In all my born days, I’ve never had such a rude awakening! The cell phone sounded its usual alarm, although I thought I had dismissed it a few minutes ahead of time. Absolutely nothing would make it stop. I pressed the usual places on the screen, then I madly jabbed at them. I tried to turn the phone off, but it refused to die. I’ve had it only a few weeks, so I did not consider drowning it. The ruckus woke Kacey, who jumped on the bed with me and looked quizzically toward the monster sound. Closing the app did nothing. I probably should have tried deleting it. I’ve had Motorola phones for years and never had anything like that happen before. I saw it was possible to snooze the alarm for ten minutes, but it CLANGED for those agonizing ten minutes. I noticed the time was 7:10, and that’s how I know exactly how long it screamed at me. I might try having Alexa wake me tomorrow. If I don’t touch her, surely she will obey my voice. If not, I’ll have a triumphant win as I unplug her.
Mirror Ritual
One of the nicest results of daughter Lise’s delayed departure was that she got to see grandson Nathaniel, his fiancee Sarah, and her sister Katie. Their afternoon visit had been planned for several weeks, but Lise would not have been here.
The first thing they did was to include Katie in the mirror ritual. Nathaniel always raises the mirror in the hall when he first gets here and lowers it when he leaves. I liked the photo because it showed the girls’ faces.
While we were sitting on the back porch, Nathaniel rummaged in the tool area, took hand clippers, and trimmed the Wicked Wisteria in just a few minutes. It was amazing how quickly he could do it without the use of a long-handled tool and ladder. I’ve enjoyed the view much more, knowing that wicked vine wouldn’t be reaching for my neck when I’m out there gardening.
Although the light was not good, I thought you might enjoy the last moments of their visit. Everyone rallied behind Nate as he lowered the mirror. The dog joined them.
I took one more shot and was amused later to see how everyone relaxed when not posing for the camera.
They were soon off to Tennessee where they had reservations at a lovely restaurant and would be at Dollywood for several days.
The next day neighbor Shawn drove us to the airport. where we dropped Lise off and waited in the area to see if the plane to Philadelphia was going to make it this time. It didn’t make it four days before before because of Hurricane Debby. It seemed to be OK, so we left because Shawn was having a big family dinner at her house. After we got home, Lise said the plane was delayed, so they got her on a flight to Charlotte. She was booked to fly to London, Helsinki, and Copenhagen that evening. The flight was cancelled while she was in the air. The airline put her up in a hotel that night, and she was booked on the 4:10 p.m. flight to Madrid, then Copenhagen the next day. She was originally supposed to be home Monday morning, but she actually got there Saturday morning. Amazingly, she is planning to come back in November, but NOT with American Airlines.
Vacation Extension
Neighbor Logan and daughter Lise were busy while she was staying here, but we were able to have bubble tea together two days before her departure date. I loved the taste of my drink. I had a very hard time getting the bubbles to come up through the straw. Lise tried mine and was successful. I drank the liquid and took the cup home to fish out the bubbles with a spoon. I felt like a child who just couldn’t get the hang of an easy skill.
Neighbor Holly said she was happy to take Lise to the airport, since the flight was on the weekend. An hour before we were leaving, the airline called and said the flight was cancelled. We soon found out Hurricane Debby was the reason. Hundreds of people were then calling for new reservations, flooding the system. Lise had been on hold for four hours when the airline disconnected the call. She held on another three hours to get an agent. The usual on-line bookings were not available. It felt odd, since we didn’t get any hurricane-type weather in the mountains. Lise’s new reservations were FOUR DAYS later.
We were delighted to have more time together without any strings attached. The first thing I did was prepare deviled eggs, a favorite that she had asked for. Lise took a photo of me with the eggs, but I have a new problem rotating pictures. I laughed at the shot I had of the eggs. There is always one in a crowd that won’t cooperate.
Logan was available to walk with us one of those extra mornings. His sharp eyes spotted a mushroom with a red stem, something I had never seen before.
Something I couldn’t photograph were the times we got tickled at something that was said and ended up laughing uncontrollably. We tend to do this every time we are together, but we don’t have a score card.
More of Lise’s Vacation Days
Daughter Lise and I have been filling the days with things we wanted to do before she goes home. We went to one of our favorite Italian places where she ordered a calzone, and I had a small pizza, both yielding two meals for us.
Lise ordered a big barrel, and it arrived in time for friend Toke to drill holes in it. After Toke left, we set it up in the area of the old burn pile. You can tell from our victorious smiles that we felt successful. Our first fire was not a good one, but I will keep trying to burn garden clippings in it.
Neighbor Logan had been very patient, and finally we called him to come play Boggle. He had improved greatly after Lise was here last time. He played the game with me, honing his skill. Lise said she was getting nervous when I told her how he routinely trounced me. The photo shows her biting her nails. Logan looks confident. Both played very well, with the best of two out of three games going to Lise this time.
Linda, whose blog is Nutstrok, has a post named Texas Chili Cookoff. I began reading it after Lise went to bed. It was so funny that I struggled not to make a sound, because I knew I might wake her up. It’s a wonder I didn’t explode with all the laughter pent up inside! The next day I asked permission to take her photograph while she read it.
I can almost guarantee you will laugh if you read this. The link should take you to it.
Toke’s Last Few Days in NC
We hoped for wonderful weather when we ate high on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Daughter Lise and friend Toke admired the view at Pisgah Inn before we went inside for lunch. The clouds were already rolling in.
We were socked in while eating.
We had entertainment, though, as the waitress de-boned Toke’s trout before us. She did as good a job as the person who performed the same service when friend Gerhard ordered fish there several years ago. I wouldn’t mind trying that, but not with an audience!
On the way to the airport, we ate at our usual place, Culver’s. All three of us had the pot roast sandwich followed by a Concrete mixer – soft-serve chocolate custard with two additions each. I concentrated on chocolate, adding Dove bits and crumbled Brownie to chocolate custard. Lise added peanut butter and Toke blueberries and nuts.
Toke wore all his luggage in the airport elevator, making it look easy. Lise stayed with him and worked her magic when the long line at security would have made him miss his flight. She asked people along the line if they could go ahead of them, and a family of three tagged along. One snotty woman toward the beginning of the line refused to let them go first, even though her flight had not started to board. Toke made his flight, but others were not so lucky. We heard repeated announcements for passengers who missed their planes to go back to the lobby to re-book. A number of times Lise had seen airport personnel go through a long line like that, pulling people to go ahead. Asheville workers were not willing to do that.
Though we missed Toke the next morning, Lise exercised as Kacey tried to keep her attention. I had already taken my turn on the floor. Lise is working this week, starting at 4 in the morning, then pausing to walk with me. We plan to make the most of the time we have left.
Fix-ups, Waterfalls, and Food
Daughter Lise and her friend Toke did lots of things around the house, and I am so pleased and thankful that they did. I didn’t get a photograph of every fix, but here are two.
I had immediate gratification when Toke prepared my new telephone. The old one had bogged down so that I had to manually remove things every other day. He set the new one up and transferred all the apps. I am a happy camper! He also repaired my rolling pin and replaced a broken window blind. There was a learning curve for cleaning the solar tubes, but he and Lise mastered that with my brother’s help. Because son John $ had taken a video of the plumber replacing the water filter, Lise and Toke were able to change it easily. I may not have remembered everything here, but I will notice and be thankful when I pick up a repaired item.
We all like waterfalls, so we shared our favorite, Sunburst, with him. His photos are exquisite.
For the foodies: We ate at a Mexican restaurant and compared two barbecue joints. Toke enjoyed eating at two Southern diners and tasted collard greens for the first time. I cooked a childhood favorite of Lise’s as well as shrimp and grits. Toke prepared two Danish meatball dishes one day and a Chinese chicken dinner another day. He learned Mandarin and lived in China, so the food was authentic and delicious.
I took a day off and stayed home when they went to Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi River. Lise said the facilities there have been improved since she went years ago. I haven’t been back since son John $ took us before we moved to North Carolina. I saw a couple of Toke’s photos and didn’t miss out completely.
Family at Woodside
The day we went to Woodside began with a walk to the stop sign with Lise, Toke and neighbor Joyce. We had commented on the mist on the mountains behind us.
I liked the group photo of everyone at the Woodside table – Nate’s Sarah, daughter Lise, grandson Nate, Rick and Myra, and Lise’s Toke. For those of you who like relationships defined, Rick is my brother’s brother-in-law whom I’ve known for about 60 years.
Nathaniel was helping himself to watermelon, and I took a picture to show him and the watermelon platter and knife.
Out of the kitchen window, we could see a fallen pecan tree. Myra said they had never picked up more than a few measly pecans from it, so the tree will not be mourned. I don’t think Rick’s broken finger shows in any of the photos. One of the branches he was cutting snapped back and hit his finger.
I liked two group portraits – Nathaniel with Sarah and Lise and our fabulous hosts Rick and Myra.
Our conversation was non-stop. Toke and Nathaniel enjoyed talking about cooking, while the world travelers Myra, Rick, Lise, and Toke compared notes on places they had been. Sarah and I were not mute by any means. We all enjoyed the tour of the house done especially for Toke. I learn something new every time I hear Rick talk. He spoke quite a bit about his great uncle who carved most of the furniture in the house. There is now a photograph of that man in the stately living room.
Many of the larger pieces of furniture have secret hiding places. Toke was delighted with that. He later told us that when he was young, he built a secret place that would open when you touched a button hooked to a rubber band. Toke also practiced magic tricks in his younger years. Rick told us that long ago thieves dug up bodies in the graveyard and cut off the fingers to steal rings they were wearing. He borrowed a ring from Sarah, made it disappear, and showed it to us in a box on the finger of a “dead” person. Things are truly magical at Woodside.
I was able to go on this marvelous jaunt, thanks to neighbor Shawn. I left Kacey on the front porch, and Shawn came over to check on her and pet her from time to time. I was most concerned that the dog would bark a lot and bother everyone in earshot. She was content most of those ten hours and didn’t bark all the day long.
Cataloochee
The main place to view elk is over a mountain that I can see from my house. It takes an hour to get there on twisty mountain roads, some not paved. We were blessed to see many, including one very young one. Lise’s friend Toke had good shots of it, but I don’t have one yet. I had them pose on a foot bridge over the main stream in Cataloochee Valley, a section of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
We saw many clumps of butterflies fluttering on the ground. Lise had a good picture of one, and I had a slow motion video.
As we headed home, several elk crossed the road. They are not afraid of vehicles and are quite used to seeing humans in their car-cages. There are warning signs reminding us to stay in our cars and never approach any of these wild animals.
Lise noticed a big male getting up from his resting place under a tree. He grazed closer and closer to us. I’m glad I took this still photo, because my video only goes in painfully slow motion.
The next day we walked on Main Street in Waynesville. Here is a view Toke took from the car, showing the new sign that replaced a similar one that was gone for many years.
We wandered through Mast General store, one of my favorite places. I took one photo, this one in the candy section where Toke was putting his picks in a basket. Lise bought him a Southern cookbook for his collection.
Visiting Oconaluftee Indian Village
Daughter Lise, friend Toke, and I enjoyed the tour of outdoor exhibits showing how the Cherokee Indians lived and worked. Our guide was a young man who spoke very rapidly and had a good sense of humor. The people kept working as he spoke, but they answered questions if we wanted more detailed information.
I was interested in the making of pottery, since I’ve seen neighbor Shawn throw a pot on a wheel. These people shaped everything by hand because they didn’t have a wheel. Instead of using a kiln, they built a fire in the ground and turned the pieces each time they moved them closer to the fire. Finally, the items would actually be in the fire.
There were buildings showing what houses looked like in several different periods. This was the third time I’ve been to this village, and it was the first time I understood that some of the buildings were scaled down in size. Also, the canoe on display was a scale model. It appeared big enough for one person, but it was supposed to hold three, along with items they were trading.
There was a new part of the narrative that I had not heard before. Two recurring phrases were “before European contact” and “after European contact”. Obviously, nothing in history changed, but their presentation did. I don’t think Europeans were mentioned at all five or six years ago.
After that tour, another Indian man stood in the sacred area where there would be dancing. He explained the way the tribe was organized. It was a matriarchal society where the women had the final say in many things. If a woman decided to “divorce” her husband, she put all his belongings outside the home and told him to leave. He would have to go back to his group to live. Blood lines were traced through the women, not the men.
We heard thunder, and it began to rain. It was announced that the tribal dances would not be performed. We were sitting on wooden benches under a roof and weren’t getting wet, but they canceled because of the danger of lightning.
Driving back toward home, we stopped above Maggie Valley where the scenery was gorgeous. A bit further down the mountain, Lise exclaimed, “Look! Did you see that elk?” She turned around, and Toke was able to get a shot of the animal grazing beside the road.
We had a late lunch at Clyde’s as others were coming in for dinner. What a delightful day it had been!
Lise and Toke
Daughter Lise and her friend Toke (TOE kay) seemed to bounce back quickly after their long flight from Denmark. The next morning we walked at my usual time, and neighbor Logan caught up to us. He took a turn holding dog Kacey, who usually does not walk with us.
Logan was picked up by his parents when it was time for him to go to day camp. I took the official photo at the stop sign when Logan had already left us.
Lise lifted the dog up in the air when a car went by to keep her from lunging. That worked really well, although it was a workout for Lise.
The big event of the day was the removal of an evergreen tree that was attacking the Wicked Wisteria. Neighbor Joyce had approved, since it was on our shared property line. Lise, Toke, Kayce, and I watched from the back porch.
Below is a slide show that presents the big evergreen tree trying to swallow the pergola, half the tree removed, the dog exploring the new empty space, and the bare stump.
The second full day we drove on the Blue Ridge Parkway and ate barbecue on the way home. I wanted Toke to be sure to sample one of the special foods of the South, and he liked it. Mission accomplished!
Mehrling Muse 