Where'd September Go?

I love to travel and come by it honestly. My Grandma Harper, when she was alive loved travel, as well. All you had to do was walk into her house and say, "Grandma would you like to GO..." and before you could reveal the destination, she would be out of her chair, saying, "Let me get my coat."

From Garden Writers of America conference, we flew home. I quickly did the most necessary business jobs, didn't even unpack my bags, but put them in my truck and drove east for a friend's wedding in Hendersonville, NC. Yes, the same area where gas shortages were so severe, lots of people were stranded. I carried filled gas cans in the back of the truck and made it ok.

While there I visited Connemara, the Carl Sandburg home and gardens in nearby Flat Rock, NC. His wife, Lillian, loved goats and took special interest in the breeding and raising of her goats. She called her animals the Chikaming herd, which included Nubians, Saanens, and Toggenburgs. An Abe Lincoln re-enactor was there, commemorating the Sandburg book on Lincoln.

The nearby town of Hendersonville, as a fund-raiser for local charities, produced dozens of fiberglass goats and parked them around the downtown area. Local businesses and individuals "adopted" the goats, painted them and kept them on display, to be auctioned off with the money going to the charities. It is a way of honoring Lillian's Chikaming herd.

The National Park Service administers the Sandburg home, where the family lived until Sandburg's death in 1987, and the gardens remain in the same location as when the Sandburgs lived there. A scarecrow welcomes visitors who are on their way to visit the goat barns.

On the way to the wedding, I found myself at the starting point, Lebanon, TN, of an annual Hundred Mile Yard Sale, which goes from Tennessee into Virginia. Never one to miss a yard sale, nor an event (thanks Grandma), I had to stop and shop. What an amazing experience it was, too. I bought myself a great sun proof garden had for a buck, a shelf for the bathroom and a brand new 2-wheel dolly for moving large objects. I had to get on my way to reach the wedding festivities, but admit to being tempted to do the entire 100 mies.
(You probably realize you can click on any photo and enlarge it. Enlarge the garage sale pic to see some of the things I could have bought!)