Spring Walk

Are any of you still experiencing the throes of winter?  Any Easter snow to report?  It has been very hot here in Wake Forest, NC, and everything's blooming.

Here is my first rose, an old-fashioned variety with a French woman's name that I don't recall.  It grows up along the rail of our back deck.

We walked around the neighborhood today.  Lots of other roses were blooming.  All the new houses in the Heritage section have the same pink rose bush by their mailboxes.  I think it is called a non-stop rose.

The Forgotten Pond was looking pretty, with only one goose to grace the picture.

On the street near the pond, I spotted this very muddy turtle by the curb.  I'm pretty sure it is a snapping turtle, because they have jagged edges on the back of their shells.  I decided I would try to move him off the street if he was still there on the return trip.  He wasn't.  (Relief!  Have you heard the folk legend that if a snapping turtle bites you, he won't let go until it thunders?)

Here is another unusual site on this morning's walk.  I think the firemen might have been practicing with a new aerial truck.  Or they wanted a coffee break with a view.  They were on a new street with just a few houses that are occupied.

One reason I have been leaving the neighborhood lately for our morning walks is because of all the new construction.  The recession is not affecting the growth north of Raleigh.

This is what the roads look like when they are working on a new house.  It's much nicer to walk on the greenway.

This is the entrance to the Heritage neighborhood across Rogers Road from my street.  I saw them building one of those stone columns one day.  All cinder block with a stone facade.

For some reason, the developers think every section of Heritage must have its own unique name.  I think they may be running out of ideas soon.

Back at Chez McBrayer, I am pleased with the restful look of our back yard.  Nothing like azalea time!

Also in full bloom are the weigelas.  This pink one has gotten out of hand.  Can you see a little red dog heading around it on the right? 

The giant green shrub in front of the house is a viburnum that has also outgrown its location.  Full sun makes flowering shrubs very happy.

I wish I had chosen a red weigela instead of the pale pink.  This is our neighbor's along their white fence.

Our mock orange is another one that has gotten extremely tall.  It has only a few blossoms open so far.

Here is the viburnum I planted on our last dog, Maggy's grave in the back yard near the woods.

Near it are the two huge hydrangeas that are planted next to our collie, Sassy's grave.  She was about eleven when we moved to this house, and only lived about another year or two.  We got Maggy about three days after losing Sassy to cancer.

The seeds I planted last week are already coming up in the cutting garden.

I have not been doing much in the way of sewing or art in the past week.  We bought a new king-size bed for our bedroom, and moved our old one to a guest bedroom.  That has meant getting rid of a lot of unwanted furniture and STUFF.  I guess every once in a while it is good to clear out things you no longer need.  I am filling up the back of the Subaru with bags of items for Goodwill.  I've gotten my clothing drawers cleaned out and need to do my closet next.

I'd rather be quilting!

Beautiful Day

I hope it is as beautiful where you are today as it is here in Wake Forest, North Carolina.  The sun is shining, there is not a cloud in the sky, and it is 52 degrees Fahrenheit.  Raleigh is hosting the National Hockey League All-Star weekend, and couldn't have asked for better weather.

Kasey and I just came back from a long nature walk.  They have continued to work on the new section of the Heritage development across Rogers Road from our street.  Unlike the older section which is named for golf courses, the streets here derive their names from flowers and nature.  Here is one that made me smile:

I like the name Evening Snow Street, but I LOVE Fawn Lily Drive!  I will have to show that one to my granddaughter, Lily.  I did not know there was a flower named Fawn  Lily, but I googled it and found that there is, indeed.  Maybe I will start calling my granddaughter Fawn.

I like walking the dog in the new neighborhood, because there is no traffic.  Just wide open spaces and nice paved roads.

The new roads ramble all over through pine woods.  There is no chance of getting lost.  You can hear the traffic from Rogers Road, and then there is this homing beacon.

That's the antenna for WCPE.  It is actually on Chalk Road, but as the crow flies, it is through the woods right behind our house.  We like to sit on the screened porch during thunderstorms and watch lightning hit the tower.  WCPE is known as The Classical Station, and is available via the Internet and satellite and cable TV stations as well as FM stations.  Back in 2003 they increased the height of the tower, and we got to watch men working 1200 feet in the air. 

And here is the old homestead on Shasta Daisy Road.  Too bad it was in such bad shape that it could not be preserved.

It now sits only about 100 feet from these new homes being built in very close proximity to each other.

This is the finished part of Heritage View Drive, which is actually my same street, but across Rogers Road.  I think it looks pretty with Forgotten Pond in the background.

November Nature Walk

All my good intentions for doing chores disappeared this morning, when I looked outside and saw sunshine for the first time in a long while. I had not walked through my neighborhood since I lost my little companion, Maggy. It did not seem right to be walking without my doggy, but the sunshine and beautiful autumn scenery put my mind at rest.

My street looks very beautiful against the clear blue November skies.I have always liked this big tree that seems to lean across the street to lend its shade.

Isn't this a great nature shot? The leaves are gone from this honey locust tree, leaving the long seed pods and branches silhouetted against the sky.

I walked all the way through the new Heritage neighborhood across Rogers Road. The developer, Andy Ammons, has done a first class job on all the landscape and architecture of this large development.
In this photo, you can see the dock and shelter on Forgotten Pond, and the red roof of another shelter near the children's playground.
The ubiquitous Canada geese were enjoying the sunshine.


On the way back I stopped by the Freeman family cemetery. The iron gate was open, so I went in to pay my respects. The headstones obviously are not original. Some loving descendant of the family must have identified as many of the grave sites as he could and put identical granite markers on them. For some reason, Blogger insists on turning the photos sideways today. The oldest date on one of the markers is Mary, wife of Allen Freeman, born in 1805, who lived to the surprising age of 85. There is a wonderful history of the Freeman family online at the Wake Weekly, our local newspaper.


Many of the gravestones marked the graves of infants and children.

I was heading home after taking these photos, when my camera was acting sluggish. I decided to switch out the battery. There I was, camera in hand, when I heard a clattering on the street next to me. Less than ten yards away was a female deer tearing across the street. She jumped over the iron fence into the gated cemetery. Close on her heels was a magnificent ten-point buck! It was a sight I will never forget. The bucks are in rut now that it is mating season, and they are making some bad decisions for their safety right now. I hung around for awhile in case she ran him back in my direction, but they disappeared in the woods.

When I got home I decided to walk across my back yard and check on the grave where I buried Maggy. My previous dog, Sassy, is buried between two large hydrangea bushes, and I put Maggy near to her. I planted a double-file viburnum called "Summer Snowflake" next to her grave, thinking that it would provide beautiful blooms next summer. To my surprise and delight, this is what I found.

RIP, old friend.