Let's count this as our very first weekend back in Asheville, as I was hurting too much after the plane ride to do much of anything on our actual first weekend. David's been working long days getting ready for his school year to begin, so I nudged him out the door and into the river on Saturday, and Olive and I drove out towards the Hickory Nut Gorge. We stopped at Flying Cloud Farm, one of my favorite roadside attractions around here. Whitney and I used to go together when we were sick and needed to get out of the house and cheer ourselves up. Which, as you might imagine, was often.
What a nice day it was. Like something out of a children's book, hot and blue. My doctor has tripled my gabapentin and put me back on oxcarbazepine and for the first time in a while I could move around without too much pain, and whatever discomfort I did feel in my bones was softened by the sunlight and by holding Olive in my arms. We picked a jarful of bright Zinnias.
Later on that evening we lay a blanket down on the grass at New Belgium Brewery with our friend Andrew and just enjoyed being amongst all the people. I drank a sour cherry beer which was tart and ruby red, and then on the way home we stopped at the Hop and ordered ice cream sundaes. Dave and I were so proud of ourselves for eating dinner at home instead of from a food truck at the brewery that we needed to treat ourselves in every manner possible.
As part of my DNRS program I'm making a list of the tiny tiny specks of experiences that happen throughout the day that I find pleasing and satisfying. So far that list includes:
-zipping up Olive's pajamas with the one long zipper that goes all the way from the bottom of her toe to her neckline.
-listening to the Judge John Hodgman podcast as I wipe glasses after they've been washed
- pulling out of the driveway after I finally have us all packed up and buckled in, even if we're only headed to the grocery store half a mile away, which is usually where we're headed.
- arranging her books by color even though she'll just come throw them off the shelves so it's a complete waste of time and a total procrastination but nonetheless, I like it.
That's all I can think of for now.
One of Dave's coworkers, Frazier, boards horses on his beautiful property out in the countryside. I had this idea that Olive would like to pat the nose of the horse so I instructed Frazier to invite us over for dinner, which he did. So on Sunday we drove East and found ourselves standing in the paddock with the world's meanest horse.
I'll be honest with you, I don't trust horses, I never have. And I never will. Olive wanted nothing to do with the horse but Hometeam did, she slipped under the fence and tried to herd the beast. The beast reared up on its hind legs and I thought I was about to watch Hometeam pop like a grape. We scampered back over the fence and later on a friend of mine saw my picture and told me it wasn't a horse at all, it was a pony, and all ponies are mean.
Regardless, dinner was delicious.
Then Sunday rolled over and Monday was upon us, and David left for the whole week. So it's just Olive and Hometeam and I rolling around, making a mess of things. I never could have anticipated how much I truly enjoy her company. I mean when she goes down for a nap I actually miss her, I'm such a damn sap. I mean how could I not? Her stern little face. The air of serious concentration she adopts when she chews on a cracker. She is the funniest, shiniest, smoothest little pearl. That's why I write up these blog posts, even ones like this where there's nothing really to say, but in writing I get to relive our days, essentially doubling the time I get to spend with her.
