T-Minus One Day

It's been an entire year since I've taken a full vacation. 

We are T-minus one day until Maine and, as usual, I'm all up in nerves. It's like I forgot how to vacation for anything more than a few days. There are exactly zero things to worry about -- yet, my super worry power is ruminating on a few maybe-this-will-happen things. This trip is easy, and laid back, and fun.

BUT ... what if that storm becomes a problem? And how am I going to sleep well? And what if I get my period after 3 months? What if our hiking luggage gets lost? What if the dogs are unsettled and our dog sitter decides she won't sit again? What if packages get delivered and we have no one to bring them in? What if my outdoor potted plants die?

Lord, make it stop. As soon as we get to the gate tomorrow, all my angst disappears ... but until then ... geez. 

Anyway ...

Yesterday was a full, fun day. 

Somehow I got everything finished and spent 6 hours playing with my grandson who has named me "gee-gee" until he can say granny. FYI -- he says grandpa perfectly haha. Friends stopped over to look at 3 houses on our street (2 new builds and one other for sale). Fun to check out the neighbor's house that's on the market. They hung for a quick drink and picked greens from the garden -- I love sharing the garden. (Just added that worry to my list -- what if it bolts while I'm gone?) 

I ate my weight in delicious local watermelon. It was the best of the year. I've never had a watermelon this late in the year. My stomach is wonky this morning, duh.

I'll be back after vacation with a roundup of all things good and any of the worries that came true {knock wood}. Hope you have a good week. Later gators.

5K, Farmers' Market, Coffee, Soup

Yesterday was a good day.

The race was so much fun. I jogged the entire way, but my heart rate was about 10 beats higher than normal and my time about a minute/mile slower. I finished in 30 minutes. Next race is with Duke in October. Usually slower with dog stops. 

Love this message we passed.

Starting line. Almost 700 people.

The walk back to the car got a detour to a tiny farmers market. I little misunderstanding of "two tomatoes" gave me two BUCKETS of tomatoes. And I bought a huge seeded watermelon (cutting it today), and two ears of incredible corn. All organic. I thought my arms were going to give way and drop the watermelon. It was SO HEAVY with bags of tomatoes hanging from my wrists, but I made it to the car. 

This meant tomato soup -- double batch. I cooked all afternoon. Soup, hummus (to use radish from the garden), apple sauce. Why do I add this stuff on?? Future me will be happy because my freezer is stocked with stuffed peppers, soup, and applesauce, but I'm paying the price with my time this weekend.

I also met my friend for a couple of hours at the coffee shop 2 blocks from my house. Great catch up. Love being able to walk. I hope this never gets old. 

My heart rate is back to normal this morning and I feel like myself again. Thankful for vaccines. 

Best get going. That list isn't going to do itself and kids are coming over for football early today. I love a day with my grandson, but granny has a bunch of stuff to get finished hahaha. It's plant watering day -- ugh, a dreaded task in this house. 

Have a good one. Later gators.

Pre-Trip Overwhelm (of course)

I think I had (have) a delayed immunity response to the vaccinations. I'm not feeling great -- yesterday afternoon I hit a wall. Pushed through to hang with my grandson (parade was adorable), but crawled into bed as soon as he left. I haven't stopped pouring sweat this morning -- feels different than a hot flash. I'm hoping this is the last of the response. 

My Oura stats are messed up with another night of a high heart rate for me. I might be downgrading the 5K run to a walk today. The rest of the group is walking so either way will be fun.

I'm meeting a friend for coffee this afternoon and then lots and lots and lots of stuff to get finished before we head to Maine. What I need to remember is to hold a clear calendar for a couple of days before a vacation. Between plants, garden, dogs, packing, clearing refrigerator, setting up the house to be away -- it needs a couple of days dedication so I don't feel overwhelmed before the trip. Didn't remember that this trip. Dang, do better next time.

This morning is list making and that'll help with the overwhelm. This afternoon is list making for a loose itinerary for the trip (nothing like last minute). Chat will help with this. 

I got an eye exam yesterday and my distance RX has changed, but otherwise, my eye anatomy is fine. I was concerned about my left eye since the face plant. It's not the same. Doc says my vision is complicated and what can help with my left eye for distance will mess up my reading (namely a prism). I'll tackle finding best pricing on lenses next month since we have no more eye insurance. 

I've been out of town a lot recently -- all good, no regrets. But I'm craving a stretch of home days. Not sofa slug days, but nesting kind of days. Slower days of painting rocks and fussing in the garden and cooking. Days that aren't filled to the brim with calendar obligations. Probably a wish for fall cosy time. I'm glad for a couple of weeks like this in October and I'm going to do my best to remember to keeps things present and a bit slower.

Okay, need to get to those lists. Later gators.

Book Haul

So many books!! The library bookstore shift was as fun as always. Paid in books (plus $7 purchase). What a haul :) Finished both bookclub books for October. I'll probably do a round up about some current reads soon.

I got vaccinated yesterday for seasonal flu and booster. My usual resting heart rate overnight is around 45 -- last night 65. But otherwise, feel fine. I expected a bigger reaction. Just a sore arm and maybe a little fatigue, but could be any old day -- nothing so certain.

I have a hormone lab draw and eye exam this morning. The afternoon and evening is babysitting our grandson while kids look at a house. We're headed to his school for a culture parade -- it's going to be so cute. Made very early dinner reservations to take him out for a bit before his parents pick him up.

My son sent a video of him looking at a picture of me and saying "gan gee" -- getting so close!! My grandma name is Granny. He's said grandpa twice already. 

Have a great start to the weekend. Later gators.

Volunteering x2 Today

Another early morning -- this time a library shift. One of my favorite volunteer things to do. Talk books all morning and get paid in books too. And when I'm not talking books, I'm sitting reading books. What's not to love?? (Although sometimes the library is awash with little kid germs -- should be "safe" during the week though.)

Picked some of those greens yesterday. I really, really need to find people to share them.

The hike was great. Fast, but not hard. Good group of people. Most excellent way to start a day. 

Every time I hike with the club, I wish our Tuesday group was a bit more about the hike. We hike SO SLOWLY and the problem is the hike takes way too much time. We had a "faster" group this week, but someone brought their dog and that slowed us down again. Lunch and a 5 mile hike will take most of the day. I stopped hiking the slower hikes with the club for the same reason. 

Worked on prepping some painted rocks to bring to a volunteer home visit tonight. The little girl likes to decorate them. Listened to music. The vintage Billy Joel album is my favorite.

Album shelf hung.
Works well.

Hubby and I tried the brunch place ahead of a bookclub reservation. I'm a bit on the fence about it. Place is really cute, food was excellent, but there's a sign that brunch on weekends has 90 minute limit. Also, GF options were a bit slim. All organic, lots of vegan, but only a few GF options which is surprising. As always, just have a GF bread option and most of the menu becomes available. I'll share my findings with the group and they can decide.

Vegan hash.

Hubby said best waffles.

Deviled eggs with
bacon and crawfish.
I loved them.

I'll start today with volunteering and end it with more volunteering. In-between are some errands. Should be a nice day.

Hope you're set for a good one too. Later gators.

My New Obsession

Good morning.

I'm back in GA and back to some normal routine. I hiked with my Tuesday group yesterday and went early for extra miles. The lunch place was a dud, so I had an iced tea and ate at home. 

Garden GREW while I was gone. At least the greens did -- peas aren't growing well (might be the heat) and the cabbage is basically destroyed by some bug.

Got a few garden signs. I need to find a place for them. You can't see them that well in this pot -- just put them there as a placeholder. I have a fence sign coming too.

LGBTQ+ Ally
Kindness Matters
Love Wins

I needed a change to our trip next week and I thought I'd use chatGPT for a basic search. Oh dear lord, I went down a rabbit hole and am now a monthly member (I used up the free and had to wait for it to reset so I joined). It's crazy what you can ask and the details it returns.

I couldn't find a brunch place for bookclub in October because it's in an area I'm not familiar with and there's a number of specifications. Chat found a place. I'm checking it out today. This restaurant never populated any of my searches and it looks like it could work. I'm a believer if this ends up as "perfect" as it seems on chat. 

Chat planned me a thrift store crawl in my area too. That's on my calendar for October. 

I did a few "creative" inquires and my ideas were better. Maybe with better questions, it would do better. Sticking with social planning stuff for now. I also asked about books and it made a few good lists, but I had read them all. It's harder to find a hidden gem. Again, probably more detailed questions, etc. 

The book thing was interesting. I like to read a book that's set in the location I'm vacationing -- perfect quest for chat, but I needed to stop and cook so I put on a book podcast. As luck would have it, the first recommendation was set in Maine, popular author, trilogy. Perfect. I went back and searched chat and it never gave that series as an option. I'm going to play around with it again and see if I can get it to "find" these books. That'll help me learn to refine my questions. 

Up early for an early hike. This one I need to drive to a park (5 minutes), but we walk up the path by my house -- so funny. It's my mountain trail starting from a different location. The Wednesday evening hike is on today, but mornings hikes are my preference so I chose this one. 

Good day ahead. Fast trail hike, brunch at this new place (solo), picking up grandson from school and spending a couple of hours with him. What's better than ending a day playing trucks on a Wednesday hahaha?

Hope you have a good one. Later gators. 

Joyful Chaos

Yesterday was as predicted -- joyful chaos. 

We had a great time. I absolutely cannot get enough of my grandson. He's just so much fun. We played trucks and stickers and danced to Wheels on the Bus and other cool bangers such as Purple Monkey (a crowd favorite).

He likes me to put him in his carseat (no idea why). Having him reach out for me to hold him is joy like I can't describe. 

We're all gathering for brunch a local cafe down the road from us. It'll be another moment of family crazy makes the best memories. The little cousins are wearing matching shirts so it'll be a photoshoot kind of morning. 

I'll leave you with this spider web picture. Webs were all over the signs at the Farmer's Market -- heavy rain and morning dew covered made them so pretty. They were hard to photograph though -- this is the best one, but it doesn't do it justice. No visible spiders though -- phew.

I ate my body weight in cookies and Rice Krispy treats. Everything GF for my DIL and I fell hard. My HRV stat (usually around 50) was 15. Good lord in heaven -- do better. Sorry to my body for that detour to sugar land. It'll be a hard withdraw today. 

Kids will hit the road after brunch. I'll zip to the teahouse (probably) and then clean and turn the house over while hubby watches football (he did all the yard work ahead of them coming). 

For now, it's quiet. I'm the first up to get the morning ready -- coffee, toast for early risers, etc. Windows open -- even too early for the birds to chirp yet. 

Have a good day. Later gators.

Food for Thought

Some interesting things happened yesterday. 

I wore a trans inclusion t-shirt to run ("trans rights are human rights") and I went to the teashop before I showered because I had cleaning and yard stuff to do later. I got a few "I like your shirt" comments.

Stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up a few things and there was a sample testing. The guy was engaging and laughing with people. I stepped up and he wouldn't talk to me. Wouldn't answer my questions. Wouldn't look at me. Oh, I get it. The next person -- back to his cheerful self. 

So I reported him to the manager and assistant manager. Told them I expected more from an employee at Trader Joe's especially. They seemed responsive and said they would address it (hopefully they did). And I hope that pissed the guy off even more. Working at Trader Joe's in Asheville --- hmmmm, not a fit for this guy. Or maybe he starts to consider more understanding and kindness. 

Finished my shopping at Harris Teeter and a person, who appeared trans, said "I like your shirt" and they smiled and reached out. That's why I (we) need to speak out with inclusion and acceptance and support. 

Finished the afternoon with our front door camera going off in GA. The construction supervisor who sat early morning in front of my house (when the entire street wasn't occupied), put an apology gift on the front porch. The kids picked it up and read me the card. 

When I went to water the garden that morning I gave him a side eye. He parked in front of my window and front door, dark outside, and sat in his lit truck cab while I was in my office -- for HOURS. Literally anywhere else on the street would've been fine. When I gave him the side eye, he moved his car up two car lengths in front of the VACANT lot and sat there until his crew arrived. 

It was a pleasant surprise he realized that was unnecessarily uncomfortable for me. BTW, construction parks in front of our house all the time. It's not an issue. They fill the other spots first and don't come until it's light outside. I enjoy talking with them when I do the garden. This other situation was strange and unnecessary. It was like we were in the same room together. 

Lots of up and downs. Food for thought on people, my reaction, my voice. 

Anyway ... kids arrive at lunchtime. Heading to the farmers' market this morning. Should be a fun, chaotic, joyful, tiring 24 hours. I'm all in. 

Have a good day. Later gators.

Side Note ...

Here's a little scoop about home. I was picking greens and peppers from the garden before we left for Asheville, when a group of people from a gym up the street walked by. We get tons of gym folks running the street or walking to the trails. 

They complimented my garden and complimented a little sign I painted. Rainbow heart with "BE YOU" message. I've ordered more signs for the yard and fence on the side where people walk up the trail. Stay tuned -- all coming from Etsy. Putting out inclusion messages and kindness messages.  

We got talking (side note: they encouraged me to check out the gym because so many nice people -- like a family they said). I exchanged numbers with one woman who invited me to a local group that advocates for local politics, local change, etc. I joined up and it seems like an interesting group. We have a lot of local seats up for grabs in our town.

Our country is a shit show and I'm so upset about it, but stepping up (even a little) makes a difference in how I feel. If enough of us step up a little, it'll make a difference in our country. It starts local. I never gave enough credence to how important local politics are because our democracy was never challenged like this in my lifetime. I first saw it during the pandemic. I won't make that mistake again.

Anyway -- when I look regularly enough, pay attention, I find my path and people to walk it with. Sometimes it's a miss, but the point is to keep going. We don't have to walk this shit show alone. 

P.S. I'm not interested in the gym right now, but the runners coming down the street always yell for me to join. It's a solid "maybe" now. I might be convinced at some point. They are slowly wearing me down.

Back IN Asheville

Asheville bears are in full force. This guy comes everyday to eat the tree nuts outside our house. I saw him last trip and our neighbor said he's a regular.

I set up a little fairy house village on our stone wall. These were some of the first rocks I painted -- all from one particular park that has this shaped rock. I've had it inside for years, but decided to put a little fun out in the yard.

Hubby cleaned up the yard and set up for the kids. We don't keep the chairs out because of the bears and I'm often too lazy to bring them out. Nice to sit outside this trip. It's so pretty. The stone wall gives us privacy and the trees are amazing. They're dropping nuts now so we sit at our own risk -- they clunk when they hit your head.

View from the kitchen

He found a yard angel I put out years ago and it got buried in leaves. The face is gone and it's all messy -- fits the old house perfectly now. Our little haunted angel.

Didn't get to the teahouse yesterday, but it's on my list today. It was more of a chore day than a vacation day -- but I'm making sure I get a mix of both for the rest of the trip. Tomorrow will be mass chaos in the best-ish kind of way. 

Windows open, Merlin app open ... learning bird sounds. Crow, robin, eastern Towhee so far. 

Have a good day and a good start to the weekend. Later gators.

Back to Asheville

Hello. Been a couple of days. I'm under the weather -- not really sick, but not well either. We're leaving for Asheville this morning. Lots to do, of course.

Can I complain for a minute? I baked the last 2 days. We're getting pizza takeout on Saturday at my sister's house and she's making a salad. I'm making dessert for 12 of us and I decided to make a bunch of cookies. My sister called yesterday and she bought cookies and brownies for Saturday. Then hubby went to Costco and bought a box of cookies for the weekend. Seriously?!?! They BOTH knew I was baking cookies. What an absolute waste of my time and energy when my energy is wonky this week.

Ugh. No good deed.

Anyway, the garden is growing and I hope it handles me being gone for 5 days. I ended up taking out the eggplant because it's stopped fruiting. I was using it to shade the herbs. 

Peas starting.
Peppers.

Thai basil and eggplant.
Radish in the corner

Greens and peas behind

Something is eating the cabbage.
Radish sprinkled around.

Quick hello this morning. Off to pack up the car -- tons of stuff heading to Asheville for dogs and a toddler. 

I'm counting on Asheville to give me a boost this weekend and fingers crossed I'm not actually getting sick. First time back with the family since last September -- just before the big storm.

I didn't mention that the Asheville house tours were inspirational. My bedroom isn't quite right yet. I know what's missing and I know how to fix it. It'll take awhile to find the art and the rug, but I'm excited for a do-over and it'll be fun to hunt for items that I love. Leaning into some creativity and personal expression. 

Have a good one. Later gators.

Record Player

Home sweet home for a couple of days. I love Asheville, but it always feels nice to be home again.

Remember I bought a Billy Joel vinyl at a thrift store? I thought I'd play it at my son's, but he hasn't hooked up his player since he set up a new office. So I bought one -- entry level, basic, but it works. I want to listen to old music this way -- play in the background while I paint rocks. It feels like a vibe for this room.

Biggest flex -- I assembled it myself. Not bad. Reviews mentioned watching a video instead of the written instructions. Big help.

New home on the blue table

Assembled and working well

Here's a picture of the bookshelf wall with the Murphy door. It had some hiccups at first, but is working well right now. I like the chaos and color in this room. Happy and eclectic. I want to spend more time in here and get back to rock painting and crafting.

I'm not hiking with my Tuesday group today, but might join for lunch. I have a hard hike tomorrow that I'm looking forward to.

I need a reset of some kind-- thought wise, brain wise, emotionally. Something is off. I haven't been meditating regularly and I'm going to sit for a longer one today. Something is bothering me that's smoldering in the background and I can't see it. Usually regular, longer meditation helps. 

How do I know? Everything is upsetting me. Little comment -- instantly sad. Another little comment -- instantly pissed off. I feel like I want to go away and not be near anyone and live just as I want ... me, myself, and I. Of course, I don't, but the feeling is strong. And then it's gone. And then it's back.

And nothing is wrong. And there's lots of good. But I can't seem to appreciate the good and I'm walking a line of sabotaging good things -- just to prove a point or give into the blahs. 

Hormones? Maybe because it seems like it's happening SO MUCH. I'll work the things I need to and see where that gets me. 

Anyway ... full day today. Lots of chores and such. It's a quick turnaround to get back to Asheville and I'll be feeding a crowd. My garden needs some TLC after being gone too. Bugs are getting to the greens. I might need to put up a mesh screen. Oh, nature. It's a game of cat and mouse. 

Hope you have a good day. Later gators. 

See You Soon, Asheville

I had a super good Asheville day. 

I walked most of the house tour -- the first day was better, but this was nice too. One house had a private chef making canapés and another had a full spread with wine. Fancier day.

I skipped 2 of the houses, but rode the trolley to see the neighborhood. 

There was an open house for another historic home, so I toured that at the end. Finished up, and walked to the teahouse for a second time. Now that I know I have decaf options, later afternoon is fine. I got a small plate board for dinner too. Finished a book that was recommended by my hairdresser. 

Sweet story with a mysterious
main character -- all revealed
in the end. 

I'm torn between leaving first thing or sticking around for breakfast before I head home (restaurant opens at 9 o'clock). My stomach is a bit wonky this morning so it might be better to eat when I get back. 

It was a good weekend. On the feast or famine schedule, September is a feast, but I'm remembering to have fun. We're back in Asheville on Thursday for a family weekend. Quick turn around.

Have a good Monday. Later gators.

Historic Home Tour

The house tour was fantastic. Beautiful historic houses with the most unique features and incredible artwork. I'm glad I squeezed this weekend into the calendar.

We were able to walk and walk we did -- hello, hills. Seven houses and the last was such a big climb we were a puddle of sweat by the time we got there. Took us over 4 hours to tour all the homes. 

My feet were tired. I've spent the summer in Hokas or Birkenstocks and my feet weren't happy about fashion trainers. No pictures allowed, but a bear walked up to one of the porches so we had to wait to leave the house (mama with 2 cubs).

Cubs ran under the bushes
by the time I got my phone.
They were LITTLE babies
so we gave the mama lots
of room before we left. 

Seven more houses today and I'm going solo. They gave a booklet with a summary of the houses. Three are significantly far (trolley or drive) and all new builds. I'm going to skip them (most likely) and just tour the walkable historic houses. If I hear they're interesting, I might take the trolley up if I'm in the mood. You know I'd rather leave time for the teahouse. 

Already saw a big bear at the house this morning. I opened the window and he was right there. I'll have to be on the lookout when I'm walking around today. They're more active with the cooler weather.

I need to figure out my workout schedule for the next stretch of days -- might take a run this morning instead of a mountain walk ... or might skip a workout altogether since I'm doing a lot of walking during the day. It was a lot of time on my feet yesterday and I'm sore in areas other than muscles. I have a hard hike on Wednesday and the possibility of another hard-ish hike on Tuesday and I need rested legs. Decisions, decisions. It all hinges on what I decide for Tuesday. 

UPDATE: I went for a run. Couldn't pass up cool mountain air -- I'll figure out the rest of the week tomorrow. 

It's really nice that I have all morning for ME. Tour begins at 1 o'clock and I can start it anytime. The mountain temps are so nice right now (getting warm in the afternoon though). I WILL have time for the teahouse (yes!!!) and somewhere (anywhere) for lunch. I'll need dinner plans too. 

On that note, I'm going to go plan my day. Hope you have a good Sunday. Later gators. 

Trip #2

Good morning.

I'm packed and up to leave for Asheville. Taking a couple of beats of my morning routine and I'm on the road.

Yesterday was nice. Hubby and I went to lunch and did the chair setup. Everything worked out well and my bitching was for (almost) nothing. I made stuffed peppers with a few garden veggies. There were 7 medium sized bell peppers I needed to use. It's what's for dinner while I'm in Asheville. 

The concert was good. It wasn't as good as last month, but the performer grew on me. Some of the tracks were spot on and excellent and some just okay. I think they were missing some of the instrumental specific sounds or the singing range. He was also a showman, and paused a lot to interact with the audience -- a little too much for my preference. That said, beautiful weather, friends, free music under the trees. It was worth staying home to attend.

I'll get into Asheville, unload my car, and meet my sister for an early lunch. Then a house tour of 6 homes. I have no idea how long it will take. All the houses should be relatively close to each other, and maybe walkable. There's a trolley, but I hope we can walk instead. I'm not sure that they list out addresses though since we only have an address of the registration and the first trolley stop. They may want arrivals to come in "trolley loads" instead of dribs and drabs. We'll see. A trolley would be fun, but it'll slow down the process. Of course, why rush.

This might be a non-teahouse Asheville visit -- eeek. That's only happened maybe one other time?!?! I'll be back on Thursday so it's not tragic haha.

That's all from here. I'll be leaving in the dark this morning. Haven't done that in a heartbeat. Have a good Saturday. Later gators.

Trip Recap

Hello! I'm back from Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain (GA side). I had a wonderful time and am completely driven out and talked out. So much driving, so much talking AND so much fun. 

The mountain drive to the house wasn't bad, not nearly as isolated as I thought. The house was beautiful and the view was incredible. 

Here's a quick look in pictures. 

Coffee at Rosie's Farm
with the alpaca

Morning view from house

Such a nice rental

First look on Lookout Mountain

Hand gliders over the house.
The start is just down the road.

We stopped in Cartersville, GA on the way home -- cute town. Lots of happy, inclusive signs and one asshole holding a nasty message. I told him what I thought about it when he tried to talk to me. But overall, a nice place, but a sense of hate lingering underneath the nice messaging. 

I got Christmas shopping started and a few goodies for me. 

Christmas picture in pink
so I put it out early.

Also Billy Joel vintage album

Christmas laundry detergent

Set of iron bookends.

I'm doing a fast turnaround for the trip to Asheville tomorrow. Need to be there by 11 o'clock so get up and go tomorrow. 

We have a Billy Joel cover band concert tonight. Lots of folks coming. Chair setup is all a fuss though. It'll workout, but I hate this kind of situation. We offered, picked up chairs -- all set and now 4 more people coming. It's something I need to be completely not stressed about, but annoyance is creeping in. Unorganized people depending on someone else to be organized so they get the good seats too. I'm glad we have the problem of more people rather than everyone canceling though. It's also sizing up for EVERYONE except us to be late to the concert (as per every other time). I guess this kind of thing will always annoy me. 

That's a quick hello this morning. I have a lot to do today. Still trying to remember to have fun because this is all fun. And I'm so lucky to be able to have nice, fun things right now.

I have so much sadness and worry over events this week. I found out a family member is a big fan of the man shot and that was massively disappointing to me that she supports hateful ideas. I don't support killings and I fear this will ignite more hate. And I hated everything this person stood for. The dumpster fire just spread some more. There is such a feeling of doom lingering over everything -- like this is the lead up to something we've never experienced in our lifetime. And we're doing it to ourselves. 

Well, I could go down a big rabbit hole. I'll leave it at that. Later gators.

Tuesday Rant

I had some crappy sleep last night. ONE MINUTE of deep sleep -- that crappy. I'm trying to rally for this week. For some reason I super duper need to NOT have to coordinate anything, arrange things, take care of things and this is the exact wrong week to feel this way. 

I expect I'll feel refreshed soon enough. Travel with my aunt is always excellent.

The drive today was suppose to be under 2 hours, but when I got the address and plugged in picking up (I'm driving), it's more like 3 hours. Not a big deal, I know, but still. And I'm driving the entire trip, including picking up my cousin once we get there which isn't an issue, but I need to return her before we head home so that'll be closer to 4 hours of driving. Apparently, crazy mountain driving too. Lord help me. 

BTW, my aunt offered to drive, but she has a 2 seater convertible, so that won't really work. 

We have another outdoor concert in our town and I'm the coordinator for that on Friday too. Then driving to Asheville where I'm coordinating and driving for a historical house tour with my sister. Spending the rest of the trip getting ready to host a houseful the following weekend.

All fun. But I crave a day where fun doesn't mean a lot of work too. Maybe once I get regular, good sleep I won't feel this way. 

Yesterday the dogs were so extra. One peeing on a washable rug -- so that had to be cleaned. One throwing up on the regular rug. All while I was trying to get through my list. 

And I'm up really early to get some quiet time before I leave and finish packing in peace. For some unknown reason, my husband is up too. WTH. This is what I'm talking about this week. Can't catch a break and time to regroup. I wish I was driving alone today and could relax. 

Okay, thanks for listening to my Tuesday rant. Best get going. Later gators.

Bit of a Manic Monday

The hike was a lot of fun yesterday. For some reason the mountain doesn't feel hard to climb -- all granite, but it gets super steep the last 1/3 and you feel like you could fall back so easily. I'm scared when I'm hiking it, but really love it. Here a couple pictures from the very top -- doesn't do it justice at all (kind of blah pics actually). Then we hiked the wooded trail around the mountain. 

Kids were here when I got home. We had a fun day together. They stayed ALL day and evening (which is great), BUT, I didn't get to anything I needed to do. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed today ahead of 2 trips this week and lots of chores before I leave. 

We also learned the kids are spending Christmas and that weekend with my DIL's family. My younger son is also doing in-laws this year (because we're all together for Thanksgiving). I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, we can plan a quiet, non-stressful Christmas, just us. Maybe Asheville. Doing something different. On the other hand, every time we've had Christmas (by her mom's choice because she wanted to do an early gathering), we've invited them over too. One year they came, one year they canceled last minute. Guess that's not going to be extended to us. 

We've also had a horrible run of hosting them at Christmas -- one year COVID, one year my son was sick, last year baby was really sick and got us all really sick too. 

I WILL be able to spin this to find the fun about it. Just a few prickly bits to work out. I think the only tough issue is the lack of reciprocal invitation and taking the ENTIRE 5 days around Christmas. We've always made sure to share. 

The dogs are headed to groomers this morning; I'm headed to hair appointment. The proximity means I'm taking care of the dogs and that's sucking so much of my time today. I might need to rethink and ask hubby to handle them (as originally planned). I can't stop at grocery store with dogs in the car. I have to leave early to get to the bank because I need cash tip for my hair (didn't get to go yesterday). I'll hit a bunch of schools too. It's all very tight timing.

Guess I'm a little grumpy this morning because I feel rushed and tired. I was counting on today to be downtime ahead of a week of social stuff and that's not going to happen. I'm taking point on all the things this week and it's a lot. I need to remember this is fun and remember to have fun. Telling myself it's hard is not helping. 

Hope you've started the week well. Later gators.

Football Sunday and a Hike

Hello. I feel like I have less than usual to say this morning. I'm up early to hydrate and such before the hike. There's an art festival so I'm leaving a little earlier than expected to make sure I get parking. 

Kids are coming over before the first football game start so they'll be here when I get home. Oh well -- I'm still hiking. They want our grandson to have some time to play before his nap because he'll be excited for the play area. No way he'll go straight down for a nap without a little fun first. 

I finished The Hostage -- it was just okay. Entertaining enough if you're bored and want a quick series. Still reading The Correspondence. It's good, not earth shattering good like I expected, but I'm only halfway. 

I have some mountain travel coming up -- all driving trips. Girls' trip to Chattanooga on Tuesday to stay in the mountains. Home for a day for an outdoor concert with friends. Quick 3 days in Asheville for historic home tours in my neighborhood. Home for 2 days and back up to Asheville for a family weekend. Lots of fun ahead. Fingers crossed for crisp, fall weather.

Let's go Steelers (or Jets -- my younger son's team) -- both teams will be on the struggle bus this season. I'm here for the grandson playtime. Later gators.

Granny Gushing

It's SO MUCH FUN being a GRANNY (!!) Just me at Grandparent tea and I got a big run and hug when he saw me. Crafts were "scary" so we hung out with stickers I brought in my granny bag. Then we started decorating the craft with the stickers until it was more fun to put them on shoes. 

No stickers left by the end.
All on his shoes lol!
He's a creative like that haha!

I took him home and we played some more. We all took a trip to see a house (kids are house hunting) and he still hung with me and we explored trees and cars and green porch chairs. I got the biggest smile when I got out of my car. Big, huge, full Granny heart. It's so nice that he knows me now and doesn't immediately reach for mom and dad. 

I was so sweaty and melted after an afternoon and evening holding and playing (and wearing jeans -- bad choice) so I came home and plopped on the sofa to start watching The Hostage on Netflix. Good-ish. It's a little bit unbelievable premise, but I'm going with it. 

Today is a prep day for football Sunday. Grocery stores and kitchen time. I'm hiking early in the morning tomorrow so no time to do much before they get here. 

Short and sweet this morning. Hope you're set for a fun weekend. Later gators. 

Book Moments Yesterday

It was an interesting day. I was on the drive to volunteer when the time got pushed back from the school. Did a quick pivot and went to the coffee shop to wait the time and read. A man came over and asked what I was reading and we ended up having a nice conversation. He's an environmental lawyer and professor and we exchanged a lot of book recommendations. This community is so solid and beautiful and they are being actively hated on by people. I can't understand it. 

Volunteering was fun. Scholastics is the same as it was when my boys were young. I love books. It was a good morning. I hope the kids are excited next week. I remember how fun it is to get Scholastics. 

The school shared a link to added money for kids who can't afford to participate -- I donated and shared the link to my Tuesday hiking group (no one acknowledged it) and my bookclub (everyone donated). It's interesting. The hiking group is suppose to be an "activist" group -- let's help, let's support. It's become mainly a complain and be shocked group, but do nothing. It's disappointing and I have to work my mind around it a bit. These are all woman with plenty of financial might and, yet, crickets when it comes to helping -- every single time. AND THIS WAS THE POINT OF OUR GROUP (!!) They won't donate, volunteer, join in for fun things, share the information. Another thing I can't understand. 

I then waited the rest of the day for the windshield repair. He came at 6:15 -- ugh. I don't understand why that window can't be narrowed a bit. He obviously wasn't coming at 1 o'clock and I rushed home to sit and wait, but it's finished and it looks good. All covered by insurance -- that's a win.

One of the library books arrived -- it's a summer favorite and I like it so far. I'm expecting to love it by the end because it seems to be genuinely loved by everyone. 

Today is grandparents tea at my grandson's school. As of now, it's just me going. Hubby might join if golf finishes on-time. I'm excited. Last year was a flop -- crying baby (needed his nap) and then sleeping baby (rocked in my arms). Not that we expected much since he was an infant, but this year will be more interactive. 

I joined Priya Parker's year program on substack. The course I did last year was one of the best things I've ever participated in. So far, this is excellent too. She's an amazing thought leader with specific, doable action points. Her first "live" included interesting views about politics. I learn something every time she speaks and it's had a big impact on my life. 

Have a good day -- weekend is here and weather is still decent. Maybe this isn't a false fall after all. Later gators.