Tales from the Microbial Laboratory

~off Amicus Road~

~a barn off Amicus Road in Greene County, Virginia~

~~~~~

I'm back in Charleston - to a predicted low tonight of 38 degrees.  That is pure craziness if you ask me - it's just mid-October!  Fortunately the Airstream is warm.  I've got three options for heat:  there is a propane heating system (at least I think it's propane, I haven't dealt with it yet), and then the rooftop Carrier AC unit (the standard Air V model here) that includes a heat pump - but what's keeping me warm right now is an electric 'Vornado' (this one, to be precise) that works like a charm.  I won't keep it on when I sleep (I'll probably rely on the Carrier unit at night) - but for now, it's just about perfect.

~~~~~

While in Virginia, on Saturday afternoon when my father took a nap, I went for a drive.  It wasn't peak color - but it was still beautiful for this coastal South Carolinian.  I decided to take a new route - and I ended up in Amicus (in Greene County, Virginia) and from Amicus Road I found a new (new to me that is) 'mountain', Bingham Mountain, by following Bingham Mountain Road until it intersected Simmons Gap (which was a road familiar to me).  It was a wonderful road, only partially paved in places - and there were some wonderful old farms on both side of the roads.  At one point there was a narrow, one-lane bridge that went over a small creek - I wanted to stop and photograph it, but unfortunately there was an anxious farmer behind me, someone annoyed already at finding me in front of him, driving slowly (akin to the leafpeepers...).  I finally was able to pull over and let him pass me, and then didn't see another car on the road until I arrived back at my Dad's home.  

~~~~~

 

~another view along Amicus Road~

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It was a colorless sky afternoon - low, harmless clouds were moving through, covering the faded peaks of far off mountains.  The most beautiful part of the landscape were the abandoned fields - gold to burnt orange grasses, the deep red of the sumac, touches of greens - colors of the autumn palette.

~~~~~

 

~again, off Amicus Road~
~~~~~

It was nice to experience a touch of Autumn.  It was also nice to visit my father - to leave him with a freezer full of brocolli-chicken casserole (divided into individual servings), a clean refrigerator, and memories of another successful spaghetti dinner.  We also talked about many difficult subjects, and I think we both handled it well - and approached it with a bit of humor and realism and hopefully, yes hopefully, my father knows that the conversations were only because so many of us care about him.  As I got ready to leave this morning, he made sure I had a few bananas and some grapes and pumpkin bread (a gift from a neighbor) packed for the drive - just as my mother would have done.  My father is an awfully sweet man.

coyotes

~~~~~

Isn't it interesting...how biology repeats iself?  This growth on the oak forest floor of my father's place could be placed carefully in a spot in the great barrier reef - looking like it belonged. No wonder that Linnaeus got it wrong when he classified corals as plants!  Easy mistake...don't you think?

~~~~~

My father and I had dinner tonight at a neighbors, and heard rather terrible stories about how many of the neighbor's small dogs had been attacked (and taken away) by coyotes.  There was a bear or two story tossed in as well (for emphasis) -- it made me think that perhaps my snakes weren't so bad after all (plus, I could see the Pointer Sisters taking a look at a pack of coyotes and joining up - much like how a mischievious person might take off with the circus).

~~~~~

I took a drive today, up further in the mountains, and came across a dirt road that I had never traveled down before - Bingham Mountain Rd.  It wasn't really what one would call a mountain - but it was beautiful and the sumac was a deep red and the grasses were golden and there was a chill in the air and clouds gathering on the next mountain.  The deep reds of the native dogwoods were apparent, as were some of the yellow-golds - hints of color everywhere but definitely not peak color.  By the time I visit next time, the leaves will be gone from the trees and the mountains will look cold - but today, on a road that fortunately ended up somewhere that I was familiar with - the warm colors of autumn were everywhere - cutting the chill, warming the heart, welcoming vistas for this journey that each of us are on.  Tonight, after a few casseroles cool (for freezing in the morning for my father), I once again head south on I-95 - feeling a tad inadequate, sad to leave my father alone, knowing that my own journey is a bit of a mystery right now.  But the mountains were nice, even a new mountain - and I'll remember them when I reach the salt air of my own garden, filled with a palm tree and gingers and elephant ears and not a coyote to be found.   

progress (with a scoop of sauce)

~~~~~

Will someone tell me what this seedpod is?  I used to know it, and tonight I can't remember it and every google search I've tried has come up wrong.  You know it - it's got those large white flowers - looks alot like Datura but is a prolific annual reseeder...well, it's seedpods are hanging out in the front garden of my Dad's home - and they're definitely fun, aren't they?  I'm taking some back to Charleston with me - I'm a fan of anything that unlawfully reseeds with abandon.

~~~~~

I'm home from the spaghetti dinner - it was a success, and except for the spoonful of sauce that I splattered all over myself, my time in the kitchen went well.  My job was to put sauce on the pasta - the same job that I had last year - and so you could consider me a trained sauce server (hey, it's good to have options, right?).  With the average age in the kitchen just under 80 years of age, I think I also brought some youthful exuberance to the event - seriously, it's funny.  These are all people I grew up in church with - and it was nice to catch up with everyone in between spooning out sauce. 

The funniest thing I overheard during the evening was when my Dad's younger brother said that if a bomb attacked Albemarle County, Virginia, that he'd head over to my Dad's basement - because there was enough homemade canned spaghetti sauce in there to outlast any type of radiation.  (He's probably right).

~~~~~

As for my Dad, he is now signed up for Lifeline - an accomplishment for sure.  I turned it into a bit of a joke, and told him that he wouldn't be able to press the button when he wanted someone to bring him some iced tea - and so it became something humorous instead of something that made him feel old and helpless.  We also talked about depression, loneliness, eating vegetables, not watching TV all of the time - and how he deserved to enjoy his life.  We broached the subject of a 'roommate' - and we talked about the pros and cons and he handled it well.  Even the 'assisted living' scenario was raised - and what calmed him down most of all was when I told him that brother and I wouldn't think of talking him into selling his home - he had promised my Mom that we would always have a place to come home to (and he's a man that keeps his promises).  All-in-all, there was progress made.

~~~~~

Tonight the temperatures are predicted to drop into the mid-30s, so after we returned I went outside with a flashlight into the garden and harvested tomatoes and green peppers until my bucket was full.  It felt familiar, that last harvest, and there is a decent chance that Dad's vegetable garden will look much different tomorrow morning.  I even heard the words 'snow' and 'freezing rain' on the weather report - words I'm not used to hearing anymore.

Tomorrow I need to drive up further in the mountains too.  Just for a bit.  I think the mountains would do me good.   

revelations

~James Madison's Montpelier~

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Recently Les of A Tidewater Gardener commented (after I had quoted Martha Washington) that there must still be alot of Virginia left in me.  Indeed, he is correct.  I'm back in Charlottesville tonight - after a dreary and often drizzly drive on I-95 (resulting in a speeding ticket between the VA-NC border and Petersburg, the first in ~14 years dammit).  I've been living in the south for too long though, because as I got into northern North Carolina, I began noticing the fall color -- and suddenly and rather densely realized 'it's autumn!  there will be autumn color!' as if that was some revelation.

My father can no longer live alone.

There, I've said it.

After spending the evening with him - what others are seeing (because they live close by) has hit me like a truck - and tomorrow I'll spend some time looking for options regarding a live-in person, or at least someone dropping by daily.  Today he had a CT scan - which should be informative - but I tend to not think his dementia is Alzeheimers - but it is still linked to depression and how immensely he still misses my mom.  In his mind, she is still all around him.  He still does many things just for her - and he feels that she sees him do them, and approves.

Then, of course, my dad's brother called tonight and lectured me about not being involved enough with my dad - to which I said thank you for caring but wanted to scream 'I've lost a job, have a lab depending on me, have a home that is falling in and I'm living in an Airstream...'  But I didn't say all of that.

For tonight, however, I spent time following my mom and dad's spaghetti sauce recipe to a 't' - for tomorrow's church spaghetti dinner.  I've mentioned this event before - it's important to Dad, and it's something that he and mom always did together.  Now he just helps - and of course contributes a large pot of his spaghetti sauce.  This year he froze his cut-up Big Mama's (here is mine) - and tonight I've added chopped green pepper and onion and garlic and fresh basil and oregano - and other mostly 'secret' ingredients (like sugar...for shame!).  That is, pounds of chopped onion and green pepper and...

So tomorrow morning we'll continue to cook the spaghetti down a bit, wait to hear the results of his CT scan, talk to folks at the Jefferson Area Board for the Aging...and go to a church spaghetti dinner.

Most of the time, my life feels too jam-packed, so much so that I know it isn't healthy.  But what is a person to do...when they are simply surrounded by awhole lotta life?

~a Saturday roadtrip~

~a water lotus, in a small pond off a road between Charleston and Aiken~

~~~~~

Today my friend Jeff and I took a short roadtrip to a gathering of crinum lovers in Beech Island, South Carolina.  It was the home of Jenks Farmer's Mom - and a place where he grows and propagates his crinums (visit Lushlife Crinum Nurseries).  It was a beautiful day, and an interesting 3-hr drive through a million rural South Carolina towns - ending up in a lovely patch of flowering crinums.

I'll post more about it in a few days.  As for now, I need to pack and get some sleep since tomorrow I'm heading to Virginia and a short visit with my Father.  I'm looking forward to seeing him.

~~~~~

~50~

I'm back on a plane today - and heading to New Albany, Indiana (across the river from Louisville) to visit a friend to celebrate her 50th birthday.  I've been traveling alot this spring and early summer, too much really, but this will be a fun 48 hours and well worth it.  My friend and her husband will be gracious hosts (as always) - italians who stock up on enough food and drink to feed a whole neighborhood on any given day.  And fifty years is definitely worth celebrating!

Have a good weekend. 

S.O.B.

~~~~~

I should not (as I did last evening) show an image of the iconic South of the Border sign (as seen on the I-95 North Carolina-South Carolina border, for those of you who have not spent YEARS of their life on this highway corridor) without mentioning the recently released documentary about this place.

S.O.B. and the Legend of Alan Schafer

~~~~~

The history of the place is definitely interesting.   

~~~~~

And yes, we stopped there on the way up to Philly for gas, and on the way back to Charleston.  On the way back we even ate.

~home....~

 

I'm back from Philadelphia.

Tired, glad to be home - but I really enjoyed the city (and the meeting).

Recommendations:

Amada for dinner.  Creative tapas and nice spanish wines.  Impeccable service.

Fogo de Chao (Brazilian Steakhouse).  If you're craving an insane amount of meat. 

Bars:  Monk's Belgian Cafe and Beer Emporium and Eulogy Belgian Tavern.

Wonderful city to just wander - interesting architecture.

Oh, and 1207 Race Street.  The lab's official late night dive bar.  (Oh, and only the 2nd floor).  I'm pretty sure this isn't a place you can find a link for...just guessing.

~~~~~

Off to get some much needed sleep....

 

~back home~

~taken on the road heading towards Flathead Lake~

I've returned from Montana - after a nice long weekend there.  It's a beautiful place.  Woke up to snow several mornings (which I didn't mind at all) - stepped off the plane in Charleston early this evening and was hit by a wall of warm spring air. 

Why are there too many wonderful places to live? 

flurries...

I'm flying out to Montana tomorrow morning.

They're calling for rain and snow flurries tomorrow in Missoula.  Low in the upper 20s.

It was about 80 here today.

Snow.  The 20s.

It's the whole shoe thing, you know?

Enjoying a weekend with friends, then an invited seminar on Monday at the University of Montana.

Then back to South Carolina.

If you happen by, weed some - okay?