The Slow Lane

Spring had trouble breaking through the cold weather of this winter, but the warm weather arrived suddenly. The mountains had temperatures last week and this week in the 80′s. Raleigh has had 90′s. Jonquils were slow to bloom, and came in March instead of February or some years in late January. Dogwoods bloomed and leafed out in a week.

I planted Jonquil bulbs in 3 locations in the yard in the mountains. The first ones barely peeped through the ground about mid-march and bloomed by the end of March. It took about 4 days to have 6 jonquils blooming.

There has has been lots of pollen this year, more than in decades. One explanation is the rapid warm-up this spring. Pine pollen turns everything yellow/green and oak blossoms this year are almost simultaneous. They pile up everywhere.

Spring is a wondrous time of year and it’s fun to watch flowers bloom and trees leaf out. Sometimes, I am pleased to see a flower or plant that I had forgotten was there. The weather has been great for getting outside.

When I have a “to-do” list, the list is more likely to have been created by someone else.  For me, making a list is as difficult to accomplish as it is to do the items on such a list.  Also, I don’t have the habit of referring to my list and especially when I think that I remember everything that’s on the list. Neither of these results encourage me to make more lists.

On the other hand, experience is teaching me that when I need to pick up something at the grocery store or have multiple topics I want to mention on a phone call or Doctor’s visit, a list is worth the effort.  Now, if I can remember to trust my experience and temper my tendency to dismiss the “make a list” reminders from others, perhaps I will choose to be a more frequent list maker.

The fact that I’ve seldom made a formal list of New Year’s resolutions should not be surprising.  However, there are times when it is appropriate to pause and consider where one is in relation to current goals and ambitions.   An example for me is that I want to make more frequent entries here on my blog and add more information on Jonquilpatch.com.  When I can see that I have accomplished this goal, I know that I will have made changes in how I set priorities for my use of time and effort.  Of course, you can see that the word “more”  leaves some wiggle room.  Some would say that I haven’t really made a commitment to make the change.  I won’t argue this point.  I really do value flexibility and flexibility competes with commitment in how I manage my time.  For me, having these two competing values means that I have to decide over and over which value is most appropriate for the circumstance at hand. 

Some will argue that all I’ve said can be reduced to semantics.  It is good that we can say and do things differently to accomplish our goals, even if we happen to have common goals.  So, however you say it, I hope you have success in reaching your goals and that you have a pleasant journey through the process.

Magnolia trees bloom in the Spring and produce cones with red seeds on them in the Fall. Thus one might conclude that these two pictures were taken about 4 months apart. Actually, they were taken only minutes apart and exist in our Raleigh neighborhood growing less than 50 feet from each other.

So, what does one make of this apparent confusion? I’ve never noticed a magnolia tree blooming this late in the year. Contradictory evidence has some explanation: Different varieties? genetics? environmental factors (seems unlikely)? I would like to know, but I’m content that I noticed the difference and can enjoy the puzzle as well as the view.

Sometimes we pay little attention to the seasons except when we notice: “The leaves have turned beautiful colors.” “It’s very cold and maybe a chance of snow.” “Everything is turning green and flowers are blooming.” or “It’s just too hot, but the vegetables are plentiful and it’s vacation time.”

This week, I noticed something that I knew happens every year, but I didn’t remember happens this early. As you can see in the picture, the dogwood berries have turned bright red. The dogwood tree we planted several years ago has had lots of blossoms in the Spring and it now has lots of red berries. I think it’s a sign of Fall that I haven’t always noticed. It’s nice to see the beauty of nature and note the changes that remind us of simple joys.

In a small town like Severn, NC, it’s pretty special to have one of the largest peanut storage facilities in the country. When it caught on fire August 11th, it began a long vigil for firefighters and officials to monitor the fire that is still expected to burn another 2 weeks or so. This picture was taken on September 1st. There are multiple “Rain for Rent” tractor trailers sitting ready with extra water when needed.

The elevator tower in the left of the picture is the height of the structure with the dome rising above that height. Without having verified any information, my understanding is that there were between 500 and 600 tractor trailer loads of peanuts in the facility. Fortunately, I’ve heard of no injuries and hazard and safety investigations did not require an evacuation of people in the vicinity.

  Chris and I have been friends for more than 20 years. He is the Woodcrafter on staff at the Builtmore House in Asheville. His primary responsibility is to talk about and demonstrate woodworker tools and projects to guests of the Builtmore House. One young girl about 8 came into the wood shop and her first question was “How do you make a tree?” Chris responded, “I don’t do that. God makes the tree and I use the wood to make other things.” The discussion continued as Chris showed some of the things he made and explained how to make them. The wood shop is at the barn area of the Builtmore Estate away from the big house. Chris is a good storyteller and seems to enjoy the interaction with the guests as well as making things from wood. As a bonus he is able to sell some of the things he makes at the gift shop nearby.

Lucinda and I enjoyed visiting with Chris and Roz on Sunday and watching Chris work on Tuesday. On Monday we visited the Western NC Arboretum and the Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters and Destination Center.  On Wednesday morning, we visited the Folk Art Center before driving to our cabin in Ashe County.