LISTENING TO MY HEART
Two events in one day, as much as I can handle. At noon I was invited to Chrissy, or maybe it is Chris now, forty years later, Ohler’s house in Cheshire Village in Black Mountain. Chrissy grew up at Warren Wilson College where her Dad, Fred, was campus minister and taught religion, then she went to veterinary school and became a veterinarian in Mill Valley close to San Francisco. Now she is retired and home again. Also at the dinner was Bev, her mother and an old friend, and Toby Ives and Sally Broughton who live in Black Mountain. They talked about Black Mountain and how they got there and I listened.
Then I drove an hour and a half to Madison County to Randall Lanier’s 85th birthday party. Randall almost went with me to San Miguel last month but then it was inconvenient for the person, Claire, whom he wanted to visit so he didn’t go. He lives in a cabin in the woods with his two sons building cabins near his. His son Randall couldn’t come but his son Laird was at the party. Laird designs ocean going ships remotely with a large computer in the woods of Western North Carolina.
Except for the discussions of various ailments people close to them, my age and much younger, were having, it was a fun evening. But now I am super sensitive to rapid heart beats or strokes. I breathe shallowly and listen carefully for tell tale signs, which could be anything, so anything scares me. Then I drove an hour and a half back to Swannanoa, dead tired.
BILLYBABA’S WANDERING 