Angel Mountain Cabin... the blog

Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-23T17:56:00.004-05:00

Merry Christmas!

We're babysitting our two grandfurballs, who believe Santa wears orange pants.

Maggie (left) and Mae

And maybe he does....

And then there's the resident Grinch:

Sami

May you be blessed with family, friends, peace, joy, and appreciation now and in the new year... in which we hope to see you!

Black Squirrel Winter Special!

2011-11-20T20:22:00.005-05:00

Yee haw - looks like we're in for another action-packed black squirrel winter, according to Joe Mullis down at the Parker Tie.

See any black squirrels???

We've already had four snow shower episodes since October (yikes), so in hopes that we can survive another eventful winter, we're firing up the winter special already!

From now thru March 31, 2012, rates are $75/night (plus tax).

BUT WAIT - THERE'S MORE!

Reserve two nights and get each subsequent night for just $50 (plus tax).

And the black squirrels don't even have to actually appear in order for you to take advantage of this fantastic offer! But if they do, you just might see one with the new backyard light:

So call or email to make arrangements to head to Angel Mountain. You'll be glad you did!

In any event, happy, blessed Thanksgiving... with or without black squirrels :)

Brain, Brain... Where Did You Say You Went?

2011-10-26T11:37:00.009-04:00

I forgot to post some of the colors around here for those who missed them!

Sheesh.

October, October... Oh, Where Did You Go?

2011-10-26T11:08:00.003-04:00

I know October is still in progress (Mac tells me so), but still.... Where did the rest of it go???

This month we've had mostly spectacular weather mixed with a couple of snow showers, and with plunging temps at night, flannel sheets are on the cabin bed!

Exciting happenings have been primarily on the football field (tho not necessarily in a good way), but we did have a surprise guest:

I put the camera down and played cowgirl, heading this furball out to the front yard... where I was promptly greeted by her bull-mate wannabe. That called for a slightly different MO, like, calling for their two-legged daddy. I needed to leave but stuck around until he showed up with a partner. I wish I could have stayed, as the mountainbilly reality show looked promising in the entertainment department.

What else? Seriously, my brain has been stuffed into so much pigskin these past few months, I'm hoping I can dig it out soon after our fiasco, er, season, ends Friday.

It's been great to see some you at Angel Mountain, and we hope to see others of you soon!

Happy October!

Summer. Going, Going...

2011-09-22T12:52:00.018-04:00

Summer may not be ready to pass the baton to Fall for a few more hours, but Fall's been revvin' up and gettin' slimy.

Can't say I'm thrilled about the slimy stuff, but the mushroom surprises have been so much fun this year!

And the summer treasures that are slowly fading are still pretty spectacular.

I. LOVE. FALL.

Poof!

2011-09-14T12:15:00.010-04:00

That's what happened to July and August and my brain.

Let's just say that football has kept us hopping in überfast-forward the past few months.

I have managed to come up for air a few times, though. Here are a few reminders of what's happening around here when I have a chance to see what's happening around here:

Happy end of summer and arrival of FALL and the beginning of changing colors. The weather is gorgeous and perfect for sleeping whenever we can get it....

Slightly exhausted mountainbilly coach

Hope to see you at Angel Mountain!

PS - For more pictures and other fascinating scoop, be sure to visit Angel Mountain Cabin! You can 'like' us on Facebook, too :)

Anyone Seen June?

2011-06-28T12:18:00.007-04:00

I'm sure it's been here the whole time, but I apparently blinked.

Oh, yeah, and then there was this:

Katie and her daddy, getting ready to hand her over. Sorta.

(Amy Lust, Photographer)

Katie and her husband! (FYI, his name is Paul, and we're crazy about him!)

(from photo by Katie's cousin, Bethany)

The big day took place on Kiawah Island last Tuesday, in between Paul's grad classes (seriously - he turned in work on Monday, got married on Tuesday, and presented his final project on Wednesday). Paul's dad forced us out-of-towners to stay in fantastic houses, one on the beach and one on a lagoon... with alligators!

(courtesy of brother Paul)

It was rough (cough, cough).

Alas, the return to the real world came in spite of our wishes, and I don't mean a return to the cool mountains, either. I mean a return to the hot field house for grunge duty. Yippee.

Oh, well, I'm enjoying pictures, and brother Paul (not to be confused with groom Paul) had a brilliant idea of hanging a camera around the neck of the officiant, groom Paul's best friend. You can see the critter cam here and a composite video of the critter cam and his daughter Bethany's video here. Fun, fun, fun!

* * * * *

And then there's this:

This sweetie showed up on our doorstep as we were in high pre-wedding mode, her bones begging for food and a bit of TLC. She's getting both, of course, from all but Sami, who has mastered hissing and introduced her 'cougar' act to our cabineers here in our wedding absence. Sami's 13 and not ready to relinquish her spot as House Cat, reminding everyone in her path on a regular basis.

Yep, back to the real world.

I learned the cat came from a neighbor's girlfriend whose dad said NO WAY to keeping a cat, so the neighbor said, "We'll take it," and then their black cat terrorized the daddy-said-no cat, and she/he was forced to find safety on our porch. Meet The Suckers.

I'm trying to learn if said sweetie is available for adoption and will report....

Hope everyone's staying cool! If not, you know where to come :)

You do know where to come, don't you?

More May!

2011-05-03T18:12:00.013-04:00

I should be fixing dinner.

Okay, off to heat up those leftovers. Move over, Martha....

May!

2011-05-01T12:14:00.008-04:00

A few years ago, we were blessed with temps in the mid teens for three nights during the early days of May. Needless to say, I'd already splurged on hanging baskets and plants for the flower bed. Oops.

No matter, it's MAY again, and that always feels good.

Things have been hopping around here! We've been clearing brush by the ponds, no doubt stunned by the sudden attention. As almost everything possessed a healthy supply of thorns, it's been fun.

Ha.

And we've been burning the fruits of our labors. Literally. Some day we may finish....

Proof of spring:

Oh, wait. This was in Charleston, SC, when we visited Favorite Daughter Katie...

On a completely unrelated note, there is now a CD player in the cabin!

And on a sorta related note to that, the Blue Ridge Dinner Theater opens its doors (at the site of the former Mountain Music Jamboree) on May 21! The web site is still under construction, but the dinner theater looks promising as another fantastic reason to come to Ashe. Hint, hint :)

Happy May to all....

Water, Water Everywhere...

2011-04-16T13:09:00.005-04:00

... on the blinds of the closed windows in the living room, on the ceiling, and I may as well have had a bucket of water rigged on the inside of the front door.

Hmmm... I wondered what Sami was up to during the night.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

So while there are no pretty spring flowers to post, there is lots of water!

We should be outta the drought-we're-always-supposed-to-be-in now. Surely.

SPRING!!!

2011-03-21T11:27:00.004-04:00

After a(nother) memorable and LONG winter, it's probably safe to assume we're all ready for spring.

Okay, maybe we're not ready for the allergies. Or rain and mud. Or briar and poison ivy. Or tripping over and into the mole/vole/whatever tunnels all over the yard. Or dandelions. Or mowing.

Or taxes.

Still... it's wonderful to be outside again without numbness!

And to be reminded that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Some of them, anyway.

Happy SPRING!!!

For more scoop about us, visit The Suite Life of Lucy and Ethel...

What Happened to February???

2011-02-26T20:19:00.005-05:00

While we're at it, what happened to January?

The new year started off with a literal bang in the form of a possessed oven and an emotional one when we had to have our big Emma put to sleep. And a frigid one with snow, wind, more snow, and ice.

It continued days later when Favorite Daughter Katie announced her engagement.

The January hoopla spilled over into February, as Favorite Firstborn Matthew began his new teaching job at a middle school.

And more snow and wind and frigid temps.

The other day I saw this:

What is it?, you ask. It's NO SNOW (hey, that sounds like 'It snow snow.' Awesome.)

The excitement was bumped up a notch or two yesterday when Matthew unexpectedly had his appendix removed in the morning... and was dismissed in the afternoon. Almost a drive-thru procedure.

Today I saw this:

Yes, GREEN is peeking through!!! I can't believe it, but I sure am ready.

I trust I'm ready for March madness, period.

Are you???

The First Ten Days of 2011

2011-01-10T16:53:00.013-05:00

December started out wintry and ended wintry, with a 3-night visit from Favorite Daughter, Katie, and her Favorite Boyfriend, Paul, and the demise of our possessed oven thrown in for good measure.

Day One of the new year started with the purcha$e of a new oven on Emma's 12th birthday.

Five days later, Emma earned her wings, mere weeks after Kali earned hers. Even though we pretended we were sorta prepared, being Emma-less hasn't been easy. She was a gigantic presence around here in more ways than one.

Emma's last trek down from the cabin

Meanwhile, the snow is falling again/still/whatever. We're due for ice tonight and tomorrow, and since the entire region is affected, Randy is enjoying a snow day from school. Okay, maybe 'enjoying' is a bit optimistic for the whole day, considering he hasn't been able to log into his NC Wise account for test exemptions, making him a little, um, momentarily irritated. Oh, well. We have popcorn and hot chocolate! I may share.

Matthew's stuck here, too, but with internet, food, and a TV for football games, he's not complaining too loudly.

I pretended I was an archeologist wannabe on a recent hike to the cabin:

In other news, we're having a Hibernation Special thru March - $75/night. Stay two nights and get the third night for only $50. Woo hoo! Don't worry - there's still chocolate :)

We're also taking PayPal now! It's an easy process, and while we haven't abandoned Visa, MasterCard, and Discover yet, the $$$$$$$$$$$$$ fees for credit card transactions are driving us to ponder it. Just ponder.

Hope all is well with you and that the first 10 days of 2011 have been happy and healthy.

Our Talker

Emma

1-1-99 - 1-6-11

Merry Christmas, Slightly Belated Edition

2010-12-24T17:15:00.006-05:00

(I just found this in Drafts. Sheesh.)

Big Emma (somewhere under the Santa hat on the left) and her 3-day company, Maggie, both hoping they've been good 'nuf this year for something yummy.

And Here We Go...

2010-12-05T08:26:00.003-05:00

December!

2010-12-01T13:29:00.004-05:00

November ended with very mild temperatures and lots of rain with lightning for special effects. Emma and Sami were not amused.

Today is cold, windy, and sunny, with snow flurries zooming past the window. Emma and Sami are not amused yet.

But they're probably more amused than they'll be if we see this again:

Facebook!

2010-11-17T10:58:00.005-05:00

Yep! Instead of paying bills or cleaning or hopping aboard the treadmill, I fixed a Facebook page for the cabin!

Just took three days (or was it four?), but who's counting?

Hopefully, I'll figure out how to get the Facebook badge on the sidebar without much drama.

(That would be boring... and highly unusual.)

October/Fall, Football, and Angel Kali

2010-10-21T08:38:00.011-04:00

Woo hoo - it's just the 21st day of the month, and I'm already posting! It's a miracle.

October, which is fall, has blown by - literally - and taken many of our spectacular leaves with it. It's still gorgeous, but there are considerably more nekkid trees than there were a few days ago.

All is takes is a big WHOOSH(!) or two, and you can see farther, which isn't a bad deal, either.

It has been quite insane around here the past few months, thanks to football. Randy was hired in the spring of last year to straighten out a former-powerhouse high school football program. He in turn hired Matthew to handle the defense while he's tackled (pun - ha) offense. The challenges have been hurled their way from all directions since the beginning, but as the last two games ended in thrilling victory (in the final 94 and 1.8 seconds!), at least some of the stadium coaches will surely be shut up. Surely.

Meanwhile, it has been indescribably gorgeous here since September 1, when the unusual heat of the summer was booted out the door. Between the blue skies, green grass, and stunning colors in between, this continues to be proof that we're mighty close to heaven here.

On a sad note... on a gloriously gorgeous day (Saturday, October 16, just before noon), our spunky Kali earned her wings at 13-1/2 years... though she was a pup at heart until the end.

We were blessed with her presence in May, 2008, when Katie reported that a good college friend had found the 'sweetest dog who never barks' wandering around the stable where she worked. Katie, an RA at the time, was in a slight pickle; the semester was up, students were moving out, and RAs were scrambling with their year-end duties. Oh, yeah, and RAs really weren't supposed to have dogs in their rooms.

'Marmalade' was found with no collar. Katie & Co. drove her around nearby neighborhoods and posted signs, but no one claimed her before desperation set in (i.e., "Puh-LEEEZE, Mom, can you come get her until we find a home so we don't have to take her to the pound? PUH-LEEEEEEZE???").

Being the sucker, er, conscientious mother I am, I drove the trusty '88 Camry wagon (aka Cow Chasermobile) to Katie's college and brought 'Marmalade' back... by way of Arby's. She was hooked, and so was I, mostly because she reminded me so much of our last angel dog, Nellie.

'Marmalade's' real family found out within days that we had her and made the two-hour drive, fully prepared to take her back home. However, when they saw her new surroundings - lots of rural romping room and a POND! - and how much she loved it here (the POND!), they did something we couldn't believe. They decided to go home without Kali, whom they'd had for 11 years. I don't know how they did it, but we're glad they put her heart above their own, as she was a joy to have around.

She's now romping with a few other new furry angels, and I trust that all those $$$$$ orange rubber balls she buried will be surfacing before long....

Happy fall to all!

And So Long, September... and Summer!

2010-09-30T21:51:00.008-04:00

Sheesh.

It's definitely fall here, which I guess is to be expected, seein' as how tomorrow is OCTOBER.

Sheesh.

Football has kept us at the top of the looney bin heap, so I'm taking the easy way out again with pictures.

Enjoy, and happy FALL!!!

Anyone know what this is? We have ONE of them.

Sami really did not do a lick of yard work.

Had cow retrieval duty again. Just bein' neighborly.

The Emma Position

Sweet dreams, Kali :)

So Long, August...

2010-08-31T14:33:00.005-04:00

I must have blinked. August is almost over!!!

Because I'm speechless, I'll stick a few pictures up and call it a day, er, month....

June Done Busted Up All Over...

2010-07-13T11:02:00.009-04:00

... and July's about halfway finished doin' the same.

Zoom, zoom.

Football's in full swing for Randy and Matthew, and school will be starting here in our 'home' county soon (not where Randy and Matthew are because that would be too easy), so it feels like summer's about over. So much for sending a summer update luring you to Angel Mountain :)

Since I'm supposed to be doing something productive, like rolling pennies, I'm letting some of our recent cabineers take the reins....

We have come to the mountains of NC many times. This trip, however, will stand out as a new beginning. We are at a crossroads in our lives and this quaint, charming cabin has brought much peace and clarity. Thank you, Helen and Randy, for sharing Angel Cabin. It is a part of your soul and is now a part of ours. Thank you so much for allowing this magical place to be the landmark on the road to a whole new life for us. Much love.... LaDean & Terry

One of the great things to see... right here at the cabin... is the night sky! I brought my telescope and set up right between the two ponds. As far as I could tell, the sky was about as dark and clear as anywhere in NC, except perhaps on or right near the outer banks! The Milky Way when it rose was rich in stars; Saturn was magnificent (steady skies helped); I could even see some fairly faint galaxies and nebulae in my small refractor (M81 & M82... the Owl Nebula & M106). Definitely worth seeing... and if you don't have a telescope bring binoculars or just sit down at the pond at night with the frogs and watch the fireflies!!! Very magical! Robert

We had a great time in this beautiful area. From driving on the Blue Ridge to the West Jefferson Gallery Crawl, this weekend was a fantastic getaway. It was fantastic to have such a cozy place to come back to when we just wanted to stay in and relax. Thanks for the great vacation! Matthew and Ashley

Absolute, total, complete relaxation - reached! What a delightful place to spend time. From the earth we walked on to the heavens we watched. Gary and Beth

From the chipmunks in the backyard, the deer in the driveway one early morn, and to all the special little things that you have done to make our first stay in the cabin special, we thank you. We have been amazed at the well-stocked movies, books, and all the other things that one may need while here. Ronnie wanted to fish in the pond but after becoming friends with the catfish, he just couldn't. I will keep in touch and maybe again next year we can come back. Thank you. Karen and Ronnie

Hay, Ron, jes' put that fishin' thang down nice an' easee, toss a littul chow this way (grab sum fer yurself), an' me an' yoo kin be BFF. 'K?

And there you go - experts in the field of R&R&R (rest, relaxation, and reporting). Visit the Scrapbook section of the official Angel Mountain Cabin web site for more objective reasons to head this way for a brief respite from the reel, er, real world!

Summertime!

2010-06-18T16:26:00.007-04:00

Kali, rollin'

Sami, (interrupted) snoozin'

Emma, bummin'

Babies, starvin'

Baby, dreamin'

Aaahhhh... summertime.

Come enjoy some of it at Angel Mountain Cabin! Hiking, canoeing, snoozing, foot-stomping, and so much more!!!

In addition, the BackStreet Park Summer Concert series is back in downtown West Jefferson, treating locals and tourists to traditional mountain music.

Official scoop about the BackStreet Park Summer Concert series:

The concerts are held the third and fourth Fridays of the month, May through September, 5:30-7:30 p.m. in the BackStreet Park behind the bustling downtown district.

Upcoming acts this summer include the Surefire Bluegrass Band on June 25; Amantha Mill July 16; the Appalachian Mountain Girls on Aug. 20; Crooked Road Ramblers on Aug. 27; Sassafras on Sept. 17 and Irish Temperance on Sept. 24.

On July 23, Bluegrass lovers will rejoice at the “A Taste of the 40th Annual Bluegrass and Old Time Fiddlers Convention,” which is a prelude to this year’s convention at Ashe County Park Aug. 6-7.

Admission to Summer Concert Series is free of charge.

Enjoy hamburgers and hotdogs at the Ashe County Farmers Market on the Backstreet during the 4th Friday concert evenings.

Hope to see you soon!

At Least June Is a Short Month

2010-06-14T20:25:00.007-04:00

When I last posted, I shared a bit of our May Madness. May was full of happy events; it was just overflowing, period. And I was glad to flip the calendar to June.

And here's a taste of the first part of June for the mountainbillies:

June 1:

6am - Randy went to school complaining of a pulled muscle from sneezing hard and frequently, thanks to the worst pollen in years.

4:30pm - Randy came home, complaining a bit more loudly about the pulled muscle.

6pm - Randy took two ibuprofen. We ate dinner.

10pm - Randy took two more ibuprofen. He never takes ibuprofen, and he had 4 in 4 hours.

10:15pm - Randy grabbed the rocker in sudden, excruciating agony that made me nauseous. In between grimaces and a sort of howling, I somehow got that he was having a muscle spasm from #@$& from his back (mid-low) all the way up to his neck. I informed him we were going to the ER.

10:16pm - As Matthew led Randy to the truck (because it was easier for him to climb into than the trusty '88 Camry low rider), Matthew commented, "A bird just flew in the house." Joy. They left for the ER as I attempted to usher the bird out. After 2 minutes, I gave up trying to find the bird and headed to the ER.

11:15pm - We went back to a room, where eventually the ER doctor determined Randy's problem was musculoskeletal. He was explaining how Randy could address the pain when he left to look at the urine specimen. He returned with a report that there was a tiny bit of blood in the urine, so he needed to run a scan to see if Randy had - or had had - a kidney stone. Yippee.

June 2:

2:15am - The scan had been done and sent to ARIZONA to be read. Yes, ARIZONA. The wait was long, and we began dozing. Miraculously, I did not fall out of the chair. The doctor returned with the news that Randy's kidneys were fine, with no evidence of a stone, past (or passed!) or present. However, there was 'something' at the base of his left lung. Randy needed another scan, with dye, to see what was up with his lungs. Yippee again.

3:15am - Randy was wheeled up for the scan. I called Matthew, who had gone home long before (and found the bird back in her nest by the door, so thank goodness she found her way out) because I figured he'd be worried. He was sound asleep and thought we were already home.

5:45am - The doctor, looking pretty weary by now, came in to tell Randy the scan had been read in ARIZONA... and he had pulmonary embolism (Randy, not the doctor). Clots - CLOTS - in his lungs!!! Before we knew what hit, Randy was hit with a Lovenox injection and told he'd be admitted ASAP. Stunned, I called Matthew again so Randy could relay the list of school phone numbers to call.

June 3 - A Doppler on Randy's legs revealed a tiny DVT (clot) behind his right knee. A few years ago, he had a huge DVT behind his left knee. Blood was drawn to see if he has a genetic clotting disorder. Yippee.

June 4 - After 3 days in the hospital, we finally irritated our doctor's last nerves, and he allowed Randy to come home. He'd be giving himself injections for a few days and remembering to take Coumadin, but we were home!

June 5 & 6 - Blood tests at the ER lab.

June 7 - Our 36th anniversary! Randy returned to school (Matthew drove). Blood test at the doctor's office.

June 8 - Blood test at the doctor's office, then school.

June 9 - As Randy got closer to school, he felt a tightness in his back way too similar to the pain from the last week, so he asked someone at school to drive him to the ER near school. Matthew and I made the 60-mile trek and met him at the hospital. The tests checked out fine, and no one had a clue why he'd have pain. Maybe it was the pulled muscle from the sneezing.... It didn't stop us from indulging in a Chick-fil-A at the new spot in Wilkesboro.

June 10 - Blood test at the doctor's office, then a football meeting, then graduation at Randy's school at night.

June 11 - Blood test at the doctor's, then to football fundraiser golf tourney. Randy did not play, but he still sweated. Matthew would have played, but he took a player to UNC to a football combine. Received the first NOT A BILL from the hospital. Needed resuscitation.

June 14 - Summer football program starts!

June 15 - The middle of the month. Whew.

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the Blue Ridge Parkway is celebrating its 75th anniversary! We're just under 5 miles from the Parkway, so come to Angel Mountain Cabin and celebrate the Parkway... or something :)

We'll be celebrating getting this far in June....

Mountainbilly Insanity, May Edition

2010-05-26T13:47:00.005-04:00

We're still here, believe it or not. In a mountainbilly nutshell, here are the highlights of May so far:

May 1 - Randy leaves early for his stint at prom decorating in the morning and chaperoning at night. A mere 160+ miles and 17 hours later, he drags home.

May 2 - We take a car (or two) to bring more loads from Katie and Matthew. Long drive/long day. News bulletin... not.

May 4 - Katie arrives home after finals, too tired to unload her packed car.

May 5 - Katie's car is emptied, and we are now turning sideways in our house.

May 7 - Katie returns to her college for graduation rehearsal and other activities.

May 8 - As we're preparing to zoom to Katie's college graduation, I notice a flat tire on the trusty '88 Camry wagon while I'm out on last-minute errands. That would be the buggy we're taking two hours away because our 'good' car (the 2001 Echo with 308,000+ miles) is still in the hit-by-a-deer ward at the vehicle hospital. Thanks to angel intervention and a couple of new tires, we make it in time to see our favorite daughter earn her degree in photography. Our favorite first-born, Matthew, earns his master's in education from a different college today as well, but he graciously opts out of his own ceremony in order to allow Katie to shine. Or so he says.

Happy graduates!

After graduation, brudder Paul and his wife, Jaymie, throw a humdinger of a fiesta celebration, as their favorite daughter, Bethany, graduated with Katie. After the party, Randy, Katie, and I stop by Matthew's apartment on the way home (2 hours away) to load up our cars with more stuff. We come home and crash... which beats the vice versa of that.

May 9 - Both 'kids' are home, albeit briefly, when Matthew arrives with the rest of his stuff. Happy Mother's Day for sure! We eat with Mom and have a great time. Chocolate is involved.

May 10 - Katie leaves for Charleston, SC, and not on a vacation, either. The girl is determined to get a job. And she will. The fact that she'll be closer to her boyfriend may or may not have had a slight bit of influence in her decision.

May 15 - My birthday. We won't mention which one, but it was good. Chocolate was involved.

May 17 - Spring football practice begins for Randy and Matthew, the defensive coordinator. Now if he can only get a teaching job to go with that....

May 18 - Jeffrey's 13th angel birthday! Wow. Chocolate is involved.

May 20 - Mow and weedeat by myself for most of nine hours. I will pay for it.

May 21 - Matthew leaves for a weekend visit with a friend, while Randy has fun gathering up large vinegar barrels for football practice.

May 22 - 245 miles later, Randy has collected enough barrels to make him a happy, if exhausted, camper.

May 23 - Katie emails early that she and Boyfriend Paul (as opposed to Uncle Paul) are on their way here to pick up more stuff, now that she's moved into an apartment. Boyfriend Paul's dog will be coming. Meanwhile, Matthew heads back home from his weekend trip. Randy and I scramble around, cleaning like crazy and running to the store for real food. We eat at Mom's and have a great time. Chocolate is involved. Don't get a thing accomplished on the Absolutely Must Do Today list, and the world doesn't collapse. Well, maybe it does, but it's not because of that. Bonus - the hairballs all get along just fine :) The two weary travelers make it back to Charleston.

May 24 - I start on prednisone to help combat a wicked case of poison whatever all over from my valiant yard work marathon four days ago. The dosage is substantial. Once again I mow the entire yard with my personal bubble mower (stopping briefly for rain), hike to the cabin to work, and dig up dirt in another flower bed for more planting. I am still going at 2:30am the following morning. Now I know what the Energizer Bunny is really on.

Throw in some bizarre behavior by Kali (on the verge of turning 13), a loose bird in the kitchen, switching the main blog (The Suite Life of Lucy and Ethel) to WordPress, etc., etc., etc., and it's been perhaps a tad nuttier than usual. Perhaps.

Which brings me to why I haven't updated this baby lately.

Let's just say the weather has been gorgeous, the flowers are blooming, and we had a bit of excitement this morning across the road.

Hope to see you at Angel Mountain! We promise not to stand too close to you in the event some of this lunacy may rub off. On the other hand, compared to the lunacy of the real world, you just might want to take your chances....

Spring... REALLY!

2010-04-11T10:04:00.017-04:00

Spring - it's REALLY here!!! So many things to do outside...

Work in the yard (or just snoop),

feed the catfish, most of whom thawed out,

count the goldfish/koi... and continue repeatedly - and a tiny bit less optimistically - every day to see if it's actually possible to have lost SIX of them from last year, and wonder what the heck is going on, and see that the three left are hangin' with the grass carp,

(Make that TWO goldfish, according to Randy's latest count, and this isn't one of them. Sob.)

pick up all the fallen limbs from three months of snow/ice/wind,

roll and pretend to have a pleasant personality (Sami's rolling on ROCK should give her away),

remember to keep your (malfunctioning) eyes out for the leader on the mountain trail at all times so you won't get left behind and so that the leader won't have to lug her outta-shape self back up the mountain to call and call and call until she knows you SEE her because she knows if she doesn't, your visually-impaired, GPS-less self won't have a clue how to get back down to the house because, granted, we haven't seen the trail in three months, which adds to the uncertainty of your location, and, yes, Kali, I'm talkin' to you, dear,

go for a swim because 50 degrees is SO much warmer than 5,

play one of Kali's favorite games, Oooohhhh... just a tiny nudge and my ball will roll back down the hill into the pond. AGAIN. So sorry to be gettin' my freshly-brushed self grungy, Mom. Heh, heh (yep, that's the whole game),

take a nap with Emma,

or play ball.

Of course, there's never enough time to play ball, if you ask Kali.

Pout.

So when the ball throwin' is finished, it's time to put the ball up.

Kali's way.

That's okay. We're happy with mud noses (well, okay, happy may be a stretch), because we were tired of the white stuff. Hard to believe we haven't been fully thawed out a month yet.

Welcome, SPRING!

PS - Don't forget to check out The Jeffrey Journey, the reissue of Helen's book about their angel, Jeffrey! You can go here for order info (including CDs of the soothing original music written by Helen's mom, JoAnn Derden). There's also a new Facebook Fan page!

Oh, Happy Spring... and The Jeffrey Journey!

2010-03-21T15:50:00.017-04:00

It's spring - officially, anyway - so we've said adios to the final souvenirs of our action-packed three months of winter bliss.

You can breathe now, guys

We know there's a very good possibility that there will be more white stuff before we dare put the snow shovel up, but at least we have hope that we are actually moving into another season. Here's a little proof.

Oh, wait - those aren't us; those are from Katie's recent photo trip to Phoenix - sorry!

Here's what some of the rest of us have been doing:

Sami celebrated her lucky 12th birthday with her usual charm.

Emma

Kali

Biggest news, besides the big thaw, is the reissue of The Jeffrey Journey!

It's currently available online thru Amazon.com (also in Kindle version), Barnes & Noble, and Milverstead Publishing.

A portion of the proceeds are earmarked for the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, which is working tirelessly for research to squelch the devastation of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), the disease that affected our baby, Jeffrey (SMA is the leading genetic cause of death of children under two). More organizations will benefit in the future as well!

In addition, the book is available thru me as part of a package with CDs of my mother's lush original music!

(I have no idea why this is so small. It was a HUGE project!)

You can read more about Mom (alias JoAnn Derden) and listen to snippets of the music here.

Whew - that's a lotta hot links up there!

Happy SPRING!

So Long, February...

2010-02-28T18:19:00.004-05:00

What an attentive blogger I am, I am.

If you care what's been going on in general, visit the Suite (the main blog) for a sampling, but suffice it to say it's been nuts!

Speaking of nuts, we've seen quite a bit of this guy this winter

We've also seen more snow than we've ever seen all added up over the years. FEET of snow, literally. We're still 'enjoying' (cough, cough) a bit of the snow that hit December 18, 2009, which seems a year ago. We'd never make it in snow country.

Oh, wait, we apparently ARE snow country this year.

You know, global warming and all. Thanks, Al!

Not ours, but we can sure relate

Tomorrow is March, believe it or not. While we often get the biggest snow in March and even early April (trying to contain my enthusiasm here), March at least sounds spring-y.

When we thaw out, which we surely will one day, we will rejoice - loudly - and mow.

Happily.

A Little Late to the New Year...

2010-01-13T19:01:00.012-05:00

At least I'm still in the first month of the new year. Right?

It's easy to be slightly bumfuzzled when your brain cells have been iced down for, oh, almost a month. The snow still lingering, which is a mere 6" in some spots, is no longer pretty and fluffy; it's been hard, slick, and crunchy for almost the entire time, thanks to freezing rain... not to temperatures that would encourage melting.

I took our daughter, Katie, to the airport in Charlotte last Thursday, and I have gone nowhere in a vehicle since that time... other than to the cabin to shower because our tub drain gave up 10 days ago (yes, I DROVE in 4 degrees with wind and damp hair late at night because it took that long every day to convince me we still couldn't take a shower in our own tub, which needed to be cleaned 10 days ago and really needs it now, but still...). We're glad to have a shower on the premises, of course, but we'd rather have cabineers on the premises. And it's a little hard to rent the cabin out when we need to use it ourselves.

Speaking of the cabin and cabineers (which is why we have the blog!), we're offering a SPECIAL RATE on reservations thru the end of March! The bargain rate thru March is $75/night, and with a reservation of two nights, you can have a third for only $50. Tax is added, of course, because what would we do without taxes.... So give us a call! You might just see some snow :)

Back to our time in the cabin. It's the first time we've showered there! It's not a stretch-WAY-out-and-vegetate-in-luxury type of experience, but it does the job, and it's kinda fun to hear Criminal Minds on the TV. 'Cause nothin' says relaxing like a frantic hunt for a deranged killer.

This afternoon, I ventured back to the waterfalls with the camera in one gloved hand, and the shovel in another (don't ask). I managed to get some pictures without sliding into what used to be the ponds:

The big pond, with encouraging teasers of the ground that may still be there after all...

The icewaterfall from the big pond to the little pond

The little pond. I'm pretty sure.

The little pond icewaterfall

And that's not all!

Because I am spending way too much time on the computer and not enough on the treadmill (alright, alright, NONE), I have learned to upload videos to YouTube! Yes, ME - Mountainbilly Mama! And here are two of the most exciting videos you'll have a chance to watch today/tonight/whenever. Grab a popcorn kernel or two and enjoy the double feature.

Just don't blink.

First Feature:

Second Feature:

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2009-12-22T17:35:00.001-05:00

Oh, wait. It already did.

Let the shoveling begin....

December... Ho Ho Ho

2009-12-19T17:10:00.008-05:00

It's not even officially winter yet, but you'd never know it by looking out the windows.

There's a ruler in there, and it's not the deepest part... which measured just under 13"

It was/is a beautiful, peaceful snow.

But that doesn't mean everyone has enjoyed it....

November, Where Art Thou?

2009-11-27T21:08:00.004-05:00

So much for diligence on more than one blog.

I had high hopes that I'd be alert enough to keep this one up on a weekly basis as opposed to the daily regimen of my other blog.

Ha.

So far, I'm doing good to get a post in on a monthly basis, and it looks like that's in jeopardy, too.

At any rate, things are moving along around here. Football ended for both Randy (high school) and Matthew, who played coach this year at his alma mater. We stuffed ourselves silly yesterday, which was the official Thanksgiving, and today, which was the official Day After Thanksgiving.

And now I need a bigger pair of stretch pants.

In cabin news, it's time to think about Christmas trees, which have been hauled around in the county for what seems like a month already. The tree folks mean business.

Here are some links to Ashe County tree farms, including one we know is fun because Randy and I worked there a few years ago :)

Choose & Cut Christmas Tree Map

Christmas Tree Growers

Kitchens' 194 Choose-and-Cut Christmas Tree Farm

While I'm sure there is no shortage of terrific tree farms, we know Larry and Anita Kitchens personally, both as friends, colleagues (well, okay, they're math whizzes, but Randy coached their son in high school, Larry helped Randy coach high school football when Matthew played, and I took Katie to Anita's Math Camp at ASU a few years ago, which most definitely should count for something). Anita makes sure everyone has a grand time on the farm, and they do!

They also have fine workers.

If you're not close enough for a day trip to find a tree in Ashe County, you're certainly welcome to make a reservation :)

Happy Thanksgiving weekend....

It's Fall... in case you hadn't heard

2009-10-17T15:41:00.018-04:00

I think someone's been toying with my clock again. It was just September... and now we're in the second half of October???

Boy.

It's looked like fall for a while. Gorgeous, if a bit nekkid in some spots and a little work in others.

It's felt like fall, too. Mostly perfect... although some seemed to know it was time to head outta Dodge.

(Geese. Real ones. Really.)

Others felt rejuvenated by the fall feel. Emma felt like singing...

and stalking the neighbor cows.

Kali felt like playing ball (oh, wait, she always feels like playing ball)...

and hollerin' about how good she feels, surrounded by sticks and stuff.

Sami feels like bein' on the prowl... as if she ever doesn't.

Randy and I feel like it's probably time to clean the heater, as much as I hate even pondering turning it on in October. Where's that global warming when you need it? Al? Al?

Anyone seen Al?

It's not just leaves falling this weekend. After promised flurries, we've been promised by the weatherman (yeah, I know) that we'll be back in gorgeous fall weather by the middle of the week.

And not a soul will complain, Al or not.

Been on Vacation... Not

2009-09-14T10:59:00.007-04:00

I have been MIA in almost all things computer-y, thanks to the unfortunate and unexpected crash of my computer on August 26.

Since then, my brain has been on vacation, if not the rest of me, as I have attempted to get squared away again in the world of technology. To say I've had fun would be overstating it jest a tad, and if you want a sampling of what that means, you can catch up a little here.

Sheesh.

I believe the basic computer stuff is back in business, and I'm hoping that means my brain has come out of hibernation or wherever the heck it's been lately. It hasn't been on the premises.

While I've been 'away,' almost a month has passed, and football has started in earnest for Randy (coach) and Matthew (now a coach, too!). I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y.

Football - with just a few letters whacked - is fall, though, and it's definitely looking and feeling like fall here. Leaves have been dropping off some trees, changing colors on others, and after a particularly mild summer, the temperatures are... well, you just have to BE here to appreciate them!

Take a break from your own looney bin and head to the cabin!

Emma will welcome you with unbridled energy. Well, okay, she'll sit by the sign on occasion.

Sit in the swing with Sami... if you dare.

If you look at Kali just right ( i.e., at all), she'll let you throw her ball.

We look forward to seeing you!

August Already? Really?

2009-08-18T12:38:00.003-04:00

I think someone is pulling a fast one on the calendar. How could it possibly be the 18th of AUGUST already???

That means our daughter Katie turns 20 tomorrow. The end of the teens in the family. It would be a sad day if I had time to think about it. Thank goodness I don't.

All's fine here in the mountains. Randy reports back for teaching duties on top of football tomorrow, which means our summer 'break' has ended officially. Actually, I'm still waiting for it to begin officially. Coming home from practice/scrimmage/meeting at 1am and heading back out at 5-5:30 am doesn't sound like much of a break to me. Party-pooper, I am.

The weather has continued to be impressive for summer! Not too hot, plenty of rain, plenty of opportunities for Kali to learn two new games with her $$$ orange rubber ball -

1) Drop It Down the Hill and Go Get It (and Hope It Doesn't Go Under the New Steps Daddy Just Built), and

2) Drop It in the Pond and Go Get It... After It Magically Floats Out Just Enough to Warrant a SWIM.

With either one, R-E-P-E-A-T is a given.

Ahhhh... summer vacation.

For the hairballs, anyway.

July... 26th?!?!?

2009-07-26T13:14:00.008-04:00

One week from today will be the SECOND day of August.

Talk about a fast-forward summer! School here starts in 11 days, so I'm sure there are a lot of big and little happy school folks around here.

Not.

We continue to enjoy summertime temperatures in the low to mid 70s. Low 80s if it's a hot day. Sorry, all you folks with the 100+ temps (really sorry, as we've been there, done that). You should come see us!

Meanwhile, Randy has been using his time wisely during his summer break, which will make full-time football seem like a vacation. Besides replacing the rock work in front of the cabin steps, he finished the steps from the cabin yard as Phase 1 of the trail-from-the-cabin-to-the-pond project. He had a little help from me (little being the key word here) and Kali.

The trail's not finished, but THIS was the biggest 'step' of the project. We think.

As football has been only part-time this summer, the coach went into overdrive with fixing the little spring creek by the pond, continuing to spruce up the new little waterfall/park area,

painting the storeroom, and working on getting the painting finished on the house. As usual, it's considerably more tedious than previously thought, but at least it's stopped looking like the painters skipped town.

Matthew's been home for a week from his summer football coaching duties (courtesy of the head coach's daughter's wedding), and he has entertained us with FOUR movies so far on the TV he bought for his own graduation present. It's like going to the movie theater, but we can look like slobs, start and stop it whenever we want, don't have to deal with sticky floors and grungy seats, and don't have to pay! Well, okay, maybe it's not so much like going to the movie theater, but it's been great fun to actually SEE a movie again! Been a long time.

Katie returns from a packed week with a friend, with whom she visited Boston and New York City. She promises she took lots of pictures!

Randy (there he is again) mowed on the mountain top and came back with a bag of the first harvest of blackberries! Woo-hoo!

Speaking of Randy, he may be taking a nap right now in the recliner.

Now THAT I can join in on....

June, er, July is Bustin' Out All Over!

2009-07-09T19:15:00.011-04:00

Here we go again - over a week into another new month, and I still haven't changed my desk calendar. Of course, with everything dumped on top of it, I suppose it doesn't matter.

Our July 4th weekend was greatly enhanced by the weekend visit of both college offspring, Matthew and Katie. We ate at Mom's the evening of the 4th - nothing overly healthy, but with grilled hamburgers and one of Randy's cheesecakes, that apparently didn't matter, either.

Katie, a photography major, humored me as I tried to capture fireworks from our deck, her little balcony, the cabin deck, and a little hill behind the cabin. We could see the fireworks easily from all vantage points, but most of my pictures looked like this:

Every now and then I'd actually be aimed at the fireworks and would luck into something that resembled what we watched:

And sometimes it looked a bit alien:

And like the fireworks, the wildflowers are exploding!

As daisies are one of my very favorites, be thankful there's only one photo of them... at least until I can snag some of the pictures Katie - the real photographer - took.

Meanwhile, the temperatures have been so pleasant lately (LOW/mid 50s at night to mid/upper 70s during the day!), we're wondering what's in store for winter. It's probably best we don't know. Summer ain't over yet, of course, but there are usually only 5 days a year that we'd consider hot. Not H-O-T as in anywhere else in the state or certainly not Texas, our old stomping grounds, but hot to us mountainbilly wimps.

For those of you scheduled to return to Angel Mountain, don't faint if you see that we have finished painting the house! No need to faint just yet, as we haven't finished, but there is finally an expectation of completion before football starts up full-time again. Even the old storeroom (which one wide-eyed - and slightly horrified - cabineer thought was the cabin upon arrival), is getting a makeover from the can!

Shocker, I know.

When we get finished, you can be sure proof will go up... before we move to the next project :)

Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum-Summertime

2009-06-30T14:54:00.007-04:00

The last day of June is about gone! The days are already getting shorter, and 2009 is half over.

Sheesh.

The date may say it's almost July, but you'd never know it by the weather. After being close to looking around for ark instructions not long ago, the switch was flipped to PERFECT. It's in the low 70s, forecast to ooch into the mid 70s over the weekend, and breezy. Sunny skies with a few clouds. Perfect.

Perfect for working outside, which Randy's been doing a lot during his summer 'break,' his 'break' bein' just summer football practice and tackling (ha) the endless list of projects around here. His true break will come when he returns to the daily grind at school. Granted, he has had some pretty good helpers, so he's gotten a lot done.

Perfect for the wildflowers, which are bursting forth all over.

Perfect for visitors.

And for sleeping? Absolutely perfect.

The Christmas in July folks should be thrilled with Mother Nature's predicted cooperation this Saturday (9am - 8pm), as should Zaloo's Canoes. In fact, we should all be thrilled. And we are!

If you've been pondering a quick trip over the 4th weekend, give us a call! Sami's been polishing up her socializin' skills just for the occasion....

Supervisors, Supervisees, and Whatever Else Keeps the Mountainbilly Mama from Working

2009-06-27T17:55:00.015-04:00

Randy, supervised carefully by Emma, replaced the (broken) rock work in front of the cabin steps with brick pavers.

Emma made sure he did a good job. And it does look spiffy!

Meanwhile, Kali was exhausted after a day of playing in the pond and walking up and down the cabin road, supervising Emma supervising Randy.

In another meanwhile, Supervisor Sami was slightly irritated that the big rocks in the cabin parking area were a tad hard for breaktime... which is just about all the time.

Lots of hummingbirds at the cabin and at the big house. Since our big feeder is right outside the kitchen window, it's a wonder the kitchen ever gets cleaned. Oh, wait, maybe that's why it doesn't get cleaned....

Lots of summer bloomin' around here, too!

And the blackberries, which are ALL OVER, are coming right along!

Off to see what Randy's up to now, seein' as how he's outside while all three supervisors are sacked out (on a rather grungy carpet and a rocker).

Sunny Skies and Exercise

2009-06-24T12:11:00.005-04:00

This is what we've been graced with the past few days. BLUE SKY!!! The weather has been terrific, once we got past a bit of mugginess on our first 'dry' day last week. The water in the ground is finally going somewhere, and Randy and I are tackling outside projects one iota at a time. Of course, we'll need a lot of iotas in order to accomplish even half the list, but we're happily forging ahead.

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox mentioned this video of Wynonna doing her aerobics routine, and you must check it out! You may get some pointers for your own workout.

Or not.

Joanna was the former mama goose to Honky Tonk and Tootsie. We took them - Honky Tonk and Tootsie, not Joanna - and enjoyed them for two summers and two winters, until Tootsie earned her wings prematurely and Honky Tonk retired as a BGOF (Big Gander on Farm).

Joanna also offered us a pig. We didn't take her for a couple of reasons.

Make that a couple of tons of reasons.

We already had Big Emma.

It's Raining, It's Pouring, the Forecast is Boring...

2009-06-18T15:44:00.013-04:00

I would say I can't believe it's the 18th, but I say that every time I finally make my way back here. Well, not that I can never believe it's the 18th, of course, but that so many days have rushed by since the last update. Where are they going? Is there a fire?

One of the reasons it's hard to keep up is that every day for the past six weeks or so has looked identical to the one before.

Exhibit A, B, C, D....

Flash Flood Watch/Warning. Severe Weather Watch/Warning. Severe Thunderstorm Watch/Warning. Tornado Watch/Warning. Repeat after me.

Yawn.

A few days have been downright entertaining for us mountainbillies surrounded by water and ground that squishes when you look at it.

This is usually a trickle at best

Our little creek is usually, um, little.
And it's usually not brown.

We were thinking of Noah, wondering just how he built that ark, when we had our first potential boarder.

Don't worry - we have a pair!

We did have blue sky for a little while this morning, but it's acting like we need drought relief again (we don't). Much more rain, and the fish will be on land and won't know the difference. Much more rain, and we'll be in the pond and won't know the difference.

I'm sure everyone wants to get in line to make reservations now! That number to call, the one on your screen, is 1-800-499-3555!

And join those for whom there is never a moment of joy quite like the present. No matter what.

Off to find some ark directions, whether Kali needs them or not....

A Hint of Ashe County Summer Fun!

2009-06-08T13:16:00.005-04:00

Summer Calendar of Events (so far!)

A few event highlights from the Ashe County Arts Council summer newsletter (check site for details):

Gallery Crawl: June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11, October 9 (2nd Friday of each month); 5-8pm

BackStreet Park Summer Concerts (4th Friday of every month); 5:30-7:30pm:

June 6 - Southern Accent

July 24 - Adult Supervision

August 28 - Amantha Mill

September 25 - Crooked Road Ramblers

Visit West Jefferson for much more!

Ashe County Little Theater: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, June 25-29

Christmas in July: July 3 (evening) and July 4 (9am - 8pm)

Ashe County Little Theater: Walking Across Egypt (August 20-22 - 7:30pm; August 23 - 2pm)

Visit Angel Mountain Cabin for more things to do!

June Scoop

2009-06-05T16:05:00.013-04:00

Woo-hoo! Only two days after getting this blog started, and I'm actually posting! See what happens when you don't waste time with that housecleaning nonsense?

This is not a replacement for the cabin site; it's just a replacement for future newsletter updates. For some reason, the page started pulling all kinds of funny stuff when I tried to update it. The text I'd just typed would vanish when I tried to start a new paragraph, and photos vanished whenever they felt like it. The type was still there, as were the pictures; I just couldn't see anything. Drove me a bit bonkers.

With marbles and sanity too sparse to deal with such pranks, I decided to move the newsletter to a blog, since that seems to be the rage these days. And here we are!

SO... since the last update, we've found ourselves in another new month! It's hard to tell, though, since we've had rain for what seems like 7 months. No complaints, though, as we are officially out of the drought, according to the drought folks and would like to stay that way. On the other hand, we'll need flippers before long.

Randy's been working on 'Angel Mountain Park' below the goldfish pond, and it's looking right spiffy (see bench above!). If it would stop raining, I might be able to get some decent pictures, but I can vouch that it will be nice back there. Our next big (cabin) project will be a real trail from the cabin so cabineers can get to it more easily. Matthew will be home for a brief respite from his new coaching duties and will be delighted to put his old football muscles to use, I'm sure.

Things are bloomin' around here! Most of them are probably weeds, but as long as they look nice, it's fine by me. If Katie would come home, you'd have some impressive pictures of them; as it is, she's been flitting from Cape Hatteras (photo class) to Charleston (friend visit) to moving into a little house with a good friend/fellow photo major to puppy-sitting (for a WEEK!) to starting a new job next week. Okay, so maybe she does have a few legit excuses for not gracing us with her presence.

We found another of Kali's $$$ orange balls (but don't tell her)! Only 4 more to go....

I'm sure there's more to report, but my brain fuzz is waterlogged....

Cheers -

Helen (Mountainbilly Mama)

And We're Off! (In More Ways Than One...)

2009-06-03T09:05:00.000-04:00

Greetings!

This blog will be replacing the current newsletter page on our cabin site, as the web site program is spooked on that page. There's been lots of wackiness on that page only, and I don't need any more fuel to the fire in that department.

For previous cabin newsletter updates:

2009 (Jan thru May)

2006-2008

It will take a while to get this set up because I am a super sloth in the tech world. In addition, I am working on a blog a friend and I started at the end of January - The Suite Life of Lucy and Ethel (thanks for asking!) and a new blog we're trying to get set up. More about that one later.

And for even more about us, go to The Jeffrey Journey!

Welcome.

Helen