Hope for Hemlocks

I'm in the Pacific Northwest. I wouldn't live here, not even for Love. I do have a tinge of jealousy for here though. They're evergreens are standing pretty and tall. This is where I explain...

I'm from Transylvania County NC. It's one of the greenest* places in the country. But, over the last few years we've lost some of our finest greenery, the Hemlocks. The woolly adelgid has been eating them something fierce. One of my last acts, and it was only a detour in taking care of business, was to drive up Davidson River over to Balsam Grove. It's lined with the snags of once proud Hemlocks. It's no longer a new sight to me to see naked, dead Hemlock standing on a mountainside. That was to me when I returned from Iraq. The dark green had turned a dull gray. It's a sad sight. But, as always when I stare out at the lifeless limbs, and catch sprigs of green. Needles hanging on to limbs on all but the biggest. I really don't know what my grandchildren will see. Like my Grandfathers that knew the Chestnut, all but lost to my generation. Then there is one, a sapling, but ancient no longer shaded by it's parent tree, raising up to reach the sun.

The sun, Before long I will see it in it's worst context, in a desert. Lifeless desert. Oh, I know life is there, but, that is the best words to describe it. Deployment is so aggravating. This is so different than when I deployed before. That predeployment was more organized, still full of changes, but far more organized than what is happening with this one. It's a different kind of deployment though. Before when I was going to Iraq, my year was nothing but uncetain, where I would be, who I would be with and what I would do. Otherwise, the day to day was lined out. Not that it is not lined out here, but, it's a whole different set of circumstances. I have bitter thoughts comparing it to before, then I have to remind myself, the Army changed the deployment rules, how they want to deploy Reservist from my time in 06. It's a broken up process and that creates issues of it's own. Things get lost...Time is lost.

But unlike in 2006, I don't think the Hemlocks are doomed. I know where they are all green, not a snag among them. At least, the last time I was at one of those places. So, I grit my teeth in these temporary circumstances and know, just like for the Hemlocks, there is hope.

Today marks 25 years of the Army. It's been all of my adult life.
The Appalachianist


*I'm not talking the Environmental Fad

Satruday Morning Post.

Oh, I love this video!


If I had a camera...
The Appalachianist

Pardon Me

Pardon me... This might seem naive. But, I don't get all of the stalling on the debt talks. Now, I will admit personally, I'd like to see some major cuts in the Federal Government. I also admit, I can't see not raising taxes. I've got two little grandsons and a little (2nd) cousin that have not yet graced kindergarten that should not be stuck with the bill of $14 Trillion debt.

Now most heathens and gentiles can agree, if you don't use something, then it's not needed. We know that recently the Government Accounting Office came out with a report of duplicate programs for one thing or another that are rarely if ever used. You find what works and what doesn't and you cut the doesn't. That's the easiest way to start. Now, that may be happening and then it may not be, I'm mainly relying on big media lately.

I'm not too naive. THat won't add it to the major cuts needed. Yes, I said needed. That is the most we can expect of cuts with the two big parties running the government.

The Appalachianist

The 5Th of July

I've got a neighbor I was talking to today. He is one to listen to a scanner. I can listen to what's going on, if something is going on. But, I won't listen in general. I find it annoying to listen to the way cops talk on the radio, that's just me. That's not what this post is about, it's about what my neighbor was telling me.

I live in Transylvania County, which is in the state of North Carolina, which is a part of the United States of America, you know, Land of the Free, Home of the Brave. We also have a healthy population of what allot of folks call "red necks". Hence the brave and the free. And, as my neighbor, a flag flying Vietnam Veteran, said, it's the 4Th of July, people are going to shoot fireworks. There is a little bit of a problem with that. Not all fireworks are legal in the State of North Carolina, we can't even buy a rare hamburger. We can have a sparkler.

He told me that all night he listened to one call after another of someone shooting fireworks. The Deputies and the Police couldn't keep up with it. He went as far as saying they sounded as if they didn't care either. I don't always agree with the "powers that be" around here, but if that is so... I'm proud of them.

Now, Raleigh will tell you it's to keep folks "safe". Most folks will say "money", being you can buy a permit (I'm not sure of the cost or process). Personally, i'm more willing to say "control". South Carolina sells fireworks by the hundreds. And, yes, there is a story of a boy that went to school with my parents blowing an M-80 in his hand while coming up Ceasor's Head. But, South Carolina isn't setting up a temporary morgue every July. Why should we? Afterall, more stumps have been dynamited in the Mountains than the Piedmont.

And...Speaking of temporary morgues...I'm sick of people lamenting about "how dangerous it is" and crime. It ain't Baghdad people. No one is setting up a temporary morgue down town. You don't count how many family members are missing. Most of our crimes are fabricated crimes. We incarcerate more people per capita than China. Go ahead, look it up yourself. I won't link it so you don't depend on my information.

Now, back to fireworks. North Carolina is a state and will do dumb, political things. But, calling the law over someone shooting fireworks on the 4Th of July is just plain nanny minded busy bodiness. Some folks don't know what to do but shoot fireworks and fly flags. I'm not going to rain on their parade.

I know I've put this video up before. I'm doing it again. It shows what it was like to stand up to disciplined British Red Coats face to face, toe to toe. We get our ass handed to us here. We got our ass handed to us allot. Yet, we kept at it. It paid off in time.


Beat your drum on the 4Th, fight on the 5Th.
The Appalachianist