Day Four – Time to Change the Time

Back we come to that technology thing again :-/  My cell phone and my TomTom (I think…I’ll have to check that one again) automatically switched to Central time, but my computer and my watch are still on Eastern.  I hate changing my watch…twice a year is enough! But rather than be an hour early to everything, I will comply.

I checked in when I arrived late last night, got my room key, and promptly got lost…again.  In my own defense, it was dark…you can’t see the building names well in the dark.  But it’s not like this is the first time on this trip…that was in Lexington. Yeah…NC…25 miles from home.  I suddenly realized that I had missed the US 64 exit…there was an 18-wheeler in the way of the sign! Not my fault, right? It’s not like I had been through that exit before…except to take Daniel to work…a couple of times.  OK! But I did figure it out before I got to Concord!!  Give me credit for that!  I think I did pretty good overall getting here without having to backtrack more than twice…ALRIGHT…six times!

I mentioned the kudzu on Day One…remember?  Do you know the history of this creeping blanket?  In the early 1900′s, the US government offered root cuttings to southern farmers for erosion control, actually PAYING them to plant the stuff.  My great-

grandfather jumped on the bandwagon and sent his son (my grandfather) to obtain some of these roots.  My grandfather tried his best to convince HIS father that this was not a good idea, but being the good son that he was, went to do his father’s bidding.  The story that came to me through my mother was that my grandfather picked out the deadest-looking roots he could find, brought them home, dropped them on the ground, and stomped each one once.  The rest of the story is still visible on the shoulders of NC 50 south of Garner – kudzu covers anything that doesn’t move out of its way.

This vine, which was imported from Japan, grows up to a foot a day and can cross a busy

highway.  It can endure drought, severe mowing and close grazing, and does well in poor, rocky soil.  It has spread into the midwest and northeast parts of the country and appears to be becoming even hardier.  Some herbicides make it grow better.  It’s even said that you should close the windows at night to keep it from coming into the house.

 

And you wonder why some people don’t trust the government….