Like sands in the hourglass, so are the days of our lives...a famous opening line for a long ago soap opera. I didn't watch it but loved General Hospital for years and years. My mom watched GH and early on she liked to watch The Edge of Night...it had a dramatic intro as well. So like these sands, the time is dwindling by for me to depart this land I love. Yesterday, after dropping SequishShawn at the dealership for his 5000 mile checkup and Vivian picking me up for a lovely breakfast at The Moose Cafe, I ran an errand at The Biltmore Estate. I hadn't been over there for a while and thought I would enjoy the drive around the estate and take in the color. First stop, The Barn Door which used to be called the Mercantile. The store now has Made in America products and products and art produced by local artists. Since I was there and it is time to renew my annual pass, I took care of that. I dropped into the Traditions shop for just a second. That used to be my favorite shop on the estate but it has dropped out of favor over the last year or so. I only think it is because I have changed. Basically, I am a tshirt and book girl, with folk art touches that has become a style I call rustic chic. More emphasis on the rustic, not the chic. I like that the decor of our Ander home is more playful in nature than to be impressive with taste, good taste. Do I still want backsplash in the kitchen, of course, but it is not a high priority. Am I thinking of changing a few things when I return, yep! It is the carrot I need dangling in front of me to rehab well and as quickly as well makes possible.
When I returned home yesterday afternoon, I came home to a wonderfully clean house. Jan came while I was out and about and worked her magic.
This morning I am easing into the day. I went to bed early but a dream or something woke me up...wide awake in the middle of the night. Then on cue I had the biggest cramp right above the back of my left knee...my hamstring. Those are so painful! It took a while for sleep to return.
Roy and I went over some insurance forms last night that had come in the mail along with some info about upcoming surgery. We got tickled about a few of the things and we both were thankful that the probability of a "depends" late night moment is probably less than with the hip. Thankful that the hospital is nearby and not a long drive on I 10. Speaking of which the safety moment that Roy's company sent out today is titled Slips, Trips and Falls....a timely message for me to review. In fact I thought a lot about that yesterday as I cut across a patch of grass by the Outdoor Center at Biltmore. There was a day I would not have had to be so cautious and watchful with those constant reminders for my brain to talk to my feet.
Today as I work around here and then take some time to read or return to the blog or answer a text, I am deep in thought. This gift that Roy offered me has done the work it was intended to do. Just this summer my numbers and checkups were the best they have been in eight years...well except for a little weight gain. Darn you fall food of the mountains! The panic and rush of planning ahead for traffic and for slow downs is not an everyday occurrence here. Well, except for those Friday through Sundays on I 26 south of Asheville. The pace of life is slower and life and activities are so much closer. What was so important to me in Houston, isn't even a blip on the radar here, although sometimes when I see things from afar and with a different set of eyes, I'm worried for my friends...there is a lot of Kool Aid to be consumed if one is not careful. Presentation is a huge thing in Houston...right home, right decor, right church, right clothes, right stores, right mentality...and presentation is important here but it isn't obsessed over. In 2014 when we bought our home and began this journey, I knew there would be changes and some of them difficult but I also knew there would be changes that would be good and some of them easy. It is like the mountains were the glass slipper and my foot fits it to a T. These past few days I have committed to memory scenes and friends and produce stands. My love for produce stands jumped exponentially. Next year I am determined, as far as it depends on my part, to only make one trip back that way. It is time to move to doctors around here cause as Roy tells me weekly, my life is here, this is where I live...and I am here to be well. I am here for him and the exciting life we will share. It's kind of like I have gone to prepare a place for him here, but he better not rearrange the refrigerator again when he is here. That's a joke...kind of.
The recurring theme of my life has been since the age of sixteen, God has so graciously gifted me with wonderful friends. All this life, each stage and season, God has seen to it to bless me with friends. That has been true in Houston and it is true here in NC. I am enjoying the story unfolding here with friends, many of whom feel so much like family and I hope that they feel the same about me. I love learning new things about this place and I think I have brought something to the table too...only, we don't know what it is, yet. I have been dropped into friendships with some of the best bakers and cooks on this planet. Yum! And their influence is changing me...I fix dinner here almost every night and next year I want to learn how to can and put up stuff. I wanted to learn all these things this year but when I knew surgery was on the docket, I decided that all that learning could wait.
I was slowly learning this in Texas but here it has been the fast track, to experience life. To experience joy. To take in the scents and fragrances, learning that everything isn't a photo op to be carried around in my phone. There are places to go to and then share with my friends who come up this way to visit. There are places to eat and places to see and share with my friends who grew up and have always lived here places, I have discovered.
This is already too long and if you made it this far...bless you.
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