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Life Inside a Stick

| Flower Roberts

I gather sticks to burn in our fire bowl. As I tossed one onto the pile, it broke in the middle. I picked up the two pieces and noticed a dark cylinder in the middle. The cylinder sections were wrapped in tiny brown leaves. I knew that this meant a larva was inside.

I took the stick pieces inside to be examined. I carefully unwrapped the dozen or so small leaves from a section.

The first one only contained yellow powder.

The next section squirted as I got to the center. I carefully cut open the capsule. There was a light colored blob inside.

I put the blob on a slide and looked at it under the microscope. This face appeared.

I put the rest of the stick back outside. I do not know what is growing in it, but it was carefully wrapped to ensure its survival and placed in a well made tunnel.

If the stick had not broken, It would eventually have been burned. Sometimes our fire makes whizzing and squeaking noises. Now, I will worry that I have roasted some larvae.

Who knew that such mysteries would be enclosed in a stick?

FLOW

The Muhly Fountain

| Flower Roberts

The rain has transformed the Pink Muhly Grass into a fountain. Its draping stalks glisten with drops.

I petted it and the drops converged and ran to the ground.

It feels like delicate, wet feathers.

The drops sparkle. It is a new kind of beautiful.

Flower

Sugar Kettle to Fire Bowl

| Flower Roberts

Our grateful family finally got together and tried out the sugar kettle as a fire bowl. Mr. Flower showed off by lighting the fire with my weed burner.

It worked wonderfully. It was a beautiful fall night. There was a nip in the air and a slight breeze.

I was so very thankful to have all of our family there, minus one niece and my mom.

We were celebrating my daughter Rose’s thirtieth birthday. She is a miracle. Still here thanks to good medicine and friends stepping in to help her. Our second book is in the works.

My heart is full of gratitude that we are all happy, healthy and safe.

Happy Fall from the FLOWER

Same Scene: Wiser Eyes

| Flower Roberts

I felt compelled to return to that mysterious Langhorne House in Lynchburg during my visit last week.

https://wordpress.com/post/floweralley.org/13332

I was hoping to see signs of improvement, but instead found evidence of further weathering and decay.

I could proceed to chastise the present owners for neglect, but I empathize with them instead.

I know what it is like to inherit property with more deficits than assets.

It takes real money, time and effort to bring an old place up to present standards.

This house on the hill calls for restoration. It has a public history that seems to demand it. But where is the money?

The private owner must not be motivated to paint and renovate.

Not enough love, loyalty and funds? Bad memories? Family disputes? No matter! There must be a lack of motivation and/or inspiration.

The lights were on. That is a sign that the wires still work and heat is a possibility.

Two empty trailers were parked out back. At least someone is using the place.

It still feels lonely. It still seems empty. It is a sad remnant of a grand past.

Sometimes the weight of the past is too heavy to heave into the present.

I get that now. The haunting emptiness, the unpleasant memories, the emotional avoidance. Those burdens are real.

I hope that someday the Cary DeVall Langhorne house will be given new life and a face lift.

The historic neighborhood is quite lovely and well-maintained. There were busy workmen and scaffolding on almost every street.

What we do with our history is up to those in the present.

Maybe four years from now I will see a fresh coat of paint and repaired steps on this lovely, historic site.

FLOW

My Flickr Photostream

| Flower Roberts

I have picked the best of my thousands of photos to put on Flickr. It’s like my blog on steroids. I have tried to name each flower in the description.

This is a work in progress. This old dog is trying a new trick.

I hope this link works. Somebody let me know. ENJOY!

FLOW

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The Queen and the Cactus

| Flower Roberts

The surprises just keep coming here. This post was supposed to be entitled ‘Catching a Queen’ but something else happened out there in the dark last night. I would have missed it, but I assigned Mr. Flower night duty. I went out around 9:30PM to catch the late bloom of the “Queen of the Night.” I caught myself dozing while waiting. I knew if I fell asleep, I would have no blood by morning due to the mosquitoes.

I asked Mr. Flower to catch later photos when he finished watching television. This was a fortuitous move because when he went out late in the night, he noticed that his fifty-year-old Giant Cactus (given to him by his grandmother) which is beside the Night Blooming Cereus was ALSO blooming that very same night.

So here we go with the Queen and the Cactus blooming side by side. It was not a full moon, just a 50% quarter moon. The two plants must have been communicating. They are touching each other and tied to the same deck pole.

Here is the Queen alone at 9:30PM. Click to enlarge.

Notice the base of the large cactus to the left.

Here are side by side photos and Queen late in the night. Cactus left. Queen right.

Cactus bloom open
Queen bloom open

Cactus side view left. Queen side view right.

THIS is what makes my heart sing. Catching a Queen and a cactus blooming on the same night. My thanks to Mr. Flower for the assist. This Flower needs her sleep!

Flow

Missing a Miracle

| Flower Roberts

I had been paying attention to my Night Blooming Cereus plant.

Its buds had elongated days ago. They turned up like pipes earlier than expected.

I knew that the eight buds of this ‘Queen of the Night’ would open soon.

I missed it last night. I went to bed early. I got up at 1:30AM to get water. It never occurred to me to go out and peek over the deck railing.

Spent blooms of Night Blooming Cereus/ Queen of the Night/Epiphyllum oxypetalum

When I saw the white skirts of petals this morning I knew I had missed it.

Seven blooms have opened. Tears were shed.

This plant bloomed for the first time ever, two days before my precious daddy died.

Queen or Angel?

There is still one bud unopened. I saw something curious through my tears. Three NEW little buds.

This plant has never bloomed twice. Maybe that is the miracle. Maybe I did not miss it after all.

Flow

All Aboard

| Flower Roberts

Our family rode in an open-air car on the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad this Saturday. It was ideal for me because I could sit, stand, walk around and breathe fresh air. (I am still afraid of catching Covid.)

Our steam engine #1702 pulled us along the banks of the Nantahala River.

Steam and kudzu

There were folks riding the river on rafts and in kayaks.

Old farms and barns dotted the landscape.

Many structures were about to be swallowed by kudzu. (an invasive weed)

This is the oldest house in Swain County. It is the deHart house with a fascinating history. It’s hard to separate fact from fiction about it.

We had an hour stop at the Nantahala Outdoor Center as we waited for the passengers who rafted down the river to catch up to the train.

We had some entertainment in route. Mountain man Tim dropped by to tell stories about the Mountains and the Cherokee. His attire was worth inspection.

Brakeman Montana also visited our car to answer questions about the train and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad.

Our family thoroughly enjoyed the ride up and down the river.

Diesel engines pulled us back.

Stay tuned for the floating houses on Fontana Lake.

FLOW