Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site

Stepping out of our car was like stepping back in time. Our trip to the mountain home of Carl Sandburg was one of the most peaceful and inspirational visits we have had in some time. The first view of the home from the bottom of the hill took my breath away. It sits grandly on the top of a hill overlooking a pond and the beautiful North Carolina mountains.



The path leading to the home site is lined with English ivy and tall trees. At the top of the hill we took the path leading to the barn where Lilian Sandburg kept her prize winning dairy goats. She was the reason that Carl decided to relocate in North Carolina in 1945. The goats kept there today are no longer milked, but are for the enjoyment of visitors.



The barn was situated away from the main house to allow Carl to write without the distraction and noise of the farm activities.



The house is quite large and stately. After the death of her husband, Mrs. Sandburg sold the property to the National Park Service and donated the contents for preservation. The home is set up exactly the way the Sandburgs left it. I was amazed at how simply they lived, even though they were financially well off.



The view from the front porch is stunning. No wonder Sandburg was able to pen some of the most beautiful words in American literature. Surrounded by the peaceful sounds of nature, I might even be inspired to write such words (in my dreams).



The solitude found in the mountain farm named Connemara may have inspired one of Sandburg's famous quotes-

"It is necessary now and then for a man to go away by himself and experience loneliness; to sit on a rock in the forest and to ask of himself,'Who am I, and where have I been, and where am I going?'" -Carl Sandburg

A Perfect Day!

Every once in a while, I travel with John to one of his job sites. He builds all over North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia so he has to travel quite often. I enjoy the special days that I break from normal routine and accompany him on a trip. Today was one of those special days. We traveled to Swananoa, North Carolina where a site was being surveyed for a building. After spending some time on the site taking care of business, we were able to spend the rest of the day exploring. The mountains of our state are absolutely beautiful. Although there was not much color in the landscape yet, there were still beautiful sights to see.


Doesn't the water in a mountain river always look clearer than anywhere else?



I took some pictures of Chimney Rock as we traveled through the picturesque town. One of my girls' favorite vacations was spent on that mountain. If you have seen "The Last of the Mohicans," you will understand how beautiful the scenery is on the trails near the water falls.



The weather was gorgeous today. The temperature was around 65 degrees F. so we ate our lunch outside on a deck overlooking Lake Lure. Beautiful!




I couldn't help but notice that the rhododendrons were starting to bud.





After lunch, John and I went to the town of Flat Rock to the home of the great American writer, Carl Sandburg. After spending much of his life in many different places, he and his wife, daughters, and two grandchildren settled on the farm in the beautiful mountains of our state.



After a relentless winter, it was wonderful to have such a beautiful day to explore the western part of our beautiful state! A day spent with John is always a perfect day!

I'll share more pictures and information on Carl Sandburg's home tomorrow!

Busy Weekend

This is the day the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

As I sit here writing today, I feel tremendously blessed! The sun is shinning brightly and the birds are singing sweetly. My family has had a wonderfully, busy weekend!

One of the special things we did this weekend was to attend Carson's first guitar recital. She taught herself how to play last summer and in the fall we started her in lessons to help her advance in her picking. She is learning the bluegrass style of playing, although her love is country music. She was so nervous last night and wanted to back out. I reminded her to say a little prayer and told her that she would do fine. She stepped out on stage and played "Wildwood Flower" without a single missed note (including a difficult G run at the end). We were so proud, especially her pa pa, who didn't know that she was learning his favorite song. I made a deal that I would not take any pictures while she was playing if she would pause at the end for a shot. She was so happy to be finished that she forgot to wait. I hope the photographer for the studio got a good picture for me. I am always so proud of both of my girls when they accomplish things that they didn't think that they could.




I was also very happy when John was able to put the soil in our submerged vegetable beds. The cotton seed hulls mixed with our topsoil looks very promising. I am in the process of deciding what to plant. I have ordered some asparagus, garlic, and green beans, so far. I know that I also want some assorted lettuces and broccoli. This is all very new to me. My dad has been a master gardener for years. I hope his knowledge has somehow rubbed off on me.



Look at my handsome, hardworking husband. To a country girl, there is nothing better looking than a man on a tractor.



After church today, I walked around to find some more signs of spring. The daffodils have finally started blooming. These are some that have been around for as long as I can remember. They are on my parent's property, and were there long before they purchased it. My mom said that they were planted by the elderly lady that lived there many years ago. Isn't it amazing how the things that we plant today will be around for years to come to brighten the lives of others?



I can't help but smile every time I see the beautiful yellow of a daffodil.



I will be going with John to Asheville for the next couple of days for business. I will take my camera and hopefully have something to share from my trip when I return. Have a blessed week!

Vegetable Garden Update

Today was very breezy and cold. I tried to get outside to do some things, but the cold wind made my ears hurt. I decided that I would complete my indoor chores instead and run some errands, hoping that this weekend would bring warmer weather.

I did get really excited because our black dirt was delivered today. It actually is not dirt at all, but cotton seed hulls. My cousin, Robbie, picked it up from a local cotton gin. We will mix it with existing soil and put it in the vegetable beds. I hope it will greatly improve the soil quality.



We decided to submerge our beds instead of raising them to try to hold in moisture. It helps to have a husband who is in construction and has access to large equipment. It makes the digging go much faster.



It also helps to have a cousin who owns his own hauling company to help with delivery.




Don't these cotton seed hulls look like black soil?

After the delivery, I decided to use an old wreath, some ribbon, and a cute little bird nest that I found at Pier One Imports to make a spring wreath for my front door.




I have had this wreath for several years and was on the verge of getting rid of it. I just hate throwing things away, so yesterday, when I was looking around in Pier One I found this cute little nest for less than five dollars. I added it to the old wreath with two dollars worth of ribbon from Walmart.



Now, the wreath doesn't seem old anymore, unless you look at the spider webs on the back of it!

Do they look Okay to you?

Last summer our knockout roses started to look a little leggy. They had been in the ground for three years with only a light pruning. I started pruning a little heavier this year, being ever so careful.



John comes behind me and starts purning like crazy. Notice all of the branches on the patio. Now, I know that sometimes you have to show a little tough love, but did he go to far?




We garden by trial and error, can you tell? What do you think? Will they come out fuller this Spring, or is this a big error? Tell me. Not that I can do anything about that now.

The weather has been cold for the past few days. We have even had more snow! Thankfully, this is the time of year it doesn't last very long in the south. Due to the weather, we have not been able to have our soil delivered to continue work on our vegetable garden areas. I'll post pictures as soon as we accomplish this. Until then, I'll keep looking for signs of spring to share.




This little pine warbler is always willing to have its picture made. I don't have a lens for distant shots, so I have to get pretty close.




This little chick-a-dee finally let me get close enough to get a shot. It usually flies away before I can take its picture.




Of course, I had to get more pictures of the crocuses. These little flowers make me happy.




Don't they look so regal from this angle?





Hope these pictures have made you as happy as they make me! God Bless!

Happy March!!

I just wanted to welcome in the month of March (the month of the beginning of spring) with a beautiful bloom from one of my Camellias. I almost didn't notice it because it was on the back of the plant. They usually bloom sooner than this, but the weather has been very cold this winter. I hope this is a sign of good things to come. Tomorrow, we are expecting a 'wintry mix.' Hopefully, this will be the last of 'Old Man Winter' and his fury.