Voted and Justly Rewarded

It is a gorgeous day in our  mountains

We spent part of the day enjoying the beauty of the day and running errands

First thing on the list -

Voting!!

And then rewarded ourselves with a very late lunch/very early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants - Mike's Inland Seafood.

BEST hushpuppies ever (for real)

Onion rings that bring The Varsity to mind (one of the very few places in Atlanta I miss)

Food that you know you're going to enjoy

In a bright, sparkly clean spot

Cooked and served by a group of people who are always fun while doing a great job

We love going to Mike's

After having a meal at a well known chain spot a few days ago, we were practically giddy about the whole experience.

WHAT a difference!!!

(another story for another day)

And now I think I'll spend a little time looking a paint samples for the downstairs

Have you voted?!

Don't forget to reward yourself after!

Yay!

 All the fans and monster dehumidifiers are gone!

I'd post pics, but there's nothing left down there to take pictures of.

So.

Here's some pretty pictures from our yard instead.

Don't you love October?!

Today

Latest in the saga . . .

The walls are still holding an unacceptable level of moisture, hence the fans now added to the monster dehumidifier.

Estimated time of removal?

A minimum of three days.

Check back . . .

Partita by Barbara Kingsolver

Barbara Kingsolver is, in my opinion, an exceptionally brilliant writer.  "Her work often focuses on topics such as social justice, biodiversity, and the interaction between humans and their communities and environments."

From Amazon, "With razor-sharp acuity and deep affection, Kingsolver’s unforgettable new novel reflects on class barriers, the risks of ambition, and the timeless, life-changing power of art."

This is a passage that resonates with me -

"I will say this for country people, or anyway the ones I know: If you call for a party, you’ll have it. On a week’s notice or two days, I don’t care what it is, a family supper or a cornhole game in the backyard. Give people a reason to get together, and they’ll be there with a covered dish. Mickie remarks on this because she knows people in more places, friends she’s kept up with from her UT days. She says they’re forever whining on Facebook how it takes four months for three people to agree on one day to have lunch together. When she speaks of it, I remember that too, from college. That the only answer to How are you? was Too busy! Now I live among people who might have been up before dawn with a sick calf, or have hay to mow before rain gets here; they might work mornings at the dollar store and nights cleaning floors at the hospital and have to pick up their kids from school in between. Or take somebody to a court date. They might like you a lot or very little. No matter. If you run into each other pushing your groceries to your cars in the Kroger parking lot, they’ll stop and talk to you. Busy is not a boastful thing. It might even be taken for a weakness. It’s not our way to make a show of telling friends we have something better to do. We are each other’s better thing."

And . . . yesterday, today, tomorrow

 

The deconstruction crew arrived yesterday, were here again today, and will be back tomorrow.

Leaving us with this

Hopefully, all the deconstruction a/k/a wrecking will be completed tomorrow.

Then we will move on to the next steps of reconstruction.

For those of you who have asked, and those who are wondering, all the crews have communicated well, worked hard and efficiently, been professional and personable, and (so far) everything has gone smoothly.  Very smoothly!

The invoices submitted (so far) have been 100% covered by our insurance.

We have a ways to go, so continue sending all those positive thoughts.  They've been working great so far!  We appreciate them.

And so do our resident house spirits.  ❤

Pub Day for the new Louise Penny - YAY!!!

 

Sick of the world news?  

Me, too!  

Here's an idea - download the new Louise Penny!  

Clearing the air of some misinformation going around.  Not EVERYONE has been disappointed or upset about Louise Penny's recent novels.  Speaking only for myself, I enjoyed them. AND, I actually do know other people who liked the books that so many are claiming to have disliked to the point that they'll never read another.  Bless your hearts.  Your choice, of course, but why on earth assume the whole world hated them when that is simply not true.

And so it goes . . .

 A recap of what's happening at our house since the water heater flood.

The water mitigation people have come every day to check moisture levels since they put the monster dehumidifier downstairs.

Last Friday they came in a small truck and moved some of the smaller stuff out.

 It's all going down the mountain to Hickory.  The original idea about having a pod placed here on-site was scratched.  The off-site facility is being used instead.

This morning these guys showed up with hopes that everything will be hauled off today.

There's another truck parked in the carport.

Things that we didn't want moved away have been boxed up and put in our sunroom.   Along with some coats that we may need before things come back home.

P

For someone who thinks of home as a place of peace and harmony, this is hard.

But.

We do what we have to do, right?

Send some good thoughts guys, we have a very long way to go.

Yes, I DO know it will all come together. 

I DO know this will end and the results will be a cleaner, nicer looking space.

I do know that.

And I know that Donald and I are pretty upbeat, positive people.

That, however, does not mean we're not allowed to feel some frustration with the situation.  It is, after all, a very natural human reaction.

We're allowed to voice those frustrations.   Indeed.  And sometimes loudly and with spice.

Remember Leslie Gore?  

She sang a song about it being her party and she would cry if she wanted to.

Smart girl, that Leslie.

Being a Pollyanna ALL the fucking time is tired and phoney.  Which is my way of saying what Psychology Today says, "Pollyanna syndrome is not a clinical diagnosis, but a descriptive term used in psychology to characterize a rigid positivity bias. Individuals maintain upbeat attitudes regardless of circumstances, often to the point of denial."

Psychology Today

So.

Y'all I can only tell you, if you're part of my life, you're gonna hear all the many sides of me.  I am what I am.  

Sweet and Tart.

Sorta like rhubarb.

Mark Pryor - May 8, 1967 — October 8, 2026

 https://www.funeralfolio.com/obit/mark-a3zv

I did not have an opportunity to meet Mark Pryor.

Almost though.

We just missed one another in Paris a few years ago when he was there, along with his family, doing a book signing.  Donald and I were arriving as he was leaving.  

But I always felt sure I would have an opportunity to meet him a some point.  Somewhere. 

If not Paris, perhaps a Bouchercon.  Although, Bouchercon, truth be told, has sort of fallen off my travel plan radar recently.

He was extraordinarily gracious when I dropped him a note being as much of a fangirl as a gal can be.  If there's anything I do enthusiastically, it's fangirling.

This was after reading his first Hugo Marsten novel, The Bookseller.  I was immediately hooked and have since gleefully read every word Mark Pryor has written.

We sporadically exchanged a few emails over the years.  I loved his work.  We shared a love of Paris, and politically aligned opinions.

Although I did not know him personally, I feel sad to know the world, specifically his much adored family, has lost a good man.

If you haven’t read any of his Hugo books ( who is also a good man), now might be a good time to try one – The first in the series is my recommendation. The Bookseller.

and lift a glass to Mr. Pryor while reading it.

A book recommendation

 

For those of you still following our water heater disaster news, I have no real news.

The mitigation man comes daily to measure the levels of water remaining in the walls and there is still water in the walls.  That's all I know.

No moving on to the next steps of removing everything until this issue resolves itself with the help of the monster dehumidifier.

In the meantime, Donald and I are slowly packing up breakables into boxes we're bringing upstairs and storing in the sunroom.  Since I am a magpie kinda person drawn to pretty things, there are a LOT of breakables.

BUT.

Aside from all that - along with the madman living in our White House (and, seriously, the man is, IMO, certifiably fucking nuts.  And dangerous).

I have a book to recommend.

Those of us who read a lot have learned over the years that certain books just somehow find their way into the lives of the readers who need them at the perfect time.

I read across all genres, but I tend to stay away from books and authors who advertise as "laugh out loud funny."

I enjoy laughter as much as anyone, but, to me, many of a these books just seem to try too hard.  

I prefer a more natural approach to a laugh - a line the writer surprises you with; one you just did not see coming.

This book, THE MIDLIFE BIRTHDAY CLUB by Rachel Hanna, did make me laugh out loud.  It also had me dripping tears down my face.  Sometimes both those things happened all on one page.  And i loved it all.

Because I am a big fan of Southern Fiction, and of Women's Fiction, I have read and enjoyed Rachel Hanna's work.  

THE MIDLIFE BIRTHDAY CLUB, however, spoke to me in ways that I am not even going to try to explain.  Let me simply say that I found it be one of the most moving novels I've read and quite special.  It'll be included in my list of favorites for this year.

I hope you'll give it a try.  I hope you'll enjoy it.  Let me know, please!

And, Hey You!  Don't stay home from the polls simply because politics is disgusting right now.  

I understand.

But, honestly, our country needs to be put back on track.  

We can help.  We need to help.

Happy Reading ! ! !

Note: FTC Disclosure Notice: Dear FTC - I purchased a digital copy of this book fromAmazon.com. No other compensation was offered or accepted.

Not our typical Sunday

Okay.  So.

#1

The car is still banged up and sitting here at home while patiently awaiting the parts that the collision center has ordered to do the needed repairs.

#2

 The water mitigation people came yesterday and put a big heavy duty dehumidifier downstairs.

Things are a mess.

Tomorrow I will be boxing up breakables and bring them upstairs.  

It's already a mess up here too, so a few boxes won't make a diddly damned bit of difference.

The water guys will be back to move everything else out.  Everything.

Don't know when they'll be here or any clue as to how long all this is going to take.

One step st a time.

Or as Dr. Loewy, a former boss at Georgia Tech, used to say, "You can only eat an elephant one bite at a time."

But.

Today was the day Donald worked on those two home organizing projects.  Remember those?  They got backed up in the order of things.

Delayed but not abandoned.

#3

First the kitchen -

This week I'll spend some time organizing things, putting some things into small labeled baskets, and eliminate some kitchen clutter.

#4

And then I get to do the same in my little bathroom with my new cabinet Donald hung for me today.

Since I love organizing things, these two projects are going to be fun for me.

Having a very handy husband who enjoys measuring and hammering and nailing, etc. is a big big big plus.  

But i know he is ready to move on and get to projects of his own that he's put on hold.

Who knew one stupid hot water heater could throw things into so much disarray.

I am spending some time chatting with our house spirits during all this, thanking them for keeping us safe, asking them to please be patient while we get their home back into order and return to our usual peace and quiet.

We will eat the elephant one bite at a time.  And things will, once again, be smooth sailing for us here in Meat Camp.

BUT!!!!!

We can't be too sure of the rest of the country.

So, y'all

VOTE ! ! !

Vote   Vote   Vote