The Best Laid Plans...

My intention had been to create a blog titled "On to Austin!!!"  That was until the weather became very uncooperative.  I am (still) planning to got to Austin on Thursday to visit Adam, Shanna, and the most wonderful grandchildren, Gracie and Avery.  Ummm...we have about 8 inches of snow on the ground as I write, and it isn't supposed to stop anytime soon.  I could, once again, be stuck.  I have resolved not to cry.

Anyway, the last thing to keep me prisoner was the damn dog, but his doggie care facility is now complete, and we feel pretty confident that we can leave him for a couple of days without having to worry about him.  The cat, being pretty self-sufficient, will, as always, be fine with food, water, and a litter box.  You know, the older I get, the more I'm like my mama...she doesn't want to take care of anything anymore!

OK.  Back to the subject hand.  Those of you that know me well, know that when we moved to the mountains, we gave up the comforts of a fenced in back yard, and a doggie door.  We have been working with a wrought iron guy (who doubles as a VERY GOOD country singer: Name: Freddie Way) to create a "doggie daycare facility" (prison) that would protect him, keep him comfortable, and allow us some time off.  Until this project was complete, one of us had to be here all the time.  OK.  It is complete!  Therefore, I felt very comfortable leaving him with food and water (and an intermittent caretaker) for a few days while I went to Austin, TX to see Adam (on his birthday), and, most importantly, the grandchildren.  This could work...except for the fact that I now have about 8 inches of snow on the ground with the probability that it won't quit until midnight.  I am now playing things by ear...or snowfall inches.  The snow has been very heavy, and I wish that I could say that it is diminishing...wishful thinking!  I tried to take a pic of the falling snow, but I don't think I know the resolutions on the camera that will do that.  Use your imagination.

So...I may or may not get to Austin, but I will leave you with pics of the doggie prison, and of the latest snow.  I don't think there will be anyone more happy than I to get the winter over with.

Love to all.

FINALLY...A KITCHEN!! Plus, other items of possible interest.

OK!!!  I finally have a kitchen...water, range, oven, micro, and dishwasher!!!  It's like I really live in the 21st century!  All that is left in the kitchen is the new refrigerator...soon forthcoming.  Do you have any idea how good it is to have water, fire, and refrigeration?  Of course not...none of you have had to do without!  :):)

Now, just so you don't think that everything is fine, I need to let you know that after four days being stuck on the mountain following two 6 inch snowfalls in 3 days, I finally got down.  The only real problem was that I couldn't get up.  I managed to set my (4-wheel drive) car/truck sidways in the road.  I had groceries in the car and I had to make 3 trips of about half mile up and a half mile down in boots that weren't good to get the stuff out of the car and into the refrig.  At least I got some exercise.  That would have been good except the refrig died. UMM.. do you think that I should have rethought this move?  Well, too late, we're here and really do love it.  Luckily we have a backup. This winter has been challenging.  Challenges are not over.  As I write, we are expecting about 3-4 new inches of snow.  I was going to Charlotte tomorrow.  I've had a dental appointment that I have had to cancel twice already because of snow.  This could be the third.  Another issue is that if Freddie can't get up to complete the doggie compound, I could be here while planning to be in Austin.  I'm trying not to cry about that one.  Maybe God will smile on me.  I missed a visit at Christmas and am hoping to make Adam's birthday.  But, as I told one of my sisters today, this is a small problem when compared to the problems of others.

THE SIDEWAYS CAR

Hopefully, I will report to you from Charlotte and Austin.  Love to all.

Escape From Rapunzel's Tower

I have been snowed in so many times this winter that I have lost count of the number.  But..it's been often enough that my sister-in-law, Renee, has begun to refer to this place as Rapunzel's Tower.  It feels like that sometimes, too.  Maybe I can grow my hair long enough to make a zip line to get down the hill!  I did manage a brief escape last Thursday, though my intention was to leave on Wednesday.  I missed two appointments in Charlotte, but was able to make the third, and then go to Greensboro to see Mama.  The only problem was...I took the snow with me, 4/5 inches in Charlotte, and about an inch and a half in Greensboro.  Everybody but me was delighted.

I headed back to the mountain on Saturday...to only about 6 inches of new snow.  JR met me in Asheville and we rug shopped and ate lunch out, then trekked back up here not knowing if we were going to be able to get up the mountain or not.  Cullowhee Mountain Road was thick with ice and snow, but Pine Creek and Yellow Mountain were pretty much okay.  We got to our dirt road and managed that okay and came up our steep drive without too much trouble.  But it snowed again on Sunday and JR left before he got snowed in.  I'm still here!  I don't know what our accumulation was this time, but it's pretty deep and there has been little melt off since the temperatures are so cold.  I'd like all of you to come, but maybe winter isn't the time to do that! I might be able to get down tomorrow when it warms up some, or I COULD work on my taxes.

I finally have water in my kitchen, the granite is installed, and some of the appliances have been installed.  The granite installers had to be pulled up the mountain with the John Deere, and the appliance installers had to leave because of the snow in this area and South Carolina (where they live).  They may come on Friday if it doesn't snow again.  Big Green is waiting!!!  I can't wait to get all of it in so I can display a snapshot, but at least, I don't have to haul dishes to the doggie bath anymore!

The Great Weather Conspiracy

It seems that the weather is in a determined conspiracy to keep me from any plans that I may have.  In addition to being snowed in for 5 whole days ALONE, (an event chronicled in a previous post), the weather has kept me from final completion of my house, from the beach, and may keep me from getting back from Charlotte on Friday.

After the big Christmas snow, we experienced very cold temperatures, as did much of the rest of the country.  It didn't get above freezing for two weeks, but when it did and the dirt road that leads to our driveway began to thaw and refreeze, some odd phenomenon occurred.  I do not understand the physics of it, but a HUGE mud hole opened up in the road and nothing could get through it.  The best I can describe it is as a big mud swamp.  Now, what did that mean for me?  Well...I had planned to go to the beach with my bridge buddies for a whole week, and had made my plans so that things that had to be done before I could go would be done.  The wrought iron guy was coming to put up a doggie run, so Chet could be left alone for a few days.  The granite people were coming to measure for the granite, the tractor guy was going to deliver the tractor, and the plumber was coming to hook up a sink.  But none of these things could happen because there was a hole in the road.  Consequently, no beach trip for me because there was no place for the dog; no granite measurement, thus extending the time for my kitchen to get done; no sink hook-up, meaning that I still had to cart dishes down to the doggie bath to wash them.  The tractor guy did come after the road got sort of fixed (it could recur, this hole), and the granite people came last Thursday and are going to install the countertops this Thursday; but there was no trip to the beach, just like there was no trip to Austin in December.

Ah, well, we had another storm this past Friday...about 9 inches of snow with an inch of ice on top of that, but the temperature was warmer and we were able to get down the mountain on Sunday.  Did you think you would ever say that 40 degrees was warm?  Well, it is, and it means that snow melts!  Weather forecast for today was to be freezing rain, but we dodged that bullet and are only having regular rain.  Still, Friday is forecast to have a wintry mix.  I'll be in Charlotte.  Could it be possible that I'll be snowed out?  Just hang on for the next installment.  If it ever gets to be spring I'll be a happy camper...but spring comes slowly to the ridge.  I guess I'll just have to wait it out!

SCOTT BROWN FOR MASS SENATOR!!!

JR tells me that we will have no friends left if I keep telling everybody about my poilitical views.  And I know that most of our acquaintances are liberal.  But, guess what?  I'm not and I can't stay quiet anymore.

NEVER in my sixty-three years have I ever been more frustrated with our government.  NEVER have I been more concerned about the direction that our government is taking, with its wild lurch to the ideological left and to more and more government control. 

While it is true that I am a small government proponent, it is also true that am not a "no" government proponent.  I do not object to paying my fair share of taxes (and I do so every year).  Nor do I object to our government taking care of the less fortunate of our society.  These things are the price of a principled people and a caring society.  BUT...I do object to paying for Nebraska's Medicaid, and for Louisana's Purchase, and for the unions' "cadillac" taxes, and for whatever other bribes that have been made so Obama can have his political "legacy".

First of all, any legacy he has will be toatlly negative.  This bill is a travesty committed against the American people...all of the American people, not just the "rich".  What have the "Federales" ever done that has been a sustained good?..Social Security (broke), Medicaid (broke), Medicare (broke), Amtrak (broke and heavily subsidized), USPS (broke and heavily subsidized), Fannie and Freddie (broke and not subject to the newly suggested "Responsbility Tax").  AIG, GM, Chrysler..also not subject to the "Responsibility Tax", .  By the way, they are the only ones who have not paid back their TARP loans with interest.  They are no
less responsible than the federal government whose liberal policies required them to make risky loans.  I do not claim to be an economic genius (Puh..leeze), but anybody who can lick a pencil can tell what is good economic policy and what isn't.  Barney Frank, Ted Kenndy, and Chris Dodd, with their liberal leanings, did more to harm this country than all of the Bush administration.

And that brings me to another issue...Obama needs to take responsibility for his failures, rather than just foisting them off on the "previous" administration.  He is now the President, and has been for a year.  This is his baby now.  All adminstrations have "inherited" issues that have to be solved.  Too bad.  He asked for the job, he got it, and now it's his to fix.  This crap about "inheritance" is just that...crap.  Time to put on your big boy pants and deal with it!!!.

So, Scott Brown... GO FOR IT!!!  Win this election.  Bring some sense of patriotism back to this country. Be a Patrick Heny, a Thomas Paine, a George Washington.   Stop this lurch to big government.  Keep this administration from moving this country to the ideological left.  Keep us free.  Question with boldness. Speak without fear.  Take risks for the freedom of this nation.  I stand with you!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Here's hoping that all of you have a great new year.  2009 has been tough in many ways, but approaching life with optimism always reaps rewards!

Despite being snowed in for 5 days alone, with only myself and the animals for company, I did get some good pics of the pretty stuff.  It was particularly pretty when the sun finally came out.  In fact, it is snowing as I write.  They are only predicting 2-3 inches before it quits tomorrow night, so that's pretty light snowfall.  I've been to town, I'm making a pot of soup, I'm warm, and JR will be here tomorrow.  The picture above is from the last snow.  I liked the gold on the frozen trees.

Christmas was a lot of fun, too.  This is the first Christmas that we have spent without our children...ever.  But my sister, Mary and her twins, Zach and Ana came, as did our local friends, Curt and Christine Long.  Their daughter chose to spend the holiday with her "significant other" in Raleigh, so we were both charting new ground.  As you can tell by this picture, Mary and I were having fun!  We'd only been in the Christmas cheer for a short time.  However, it didn't get much worse

On New Year's Eve, we went to a party where we met some new neighbors.  Now, the truth is, they were all very nice, but most of them are older than we are and they live in Florida most of the winter.  It was still fun.  Our friends, Jaime and Mike Peart, who are from Georgia, came to spend the night and on New Year's Day we watched the preliminary competitions of The Iron Chef.  I really hate to say it, but the competitions were very interesting.  Mike is a chef (not by vocation, but by interest).  I love to eat things he has cooked.  Perhaps if I watch enough of the food channel, I can find my way around a kitchen!

We've had some renters who have skipped out on us.  It's just as well...we were going to have to start eviction, anyway.  Still, they left a mess that we will have to deal with.  I actually think it's a good thing.

So, until next time...perhaps when my kitchen finally gets installed and I can quit carrying dishes down to the doggy bath...love life!

I'm looking forward to going to Charlotte on Monday to be with my BG's!  It has been a while since I showed up at the supper and wine fest (and sometimes bridge).

Snow, Ice, and the Prisoner of Bobcat Ridge

It seemed like a pretty romantic notion...a little soft white stuff that made the environment look like a Christmas card.  True, there were a couple of problems...nobody to be romantic with, placement on a high ridge (increasing the chance of not so nice stuff), and Christmas.  So, on Friday morning the snow previously forcast began in earnest.  It started as ice...laying down a layer of slippery solid that has not yet melted.  So, yours truly is up here by herself.  The plan was for Mary (my sister) to come to the hills on Monday.  She was going to take care of the animals while we went to Austin for Christmas.  I have heard that if you want to make God laugh, just make some plans.  I can attest to the veracity of this statement.

It was, indeed,  pretty.  However, the prettiness has worn off.  The first couple of days were fine, but after that I entered a state that I can only compare to that of a hostage.  Fortunately, the phone, tv, electricity worked so I didn't have to "rough" it.  I do have alternative heat and cooking capabilities, so that was a plus...I think it was the only one.

One of the charming characteristics of this place is its location...high on a ridge with limited accessibility.  I am now reassessing the charm.  The ice and the elevation have conspired to keep me captive.  Although the temperature has risen, the damn ice is still on the trees.  I think it got up to 35 today.  There is a pretty solid sheet of ice under the snow (though it seems to have ameloriated somewhat), and I can't get down the mountain and nobody else can get up.

Which brings me to Christmas.  There will be no trip to Austin.  I have cried all day.  I hope JR can get up tomorrow, but if he can't then there is another storm coming on Thursday.  Mary is going to try to come, but there is the same issue with her.  Hopefully, I won't have to spend Christmas alone with the animals and their hair.  I'm pretty tired of them underfoot all the time.

However, I am well, have plenty to eat (though it really isn't what I like), am warm, have plenty of books and have been able to watch really interesting things on tv.  I hope to be able to get off this mountain tomorrow.  If not, I will be grateful for the gifts in my life and will consider that the alternatives could be worse.  Perhaps I could start a mini-monastery!

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, hope your Hannukah was good.  Love to all.