LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, April 12, 2013

Fridays Are Golden



What a difference a week makes!  Last Friday found us with a mid-day temperature of 33 and ice on the trees.  Then things warmed up and all week we have had temperatures ten to fifteen degrees ABOVE our normal.  Severe thunderstorms and high winds moved through our area last night.  Today is sunny and very warm.  We didn't turn on the air conditioning for several days, but the pollen is so bad we reluctantly turned it on.  We figured it is cheaper to pay for a bit more electricity than to keep buying allergy pills, tissues, and eye drops.  Hopefully last night's rain reduced the counts enough for us to open the windows and enjoy the mountain breezes.

The girls have really enjoyed the sunshine and being outdoors more, "helping" spread pine straw and picking up sticks.

Ellie always checks in with St. Francis and the little bird he holds.




Lucy "drifted" outside the boundaries and was summoned with a recall.  She seemed rather indignant about it.


Jeepers, Mom, I wasn't going to run off anywhere.
Ah, dear Lucy.  I know that, but you simply have to abide by the boundaries.




Lucy is a very restless sleeper.  She twists and turns and flops around constantly in her crate at night.
She apparently has great dreams because her legs will move and her tail will wag in her sleep.
Here's how she looks every morning before she is groomed.  Rather sad, isn't it?
(You may need to click to appreciate the bad hair day)


Time is really flying by.  Already one hundred days of 2013 have past.  Amazing.  We will be stuck in our community tomorrow as the "Assault on the Carolinas" bicycle race takes place.  There are several races of different lengths up and down the mountains, around the curves, and through the valleys.  Every single one of them includes a portion (large or small) of US 276, the road that leads us anywhere we need to go.  There are 40K, 60K, and even 100K races.  [No, you cannot join the race.  Registration capped long ago with 1,000 participants.]  Thankfully, our community is not a bad place to hang out on a Saturday.

Today's quotes come from Carol Burnett.  She has a new book, written to honor her daughter Carrie.  Carrie successfully overcame teen-aged drug addiction and went on to live a happy productive life.  That life was cut short when Carried died of cancer in 2002.

"You have to go through the falling down in order to learn to walk.  It helps to know that you can survive it.  That's an education in itself."

"I've always grown from my problems and challenges; from the things that don't work out, that's when I've really learned."



HAVE A JOYOUS AND WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!!!


12 comments:

The Bug said...

When I had short hair I usually looked like Lucy in the mornings :)

It is pretty remarkable to discover that you can survive the hard times. When my mom was diagnosed with cancer I was pretty sure I wouldn't make it through that - and here I am 8 years after her death plugging along.

Anonymous said...

I did not know her daughter died of cancer! How very sad.

I'm with you on the air conditioning. You can write your name on any outside surface here; I certainly don't want it inside!

NanaNor's said...

Hi there, Your weather sounds like ours-on Monday we had high 60's and then Tuesday it dropped to 18 degrees with snow. I'm so ready for warm weather. Today is clear but windy.
I love your girls! I'm impressed that you groom them every day. I try to brush Hunter daily but lately it has been few and far between.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Hugs, Noreen

Taradharma said...

Last weekend our city was shut down by bicycle races. If you know it's coming, you can plan.

Our weather, too, has been all over the map: rain, cold, wind, hot sun. Who knows what tomorrow brings?

I think it's incredibly sad that Carrie overcame so much only to be taken by cancer. Dirty rotten luck. But Carol is wise, and her words ring true.

Have a great weekend!

kks said...

we are still waiting for spring here......cold, rainy, flurries.....
xoxo

Rudee said...

What I wouldn't give for 15 degrees above normal! It has been storming, raining and cold here.

The girls, as usual, are beautiful!

Anonymous said...

Sure has been crazy weather everywhere. Hope things return to the normal averages and stay that way!

Always good to see the girls, and read the quotes.

Carolina Linthead said...

What Rudee said! The weather is RUDE in Ohio, as the Bug would say. Lucy with bed head made me laugh. I LOVE Ellie visiting with St. Francis and the little bird! We are with you 100% regarding A/C. We do occasionally open up the windows, but not very often. Too much sneezing! Ugh. Enjoy your day at home.

Janie said...

Sounds like some interesting insights from Carol Burnett. I'll have to look for the book.
Weather is above then below normal here, from one day to the next. I don't mind, though. Better this than hot all the time, which will be the case soon.

Busy Bee Suz said...

The quote is awesome...so true.
Your girls are so cute, even with messy hair. If you (and your girls) lived down here with all the freaking (not so lovely) humidity, you could get used to the bad hair days. :) Or at least laugh at them ;)
I hope your weekend was lovely though....being stuck in a great place is always a good thing.
XO

troutbirder said...

We also work on boundaries here with Baron. I also did a post on that subject today. Speaking of allergies we thought at first Mrs T had some till it got so bad a visit to the emergency room was required. It turned our to be a virus that turned into "pink eye." Total misery and not what you'd expect a gramma to be getting....

Vicki Lane said...

There are worse things than having to stay home on these beautiful days. Love the bird pictures in your previous post!