Some rhododendrons and berries

 I walked up to these rhododendron bushes (they're certainly big, but not quite a tree size) and took these photos before going to Physical Therapy on Tuesday. Glad I did it before, because I not only worked hard, I was reprimanded that I wasn't putting enough effort into exercising at home. And he was right. I do stretches every morning, but haven't done the strengthening ones he's given me. I shall remedy that, because I do want to continue to see him another week (my last is coming soon).

This purple one had just a few flowers remaining, as it has the afternoon sun hitting it...just my guess.

But next to it I saw this bush with rather strange berries on it. I'd love to know what it is!

Today's Quote:

A career is wonderful, but you can't curl up with it on a cold night. 

-Marilyn Monroe, actress (1926-1962)

Some of the plants I see

 

This is the "landscaped three tier garden" at Lake Tomahawk now. I was wrong that they'd saved the lavender plant. At least the top tier still has some roses and a rather spindly rhododendron.

And one last bloom was ready for me to lovingly capture it where it was sheltered under a big tree by the lake's sidewalk.

My efforts last Sunday were to repot some orchids. But they were too long and gangly, so I cut each in half. We shall see if either half lives. And I ran out of orchid mix, and noticed at the bottom of the bag it had just regular dirt. So I threw in some potting soils as well.  One more to plant still, and I'll be darned if I buy another bag of that mix at $7 plus. I'll try the last one in the old soil after I clean it out a bit.

Yes, AC, I also was too late for this beautiful Rhododendron. Rained a couple of times before I got to it and this is all that's left!

But I turned a corner to see this lovely planting. Their peonies have shed many petals like the ones near my house.

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Sharing with Wordless Wednesday on Tuesday!

Today's quote:

I like to say that arms are not for killing. They are for hugging.

 -Betty Williams, peace activist, Nobel laureate (1943-2020)

Improvements - mainly gardeners at work

 

The drainage basin by the Clay Studio now looks like a rain garden. I took this photo May 16, 2024

Back in February it looked like this (from the other direction).

It's a bit hard to see, because it was winter, and with the shade cast by the tree. There were cattails which would come up later, but the gardeners pulled them all out. 

We shall see if they don't come back.

But the main thing is this is a basin for sludge from the pottery studio's sink. It supposedly catches solid clay waste before it is drained, but the water always has glaze chemicals in it. I can't wait to see how it looks differently in this sumer!

I salute the Beautification Committee of Black Mountain for doing so much to improve many areas of the town. However, I personally feel they put in low maintenance shrubs just so they will be convenient. A three tiered planting area by Lake Tomahawk now has this sense to me, where before an Extension member gave us interesting plants. Even volunteer elders like myself could put some veggies and flowers into the lower space. A huge lavender plant was at least saved. And now lots of little blobs of green are all in a row. But change is necessary, and having no consistent gardener to care for it meant sometimes it got weedy. Yay new things!

Today's quote:

We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us., JOSEPH CAMPBELL

Sharing with Sami's Colorful World Monday Murals

Mud Buddies Pottery and the Black Mountain Tailgate Market

 Last week I posted my joy at being back at the Tailgate Market in Black Mountain NC HERE.

Being a returning Mud Buddy to sell my pottery is a lot more work than just sitting there, or standing and talking to people. The weather has been just wonderful, though of course thunder storms are due sometime today...(writing this a few hours after I got home.)  

The other member of our group that is there is Amelia Packer. She's wonderful at setting up the little red tent, as well as bookkeeping our sales. I unload my car on First Street, right behind our booth, and she moves it into place, then I set up table and my and Cathy Babula's pottery.

My pots this week. 

Cathy Babula's pottery.  Cathy is out with an injury still, but has many people asking after her. She doesn't have many pieces for sale at this point.

Amelia's pottery

More of Amelia's pottery

A very popular booth with tie-dyed clothing.

A nice raised bed flower garden at the main entrance from the parking lot.

Since I'm so bad with names, I kept notes of people who asked me to say hi to Mud Buddies who weren't there today. As well as connections to other potters in the area. Whew, this little introvert made more effort today to be sociable.

I tried to help Ellen, who has Gaia Rising booth next to ours, with the result of my pinkie getting snagged in a pole connection. Ouch! Nice swelling and bruises, and I'm typing without using it.

There are only a few produce items for sale this early in the year, so plants and baked goods are selling well.  But both Amelia and I sold some pottery, so it was a good day for us. I've now got the touch payment thing working on my phone, so we had a sale each with credit cards. Others are happy to pay in cash since they know we pay a fee to have credit purchases.

I could relax some of the time and enjoy the wonderful oaks that embrace the marketplace. Thank heaven the pollen was low today! (Just Thursday night the pine pollen really hit me hard.)

My favorite shot of a market-goer today!

And a good friend who visited too. She wasn't the only one, I just forgot to snap photos of others!

Today's quote:

Gratefulness opens me up to receive the flow of blessing and connects me with the source of that flow.

RABBI SHEFA GOLD

Just a few of my canine friends from last week

 At the Tailgate Market in Black Mountain, many people bring their dogs. They have to behave...in all good doggie fashion.

It was a sunny cool morning...just right for a stroll around the market.

This sweet blue tick hound sends hi to my granddog, Zora, who lives in CO.

Then there was the man in a kilt and sneakers, and a tee shirt that said Coonhounds.

He said his hound had ADHD and was focusing on one thing at a time. She sure did, making sure she was quite comfortable while he stood in line for baked goods. (wouldn't it be nice to have folks stand in line at our pottery booth?)  And he had no Scottish accent either.

I'm pretty sure this was Rosemary, who's mother makes her dresses. (There's a pet store in Black Mountain (Bone Afide) with everything imaginable, I wonder if these are there...)

I was at an interesting booth selling pottery every once in a while...but had plenty of time to snap some of the pooches. Actually, these are only the first batch!

This lovely lady (Shirley, Shelly?) sat behind our booth at the sidewalk wall. Her family parked there a while and ate.

See you next week!

Sharing with Saturday's Critters.

Today's quote:

Courage has nothing to do with our determination to be great. It has to do with what we decide in that moment when we are called upon to be more.

RITA DOVE

A few photos of the aurora borealis (none mine)

 Everyone who could take a photo did, and I saw it on Facebook (because I don't look at the various other social media.)

So here's the collection I've saved:

Black Mountain NC- 3am with a 3 second exposure looking north over the golf course, handheld on an iPhone. Enjoy the aurora borealis!

At Montreat College.

Aurora in Amarillo TX by Kristen Watson w/ Starlink near moon. (I wonder if that was what the man saw who said it was a shooting star.

Aurora in Norway

Aurora lights over the NC coast ( V.Boltik

aurora Rocky Mountain Natoinal Park Colorado Jenna Suen

Auroroa South Cove of Big Lake in Eastern Arizona by R&M Photography - see shooting star next to setting moon.

And as I was reminded, here's AnvilCloud's collage of his photos taken in Canada.

Last night I came home from the studio and my flowers on my porch greeted me with such wonderful scents. I've been breathing pretty carefully these days with pine pollen going everywhere. But this was a symphony. Petunias, apple mint, lavender, geranium, I felt like a bee, just burying my nose into each plant.

Today's quote:

Nature never said to me: Do not be poor. Still less did she say: Be rich. Her cry to me was always: Be independent. -Nicolas de Chamfort, writer (1741-1794)