Today my mom, her two sisters, and her cousin came up for a visit. Unfortunately the house and grounds are not ideal at present for visitors who have slight mobility issues. None the less, the Sweat sisters and cousin Jo, in all their southern grace and goodwill, oohed and aahed in as many places as we could visit.
We had a simple lunch on the Acorn deck in ear shot of the trickling mountain stream, surrounded by rhododendrons. There was a time when one would take their life in their hands when stepping out onto the moss covered deck with two rotting support posts. But Keith replaced the posts in an afternoon and pressure washed the wood to discover the deck was in surprisingly good condition. The railing will soon be replaced, but it’s not a high priority.
Shucks minded his manners, but was curious to meet the guests. I don’t think my mother will ever get used to me having an inside pet pig. Then there’s the whole pets look like their owners joke which must be doubly horrifying to my very weight conscious, petite mother.
For lunch I served vegetarian wraps, vichyssoise, fruit and cream puffs with sweet peach tea. The tea I did not make. A southern sacrilege is not drinking and/or knowing how to make sweet tea, but alas, I lost the taste for the syrup water many foreign countries ago. And vichyssoise is French, meaning: I overcooked the potatoes for salad to their soupy death.
The Sweat sisters and cousin Jo lived only a few mountain ranges away in Transylvania County during parts of their lives. Cousin Jo still owns some mountain property so they each have an affinity for the mountains. My mom says I have her mother’s soul. My grandmother, Hetty, passed from cancer when my mom was only 13 years old. I would have loved to have known her.
Yonderways is about celebrating generations. I am looking so forward to sharing this beautiful property with generations young and old.
This is the group of young ladies who visited today.
From right to left is my mom, Kathryn, Aunt Miriam, Cousin Jo, Me, Aunt Marcie
AND….
This is where I found Shucks when I came in from seeing the family off.