Three Weirds, and Tomatoes

Oh, the tragedy of a broken vehicle!  I've been stuck in the house for days, whiling away the hours and counting down for Tuesday when I might have my car fixed.  The mood has been boredom around here, as both me and Molly are missing home and wanting something to happen but not having the wherewithal to get out there and seek.  There were some interesting things that happened, though none of them particularly good. 

Thing Number One:  The Broken Car Saga

Wednesday evening, I pulled into my parking spot in the driveway and my car started throwing off clouds of steam and hissing.  The temperature gauge was at top Hot, and I was too afraid to open the hood as I didn't want the thing to explode in my face.  After a while it cooled down and I did pop the hood, using a headlamp to see if I could find what had caused this catastrophe.  Nothing was in evidence that a novice such as myself could see, so the next day I got on the internet to find a local mechanic.  I found a place called Ingles Auto Repair only a five minute drive from my house.  I talked to a guy named "Kinny" aka Kenny, and he told me to go ahead and drop my car at the place here in Candler and if he needed to he'd take it to the bigger shop in town.  Told me to leave the key in the mail slot of the garage. 

That evening, Thursday now, Molly followed me out to find the address that was over the phone number that Kinny answered.  We drove past it of course, because they don't believe in street signs out here.  Had to stop and ask some country folk if I was actually on the right road.  Also asked them if there was an auto shop on the road.  "Up a bit," they told me.  So we drove a little farther and saw the sign that read Ingles Auto Repair pointing up a gravel hill.  I followed this, the whole time keeping an eagle eye on the thermostat.  I parked next to the garage and noticed that there were cars in their driveway and a overly friendly pitbull barking nonstop at us.  I found no mail slot, which gave me pause, but shrugged and put the key in the door to the garage.  We then drove off in Molly's car and headed to a nice venue called Isis that her friend from work was playing at that night.  We watched the show, then decided to leave early.  I noticed on the way home that I had a voicemail, and thinking maybe it was the abducted by aliens James, I listened to it.  Not James, but the Buncombe County Sherriff telling me that these folks don't understand why I left my car on their property and my key in their garage and could I please call him back soon so he could figure out what was going on. 

Now, don't get me wrong.  Misunderstandings happen.  I called the sheriff back and told him I'd come get my car, and how weird it was that the phone number I'd called had been with this exact address, this exact auto shop name.  He told me that the man who lived there had been a mechanic, but it had been years ago.  He also told me that they'd appreciate it if I waited until the next morning to get my car from them.  I asked him who had the key.  They did. 

Does this whole situation not strike any of you as incredibly odd?  And by far the weirdest piece:  They knew where I'd put my key.  Which meant that they'd seen us there, heard their dog barking at us.  And these people decided it was easier to call the police than to step onto their porch and ask us who we were and what we were doing?  WTF?

Next morning, we drove back to this weird place, noticing that at least they'd taken down the sign. I got out of Molly's car and looked around, wondering, do I knock on the door?  Do I check the garage?  Then a man came out of the side of the house and it took me a moment to take him in.  Tall and skinny.  Tight black jeans, cowboy boots, tucked in black printed t-shirt.  Long hair, long beard, black cowboy hat with feathers in it.  Wow.  He was awesome.  We exchanged greetings, he didn't know anyone by the name of Kenny, but he gave me a card of another Candler mechanic who was very fair and good and wished me well.  We drove my little car back to our house, and I passed out because I didn't sleep the night before.  When I awoke I called the number on the card and made an appointment because I just didn't care anymore.  And Kenny never called me to see what happened, which is just as well because I'm not sure what I'd say to him about this strange, strange saga.

Thing Number Two:  The Long Drive to Nowhere

Friday night, there was a psychic meeting that Molly and I were talking about attending.  I even called them to RSVP.  Molly decided she didn't want to go, but I still did.  I asked her if she minded if I borrowed her car for it.  She said sure.  I got onto mapquest to find the address.  It was a ways out, so I left 45 minutes early.  Silly Shanti.

Traffic was at a standstill.  It took me about a half hour to even get onto the first freeway.  When finally I found the exit, two freeways later, I pulled off and checked the directions.  I was to turn left on a road.  Simple, right?  Ah, but remember my comment earlier about North Carolina and street signs?  As in, they don't exist?  Oh, I was so angry.  Here I was, having suffered through 45 minutes of insane traffic for no apparent reason besides it being Friday evening, and I couldn't for the life of me even find this stupid place when I got in the general vicinity!   And, by the time I could've pulled it up on my phone, it would've been too late anyway.  And so I pulled into a parking lot, raged, took deep breaths, and decided to go friggin grocery shopping.  Retail therapy.  Then I went home and had a couple drinks and as it was the Solstice, decided that we were going to have a fire.  WE WOULD HAVE FIRE!  Happily, with much patience and coaxing, we made it happen.  And Shanti was finally calm and happy.

Molly and our little but real fire

 

 

Another thing that made me happy on the longest day of the year:  Artichokes and Hollandaise sauce.  And delicious biscuits with Amish peanut butter and raspberry jam from the farmer's market. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thing Number Three:  There's a Mouse in the House

 

This is not a new occurrence, it's been going on for the past couple weeks.  But I thought it was time to bring it up, as it's gotten to the point of absurdity and I'm not sure whether to laugh or scream.  So I do both, really.

 

Here's a picture of what I'm talking about:

 

 

 

Now, I don't normally take pictures of dead animals.  But I felt I had to record this one, today, to emphasize my point.  And this is the point.  My lovely little Turkish, cute thing that she is, has shown me her love daily by bringing in rodents by the mouthful.  Dead ones, live ones, twitching ones, broken back ones, squeaking ones, bloody ones, you name it, she brings it into my bedroom to show me and meows proudly.  At least one a day for the past two weeks.  Probably two today, because this one was earlier and there will most probably be another tonight.  I've had to dispose of them one by one, using a shovel, paper towels, and a Tupperware container for the live one last night.  It's like a parade of hunting off of the discovery channel, except that it's live, under my feet, in my bedroom, daily.  And I don't know what to do about it, she's a cat, this is what she does, she's so happy and proud of herself.  "See what I brought you mom, I love you mom, here mom, listen to me eat this thing not a foot away from you.  Meow meow meow."

 

 

These are the three things that have been interesting, sorta painful, humorous, and downright bizarre.  And there's one more thing.  Molly and I have tried and failed to find any bars in either Candler or Canton.  The closest one is Applebees.  We just want a dive bar, somewhere with cheap drinks that we can go chill at.  But no, we have to drive forever to find one of these.  How is this possible?  Well, it's North Carolina baby.  And nothing here is as it seems.

 

Upside today, Rufus and I went for a little walk down the hill and saw the tomatoes growing.

 

Hello Tomato Patch!

 

Old Hound Dogs go slow on walks

But he sure had fun!

 

Oh, and here's a picture of a cat under a nightgown to end with:

 

Silly Hades

 

 

Peace and Love and Happy Summer to all

 

Shanti Elena

 

 





Let's Get Serious, For a Moment

Optimism:

1.  a disposition or tendency to look on the more favorable side of events or conditions and to expect the most favorable outcome.
2. the belief that good ultimately predominates over evil in the world.
3. the belief that goodness pervades reality.

 

 

Today I've decided to write not so much about what I'm doing, as what I'm thinking and feeling.  There is a feeling in the air, a heavy moisture that is pervading everything from my sheets to my towels to the fruit in the kitchen.  Bottles and glasses weep copious amounts of moisture over everything.  My skin has not been dry in weeks.  I find myself enjoying the dry air conditioning that is in the car, as it's an escape from the damp.  This has been the topic of conversation around our house:  why is everything so wet!

 

Humidity aside, have any of you experienced the bugs out here?  Crazy amounts of buzzing, flitting, pervasive little beasties that won't stay out of the house no matter what we do.  They mostly enjoy my room, for some reason.  The other night I went on a bug-killing rampage because I'd simply had enough and they were everywhere!  My stance on them has changed, as before I thought all little creatures (except mosquitos) deserved a fair chance at life.   Now I don't care anymore.  If they stay out of my space, they are free to flit and buzz and live their little bug lives.  They haven't learned their lessons yet, but I'm hoping they soon will.  I'm not normally a violent person, but they have pushed me over the edge. 

 

Let me allude to the opening definition for a moment.  And let me tell you a story. 

 

Once upon a time there was a sad little girl.  She escaped the sadness by writing and reading, and generally acting goofy to get attention.  When she became a teenager she made a very nice group of friends, and for the first time she had a buzzing social life and reasons to smile.  When she was seventeen she met a boy, and she fell for him.  They dated for awhile, but she realized they were better off as friends.  For years and years the two of them were inseparable, and though at times she knew that he was holding her back, he was comfortable and familiar and treated her like a princess. Her twenties flew by, parties and friends and a good job.  She lived in many different places, and always this boy followed her and slept on couches or on floors just to be near her.  He loved her, see, this boy.  And she loved him in her own way.  

 

Then it happened.  She found out that he had betrayed her in a terrible way, and her world stopped.  Her heart stopped.  She was lost, numb, and couldn't quite grasp what had happened.  She couldn't understand any of it.  She talked endlessly in circles with her loved ones, and they were all sympathetic, they were all supportive.  And they were all as shocked as she was.  

 

She had to learn to be herself again.  She had to learn how to be her without him.  She was so scared that he defined her, that she was who she was because of him.  And slowly, through the pain and the grief and the anger and the eventual healing, she realized that she was herself because of her.  He had been a big part of her life, but he did not define her or make her who she was.  She was funny and pretty and witty and creative and loving and he had nothing to do with any of it.  As soon as she realized this, she stopped being so lost and sad.  She started smiling again.  She started grasping life and love again.  And she decided that it was time to start that life in the way that she wanted to.  To begin anew, to meet new people, have new experiences, and see new places.  So she up and moved across the country and here she is.  

 

The correlation between this story and the definition at the beginning of the page is this: at any time, the past could have defined this girl.  Her tumultuous, sad childhood, her eventual betrayal by the one person she trusted the most in the world.  And she chose to not let this happen.  She chose to trust people despite what happened.  She chose to look forward with strength and openness.  She chose to see the world as a good place, a happy place, despite all the terribleness that is out there.  She was hurt and betrayed, but she survived and grew and became stronger for it.   She is not a hermit, a cynic, or a bitter complainer.  She is healthy and happy and embraces life. 

 

She is me.  I am her.  And I still believe that everything happens for a reason.  I still believe that there are more good people in the world than bad.  And I still believe in miracles. 

 

I am an optimist.  And I am proud of it.

 

Shanti Elena

 

 

Baby Bears, Daniel Boone, and Bars

It's been an interesting week here in Candler/Asheville NC. 

I went on a date last Friday the 31st and I thought it went well.  However, the next day the guy disappeared, and ended up blocking me and Molly on facebook as well.  I'm not sure what happened, as he seemed really into me and excited.  Many theories are floating around, from over-controlling parents to a pissed-off wife to abduction by aliens.  I think it was the last. :)  It's ok though, he would have probably just been a friend anyway. 

I've decided not to get too invested in the online dating yet, it's a lot of work and I'm a social person.  I would rather meet someone in person than have no idea if they're lying to me online or not.  We'll just have to see what happens.

In other news, I went back to the botanical gardens with Molly, Kate and David and we had a very nice time.  I took a couple more pics:

 Cool water sculpture

Fleurs

 

 

I also ended up locking my keys in the trunk so we got to hang out even longer than expected, but I think everyone forgave me for that.  We did spend a good amount of time kicking my trunk to see if it would magically pop open.  Apparently it only does this when you DON'T want it to happen, like while driving on the freeway.

 

I've been sorta chatting with this fellow on the okcupid site, and I asked him what a good daytrip no farther than two hours out would be.  He mentioned Boone, NC which is a stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  The town is named after Daniel Boone, and I decided to make the trip and check out the Daniel Boone Nature Park.  So I hopped in the car Thursday around noon, stopped to get a bite to eat and some coffee, and headed onto the Parkway.

 

This is a twisty scenic road that winds through the mountains, and it's absolutely gorgeous.  Even though it was a cloudy, misty day it was magnificent.  Here, I'll show you!

 

 

 

I stopped off to use the restroom at a visitor's center, and found this trail.

 

 

 

It was short, so I decided to check it out.  I'm so glad I did!

 

Loved this pathway!  The trees are awesome.

 

The whole top was covered in rhododendrons, but they hadn't yet bloomed.  I'm sure it's just lovely when they do.

 

The view from above

 

Me and a tree

 

 

This is my "isn't this spooky" face

 

I continued on the windy road, and around a corner encountered a wee baby bear crossing the road.  He was as surprised as I was.  I slammed on the brakes, he did a funny sideways bear dance/hop and ran the rest of the way across the road.  I said, "where is your mama, baby bear?"  And then I thought, I don't really want to encounter his mama.  So I drove off without waiting for her.  About thirty seconds later I passed an overlook.  It's name was Bear Den.  Ironic, no?

 

I drove and drove, up, down, up again.  Passed greenery and overlooks and smelled fresh mountain air.  Finally I arrived at Boone, and with great relief found the Daniel Boone Nature Gardens easily.  I took a nice tour of them.

 

Entrance to gardens

 

Isn't this nice?  Only requires lemonade, preferably Lynchburg :)

 

Well

 

Creepy inside of well

 

 

This is Daniel Boone's father, Squire Boone's, cabin.  It was moved to this location in 1960 by two hired boys who "pulled it through snake-riddled woods."  So says the plaque.  Downside is, the door was locked and the windows were barred. 

 

Curlicue path to Monk

 

We are friends

 

Me and a tree, part two

 

Flame Azaleas

 

 

The drive back was a bit more of an adventure.  I encountered extreme fog and deluge rain.  It's very bizarre being in a cloud and getting dumped on at the same time.  I had to take it very slow, and so my six hour trip became eight.  But I finally made it home safe and sound and exhausted but happy.  I needed this.

 

Speaking of needing things, Molly and I went out last night on the town in West Asheville.  We had a lovely dinner at Martha Stuart's favorite restaurant in Asheville, a homecooking place that served only fresh, organic, local food.  (The norm here)  We decided after dinner to head to the Double Crown, a cute little bar with cozy booths and good drinks.  We met three people there.  The first encounter was Luke, who is totally adorable.  This is Molly and him dancing.

 



 

I was approached outside by a lady named Chazzy, who questioned me extensively about my ankh tattoo.  She was a fascinating person and we exchanged phone numbers.  Then we met Erik, who is a cool kid.  We ended up going to The Admiral to dance with Luke and Erik, and spent a couple hours shaking our tushies.  Then we went to Erik's and hung out on his front porch couch for a while.  We finally got home at almost four, and shed our soaking wet clothes.  Did I forget to mention that it was pouring so hard that we were soaked almost all night?  Interesting stuff, damp clothes.  I think my sandals might still be wet.

 

All in all, it's been a very nice exciting week.  I went on my first solo day trip, I met three very cool people and I got to dance. 

 

 

Hope all is well for all of you, and expect to hear from me soon.

 

 

Shanti

 

 



 



 

 







Waterfalls

Hello there friends!  I've been a little absent this week, and this is because I started online dating and I've been pretty preoccupied with that.  But that didn't stop me from having an adventure on Thursday! 

Molly and our friend David had been talking about going to Douglass falls to gather herbs, specifically pendicularis.  This is a mellow herb, basically reducing anxiety and giving a sense of relaxation.  Molly had seen a large field of it near Douglass falls, so we decided to go!

We drove through Bernardsville, which is way out in the country.  Lots of farms and farm-type people.  (Rednecks, if you will.)  We then hit a gravel road and Molly the awesome pilot drove like a champ among all the twists and turns.  We climbed and climbed, stopping for a moment at this little beauty...

We continued on until we finally got to the trailhead of Douglas falls.  Here's a couple pics from the little mile hike:

 Cool uprooted tree's roots

Pretty little leaf hiding behind other foliage

 

 

And then we arrived at the falls!



 Sunlight on water

 

 David behind the falls

 

Me and the waterfall and sunshine!

 

The pool, which of course I waded in ;)

 

 

Someone got very creative with rocks!

 

I would have taken more pics of the pedicularis and the awesome cave we found, but alas, my phone died.  But it's an easy hike and if you want I'll take you there!  Oh, and Molly saw a bear and we ran into a couple of hippie dudes, whereupon one of them stripped down buck and took a little bath in the falls.  So I got some flashes of white ass too!  All in all, a very very good day.  And I was such a trooper on the hike following the falls, up to the cave.  It's so beautiful here!

 

 

 

In other news, I went on my first date pretty much ever last night, and this is what I wore!

 

 

So yay for being brave and doing hard hikes and going on first dates!  This is Molly and Jacobi after the date (which was also Jacob's bday celebration):

 



I have been working on the Island story, I promise!  Just not ready to publish yet.  If there's anything else super exciting that happens, you know I'll let all know about it!

I love you!

Shanti Elena