Thursday, May 2, 2013

And So it Goes





And So it Goes


The grass is thick with the cold viscous drops
slick and gray it stands--
a dewy carpet
Down and down and down, it goes.

The sky in springtime weeps buckets of droplets
high at 4000
down this rocky mountain crevasse
they slip past driveways
throwing themselves over the boulders they crash
land well past the Blowing Rock
down they slide into Lenoir
at last to settle themselves placid 
in the basin called the Yadkin-Pee Dee
Down and down and down, it goes.

The rivers rush and flow
smoothly over strewn out granite chunks
down and down again they are driven
into the green sea beds hot and thick
with the briny creeping crustaceans that scatter at the sound of foot…
at home
in the brackish water
as it stands still
and where the fresh water plays at the game of
osmosis
with the salt
Down and down and down, it goes.

I once saw a whale breach
up high
droplets cascading like rivers off of
his crusty old hull  
and thought
there is the water droplet that I saw last week
as it trickled down the straw-like stem
of my own proud
peach 
front yard rose.


© Karen Powell














Thursday, November 15, 2012

Rocky Cathedral



"A rock pile
ceases to be a rock pile
the moment
 a single man
 contemplates it,
bearing within him
the image of a cathedral. "


Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Ginger (Bear) goes...


for a ride
She gets carsick for longer distances...
so we are trying alternatives.
Naaaaaah
Just havin' some fun, here, 
on a windy fall day.
lg!
:-)

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Twenty Two


Twenty Two

1. There are 22 lines on our faces…
2. You have 22 stories to tell.
3. You have twenty two reasons to not clean your room-
4. we have twenty two reasons of ‘whatever’ (for sure) you can bet that it is just as well.
5. Here are twenty two lines filled up with our love.
6. You are twenty two right after Election Day--
7. let’s hope they have a man in the White House before
8. you hobble down the aisle at your own daughter's wedding, indeedy--if'n you will!
9. Beyond what’s going ‘round in our country
10. over the top and down the hill,
11. these 22 years what a blessing they’ve been
12. to call you son
13. now
14. take your pill.
15. Here are 22 tokens of affection
16. and twenty two heap fulls of love, hope, and joy---
17. Dad and I sure do regret not having 22 thousand dollars to buy you
18. a brand new toy.
19. Seriously son-you are heaven
20. toil and a smile for the day
21. thank you for being the person you are--
22! (...a marvelous collection….of your idiosyncrasies…and some pretty major 'brilliancies,' too—all your nuances that we savor;  what a ‘wonder’ we find you…the ‘boy’ that we love, on our couch with hair tousled—you grace us with your presence-do stay.)


Thursday, November 1, 2012

My 2 Cents Worth: Asking the Right


Questions.... 

                                                                        (and an 'aside' or two.)
                                                                             :-)

You know, I lay awake thinking thoughts (that turned and twisted some)
 earlier this morning. Ever been like that? 

Caught -in between- the puzzling 'twilight' world of dreamland 
(...even somewhat lengthy and disturbingly 'real' dreams 
that you try and 'figure out;' but can you ever really 
figure them out?) 

As I was 'all over the place' last night,
and I truly was--
I came to 
a realization
of sorts 
(It's my small realization, O.K.?)

[You must admit...even I have a right to that---
as a rapidly advancing 
(and here I do mean rapidly advancing)  
'middle aged,' 
sometimes mild mannered (and quite often, not--
but there, that's enough said about that...)
'stay-at-home "Mom;"' as a wife and as a Mother. 
Tongue in cheek, here, dear Readers....
:-) 
as I truly believe that Mothers 'run the country.'
However, that, my dear, is an altogether "another subject..."
and one 
definitely not...
for today, 
(mind you.)]

:-
(...Dear Readers, can we agree, 
here, to carry on,  then?

...Yes---here then 
is
the issue at hand.)

I was thinking 
along the lines of the following...
(for whatever reason, here---it was my reason. 
Never invalidate your own reason

Let me say this again as it bears the hearing--
"Never invalidate your own reason.") 

As I said, 
I was thinking along the lines of the following:

"I need to 'make myself' more invaluable.

Isn't that where blessing and provision come from? 
The fact that you are 
an 'invaluable asset,' of sorts?
That you have some skill or talent, 
that you (alone) produce an item of intrinsic value--
for example, that everyone has need of?

What I am going to say next, I am saying (mainly) to women 
(because I am one, of course.) 
It's advice

Here is the insight I arrived at, then.
(Drum roll, please...) 
:-)

This is how we (mainly) 
make ourselves an invaluable asset 
(in life; as a marriage partner, 
as a friend, too...in a company (even) 
and to those we love...
(you get it; and as an aside--even to a nation, for example.) 

How does one make themselves (more and more) 
 invaluable?
 It is.......
by 
        asking 
the right 
questions
Take it at face value...and think about it.

Now, I had to ask myself, what photo do I include with this? 
I chose the above because of its title "Majestic Mountains." 

As an aside, let us choose to believe the very best

Let us put our "best foot forward
(as a beloved Pastor/friend of mine used to say. ) 

Our nation needs us, now.

Let us believe the very best about ourselves, 
about our friends, about our neighbors 
and 
even...our country. 

This is not to say that we are naive.

I believe that we must take the following idiom to heart
to pass the torch on well
Is this important ? 

I think that it is (almost) the only thing that 
has weight; that has true value and that
matters in the scheme of things.

...Believe this, then--the best generation 
is the one that is next to come.

lg

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Monday, October 29, 2012

Sn-sn-snow.


Front Yard (Snow) Fingers


Front Yard Snow Covered Grass


View Across the Road (My Favorite) :-)


 Side yard (Garden)


Side View on Down... 


O.K. So today (the 29th of October) we had our 
very first snowfall last night. And here it is for you all! 
I thought that it looked great! What is it about 
snow that invigorates so? BUT~~~~my husband 
just told me that they are predicting 80 MPH winds 
for us tonight...WHAT? Surely~~~~you jest. I'll let 
you know what that's like. Scraped the car and 
sent my daughter off to school but we are thinking 
at some point, they will cancel it. We just got most of 
our profuse leaves (and I do mean just piles and piles) 
raked up yesterday and Saturday.
lg

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

3 Marvelous Fall Shots...




We (finally) took a ride out and about this past weekend. 
I was eager to get the top shot, one of my most favorite 
overlook 'long views' of the Appalachian mountains right 
off of the Blue Ridge Parkway...
How about those fall c-o-l-o-r-s (in the middle shot?!) 
And my question (of the day) for you is...what is 
odd about the bottom shot? 
Hoping all is well for my family and my friends.
:-)
lg

Sunday, October 7, 2012

A Heavenly Coffee Cake...



This is my husband's latest take on a recipe straight from the 
'cake place called heaven!' We have a lot of Kuri squash 
(and various squashes here, right now, in the High Country...) 
Accordingly, then, this is a Kuri squash  and homemade 
applesauce coffee cake with a BIG butter crumble 
and sugary glaze on the top! 
My...oh, my
Need I paste a smiley face??
(I should have taken a side view shot of the slice 
itself but I couldn't wait to eat it! 
...Sorry about that!)
lg

Monday, September 17, 2012

Elusive




My husband has spent several days trying to photograph a pair 
of hummingbirds that come frequently to a feeder in the back 
right off of his office. They will fly right up, hover and look you 
in the eye but they seriously resist being photographed!!!
(Fall is coming here so I am assuming that this will be our 
very last attempt to capture them on film this year!)

Enjoy!!
:-)
lg

Friday, September 14, 2012

Kuri squash Pic


Red Kuri squash is the small deep orange one to the 
left of the large (red warty) in the middle 
and above the blue squash.

Kuri Risotto



With fall coming soon upon us here, the 
High Country stupendous squash will be back!  
North Carolina grows delicious squash of all kinds 
of varieties, more than I was aware of ever existed! 
Featured here (last night's super supper; "Yum yum!") 
Roasted Kuri (squash) Risotto (with shallots, onion 
and white wine; Parmesan cheese on top too....) 
This was a truly mouth-watering savory experience 
if I don't say so myself! (I wish I had the aroma 
add-on pak for my pc for you!!!!!!!)
:-)
lg

Thursday, September 13, 2012

'Round the Corner...






Every now and then a leaf (now) falls from the trees here
These are photos of the turned and fallen leaves (in the High Country) 
from last year. I cannot believe that this time is almost around our corner here!

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Photos of Late...




Top: On our journey up into Virginia 
(for my husband's Birthday drive this weekend, 
past) we spotted this lovely salmon church door 
with black wrought iron hinges (love-love that :-))
Middle: Upon returning home the mountain 
next to our house had this lovely, vivid rainbow atop it! 
Bottom: ...And I am (still) refurbishing vintage dolls. 
Here is my latest: Gentle Midge (all decked out!)

Hi y'all!
:-)
lg

Lois Nancy

This artwork is my mother's. It touches my heart.    (So gentle.)   A thoughtful depiction of something sweet, tiny, and cute.   'Wa...