I'm Baaaaaccckkk!!

Didja miss me?? It was good to see my family again, and visit Didi and her family. The weather was cool, the flowers were beautiful and the pollen was high. Not as high as here in Atl, but my car is yellow again.

New Castle
I googled 'New Castle, Virginia' and they have an entry in Wikipedia! It's a lovely little town, near West Virginia, in the Jefferson National Forest. Gorgeous scenery, the mountains are breathtaking. (IMHO, southwestern Va and east Tennessee is the most beautiful country you'll ever see.) It is located about 30 miles west of Roanoke, Va past Catawba. (Know where it is now??) I've been visiting New Castle a few times over the last 25 or so years and each time I go, it gets more beautiful. When you're young and in college, New Castle is too small, not enough going on. As I got older, the quaintness became more apparent, but it was still too small. Now, in my 'Golden Years', it's a great place and I'm jealous of everyone who lives there! Such a feeling of belonging, everyone knows everyone else, who lives in what house, everyone knows your parents, grand parents, sons and daughters. They know all your business (good or bad) but if you need help, they will be there. Didi's father passed on, so my sister and I went to the funeral. Everyone there had known Bob for years, one minister had known him since they were kids. Generations were there, and knew Bob well.

The church fed the family and friends after the funeral and lots of folks helped out. We had fried chicken, spaghetti, squash casserole, green bean casserole, scalloped potatoes, many different salads, all home cooked. What a feast! All made with TLC and served with a smile. OK, there are some issues with the folks, they're only human, but all seemed peaceful. Then I came home to my kitties, where I don't know most of my neighbors, talk to a lot of friends by email and can go for days with no human contact. Gosh, makes you wonder who's got it best, huh?

Confederate 'Heritage'
New Castle is located deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and they are proud of their Southern Heritage. You could see Dixie Flags on lots of houses, as well as US flags. This heritage is not like the Dixie Flags you see on houses and trucks here in the Atlanta area, they use these flags mostly as a racist statement here in the Big City. These folks weren't making a point, they were Rebels, and proud of it. There are no plantations in the hills, but I'm sure some more well-to-do families had some house slaves (just like up North... get over it) but they fought the Civil War because there homes were being threatened, not because of slavery. They are proud of their heritage, the music, the food, the ideals. Nothing racist, but just pride. You can't fault them for that.

Kitty Update
Not sure how they made it without me! They missed me. Katrina was all cuddles yesterday, Remy was just beside herself that I was home. April was thrilled, but that meant she had to take her medicine, and she wasn't too happy. I did have a friend coming by to give April her pills, but mommy giving her meds is what April missed. I think they're all napping on the front porch (and if they're not, I'm putting them out there.) I missed them, too.

More to come...
As things happen, I'll be posting. Thanks for taking the time to read. You're opinions are welcome but if you have to start calling me names, don't bother, I won't read them. As my Dad says 'Opinions are like a**holes, everyone has one.'