WHEW!

Thank goodness Santa brought Paul a robber's mask ... unemployment is tough!







Ain't life grand!























Paul & Sabrina, Atlanta, GA
















Sabrina & Cheri, BFFs since the beginning of time!















Paul & Boys at Grandfather Mountain, NC













Christian, Austin & Cade, Grandfather Mtn












Cade, Christian, Mildred the Bear and Austin












Jennifer and Cheri, Dec. 27, 2008



After spending an incredibly quiet Christmas Day with just the two of us, we took off for our Christmas tour of the upper Southeast! We went to Atlanta to visit the kids and my BFF, Sabrina; picked up the grandkids, drove back through Anderson SC to visit Shay, and came home with much more energy than we left with!!! We've been entertaining these 3 boys, and they've been entertaining us. It has been absolutely delightful and exhausting! We have had an absolutely WONDERFULLY magic encounter with these guys. The older they get, the more delightful they become! We had a great birthday party last night. I'll post that tomorrow!
I can't say enough of how grateful we are for being afforded the visitation we have with these special little guys. I have giggled like a 6 year old girl for days now. And I don't mind saying, I really needed that! SO ... I hope you can all giggle in delight with your loved ones, both young and old! And Paul & I wish for you the best possible New Year .... happy times, prosperous days, perfect health, oodles of noodles, blessings galore and shared love. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
All the Best,
Cheers!
Paul & Cheri

Merry Christmas!

Random shots for a view of Christmas from our house! (except this picture of the boys ... left to right, Austin, Bobby (their cousin) and Cade sporting their new UGA sweatshirts.

Anyway

I love Christmas time! For us it means a BIG FAT MESS, among other things!!! We have been lucky enough to have friends dropping in to share the spirit of the season and some great laughs and cheer ... nothing better! There is nothing like Christmas to see the best in most.

We wish for you ALL to have a Merry Christmas and a belly full of happy day!

Also, we wish for you ALL priceless blessings for the New Year.

The Best to ALL,

Paul & Cheri

Yep ... Christmas time ... and WINTER!

Well, it finally happened. Winter Solstice brought with it the chilliest day of our year to date. It officially went negative 6 on the mountain top last night ... our house saw negative 1, but by the time I got the courage to go outside and take the picture of the thermometer, it had risen slightly, at least to positive numbers. I did pump gas in one degree temperature this morning. It was COLD. The wind was cutting, and I was none too warm for a good hour after I got to work and thawed in front of a very warm space heater. It was cold enough here in the High Country for the heaters to go into "emergency heat" mode. Brrrrrrr.................. I thought I'd post the mosaic sun next to the thermostat just for kicks! Still not warm or dry enough to grout anything around here, but there are some fun mosaics waiting for final touches!

Well, aside from frigid temps, we are just jamming for the big Christmas day. We have big and small trees (20 inches and 10 feet), Nutcrackers a plenty and have been diligently baking goodies for neighbors and friends, and preparing ourselves for yuletide pleasures. Seems like in this rather iffy economy, whatever we can do to perk ourselves up is where we are naturally gravitating! I'm finding that rather refreshing!! We even tried truffles this year --- YUM!

We got to teach the children on Saturday ... great gobs of fun! They are so inspiring and make Paul and I feel so blessed and special. The youngest group was there in FULL FORM, and were such a HUGE joy to play with. Paul made them a army of chocolate mice to munch on after class, and they all had a great time with that. We made little goody bags for everyone, and they all seemed to be so very happy. It's very hard not to ask to permission to bring them all home! But, really we don't have that much room, food, heat, electricity. We do, however, have that much love. It certainly has opened our eyes to abundance in all shapes and forms.

We don't really know what our agenda is for this week, and that seems to be great fun for us! I know we will be home for Christmas eve and Christmas day. We may try to nip down the mountain to visit a few folks the day after Christmas, depending on Mother Nature and our energy levels! I will say it is fun to have the freedom to not worry about it, but we really do miss everyone. Jennifer and her family will be home for Christmas morning, and then go to Vic's parent's for the afternoon. Since they came up here for Thanksgiving, that's the way the plan fell. Christian has begged for us to come down, and since Jon's boys will hopefully be with him the day after too, I'd love to hug the little guys at some point this weekend. We shall see! Coordinating all the schedules has become a jigsaw puzzle that sometimes is beyond my level of comprehension!

It is the time of year when most of us are running around in circles, and moving way too fast to stop and think about much beyond the busy work. But my astrologers keeps telling me to make my new year resolutions NOW because Saturn will make doing so later in the week an impossible task. SO ... I will pass along that piece of information to all you out there, in case you want to heed their advice! It is always a great idea to start off with a plan, I have found!! So I will be spending some time today trying to rise to the challenge of making my list. And I will wish you all the best in making yours!

Until later, happy Christmas week! We hope you accomplish all you want to, remember to be grateful and count your blessings, and have F U N !!!

Be well,

Paul & Cheri

Chocolate Mice

These darling little chocolate mice are Paul's claim to fame. He has made quiet a splash with these little guys during the holiday season this year! What do you expect from a Rat King?!?

We are unbelievably busy for being so calm and laid back up here! Guess it's the season for all of that ... but I'm tired! We shopped yesterday. Remember, we have to drive for an hour before we can even begin our shopping expedition ... then after we are completely worn out and exhausted, we drive an hour back to the house. Good grief! I am so glad the holidays only come once a year! We are trying to wrap it all up. (ha - what a pun, eh?) Anyway, just wanted to share the mice with you ... there will be more postings to follow soon ...

Be well,

Paul & Cheri

When Life Gets Too Messy

Just throw your head back and laugh ... it feels SO much better! Thanks for that lesson, Christian!

And another thing ...

These are bear tracks in the snow right before sunrise here at the Club yesterday morning. If you see these, go inside! It is time for the bears to be gorging so they can hibernate. Our winter has begun so early, it has caught them off guard, unlike last year when it never got cold enough for them to get the message to hibernate. SO, be aware, there are bear out here in these mountains ... and in the neighborhoods, as well as the woods. Hard core evidence, right here.

Be safe ... wear a bell! :-)

The safety officer

Grand Boys ... November 2008

I'm thinking no description necessary.








Cute though, aren't they?

Working Trees

THE cutest guy on the tree lot!! AND the one who makes the most money in tips. :-) (Dimples and English accent ... gets 'em every time!)



















Look for the hillside filled with Christmas trees. Not a problem in our area of North Carolina. This is the biggest and most profitable industry here. So, this time of year is very busy for the locals. Most families "leave" a tree farm for the generations up and coming. Most families put their children through agricultural school with the profits from the trees, and it passes right on down ... until one day someone does not want to be in the tree biz .... then it gets sold to another, bigger tree farmer ... there are some VERY successful folks. And so it goes.



Then, after you've spotted a hillside full of trees, you look for a FARM full ... this is the one Paul is working for this year. John White is the owner. He works a "choose and cut" lot, as well as wholesale orders. It is H A R D work. They sold over 100 trees on this lot the day after Thanksgiving. That means someone (Paul or one of the other fellas) cuts, drags/carries, bags and loads the trees that the customers pick out. Paul is sleeping pretty good right now!




After you find the farm, you must find just the right tree. When there are thousands or even hundreds to choose from, some families manage to stay for hours. Some only need 10 minutes. Lots of family's tradition is to go and pick out a tree over the Thanksgiving weekend ... they were BUSY last weekend!

I think one of these trees has our name on it! And remember that cute guy from the first photo ??? Well, he brought it home and put it on the porch. Then the snow came ... and stayed ... until today. Maybe it'll get into the house soon. We shall see! I don't tip as well as the people at the tree lot ... I think he's holding that over me! HA!



Paul says all the folks who come to the choose and cut lot are HAPPY and in a very festive mood. It is a wonderful contrast to the folks who are normally shopping and are frustrated and tired. Sometimes there are families of 7 or 9 people choosing a tree, which takes a little while, it seems!
Paul comes home feeling a little like one of Santa's elves and has a great twinkle in his bright blue eyes. He also comes home wet and frozen to the bone sometimes! There have been a couple of incidents where he's arrived home bruised and sore. (nothing broken though, we've had the x-rays!) He has seen lots of deer families in the trees and had a lot of time out under the beautiful Carolina sky. One morning I made scones and he and his tree worker buddies had a tea party in the canopy where they collect the money. Hey, it's a job ... but somebody has to do it!
Life in the mountains is very different from the city life. We go much slower, enjoy more subtle moments, and wear more layers of clothing. It is only December 3rd and it has snowed more already this year than it snowed the whole season last year. The ski industry is thrilled!
Anyway, we hope you ALL get a beautiful Christmas tree this year to help you feel the magical ambiance of the season. And support your North Carolina tree growers (and cutters) ... we truly appreciate your support!
'Tis the season to be jolly .... we're there!
Paul & Cheri

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well here we are at Holiday Season once again. It is hard to fathom another year has flown by. But it has, and we have been fortunate enough to collect multitudes of blessings along with that time. I hope every one of you can say and feel the same way.

My daughter, Jennifer and her family will be joining us up here in FROZEN CITY for our Thanksgiving feast. We also have a few "strays" that will popping in and out, as always. One of the things I love the very most is having people come to our house and sharing their Thanksgiving with us, as they have no other table in which to sit and share a feast. It is the best feeling in the world to give.

On the news front,

Paul is working the tree business again this season. He was VERY lucky to find a guy who truly needed a lumberjack to work, and it has turned out to be quite the job for him. He is working the "choose and cut" lot on the days that is hopping, which will most definitely include this Friday as everyone comes up to "tree country" to find their living tree. It seems to be a huge tradition with gobs of families ... and Paul has landed right in the thick of it. He is quite the novelty with his English accent, bright blue eyes, cherry cheeks and charming personality. The tips are great! However, during the week while the tree lot is slow, he's been loading trees into semi trailers for wholesale orders. NOT SO EASY. The fella he is working for owns a smaller company, independent and under 5 employees. Last year the man he worked for had whole crews of people, some gathering the trees, some bailing the trees, some staging the trees, some loading the trees, etc., etc. This year Paul is the crew ... along with 2 others and there doesn't seem to be the organization that a HUGE company can provide ... no conveyors for example. So Paul is lifting 100's of trees, bailing them, loading them, etc. He's getting his work out, and he's sleeping good! And he is getting paid. So ... that is our blessing we are so grateful for this Thanksgiving. As so many are not able to find work, with consider this a great blessing!

I have had the sweet gift of getting back in touch with someone who I've not spoken with in 20 plus years. It has been a delightful reunion, and as with all good friends, we picked up like we never left off. Jan, thanks so much for getting in touch!

The heating system has been stalled because Paul is working 10 hours a day now. But ... we might be able to check it out tomorrow (I HOPE!!!) and see if we are on the right track. It is a HUGE fire when it's going ... and warms the kitchen up without even being "plugged in" to the system properly. So, if we can get it through the ventilation system, we'll be warm people!! Please keep good thoughts that we don't just fill the house with smoke! HA!

Well, instead of continuing with idol chatter, I'll shut it down for today and get on with finishing up here at work so I might be able to leave in a few hours and begin the feast preparation! I can't wait to get home and dig in!!!

Meanwhile, we are hoping for ALL of our friends and family all the blessings you can possibly hold. Good health, good fortune, good friends, great love and a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Paul & Cheri

Winter is totally here

Our new wood burning furnace, thanks to the genius of Paul. Soon we will hook it to the ventilation system and be WARM (can I get an AMEN!) ... it is supposed to be 12 degrees in a few hours, with snow pouring ... some more!


















Another view ... we're burning it first to make sure there won't be any problems before we hook it up throughout the house. It puts out tons of heat .... LOVELY!!!

Typical cat naps ... mostly together ... the room where we watch t.v. has a wonderful little propane heat in it. The boys obviously love it!

I finally got some tiles out and this is what I have so far. It's Artemis, and you'll be able to identify it better once I get out the grout! And this was a lot of fun - back in the saddle, I hope!

A go-zillion Mother Earth magazines, compliments of Elise! Shay thinks we need all the help we can get ... she is RIGHT! This is where Paul got the information for the wood burner. We are TOTALLY grateful for the donation of this collection ... Whoo Hoo!!!

More apple juice ...
Well, 'nuff said

Paul's first finished weaving project. I was doing a mosaic ... he was weaving. It was snowing!

I am so impressed with this and can't wait to get my hands in it too ... more mosaics first.

Paul, the weaver. Isn't he precious? YEP!

The most incredible mountain man around! And comfortable enough in his masculinity to weave in the kitchen! HA!

Today is Paul's Mum's birthday! We wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY with many more to come.

Saturday is Sabrina's birthday! We wish her the very same!

Paul worked in the Christmas tree biz today ... and he smelled just like Christmas when he got home ... SO WONDERFUL and really gets you into the spirit. He might work again for the next couple of days ... depends on the extremity of the temperatures and the depth of snow. We hope he gets to work as we need the wages!! But we need the heating system completed, so if he doesn't work trees, he'll still be working! The list is so very long. Keeps us on the adventure!

We're drinking lots of hot drinks and I wore a toboggan to cook dinner the other night! Not for a fashion statement tho ... for warmth! I think that is a first for me ... and I hope it is a last!

Thanksgiving is coming up, which always makes me ut together that list of things I express gratitude over. The list is HUGE this year ... beginning with the continued remission of Jenn's cancer and moving right through waking up every day with such a perfect life and a wonderful loving partner to live this life with! THANK YOU doesn't seem to be adequate ~ that's all I have though ... so it's what I get to say. Hope all of you have your own lists to celebrate. :-)

For now ... Happy Trails to all,

Paul and Cheri

In these hills ...

Baby, it's cold outside! Not that you didn't know that was coming, but sometimes pictures are worth so much more than words! So, for those of you in Orlando who think you've had a cold snap ... here's to you!!!! The iced over trees are from Beech Mountain yesterday. The sunrise snow flakes are from the last time it snowed in late October. Paul & I hiked up a mountain in Tennessee yesterday because we could and because we wanted to!! It was an exquisite day to hike because the air was so crisp and clear and the ice on the mountain tops all around us shone and sparkled like diamond clusters. The sunshine on the ice crystals was glorious! And with long johns, shirts, corduroy pants, 2 pair of socks, boots, a flannel-lined pair of overalls, an insulated vest, a hat, a pair of gloves and a jacket with a hood, I was just toasty warm ~ it was really cozy when the adrenaline started flowing from the exercise! I love mother nature and the life we get to live here. We are the luckiest people in the world.

Hope you are all feeling the same way about your lives.

Happy Trails,

Paul and Cheri

Random Updates and such ...

Pluto, Charon and Pluto's two moons from the Hubble in 2006. GORGEOUS!

Hard apple cider (corked bottles)

WAITING TO BE FILLED (uncorked bottles)

Now that Paul has been laid off from work, perhaps all those apples in the back of his car will turn into juice, jams, butters and such! Or maybe he'll have to look for work ... hmmmmm.... fish or cut bait ?????

We dusted off our engineering degrees (NOT!) and have begun assembling the loom (!) Shay gave us from Elise's craft treasure chest. I have wanted to learn to weave since I was 5 years old. I'm so excited I can barely wait for Prince Charming to wake up so we can finish putting this together (a feat I don't seem to be able to achieve on my own!) ...

Man cannot live without trailers and trucks filled with wood around here. We have been blessed with good friends who are aware of our need for wood! This is a trailer filled with apple wood (which is great for smoking meat - which we will give to Bruce, our next door neighbor) and hickory, which Paul has been splitting and stacking. This was from "Apple Butter making at Nana's house" Saturday of last week. (that would be Charles's Nana, Lula Belle. (see below)

Another treasure chest find !!!!! A Kiln!!!!! We have to get wired for 220 ... but hey, what's new!?!?! Electricity is a running issue for us. (HA, no pun intended) Anyway, this too is an exciting "can't wait to do!"

Two warm kitties, staring at the wood stone, and sleeping on Paul's work boots. They're so funny.

Paul & Charles - Apple Butter making day at Nana's

72 jars by my count ... there was bunches! Many more containers than we get out of our little crock pot when we make it. There are many recipes to making apple butter. Nana uses the old country recipe with cinnamon oil and red hots.

Quite an assembly line. L to R are Charles (red shirt), Gene (Sabrina's dad) sitting and stirring with what looks like a canoe paddle, Paul pouring into jars, Nana (with her back turned) wiping down the jars tops and Sabrina putting on the lids. Then I put them in the cases and onto the porch to cool ... then they went to the root cellar for storage. Well run operation, even if I do say so myself!

Nana is definitely in charge!

Apple butter cooked in cauldron over wood fire around here ... another difference from ours!

Some of our more interesting carrots from the garden!! One of these is the "normal" shape, which we have pounds of ... good job, Paul! But some of these are absolute works of art, aren't they????

Halloween hay ride for the Adams brothers and their cousin Bobby! Cade is in the forefront, with Bobby on L and Austin on R in the black costumes. Aren't they the most handsome kids you've ever seen!?!?!

May I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Ballard!! (Charles and Sabrina) I am working on getting better images of the wedding pics, so you will see more coming soon.

There are about 12 hours missing from each day as I see it! I just cannot seem to keep up with everything that I want to. I suppose that is normal, but it is still anxiety producing. I'm going to try to hit the highlights and hope for the best!!!

* It is birthday season big time for our friends and family. Last week we wished happy birthday to Pennisu and Valerie Marozzi!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY OUR SWEET FRIENDS!

This week we wish Happy Birthday to Molly (Shay's daughter) who turns 19 today (I believe ...) Dwayne in Orlando! Best of all things to you both!

* We went down to Anderson and helped Shay try to begin the HUGE task of organizing and rearranging the condo that was Elise's so she and her children can move in and begin life once again. I cannot even begin to put into words how monumental of a task this is for Shay and her family. So PLEASE send good thoughts to her for a speedy transition .... whatever that turns out to be for them. They have opportunities out the ears, just "what to do" is the major starting line issue. And for Shay, good health thoughts please! life for those of us with the normal stuff is tough enough sometimes, but when you add the extras on, it's a bit over whelming. Most of us are dealing with recent loss of loved ones, Pennisu and Scott with their mothers and Shay with her mom in particular. We think of you all every day and ask for your hearts to heal as quickly and as completely as possible. Hugs, hugs and hugs!

* Paul, along with 25% of his company nation wide, was laid off from his job Thursday night. We now have our adventure back and rocking and rolling! There are several different paths for us to go in now. Please keep good thoughts in mind that we might choose the "right" one for our adventure!! We are currently in the process of installing a wood stove furnace system for our house. It requires a HUGE cylinder (similar to 55 gallon drum) to hook up to our vents ... the fire is made in the cylinder, which is installed in the basement just like a regular furnace, vents out through the chimney that is currently used by the oil furnace, and it circulates through the ventilation system. There are lots of conversions and such, but for 2 years we have been researching what is the best answer for us. Now that heating oil is astronomically expensive; we have determined wood to be the warmest heat we've found; and we really are trying to be more "self sufficient" as our electricity has gone up 15% this month from the company. Since we live so far up in elevation, trucking is also ridiculous. So our gasoline is at $2.49, while my sister in law in the suburbs of Atlanta is enjoying 1.99/gallon. Our groceries are effected, as well ... it costs money to truck everything up this blinking mountain! SO ... we are ever so diligently trying to adjust our needs (basic and otherwise) to what we feel we can live with and without. If you have any ideas that might help us with our updates, please feel free to offer them up!!!!! Paul has suggested we start a food co-op, which we might just do here to be able to afford what we cannot grow, can or freeze! I know there are many who are saying "why don't they just move?" ... well,

when you are ready to leave the cities because you must, we want you to have someplace warm and safe to come to! :-)

For those of you who know me well what I'm going to launch into now will not surprise you. For those of you who are sure I'm a weird-o nut job, you can skip this particular paragraph. What I don't know, etc., etc.

Pluto is now moving into the sign of Capricorn. Saturn and Uranus are basically "squaring off" for power and position. From November 4, 2008 thru 2010 (forgot the exact date) things promise to be very interesting. The astrologers are likening the times to 1967 in regard to political happenings. My advise to all of you who I love and adore is, HANG ON TO YOUR HATS!! You ain't seen nothing yet! If you follow astrology at all or are interested in it, check out Eric Francis's Planet Waves Astology at http://planetwaves.net/. He and his staff are amazingly clever, and very talented and gifted astrologers, as well as writers. They address the current stuff ... as well as fun and frivilous as he believes in FUN!!!

* As miracles do happen this is testimony to that: Paul and Nina have begun communicating again. We thank time and the universe for whatever put this reunion together. Amen.

On that note .... Prince Charming has awakened and I must go make tea.

OUR very best to you all,

Paul & Cheri (but mostly Cheri for this post!)