Mountain Mama's Point Of View

  Yesterday was a doctor visit day. A follow-up to our blood work. It is always fun to watch a new health care provider when they read the report of HeWho's cholesterol. They generally freak out and begin to question him about his loyalty to his drug regimen and his diet. When we moved to Missouri and went to our first visit with the doctor there, he did just that. After that first visit when he realized that HeWho had no clue about his prescriptions or his diet and was prone to agree to anything, then not do it; he didn't bother to chat with him about the results. He called me instead. I wasn't always available to accompany my husband to his visits then. After the third visit he called, and we discussed the results. Joe (Dr. V, also a camper) sighed and said, "I guess this is about the best we can hope for." Knowing this, imagine my utter amazement to discover that MY cholesterol was high! My good cholesterol is good, my bad, was BAD. After refusing to take the L...

  Our recent trip to Walmart found me outside in the rain picking through the clearance area in the garden center. I scored petunias and those happy daisies. HeWho wandered out to find me and on the way, he found the lilies. Actually, he called them orange flowers, having no idea what they were. I was hesitant because they were not on sale but was easily talked into them. Decided to just use the pine straw for mulching purposes since it is right here on my property. More about that later. The colorful pebbles claim to glow in the dark. I scattered them among the dianthus, but I am far too tired to hike up my drive to see if it is true.  I planted HeWho's orange flowers this evening. I asked where he wanted them, and he chose the area along the driveway. I need more straw. Lots of it. I made my way up my driveway planting the day lilies I bought last week. I still have a bucket half full waiting to be put in the ground. Look up my drive and you will see a pi...

  The appointment with the new cardiologist went well. Not my appointment, but the appointment of HeWho has heart issues more serious than mine. I always go with him since his last major event. Instead of admitting that he can't hear every word said, he will just nod and agree to whatever he thinks they might have said. Since he has not yet agreed to see an expert in hearing matters, I am the interpreter for the man.  Oddly enough this does not bother him in the least. He gets to just sit there mute while I answer all the questions involving his health. Truth be told, I scheduled him first to determine if I liked the doctor before making an appointment for myself. I did and made my own appointment while I was there. She was very thorough, having obtained his medical records from St. Louis before the appointment. All due to me taking care of business! He has another appointment for an ultrasound on his legs to determine if he has plaque in his arteries. He complains o...

  No running water is a bit of an inconvenience. Sunday had me more than a little annoyed. I couldn't wash Eddie. Eddie's allergies that result in an itching rash are back. I already have medicated shampoo on hand, and I was going to bathe him and apply the RX to his rash. I decided to quickly wash the accumulation of dishes first. Discovered the absence of running water. The well is a shared well and we pay a nominal fee annually for this. Meaning the repair is not our responsibility. You have no idea how very happy my HeWho plumbs is about this. He did call the party responsible and was unable to make contact until midafternoon. We are pretty patient about such issues, having been the responsible party for such issues for the last 18 years. HeWho knows about wells and switches did go out to the access point and test the switches and everything he could think of, then went with the one responsible to the well. The switch was not the problem. The responsible party decided...

  The last few days have run together in my mind like one very long day. Despite having slept in between what seems like a beehive of activity; I am exhausted! While trolling Marketplace on Facebook I came upon an ad for Hostas from someone thinning hers. I called and we went, as she lived relatively close by. For a mere $22 I came home with a huge clump of variegated Hosta, some small roots of dark green big leaf Hosta, a huge freshly dug clump of daylilies, a clump of a second variety of daylilies, two roots of gladiola, a container full of bulbs and a pot of wandering jew. HeWho was my chauffeur and mainly sat in the car until instructed to pay the lady and load my bounty. This was the beginning of my endless day that began last Thursday. I dug some and planted some, stopped to prepare a meal before going back outside to enjoy my plants. As the sun was setting, I was watering newly planted items, as well as the other plants that have made it into the ground. I was exci...

  Finally warmed up enough to go outside and work up a sweat. I hiked up the driveway to check on my hostas. They are coming along. I planted a peony bush behind that log between the trees. It is struggling to survive. I need mulch. Lots and lots of mulch. I hope someone will deliver. My steps. I put these in all by myself. I waited until HeWho was on an errand before I dragged the shovel, hatchet and a level up the drive. These are sturdy and level and I am quite proud of my work. After a lot of wind and rain, they have remained stable. I planted the white dianthus there today. They will spread and fill in over time. I "dug" my holes with the hatchet. I pounded the small rocks in and hope to keep the side from eroding. I need mulch, though. I have some creeping phlox to add .... somewhere. I still haven't decided. There is some "grass" up there, but not a lot. It is green and HeWho loves to mow did mow it. If it is green and has nothing to mark it off as a gard...

  Here you can see my infamous fire. The flames reaching out to engulf the trees beyond were easy enough to tame after the main part was just smoldering. It was quite impressive with the middle producing flames about 5' high. Next time the hose will go up with me. This is the "after" scene right behind my She Shed. This is the "before". Years of dead leaves and straw, broken branches litter the ground. Easy to step in a hole unknowingly. I tend to like solid ground. I will need to take more pictures, as that is just a very small area that is cleared. I want the path to and from the She Shed to be easy to traverse. I was intent on clearing just a path, then planting flowers among the trees. But I got carried away. Didn't Donald Trump say we should be "sweeping" our forest floors to discourage fires? Anyhoo, I didn't like walking on a carpet of leaves hiding drop off holes as I was planning my gardens. This would be the point when the task became...

  Being absent from my computer for a few days, I am feeling like I need to catch up. You may recall my anticipation of getting a driver's license last week. An appointment was made way back in January. We had to go to Andrews for the big event. Rumor has it that prior to the pandemic one could actually obtain a North Carolina license in Hiawassee, Ga. We were baffled, as well. It was a satellite station and there for the convenience of those North Carolina residents that lived closer to Georgia than any cities in NC. HeWho fancies himself to be a reader of words assured me that all that was needed to obtain this license was our current Missouri license and proof of residence. I tucked said evidence in my purse. The power bill should suffice, but I stuck two other pieces of mail with our names on it in my purse ... He actually read aloud to me that was ALL we needed. He was wrong. We needed either a certified birth certificate or our social security cards. We did not have them. Our...

  The rain has been here for three days. The pain has been here for three days. I have "rested" far too much and now I am bored with all of this. This means I am feeling better! Still have joint pain, but I am used to that. It was the incessant indigestion and vertigo that had me in the bed. I hate Facetime. It is so intrusive. I only answer it when one of my children call, nobody else needs to look at my self when I am unadorned! Kind of like having a surprise visit when your home is in utter disarray. You suddenly see it through the visitor's eyes. With Facetime, you get to look at your image while your child laughs at your hair standing on end from your fingers massaging your scalp! Then she invites other family members to join in! Good thing I love her. Of course she was fully made up and dressed while I was still in my night gown, trying to gather up enough energy to take a shower! Not to toot my own horn, but I was also making fun of my appearance! I did take that s...

  The weather has conspired with me to be outside working all day long. Makes me so happy ..... and SO TIRED! As soon as the coffee is in my body, the outdoors beckon to me and I go! No different today, but clouds gathered and I felt a few drops of rain. I came in and showered. Then the sun reappeared. I contemplated going back to my earlier endeavors and suddenly realized how very tired I was. So tired that the thought that another shower would be required was just too much! No pictures today. They refuse to download, so I will just "talk". As I was about to venture out this morning, I saw the reflection of the FedX truck coming down my drive in the window. I pondered what it could be, since I had nothing pending. HeWho normally sits all morning sprang up from his chair and rushed out to receive the package from the driver. He came inside and presented me a gift! He bought me a chainsaw!! I was truly surprised and that is hard for him to do (surprise me). Ryobi. You might re...

  The carport is here! It is massive. Until we parked the RV and the car, it looked massive! Later we plan to enclose it. In the meantime, our vehicles are protected. We were hoping to be able to fit the flatbed trailer in it, but that didn't happen. Seemed bigger in our minds! The men who put it all together were like monkeys! I saw two of them standing on the very top of their ladders to put the roof on! The ladders were not even on level ground. Right behind the sheds is the sheer drop of the ravine. They also walked along the rafters. I couldn't watch! I spent this morning cleaning the area on the far side of the carport. I clipped and pulled underbrush and raked leaves and piled it all up. I noted a few dead trees that will need to be cut down. There are thick vines growing up some of the trees. When I say thick, I mean the size of my forearm! I clipped down all those thorny vines that plague the area and small trees that will never grow very large. I might plant my sycamo...

  Here we find Martha, the boy cat busy cleaning his puppy, Mr. BoJangles. Martha is blissfully unaware of his gender or species. He has taken on Bo as his offspring since the day he came to live with us. Unlike the dogs, he held no jealousy for the new family member, instead embracing his new role of "motherhood". Martha takes his duties quite seriously. He cleans his charge at every opportunity. Lest you think otherwise, Bo is quite content with Martha's ministering to his cleanliness. See that little eye booger? Martha will soon flip Bo over and take care of it, as well. Having finished, he pushes Bo away.  Time for a nap. Bo is still under Martha's arms, sleeping. Martha has the contented look of a mother cat after she feed her kittens and they are all sleeping.

  Cujo here. It has been some time since I posted. Many things have happened since then. Something always seems to be happening here on the mountain side. Some things never change. Every single day, Mom gets up first to let us dogs out for our morning ritual and HeWho is our Dad sleeps in. Toni Louise always chooses to go back to bed until HeWho sleeps a lot awakens. Today is an early day for HeWho is our Dad. The long awaited carport is being installed. This means there are strangers in our yard. Us dogs are not fond of strangers. Mr. BoJangles sits atop the back of the couch peering out the window with a constant low growl in his throat. Eddie and I barked when they got here, but I heard Mom say they would be here most of the day, so we decided to not look at them. If I don't see them .... they aren't here. About that couch I mentioned. There are two of them. They came some time ago and I was at Mom's side as she put the pieces together. I watched her every move and the f...

  Progress seems to be very slow here on the mountain side. I mowed for the very first time with my new electric mower. I didn't miss the self-propel feature at all. I mowed the dog yard. The grass seed I planted has finally grown high enough to need mowing. It took me all of 5 minutes!! I did my usual routine of poop scooping prior to rolling the mower over the grass. Toni Louise did her usual thing by squatting in my path and delivering her special gift, while looking at me like I was an intruder in her world. Five minutes will not constitute exercise for me. Not to worry, that walk up the drive to my She Shed more than makes up for the lack of walking distance. I am winded by the time I reach the top of the drive. My steps have yet to appear that would eliminate that walk.  Though I have not unloaded the small shed yet, my porch now looks like a porch more and more every day. All the boxes are unpacked, and I keep finding little treasures I packed away inside...