Slip Sliding Away

I’ve not written much because I guess I’ve let stress take a strangle hold. Often that happens when you’re flying pretty high—the top branches kinda stall out the engine when they get tangled in the propeller. It’s a conscious effort to remember that whatever happens is for some unknown and unforeseen reason, and that I’m in exactly the place I’m supposed to be.

That place is here—

and if it isn’t a mountaintop, someone needs to rework the driveway. Here is owned by a terrific woman, Lisa Gagnon, I met through couchsuring.org. She opened her house for as long as I need it, and has even hooked me up with a job, and introduced me to tons of townsfolk who are just lovely. Susie Homemaker she is not—but then neither am I—are you? Some of us are or are not to varying degrees. It is this variance that not only distinguishes us from each other, but determines our level of homemaking endurance. With three dogs and a teenager with several friends, Lisa has made me realize I’m at the other end of the endurance pendulum. But hey, I’m living here for free (or semi) so I can’t complain.


The semi portion of the living expenses is primarily food or the cooking area of said food. Suffice it to say, I’ve found it necessary to eat out mostly, which cuts into the house savings, which feeds into that stress strangle hold. I find myself taking frequent deep breaths of mountain air and staring wistfully into the blue tinge of the mist so that I can imagine my dreams’ image etched into the slate. “You know the nearer your destination, the more you’re slip sliding away.”

I went to look at a mountain cabin listed on Craigs List. Can you see the difference? There is not one slat or log in this home that is treated. OK, I know I’m looking for the ‘natural’ or ‘organic’ lifestyle, but I believe there are natural and organic treatments that will hinder termites, ants, spiders, mice, ticks, and all other living, flying, crawling creatures from nesting deep into the wood of your home. I may be wrong and if I am, I need again to readjust my sites—but I don’t think so.

The logs on the outside were the logs on the inside and they were all deep, rich, warm, and very, very dark. The bathroom was huge and opened onto the back deck. The kitchen was as large as the bathroom—take that however you like. When you opened the front door you were at the bottom of the stairs going up—immediately. The windows in the bedrooms were half windows at the top of the room, allowing in very little of whatever light there was beneath the forest canopy. I WANT my house beneath a forest canopy to alleviate heating and cooling costs, but windows are mandatory. Am I asking too much?

Put aside the house, the living, the eating and look out for the important things in life, right. So, Friday night was the American Cancer Associations’ Relay for Life at the downtown park. I went as part of the Fannin Democrats. Yeah, Democrats in Georgia. And let me tell you, some people took wide berths around our booth, some rolled their eyes, and some shook their heads. Yeah? Democrats in Georgia?

The theme for the evening was Carnivale, so the Fannin Democrats did a cake wheel. My hostess, Lisa, baked five; total we had 11 cakes we sold at $1 chances. I learned this morning that $200 was made for the AMA from just the cakes. I wouldn’t know. I left.

It was a 24 hr event with food, games, and music, and I lasted 2 hours. The temperature had been 95 with 70% humidity all day (and I’d been out and about selling ads for the newspaper), and when evening came, it was still 93. Not only couldn’t I walk around the park to support the cancer survivors, I couldn’t walk around carrying a cake announcing the wheel either. I was exhausted. Additionally, the spiders spinning down from the trees and the little gnats whizzing all over me was just more than I could do. Once again, yes nature, and yes, deal with the bugs. For one, no hairspray or perfume; plant natural bug repellants, like marigolds or lavender. Particularly if this is the city park. Help make your citizens comfortable in using the public facilities. Again, am I asking too much?

I look back on my past posts and then re-read this and there is absolutely a different tone. I am not disillusioned. I think all can be adjusted to and dealt with and it would ALL be so much better if I had a home. The tone will swing back around soon, I can feel its return, but for now, deal with it. Oh, and by the way, I AM taking care package donations of whatever you’d like to send.

Donna Kiser
c/o Fannin Sentinel
29 State St.
Blue Ridge, GA 30513

p.s. This is where I am currently writing this. Can it get any better? Uhhh, you tell me.

p.s.s. This is my hostess--just LOOK at that smile.