Musings, Thoughts, Observings, two weeks new

Two weeks yesterday, I arrived at my new house in Black Mountain, North Carolina. The overall feeling is one hundred percent happy. Everything about my time here has been beyond expectations -- much akin to a, “pinch me, I’m dreaming” moment -- but every day, all day. I’m even finding it hard to explain the exact emotions surrounding how I feel, because every environment I’ve called HOME before now has carried with it highs and lows that needed to be weighed against each other, while Black Mountain is simply a constant. There is nothing to be compared, no shortcomings to be accepted, no justifications to be made. The only swing in feeling comes when the intensity of realization hits me and Alli and we look at each other with wide eyes and toothy smiles and say, “We live here!!!”

For those of you still clicking on ELEVEN, I thought I’d share some things about Black Mountain I’ve noticed the last couple weeks…

·         Every morning’s work commute opens onto views of the beautiful mountains that surround our house on all sides. One view in particular is awe-inspiring, and it’s less than a half mile from the front door of the house.
·         Black Mountain is a much larger tourist destination than I remember from my previous visits, and every day the streets are filled with people. It’s easy to see why as there are so many interesting shops and stores and restaurants to visit. To list a few things that have individual shops dedicated to them: yarn, hammered dulcimers, books, kitchenware, clothes, furniture, art, sculpture, herbs, running, pottery, cupcakes, chocolate, beer, woodcarving, tin, coffee roasting, and so much more. Every day I find a store or shop that adds a person to my list of people I want to visit this town.
·         Almost all the restaurants here buy and cook with local food; a few even have their own gardens behind the restaurant.
·         The organic produce sections of grocery stores here are usually larger than everything else. It’s refreshing to live around so many people who understand why it’s better (and cheaper in the long run) to eat organic (and most of the time, local organic.)
·         Every weekend from the time we got here through the beginning of fall, there is some kind of art/music/craft festival. This is not a town you could ever claim there’s nothing to do.
·         The people are friendly. That’s all I can say about that. Everyone is friendly.
·         Pisgah Brewing Company, an excellent craft brewer that rivals my beloved Great Lakes Brewing, is just over a mile from the house. I may need a second job just to pay for beer.
·         The daily temperatures never vary more than ten to twenty degrees from the dead of night to the hottest part of the day. It’s kind of a shock coming from the daily roller coaster of Ohio’s mercury.
·         The mountains give off a sweet smell every morning. I can’t explain it, it’s just pleasantly sweet.

Those are just a few things that come to mind right now. This is an amazing place and I am very happy.