LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Friday, December 14, 2018

We Love Lucy (and Violet)

We did indeed get the full blast of the latest winter storm.  We received twenty inches of heavy wet snow.  Broken branches and fallen trees led to major power outages.  Clearing mountain roads is a very difficult task because most have protective fencing on one side of the road and high banks on the other side.  We lost power late Saturday and it was not restored until late Monday night.

We have a very large generator that will power the house and sequentially turn off "non-essential" things if the propane levels get low.  I could hear the hum of the generator from my bedroom and on Saturday night it was reassuring to awaken and hear it.  After that, it became annoying because it meant power was still not restored.  We had no Wi-Fi but we did have television, thanks to Direct TV.  I must admit it was frustrating to watch television and see sixteen utility vehicles just sitting in downtown Brevard waiting for the roads to be sufficiently clear.  We conserved energy as much as possible, eating soup and sandwiches rather than using the oven to cook.  We didn't bother to clean off the gas grill since it was socked in with snow.  We cleared a small path near the deck railing to hang the bird feeders and fill the heated water for our feathered friends.

We still have plenty of snow on the ground but we can now get out of the community and downtown,  Unfortunately we are experiencing heavy rain and flash flooding will be a big problem as the rain adds water and melts the snow.  Thank goodness I had my chemotherapy last Wednesday.

I mentioned before that Lucy was not interested at all in the Christmas decorations this year.  That was not always the case.  Here she is in 2016, inspecting each ornament and then following my husband to the tree.



Granddaughter is growing like a weed.  Now 18 months old she is in the 95th percentile for height.  That doesn't necessarily mean that she will be really tall, but she does have such long legs it is hard to buy sleepers for her.

Our son is a stay-at-home dad and says it's the best job he's ever had.  Here is our Violet, dressed by her dad.  Pink kitty hat.  Red Def Leppard sweatshirt.  Yellow pants.  Purple shoes.  Carrying a stuffed otter.

Only a true fashionista could carry off this look.


She seems mechanically and musically inclined and already knows how to operate all the safety features they have installed.  Fortunately she is not yet strong enough to operate them but she knows the process.  On a recent visit to a good friend who has two-year-old twin boys, Violet learned how to open their gate at the foot of the stairs.  Then she taught the twins how to do it for themselves.  She has quite a sense of humor and is such fun.  I'm so envious of her other grandparents who live in the same town.

Today's quote is from the author Tennessee Williams.  It fits someone we know quite well as both.
"The only thing worse than a liar
Is a liar who is also a hypocrite."

Whatever your faith or beliefs, I do hope you are enjoying the season.  We are relishing it, taking things slowly and not rushing about trying to do everything.  Store bought will do just as well as homemade this year.  Well, except for Ina Garten's sour cream coffee cake.  That must be available for Christmas morning's coffee.


HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE
RELAX
MOST THINGS ARE JUST THINGS



11 comments:

The Bug said...

Oh my word - Violet is ADORABLE! I love hearing about her.

Mike brought in our propane stove just in case we needed it, but fortunately we never lost power. We've got a kerosene heater so I wasn't worried about heat - just breakfast :)

Barbara Rogers said...

Yes indeed, you got a lot of the white stuff. And I'm glad to hear you had your generator for backup. Violet is absolutely adorable. I admit, I have a stuffed otter also...probably smaller than hers...it's connected to a trip to the TN Aquarium where I loved seeing river otters playing.

KB said...

Lucky you, having a generator is so worth it when you get a long outage like that one! I'm glad that it's back on and that you could just relax at home.

Violet sounds like such a character! I love that your son think that his stay-at-home-dad job is his best ever :)

I do know who you were probably thinking of with that quote... I keep wishing that the house of cards would fall down.

Nance said...

I think Violet is working the Hipster Eclectic look perfectly.

Enjoy your Casual Christmas. You've earned it.

Anonymous said...

I thought of you when I heard about that snowstorm. Yikes! Then, the rains. Hope things are all back to normal. Love seeing the pic of Violet and reading about her. She sounds like quite a little presence already. Always good to see a Lucy too!

Linda P. said...

All I can say after reading this post is that I'm glad descendants of my third great grandparents moved out of North Carolina further south before the generation in which I was born! Your granddaughter is so cute!

Tara said...

I love that we have grand daughters only a couple of months apart in age. I get to see my 20 month-old girl in just a few days! I hear ya about jealousy regarding the grandparents who live closer. My daughter and son-in-law used to live just down the street from his parents. However, we're all at a disadvantage now that the kids have moved to Colorado.

Your weather sounds so very scary and troublesome. Health concerns (including emergencies) are doubly problematic when you can't get out of the house!!

Continue to enjoy your Christmastime. It's much more enjoyable when it's relaxed, like yours.

Vicki Lane said...

She is, indeed, adorable! And I love the outfit. And the otter (Josie is getting one for Christmas.) Too funny about her teaching the twins to open the gate! And isn't it wonderful to see that sense of humor in one so young!

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Glad you made it safely through the power outage thanks to your generator. We watched the news accounts of all the snow in southern states while we remain snow-free here in NH for now at least. Your granddaughter is quite adorable and our youngest just turned 2 this weekend. It seems like only yesterday when she arrived!

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Bug - Lucky you to have had power the whole time. We just had our propane tank re-filled and ready for the next round.

Barbara - There seems to be some disagreement here about river otters. On the same day our newspaper printed a photo of a new piece of art downtown - a river otter. In the same edition was an article that river otters have increased in population so much they are endangering the trout fishing industry by destroying so many large fish. No matter which is true, the are adorable.

KB - When we built this house, we realized there were not a lot of places to take two Golden Retrievers to escape a power outage. So we had the big one installed and we've never regretted it for a moment.

Nance - Thanks. Obviously we think Violet looks adorable no matter what she's wearing.

Robin - I'm anxious to see how Violet dresses when she demands to pick her own clothes.

Linda - Thanks. Actually this snowstorm was unusual. We chose this elevation rather than a higher one that would get more snow. But every now and then we do get a big one. Then it disappears rather quickly.

Tara - You are right. Our community is quite good about getting out quickly to plow but it can still be a scary thought if we needed emergency care. That's why our retirement village is in a milder area and near a major medical facility.

Vicki - Most of Violet's stuffed animals are animals and not pink fluffy characters. Hope Josie likes her otter as much as Violet likes hers.

Beatrice - I remember when your youngest was born. And the two older ones seem to be really growing up. How quickly it happens.

Busy Bee Suz said...

I'm so sorry for the terrible winter storm; sounds like you both took it in stride though. Having a positive outlook on 'things' is the best way to go these days.
Violet sounds like such a sweet and smart little character. I commend your son for taking such great care of raising her....he'll never regret a minute of it; what a very special family.