The Mountain Thymes

 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 ...