Reed, Candles, Kitchen Table

"I think there is a kind of desperate hope built into poetry.....One is trying to say everything that can be said for the things that one loves while there's still time."

W.S. Merwin - born this day in 1927

Mr. Arlo

"The dog is a gentleman; I hope to go to his heaven, not man's" - Mark Twain

Ollie and Grandpa

What a pair!!

Muscadine Time

'Tis the Season for the official grape of the South! In spite of an early summer drought, these Muscadines(Vitis rotundifolia) are incredible. Our friends, Vicki and Johnny, have a luscious vineyard which they allow us to pilfer. The most fun (as Vicki says) is to eat as you pick until your mouth hurts. The greenish or bronze variety are called Scuppernongs(be careful of how you pronounce it -- you could be a Yankee!)
Had to add this photo of our "new" kitchen table courtesy of V&J. (another pilfering incident) I love it. Reed and I feel that we are sitting at the "children's" table - keeps us acting young.

Reroofing the Kiln

Jim, Jeffrey, Carl and Sam Dillon brought the manpower and energy on Saturday to install new nursery grade plastic on the solar kiln. Reed assisted while I photographed, mowed the lawn and caught up on all the latest movie reviews from Jeff. (BTW Jeff, we watched "Hot Fuzz" Saturday night and enjoyed it. The first half made Reed a little nervous as it reminded him of where he once worked in Sheboygan.) We ended the evening with a fantastic fire - provided by all of Jeff and Carl's hard work. Thanks!

Pogo, Roo and New Flower Bed

My friend, Vicki, sent these shots of her dogs, Pogo and Roo. Gotta love 'em! When temperatures in Georgia drop below 100 degrees, the humanoid inhabitants take up the projects that were delayed during August - e.g. adding a brick entry and a new flower bed. Dogs, however still believe that it is truly hot; that the cool earth was exposed for their pleasure and that the word "bed" is to be taken literally.

Laila - Well House Cat Addendum

I left out the punch line on the Laila story from yesterday. We found this screaming mite of a kitten in an old box in our well house. As I wrote the words "well house" in my diary, I had an "aha! moment" and thus the name of my first candle company was born.
Mother is safely home from her adventure in the hospital. She and Donna are both tired but happy with the outcome.
Geoff had 1/3 of an unrepairable cartilage removed in his knee. The prognosis is good. He was even walking on it last night. Way to go, Geoff!!

Well House Cat and Other Fighters

Here's the Well House Cat -- Laila! Named after Laila Ali - the fighter. Our Laila was as "big as your thumb" when we found her screaming her lungs out. Her litter mates were dead. We fed her, tried to keep her warm and she grew. She's not very big now even as an adult. She never says a word -- just squeaks and she never seems to be warm enough but she's a fighter and we have learned much from her. Speaking of fighters and lesson givers, Mother will be released from the hospital today. Looks like she may have had a nasty virus. Otherwise, she's in pretty good health. Way to fight back, Mom!
And then there's Geoff. Geoff goes in for knee surgery today. He faces recovery, rehab and hard work to reach his goals. I am confident that with the love of his family, the support of his friends and most importantly, Geoff's own inner strength he will succeed.

I am very fortunate indeed to be surrounded by so many inspirational fighters.