The Mountain Thymes

"Dear Lord, I've been asked, nay commanded, to thank Thee for the Christmas turkey before us......a turkey which was no doubt a lively, intelligent bird.....a social being.....capable of actual affection...... nuzzling its young with almost human-like compassion.  Anyway, it's dead and we're going to eat it.  Please give our respects to its family." ~ Berke Breathed When I was a little girl, waiting for Christmas morning drove me crazy.  I used to sneak around the house when I thought my parents weren't looking to see if I could discover the hiding place that held the secrets of Christmas morn. Here there are fewer decorations out than when we lived in Florida and Matthew spent hours climbing all over the roof with his Papa.  Our light pollution on the mountain is simpler but just as meaningful.  The little girl excitement still exists in me.   I do love this time of year.  I'm better about sneaking around to find my presents.  I now wait u...

OK, Louise, don't fall over in shock.  I'm blogging again! "Life is short.  Wear your party pants!." ~ Emmy-Winning Humorist, Stress Management Expert, Loretta LaRoche Four pumpkin nut breads are baking, gluten-free chocolate chip cookies are cooling on a rack, the laundry is going, and I just boiled water for a cup of Good Earth Wild Chaild tea. I can be swayed by catchy names and artsy wine bottle labels.  Wild chaild is a chai tea with exotic spices (cardamom, ginger root, Chinese star anise, etc.) and natural flavors that hooked me on the first sip.  I never drink tea on the fly.  Tea time is my down time, a relaxing ritual in the afternoon.  It's raw and cloudy today so at the warm kitchen island is where I sit.  The oven aromas and the tea bag quote above bring my mother's spirit to the kitchen.  Our visit to the nursing home was a somber one this morning and this was weighing on our minds.  The tea bag quote was what I needed this ...

One night Cliff read the blog and told me I hadn't posted anything recently.  I knew that.  The next night Louise called me from MA and told me I hadn't posted anything recently.................so here goes.  The weather the past couple of days has been mild, 60's to 70 degrees,  probably the last time until March.  Today is only 48.  I don't know how people get anything done when they work full-time.  Most mornings are full with going to the gym and driving to visit Cliff's mother in the nursing facility.  I've been shopping online, which I find extremely convenient since all of our families live in different states.  The VA grandchildren sent a wish list of interesting items which I was able to purchase mostly from Walmart online.  What I didn't realize is, even though I was on a Walmart site, that the items would be shipped from various Walmarts so the parents will probably be receiving about a dozen deliveries that they'll have to ...

Because we couldn't get out to Kansas City again this year for Thanksgiving with family,  Mark and Jen flew in to spend the holiday weekend with us on the mountain.  We went to Brother's Thanksgiving buffet and enjoyed our dinner together free of cleaning the kitchen mess that comes with Thanksgiving feasting.  The day was heavily overcast and raw and perfect for an evening fire in the stove.  Before their arrival, we strung white Christmas lights outside on the porch, put the tree up in the house, and set out a few vintage Santas on the mantel.  Friday morning we did our mini-Christmas. Quilted wine bottle bag from Patty's Quilt that I bought in the summer at the farmers market.                            New flannel shirts for Cliff. Mark and Jen in their 'Gator aprons.  I also knit Jen 'Gator colored hand warmers....

                    HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Weather was delightful today, a 70 degree high by 3 pm, and breezy.  Cliff loosened some garden soil for me this afternoon so I could set some garlic cloves for spring garlic.  I put in eighteen cloves and will cover the area with leaves before the freezing cold winter temps set in.  I actually had the screen door open for a couple of hours while I baked.  Found an intriguing recipe in my December/January issue of Mother Earth News . I blogged earlier about a big green squash that was part of my CSA delivery.  A retired friend, Karen in Florida, informed me that I could cut it in half and bake it and was going to do that when I found a Thai soup recipe that cooks in the squash.  The squash serves as a tureen and you ladle the soup right from the cooked squash. Cut the top off as if you were making a Halloween pumpkin and clean out the slime and seeds. Follow the recipe and pour the soup mixture into the squash.  Bake for about an hour until...

Unpacking a suitcase is displeasing.  The pleasure comes in planning for a vacation or a journey and placing your clothes and other items strategically in the suitcase.  Monday we happily packed our suitcases in anticipation for a quick trip to see our new great granddaughter and her almost 2-year old brother..  Tuesday morning we headed toward KY listening to an audio tape to help pass the time.  We figured we could escape and relax for two days before returning to nursing home visits and lawyer appointments.  We arrived at Matthew's house around 2:30 pm, hugged Taelor and Matthew, gave Christopher a bag of large Duplo Blocks and a winter hat I had knit.  Taelor handed Alexandra over to me so I could sit and rock her.  Christopher piled the blocks in my lap as I rocked his sister.  Christopher with his big slippers and his Duplo block.            Matthew and Christopher playing. We wer...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!  this is a few hours early.......I'll be celebrating tomorrow so won't be blogging. Yesterday was gloomy and raw.  Today the temperature flirted with the forty-degree mark.  Too early for this kind of cold weather.  I realize Thanksgiving hasn't even arrived yet, but I'm listening to Christmas Choral music on my Pandora station.  Christmas music warms the air and brings peace to our tired spirits.  Today while we were out doing errands, Cliff received a phone call from the nursing home informing him that his mother will be moved to the Alzheimer unit on Monday.  She has dementia with Lewy Bodies, a very progressive form of the disease, and will get the attention she needs in that part of the facility.  Yesterday when we visited her, the progression was obvious, disturbing and sad.  Tomorrow we'll visit her in the morning when she is at her "best" because as afternoon rolls around, Sundowners Symptoms kick in and she...

Meet Mr. Ford.  He is 94 years young and is a resident artist at the Clay County Care Center where Cliff's mother is now.  When we visit his mother, we always encourage her to walk up and down the halls with us.  Sunday she wanted to walk to the dining room and look out the picture window at the North Carolina mountains.  She told us at night the mountains look purple as the sun sets.  In the right corner near the large window is a table set up with oil paints, brushes, and canvases.  Leaning against the wall on the floor are oil paintings, many of them, and on a small easel on the table is a pastoral painting in progress.  I asked the CNA in the dining area who the artist was and she told me he and his wife are residents.  When he wants to paint, he pushes his wife in her wheelchair to the dining room and parks her facing him.  Usually she just sleeps while he paints.  She is 93. Mr. Ford allowed me to take his picture.  He trie...

Saturday's weather was just plain raw and miserable.  I don't think we got out of the 30's.  It drizzled, flurried snow, was dreary and grey all day.  With the muscle mass I've lost due to arthritis, I just couldn't get warm even wearing a sweater over a heavy turtle-neck.  A hot shower felt so good that night and a comforting hot water bottle slid between the sheets at the foot of the bed warmed my toes and lulled me to sleep.  Sunday's temperatures were in the 50's and today was just gorgeous with bright sun and temperatures reaching low 60's by mid-afternoon.   Our early morning temperatures are about 28 degrees here on the mountain but once the sun comes up, the air warms up nicely.  Now that I'm back at the gym, I'm trying to build up some muscle again so I won't become a Popsicle this winter.  This afternoon I completely swept the back and front porch clean, for about the 4th time and leaves are still falling, and have a space ready f...

We belong to a CSA through Candy Mountain Farms.  Each Tuesday we pick up our vegetables and sometimes apples and honey or polenta or fresh ground cornmeal.  We never know what will be in the canvas sack and each Tuesday is like a birthday.  I still have the polenta in the cupboard but made a wonderful cornmeal bread the same day I found the cornmeal in my bag.  We had it with our homemade chicken soup.  The free-range chicken came from Walnut Grove Farm in Hayesville, which we drive by on our way to the nursing home to see Cliff's mother.  This week's bag was as  heavy as a body bag. I don't know how to cook the big green thing.  I also know I won't be cutting it.  I've got some recipe researching to do.  We've accumulated about thirty pounds of potatoes and with our garden potatoes should have enough to store for the winter.  Last week we found collard greens in our bag.  Had never seen collard greens before and had never ...

We played tourist Sunday and wandered the Blue Ridge Parkway going oooh aaaah like the leaf peepers we make fun of each fall.   With all the stress we've felt lately, this was just what we needed.  Weather was delightful and we just followed the curves up and down the mountains.  It's a good thing neither of us are bothered by hairpin turns and narrow S-shaped roads winding for hours. 

Alzheimer and dementia rob human beings of their memory, judgment, and their dignity and test the strength and patience of the family and the caregivers.  Some days the visit allows us a smile but some visits, like today's, leave you aching deep down within your gut.  Today his mother got out of bed, wheeled herself down one corridor, turned around and put herself back to bed.  When Cliff tried to hug her, she turned her back to him.  Even though his head knows it's the disease, his heart feels the sharp pain of rejection. Last night we knew we needed to get out of the house and have some fun, laugh, and talk with friends.  My favorite rescue organization, Logan's Run, held a Bavarian dinner and silent auction fundraiser in their parking lot.  The evening was breezy and brisk and the temperature dropped quickly as the sun slid down behind the buildings.   Purchasing the dinner which was brats on a rolls, sauerkraut, German potato salad, and ...

When my mother-in-law was released from the Massachusetts rehab facility last Saturday morning,  she and Diane headed straight for Logan airport in Boston.  Dot was thrilled to be on her way.  Her dementia caused some doubt and paranoia about what was really going to happen to her.  When she spotted us in Atlanta and knew she really was going to be with her son and not dumped somewhere, she brightened up.  She came willingly to NC knowing that after establishing her residency here, her new home would be the nursing home close to us where we could take her for day trips and visit often.  The release from rehab, the long day of flying, and all the new surroundings just increased her anxiety and the dementia took over.  Rehab orders stated that she required 24-hour care and was not to be left alone at all.  On Sunday morning, the roller coaster ride plummeted.  We all figured she was worn out and would react a little better Monday morning af...

Last Wednesday the RA caused my left knee to swell and ache so much that my already interrupted night's sleep worsened.  (I'm sure Shawn understands this.) Within a few days both knees were swollen and I couldn't bend them giving me a zombie gait.  It's entertaining to watch me descend stairs.  From our porch steps to the garage I cautiously walk down the gentle slope as not to end up rolling down through the woods and into the creek.  Last week Cliff had an appointment at the Murphy Medical Nursing Facility about his mother's placement and it took me so long to hobble to the door, I could feel the buzzards circling the parking lot.  Once we were inside, one of the ambulatory patients challenged me to a race down the hall.  If I didn't keep moving, an attendant might escort me to a room.  I like aging gracefully and becoming more assertive in my wants and needs.  Monday I called my rheumatologist and told her I was tired of sitting around a...

"You don't always need a plan.  Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens." ~ Mandy Hale My 91-year old mother-in-law is a true staunch New Englander.............through and through.  For the many years I've know her, she swore she'd never live in with her children.  She believed two women under the same roof and in the same kitchen could cause a rumble.  Everyone needed their space.  Another statement Cliff and I had heard was that she would never ever leave Clinton.  About three weeks ago Cliff's mother had her second stroke in less than a year, this one being massive leaving her right side paralyzed and a loss of speech.  After administering the stroke drug, she began to recover speech and movement.  With daily rehab she is almost back to her old self but can never return to her own living quarters in her elderly complex.  Cliff's sister-in-law has been there for Dot for decades and has been her caretaker fo...

Fifty nippy degrees on the mountain this morning.  Yesterday afternoon Cliff helped me removed the tomato and cucumber supports from the garden, tie them neatly, and store them for next spring.  He dug the last row of potatoes which only gave us about another five pounds.  I found a late yellow squash and a lonely green pepper.  This is always a musing and reflective task for me as I slowly untie twine and stack bamboo poles after the harvest.   Yesterday I brewed a cup of green tea and sat in my garden chair gazing over the sea of weeds that will soon turn brown and die down.  It's not that I dread fall or winter, but I think I miss the excitement and energy that I get from my vegetable garden.  Tiny seeds that sprout new life and watching the rate at which each plant grows, flowers, and bears its fruit....... and in another couple of weeks our hummingbirds will begin their journey south. 

Went for my second acupuncture treatment this morning, last Thursday being the first one.  I was expecting to have long thin bamboo skewers twirled and twisted into certain points in my body as seen in the comic strips.  Cliff stayed and watched both sessions.  He said the little pins are about 2.5 inches and only the tips go in.  I felt them but the sensation wasn't painful or unpleasant.  Also, in some treatments, a few leads are hooked up to a low-volt power supply.  Last week toward the end of the session, my shoulder became very painful and my body reacted with uncontrollable shaking.  The doctor said my meridians didn't like being tampered with and it sometimes happens the first time a patient experiences acupuncture.  Today was a breeze.  She did two different treatments, each twenty minutes long.  The first was for the arthritis pain and I was hooked to the low-voltage, and the second was to release stress from my body with no le...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOTHER! You taught us children to revere nature and love the crisp fall mornings, to embrace each each day and give of ourselves to others.  You laughed at Marmaduke, followed Snoopy, and found life lessons in Ziggy. Our basement shelves were supplied with winter stock of your preserved peaches, grape jams, stewed tomatoes, our garden onions and potatoes.  We were never without food, shelter, or abundant love.  Your presence is forever felt in my kitchen as I make soup, on the back porch when snapping beans and watching birds flit to the feeder and back to the tree branches, in my sewing room as my fingers create with fabric, and this morning when I awoke to 56 cool fall degrees.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

I didn't blog about the market last Saturday because again it was as slow as the past three have been.  The humid heavy weather doesn't help either. Makes us feel groggy.   I almost didn't go because my shoulder and hand hurt Friday night but after I got up and moved around Saturday morning, I figured I'd try.  I enjoy chatting with the other vendors and if I had stayed home, I'd see the dust on the furniture and the film on the windows when the sun shines in.  Things that I've had to let go until this RA inflammation is under control. Cliff helped me dig up about ten pounds of potatoes this week.  Some of them are odd shaped and curved as they had to grow around the rocks imbedded in the clay.  We're still getting a few last summer squash and one or two peppers.  As soon as the weather cools down and the weeds are dead, Cliff will till the garden and it will rest until spring. Our hummingbirds are still here and should be around for about another ...

The last of the summer concerts held in the open barn was Friday night.  Future concerts will be held in the Keith House until next spring.  We brought our chairs, met Larry and Pat, and kept rhythm with the old-time-swing-ragtime-blues-novelty jazz band, Hot Duck Soup.                                                          Hot Duck Soup served up a mix of toe-tapping, finger-snapping tunes from the early 1900's through the 1940's.  Their songs were about everyday issues such as love, bananas, meatballs (with one slice of bread), chickens, and underwear.  It was a knee-slapping, toe-tapping evening where some part of your body needed to move with the music. The Labor Day weekend fa...

Thursday Cliff drove me to the rheumatologist in Gainesville, GA for my blood work results.  I definitely have rheumatoid arthritis.  RA left untreated can eventually affect the other organs and will deteriorate the joints.  So with that bit of info, and much to my dismay, I chose to go with the offered Rx.  The drug is an anti-malarial used to treat patients with lupus and RA when other methods have failed.  My friend, Pat, says now I won't have to worry about getting malaria when we eat at Downtown Pizza.  Dr. Lovell's recommendations were to continue my exercise program, as long as I don't overdo, (who me?) and continue with my heart healthy and Mediterranean eating.  The first time we went to Gainesville, my appointment was for 8:15 AM and on the way back home at 9:30, we found a creamery that made its own ice-cream on site but didn't open until 10.  I made this appointment for 10.  After this visit we had lunch at Happy China, a small fa...

Had to post some of the other photos.  Papa and I had so much fun...............he didn't know he was having fun! The children have been taught to respect each other and to be tolerant.  Great life lessons for all of us! Hayden at mini golf. Had to include these two.  This child never stops moving.   mmmmmmm Wonder where she gets it! Papa really did play a round of mini golf.  I thought I clicked a shot of him putting but guess I didn't so this will have to do.  The creek bed truly was soft mud, more like quicksand.  Hayden's ball accidentally went into the water and disappeared. The course was well-shaded and relaxing.  Had benches and flowering bushes, places to sit and watch the children. Saturday evening Jim and Lauria returned.  Sunday the children played soccer and we all went out to eat at The Happy Garden. Early Monday morning Jim and Lauria packed the car, put the pug in his kennel, and all headed ba...

Even after all the commotion and organized chaos of the day, I still woke around 5:30.  Hayden and Kirby slept soundly on the living room couch.  They slept through the coffee gurgling in the kitchen and I was able to put on the low light near my recliner.  I would read and enjoy the quiet morning until about 6:15 when little children started climbing up in my lap with blankies and sippy cups.  Hayden would find a cartoon they were allowed to watch and we vegged out til they wanted breakfast. Olivia and Ben vegging with me. Later in the day the three big ones made bean bags with me out in the sewing room.  The children picked out their fabric and cut it, practiced machine stitching on a practice fabric, then stitched along a chalk line to make their bean bags.  Olivia fashioned her new look with ribbons and lace she found in boxes. Hayden made a piggy bank with a divider inside from an old shoe box for Olivia and Ben to drop their coins i...