An absolutely adorable story, Sue. The material about your Dad was precious; so appreciated. He was an unusual fellow that should have received more accolades and awards over his lifetime. Jim Davis was a paragon scholar and a hands-on Dad when fathers simply did not relate to their younger children in close-up situations.
The rest of the story -- bears be gone. I hope you and your neighbor can devise a strategy to get that guy out of your lives!
I appreciate your sweet reply so much! Yes—how Dad could be such a present parent *and* a dedicated scholar was quite extraordinary! Maybe if he hadn’t been so modest about his accomplishments, he might have gotten more accolades, but tooting his own horn just wasn’t his style. Maybe it was that Irish thing, that you never want to show off!
Oh Patti, this captures so beautifully how I feel about my loved ones who have passed on, and brings tears to my eyes—but good ones! I’m so grateful you shared ❤️
What a fun read and heartfelt memory of Sue’s father James. It brought back thoughts of my own Dad. The Bear, well what to do, fortunately one does get to defend one’s crops and livestock and there is other food readily available. Black Bears are known to be shy most of the time so let’s hope Sue’s Bear stays on the down low. Oh, the new hen book, can’t wait to read it!!
How do you handle snails and slugs in your garden? Daffodils are especially vulnerable to these critters and can really destroy a flower garden. The man in my house loves bouquets and daffodils are one of the brightest of the bunch. I'm ready for the chicken book; I loved those girls!
At our place, this is an interesting year for slugs—their numbers are way down! 😊 I think it was our unusually deep, deep freeze back in January…maybe it killed a lot of eggs.
I have never seen slugs go for daffodils here…I think they emerge too early in the season for slugs to be out and about much.
When I see significant slug damage—say, newly germinated seeds getting slammed—I will bring out a slug bait product safe for organic gardens, called “Sluggo.” It’s composed of iron phosphate. It doesn’t kill the slugs instantly; apparently it works on their innards so they sorta crawl off and die (not perish in your garden beds, which is a plus).
Thanks for the help. Sluggo it is! Maybe this year it won't be so bad. I can't believe how much I love chickens. Next to the collie dog on the farm, the chickens were my next favorite. Aunt Ruby, a ferocious lady, thought I was a coward because I didn't want to wring their necks for the next meal.
I've got a great story coming up on Recovery. Stay tuned.
to forum+2dyhg2&ibd0p&xx7zn&fb34bfdf28a7ae547c675ae56694ea6715120b96027afb934f42836ae5f51c47
Hi Sue,
Yes, and Grandma Davis was totally Irish! Her father had once studied to be a priest.
Grandma Davis was raised a Catholic. Grandpa Davis was Welch. Since I've never
been to Wales, I can't speak about that nationality, but they're also Gaelic, and I suspect
the temperament is pretty much the same as the Irish. So many of those people left their
homeland to search for a better life in America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Interesting to contemplate.
I'm watching (or watched) a streaming show on Netflix. The title is Bodkin, and it's based in Ireland. If you have Netflix, you might enjoy watching it. The leading character, Gilbert, wants to do a podcast on "True Crime" and found this little town in Ireland where the mysterious disappearance of three people a decade ago, appears to be a great story. We found it much fun with all sorts of mysteries opening up.
I have often reflected on how extraordinarily modest he was as he accumulated more and more recognition from his political science writings as well as his outstanding college administrative work. Of course, part of it is the academy itself; true scholars always recognize the accomplishments of those who went before them. Humility is the scholar's badge. But in addition, the Irish seem to have a terror of an individual "showing off," or separating themselves from the group/family. Could part of it be the inherited religion of piety and humility that was so deeply ingrained in American Catholics--even if your Dad's mother was an ardent Christian Scientist? Culture seems the stronger explanation.
Thank you for sharing about your dad, seems you have some lovely memories of him. Your wordplay in this piece is indeed stellar! Your bear makes for great reading, but I am sorry for you that he's back. And I really hope you get to keep your strawberry harvest!
Thank you for your kind comment, Erin! Yes, so many wonderful memories. This piece just poured out of me, so it was a coincidence that the wordplay came in 😊 I appreciate the good vibes for my strawberries too!
Your dad sounds wonderful - so lucky to have someone like this in your life and I loved reading about all of his endearing quirks! I also believe - because I am sentimental AND a bit on the mystical side of things- that he absolutely 'speaks' to you via the stars. Thanks to both of you for this post!
Hello Sue, thank you for this wise and lovely comment! I had hesitated to share that quirky thing about my dad communicating from the other side of the infinite via shooting stars, but it was one of those things that I couldn’t *not* write…so to hear that it spoke to you warms my heart.
I have so enjoyed your comments on Prue’s Knots in the String, so I will be watching for more! Thank you so much for reading 😊
I started following you last year when you had such problems in your garden with the bears and both my husband and I had to rethink our whole attitude to our own garden pests: rabbits, possums, blackbirds and caterpillars... so very tame!!!
It’s true, that we haven’t been able to build a fence or devise a food garden defensive strategy that will keep a bear out. But I can attest those little critters—bunnies, birds, and caterpillars, small as they are—can wreck a garden too!
We haven’t seen any possums here…but I’m sure they are as relentless as the other pests above.
So onward with enjoying nature and wildlife—as we both fight the good fight to keep our gardens intact! Take care 😊
An absolutely adorable story, Sue. The material about your Dad was precious; so appreciated. He was an unusual fellow that should have received more accolades and awards over his lifetime. Jim Davis was a paragon scholar and a hands-on Dad when fathers simply did not relate to their younger children in close-up situations.
The rest of the story -- bears be gone. I hope you and your neighbor can devise a strategy to get that guy out of your lives!
I appreciate your sweet reply so much! Yes—how Dad could be such a present parent *and* a dedicated scholar was quite extraordinary! Maybe if he hadn’t been so modest about his accomplishments, he might have gotten more accolades, but tooting his own horn just wasn’t his style. Maybe it was that Irish thing, that you never want to show off!
“What is lovely never dies, but passes into another loveliness, star-dust or sea-foam, flower or winged air.” —Thomas Bailey Aldrich
Oh Patti, this captures so beautifully how I feel about my loved ones who have passed on, and brings tears to my eyes—but good ones! I’m so grateful you shared ❤️
What a fun read and heartfelt memory of Sue’s father James. It brought back thoughts of my own Dad. The Bear, well what to do, fortunately one does get to defend one’s crops and livestock and there is other food readily available. Black Bears are known to be shy most of the time so let’s hope Sue’s Bear stays on the down low. Oh, the new hen book, can’t wait to read it!!
How do you handle snails and slugs in your garden? Daffodils are especially vulnerable to these critters and can really destroy a flower garden. The man in my house loves bouquets and daffodils are one of the brightest of the bunch. I'm ready for the chicken book; I loved those girls!
PS, I appreciate you mentioning my chicken book! Especially because it was mainly inspired by your sweet childhood chicken tales! ❤️
At our place, this is an interesting year for slugs—their numbers are way down! 😊 I think it was our unusually deep, deep freeze back in January…maybe it killed a lot of eggs.
I have never seen slugs go for daffodils here…I think they emerge too early in the season for slugs to be out and about much.
When I see significant slug damage—say, newly germinated seeds getting slammed—I will bring out a slug bait product safe for organic gardens, called “Sluggo.” It’s composed of iron phosphate. It doesn’t kill the slugs instantly; apparently it works on their innards so they sorta crawl off and die (not perish in your garden beds, which is a plus).
Thanks for the help. Sluggo it is! Maybe this year it won't be so bad. I can't believe how much I love chickens. Next to the collie dog on the farm, the chickens were my next favorite. Aunt Ruby, a ferocious lady, thought I was a coward because I didn't want to wring their necks for the next meal.
I've got a great story coming up on Recovery. Stay tuned.
Nanette Davis <drnanettej@gmail.com>
7:23 PM (2 minutes ago)
to forum+2dyhg2&ibd0p&xx7zn&fb34bfdf28a7ae547c675ae56694ea6715120b96027afb934f42836ae5f51c47
Hi Sue,
Yes, and Grandma Davis was totally Irish! Her father had once studied to be a priest.
Grandma Davis was raised a Catholic. Grandpa Davis was Welch. Since I've never
been to Wales, I can't speak about that nationality, but they're also Gaelic, and I suspect
the temperament is pretty much the same as the Irish. So many of those people left their
homeland to search for a better life in America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Interesting to contemplate.
I'm watching (or watched) a streaming show on Netflix. The title is Bodkin, and it's based in Ireland. If you have Netflix, you might enjoy watching it. The leading character, Gilbert, wants to do a podcast on "True Crime" and found this little town in Ireland where the mysterious disappearance of three people a decade ago, appears to be a great story. We found it much fun with all sorts of mysteries opening up.
I have often reflected on how extraordinarily modest he was as he accumulated more and more recognition from his political science writings as well as his outstanding college administrative work. Of course, part of it is the academy itself; true scholars always recognize the accomplishments of those who went before them. Humility is the scholar's badge. But in addition, the Irish seem to have a terror of an individual "showing off," or separating themselves from the group/family. Could part of it be the inherited religion of piety and humility that was so deeply ingrained in American Catholics--even if your Dad's mother was an ardent Christian Scientist? Culture seems the stronger explanation.
I appreciate your thoughtful musings! In my memory, Grandma was extremely modest and quiet, Dad was sure to have taken a cue from her!
Thank you for sharing about your dad, seems you have some lovely memories of him. Your wordplay in this piece is indeed stellar! Your bear makes for great reading, but I am sorry for you that he's back. And I really hope you get to keep your strawberry harvest!
Thank you for the mention!
Thank you for your kind comment, Erin! Yes, so many wonderful memories. This piece just poured out of me, so it was a coincidence that the wordplay came in 😊 I appreciate the good vibes for my strawberries too!
Your dad sounds wonderful - so lucky to have someone like this in your life and I loved reading about all of his endearing quirks! I also believe - because I am sentimental AND a bit on the mystical side of things- that he absolutely 'speaks' to you via the stars. Thanks to both of you for this post!
Hello Sue, thank you for this wise and lovely comment! I had hesitated to share that quirky thing about my dad communicating from the other side of the infinite via shooting stars, but it was one of those things that I couldn’t *not* write…so to hear that it spoke to you warms my heart.
I have so enjoyed your comments on Prue’s Knots in the String, so I will be watching for more! Thank you so much for reading 😊
Bears! Ye Gods!!!!
Yes, heading into a second round this spring 😬 Thank you for reading, Prue!
I started following you last year when you had such problems in your garden with the bears and both my husband and I had to rethink our whole attitude to our own garden pests: rabbits, possums, blackbirds and caterpillars... so very tame!!!
It’s true, that we haven’t been able to build a fence or devise a food garden defensive strategy that will keep a bear out. But I can attest those little critters—bunnies, birds, and caterpillars, small as they are—can wreck a garden too!
We haven’t seen any possums here…but I’m sure they are as relentless as the other pests above.
So onward with enjoying nature and wildlife—as we both fight the good fight to keep our gardens intact! Take care 😊