My little female hummingbird showed up on the back porch feeder Thursday afternoon. I figured she had arrived because whenever the male perched on a feeder he craned his neck upward in defensive mode. My friend, Susan, headed out her door this morning to walk her dog and saw a bear on her property. A first time for her so she and Nigel went right back inside. She lives about 10 minutes from me. The temperature was 40 degrees this morning at 8:30 when I headed to Murphy's farmers market in town. Not many vendors set up early in the season but my favorite husband/wife team are always there....rain or shine. Today they had their first harvest of baby kale, spinach, and mustard greens. Bought a bag of each. She is a native Cherokee Indian and sells her homemade healing salves made with her farm grown herbs. When she sets up each Saturday she burns dried sage to heal, protect, increase wisdom, and boost defense against disease. This...
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Good morning! I've been awake since 4:30. Laid there trying to fall back into a gentle sleep. Did my calming breath routine, went through the body scan slowly telling each limb and body muscles to relax. Did all the practices that normally calm my mind and muscles back into a light sleep for another hour. Nothing worked. Got up at 6 and took my morning tea out onto the back porch. It's still dark here at 6. Whippoorwills are back singing every morning now and my first male hummingbird was spotted on the back porch feeder at 2:30 yesterday. Stripped my bed sheets and cleaned out the fruit draw in the refrigerator. Actually vacuumed out the draw then washed the draw with baking soda and water. Yesterday afternoon got a frightening call from a female in Jamaica telling me my BOA charge card had been compromised. The call showed up on the iPhone as potential spam. I didn't answer it. The call kept coming in ...
Two hummingbird feeders are out waiting for the first sighting. One in my view on the back porch and the other at my kitchen window. Kitchen window feeder was hung Monday in case there were any travelers and back porch was hung this morning. Last year was the earlier sighting in all my 17 years here. A male arrived and sat at the feeder drinking on April 2, our anniversary. Thunderstorms are predicted for Sunday afternoon through Monday morning. Maybe the storm will carry a few hummingbirds to Murphy. We're very dry and really need the rain. I'm not in the fire areas. It's very dry here but luckily no fires. Thursday I went to a wedding in Andrews for my friend MaryAnne's daughter, Erica. MaryAnne and Dick are the the friends who live out in the boonies in Robbinsville and drive to the gym in Murphy three days a week. He's 89 and she's 87. He looks 89 but she looks and acts like she's in her ...
Mark arrive Wednesday afternoon. We sat down to a light beef stew later and just relaxed and talked. Talking comes easily to John. Each morning during his stay was 28 degrees but sunny days warmed up to around 70. Tuesday morning the two tree guys began removing the flagged trees I wanted gone. It was quite a show Tuesday, Wednesday, and some of Thursday. They didn't use a chipper so the price was very reasonable. I had at least ten trees removed from various place . Some I wanted down and others were showing signs of blight and needed to be removed. Once the trees were down they cut and stacked them to be place on the trailer for removal. Watching them put the trees down between other trees was fascinating. Never breaking other branches or trees. This forest needed badly to be thinned. It looks so open and airy now. The corner fences were removed and everything was neatly replaced afte...
Just a quick update............. Cherokee County was under a tornado watch until 1 am. I fell asleep by ten and was awakened by rattling windows, wild winds, and close flashes of lightning. I figured that was a good time for a bathroom break then crawled back under my covers and slept until six. My weather station reported over an inch of rain and the creek is flowing rapidly. By the way the back woods shows a stream of cleared leaves, I can see where the rain gushed during the storm. I have a few limbs down but nothing to really heavy to clean up. It's sixty now at ten o'clock with a light rain. The storm is slowly clearing away with passing showers and sun. Not a good day for my walk because we're still under wind advisory in Cherokee County with 15-20 mph gusts. I don't want to meet a broken limb coming down with a gust. I was very hungry this morning and felt like pancakes. Made a batch of buckwheat pancakes and ate them al...
My little Carolina wrens have built their first seasonal nest. Construction took place just a few days ago, just in time before this approaching storm system is predicted to bring all modes of severe weather. Last year my canvas porch swing was up when the couple began building the nest and chose the swing. During the storm the nest with eggs was blown out of the swing and thrown to the woods. That broke my heart so this year when I began using used my swing I brought it in each evening to avoid that from happening again. I hope this nest is more secure as this storm comes through tonight. This afternoon I moved the flower pots and vegetable containers back into the shed, placed the garden chairs in the she-shed by the big garden, and hopefully secured everything that could become airborne. All day the winds have been 15-18 mph with stronger winds expected through the night. No rain yet today. The heavy line is due around 9 to...
I'm not sure what the trigger was this morning, but suddenly I remembered that eighteen years ago this weekend Cliff and I spent that weekend with a realtor driving up and down mountain roads looking at homes. I stepped onto my porch to toss the last of my morning ginger/turmeric tea over the rail, and to feel how cold it was, when that weekend became a memory. Those two days were dreary, cold, and windy. This morning on the porch was dreary, bitter cold, and windy. The instant I stepped out and felt the wind hit my face, that weekend flashed back. All Saturday and Sunday Steve must have shown us at thirty houses. We turned down some without even getting out of his truck to tour because of location. Others were too remote. I wanted a walkout basement for a sewing/craft room and a place for Cliff to set up his HAM equipment. He immediately turned down three story homes and large cabins. My heart was disappointed but Cliff ...
Last night's night weather was loud and wild. I woke at 2:45 to rain beating against the windows and against the house. By the time I woke it only lasted another 15 minutes as is quickly moved east. Higher elevations had winds in the 50's. I didn't see lightning or hear thunder close by. By the time I fell back to sleep it was time for me to get up. The weather station showed 0.83 inches of rain but I know there was more than that. The gusts probably blew the rain right over the little rain collector. I set my iPhone for 5:50 to get the truck to the Kia service department for 7:45. Everything thing is being checked out and the Toyota is still there. I should get a call sometime tomorrow on the diagnosis. The Kia is back in the garage nicely detailed. So clean and shiny inside and out. My neighbor, Janice, picked me up from Kia at 8 this morning, probably still in her pj's. I returned the Mitsubishi arou...
Life just threw in some more detours for me to navigate around. Last Monday I brought the Kia to Ground to Graphics for the right front bumper repair appointment. No problem because I have the truck. It has no backup camera because it's a 2002 and I'm spoiled by the backup camera in the Kia. Whenever I do take the truck, I drive without a radio to listen to and go back to basics of using the rear view and side mirrors. Good for the brain. Wednesday morning the trusty truck began shaking and rattling at 50-55 mph so I just slowed down to 45 but my heart didn't. Thursday I drove it into town slowly just to pick up what I needed and drove home. When I called Mark he advised me to get it checked out because it could be serious. This morning at 7:45 I was at the Kia dealer to see if it could be checked just to see what the problem was but they were so booked that I couldn't be squeezed in. So I have an appointment early ...
I love my new laptop. When I feel like blogging, instantly it pops up to let me. The past month I've been greeted by two auburn-colored llamas, with beautiful large round eyes, in the Tourmalet Pass, Hautes-Pyrenees, France, stately mountain ranges in the background, on my screen. The temperature was in the fifties all night, a little too warm for sleeping as I have layers of blankets and thought the temp was going to drop and didn't remove any of the layers. With another cold front moving in there was thunder and lightning early this morning. Temperature is beginning to drop as I type, late morning, and winds picking up. The next six to seven days the area returns to cold winter temperatures, low teens a few nights and twenty degree days. But this late in winter I know I'm on the way to feeling spring in the air and watching the earth unfold its early bulbs and weeds. I rarely drink coffee anymore since I found out it is too a...
Almost halfway through February and I'm not crazy. Everything is measured by the January weather we experienced here. It wasn't as harsh as other places but severe by our standards. My daylight hours are longer which help my sanity. I count the days until the second weekend in March when I don't draw the curtains and start yawning at six o'clock anymore. I'm just not a wintery person. I can feel a different energy already. My Carolina wrens sing louder and earlier each morning. February is back to normal weather. It was fifty-five today with twenties to thirties at night. The heat barely runs during the night and if the sun is out during the day I run no heat as the sun warms the house. I'm in for two full days of rain and flood alerts in the valleys. A week ago I thought I broke the Toyota. It has been in four-wheel drive in the garage since the January weather. I couldn't get it out of four...
I'm very comfortable with my new medical wrist band. Wasn't sure I would like it because I haven't worn a watch since retiring 17 years but it's light and comfortable and I forget it's on my wrist. I hope I never need to push the button but it's comforting to know I can communicate immediately if needed. Blue Cross Blue Shield NC recently announced a new health fitness program for all members. FitOn Health is the best benefit available for access to gyms and many other health programs. I called BCBSNC to speak to a rep because I figured nothing could be that good. Each month members receive $112 to spend on fitness options of their choice. Since I'm already a gym member this program now pays my monthly membership costs and I get two free 30 minute training sessions each month if I choose to use them. I can also purchase equipment like yoga mats, dumbbells, videos for home use, nutrition videos, etc. The rep told me that B...
Just a quick post................... This is my new Medical Guardian Mini-lite portable protection device. Now if I fall and roll down the mountain while gardening or fall and can't get up it will call Monte Alban and have them deliver Mexican takeout and a Margarita to my address. Just kidding................ If I need help I press the button and can communicate back and forth with a real human. If I don't respond medics will be dispatched to my address. This allows me more independence and removes worry or concerns from my children. The lockbox didn't arrive with this order but will arrive Wednesday or Thursday. I'll wear it when showering but not to be submerged in the gym pool.
The driveway snow and ice seemed as if it was softening and melting at a pretty good rate and I had been storing trash bags in the Toyota for two weeks. Today there were five bags and I thought I'd take the truck out to the transfer station to toss bags, plastics, and wine bottles. When backing out I guess I backed out a little too far out and got hung up on a patch of ice. So dropped back a little more, turned the front wheels at a different angle and slowly trying not to spin thought I could catch the wheels on gravel. I tried putting it into four-wheel drive. Cliff told me years ago how to do it, but like anything that I don't do often, it was erased from my memory. That one wheel found the ice and and just kept spinning. My neighbor further up the road,who is a retired South Florida firefighter and now a volunteer for Bellview St. 17, came to my rescue. He showed me how to put it into four-wheel drive then offered to take all my trash becaus...
Ah...technology, one of the many perplexing issues that haunt me. As soon as I get one figured out, another jumps in to confuse me. My new laptop mouse pad is so sensitive sometimes I can't find the arrow or it runs around the screen hiding on me. Mark told me I could go into settings and adjust the size and sensitivity. So many choices when you go into settings . I did adjust the size but couldn't figure out the sensitivity fix. There must be a five-year old somewhere nearby to help me. Next solution was to purchase a mouse. Why did the lady in Walmart look at me as if I was from another planet when I asked her for a tailless mouse? Then I needed to choose a color from all the pretty ones, two-toned, ergonomic, or just plane black. I picked the calming lavender package where she pointed to the small receiver which stays in the laptop. Excited about easily solving that issue....alone.....no assistance from a ...
I bought these Cougar Storm boots online from DSW about three years ago when I spotted them on sale. We haven't had any worthwhile snow in many years. Snow showers that melt hours later is not snow. I craved a measurable amount of soft white snow, the kind that brings a hush to the mountains, a calm peaceful feel when you open the door and there's silence.......... When the Chattanooga weather reports predicted three to six inches consistently I dug out the boots from the back of the closet and they set by the kitchen door in anticipation of finally being worn. I couldn't roll snowballs so I built my snowman. It's wearing my homemade gardening hat, a fresh carrot that didn't go into the beef stew, two grape eyes and two fallen oak branch arms. By this point the snow had quickly changed to sleet/rain mixture and I went inside. Boots are wonderfully warm and comfortable, good to forty below, but I'll find that out. Yesterday was twent...
The past two days have been rough.....body and mind rough. I didn't like myself but couldn't get away from myself. Where ever I went, there I was. I blamed the barometric pressure, the gloomy dreary dark sky. This morning after my yoga class one of the ladies recognized my mood and asked if she could hug me. That I needed badly. Hugs. Badly needed. On the way home it hit me. I'm approaching January 21, the second year anniversary of Cliff's death. Temperature was in the forties all through the night. Just right for sleeping. Forty-five when I got up to start my day but quickly dropping into the twenties and very windy with snow showers. I bundled up to fill the bird feeder and make sure the suet was filled. I thought I saw a head peeking out of the bluebird house down by the garden. As I walked closer I noticed the birdhouse hole had been chewed larger. Squirrel saw me approaching...
Front yard full of deer this morning. I counted eight coming from woods across the road. I bought a new TV which is still in the box sitting in the living room Janice gave me two names of people who could help me get the old one down so I could set up the new smaller one. The first handyman she uses broke his arm doing a job somewhere else. The second one had a pipe burst the other night after temperatures dropped near the teens. So the TV sits in the box until I can find someone else. I'm not sleeping well and it's making me crazy. I fall asleep fine....until about 3:30 when I can't go back to sleep. Last year at this time my mind was chatting in my head with all kinds of sorrow and issues. This year I'm not sure why. The mental fatigue catches up with me some days and I forget too many things. I lost my small zipper pouch that I keep cash in and retraced my steps to the places I had been b...
Mountain gals and one hubby gathered New Years Eve at Janice's house for takeout Chinese. Lynn, Me, Libby and Frank, Janice, and Jacky....doing the selfie. Jacky is the baby of the group. The rest are late 70's, early 80's. Frank has had dementia for about 6 years. We gathered at 4:30 and were back home by 7. Real party animals. Jacky read a list of do's and don't for the new year. Do not clean your house, do laundry, or throw things away on January 1. You will be throwing out "good luck" for the year ahead. If a tall dark handsome man bearing a gift is the first person to enter your house, it's good luck for the new year. I'm still waiting! We had days of pouring rain after Mark left. Weather was wonderful while he was here. Nice to see the cascading again. One morning recently right outside my kitchen window..... Doe drinking from the birdbath. Still figuring out this new laptop....