Where Does the Time Go?

Doesn't that title sound so cliche'?  But, honest to goodness, it is so true.  I often wonder how I got to this place, but I guess I did it like everyone else...one day at a time.

The garden was a big success this year, as was our initial foray into beekeeping.  I finally ended the summer with 50 quarts of green beans, 56 half-pint jars of raspberry jam (and not finished yet as I ran out of jars), 24 squash casseroles, 27 pints of pickles,  50 onions (many of which rotted since I didn't use them fast enough), 50 quarts of tomatoes, 40 quarts of corn (I didn't grow the corn), a slew of peppers, and some peas.  Now that sounds great, but all that stuff takes work.  We also managed to harvest 6 1/2 gallons of honey from our single hive.  One of our hives didn't make it, and we had to combine them, but the honey came before the combination of the hives.  Right now we just hope our bees are surviving the winter, mild though it has been so far.

I love the summer and fall up here as it provides opportunities for our friends to visit.  For some reason, nobody wants to come in the winter.  Imagine!

Joe and Karen came a couple of times.  Once we made Brunswick stew, and they came for Thanksgiving.  Karen was my best friend when we were high schoolers growing up in Greensboro, NC.  We did not go to the same high school (although Joe was a classmate), but attended the same church.  They married while I was still in college (I was one of her bridesmaids) and went to Raleigh while Joe finished at State.  He became a pilot in the Air Force and they took off for parts unknown.  Once Karen's parents left Greensboro, I lost touch with her and it was another 45 years until we reconnected.  It was like we had never lost touch and she remains a bright spot in my life.  This picture was taken at Thanksgiving.  I apologize for the gaping hole in my teeth, but I am awaiting an implant and I often forget to put my flipper in because I hate to wear it so much!

Karen and Lynn

There are some people to whom I will always be connected, no matter how much time elapses between connection.  Alice is one of those for me.  When I was a young teacher in an elementary school, I became disenamored with the principal of my school and knew that it was time to move on. So, when an opening came up in a nearby high school I applied for and got the position.  Keep in mind that I had been teaching special needs children in an elementary school, and though the students in the high school were also special needs, they were high schoolers and the curriculum was much different as were the needs of the kids.  Alice helped me acclimate to these new circumstances and in the process we became fast friends.  She left public education a few years later, and our paths diverged, but when we reconnected with Facebook we picked up where we left off.  This picture was taken at Dry Falls, a dramatic waterfall not far from my house.

Alice

And then there is Wilma.  She became my bosom buddy when we, as second year teachers, wound up at the same school.  In fact, I took her place as a special needs teacher when she moved to 6th grade.  This school was in Wayne County, NC and we moved to Mecklenburg at the same time when her husband, who worked for Fish and Wild Life, was transferred.  They only spent a couple of years in Mecklenburg before moving back to the eastern part of the state, and we went 9 years without seeing or talking to each other.  When we did it was as if we had talked the day before.  She comes up here as often as she can, and brings people with whom I am not acquainted, but who nevertheless leave as friends.  This picture is of Wilma and our friend, Nannie.

Wilma and Nannie

My Georgia cousins, Anne and Beth, came this summer.  We do not see each other frequently so it is always a very special occasion for me.  I did have a picture of them picking up acorns to take back to Beth's daughter for her pet squirrel, but I can't find it on my phone.

I still manage to travel to Charlotte pretty frequently, and I try to use those visits to see people that I care about.  On one such visit I had supper with Marvin and Lisa, colleagues at Ardrey Kell High School in Charlotte.  We, along with several other administrators, opened the school and all of us became fast friends.  Though we have moved on, those days will always be special.

Lisa, Marvin, and Lynn

And then there is the Big Chill that we have once a year with our college friends.  Most of the usual crew was here and we, as always, had a wonderful time.  This picture is of the ladies.  For some reason, I didn't get one of the gentlemen (?).

Claudia, Jane, Marti, and Lynn

Over the course of the summer and fall, I have had the opportunity to see some of the special people in my life.  My mother is 91 years old, and continues to add spice to our lives.  My grandchildren are totally wonderful.  Gracen and Avery were bridesmaids in their aunt's wedding in October, and were, of course, beautiful.  Katelyn, Lauren, and JJ keep themselves busy with school and sports, but on occasion I am able to corral them for a picture!

Sweet Mama

Gracen and Avery

Katelyn, JJ, and Lauren

My sister's (Judy) youngest son was married this summer.  David and Shayna's wedding was so sweet and we had a good time.  I missed some of the festivities as I was responsible for mother and, she being short on stamina, cut things short to get her home.  I did get  pictures of the happy couple at their shower; of my beautiful sister; and of the nervous bridegroom.

David and Shayna

Sister Judy

Nervous Bridegroom

I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but I have a car that is an issue magnet.  It seems like it is always something with this thing.  I have it in the shop for minor glitches what seems like all the time.  Earlier in the summer I backed over a rock ( not the car's fault, but still), and about a month ago I hit a deer on my way back from Charlotte one morning.  The car turned out to be drivable, and I just took it to the body shop on Monday as they were very busy.  I hope to be able to pick it up tomorrow. I think it looks like it's missing a jaw what with the eyes still there and part of the mouth.  I think when I pass people on the road they silently vow to stay away from this woman!

Deer Damage

I am going to make another post in a few days that will chronicle an event that I have kept secret for many years.  It is time to make it known and my life has unfolded to make it possible and positive.

In the meantime, I leave you with a couple of beautiful scenes. The moon shot was taken about dusk one evening in late summer, and the other is of fall foliage taken from our porch.

Hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and will also have a wonderful holiday season.

Love to all of you!

Busy Summer

My goodness, has it been nearly 3 months since I last posted?  As I recall, I promised to get back to you after the summer.  It's not over yet, but so much has happened in this crazy life of mine that I thought I'd forget.  Lists are a part of life these days!  That seems appropriate as I just celebrated my 69th birthday!

Magic Pass

To start with, I had a wonderful, wonderful trip to Disney World and Universal Studios with Adam's family and my grandmother-in-law (Shanna's mother).  I had not been to Disney in many years.  The last time I went, we had paper tickets and no fast passes.  Now the passes are like credit cards and your presence in the park is tracked digitally.  Your park pass is key to everything.  Technology is so amazing.  Whatever you give up in privacy is made up for in convenience!  I guess if you are worried overmuch about privacy, you should become a hermit.



We spent one day in Magic Kingdom, a fun spot for kids of all ages; a day in Animal Kingdom, and a day at Universal Studios, mostly in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley, though we did find our way through Seussville, and to Shrek.  Over the course of three days we walked 21 miles (I know that because of the health app on my iPhone, another technological wonder).  I was so glad that it was time to go home on Monday because I do not think I could have spent another day walking a park.  I did make it my mission to get over my fear of roller coasters, and depending on Adam and Avery (age 7) for support, I rode nearly every coaster in the parks we visited, and went from being a scared little wuss to Queen of the Roller Coasters!  I guess you're never too old to conquer your fears.  My favorites were "The Yeti" in Animal Kingdom, which (among more common coaster elements), also rode you backwards in the dark.  Fun.  I also liked  the "Dragon Challenge" in Hogsmeade.  It took you upside down.  It was a very intense ride, and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!  The best part though, was seeing the parks again through the eyes of a child.  Gracen and Avery were as wide eyed as my children were the first time we took them.  Not bad for a second childhood, either.

MiMi and Ghi Ghi with Avery and Gracen

Up Close and Personal in Animal Kingdom

Fire-Breathing Protector of Gringotts Bank

Gracen celebrated her 9th birthday while we were there and it was also Mother's Day.  I was happy to be with my baby boy that day!

Happy Birthday, Gracie!!!

Adam and Mom in Seussville

The day I got home a rain storm left a beautiful rainbow in the sky.  I thought it was a wonderful way for nature to say "Welcome Home!"

Welcome Home

I believe that I told you I would be going to Texas to keep the girls for a week while their parents went to Aruba.  As is common in this life, plans change and the girls came here.  I shared their visit with Ghi Ghi (the other grandmother).  When I picked them up we went to Charlotte for a couple of days to see "the cousins".  The five of them do not see each other very often and everybody had a good time.  MiMi (me) got to spend a day with the five of them together, a very special time to remember.  We all had lunch together and then went to "Dish It Out" to make some ceramic creations.  It was great fun.

Dessert Makers, Reni and Avery

The Crew at Dish It Out

Several days later Adam and Shanna came home, and Jon and his family came to the ridge and we had a too short (but fun) family get together.  I love having everybody together.  It gladdens my heart and I cherish every minute.  The pics are MiMi and PapaJim with all the grands and Mom and the boys.  I love these pictures.

The Grands

Mom and the Boys

I think I told you about the bees which we had just gotten when I made my last post.  Well, the season has wound down and our results have been mixed.  One of our hives has performed as it is supposed to.  The other has failed to thrive and we have had to combine it with the healthy hive to insure its survival through the winter.  We do not know why it has not thrived.  There is no disease, but it has gone through two queens with no apparent success.  Our last examination showed that there was no queen in the hive (having died or been killed for some reason).  It is too late to requeen so the next best option was to combine the two hives.   The winter population of hives is much smaller than the summer one, and these two hives together appear to have sufficient honey for winter stores, so it should work. (But that's what we have thought all season when we tried everything there was to try to support this hive).  The other hive, however, has been gang busters.  We have harvested 1 of the 3 honey supers and got the equivalent of 25 sixteen ounce jars of honey.  It is beautiful, clear, and delicious.  We will harvest another super this weekend and the last one weekend after.  Then we will prepare the hive for winter, and plan to split it in the spring.  This has been a real experience and we have had lots of fun.  I got some beeswax to melt and managed to cover my whole kitchen, in addition to rendering useless for anything except for melting the wax a number of utensils.  Also, my wax was pretty dirty, so I need to remelt and filter through a better filter. Then I am going to try to make some lip gloss and some soap.  They appear to be the easiest things to do as a novice.  No candles for me right now!!!

Beautiful Honey

Dirty Wax

The garden, as always, has taken up a large amount of my time.  I have canned beans, made pickles and squash casseroles, and frozen peas. We bought corn to cream and we finished that yesterday.  It is such hard work, but if you survive a day or two knee deep in corn husks and corn sticky all over the counters, the eating is good in the winter!  I am still harvesting beans, and the tomatoes have not stared ripening in any quantity yet, but that will happen in about a week.  We had a huge raspberry crop this year.  I ran out of time to do anything with them, so I froze them using a vacuum sealer and I will make some jam this winter when I have more time on my hands.  They were delicious!  I don't really mind all the hard work because when I look at my larder and its bounty, my heart is filled with thanks and joy.

Pretty Pickles

Green Beans

The rest of the summer and fall will be busy with friends and family.  I am also going to have some dental work done that I really, really dread.  But it has to be done so I'll do it.

We hope that all of you have a good fall and we'll be back later!  Love to all.

It's Spring, and Things Come Alive

Once again, the inexorable passage of time returns to spring...a time when  activity of all sorts picks up and the lives of big and small take on a new dimension.  I told someone the other day that I sometimes get bored during the winter.  It is very often too cold to be outside, or I am snowed in, or many of the things I occupy myself with during the "season" are not operating.  I do read a lot and watch a lot of Netflix!  But spring...oh, my...everything takes on a new urgency and there is so much to consider.

But first, the winter.  We had a cold and wet winter season, though some have been worse.  We had our share of snow and even had some stuck vehicles as our drive is not always conducive to smooth locomotion up to the top.  These pics show the drive and Jim's car stuck at the bottom of the steep hill that is about half way up our drive.  Well, no more of that till next winter!

Heading Up the Driveway

STUCK!!

We did have a welcome respite from the weather when our friends Jim and Jarleth visited.  It didn't snow and it was warm enough to get out and visit the sights that the mountains offer.  We visited waterfalls (always a favorite), had lunch out, and just generally enjoyed the companionship of good friends.  Joe and Karen came this past weekend and we played with our new bees (more on that later) and cooked.  I tried two new guinea pig recipes on them, and I must say, they turned out well!  I got a pic of Joe in the truck as we returned from the bee shop.  Sorry, Karen!

Jim and Jarleth

Joe Joe

Adam and Shanna came from Austin during their spring break.  They spent several days with us and several days with Shanna's mother.  All of us girls went to Biltmore for a day, visited the Dressing Downton exhibit, and had a generally good time together.  The farm had new baby goats which were a big hit with all of us.

Grandmas with Gracen and Avery

Shanna and the Girls

I took another trip to Biltmore this spring, this time with my sisters and a family friend.  The weather wasn't quite as cooperative this time, but we toured the house and took the "Upstairs, Downstairs"
guided tour which gave wonderful insight into the workings of this palatial home.  We ate, did a little shopping, but were unable to see the gardens because of the pouring rain!  Oh, well, next time!

Mary, Judy, and Lynn

Mary and Abby

In the spring the wildlife around here comes alive.  It is very common to see turkeys, deer, grouse, bear, etc.  It is not, however, common to see fox.  They are shy, mostly nocturnal, creatures, so siting them is a special privilege.  One sunny morning (after a 10 day period of rain) I was looking out the back window and saw some movement down in the woods.  The foliage has not filled out yet, so I watched a little while, not knowing quite what I was seeing.  I first thought it might be a hedgehog, and then I though it might be some feral kittens.  Turns out that it was four little foxes.  There is a den down under a log which is easily visible from inside the house.  Jim and I have been watching the little things grow up.  Mama has a schedule with them so we watch them often.  They have about doubled in size as we have watched, and are becoming braver and braver and are venturing farther and farther from the den.  They are just amazing!  We have seen a fox that we think is the father...a reasonably large red fox with a white tipped tail and black boots and ear tips.  Mama is grey and red with the same ears and boots.  Three of the kits are replicas of Dad; the other looks like Mom.  I know that they will just disappear one day, but I am enjoying them while I can.  I love living around wildlife.  Not many people have the privilege of seeing nature up close.  I was able to get a picture through a screen of Mom, but cannot get close enough to get pics of the kits.

Mama Fox Examing Breakfast Choices

This winter Jim and I decided to take a beekeeping class.  In addition to being curious people and always being ready to learn something new, Jim is thinking about his retirement and figured that beekeeping might be interesting as well as being a service to the environment.  So we signed up for a class and drug ourselves to it in the snow for two weekends.  The third weekend was a field trip when we actually got to play with the bees, and to observe what the hive should actually look like. We got our bees this past weekend and installed them in their little bee house.  We decided to use a house instead of just putting them out in a field because of the risk of bears robbing the hives, and protecting the bees from the cold winds that blow here.  Now we just hope we can keep them alive and healthy so they will be productive.  We are somewhat like new parents...you know how new parents are always checking to see if the new baby is still breathing.  We are constantly going to the bee house to see if they are still flying!  Bee society is immensely interesting, complicated, and amazing!  The bee nucs are what our bees came in from the "factory".  They are actually a bee starter kit.  Here we are in our bee suits in front of our bee house, and Jim acting as beekeeper!

Bee Nucs

In Front of the Bee House

The Beekeeper

I am going to be busy for the next little bit.  Next week I am joining Adam, Shanna, and the girls in Orlando, FL. We will visit Disney World and Universal.  I can hardly wait.  Judi, the girls' other grandmother, and I will fly down together.  We will celebrate Gracen's birthday and Mother's Day there.  In June, I will travel to Austin, TX to keep the girls while their parents go to Aruba to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary.  I think Adam and Shanna are worried that I'll be overworked while there, but I think I'm still up to the task!

I'll get back to you after the summer is over.  We hope each of you has a fun, restful season with friends and family.  Love you!!!

Hips, Holidays, and Other Celebrations

I sometimes wonder how I got to this age.  It seems like yesterday when I was a teenager; a newlywed; a young mother; a first time grandmother; a retiree.  Today I am closer to 70 than I am 65 (oh, lord) and I guess I got there just like everyone else does...living one day at a time.  I also sometimes lament the sameness of my days and the predictablility of my life.  But I get over that in a pretty big hurry!  In sameness there is security, and in predictability there is certainty.  After all, at my age, one can't take TOO much excitement.  Besides, it is in the small parts of life that the greatest treasures reside!

The fall brought a big change for Jim.  After spending a summer in great pain (and also the inability to do anything) with an arthritic hip, he marshalled the courage for a replacement.  It was a great success and I am happy to report that as of this writing, he is back to normal.  I, personally, am grateful because I was having to do everything around here...some of which stretched my physical capabilities.  He is glad he took the step and we are looking forward to many years of activity that we have missed the last number of months.

Jim Waking

We spent Thanksgiving Day with my daughter-in-law's mother and stepfather.  We affectionately call each other "my grandmother-in-law" and happily share two grandchildren.  Judi and Jim have built a new house in Asheville and it is lovely.  I love my house and would describe it as "country beautiful".  Judi's house is just elegant.  It has beautiful woodwork, lovely tilework, and (best of all) a gorgeous waterfall and pond right outside the front door.  The celebration was wonderful, the food was fantastic, and the opportunity to share the holiday with Jim's daughter and son-in-law and their three beautiful chidlren was just the perfect answer to a holiday when we were away from our own family.

Judi and Jim's Waterfall

In early December we took a trip to Austin, Texas to see Adam and his family.  Jim drove and worked along the way.  I need to say that he is the WORST driving partner in the world.  On the first day we intended to get to Jackson, Mississippi which is about half way from here to Austin.  The journey generally takes 8-9 hours.  It took us 12.  The next day he had to work so we didn't leave Jackson until late and got as far as Tyler, TX.  The trip from Tyler to Austin is billed at 3 1/2 hours.  It took us 6 1/2 as we took the scenic route through back woods Texas.  Not sure I'm going to do this again.  But the trip was worth it as the few days we spent with Adam, Shanna, and the grands was, as always, uplifting.  We made cookies, had a "fake" Christmas (that's what Gracen calls an early celebration), and generally enjoyed family time with people we see infrequently.  They will be up in March and I am already excited!

Christmas Cookie Monsters

Jon and his family came up a few days before Christmas and we had our celebration with them.  We see them infrequently, also, as their busy schedules keep them all running up and down the road!  The weather was terrible, foggy and damp, but the rain held off until they left and the kids were able to go to the "Toy Pond Park" (a little area we have on our property that has a very small pond) and target shoot.  They live in the city, so opportunities to use firearms are few and far between for them.  Jim and Jon use it as a time to teach them firearm safety as well as a time for fun.  JJ graduated from BBs to a 22 and went home to tell his cousins that he had shot a "real" gun.  The girls are very good shots and Patti isn't bad herself!  A good time was had by all and our unwrapping and dinner celebrations were festive.

JJ

Reni

Reni,  JJ , Katie

In mid-January, Jim and I celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary.  We have been married more than twice as long as we were single and the thought of life without the other is not a pretty one.We took off for Asheville in search of activity and finally wound up at the Thomas Wolfe Historic Site.  When Adam got married in Asheville 15 years ago, the boarding house where Wolfe grew up was being restored after a fire.  So, for 15 years I have been talking about going to visit it.  We finally did and it was very much worth the trip and cost of admission.  It is a very large domicile and was immortalized in Wolfe's first novel, Look Homeward, Angel.  I have not read the book since high school so I bought a copy in order to reread it.  I'm trying to finish up some of the twelve I currently have on my iPad before I get started, but it is sitting on my dresser, beckoning me.  My willpower will probably be overcome before too long!

Thomas Wolfe House

The winter has been pretty benign so far.  We have gotten a bit of snow as the southernmost element of the northeast blizzard, but it is little more than a dusting with very cold temperatures.  I did decline to take off for Charlotte today for a dental appointment, but rescheduled for several weeks out.  I try not to be on the road when it is icy.

We hope all is well with all of you; that your holidays were all you wished for; and that your lives are happy and content.  I leave you with a porch portrait of a beautiful sunrise.  Even though the beauty of this place has gotten ordinary in many ways, sunrises never get old!  Love to all.

Ridge Sunrise