I’ve been rambling but not writing

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I was surprised when I realized that I hadn’t posted in over a year! I think I must have written posts in my mind but never got around to typing them. I hope to do better this year.

There is no way to catch up (and, fortunately, nothing major—like a hurricane—to catch you up on). So where to begin? Maybe start fresh with photos of the French Broad River …

French Broad River

I didn’t walk today, not even to get the mail or the newspaper. It’s warmed up to about 25°, but with a windchill of 15°, I’m perfectly happy to stay in and watch the snow flurries until it’s time to feed the deer and birds later this afternoon. The deer were waiting as soon as it was light this morning, and I was happy I had restocked the apple supply Monday. Although it was cold, it was a beautiful morning sky.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see several fallen trees. I can’t begin to count how many trees have fallen since I moved here almost 15 years ago—before, during, and after Helene. Often they fall for no apparent reason, although most of the ones that fall are already dead. The latest (another dead one) fell Saturday and blocked part of the road (lower right in photo). I was headed down to clear it just as my neighbor was leaving. The dead trees usually break apart when they hit the ground (as this one did) and aren’t as heavy to move so we cleared the road pretty easily. This one fell across the little creek and added another “bridge” for me to walk across, except that it’s cracked in the middle, and I’m not about to try!

Writing about fallen trees reminded me of something that happened at the end of June. I heard a tree fall one evening but couldn’t see anything from the deck. However, when I headed out on my walk the next morning, as I rounded the curve in my driveway, I was blocked by a wall of green. A HUGE beech tree from the opposite ridge had fallen, bringing with it another beech tree and a large oak and stripping branches from several other trees on her way down. She was so big that she stretched across both the road and the driveway and was suspended by her branches on the slope above the driveway.

After retrieving my trusted loppers, I cut a path and climbed through to the other side. (It was the first time I had ever seen beechnuts!) That was when I realized the extent of the damage (and enormity of the problem). That’s me in the circle.

Thank goodness for helpful friends! I let my neighbor know that the road was blocked (they could still get out another way), and he came down with his chainsaw and worked for hours to clear my driveway so I could go up the road and get out if needed.

The next day he was able to clear the road, but it took weeks and borrowed heavy equipment to make a dent in the tons of debris. Much of it is still laying where it fell or was pushed/thrown.

I guess that’s all for now. The temperature is dropping, and the deer are here. I’ll leave you with a few of the latest nature photos.

And, as always, the other side of the ridge.