Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Mountain Magic Part One
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| Our view over the mountain |
Quite a few years ago now, my parents, my sister, and I were lucky enough to find property on a mountain in North Carolina with a house big enough for all of us that, together, we could afford. We had grand ideas of one day turning it into a compound like the Kennedys in Kennebunkport because we like to dream big, but really, there is room for all of us in the house and building new houses on the side of a mountain would be insanely expensive.
When we first started coming up to visit the house, our trips were crazy mad dashes from one "must see" place to the next. Every moment was filled with either driving somewhere to look at beautiful Carolina mountain scenery, or hitting some cute, little shop that just couldn't be missed, or checking out the food at a restaurant that the locals swore was simply the best in the South. We found ourselves at home just long enough to sleep, shower, wake up, and do it all over again the next day. By the time we made it back to Florida, we were always more tired than when we had left. While we were in Carolina, we recognized the laid-back nature of the place, we felt the sense of calm that permeated the air we breathed, but it just seemed like there was too much we "had" to do to ever sit still long enough to breathe in very much of it.
Finally, last year, something changed. A switch flipped in my head, I guess, I don't know, but something was different. For starters, this trip was just me and Dad, instead of the whole family. We hadn't done a father-daughter road trip since my senior year in high school when we went to New Orleans, but that is another story for another day. Anyway, for the first time ever we got up in the morning and asked the question, "What do we have to do today?" Much to our surprise, the answer was, "Nothing." It was seriously disconcerting. I tend to have almost every minute of every day scheduled in my regular life, so to say, "I have no place to be today and there is nothing I have to do," totally threw me for a loop. Then I decided to embrace it. I knew that opportunity would only exist for a short period of time, so I grabbed it with both hands and held on for dear life!
A couple of the days we just stayed in our pjs and hung around the house reading and watching tv. I introduced Dad to my favorite series, The Wire, on DVD, so we watched a marathon of that. Each day seemed more amazing than the next! We ventured out to Terry's, my favorite roadside produce stand, where we bought Hillbilly Stripeys, the most delicious heirloom tomatoes I have ever tasted. The first bite actually made me cry. I made them into tomato sandwiches, a Southern staple. When we felt like it, we went into town and ate our favorite burgers at The Coffee Shop, or pizza at Mill & Main, or our very favorite, vegan chili and sandwiches, at Soul Infusion Tea House & Bistro. We went to lunch whenever we felt like it, we came home and took naps if we were tired. One afternoon we washed dishes and rolled silverware at the Community Table. Another afternoon we drove out to the new casino to have lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant. It was fabulous!
At that point, Baby Sister was early into her first pregnancy, so when we did venture out into the local shops, we inevitably found things that were so cute, the baby (we had yet to learn his sex) just had to have them! We caught up with our favorite potters, Zan, Brant, and Karen Barnes at Riverwood Pottery, the only place in Carolina that I am guaranteed to spend money every time! Their work is seriously beautiful! We drove into Cashiers one day and ended up on a quest for a big, metal chicken named Beyonce' like TheBloggess' for my friend, Julie. We also got to spend some time with my godparents up at their house on Dick's Creek. On that trip I photographed the water in a few really beautiful Carolina creeks, which I love to capture on film more than almost anything. We went where we wanted to go whenever we felt like it. The freedom was intoxicating!
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| Deep Creek |
Afternoon Cocktail Hour was celebrated with fun, fresh appetizers and Bloody Marys. In the evenings I played Chef in our kitchen to my heart's content, and Dad was seriously appreciative of the food I made. I even started writing down what went into some of the dishes I created, knowing that someday I wanted to do something with them, even though I wasn't sure yet what that was. I felt all of the stress and tension of the year melting away a little more each day. The magic the mountains were working on me was palpable. I couldn't remember when I had last felt so relaxed, and I knew, Dad and I both knew, that we wanted to do it again this summer. In fact we started planning our escape for this summer before we drove away from the house last summer.
Photos and details of this year's trip are coming soon.
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| Green's Creek from the bridge |
Hemingway Homage: Six Word Story
It's positive!
Finally dreams come true.
This post is in celebration of Hemingway Week at studio30plus. I combined both prompts, "It's Positive" and "Obsessed with Earnest" in creating this six word story, inspired by his. And no, I am not pregnant.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
No Choice
As his final breath left him, the rain began to fall.
This post is a reponse to Trifexa's weekend challenge "give us a 33-word opening line to your book. That's it. Make us want to read the next 333 pages of your work."
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
What a waste!
Sydney's ordinarily tiny toes were swollen sausages, red and aching beneath giant cankles that threatened to split the soft, tender skin of her previously perfect legs. Sydney had been on her feet since first light, chopping, mixing, sautéing, tasting, adding a pinch here, a dash there, until every bite was perfect. They finally sat to eat; her heartbeat was audible. Louis slowly chewed his first bite, inhaled deeply, and wiped his mouth. "Not bad," he exhaled.
"Not bad?" She seethed. "That pretentious little, bow-tie-wearing, wanna-be-epicurean sonofabitch! He wouldn't know good food it he choked on it!"
This piece was written as an answer to this week's One Hundred Word Challenge from VelvetVerbosity to tell a story using the word epicurian which has changed quite a bit since it first came into use. I chose to go with its more modern, common usage.
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
On the magic of salon therapy
I can be in the worst mood, ready to knock someone into the middle of next week, but the minute I cross the threshold of the salon, whether it is to see my brilliant hairdresser, Mags, at her own salon or to see one of the nail techs at my neighborhood pedi place, all of stress and irritation is out the door. It is crazy! How does that happen? What is in those chemicals?
Mags and I have been friends for over ten years now. We were friends first. We met doing a play together, she rescued me from a hairstyling disaster, and the rest is history. Since we have been friends for so long, it makes sense that I should feel great just having the opportunity to go in and hang out with her. Plus, she is a rock star at her job, so I always leave looking so much better than when I arrived! Conversely, I am challenged to understand more than a few words from the miracle workers at the nail salon and yet I still feel a rush of euphoria every time I walk through their door.
What is it that makes those hours so relaxing, refreshing, recuperative, rewarding, REQUIRED to keep me from wanting to shake people senseless? Perhaps it is the fact that I am an absolute captive for those precious few hours that my head is covered in chemicals, or my feet are soaking. I can't go anywhere or do anything else (except apparently blog) so I have no choice but to relax, read trashy magazines that I never get too see, and enjoy! Bliss!
Whatever it is, I know that I will do anything it takes to make sure I can continue to relish these visits. I am really doing it for the rest of the world, if you think about it. I'm a giver like that. After all, it these infrequent visits that allow me to continue to be the smiling, pleasant, patient person you see here. Isn't that better than the alternative? I think so, too!
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Leap!
This post is in response to this weekend's Trifextra Challenge:
Forty-three years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first person to ever walk on the moon. In celebration of Moon Day we want you to write 33 words about someone who took a giant leap. It can mean whatever you'd like, just make sure you write exactly 33 words.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
On Fear
I hear these questions on a continous playback reel in my head lately. I assure you this is nothing new. I am a girl who, for the most part, likes to play things safe. I was a rule follower in school because I was pretty sure I'd get caught and get in trouble if I didn't. And getting in trouble at school meant my parents finding out, and even worse, having to explain to my grandfather, my idol, the horrible thing I had done to bring shame upon myself and the family name. No pressure. So I tended to be a pretty good kid. If I wanted to do something I knew I wasn't supposed to, I usually asked my parents first. Keep in mind, I had fairly laid back (if somewhat overprotective) hippie parents. As long as I was unlikely to get hurt, hurt anyone else, or end up in jail, they were pretty cool. They let me try things, make my own choices, make my own mistakes, and supported me throughout it all.
So what is my challenge now? What AM I so afraid of? Change. Even when I am fairly certain it is a change for the better, the idea of changing from the proverbial Devil That I Know to step into any new situation with a Devil That I Don't is absolutely paralyzingly frightening to me. It isn't like I haven't successfully navigated innumerable changes before in my forty-something years. I have, but have I ever done it without a feeling of nausea and impending doom? Not that I can recall.
This change even includes the change of meeting people in a new environment. Attending a social gathering in a place where I know next to no one can be almost crippling to me at times. For those who know me, this may be hard to believe because, on stage, I am fearless. If it is in the script, or will improve the show in some way, I am 100% balls-to-the-wall ready for anything! I always have been. But on stage, I get to be someone else. When I have to be me, around people I don't know, I am terrified. The whole meeting new people thing represents a change to my little bubble of comfort where I know everyone and they know me. They get my jokes, they know I am a big bag of crazy, and they love me anyway. What will I do with new people on their own turf? Panic!
Does any of this mean I don't try? Does it mean I don't step out of my Hermit Crab shell and try to feel the sun on my face? Sometimes it does. Sometimes I curl up in a ball in my pjs and stay in bed cursing my own cowardice. But other times, other times I feel just a little bit strong and just a little bit brave and decide to give it a shot. Those days I realize that the worst that can happen is I fail at whatever it is I wanted to try. I end up right back where I started. I fall on my ass trying to Rollerblade, I crash into a tree trying to learn to ski, I nearly pass out trying to jog half a block, (Notice a theme?) I draw a total blank in the middle of the monologue at the audition, I don't get the part, I step out of the car at the party and end up with my pants on the ground when the drawstring breaks then have to hold them up as I walk in the door to ask the hostess for a safety pin (Mortifying!). That was an ice breaker for sure! And the party was a lot of fun.
What's the big deal? Chances are pretty good I end up with one hell of a funny story out of it, maybe a few scars, maybe a few tears, but almost always a good story.
This was written in response to the Weekly Prompt "What Are You So Afraid Of ?" at http://studio30plus.com/forum/topics/of-sales-and-fear
Monday, July 16, 2012
Betty Brilliance
To celebrate the monumental accomplishment, her fabulous doctor-husband planned Betty Family Beach Weekend Celebration. I, Auntie Q, am the only child-free Betty. TheSmartPrettyOne has two adorable little boys, Five and Two, who have stolen Auntie Q's heart. While we three all live in the same state, we are each about two hours from the next. Like
most people these days, we lead crazy busy lives so we rarely get to see one another. Betty Family Beach Weekend was to be the perfect opportunity to catch up, celebrate, and spend quality time together.
The child-rearing Betties arrived at the beach with their families on Friday night. Friday was my first day with Baby Sister and Baby Boy (more on that later), and then we threw an impromptu going away party for Middle Sister who told us Friday morning that she was moving away Monday (today) to follow her dream. As I was a little overbooked Friday, my sweetheart and I planned to join The Betties at the beach Saturday morning.
After entertaining a houseful until the wee hours, I had reconsidered my plan to arrive at the beach first thing in the AM in favor of a bit more precious slumber. My Betties, however, were up early and ready to go, texting me a supply list before my eyes were even thinking of opening. As soon as I could see straight, I started getting things together for the trip. As our visits tend to be few and far between, we had yet to celebrate Christmas or any of our birthdays. This meant I had several bags full of regular Betty gifts and books for the boys along with Doctor Betty's graduation gift to fit into my convertible VW Bug before we put in the bag of beach necessities, our technology (with which we can never leave home), and the required groceries. By the time the car was packed the sunscreen was applied, the top was down, the tank was filled, and we had stopped at two, yes TWO grocery stores for the required supplies, it was close to Noon! So much for getting there early. I came to the conclusion that it was a good thing that we are child-free because if we had to get kids ready and pack for them, too, in the midst of all this madness, it would be Sunset before we got to the beach!
We arrived in time for all of the Betty Boys to be fast asleep! Classic! It gave us the perfect opportunity to give TheSmartPrettyFreakishlyTallOne her graduation gift, and to celebrate all of our other gift-giving occasions while they napped. It was absolutely fabulous! We have discovered that we have an unusual affinity for office supplies, so they became a reoccurring theme throughout our exchange. This also gave me the chance finally to put a copy of Let's Pretend This Never Happened into each of their hands. That was one of the biggest gift hits of the day, we do so love TheBloggess. As usual, we laughed at things that only we would find funny until our sides hurt, and essentially reaffirmed our beliefs that life would be so much simpler if everyone just did things our way, and that we can handle anything as long as we are wearing the perfect shoes.
When the boys awoke, our focus naturally shifted to them. Now, I may be a little bit biased, but these are three of the cutest, smartest, most well-raised boys I have ever seen. What? I said I might be biased! Storms raged outside, but we and the boys had a blast playing together inside. It was such a treat for me to watch all of the verbal skills, positive phrasing, and teacher tricks that I use with my middle school students actually in use by my Betties on their own kids, just because that is they way they choose to parent.
My Betties are amazing moms. They are amazing women. They are amazing friends. They are, in point of fact, "MyVeryBestFriendsInTheWholeWideWorldAmen." They are among the greatest joys of my life. They have given me the opportunity to be Auntie Q to their incredible boys, and go home to my own two-legged-child-free home at the end of the visit. My Betties are both beautiful and brilliant. They are heroes to me. I wish we had more time to spend together, but we certainly do make the most of every moment we have.
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| My Betties show off TheBloggess' fabulous book, Let's Pretend This Never Happened. |
Eleven words
Mom, I'm ready. It's time to meet those I already miss.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
This is the big one, Elizabeth!
Where to begin? I thought it might be best to sit and look around the room before beginning, but even navigating safe passage to one of the TWO office chairs in there was a dangerous business. All of the previous projects had clear starting points, and a clear place to put everything while it was being organized (the bed, the counter) but not this time. I was absolutely frozen in overwhelm mode. I didn't even think to bring in trash and donation bags. My brain was blown! All I could think to do was start picking things up off the seat to identify and sort.
And that is how I started. It was a tiny, baby step, but it was a step. I found a bag to use for garbage, another to use for stuff to shred, and a box for donations. Before I knew what had happened, I could actually see the very dusty top of the desk! I was in glee-filled shock! I ignored all the rest of the mess around me, dusted it, and organized the items that deserved a perch on such a shiny, clean desktop. Upon completion of that project I was elated and allowed myself a Twitter/ Lunch break. The instant encouragement I received after posting that I had found the top of the desk gave me the adrenaline to get back in there and tackle the rest of the mess.
It all seemed to go faster once the desk was done. I was able to corral all of the stamp collection and related paraphernalia inherited from my sweetheart's grandfather into a few Rubbermaid containers of various sizes. That was so much easier than I had anticipated, I couldn't believe it! Next it was time to make room on the shelves for the towering stacks of CDs that threatened to topple over on top of someone at any moment. In order to do that, most of the VHS tapes had to go. Why did we even still have VHS tapes? We have DVDs coming out our ears, too! Where does it end? It ends when I run out of space to put it all away neatly. That's where! If it didn't fit, it was out the door! Take no prisoners! No mercy! Hear me roar!
And roar, I did! I filled boxes and bags I rolled out the extra chair for donation. I shelved, boxed, and re-hung everything that was left. I dusted, put the closet curtain back up, ran the vacuum, stood back at the end of a very long day and admired the room that had once been my favorite, and which I could now love again: The Office.
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