What a surprise to find several Monarch caterpillars dining on my Butterfly Weed plant today while working in my flower beds.

Rooten Tooten Red Day Lillies

My "ROOTEN TOOTEN RED" day lilies put on a show this year!

Apple Picking Time

What a beautiful day in Banner Elk for harvesting the Wolf River apples.  These apples are mainly used in cooking. The apples from this tree planted by Dad many years ago will make delicious applesauce, cakes, and pies.

Lees McRae Summer Theatre presents "From The Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story"

What did Banner Elk, North Carolina, look like in the 1890s? With the vision of a young seminary student, one tiny town gained a church, a college, an orphanage, and a hospital.” 

The story of Edgar Tufts is compelling and heartwarming. Set to music by John Thomas Oaks and Tommy Oaks, and written by Janet Barton Speer (the team who brought you The Denim King: The Moses Cone Story), this work is presented after thoughtful research among the families who have lived here for generations. Using traditional mountain music mixed with a lyrical style, audiences will be moved and inspired by this great man. You will not want to miss From the Mountaintop: The Edgar Tufts Story. Written by Janet Barton Speer  |  Music and Lyrics by John Thomas Oaks and Tommy Oaks

Show Times:
Thursday, July 11 at 7 p.m.
Friday, July 12 at 7 p.m.
Saturday, July 13 at 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 14 at 2 p.m.
Tuesday, July 16 at 2 and 7 p.m.
Wednesday, July 17 at 2 p.m.

Bees and Chinese/garlic Chives

Nearing the end of summer, the Chinese/garlic chive begin to flower in my herb garden.  Chives are extremely attractive to bees and have plenty of pollen in their flowers. What a joy to watch these bumblebees flit from flower to flower gathering pollen.

This lady is filling her pollen basket (orange mass on her leg) with pollen.

Hard working bumblebee feasting on the white flowers of my Chinese/garlic chives.

Monarch butterflies and Milkweed

I have enjoyed visiting this small stand of milkweed this summer near the edge of the garden to see who might be dining.

A monarch butterfly feasts on milkweed nectar

Milkweed is the only plant the Monarch Butterflies use to breed and is the main source of food for their developing larvae.

Common milkweed with Monarch

Chasing Butterflies

Eastern Tiger Swallowtail female butterfly attracted to the milkweed plant.

Using it's proboscis, this butterfly drinks nectar from a milkweed flower.

These two Pipevine Swallowtail butterflies are swift fliers and didn't stay long.

This Pinepevine Swallowtail  on my butterfly bush proved difficult to capture a photo.

Lovely Lavender and Bees

Lavender is at the top of my list for a great bee-attracting plant and my lavender plants have been very popular among the bees this summer. Not only does the Lavender plants smell heavenly but they can be used to make Lavender tea and other baked goods. 

Bumblebee enjoying the Lavender

The Honeybee has discovered my newest Lavender plant just beginning to bloom.

Monarch Caterpillar

There’s a small patch of milkweed plants near the garden that the bees and butterflies love the flowers of the milkweed. Happy to see this Monarch (larva) caterpillar munching on the leaves one of the milkweed plants. Looking forward to seeing it change into a beautiful Monarch butterfly.

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LMC Summer Theatre "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat Coast

Lees McRae Summer Theatre
 "JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT"  CAST

Director/Choreographer Dr. Janet Speer
Women/children’s Chorus Choreography Kim Krege Florio
Dance Captain Jarrett Koski

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Narrators: Kim Krege Florio, Courteney McClutchy, Emma

Jordan, Kariana Sanchez, Jael Gadsden, and Caitie Moss

Joseph: Kevin Korczynski

Jacob: Dick Larson

Reuben: William A. Martin

Simeon: Landon Ricker

Levi: Jarrett Koski

Napthali: Gabe Vanover

Issachar: Thao Nguyen

Asher: RJ Christian

Dan: Nic Baynum

Zebulon: Ben Lamoureux

Gad: Jason Carroll

Benjamin: Carsten Kjaerulff

Judah: Jabriel Shelton

Potipher: Gabe Vanover

Mrs. Potipher: Geana Anderson Welter

Butler: Jason Carroll

Baker: Corey Barrow

Pharaoh: Dominic Aquilino

Ensemble:  Angela Hodges, Barbara Hosbein, Beth Allison, Bryce Palmyra, Claire Kimmel, Corey Barrow, Daniel Binder, Elizabeth Hardy, Geana Anderson Welter, Isabella Karatowicz, Jackson Whiting, Jacob Florio, Jacob Vergara, Jennette Calvert, Jenny Fitzpatrick, Joanne Thompson, John Priar, Kalli Collins, Katelyn Woolard, Kelsy Martin, Laura Carringer, Nina Allbert, Rachel Sabo Hedges, Sarah Bickley, Sunny Binder, Will Garrett

Children’s chorus:  Addison Fitzpatrick, Alice Oden, Alli Grace Pittman, Annie Yawn, Ava Knight, Ben Vergara, Bodhi Parker, Casey Knight, Cassidy Birks-Kilman, Clara Oden, Elijah Calvert, Gabe Knight, Gabe Guignard, Gloria Guignard, Isabella Hardy, Izzy Garrett, Jackson Best, Jaclyn Binder, Kaleil Yawn, Katie Birks-Kilman, Keller Best, Keller Wallin, Lauren Burnley, Lilly Birks-Kilman, Lizzy Knight, Madirose Hicks, Marly Vergara, Reese Campbell, Sam O’Brien, Sarah Birks-Kilman

My Perennial Flower Garden

Always a surprise and delight to see my perennial flower garden in bloom. My island of mixed perennials consist of  Red Hot Poker, Iris, Lupine, Yarrow, Lavender, and Stella De Oro daylily. The Lavender and Stella De Oro have buds and are getting ready to bloom.

My Mother planted these Lupines and I'm always happy to see them return each spring.

Red Hot Pokers are putting on a show!

Happy Earth Day 2017!

The bees were buzzing in the apple trees on this beautiful Earth Day 2017 in Banner Elk, North Carolina. Happy Spring!!

Honeybee (top left) working the apple blossoms.

Promise of apples this fall!

Winesap apple blossoms!

Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lees McRae Summer Theatre

Pleased to announce that I have accepted and will be part of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at Lees-McRae Summer Theatre in Banner Elk. The show dates are June 26, June 27, June 30, and July 1, July 2 at 7 p.m. and June 28 and July 3 at 2 p.m.

“Joseph” is one of my favorite musicals and I have had the pleasure of acting, singing, and dancing previously in it before (The Little Theatre of Winston-Salem and the Davie Theatre Company). I am very grateful to be part of this musical at LMC Summer Theatre performing on stage at my alma mater plus having the opportunity to spend the summer in Banner Elk. It’s going to be fun!

Feeding Honeybees in January

It was a perfect January day in the mountains to inspect and feed the bees with temperatures in the high fifties. I was happy to see the number of bees in the hive and that this new location seems to suit them. Not out of the woods yet but spring is just around the corner. Colder weather returns for the weekend.

Honeybees on Christmas Day

Happiness is seeing winter honeybees darting outside this hive  for a cleansing flight on this Christmas day.  Since the day was warm, a little light housekeeping was also in order for the beekeeper and the bees.

Root Cellar

With the harvest of our garden finished, here'a a photo of our stored food for the winter in our root cellar. A root cellar is one of the oldest and easiest ways to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables through the winter months in cold storage.  Our root cellar is an underground room used for preserving fruits and vegetables for several weeks or months. Shown hanging are cabbage and in the bags are potatoes, all root vegetables. Good eating this winter!

Harvesting Sugar Pie Pumpkins

Let’s make a pumpkin pie! This is my second year growing sugar pie pumpkins and I'm expecting a bountiful harvest. I gathered my ripened sugar pie pumpkins from my pumpkin patch but have 24 pumpkins and more still on the vine that haven’t ripened. I can't wait to make pies, cakes, breads, etc. with these beauties! 

Last Apple Picking

The summer has flown by and fall is in the air. Picked the last of the Wolf River apples from the top of the tree. Even the Black Swallowtail butterfly with tattered wings stops to enjoy the last fruits of the season. I think the poem After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost and Genesis 1:29 sums it up.

After Apple-Picking by Robert Frost

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree 
Toward heaven still, 
And there's a barrel that I didn't fill 
Beside it, and there may be two or three 
Apples I didn't pick upon some bough. 
But I am done with apple-picking now...

Then God Said, "I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
Genesis 1:29

Pineapple Popsicle - Red Hot Pokers

The Pineapple Popsicle is a yellow and beige red hot poker that produces flowers all summer long and often again in September. It's pretty obvious where the plant got its common name, red hot poker. This tough-as-nails, sun-loving perennial produces tall colorful spikes. Red hot poker's flowers are also nectar-rich so they will draw butterflies and hummingbirds from miles around. Plus, even when not in bloom, the lance-shaped foliage of red hot poker adds interest and texture in the garden. I love seeing the yellow and beige color in my perennial garden and have enjoyed their return in the Spring.

Chocolate Mint

 I planted this Chocolate Mint around my bee hives to deter mice from my honeybee hives. But after black bears destroyed my hives this spring, I dug it up and potted it. The Chocolate Mint grew so fast during this summer that I have now planted in my herb garden. This mint is another great peppermint variety with a delightful minty chocolate flavor that reminds me of  the classic Girl Scout mint cookie. It smells heavenly!