Less Hustle More Coffee

Oh ya’ll! We are all packed up in our offices at work. Everyone furiously packing around 2 yesterday to finish off the remaining desk and work items for the move. All in boxes and labeled with our Level and Office number. Since it’s difficult to do most of my stuff at home – no printing capabilities – and no office set up – it’s just really hard for me to work at home. I did not have a planned day and wouldn’t have taken today if our offices were not closed. So I’m kinda forced to take a day off. I am not sure I have the extra PTO and may get phone calls anyway. I’ll probably be expected to take it as PTO and that is fine if they want me to do that. I just think the Lord Himself planned the timing because I REALLY needed this day.

Last night we took Mom out to eat at Gondola House in Lebanon, TN and it was really good. It’s a family like atmosphere. We only had to wait about 5 minutes even though it was mostly full. The food and service was good and George and I ate off the salad bar which was fantastic. They made you sanitize your hands before using the utensils and the glass seemed to come further down around the salad bar, fresh ingredients (I always took food from the furtherest section away from the glass (lol).

Mom seemed to be in a pretty good mood. She said she got a lot done and the place did look a lot more put together and things off the counter. She wanted to put the dry ingredients up from the grocery trip. And said she could do that tomorrow so we honored that. She also wanted to put the sheets on the bed in the guest room so I left those for her.

We took her to Aldi to get her spiral ham for her to fix when Aunt Martha and Uncle Ken get there. And we took her to Kroger and she uses the buggy as a walker. I told her people were going to think we were rude “making” her use the cart buggy instead of us taking it. She said “well if they are my age they will understand”. It especially looked weird when she pushed the cart out piled full and George and I walked hands free but she wanted to use it for balance.

It took a long while to get through the store as she cannot walk far without being winded so she walks slow. We came home and unloaded groceries. Fancy had been so upset at her being gone at night that she pooped in all the carpeted rooms. Yes – every one of them. I guess she was marking her territory to protect herself. Mom had forgotten to close the doors because she had been so good always to use the paper.

Even though it was almost 10:00 p.m. at that point I tried to hang her shower curtain rod. I’m just as invalid as Mom when it comes to doing things though – my shoulder and arm does not cooperate. Already sore from having to move and tape boxes I had took it to its limit this week (couldn’t sleep night before last for the pain). So when I tried to put the rod up my arm just went limp and filled with pain. George watched me and ended up having to put it up.

I took River’s package home to be wrapped. I tried to carry it along with a roll of Christmas paper. Holding a box and a big roll of Christmas paper is not something a body was meant to do at the same time. I failed at being able to carry it and it fell and then I “gently” pushed it out the door with my foot but George thought I was trying to kick it. All the while he stood there watching me struggle while empty handed. I was tired so I kept my mouth shut. Finally he did the right thing and came to rescue again.

(No one needs to be around me at 10 p.m. at night. I turn into a pumpkin (jack-o-lantern) at 9 p.m. Knowing that about myself, I tried to clamp my mouth shut, aside from defending myself. Anyway we were out way past my bedtime.

Sleep was divine. And I sit here this morning relieved as I type this to have a much needed and very rare day all to myself. I’ve not had that since mid summer once when I went shopping by myself. I don’t think. I can do what I want pretty much. I can blog til my heart is content. I can upload and schedule the next video. I can see what all Christmas we have bought and update my list and do some wrapping and maybe even some last minute shopping. I can leisurely shower and eat lunch. I can watch a show. I am going to pick what we are having for dinner and fix that. I’ll clean up a bit. I’m sooooo excited to have this unplanned day to try and glue my life back together. I will also be planning the list of where we will shop after we go to a reception tomorrow. We will try to knock out the rest of the shopping.

God has blessed us this week in many ways and we are grateful. I wore my Grateful shirt yesterday. I was truly Grateful to have this day. It’s saving me. Well, God is saving me in more ways than one. He gets the glory.

Sunny Point Cafe, Asheville, NC

This is a popular spot in Asheville. Also Biscuit Head as been mentioned so next time we will try it. This place is over the top for breakfast dishes. Beautifully and enormously presented, and breakfast drinks such as Mimosas and Bloody Mary’s with bacon also available. Parking can be challenging, usually a line. Best advice is “go early”. While we were there, a privately owned company came on site and tried to sell us hats that had stuffed animals sewed onto the top for a project to help women in Afghanistan. A good cause. Asheville is also an artsy town. I was little uncomfortable with the direct contact of the sales folks coming directly up to you to do their sales pitch that lingered a bit. I guess I just wasn’t expecting it. Had it been something we could use, I might have bought one but I guess I’m not particularly wanting to be hit up for money while in line to eat. The cause was fine and the operation they were doing. It just didn’t seem to be the right place and time for it. So that I didn’t like so much, but the food was good. Also very limited seating and mostly outside on patio with plastic all about as winter is setting in, but it was warm enough with heaters etc. At least in our section which was partially indoors. I did not see where reservations could be made.

So all that to sum up and say – it’s worth going but….parking, seating, and sales pitches may have to be endured as part of your experience.

Random Asheville Pics

I did throw some money to this guy playing in the streets. He was playing some pleasant songs. And seemed pretty talented. While George went to the Moogseum (Moog Museum, a synthesizer museum), I went shopping around the Grove Arcade which had lots of shops and restaurants. It seemed like I had an “afternoon in Paris” with the restaurants flowing out into the street sidewalks with table and chairs and beautiful boutiques all around. George was within walking distance and we caught up around the old Woolworth’s which housed local art work for sale. And also some artsy vendors were set up on the street here.

There was a chocolate shop there. I wasn’t sure about the chocolate pasta, lol. I didn’t buy any. It might have been good. I wonder. I just can’t bring myself to even think of it. But, we do put cocoa powder in our chili.

So there is something you need to know about Asheville. There are nice sections and then there are some not so nice sections, as with any town. But I did see a lot of graffiti in this “artsy” community. I took a pic of this street while driving through as an example. I also saw some homeless in tents in a variety of areas that reminded me of Portland, Oregon. Portland’s homeless area seemed a little more aggressive with tent camps even along the interstate. It was more subdued in Asheville but definitely present. You can see the graffiti on the third building down from the right in the medium blue looking building. However, there were lots of painted scenes on buildings just like the building on the right. Just periodic places you pass that have grifitti and run down, but there might be a nice place next door. Kinda weird. But that is the vibe. I have no idea about the crime in the area. We did some walking about at night but stayed in areas that were crowded with others.

French Restaurant Experience at Bouchon’s in Asheville

Ok I’m going to end the blog here today. I have Little Bit in the house with me and he’s unsettled so I need to probably go let him out or see what he needs. So you guys have a great day. I will try and get this video uploaded for either tomorrow or Sunday. I will pop back in and let you know. I’m going to try and glue myself and our lives together and get Christmas under control and my own house in some sort of control. Yeeeee Ha! And rain and storms are supposed to come today and maybe tomorrow. I pray it’s not while we are out tomorrow as we have a lot to do. But I guess if we see a tornado we’ll just take cover the best we can wherever we are. The weather is often nasty severe with storms here in Dec and Jan as the cold weather fights it out with the warm for the drastic changeovers. Only a day or two here and there but it’s like spring at times since the weather extremes fight it out in the atmosphere.

Over and Out!