Thank you to all of you who reached out to me via email, Facebook and by cards 13 days ago when I lost Gracie. I ache for her presence. I have her remains back, and they are hidden in a place where I know they’re safe until I have the courage to transfer them to an urn.
One friend sent me this poem…
RAINBOW BRIDGE
Just this side of heaven lies the Rainbow Bridge.
When a beloved pet dies, it goes to the Rainbow Bridge.
It makes friends with other animals and frolics over rolling
hills and peaceful lush meadows of green. They are a
healthy and playful as we remember them in days gone by.
Together, the animals chase and play, but the day comes
when a pet will suddenly stop and look into the distance…
bright eyes intent, eager body quivering. Suddenly
recognizing you, your pet bounds quickly across the green
fields and into your embrace. You celebrate in joyous
reunion. You will never again separate.
Happy tears and kisses are warm and plentiful,
your hands caress the face you missed. You look into
the loving eyes of your pet and know that you never
really parted. You realize that though out of sight,
your love had been remembered.
Chilling isn’t it? I’ve been watching my two hives closely this past two weeks because one has had very little activity outside of the hive while the other has been rockin’! Here’s my Hive No. 1. Looking good!! I went out at 10:00 pm last night and inserted the device that holds the jar of sugar water. I’d tried to insert it earlier that day, but my mean little pets did not understand my interest. They will have a change of heart once they fully discover the wonder of wonders in the honeybee world…SUGAR WATER! They will restart their love affair with my visits to the hive. “She’s here! She’s here!”
But Hive No. 2 looked nothing like Hive No. 1…15 bees at the most flying around, and that was a surprise as I had not seen any yesterday when it was 58 degrees. I thought these bees were probably from Hive No. 1 and were over robbing what I suspected to be a dead hive. This was so depressing. I felt I’d lost my dog and now my bees within a ten-day period. However, this morning I did see pollen being carried inside with the very few bees entering Hive No. 2. I hopped on the bee mobile (golf cart) for a visit with my brother-in-law and bee partner, Gerald Booher, to put our antennaes together and figure out what is going on.
I hinted “I’m just dying to look inside that hive.” He said, “let’s go!” Whew! That was almost too easy. We both had the same sinking feeling as we suited up to open the hive. Neither Gerald nor I thought we’d see bees in the hive.
Here’s what we found. Would this many bees be typical in a hive that was being robbed? We do not know.
We pulled another frame. More bees.
Another…we’re looking closely for the queen. We did see one large bee, but she really didn’t look long enough to be the queen. When you first get the queen, she has a big colored dot on her that makes her easy to find. That was months ago, however, and her dot has probably worn off. Gerald said “if we move slowly, they’ll be nice.” They were!
So, at the end of the hour that we spent messing with the bees we know Hive No. 2 does have bees, but we are uncertain if there is a queen. If there is no queen, and there is no queen cell (and we did not see one), the hive will die. We are going back in and looking again in a week. If the hive continues to look weak, we’ll take a queen cell from Hive No. 1 and a couple of frames of bees and move them to the hive that is dying. We’ll see if we can restart that hive.
The upside of all this is that Hive No. 1 is really strong.
Do you have a place for bees in your yard? If not, you might want to make your own date with a honeybee. You should not get bees to make money. You will be disappointed. You really shouldn’t get bees expecting honey but that could happen, and you’ll be thrilled (as will all your honey loving friends). You should get bees because of what the cartoon says.
This past weekend was my last weekend with my beloved Golden Retriever Gracie. I’m aching missing her. We decided not to go to church on Sunday because I did not want to be away from her even for an hour. However, I missed the special music provided by Audrey Auld and Oscar Harris.
If you can take five minutes and listen to the two songs that Oscar and Audrey recently performed – the first is not at Mt. Vernon but for a television show – you won’t be sorry. The first song is called “Dear Mother ” written by Audrey. The second song is “Clinch Mountain Prayer” also written by Audrey and being performed at Mt. Vernon on Sunday. Please listen to her clear voice, peppered with words describing the places and people we love followed by our own very talented Oscar coming in with the autoharp. Are there many things more beautiful than the sounds he makes with the autoharp?
Audrey’s from Australia, lives in Nashville, but obviously she needs to be here with us! She gets it!
Each day I work a small amount on the publicity for the Dale Jett & Hello Stranger Cemetery Benefit on Friday, April 25. (Save the Date!) If you are local and receive WCYB on your television set, mark your calendar for the News 5 at Noon show on Tuesday, April 22. We’ll be there talking about The Third Annual Cemetery Benefit, Oscar and the Poor Valley Girls will be providing some great music, and I’ll have the Mendota Cemetery Quilt with me asking the viewers to help sell a ticket in all 50 states. We missed it by 10 states last year, although we did sell tickets in about 7 foreign countries! This year’s quilt is a beauty….it’s being worked on by Chris, Nancy and Margie. We are so grateful for their hard work and talent. Here’s a little peek…it’s red and white. I love Chris’ sewing machine. Chris knows something it took me years go figure out — newer is not always better.
Margie’s ironing…I didn’t get a picture of Nancy. I’ll get that in a week or two.
Lots going on. Quilts, music, weddings, babies…why does everyone think we live such sleepy lives in Mendota?
I’m going back and listening to those songs again.
A couple of days I wrote about the trip Mike and I took across Clinch Mountain. I didn’t tell you what we did when we got to the other side. We went to Teddy’s!!! If you haven’t been, you know it’s worth the trip. I’ll bet 50 percent of the people who go across the mountain from Mendota end up at Teddy’s.
See the burger on the sign above? If you want a burger like that one, you just tell your waitress to “run it through the garden!” I loved hearing that. Mike ordered his hamburger, and she said “Honey…do you want me to run it through the garden?” I wish she’d let me take her picture. I was able to get a picture of this handsome guy!
They serve great ice cream. It’s busy all the time, but in the summer, it’s really busy…probably because of the ice cream. The people are nice, the prices are good, and the food is great. They even have fried pickles.
Tractors are welcome at Teddy’s. While we were there, a farmer parallel parked his tractor, came in, ate his lunch and got a “to go” for his wife. I liked that. I liked this guy, too. His name was “Flip” and he said for me to tell everyone hello!
So….we came home from the vet today without Gracie…my 15-year old Golden Retriever. She could no longer walk more than a few feet without falling. I have been talking about Gracie on this blog and how I felt her time with me was limited, so this was something I was prepared for. Not. You are never prepared for loss. As this goes, it was as good as it could be. Dr. Dotson sedated her so that she wouldn’t have anxiety. I held her, breathed in her stinkiness one last time, and following a series of injections, she peacefully left me. I loved that dog. I am having her cremated, and like her sister, Annie, she will be buried with Mike or me…whoever goes first. Do dogs go to Heaven?
Mike and I came home bereft. Empty. What to do…what to do..what to do? When Mike asked the question…how did I wanted to spend the remainder of the day…I told him I’d like to go across Clinch Mountain. I am a mountain person, and I cling to what I love during times of loss. So…we got in the truck and took off. I took my camera. The pictures are not that great because the mountain is still sleeping in winter. It’ll burst in green in just a few weeks. There will be dogwood blooms…mountain laurel…a symphony of beauty. However, if you have ties to Clinch Mountain, you’ll still enjoy going along with me on this day of gray.
Up up up we go on the dirt road. I have an affinity to this road–it’s called Pinnacle Road, but I still refer to it as “The Mountain Road”. The Barker family once (many years ago) operated part of the road as a toll road.
Can you see the incline increasing? We are driving into the sky.
No guardrails. If you meet someone, you have to determine who is going to back up to a wider spot. Yikes. It’s a little dicey. You must rely on sky to catch you if you go off the road to the left in the picture below.
We’re at the top in this picture and this pathway is where you’d hike up to the tower.
Because Mike was driving with his not-so-great-knee and a sprained ankle, we omitted part of the trip…the part where we hike to the firetower. Honestly, however, if I’d said I wanted to hike up there, he would have crawled. He wanted so badly for me to not be sad. So sweet. I’ll go another time. When the Hawk Count occurs in September, there’s lots of folks up here. Lots of hawks, some Golden Eagles and some Bald Eagles are seen here. Once at the top, you cross from Washington County into Russell County and start going down. It’s more trecherous going down than driving up. Here we go!
Gotta be careful…see where the road has caved in ahead on the right!! I wish we had stopped so I could take a picture of where that goes…straight down!
Looking through these trees, I see the fire tower. Can you find it? This is like looking at one of those pictures in the HighLights Magazines in the dentist office! It’s there…you just have to look.
I held the camera out the window as we passed so this is a picture of the road just behind us. It’s not particularly steep at this point, but still…I wonder why there is no guardrail anywhere on this road?
God’s Country. This will be so much prettier in a few weeks, but I love it every day…any time. Like Ava Marie in Big Stone Gap…I’m a flat-bottomed mountain girl! When is that movie coming out anyway? If you don’t know what I’m talking about…it’s the movie based on the book by Adriana Trigiani entitled Big Stone Gap starring Patrick Wilson and Ashley Judd. It was filmed in Big Stone Gap, Virginia.
Once we near the bottom there’s a pretty barn and quilt square. Russell County is forming a Russell County Barn Quilt Trail. I am so jealous. Maybe they’ll annex Mendota, so we can get in on the action. We’re dragging our feet in Washington County.
Mocassin Creek flowing below…you can see the remains of a dam…was there a mill here at one time? Also, are there mocassins in the creek or is it named that because it snakes along like a mocassin?
And…I wonder who Bill Jackson Hartsock is/was?
If you got this far in this post, I suspect you’re from Mendota or you have ties to Southwest Virginia. Thank you so much for reading RiverCliff Cottage. I love sharing this beautiful place and our rural life in Mendota with you.
Mike and I recently purchased some new jeans at L. C. King (the official name for the Pointer Brand label). They have a little retail store now. We consider ourselves “regulars” as we’ve visited L.C. King for years. When I lived in Boston, I ordered my Pointer Brand bibs online. When buying in Bristol, until this visit, we went into the factory office, asked for the jeans, and someone would run back on the sewing floor and find us some. If they were too long, they’d cut and hem them on the spot. Now we have a real store to visit! Here it is. It opened during Rhythm & Roots, opened during Christmas…and I believe the plans are to keep it open.
Shiny clean windows…I’m loving this!
These are the best jeans you’ll ever wear. Made in the United States. Made in Bristol, Tennessee. I love the bibbed overalls. They are my favorite.
I also like this little apron. Very handy.
This is new, and I am going to get it. A Pointer Brand handbag. Yes! Yes!
And when you are wearing those jeans or carrying that cute little purse, you’re assured that they were made where working conditions are not deplorable…where the workers are paid a competitive wage…where there is no child labor.
I want my clothing and shoes made at places like L. C. King. It may mean that I have less clothing, but I will be able to wear it and know exactly where it was made and have some assurance of how the person who stitched those stitches was treated. They say you are the clothes you wear.
Here’s a few things I’ve found that influence this decision Here’s something to read that might help you make similar decisions.
Way back in 2003…eleven years ago…while I was Branch Manager of the Mendota Library, I met a little girl named Brittany. She was so sweet, and she read 700 books that summer — she was recognized in her age group as having read the most books for both the Washington and Scott County Library systems. She devoured them…especially horse books and recipe books.
Although I don’t see her as much as I used to, we’ve stayed close. She and I have a special relationship.
Brittany is in her 20’s now and she’s going to be a mother soon. I made her this Sea Turtle Diaper Cake for her little one.
Here’s the cake topper…if you touch this little sea turtle, it plays a happy tune.
Because I am lazy and I hope you won’t mind, I am going to link you to a prior diaper cake if you’re looking for instructions on how to make these little gifts. The instructions are here in my Shabby Chic Diaper Cake link.
Back to this little turtle….wouldn’t the world be a better place if everyone we touched responded with a happy tune?
There’s a big wedding being planned in Mendota in the June timeframe. We’re all involved. My job involves transportation. I have some help from a four-year old. His name is Duke. He’s a handsome fella, isn’t he?
Duke wants to be in the wedding. He wants his mane braided. He wants a flower or two inserted here and there. Seriously. He really wants this. If you don’t believe me, you can get it “straight from the horse’s mouth.”
He’s not alone in this. He has a couple of pals…especially the young lady. He’s whispering to her now.
At first…she doesn’t understand.
But it gets easier. Horse talk is that way. The more you listen…the easier it is to understand what they are saying.
We’re not sharing any more details, but someone is very happy.
It’s March 1, and it’s time to start working on the Dale Jett & Hello Stranger Benefit which will be held the last Friday in April–April 25th. Each day, I’ll do a bit of work to nudge the publicity along. It’s our third year, and we’re always hopeful and nervous that we’ll fill the old Hamilton School Building auditorium up.
Tonight, I met with Oscar. Oscar is part of the group and is pretty famous for his autoharp talent. He lives and breathes music. We talked a bit about my blog and I explained why I had not been posting. He suggested that I post our “story” of how we put together the Dale Jett & Hello Stranger Cemetery Benefit. The picture below is the trio which makes up Dale Jett & Hello Stranger. Oscar is third from the right. Teresa is seated and Dale is standing beside Oscar.
The challenge for us is not the level of talent. We have that. Dale, Teresa and Oscar have been invited to play at the Grand Ol’ Opry. They’ve played at the Smithsonian. Our challenge is getting the word out and making sure everyone knows it’s worth the drive on a Friday evening to come to Mendota. We notify and appear on local tv stations, ask for media attention from the newspapers, and post on all electronic bulletin boards. I put together posters and have them printed that we place throughout the area. We hang banners.
I am so thankful that Domtar Paper provides money to assist with The Cemetery Benefit. We try and use every penny very efficiently. Another publicity item we use that has a minor cost is postcards. We have postcards to make sure that everyone in the surrounding community knows about the benefit. We distribute by mail and other means. Here’s this year’s postcard.
Here’s the reverse…I tried to give the card an aged, western appearance. Dale Jett & Hello Stranger is a group steeped in Carter Family tradition and a love of things people from our area hold dear…our land, animals, Clinch Mountain, our music and faith– and our tender hearts. As I work with templates and design the cards, posters, etc., I try and capture that tradition.
Do you like them? I hope so. And now something funny to end this post and hopefully get you laughing as I ask for your help in getting the word out that something special will happen in Mendota, Virginia on Friday, April 25. CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW!!!
