Mountain Mama No More!

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Farewell To Carol's Cascades

It is with mixed emotions that I bid a fond farewell to my beloved home of 20 years, Carol's Cascades. Those of you who have read my profile realize how much I enjoyed my little piece of Paradise in the Great Smoky Mountains.

Winters were difficult at 4800 feet when there was no road maintenance, snow melt turned the road into ice, and there was no guard rail. Last winter I decided that was the last winter I would be staying on the mountain in the winter time.

In addition, my home was isolated in the woods, with many of the neighboring homes being used as vacation rentals. My two nearest neighbors could not see my house from theirs due to the trees. If I fell and was unable to get up, no one would be able to see or hear me. Therefore, I reluctantly, decided that it was time for me to move into the valley.



I spent much of the spring and summer this year sprucing up the house in preparation for selling it. Finally, on June 15th, I signed the papers to list it for sale.

Things progressed much faster than I had anticipated. The professional photos were taken on a Monday, the listing was online by Wednesday, I showed the house for the first and only time on Thursday, and signed a contract on Friday the 13th. It was amazing!

The buyers wanted to close the sale on July 31st, but I did not yet have a definite approval for the apartment I was planning to move into at that time. We countered the offer and requested the closing date to be postponed until August 31st.

I received approval of my application and the keys to my new apartment on August 5th. Since that time, I have been busy, sorting, packing, donating discarded items to thrift stores, and moving boxes and my belongings. That's the reason you haven't seen much of me in the community for the past month or so.

I sold the house furnished, so I have also been choosing, purchasing, and ordering new furnishings. This made the move much easier because most of the furniture was delivered to my new apartment, thus eliminating the need to hire or request very much help from my friends. And what fun!

My sister came up for a weekend, and we had a blast checking out various styles and colors for my new home.

I loaded Leia's dog crate and the last of the cleaning supplies into my Outback and headed down the mountain for the last time on August 30th.

No Home for My Beloved George!


My biggest sorrow was that I was unable to take my wonderful cat, Bigfoot George, with me to our new home. The apartment only allows one pet, and I had to keep Leia because she is so timid and bonded with me. I rescued her from a lady who was no longer able to care for her due to a promotion at work in July of 2017. It would have broken Leia's heart to have to do that to her again.

I was crying when I took George to the vet to update his shots on Thursday, August 30 because I had been unable to locate a home for him. He had an appointment with Feline Urgent Rescue Service to go to their shelter on Friday.

Miraculously, FURS called me and informed me that they had located a wonderful home for George on Thursday night. We were unable to deliver George to his new home until Saturday morning, and the apartment complex would not let me keep him even that short period of time. So he was boarded at the vet Thursday and Friday.

I picked George up from the vet, met the lady from FURS, and we started up the mountain. George's new home is at the top of Hyder Mountain. I couldn't have asked for a better placement. His new mama lives with three dogs and does hospice foster care for elderly pets who need homes.

George is currently her only cat, and she is enamored with him already! She called me on Sunday morning, and I was frightened that she was going to ask me to come and get him, but she just called to tell me how wonderful he is, and how much she is enjoying him.



Adjusting to Apartment Living

So Leia and I are living here amid the boxes and chaos as I strive to unpack and reassemble the remaining bits and pieces of my life that I have kept. It is a huge undertaking! Besides the unpacking and deciding where to put things, it is an enormous adjustment getting used to living in an apartment complex.

I have not lived in an apartment since I graduated from college in 1972. I am used to making my own decisions about what I do and when I do it, with no regard for how much noise I make.

I have moved from an isolated mountain cabin to an apartment complex in town with 100 units, and they have some very strict rules about certain things that are, or are not allowed.

The location is very convenient, and I have friends who live in the same complex. There are many pluses to the move, the most important of which is my safety. I will not be on the mountain this winter.

However, both Leia and I have to get used to being quiet. That is one of the biggest challenges for both of us.

Tinkerbell's Fantasy



One of my hobbies that I will miss very much is my fairy gardening. I have had so much fun discovering silly little trinkets in a variety of places and creating scenarios utilizing them in my fairy garden. I named the garden Tinkerbell's Fantasy because it is not strictly fairies. It was a work in progress as I constantly found new treasures to add to the mix. And, of course, Tinkerbell flies around making certain all is in order in her world.

Each section of the garden had a different theme: Campin' Capers, Life's a Beach, Farmin' Frolics, Rockin' Rabbits, Teddy Bear's Picnic, and Rock Hounds, to name a few. And each time I made a new discovery, another section appeared.

I don't have a picture of it, but my zany sense of humor was evident here and there throughout the garden. Examples of this subtle silliness are the shark in the duck pond, Elmo and MIckey Mouse drag racing, and an irate father holding a shotgun on a couple as they emerge from the little white church in their wedding finery.

The first item that began all this nonsensical joy was a bird house shaped like a tear drop camping trailer. I had an old wheelbarrow that a friend had given me, and it became the base of "Campin' Capers." I had so much fun building the camping scene that I just couldn't stop!



The figurine that inspired me to create the Outer Banks of North Carolina is a very gaudy dolphin lounging in a beach chair beneath a glittery purple palm tree. Ridiculous, you say? Well, I did live on Dolphin Drive, after all!



This was just the beginning of the beach scene. Eventually, there were seven lighthouses along the rock wall surrounding the water, which is not visible in the picture. Unfortunately, I did not get pictures of very many of the completed sections. I had planned to do that this year after I had everything arranged, but of course, that never happened.


"Teddy Bear's Picnic" began in this old coaster wagon, but outgrew its habitat because I kept finding more bears to add to the mix. Eventually the wagon became home to "Rock Hounds" , which consisted of multicolored rocks covering the floor of the wagon and a variety of different dog breeds, the largest being a hound dog, of course! What else?

As you can see, I enjoyed this activity immensely, and it consumed much of my spare time.

Sadly, I did not have the time to put out the figurines this year. I take them inside in the winter, and was too busy with preparations for the sale to get them all arranged. Most of my treasures are still slumbering in their boxes underneath the front porch, awaiting a new loving hand to awaken them from their hibernation.

Dr. Suess once said, "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened". I'm doing my best to follow his advice.

Farewell, Carol's Cascades! I have loved thee well, but now it's time for a new chapter in my life.



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Recent Comments

77

This almost made me cry, because how hard it is to leave pets behind. We live in the woods also with several animals. If something happened to my husband I wouldnt want to live here by myself. That would be very hard to make this decision. I hope you get to feel at home quickly and start to enjoy your new environment, just think about the advantages!
Andrea

Thanks so much, Andrea. I know I'll like it here once I get adjusted to apartment living. I have friends who live here and love it. Thankfully, George has a wonderful new home where he can be outside as much as he wants. Leia is afraid of all the new sights, sounds, and smells, as she is very timid, but we're both adjusting.

I am currently in Gatlinburg and I can see your passion for the Smoky Mountains. Absolutely beautiful. Good luck in your new chapter of your life.

Thanks, Dave. You're in my former backyard in Gatlinburg. It's only about 35 miles as the crow flies from Carol's Cascades, but it takes about 90 minutes to drive through Smoky Mountain National Park.

I'm so sorry Carol that you have had to move! That has to be sad, but totally understandable. I love the Smokey Mountains! My husband and I have found our retirement property, but it is much further south on the Cumberland Plateau. We wanted to be closer to the Smokeys. Such beautiful areas. I hope your adjustment comes easy, and you find all the positives for the move.
Best of luck,
Joanne

Thanks, Joanne. I do like it here. It's just sad leaving my home of 20 years that I loved so much, and having to part with my dear, sweet George. But it helps knowing he has such a wonderful new home where he can be outside. It wouldn't be safe for him here even if I was allowed to have 2 pets. Too much traffic for a hunter like him.

Thank you for sharing this post.We are excited to hear about your next chapter !

Thanks so much.

What is the response time if you have a camera alarm monitoring system there Carol? Something to consider!

I had one on the mountain, but I was so far out, it took about 1/2 hour for the cops to get there. It might have been faster, though, if the monitoring system called.

The place I live in now has cameras in several places, is very well lit at night, and I do not feel the least threatened here. It's just a major adjustment, that's all.

Hi Carol

It was a wonderful place to live and you will always have your memories.

Welcome to your new home for both you and Leia and may you make many wonderful memories there.

Best Wishes
Hazel

Thanks so much, Hazel. That is entirely true. I have wonderful memories, and am excited about this new chapter in my life as it unfolds. Leia and I will adjust without a problem, and George is enjoying his new home. He's already pestering his new mountain mama to go outside hunting, but she won't be letting him out for a couple weeks yet to give him time to acclimate to his new surroundings.

Ah bless - sounds like he has landed on his feet which must be great news for you.

Best Wishes
Hazel

That he has. He'll be just fine, and I will, too, knowing that he has such a wonderful home now.

You have a wonderful attitude to your move Carol. I wish you all the best in your new home and surroundings.

Derek

Thanks, Derek.

What a wonderful attitude you have for greeting the new chapters of your life into your experience!

I am sure you have had your moments and it’s exciting this way and accepting that this change in your life makes sense to you.

Thanks for sharing your wonderful and inspirational journey with us Carol, it takes discipline and motivation!

Oh it’s Wayne here, it seems like ages since we communicated, I hope you remember me! Lol

Very exciting news of yours and as ever an excellent post!

Wayne

Of course I remember you, silly! I was excited when I saw your screen name and profile pic.

Thanks for your best wishes. I appreciate your comments. Nice to see you. Cheryl and I still miss you, ya know.

Hope things are going well for you and you'll be rejoining us when you can. I'm still only here occasionally myself, just to check messages and reply to them because I still have so much to do. Really need to get back to writing content for my website, though!

Have a great day, Wayne, and thanks for your support. It means a lot to me.

Carol

Take all the time you need to adjust to the 'new!' ... and a chance to grieve for the ol' ... of course, change is always a challenge and of course, an opportunity at the same time .. you've made the best choice for yourself for all the reasons that you've articulated ... keep well, happy & healthy! ... all the best to you, cheerio... :)

Thanks, Keisaha.

keep well & blessings for all that is good in your new life ... cheerio... :)

Thanks so much. I am slowly getting things in order after the move, but still have a lot of boxes sitting around that I haven't opened yet.

Hi Carol

Good to see you again
You have been busy!
So gald to see ll turned out well for you

I bet you can start a neW niche about moving...
;-)

Take vare
And rest in time...

Thanks, Fleeky. It's good to be back, if only in small doses at the moment until I'm finished unpacking and settled in. That's a great idea for a niche! Hadn't thought of that. Have a great day. Carol

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