More from the Mountains

Dear friends,

The mystery that keeps the lights and power on is playing a game of hide and seek with me as it cuts off and then on again. It’s been doing this for the better part of the last hour. The roaring sounds of the winds crescendo outside and I pull the curtains back to see the telephone and electrical wires dancing like strands of hair at the mercy of the blow dryer.

It’s Saturday night and there’s a snowstorm in Asheville. I learned about the impending calamity from people in the grocery store earlier. The checkout people and customers were discussing the consequences of even a hint of coming snow. I could see it for myself. I wanted to tell everyone I was grocery shopping because I am now chained to a desk through the week and can only do shopping on Saturday mornings. But I didn’t. I just enjoyed the banter and the reminder that this is how it is outside of New York City.

I check the news before the lights go out completely and I get into my warm bed with my trusty pal Ms. Macintosh to write. She has two hours of battery power to offer, but I only have 10 minutes worth. I fall asleep in the total darkness, howling winds and ever cooling air outside my blankets.

I awake this Sunday morning to a “real feel” of minus 12 outside, and a cold 46 degrees inside. I’ve been keeping the heat around 74 so I know there is trouble. I’ve called the landlord and he thinks it’s working now. I am now layered up in bed with my coffee and writing my Sunday morning emails

I checked out the electronic version of the NYTimes and see that some of you are in 18 to 24 inches of snow! From my window it seems we have less than an inch. Of course this brings back some fond memories. I always liked the first day of snow in the City, especially when it came on a weekend. It is as quiet as the city ever gets. The traffic becomes just a trickle and the snow muffles all other sounds. I don’t recall the heat ever going out in my eleven years there, and only once did the electricity go out. That was the big one back in 2003, I think. And that was in summer. I’m reminded that most of the City’s wiring is underground and generally safe from everything except flooding.

My Australian friend Bridget called last evening. She called to invite me to an Aquarian party that she, Elaine and Ann are throwing together since they are all Aquarians. I regretfully declined but am putting the 2006 party on my agenda for next year. It was Sunday morning there and she was describing the heat and humidity they are experiencing. It’s delightful to imagine how we all live on this planet but the conditions are so ever changing. How fortunate that Mother Earth never lets us get bored with our surroundings.

Yesterday my morning started with highlights with Ronnie at Classic Haircuts. Sounds traditional, right? My boss’s wife recommended Ronnie to me. She has hair of similar texture, and, I have to start somewhere. Ronnie was dressed in overalls and flannel shirt.. I really enjoyed his country wisdom and live and let live philosophy. Billy Bob, I mean Ronnie, did a great job. I plan on going back.

The big highlight of the week is that my car wouldn’t run last Tuesday. I was able to start it and get to work but when I got there, the key wouldn’t come out. It started when I got in it for lunch, but wouldn’t continue to run. It turns out that the key became frozen in the lock and it wouldn’t stay in the position to keep the car running. Fortunately, my boss recommended a garage that works on his own vehicles. They towed me in and had it ready the next day. Initially they thought I would be without a car for a week but they were able to get me back in my wheels quicker. I admit I had some moments that day when I just felt overwhelmed with everything that has been happening. Being without wheels here can be a major problem.

I’m trying to get a routine going – yoga on Monday’s and the Buddhist Center of Thursday’s. On Friday evening I met the artist I had met at the networking group last week for dinner at the Laughing Seed – a wonderful vegetarian restaurant. She’s a fascinating woman – originally from NJ, she came south about 15 years ago after a near death experience in which a Native American Shaman appeared to her and directed her to move to the mountains and forest of East Tennessee. She lived in an Adobe she built and has been painting since the Shaman’s appearance. You can see her work at http://www.earthspeakstudio.com/. She has recently moved to Asheville and is opening a gallery near the Blue Moon Café. She should do very well. We had some very interesting conversation. We later went down to Jack in the Woods, a pub featuring live music. It started at 9:30 – a time suitable for an older crowd but attracts a younger crowd too. Ménage was performing – a trio of very talented young women playing a bass fiddle (as it’s called in the mountains) acoustic guitars, snare drum, harmonica and an accordion – at varying times. Their repertoire ranged from soul to bluegrass to yodeling cowgirl songs. A very enjoyable evening! The Saturday before my friend Marcia, who was visiting from Chattanooga with her husband David, and I heard the Firecracker Dixieland Jazz Band. They had us tapping our feet and shaking our groove thangs! The music available in this sparkling little city is phenomenal. The local weekly, The Mountain Express, list several pages of Asheville’s offerings.

The major thing I have to deal with now for the next two weeks is finding another place to live. I rented this my current apartment online, sight unseen, so I was reluctant to commit to more than a month. It turns out to be a nice place (when the heat is on!) and I would have liked to stay longer. But they have someone coming in after my lease is up so I have to find something else. I had planned on spending today searching, but its so cold I don’t want to get out of the covers to get dressed and get outside in the cold to go hunt! FYI, the heat isn’t working after all and the landlord says it will be a few hours before the repairperson can get here. He brought me a small heater that I have beside the bed.

I hope that all of you are doing well and staying warm and dry (or cool and dry, depending on which part of the world you are in!). I really enjoy hearing back from everyone.

All my love!
gwen