They're Baaaack!

After 17 years underground, these local residents—the periodical cicadas of the Magicicada genus—are boring holes up to the surface, climbing onto whatever they can find, cracking open their carapaces, emerging as winged insects, and humming all day in search of of a mate. 

Soon the fertile females will be going out to branch tips to lay their eggs, which will hatch into larvae who will drop to the ground, head downward, and start all over again.
 

Springtime in the Mountains

 

Aspirational mint tub: Robin takes a bath in the future

 

Gaelen and Nicole (with some help from their friends) are putting up a new barn. It's on the highest spot they could find because, you know, the old barn (it was quite old) was lost in the flood. 

This one is smaller, but so beautiful.
 

De-fence! De-fence!

The rebuilding of the flood-ravaged Hannah Branch Road community garden continues with a new deer fence. We'll add hardware cloth at the bottom to make it a rabbit fence as well. 

In case you were wondering why the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed

Here is but one reason.

Birthday Suit

 

 

Happy 60th, Tim. Lookin' good!