That's Venus...That's Mark

Sunset from our back deck of our NC home. August 28, 2010 - the air was crisp and a cool 58F and the crickets were incredibly loud! Too bad you don't get the full effect in this video. It was about 8:30 PM.

Sugar Maples are already beginning to show some color at our Beech Mountain home..

Hazy blue mountains - how the Blue Ridge earned it's name.

Mark and our friend Sig, ahead of me on a Blue Ridge Parkway hike, Cold Prong Pond Loop. The berries that weren't ripe in early July were gone, but a few wild apple trees were loaded!

Moo, Whinnie, Cluck

 

Our next door neighbor Kyle popped over for a visit.  Somehow the conversation moved to raw, unpasteurized milk straight from the cow.  Yep, I can hook you up, girlfriend!  We called Ann, a high school biology teacher and licensed Apopka farm owner.  She has two brown Jersey's for milk, a bunch of chickens, horses, and the friendliest short-legged stocky black cows called Dexters.  They're a pretty sturdy breed that does well in Florida.  I admired the bull's curly bangs and Ann told me that those curls are a sign of virility. She didn't have to tell me...I saw his footballs!  Kyle got a $10 gallon of Jersey Juice and we both learned a lot about cow and horse feeding, chickens, and well, everything farmy.

  

On our way home, we stopped at Kyle's barn to feed her horses.  She has a beautiful tall Tennessee Walker, whose previous owner named Harley.  Kyle isn't fond of that name, so I changed it to Carly.  She just didn't seem like the motorcycle type, and I have always liked Carly Simon.  This Carly has a beautiful brown coat with a glorious splash of paint on one shoulder, black mane and white polka dot knee socks. Carly holds her head high, far superior to all others in the stable.  Carly's colt Bambi is nearly grown and not yet broken, but Kyle showed me how calm she is with a saddle blanket on, and when Kyle draped herself over Bambi's slick  back, the young horse just enjoyed all that loving and hugging.  Louie is a stately Mule.  He's the biggest, prettiest, long-legged mule I've ever met.  Actually, Louie is the ONLY mule I've ever met.  His alert ears are long, high, and close together and this makes him look ever so smart.  I didn't know that mules are so easy to care for.  They eat less than horses and they don't have a horsey smell, in fact, nose pressed against Louie's side, I could only detect the mild hint of the grass he rolled in earlier in the day.  Who woulda thunk?  Best of all, like the horses, Louie is very sweet.  Kyle invited me to go riding with her, and says her big girl Carly is a smooth horse to ride.

Velvety soft horse noses, friendly curious cows, the sweet smell of hay, and a nice friend to share it with made this a perfect day.  I think I'm ready for a couple of chickens!

America is Tired and Poor

The American flag is supposed to fly the highest, a sign of respect often ignored or forgotten in word and in deed.  Emma Lazarus' words reached out to those looking for political, economic, and religious freedom.  It was a long and expensive trip on a crowded and unsafe ship, followed by a frightening visit to Ellis Island for a medical exam and intelligence test that would determine their future.  A quarter of a million immigrants never made it past Ellis Island, deported back to their country of origin.  Some were sent home because they were suspected of being unable to support themselves without becoming public charges.  It was a privilege to become an American and those that were allowed to stay were excited to become a part of this great country and live the American Dream.  Let that flag fly high!

Give me your tired, your poor.  We have become the tired and the poor as we are forced to support those who do not belong.  American citizens represent many countries, but  it seems the melting pot simmers a bit slower these days.  We lack patriotism!

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me has become a charity we can no longer afford.   Our taxes are high because we are helping everyone but our own.

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. Visa overstays,Visa fraud, and slipping illegally across our borders, the benefits outweigh the risks.  If you are caught, you are sent back home, not even a slap on the wrist. Start a family and you'll never have to return to your home country. If you manage to evade the border patrol, you are home free to receive public assistance, free education, and free medical.  Illelgal aliens have rights and don't pay taxes. You can't get that back at the old casa!

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.  Our jails are country clubs compared to those back home and our criminal justice system is overwhelmed with wretched refuse.

I lift my lamp beside the golden door.  Knock, and wait for an invitation to enter, and pay for your keep.  Who tolerates an unwelcome stranger that barges in, robs the pantry, and then demands more?  When will our government see the light?