Returning to Our Regular Programming

I'm back! Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of weeks. Some of this...some of that...and, well, you know. That's life, right?

Let's see...where were we? Ah yes. Winter was holding us captive.

Winston chilling out in the Rose Garden

Yeah...still is in a way, even though the calendar has rolled over to Spring. Well, Mother Nature did NOT get the memo because we had snow flurries on Tuesday. March Madness is not just for basketball! (Sadly, my Tigers did not make it out of the first weekend of NCAA tournament play again this year. Sigh. And that's all I'm going to say about that.)

Here are some more frozen photos to chill you out: be sure to click on the windmill one (below) to get the full, freezy effect! It was actually spinning when I took the shot!

Brrrr----
Thomas in the Way Back
"Don't think I'll sit in those chairs!"

Icicles on the Windmill

Actually, here at Casa 3917, March is marching on, bringing on the buds regardless of the temps. First came the tiny, ground-hugging crocus...yellow ones, followed by purples and whites. Severe weather is nothing for them...but how they survived being trampled several times daily by the dogs, I'll never know. Impressive.

Winston in the Way Back
surrounded by King Alfred Daffodils

Now, our daffodils are blooming all over the property (as you see in the picture of the Rondel, right), making me smile whenever I look out a window. Some of you may remember when we moved here 5 years ago (can you believe it has been that long? Neither can I!), I was saddened to learn that the previous owners were apparently not daffy fans, since there wasn't a blooming one on the place. Never mind...I've fixed that little problem by planting over 500 bulbs (so far!). And now we are reaping the rewards...everywhere we look! Big, bold, bright yellow King Alfreds...delicate, fragrant Tahitis...frilly Rip van Winkles and Golden Ducats...beautiful white Ice Follies...and many I don't know the names of because they were in those two big mixed bags o' 90 bulbs each. They are all out there...and I bring countless ones inside weekly.

And, let's not forget the almost overpoweringly-fragrant hyacinths...deep purples (my personal faves), light "blues," pinks, white, "reds." You name it...they are apparently defying the catalogs that say: "may not return in Zone 7 or higher without digging and chilling." The Blue Star ones that I bought on sale in January of 2011, way past the time to plant them...and planted them anyway, some at the mailbox, some in the back yard next at Hyacynth Bucket's feet...and next to the yet-to-be-built-shed? Yeah. They keep coming back, making me smile to see them...and making me smirk to know that together, the bulbs and I, we beat the odds. A gardener's delight!

Next up in the Show of Blooms will be the iris, both the delicate-looking Dutch Iris (which come from bulbs) and the more rugged Bearded or "German" iris (that grow from rhizomes). Both varieties are preparing to astound us again this year, for I see the sword-like "leaves" coming up through the ground, most often right next to the daffodils. Since you should leave daffy leaves alone after they finish their bloom cycle and allow them to yellow naturally in order to feed the bulbs for next year's show, I have tried to interplant daffodils, iris, and (the next in the succession) daylilies, in order to hide the unsightly yellowing process.

And, in the middle of all this actual gardening, I've been working on several Master Gardening projects. The volunteer opportunities are endless! My latest was doing some revisions for the Speakers Bureau Totally Tomatoes PowerPoint presentation...then previewing those for the other speakers who were giving the presentation across Guilford County...and then giving the presentation last Sunday at the Greensboro Arboretum. Tomatoes? I know, I know...it's too early to plant them...but not too early to talk about growing them!

So, winter weather or no...gardening has been front-and-center. And you can read more about that topic over on our garden blog, Gardening with the Giants. Click here to go there.

I'm guessing you have figured out by now that I've been off my bike more than on. Yes, folks, I'm still biking to Disneyland...just not as much or as often as I was. I made it to Kentucky...and then weather intervened (3 days without power...and my stationary bike has a vital electronic component in keeping up with my mileage, etc.), followed by garden intervention, both here and out at the Extension's Demo Garden/Rose Garden...and oh yeah...life in general. Some were real reasons creating real time constraints...some were/are just plain excuses.

Well, no more of that silliness. I'm back in the saddle(seat) yet again, and I'll do my next post on my ride tomorrow. I'll also get my Twitter feed up to date this afternoon following my ride...which will hopefully follow my annual visit to the eye doctor, which will be followed by a stop at the grocery shop. And probably a run to the bank...the post office...the cleaners...

See? There it goes again. Life in general...interfering...just like at your house...

Sheltering in Place

What a day! We had sleet, then snow, then ice, then more snow last night...three inches of the stuff in the rain gauge. Then this morning brought freezing rain and wind. So you won't be surprised to read that we lost power about 10:00...and are still waiting for High Point Electric to restore it to the Oak Hollow area.  Truly thankful that we had fully charged our phones and iPads overnight, and that Mr. T has a Sprint Hot Spot to give us a WiFi connection and a Power Bank to recharge the Hot Spot. Ain't technology grand?

The ice that was coating the tree limbs was just beautiful...but wicked in more ways than one. First up...the damage that the weight of the ice does to the tree itself as you can see on these photos of the magnolia and a cedar from our front yard.

Next...the after-storm. If you've been to our house, you know we are surrounded by tall, tall trees...and the ice-laden limbs and branches began to start snapping and popping and dropping about noon. The noise it made sounded like rifles firing. A friend posted on Facebook that it sounded like a war zone in her neighborhood! It actually became quite dangerous to go out in the back: if it wasn't a branch, it was an icicle that could bean you! 

I did take some photos with my Canon camera before I realized the peril I was in, and headed back inside to safety. I'll have to wait for power before uploading those to my laptop. Meanwhile, I thought you might enjoy these pix taken out front with my phone. 

You just don't realize how many ways your life is connected to electricity...no pun intended. I have gone into our windowless closet three times today...and flipped the light switch three times. And my bike riding? On hold, since the bike has a computer dashboard for tracking time, distance, etc., which needs electricity of course. And don't get me started on how funny our "so whatcha want for supper" conversation went. (Most of the restaurants in the area are still without power, too; the one we did find open has a wait list of over an hour...and besides, we have been asked to stay off the roads and "shelter in place" for safety. So we decided on sandwiches since we can't cook or reheat anything, unless we fire up the grill...but it's COLD outside!)

Still, don't worry about us. Mr. T got up early, when the first flicker of electricity warned us we might be in for it, and he flipped the wall switch that turned on the gas fireplace, so we have heat. He is heading out to his car to recharge the mobile phones now. We still have two old-fashioned landline models that don't require electricity to work, so we do have access to the outside world. We'll be fine until the power co. cavalry arrives. We have all the bread and milk we need!

And the forecast? Weather wonks are calling for a fabulous weekend: sunny and sixties! Frankly my dears, I'm ready for it!

============

Read more about us here: 

http://myfox8.com/2014/03/07/guilford-county-declares-state-of-emergency/

I Brake for Gardening

There I was, rolling right along on my pretend bike ride* across the USA, when what should happen but sunshine, blue skies, and temps above 50! So I stopped my trip to work in my garden here at home last weekend, which you can read all about in my latest post on our gardening blog, Gardening With Giants. Click here to go there.

And you know? That's as it should be, really. Remember, the whole purpose behind this ride was to get/keep me in shape for gardening 2014. Guess what? It has worked! We put in 10-12 hours outside this past weekend, and the aches and pains were minimal...mostly in my upper arms, which don't get worked out on the bike. No worries...I sure made up for that oversight while prepping (6) potato Grow Bags! 40 pound bags of Top Soil and Mushroom Compost still weigh 4-0 pounds!!

On to my latest Ride Report!

When I left you, I had made it to Gainesboro, TN, and chalked up 429 miles. Now, if I were riding for real, I would have had to stay in town a little bit longer than I did, due to a a Winter weather "event," as reported to me by Cuz HFC from nearby Mt. Juliet:

Good grief! So glad I can pretend ride in pretend good weather, from coast-to-coast. Do hope all is well in Jackson County once again.

Moving on...

2/21/14: 9.3 miles, riding northwest of Cordell Hull Reservoir in Macon County, near Defeated Creek State Park. What a funny name...Defeated Creek, not Cordell Hull...:-). I'm not having a whole lot of success in researching the origins of the name, as it seems to have been called that as far back as the skirmish there in 1786, as is mentioned in this 1909 "Early History of Middle Tennessee" by Edward Albright: http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tnsumner/early27.htm. Interesting.

Cordell Hull: native Tennessean; longest serving Secretary of State, over 11 years under FDR; known as the Father of the United Nations; received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1945. OK, so he's more important than the name of some obscure creek. I'm easily distracted sometimes...:-)

 

[2/22-24/14: 0 miles. Beautiful weekend...worked in the garden back home. Told you about that already. Then, through the wonder of magic, I popped back on my bike and picked up my journey West, right where I'd left off. To quote Harry Potter:"I love magic!"

2/25/14: 12.0 miles to Lafayette, on Hwy 262. This town, like many counterparts throughout the USA, was named to honor the Revolutionary hero, Marquis de La Fayette, whose reputation is more polished in the US, albeit somewhat tarnished in his native France. And it comes oh-so-close to the French pronunciation (just kidding...:-): 

Lafayette, Tennessee

Population (2000 Census): 3,885

Population (2010 Census): 4,474

Lafayette is pronounced luh-FAY-et.

2/26/14: 12.0 miles to west of Eulia, crossing into Sumner County on Hwy 52. I'm in an old part of the state now, since Sumner County was created in 1786, ten years before Tennessee became a state, and named for Jethro Sumner a Revolutionary War hero. But long before the long hunters ever ventured into the area by following the Indian paths, the Mound Builders were here, leaving the evidence in nearby Castallian Springs.

BTW, Sumner has a "local" connection to me, if you can follow the thread: originally from Warrenton, NC, he served under General Nathanael Greene (hero of the Battle of Guilford County Courthouse). As Wikipedia tells the story:

He was originally buried approximately eight miles outside of Warrenton, but in 1891 his remains were moved to the Guilford Courthouse Battlefield (in Greensboro, NC), where they were interred under a monument intended as part of a "shrine to patriots". In March 2012, a driver struck Sumner's monument after going off-road to avoid hitting a deer, nearly destroying the stone structure. The monument was restored by May 2012, and Sumner was reburied in a public ceremony.

Shall I say it or will you? It's a small world after all.

2/27/14: 10.2 miles, to outskirts of Westmoreland on Old Hwy 52.

Look what I found nearby:

The Little Tunnel

Built in 1886, this tunnel was part of a Chesapeake & Nashville Railroad line connecting Gallatin to Scottsville, Kentucky. It was known as the “"shortest railroad tunnel in the U.S.,"” measuring just 46 feet and 6 inches in length, 13 inches shorter than the famous Bee Rock tunnel in Virginia.

2/28/14: 10.5 miles, arriving at the home of my Portland cousins. How exciting! As I've said in a previous post, I have family and friends in almost every state of my journey across the USA, and the L's are the only ones on my entire route to Disneyland. Better make the most of my visit!

Of course, it is fitting that I should visit these cousins on my way to Disneyland. You see, when I was a tot, Momma, Daddy, and I went to CA, visiting the LA area where the L family was living then (Brothers W and W were mere teens). We spent a day at Disneyland, where older Cuz W took me to ride the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups. I hope he has forgotten how loudly I screamed. Hated going round and round then; hate it more now. Sigh. I'm sure there's an old black and white pic of the evidence somewhere in this house.

Portland is a place that is going on my "visit this one for real, one day." Again, from my "Ring of Fire" guidebook:

Portland

This town is perched on the Highland Rim, an area known for its rich soil. Like many of the towns on the Ring of Fire, the climate and soil were perfect for growing dark-fired tobacco. In the 1920s, Portland was gaining a reputation for a different crop, with its farmers providing about 20 percent of the national market for strawberries. The town celebrates its strawberry heritage every May with a popular festival.

When I was growing up in West Tennessee, if the words "Strawberry Festival" were used in a sentence, thoughts turned to Humboldt (not Portland). Looking at the promotional material on the vying websites, it appears the West Tennessee version edges out the Middle Tennessee version by a couple of years (Humboldt's 75 years to Portland's 73). Sounds like they both know what they are doing, though.

So, let's add it all up: 429+9.3+12+12+10.2+10.5=483 miles! Hurrah!!

Next up: a new month...a new state...and more miles. Stay tuned!

Cheers!

++++++++++++++++++++

* Bike Ride Footnote: To bring you up-to-date, in case you are just joining me...

My plan to get/keep in shape for gardening this year is to ride my stationary bike. Because I always need a reason to do something...or at least to continue doing something, I have decided on a program based on a distance of 2600 miles...which is the distance from our house to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA, as Google-mapped using the (beta) Bike function. I started 1/3/2014...and am continuing the saga today. 

BTW, I am tagging all the posts about my ride "Where in the USA is Patricia" on my blog, and #WhereintheUSAisPatricia on Twitter. While I won't be blogging about my ride on a daily basis, you can check my Twitter Feed over there in the right column for daily updates on my ride and location.

Happy pedaling!

++++++++++++++++++++