It would be nice to have a warning when fast food customers are going to be rude or demanding, acting like “Friday People”. Grandson David would never be goofy to a customer, but he fantasized about his approach if he knew a Friday Person were coming to the counter. He morphed into a goofball in front of my eyes, changing his stance and widening his eyes before leaning in close to ask if he could help me. My laugh was immediate, and I ask for repeat performances regularly. We decided we needed to record it. Happy Friday!!
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No Time for a Photo
I was sitting at the computer when movement caught my eye. Golly Pete! There was a black cow grazing around our burn pile. I was alone and knew I had to do something, because cow pats on the lawn are not good. I texted neighbor Dawn, hoping Jeff was home. He grew up on a farm and has no hesitancy in herding cows where they belong. I wrote Dawn that I didn’t know which way to shoo the beast and said this was out of my comfort zone. Just then David came in from work, and I immediately shared the problem with him. I started to go on the deck to take a picture of the cow, but since he was willing to go outside with me, I went.
We made noise, and I flapped my hands at the cow. She ambled along the fence, which I thought was good. I didn’t know how she got in our yard, but cows used to walk in the stream around the fence. I was heading that way, felt for my camera, and knew I couldn’t use it when the cow came back toward us. She was not fully grown, but she looked pretty solid at eye level. We shouted and flapped. She turned and trotted along Dawn and Jeff’s fence. All of a sudden she turned and jumped through the barbed-wire fence! David and I couldn’t believe our eyes. We walked up to see if there were an opening, but there wasn’t. We were going back to our yard when Jeff and Dawn came outside. They examined the fence with us. There were three or four strands of wire firmly anchored to posts, but Jeff pulled two apart. That must have been enough for a desperate cow.
I hope my cowgirl career has come and gone.
Wrap Up and a Rainbow
Daughter Lise was eager to walk to the creek, knowing she would be sitting for almost 24 hours flying to Denmark. On the way, we spotted a wild berry bush extending unripe berries toward us. It’s a common bush, one that we had in our woods on Long Island. The berries look like raspberries until they ripen and turn dark. That’s when they look like miniature blackberries. Lise and I tasted one each. They were slightly bitter, so I’ll wait a few days before trying another one.
That afternoon we took Lise to the empty Asheville airport. There are few flights these days, so only a few people wandered to the check-in counter. When her bags were checked, we went outside before saying goodbye. She took off as we were food shopping on the way home. We have many lovely memories of our time together and look forward to her next visit.
The next evening we had a lovely rain storm, one that Lise would have enjoyed. John and I were with David on the porch as he ate his dinner after work. I jumped up to take a photo of the brilliant rainbow through the screen, because I didn’t fancy getting soaked. Despite the distortion of the screen, you can probably see that the end of the rainbow appears to be in the pasture.
A minute later neighbor Joyce sent me the picture she took from her porch. She clearly has a better claim to owning that rainbow. It ended in the corner of her back yard. We both wished there had been a pot of gold for her there.
Holidays Fly By
Grandson Nathaniel was with us about 45 hours – not long enough to raise and lower the hall mirror! John picked him up in Charlotte on Friday, and daughter Lise and grandson David took him back on Sunday. The day between was July 4th. The time may have been short, but we visited with him intently. This was the only picture for which he posed, taken as the three were setting off for the return trip.
The day before Lise left, we had lunch at the Pisgah Inn. John and I have eaten there at least once a year since we moved here, but Lise had never been there. The restaurant is closed during winter months, which is when she usually comes to visit. We had a lovely drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to reach it. Our table was the one in the corner with the best view of the mountains. Since only half the tables could be used during the COVID-19 restrictions, the room was not crowded, and we had excellent service. We could see rain clouds in the distance and watched them as we ate.
After lunch, we went outside on the deck to take a few photos and look at the mountains again. It was a lovely day out for us. When we got home, Lise packed to go back to Denmark.
Neighbors Celebrate July 4th
Despite neighbor Shawn’s phone being broken, word got around that we would have a cookout on our street. People converged on Shawn and Bob’s lawn, because they had the largest flat, shady space.
Logan had a grand view of us all.
We had a three-armed toy that Nathaniel threw with Logan, and it sailed into our Bradford pear tree. Nate and John carried the ladder around and set it up, supervised by Sufi.
The first retrieval attempt failed, so Bob and Nathaniel extended it before Bob climbed up with a long pole and knocked the toy out of the branches.
Lise asked Logan to show us his pond down a steep slope behind his house. We knew Bob had cleaned out the weeds and that they had been swimming there. Water flows into the pond via a pipe from the creek and out again through an overflow drain.
Logan ran down to the dock as Lise and I watched tadpoles swimming in the water.
Logan was looking for Herbert, the turtle, under the dock. Lise stood beside Logan and took a photo from above as he fed Herbert some bread. I also liked Lise’s selfie with her feet.
As the sun moved, we picked up our chairs to get in the shade again. People stayed outside a long time. When thunder moved closer, we took the food back to our houses. Only when the first raindrops fell did we fold up the table and take our chairs home. As heavy rain fell, Shawn, Bob and Logan stayed on their porch, while Lise, Nathaniel, and I retreated to ours. (David was working.) It was fun to share that storm from a distance. It had been a most satisfying party.
We had a small continuation of the party after the power went out. Joyce came to recharge her phone, since our generator was running. The rain was over by then. It was fun to chat with her in a smaller setting. Her phone was charged, and she went home when folks up the mountain began shooting fireworks. Most public fireworks in the area had been canceled, so we were thrilled to have a free show that we could see from our chairs on the porch.
Happy Birthday, USA! God bless America.
Lighthearted Logan and Lise
Daughter Lise was walking up the street with John and me when we heard something behind us. It was neighbor Logan (10) asking if he could walk to the creek with us. Yes, he had already asked his parents. Of course, we were delighted. He may have run off a little energy while making our day begin with a sparkle. We asked him to pose for our traditional creek photo, showing those who walk there with us.
Logan nimbly climbed down to the water’s edge. Lise, more sure-footed than she used to be, asked if he would stay there until she came down. Both have exploring minds, and they checked things out before coming back to us.
Lise commented on chicory blooms, so we stopped to look at them. Chicory is a wildflower related to the dandelion. People around New Orleans sometimes roast the roots of cultivated plants and grind them to brew with coffee. The blossoms have a striking blue color, which is what we were admiring.
Smokey came down his driveway for us to pet him. Lise, a dog-lover, showed Logan how to scratch his tummy to make one leg run in the air. Dog and humans enjoyed that. Note the ankle weights Lise was wearing.
When Logan asked about Lise’s ankle weights, she explained that they strengthened her leg muscles and offered to let him wear them. After putting them on Logan, Lise began to skip down the road because she felt so much lighter. Despite adding about 1/5 of his weight, Logan didn’t slow down at all. He skipped, too.
After walking a good bit, Logan returned the weights. Something was chafing his skin, probably the Velcro fasteners. He certainly had the energy to run home with them.
We enjoyed our walk with Logan and hope he liked it, too. We would welcome his company any day.
Connie and Marla
Daughter Lise and I were delighted to spend an evening with our former neighbors, Connie and Marla. Our mother/daughter friends moved during the COVID-19 shutdown. The times were/are strange. When John and I should have given them a warm send-off, we felt a great virus-wall looming between us. We read about their move and saw photos as they settled in. That was better than nothing, but I’m so glad I’ve now seen them in their cozy house and the fantastic view of their new town. My favorite picture from the visit was of Lise with them on the front deck. I didn’t realize I’d caught Albert kissing Lise until I saw this on a larger screen.
It was wonderful to see them in person and hear them talk about people at work and neighbors. Marla bikes to work, and Connie has pampered her and her coworkers with goodies. Connie pointed in different directions to comment on various friendly neighbors. They have been welcomed to a place where they were meant to be. We rejoice with them.
Connie is a super cook, and we knew we were in for a treat at her table. I should have taken photos, but honestly, that could never convey the taste. We helped ourselves from a tray of cucumber slices, celery, and stuffed tomatoes. The lasagna was superb, and two fruit salads were perfect for the warm weather. Her chocolate cake with chocolate frosting could have been a meal in itself. The recipe called for espresso powder, which they were able to find in a local store in the spice section. As with any fine dish, nothing was overpowering. When Connie puts something together, the result is perfection.
Since we all see each other on Facebook, we were aware of recent happenings and could talk about a wide variety of subjects. As you might guess, the visit was totally satisfying for Lise and me. When we got home, John had already picked up Nathaniel from Charlotte and David from work. What a full day it had been!
Oldest and Youngest
Daughter Lise and son John $pencer planned to meet for lunch at a Thai restaurant halfway between our homes. It was perfect! We knew the dining room was not open, so John and $ thought about getting take-out and going to a park. On line, we found that parks are still closed. John packed a folding table and three chairs. I found plates and cutlery which Lise stowed in her backpack. We were prepared. As it turned out, we didn’t need those things. There were two tables beside the front door just waiting for us. The waiter brought our food in take-out containers, but he served us as attentively as if we were inside.
We discovered that spilling something on a table with a metal lattice top could be dangerous. A small container fell over, and the soy sauce sprayed down near our feet. We were glad no one was hit.
Dog Sadie was right there with us, tied to a handicap sign. She caught a wasp which stung her, and then she wanted to be in the car. After we ate, Rose brought her back out where we could enjoy her. She wasn’t there when I took pictures, but I got a fairly good shot of the siblings, Lise and John $.
The day was sunny and warm, and we were comfortable in the shade of the covered area. No other people came to eat, so we sat back and enjoyed talking together for quite a while. This was the last of the sibling reunions, and they made the most of it. We wished Kate could have been with us, but she was home and back at work after her vacation.
Party for People and Dogs
We had another reunion meal together while daughter Lise was here. Niece Julie, friend Michael, son John $pencer, and friend Rose joined us on the porch. Lise, Julie, and $ were close years ago when $ first moved to North Carolina. Those bonds were lasting, even though they rarely see each other now.
While we ate, Michael’s dog Gumball was outside with us, and Rose’s Sadie was inside the house. Only after we ate did we let them greet each other. It was a bit tense.
Going outside seemed best. Julie spoke softly to Gumball.
Rose, David, and Lise were near Sadie when she took a rest.
We watched the dogs as they tentatively began to get to know each other. It was good for us to move around a bit, but we soon returned to the porch and separated the dogs again.
I’m glad to say we humans enjoyed being together without snarling or snapping at each other. In these tense times, that’s a very good thing.
Leavings
Daughter Kate and grandson Nathaniel had driven together to visit us, but they left in different directions. I didn’t get a photo of her as she headed home to New Jersey early in the morning. I can show you what she looked like about 25 hours before, when we walked to the creek. I don’t think she changed much in that time.
The selfie is awful by my standards, because I would much rather have cut off myself than daughter Lise. Kate was wearing a jacket and knit hat. I think it might have been 55F (12.78C). Lise and I were wearing summer clothes. After Kate drove off, David and I chatted with her several times during her 12-hour drive. She was also talking to Michael at home, helping pass the time.
Nathaniel had breakfast with John and me before loading the car. He returned to Johnson & Wales to work in the dorms for the summer session and will stay on to begin his junior year. David helped him remove the seats the night before so that everything would fit. We would have gone with them if there had been room.
Of course, the last thing Nate did was lower the mirror. To me, the mirror ritual doesn’t count if there isn’t a photo to mark the moment.
John let me know when they reached Charlotte and again when he started home. In between, they carted everything to the dorm room and went shopping for basic food and supplies.
John was back home before Kate reached New Jersey, having driven about half the amount of time she did. I was glad both made it safely.
Mehrling Muse 