There is a Lot to Cover

 It is somewhat ironic that I spent the 4th of July in the hospital exactly 50 years apart. Once by choice and once not so much. I am sure that you are deducing that I've had a health set-back which is one of the reasons this space has been blank for nearly three weeks; I'm hopefully on the mend and I can now concentrate on catching up. If all goes according to my plan, I will be writing a bunch over the next week or two because, it has been our good fortune to celebrate our son, go blueberry picking for the first time ever, go to an 89th birthday party, I photographed a wonderful group of people and more. That is to say let's get this show on the road! And now!

Backing up several weeks, D'Anna asked if we would like to go to a place to pick blueberries, followed by a neat farm. I asked Bruce and he thought it sounded good so we drove to their house and hopped in David's truck as he drove us to Franklin to parts we've never seen before. 

Seriously, when visiting a mountain town mostly tourists see their cute little downtowns and that is about it. For sure, it is easy to miss the locals if you don't know what you are doing and David and D'Anna clearly do! 

Like other places we have seen, this u-pick is on the honor system. Marking in buckets is just what it sounds like, holes drilled on either side of a standard household bucket. You actually carry a small little basket to the bushes, which surprised me by being tall. When done, you dump them in the larger bucket and you put your cash in a tray with everyone elses. Wild! 

David, pictured below was our chauffeur and tour guide. He loves taking people places and he loves driving, so it's a win-win for everyone. 

And here is his sweet wife amongst the blueberries

To tell you the truth, it was nothing like I expected. The berries were lovely, came off easily, and added up pretty quickly. I wonder if it gets messier as the season progresses?

And while it was very sunny, it was not broiling hot. Those temperatures would come the following week! For the time being, we were comfy and cool and on to our next destination.

Which was this!!

Here the variety of goods was plentiful, including fresh flowers from the fields, peaches on the trees, grapes growing and all manner of vegetables and fruits in the fields. This place was off any beaten path we had ever been on, that's for sure!

Bruce and David went into the farm store to eat boiled peanuts and soak in the atmosphere while the ladies went out into the orchard,

marveling at the good number of fruit on the trees.

Grapes are grown for wine, of sorts, as you will soon see.

Although our good fortune has allowed us to have this crazy adventure which began three years ago, seeing this sort of scene still thrills me to no end.

Those last two rows are a second planting of sunflowers; apparently the first did not go well. Speaking of which, my two sunflower plants are puny, but they have given me pleasure. :) Speaking of sunflowers, Freddy told me yesterday at church that his should be ready for a visit and some cuttings this Friday!! Woo hoo!!

The dahlias were huge, varied, and beautiful! 

After roaming around, we too, went to the farm shop where we had a funny experience, involving corn. Apparently, Mr. Mitchell is renowned for his delicious corn and he was happy to prove it by shucking an ear and handing it to me to eat. Say what? 

By golly, I did and he was absolutely right--delicious even without cooking or butter! Handing it around,  we all were in agreement.

What's more, the peaches were incredible, as were the tomatoes.

And then it was time to head to the back room behind closed doors where we had a little tasting of Mr. Mitchell's fruit wine in flavors you cannot imagine.

You know me, I always need to know more so I asked plenty of questions. The most important answer is that although he is 82, he feels good, stating if he were't farming he would be dead. Maybe that is what keeps Cousin Hilary going, still planting lots of vegetables and I imagine he's at least 95 now? I looked up the blog post from our visit and he was 82 in 2015!   Folks if you have a little extra time, that post is a winner!  

Back to Mr. Mitchell, he sells about twenty five different fruit wines, all grown, with the exception of pineapple and guava, on his property.  It was a fantastic visit and hopefully we can return another time, especially with David behind the wheel as he drove us the back way over the mountain to their home.

For you all reading this, you expect to see pretty decent photos and usually I deliver. That said, to me, they are all important and my babies now that my human ones are long grown and gone. My memory of events is not great, but one thing I almost always remember is the photo that got away from me and on this little journey one such opportunity vanished in the blink of an eye. One minute I spot an interesting barn in a well-treed setting with a deer in the front and the next minute said deer runs for those trees in the other direction. Yikes!! It would have been so good!  David has gotten used to me asking to stop and he did his best but that deer was faster!

Boo hoo! Otherwise, a perfect day in the mountains.

As was Thursday when we were at Soul Table. Inviting Jessie, our new friendly neighbor to Soul Table proved to be a gift to not only me, because she cared enough to check it out, but to one of our guests who she sat right down with, sharing a good chat.

She was treated to Wayne who returned to his vehicle for his guitar because he was moved to sing to folks.

For sure, he was singing with gusto.

I decided to invite Jessie to attend Eddie's birthday party with us and of course she made herself right at home. I knew sweet Julie would not mind and neither did the children who took to her like nobodies business.

She is crazy easy to talk to and seemingly loves everyone she meets. Our hearts were full celebrating Eddie who fell after the wedding, scaring everyone, but he's back in business now, albeit bruised and using a cane.

It won't surprise you that Jessie had actually already met Julie and Harry at the Chophouse where people tend to be friendly, not only the staff, but the patrons too. Plus it is but a block or so from our homes so a convenient stop.  Anyway, when Harry offered a tour of their pottery studio we jumped at the opportunity. Harry showed us the kiln and this thing which has a big purpose that I have forgotten. Somehow space technology is part of it. 

Here's more...

She was delighted because she had been on the lookout for some local mugs for their new home and Harry did not disappoint.

Whether or not there will be a party for Harry's upcoming 80th birthday,  I'm not aware of, but it won't surprise me in the least. What does surprise me is how spry, talented and all around amazing guy Harry is. You may just recall that he put on a huge pickleball tournament and two weddings this summer! As well he tends a huge garden. 

Is that the common thread? Tending to living things? Who knows, but it seems as if it can't hurt.

Perhaps you are wondering why I am recounting these weeks old events and the simple answer is because it pleases me to write about the places and people we meet and as we have learned this last week, it can be useful. 

As in my hospital visit. Sounds pretty benign, but trust me, it was not. That said, with the help of my blog I was able to find when last it happened to me, and the similarities are striking. February of 2105 it was.  Which is why I am going back in time a bit before returning to the present. I mean, some really awesome things have happened so let's keep focusing on that! 

Here's a sneak peek of my next post, something that I hope will interest you.

Between the kindness of strangers and the kindness of friends, I am one lucky gal!!

your friend,

Gail

p..s. Look for me in a few days time. 

Let's Begin 2024 Again

Most years my biggest wish is to get through the year without a major health crisis. 2024, so far, is not having the most ideal start. Can it only go downhill from here, or more to my liking, can it only go uphill from here? At any rate, it sure has started with a bang!

That said, the two of us are doing just fine as you read this; maybe a little more tired than typical, but mostly good. I did lose my taste and smell for about five days, but I think that is improving. We even played a little pickleball this morning, such as it was. Only one other fellow, Larry, showed up so it was a rotating two against one type situation. I'll tell you what, in spite of it being pretty dismal weather, we laughed this morning and that is a hard thing to put a price on. Seriously, it seems as if it has been forever since we laughed, so we were glad we went.  And I am here to report, I did not feel that this could have been me only a week or so prior! A fall risk? Say it ain't so!

One of my oldest friends, going way back to x-ray school, commented on my last post that we are no longer spring chickens anymore! She went through a harrowing experience involving strep throat, Canada and Covid that even reading about it made me cringe. I will say that when the EMT guys called the hospital from our place and stated that they were bringing in a 70 year old woman I could not help but wonder what picture that conjured up in the other person's mind. To tell you the truth, I cannot imagine that I am 70 years old. What am I supposed to feel like at 70? In my mind, in spite of all my occasional maladies, I feel pretty darn perky which is probably a very good thing because we all know that that perkiness can come crashing down in a heartbeat. I will take perky more often than not please!

Because I want to be able to go back in time and remember our Covid experience, I am including this bit from the ER doctor that we both thought was just amazing. I was sent home with discharge papers and it included this narrative from the physician:

"Ms. Peck, your testing here was reassuring. I believe you had an episode of syncope from dehydration and possibly a vasovagal episode." Your testing was reassuring! How great is that to read? He was as nice as it seems from his report. He even took the time to explain to Bruce that even though his sister and mother are nurses, when his dad went down with syncope, they panicked and called him. It was a scary situation with no lasting effects, thank God! 

So here's to never having Covid again! Bruce is still in shock that after all this time he was actually sick, so much so that he vows never to do it again. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Before we leave that all behind us I must document how we spent nearly two weeks at home. We watched a lot of PBS! We absolutely fell in love with Vivian Howard and her show A Chef's Life, so much so that we watched all five seasons!  We watched a season of Granchester,  Ken Burn's times several including one on Prohibition and a Holocaust documentary. Oh my gosh! Just when I was getting set up to watch Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,  a recommendation from Nancy, all hell broke loose, but I did watch it a few days later and it is so heartwarming, watch it NOW!

I am not going to lie, it has been darn cold here. You know me, I've got to have an outdoor thermometer and when Bruce asked what I wanted for Christmas, well this was it!

Mostly our phones are very close, but not entirely and enquiring minds want to know! John just called Bruce and they are driving back from a long weekend in Asheville amongst heavy snowfall. People have suggested we head home to Florida for a bit, which sounds good except what if it snows while we are gone and I miss it? I am dying to see this beautiful landscape covered in snow! I said it was cold, but did I also mention that it is pretty dreary? Some days anyway and today would be one of such days.

I think it was maybe Friday that I finally went walking along the river? I keep posting this exact photograph from the bridge so we can see it in all seasons. There was what might be called a very weak sun that day.

I don't expect you to remember them, but I sure remember when we came here last May to visit the cottage before committing to the long term rental and the banks were bursting with green and countless yellow flowers. Glorious. The Cherokee Scout had a photo last week with the caption that it is not easy remembering the natural beauty of the area during the winter. No kidding!! Speaking of the paper, I wrote a letter to the editor and by golly they printed it. I'm pretty sure they print every letter, but maybe not. You can take Gail out of Orlando, but you can't keep her from writing letters to the editor! Ha ha! Most of you have no idea what a history I have in that department over the decades. I'm here to tell you that I do.

Let's look around here because I haven't gone very many places lately except for one day we did come across these deer and the light was so good I am forced to share.

This morning while looking out the kitchen window I saw a bunch of deer. Getting my camera quickly when I opened the door they shot off. Or should I say they sped off? I'm pretty sure deer do not like the word shot in the same sentence as they are mentioned. Eventually they returned and it was great fun watching them have what appeared as playful behavior, chasing one another all across the ridge. But what do I know? 

I do know my birds though and we are having a hey-day with them! One of the beautiful Spotted Towhees posing for me. Have I told you lately how fascinated I am with the varying eye colors birds see out of?

Does it change their vision I wonder? 

Bird feeders are sprouting like weeds around here. John "bequeathed" a brand new feeder to Bruce because he claims he does a better job of keeping his feeders full. It is not easy these days, I will say that much. 

I took the above photo about three days ago and they are nearly empty and that will happen when you have so many birds visiting it is hard to keep count! It is a happy day when a Cardinal decides to eat here.

I am like freaking out that a White Breasted Nuthatch has been coming around. 

Isn't it so cute? Look at this underside!

The green string is part of Bruce's pulley system to raise and lower the feeders. Even thought winter is difficult for obvious reasons, birding is not one of them. My goodness, once all those leaves return I will miss my perfect view of our avian pets. We may not have a dog, but we do have about thirty Goldfinch at one time! 

On Saturday something very exciting happened here and that was that Bruce built a nest box designed for Bluebirds. It was a labor of love because honestly you can buy them for a quarter of what it cost to build, but isn't that the way with most things? Sadly I might add. That said, it cannot stop us from making things because it is who we are at our core. David is constantly, in his economist voice, telling me it is not cost effective to cook at home the way that I do, in part because when you make so many things from scratch all those ingredients add up. He is very right about that, especially these days. Is there anything at the grocery store under like $3.00 these days? Nancy made a little fun of me the other night when I was talking about making Thousand Island dressing. For a moment she had me thinking she makes it weekly. Only for a moment! Nevertheless, whatever it cost, we are delighted with the results, not to mention that he felt well enough to do it! Digging that hole!!!

Sunday morning I tested negative, using my government issued free test which came in the middle of the week, allowing us to return to church service without worry.

After our pickleball session this morning we went to the store for a few things, including something which is called a baffle to ward off critters from the nest box. We ended up buying one from Tractor Supply a store I never imagined that I might visit, but now that we have, I like it. Plus their bird seed is reasonable so I can see us going there again sooner rather than later. Walking up the hill from the mailbox, I took this shot of Bruce installing the aforementioned baffle. Plus it gives you a better idea of how things look around here.

Kind of golden, reddish brown leaves remain on some of the trees, and then there are the evergreen trees. It's a nice mix and while it does not hold the same beauty as spring green, there is a certain magic to it. At least I see it that way. The cold is most definitely not Bruce's favorite. At all!

Most mornings for the last month or so begin frosty!

If only it would snow instead of teasing me so.

It is very good to be back to my blog and let's hope no other calamities keep me from it. So here's to a Happy 2024 because for us, it is just beginning!

your friend,

Gail