Brrrrrr....from the Mountain

Today I decided to make my daily pilgrimage to the new house....craziness!!! 

 its cold and snowed in.  i actually had to turn around and come back.  the snow was so deep and icey underneath.  its one thing to drive on snow, but different when its ice under it.  this is a picture of the road about 1/2 mile before the house

 as soon as i got around the curve it was a complete wall of white snow blowing and about a foot of snow on the road.  i made it as far up as the house and decided it was time to retreat! i got to experience a very cool thing, a snow tornado.  i wish i would have thought to take pics of it, but quite honestly i was almost peeing my pants, i was so scared.  it cut across our land which is a huge open field.  at first i didn't realize what it was, until the huge truck in front of us slammed on his brakes, because it was sporadically jumping around in the field and making a path in the snow. at that point i was shaking and decided that we should just sit still and pray until it was gone.  i have no idea what kind of damage a snow tornado can do when your car is sitting on a road that is covered in snow and ice....needless to say it dissipated and i went on my way only to stop not to much further along.  the tornado should have been a warning. but i never listen.  when i came around the curve and was hit with a wall of white snow, it literally was like walking into a waterfall except there was no 'other side' i could not see jacks*i*! i made it to the front of my house sat there for a few minutes contemplating what to do, snapped a few pictures and then saw the cars that were ahead of me had turned around and were now heading back towards me. the house is about a mile or less away from where the road that is relatively straight starts to slither and wind up and around the infamous Doggett Mountain which is known for its treacherous switchback curves on steep inclines....at that point i figured they had closed the road as i had seen on a local blog that many roads along this region and stretching into Tennessee had been closed because of 0 visibility and impassable snow.  Time to head back to Asheville before i cant get out of here! Hah! not so fast! not before getting stuck trying to make a 3 point turn in the middle of an icey road with about a foot of snow on it! What was i thinking! why didnt i pull up into a driveway and just reverse and pull forward, some of you may not think this is a driving maneuver that would matter, but i can promise you on a road with ice and a foot of snow in near white out conditions, yeah, it matters.  it took me about 5 minutes maybe longer to make the turn.  i literally had to inch by inch turn the car around.  it was more like a 100 point turn! if you go too far back it wont stop sliding backwards if you pull too far forward, it wont stop sliding forward, so you have to literally cradle yourself in snow grooves lol. and of course all of this seems like a far more daunting and dangerous task when its 0 visibility.  when its not snowing, you just laugh about it like teenagers and somebody gets out and pushes the car until you are not stuck.  its fun then, especially if there is no traffic waiting on you.....

Winter

Winter is here...Peaceful solitude. I love the winter. the beauty of first snowfall, seeing the mountains naked without leaves on the trees that normally hide secret treasures along the floors of these old hills. Spectacular balds are revealed, mountain spring creeks, waterfalls and coves. secret swimming holes iced over. mysterious caves that you may have driven by a thousand times and never saw. Massive old grove trees that are well hidden in the spring and summer. I like to imagine when i find these trees that once upon a time our ancestors gathered around them to commune with nature when this land was still a wild frontier. I imagine the wonder they must have experienced walking the land. I wonder if it was the same excitement i feel. I connect more and more on a daily basis. My heart is at peace in these sacred mountains.

I have a growing anticipation for spring already. Im moving into a mountainous rural area about 20 miles west of Asheville. This was a decision made after long contemplation. A series of events that placed me exactly where i want to be. For once i followed the signs and went with the flow instead of treading lightly i jumped, head first. Surrendered to worry and doubt and allowed my inner child to be impulsive. I didnt weigh my options or make a list of doubts and compare them to the advantages. i jumped. Im looking forward to the solitude. Exploring deeper. Im looking forward to the bond that connects us as one to the land, the air and a community with strong roots. I am moving onto a farm that the family that owns a vast majority of the area has been there since before this area was developed or named or even had roads. The Matriarch of this family was born on the very land she will die on, and has resided here for 85 years. 85 years! and before that her mother and grandmother were born on this same land. A true family homestead that i have been blessed to share with them. I am grateful for this. What an honor.

I anticipate the arrival of the warmer weather to explore this new terrain. to become wild with the wild. I look forward to becoming one with the mossy oaks and cascading spring creeks. exploring real abandoned homesteads, not the ones that are on the beaten path that the state has purchased and turned into tourist traps. The ones high upon a mountain bald that have no roads that you can comfortably drive up onto. The homesteads that have been forgotten that require the journey of a long hike to be rewarded with a jewel of the past. A part of real history. the history that hasnt been buffed and shined by the media. Raw life. Real life. Love, pain, struggle, survival. I am excited to be deeper into the mountains cradle. Living in the Great Smokey Mountains. Sacred land. Land where the Elk and mountain lion once roamed and according to some still do. some of the elders still talk of the "painters" or in other words panthers, mountain lions. i have been told by many that these supposed cats, are still here indeed. a secret kept by locals that have lived in these parts for generations in order to preserve them to their native land without being completely diminished by hunters. I always wondered why on earth they have a law that protects these animals and makes it illegal for them to be hunted when they supposedly dont exist...why would you protect something that doesnt exist? that would be like putting up a protection act for elephants in NYC?? Of course they exist. in this vast land of areas still unexplored it is impossible to believe that every single one of these animals were hunted out. these animals are smarter than we are. they were here and thrived before we came here. Understandably i can appreciate why the false rumors were circulated. first and foremost for tourists. it would either drive away tourists or irresponsibly put them in harms way, when you have some not so wise city person trying to lure a mountain lion for pictures and then become lunch....we see it happen every year with the bears. there will undoubtedly be a case somewhere on the Blue Ridge Parkway where some tourist will lure a bear with food, get injured and then the animal has to be euthanized because of laws. maybe we should reverse the law, in order to protect the bears??? i mean really people, lets be smart. you dont feed wild animals, ever. period. especially one that can kill you easily. this reminds me of a quote by Aldo Leopold "We abuse the land because we regard it as a community belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect" These animals are a part of this land and should be respected.

New friendships, new connections, new land and rekindled connection to sacred soil are all being prepared by the Spring soil of my life. This is all being nourished by the winter slumber of my new reality. growing like the seeds hidden deep in the dirt anticipating the return of the sun.

I leave this post with lyrics of a song i relate to especially in this time
Witches Rune
Darksome Night and Shining Moon
Balance of the dark and light,
hearken ye our Witch's Rune,
as we perform our sacred rite!

With earth and water, air and fire,
by blade and bowl and circle round,
we come to you with our desire:
let all that is hidden now be found!

With censor, candle, book and sword,
and ringing of the altar bell,
we tie a knot within our cord
to bind our magic in a spell.

Mother of the summer fields,
goddess of the silver moon,
join with us as power builds!
dance with us our witch's rune!

Father of the Summer dew
Hunter of the winter snows
With open arms we welcome you!
Dance with us as power grows!

By all the light of moon and sun,
by all the might of land and sea,
chant the rune and it is done.
As we will, so mote it be!