Back Home in the mountains

We have been back in Franklin N.C. for a month now.  Granddaughter and son visited.  We had a light snow.  Then last two days temperatures below freezing. I had to bring in the hummingbird food each night and put it right back out each morning.  I guess we came home too early.  Next year we wait until May to come back.  I have been eating fresh asparagus. But now I left the rest to seed and make the ferns and make more asparagus for next year.  Too early to plant any vegetables except maybe greens and lettuce which I can't eat.  I could plant Broccoli but it might be too late.  My hummingbird showed up a few days ago when it was spring like and all flowers were blooming. Then we had a horrible freeze, cold front, with high wind.  Blew most of the flowers off the double cherry tree.  Took a lot of the apple blossoms.  I am beginning to dislike winter.  Never thought I would say that.  And I miss the ocean so much.  We had two contracts on our house in Florida that is for sale and both fell through. One could not get bank loan and the other people changed their mind.  Hope it sells soon so we can get a place near the ocean.  Not much else new around here.  There is a bird caught in our roof overhang eave.  We would have to take pieces off to get him out.  They are getting into our attic even. We need to hire someone to screen wherever they are getting in.  Last year this happened also and I had to listen to this poor bird trying to scratch his way out.  Finally my son came to visit and he opened up the gutter eave and out fly a very dehydrated hungry bird.  Hope everyone has
a good month.  Surely winter is over soon.  Later. 

It's now the end of February and we have finished renovating my Mother's old house and had
a realtor give us a listing.  I have been to the beach only twice.  Those were the best warm days
we had.  One in December, and one a few weeks ago in Feb.  I love the ocean.  I wish we could afford our next house on the beach or a block away. 

I don't really think anyone but Cynthia reads this one.  And she can follow me on Facebook.  We put in all new flooring and carpeting.  A new front step, a new front gate, pressure washed the entire house.   And inbetween we got to visit my son and his wife in Gainesville.  And we had some company from North Carolina on their way home from Miami, and some relatives from Winter Park
Florida.  So, it has been a nice chance from spending the entire winter in Franklin, N.C. in the mountains.  Unfortunately this has been their coldest winter in years and the temperatures went
below freezing for days.  Our lawn man called us to say a pipe burst in our well house and water
was running down our hill for a few days. Which is why our electric bill jumped dramatically.
we will have to get that pipe repaired when we get back home. 

It has been a roller coaster winter in Florida.  And I had the worst cold after Christmas.  I think
the drastic constant change of temperatures is actually worse than continuous cold.  I am trying to
watch Grimm while I type this.  It's really sad tonight.  This is about all the news.  Some photo's of
my stay here.  The beach, the house.  Who knows when I'll update again.  We'll be home soon.

In Florida for the Winter

So. Wow.  I  have been AWOL.  I had no idea August was my last post.  Since that post. I have had my yearly checkup at the ENT and still no evidence of my cancer coming back.  Then we packed up everything, shut the house in the mountains down for winter, and headed for my Mom's old house in Florida.  We got  here just in time for Thanksgiving dinner with our son Paul. We are here to fix up my Mother's little house and put it back on the market to sell. Once we sell it, then we will look for a house along the Gulf coast of Mexico around Panama City Florida.  This will put us in the winter between three of our kids.  The one in Pensacola and the other two in Gainseville and Palatka.  At least that is the plan.
We packed up everything we thought we would need down here in Florida.  So far we have put in new flooring in the bedroom. Bought two chairs, two beds, a washer and dryer.  This should be all we will need for the winter.  The kitchen already has table and chairs.  Then we had a yard man neaten up the property and clear out weeds and underbrush.  Next painting the house is in order.

We spent Thanksgiving Day with our son in Gainseville and the next day I cooked a Thanksgiving meal for my daughter Kim who had to work on Thanksgiving night all the way through to Black Friday.  I am not a fan of that.  And I do not shop on Black Friday as my protest.  Holidays should be kept sacred.  We also put new wooden flooring down the hall and in living room.  So, here we are for the winter.  Later.

Rainbows

I saw my doctor for a recheck and we discussed my health.  She suggests I attend a cancer support group meetings at our hospital.  I think its a good idea. I am too isolated here.  We do not go anywhere or do anything.  I thought the whole point of getting a retirement home in the mountains was to enjoy the mountains and the waterfalls etc Now I find my husband does not like to drive on these mountain roads.  The only new waterfall I have seen was when my son Robert came to visit and took me to Tallulah Falls in Georgia.  If this keeps up I want to move back to Florida. At least I have friends and family down there.  I am seriously worried about my husband.  Last night he called me to look at this light outside the living room window. It was just a reflection from the lights in the computer room. Something I would not even have noticed. What scared me was this.  His mother at 78 started calling us over to her house in Florida (she lived right behind us) to look at this light reflection. We would get there and try to explain to her it was just a reflection in her tv screen.  She passed away at 78 but I am sure there was either some dementia or alzheimer going on.  This is the second time my husband has
mentioned a strange light.  The first time it was in the middle of the night.  And it was across the woods behind our house near the airport runway.  Very worrying to me.  I hope it does not escalate.

So, my doctor said I could not really take any bone enhancing drugs to build up my jaw bone because
of my past with cancer.  Something about, that which makes bone regrow also could make cancer regrow.  So I will just pray a lot and hope I don't outlive my jawbone.  ha.  Then we dealt with my panic attacks.  Like when my neighbor died suddenly and I felt like I was having a heart attack.
And just the other day when my tooth broke off and I freaked out.  So I now have anti anxiety medicine to use as needed.  I have not needed it yet. But the day I see the dentist you can bet I will take
one.

So, this post was about rainbows.  Since we moved to the mountains with such a gorgeous view I have
watched for rainbows.  Because stretched across our valley they are just so beautiful. If only I had
a camera which would take in the entire rainbow.  I believe they said we are 30 inches above normal in rainfall.  Isn't that unbelievable?  Also, the Fall leaf color will be drab due to all this rain.  Dryness makes for better leaf color. So sad that the tree's have to suffer so we can all see beautiful Fall leaves. There is an analogy in there somewhere.  Maybe suffering creates beauty.  Not sure.  We will be going back to Florida in November.   We are not sure about seeing Glacier Park in Montana this September due to all the fires in Idaho which is very close to the top of Montana.  Sigh.  I feel the clock ticking. Tick Tick Tick.  There are only so many chances to do what you want.  Grab it.

Spider identification for a professional

This is a wicked spider I saw in Florida with a beetle in his grasp. At first I thought black widow. It has a sort of hour glass on belly.  I just know, I gave him healthy distance and respect.  He was a bit fascinating.  My husband wanted to kill him.  He always wants to kill spiders.  Me, never. They are good insects. they keep the bug population in check. 

Life took a Turn

I apologize for not updating since my return from a trip to Florida to visit children and grandchildren.  Just after I returned home I developed a rash that then turned into blisters. The next two weeks were about the worst of my entire life, including cancer treatment.  I am recovering from shingles.  They have all dried up now. And I am not drugged out of my mind anymore.  But for the  entire first week of blisters I took ever drug the doctor prescribed. Hoping on one ever has to experience this nightmare. The chicken pox were mild compared to shingles.  When I see my doctor
again we are going to work on why my immune system is weak and how we can improve that. 

I returned home to rain, rain, and more rain.  I feel like I live in Ireland. I have never seen the mountains or valley's so green.  Of course with rain, and at present 27 inches above normal for the year here. Comes flooding.  Not at my house. But many roads were closed going higher up in the mountains and lots of landslides.  Not sure what Mother Nature is thinking. 

My garden was almost water logged. Gardens need rainfall but they also need sunlight to grow. Many
of my tomatoes would not ripen so I picked them and brought them in the house.  I did get some amazing photographs of my hummingbirds.  Some of the best of my life time. 

We are looking in to trading in our 31 foot Rv for something smaller and compact which we could get through Glacier Park in Montana in.  I cooked fried green tomatoes today and they were not so good. I had never made them.  I did not have the cajun seasoning and  salted them too much.  Next time I will get the right ingredients for the recipe.  This year I have had gold finches all year round.  This is so amazing to me.  As in Florida the goldfinch was only briefly a late winter visitor.  These appear to have nested in the yard and raised babies.  Also we had off and on throughout the summer Waxwings which also were just migrating and passing through when we lived in Florida. We will be going back again and fixing up the flooring in my Mother's little house in Florida.  I miss my chickens.  My neighbor Mike's father lost his wife.  Ambulances racing up their dirt road just panicked me. She was only in her 50's. It was so sudden. And aneurysm.  Very frightening as that is what took my Mother at 83.  I guess it's quick.  So, a few summer photographs of my phlox and female hummingbird.  I'll try to update more often.  For my three fans.  lol. Maybe I have four if Dee drops in. 

The Ocean calls my name. Along with London, Oregon, Maine and Sanibel Island.

We were traveling for a few weeks. We went to the East coast of Florida. We set up a lawn service to keep my Mother's house in Interlachen neat and mowed.  We talked to Palatka flooring and got an estimate on new flooring.  We had a nice dinner with my son and his wife.  We visited with my daughter.  And then we drove over to the west coast of Florida and visited my other son in Pensacola. It was wonderful to see my granddaughter Felicity after a year away. My son Robert said he wants to bring her up here to the mountains in November and see some snow.  So, I guess our trip back to Florida this winter will have to wait until his November visit. 

That is Felicity and son Robert at their home.   After visiting Pensacola we then stopped in Panama City Beach Florida and looked at a few houses for sale.  Then we camped on the beach.   I do love the ocean but I miss the mountains when not here.   I came home to a very weedy garden.  My tomatoes have still not ripened to red.  We have apparently had too much rain here in North Carolina.  We are having our kitchen painted this week.  I invision eating take out for a few days. Not going to cook around a painter.  This is about all the latest news. Sorry I have been absent but it was wonderful to get away on vacation.   Here are a few pictures at the beach.