Mountain Girl

"He was born in the summer of his twenty-seventh year,

coming home to a place he'd never been before."

If you are a John Denver fan you will recognize those words as the opening lyrics to Rocky Mountain High. I often find myself singing them, but I remember the day they became real for me.

It was September of 1976. I was 27 years old. My husband, 5-month old daughter and I had driven to Denver, Colorado to visit my college roommate and her husband. Jake and Denny took us up into the mountains for a hike and at one point we came out on a ridge where the snow covered peaks soared above us. The white mountain tops against the clear blue sky filled my heart and my head. And suddenly I was singing those very words. And just as suddenly, I knew they were speaking to me. I was coming home to a place I'd never been before.

I had that same sense of peace in 1985 when Larry and I had the wonderful opportunity to travel to central Europe. We spent a week traveling through the Alpine regions of Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein and ending in Switzerland. It had been a wonderful, stress-free week and as we sat at dinner on our last night I thought, "I'm not ready to go home. Just leave me on a mountain and come back in a week and pick me up."

Growing up, my family spent summers in western Connecticut. We had a cabin in the woods on my uncle's property. Uncle Ralph owned most of a mountain. The mountains there are old mountains, worn and rounded, not like the rugged peaks of the Rockies, but the wooded hillsides, and rural roads were hilly enough for me. We were in the mountains. After we sold the property, every time we would go back to visit family I would sigh and feel like I had once again returned home.

Last year we moved to the North Georgia mountains. It was the first move we made that was not dictated solely by a job. This time we were moving because we wanted to. And suddenly I was worried. What if we made a bad choice? What if we didn't like it as much as we thought we would? This time I couldn't blame any dissatisfaction on anything other than my choice.

It is February. It is my husband's busiest travel month. I've been alone a lot, but not as much as usual. If you go back and check my blog posts in previous Februarys there is a lot of talk about Sunshine, Florida, Snow, OJ and Vodka. This February is different. For one thing, I haven't had to shovel any snow yet! That's a real nice plus!! The sun shines more here, than it did in Pittsburgh. That helps a lot. It's going to be bitter cold this week (we're talking below 0) but by the weekend it will be back in the 50's. All of those things help my mood for sure.

The mountains in this area are reminiscent of my Connecticut mountains, worn and rounded. But what always catches me off guard is that several times a week as I drive these mountain roads, and look off at the ridges reaching up into the sky I find myself with a song in my heart, one I've sung before.

I'm not 27 anymore, But once again, I feel like I've come home to a place I've never been before. I am a mountain girl at heart.

NOTE: I never post the day I write a blog. I always let it sit and check it later to edit it. It is now several days later. We have had 4 days of snow and ice. That's not much for most areas, but here, where everyone has steep mountain driveways, or roads to travel when ice is involved, everything shuts down. For 4 days, every activity I am normally involved in, including the local workout place, has been closed or cancelled. (My social life has skidded to a halt.) Today, I left the house for the first time in 4 days. Out of desperation. I am happy to report, I still haven't hit the OJ and Vodka, so this February is ahead of most. However, the shower pipe was frozen this morning and I decided it was time to go somewhere. So I hit the Huddle House where it was warm and people were gathered and talking and laughing. I ordered a breakfast full of comfort food. I think, somehow, that's better than OJ and Vodka. Don't you?

May I Have a Hot Cup of Tea, Please?

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a tea drinker. Many (many) years ago I tried to teach myself to like coffee. It was the standard beverage served everywhere. I've lost track of the number of dinners and banquets where coffee was offered, but tea was unavailable. What I discovered after trying coffee several times was that my body doesn't like coffee. Either it gave me the jitters, or I had to find the nearest rest room. No coffee for me. I am a tea drinker!

There are two ways I like my tea. 1) A large cup of UNSWEET Iced Tea, or 2) a cup of hot tea.

Enter....me living in the south....land of Sweet Tea.

It is winter. Hot tea is my beverage of choice. And I've discovered, at my local McDonald's that's a pretty tall order.

Day 1: I order a large cup of hot tea. The girl looks stymied, although she's trying to pretend she know's what she's doing. She finally asks her supervisor, where Hot tea is on the register. That task accomplished, she turns to pour the cup, only to discover there are no tea bags. She tells the supervisor, who goes looking for more bags. She apologizes for the wait, and I ask her if she has poured the water. She looks puzzled, so I explain to her that at McDonald's they traditionally pour the water and deliver the product with the tea bag on top of the lid so the user can dip it to the right strength. She fixes the water and about 5 minutes after I order it, I receive my hot water and tea bag. She is relieved to be done with me.

Day 2: I try the drive through. "I'd like a LARGE cup of hot tea".... There is a lengthy pause. Finally the girl has found it on the register, but I notice it says Small. I tell her I ordered large. She responds the register can only process it as small. But at the window I get a large cup of hot water and a tea bag. This experience was definitely a task for them, but they complete it much more quickly than the first time.

Day 3: I am prepared. I now know, this is going to be a challenge for them.... but I am ready to lay down the challenge. I'm on the phone with my daughter, and I warn her: "Watch me mess with McDonald's. I'm about to order a hot tea." I can almost imagine her face. She has been through this with me before. She probably already feels sorry for the girl at the microphone.  I order my large hot tea. PAUSE..... finally a small hot tea appears on the screen. I remind her I wanted a large one. She says she can only ring it as a small one. I'm fine with that, but I add..."Can you put it in a large cup?" "Sure" she answers. And at the window, sure enough, I have a large cup......half full of hot water, with a tea bag. (sigh) I hand it back to the girl at the window. "Could you fill the cup up?"
"Sure," she says. " I wondered about that."

Game On, McDonald's. By the time I am through, every person in your restaurant will have learned how to ring up and prepare a cup of hot tea.

By the way, I am not picking on McDonald's. They are local and it's an easy target. But if I went to Hardees, the best they could offer is to take iced tea and heat it in the microwave. That's not even worth the trouble.

OASIS

I have been exceptionally quiet on my blog lately. Part of the reason is because I don't view my blog as a journal of daily events. I try to write when something new is happening, or when something has provoked a Point of View. When I am quiet, it is probably a sign that either I am very contented, or perhaps bored. Most likely, nothing of great interest is going on. But sometimes it is actually because I'm very busy. In this case, that's closer to the truth. Lately, I've been having a lot of fun, but it has also had the effect of cutting into my blogging time.

Our church has a wonderful program for Seniors called OASIS. OASIS stands for Outstanding Adults Sharing In Service. For 8 weeks in the fall, winter and spring they provide a multitude of classes available for anyone over 50 for just $25.00. It has been going on for at least 17 years, maybe more.

Oasis is different from the traditional "over 55 social group" churches offer. It is open to anyone over 50 regardless of what town they live in or what church they might attend. There are classes in everything from chair caning, to writing, calligraphy to a music jam for musicians with an instrument, all led by instructors who volunteer their time. It changes from session to session.

Last session I took Yoga, but this time I stepped it up. I participate in two line dancing groups in the morning and then sit for two hours in the afternoon sharing stories with a writing group. That has interfered with my blogging. What I write about there doesn't really fit what I blog about, but it takes my writing focus. However, I really enjoy it, so perhaps, you lose, while I win.

OASIS isn't for all communities, but it is a great model for those people looking for a way to reach out to their senior citizens. My community has a high artisan population. We are rich with people who will share their skills with people like me who have little or only average talent. However, just imagine the ways you could reach your own community, with photography, computer, language, or business skills on both a beginner and advanced levels. It is affordable and provides a multitude of ways to keep 'retired, old brains' active.

Meanwhile, this old brain is learning new dance steps and sharpening her pencil.  And I'm having a ball with it!