Tuesday, opposite the sunset

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We can’t see the sunset from our front porch, or, really, from any place on the mountain. But the eastern sky, opposite the sunset, is often nice enough.

This was Tuesday afternoon. It had been sunny all day, but started to get cloudy later in the afternoon.

It has been dry right here on our little spot on the mountain, although areas around us are getting rain. Leah had a doctor’s appointment last Wednesday. On the way home the rain was so heavy it was hard to see the road. Then, about three miles from our house, it ended. We drove out of heavy rain onto dry pavement. The only consolation is that the nearby rain will help maintain our well. At least I hope so.

In other news, Leah is suffering from nerve pain in her leg. I think it’s sciatica, but her doctor hasn’t actually named it. She does agree that it’s a never, however. The bad thing about nerve pain is that normal pain relievers don’t seem to work all that well. Leah is supposed to have an MRI on Friday. We both hope it shows a path to some kind of resolution.

Last Friday on my regular morning dog walk, we went down into the valley. At the first sharp curve on the way down, someone had dumped a pickup-truck load of renovation debris. It was mainly carpet padding, along with some wood trim and wallpaper. I posted a picture and description on Leah’s Facebook page. A lot of people commented; one gave the number for the county police department officers who handle that kind of thing. I called to report it on Tuesday. Maybe they can figure out who did it. For a first offense the police give them a choice: clean it up or get a ticket. I have heard that the ticket also depends on the guilty party’s attitude.

I found out from one of the Facebook commenters that the curve where the trash was dumped is the Horse Shoe. It’s a very sharp curve, if not a really sharp name. The next sharp curve down is the Water Holler, named after the small perennial creek that flows in the narrow valley there. I like that name.

I have never figured out how the creek continues to run in even the driest days. It’s not that far from the top of the mountain, and it doesn’t seem to drain a huge area. Another unanswered question about ground water.

And finally, even though I am happily retired and do not miss work even in the slightest, it looks like I will be doing some. Fortunately, I will be able to work from home, and the hours are very flexible. I asked my former boss how many hours that would mean, and she said anywhere from five to forty hours a week. I suppose I can handle that.

A beautiful visitor

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This beauty stayed long enough for a few good shots on Monday.

As far as I can tell, it’s an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, but I’m no expert. It was perched on the flowers of one of our crape myrtles.

Many of the butterflies of Georgia have names that are appropriately charming. A sampling of names: the Baltimore Checkerspot, Banded Hairstreak, Common Buckeye (a real beauty I have never seen), Coral Hairstreak, Diana Fritillary, Dreamy Duskywing, Falcate Orangetip, Fiery Skipper, Great Spangled Fritillary, Hackberry Emperor, Mourning Cloak, Pearl Crescent, Red-Spotted Purple Admiral, Sleepy Orange Sulfur, Zabulon Skipper, Zebra Longwing, and not the least, the Monarch.

Check here for photos.

“Fritillary” is a Eurasian plant of the lily family, with hanging bell-like flowers, or a butterfly with orange wings checkered with black. The word originates from the Latin for dice box. The flower and butterfly names apparently come from the checkered pattern, but I’m not sure I get the reference. “Falcate” means curved like a sickle, from the Latin for a sickle.

With the names of the butterflies being so appealing, the name for their study seems unfortunate: Lepidopterology, from the Greek “scale” and “wing.”

103

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Today, August 2, is the 103rd anniversary of my father’s birth.

A lot of things have happened since he died back in 2000. I finished the first house Leah and I lived in. He told me the night he died that he was afraid wouldn’t be able to help me work on it. He never got to see it finished.

For years after he died, when I completed some little bit of work on the house, I had the urge to show it to him.

He met Leah before he died, but he had been dead five years before we got married.

My mother died 13 years after he died. I don’t think my father could have handled having her die before him.

We built another house. He never got to walk out onto our front porch and see the view. I wasn’t able to show him the trim I put around the arch on our front living room window.

He never got to see the various RV’s we have had over the years. He and my mother loved traveling with their trailers and in their motorhomes

I couldn’t show him my bright, red truck.

He never got to meet Zeke the dog. Or Sam the dog. Or Zoe the dog. I come from a long line of dog lovers. He would have loved them all.

He never got a chance to walk down Fouche Gap Road with the dogs. He could have named all the birds and all the plants.

He never got to see the foxes that lived around our old house. Or the owl that flew into our garage in our new house.

He didn’t get to see his grandson get married.

Every once in a while I hear a song that I think he would have liked.

My brother died, 18 years after him. That and my mother’s death are two of the few things I’m glad he missed.

I understand why people want to believe in an afterlife, where you can meet your loved ones again. There are a lot of things I would like to talk to my father about.

Hidey Cat

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Leah called me to our spare bedroom to see what Mollie was doing.

I missed the funnier situation in which only her tail was visible.

It was even funnier a few days ago when Leah couldn’t find Mollie. She looked everywhere she could think, including under the bed to see if the cloth covering on the bottom of the box springs was hanging too low. Mollie has found a way to actually get inside the box springs. I walked a little further into the bedroom and found her hiding behind the decorative pillows.

But now we know her hiding place, so she’s going to have to look for another.

Truce

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Zoe has a strong prey drive. She is also very playful. Sometimes it’s hard to tell whether she’s chasing Mollie or trying to play. In Leah’s eyes, it tends towards chasing, but I think there’s a strong element of play. Play that involves chasing, but still, play.

I caught them in the room we call our office Sunday afternoon. Mollie likes to lie in a chair in the sun, and Zoe likes to lie on the floor next to the air conditioning vent.

They were completely at ease. Neither was paying any attention to the other.

There was such a great difference in brightness that it was almost impossible to get a decent exposure for both at the same time.