I'm a winner

A couple weeks ago I was reading through a local realty magazine put out by High South Realty. A couple pages deep I read about a couple contests that they are holding. They are the "Celebrate the Mountains" photography and quotation contests. I noticed that there were no entries for the quotation for the month of June so I thought I would try to figure one out. I sat an pondered how I could sum up the feelings the mountains give me in 3 sentences or less (one of the rules). I waded through several cliches and then stumbled on something that said exactly how I felt about the mountains. Afterwards I typed the quote in verbatum to google and hit search. I wanted to make sure that I was not plagerising anyone because sometimes things get stuck in your head and over time their source is lost. At it turns out, it was an original quote and I submitted it with my information. In the mean time, life continued as normal and I had forgotten I submitted it. I received a phone call earlier today informing me that I had won the monthly contest and they would be sending me a $50 dollar check in the mail (sweetness). So I leave you with my now officially published quote,

"The closest place to heaven is on top of a mountain." ~Travis Birdsell

Out of my control...

It is said that the two things talked about the most at the barber shop are the price of gas and the weather. It has always intrigued me that people spend so much of their time discussing topics that they have absolutely no control over. It doesn't matter how many people talk about these issues, it won't stop the rain from coming when you need to mow the yard. I have revisited this topic myself because lately I look at the weather forcast on the computer and every day is the same, partly cloudy with a chance of rain. I know all too well that one should never complain about the rain because in a couple months we will all probably be on our knees asking for just a drop of that life-giving liquid. Right now there are so many things that I need to be doing outside, and Daisy is about to drive me mad because she is as stir crazy as I am. It seems like the few days that end up being beautiful, I am obligated to some other activity or some other place. The frustrating part about it is that it isn't even raining all day. I look out my window at work and see it dry and even the sun pokes out from time to time; however, the closer it gets to 5:00 the darker the clouds get and then it cuts loose just as I get ready to go home. On the bright side (Maggi always says to find the bright side) we are no longer in drought status and the New River is fully charged. This I haven't seen in many years.

Back for the first time...

So, I have done an amazing job at keeping this thing going. You know, life can really get away from a person if they aren't careful to pay attention to each and every day. Sometimes its hard to fit new things into an already busy routine. Since I wrote my first blogs in February life seemed to speed up and it seemed like I was always in the middle of a whirlwind. I was driving to and from Raleigh and Jefferson (NC) once a week. I was leaving on Tuesday mornings and driving back on Thursday afternoons. All this was to finish a class at NC State University and close a chapter that I had been stuck on for some time. Well, long story short, I did graduate from NC State on May 9, 2009 with a Bachelor's of Science in Horticulture-Landscape Design and a minor in Poultry Science. It was a day that many had thought would never come. That day I spoke of my Granddaddy Gardner who passed away several years ago (he was a graduate of NC State as well). I had the pleasure of having a few long talks with him before Parkinson's took him away from us. He always spoke openly and honestly with poise and wisdom. At the time I was young and had made some mistakes and he told me, "We all know you are a bright boy, but I want to see you become a smart man. I want you to know that there are very few things in this world that can't be taken away from you. Knowledge is one of those things, but it must be earned. One of these days when you are standing on that stage receiving your diploma, hold your head up high and smile because you will have earned it. I'll be watching and smiling too."

As much as I would have liked for him to be there that day, I do know that he was smiling down on me. I think I miss him more each year because the older and wiser I become the more I realize how much enjoyed listening and talking with him. At that time I didn't "have" time to learn everything he had to teach. It is very easy for life to get away from us, but it is important that me take a little bit of time out of each day to tell those we love what they mean to us.

Here's to you Granddaddy, we will always miss you, but you are never far from our hears!