Keepin' Up with the Joneses Baldwins
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~ 2006 - 2008 ~
It's been a long time since a newsletter hit the presses for Angel Mountain Cabin and/or Mountain View Lodge, so cross your fingers, toes, and eyeballs that I can get back into whatever groove it took to do them before. I do remember a bit of insanity and serious lack of time were involved; in that case, it should be easy.
First, BIG thanks to my brother, Paul, for setting up this site in the first place several years ago. I made a feeble attempt to work on it in 2007 during a wild-hair moment of competency; it was almost fun to fiddle with, but with the frustration level soon raised to Code Orange, it was much easier to just let Paul do it... especially since he always has loads of spare time for tackling the relatives' problems. Although the birth certificate says he's my younger brother, his brain is unquestionably much older and wiser than mine, and for that I'm seriously thankful. I imagine he's seriously thankful himself that he has only one sibling (and one sibling-in-law!) requiring heavy-duty tutoring on anything remotely related to technology. At least that's a step up from doing it all himself. Maybe. At any rate, I am truly fascinated with hot links - which is why there are just a few scattered around on the site - and am learning how to make corrections until numbness of my fingers, brain, and other regions sets in. I also inadvertently discovered that if I simply pretend to be busy during a question I don't understand (like, every other one), the Mac elves take over and do the right thing, seemingly knowing what they're working with here. Thankfully, they don't complain much.
Thanks also go to our daughter, Katie, for taking most of the pictures included on this site (the few she didn't take were provided by Paul). Trying to decide on which were the BEST was a challenge, and since Paul suggested a scrapbook for the 'leftovers,' I just may attempt to get one started. I don't throw anything out, so it would be nice to be an organized packrat for once!
Much has happened since the last newsletter went out, whenever that was, but don't worry - I can't remember most of it. There are some highlights, though, and in an effort to catch you up to snuff, I'll try to hit on most of them.
~ 2006 ~
My folks, JoAnn and Elton Derden (former owners/innkeepers of Mountain View Lodge), sold the lodge to some terrific folks (Jerry and Sue), who did a humdinger of a job with the lodge until Jerry realized, 'Hey! I thought I was supposed to be retired!' The lodge was sold again, and while we haven't met the new owners yet (and, according to them, may never!), we wish them luck.
But I digress....My folks were able to move into their new house - just down the road from us! - on the day of our son Matthew's final football game of the season in mid-November 2005. Randy and I passed their house on our way to the game and knew it would be an memorable day when we spied the tortilla-truck-turned-moving van in their yard. With the move completed, they kicked up their heels (well, okay, they propped up their feet) and collapsed, ready to enjoy retirement for the first time.
It didn't last long. Dad provided a bit of excitement less than 3 months later when he thought he might be having heart 'stuff' going on. His heart turned out to be fine (we knew that already), but there was other 'stuff' going on in the form of masses. Without skipping a beat, the decision was made to take the journey down an alternative medicine path, and for the next few months, what a path it was. Prayers were constant and heartfelt for both Dad and the rest of us, who were blessed not only for having him in our lives (and being in his!), but also for being with him when his earthly time ended on June 29, 2006. The following day, Paul's pilot son, Jonathan, took us up for plane rides all over Ashe County and surely into heaven. It was an absolutely breathtaking experience and divine reminder that in the grand scheme of things... well, that there IS a grand scheme of things, and it's pretty incredible.
In lieu of a funeral, we opted for a 'Papa party' in June of 2007 and spent the year recuperating, regrouping, and reminding ourselves how blessed we were - and are - in many ways.
Our favorite sign of angel intervention (besides the landing-related ELT ON on the plane's dash!) remains, of all things, a tomato - planted for 'Papa' at his urgent request mere days before his death. The tomatoes did great in the garden, but they stubbornly refused to ripen and were picked green in anticipation of the first frost. They were all delicious, but what a mindboggling treat to cut into this very special Papa tomato.
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Other memorable 2006 moments: we got a new roof but lost our frog-finding furball, Nellie
~ 2007 ~
2007 was a big birthday year - Matthew turned 21, Katie turned 18, and 'angel' Jeffrey turned 10... which also meant we celebrated his 10th angel anniversary. It doesn't seem possible, but neither does the number of gray hairs I'm sporting.
We also ended our entertaining stint as a goose family. Tootsie (left) was apparently abducted while sitting on her nest, leaving sweet HonkyTonk (right) in dire need of someone else with feathers. Their former humans came to get him and placed him on a wonderful local farm with lots of feathered buddies and even more pampering.The Papa party was a success and great opportunity to get together with some old friends and long-lost kinfolk! We know the guest of honor was pleased, even though the much-anticipated 'Papa pond' wasn't quite full for the dedication.
Surely more happened in 2007, but until my memory is sparked back into action, you're in luck.
~ 2008 ~
And here we are in 2008. Matthew's now a senior in college and has racked up impressive awards for his feats (feets) on the football field and in the classroom, where he's a business management major set to graduate in December after his final football season. Then Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work he goes! Or so we hope.
Katie is now an RA (resident assistant)... mostly because she has a private room and shares a bathroom with one girl instead of an entire hall. She continues to wow us with her pictures and her quest for independence (translation: her name is on more than a few of my gray hairs). August update: she's once again an RA, this time over freshmen girls. She begins classes as a junior the day before she turns 19....
Randy is learning how to edit football tapes as he learns how to maneuver around a Mac, thanks to Paul and Jaymie and their 'puter donation. It's been interesting for all, but Paul's phone tutoring has certainly eased the pain. Randy's pain, anyway.
Emma's most recent prized possession was a flattened, frozen rabbit she snagged from a few smug crows at the Roadkill Cafe. She didn't dare attempt to sneak it inside, as her last 'gift' - a flattened squirrel she proudly deposited for me outside the bathroom door - was not fully appreciated (being quick learners, we managed to keep her outside during the entire deer head incident). Sami, on the other hand, is content to either leave her prizes in the front yard for others to find or indulge herself and regurgitate her treasures later. Inside, of course.
Mom is working on all kinds of music projects, and the Papa pond is filling up.
I am waddling around, trying to catch up in some areas, keep up in others, and get started in even more and will surely see some glimmer of accomplishment before long. I'd better unfold the treadmill while I'm at it. Turning it on - with me on it - would be an accomplishment.
Recent (or fairly recent) cabin news which past cabineers will appreciate - a human-size water heater - finally! There is now a nifty new storage space in the kitchen. Also a TV with a VCR/DVD player and even more buttons on the remote. Yippee.
This surely provides more than enough of a peek inside our nutshell for a while, but as my brain dust thaws out (optimism abounds), there will be updates. Actually, I'll be looking for any excuse to work on those hot links. Until next time...
~ 2008 - May update ~
Well, our nutshell has become a bit more stuffed with the addition of Kali, a sweet, energetic canine furball who found her way into our family at the time of Nellie's birthday (May 1). She reminds us all of Nellie in many ways, although she has also provided us with plenty of antics new even to this zoo. Kali discovered the pond on her second day here and - as a true R-E-T-R-I-E-V-E-R - has yet to either dry out or tire of playing fetch. She is finally agreeable to call it a day when it's too dark to see the pond, and for that we're grateful. We're also grateful she hasn't felt compelled to retrieve any fish... yet. Emma and - gasp - even Sami have adapted quite well to sharing space with their new sis. The rest of us will be sporting impressive right biceps before long....
A recent cabineer asked if we had black bears 'around here,' and it took us a while to realize he meant around HERE. If we hadn't seen for ourselves the tree that sparked his question, we would have thought he'd just caught a glimpse of our gal Emma.
~ 2008 - July update ~
Surely the most eventful news of the summer around here (maybe anywhere) is that the 'big' house is in the middle of a paint job! The top half is still faded, peeling light blue with gobs of cobwebs and other spooky treasures, but the bottom half is now white with impressively fewer gobs of cobwebs and other spooky treasures. With TRIM around the windows, a real storm door, and spackling stuffed just about everywhere, we are slowly spiffying ourselves up quite nicely. The remaining chapters of this industrious project will no doubt hurl even more excitement our way than what we've faced so far (oh boy), but we'll save the suspense for a later update....
We've also had the opportunity to witness Kali's reaction to several thunderstorms and the scary doormat, and all we can say is, "Hmmmmm...." She has so far tried to climb into the fridge, open a file cabinet drawer, squeeze under a nightstand and other bizarre spots, and shut herself in the only bathroom we possess. Thankfully, our blonde bombshell has only gotten slightly stuck once, and the bathroom door doesn't need too much attention. We bought homeopathic stress spray (good for 'adding courage and presence of mind in the face of terror and extreme fear,' 'helping you cope with irritating problems or people,' and 'helping you act rationally and think clearly with a calm and balanced mind when you fear losing control') and have dumped some 'relaxing herbs' into one of Matthew's abandoned socks for extra ammo. We hope it works on Kali, too.
~ 2008 - August update ~
(Bats, Man! Tales of the Dark Nights)
Well, somehow we are now past the middle of AUGUST. The house is still in the middle of a paint job, but not because we've been lounging around... though we did wish to do that a time or two or three. Nope, the MOST significant summer home improvement project (#671, but who's counting) was the bat removal chapter. We've known for years there were a few cuddly little fellows hanging around in our attic, but our generosity (translation: naiveté) ran out once we decided it was time to boot them out of the nest to paint. The challenge began when we studied how WE could do it ourselves. Seven minutes after the investigation began, we were hunting the pros and willing to fork over our firstborn (okay, not really). We called McNeely Pest Control and found a new BFF in Brian Poindexter, the lucky soul assigned to this area. He placed two nets outside our window so our winged residents could get out but not return. With a full moon coinciding with the opening of The Dark Knight and dim flashlight in hand, Katie and I counted as the bats finally figured out their new escape: 1, 2, 3... 25, 26, 27... 54, 55, 56... 72, 73, 74... WHOA!!! With six more huddled in the net to come out, we stopped counting. We can count higher, but we really didn't want to. Ugh. The saga picked up a bit of excitement around midnight, when our flappy critters learned they couldn't get back in. We had wisely shut all the windows in hopes of keeping them out of the house (which we have somehow managed to do for almost 13 years, with the exception of the one that found its way into Katie's room with Katie in it a few years ago at the same time we had the rescued baby bunnies, Bunny and Clyde, who were in her room because they hadn't learned how to hop out of their holding tank... that was the next night while we were at a sports banquet, and we had no idea where they were when we got home, other than Emma was looking a bit guilty, but we MIRACULOUSLY found them quivering in the closet, which is a TRUE miracle because it was a disaster and still is, even though there are no longer baby bunnies in hiding... to our knowledge. But I digress. And we did rescue the bat from the dust bunnies - not the real bunnies - under Katie's bed after dismantling her room, in case you were wondering, and if you were, then you have a mighty good memory). Anyway, on our first Dark Night, Randy said several bats hit the windows in their quest to get in, a quest that lasted a few hours. I was in a state of sweat-induced unconsciousness and unable to serve as a witness.
Over the next few dark nights, we spied only one leftover bat in the original nets, so Brian/'Batman' came back to seal up the bats' former front door and move the net because there were now bats coming out of the other side of the house. Oh boy. Eventually we saw no more coming out there, either, so it was time to CLEAN OUT THE ATTIC! Thankfully, McNeely was up to the task, or at least pretended to put on their happy faces, and they did it just after Katie and Matthew returned to school. It took three guys, three respirators, four enormous bags of treasure, a kleenex box, and almost eight hours, but we were eventually pronounced bat-free!!! Meanwhile (because there's always a meanwhile around here), Randy decided he must build a balcony in order to reach the highest peak of the house with our tallest ladder for painting. But before he could build the balcony, we needed to get the electrical wires put underground. Wires done, balcony done! Painting not done!
Of course, football and school have now begun.
Ahhhh... summer vacation.
~ 2008 - September update ~
(Ants, Bats, Gnats, Bees, Bulls, Sanity - Which of these does not belong with the others?)
It's finally/already/really/officially fall! It's been feeling like it for the past week or so, but it's starting to look like it, too - some leaves falling, others turning spectacular colors. Fall means football frenzy around here and the appearance of woolly worms and fall festivals and little space heaters that need to be dusted off. And this year, the election. Oh boy. Hopefully, fall means the END of some of our summer fun, like the unusually pesky onslaught of ants, gnats, honey bees (who said they were dwindling in number???), and bulls. Yes, bulls. I was attempting to fire up the mower recently when Emma and Kali began yapping furiously. I turned around, blinking because it looked like a pair of REALLY BIG BULLS was meandering into the yard. A pair of really big bulls WAS meandering into the yard and also toward the very door through which I was trying to escort our dwarfed furballs from a potentially hairy situation. Emma and Kali said NO WAY to abandoning the excitement (what a surprise), so I utilized the door myself to call 9-1-1. Well, okay, I didn't call 9-1-1, but I did call the owner of the cows across the road who were also meandering towards the road, relaying to his wife that he might want to hurry on over. By the time I finished the call, the bulls had apparently decided this wasn't the hot spot they'd thought it was, as they were moseying on down the road. THEN Emma and Kali came inside, thanks to bribery. Since the enormous furballs seemed calm enough in their stroll, I went across the road to refresh the cow-herding skills I haven't needed in a while. The girls paid much better attention than the guys or our own furballs, and we carried on an entertaining conversation as they chewed. And mooed. Constantly.
When they had backed a safe distance away from the road, I returned attention to the guys, who were starting to shove each other a bit. I grabbed the keys to our trusty '88 Camry station wagon/bull herder to activate my bull-herding skills. I reached the duo and immediately remembered I don't have any bull-herding skills. However, after a quick prayer, they actually turned around, facing the direction from where they started. I was quite proud of myself for getting them 'steered' into the right direction when a guy in a truck pulled up beside me and said with authority, "One of those is mine, one is Carl's; they're probably going to get violent, but I'm going to try to separate them. If I can get mine, you can get Carl's." Before I had time to fully digest what he'd just said ("violent" and "you can get Carl's" did register as I saw my life flash before my eyeballs), the scuffling began right in the middle of the road. I checked to make sure I wasn't wearing red, said another quick prayer, and watched in awe as the guy took full advantage of a brief break in the melee and got one of the bulls headed where he wanted him. Towards me. Demonstrating an alertness I hadn't needed in some time (maybe ever), I quickly moved out of his way and into position, honking the remaining delinquent (which I trusted was really Carl's) back down the road to where he belonged. To his credit, he didn't balk much, but he did pout, perhaps at the knowledge that the gals were snickering as Mr. Macho was 'ooga-ooga'-ed back home. Carl did appear to wrap things up.
We're still painting the house, though it's more accurate to report that we're not finished painting the house, as the former implies we've been working on it steadily. HA. Once football hit in earnest, the paint bucket was silenced. The ladder has now been propped on the roof so long, it may be imbedded. We're hoping for a gorgeous day on the last Saturday of the month - when Matthew doesn't have a game - so we can at least slap some paint in the nosebleed sections and pry the ladder off. The neighbors will be pleased.
The Scrapbook section is open for business!
~ 2008 - October update ~
No need to say a thing about fall around here, other than it's hard to believe it's already mid-October! The weather is chilly at night, perfect during the day, and the colors speak for themselves. And football frenzy continues! And we're still waiting for a RAIN-free day off to get back to painting. To his credit, Randy did temporarily remove the ladder from the roof (the knee pads, old broom, and screws are still there as a reminder that we're still not finished), and the house looks quite nice in the dark now.
The crisp air has brought about some interesting behavior quirks around here. Emma, whose idea of activity is getting up to eat (unless there are cows to be chased from the fence), was possessed one afternoon by a strong desire to bend over and pick up a stick, which she tried desperately to flaunt in Kali's face. Kali, whose passion - besides eating, fetching, eating, being rubbed, eating, running, eating, and snitching pond chow - is her beloved, ever-present soft orange ball, realized when she saw Emma's stick that she had left her prized ball (ever-present soft orange ball #7) somewhere. With the leaves being plentiful and colorful (i.e., ORANGE) and her vision about as good as mine, it took a while for her to sniff it out. But she did. And then she lost it. And then she lost #8, too. And, yes, we are suckers.
As to whether this bonding moment might have sparked a spat-free friendship...
Ha.
~ 2008 - November update ~
Jeepers - my brain has just registered that November is over half gone and that Thanksgiving is in a week! So much for losing the lard from last year's turkey feast... or the one before. And so on. I will have to make sure my stretch pants are ready to go. Oh, wait - I have them on.
November has been full, starting with a celebration of Jeffrey's 11th angel day on the 4th. There had been an election on the night he earned his official wings, too, but it was news to me until our niece Bethany (and sis-in-law Jaymie) came to see Jeffrey because of her Election Day School Day Holiday (it was also Bethany's birthday). This time, I almost overdosed on campaign and election madness, so surely it balanced out somehow.
We also faced Matthew's very last football game. Ever. The team went out in style with a huge victory and as part of a 4-way tie for first place in the conference, defying those pessimists who said the team would be in the conference cellar this year. Miraculously, Randy and I refrained from sobbing uncontrollably that our days as dedicated
stagestadium parents have ended after 17 years of watching our firstborn run, slide, catch, pass, throw, dribble, bat, block, tackle, score, and whatever else one does with a ball in the vicinity. We feel confident Matthew was amazed and relieved at our impressive demonstration of maturity. After his December graduation from COLLEGE (how can we be old enough for that???), he plans to return as a graduate assistant, though, so we can go back to cheering like maniacs next fall.Meanwhile, Katie's humored us by taking lots of pictures of Matthew's games on top of taking lots of pictures for her photography assignments. Someday she'd like to try sleeping.
That should hit the highlights of the month so far, so happy Thanksgiving to all! Burp.
PS - Speaking of holidays, it's almost time for Choose & Cut (11-28-08 - 12-708)! We've finally figured out the winter rates, so plan a special trip to Angel Mountain Cabin for a magical adventure and a chance to experience snow in a true wonderland!
PS #2 - I'm still fascinated with hot links.
PS #3 - If you haven't checked out the Announcements page lately, please do and scroll down to Serious Stuff... because it concerns serious stuff. Thanks.
~ 2008 - December update ~
Holy cow - it's mid-December already! How'd that happen? I seem to ask myself that every month now.
All's fine here, if not sane, but what else is new. Katie survived a grueling semester and has been recuperating by fixing meals around here. YES, Katie! Like her chef/baker/cook daddy, she knows how to make it taste and LOOK good, and like her daddy... well, I earn my place at the trough by cleaning.
Matthew is about officially finished with his final semester, tho he'll celebrate by heading to Roanoke for a couple of days with cousin Jonathan, provided Jonathan remembers to come home after a quick trip to Paris (FRANCE). Matthew will stick around until the D3 championship football game, then head home with a boatload of dirty clothes.
On the furball front, the critters are mostly fine. Sami tends to hold a significant grudge - against ME - when the weather is less than perfect for outside activities, but at least I stay suspicious enough to expect it. Emma gave us enough of a rattle when she fell OFF the stairs one night that I spent the night downstairs with her. On the floor. By morning, I was stiff as a board, but Big E was fine and had moved to her sheepskin. Kali continues to bury all her good ball$, so between the mole tunnels, vole piles, and ball diggin', it will be a miracle if no limbs are hurt in the making of this film....
My stacks are hollering loudly for attention, so cheers for now!
~ 2008 - December update, Part 2 ~
(Texas 3, Taxes 1 0)
I'm writing this on the 30th, which marks the 13th anniversary of our transformation to mountainbillies. Thankfully, the day was gorgeous and calm, and there were no flying squirrels gnawing their way into the dining room. Randy even fired up the little mower, and I dug up the second of Kali's missing orange balls (only 7 in the land of 'WHERE'S YOUR BALL' now). The yard is a royal mess - mole tunnels, vole mounds, two kinds of truck tire tracks, along with evidence of Kali's digging... and ours. But it's mowed!
Randy, Matthew, and Katie made a whirlwind (understatement!) trip to Texas to visit Randy's mom. They stayed a full 4 days: Randy worked on the house, Katie cooked and washed dishes, and Matthew tutored his Texas grandma at the computer for most of the time. Well, they ate, too, and quite well, according to reports, from Katie's cooking to a couple of runs to Braum's for ice cream.
I promised to make substantial headway on the taxes while I was home alone, but I managed to find too many other things to occupy my time. Darn. Perhaps the 5 degrees on the second night of their absence had a tiny bit to do with it, as I spent a good part of the next 2+ days trying to thaw out the kitchen drain. I was on the verge of having to - gasp - clean the tub so I could wash dishes in it, but the drain thawed out at some point during night #3. Whew, yippee, and thank You! I also began working on a new site for The Jeffrey Journey, which was a whole lot more fun than working on taxes (sorry, Uncle Sam).
The travelers had a good trip but were eager to see their own driveway, even at 4:30am after driving straight home. The hairballs and I were eager to see them, too!
We hope everyone has enjoyed being with family and friends and/or taking a break of sorts during the holidays as another year winds down. Cheers to all for a new year full of blessings... and a visit or two to Angel Mountain Cabin!
~ 2009 ~
See the new 2009 newsletter page!
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