Paul's Mum!

"B", as she is known as, is having some rather serious health issues. As she enters into the hospital on Monday morning for a surgical procedure, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. We wish for her to move through all this with a speedy and completely wonderful recovery so that she can get back to her normal life once again.

ALSO, her birthday is Tuesday, November 20th, the day following her surgery. So HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Mum. Hopefully your birthday wishes will be granted and your coming year will be free of any ill health, and filled with all good things instead!!!!

Much love to you, Mum. Take good care!

Paul & Cheri

Meet Bob & (Aunt) Jean Penny ...

This lady grew up in our house as the grand daughter of the man who actually built it, D.K.Jobe. She and her husband joined us for Sunday supper this week. It was absolutely delightful to hear the stories of her childhood and the recollection of where furniture pieces were placed, and what curtains were where. It was also great fun to get to know Bob & Jean. We certainly enjoyed the evening! And Jean kept closing her eyes to visualize things, it was quite precious. Paul and his treasure chest produced for her a perfume bottle he found in the "Indiana Jones Room" which she recognized as her grandmother's perfume bottle. So, now Jean has a little memento that she never dreamed of, I'm sure. Jean carved her name into our garage wall as a teenager, so she's forever a part of the house.

This is what tractor driver Paul looks like after a day in the Christmas tree fields. He's beat, wind burned, and spent. But he still tells me about the beautiful vistas and views and the camaraderie between all "the guys" out there. What a sweet spirit this man is, not to mention a good sport! It was truly freezing today ... as you can see by the pile of clothing he has to take off (yes, that is an insulated aviator suit, an insulated CARHART coat, and thermal shirts) and further testimony by the numbers on the thermometer on our back porch!! It is now cold. They started "blowing snow" today at the Sugar Mountain Ski Resort. 'Tis the season" ... This carrot and beat were picked out of the garden (because of the freeze and threat of snow) ... can't be a tractor driver without being a gardener as well, don't you know!?! Paul pulled dozens of carrots and cleaned and bagged them all. I'm so proud of him!

I had recorded a birthday date wrong, and would like to apologize to my dear friend Pennisu for missing it! Pennisu, I so hope you had a wonderful birthday and that your upcoming year of wishes and dreams all come true. I know you are ready to make it a banner year, so onward ho! Happy, happy brithday wishes!

Paul's mum is having some health "stuff" ... so please keep good thoughts for her as she tries to get some answers to the issues. We all certainly know how frustrating it is to just get through the process of finding a doctor, never mind finding out the what, where, why, etc. Best wishes to you, B.

Many many thanks to my brother (Wayne) for sending us another propane heater. I assure you it will be coveted!! I am so very grateful for your (and Debbie's) generosity. My sister and her husband (Cyndie and Paul) are coming up for Thanksgiving and to see what can be done to further improve our heating potential. Paul is in the HVAC biz ... thank goodness! We are very blessed to have such great gobs of help. Thanks to you all!

My son has been promoted to the General Manager of Ted's Montana Grill at Cumberland Mall. He sounds great ... up to the task. We wish him such great success and I'm such a proud mom! I'm waiting for pics of the boys in their halloween costumes for sharing ... will keep you posted on that! Jennifer is still doing great. We don't ever forget to say grace for her healthy self! And I'm waiting for pics of Christian too ... by the way .... Thanks to all of you who ask about the kids. It makes me feel good to be able to report back with such good news!

I start at the wreath nursery tomorrow, so must go to bed. Not only will it be an early beginning, it will be a freezing one. Must be rested so I can brave those "elements" all rolled in to one! As you can see, Paul is already resting!! :-)

Blessings to all ... Paul & Cheri

An Adventure Like no Other!

Here's ref Paul!! Isn't he cute! And the concentration on his face just makes me giggle! HE's a hero up here in the soccer industry. The kids love him and the coaches all seem to respect him since he's got the "English thing" going on. We should all have such success with our accents! :-) And thanks to Janet (Paul's sister) for the official uniforms!

Paul began driving his tractor for the Christmas tree industry on Tuesday!!! He's having a wonderful time!! I never thought of him as a tractor driver, but he's certainly proving he is. He's working for Jack Weissman, who is the largest tree supplier around. He's responsible for about 3 million trees/year. They've already cut, bailed and hauled the entire Crossnore area so he's moved over to a mountain right off of the main highway about 5 miles from our house. Currently he's on Buck Mountain ... in Tennessee .... I'm sure enjoying the GORGEOUS panoramic views. I hope it stays as beautiful weather wise as it has been. I'm sure he's freezing in the morning before the temps get above 30 ... but by noon it's usually 55 or 60 and he's peeling off layers of flannel! He looks more and more like a local every day!!! His eyes are so blue it's amazing. They look like they're reflecting the Carolina blue sky. He's just shining! But his body is sore at the end of his day and he's ready for a siesta! Probably the influence of all the Latinos he works with now! HAHA! He's learning about siestats, and I'm sure they're going to be drinking hot tea by season's end!

I begin working in the wreath business next Wed. when I officially begin 7 days/week. I'm working for Sugar Mountain Nurseries, who also has a wreath wholesale, retail and mail order business. I hear we ship out gobs and gobs of wreaths all over the world. Should be interesting! Paul & I will both be working 7 days/week for about the next 3 weeks. This brings me to say, we won't really be having any leisure e-mail time, so please be conservative with what you're sending to us right now! And kindly understand that you won't get prompt replies! Also our home internet service has been down all week so I'm having to use the real estate office's internet! Hopefully we'll have ours back tomorrow afternoon ... we'll see!!!!

Hope all of you out there had a wonderful Halloween and are now getting prepared for Thanksgiving. I can just hardly believe it's holiday time again already! I remember my mom saying how fast time was flying ... I didn't understand it then, but it's oh, so REAL now!!! I finally get it, mom!

There are copious amounts of birthday celebrations coming up. One is my my very good friend, Valerie Marozzi. So Val, happy birthday, honey. I hope all of the candles on your cake represent a wish that will come true for you this year and that you are blessed with good health, gobs of love and great happiness!!! I miss you greatly!

Happy November to all! Paul & Cheri

New phone numbers!

We've chosen to become locals at long last, and will now have a local phone number for each of our cell phones. This change will take place Friday, Oct. 26th .... so make a note of it! There will be NO referral number given when you dial the old numbers (sorry for that, no option apparently). We no longer have a home phone, so the cell numbers are it! Working on simplicity here!
Paul is 828-260-7949 and Cheri is 828-260-7948. Feel free to call any time!!!
Meanwhile, happy trails! Paul & Cheri

The Woolly Worm Festival ~~~

Well, we made it through it ... and it was great fun and a wonderful experience. I'm sure there will be things we do differently next time, as there always are things to change! Paul was a BIG SELLER with his metal suns and kokepellis, Shannon had lots of sales with her polymer clay jewelery - candy corn earrings and Christmas ornaments; and I even sold a mosaic! But the BIGGEST SELLER of all were the polymer clay and pipe cleaner woolly worm pins we made at the last minute!!! Isn't that always the way! Paul had great fun selling those up and down the street ... such a panhandler!!! So ... we're on to bigger and better things ~ which we will gladly announce when we figure them out! HA!

The work scene is a little scattered right now for us all. As the metal shop as fizzled out for the season, Paul secured a job today driving a tractor on a Christmas tree farm starting next Tuesday or Wed. It's 7 days a week, probably 12 hours a day for about 3 or 4 weeks. We're hoping he'll make money that we need to survive the winter (oil for heat, wood for heat, gas for heat!). When we got home from the festival we found a baby wood stove that the "wood stove fairy" left on our side porch! We LOVE those kind of gifts! And we'll accept them with plenty of gratitude. Now getting it installed outta be interesting! Hmmmmmmmmm ..... I'm still teaching dance (thank goodness!!!!) and working minimal hours at Lowes (they cut hours for the winter) ... and a friend of mine is going to take me up to one of the local florists shops to see if they need help with wreaths for the season, as well. Maybe there will be plenty of work in the next 3 or 4 weeks to get us by! We're keeping our fingers crossed ... and would REALLY appreciate it if you'd all kick in good thoughts for us!

My friend Cynthia Williams in the Tarpon Springs area is celebrating her birthday today! Happy birthday wishes, Cynthia! And my sister, Cyndie, is celebrating her birthday next Monday, the 29th. I want to make sure I include HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes to her here and now so I won't accidentally miss it ... hope all your birthday wishes come true ... both of you!!!!

Shannon and I are on a roll trying to develop a business (perhaps a gallery to go with it ... and art classes and such) for the spring. So, will keep you up to date on that as things unveil to us! My grandsons are excitedly preparing for Halloween. Austin will be a Ninja, Cade will be the black Spiderman, and Christian is a Power Ranger. Sounds perfectly normal to me! I sure miss the little guys and may have to make arrangements to see them VERY soon!!!! (hint, hint to the parents!)

Happy Trails to all. Paul & Cheri

Mountain Mosaics and More

The beautiful fall colors have certainly inspired our creative juices! My drive across the mountain to work is absolute euphoria. It is so hard to concentrate on the drive because the scenery is amazing! Paul expresses the same views! We are so lucky to see this every day! The yellows are SO vivid and the crimsons are even more scrumptious. The orange hues seem to be vibrating! It is no wonder this place is notorious for "the turning of the leaves". However, the seasonal residents will all be heading back to their homes (mostly in Florida) after this weekend and the festival that marks the end of the autumn and the beginning of winter here, which is the Wooly Worm Festival. This festival is what we have prepared our work for and we will hopefully be able to make a good impression upon the participants. Perhaps we'll even make some money! :-)

So, here are some of the things we will be selling. There are not all in their finished form, and this is not the complete inventory, but it will give you an idea of what we've been doing and why I haven't been very communicative lately! Not shown (unfortunately) is work by my friend Shannon Fannon, who is a FABULOUS polymer clay artist. She makes all kinds of jewelry and sculpted face pieces. She will be joining our little band of artists, as will Charles, and perhaps Andy the blacksmith. So exciting!

Paul hasn't been very busy at work, so he's had more time than usual to prepare stuff for the show. We're hoping work picks up a bit, but I think Paul is considering working Christmas trees for a few weeks if it doesn't. It's hard work, and I truly hope something else comes up! Lowes has cut my hours down significantly because there is no business here to speak of in the winter, so it gives me more opportunity to work in art ~ not to mention prepare dance classes and perhaps fit some real estate work in here and there! We are looking forward to this adventure as well! It's both exciting and anxiety producing!

There have been numerous birthdays this month, including most everyone I know! There sure are a lot of Libras out there! Happy Birthday to ALL ya'll!!! Also Paul & I celebrated our wedding anniversary this week, and my daughter and her husband celebrated theirs! Busy time from now through the end of the year with all the celebrations! I LOVE this time of year.

Please keep Chrissie Grace (my mentor and friend) and her family in your prayers as they mourn the loss of Chrissie's dad, Bob Mervine. As any "daddy's little girl" can imagine, her heart is surely broken and she sure could use good thoughts.

Must go get the last piece grouted and get all the little loose ends (unfinished projects, that is) tied up. Do hope everyone is warm and well! Take good care! Happy Trails, Paul & Cheri

Frost on the Pumpkins!!!

Pierre Pumpkin was all alone in the house until the thermometer hit below 40 this morning. Now Paul & I will have to go and raid the pumpkin patch so they won't freeze and they can join Pierre inside as Halloween decorations, not to mention being turned into copious amounts of pumpkin soup and pumpkin bread, etc. etc. It's been much fun cooking, baking and creating right out of our very own garden! I'm sad to say however, the pickles (cucumbers for those of you who know how pickles are made) just didn't make this year, so we'll have to try again next summer - a little earlier in the year!

We are in the midst of making our inventory for the fall festival next weekend. We will post some of that tomorrow so you can see why the blog isn't getting much updating at present. I have 3 days off to work, so that's what I'm doing! Stay tuned! For now, I'm going to huddle back beside a space heater and warm up! (It's only 50 now and the wind is howling ... about 60 degrees in the house!) Cheers!!!

Paul & Cheri (Mountain Mosaics and More!)

Happy Birthday Paul!

Happy 46th Birthday to my sweet husband! We will celebrate this evening with trifle for dessert with a few of our new friends. Paul finally got his heart's desire ... an old station wagon. He's a very happy camper! A 1987 model with only 60,000 miles spent from an elderly couple who bought it new! A gem for Paul!

Tomorrow will be one year for Paul's arrival here in the mountains ... time really does fly!

Have a wonderful day Paul! Hope all of your birthday wishes do come true!!!! xoxo

Happy week to all!!

Indiana Jones Room clean at long last!!!!!

Last Sunday didn't turn out to be the clean up of the Indiana Jones Room. Instead we spent the day at the local hospital with Paul's leg ... some sort of bacterial infection that got in there and gave him quite a fit! But he's back to normal and yesterday was the day for the under belly of this house to get a "tidy up", as he calls it. There were all kinds of things under there ... a toilet and water heater from the 1950s. Along with piles of old scrap wood and even half of a ping pong table ... too bad we couldn't find the other half!!! :-) So now, we can put insulation under our floors and get some heat to stay in the house (we hope!). Paul burned stuff ALL DAY yesterday, and we still have plenty to burn. But the wind is up today, and the temperature is down (about 58 right now), so we won't be burning today. The last picture is the signature of the original owner and builder of this house. It is D.K. Jones ... and legend has it that he is the spirit that visits our house (the one I've always called Earl). He must be content with what we've done as we haven't seen/heard him lately. We've plenty of work left to do in this house and even more in the downstairs ... but it's interesting to accomplish things and the process of deciding what to do and when to do it is quite the adventure. Paul seemed to really enjoy being in amongst it all yesterday and the day was GORGEOUS. I'd go outside to "check on him" and take his tea ... and I'd find him on the roof fixing gutters or in the garden turning soil or under the house finding buried treasure (a half pint milk bottle from the 50's and a beautiful cut class perfume bottle from 40's I think). I had to work yesterday evening and when I got home he had finally come inside and was happily eating dinner when I arrived. So nice to have a happy man around (and gratefully, a healed leg)! So, that's our Indiana quest ... cheers to all! Paul & Cheri

This week's project: Plumbing!

Oh my, what a week! We've tried to ignore the fact that the bathroom needed to be "redone", but the bathroom had other plans for us this week! As I turned off the cold water in our little 3x3 cubicle shower on Thursday, I heard a pop ... then water was just surging with a mind all of its own out of the hole that used to be the faucet! SO ... off goes the water to the house on Thursday. We went about our work day, then on to Paul's soccer game. Then, arriving home after dark Paul found the energy to figure out how to cap off the shower (after tearing down a wall and various other contortions) so we could have water to the house. So, we had resigned to showering in the guest bathroom (no big deal - same 3x3 cubicle!) and we just figured it was time to leisurely fix the downstairs bathroom. The plan just didn't come together however, as the guest bathroom shower began to leak into the hallway downstairs. SO ... plan B4 ... fix the downstairs situation. (We'll have to approach the upstairs leak later, when our skills improve! Or when we can afford to hire Shane, the real plumber and bee keeper!) With our best plumbing skills in hand (all 2 of the things we know about plumbing: righty tighty, lefty loosey) we set off yesterday to the plumbing shack and got what we deemed necessary. Demolition began and the wall between the shower and the rest of the bathroom came down (exposing 50 of so years worth of wallpapering and etc.). Then the cubicle came out (unfortunately, had to be disassembled and taken out in a collapsed state as it would not fit through the door) ... then the plumbing project began! OH MY! So ... after contemplating and making "the best way to do this" type decisions, we took off and added to, capped off and prayed ... and managed to get the water to go to the claw foot tub in the right places and not to spurt out of the no longer needed parts of the water source ... and it was also no longer pouring into the basement! So by 8:30, Paul was taking his first bath in our claw foot tub and enjoying the luxury of a bath, as we've only been able to stand up and shower since we moved in last October!!! Now, we have a heck of a menagery to work around ... wallpaper from the 50's for sure (with ships on it) ... and wallpaper from the 70's with stripes. Partial paneling, exposed subflooring, rotten subflooring and all sorts of things! It might be make shift for now, but we have a terrific tub and shower now! We've hung a lovely black plastic shower ring above the tub for a shower curtain, and have all the luxury of being able to move in the shower instead of trying to figure out how to raise our arms above our heads in that little cubicle. It's a great day in the neighborhood!! And now, the clean up begins. Please keep good thoughts of us as we really need some moral support about now! But I'm so very happy to report that in spite of the "funky" decor in there, we are very lucky to have worked it out! The vision here is: the part of the wall behind the tub that is jutting out is another chimney. It begins in the basement and goes straight up through both bathrooms and stops in the attic. It doesn't seem to have a mission, it just is there! So, we will expose the chimney and have the brick showing as opposed to the lovely wall paper and paneling that you see here now. The tub will be on a platform and will be on a diagonal. The flooring will all be replaced after the construction (or before if I can't stand it for that long!) We will put vanity or antique dressers in the part opposite the tub (which is now filled with dressers and chests) and we have yet to decide what we'll do with the walls. Under the paneling and wall paper they are lathe and plaster. We'll think on that for a while! Plenty of time to decide, as we really need to get the floors finished before we launch into all the "redo" on the bathroom(s)!!!!

Stay tuned for the next and continuing adventures ... one of which should happen whilst Paul is in the "Indiana Jones" room this afternoon! I, unfortunately, will be at Lowes ... no doubt helping people who are doing things like I'd love to do! Happy Sunday to all! And more importantly, happy Autumnal Equinox, as today marks the official beginning of autumn. May all of your fall wishes come true! Paul & Cheri

Fall is on its way!

Fall is really in the air here! You can see a little of the color change in the trees ... and the wind is blowing enough to dump zillions of leaves in to the yard! So, we'll be raking before too long, and doing all the things that belong to fall! We counted our sunflowers the other day ... there are 88 of them! And the birds planted some broom corn in the front flower bed that will be perfect for the Halloween decorations!! I'm glad they have a better handle on when to plant than we do! We have half a dozen or so pumpkins coming up in the pumpkin patch, but since we woke up with temps in the high 40's, I'm not sure if they'll get to finish before the frost hits. We'll see!!! This weather is quite amazing to watch and be a part of! Summer seemed very short! Yesterday it was so foggy you couldn't see your hand in front of your face until about noon, then it cleared up enough that everyone in the mountains thought it would be fun to go to Lowes and buy stuff for their projects! I hope they all stay home today and finish what they started! I'm pooped! HA! I'm also hoping Paul will be able to put the plastic in the crawl space today so we can begin our insulating and onward ho with our heat efficiency projects! We'll see, huh? He's still sleeping at this point!

Soccer season began last Tuesday so Paul's started refereeing and came home all smiles and full of stories, so I think he's having a grand time. Dance has started back and I'm feeling good to move around again and get some stretching and exercising in. Hopefully all this will help us both with the beginnings of our "Buddha bellies"! I wasn't planning on having one!

The kitties are running around like crazy this morning because the temps have dropped. I guess they're trying to get their blood pumping so they'll be warm. They are lucky with those built in fur coats. I'm going to have to resort to the electric blanket pretty soon, I'm thinking!

The mosaics are finally getting made, albeit at a very slow pace, and I'm looking forward to the show in October. We'll see how it goes!

Happy Birthday to sister in law Debbie today! Hope it's a lovely day!

Well, as you can tell, we're all well and continue to do much of the same as far as our adventure with life in the mountains goes!! Must get ready for work now. Keep in touch and take good care! Paul & Cheri

Current Projects and such ...

Well, as I'm sure you expected, things are not standing still here at the Glovers! We have so many things going on, it's getting a wee bit confusing to those of us who are trying to keep up with it all! Most of the confusion started when I began working the 3 jobs. It's a lot harder to get all the household things done when I'm not here! But so be it, the race is on!

I'm still working on this blinking mosaic. It's been a work in progress for a long time. Still in that category, but it is supposed to be my "Mountain Mosaics and More" sign (so to speak) ... there have been problems with the adhesive not sticking and when I grout it, the tiles are coming off ... so needless to say, I'm still trying to get it around to my way of thinking! Now I know I'm stubborn and persuasive and all that, but I must say ... this piece of stone is absolutely not giving in! Must be a lesson in here some place ... Anyway, there are numerous projects in the works on the mosaic table because the art festival is October 21st ... not too much more time to get some display items finished. Paul is going to put in some ornamental iron pieces and I'm hoping we'll make an impression (good one) on the community and get some work going on!

Paul decided to begin a flower box on the side of the house that gets the morning sun. I'm hoping the project gets finished before it snows ... we'll see ;-). He's spending a LOT of time playing softball. They're in the tournament phase now. He pitched a 4 inning win Monday night. I was so proud of him! Their team only had 8 players ......... so to win with a slaughter in the A Division was fun for him. Soccer season begins next week (I think) and he's going to be busy with that as we all knew he would. As long as we keep active, maybe we won't fall apart! HAHA! That's my story for having to teach hip hop and I'm sticking to it!

The garden is having a really good time growing out there. I think we're very lucky with the way the sun hits it, and the fact that mother nature seems to be our friend. Pictured here are:

yellow squash, corn, sugar snaps and our Halloween pumpkin!!!! Mold has started getting into things because of the soggy couple of weeks we had, so we're fighting against that a little bit. But we've had such a good time with it all that I really think it would be hard to ruin our fun.

The row of sunflowers was planted in honor of my momma. She loved them dearly and there is a family joke about her impatience in awaiting their blooming. I know she has had a hand in their growing this year. The top picture is definitely momma - standing tall with eyes wide open, smiling and shining. Thanks, mom!

On a larger scale, the leaves are really beginning to change and fall is in the air here. We're having 50 degree evenings and 80 degree days. It's GORGEOUS golfing weather, and just plain gorgeous all around. Today the sky was so blue it looked like a painting. It's just beautiful.

I'm missing a lot of the enjoyment of the outdoors because I've begun working so many hours. But the dance season has started back up, and it feels GREAT to move again. I must admit, I've missed the children and the exercise. So ... I can just enjoy life from indoors as usual! I'm working 30 hours/week (at least) at Lowes and am now in the windows and walls department (which means window treatment and wall coverings). I'm extremely busy from arrival until departure and it makes the time just fly by. I might not ever get used to some of the customers and their lack of manners, but I do so enjoy most of the time. I am also still helping the real estate office with getting their new website together ... which might be a project similar in time frame to this house! Lordy!

Paul and I have determined that we must put plastic covering in the crawl space under the house before we finish the floors. And we have to finish the floors this month due to the weather. So we will be busy, and somehow we will get this stuff into our schedules! Please keep good thoughts for us as we tackle yet another phase of the floors!!!! If you have any tips for us, (aside from hiring someone to do it) please don't be shy about telling us! We can use all the help we can get ... advice or physical labor!!!!

I think I need to send out happy birthday wishes to Hayden, Paul's nephew. I'm not sure if I have the right day on the calendar, but I think it was the 3rd. So Happy Birthday, Hayden.

Also, I had Mandy Taylor and Mandy Tweedle's birthday mixed up. So I wished Mandy Taylor a happy birthday in July, and it should've been Mandy Tweedle .... and now it's Mandy Taylor's turn. So, Happy Birthday ALL YOU Mandys!!!!!!

Well, I'll conclude this installment of the adventures of Paul & Cheri. We think about all of you out there more than you know. We frequently wonder to each other about what might be happening in your lives. So if you're so inclined, please write! We'd love to hear from you! And to all you Thursday noon tappers, I miss you gobs and bunches! And I hope I'm not late in wishing all the Dancer's Pointe dancers good luck with company auditions!

Happy Trails to all!

Paul & Cheri