Momma Is In Da' House

That's Mom, aka Gerri, and her adorable pup Will, and their new front door.

Say it with me: Home Sweet Home! Momma is home sweet home!

After several months of great stress, tension and uncertainty, my mother almost seemed happy and relaxed tonight as she stacked toilet paper in her new linen closet in her new house in Hixson, Tennessee.

Of course, after driving our dirt/mud road for a week, who wouldn't be happy? But let's see how she feels after sleeping tonight on a blow-up mattress. And tomorrow, the moving PODS arrive. So Mason and me? Not so happy... and likely really sore.

Meanwhile, Back on the Boat

Mason negotiates lines as Sea Dragon goes through locks cutting across South Florida.

Just when our supposed-to-be gentle Southern winter decided to give us a final "%$*&#! You" -- bringing temps in the teens, snow and an ice storm -- Mason left me alone in the freezing woods to go play on a megayacht in Florida. Seriously, people, how lucky is this guy?

So the story is that our new Chattanooga friends, who sailed the South Pacific like we did and recently bought a 52-foot powerboat in Florida, needed help getting the boat to Georgia. They didn't expect to need help, but the wife racked her back in a seriously bad way doing something as silly as shifting a case of water bottles in a shopping cart.

So, Mason to the rescue!

He was gone for 11 days, not that I was counting. And talk about timing, he was gone JUST as my mother was flying into town for her second round of house-hunting. (No, really, Mom, it truly was JUST a coincidence!)

In that time, he enjoyed 70-degree sunshine, got tan and ate filet mignon and seafood galore. Me? I ate McDonalds in between 12-hour days of house-hunting (including commute time).

Alas, Mason had a fun time checking out what it means to travel the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), and came home with tales of adventure -- and perhaps a renewed appreciation for our boring little mountain life.

As for me, a final contract was signed today on Mom's new house. It's a bit nerve-racking, because she put a bid on it based on my recommendation; she had left town with a bid on a different house that fell through.

And now, it seems spring is finally breaking through. Today, we took down two massive trees  -- the first of our Winter 2015-16 firewood. We're behind schedule in getting that firewood restocked, so it felt great to get that project started.

And in the final sign of spring: I'm back at work at the garden nursery, just three days a week.

Sooo, what's new with you?

This winter apparently wasn't as cold as the last one; we had all this firewood left over!
(That's Mason lumberjacking in the far right corner.)

Hello, spring!