Snow, The Unexpected, and a 50th Reunion

The past two winters have been pretty benign up here in the hills.  This winter has been more severe, but still can't hold a candle to the winters of 2009-10 and 2010-11. Those were the winters when I earned the name "Rapunzel", owing to the fact that I was pretty much stuck up here on the mountain. Still, we had about 10 1/2/ inches of snow which is nothing to sneeze at.  The video on the right was taken at the heavy part of the storm.  It snowed like this for many hours. Update:  I don't think this video works and I can't figure out how to delete it.  Sorry!

Before

After

Navigating my driveway is interesting under the best of conditions, but when the snow piles up around the dog-leg, it is treacherous.  It takes quite some time for the snow to melt there due to it being on the north side of the mountain, and to the presence of copious amounts of shade.  It is often a serious impediment to getting back to normal here, so I have decided to cut some trees to allow the sun to more easily strike the surface.  I'm sure the change will be stark, but there's no help for it.  This picture was the early after...it's really different now!

 I did enjoy the white stuff though.  It is very pretty when it is falling, and I've never outgrown the childhood joy of snowman making.  I made a single small snow person, and dressed it in male and female attire, thus creating the first snow person who is also a cross dresser!

Pretty

I am not a particularly sanquine person when it comes to dealing with unexpected crises.  So when, in addition to the snow and to the severe thunderstorms that came shortly after, we suddenly found ourselves out of water and the electronic gate wouldn't close, I became agitated.  The gate was one thing, but being without water was something else.  It happened on a weekend so we had to wait for the plumber.  Water and electricity are two things that are so central to existence that they are used unconsciously until they are not available.  Then, BAM!!  Extreme consternation!  A bushing in the water gizmo at the spring had frozen in the sub-zero cold a few weeks previously.  It was an easy fix, thankfully.  The gate...well, the electronic control board had chosen this time to retire.  Haven't gotten the bill for that one yet.

I commissioned a potter to make 12 place settings and some additional serving pieces for me.  I have been wanting new dishes for about five years, but wasn't sure just what I wanted.  I am not really a person of vision, but I know what the perfect thing is when I see it.  I saw this potter's work at several shops in the area, and everytime I saw it, I could see it gracing  my dining room table.   I picked them up today from her studio in Weaverville.  Aren't they beautiful?  They look like the mountains.  And I love the soup bowl!

Salvaterra Pottery, Weaverville, NC

When I was visiting my son and his family in Texas in December, my daughter-in-law ( a brilliant person) had a new vacuum.  It was the coolest thing...small, light, and perfect for small jobs that involve dog hair.  It has a number of attachments and is easy to carry around.  Not good for heavy duty vacuuming and it works better on bare floors than carpet, but it sure beats getting the big vacuum out for small chores.  It is a Dyson something or another, and generally costs about $400.  Jim found one for me on close-out at Sam's Club in Hickory for $263.  I love to save money.

The Dyson

This weekend we journeyed to Asheville to watch one of our Charlotte granddaughters play in a soccer match.  We were so proud of her!  She punched in one of the three goals that was scored by her winning team!   Lauren is the little one in the green jersey and the orange shoes.  It was a pretty exciting game and it was extra special to see her and her Daddy.  I wish we could see more of them, but families these days seem to be non-stop involved.  I'm sure I couldn't keep up the pace!

Lauren on the Soccer Field

My 50th high school reunion is this year.  My, has it been that long?  I have only been to one other, but I'm going to this one, so I've been doing some thinking about it.  I wonder how many of us will try to lose weight or will consider a facelift in an effort to recall a half century?  I know that 50 years has certainly changed me.  I have grown from a shy, tentative teen-ager into a strong and confident woman.  I have lived through good times and bad; made my share of mistakes and tried to learn from them; and been successful in every way that matters...in my marriage of 45 years; in the parenting that resulted in the development of two strong and independent adults; in many long standing friendships; and in my professional career.  I have found that in the larger scheme of things, high school makes little difference.  Nevertheless, a reunion is a reconnection to people to whom we may never have been connected except for that accident of residence.  Even though I do not remember all the members of my very large class (and I daresay they don't remember me), my slightly pudgy and somewhat wrinkled self will greet them with a smile on my face and joy in my heart!

Love to all of you!  And, now, today's porch portrait: