries there.

Actually just a fence perhaps, in Chapel Hill if I remember right.

Our continuing attempt  for a good selfie of us two.

Sharing with Monday Murals.

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Today's quote:

In times of turmoil and danger, gratitude helps to steady and ground us. It brings us into presence, and our full presence is perhaps the best offering we can make to our world.

JOANNA MACY ------------------

A real live "steam punk" receptionist, from 2023.

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Today's dose of sober photos of my area as Hurricane Helene moved through (not where Martha lives)

A President-to-be's birthday

 Happy birthday Vice President Kamala Harris. Born in Oakland CA in 1964.

NOT a photo of baby Kamala, but just a reminder of how small and vulnerable we all are at birth.

I just read the Wikipedia article (with lots of references) about Kamala's life. The talking points usually just give this or that detail, and I wanted to piece together how she came to be where she is on this 60th birthday, running for President of the US in an election in 2 weeks.

Here's the link, if you're lazy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris

I watch several news programs, as well as read the news links on line. This election is as tight as ever there was, but I have hopes that she will win. Our democracy depends upon it.

Today's quote:

Victoria Woodhull once wrote, “Let women issue a declaration of independence sexually, and absolutely refuse to cohabit with men until they are acknowledged as equals in everything, and the victory would be won in a single week.” First woman to run for Presidency in 1872

A day of survivors enjoying a meetup

 First an update: yesterday when I woke up I was disoriented and didn't know which bedroom I was in, John's house? Martha's? or yes, my own!

The little mini-split-air-unit which cools or heats my bedroom went on frequently last night...it got down to the 30s. Tonight there's a frost forecast, so I plan to bring inside the few plants that I just can still water and hope they'll maybe survive another winter. Some I've already given away to neighbors and friends. Water is precious now. I've been doing like the old stories mention, and using the dishwater to water plants.  I don't wash many dishes (preferring paper plates & bowls, and plastic ware) so I only wash the pans I cook in, and utensils I use! And just a few days ago Black Mountain's water was improved from "use only to flush" to "boil for drinking, ok to wash dishes, clothes and shower." (However it still has a lot of fine particles in it, so I showered at a friend's house yesterday who owns a well.)

Two friends and I met for free hot lunches a few days ago...and went three places before finding a really good spaghetti meal, with a side salad and a taco soup. The first place by the Trailhead Restaurant was just giving either a cup of soup or a breakfast burrito, and a fruit. Though we were grateful for their offerings, my friends said they were too hungry for just that. So we tried the Presbyterian church, but they are now focused on clothing and packaged foods, and they told us to  go to the Railyard.

At one end of the Railyard's big courtyard of picnic tables, is a stage where volunteers take a turn at entertaining whoever comes in.

The food line wasn't too long, and we received a meal of pasta, green salad and a taco soup, with various drink boxes available and snacks also - all free. The pasta was very good with lots of cheese, a bit of meat and good tomato sauce. The soup was too spicy for my taste, but we all enjoyed the salad! It was sunny but a bit windy for my comfort, in the mid 40s.

There were many families with kids, and I counted at least 20 youngsters just hanging out blowing bubbles, or tossing balls. And yes, behind the parked cars is the raised railroad track. I think parts of it were damaged by the floods, so it may not be operational yet. Having no schools open must be a challenge to parents, especially those who could go back to work.

Who knew I could make that face! But I wanted to show the long building with all the garage door openings which is the heart of the Railyard.

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Today's quote:

"I learned this at least by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Thoreau

And I'm now going to post a photo every day of the devastation, so those who haven't seen it on the news, or moved on to the next disaster, will know what we're still dealing with.  This isn't easy for me to do, as I get choked up just looking at the powerful destruction.

I-40 near mile marker 4 in NC near border of TN and NC. After flood.

Waters have receded on I-40 near mile marker 4 in NC near border of TN and NC.

Both entrances to tunnel.

Highway I-40 is not open to traffic between Knoxville and Asheville. It is not due to be repaired for months.