Mountain Mama's Point Of View

  Although the hurricanes spared us, we are still having some issues with packages and mail. Most everything goes through Asheville, so that is just a slight bother and totally expected. We use Ingles Pharmacy, also based in Asheville and could not get refills, but a call to our clinic had them calling in to another pharmacy, so another slight, unavoidable delay. But my current and growing irritation is with Chewy. We have been here for three years and the first time they delivered my auto order to our old address wasn't such a big deal. They have good prices and deliver for no additional charge, so why not let them take care of it? Since that first time they have delivered to the old address two more times. I was not happy and I suggested that they simply remove the old address from my profile. I have suggested that too many times, but so far they seem to be unwilling or unable to do so. I got notification of delivery last week, but no package. I waited a couple of days, knowing t

I am still here, despite the weather that skirted around us. I have been getting my gardens bedded down for the winter. Building structures to contain the delicate plants and harvesting the last of the beans. Also collecting annual seeds from those plants that have, so far, refused to succumb to the cold night air.  It is also that time of year when all the annual check-ups come due. First we have the blood drawn, then return for the report. Mine was good, just a little off on my kidney funstion, so now I am taking another drug, allopurinal, to prevent gout. Having lived through two attacks, I didn't object to another pill to swallow. I will admit that the second attack was a lot milder that the first. Maybe because I recognized the symptoms early and started drinking cherry juice right away. My favorite chaser is apple juice. Simply Juice, it looks brown in the bottle, but the taste is fantastic. Reminiscent of biting into the perfect tree ripened apple. I deserve a kick-back from

  We were definitely fortunate to have not suffered from the storm. Only rain and some wind. Not even a loss of power. I feel very blessed! Today is the first "nice" day since the storm. I noted that the rain made the grass shoot up and hoped I would find a reserve of energy to mow it. But first we had to trek up to our doctor's office. You may recall my frequent complaints of not being heard by HeWho wears hearing aids. It has been my battle cry for him to go to an audiologist who could fit him with hearing aids that would actually work. He says it is too expensive. Does he not realize that actually hearing what people say is priceless and would vastly improve his quality of life, not to mention mine! He says the current hearing aids "used to work better". Well, then let's get a new pair! See, I am a problem solver. He has been complaining for the last couple of weeks that his right ear is clogged up. So, just guess what he decided to use to clear the ear a

  As I have said before, our "local" news is out of Atlanta. The storm is non-stop on the news reel. HeWho wants to be ready. Ready for what? From the path shown on all channels has it coming up the western side of Georgia and staying in that westerly direction. I don't think it will give us much trouble. It is already raining and we might get some winds. The only thing to be concerned about is a power outage. We have a gas stove and 2 generators that will keep the refrigerators going. Geez, one generator will do the trick, but we are prepared. We just made the trip to Walmart to top off our drinking water supply. HeWho must have been hungry as he was perusing the frozen dinners and such. I pulled him away, suggesting we not buy stuff that would need to stay frozen. The bread aisle was wiped out. Why does everyone rush out to buy bread in the event of a storm? Are they going to sit in a hidey hole and stuff bread down their throats? I am busy cooking a big pot of chili to

  Still at a loss for things to write about. Everyday tasks seem so mundane and not worthy of capturing. I was watching a video on Facebook of the making of a dessert. It seemed like something simple with canned peaches. HeWho is not a big fan of fruit unless it is hidden in a dessert. This particular one did not involve turning the oven on to make the house too hot, so I watched it until the end. I was looking intently at the finished product that was made with cream and gelatin, so was light in color. I was suddenly fascinated withe picture of the first slice. I looked very close and thought to myself that this was certainly meant for me, since I saw a dog hair in the dessert. After I stopped laughing, I realized the dog hair was on the screen of my laptop.

  Having been absent from this venue for quite some time ..... I am back. Besides my stiff fingers that I keep finding ways to injure, I need a new laptop. The letters have been gone from most of the keys for some time now and the body of the laptop looks like it must think it is older and more prone to injury than its owner. The lid is all catty-wompus. It is quite possible to live without going online every day, but I don't want to! The seasons are changing, leaves are falling and we are making plans for the cold months ahead. I added another layer to one side of my raised beds and am slowly filling it with dirt. Dirt, well, good dirt, is expensive. I have already layered some leaves and twigs to compost over time, then I purchased some blocks of that stuff made from coconut shells. More fertile stuff will go on top. These beds will be over 2' deep and make bending down a thing of the past. HeWho is busy putting the pontoon to bed for winter. I "helped" a bit and di