Hillbilly Heaven

Hey there you all!

My southern accent is getting to be more on the hillbilly side, kinda twangy if you know what I mean. Meanwhile, I'm in Hillbilly Heaven. Thank goodness for Internet because I still have no phone or TV, and phone only when I go across the mountain into Marion.

I've been busy playing with my neighbor and CG host, Jay. Maybe I should clarify that, playing cards, Skip-Bo to be exact. If we don't play then I'm on the computer playing Spite and Malice or Rummy or walking Magic and Snoopy.

Saturday a bunch of us went to pick huckleberries and boy are they good with breakfast cereal. They are in the same family as blueberries only smaller. Another fun thing is going to Flat Ridge (don't get too excited now) where the ladies in the community cook dinner and serve it buffet style. There was a huge crowd when I went, must have been close to 30 people for dinner. Afterward the locals picked up their banjos, mandolins, fiddles and guitars and played bluegrass music but only after the chaplain from Grayson Highlands St Pk stood up and sang 3 or 4 gospel songs, without music, good thing he had a good voice. The very best part was when a fellow in his 80's got up and danced with his tap shoes on, I think they called it soft shoeing, that's the very best. It's a good thing I'm so shy or I would jump up and display my graceful ballet skills, it would really go well with the fiddles, don't you think?

The weather has been wonderful but a little damp. Nights are always cool, lightning bugs are still lighting up at night, Goldfinches are flitting around in the mornings, mice and now a rat have been sharing the RV with us, there are gorgeous butterflies, Robins and Whipporwills calling to each other, curvy mountain roads with babbling brooks and little waterfalls are everywhere, beautiful new wild flowers of every color are popping up every few weeks, webs in the wild cherry trees are crawling with caterpillars (which I could do without since it causes droppings to land in your hair), leaves are beginning to change color already, millepedes are in the shower stall (which means I'll really need a shower before I go back in), distant mountain views covered in haze, apple trees covered in apples that are waiting to be picked are growing wild all around the countryside, the smell of freshly cut grass is always around along with smoky campfires choking me, katydids and crickets sing all night long and wonderful, interesting new friends, that's what I've found up here.

My friend Nell and I were invited to Betty's for a delicious dinner on Wednesday evening. The next day Nell and I roamed to Meadowview for a delicious organic lunch then on to Saltville to get our hair cut.

I've finally been given a key to the trail camp where I can do my laundry and get this post written.