Years ago I took a vow to never, ever, never drive on a gravel road high up in the mountains. Yesterday, quite by accident I broke that vow nearby or in TN. I mean I even Googled it up, is any part of this scenic road gravel. Well, they lied didn't they. I think now I might be able to drive up to Cataloochee, but not going to try my luck or prayer coverage. I am getting ahead of myself, so let me begin at the start of this story.
Our church group The Travelers planned a jaunt to Roan Mountain, TN for Texas Style BBQ. To this Texas transplant, that means brisket done right, which is the Texas way. This group of friends are always such fun. When we have had to miss the adventures we are truly saddened. Since it is autumn and the leaves are changing into those glorious shades , we decided to take the scenic route. I looked at the route on Google maps and it didn't look all that problematic and you see, that proved to be a problem because in reality all mountain roads have certain and yet problematic issues. Narrow roads turned even narrower. The number of Independent Free Will Baptist Churches increased along the road. This should have been a sign unto me and just as we started up the mountain, the paved, needs maintenance road became a gravel road. It is stressful driving that's for sure and the GPS kept working and we knew how many more miles unto civilization. Roy enjoyed the scenery and from time to time say something like, "look at those colors! No don't look." In everything give thanks, so I was thankful we didn't have any oncoming traffic and we saw signs of civilization when we saw Amazon delivering. We finally made our way off that mountain into Roan Mountain. Actually, it has been a sometime but things in Roan Mountain State Park looked familiar from those long ago jaunts with Houston friends. The very real surprise awaited us. We pulled into Holy Smokes, Texas BBQ looking for a building but what we found was a shed type building with a cover over the picnic tables. There was a line for BBQ but this mountain driver needed to use the facilities, not a tree over yonder. Roy had noticed another BBQ place just down the road and we went there to check it out and use the facilities. Roy told the counter girl we were meeting friends and if she would give him some menus he could almost guarantee we would be back for lunch. Back to Holy Smokes and we waited just a few minutes. Our friends pulled up and the shocked faces probably mirrored ours from a few minutes before. Long story short we went to the other BBQ joint and had a delicious lunch and of course we had to tease our fearless leader, Connie. We kept laughing and joking and her new standard response due to the circumstances, "but, we had fun!" We did, that is true! We decided that if she recommends a BBQ restaurant in the future, we will audit her choice, maybe form a committee and do our due diligence. After lunch we headed over to Erwin while others took the opportunity to peruse garden shops and thrift stores. Roy and I punted Walmart and just went to Food City. Then stopped in Mars Hill for a quick trip into Ingles for rotisserie chicken.
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Well, we are on countdown week, finally. If it seems much ado about nothing I try to be in the best condition when approaching procedures, surgery and the like. Since heavy lifting is prohibited afterwards, I have been changing out seasonal clothing, getting boxes ready for Goodwill and moving things around. I also erred on the side of caution because I woke up with a sore throat Sunday morning. It is not like getting a cold sore throat but one that signals, "this is a sign unto me." Slow down, take it easy and stay in those parameters. We didn't go to church Sunday morning cause it felt like I would be pushing it for this upcoming week.
Once again a hurricane tropical storm affected the mountains of North Carolina. We had rain almost all day Saturday sometimes a heavy rain and we did have some windy conditions but all in all our area was not impacted significantly. Now other places, yep, flash floods, mudslides and loss of power.
I don't know if it is like nesting that soon to be moms get, but I have been on a roll getting projects done around here in the past few days. Nothing earth shattering but a little more organization and such. We got a lot taken care of this week. I figure when I can see really well, I might be upset about dust and such. Once again the dinning room table is clutter free and hopefully remain that way for at least a couple of days. I am still working on the kitchen table. It is the most difficult to keep clutter free.
Got the news yesterday that a friend from church in Houston passed away. Such a sweet soul. She worked with Roy at EPD for a couple of years until their careers there took them in different aspects of that pipeline company. She and Darlene came to Asheville one Thanksgiving and we got to spend a day together having fun and loving these mountains. Such a sweet time. She is with Jesus and all her loved ones that got there before her.
Roy and I were talking last night about how far I have come health-wise since just a few years ago. I am not fully there yet, but pretty dang near it. It was a lot, side effects from the Co8!d vaccine, a huge bit of unexpected grief, health issues that have baffled and all that stuff. I felt somewhat of a breakthrough with the PA at the cardiologist office listening to me and the first step to solving some of those health things. Roy and I agree that I still depend on him so much and he is joyful in his responses helping me. Well, maybe if I make a smart aleck remark, his first response is not so uplifting. Ha! We have gone through these years upbeat, not maudlin, optimistic and trusting the Lord. Those adjectives are the fruit of trusting God.
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