Favorite Visitors

Having relatives come to visit is such a thrill for me. John’s sister Barbara and husband Thom came here after celebrating the first marriage of a grandchild in Maryland and a visit with Thom’s brother in North Carolina. Their photos showed the relatives that I haven’t seen for years. What a marvelous time to catch up! They gave me a requested summary of the children and grandchildren with love and pride in their voices.

We had only one full day and made the most of it. Both were world-class teachers, and I enjoyed their talking about teaching the same material to multiple classes in a day. I assumed the prep was easy, since they were going over the same material. Not so! Barbara explained that each class was a bit different, so she might cover different angles. She kept notes on what was discussed each period, and tests would reflect that difference. Thom told about giving math tests. He would include similar problems using different numbers. I had difficulty following the logic, but he explained to students that telling others what was on a test would hurt themselves. If it helped someone in a later class, it would raise that grade while lowering the relative score of the helper. I got the gist of it, even if I can’t repeat it clearly.

Both Barbara and Thom like going to different restaurants, so I had two choices to suggest. Both places had good reputations, and I was leaning toward a family establishment perched on the side of a mountain. David and I had eaten there a few years ago. When Thom looked at it on his phone, he found they were closed. I thought it odd that they took off on Mondays and Tuesdays, but we couldn’t force it to open. We went to the Red Fox in town. It has been open a year or so, but I’d not been there. We dealt with large portions in different ways. Barbara ordered an appetizer and a side dish, finishing both. Thom had hot chicken and waffles, and I chose a ham and chicken sandwich with bacon and cheese. We took half home. He ate his that evening, and I had my leftovers for lunch the next day.

We all wanted to walk outside, but rain dictated a postponement the first morning and a cancellation the next.

Weather couldn’t ruin our visiting on the porch. We called to Shawn when she came out and had a lovely visit with her and dog Izzie.

They left after breakfast the next morning, heading to see Barbara’s sister Chris and Steve. I had to be happy that they would be together, so I waved them off with smiles.

I Lost Weights

After seven sessions of physical therapy,I realized my therapist was adding more reps to my workout and using slightly heavier weights. I have faithfully done the home exercises twice a day for 18 days. My thinking – they could be a bit more intense if I added weights to my ankles. They were right where Lise left them the last time she was here. Knowing not to add five pounds the first day, I removed the weight rods to make each one weigh one pound. Easy! I didn’t feel anything different. Maybe the next day I’d add another pound. There was just enough time to wind two clocks before the live-streamed church service began. Whew! Made it just in time to add my name to the chat list.

My day proceeded as usual, and I had a half bagel, cream cheese, and lox for breakfast. I dozed off on the porch and told myself to go sit in an easy chair before I dropped my phone and broke it. How shocking to find I slept for an hour and a half! Sluggishly, I took used coffee grounds to the front porch and put them by the spoonful on the ground near the lattice work that doesn’t always keep skunks from going under there. The animals are supposed to dislike the smell of coffee grounds.

“Ding! Ding! Ding!” came daughter Lise’s voice from the doorbell. Her app is connected to my bell, and she was notified in Denmark that someone was moving on my porch. We chatted for a few minutes. I told her that I had started using ankle weights, and I looked for them and couldn’t find them anywhere. They weren’t near the extra rods in the kitchen, and I couldn’t remember taking them off in the bedroom. A foolish look crossed my face when I looked down and saw them still attached to my ankles! I moved back from the doorbell and asked if she could see my feet. We had a good laugh at my forgetfulness. Maybe I’ll look at my ankles first the next time,

A Car Adventure

I was in the car near the airport with neighbors Shawn, Bob, and Logan when Shawn’s phone rang. It was daughter Lise calling from Denmark to tell us there had been a bad accident between us and home. I’m pleased that Lise keeps watch over me, but I don’t know how she does it. Shawn was driving, so Logan and Bob looked at phones from time to time to check on traffic. We continued to the restaurant, thinking our eating dinner would give time for the wreck to be removed. We were there a little over an hour.

We knew the road was a mess. A dump truck had a flat tire, causing the driver to lose control. It dumped gravel across the center divider and onto a Corvette convertible, and the truck burst into flames. Both drivers escaped and were taken to the hospital with minor injuries. The truck fire was so intense that it melted the roadway. Shawn and Bob agreed we should try the back way, but everyone else had that idea, too. Traffic did not move! We returned to the interstate, knowing it was going to take time with only one lane open on our side.

We crawled and stopped, crawled and stopped. I read instructions on the side of a tank truck. In a heavy box mounted underneath was a sign that said, “Instructions enclosed.” I have no idea what I could have learned from those instructions, but you can tell there no speed involved on the road. Shawn called neighbor D and asked her to let the dog out, because we were still 15 miles and an hour away. Poor dog. At least we could talk about our problem! Shawn and Logan could see the damage to the road much better than I could as we drove slowly past it. Immediately we sped away on the empty road, knowing there were still hundreds of vehicles inching along behind us. A trip that should have taken took 30 minutes lasted four long hours! We got home at 9:10.

All of us knew complaining would not get us home any sooner. We chatted, commented on vehicles around us, and watched lovely clouds in the sky. Shawn and Bob were teasing each other, and I said aloud that she could put some ice cubes down his back. She still had her drink from the restaurant, and I realized she had done the deed when Bob slapped at his back. Oh! No! I couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “I’m sorry. One of these days I’m going to need Bob to fix a leak for me! What will I do then? I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

They laughed at me, back pedaling in a car that wasn’t moving at all.

Scat

Scat is a word we sometimes use to scare away a cat, but I’m talking about wild animal poop. When I added water to the waterfall, I saw a mess on the surrounding stone.

After taking a photo, I consulted the only scat expert I know – son John $. John lived in these mountains for years and often went camping. Surely it’s a safety thing to know how to read the woods and know what animals are near you! He quickly answered that it was raccoon scat. Just to be sure, he checked for skunk, since we have several of those hanging about this neighborhood.

That raccoon must be an efficiency expert – washing his dinner in the pool and using the bathroom at the same time!

Dogs Force an Embrace

I met neighbor Julie walking her small dogs and got caught in an odd embrace. One dog she has had several years, and the second is a new rescue from an older person who could no longer care for the dog. This was the first time I saw the dogs together. Julie and I faced each other, getting in a quick chat before we had to move on. I realized each dog kept walking, one on either side of me. I was hemmed in, so if Julie moved forward, she would be forced to hug me. Either we would hug, or we would have to extricate ourselves. Maybe she would raise one arm high, and I would duck under. Being about the same height, we might not have accomplished that smoothly.

I thought I had a solution, and without saying anything, I reached for one of the leashes. She immediately let me have it. I just pivoted outwardly, handing her the leash again with me on the other side. Awkwardness not needed! Julie accepted it without question. I was laughing inside, because I could have planned that move for a week and turned the wrong way or not done it gracefully. What a relief to have quick thinking solve a problem on demand!!

CAT was Skunked

Walking alone, I stopped to pet CAT as I usually do. I noticed nothing wrong, but I did get a whiff of skunk when bending down near the stream. I happily walked to the stop sign and turned around. A car stopped with its window down, and the woman said, “In case you pet her, I want to let you know that the cat was skunked yesterday.”

The surprise showed on my face, and I said, “I didn’t smell her.”

With that, I smelled my hands and said, “Whew! No skunk smell!”

She said, “I cleaned her up, but she still smells a bit. My daughter used to do all that, but she’s moved away.”

She grinned when I showed her my thumb was down. Mothers know what it’s like when children grow up and move out. Her face would have glowed if I had told her what I was thinking. With her sun glasses on, I thought she WAS the daughter!

Further down the road, a cobalt blue car stopped as I was petting CAT to keep her from going in the road. The man asked the name of the cat, and I explained that to the dad it was CAT, but to the daughter it was Blake. He said he had put gravel over the deepening holes in the road, and I hastened to thank him profusely for that. He corrected me, that the man nearest the holes had filled them, and he just put gravel on top. The cat jumped on his car as he performed his wonderful service to us, and he wanted to know her name. Everyone knows she often runs in front of cars to keep us on our toes. I think CAT is a more expressive name for her than Blake. Wouldn’t you agree?

First Responders

When I came in from gardening, I took off my gloves and noticed a thorn in my finger. It was on the underside, right at the joint, and snagged on everything I touched. I could feel it, but I couldn’t see it. Of course, I turned to a couple of the best neighbors in the world.

I texted, “I think I have a visible thorn in my finger. Are you home? Will you have time to poke at it if I come to your porch? I could bring tweezers and a magnifying glass.”

Shawn replied, “We’ll come over. We were heading to the bank.”

She and Bob drove over and made siren sounds as they came up my steps. They were acting as first responders for my emergency call, which made me laugh. Shawn took the tweezers as Bob held the magnifying glass. The thorn broke off, and Bob tried to dig the rest out with a sterile needle. It was tiny, so we left it to work its way out by itself. Well, I’ll be here, of course.

As they worked, they mentioned they were going out to breakfast before going to the bank. Now that shows a true neighbor’s love, to postpone a meal they were hungry for to help me. I truly appreciated their sacrifice. They kindly invited me to go along, but I was smeared with garden grime and stayed home for a shower. As they headed down the steps, Shawn suggested they make siren sounds in reverse. If I had recorded it, you couldn’t have heard it over my laughter.

An Odd Ache from Physical Therapy

I knew the exercises would not stay as easy as they were in the first three sessions of PT. I was the only patient there, so everything was low key. This time there were two therapists and four patients, as well as the receptionist. The stories and laughter bounced off the walls. My body was fine, but my face ached from smiling and laughing for a full hour.

My therapist grew up in this area and has the gift of story-telling. He told of waking up in the morning and not being comfortable in bed. He shifted a bit and wondered what he was lying on. Finally he rolled over and reached behind him. It was a dead rat!!! The dog must have brought it in and put it in bed with him as he slept. I already knew he lived on a farm in a remote area, but this was almost beyond belief. The receptionist said if that had happened to her, she would have burned the bed – sheets, mattress, and all.

One Plump Skunk!

As I walked to the stop sign, I checked one message on my phone, making sure I hadn’t missed neighbor Joyce. I ignored the next 24 messages, figuring it was just people chatting. When I came back, Joyce intercepted me at her driveway. She asked, “Did you see the messages about the skunk going under your porch?”

She told me the facts, and I resolved to look at clumps of messages next time. Neighbor Julie joined Joyce and me as she walked Patches. She has had dogs skunked before, and she said a skunk can’t spray again for two weeks!

I went home and read every word of those texts. Shawn saw Izzy go into my yard and chase the skunk. She called it a plump skunk. She was relieved when the dog turned back. The next message said, “Oh, no! Too late! Izzy got skunked again!”

I found this on the internet: “Skunks can spray up to six times in succession if they feel threatened, but they only have a limited amount of spray and it can take them up to 10-14 days to replenish their scent glands.”

Not my Reunion

Neighbor Joyce invited me to go to her family reunion in the next county, and I had the most delightful time. We began in the little one-room schoolhouse that also served as a church. The people who came the furthest were from Arizona and Nebraska. Following the bulletin, we stood and pledged allegiance to the flag. I remembered most of the words, although I don’t think I’ve done it on a regular basis for 68 years. We sang two hymns, had a responsive Bible reading, and watched the unveiling of two sets of photos.

One by one we stood up to say our names and how we were related to Barak Norton. I explained that my next door neighbor invited me. Although I wasn’t on their family tree, I was related to all of them about halfway back to Adam and Eve.

There was a big tent set up beside the schoolhouse, and that’s where we had a royal potluck, brought by all of us. It’s the kind of thing you’d expect at a Sunday lunch after a church service out in the country. We ate fried chicken, meatballs, sandwiches, wraps, pasta salads, baked beans, green beans, macaroni and cheese, fresh fruit, and cornbread. And the desserts!! There were cookies, a decorated bundt cake, Brownies, at least three lemon pies, pudding, blueberry cake, and fruit bread. What a feast!

I talked to people from Nebraska and Georgia who were sitting near me. It was fun to listen to Joyce chat with a fairly close relative, although I missed lots of that conversation. The decibel level had risen quite high after we ate all that food.

We left as everyone else was leaving and had a lovely drive back through gorgeous mountains. My app showed we had gone about 60 miles each way. What a marvelous day it had been!