Chrissie and Chris

At the end of their vacation, niece Chrissie and Chris came for a couple of days. We lived on the porches, talking non-stop. Here daughter Lise poses with them.

A bit later, neighbor Shawn joined us.

I liked the perspective of this photo and the next. I took this as the neighborhood reporter. All the faces were showing as they played Logan’s game.

Meanwhile, Shawn stayed on the porch where we had both been sitting and captured this image. Her artist’s eye caught the warmth of the scene, with the candle outside and the people drawn together inside.

The next day Chris put the finishing touch on the waterfall. Last year my brother and I installed a new pump and hose to get the water flowing. Chris hooked the hose up to the splitter, so that water flowed into the two top pools. The sound was even better than before. He and Lise solved the leak problem where the last fall had a back flow. The next step is mine – to remove the weeds that exploded while I was spending time inside with relatives. The final step will be replacing surrounding stones to hide the edges of the pools.

Visit with Connie and Marla

Lise and I always try to visit with former neighbors Connie and Marla while Lise is here. Lise drove us to Sylva where we met them at a barbecue restaurant and went on to an ice cream place, Jack the Dipper. The food and the company were exceptional.

Back at home, we gave David the bag Connie prepared for him and his dog, Kacey. He let her sniff the bag before giving her one of the homemade dog bone cookies. Connie also included a bone-shaped cookie cutter and her recipe for the treats.

The Day Kate Went Home

I found one photo with both my daughters included.

We waved goodbye to Kate.

After she drove away, Lise and I walked to the stop sign. Because Kate enjoyed spotting rabbits on our walks, I took a picture of one we saw just minutes after she left.

That afternoon we went to the installation of my new pastor. Lise had been at Concordia College Bronxville at the same time he was there. She remarked later that she would have recognized his face from Facebook. As soon as he spoke during the service, she remembered his voice from decades ago.

We ended the evening going out with neighbor Holly and Denice, neighbor Bob’s sister-in-law. The brewery is right on Jonathan Creek, further upstream. What a fun evening that was!

Logan at Work and Play

Logan’s entrepreneurial spirit is amazing. He put fliers in neighbors’ mailboxes that he was available for hire to do chores. Neighbor Joyce said he did a fine job moving furniture and boxes for her. He regularly walks Dixie, Beth’s dog. Daughter Lise hired him to put up a metal basket with hooks to hold the dog-walking leashes and supplies. It was late when they started and dark when they finished. In the photo, Logan is at the basket with Lise, daughter Kate, and his sister Brit as the cheering squad.

I liked the photo of Logan, Kate, Lise and Brit playing a game Lise gave him. The action exploded when they were all grabbing coins during the game.

Another day we went to Jukebox Junction for lunch. That’s a fun place with a functioning jukebox.

On a rainy day between showers, Brit threw a tennis ball from the porch to Logan on the wet lawn.

One afternoon Kate called me from the yard to say she had run with Kacey and lost her glasses. When I repeated her message aloud, Logan was the first one out the door to help her. I changed my shoes, picked up a flashlight and joined the hunt. We three studied the ground intently without finding them. As Kate turned, I saw the hood of her jacket and asked if they could be there. Lucky guess! I reached into the hood and out came the glasses!

North Carolina Cousins

Periodically nieces Kathie and Julie cross the state to visit me. They were able to come this time when daughters Lise and Kate were here. What a marvelous time we had! Lise took an informal shot of us in the kitchen.

They brought a wonderful lunch – two different kinds of chicken salad and fixings to make wraps, fresh fruit, deviled eggs, and blueberry muffins. We’ve been nibbling on the leftovers ever since. I took a posed shot before they left. What wonderful memories we shared while making lots of new ones!

A Morning with Logan

My daughters are also walkers, so Kate took this selfie to show that we made it to the stop sign.

We greeted Rosie as we passed. I almost got Logan in the photo. He was with us for the morning while his parents were out.

Logan demonstrated how long our walk was taking by pretending to take a nap until we caught up. I am still unbearably slow.

We were getting ready to eat when neighbor Holly texted Lise. She said she didn’t know where her mind was, but she left without picking up her breakfast that had been delivered to her porch. Logan went over to pick it up, and we eagerly divided the treats. One had the sausage muffin, another the filled donut, and we shared hash browns and a fruity drink. We had bought donuts the day before, so we were surrounded with goodies.

We ladies took turns showering and playing games with Logan. Kate played Rat Race; Lise did Machi Koro, and I was beaten at Peggity. At left are Lise and Logan. Before we got things out for lunch, Logan went home. We all had a blast and wished it had lasted longer.

Cowboy

Lise and I met Cowboy, and we met him at the doctor’s office! Lise saw him come in, and whispered that the man had a squirrel on his back. He sat near us and saw that Lise had her phone in her hand. He said, “You got a camera? Come on over here.”

I got my phone out as Cowboy told Lise to sit beside him. He held a leash for the squirrel as he cradled a teacup chihuahua with his other hand.

The squirrel went to Lise’s shoulder at his command, and went back to him when he said, “Come to Papa.”

Cowboy told me to come over, and as I got closer, he asked, “How old are you?”

I replied, “80.”

“Well, I’ll be 85 in August. Sit down.” I did as told, sitting between him and his wife.

I petted the squirrel after he left my shoulder. He was soft and warm. I didn’t hear my name called, but Lise did and told me to go.

The assistant saw where I was and talked about Cowboy as we went to the examining room. Everyone knows him. He was in the movie Deliverance with Burt Reynolds. Later I read on line that Reynolds had worked with him briefly at Ghost Town, a tourist attraction in the next village. When a casting director wanted a toothless mountain man for the movie, Reynolds brought him Herbert Coward. He was perfect for the part. Lise said when he and his wife were called, everyone greeted him by name.

We were excited to tell neighbors about meeting the man. Shawn has been to Cowboy’s church and seen him there with the squirrel. Joyce read an article about him recently in a local paper and knew he’d had a pet squirrel for 30 years. Not only that, she saw him in person at Mission Hospital in Asheville when her daughter was having a baby there a few months ago. He was in the waiting room. Lise and I felt we were the last to know about the local celebrity. She’s going to enjoy showing our photos to friends in Denmark.

Lise!!

Daughter Lise is staying for three weeks, and we began the visit with our customary meal at Culver’s. This restaurant, known for frozen custard, is near the airport. We all adore their Concrete Mixer – frozen custard mixed with two additions of your choice. You can add fruit, bits of chocolate, various candies, Brownie bites, or syrups.

Lise made an emergency visit to a shoe store, looking for pull-on sneakers. She is going to have a hip replaced, and because of the damaged joint, she cannot tie her left shoe. What luck! She found shoes she loves on the last day the store was open. The next day they were closed for several weeks for remodeling.

Here is a different view of Jonathan Creek. I am not able to walk to the creek right now, but we ate at a barbecue place upstream from my usual destination. I hope you can see the creek from Lise’s shoulder to David’s chin.

We began moving furniture back on the front porch after 2/3 of it was painted. When the sun goes down, it is usually quite pleasant to sit there.

Logan suggested a fast-paced game of Rat Race. As an observer, I realized the game was really heating up when both Lise and Logan stood up to play. I doubt they realized the camera was aimed at them. Even if they did, they are used to it.

Squatters!

Three neighbors were on their porch as I went out to walk, and I asked if anyone wanted to go with me. They all came – Shawn, her daughter Brit, and Logan. My goal was the stop sign in three more days, but with their encouragement, I made it ahead of time.

Two of us wanted to rest a few minutes. Seeing that no one was at the property closest to the stop sign, we swarmed over it. Shawn and I chose a porch sofa.

Logan and Brit kept the foster dog company.

On the way home, Shawn shared her coffee with Rosie. Rosie drank what she could. When Shawn poured out the rest, Rosie licked the grass to get it all.

As soon as I got home, I sent Cindy the two photos taken at her house and wrote, “Squatters took over your house this morning.”

She replied, “Stop by any time! Squatters were gone when I got home.”

Grandson David was walking Kacey as we came down the street. When the dog came to greet me, Logan went toward his gate in the background. We were all ready for a late breakfast.

Bonus photo: taken by Brit on the Fourth of July.

Do You Want to be Healed?

My month of June was dedicated to sciatica. There are better things to do with one’s time, but it took over my life. One day I was fine, and the next I wasn’t. I like to self-diagnose before asking a doctor’s advice. Does anyone else do that? Pain from the spine, through the hip, and on to the knee seemed definitive. Subsequently, I had four visits to the doctor. We agreed on the illness and a stab at lessening the pain. The fourth week of June I had very swollen legs, vertigo, and a rash visible from neck to toe. The rash could have been in my scalp, but I didn’t bother to look. The sciatica was unimpressed. The reaction of the world’s best neighborhood? They visited me, texted with me, walked outside beside me, spoke words of encouragement, brought flowers and fruit, prayed with and for me, and took me to one of the doctor’s visits. Grandson David helped whenever he could.

I did see the amusing side of vertigo. I told daughter Lise that I hit every wall on the way to the bathroom, and that was with the aid of a cane! Son John got the safety story. When taking Kacey outside, I hold the cane in one hand and use only two fingers to hold the leash in the other. She can’t pull me down if I’m not holding on tightly.

I seemed to age 10 years in one month. Lack of sleep and pain do strange things to one’s mind. I’ll spare you the details. It came down to lack of control. Most of us are used to planning our days and getting on with it. When that stops, you begin to wander through the hours. Case in point – neighbor Shawn offered me a meal she had cooked, and I declined, saying I wasn’t hungry. What? That wasn’t me!! I’ve regretted it ever since. If I ever decline food again, I’ll know I’m truly ill.

On a hot, humid day the question flashed through my mind. “Do you want to be healed?”

How silly! Of course, I want to feel better. It’s a Biblical question in John 5, and the paralytic man at the pool of Bethesda gave excuses rather than a definitive yes. Was I like that man? Maybe I enjoyed the attention. Perhaps I wanted to wallow in pain and despair. Most people were sympathetic to me. Only one said, “You’ll live; get over it.”

I took steps toward healing this morning by walking to the top of the street and back. It wasn’t much compared to the 50 miles I walked in May, but I am on the road to recovery.

Lord, please heal my body and my soul so that I can live for you.