The Adventures of Mom

I really do believe in the Law of Attraction, as I recently expressed an intense desire for a road trip- away from Florida, and my newly finished 3′x5′ painting of a cabin in the Smokey Mountains complete with trout stream and waterfall takes up most of the kitchen-I knew we would be headed up to North Carolina, I just had not expected it to be so soon, but a day after my son’s birthday party found us on the road to Asheville, North Carolina.

Our 10 hour road trip began at 4am- my husband hoped the kids would sleep most of the trip (they didn’t!), but an in car DVD player- courtesy an xmas present two years past from my aunt for the kids (thank you, Gail!) took care of some boredom- I am happy to report my 4 year old only half watched TV and spent the entire trip either coloring with crayons or sketching with colored pencils in the sketch book I had given each of thee kids for the trip. (you go girl! She has become quite the artist!)

Somewhere south of Landrum, South Carolina, we decided to exit the interstate at the sign that said Cherokee scenic highway. There was a sign that drew us: peaches! We found a woman and her daughter selling baskets full of peaches from a little stand set up in front of their orchard, and man were those peaches juicy! The woman directed us into Landrum to the best BBQ joint in town. Southside Smokehouse and Grill was a quiet little place (across from the sawmill)- until we pulled in- then the whole town seemed to follow in our wake. The BBQ pulled pork sandwiches were tasty with their vinegar based BBQ sauce. With a refill of sweet tea, we hit the road (176) towards Asheville, driving through small towns and alongside swift flowing creeks. Historic wooden house had been built right alongside the creeks, each with their own tended vegetable garden- and blue hydrangeas to brighten the front gardens. Orange lilies grew alongside the road that hugged the mountains- it was paradise. Pearson’s waterfall near Saluda was shut, but I did get a couple of good photos further down the road of a cabin by a creek…

We checked into the Biltmore Doubletree Hotel in Asheville, North Carolina at 4 that afternoon. After unpacking, we took a walk to the Biltmore Village- an impossible road to cross from the hotel, as the light turns red on you halfway across- we had to run to avoid becoming a Henderson Road Pancakes. The lady at the hotel had recommended the Country Kitchen- the menu looked was more upmarket bistro than down home cooking, as the hotel desk clerk had implied. With three kids- rowdy after a long confined car ride, we had to steer away from their white table cloths and wine glasses- an accident waiting to happen! And we continued down the road through the village to the Wayside, a diner set in the historic train station. The food was greasy and took a long time. My daughter curled up on the bench seat and fell asleep. The interior of the building was original, and a train did rumble past, shaking the building, but I would not rush back. We carried my little one and took a longer route back to the hotel, retiring for the evening.

The next day we set out early for Chimney Rock, stopping at a supermarket to grab breakfast en route. The road took us to the town(village?) of Bat Cave- known for it’s well, Bat Cave (now closed to visitors due to a spreading bat disease that’s killing the population). We stopped at a roadside shack stocked with local honey (sourwood honey) and a variety of preserves and pickles. Pickled Okra anyone? The woman there told us that they are a dying breed. The older folk who used to building the wood crafts *(little wooden chests, chairs, bird feeders) and make the preserves, are dying or already dead and the younger generation are too wrapped up in their computers and MP3 players to care. Those roadside stands may be but historic memories soon. This one had a creek behind it, with picnic tables you could rent by the hour. We met a boy back there who told us about the hike to the Bat Cave- a two hour jaunt on Mondays and Wednesdays through a protected preserve owned by an environmentalist who only allowed so much intrusion on the property to protect the area. Unfortunately for us, it was Tuesday! We took photos, said our farewells and continued up to Chimney Rock.

The drive up to Chimney Rock is a dizzy spiral. My four year old proclaimed she was going to be “sky-sick.” $14 for adults and $6 for kids, it was another mile up from the ticket booth. And then 20 minutes to climb the wooden steps up around the mountain to get to the top of the rock itself- word to the wise- if you have young children- take the elevator up and walk down- we did it the wrong way and tired our youngest out to the point of temper tantrum state- not cool on a mountain top! However, we were rewarded with a view of Lake Lure and the valley below- hazy with summer mist. My youngest broke down as we attempted to begin the hike to the waterfall, so we descended to the visitors center for some cooling off time and did manage to squeeze in the little woodland trail- views were not fantastic, but the outdoor artwork along the trail- all touchable! was  worth it- iron butterflies, huge tortoise shell, bears scaling a tree… and helped my babe recover her cool.

Lunchtime found us at Ginny’s Country Cooking restaurant, drinking sweet tea on their back porch over the creek. Food was okay, my husband was not impressed by their pot pie, and the philly sandwich was limp- and what is it with those greasy french fries? It must be a Carolina thing- limp and greasy-ugh- the views, however, were spectacular. After lunch we took a stroll along the river walk- a park alongside the creek in Chimney Rock. We got to clamber over the rocks, and even though I would have placed my bet on the youngest, my boy fell into the creek-luckily he didn’t get swept into the current- which would have been great for tubing. I had brought changes of clothes for all the kids (I really do expect things like this to happen- and am rarely disappointed.) My boy was upset with himself, but I told him it made a good story- I have certainly told it a few times- falling into a creek at Chimney Rock- wasn’t like going down the waterfall, thank goodness. Anyhow, loaded back into the car, we headed back to Asheville.

Alas, no I have not returned to London, but that city will always remain in my heart. A busker friend of mine told me that once London gets under your skin, all other cities will pale in comparison. My sister and I were talking of London a while back, giving me that itch- not the poison oak kind. The first time I ever went to London it was the summer of 1988 and I was still a teenager- fresh out of high school. I met a wonderful East London family (everybody needs a wonderful East London family- really!) and two days after my arrival I was taking my first double decker bus to a job at a pub by the Thames (thank you, Neil!) I had one of each coin in my hand trying to learn their money. The pound coin was the most confusing- no dollar bill. Their notes start at fivers! My drinking knowledge was limited to a few daiquiris I had in Canada earlier that summer nor did I speak Cockney, so I wasn’t terribly good at my job and it didn’t last long, but I landed a live in au pair position in North London immediately afterwards. It was a cleaning job in an old persons home in North London, and I shared the job with a French girl. Our job gave us a shift of seven hours on and seven off- it gave me ample opportunity to explore London- and nip back to hang out with my East London family. They had a beautiful black dog named Oscar and I loved taking him out along all the paths and back ways around Tollgate road. For being a big city, they devote a lot of space to paths and parks.

I also met a busker through a friend and used to hang out around Leicester Square and Tottenham Court Road late at night. Through him I met the other side of London- the homeless youth who slept in the parks and drifted, lost. In a city of millions, a person can still die of loneliness. There’s a whole area call the cardboard city where a mass of the homeless lived, we looked for it- the other side of Tower Bridge somewhere near Elephant and Castle, but never found it.

I fell in love with the transportation system. Tubes and buses and trains. Who needs a car- just hop a tube (The London Underground) and zip, you are there- if you get lost, check the map, hop a few connections and voila! One minute I was in North Finchley and then the next Plaistow. I stumbled upon Covent Garden by accident (the entire time I was in London, never once did I buy a guide book or map). Cobblestones and old stone buildings- street performers and a dark market full of theater clothes. Camden Town was another adventure on Sunday when the entire place is one big market. Under the brick arches they sell antiques, and everyone dresses in the most outlandish manner- with thigh high boots and spiky pink hair, long velvet capes and pale white skin- everything goes in Camden Town.

I ended up at Marble Arch during an anti- American protest. The Kuwaiti airliner had just been shot down and the London Kuwaitis and their supporters were marching down the streets with signs of Ronald Regan, chanting “Kill Americans!” For a teenager straight from a quiet American Town, it was scary. Later that day I wandered into an Islamic shop on Edgeware Road, and the proprietor approached me while I was checking out the scarves. “Where are you from?” He asked. Remembering the protest march earlier, I said, “Uh, Canada, eh.” And quickly left the store.

I must have been the only au pair in London who didn’t actually live in! I spent all my free time in exploration. I had a boyfriend for a while. He worked on the high street in North Finchley. We went off to Margate for a quick trip and to ride the rollercoasters by the sea. On the way back the car broke down, sent us spinning across the motorway, but slid to a nice slow stop into the embankment. We both had to be to work early and ended up at 2am hitching a ride  back to London in the back of a fish truck among open boxes of frozen prawns. Yes, it was stinky, but neither one of us was late for work!

I spent one night on Tower Bridge with said boyfriend, watching the lights over London and the Tower. We counted the boats sailing under us, the cars on the road, and plotted to knick the jewels in that halfhearted  teenage manner- doesn’t everyone? Another night was spent curled up in the statue of the Burghers of Calais (by Big Ben). When you’re young you don’t sleep, you philosophise into the wee hours- and dream wide awake. We’d wander St. Katherine Docks, Regents Park, Hamstead Heath. But London was growing cold and the air was changing, so I knew it was time to move on. A fellow who lived down the road from where I worked happened by while I was outfront, talking to said boyfriend, and next thing I knew, I was on the back of a Honda 500 motorbike headed across Europe towards Greece…but that is another story. I would return to my London several times and live there once more- see it through older (though not so wiser) eyes. As my busker friend had foretold, once it gets under your skin, you have it forever.

If April Showers bring May flowers, what do May showers bring- June mold? It’s been raining non-stop for 48 hours- I’ll let you know….

Yeah, sounds like a new rock group, but it was far from funny, because just as  President Obama was cracking down on waterboarding, my own veggie garden decided to turn the thumb screws on me. If I had anything to tell, I would have spilled the beans….organic torture! I really shouldn’t blame my garden or mother nature really, as it was more by fate and my own ignorance… first what had started out as a poison oak rash on my leg, obtained while innocently weeding around the squash, blossomed (3 weeks later!) into a bubbly nasty rash up both my arms. This left me awake for an entire week of nights. Anytime I per chanced a slip into dream time, I would be awakened again by the sound of me scratching my arms with rage..talk about torture. I slapped anti-itch lotion on them which left me looking like a scaling snake. I wrapped them in towels  and ended up looking like the Michelin Man. I tried to hide them under my pillows- but when they are still attached to your body, you can’t hide them for long. The sun made them itch more- like having bugs constantly burrowing holes through your flesh. Hot water made them come alive…it was driving me mad… and then came the peppers….

We have two pepper plants in the garden, both my husband brought home with a “plant them in the garden.” One was a Jalapeno pepper plant, and I’ve been picking peppers, chopping them up and sticking them in vinegar, as we both love jalapeno peppers on our pizza. The second plant had bright green peppers, They looked like the ones you put on sandwiches- peppercinis. I asked my husband what it was “I’m not sure.” There was no tag on it. Well, silly me picked a pint of not yet pickled peppers from plant number two and went to chopping them up to add to a jar of vinegar and my whole life lit up- actually it was the tips of all my fingers- like holding them in a fire that you cannot pull your hand out of. I had scratched my face and that started to burn too! Immediately I washed my hands and set online to investigate dealing with hot pepper burns…every website said “never pick hot peppers without wearing rubber gloves!” (Now they tell me!) They suggested yogurt and soaking in milk for 60 minutes- because the fat of the products will relieve the pain. Wouldn’t you know we have fat free yogurt and low fat milk!  I washed them in bleach, in laundry soap, in shampoo, in corn oil- everything that was suggested. I was at my wit’s end. I had to pick up my son from school and in the end, shoved a hand into my glass of iced drinking water on the drive. I swear I heard a sizzle. The ice water was the only thing that would make the pain subside- but the moment the feeling came back in my fingers- so did the burning. I was in tears. I was in agony. I then remembered in Khoury’s The Sanctuary novel that one of his characters tortures people by injecting them with hot pepper- hmm, I wonder if he too suffered pepper burns!

Well my threshold for pain has risen. The poison oak took a dose of cortisoid from the doctor to get rid of (though I am still itchy), and as for the hot peppers, they turned out to be Scotch Bonnets- one of the hottest peppers around. (I wondered why the crows weren’t eating them!) The peppers on them are turning a bright red, and I plan to leave them that way…so if you fancy picking a pint of not yet pickled peppers…look for our nuclear pepper plant and approach with extreme caution!

Has anyone ever noticed, although the electronic toothbrush is a handy modern gadget, that the moment you turn it on, the toothpaste splatters across the bathroom mirror?

Happy Mother’s Day to all moms and surrogate moms out there. To Nicole, Bobbilee, Lisa, Michelle, Melissa, La, Pema, Diane, Kelly, my own mother, Deanna, Louise, Siggy, we’ve suffered many a sleepless night but got warm hugs and sloppy kisses in return. The safe havens we have provided and are providing for our kids (and sometimes other people’s kids too!) will make them more confident and capable in the world..it is always a good feeling to know there’s a safe place to run and lick the wounds of the world, tell your troubles, or just enjoy the warmth of family, a sunday roast and a cuppa (Diane, thank you! I’d never have survived London were it not for my East London mum!)

So pat yourselves on the back, mothers out there. We make the world a better place for all…sometimes just by being there! Enjoy your day and hug your kids!

Happy Earth Day! I hope all are planting trees around the globe, flowers and veggies too! We have three new fig trees in the back yard, courtesy of my mother-in-law’s cuttings. Hey, why buy plants when you can use cuttings?  The veggie garden is rising like a new Garden of Eden, with blossoms on the snow peas, squash, cucumbers- heck, everything is blooming and climbing in all the right places. My daughter and I even spotted our own Eden serpent- our resident friendly Indigo snake. He’s been around forever- or she. Ever so curious, our snake usually lives in the back corner of the garden. He keeps the mouse population down and other snakes away, so I don’t mind. I suspect he moved into the veggie garden because of our old dog. He used to live in the hedges around the house. I’d rather him live in the garden, I’ve had enough in the house snake encounters to last a life time.

Well, in honor of Earth Day, we are starting to turn the garden organic. It’s a whole other way of thinking and a better one. A book in the library found me the other day- I say found me because it was in the new arrival’s shelf- the only adult shelf I could make a quick appraisal of while keeping an eye on my daughter, and voila, there it was: GROW ORGANIC by Doug Oster and Jessica Walliser (St. Lynn’s Press, Pittsburgh, 2008). Every time I open a page, it is an eye opener, with the amount of gardening tips and ideas, it is a whole new way of looking at your garden- like insects are there to do certain jobs- don’t grab for a spray the moment you see one…and then it tells you what to do. And it is NOT highbrow, talking down to you, but rather like you were sitting out on the porch swing, drinking iced tea and talking to a couple of buddies. A lot of the other gardening books get terribly technical and lose me in the end, so I am raving about this book and would recommend it to anyone considering growing a garden (has lawn care information too!) They are not paying me to write this, honest! My library book is due in a week’s time and I only have so many car line days in which too read, between I SPY and rhyming games with my daughter, so I plan on ordering one from Barnes and Noble soon. I am so glad it found me- law of attraction at work!

A baby quail egg in our incubator hatched two days ago, and the young peeper, now in an empty aquarium with a light bulb and a couple of bricks (hey, that’s what the quail raising info said!) for company. He is a cute little fellow, and very friendly. I can’t wait for the other 105 eggs to hatch so he can have some company!

Time to return to the great outdoors with eyes wide open. Happy Earth Day!

Kala Paska to all who are celebrating Greek Easter on this beautiful day. I am sad I miss the evening mass in the Listons in Corfu every year since, but feel blessed that I had the opportunity to witness it in the past! (Before people started lighting their own candles!) In the past, the Bishop of the Greek Orthodox Church would come by procession into the Listons and stand in the gazebo (maybe it’s called the bandstand) He would light his candle and in turn light the next person’s candle with his, and that person would light the next- one by one, everyone in the park would have their candle’s lit- from the line that started with the Bishop- then they would switch out all the lights in Corfu Town and all would be lit by candlelight. The Bishop would sing the service (I never understood the words), and then it would end at exactly midnight, where he would say “Christos Anesti”- Christ arises, and the cross uptop the old fortress would light up and fireworks would be shot into the sky. Then all of Corfu would break out in celebration- parties past midnight, breaking eggs, eating tripe(ugh). Lent was over, and now was time for celebrating! I can’t wait to take the family over for a Real Greek Easter. It’s the biggest celebration of the year, and rather puts egg hunts and subdued church services to shame.-Well, again, Kala Paska to all!

And then the Tea Party! Apparently I missed the nationwide protest. I was too busy taking the kids on a wilderness hike on the nature trail at Rainbow Springs in Dunnellon. So we walked in the woods, as unhappy, unemployed and disgruntled Americans protested across the nation. I read about it on line that night. But to me it seemed rather disorganised and there were people who did not know exactly what they were protesting- um was it the huge bailouts for companies while schools are being sliced down to a minuscule size? all 1st and 2nd year teachers in Marion County, FL were given their walking papers, while the bailout companies were handing out bonuses. This has been happening everywhere- budget cuts in areas where we actually need the money, and bonuses and bailouts to those who don’t grrrr. Ironically enough, some of the bailouts were for auto companies and guess what- Americans do not have the money to buy their cars anyway, as they are having problems scraping together money to pay the electric and mortgage! But guys, OBAMA says he has a plan- didn’t anyone read it? It was posted on line and on the television 24/7 during the elections. But Sir, who was it that said even Democracy is a fabulous idea, but in reality, it cannot exist- Plato in The Republic? In other words, plans look great on paper, but then you must take in consideration all of the variables, and man are there a lot of variables. Your job I do not envy. The government is so riddled with corruption- has been for a long time. Things get done with the who you know, and the tacking of sneaky twists at the end of bills. One of the Tea Party protester comments was that a new Republican party should be started- wipe clean the slate and start afresh (hmmm, do existing Republicans know about this?).  Perhaps these tea party people should just start up their own political party and we can move past the Republican and Democrat nonsense and pettiness?  Anyway, apparently the next Tea Party is set for Independence Day. I think I shall be sipping my PG Tips (thanks LA)!

Thursday night found us rounding off the evening with a game of miniature golf at Easy Street in Ocala. It wasn’t busy at all, and my son managed to hit the ball over the fence into the old Sam Snead’s parking lot. My husband retrieved it- and a few others he found there.

Friday got off to a late start as I had to take the car in for a repair, which the mechanic told me would take a couple of hours, but showed up with car 15 minutes later, leading me to believe they either have a super human mechanic capable of repairs at the speed of light, they did not do the repair properly, or, they just made the whole thing up and there was no repair needed in the first place, and they merely switched off the check engine light! But afterwards, as it was still before noon, I picked up my mom and dad and a couple of sandwiches from Subway and we headed out to Homosassa Springs State Park in Homosassa on HWY 19.

We ate our sandwiches at the picnic pavilion in the grass and waited for the pontoon boat to take us on the twenty minute ride up Pepper Creek to the park. A bit more than the usual $4 a carload, but at $9 per adult and $5 for kids and a 20% discount for AAA members, Homossasa Springs makes a great zoo trip. My daughter was mesmerized by Lucifer, the 6,000 lb (no, that was NOT a typo!) hippo, while my son liked the underwater observatory where we got to see schools of snook, red fish and manatees! The manatees there are in rehabilitation program, so you can see them all year, and they feed them only the best vegetables- a huge cartload of it that takes two grown men to push. Other areas of the park included a bird boardwalk, snake house, alligator pen, otters, cougars and bears. All animals (aside from Lucifer, who is an honorary native by a former governor’s decree) are native of Florida, and many are unable to cope in the wild- the two bald eagles both had an amputated wing- one from a car accident, another from a gunshot wound. They take care of them at the park, and in turn, give the public a chance to have a closer look at our wildlife. The boats had stopped running by the time we left the park (5.30) so we took the last tram back to the parking lot and took the slow road home.

Saturday arrived chilly, but with the promise of sun. We were meeting friends at the city beach in Dunnellon. This was the first day they decided to collect money at the beach ($1 per person). A family pass- up to 10 people- at city hall is $20, so we paid and made plans for a trip to city hall. The water was warm on the Rainbow River for once (perhaps because the air hadn’t hit 70F yet!) and the kids had a blast, swimming and playing on the playground. We stayed until  after midday. I had errands to run, a grandma to see.  Saturday became Sunday, the last day of spring break, which we spent as a lazy day at home. Only 8 weeks left of school, and already I have a list ready of places to go, things to see- we still never made it to Paynes Prairie State Park! I did note that the kids did NOT want to run everyday, as we seemed to do in Lakeland last year. This leads me to believe that suburbia does NOT suit us at all. The kids don’t mind staying home when there’s dirt to dig in and places to roam at home.

Spring break is upon us once again, but oddly enough, the children are sleeping in…yipeee! Our lack of funds has restricted the travels that would have usually taken place, and instead we are turning to the great outdoors-  our beautiful state parks, and dodging the dodgy weather as necessary.

The State Park system is taking a heavy blow due to cut backs and lack of funds, which, if anyone would take the time to consider, is inconceivable at this point in time, as it is receiving …well, a major comeback. No longer can we afford the $80+ tickets of Disney and other area attractions, but dang, at $4.00 a carload, the whole family, with their friends can hit the trails, the beaches, the streams and the boardwalks of the State Parks of Florida. Pack a picnic lunch or pick one up on the way- they let you take the food in- just don’t leave the wrappers!

Anyhow, enough of the raving, back to our weekly adventure. Monday found us in our big red canoe on the Rainbow River in Dunnellon. People had started tubing from the KP Hole from 8am that morning- brrr. We set in at the bridge- which is now Blue Run Park, and headed upstream against the current and breeze, sliding past groups of teenagers in their rented tubes and homemade floats (one was actually a small blow up kiddie pool- but there weren’t kiddies in it!). They put in at the KP Hole in Dunnellon and a van takes them back to the park for a small fee, or someone leaves one car at the bridge and takes the other to the park. It’s a 5 hour trip- and the floating can be slow- real slow.  We paddled past tubers on our way up and passed them a couple hours later on our way back.

The Rainbow River is beautiful, clear and cold (72F year round). They are strict about what you can take on the river- nothing disposable- no napkins, aluminum cans, disposable plastic, wrappers, paper of any sort- and you WILL get fined. It keeps the river clean. Snake birds dove into the waters around us on their morning fishing routines, turtles covered every free stump and thick branch in the water, and we were lucky enough to see a family of otters at play- ma, pa and two babies. This is why we keep the water clean! No alligators though, which was a shame, as my daughter, who munched through two apples, wanted to see a gator.

We made it to the KP Hole dock. Had a quick icecream and a cold dip and set off back down river. The trip took four hours round trip, and my arms were aching when we finally reached the bridge again. We were ready for home.

Tuesday found us having a day of rest, with a quick trip to Publix for milk. Then the rain came- and boy did it come. Wednesday the sky looked ominous, but one day at home set us at stir crazy. I really wanted to go to Paynes Prairie State Park, but the dark clouds promised rain, so instead we picked up my parents and headed off to the Silver River State Park for a picnic and a 1.9 mile hike on the River Walk Trail to the Silver River. No wild animal sightings, but lots of wild hog rooting sites and some suspicious animal dung on the boardwalk- think it was deer. Baby mud turtles and bass in  the river. It never did rain!