Mountain Rain, Purple Reign.

April 30th, 2016.

Wow.  It is absolutely POURING rain here tonight.  It woke me up, the pounding on the roof was seriously loud in the middle of the night but it makes me smile, remembering my Dad's comment to me when I was nine or ten:  "The best sound is that of rain on a tin roof"..

Okay, I'm emotioanlly derailing.  Back on track.  

We've had a few quiet days here in WNC this past week; it's been so hot (80s) Zuma just wants to loaf on the bed and do absolutely nothing. I'm going along with it.  I yearn for the pool to open up.  Z and I have both been chilling out in the heat (not humid, just bone-warming) in between short walks and running around trying to replace a Hula Girl fuse issue (now repaired, thankfully, major kudos to Chris next door for identifying the problem and, after three visits, thank you to the repair guy who finally pulled it together).  I've been doing a lot of reading and researching, snapping photos and taking drives around Asheville and area. 

The RV Park emptied out on Friday and we bid adieu to many fine folks we met the past week or two and now it is filling up again. Amber, a lovely 17 year old who visits next door, pops by on weekends when she comes with her Mom to stay with her Dad. 

She brought her little Yorkie x Poodle named Buckwheat this trip.  Zuma and Buckwheat are in love.  There is nothing Zuma adores more than a cool little dog and Buckwheat weighs about 4 lbs maximum and he is feeling pretty terrific that he has a big friend.  

As Emma would say .... WANT.
OMG.  He is adorable.  

We had a blast walking the two of them around the RV Park together for a few days; Buckwheat trotting at top speed trying to keep up with Zuma's gentle, slow-paced stroll.  We met a lot of people who were delighted to see the odd couple of dogs interacting so peacefully.  

Doug is in Maine and returning here in a few days.  Back at the farm, he's catching up on work duties, farm and house chores.  

As the world mourns the sudden and untimely passing of the phenomenal musical genius Prince, I read one headline brilliantly entitled PURPLE REIGN so I had to borrow that for this post. Please don't sue me wonderful writer of this title.  

Back to Prince.  The sky is crying.  
"This is what it sounds like when the doves cry".

When I experienced a life-threatening accident in 2004 and nearly lost my lower left leg (I was asked to sign for amputation in case they couldn't save my severely smashed knee and lower limb).  I had compartment syndrome and historically, amputation is the solution.  After the surgery, I was given Oxycontin.  I don't even take aspirin if I get a once every five year headache.  But I required two surgeries and I had no choice but to take pain-killers.  This drug is a narcotic, an opiate.  Sure, it kills the pain and I would scream for it in the night as I was in absolute agony.  It was so unbelievably painful I seriously wanted my leg amputated. But the pills worked.  They killed the pain.  Yet they rendered me pretty much emotionally physically and spiritually useless. My orthopedic surgeon didn't forewarn me of the horrific side effects nor the addictive properties. 

I find that unforgivable.  

One snowy Winter morning, cooped up in the house since early September, I started searching the internet.  (I had to elevate my leg so computer surfing was pretty much impossible with my leg propped up on the desk to avoid painful swelling and numbness). , Even with home visits from a nurse to administer medications and iv and a physical therapist who worked with me to regain muscle tone and strength, I was unable to get upstairs to sleep in our bed for over three months.  I slept in the living room in a crunchy plastic-coated rented hospital bed, leg elevated, for over three months.  

This past week, when I heard that Prince was suffering painful knee issues, I felt sure he was on this drug.  And he was.  Call it what you like, Percoset/Oxycontin/Vicodin (Oxy's baby brother). These are horrible horrible highly addictive drugs. Sure they kill the pain for a few hours, but I find it disgraceful that my surgeon didn't advise me of the side effects.  I'd never heard of this drug.  I didn't realize this is the stuff people break into pharmacies to steal, risking jail time.

When I researched the drugs that lonely cold snowy morning, my gigantically swollen leg hiked up on my desk and found out I was on opiates, (argh), I decided to quit taking them cold turkey (don't do this, it wasn't pretty, this is not the chosen/advised withdrawal route).  For four days nobody could talk to me, touch me, or even be near me.  

Emma sobbed, "I've lost my Mother" and I cried for two solid days. I couldn't walk, I could barely have a shower.  Doug was away in Europe on business for three weeks.  It was the lowest point of my life.  It was Emma's birthday.  I was disabled. I guess it's like coming off heroin.  

I took Ibuprofin, on doctor's orders, but I couldn't eat.  I was so weak.  I couldn't think straight.  I was weak and frail. Friends came and stayed with me Years later, I was diagnosed as having PTSD. Yes.  I do.  

I was fortunate, while Doug was away on business, friends came and stayed with me, cooked and cleaned (thank you Sandi and Susan).  Poor Emma, she suffered the most.  She managed our three horses all Winter, changing their blankets and shoveling, tossing hay and hauling water.  I was useless and I won't ever forget it.

Em spent a lot of evenings in tears after chores and homework and my futile efforts making crappy dinners.  

When I figured out the pill issue, I sat in my wheelchair in the dark feeling sorry for myself for four long dark days but I was determined not to be on poison pills.  People called to cheer me up but I didn't want to depress my family or friends, I couldn't handle worrying people and I didn't make sense.

Prince was one of a kind and I grew up enjoying his music.  As it pours down on the roof of Hula Girl tonight with thunder booming it's giant voice and lightning flashing over the mountains nearby, I am thinking of his famous song Purple Rain.  RIP Prince.  You gave so much to this world and will be missed forever.  Your music will live on.  

Boone, Blue Ridge Parkway, Blowing Rock and Beech Mountain.

April 22 - 24, 2016.

We jumped in the car this morning and headed along the Blue Ridge Parkway for a three day excursion to Boone, a college town a little more than an hour away.  There is so much to see in that direction we wanted to take our time.  Since we drove on the Parkway a couple of weeks ago the leaves have begun to explode and our path was flanked by a corridor with a multitude of greens, reds, oranges and chartreuse.

I had to photograph this old pic when we were at Blowing Rock.  

This is Grandfather Mountain:

I guess if you look at it for a few seconds, yes, it resembles a reclined snoring Grandfather's profile, open-mouthed after a hefty Sunday dinner, crashed on the sofa.


The irises here are in full bloom now and the Peonies are about to pop open.  

Doug says that back in Maine the daffodils are beginning to bloom in our garden but here, the season here is clearly 4 - 6 weeks ahead of our season in Maine.

Boone (yes, it's the home of Daniel Boone); is a vibrant, mountain college town, very artsy and getting there is a reward in itself, a lovely peaceful drive along The Blue Ridge Parkway via Tennessee.  This is the charming Visitor's Center in Tennessee.  We like to stop at these places to gather info and walk Zuma.  

On a hike just off the Parkway, we saw lots of wildflowers beaming humbly from between rocky crevices:

The town of Boone is really charming, a bustling main street with a mountain backdrop.  We spent a few hours exploring the interesting shops, an artistic collection of old and new with lots of pottery and paintings, consignment and antique shops and restaurants that offer both casual and fine dining.  

Research Queen that I am, I found out from the literature I snagged at the Visitor Center that BLOWING ROCK is a cool place to check out so we toured Boone and delightful shops full of enticing artwork and the next day went to Blowing Rock.  

I was reading a lot about Blowing Rock and I found this on line:  

It is said that a Chickasaw chieftan, fearful of a white man’s admiration for his lovely daughter, journeyed far from the plains to bring her to The Blowing Rock and the care of a squaw mother. One day the maiden, daydreaming on the craggy cliff, spied a Cherokee brave wandering in the wilderness far below and playfully shot an arrow in his direction. The flirtation worked because soon he appeared before her wigwam, courted her with songs of his land and they became lovers, wandering the pathless woodlands and along the crystal streams.

One day a strange reddening of the sky brought the brave and the maiden to The Blowing Rock. To him it was a sign of trouble commanding his return to his tribe in the plains. With the maiden’s entreaties not to leave her, the brave, torn by conflict of duty and heart, leaped from The Rock into the wilderness far below. The grief-stricken maiden prayed daily to the Great Spirit until one evening with a reddening sky, a gust of wind blew her lover back onto The Rock and into her arms. From that day a perpetual wind has blown up onto The Rock from the valley below. For people of other days, at least, this was explanation enough for The Blowing Rock’s mysterious winds causing even the snow to fall upside down.

I do have to say, for the seven dollar entrance fee per person, Blowing Rock is a pretty cool experience.  It was far from snowing upside down but it was breezy and yes, my hair did blow up off my head.  The views are definitely mind-blowing.

Speaking of hair-dos, Doug's hair stayed put but that's another story.  Doug has the BEST HAIR EVER (think Kenny Rogers or better still, Anderson Cooper); so, about ten days ago we were at WEDGE and there is this really super cool hair salon in the facility. And several of the guy stylists are outish and gay and I thought this would be a great experience for Doug to have a haircut at a salon instead of his regular barber (nothing against his barber who does a fabulous job but I thought it would be fun for Doug to do the salon thing, you know fancy conditioner and all).  So, I convinced Doug (after one beer) that he needed to get his hair cut there.  He immediately walked over and made an appointment.  Research Queen checked Trip Advisor and, to our horror, I discovered that Doug was going to be clipped by a woman with horrific reviews. Like, aaah. Apparently she had made some horrible mistakes, cutting three months of hair growth off a bride-to-be, plunking herself in a chair and bursting into tears in front of another client and requesting her boss repair her mistakes. OMG. What have I done?!  

I explained to Doug that he may be shorn like a sheep.  He even joked about her carving her initial into the back of his head.  I was nervous.  Doug was not in the least bit concerned.  He coolly strolled to his appointment the following morning.  Brave soul that he is. I had a lot of fun teasing him the night before about what a horror show it could turn into but he wasn't falling for my sick sense of humor. When he emerged, it looked fine, just DIFFERENT but he said once he washed it he was going to be okay with it.  Then, after a couple of days, he got back to Maine and booked in with his regular barber who shook his head and pointed out the errors in the cut.  It's all fixed now.  I really like this view!
                                        

On one of our excursions we drove up Beech Mountain aw we heard Fred's General Mercantile is a fun stop.  It is!  It's been there since 1979 and, judging by the extensive variety and amount of stock, Fred's is obviously thriving. We were surprised to find a whole town up there (elevation 5,506')!  It is a popular ski area and Fred's has a little of everything:

On our drive home we stopped in Little Switzerland and had a salad at the cafe:

and then drove more of the Blue Ridge Parkway.  This is the beautiful Linville Parkway.  It's a bit of a scary  exhilarating drive but looking out over the mountains, it's all worth it. 

We admired how the road was built so as not to disturb the mountainside:

At these higher elevations the leaves have not yet opened up, but the panoramic views are still nothing short of spectacular.  We all had a great weekend!

Dupont and Brevard

April 19, 2016.

The Smoky Mountains are aptly named for the foggish smoke that rises from the valleys; it can come and go within minutes.





When we arrived home to Bear Creek today we heard that our RV neighbor and friend Chris is a new Grandpa.  He is so happy and Mom and baby are doing well. Congrats to all!  
A new bundle of joy!  

We were away for a couple of days.  Driving through the Dupont Forest yesterday we walked a fabulous forest trail; Zuma loved it.  I just wish so much we could let her off leash as she needs to gallop but we can't let her go (too many rules, too much wildlife and there are bear warnings everywhere) and she doesn't listen well about coming back to us.  Still, we had two lovely strolls in waterfall land and covered a couple of hilly miles; there are 250 waterfalls in the area we learned.  We saw Hooker Falls:

Triple Falls:

and Looking Glass Falls:

All are absolutely beautiful and serene.  The photos are nice but they cannot capture the natural beauty, the soft sound of the cascading water.  We went early in the morning and there were no crowds.  Doug and Zuma explored a small waterfall on one of our hikes.  Zuma doesn't like to get her feet wet but she enjoyed this quiet few moments with Doug.  Z won't even trudge through a puddle (Come on Zu, there's water and snow in Denmark) but she humored us by checking this out:

We stopped in Hendersonville, a somewhat sleepy town with lovely shops and we enjoyed an excellent lunch at LIME LEAF (Thank you Trip Advisor, my go-to tour bible), an Indian restaurant with super reviews on Trip Advisor.  The service was the best and so was the food!  Zuma was treated to a fresh bowl of water, the waitress made us feel like royalty and we ate outside with many people stopping by to receive Zuma licks.  5 STARS for LIME LEAF, we can hardly wait to go back for lunch.  

BEST. INDIAN. EVER.

We found a nice shop, ALL NATIONS; I found some super pieces of native artwork, including a Cherokee-made Dream Catcher for my cousin Sue, a beaded dream catcher for Emma and this:

pic of hummingbird

Then we drove on to Brevard and Flat Rock.  Flat Rock is a landmark in the area, it is reputedly where the Cherokee and white men traded goods over a century ago. To be honest, it was a bit of a serious disappointment and not revered as it should be.  I don't get it.  This place has special spiritual energy and somehow somebody totally didn't get the significance of it.  We checked the GPS, yep, this was the place.  But they built a parking lot around the outcrop. Sigh. 

Brevard is a really nice town and so is the town of Flat Rock.  We feel truly privileged to have experienced three Springs this year; first in Savannah, then in Asheville, then up in the mountains.  We couldn't have timed our travels better.

How cute is this for a town hall?

There is a huge complex in Brevard that is going to make national headlines like WEDGE someday.  Staged in an old lumberyard, a brewery recently purchased the property and is starting an Arts Central much like Wedge has done in The River Arts District in Asheville.  Still in the newborn phase, it's obvious this is going to flourish in Brevard.  

I love how artists here are allowed to paint on buildings.  I'm going to write a whole blog on this.  This is absolutely outstanding artwork.  I taught art and utilizing mostly unused muscles to paint in an upright position is definitely challenging.  

We exercised Zuma (and ourselves) in the Pisgah Forest.  If you've read the book COLD MOUNTAIN by Charles Frazier, you'll appreciate this area, parts of the movie was filmed here and the story actually took place here.  It is breathtakingly beautiful.  Isn't this an incredible wall painting?

There is also an original, old fashioned soda shop in the town:

Next time we visit I'm going for a malted milkshake!

Mockingbirds, Mountains, a Madhouse and Millie's Milestone.

April 17th, 2016.

When we were on Tybee Island in Georgia, there was a morning bird visitor in the tree by our bedroom window.  I commented to Doug several times about the bird's expansive repertoire.  It could sound like a Cardinal one minute, then, 4 bars later, another bird song was sung and so on for 5 or 6 varying tunes.  I spent some time scoping out who was putting on this amazing avian concert.  Doug installed a "bird app" on my 'phone as we both love feeding and watching birds at home in Maine and there are so many different types of birds here.  My learning curve is straight up.  I love it.  Researching keeps me alive.  If you are not constantly learning, you're not growing.  

Now we're in WNC (Western North Carolina) we are seeing a whole new slew of birds and this humble-looking grayish bird wakes me up every morning; he is very entertaining and makes me awake with a smile.  With a flagging tail and modest outfit, it turns out this is a Mockingbird, Tennessee's State bird, and while it is a talented imitator, it is a bit of a problem.  The Mockingbird has the nasty habit of laying it's eggs in the nests of other birds.  Once hatched and fed lovingly by other naiive birds, the baby Mockingbirds are known to gobble up all the food they can from the unsuspecting parents, then these infants instinctively kick the legitimate babies out of the nest and fledge.  

I love their songs, even if they are the douche bags of the bird world.  Apparently, they can imitate other sounds like car horns, etc.  I'll try and post a pic but while they are LOUD and expansive in their songs (they didn't buy the single, they own the long-playing edition and mimic it) they are not into portraiture.  They perch near our car most of the day and serenade us, but they are camera shy.

Yesterday, the 16th, we went to the Asheville Artisan Bread Festival "celebrating local farmers, millers and bakers".  Seriously, it was a complete madhouse, everything I hate from scrambling for parking to jostling shoulder to shoulder with rabid shoppers.  Too many loaf hungry people for me, held in a very small venue, not well organized, ugh.  I don't do well with that. Crowds are unappealing to me and I don't need carbs and we are totally loyal to Simple Breads, a local couple who make whole grain breads with LOTS of  WHOLE GRAINS. We tried a few cubes of bread at the event but nothing matches Simple Breads.  So we departed without buying a crumb.  My largest regret is I didn't have the space to take a photo of a priest in his humble long black gown hugging a warm loaf.  It was a fantastic moment.  Let them break bread.  I'm still smiling thinking about it.

We cruised the Asheville Market on the 16th and bought some nice produce.  Then we had Zuma's nails trimmed at The Soapy Dog and booked her in for a bath to battle her skin allergies.  

You can bathe your dog here (no, but thank you) or have the lovely groomer do it for you.  She did a fantastic job; Z was really happy and it only took an hour.  

Zuma just doesn't fit in the shower in the RV Hula Girl and we're not allowed to bathe dogs in the bath/shower rooms here.  We're so glad there is this nice grooming place nearby and Zuma loves going there because the staff are so sincere and kind to her. Which gave Doug and I time to explore a part of Asheville we hadn't been to and we had a yummy date at a Latino restaurant with delicious paella and fajitas; this is the calamari appetizer we shared:

It was fantastic.  The lunch entrees were so generous we shared mine for dinner.  

On the 17th, we headed for  Little Switzerland, a mountain town with a fabulous general store and cafe.  Service is fantastic and so is the food.  They are written up in many websites and magazines. 

We heard that Oprah  had a very positive shout out about the place Fresh, innovative and delicious food.  Delightful waiter. Five Stars from us.  We drove along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is breathtaking.  Here's a pic of me and Z at the Green Knob overlook: 

l

I'm sparing you the large photo version so you don't have to see my flying squirrel arms, lol!  I've lost a lot of weight (necessary for health reasons) and now I'm working on getting "toned".  I'm working on the flying squirrel arms. Thank you Kelly for the lunch lady tip, lol. You always make me laff.  Seriously, is it too late to work on the lunch lady arms?  Kelly is our friend from Tybee and she's coming here in mid June for a week. 

We met a lovely dog named Millie who hangs out in a great store in Asheville.  The owners held a birthday party for her, complete with cake and party favors for dogs.

It would have possibly been disastrous taking Zuma in there; with her 4 foot tail swath I could imagine the table being cleared.  We stopped by to wish Millie everything good, she is adorable.

We love how Asheville people celebrate their canines.

  

Cherokees, The Great Smoky Mountains and a Car Show.

April 14, 2016 

Oops.  I posted the April 15th blog ahead of this one, sorry.

I'm trying to catch up on blogging (I'm new to this, ya'll) but we've been traveling a lot and I find it a challenge to write in the evenings when I'm tired.  So this week I'm catching up on posting photos and typing my hand-written notes.  Doug is back in Maine for a week; he works daily from here, both on his cell and via the computer but he needs to return to the office regularly for a complete catch up.

So, on the 14th, we tossed our bags into the car and loaded up Zuma and headed for The Smoky Mountains.  Driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway is glorious.  We passed through Maggie Valley.  Once home to a large amusement park created in the 1960s by a lady named Maggie, it was known as The Ghost Town in The Sky and thrived as a popular tourist attraction for decades. However, it fell upon hard times our tour book advised us and closed in 2009.  Still, the area honors old Maggie and everybody in WNC knows about this place; it's on the way to Tennessee and a lovely scenic route with wild mountain flowers in the woods and the budding trees bursting with green.  

We drove on and arrived at our first destination, Cherokee.  This charming town is the central hub of the Cherokee Reservation (56,000 acres).  It's really touristy, with a Living History Village, A fantastic Museum and a ginormous super elaborate Casino. We toured the Museum and were very impressed.  New, modern and housing authentic Cherokee artifacts, pottery, stone and all mediums.  We learned a LOT about the Cherokee people; when gold was discovered they were run out of their lands and shooed onto The Trail of Tears to Oklahoma.  The Cherokee, like all native tribes, used herbal medicine and discovered a natural form of Aspirin far before the white man.  They were hunters and gatherers and incredibly talented artists, creating both masterful and primitive works; many examples are displayed in the museum.  

We toured the gift shops but they were really touristy.  I wanted to purchase a pair of moccasins or something practical and handmade by the Cherokee people but all the stores carried footwear bearing Made in China labels so, feeling somewhat deflated, we moved on. 

As we were departing, we met Wild Cat.  He is a Cherokee and very proud of his heritage.  He was dressed in ceremonial dress, complete with bells on his legs.  I never do the touristy thing but I had to get a photo with him:

Doug sent our friend Kelly a text with this photo telling her that I had left him for Wild Cat.  I think we make a cute couple!  
Nice guy.  He put on his head dress voluntarily which really meant a lot to me.  Later, I found a real leather and beaded Dream Catcher at a shop near Asheville to send to my cousin in Wales; she loves Native culture in all countries and especially yearns to meet real Native Americans so Sue, this photo is for you!  

The winding road through the foothills led us up and up and we saw a sign for Clingmans Dome.  At 6,643 feet, it is the highest point in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.   It is the highest point in Tennessee and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi. If I could bottle up the clean pure mountain air, I'd add it to this blog.  

This is an amazing place.  These are some of the vistas of the top of Clingmans Dome.  No apostrophe, sorry fellow English Language Majors, this is how they spell it so suck it up.

There were wildlife spottings:

Oooh, I could go for that.

Doug and Zuma and I are going back there.  Soon.  It's like time stands still up there. Must be the altitude.  Standing there taking in the views, it's so calming and you really get in touch with yourself, how magnificent the earth is.


Zuma could not have cared less about the views.  She just wanted to hang out with the many other dogs up there.

On the descent, we marveled at the mountain flowers:  There all kinds of patches of Trilliums, all sorts of small purple, blue and yellow flowers, Wisteria draping from the trees, budding rhododendrons.  Then, we ran into a traffic jam.  Doug casually said, "It's likely a bear" and I snapped my head around saying "How could you be so casual about that?"  Well, it WAS a bear.  A mother bear and her three cubs.  The crazy thing was that tourists were climbing over rocks with cameras in hand for  a closer view. OMG! This is the most dangerous creature in the forest!  I handed Doug my camera and he snapped a quick shot from the driver's window and we carried on, seeing the third little guy ambling on in the rear afterwards.  "We'll hear about these people in the news tonight" I quipped, but apparently they all were spared as there was nothing on the tv. What a fantastic thing seeing a female black bear with triplets!

We drove slowly to Pigeon Forge, Dolly Parton's home town.  Oh!  It is so touristy, she has a HUGE Amusement Park there called Dollywood.  The most fascinating part for us was that there was a car show and sale going on.  The GPS said we'd be at our hotel in Sevierville in 15 minutes but it took us over an hour as the traffic was so thick.  Everybody was oogling the antique and vintage cars lined up on both sides of the highway for miles.  I was going to hop out and get a photo but you cannot even fathom the amount of vehicles all lined up in a row.  The entire main drag was like a huge parking lot.  Doug spoke with the receptionist at the hotel and he said "This is just set up day, it's not even busy yet. The show's on for the next three days and it'll take all of two hours to get through there, they're expecting 7,000 pre-registered cars"! Apparently they used to hold this show and sale once a year, then the demand was so high they upped it to twice a year and now it's so popular it's held four times a year!  Every kind of car from Model T Fords to souped up muscle cars was exhibited, several rusted old treasures but mostly gleaming well spiffed up vehicles.  Lawn chairs of every description lined the sidewalks and proud owners and auto dealers were sipping on beverages in the sunshine (when they weren't busy explaining what a great deal they were providing to potential clients).  It was fun driving past listening to the sales pitches of used car dealers.


We had planned to return the next morning but decided against it; sitting in the car for two hours and then perusing miles of cars was not going to be good for Zuma so we took an alternate route back home to Asheville.  

Only One Wag

April 16, 2016

Every time we load Zuma into the back of our station wagon I freak about her long tail getting caught in the hatchback door.  I know it must drive Doug crazy seeing me pounce into "Smother Mother" mode but it makes my blood pressure take a leap envisioning her freaking out because her tail is trapped. 

When we travel in the car, I tuck Z's tail under her hind legs and quickly close the door once I see it's all clear; she takes up a very large portion of the back of the car, even with the rear seats folded down for her and the tail often pops free and entices the back latch. I watch closely and hold my breath as I close the hatchback.

pic of Z in car coming later today

Zuma barely ever makes a sound; she barks one bark at a time about four times a year (usually for no apparent reason), but I KNOW if her tail would get caught in the door it would be a scene from "Dog Torturers" or some awful dog crime drama show not yet invented (give them time, those horrible producers of awful finger-pointing tv dramas will surely find a way to create a nightmarish show about good dog owners gone bad by accidentally slamming their dog's tail in the back door and consequently being hauled off in handcuffs). 

pic of tail

Yeh, so Zuma rarely complains verbally BUT I've witnessed the nail trim 'total flip out borderline hysteria scene' where Z got cut too close and a droplet of blood eeked out of one of her nails. You'd think someone tried to spay her standing up without anaesthesia.

Zuma has "Happy Tail Syndrome".  This is when a dog gets so elated it wags it's tail furiously and doesn't care if the extra appendage thwacks into a wall, car or doorway, causing the end of the tail to bleed and leave a blood-spattered trail worthy of a Forensic Files investigation.

pic of wagging tail

Dogs with smooth, thin tails are most prone to Happy Tail Syndrome, I have learned.  Some tails have as many as   

20 vertibrae and it is the end of the tail that receives the full force of wild wagging.  Whenever Emma and Zuma get together after a long absence I insist they go outside where there are no hard surfaces or I know I'll be scrubbing blood spray off the paint and door frames for weeks.  And possibly being fingerprinted.

Twice when Zuma managed to cause her tail end to bleed after exuberantly beating her tail against the wall and furniture, we attempted bandaging it.  Nothing doing.  It took a lot of patience to gently wrap the tail end and then the bandage was slurped off within a minute.  It's just one of things that is a time challenge, you have to wait it out and don't have her close to a wall or solid object if she is greeting a friend.

Oftentimes when Zuma is out in public she will flag her tail furiously; it's a sign of joy, this is a dog's natural tool for exhibiting social cues.  If dogs are nervous or submissive the tail goes between their hind legs, if they're alert, up goes the tail.  It's like reading the ear movements of horses.  They will express themselves clearly.  You just have to recognize the signs.  Miss their cues, you're on your own.

If Zuma gets overstimulated and the tail action becomes somewhat of a frenzied 1980s disco dance, I try to redirect her body, (which is especially challenging when we're in the midst of a crowd) so nobody gets hurt or knocked over or sent into an unconscious state. So far so good.  Danes have powerful tails and, once they get on a roll, it can get a little crazy.  Speaking from experience, a good tail wag can knock four glasses and an appetizer plate off a coffee table in one swoop.  

These mandatory carpet cleaning incidences are minute inconveniences compared to the horrible trend of docking a dog's tail for fashion or owner-convenience.  Sure, we have to watch closely when walking Zuma through a door (especially elevator and revolving doors); she is long and lean and that tail takes up a fair bit of space.  But I wouldn't have it any other way.  The tail is part of the dog.  Why remove it?  Don't like vacuuming glass off your carpet or mopping up food and drinks the tail misplaced?  Get a hamster.  The dog's tail is their communicator, their rudder, their natural balance tool.  Let the tails wag.

  

Happy Anniversary!

April 15, 2016.

Wow!  It's hard to believe today is our 22nd Anniversary!  We've been together for 27 years as of May this year, but we were married on this day 22 years ago.  At age 55, I've spent nearly half my life with Doug!  And we're still going strong, the bumps behind us, looking ahead to the fun-filled years of travel and adventure.  Emma is grown up and independent with two jobs (one is her own business) as well as taking care of the farm.  Doug and I are able to work from here.  It's just the best time of our lives.

The Smoky Mountains are just incredible.  We drove through them today and into Cherokee National Forest with perfect weather accompanying us.  If only the mountain air could be posted with these photos.  Craving a coffee, we stopped into a tiny roadside mountain store in Big Creek.  The young lady at the counter said she would make us a cuppa as so few people go by at this time of year she doesn't have a pot on the go.  It was delicious and the store was quaint and full of fun old items.

Next, we took a side road to Cataloochie.  We were forewarned that there are two routes:  one that was pretty easy and the other that was "not for the faint of heart and we don't recommend it for people prone to car sickness".  So, we decided upon the latter. What the heck.  It was a rough crazy roller coaster of a drive with twists and turns and hills and switchbacks and NO guard rails, the gravel road bumpy and edging on ravines the whole way.  It was fantastic. Again, my photos don't show the terror we experienced but believe me when I tell you, it was pretty crazy at times and my fingernails may still be embedded in the dashboard. I will take more pix next time we go there.  Rhododendrons line the narrow, harrowing road, rivers and creeks and bridges pop up at every turn, the scenic vistas are outstanding.  

Ooh, I don't think I'd fare well on this "bridge".

Then we arrived at our destination, Cataloochie.  It was once the largest settlement in the area and now there are only a handful of barns and homes left as the Park bought the farming settlers out decades ago. What was once a fertile valley filled with farming families and a thriving community is now part of the Park.  We had heard that there are Elk there and we found fresh scat from them but didn't spot any of these beautiful animals.  We drove to the end of the road and met some people from Iowa who were camping there and they said they'd seen 25 Elk the day before at 3 p.m.  We had to leave but we'll go back and hopefully see some.  They said they watched the herd come out of the hills and graze, then headed back to their campsite and within 5 feet of their vehicle there were to magnificent males; they showed us their photos.  Unfortunately, because of bears, bobcats, elk and other wild animals, dogs are not allowed on the trails.  However, horses are and we met a group. What a fabulous place to ride!

The Elk were reintroduced to the area by the Park in the early 2000s and they are thriving so they are left alone to do their Elk thing and so far it's going well.  We're looking forward to a return trip to see if we can search for these magnificent animals.







ee if we can locate some of these magnificent creatures.