Why Am I So Excited About Garbage Day?

Yep; it's Thursday... garbage day in my neck of the woods... and, I'm excited about it!  You see, up here in the North Georgia Mountains we have bears.  And bears like to forage through people's garbage cans.  Go to 'most any social gathering up here and the subject of bears is likely to come up.  I haven't seen one yet, and I must admit I'd like to... at a safe distance, of course!  Friends and family who have seen them say they are actually quite beautiful.
The only evidence we've had that bears have graced our property is the overturned trash can.  Every time, the bear has delicately lifted the bag out of the trash can and toted this treasure up the hill into the woods. My solution:  keep the trash indoors all week, putting it out in the trash can at the last minute:  Thursday noon-ish.  Thus, my excitement about garbage day! (Kind of pitiful, isn't it?)




Black bears can typically be found in three distinct regions in Georgia, although they will range over larger areas in search of food. They can be found in the North Georgia mountains, along the Ocmulgee River drainage system in the central part of the state and in the Okefenokee Swamp in the southeast. Young male bears often will roam large areas until they are able to establish their own territory.






Bears typically live in swamps and forested areas, especially mature mixed pine stands that offer a plentiful supply of natural foods and trees and thickets that they can escape to for security. Standing, hollow trees are common den sites for Georgia bears. However, brush piles, rock crevices or other places that offer protection may be used.

...having a picnic of grapes...

The typical life span of a bear is about 8 to 15 years  .(I'm not sure how anybody knows this, but it's what the statistics say...)  Wild bears tend to live 23 percent longer than "garbage" bears (those that exist on unnatural foods; kinda' sounds like what happens to people when they eat unnatural foods, doesn't it?). Adult bears are generally up to six feet in length and about three feet high at the shoulder. Female adult bears can weigh up to 300 pounds and adult males can weigh over 500 pounds. Bears have poor eyesight but an excellent sense of smell. They are good tree climbers, can swim well and are able to run at speeds of up to 30 miles per hour.  The breeding season is in July and cubs are born in the den in late January or February. Bear cubs weigh about eight ounces when born, are relatively undeveloped and entirely dependent on the mother. Cubs stay with their mother throughout the first year, den with her during the following winter and stay with her until she finally drives them away the following spring. Due to this extended care for her young, females only produce a litter every two years.

Bears are considered omnivorous meaning their diet consists of whatever is readily available at that time of year. Diets vary according to what part of the state the bear calls home. However, the majority of their natural diet consists of berries, fruits, acorns, grasses and animal matter, including insects or mammals-even deer. When houses, camps or recreation areas are located within range, bears are naturally attracted to the smells associated with cooking and garbage disposal. Other non-natural attractants include pet food, birdseed, suet, compost piles, gardens, beehives and cornfields. Bears can become attracted to human food when their natural diet sources are scarce. Non-natural type foods are typically easier to obtain and associated with humans, therefore luring bears away from natural food sources and dissolving the bears natural fear of humans. A bear typically will remain in an area where food can be found until that food supply is gone or until other measures are taken. 

 And thus, I am happy it's Thursday - and the garbage men took the trash away - not the bears.

Shalom  Y'all -

     Twyla

Reigning Cats and Dogs

     Yes, the title is (sort of) a reflection of the weather... We have had torrential rains all last night and today. The yards are flooded, there's a small stream flowing down what was yesterday our driveway, yet still it comes. "Raining  cats and dogs", as the old saying goes.  I wondered where in the world that saying came from?  SO, I googled it, and came up with this article from yahooanswers.com:

     "We have all heard the expression "it's raining cats and dogs." There are several theories about this rainfall saying. It is possible that the word cat is derived from the Greek word 'catadupe' meaning 'waterfall.' Or it could be raining 'cata doxas,' which is Latin for 'contrary to experience,' or an unusual fall of rain.
     In Northern mythology the cat is supposed to have great influence on the weather, and English sailors still say the cat has a gale of wind in her tail when she is unusually frisky. Witches that rode upon the storms were said to assume the form of cats; and the stormy northwest wind is called the cat's nose in the Harz mountains even at the present day. The dog is a signal of wind, like the wolf. Both animals were attendants of Odin, the storm-god. In old German pictures the wind is figured as the "head of a dog or wolf," from which blasts issue. The cat therefore symbolizes the down-pouring of rain, and the dog the strong gusts of wind that accompany a rainstorm; and a rain of "cats and dogs" is a heavy rain with wind.
     There are numerous accounts of rains of frogs, hay, fish, and grain. All of these accounts seem to be due to tornado-like "whirlwinds." A good whirlwind can lift thousands of pounds and carry objects for miles. There is one reliable account of a fishing boat that sailed into a large waterspout. Fish flew everywhere. There are about seventy recorded rains of fish, but nearly all of the rains of fish are small ones. There is, however, one account of a fish fall in India in which more than ten people picked up fish weighing up to eight pounds each. There are many accounts of rains of ice-coated ducks, grasshoppers, fish, and frogs, but there is no account of a raining of cats and dogs
     The most vivid explanation of this picturesque expression suggests that in bygone centuries, the drainage in the streets was so bad that during storms, stray cats and dogs were drowned in the flood that ensued. When the water subsided, their carcasses littered the streets. Jonathan Swift gives us a picture of what it was like in his ‘Description of a City Shower', penned in 1710.
                'Drown’d puppies, stinking sprats, all drench’d in mud,
                Dead cats and turnip tops, come tumbling down the flood. ' "



Moxie, with the "praddy" hat



      But, here at the Ben-David house, we have REIGNING cats and dogs. Namely CassPurr and Moxie.



They are both so spoiled!  Moxie knows that  if she hangs out in the kitchen with me, she WILL end up getting a treat of some sort.  And, Cassie is simply quite aware that he will almost always get his way...

      
I have to admit, though, that Moxie is generally much more willing to please... She really, really wants "Mommy and Daddy" to like her and to be happy with her.  She loves attention and affection;  she especially loves it when we all lay on the floor to watch a movie.  Like a young child, she has to be in the middle so as to get all possible attention.  (Heavens  forbid that Mommy and Daddy pay attention to EACH OTHER!!!)  Moxie will cooperate with almost any project.  She will pose for pictures, help herd the chickens, and patiently wait for meals...


"Get this #*@! thing off  of my head!"

        Cassie, on the other hand,  wanders into the room,  looks at all of us, and makes the decision who he will grace with his presence... It's more often Moshe than me.  We can't decide if he actually prefers Moshe, or if it's because Moshe is closest to the door.  (No sense in over-exerting yourself, there, Cassie!)  Posing for a picture?  You-have-got-to-be-kidding-me.....  (See photo to your right for evidence.) Herding chickens?  "I will tolerate them as yet another lesser life form, but that's the limit of my patience."
Patiently waiting for food?  Oh, my.  Cassie prefers to eat about a tablespoon of food per feeding... about thirty meals per day!!!      Yes, the  cats and dogs are definitely
reigning,  Each in his own magnificent way, just as God designed  them to be.

                 SHALOM   Y'ALL - TWYLA

Busy, but Blessed

One of my watercolors...

     Wow.  I can hardly believe it's Thursday already.  Where did the time go?
     Okay; Tuesday was my birthday, and I was gone almost all day.  Among other things, Moshe and I went out for a late lunch.  We went to a wonderful local restaurant.  Even though we live up in the mountains, "ten miles from nowhere", there is a REAL restaurant in our little town, with a REAL chef, and REAL food - everything made on location.  Wonderful. We savored every bite and every moment. We even brought home a doggie bag for Moxie and salad greens for the chickens.
     Wednesday was a trip to the Farmer's Market.  It's about a thirty-minute drive one way.  We purchased more apples, sorghum syrup, and Jerusalem artichokes.  On the way home we stopped at a roadside stand "to get an onion", and came home with a fifty pound bag of them.  I also have a big basket of local pears that a neighbor gave us over the weekend...
     Soooo... today is definitely a food prep/canning/drying/freezing kind of day. I'm going to plug in the portable CD player and sing along as I work.  Moshe has a big list of chores, too. Lots of projects for building more storage shelves, fixing a leaky toilet valve, finishing the shelves for our dehydrator.  Life is always busy and interesting around here.
     I have the best husband in the world. Are we perfect? No. Absolutley not. But, we are a great team. When we have a problem, we talk it out, work it out. We are committed to each other. As Moshe said yesterday, "We have our problems just like everyone else, but, I took my wedding vows seriously."
     Busy but blessed.  That's me.
                                                         Shalom y'all - Twyla

Moshe & Me... dressed up silly for a birthday party

The Party Dog

Moxie, the party dog, wore her hat for a couple hours.  Good dog.



          Yesterday we drove down the mountain - again.  This time it was for a birthday party.  Lots of relatives.  Tons of food;  ridiculous amounts, in fact, not that I am complaining...  Wow.  What a table, loaded with every person's specialty.  I  didn't even taste everything.  But, what I had was delicious. The party was at lunchtime, and we ate so much that when we got back home, we didn't bother with supper. It was so good to see relatives I hadn't seen in two or three years! 

          I drove the trip home, and Moshe and Moxie both dozed while I drove us back up the mountain.  We arrived home before dark, which is always preferable for me. After doing the few necessary evening chores, we simply collapsed into bed ,  and watched an old Disney movie.  We got more entertainment than we 'd bargained for... Towards the end of the birthday lunch, I realized that the young kids were sneaking all kinds of food to Moxie under the table.  Although Moxie eats "people food" with almost every meal, we eat natural, organic, good, REAL food.; she doesn't ordinarily get any sort of processed food, fried stuff, sweets, etc.  Oh, boy,  she had gas !  Sheesh!  I'm glad her little bed is on the floor next to Moshe's side/not mine!!!  Poor dog.  She was still "having emission control problems" this morning. (Somebody call the EPA... please!)

"I'd like one more spring roll, please... Oh, and another piece of cake."

                                           Shalom Y'all - Twyla

  

Is this near La-La Land?

My Hubby got my account to come back up, so I'm posting again... I'm good at a few things, but, computer is not one of them. If something isn't working, I'm at a complete loss.

We went down the mountain this past Sunday for a family birthday celebration. My oldest brother, his son, and my son-in-law all have birthdays in August, so we had a combo birthday party. Great fun, and way too much food!
"Going down the mountain" requires planning when you have animals and plants depending on you. The chickens must be fed and watered, eggs gathered, crops harvested, and everything secured against predators. We have bears, deer, rabbits, and mountain lions, all desiring to eat our chickens or our garden. So far, we've been extremely blessed and have only lost a couple tomatoes and a few ears of corn. No animal casualties. Praise Adonai.

So, we went down the mountain, ate way too much. laughed alot, talked alot, and headed back up the mountain to get home before dark. We always carry at least one camera with us, so we stopped to take a few pictures along the way. This photo is of an actual business about an hour's drive from home. I laugh every time I drive by. My first trip up the mountain, when I was looking for a house to buy, I was with my friend Pat. When we saw this sign, we laughed 'til we cried. Hope y'all can appreciate this little store being "smack dab in the middle of nowhere".