by Carole Duff | Oct 12, 2015 | Nature |
Every year at Vanaprastha, autumn creeps down the Blue Ridge Mountains into the Rockfish Valley. Typically, some trees’ leaves change ahead of the curve. In the case of the maple in back of our house, part of the tree got a head start. Nature’s seasons are like a...
by Carole Duff | Oct 5, 2015 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Family, Local or Human Interest, Nature |
Freya darted ahead while Heathcliff walked on-leash with me down the stone trail from the house to the driveway. It was late afternoon last Tuesday, and we’d had a tremendous storm. I heard a roar. We followed the sound down the hill to the bottom of the ravine. Rain...
by Carole Duff | Sep 28, 2015 | Dogs & Other Creatures |
I really like to chase deer and turkeys up and down the mountain. About a month ago, I went running and a few minutes later came back limping like a three-legged dog. I’ve come home lame before, but this time my leg didn’t get better. Keith and Carole took me in the...
by Carole Duff | Sep 7, 2015 | Dogs & Other Creatures, Faith, Nature, Writing and Reading |
One day last week, after our dog Freya returned from her morning run, Heathcliff and I headed out for a walk. We’re both at that point in life where a vigorous “on leash” walk outweighs the advantages of running. Along the way, a three-to-four inch copper-colored...
by Carole Duff | Aug 24, 2015 | Local or Human Interest, Nature, Writing and Reading |
The dogwood leaves have begun to change here at Vanaprastha. Dogwoods are among the first trees to show fall color, their leaves turning from green to scarlet then wine-crimson. Echoing nature’s life-death cycle, they reflect both beauty and loss. Recently, I read The...
by Carole Duff | Aug 17, 2015 | Local or Human Interest, Nature |
Paulownia, also known as the Royal Paulownia, Princess or Empress Tree, looks like vegetation out of a science fiction novel. A deciduous tree, the Pawlownia grows quickly, from eight to twenty feet in one year, and sports large, heart-shaped leaves in opposite pairs...
