A couple of weeks ago, I was throwing a load of recycling into the condo community bins, and I was really tired. I sat in the car for a moment after I emptied the load, looking blankly out through the windshield. A point of light on the ground attracted my eye. Something big and white and round. … read more Here and gone and still here
Tag: nature
Water and words
[Oct. 25] We had just about an hour to spend in downtown Charlotte. We spent it walking in The Green, a public space smack in the middle of highrises, just an acre and a half but filled with grass and art. A central fountain meant for kids to play in was dry, probably to conserve water during the drought. … read more Water and words
Lemon joy
This butterfly is not rare in Georgia, but I don’t remember ever seeing it before. Seems odd, given that its color is such a bright lemon yellow. This summer was the first time I’d noticed it flitting around. I never got a good look at it because I was always rushing somewhere. Today Tom and I finally … read more Lemon joy
Closer down
I stopped by Azalea today, because the decks have been demolished and I wanted to see how that looked. As I turned the corner onto our street, the first thing I saw was that the driveway was consumed by a big yellow dumpster. It’s an odd feeling to see a dumpster in front of your … read more Closer down
Lop lop loppers
On the drive in Friday, Tom flinched every time a branch scraped against Xena on Booger Hollow’s narrow and rhododendron-infested roads. So today, I got out the loppers to trim them back. It was a three-hour chore. But the destructive beast inside me was growling with delight to be off the leash. Loppers were unfamiliar to … read more Lop lop loppers
What the drought hath wrought
The first summer after I transplanted a black cohosh to the hillside above the cabin, I was so worried about its need for shade that I suspended a baby blanket over it with bungee cords. Then halfway through the summer I realized that I was also keeping some of the rain from reaching the plant, … read more What the drought hath wrought
The snake and the bear
As a treat for myself, I made the time to head up the mountain on a strenuous hike. This trail is the one that traverses steeply, gaining more than 1,000 feet just in the last section. My previous time, mid-June, was 45 minutes going up, but after two months away I wasn’t hoping to match … read more The snake and the bear
Zip it good
Amanda wanted badly to tell me something about the house, but she’d only met me a few hours before. She didn’t know how I’d react. She turned to her mom. “Should we tell her about… you know…” Judy looked at her daughter, face frozen. “The lady,” Amanda said. “You know. Out back.” Judy said, “Sure.” … read more Zip it good
Bear bust
Yesterday was busy enough as it was, but I also had to stop to intervene in a neighborhood break-in. I was driving to go and fix lunch for Tom. A fat black bear cub was wandering along the road. I slowed to a crawl, looking for his mother. She was easy to spot. Standing on … read more Bear bust
The oak, falling – Part 2
I could hear the chainsaws across the valley a little after 8 a.m., and I knew it was at my house. I sat on Sara’s deck, looking out into the obliterating mist, and cried. She came out and sat with me. We talked and drank coffee. Finally, I got dressed and drove to my house, where a 10-ton oak … read more The oak, falling – Part 2