Spooky Scary Skeletons / Monarch on Goldenrod

First, thank you all for the many encouraging notes on my last blip. Dark days come to all of us. I appreciate your walking through those dark times with me, hand in hand. Your support and your love mean so much. So thanks! I'll be sure to return the favor!

It was the last day of the big rains. Except that it was supposed to taper off and stop. And then, it didn't! My husband and I had had enough. We decided to go do stuff anyway. We hopped in the car, heading off to run some errands and grab some takeout tostadas. We thought we'd have time for a quick walk in the Barrens on the way back home.

Harner's Farm Market is across the street from the tostada joint, so I decided it was time to go there for a five-minute photo shoot. I was also hoping to find tomatoes and peaches, but there weren't any. Lots of apples and pumpkins, though, and some truly gorgeous gem corn. And here's a spooky scary skeleton dog. I bet its name is BONES!

We stopped in the Scotia Barrens, on the closed road by the shooting range, for a walk. There was a heavy mist in the distance. It had been drizzling just as we pulled in: "It's not supposed to be DOING this," my husband said. And I, beneath my umbrella, agreed. Enough, already, on the rain!

I was also thinking about the butterflies, and saying to myself: All of the butterflies are gone now. . . when out of nowhere, an orange blur arrived. It was a monarch! It flew over and landed on the goldenrod right beside me, where I was able to nab a half-dozen decent shots. What a fine, fresh, brand new butterfly! You may see my best shot in the extras.

Hope is a thing with wings, I thought to myself. (I always mis-remember that Emily Dickinson quote. It's FEATHERS. Not wings. But I like wings better!) So it may be this critter here is a winged thing, and not a feathered thing, but it gave me hope just the same.

And here is an update on my friend, Celia, in Asheville, NC, whom I've mentioned several times this week. The latest news is much better:

A brief update, while we have cell reception. We spent the day in Hickory, NC, getting kitten supplies, doing laundry, getting a real restaurant meal, grocery shopping (for our big cooler), and getting gas for the car and the generator. We were SO happy that traffic on I-40 east was light. A lot of help has arrived in Asheville. In addition to FEMA, the National Guard, and hundreds of support units from all over the country, we've seen swift water rescue teams from Los Angeles, and word has it that the Cajun Navy has arrived! It is humbling and awe-inspiring to see the steady stream of food and water trucks, utility trucks, and heavy equipment just pouring into Asheville. Well, for now I'm going to say over and out, before we go into the enormous no-connection zone that is western North Carolina now.

I know this may sound pretty silly, but I feel like I can stand down now. My friend has escaped the nightmare, even if only for a few hours. Help has arrived, in many shapes and forms. Things have been set in motion. Powerful forces are at work to fix these broken things. It will take time. Lots of time. This was a thousand-year storm, so they said, but those kinds of things seem to arrive MUCH more frequently now. It's scary.

By the way, I had not heard of the Cajun Navy and had to look it up. They are a group of volunteers who help those in need. Their motto is "Neighbors Helping Neighbors." Please continue to look for ways to help those in need in the southern U.S., as they dig out from these big storms. And I will do the same!

I have two photos, so let's have two songs. First, for our pal Bones up top, here is Jonathan Young, with Spooky Scary Skeletons. Second, for our monarch in the extras, and for everyone who gives help, and hope, everywhere, here's a song for that: Toni Childs, with House of Hope. That's where you'll find ME.