Mountain Mama's Point Of View

I know I had no intent to write this week, but we have stopped on the first night of the trip near Paducah, KY. Duck Creek RV Park. Close to the interstate and easy to find. Nice people and everyone who stays gets a duck. HeWho went to check us in and came out to park us and told me that. A duck? I didn't see a duck with him. I wonder if this is going to be a live duck. It was a rubber duck, but I would have been okay with a live one. As long as it was small enough to share a habitat with Dora, the turtle on the trip. Why not? Uneventful trip, unless you count all the potholes we hit. I sneezed and coughed, and my head throbbed. HeWho suggested I try to nap. I did TRY. He kept stopping and hitting pot holes. I consulted with Siri to find a Walmart and gave directions to the driver. It was supposed to be 11 minutes away and we kept going and going, following directions. I spied a Dollar Tree and we stopped there. I just wanted some Tylenol and they sell it. They were locat...

  Oscar here. I have not been feeling dapper of late. Mom suggested it could be my advanced age. How could she say that? She has admitted that she doesn't know how old I am. She approximates my age at around 15. Is that so old? Whatever. Things around here have been crazy! When HeWho is our dad goes outside, Eddie gets to go, too! Just Eddie. I am not happy with this turn of events, and neither is Toni Louise! Mom says that Eddie will stay right next to Dad or her and comes immediately when called. I could do that. Mom reminded me that the last time she let me follow her up that hill, she had to pick me up and carry me most of the way and back. So?? I admit that I do tire easily, and she promised me that when she starts working inside her She Shed I will be keeping her company. Eddie thinks he is hot stuff now that he can go outside. Toni Louise is not taking this well. Every day she sneaks out several times as Mom goes in and out. She is not helping to convince...

  I heard that bumblebees are an endangered species. True or not, I can assure you they are not endangered here in my tiny slice of paradise. They seem to be everywhere, but especially in the dog yard. They hover over my plants, too. I am happy to share my home with them. Well, I was. They have been here since the first hint of Spring. I noticed a few bumblebees in the kampground, of course, but they are all over the place here. Usually buzzing around with two or three friends in tow. I have just let them be and gone on about my business. I don't swat at them or run from them. They will usually just go on about their business and we have cohabitated in peace. Yesterday, I was mindlessly raking pulled weeds and dead leaves clinging to the side of the embankment. My mind was busy with thoughts of our upcoming trip, so I was not paying attention to anything, having determined there were no snakes around. Out of nowhere came a mad bumblebee and he stung me! On the face right below my r...

  There is a chill in the air as I sit here sipping coffee. My fingers are stiff and cold. I am betting it is warmer outside as the night air is still trapped inside. My toes are cold despite the blanket on my feet. My side is toasty warm with the butts of two dachshunds' snug against me. It was a long week of dreary rainy days, and I am happy to see the sun. Thursday was the ultrasound of HeWho's arteries in his legs. Yesterday's visit was for the results. Next month will be a flurry of doctor's appointments for both of us. He will need to see a vascular surgeon to deal with the blockages in his legs. Sooner rather than later. Not the news I wanted to hear. We will be leaving a day early to make our trip to Minnesota, so that we can stop frequently. It is about 15 hours. In our younger days we would have driven straight through. It would appear we are no longer young. I wonder when that happened. I discovered a cart full of plants to rescue on our trip to Walma...

  No pictures today. It rained all night and all day. Supposed to rain all week. Just as well, I suppose. I can't work outside for the next five days. My visit with the cardiologist went well, I guess. More questions than answers. My EKG showed PVC's and she was not pleased with my blood pressure. My last check-up with the cardiologist was in tandem with HeWho had the big heart attack and was devoted mostly to him. I was an afterthought and was told my arrythmia was "nothing to worry about". So, I haven't worried about it. That was in St. Louis. Reminded me of pre-natal check-ups. They checked your vitals and weight and asked how you felt, then sent you on your way until the next one. Besides my on-going debate about Lipitor that left the doctor exasperated because I was not compliant and would never be. This appointment started with an EKG, then a review of all my medications and why I was taking them, as in what did the prescriber say when he/she prescribed them...

  Martha, the boy cat has healed up since his encounter with a feral cat in the neighborhood. His wound was hard to care for, because he is a cat. Cat's like to lick. I was applying Neosporin, but you can't really bandage a cat without a cone around his neck. Wouldn't have prevented the wound from being licked, at any rate. Mr. BoJangles fancied himself to be Martha's caretaker and was eager to clean the wound. I ended up with that stuff you spray on that is an invisible Bandaid. It must taste pretty nasty because the licking ceased. I would think that one of the animals would have a hairball after licking all that fur away. The initial wound was 4 times larger, but it wasn't deep enough to see his ribs. Could have been stitched, I suppose. My opinion was to leave it open in case some nasty bacteria from the other cat was in there. I poured peroxide in it and cleaned it daily. Well almost daily, if Martha could be caught unaware. Looks good, no signs of infection. C...

  How dost thou annoy me? Oh, let me count the ways. I worked far too long one day last week and was exhausted when I came limping down the hill to the smell of pork chops on the BBQ. Oh, good, I think to myself, he has prepared dinner. I comment that it smells good and wonder aloud what he might be serving along with the chops. He answers, "Whatever you fix." I know he had to hear the door slam as I went inside. I was thinking I would open a can of green beans and a can of corn and heat them while I showered, since he had announced that the meat was ready. The can opener must have gotten up and left the building. I searched all the most obvious places and have yet to locate it. I yanked open the freezer and grabbed the first vegetable I saw and put it in the microwave. He seems to notice that I am annoyed, but he is perplexed. After all he did cook the pork chops that I got out and put in a marinade. He cooked dinner, what is she so annoyed about!! Because I am tired and...

  After my success convincing HeWho to remodel the meager storage closet, I was quite smug . Seeing the progress was an impetus for me to complete my mulching project up the hill. I still have more work to do, but even I think this is impressive! Eight bags of mulch. The picture doesn't do that slope justice! The bags were too heavy to carry up the steps and I was not going to ask for help, lest I stop progress in my closet. I came up with a method of slinging double handfuls up the slope until the bag was about half full and I could manage to transport it to the top. This worked fine in the areas that had no seedlings. Those areas were trickier and involved balancing on the slope to carefully tuck the mulch around the tender seedlings. I had to take frequent breaks from the slinging and lugging. During the breaks, I turned my attention to my steps. I pounded some long pegs in to further stabilize them and added more. I gathered rocks and distributed frogs. The hot pink frog was a ...

  You may recall my description of the only hall closet here containing the dishwasher across the hall from the bathroom. I have never used it. It is easier to just wash the dishes in the sink than to have to transport them down the hall to the closet opposite the bathroom. There is just something wrong with washing dishes across the hall from the bathroom. Like Kramer washing lettuce in the shower. Just wrong. After much measuring and discussion, I had found a way to use the portable dishwasher (that I never wanted but was given as a gift for Christmas) in the same space and earning a tad more storage space. Once again, the location of said dishwasher would still be across the hall from the bathroom. On a whim yesterday, I beckoned HeWho was going about his daily business of holding his recliner down to the floor, to meet me in the hall. He obliged me and when he was standing next to me, I opened the dishwasher closet and made my proposal. Having done my homework, I recited t...

  You might recall that I was looking for a garden bed for my vegetables. Since I am not sure where I want a permanent one, I decided on something easy to move. I grabbed some leftovers of siding from the shed project and with some help from HeWho I built a box for my asparagus. I won't have any this year, so I stuck a tomato plant on either end. Basil and rosemary in one green pot, with sweet peas in the other. I have added some pots since the last picture. Cucumbers and beans are in various pots now. Looks tacky, right? Perhaps HeWho fancies himself to be a carpenter will get tired of looking at it and build the planting boxes I really want. I won't hold my breath. My first tomato!!

  This is the area between the porch and the ravine. The area where HeWho assures me I will fall and roll down the ravine. You can see my peony trying to bloom and the scraggly plants trying to survive. I discovered several Hosta plants that came up and were nibbled down by deer. It is quite sandy and all the good dirt I add gets washed away easily. The big rocks are well established, I just need more. I have been gathering them slowly as I find them. You might also note the weeds and tall grass. The attempt HeWho made to weed whack this was pitiful. We hired someone to do it and he did an excellent job. See what I mean? See all the white objects down there? Rocks, big rocks that I want. They would be perfect to help hold the good soil in place. The picture doesn't do justice to the slope. My She Shed sits on a slope, but it is mild compared to this. I expect those rocks would be heavy. Not too heavy for carrying one at a time, but just how much energy would it take to go up and do...

  Standing outside Walmart, waiting for my ride, I looked into the horizon and thought, "What a lovely view." So, I took the picture. I have no idea what those people coming in thought. HeWho came up in the red truck and I continued looking off in the distance. I am not used to the red truck yet and was expecting my car. We needed to come in the truck to get the mulch. I was still enchanted with the mountains on the way home. I was happy about my mulch and the plants lining the floor of the backseat. But I was in a reflective mood. Yesterday we had the ravine weed whacked and I was working all day on my vegetable "garden". It was difficult to decide where to put it. I need sun and the "back" yard is not ideal. Who wants crops in the front yard? The carport takes up a good portion of the front and creates shade. Plus, the new vehicle had not found a good parking place. Being the thoughtful and generous soul that I am, I offered to let the truck park in the ...

  Alas, the mulch was not forthcoming!! Out of stock. He did get the lattice to finish the bottom of the She Shed. That will be today's adventure. I want to clean the gutters, too. The last rainstorm overflowed and I'm certain the gutters need a good mucking out. They are on the side that overlooks the ravine. There is room for a ladder, despite HeWho's revelation that I will fall and roll down the ravine. I won't, I assure you! I will be safely on the ground keeping the ladder stable while HeWho cleans out the gutter. How do I know this? Because I will get the ladder set up where he can easily see me, then start to climb up the ladder. I will be about half-way when he will appear and order me down. Like a good and obedient wife (snicker, snort) I will come down and let him take over. When we purchased the property, I was told by the master of the house that there would be no renovations, none, absolutely none! I meekly agreed, knowing full well I was going to make s...

  My carport is running over ... Yesterday was spent driving to a little city that was relatively close. Only 48 miles. Forty-eight miles on a treacherous two-lane road going up and down and switchbacks all along the way. We bought the red truck in the driveway. HeWho got a truck for Mother's Day! I got my car back and I am quite satisfied with that. A happy sight for me. He asked if I wanted to go to Home Depot today. I didn't. I wanted to play in the dirt, but I did give him a list of necessities for me. There will be mulch and potting soil coming my way! I waved as he drove away, then got my chain saw and went to work on some limbs that seem to have appeared overnight. If you want to be a tree in my yard, you must be willing to succumb to trimming. I am short, but I want to be able to walk under any tree without its lower limbs touching my head. I had some plants I rescued from Walmart on my last visit. Coral bells said the tag, though I have never seen white ones...

  Weather is unpredictable. Every morning I check my phone to see what the day might bring. Since we get our news out of Atlanta, the TV weather report doesn't always apply to my mountain side. Neither does the weather on my phone.  The best thing to do is walk outside and look at the sky or listen to my own body. If my joints ache incessantly, chances are that rain will eventually fall. We were under a tornado watch all day yesterday. I wonder if the three-day headache had anything to do with that. Not just a nagging headache, but rather intense. Longing to escape to a dark room with no noise after swallowing Tylenol and following it with strong sweet coffee. Yesterday, the headache was finally gone until I whacked my head on the handle of the refrigerator. I cried, not so much for the initial pain, but the headache that came back to visit again. Today, I wait for the headache as I tiptoe around quietly. Last week, I was standing at the edge of the ravine,...

The last few days have been busy outside. The time just flies by as I work in the dirt. I bought a couple of ferns that were on a clearance rack and had not decided where to put them. There were getting too much sun. I asked HeWho about tossing a chain over the side supports in the carport so I could hang them in the partial shade. That was a few days ago. I listened to him speculate about getting the ladder out and how high the 13' ceiling was. It is 13', by the way, only one way to say it. He pondered and pontificated while I just picked them up and set them on the ground in the shade. I figured he had watched me do this and thought "problem solved" to himself and forgot about it. Yesterday as I watered plants, it occurred to me that I could move the bench planter to the other side of the carport and create a little garden there. One that you would see as you came down the drive. I still had some daylilies and Hosta waiting to be set into the ground, as well as some...