Driving Around with Aunt Joan

June 4, 2013

Another lovely sleep in this cozy, luxury cabin. I woke around 4:30 am, for some reason convinced that a bear was going to break the window and come bursting in looking for food. I glanced out to see a bright moon glimmering over the mountains in the front view. I lay awake for a good hour, but seeing no sign of the sun behind the hill, I didn’t want to stay up worrying about a potential bear attack. I fell back and slept uneasily until about 8am when we both woke up, our bodies sensing it was way past time for coffee. We enjoyed a leisurely morning getting ready, not bothering to go out for breakfast, just having a small nibble of things here, then sitting on the swinging bench and soaking in the sun. Before we left for Joan’s, I placed my rinsed clover flowers on napkins out in the sun to dry, then helped a large beetle right itself as it struggled on its back with legs flailing in defiance at the sky. Poor icky thing. We pushed him off on his way in another direction than the cabin. He’s got a right to live, but I didn’t want to invite him in, either. Then we headed off into the winding hills.







Today was for hitting the antique and flea markets, grocery and dollar stores so Joan could stock up on necessary items. The first thrift store we stopped off had loads of stuff, and I picked up a cute little pink and brown purse that seems like it should fit all of my crap, including my snacks! I also picked up a pair of crystal taper candle holders shaped like stars and an adorable little bottle that I thought would be great for a tincture or other potion. After scouring the first place, The Antique Mall was our next stop, which is half antique store, half flea market. The antiques area was packed with neatly arranged funky old stuff from apothecary jars, toys, shoes, skates, sewing machines, baseball mitts, collector’s glasses, cook ware, clothes, books, old irons and roll presses, ice boxes, jewelry, collectors coins and paper currency, painted plates of The Beatles, old 45s and all manner of old nostalgia. I thought of our friends and family back home that love antiques (my dad’s mom, Grama C, and our good pal Carrie would have gone crazy in that place—Carrie, the dish sets OMGS!!) If I had my young life to do over, I would have spent more time outfitting our apartments with quirky stuff from thrift and antique stores. We limited our purchase to a single, glass bread bake dish. But I was coveting loads of things, including old ink pots and several cast iron skillets.

The next couple of stops were mostly just for food stuffs, but we found some really awesome clothes items that we couldn’t resist at a store that was kind of like a Walgreen’s back home. John picked up a pair of sleepy shorts, and I scored some stretchy pants, a lovely summer dress and a flirty, magenta top. See, I’m not just all about tee shirts and jeans! We lunched at a place that overlooked the Potomac called Park & Dine and were glad to finally take a load off our feet, getting out of the sun.

Everyone seems to know everyone around here; they all wave or honk anytime they drive by. I remarked how amazing it is that these people live miles and towns apart, and yet they know so much about each other. John and I have lived in the same condominium for 12 years, and we only know the names of two of our neighbors who are mere feet away. It’s a different sort of life out here. A funny little exchange happened yesterday; a lady at the Roadkill Café meant to ask Joan how her son, Kenny, was doing, who is currently undergoing another surgery and then resuming more cancer treatments, but mixed up the names and mistakenly asked her how, John, her deceased husband was, and in classic Joan-style, she said, “John? He’s deader n’ a doornail!” She has these funny little Joan’ism’s that I keep meaning to remember so I can write them in the blog, but then I forget!



She then drove us around, showing us where various family members live or used to live, brought us through “downtown” Artemas, warning us that if we blinked, we’d miss it. She told us about what she and the locals refer to as a “nudist colony”, but is really an inter-faith spiritual sanctuary. She said, “Well, people say they can hear drummin’ and that they have fires and stuff, they sell wine. Some people say they’re witches and stuff.” (She always says, “and stuff”). She seemed intrigued by it, because she then drove us down a beautiful little lane, and we noticed the signs directing to the sanctuary. I was a bit surprised when I realized she was taking us to the place, and knew it immediately for what it was: a pagan-safe haven (being a heathen myself). Unfortunately, we came upon a group of guys that seemed as inbred as could be, giving us queer looks, and Joan made some snarky remarks, muttering something like, “Look like a bunch o’ winners. Don’t glare at me, I can go wheree’er I want to!” but she turned the car around and we drove off. I was excited to buy some magical mead!! Oh well, another trip maybe we’ll partake of some nude fire ring jumping while toasting the gods with sweet wine!











Then it was back to the trailer to shoot more photos of deer in the prairie grass, trying fruitlessly to catch the hummingbirds on camera, and yakking over tea. Joan then took us back to the Roadkill Café for ice cream treats. It was a very relaxing day. Now, Hubby and I will be heading onto the porch for some stargazing!
Love and hugs!
R&J

Artemas, PA

June 3, 2013

This morning we woke from a lovely sleep and breakfasted at The Girls R Cookin’ restaurant that is part of this lodging complex. It was a simple but delicious meal of eggs, bacon, sausages, potatoes and toast with coffee. The place was completely empty, and the gal that served us seemed that she’d rather be doing anything but waiting tables, but we didn’t let it ruin our good morning. We headed off to Joan’s after that and spent the whole day catching up, sitting out on the porch, watching the turkey vultures overhead and little Oscar dog running like a silly nut all around the grass and clover. He’s had a bit of a tough life, this poor tiny hound, having been attacked by another dog leaving a giant scar across his back, and then getting into a tangle with some unknown foe who blinded his right eye. Joan told us about another time when he came home with a bunch of porcupine quills stuck in him, and she had to have a couple of people hold him down as she removed the quills. Poor thing! He is such a friendly and loving little doggie, he loves to sit in laps and be scratched. He can open and close the screen door, and he fancied going into an old deserted trailer on the property that houses many critters that he likes to visit, a place Joan says she won’t set foot in. Joan says he hikes all the way down to some neighbors that raise horses, but neighbors here live miles away! She said they’ll call her and say, “Oscar is here!” and he’ll hang out in their homes, soak up the love, and then they bring him back over to Joan’s. So cute!







Despite recounting some painful and unpleasant memories from Joan’s last visit to Minnesota (after Jan’s death), catching up on family history was needed before moving on to more mundane chatting. We then headed off for lunch at the Roadkill Café, where the service was much friendlier and served very yummy food. Joan and I had hamburgers and fries, John and Jenny opted for the roast beef sammies with gravy and potatoes. All delicious! Driving in Joan’s truck is an adventure in itself as she takes the snaking, hilly, crooked 10-20mph roads at speeds more like 45-50mph. Thankfully I was tucked in the back seat and could distract myself talking with Jenny and looking at the floor anytime I thought I might squeal like a pig in sheer panic. (Ok, I had to make the Deliverance reference.) We headed to Everett to pick up Trinity, another second cousin, from school. She is absolutely adorable, has pink and purple streaks in her hair and a little shy, and her accent is even more pronounced than Joan’s. They definitely have a drawl out here, but Joan kept saying that we were the ones who “talk funny”. Jenny and I kept exaggerating our Minnesota accents after that, and Trinity suppressed giggles at us. Ashley must have been off with friends, so just Trinity came back to the trailer with us, she flaking out with the TV and snacks, and us old farts out on the deck with the dog and fresh air.





I took many photos and harvested a bunch of white clover that I hope will make the trip home so I can try making a clover wine. I was hoping to make red clover wine, but white clover has many similar properties, though I wonder if it may be more bitter tasting than the red variety. Perhaps an ale is in order? The more I read about clover, dandelions, common plantain, lamb’s ears, mullein, nettles and other so-called weeds, the more I marvel at the utter crime it is to dismiss and attempt to eradicate these wonderful, healing plants! Speaking of herbs and healing, when we were packing at home, I had a feeling that Joan might like a sample of some Amish Black Drawing Salve that I recently made, and when I mentioned it in passing at lunch, her eyes lit up. She said similar products are sold for like $20 a tube here, mine was very inexpensive to make, and it made so much there’s no possible way I’ll ever use it all, so I told her I’d bring over the salve for her. This drawing salve does not use the controversial bloodroot, but uses common plantain, activated charcoal and betonite clay (among other ingredients) for their drawing properties. It’s good for stings, venomous bites, removing splinters or glass imbedded in the skin, and even for removal of moles and skin tags. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve turned into a HUGE herb nerd, and I make many of our household and body products now. I prattled on about the many properties of different plants, how to use things like baking soda for shampoo and vinegar rinses for conditioner, how I make awesome laundry soap that is unbelievably cheap (and good for HE machines, too!), as well as countless other experiments in my beauty kitchen as we rode back. I get all jazzed to think about the magic and wonder in each and every thing growing on this planet. I keep meaning to get an Etsy shop set up, but what I’d love is to someday have my own little herbal apothecary in a tiny storefront in NE Minneapolis or something. Serve the locals, you know.









It’s uncanny, truly, to be here talking recipes with Joan. I feel like in a tiny way I have a piece of Jan back, and I bit back emotions a couple of times today as she talked about canning, something Jan and I always intended to try together, but suddenly ran out of time. Canning, and the fact that we never did try it, became a strong symbol to me of important memories that never were. Of what could have been, should have been, and how Time, the great equalizer, sneaks in to remind you of its silent, ominous click. I do not want to let Time cheat me out of a single moment to experience life with love in my heart. When people spend too much of their energy running on that great hamster wheel we call work, when they cruelly gossip or snipe about others, hold grudges, become enthralled in the minutia of meaningless things, it makes me sad. I can’t help but wonder if they take nearly the pleasure in those things as I do a simple day, having a beer with my Hubby, lounging with my soft, purring kitties, tea with Mum, times spent with loved ones. I do not live to work; I work to live. I believe meaningful work is good and necessary for us all, but when done to death, there’s nothing left of you. Don’t miss a single second of life with love. Love for ourselves, our families, our partners, our pets, this great Earth, is worth more than anything you could ever squeeze from a paycheck. Living is hard enough, but to give more than you get is a sure way to drain your Time bank even quicker.

On that deep note, I will sign off. I wish everyone a wonderful night filled with happy-happy-loving-fun-time! Thanks for reading!
R&J

The Journey to Pennsylvania Begins

Day 1 - June 1, 2013
After an extended goodbye to Vesta and Walter (and to my lovely plants and bubbling sourdough starter), we picked up our rental Mazda, dropped off keys and confirmed all the kitty care with our two furbaby sitters, then fetched Jenny. It was a late start for such a long road trip, but we found ourselves finally on the open road. I had been nervous about this trip, knowing that visiting the identical twin sister of my deceased mother-in-law would trigger some strong emotions, and also because she has been dealing with repeated illness and loss of loved ones since her sister’s passing 6+ years ago. It is difficult when such a good person goes through so much wearisome pain. You just want to help, do something, but sometimes there’s nothing to be done. All we can offer is to come out here to spend time with remaining family. To show support the way families do for each other. Just to be here for her, visit and gab and meet her dog and see her green, mountainous view, see little cousin Ashley again and maybe meet others in the family.

I drove the entire way, from Minneapolis to Illinois, and it was a long way, but I actually felt fine until we struggled through nasty rain in the Chicago area. There was an unbelievable amount of deer roadkill. There must’ve been 20-30 deer carcasses, and lots of poor raccoons, too. I blew a kiss and blessing to each one, and it seemed like every few minutes my hands flew to my lips and I whispered “blessings fly with you”, which has become my mantra in springtime it seems, with so much death along with vibrant beginnings of life. We spent the first part of the trip catching up with Jenny on her life and other family stuff, then hooking up the iPod and listening to some compilation punk stuff to keep us awake. We later switched to an awesome artist, Ulrich Schnauss, that we often listen to while driving, to bring the mood to a calm mellow. The long expanse of Wisconsin was pretty, and it reminded me that we would like to plan a trip to Door County. I collected some brochures and maps at the rest areas to plan for another getaway (hopefully) later this year. We stopped several times to drain my walnut-bladder and to give Jenny the opportunity for a regular smoke break. She has this funky little device that I wish I would have had when I was trying to quit: it’s a little battery-operated vapor nicotine inhaler. It is the funkiest little contraption! You put nicotine oil (some are flavored even) in the tip piece, and then the battery portion screws onto the bottom, and it produces vapor that you inhale and it’s supposed to give you the nicotine hit without all the chemicals that are in commercial tobacco products. It was quite interesting! I was going to try it, but after so many hours in the car, the smell of the orange-flavored oil was started to smell too sweet for me. Plus, I probably don’t need to give my body something that I was once addicted to. I can be very weak at times, and quitting smoking was the hardest damn thing I’ve ever done, and I’ve done some hard damn things.

The rain that began in Chicago was the start of my transformation into Grumpy Hag. I was hanging in there, but the rain just kept coming, and the construction slow downs were nerve racking enough, but add to that insane speeding drivers flying all about, and the minutes seemed to swell into tiny eternities. We hit Gary, Indiana and I hit my wall. Back hurting, bladder filling, stomach demanding, it was time for the Wicked Witch to unleash a few expletives into the darkened, wet Universe. Pulling off at the sight of hotels and the promise of hot food, we scarfed some Wendy’s burgers and fries (fast food has never tasted so good!) and discussed whether to stay here in the infamous Gary, Indiana or continue on a little ways to find suitable lodging. After checking the rates at a nearby hotel (way over our price range), John took over the wheel and took us a few minutes further in the dark and rain and construction mess where we took a wrong turn that ended up to be a happy accident. He pulled into a Super 8 that ended up giving us not only a great deal for two rooms, but the rooms were amazingly cushy as well as functional. Squishy pillows, soft beds….bliss. Long day. DONE.

Day 2 - June 2, 2013
We both slept hard and well, and I woke just a little groggy. John was already up and showered as I croaked a good morning greeting to him. Jenny, thankfully, was also up having a smoke, so we told her we were going to try to get on the road as soon as possible to make use of daylight, energy, time. After showering, I scarfed down a piece of toast and tossed a mint tea bag into my Rubbermaid water jug and filled it with cold water. I’m going without coffee, at least in the mornings, or on days when I don’t want to be peeing every sixteen minutes, so mint tea it will be. John must’ve eaten while I was getting ready, and we were packing up the car at 6:50am. Another very long day of sitting in the cramped car, eating cheesy poufs and peanut butter everything. I did not realize that everything I grabbed to snack on seems to contain peanuts or peanut butter. I am so sick of it, I really just want a big ole taco or some spaghetti. Tomorrow, tomorrow I will have something non-peanut!

There was less roadkill on this leg of the journey, but what lacked in dead animal (which I’m happy for, by the way!), the day made up for in tolls. Oh. My. Gods. The tolls! It used to be that you could just grab some random change and get through toll booths, now, it’s a goddamned major investment! We have probably forked over a good $60 in toll fares so far. We meant to keep track, but honestly, it’s as bad as the roadkill! Just too much to keep track! I still maintain that the Ohio Turnpike is one of the best tollways, however, and not only is the road itself very well maintained and the rest areas are almost upper crust by roadside standards, but the method of toll payment is world’s above Illinois. You pull a ticket on entering, then pay the listed price as you leave. In Chicago, you have no idea what the fare is until you’re 500 yards from the booth, and you have to pull over suddenly from breakneck speeds to a complete halt for each and every toll booth, of which there are many. You get through one, and look! Here comes another! Oh shit, I have to pull over suddenly to the far right, oh now there are three more right hand lanes to get through, and forget that there are six Mack trucks bearing down on our tiny car at 70mph, oh and hang on, which booth takes cash, oops, nope, not that one, better fly even further to the impossible right! How are these roads even this big for 18 lanes of toll traffic? Dear Chicago, your toll system sucks it. Signed, Weary & Poor Travellers Now That You’ve Extracted All of Our Money From Us. We’ll be spending our tourism dollars in Ohio, Suckas!

Actually, I have to say we spent way more on tolls in Ohio, but still, it’s a lot more civilized, and I will gladly pay for civilization and my safety. It’s hard to give a lot of props to Ohio, you know, but I will praise their toll roads. This concludes my toll rant.

The rest of today was…driving! And more driving! It’s funny how absolutely tiring it is to sit in a car all day. I snacked uncontrollably being in the passenger seat today, so I’m feeling gluttonous and puffy. I should have grabbed some Burger King at our 3 o’clock stop because it was our last look at convenience food. Enter Pennsylvania Dutch country…we actually saw a horse and buggy! And women with little bonnets and the guys who wear their beards all, well, Amish style. It made me want to make a beeline for the nearest Amish store so I could grub down some delicious home cooking and home churned butter with steaming hot bread from the fire oven! But with daylight drifting and clouds forming threatening faces, we kept on. And on. The green lush continued to increase, and I became entranced by the trees. We started seeing many live deer bounding around, dozens of turkey vultures soaring the skies, wild turkeys in every field. This place is a wonderland of green, truly. I’ve spied lots of weeds I’m familiar with from back home, but also seeing lots of stuff I’m not sure of, and I pondered what kinds of weeds they have growing here, what medicinal gifts they bear, what are their charming folk names? As Jenny napped in the back seat, I went on to John about all I know about Granny Magic, Pow-Wow, Braucherei and HooDoo. This area is steeped, absolutely decocted, in magical lore and folk practices from the Old Country. For me, that is very neat. For those not into this stuff, maybe kinda boring. But he listens and enjoys my excitement about it ☺ What a Love!





We finally found our little cabin in the woods, which is the cutest cabin you ever did see! We hastily unpacked, called Joan to get directions to her place, and loaded back into the dreaded car for the windiest ride I think I’ve ever taken. But also idyllic and stunningly beautiful. The woods here are true, wild woods. I was afraid even to look into them, and yet, they are so wonderful, you want to know what’s in them, you want to walk through them. It really wasn’t too far to Joan’s place from where we are staying, but I fretted the whole way, insisting that we’d be driving back in pitch darkness, and was convinced we’d die on the way home. Sigh…I hate to admit it, but I think I may be a drama queen. Joan was sitting on her swing waiting for us. Her tiny little Dachshund, Oscar, came running up to the car to greet us. He was such a cute little wiggle-butt! I don’t know his history, but he has one eye that is blind and scars all over his back. I’m sure I’ll find out more, but for the time, I didn’t ask and it doesn’t matter anyway. We’ve all got battle scars.







Seeing Joan, I almost broke down into tears. As an identical twin, she is exactly as my mother-in-law, my dear L’Ma, was. Vibrant, fiery, funny. They speak alike, too, though Joan always had a bit more twang in her accent, living out here and Jan living in Minnesota for so long. But hearing her today, I heard so much Jan through her. John said the same thing later, and I fought tears again. She fed us cake, caught us up on her ailing son, we saw a bounding deer go by, and John saw a hummingbird at the feeder, and we gabbed a bit about random things before we said farewell. We wanted to get back before it got dark. We will be spending the next few days hanging out with the fam. It feels good to set a few roots down here.
Goodnight, all. May love and warmth find you, and keep you. Hugs, R&J

Applachia Here We Come!

Welp! John and I are off on another adventure! Our first destination is the beautiful, rolling, green hills of Pennsylvania, to a tiny town nestled within the Appalachian Mountains to visit Aunt Joan, identical twin to John's Ma. We'll be hanging with her for a few days, leaving Jenny, John's sister, there for the whole trip for some extended R&R with Joan. We take off for a three-day stay in our nation's great capital city, Washington, D. C. to see the rest of the sites we missed the first time around and catch a Twin's game. And perhaps a quickie jaunt through Balll-more (Baltimore) to do the unofficial 'The Wire' tour. If you're unfamiliar with The Wire, add the show to your Netflix queue, pack your kids to bed, or better yet, send them to Grandma & Grandpa's house, and get your Gangsta-swangin', junkie Chinese rock shootin', dirty politickin', whorin', swearin' and smokin' freak on! One of the best shows ever produced, seriously. We (and by "we" I mean "I") may be too frightened to actually do The Wire tour, but we'll see. I mean, I was too afraid to get out of the car at the Christmas Story house for crying out loud...and now I want to wander the same corners as Bodie, Omar and Snoop? Maybe I'll pack a nail gun...

Here's a little taste of some hot pickin' mountain music to get us all in the mood! Onwards to Deliverance Country!

Wild River State Park

Taking the day off of work Monday, October 8th to enjoy the quickly disappearing fall colors, we decided to take a nice, long drive away from the city. First, we made our way to the incredibly charming Aamodt's Apple Farm to stock up on some Honey Crisp's and cider. Originally, we were going to go pick our own apples, but since only Haralson baking apples lain on the ground, the winds were a brisk chill and the morning was quickly getting on, we opted for premium eating apples out of the bin and to move along to our destination.

We made out for Wild River State Park, which is a sublime retreat along the St. Croix River. Since the recreation of summer is done, there wasn't a single boat on the wavy, writhing river, and nary a two-legged creature but for one man walking his beautiful, fluffy white dog who had enjoyed himself by taking a dip in the cold waters and getting his feet all brown with sand from the beach. Friendly and cute, after letting us pat him, he trotted off looking like he had on his own pair of doggie Wellies :) I wish I had gotten a photo!

Dried fluff against an October sky


Fall Colors Waning


Autumn's Beauty


The Mighty St. Croix


Eagle's Nest


Fall Palette


Prairie's Golden Hair


Tree's Dotting the Wisconsin Shore


White, Gold, Brown


A Mighty Oak With Annatto-Red Leaves


Pathways












St. Croix River










Berries & Fungi














Leaves














Blue Jay


The Masked Bandit Robin


Beaver-Chewed Tree


Faerie Doors




Horsetail (I think)


Our walk was leisurely, quiet, tender. As we age, so does our relationship, and things change and morph with us as they ever did. But now it's more solid than the tumultuousness of youthful love, rife with doubt and fear. I'm always pleasantly surprised by how much there is always yet to know and learn about my life partner, my John. He keeps me always laughing (or rather, snorting and making sudden guffaws that startle everyone in the vicinity) with his spontaneous humor. When we take these little roadtrips to walk quietly together, awakening our senses to nature's every mood and season, it fills and replenishes us from within, individually and as a couple.

The Man Who Holds My Heart <3