Of Dirndls, Deer, and Drama

When my husband was younger, he was first chair trombone at Grimsley High School in Greensboro.  He did not pursue being in the band at NCSU because it conflicted with the ROTC program.  However, when we had been married for a few years, he joined the Little German Band.  This volunteer group was started by staff members at N.C. State, and Charlie was working in the business office at the university.  We had some great times with the band, who played for free beer!  We traveled with the band to Germany and Austria in 1976.  I bought a dirndl in a beautiful lake village on St. Wolfgangsee, Austria.

Sometime during that wonderful European trip, we conceived our first son.  He was promptly nicknamed "Helmut" by the band members! 

Anyway, as I was de-cluttering and re-organizing my closet, I came across my dirndl.  I am sure I could not even zip it up any more, and have not worn it in many years.  Charlie quit the band when our boys were little, and only played once more when the band had a big anniversary re-union.  But, this costume holds very fond memories for me.

There is gorgeous hand embroidery work.

Look at the lavish amount of lace on the sleeves.

Anyway, I wanted to offer the costume to someone in the Little German Band or Dance Group.  I found a website with a contact e-mail address.  Soon I had an interested band member who wanted the dirndl.  Since she lives in Apex, she offered to send me a pre-paid UPS shipping label.  When I received it yesterday, I loaded up the package and the dog.  I figured we would go for a walk on the nearby greenway after shipping the box.  There is a UPS store a mile from my house, so I went trotting in...and found out that the label was from Fed Ex, not UPS!

I could not think of a Fed Ex location in Wake Forest, so I cruised through downtown and along Main Street.  No dice.

Then, I remembered my i-Phone.  Surely "Siri" could help me!

Have you met Siri?  She is the voice that allegedly helps you manage your life via the Internet, your calendars, contact lists, etc.  There is a commercial on TV where she forecasts the weather, finds a restaurant that delivers tomato soup, sets a reminder to clean house, and plays dance music.  All instantly.

Siri does not speak "Southern" very well.  The usual reply to my inquiries is "Sorry, I don't understand what you mean."  After about eight fruitless tries, she finally turned up three Fed Ex locations, all seven miles away or more.

So, Kasey and I drove to Raleigh and found the Fed Ex store, which my i-Phone told me was on the opposite side of US 1 from where it is actually located near the Best Buy store.

Mission accomplished.   Now, since we were in North Raleigh, maybe we could walk on a different greenway that we had never tried.

Siri reminded me that Camp Durant was just a few miles away.   This hidden-away jewel has a lake, a small wildlife zoo, and lots of trails.  It was the location of the Field Trip from Hell when I took my special education class there one year to walk the nature trail.  One of my little autistic students decided to walk in a swampy area, got his feet stuck in the mud, and guess who had to go pull him out.

I got him out, but one shoe and sock remained in the mud.

This did not sit well with the little fellow, who commenced a screaming fit while I retrieved the muddy footware, attempted to clean it off with a Kleenex, and tried to convince him to put it back on. 

Oh yes, and two of the other boys got in a fight on the trail, and the little girl petrified of bees had to be practically dragged along the path.

Anyway, I saw that there was a greenway trail head on Camp Durant Road, so we tried that first.  It was very shady and inviting.

It also followed alongside a creek that was strewn with large boulders.

 

We had only walked for a few minutes when I spotted a deer grazing across the creek.

Kasey was more interested in the squirrels, rabbits, and birds, and sticking her nose in the greenery along the edge of the creek.

On the way back,  I saw a deer crossing the greenway in front of us.

As we approached, we saw there were two deer calmly grazing in the grass in the adjacent neighborhood.

The deer that live in the woods near Camp Durant must be very used to people.  They did not run off as I approached with my dog and clicking camera.

That was a lot of fun.  I am sure we will return to this area to walk again next time Siri sends me to Raleigh!

Last night we went to our last performance of the season in the Broadway South series at the beautiful Durham Performing Arts Center. 

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We saw one of my favorite musicals, West Side Story.  As always, I was impressed with the musical talents of the cast.  The man who played Tony had an amazing voice that filled the theatre with songs of love and longing.  We have enjoyed the performances so much that we signed up again for next year.  The shows will include Jersey Boys, War Horse, Sister Act, The Million Dollar Quartet, Mary Poppins, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.  Wonder if they will re-enact the ping-pong ball scene from the movie?  If you don't know what I'm talking about, rent Priscilla and find out!

Spring Has Sprung

For the past two mornings, we have had thunderstorms, followed by warm sunny days.  The cherry trees along our driveway started blossoming while we were in Asheville last weekend  They look rather brilliant against the dark sky.

I like to walk on the greenway nearby after a big change in the weather, so I loaded up the dog while it was still misting a bit, and headed for the greenway on the other side of Rogers Road.  The center of the traffic rotary on Marshall Farm Road is looking very spring-like and pretty.

I knew that volunteers had planted daffodil bulbs along the greenway last fall, but had not seen them yet because I have been avoiding the sounds of the earth-moving equipment and logging station on Rogers Road.  But, today I thought they might not be working due to the rain.  Wrong.

But the daffodils look great in big clumps along both the paved and wooden walkways.

I was on the lookout for deer who might be out and about after the rain.  Sure enough, I saw a "white flag" heading to the thicker woods within minutes.  I thought that would be it, until I spotted this doe and fawn on the other side of the greenway a few minutes later.

Can you see them?  They stood and posed for us while I took about ten pictures.  Kasey is very good about freezing in place when we encounter deer so they don't get spooked.

These appeared to be a doe and her fawn, sort of nuzzling each other in a Disney moment.   I just love encounters like these!

There was a lot of water cascading over the rocks, and I let Kasey go in for a dip despite just having been groomed on Sunday.  As soon as the sun came out, it really got warm and she had her fur coat on, after all.

The dogwood are starting to open up.  Usually it is mid-April when the dogwood trees and azaleas are in their glory, but we are really ahead of the game this spring.

Yesterday was my husband's real birthday.  We went out for dinner at The Melting Pot, a fondue restaurant, with Dave and Emily.  But I had to have at least a little birthday cake for him at home. (Courtesy of the local Harris-Teeter Grocery store.)  We will enjoy that tonight.

I have a beautiful big customer quilt to start on today, so I better get to work.  Pictures tomorrow, maybe!

Catching Up

Wednesday evening I participated in another watercolor class with Steve Filarsky at Art Student Academy.  The subject was a vase of tulips.  This time there were only three students, so we had more space, a more relaxed atmosphere, and more time for Steve to work with individuals.  He gave me a few tips that I appreciated.  I am not totally happy with my painting so far, but I think I will spend a little more time on it and see what emerges.  One of the things he showed me was how to get the little highlight on each tulip.

I have also signed up for a six-week watercolor class with Mary Benejam-O'Connell through Wake Forest Parks and Recreation. I think I will benefit from concentration on the basics.  One of my art quilt bee members has also signed up.  It will be at Flaherty Park on Wednesday afternoons starting on February 29.  I hope more people sign up so the class is not cancelled!

On Tuesday I went to Physical Therapy for the last time.  My very sweet therapist, Pamela, said I had met all of the goals she set for me.  Unfortunately, I have not met my personal goal of being able to walk without pain from my old sprained ankle injury, but I am hopeful that it will continue to get better.

Yesterday my sister and Dad came to Raleigh, and Charlie and I ate lunch with them again at Simply Crepes.  Then, last night was a meeting of one of my quilting groups, the Cyberbee.  It was the smallest group ever:  exactly two of us!  Martha and I had a great visit and dinner.  I got to know her a lot better, so it was a good evening.

This should be a quiet weekend at home.  Charlie had some oral surgery yesterday, and can't eat solid foods for a few days.  Since it turned colder this morning, I guess it will be a good weekend for soup.

I took my dog, Kasey, to the dog park in Wake Forest the other day.  This was a first!  She is sometimes very territorial on the greenway and growls at other dogs, and sometimes people, who approach her.  I thought maybe she would learn to socialize a little better.  There were about nine large dogs within the fenced area, and Kasey did not really want to go in.  She sat and looked around while all the other dogs were romping and playing.

After awhile I took her for a walk around the perimeter.  At least we got a little exercise after a couple of laps.

Dogs that never get to run free without a leash probably appreciate the acres of space and the joy of being unleashed to catch balls and chase frisbees.  Kasey gets to be off leash often, both at home and in the mountains.  We have a big yard, and she does not run off.  And, although she looks like she is part golden retriever, she does not retrieve anything.  Throw a ball or stick and she just looks at you like, "Why?"  But she will chase a squirrel, rabbit or deer, with no victories so far!

Now, my granddog Roo is the perfect example of a dog park lover.  His yard is small, and he has lots of stored up energy.  And he has become an expert frisbee dog!

This morning it was really cold, and Kasey and I went to the Sanford Creek greenway where we often walk.  Unfortunately, the earth movers were hard at work clearing the woods behind the creek to build yet more roads and home sites for the Heritage community.  The air smelled like diesel and the noise of the equipment was deafening.  They have installed orange fencing almost down to the creek and cleared out acres of trees.

They always do a nice job on the Heritage projects, but we will probably walk the other greenways and parks while all this construction is taking place.

And when the walks are over, it's time for The Furminator!  This dog brush helps get rid of the undercoat of thick hair- as seen on TV.  And guess who loves to be Furminated!  Ah, bliss!

New Toy

Got my first "Smartphone" a couple days ago.  Apple i-Phone 4s.

Have done very little since then except play with it!

I downloaded a GPS program with voice directions.  Man, where was this gadget back when I was driving over several states to take my boys to swim meets?  I got lost so many times. 

To try out the GPS and the camera phone, I loaded Kasey into the car and drove to Joyner Park on the north end of Wake Forest.  There are several new roads in my area which confused it a bit, but I was pleased with the maps and directions.

And I am in love with the camera!   Here are some shots from today's walk.


Pond along greenway



Beautyberry bush near parking lot



Non-stop roses



Woodsy path on greenway



Formal garden and homestead


This is way too much fun!

Back Home

I was gone on vacation for two whole weeks.  It was fun to survey the yard and see what was in bloom when I got home.

I planted marigolds, zinnias, and mixed sunflowers in a garden bed at Easter.  All but the zinnias are in full bloom.



marigolds



sunflower



sunflower

 I have quite a variety of day lilies, which are putting on a big show right now.  Among my favorites are this double orange day lily

and this lemon one.

The lavender next to the little pond is going crazy, and is covered with bumblebees.

There is a nice stand of red monarda, or bee balm, in the back.  These are among the herbs and flowers I planted to attract hummingbirds.

I was so glad to get my dog back from the kennel.  She has had a week to let her hair grow back after being "shorn"  for the summer.  I think she has lost some of the scalped look.  Her fur is still nice and soft.  We went for a walk on the green way this morning.  She always enjoys a nice drink from the creek.

We had just started on our walk at the Wake Forest end of the green way, when I heard a rustle in the woods nearby.  I had not even gotten my camera out of the bag, when I looked up and saw a large doe walking in the opposite direction along the fence.  I froze in place, got out the camera, and we slowly backtracked until we spotted the deer near the end of the fence.  It crossed the green way and disappeared into the woods.

We did not see any other wildlife quite as exciting, but we did come across this nice shy box turtle near the creek.

It is good to be back home.