photography

According to the experts, the sun was to set at 5:06 pm today.
If I arrive at the river much earlier than sunset, I find I do too much sungazing and hurt my eyes. So I did not get there early, but I wish I had. When I reached the dock, I saw a hunched over, bald guy with heavily tattooed arms taking pictures with a serious camera, so of course I started a conversation. I think we both enjoyed talking about the beauty of the ever changing sky. He said that when the sun is setting, you can take a picture every 1.7 seconds, and they will be different. Then, though almost too late, another good photographer arrived. He was a thin Spanish speaking guy who showed us some underwater images he had taken. I really enjoyed all the photography talk.
Here are two pix. One from before the sun fully set and one after.

at the pretty place

The museums and other fun places were open for free today, this first Sunday of the month. I chose to go to Airlie since I hadn't been in a while nor had I renewed my membership. It was sunny and windy, and I didn't get a good picture while there, but here is one anyway.

after sunset

This photo is from a WB boat ride on Monday evening. These were the actual pretty colors.

new painting

Trip wants me to paint! He handmade a bunch of beautiful, tight stretched canvases for me. Here is something I painted on one of them. I will probably tweak it a tad.

remnants

It has been over a month since Hurricane Flo hit Wilmington, and we can still see the effects. I've heard that some people are still displaced, living somewhere other than their homes, and that some lost everything. There is still a lot of work going on all over, and downed trees are still being picked up. With the exception of Hurricane Michael, we haven't had much rain since Florence, thank goodness. My neighborhood is in good shape now.
One day last week I went to CB, the north end. I needed a walk on the beach, and enjoyed it despite the wind. There were a few piles of destruction there. Here is a pic of the jetty and the pier, that, though standing, is missing boards and stilts. Must be closed.

For Mental Health Day

As anyone who works in psychiatry can tell you, the mismanagement of sex is a terrible thing.

It was the rare female admission to the psych facility who had never experienced sexual abuse. It was rarely a male stranger rape but a slimeball of a relative who got to them first. And there were aggressive lesbians who preyed upon lost, vulnerable otherwise heterosexual women. Males are also victims, and it is harder for them to speak out. Most common was the male on male abuse. However during my time, I heard horrible tales of mother and son, preachers, neighbors and family members with boys. Generally, out of a sense of not belonging and feeling confused, both males and females can be lured into some terrible sexual relationships and become deeply wounded - if they survive. Molestation causes irreparable damage to children that determines much of the way they function throughout their lives.

Anyone can sexually abuse anyone or anything.

It also undergirds many political issues today.

Sex is one of those behaviors that is most likely to be used for power, control, revenge, and rage.
It should come as no surprise to anyone who has turned on a television or been to a movie within the past quarter century that the cesspool of Hollywood has more than its its share of amoral deviants.
It was good that is was brought to light and spawned the MeToo movement. It has helped some people to heal. However the movement itself is subject to corruption and misuse.

If sex were in its proper place, mental illness would greatly lessen. Generally an upbringing in which a child feels secure, loved, and is taught healthy values like self respect will provide resistance to abuse as an adult. It is important to remember the source of the problem.

Those are my thoughts for World Mental Health Day.

Pileated Woodpecker

It is always a treat to find new birds like these pileated woodpeckers.

Storm Update

Another busy day in the streets of Wilmington as chainsaws whir and people try to get back to business. There is so much volunteer work going on. I am glad I got home in time to participate. Many places offer food. One has been occupying a vacant shopping center parking lot and serves only barbecue. It has trucks with shower stalls and trucks for sleeping. Several church based groups are set up and offer food and necessities. The place where I "helped" yesterday was World Central Kitchen and is run/organized by chefs. It appeared chaotic, but in fact it wasn't. It was well organized, just very busy. They prepare meals for 12,000 people! The food is taken to various places within probably a radius of up to 100 miles of Wilmington. They plan to stay through the week.

I stopped by Greenfield Lake today to see what Florence had done to it. There were quite a few trees down and men with orange vests cutting them up and moving them out. I saw  a lot of white birds flying and nesting in the trees on the other side of the lake. One close to the walking path was staying put. At that spot, there were hundreds of smelly, dead fish, and not small ones either. A woman who was sitting nearby said it was due to the lack of oxygen, and that a group she was in had brought an aerator to put in the lake there. It's funny how the great trees go down but delicate looking plants remain. The pix are at Greenfield Lake. 1) high lake and trucks on the road 2) John standing on an uprooted tree 3) flowers

Then on to the Cape Fear River, broader than usual and faster moving. I've heard the water is receding faster than they thought. Good news. Mother Nature is awesome.

At my house, there must several hundred downed pine cones, mostly green and new. I definitely rather get them now than when they become seedlings.

Next post: The birds at the lake.

storm recovery

I arrived back home about 6:30 pm yesterday.
Nobody returned by way of the same route they left.
Evacuees had to check the latest news on what was safe, flooded, or closed, and we did the best we could, no matter how long it took.
I left Lugoff and drove miles and miles through the rural midsection of South Carolina. When I finally reached I 95, was I so relieved! Then I had smooth sailing to 26, and up 17. I didn't see any real damage until I got to Leland.
When I pulled into my neighborhood I saw pine tree debris in the streets, fallen trees, and neat piles of lost trees stacked by the road ready for pick up. I was impressed by how much work had already been done.
Riding around today, I saw lots of work trucks big and small, more trees down, open businesses, and many places for people to get free food.
I think the aftermath of Florence has gone very smoothly. From President Trump down to our mayor. and the citizens, everyone has worked together. The meteorologists were accurate in all their predictions.
Much more could be said, but it is real aggravating trying to write on my old iPad.

how quickly we adapt

It's a sunny, blue sky day here in the Midlands of South Carolina. There are different kinds of butterflies flitting around, and I saw a hummingbird outside the window. Peter said they nest in the tall trees about forty yards from their house. The ground soaked up the rain that fell softly over the past thirty-six hours. I could get used to life in the country. It will be hard going back to my tenth of an acre no matter how convenient it is. Meanwhile back in Wilmington, the people who stayed behind must adapt to worse conditions. I am trying to stay on top of it all and that is mainly through Facebook. Each time I see a picture of the flooding or read a story of someone helping or making it through a difficult situation, my mind goes back there. I do love Wilmington and I hate to see the devastation. They say it is now an island, not approachable by land vehicles. I will leave here when the "all clear" is given.
Hearing the continued news about the approaching huge hurricane, I mulled over getting the heck out of dodge. I was torn. I really didn't want to leave, but thinking I should, on Wednesday I quickly made the decision and quickly organized. I prepared the house the best I knew how, putting some things on higher ground and covering others. I didn't know what to pack. I was filled with questions. Would the house flood? When would I ever get back? In three days or two weeks or ever? Would I lose everything? Then I realized that is was all just stuff, and even if I were still alive in twenty years, I wouldn't need any of it. Even five years! I tossed three changes of clothes, my thyroid medicine, and a few personal items in one bag. In another I put my laptop, camera, iPad, chargers, books, and pens. A few shareable groceries went in another. Wisely I threw in my duck shoes and rain hat that ties under the neck. Some bottles of water, a sandwich and snacks, and I was ready to go. I was thankful I had the car serviced the week before and had found a place to fill up the gas tank on Tuesday. At that time it was hard to find gas, and grocery store shelves were being emptied. Now Hurricane Florence has gone, but the flooding remains. As the Cape Fear River fills with water from the bodies of water that empty into it before going to the Atlantic, the unknown is how high will it go.

 pics of the day

Hurricane news

Jacob and the hubby are out in Jacob's truck seeing the results of Hurricane Florence's slow path through Wilmington. Raymond had so far seen it only from the view out the windows of our house, and was unimpressed. Now he is amazed how the house stood strong, even though some in the neighborhood suffered damage. I'm sorry for them, but I thank God for protecting mine. Downtown looks like a war zone, he said, and he has actually seen war zones. There is flooding in some streets, rain is still falling, and the river won't crest until Tuesday. Because of the amount of damage done, and work getting power restored, it may be a while until I get back home. Thankfully there was good planning by the government and the power companies. I am enjoying being where I am, but you know what they say about three days.

country living

It has been good to spend time with the family in the country. Since they moved in four years ago, they have done so much to make it far more than a house in the woods. They had a few acres of trees cleared. Then Peter put up fences making several different areas for the animals to roam in and built several structures for various uses. Sally has a way of making a home pretty and comfortable. It is all "precious."
From large to small, their animals are a llama, two donkeys who are mother and daughter, three nanny goats and one billy goat. They hope to have some baby goats next year. Fifteen chickens, black, brown, white and "striped." Two roosters, a barred rock and a white leghorn, who really watch over the hens and who really cock-a-doodle-do. Their dog Bijou doesn't want to miss out on a thing. Their cat Primrose is usually lounging around somewhere, and new kitty Ollie is cute and playful.
Here are some of the animals.

the hurricane is coming

It has been a pretty day here in Wilmington making it hard to believe a terrible hurricane is headed straight for us that is intent on destruction. At least that is what all the newscasters are saying. I do not live in a mandatory evacuation area, but tomorrow morning I will be one of the cars headed out of town. Most of Wilmington has a low elevation, and I am heading toward higher ground at Peter and Sally's. I hope I will be able to come back home in a few days, but reports say there will be massive flooding all over the Carolinas. I hear words like devastating, historic, catastrophic, life-changing, the worst ever seen, and I cannot imagine. I have never been in such a situation. I pray my house is spared and the trees stand strong. I got a neighborhood newsletter this evening, and a lot of neighbors are riding it out. So is the hubby. He wants to see what it is like. We have prepared today, but it may not be enough.

pickled red onions

This is my second batch of pickled red onions. In the first, I used traditional pickling spices. In this batch I used garlic and rosemary only. There are many recipes out there. Probably any would be good. I like them.

CB Bridge

I have been wanting to take a pic at the river from under/of the Snow's Cut Bridge, and here it is. While I was there, the new Fire Dept boat sped past. I wonder where it was going in such a hurry.

new toys

Just for kicks, I got an iMac during tax free weekend in South Carolina. Today it is up and running. My three-year-old camera had a problem, a "lens error," that couldn't be fixed by anyone I asked, so I ordered a new but refurbished one from Canon. Now all my hobby stuff is updated! I tested the camera at the beach last evening and at the sunset tonight. I love to take pictures. When I go somewhere with my camera, I wonder what may be waiting out there, and eventually I find something. Often birds. Sometimes I feel like I am a child on an Easter egg hunt. I think the one on top is a juvenile night heron.

4 ibises

My favorite local musician

This is Al who plays for us a lot of Fourth Fridays. He is from a family of musicians and is multi-skilled. It is a real treat to hear him.

a nice spot at WB

the current hobby

I must have about 25 of these so far.
Same place, but the sky is always different at sunset.

gravlax

Something new I tried this week was curing salmon. I bought a small whole, wild Alaskan salmon and fileted it the best I could. Then, following a recipe, I covered it with equal parts sugar and kosher salt and a lot of fresh dill. A couple of days later it was preserved and ready for eating. It was not perfect, but it was edible. A little too tasty. I guess the best thing was using some in scrambled eggs. From what I read, it is Norwegian. Probably the men who fished the North Atlantic took it with them on their expeditions.

another outing. going local.

Today a 24 mile drive south to Brunswick Town.
It consists mainly of pretty property close to the river, a welcome center that provides history of the place, some graves, and various remnants of the Revolutionary War. I can check it off my to do list now.

tonight's pic

I am enamored with these sunsets. Tonight I heard one appreciative visitor saying, "We never see the sun in Ohio."

and to the south

is Southport, a town on the mouth of the Cape Fear River that fits the definition of quaint.

another pretty beach north of here

Yes, there is a Surf City in North Carolina, and this is a snapshot of it today. The blues and greens of the ocean are darker than the Wilmington beaches, and there were fewer people on the beach despite the beautiful weather during 4th of July week.

another one

I have done a lot of these now.

hits and misses

Since I don't use recipes and rarely measure, my cooking is a bit of a crapshoot that leans toward less than desirable results. Once in a while though, I come up with something pretty decent.
On Saturday while I was out, I sampled a chocolate chess pie. Oh my. It was so delicious, and the rich flavor lingered in my palate. I wanted more but didn't want to go to the trouble of making a pie once I got home. Instead I made a small pan of brownies that ended up close to perfect. I've been baking brownies for fifty years now with most batches being neither pretty nor delicious. But topped with a scoop of ice cream straight from the oven? Who cares. Recently I learned a better way to assemble brownie ingredients, and I knew what to do to get a taste and texture like the pie's.
I also pickled some red onions. Very easy to do. Today I made potato salad and added chopped pickled onion. It was a great flavor addition.
And I must note the cherry scones I made yesterday. Fresh cherries baked inside rich biscuits. So good with coffee.
I've been eating a little too good.

Sunday Evening

Not having had much physical activity today, I went for a walk around the neighborhood late this afternoon. It was a beautiful day, just like the one yesterday. Everything seemed so clear and bright, so green and blue. Birds chirping in trees and flying overhead. Crepe myrtles filled with big blossoms of white, pink and red. I am glad I didn't miss it. Then I thought we would probably have a beautiful sunset, and since I am into sunsets, it wasn't long before I was three minutes down the road at my new favorite place. Other people like it, too, and there is almost a feeling of reverence at the end of the dock.
(a paparazzi picture)

Heavens 2

playing with my toys

Art supplies are the crack of artists.
I am no exception.
Tubes of exquisite colors, brushes for wide strokes and brushes to make tiny marks like the dot of white in the eye. Paper for pastels, for markers, linen canvas for oils, heavy weight dry dimpled paper for watercoloring. Endless! Oh the possibilities!
As I move my art supplies from the upstairs to the garage, I am going through them all. Separating. Organizing. I think of them as men perhaps think of tools. Potentially useful toys. I should use them more.

Night is drawing nigh

Some sunsets are spectacular, some are so-so, and because of dense cloud covers, some don't even seem to happen. This is from tonight. I wanted to try putting a verse on a sunset pic, so here goes.

highlights from the day?

Today was hot. Inside the air conditioner is still struggling to cool us humans. 

In my house are a few boxes filled with trivial things that I think the grandchildren might be interested in someday when I have left this world. One of them, an almost square yellow box of a good size with the words "May the Sun Always Shine On You" in a pretty script on the top, has been stashed away in the back of a rarely used closet. It was way before we left Greenville that I had stuffed it with memorabilia, and I wondered what was in it. I wiggled the lid off. On top was a nice beaded change purse that held two twenty dollar bills. Since it is my money, I transferred it directly into my billfold. Lucky me. 

Earlier I drive over to Panera to meet with a woman who may help with new website for our art organization. We had a lot of good conversation, and she told me about her in-laws who were from Eastern Europe. (Or something like that.) The father's Army job during the war was to go places where they needed a Russian speaking guy to do secret work. She told me he wrote love letters to his wife in a code that could be interpreted only by certain people. Though I cannot tell it with the accuracy, or the love and fervor that she did, the story seemed as if it came straight out of a novel. 

I also bought a new scratching post for my sweet boy cat. He is trying to act disinterested, but tomorrow he will be all over it. 

Prime

Amazon and Whole Foods have partnered in a big way, and I really didn't understand how it would work until today.
Since I am an amazon prime member, I signed up online to become a prime shopper at Whole Foods. You can do this by putting an app on your phone or just by getting your phone number in their system. The phone # method was recommended by an employee, so that is what I did. And then I went shopping to try it. There were a few deals for prime members in the store, plus I could get an extra 10 % off  items that were on sale. When I checked out, I gave my phone # to the cashier, and the deductions came off as if I were using my HT card.
Whole Foods in Greenville and Wilmington are not much different from any other grocery store. I wish mine had a juice bar and a place to get wheat grass shots like they have in the Austin stores, but it doesn't. Instead it has this new gimmick to get more customers.

A Song for Sunday and Everyday

Sometimes I find that one of the new church songs is a little hard to catch onto, but once I do, I really like it. This is the first verse to one that has become a favorite.

God the Uncreated One
The author of salvation
Who wrote the laws of space and time
And fashioned worlds to His design
The one whom angel hosts revere
Hung the stars like chandeliers
Numbered every grain of sand
Knows the heart of every man
He is King forever
He is King forever
He is King forevermore

Book Selection

The book club I am in has been going on since 1942, and we follow some longstanding traditions. For the new year, each member chooses a book to put in the rotation, meaning each book gets passed around in an orderly way so that everyone gets a chance to read it. The books must have been published in the year we start back after our summer break, so this time the books must have come out in 2018. After that one rule, choosing one is not as easy as you might imagine. Last year, I think I read and/or bought four books before I settled on the big cookbook, an atypical choice. I look for clean. A book that does not rely on bad language to make a point. One that is relatively pleasant and well written. One that will not embarrass me. After perusing goodreads and amazon, I took a chance and ordered "All the Way to Italy” that is considered fiction but is mostly autobiographical. I prefer that to a made up story. After all those years working in psychiatry, I know when a story lacks plausibility. I started reading it today, and I think I did good.
We can tell when someone puts in a book without reading it.

a nice poem

You start dying slowly
If you do not travel,
If you do not read,
If you do not listen to the sounds of life,
If you do not appreciate yourself.

You start dying slowly
When you kill your self-esteem,
When you do not let others help you.

You start dying slowly
If you become a slave to your habits,
Walking everyday on the same paths,
If you do not change your routine,
If you do not wear different colors
Or you do not speak to those you don’t know.

You start dying slowly
If you avoid to feel passion
And its turbulent emotions,
Those that make your eyes glisten
And your heart beat fast.

You start dying slowly
If you do not change your life when you are not satisfied with your job, or with your love, or with your surroundings,
If you do not risk what is safe for the uncertain,
If you do not go after a dream,
If you do not allow yourself,
At least once in your lifetime
To run away from sensible advice.

This has been incorrectly attributed to noted Chilean writer Pablo Neruda.
The real writer was Martha Medeiros, a lesser known Brazilian. 
Mother Teresa also got credit for a lot of good words that she didn't write. I hate it when that happens. 

Ten things I like about President Trump

1. He was born on Flag Day.
2. His mother was a Scottish Presbyterian.
3. He is laser focused and has a huge amount of energy.
4. He is direct and honest.
5. His goal is to protect and care for America's best interests, and that is what any president should do. Just like good parents should care for and protect their children and family.
6. He is not a politician.
7. He is a man who loves - God, his family, his fellow Americans. And probably apple pie, too.
8. He considered this job for many years and is prepared.
9. He speaks positive words about America.
10. He connects with regular American people.

whole lotta geese

and a few mallards.

cottage garden

I loved this front yard garden in an old part of town.

Green heron

I had fun taking pictures of this green heron at Greenfield Lake. They are smaller, more colorful and friendlier than the blue heron. They look green from a distance.

a headline I relate to

When I was in Guatemala in October, we saw the volcano Fuego erupting in a small way. It was a common occurrence and taken for granted. But over the weekend, it really erupted! The videos I saw with the hot ash rolling through the streets and valleys were scary! Here is when I was there and yesterday.

Commas matter

I like this line from today's Rick Warren devotional, both for its content and for its punctuation example. "It's not what you think you are, but rather, what you think, you are."

The Golden Ratio

Back when I lived in Greenville and spent lots of time in my backyard studying nature, I saw a repetitive pattern. I looked it up and learned it is called the Fibonacci spiral or sequence, named for the mathematician who identified it way before me. We see it all over, in pine cones, ocean waves, the seed head of a sunflower, the Milky Way galaxy, and in this tiny shell of a deceased snail - probably. It is also known as God's fingerprint.

May 31! Finally.

Driving down Market Street

heavy book, light reading

This is the book I contributed to book club for the past year, and now I have it back. It is considered a cookbook, but it also has a lot of stories. Thought the women would like it.

Glads

A nice woman in the art group gave me these pretty flowers today.

Rainy Today

Underside of a leaf. Looks like a city map.

Newfangled Drive Thru

On the road. Over the bridge.