I'm talkin' "Eclectic"

This post begins and ends with grandchildren.

But in between it shows the true meaning

of eclectic.

Brianna adores Kitty Cat, as do all the 

grandchildren.  When Kitty is being sociable

("tolerant"), he will allow others to observe him

 during mealtime.  Better than missing a meal!

Here's the emerging fall scene at Grandpa's

log, a favorite outdoor bench for the kids.

We see these sights every day, sometimes

twice a day, because it's all on the path to

our 100+ year old pear trees.  Which are

doing just fine, thanks.  We've harvested

plenty and the bent limbs are still heavy laden.

Look closely to see the dainty, light blue

flowers.  There are so many beautiful flowers

around that I have yet to identify.

Sticking to the plant theme, do you notice

anything odd about this picture?  Well, this

fence used to be totally independent of this

dogwood tree.  And that piece of frog jewelry 

on a chain is likewise permanently attached,

and has been since our girls were small.  We 

left it hanging just a bit too long.

A similar phenomenon is on display

here.  This is a horseshoe pin which 

I laid in the fork of this maple tree about

the time Amanda was in college.  I know

that because the last I played horseshoes

was about that time.  Time to brush up!

Let's switch to animals.  I've been keeping

busy filling three birdbaths, four bird feeders,

and three hummingbird feeders.  We've noticed

just during the recent cool-down the return of

purple finches, tufted titmice, and Carolina

chickadees.  Almost daily we hear a flight of

geese overhead, but they haven't stopped here yet.

I tried for quite a while to get a video of these 

finches cavorting in the birdbath, but they

vanished every time I pressed the start button

on the camera.

Now, from the two-legged to the eight-legged.

Ever since Charlotte's Web  was a fall classic in

my classroom, I've been particularly attentive to

spiders in our own yard.  Two of these black and

white spiny-backed orb-weavers have had webs

over our driveway and in Judy's prayer garden.

Thanks to Google Images for these

two pictures, because our spiders

disappeared before I could blog about them.

This humpbacked orb-weaver at the back

of the garage is much more reminiscent

of Charlotte's Web.  Of course, there's no

writing in this web.  Some sad news.  I tried

to feed it a small beetle, and when there was

no response, I realized this spider had

met its demise.  These things happen in nature.

Just one more spider, and this is a late addition.

It's a Green Lynx spider and Judy has observed

it for several days on her healthy basil plant.

This morning she noticed it had created an egg sac.

The spider is only faintly visible here and is no

longer the bright green it was a few days ago.

The following two pictures from Google 

Images illustrate the egg sac and typical

appearance better than my photo.  Read

Wikipedia's interesting article here.

Okay, back to the two-legged critters.

Oops!  It's Claire and Evan. After three

non-stop hours of active play, they decide

to kick back while waiting for Mommy.

And when Evan relinquishes his seat,

Claire gets even more comfortable!

Well, lo and behold!  That's not Mommy.

It's a surprise visit from Grandma's Mommy.

Otherwise known as Granny and Thelma.

What a great surprise!

If you've stuck with me this long, you might

as well watch this 38 second video of giant

bubbles.  Not surprisingly, I reeled off a dozen

of them before asking Judy if she'd shoot a 

video.  Four more were the best I could do on

camera.  Such is life.

I had to scramble around to come up with 

these pictures.  You see, I've been so busy

playing with the grandchildren when they're

here, I never seem to pick up the camera.

But I'm staying busy whether they're here or not

  With gardening, yardwork, reading, music, keeping

up with friends on Facebook, writing about

Camp Cherokee and Mystery at the Loyd

Homeplace, and much more.  I'll be even busier

the rest of this month, and you'll be hearing about it.

P.S.  One more late addition to this blog.  I had

no recent pictures of HUNTER, so after lunch

at 195 with him, Bri, and Amanda (and Judy, of

course), I snapped this sun-in-the-eyes photo.

What a trooper!

The Real FDR

I came along in 1953, several years too

late to know firsthand about President

Franklin Roosevelt.  That didn't prevent

me from hearing many amazing things

about him during my formative years:

from my parents and grandparents, who

had all come through the depression and

World War II, and knew what our country

and the world owed to this man's leadership.

This 1950 pictorial history of the

president's life was among books and

 magazines long saved by my family.

The mischievous grin reminds me

of my grandmother, Mama Gaddis,

who was a great admirer of his.  When

she told me stories of his feats, the 

simple words "Mr. Roosevelt" were

spoken with reverence and awe.

That's what it was like for the Americans

who elected him to an unprecedented four

terms as our national leader.  Amazingly,

he was re-elected even as the Great Depression

continued.  People appreciated his herculean

efforts to ease their suffering.  And they knew

it was a world-wide depression, not one of

his doing, nor one totally within his power to end.

Sadly, there are revisionists today who try

to cast FDR as a socialist and an enemy of

capitalism.  Nothing could be further from

the truth.  But he was the inventor of our

"safety net," the idea that no one should go

hungry or without proper shelter in a great

and free country.  And virtually all Americans

agreed with him on that.

Two of his most impressive programs to me

were the CCC, Civilian Conservation Corps,

and WPA, Works Public Administration.

These and other programs offered work

with dignity that also served the country well.

President Roosevelt, though a man of great

personal wealth, had endured his own struggle

when stricken with polio.  His fighting spirit was

an inspiration to the public, and his victory gave

them hope for a better tomorrow.

These crowds in New York were singing

"Happy Days are Here Again" not because

his election suddenly gave them jobs, but

because his plans gave them a path to a

brighter future.

He took his oath of office on the 263-year-old

Dutch family Bible.

He endeared himself to a generation with

his heartfelt "Fireside Chats."  He shared

the nation's burdens and successes.

This is Franklin Roosevelt's famed

first inaugural address.  It reads in part:

"This great nation will endure as it has endured,

will revive and will prosper.  So first of all let

me assert my firm belief that the only thing we

have to fear is fear itself, - nameless, unreasoning, 

unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts

to convert retreat into advance."

(Click on the document to enlarge and read in entirety)

This last photo shows me better than any

of the rest that he was one of the people at heart.

The caption states:

"One of the most ardent hobbyists of all our presidents,

FDR would and did collect anything and everything.  

Here is his desk at the White House, on April 12, 1945,

the day he passed away."

As a collector of many things myself, I can

appreciate the pleasures he derived from this

pastime.  I remember when I learned of the 

President's love for philately. And I was proud

to be a stamp collector, too!

(Obviously, as president he had more

storage space than I do!) 

There are not many living people now who

remember Franklin Roosevelt nor his valiant

and bold leadership through our nation's most

trying days since the Civil War.  From all accounts,

far worse than the recession we are now recovering

from.  We can be thankful that elements of our

safety net such as Social Security and

Unemployment Insurance keep the least fortunate

from hitting bottom. And I'm thankful for the

lessons of history that have come to me through

books,documentaries, and the faithful testimony

 of those I love and trust most.

High Level Thinking Skills on the Nature Trail

Since most of you have seen many, many 

pictures of the Sandhills Farm Life Nature

Trail, I thought I'd use a different approach

today.  I'll focus on two things: 

1) the necessary impact of man on nature 

2) how to use the trail with students or your

own children to stimulate high level thinking

When you approach the trail, you can't miss

Farm Life's septic lift station, which was installed

adjacent to the trail several years ago.

All around the lift station, invasive kudzu is

taking over the giant pines and is encroaching

on the nature trail from three directions.  Of

course, kudzu is not native, and was introduced

in the early 1900's for fighting erosion in the south.

It obviously thrives, but is a threat to native plants.

Also adjacent to the trail are the school's 

dumpsters and an electric power line.

Of course, undergrowth and brush are the

enemy of power lines and must periodically

be removed.  I'm extremely thankful they 

are not using herbicides, which would be

devastating to the stream and wetland

environment.

Nevertheless, the heavy machinery

that does the clear-cutting creates

problems of its own.  These deep ruts

have made an unnatural channel for

an underground spring, rerouting its

waters.  And the lush vegetation which

once drank up those waters is no longer

present, creating scattered pools for

mosquitoes to lay their eggs.  The

muck and mud had a horrible odor.

Thankfully, the sanctuary of the

nature trail itself is in excellent shape.

An hour of mowing and clipping has

it ready for fall strolls.  I invite and

encourage community families as well

as school classes to visit and learn.

Okay, let's enter . . . .

Now for several examples of Q & A to

demonstrate how simple observation can

give mental exercise on the nature trail.

Q:  Are these lovely looking berries edible?

A: NO! This is Pokeweed, and every part

of this plant is deadly poison unless 

specially prepared.

Q: What on earth caused this tree

to be shattered into two pieces?

A: Because the tree is hollow, it

was probably dead for quite some time

 before a strong wind snapped it in two.

Q: What two types of ferns are pictured here?

A: Cinnamon fern in the foreground,

netted-chain fern in the background.

Q: What kind of fern is this?

A: Royal fern, as stately and tall

as its name implies.

Q: Which of the following three-leaved

plants is harmful?

A: Not this one.  It's kudzu, though

it is a nuisance and an invasive plant.

A: Yep.  This is poison ivy, which

a high percentage of people are

sensitive to.  I attempt to minimize

its presence on the trail where walkers

are likely to encounter it, but it is a

native plant and should not be eradicated.

A: This three-leaved plant is Jack-in-the-

Pulpit, a favorite on the trail. (And what's

that bird feather doing on it?)

Q: What plant besides dogwood has

red berries?

A: It's our old friend Jack-in-the-Pulpit!

And no wonder it's spreading all over!

Q: What has devastated the branches of

this tree?

A: Tent caterpillars are voracious eaters

and can defoliate a tree, damaging it

without necessarily killing it.

Q: Were these trees cut by beavers or humans?

A: Humans.  Part of the power line clear-cut.

Q: What kind of animal track is this?

A: Whitetail deer.  Also, the depth of the 

hoof print near the stream indicated the 

deer was landing after a leap.  I proceeded

to the stream bank where I found other

hoof prints at the take-off point.

Q: Why does the stream follow a horseshoe

curve here?

A: Over time, the channels of streams and

rivers change due to erosion of the banks.

Softer soils with less vegetation are more

easily washed away, while rocky soil or

soil held together by strong roots deflect the

 stream's waters to the path of least resistance.

Q: How did this moss-covered log get

across the stream?

A: More than 20 years ago, a massive

tree fell across the stream.  Most of its

huge trunk has now rotted and become 

humus.  Many former students may recall

having to climb over or step over its trunk

to get to big rock.  That is no longer necessary.

But this portion of the trunk remains as a

very unreliable stream crossing.

Q: Why is this portion of the trail so soggy?

A: This was an unintended result of the

clear-cutting by the power company.  The

huge ruts of their machinery (shown earlier)

diverted the path of an underground spring.

And the disappearance of the formerly lush

plant life leaves vastly more surface water.

I plan a minor trenching project to correct this.

Q: How on earth did Big Rock get covered

with all these bushes and vines!?

The power company's machinery, for some

reason, pushed all this underbrush into the

stream and onto Big Rock.

Q: Where did all the underbrush go?

A: I returned for a second workday with my

chainsaw and removed the piles of privet 

(hedgebush), smilax (catbrier or 

greenbriar), and grapevine.  

I carry the scars on my arms.

But Big Rock has been restored to its familiar

look.  With the stream at high water, getting

across is another problem.  I removed three

cinderblocks students had placed in the creek

in attempts to make stepping stones.  They'll

thank me later.

So here's the view from Big Rock's side of

the stream looking back at the nature trail.

I hope you've seen how a simple walk in nature

can stimulate your curiosity and high level thinking.

And it's okay if you don't find all the answers.

Everything's ready and waiting for your visit.

This fall, this winter, or next spring.  Whenever

you visit, you'll be thrilled at this special natural

sanctuary that belongs to all of us.  I'd love

to hear about your visit.