Crazy Mountain and a Dead Rat

I'm home.

It was a strange drive back. I stopped for coffee on the way back -- about 80 minutes from Asheville. I put in GPS again and it rerouted me from my usual mountain drive because of heavy traffic (maybe an accident). I ended up in a national forest for 20 miles with only SOS signal and NOTHING but forest. Turns, slide warnings -- and then it started pouring rain.

Got off that mountain -- phew, and thought it was over. Nope. Another mountain with the absolutely craziest switchbacks. I had to turn hand over hand, over and over, up the mountain and down again. Beautiful scenery, but I didn't enjoy it because I was a bit unnerved. 

Then a route through a rural town with construction and closed roads. Geez. It was an adventure. Won't be jumping to take that route again -- I'll stick with traffic.

I had brunch before I left Asheville -- I needed it for that drive. 

Outdoor seating overlooking
their veggie garden.

Did I mention we have rats? Traps set, house sealed. BUT, a smell in the basement and I said it was a dead rat. I wasn't believed -- well, guess what?!? Smell is now really bad and I found the rat in the unfinished ceiling area dripping rotting guts when I got home. Lovely. The company is coming first thing to dispose of the body because we can't reach it. I hope it's only the one rat. 

Grandson is coming first thing today until Sunday evening. I probably will be MIA until then. Wish us luck running after a toddler and get that sweet boy to sleep in an unfamiliar place. I'm going to be tired after this, but I love getting to spend so much time with him.

I'm solo today -- hubby at a golf tournament. I'll need extra luck.

Have a good one. Later gators.

Asheville

Another day that was good, but felt meh. My mood has been so sad, but the night sweats and hot flashes are getting better so I'm hopeful the blue mood is next to improve. 

Adding pretty to the kitchen
from the yard

The drive was uneventful. I didn't stop for a coffee break because it was raining. Got in, unpacked, and drove to the teahouse. I walked around downtown and stopped at a local bookstore I've never checked out before. Because of my HUGE TBR pile, no books for me, but I still wanted to support the store. 

Puzzle for Asheville
It's a challenge

And a puzzle sorter

Book meets truck
for my grandson

I took a whirl around a vintage market -- didn't buy anything, but saw this jacket. A friend had a similar one in the '80s and we had a fun text exchange about it.

It's going to rain most of the day today with thunderstorms looming too. What to do? Yep, clean. The house needs a big clean and I procrastinate it every visit. Today is the day. The moment has arrived. Suck it up, buttercup. Big girl panties on. There is nothing else to do this morning. Ugh. It'll be so nice when it's finished though. 

Then out for lunch somewhere. I haven't decided where, but I have ZERO food in the house. Absolutely NOTHING so I need to get cleaning so I can eat. How's that for a carrot stick?

My sister is coming over this afternoon while I wait for the HVAC contractor. Depending on how everything works out, I might grab a dinner out too. 

I'm hoping for that Asheville magic that somehow sneaks in and makes me feel happier. I'll look for it today.

Have a good one. Later gators.

Garden Prep

Weather forecast changed completely -- expecting nothing but rain in Asheville for the visit. Dang. I'm packed and ready to go this morning though. Guess this will be an inside kind of trip and no excuse to not clean!

I'm glad I stayed home yesterday. We worked on the garden -- pulled the tomatoes and cucumbers, added new compost and soil, filled new beds. Ready for fall planting in a couple of weeks. Rain also expected for the next 3 days here -- glad to have it all cleaned up. Next step is getting utilities marked so the irrigation can be installed. 

Finally, a friend

Street view

Yard view

We went for coffee with the dogs -- sweet boys. 

Waiting ...

Cute as a button

That's all from here. I'm going to finish up and get on the rainy road. Have a good start to the week. Later gators.

Sunday Updates

Leaving for Asheville tomorrow morning instead of later today. I'd leave this morning, but I have a HS zoom call and I don't want to miss it. I don't think I'm up for a late drive today. This will give me a little time to work on the garden and such since I'll come home to babysitting the rest of the week.

I'm still having a hard time. Energy is zip. Mood is awful. Sleep is tanked.

Was yesterday a good day? I'm really not sure. I did all the things and I didn't really enjoy much of any of it. I know it's hormones. I'm not going to fight it -- it is what it is. I'll keep doing the things and wait for the HRT to kick in. 

I made a blended curry, coconut, zucchini, potato soup. If I make this one again, I'll change it up a little, but it's pretty good. Lots of fresh veggies -- spinach, peppers, leeks. 

I bought a basket of beefsteak tomatoes at the farmers market too. I'm out of GF bread, but I'll make a quick trip to get some today. Nothing better than a summer tomato sammie and homemade soup. 

Short and sweet this morning. It's a full day -- more Little Blue House stuff. It's bugging me that things are good and I feel sad and uninspired by it all. Eeek -- just noticed the double meaning of Little BLUE House. I do have a bit of the blues. Hmmmm ... maybe not the best metaphor for my best life. 

Anyway, have a good day. Later gators.

A Quick Recap

Here's a recap of yesterday.

The Hike ...

The BAD:  The hike felt so hard. Like I didn't know if I could finish -- that hard. I did it, but my energy is really tanked for no reason other than hormones.

The GOOD: The weather was perfect -- overcast with a cool breeze. I thought about the Camino on the drive over since I was listening to a Spanish podcast. Ran into the Camino group organizers on the trail. We talked for about 15 minutes and exchanged info. We're going to meet up for coffee or lunch and talk all things planning a Camino. Absolutely AWESOME! They're so generous to help. Said they love doing it and someone did it for them years ago.

The garden ...

The BAD: Summer garden is ramping down and I need to pull tomatoes (diseased and bugs) and cucumbers (end of growth). The new beds have to be positioned a little wonky because of some drainage access in the yard. I was too tired to pull and fill yesterday. It'll have to wait an until after I babysit since I'm heading to Asheville tomorrow morning.

The GOOD: It's moving along. I shared a bag of compost with a friend -- love sharing garden everything. Fall plan is exciting.

The Dinner & Concert ...

The BAD: GF pizza was horrible. Another couple came arrived before us and we sat on a back porch overlooking gravel with no one else on the deck or no music -- very bland setting. There's a really cute front area where I pictured sitting. A couple of a ladies decided on "one last drink" so we bagged ice cream. Bummer for me.

The GOOD: Set up chairs early and had great seats. The concert was fantastic. The weather was picture perfect -- like a cool fall evening. 

It was a good day, not a home run, but a solidly fun day, hitting lots of Little Blue House moments. 

Today I'm heading the the farmers market for summer soup veggies. We're heading to our youngest's today to watch the wedding video and then trying out a new place in town for lunch. 

Hope you're having a good weekend. Later gators.

Comes in Three

Today should be a fun day Friday.

First up -- heading for a solo hike. Temps are cooler this week and it'll be a good morning for outdoors. It's a challenging climb with solid elevation and some technical parts. I've been adding a few miles to the hike taking a rolling hills trail, but I might stick to just the mountain today. My body is out of sorts still and it's been a minute since I've hiked. 

Next up -- garden setup. The fall gardening class was good and I know what I want to do for the fall garden now. Taking an info class always gets me excited and I learn something new every time. I'll plant at the end of the month.

Ending the day with a pizza dinner with friends and the local summer music concert (80s cover band). I organized the group and it should be a nice evening. Temps and humidity are lower and the area is shaded. 

Last night was better with the night sweats -- although hot flashes were bad yesterday. Our washer broke so I'm grateful I had already washed my sheets. I'll be taking dirty laundry to Asheville on Sunday. New washer arrives Monday.

Did I mention we have rats? Yep, traps set and the house will get sealed next week. It's common around here. So far they've stayed in the belly of the house and we haven't seen anyone creeping around. Geez. 

That's the three BIG ticket items. HVACs in Asheville, rats, washer. Let's hope it stops at there. 

Quick hello this morning. Even though it's cooler, I want to get an early start to the hike. Have a good day. Later gators.

Conversation Update and Book Organization Update

Lunch was nice yesterday, but I don't think I was able to change the conversation much -- not that it wasn't good, it was just different. 

I'm craving a different sort of conversation. We spent most of the time catching up on our lives -- family, travel, life, etc. and little time talking about other things. Like something fun. I can't really describe it -- not small talk, but talk that's about subjects other than sort of listing off calendars and updates on family. We get caught up on life stuff (in too much detail) and then lunch is finished. 

I want to know other things about people too. What's making you happy right now? What kind of fun are you having? What did you learn lately? What kind of FS stuff are you heading toward? Any new hobbies and do you like them? What drew you to the new hobby? What feels exciting to you right now?

I did a crappy job steering the conversation this way. We hadn't seen each other in 6 weeks and that's a bit of the issue -- we don't often have time to get through updates onto more interesting topics. The conversation feels like something we could just text. But I love having a friend who knows me and my kids and my grandson. That's lovely too -- just wish it could hold more of the other kind of connection.

We talk about the recent past and not a lot of forward things. The conversation is a recap -- important and good, but not enough.

I know everyone can't be everything all the time and that's why it's nice to have multiple friendships to draw on. But I wonder if I can do better in how I approach these connections and conversations. 

Me and friendships -- it's a whole thing and I wish I had it more figured out. 

I finished this book yesterday. Very slow story, lots of little bits about everyday life and imagination. I liked it. Much longer and I might have lost interest. Worth the read when you're in a reflective, nostalgic mood.

I finished organizing my TBR and I think the plan is a good one. I also created a pile of "Read First" books that I'm interested reading sooner rather than later. Between library holds and this group, it should keep me moving forward.

I also decided to use StoryGraph. I'm adding a few older reads here and there for books I want to remember (and/or recommend). No big rush to add the older ones, but I plan to stay current going forward. I like that you see the cover, not just the title. That spurs a little visual memory for me and it's the reason I chose it over the spreadsheet. It's also easy to see on the phone too. I like that I can input from my computer or phone. 

Check and check.

Now moving toward the garden. Fall growing class this afternoon. Raised beds and soil arrived. It's moving along nicely.

Best get moving. I've been fussing around this morning on house chores, etc and it's late. Have a good day. Later gators.