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

And Life Goes On...

It has been awhile since I last published this blog.  In fact, it was very early spring.  Since then, the summer has disappeared, and we are in the last weeks of fall.  In fact, I anticipate a first snowfall before the next 30 days have passed.  It will be light and will disappear quickly, but will nonetheless be a snowfall, a harbinger of the months to come.

So, what has gone on lately?  Hmmm...life has just unfolded like it has a propensity to do.  We have had visitors...Mama, Paula and Bill, and Jim and Eileen; as well as our annual Big Chill.  I attended my 50th, yes 50th high school reunion (I know that most of you can't possibly imagine that I am that old), and Jim has had hip replacement surgery. I spent a very busy summer growing a very bountiful garden, and preserved much of this bounty for the winter months.  Two granddaughters graduated from their respective schools (elementary and middle), and another was a member of a little kick ball team.  I celebrated my 68th birthday, for which my two Texas granddaughters sang "Happy Birthday" in Chinese.  Too cute.  I will try to post it, but am not sure if I can.

Happy Birthday, MiMi

So, that's my life...happy, busy, and awash in good things.

Mama came up for her birthday as I chronicled in my last post.  She came again in May and we spent a pleasant few days just hanging out.  It is always good to see her feeling well as that has not always been the case of late. While she was here we grilled some meat and while we were cleaning the grill the smoke came in an open window and set off the fire alarm.  Mama became very agitated, but I closed the window, and problem solved!



Two of Jon's daughters graduated from their respecive schools in early June; Katelyn from Holy Trinity Middle School, and Lauren from St. Gabriels Elementary School.  I was struck by the large turnouts of extended families for these events.  It is possible to consider these events silly and small in the larger picture of life; but as I reflected it occurred to me that attendence at these events sends a powerful message to a young person; that of importance.  It is a way to say "You have done well.  You are important, and you will accomplish great things."

The Riggsbees celebrate Katelyn's graduation 

Lauren with MiMi, PapaJim, and Daddy

We have always tried to support our grandchildren's sporting events as much as possible.  We managed to get to several of the games this summer played by our Charlotte grandchildren, but were not able to get to Avery's kick ball games in Texas (distance being the primary factor for this inability).  Adam did send some pictures, though, and we were able to join them vicariously.  We did go to Asheville to see Katie's school field hockey game.  Of course, she was the star of the show!

Get ready to run!

Did you see that?

As usual, we shared our beautiful place with friends and family as often as possible.  My sister, Mary came and we canned beans.  She and my other sister will return in a couple of weeks for a weekend of brunswick stew making!  Our SC friends, Jim and Eileen; our Greensboro friends, Joe and Karen; and our Winston-Salem friends Paula and Bill all shared some time with us this summer.  One of the richest pleasures in life is in the fellowship of good friends.

Karen and Joe like S'Mores

Bill and Paula at Dry Falls

I did go to my 50th high school reunion in late September.  I graduated from Grimsley High School, in Greensboro NC in June 1964 along with about 600 other people.  The turnout was good and we had a really good time.  And, may I say, I thought I looked pretty good!  And so did everybody else!  I was great seeing so many people with whom I have had no contact in all this time.  I do keep up with many of them on Facebook, though, which I think is a real blessing!  There was some talk about having a 70th birthday party in a couple years when most of us turn 70.  That should be fun and maybe some people who didn't come this time can come then.

And speaking of friends, we had our annual Big Chill last weekend.  This is a weekend with the college friends that all ran around together while we were at Western Carolina.  I think we have been doing this for about 15 years, though we did take a couple years off while our new house was under construction.  We ate, sat out by the fire, solved all the world's problems, and caught everybody up on our latest health issues!  I remember wondering why my grandparents talked about their health so much.  Now I know...it's your life as you age!

Big Chill Attendees, Jim, Jane Teasley, KenTeasley,Marti Shope, David Shope

And speaking of health...for about the last 6 months, Jim has become increasing immobile with arthritis in his hip.  After a couple visits to the doctor, it was decided that the arthritis was so bad that it was time to get rid of it.  So, Tuesday last he had a total hip replacement.  I'm thinking this was damn near a drive-thru surgery as he was discharged from the hospital about 8 hours after the conclusion of the operation.  We had it done in Charlotte (by the same doctor who did my knee several years ago) and spent the night there Tuesday night, returning home the next day.  On the way home he wanted to stop at the grocery store to get some grapefruit juice.  As he hobbled in on his walker, he discovered those little motorized carts  which just seemed perfect for his condition.  He happily motored himself around the store for about half hour.  I think he just liked to drive the "bumper car". Arranging home care service was a bit challenging as having surgery so far away from the service area is, apparently, like fitting a square peg into a round hole.  Jim is doing pretty well, though.  We did try to push it a little too much yesterday and his afternoon and evening were a little rough.  He is better this morning and I think he will mend quickly.  He has graduated from a walker to a cane, and seems pretty comfortable with it.

Waking Up

Back to Work

Graduating to a Cane

The fall has been somewhat muted here this year.  Peak weekend never really arrived as we had some terrible storms here and lost many, many of our leaves.  Still, it has been pretty and there are spots of stupendous color!

I leave you with a "porch portrait" of sights across the mountain.  Come enjoy them sometime!

We hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving that you enjoy with friends and family!  Love to all.

Spring has Sprung...Maybe

I think that spring has finally come to the mountains.  Well, I thought it has come last week, too, but we have just spent 4 nights during which I lived in fear that my newly planted garden and my newly planted summer flowers would freeze.  However, thanks to a weather phenomenon called "cold air draining", the below freezing air  slipped away down the ridge and settled in the valleys.  Spring comes quickly here when it gets started.  The pics below were taken between May 8 and May 18.  See the difference?  It's amazing!

May 8, 2014

May 11, 2014

May 18, 2014

Life has unfolded smoothly the last couple of months.  We finished a new patio and I bought new pots for use on it.  Pots are expensive and we had to paint the insides to seal them so they won't freeze in the winter.  Did you know that if you put packing peanuts in the bottom instead of rocks it will keep the plant roots from plugging up the drainage hole?  That also helps eliminate the danger of freezing and cracking.  I love these pots.  They're the prettiest ones I've ever had since I usually just do plastic things.  My favorite is Harold...he's a frog....and you can't see him very well in any picture! And we're not through with the area yet, but it's a start!

The Texas Riggsbee's came for a visit during their spring break from school.  I love them!  Well, I love the Charlotte Riggsbees, too.  We finished up the fireworks that we couldn't do last July 4 because the rain was so torrential, and cooked marshmallows and made s'mores.  Up to now I have used coat hangers for cook sticks, (like we did when we were kids), but today's coat hangers are so flimsey that they make roasting hard.  After the girls left I found some roasting sticks online.  They extend to appropriate lengths and are sturdy so the marshmallows won't dip into the fire and melt before they make their way to the chocolate and graham crackers.  Are these girls, Gracen and Avery, cute or what?

I took myself to Charlotte one Saturday to see a ball game.  The Charlotte grandchildren are very involved in sports and each of them plays some kind of game every weekend.  Jim and I don't get a lot of opportunity to see them, but I went to Stanley, I think it was, to see JJ play a baseball game.  It was cloudy and cold and his team lost, but it was good to see everyone.

My mother turned 90 about a month ago.  She and my sisters came up for a visit for a few days and we celebrated this milestone with a little party.  She is doing well now after having some scary health issues a while ago.  My plans are to go to Greensboro later this week for several days to see her and do some things for her.  I usually go about once a month and always look forward to seeing her.  I hope she will agree to come back to the mountains with me.

Celebrating 90!!!

Mama and the Girls
Judy, Mary, Mama, Lynn

This past weekend, our friends Jim and Eilleen came for a visit.  We haven't seen them in a couple of years and they are always so much fun!  Eilleen and I taught together in Charlotte.  Our children are about the same age and the two families became good friends.  We stayed that way even while they moved around the southeast.  They currently live on Lake Marion in South Carolina and spend their time on the lake and killing armadillos!  Though it was  cold and rainy (mostly) we entertained ourselves playing bridge, watching "The Property Brothers", and eating.  Lord, it's a good thing we don't eat like this all the time!

Jim and Eilleen

I haven't read too much in the last couple of months as I have discovered Netflix.  I have watched House of Cards (27 episodes), Scandal ( don't know how many episodes), and have begun Heartland.  Also, the third season of Scandal is posted, so I guess I can waste more time!  I did try to read Robert Gates' book Duty, but gave up on it.  I usually presevere to finish a book once I begin it, and, indeed, there is only one other book that I couldn't finish (Bill Clinton's memoirs).  It (the Gates book) was so boring that I just couldn't justify my continued attention.  I did just finish a book by John Green (I like him), The Fault in Our Stars.  I read somewhere that there will be (or already is) a movie based on this book.

I end with a porch portrait that isn't.  The rhododendron are blooming and they are beautiful.  I think that because the winters are so stark up here that the springs are that much sweeter.

Spring Rhododendron

Love to all.

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: