The house is warm and cozy this morning, while outside a light rain is falling and a cold wind blows fairly hard. I guess this is our first taste of winter in the mountains. I love being home today. The candle Marlene brought me is filling the house with the aroma of freshly baked apple pie. The fireplace is on, and my lighted pumpkins decorate the kitchen. I’m learning to love this house, just as I loved the one on Richwood Trail. When Marlene came, she kept commenting that the house has lots of character. I loved hearing that; I think that’s what makes a house a home.
Retirement is great! I’m so glad I get to stay home on a day like this. I’m never bored, and if I get lonely, I can always truck up the hill to see Mama and Daddy. Then, too, I have three dogs outside to keep me company. I keep up with friends and family through continuous emails – thank goodness for computers!
Today I plan to get our warm clothes out of storage. All of them are in the closets upstairs. I also have to make a carrot cake for the Canup family reunion which takes place tomorrow. We’ll be in Georgia for the weekend, through Monday. Yesterday I took Daddy to have cataract surgery on his other eye. He didn’t feel so well afterwards as he had some swelling. The first eye had no problems at all. When I took him back for his post-op check yesterday afternoon, the doctor said everything is fine.
Wednesday we went down to Athens for the day, as Doug had to work there. Much to my surprise, he packed up his office to bring home. When I arrived there to pick him up that evening, he met me with a hand-truck piled high with boxes. I knew I was in trouble, because I had already filled the back of the RAV with bushes I bought at Lowes. He was mad at first, but quickly got over it, and we had a nice ride home, stopping in Helen to eat at the Huddle House where I had a strawberry waffle, my favorite.
While Doug was working on Wednesday, I went by the school and spent lots of time visiting with folks. It was good to see Dana, Sheila, Lutza, Barb, Tolly, and Cheryl again. Of course, I talked to Cindy a while but was interrupted by a parent so we didn’t get to discuss family issues. I also had lunch with Vivian and her grandbaby Drew. It was great to spend time with her; Vivian is one of the people I love and admire most in this world. Life would be so much less than it is without friends! We have been blessed with many good ones, and several have come to see us in our new home this fall. We’ve loved having so much company. Ken, Vivian, Hattie, Bob, and Kim spent a fun-filled weekend here. We had a blast playing board games and enjoyed a lovely walk across the dam at Lake Chatuge. Rod and Marlene were our first guests; just relaxing and talking with them was wonderful. Last weekend we enjoyed having Dennis, Charlise, and Frodo with us. Dennis helped Doug rewire the basement while Charlise and I ran around town in Hiawassee. The guys had a great time. That night we built a fire in the fire pit and sang around the campfire, accompanied by Dennis on the guitar. We roasted marshmallows and made S’mores. They went to church with us the next morning, and since it was the first time we had been in three weeks, we were really glad to be there.
The family reunion went well, except for Evelyn’s sickness. Evelyn is the mother of my cousin Dave’s wife. She got sick right after they arrived at Mama and Daddy’s house and had to be taken to the hospital the next morning where she stayed until they left on Sunday morning. We never even saw her. It turned out she had a tear in her esophagus, which they have now repaired. Since she has Alzheimer’s and difficulty walking, David and Janice probably won’t be coming down here much anymore. It’s a six-hour drive, just too much for Evelyn, and there is no one else to look after her. Old age is the pits.
Like I said, the reunion was great anyway. Sean spent all day on Saturday smoking the best BBQ ribs you ever put in your mouth. We, of course, ate like pigs the entire weekend, and as a result, I now weigh more than I ever have in my life, which I must do something about. That is a subject for another posting.
We also went to the fall festival at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds and played games here at the house. As usual, my sisters and I had a blast playing Solitaire together. (Yes, I know that isn’t really Solitaire!) We play on each other’s cards in the middle of the table to see who plays the most; it’s a game of speed, and it gets pretty loud and rambunctious!
Even the dogs had a great time! Deb brought Ella, Sean brought Dixie, and Mary Jane brought Spooky, the only grumpy one of the mix! They had a ball (literally) playing with Blackie, Dallas, and Sugar.
October is too beautiful for words up here. I drove over the mountains to Franklin one day last week and couldn’t keep my eyes on the road. Brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows were everywhere. The sky was a perfect shade of blue to complement the fall colors. I had been feeling down about our house not selling, but that drive lifted my spirits tremendously.
My little flower garden is almost complete. I’ve decided to wait until next spring to complete the waterfall. I have most of the rocks in place. Next year I will buy the liner and pump to finish up. This week we planted the centerpiece of the garden, a Bloodgood Japanese Maple. It is a nice size already. I hope and pray it survives! I also planted pansies and three abelia bushes. I’m trying to get all the trees and shrubs in this fall so all I’ll need to do from now on is tuck some flowers in among them. I thoroughly enjoy working outside in my little garden. I’m so glad Daddy made it. He used castle rocks to build two terraces and filled them with rich, dark soil that is easy to dig and cultivate.
For Halloween, I made some pumpkin shaped sugar cookies and took them to the children's home for the kids to decorate. We had a blast! I am including a picture of what MY cookie looked like - theirs were rather imaginative!
This morning I found a great verse to memorize while doing my devotion: “The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6) I’m going to keep repeating that to myself during the current financial crisis.
Well, that pretty much sums up life here in the mountains right now. I want to get back to writing more, so I’ll start with my blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment