Lost Word of the Day - Umbel

umbel a cluster of flowers growing from a single stem, as in hemlock or parsley

Azaleas are another flowering bush that grows blooms in clusters. The ones growing in front of my house are currently hot pink. However, by the end of the summer the plants will hopefully be gone so we can rebuild a retaining wall. If not for the fact that my car will be parked next to whatever's planted at the base of the new wall, I'd replace the azaleas with these.

Weeping cherry trees have been a long-time favorite of mine, but there's no way I would survive an annual springtime shower of pale pink petals sticking to my very red car. So my next choice is the hydrangea. They're full. They grow in a cluster of blossoms, a feature that I love. And they come in shades of pink!

See? They're just gorgeous. The problem is that one wrong move and the inevitable happens and ruins them for the landscape of my front lawn. For those of you unfamiliar with the hydrangea, here's a visual to help.

That's right. They turn a dreadful shade of blue, which isn't pink at all. While my male dominant household would love this, I'll have to keep a check on the acidic value of the soil to ensure that my preciouses, once planted, do not befall this horrible fate.

Lost Word of the Day - Tarn

A tarn is a mountain lake or pool, formed in a cirque excavated by a glacier. A cirque (from a French word for "arena") is an amphitheatre-like valley head, formed at the head of a valley glacier by erosion.

Having spent the better part of the week in the mountains, we've seen plenty of pools and lakes. I'm pretty sure they weren't formed at the head of a valley glacier by erosion, but they were still pretty neat. One of the local spots is Bass Lake, near Blowing Rock, NC.

Isn't that gorgeous? Here's a little history about Blowing Rock, NC.

The town of Blowing Rock takes its name from an unusual rock formation which juts over 1,500 feet (460 m) above the Johns River gorge. Due to the rock's shape and size, wind currents from the gorge often blow vertically, causing light objects to float upwards into the sky.
The Blowing Rock area was once fought over by the Cherokee and Catawba Native American tribes. According to legend, two lovers - one from each tribe - were walking near the rocks when the man received a notice to report to his village and go into battle. When his lover urged him to stay with her, he became so distraught that he threw himself off the blowing rock into the gorge. The woman prayed to the Great Spirit to return her lover, and the Spirit complied by sending a gust of wind which blew the man back up the cliff and landed him safely on the blowing rock itself. This story of course is fictional but it was used as a draw for the attraction. In the 1980s, a billboard in Wilkesboro for Blowing Rock showed two Indians holding hands, one standing on the rock and one "floating". Today "The Blowing Rock" is a tourist attraction and is known for its superb views of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains.

Here's a picture of the observation deck at Blowing Rock. Sadly, we only drove up to the front of the building. The boys were bickering, I'd had no coffee for four days and my nerves were shot, and the husband was being, "I'm having a panic attack! OMG! No wait, it's just a hot flash," again so we skipped the actual walk out onto the observation deck. Under the circumstances, it seemed the safer option lest someone overhear me threatening to throw people over the side.

And this is a picture of Grandfather Mountain, which was pretty much across the street from where we stayed. Several mornings it was partially enshrouded in clouds. As if you couldn't tell, it resembles the profile of an elderly man looking into the sky. It's the second-highest peak east of the Mississippi River, about a mile up. If you're active and willing to brave the hike, plan about three hours to get to the top. Pack a lunch, but be careful because there are bears.

This is one of the bears from Grandfather Mountain, a twenty year old who arrived at the mountain 17 years ago. There's a whole story about her, and you can adopt her! That's right. you can adopt Gerry or one of her other friends. There aren't just bears, but there are also cougars, otters, deer, et cetera. I hear they make great gifts for the person who has everything.