tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.comments2023-05-01T11:57:53.201-04:00Just Off the One-Lane RoadElorahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comBlogger1482125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-42688950489211528512012-12-05T23:01:49.023-05:002012-12-05T23:01:49.023-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.hermes bag outlethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09835862389233203468noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-21301520825278300142012-12-05T06:08:39.224-05:002012-12-05T06:08:39.224-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-52830454828065118662012-11-24T20:11:46.087-05:002012-11-24T20:11:46.087-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-72792618496045800192012-11-22T19:01:13.297-05:002012-11-22T19:01:13.297-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-69871083723352721712012-09-17T11:52:15.569-04:002012-09-17T11:52:15.569-04:00Hello Elora,
I must say I am quite fascinated by t...Hello Elora,<br />I must say I am quite fascinated by the whole frog/snake relationship. I have a little pond also, each year, one frog appears, and before you know it, a garter snake, and NO frog.<br />I'm not a lover of snakes, and despite having lost my frog, I would rather have it that way, if the snake population would be deprived of their dinners :)<br />Thay can hunt elsewhere.<br />~JoA Brit in Tennesseehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16080644141670903160noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-6598382244729143602012-09-07T10:44:05.551-04:002012-09-07T10:44:05.551-04:00Hi Elora! It's been a long time! I'm sorry...Hi Elora! It's been a long time! I'm sorry for my diappearing act, but things have been...not really busy but lazy ;) This is a pretty awesome story - it would be fun to observe - I've always had a soft spot for snakes :) Hope all is well with you! xo Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-88455287908484338062012-08-16T11:37:45.622-04:002012-08-16T11:37:45.622-04:00Hi, Elora...so good to see you back! I'm sorry...Hi, Elora...so good to see you back! I'm sorry about your weather troubles. I've been through three hurricanes and a tornado, so I can relate. I think you're smart to let your lawn go. We mow ours every two weeks or so (by choice), but I must say, it is a huge job. <br /><br />That is a stunning picture---you're such a fine photographer.<br />Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12575140898505901920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-36600523537970168612012-08-12T14:52:25.825-04:002012-08-12T14:52:25.825-04:00You're absolutely right, Jim! I take too much ...You're absolutely right, Jim! I take too much onto myself! Right now, the snakes are busy turning frogs into snakes! I can't quite picture, though, how it would work the other way around, altho' it's said that frogs do eat snakes....hmmmmm. That's gonna be one long swallow!<br /><br />E.Elorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-81554306827607605652012-08-11T20:31:58.609-04:002012-08-11T20:31:58.609-04:00Just remember, frogs and snakes have co-existed fo...Just remember, frogs and snakes have co-existed for millions of years. Both seem to be doing just fine or need any help from us to keep things in balance.Wayfarin' Strangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00806995797136803377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-81645357318788716772012-08-11T14:15:14.415-04:002012-08-11T14:15:14.415-04:00Barbara! I'm delighted to hear from you, girl...Barbara! I'm delighted to hear from you, girl! Thank you so much! I was gone all day yesterday. Did my annual contribution of doing handspinning for the fiber group on opening day of the State Fair of West Virginia. I'll bet it's been a hot summer for you, too, this year. Congratulations on being able to ignore those "voices" that demand conformity! I hope your family is doing well. Thanks for all your wonderful posts. I do love Folkways Notebook! Did you complete the projects you were working on? And I am assuming you have not yet sold your home in KY. A good friend of mine yesterday said, "Don't ever sell your farm, Elora." That,for me, was reinforcing. Conventional wisdom would suggest that MM and I are "too old" to keep playing this farm game. Not true! Thanks for your friendship! <br /><br />EloraElorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-66587737167567479242012-08-09T13:57:42.519-04:002012-08-09T13:57:42.519-04:00I meant to add another thought, here:
It's on...I meant to add another thought, here:<br /><br />It's one thing to "store" and "enjoy" enough water for oneself and family; it's quite another to be able to engineer emergency systems to feed cattle, two hogs, twenty chickens, and five dogs. We caught rainwater off the rood; I re-cycled wash water to the dogs and pigs (no soap added, just stove-heated water; it was quite the challenge. Doing dishes is an art, especially when one is caught with them unwashed in the dishwasher. It's a real motivator, keeping dishes in the dishwasher washed, not just stored. All in all, we collected around 100 gallons via roof-fed rainstorm catchments. Just enough to keep us level. The chickens had four ice cream containers just below roof runoffs. It's amazing what one can do WITHOUT a generator that costs $25/day. If you aren't thinking about emergency preparedness....it's not too late to start. Thanks for your post, again, SWVA Gal!<br /><br />EloraElorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-87594684953027071142012-08-09T12:05:00.923-04:002012-08-09T12:05:00.923-04:00Oh how nice to read your blog. Your sky photo is s...Oh how nice to read your blog. Your sky photo is spectacular. Your words, "We humans tend to fixate on (and never question) the often ridiculous mandates society imposes upon us. We are bound by "rules" that suffocate" are so true. I have let about a two acre plot return to nature and even though I knew it was a good thing to do I had some background noise in my mind trying to remind me to play by society's rules. But I overcame the blathering mind and now have a beautiful natural world for the wild critters. So good to hear your reinforcing words to do what is right by ones conscience rather than the noisy voice of the fake society. So good to know that you are still active on your blog -- barbaraFolkways Note Bookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07168881905408345126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-63032841625908282142012-08-09T10:03:36.258-04:002012-08-09T10:03:36.258-04:00My Dear Farm Gal in SW VA,
I so sympathize with y...My Dear Farm Gal in SW VA,<br /><br />I so sympathize with you with regard to losing your sheep. I've had to vacate a farm because we couldn't handle it after MM had a tractor accident, years ago. He's regained his health, now, but at the time, we were forced to leave the agrarian lifestyle, the centerpoint of which was our 500+ ewe flock. My whole life as a writer, farm girl, dog trainer, photographer....all went poof. No grazing sheep, nothing, really, but a suddenly empty life. It was hard. Very hard. Can't give you any advice. One suggestion, maybe...? Get close to the products of sheep; buy fleeces, start spinning and exploring fiber arts. You may catch hold of something good. I did. And, oddly enough, we're contemplating getting a 30+-ewe flock of Romneys. Who knows!! We're crazy, I know!<br /><br />Best of everything. I so love hearing from you. Please tell me more about your farm as you go forward...<br /><br />EloraElorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-41885075102256424692012-08-07T15:16:32.189-04:002012-08-07T15:16:32.189-04:00Good to hear from you again, Elora. I am sorry you...Good to hear from you again, Elora. I am sorry you experienced so much damage. We had some damage here, but the worst damage was from a storm on Sun. morning at 11:00 which caused our congregation to have to move to the basement quickly and it flattened many, many more trees than the Fri. night storm. Here on the farm we had many wild cherry trees down and fences broken. We did what we had to on Sun. afternoon to protect the cattle, but most of the mess is still there as the Farmer's back will not let him use a chainsaw for long. We had to transport 600 gallons of water to a herd of cattle for 7 days because there was no electricity at one farm.<br />I am grieving today over the sale of our sheep flock yesterday since I cannot take care of them by myself and the Farmer is no longer able to assist with that. I miss them so much. I am so used to watching them graze each day.<br />Take care and may we all have moderating temperatures for the rest of the summer.<br />Farm Gal in SW VAAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-25817758091864584092012-08-07T11:26:01.455-04:002012-08-07T11:26:01.455-04:00Hey, Jim! So good to hear from you!! Glad to kno...Hey, Jim! So good to hear from you!! Glad to know you were "overlooked" by the derecho. What a mess!! Between the thermometer registering 97-degrees, day upon endless day...and the threat of more severe storms coming our way causing us to look over our should from time to time...it's kind of taken the starch out of me. Treading water, I guess. But it's time to get at it again. The Neighborhood Association that MM and I started last October came into its own. It's proving to be a needed organization, with a tagline of "Neighbors Helping Neighbors." I've peeked into your blog from time to time and have enjoyed it as a welcome breath of sanity! Wonderful work on your part.<br /><br />Thanks for checking in and not scrubbing me from your blogroll!!<br /><br />EloraElorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-10937851293647196292012-08-07T11:02:05.779-04:002012-08-07T11:02:05.779-04:00Welcome back, Elora. You've been missed. We we...Welcome back, Elora. You've been missed. We were fortunate with the storm; the worst passed to the north of us. But the village has lost a bunch of mature trees over the summer, a dozen or so just this past weekend. But the deniers are still out there, although this year's weather has been exactly what the climate models have been predicting to result from global warming. The earth is flat!!!! JimWayfarin' Strangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00806995797136803377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-33610433011320952962012-05-30T15:27:18.795-04:002012-05-30T15:27:18.795-04:00Oh my, Elora...what a beautiful flower on the cata...Oh my, Elora...what a beautiful flower on the catalpa! I wish we had one! Amazing that they grow so profusely there...I don't know if we have them in this area or not, but I'm going to find out. Seems like I'd remember such a tree if I saw one...<br /><br />I love the trumpet vine, too. Seems like every time I see one, there are hummingbirds about.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12575140898505901920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-69314029486638866382012-05-28T12:32:48.159-04:002012-05-28T12:32:48.159-04:00Can't tell you how much I appreciate your com...Can't tell you how much I appreciate your comment, Jim! I figured I'd probably take some punishment for it!<br /><br />BTW, keep the following in mind:<br /><br />"America's not a country. It's just a business."Elorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-39602928392176546782012-05-28T10:58:42.084-04:002012-05-28T10:58:42.084-04:00Great post, Elora, thank you. I cannot claim to be...Great post, Elora, thank you. I cannot claim to be opposed to all war; the world is a dangerous place and we must be prepared to protect our families from the atrocities of a Hitler or an Osama bin Laden. But I agree with you that most wars we have gotten involved in had more to do with careers, political and military, markets, or resources. Teddy Roosevelt famously said "Walk softly but carry a big stick." Shame his successors haven't followed that advice.Wayfarin' Strangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00806995797136803377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-2954664929415834912012-05-27T20:30:52.349-04:002012-05-27T20:30:52.349-04:00Thanks, Elora -- on my way to check it out.Thanks, Elora -- on my way to check it out.Vicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-54400709784941685282012-05-26T09:04:33.422-04:002012-05-26T09:04:33.422-04:00And, Jim, don't you just love hearing a rains...And, Jim, don't you just love hearing a rainstorm coming across the valley? You can hear it before you see it! Still another reason to live in beautiful Appalachia!<br /><br />Vicki, we both know farmers are a most discontented lot! Whatever the weather, they're unhappy with it. Whatever the moisture level, they gripe! When they have a good crop, they complain that everyone else did, too...:-(( and you have to sell cheap. So goes the lot of agriculture!<br /><br />EloraElorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-18413969390289677262012-05-25T14:54:44.495-04:002012-05-25T14:54:44.495-04:00We had one of those soakers recently. Much appreci...We had one of those soakers recently. Much appreciated and only a bit of washing on the road.<br /><br />John says that his whole life is spent dealing with water -- getting it to go where he wants it to and to stay out of where it shouldn't go. A waterherd. perhaps.Vicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-61491916913005520962012-05-24T20:57:56.761-04:002012-05-24T20:57:56.761-04:00The year and a half we lived in southern Californi...The year and a half we lived in southern California the one thing I missed most was a good summer thunderstorm. When we finally got a little sprinkle in August, I went out and stood in it. And I love the early winter rains where it sets in and rains for 3 days or more.Wayfarin' Strangerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00806995797136803377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-16963235010424135572012-05-23T15:39:26.093-04:002012-05-23T15:39:26.093-04:00Oh my...that is rather alarming, Elora. I don'...Oh my...that is rather alarming, Elora. I don't suppose there's much we can do about the electricity issue at our place (other than the inexpensive things we've done), but we can certainly make efforts to stockpile some food and water.Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12575140898505901920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3642807619836239233.post-90511939797165655692012-05-20T10:42:21.335-04:002012-05-20T10:42:21.335-04:00Yes, Vicki! We all remember Y2K...we were ridicul...Yes, Vicki! We all remember Y2K...we were ridiculed for our panic-driven quest to make ourselves self-sufficient, electric-free, and able to look after ourselves. Seems like there's one of these crises every few years! Out here, JOTOLR, we don't change gears in response. Just keep on doing what we're doing, feeling mostly safe...then again, it's that warning to buy bundles of toilet paper that evokes the question of what we could do without!<br /><br />EloraElorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04579555623060708938noreply@blogger.com