Bears, Andre, and Brandon

Hello from the farm !!

So much to tell you, so I will just get started. But first there is a correction to be made. Dudley has pointed out to me that Mom and Dad Carter, died in 2005 not 2004. I'm not sure what role Dudley will play with this Blog other than editor, but I have encouraged him to write also.

I wanted to remind my readers of the recent Bear sightings we have had around here lately. In fact two months a go, our first proof that we had a large bear in the vicinity was our completely torn apart metal bird feeder. it was so destroyed that it could not be fixed, (and I am married to 'Mr Fixit')...The grill was tipped over and the rainbarrel had muddy prints 8" wide on the top....So we set up a camera and waited. We never got a great picture of him, but we saw him up close and personal as we were hiding behind the screen door later that night!! Only 25 feet away and with the spotlight in his eyes, he held still just long enough for us to marvel at the magnificent beauty of this powerful creature. He was easy 350- 400 lbs. and shiny black. I'm glad he was as afraid of us as we were of him. So we have a bear. I'm sure he will show up again around here and in my blogs.

This morning, while most of my readers were still sleeping,(9am) I went to the back of the garden and retrieved a bucket, that I was collecting rain water in. As I turned to go to the house, I heard a crashing sound on the ridge behind our house and realized that the noise was coming from a tree that we had just picked wild cherries from last month. The branches were rustling and breaking and down out of the tree came a medium size bear and scurrying down behind her was her cub. Of course they took off for the undergrowth, and I was slightly scared as I quickly made my way back to the safety of the house. So I guess that my favorite activity, walking the ridgeline will have to be postponed for awhile,or maybe I need to learn how to shoot a pistol.

Since the morning was cool, I decided to weed our mixed salad greens plot in the garden, it really had gotten out of control since I had been in DC the week before. Lettuce is a labor intensive crop, and needs constant attention to get the most out of it. If you have never tasted fresh torn lettuce that was growing in dirt minutes before, you have not lived. Add some blueberries, feta and walnuts and you have heaven on a plate! None of that fat and sugar laden salad dressing for me !!!

Later while making Dudley a sandwich, we had drop -in visitors, Usually that's the way here, neighbors just drop in, and you have to be ready with coffee or a cool drink. It was our backdoor neighbors( meaning that they live over the mountain that is directly to the west of us) We could actually hike to their house on the old unused farm trails and someday we plan to meet them half way. We'll have to be mindful of the bears tho !Andre and Leesa live 'off the grid" down a 2 mile dirt road that has switch backs that will have you seeing your tail lites. Andre built the cabin they are living in in the 80's and has lived there until recently with no running water, plumbing, or electric. if he needed to operate something electric, he ran his generator. He got water from the stream next to his house as he still does today. He has become a very important part of our lives because of his knowledge base of 'these here parts' This Spring he showed us how to tap a maple tree to make Maple syrup. it was alot of work and we probably won't do it again, but it was tasty ! He and his wife Lessa brought us a quart of blueberries and we gave them about 8 of our cucumbers. Trading is done a lot here, especially if one farmer does not have a good crop of something and you do. Of course, Dudley and I grow our vegetables and fruit for the fun of it, not to live on through the winter like most do around here. Andre will be mentioned alot more in my upcoming Blogs because of his unique life perspective and views, He says he lives in the middle of the woods because he doesn't like people, but he likes us, and I'm glad.

It is 3:30 in the afternoon and am waiting for my special friend and closest neighbor Brandon to show up. Brandon is a typical Appalachian boy with all the scars and dirty fingernails to show it. I first met Brandon just after we moved in and saw a kid and a dog walking up on our hill,. Trespassing is highly frowned on here and you must have permission from the land owner to walk their property, I of course, being the mother and teacher that I am, yelled at him asking what he was doing ?? He left, but told Dudley the next week that he would like to come and meet me but I had yelled at him and he was scared. I do that alot I guess, scare men. He doesn't go to school because of heaven knows what reason, I finally told him that if he was too sick to go to school , he was too sick to come to our house and visit. Brandon's father is a drug addict and lives in a trailer on their back property, while Brandon and his little sister's grandparents have custody of them.. Lots of late nights and people coming and going over there, lots of mangy animals and trash around. Once you get over the trashy look of the place, and get to know them as people, you see their down to earth goodness. This is how they and their families have lived for generations. It's not that they don't care or are lazy, it's that they don't know better.

Dudley has been a great influence on Brandon, He is the father that Brandon has needed and they are great buddies. Brandon will bring over broken things and Dudley will fix them, they talk guns and hunting, Dudley has had to correct him about his chewing tobacco, (not allowed at our house) his everyother word obscenities and Brandon's way of calling me 'the woman' But once we got past all that, (whew!) he has been a breath of fresh air in our lives and is eager to do projects with me, and talk of his girlfriends and other not so manly stuff. Again, this 15 year old will be showing up in my Blogs because I would rather befriend Brandon now, than have him grow up an angry stranger next door later, know what I mean ? I have some other interesting suspicions about Brandon, which will remain to be seen if they come to past or not..Just keep reading. The best is yet to come on Brandon I'm sure.

Well folks, I have really taken up enough of your time. Tomorrow is another day and I can't wait to share it with you. To those of you that have to go to work or school, have a great week, don't get discouraged. Unlike Brandon, your payoff time will come. Hang in there. Love, Sandi