Who ARE These People?

There was no rain in the forecast for the whole week. Ha!  We had the gutters cleaned.  We are weeding and planting things.

Ahhhh Summertime (and the livin’ is easy)!

Good friends arrived one night as an unforecasted storm blew in.  And while we were talking and solving the problems of the world, our lights went off and on and then off again.

No problem. 

Only a little storm.

Even Elsa-the-dog was not intimidated.

And as we predicted, the storm subsided.

Off we all went to the Pink Cadillac for dinner, an old fashioned 1950’s style diner that was bustling as always. We placed our orders and kept on talking.

Until the lights went out.

It’s hard to make a point

or conversation with

unfamiliar faces in the dark.

“Who ARE these people?” I wondered.

“They could be strangers I am talking to.”

At home again, the electricity was still missing.

Usually the eternal optomist, Bill was becoming negative and frustrated about the power outage.

And usually the eternal pessimist, I was beginning to see a bit of humor in the situation.

Hmmmm.  I wonder if traditional personality traits can get switched with age.

But I suppose it was easy for me to stay mellow when Bill was in charge of our survival up and down stairs to monitor the generator.

Then darkness descended and another friend drove up to our house in a panic.

“Help!” she cried.  My road is blocked by a fallen tree! Do you have a chain saw?” 

She was stuck, couldn’t get home, and at the same time, so were our dinner friends.

It took two men, two chain saws, and a big tractor to clear a “huge” tree from the road.

And of course Bill was Man #2 with Chain Saw #2.  And about two hours later he came home craving water and rest.  My hero!

And Hurrah!  The road was cleared.

We are expecting visitors in

the coming weeks of summer.

Hopefully anyone who arrives will not wind up sitting in the dark.

Let there be many joyful adventures but clear roads!

And may I please know who I am talking to (and what I am eating) at the dinner table.

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

The Doomsday Connection

Virginia Black Bear Cub – Photo Source Unknown

“If I expect the worst will happen and then it is the best, I am happily surprised. On the other hand, if I expect the best and the worst happens, I am sorry I didn’t think the worst to begin with.”    Quote by ~Dor

I have a blogger friend, Kate, who freely admits she magnifies simple human maladies into end-of-the-world death-approaching, devastating ailments. She makes me laugh because I see “me” in there too.

Once the question was asked at a book club meeting, “What kinds of books do you prefer?”

And there were answers like, “Mysteries, Romance, Biographies, Historical Fiction, etc.”

My answer was, “Doomsday  books.”

And everybody laughed!

Yes, it is true I love doomsday stories (fiction or non) about living through the plague, the great influenza, the civil war, the world wars, floods, hunger, and pestilence.

The first book I loved, cried over, sped through and read again and again was the American Classic,  Ethan Frome, by Edith Wharton.  And I still wish I could change the ending.  Surely the doomed lovers could have positively altered the course of their lives and survived unscathed. Couldn’t they?

Progressing from that frustration I began reading powerful historic treatises on The Great Influenza, Isaac’s Storm, and yes, those stories about the plague, war, starvation, pestilence, the plight of women, etc.  I still love them all and always looking for more.

And as a result, over time, I saved life-saving tips into a collection I now call Dor’s Doomsday Survival Manual.

But  when my real-life friends look at the manual they laugh and seem to consider it a comedy.

And now you have it – the deep dark underside I have struggled so long to keep hidden, and the reason I aim to publish funny blog posts.

But I wonder if you would laugh as you browse through Dor’s manual chapters.

• What to do if there is a bear on your deck!  Hide – plus other good ideas.
• How to save a cat from drowning in a flood.  Float out in a sealed bucket (I just saw that on t.v.
• How to purify water.  Clorox?  Yes, really.
• Hidden water sources in your home.  Toilets?  Yes, really.
• Non-perishables that will last 25 years of even hundreds of years.  Fruit cake and honey – really!
• What to pack in a survival suitcase.  Chocolate?  Wishful thinking but there is a longer list.
• How to prepare for the Avian Flu (or did it already come and go?)  I think the Bird Flu passed on by…. or has it?
• What to do when food sources are low. You can live many days without food. Who knew?
• Beware of summer storms.
• Evacuation tips
• Assembling a first aid kit.
•  Tools and supplies to have at the ready.
• A Family Disaster plan.
• And more.

Do you think I should publish my Survival Manual as a comedy or what?

Your input is entirely welcome, but I am thinking the worst.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Terror on the Deck

As I write this, there is a great big Virginia black bear lounging on my deck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is 10 PM and we are at the end of a mild thunder storm.  I was sitting in the living room watching a weather program about surviving hurricanes when I heard sounds from the deck (right outside the window).

I turned on the outside light and there he is – Bruno!

He is, as I write this, ignoring the storm, but busily scratching himself and looking very content.

Bill went to check things out and said our bird feeder is now gone.  It was full of sunflower seeds.

That’s it for bird feeders!  If we survive, I will remove all feeders forever after!

Bill is spying on the bear now.  I wish I could take a picture but maybe the flash would agitate Bruno.

I am cowering in the back room wondering if we will survive the night.

To be continued.

 

Read Full Post »

Shenandoah Shadows

Read Full Post »

Nature’s Apology

A Virginia View

After foreboding clouds and thunder the air turned cool and dry and the sun lit up our mountain valley.  I sat outside watching happy hummingbirds, butterflies, and the mother deer and her young ones.

We were all celebrating nature’s  wondrous apology.

“Sorry ,” she said, “for the unrelenting heat wave and all the storms, humidity and heavy rains!

But here is a taste of autumn joy to come!”

Read Full Post »

Random Randoms – Week Ending May 20, 2016

 

Cloudy Skies and Virtual Clouds

Early in the week the son was still here and managed to finally convert me to the virtual Virtues of the Cloud. What used to be that fluffy thing in the sky is now an imaginary cloud that holds all the information about you and your life.  And all you have to do is a technological rain dance to retrieve things!

Now I can find a fuzzy picture taken four years ago of a street sign reading “Road May Flood”.  

I thought of that photo because it was raining when Corky arrived and raining when he left.

It rains for two days at a time here now in Virginia.  And if you need to mow you had better do it on the third day.

Dashing in the Dashlane

dashlane logo

My myriad of passwords (a million or so) are now retained in that ethereal CLOUD too.  Dashlane miraculously  signs into Amazon (and those million other places) for me.  Woosh and I’m in!

The result? If I forget the Magical Master Password to get into Dashlane I won’t remember any of my million other passwords.  That almost happened last night.  Talk about PANIC!

Ten Minutes at the YMCA

The week’s major feature was a return trip to the YMCA after a seven month absence dealing with BigFoot. The Big/NowLittle Foot is still  sporadically sending pain notices via Plantar Fasciitis to the heel, clear reminders to pay attention or else!   This  stop at the “Y” was therefore a gentle new try for ten short minutes on the NuStep thing (no dashing or crunching, moaning or groaning – a short practically nothing workout for legs and arms).

And what joy and divine energy were generated in those ten minutes at the gym!  And the foot stayed happy along with the rest of me!

Personal Pride and a Personal Trainer

photo from http://weightliftingacademy.com

Give me ten minutes of ego driven personal pride and I was back to the YMCA today for a  one hour session with a personal trainer.

Justin’s task was to re-introduce me to the YMCA’s torture chamber equipment.  And now that I am steeped in knowledge about Range of Motion numbers, weights, and repetition goals, I am fully prepared for a full return to the world of fitness.  Hurrahhhhh!

All I need is a “Range of Motivation” motivator or a viable plan for commitment.  Hahahahahhhha!

Too Tall for Comfort

A new patio/deck umbrella arrived (purchased online from a place logged onto by Dashlane!).

The umbrella is the right color and advertised as “wind resistant” (no mention of rain protection) but it is practically perfect.  The only problem is it’s a push up/non-crank style and is too tall for me to raise and lower.  Ever ready to accommodate all obstacles, I volunteered to keep a footstool handy.  But falling off the footstool in an effort to raise an umbrella did not make much sense.  Packing the thing up to return to sender also seems formidable.

Bill, to the rescue, says he can cut the pole back by six inches!  Would that it be true since we will not be able to return the umbrella with a hacked pole (not hacked in the sense of breaking into a computer mind you – hacked in the sense of sawing and pounding on a metal pole  – O.K.,”forgedda about it!)

Such are the perils of buying online.   You have to think of everything and be sure to enter detailed specifications.

Sold on Selfies

Finally, though I haven’t told Bill or Corky yet, I bought a $4.98 Selfie Stick!  I am so excited about this and hoping the distance between the camera and my face will make for passable pictures (hopefully slightly blurred).

How surprising it is to actually come up with a list of Randoms when I always think there is nothing to say.

And now I am wishing you (and me) pleasant randoms for the week to come.

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

Any Port in a Storm

Storm Brewing in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia

Online Confession:  I am terrified of thunder storms.  Never used to be.  Only since we moved here.  That was 26 years ago, so I have been afraid of thunder and lightning for all that time.  Tsk!

In spite of valiant efforts to hide this phobia, most of my friends know all about it.

I used to tell them our Golden Retriever, Peaches, was so afraid of storms she would try to get in the bathtub or shower.  I suggested the closet and would accompany her there for comfort and solace through the wild flashes.

Photo from http://en.wikipedia.org

From that time on, Peaches and I hit the closet together to weather storms.

• I lined the closet with pillows where delightful scents of shoes and clothing might calm the poor pup down.
• I rubbed her with dryer sheets (supposed to reduce static electricity),
• and I even gave her little candies laced with doggy herbal tranquilizers.

Maybe I should have tried the dryer sheet-tranquilizer thing on myself!

Friends would say, “It’s thundering Dor –you and Peaches better get to a closet!”

The real story is that in a state of abject fear I prefer to lie down in a closet.  Folks do not understand there are no windowless rooms in this house – no comforting walls for protection.   And then of course, Peaches caught my fear (dogs are very perceptive that way you know).  And I suppose she entered the closet to actually comfort ME!

We finally lost Peaches (not to lightning but to old age), and then inherited an old rescue dog named Rozie who also found solace in the closet during raucous weather.

We lost sweet old Rozie as well (not to lightning but to old age).  I fervently wish a stray would wander in but there are no dogs here now and I hit the closet alone.

This is irrefutable proof that fear of lightning is my own hangup and I should stop involving helpless animals.

Peaches

Rozie

Read Full Post »

Magic and the Week that Was

Random Ramblings

Enhanced Rainbow Free Stock Photo – Public Domain Pictures  www.publicdomainpictures.net615

• Big Foot returned after several weeks of ordinary shoes and attempts to increase walking.  This time it feels like stepping on a nail.  So the Big Boot is back.  I never thought I would be glad to see it again, but it’s like an old friend now.  Another appointment scheduled with the foot man, but I now accept this on and off stuff will continue until there is a complete healing.

• We have had some “wild and wooly” Virginia weather this week.  My Mom always used to say that about wild and wooly things.  One night the wind was so strong it took shingles off my friend’s house and the power went off in the middle of the night.  At 6 AM I retrieved the number for the power company to report the outage and just as I picked up the phone, the lights came back.   Magic!

• Then things settled down  for a sunshiney beautiful day.  Lovely.  Except there was another outage.  Too bad the lights went off at dinner time so I couldn’t cook!  Ha! Sigh.  Friends came over for laughs and even though the power was restored between drinks, we all went out to dinner.  Magic!

• And then the wicked winds and blowing rains returned, along with patches of intense sunshine, and there were rainbows – double rainbows and one so big and bright I thought we were in the land of Oz!  Magic.

It has been a wild and wooly week for sure – mostly due to wild and wooly weather patterns.  I keep humming a song from the earlier days.   I hum silently of course since I can’t carry a tune and people run out of the room.  But I am humming the tune to April Showers, as sung by Bing Crosby and give thanks for the magic of a beautiful Spring.  Also hoping the next power outage is around dinner time!

Though April showers may come your way
They bring the flowers that bloom in May
So if it’s rainin’ have no regrets
Because it isn’t rainin’ rain, you know
It’s raining violets

And where you see clouds upon the hills

You soon will see crowds of daffodils
So keep on looking for a blue bird
And listening for his song
Whenever April showers come along

Read Full Post »

I Love the Rain, Don’t You?

As long as our storms are sans lightning and thunder, I love the rain.  A little thunder and I head for the closet.

I love the sound of rain though – the harder the better, and the sweet clean scents afterward, and the way plants perk up so happily refreshed.

Our Hosta in the front garden has grown to enormous proportions the way certain things do around here in rural Virginia.

Due to black thumbs, if we plant something, our expectations are minimal.   We expect an early demise.   But if it surprises us and actually lives, we know it will grow by mega leaps and  never stop.

Jack of the Bean Stalk would feel right at home here, and I’m sure he was observing when we had to climb a step ladder to trim a little burning bush that  had grown so tall we couldn’t see the top anymore.

And now the Hosta (which lives right next to that gargantuan Rhododendron)  is the size of a Volkswagon!  Well yes, the Hosta does need dividing – someday.

Her leaves are REALLY big and catch the  raindrops for a sparkly show even when the rain has stopped.

I am experimenting again with a free online  photo editing program.  It wasn’t really raining but I tried that effect and the caption was added that way too.

The raindrops are real though.

More storms expected tonight or tomorrow to keep my world emerald green.

I love the rain.

Don’t you?

Read Full Post »

Country Storms and Personality Flaws

Random Friday Randoms

• I paid the locker fee for a whole year at the YMCA.  Now the question is, will I go?  And/or, will I go regularly?
• Also signed up for a Beginner’s Crochet class at our local Stitchery
  

  photo from http://www.jennyandteddy.com

  Actually, I know how to crochet but unable to read a pattern, join new skeins to old ones, or end a thing so it doesn’t unravel.  Some folks have received Dor’s scarves that are undoubtedly unraveled by now.  And apologies if your feet are sticking through that afghan I sent last Christmas!

  It was the same with a long ago Beginner’s Typing Class when  I was already typing fast but had no idea how to set margins.  Good thing WordPress sets the margins for us!

  Is this a personal personality flaw or what?  How about playing the flute in high school and making First Chair after memorizing Flight of the Bumble Bee while never learning to read music?

  But more randomly:

• We had dinner out with good friends (the same good friends) twice this week (or was it thrice?).  It is always amazing to find we never run out of things to talk about.
• The grounds around the house are lovely again, filled with the hope of beauteous blossoms and neatly manicured beds.  Everything is mulched, trimmed and awaiting the encroaching weeds of summer and deer denuding.  Spring never fails to elicit hope in my heart and oh, Virginia is truly gorgeous this time of year – like the fancy icing on a wedding cake.
  

  en.wikipedia.org Cardinalis cardinalis male feeding female, in a white-flowered C. canadensis

There was a storm brewing today though.  I am afraid of thunder storms so managed to beat it home in time but it didn’t thunder too much after all.  Otherwise, there is always the closet for shaking in privacy and  missing old dog, Rozie.  Rozie used to be so frightened of storms that her teeth would literally chatter.  I have never heard of a dog’s teeth chattering, have you?

 

Read Full Post »