Good Friends, Good Color, and the Invasion of the Unwanted

A couple of weekends ago, Cathey and Tom Ward, good friends of ours from Charlotte, came to see us.  Cathey and I both began working for CMS in 1974 at Steele Creek Elementary School.  She was a school counselor and I was the resident special ed teacher.  We became very good friends and that friendship has lasted across the decades.  She and Tom are progressive liberals, and JR and I are damn near Libertarians, so you can imagine the spirited conversations we had regarding the past administration, this administration, and the forthcoming elections!  And, while they were spirited, they were respectful and non-toxic...well, each of us raised our voices at least once!  :):):)  When we weren't talking politics, we visited a piece of property on the other side of the county that the Forest Service had mistaken for their own, and managed to ruin, resulting in a citation of violation to us from the county government.  JR has spent much of the fall with the governments in three NC counties.  It's no wonder we are over government in almost all forms!  We had a great time!  Cathey has had some health issues, but things are all positive now.  For that I am very grateful!

   







The fall color has been spectacular this year.  I have heard that the absence of rain during the spring and summer results in more vibrant colors in the fall.  That seems to be the case this year.  I have taken some pictures, but since I am a lousy photographer, it is likely that they do not capture the splendor.  This is probably peak weekend at our elevation, but the color has already begun its relentless march down the mountains and into the foothills.

JR and I have decided that we live on a old Indian burial ground.  There is some veracity to this as our mountain used to be in Cherokee territory and was used as a pasture for their horses.  Odd things happen here from time to time.  For example, we have unexplained noises.  They sound like boards dropping, and even when you know where the noise comes from there is nothing to see.  And then there are the migrating smells.  They are vaguely unpleasant, but not horrific.  One can identify the room where the smells emanate, but can find nothing that can be producing them.  They last for about 12 hours, and then are gone.  So far, we haven't had any guests when they have made their olfactory appearances, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time until somebody has to move out of their bedroom!  Perhaps I should contact an exorcist!

And then there are the ladybugs.  The Forest Service releases them every fall so they can attack some bug that lives on Christmas trees.  Of course, trees are big business here, so it's hard to complain except that they get in the house and it doesn't even matter that doors and windows are closed.  They were released on Sunday, and we saw them coming in a cloud across the valley.  I suppose this is what the biblical locusts looked like.  I hate them.  Every morning I go around sweeping them up off the floors and the window sills.  They get in drawers, and I've even found them in the bed.  Did you know those little suckers bite?  They'll be here until spring.  Geez.

We are looking forward to the Big Chill this weekend.  We began this annual celebration a number of years ago and invite our old college friends.  This year there will be nine of us here.  We were hoping for 13, but Bob and Claudia, and Keith and Carol couldn't make it.  I'll take pics and share them with you next time.


Until...love to all.