Immense Thanks (from FaceBook)

Right now there are Tibetan Buddhist monks in a temple in the Himalayas endlessly reciting mantras for the cessation of your suffering and for the flourishing of your happiness.

Someone you haven't met yet is already dreaming of adoring you.

Someone is writing a book that you will read in the next two years that will change how you look at life.

Nuns in the Alps are in endless vigil, praying for the Holy Spirit to alight the hearts of all of God's children.

A farmer is looking at his organic crops and whispering, "nourish them."

Someone wants to kiss you, to hold you, to make tea for you.

Someone is willing to lend you money, wants to know what your favorite food is, and treat you to a movie.

Someone in your orbit has something immensely valuable to give you — for free.

Something is being invented this year that will change how your generation lives, communicates, heals and passes on.

The next great song is being rehearsed.

Thousands of people are in yoga classes right now intentionally sending light out from their heart chakras and wrapping it around the earth.

Millions of children are assuming that everything is amazing and will always be that way.

Someone is in profound pain, and a few months from now, they'll be thriving like never before. From where they are, they just can't see it .

Someone who is craving to be partnered, to be acknowledged, to arrive, will get precisely what they want — and even more. And because that gift will be so fantastical in it's reach and sweetness, it will quite magically alter their memory of angsty longing and render it all "So worth the wait."

Someone has recently cracked open their joyous, genuine nature because they did the hard work of hauling years of oppression off of their psyche — this luminous juju is floating in the ether, and is accessible to you.

Someone just this second wished for world peace, in earnest.

Some civil servant is making sure that you get your mail, and your garbage is picked up, that the trains are running on time, and that you are generally safe.

Someone is dedicating their days to protecting your civil liberties and clean drinking water.

Someone is regaining their sanity.

Someone is coming back from the dead.

Someone is genuinely forgiving the seemingly unforgivable.

Someone is curing the incurable.

You. Me. Some. One. Now.

~ Danielle LaPorte via

Mary Standing Otter

ART: Caroline Maniere

I am so thankful for many blessings in my life.

Yesterday I got my broken filling fixed at the dental clinic, an emergency appointment was available within 2 days of calling for one. How nice to have my chompers in as good a shape as they can be these days (meaning in this time of COVID, as well as this time of my life!)

I'm looking forward to a short zoom talk with my family today sometime. I know two members are joining another family of four. I don't know about the family of 5, nor the mixed family of maybe 5 or 6.

Such is the way our families are existing these days...working people, two who are in college, one working from home for a high school, and those whose jobs kind of stopped last spring...what a sad time for us all. But we're looking for rainbows still.

I have begun eating plant based foods (mainly) and so no turkey for this gal. I still eat yogurt made from milk. I don't know what kind of stir-fry I'll have, probably with rice. I may do some mashed potatoes...just because they sound good, and I can do them with Rice Dream rather than milk and butter. And I'm set for making some dynamite spinach salads! Lots of fresh veggies!

I hope everyone out there reading this has a Happy Thanksgiving.

High Windy view

 

Thanks to Jack Ollis who shared this photo from High Windy Mountain of Black Mountain. The blue in the lower right corner is Lake Tomahawk, while the larger blue to the upper left is the reservoir (Burnett's Reservoir) which supplies Asheville with it's water. I like this shot, which probably includes my home somewhere in the many buildings among trees.

A springtime shot from my balcony towards High Windy. The sun often strikes the peak first thing in the morning.

Last of the flowers

 

A rosebush just seems unaffected by the frosty nights. Of course it sits by the lake, so that water keeps it a bit warmer. But not much longer.

These huge old rose bushes were also full of chirping little birds...totally safe behind the thorns!

Cold around the lake

 

When the temperature drops, I can still walk around Lake Tomahawk, all bundled up.  Here's the finished playground. The idea of accessibility was for a parent to be able to roll onto the playground in his wheel-chair, apparently...not to have any playing equipment for a child in a wheel-chair. We have one resident who was injured in an accident a few years ago, and he had been a coach at the local college. So the whole thing (raising the money) and publicity was for him to be able to be there with his kids. Of course the report in local newspapers also said that the paving company donated time and materials for the new driving ramp next to the new softer rubber playground itself.

Yet another tree had been removed, as well as another bigger pile of dirt!

The lake is still not at it's regular level.

I do like the new little waterfall on the creek though. But it's sure going to clog up with debris as these leaves already have shown.

Exercise indoors - on hold

 

The YMCA at Cheshire, Black Mountain NC. The round windows are in the pool area. Since it's heated it does entice me, but not when COVID-19 requires masks. Ugh, a wet paper mask is not a good idea.

A bit more jazzed up tread-mill machine, and I did my usual 20 minutes but did a "slow down" in order to sip some water, and it lost my tally of minutes walked. I'll have to do it differently next time.

I'm on my own, but told one of the trainers that I want to lose 10% of my weight...which had been my final goal at the Heart Path pulmonary rehab. Of course setting that goal the week before I finished their rehab meant it was pretty unrealistic there. But hey, it's my goal, not theirs.

After finishing my 20 minutes pedaling on the New Balance stepper, I was pretty tired. There's only one of these machines in the area where masks are mandatory.  The other two are in a small area where exercisers have a "mask optional" rule. No thanks! We did much the same routines as the Heart Path gym, cleaning the equipment with disinfectant wipes both before and after our workouts.

I was pleasantly surprised to only have a half dozen people working on the machines, and that they only allow every other one to be used to keep the social distance of 6 feet between people. There had been a class going in another area that I might join later, "sit and be fit" I think. They only allow 11 people to reserve space in that classroom, and reservations must be made within the 24 hours before the class, and then everyone in a class mut be masked.

It seems like they're doing the right things to stay safe. I will be back...when?

And on another note, my diet, low-fat, plant-based eating. If you haven't watched Forks over Knives yet, let me say this is the most important video that anyone thinking about their health, and the health of the planet should consider. The link above just takes you to the trailer. I was able to check it out from inter-library loans in North Carolina. It's unfortunately not available (yet) on Netflix.

And I must update this (as a few days have passed since my visit) and say I'm walking around the lake or in my neighborhood, but not going to any gym at this time of higher incidence of COVID-19. Fortunately the Y explained that they don't bill my insurance if I'm not coming in and using the electronic sign-in. It's all automated.

Stay safe, y'all!

 

In front of the log cabin and a to-do-list

 

Log cabin of the 1890s.

I downloaded this, but didn't have the photographer, the location, or who these people were. Ah well

They were somoneone's ancestors...with only 2 men wearing hats, and a couple of little boys. A youngish girl with a short skirt on the far left, and a woman holding a squirming child sitting on the log...these are probably an extended family. That cabin was made with hand hewn timbers. The log in front was probably cut down and planned to be used at one time. And since there are real sash windows, these people were pretty well to do for the times and place. The window on the right seems to have been raised so perhaps someone could look out. 

Any other ideas?

Here's another cabin...

I don't know for sure, but I'm betting this is in one of the parks in the Appalachian mountains. It has the dog-trot design,  which means the big space in the middle is like a hall going from front to back. There's just one chimney, so that shows where the cooking and heating took place.

What do you call this man with his monkey? I have heard the Organ Grinder. And I think he also might be called a "hurdy gurdy" man. I vaguely think I saw one once when I was a wee little one, probably being held tightly by the hand. I don't think there was a monkey involved though, just the musician playing a organ type music box. He's the prompt today over at Sepia Saturday.

In case you might be climbing the walls because you are isolated due to the increased likelihood of catching COVID-19, I like this list of things to consider doing.

Catching up on my plants...and a lecture by Dr. Fauci

 

Taken after my tour of the YMCA last week. I'll have more up to date shots as I get used to exercising there! But I'm not sure how much I'll go there with the upsurge of COVID-19. 

So here's an interesting Sept. 2020 lecture from Dr. Anthony Fauci. In case you don't have the facts about this virus situation, here are lots of graphs!

The orchid that I expected to have a bloom or two soon, keeps swooping with it's stalk. Who knows where it will end up!

The other one of my orchid plants has decided to send up two flower stalks, as well as to try to climb out of the pot...but I know orchids like to stretch their feet.

Another fun Black Mountain fact

There's a train track that still runs east-west through Black Mountain. And sometimes you get stopped by a train. Fortunately I had my phone camera out, and was at the front of the line the other day.

Since the depot has become a shop for arts & crafts, there was no interest in stopping in Black Mountain.

This train going west had come down the mountain pass from Old Fort...and was carrying open cars full of river rocks. I don't know where they came from, nor where they were going. I was just glad it was a relatively short train!

I glanced over to see town crew members decorating the light poles with greenery and wreaths...and sometimes candy canes. They posted flags along State St. for Veterans Day last week, and they are still out.

It's Cuban cuisine!

Tucked in along other small shops is the latest restaurant to open in Black Mountain NC.  Cousins Cuban Cafe.  I found a parking spot early on Saturday and was happy to order a to-go of Cuban Bread.

A nice clean homey atmosphere was great for a few people eating their breakfasts.

 I took my bread home, buttered and toasted it, and let it crumble down my front as it brought back memories of Tampa. Of course since I've gone vegetarian, I can't enjoy a Cuban Sandwich...or wonderful garbanzo soup with sausage. But I could have done with some guava jelly...oh well. Next time...

Improvements at the lake

 

What a cute little hot rod! I imagine a young guy and a bobby-soxer gal riding in it, but I think it's more likely an older guy who just wants to be the young guy still. Who else can afford to make a car creation like this?

There a new swing with a safety harness for tiny tots. The newly paved area is still closed off for kids to play behind orange plastic fencing.

More orange plastic fencing with mounds of dirt, and the ever-preseent bush-hog, or whatever these are called.

Well, that yellow thing is new, definitely.

OK, there's a nice little waterfall...and they've widened the creek a bit before it flows over the waterfall. No idea what the yellow dam is there to catch.

The lake is still not 100% full.  But Saturday's sunshine made for a most enjoyable walk around Lake Tomahawk.

These ducks in the shadows look kind of bored. That's the spillway behind them, high and dry. The pipe valve is releasing water pretty fast through the dam, so who knows when the lake will be full enough for water to flow over the spillway.