This past week was busy with retreat, and some work around the house. So, I don’t have much for chatting today. We finally have a few flowers coming out as the weather warmed up this week. My one little clump of daffodils did produce some pretty blooms.
One little crocus is trying to bloom.
The early morning showed some lovely soft purple and pink colors, with a golden glow showing the approach of the sun.
Over near the retaining wall, where my husband has put stones over the bare earth, a few intrepid daffodils struggle to come up around the edge of the black cloth meant to keep the weeds down. I don’t think these will bloom.
In the front flowerbed, another crocus showed a happy face.
Patriotic blocks were received this week from Suzanne D in Alaska, Sandra M in Florida and A.F. in Ohio. This concludes our block drive as your generosity has yielded more than our present need. The additional blocks will go into Quilts of Valor to be awarded later in the summer. Thank you to everyone who contributed, you are all amazing!
Back home, I had to take a photo of this thing, the guys called a spider. The legs extend then contact the ground, each one moving independently to level the base. Then the bucket can be operated by just one guy as he used a small chain saw to lop off the dead and broken branches. Other workers fed the branches and trunks into a chipper. It was a noisy day! They were here about 8 hours. This is the last of the clean up on our property from Hurricane Helene damage.
Dead and hanging tree limbs were removed all around the house. The largest section of a top 30 feet of a tall tree that was broken and hanging upside down fell on its own about a year after the storm. But there were two more like that which needed to be removed, along with another whole tree about 80 feet tall that was leaning toward the house. It is good to have that done, although there is deadfall on the property which will never be removed.
Our area continues to recover from the disaster of Hurricane Helene. Fresh Market will open later this month after 18 months of cleanup and repairs. The fast food place across the street is gone for good, along with other businesses along the rivers here. Businesses still here are in need of tourism traffic, so if you can spend your vacation here this year, we’d welcome you! Chimney Rock is open again. Lake Lure has been fully dredged and is in the process of refilling. It should be back to normal level by the end of May. Come stay in one of our charming bed and breakfasts, see our local museums and shows, eat in our array of wonderful restaurants, hike in DuPont Forest or along the parkway. Yes, most of the Blue Ridge Parkway is open again, only a small section is closed north of Mt Mitchell. The Arboretum is open, and welcoming visitors to its many trails and lovely floral displays. Azalea season is coming in April, and the rhododendrons are spectacular along the back roads in early May. We have quilt shops to visit, artisan pottery to see, artists and craftspeople to explore.
Enjoy spring!! And I’ll try not to complain too much about the dreaded Daylight Saving Time, even though it messes up my sleep schedule for weeks.
From My Carolina Home 
Oh, Carole! Complaining about the time change is the annual rite of Spring. It was lovely seeing your pretty flowers. Spider is an apt name for that contraption. After this week’s warm spell I think all my snow has disappeared, just some lingering ice on the pond. Red-Winged Blackbirds arrived at the feeder yesterday. Spring is winning the contest.
I feel your pain on Daylight Savings time! This year I woke up early one morning, (I’m that age now) and decided to get up and start shifting. I have been shutting things down 30 minutes early all week and last night had the lights out at 8:45…the proof will be tomorrow when I teach all day! I think that maybe starting early because I could instead of because I had to, might speed things up. I guess I’ll find out! 😆
The equipment used for tree cutting is fascinating. My husband did tree trimming with a bucket truck. Lovely to see your blooms peeking through the still cold ground. My azaleas are in full bloom here in Florida heralding spring. Always a joy to see. I am coddling patio plants after the wicked freeze we had. Keep begging the plants to show a bit of green before I trim and remove the dead leaves and branches.
Hubby and I still need to do more tree clean-up from Helene. I still want to take more trees down, but he’d never spring for a spider and there’s really no good way to get to some. When we tried to drop some ourselves, sometimes they’d get hung up in other trees which is totally nerve wracking. I’m pretty sure we’re too old to keep doing things like this but if more come down not on their own it will be from us. I think we’ll keep cleaning up this year and I’ll ask again in 2027.
I love to see a good piece of machinery operating. The skill of the operators is interesting to watch. I was following a narrowboat canal breach this winter and an excavator they called a spider was used. The operator was a young woman, and she was very skilled. We have spent over $20K over the last few years having trees removed. Hubby made a mistake cutting a pine last fall and the tree fell against the garage. Now we have gutters to replace. SIGH. I say pay the pros!
I love seeing those signs of spring! 🙂 We are heading to Chattanooga TN for a convention this summer and I am hoping to get out and do some independent sightseeing while there.
I’ve been watching for some crosses to bloom, but not seeing any this year. Yours are pretty! Glad you’re getting the tree clean-up taken care of and the area is recovering from all the damage. That spider device looks fascinating to watch. Can it move around on those legs? Hope you’re having a restful Sunday!
No, the spider has two belt style tracks like a tank has, one each side. The legs fold up, the bucket stows low on the unit, then it crawls to the next position.
The time change always is a nuisance especially the spring forward. Love seeing the daffodils and the crocus! Patriotic blocks came a long way and so happy that it was a success! Happy week Carole.
Your flower pics are pretty. Daffodils and crocus are blooming here as well. I know what you mean about daylight savings time disturbing your sleep; I have the same problem. Hope everyone has a great week!
Tree work is so expensive but it’s really important. That spider is quite the piece of equipment! It’s been a good week with a successful retreat. Now, onward!
I saw one of those machines on a documentary. It as bigger than the one you have shown and they were using it to clear stuff on a really steep mountain side. Very clever.
So glad you are able to get the trees taken care of. Its hard to believe the area is still recovering from the devastation of Helen. We are planning a trip through Asheville later this summer on our way to Greensboro to see family. We will spend a few days doing plenty of touristy things on our way. I love your park of the country when its apple season, so many wonderful fruit stands. Spring is coming and its so nice to see some spring flowers.
I love that you’re such an ambassador for your local area and businesses.
That is a fascinating contraption being used for the clean up.
Great to have that work done.
Carole, you ended up in Spam!! I always marvel at how that happens. It’s not as if there is anything offensive in our emails 😂
You’ll be relieved to have all those trees tidied up so more debris can’t fall on the house. I most certainly hope that your area gets inundated with tourists and visitors to help get the town’s people back on their feet. Also, I simply hate Daylight Saving. Why can’t we have it all left alone. Takes ages for the body to readjust to the time change. Lovely to see the Spring bulbs poking their heads up.
Mary :))