Georgia | Peaches Prattlings

{February 14, 2025} February 14th…a bittersweet day

I say bittersweet because there is much sweet and a little bitter.

Let me start with the obvious, February 14th is Valentine’s Day, also called Saint Valentine’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It began as a tribute to a martyr, but it has transformed into a cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of love and romance in many parts of the world. No shade to anyone who celebrates and enjoys the sentiment, I, myself am a sucker for romance. When I can shower my loved ones with love, what could be wrong?!

There was the St Valentine’s Day Massacre in 1929, when Chicago’s Northside Gang lost seven of their members, on the plus side, sort of?, it inspired the Paper Lace’s 1974 song The Night Chicago Died. On the happier side, Valentine’s Day has inspired countless stories, movies, tv show episodes, books, songs, and a feeling of joy.

For me…aside from showing my loved ones how I feel, there are three things that stick in my mind. One, I was a part of from the beginning, one I wasn’t there for, but I can wish them well, and one, I’m getting to the point I can smile. I’m going to share, happy, sad, then happy, that will be a good way to end this post.

My friend JCT and her husband celebrate their wedding anniversary today, isn’t that wonderful?! A day about love and they get to wish each other love and happiness on a whole different level. I’ve known JCT and JT, yeah, I just realized that myself!, for 16 years! WOW! I met JCT when I started working for a company that hired me as a trainer, my first official software trainer gig, and it just went from there!

I met her and two other people I am still good friends with today. We traveled together to different locations training for a soft drink company, she and I hit it off like gangbusters. I still remember her calling me that Thanksgiving about 12am, could have been later, telling me that she was going to Walmart to buy a laptop for Black Friday. I thought she was nuts, but why not, I’ll come and keep you company!

I ended up hanging with her while her husband was at some other store getting some other Black Friday deal. After we took our winnings with us, I introduced her to Waffle House! And a tradition was born! NO! That was my one and only Black Friday middle of the night waiting for a deal experience, thank you very much! No, it was let’s go to Waffle House! Once I left Georgia, I didn’t always have access to Waffle House, so…when I would visit Atlanta, someone, didn’t matter who, and they would take turns, someone…was taking me to Waffle House! Y U M!

I met JCT, then met her husband, JT, then their daughter, STY, she was about 8 or 9 at the time, wow! and JCT’s mom, who has become another mom to me. And now, they are my extended family and I love them for it. When I visit Atlanta, they are on my list of people to see and crash with, they welcomed me in and the door is always open. And mom keeps trying to fatten me up with some amazing, wonderful, and tasty Chinese treats, again…Y U M! Happy Anniversary JCT and JT, here’s to many, many, many, many more wonderful years together.

Next, I don’t know if you remember me telling you about the passing of a dear friend of mine, AGM, on Valentine’s Day. Kind of fitting, he was so very loved and when we all came together for the funeral, it was a definite celebration of his life and how much he loved and was loved. I still think about him and as time passes, it gets a little easier to smile when thinking about him.

Well, when you think about his life and when we were younger, it’s easy to smile, at the things he did and said and how he made you feel. And that’s what I’m doing, as we speak, I’m sitting here, writing about him and I’m smiling at the memories from high school, running and jumping up into his arms, he was so much taller than me, but who wasn’t?! Sometimes he’d catch me and twirl me around, other times, we’d fall to the ground…always said he fell for me every time.

AGM, I miss you, and I love you, thank you for being in my life and a part of it, and letting me be a small part of yours.

The last, I said would be happy… is Gotcha Day for SDL and Miss A! That is the day the adoption was official and they were officially a family. And me, of course! I became Auntie George the second I found out about Miss A! SDL and I had been talking about adoption for so long and it took a long time getting there, but she got there. I’ll never forget the day SDL sent a picture to her mom and I saying ‘how would you like to see your potential granddaughter/niece?’ oh boy…did our hearts melt!

I knew SDL’s parents from a few of their visits, but as soon as the adoption process got underway, a new family was born, yes, they adopted me too! It was me, mom-mom, pop-pop, and auntie D who went to the airport to pick up SDL and Miss A and oh wow, did we all melt into the floor when they got off the plane! And they have been stuck with me ever since!

SDL, Miss A, and I have had some grand adventures! Whenever I visit Atlanta, I am at their house, sometimes for a week, sometimes it’s my home base, then we’ve gone on some great trips! They visited me when I was on the road, traveling for work, New Orleans, we visited Elvis together, NYC, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, last year we went to London, there are more adventures in our future, and you know I’ll tell you all about them! I could go on and on, but I have to end this post at some point!

Today is a very special day, there are people in my life that bring me such happiness and joy just by existing. My husband, my family, who are related by blood and marriage, my kids, grandkids, my friends who are my chosen family, I am going to get cheesy…I want to send love into the universe, I know I tell them every time I see them, talk to them, text, I never want to let a moment go by that I don’t tell them how much they mean to me, today and every day.

I started to say some very cheesy things and while that’s me, I just want to say, I love you all, thank you for being you and allowing me to be me, yeah, that’s cheesy enough. Happy Heart Day to all!

{February 9, 2025} Let’s head north! Stop in NC, and drive 10 hours, what did you do today?!

Got up, waited for SDL and Miss A to get up, took a shower, packed, hugs and kisses all around, and headed out. My goal was to leave between 8 and 9am and I split that down the middle! I was out the door at 830a exactly! Highly unusual for me, btw!

I got on the road and headed to meet MM at Nellie’s Southern Kitchen in Belmont, NC, a little over 3.5 hours from SDL’s house, no problem. I stopped for gas, got something at Starbucks along the way, oh, and dropped the top on the beetle bug, it was 77 degrees out after all! Yes, I said 77, don’t get too jealous, I told you it was that fabulous all week, but…I was heading back to the frozen tundra, so…

We found each other at Nellie’s, sat down and started catching up. The beautiful thing about our relationship, like many of my friendships, it doesn’t matter how much time there’s been between visits, we pick up where we left off.

Nellie’s was nice, when I went to the restroom, I was looking at all the decorations, and there is a hallway that had a lot of Jonas Brothers memorabilia, photos, press releases, newspaper and magazine covers, gold records, albums, and I looked it up, the restaurant was started by Kevin Jonas Sr, his wife Denise, and their four sons. The restaurant is named for the Jonas Brothers great-grandmother Nellie Jonas, go figure!

It has a nice atmosphere and feel, it was crowded, you definitely need a reservation, there was live music and a general warm feeling. It helped that it was a very warm day in Belmont, NC, so people were not only in Nellie’s but crowding the small town’s streets.

After lunch, we walked around town, there was even a winter market in the park. I have to chuckle because a winter market implies winter temperatures, we were with everyone else in shorts and tee shirts walking around enjoying the 77 degree winter weather!

After a bit, it was time to get back on the road, I had another 8 hours of driving, best get to it! MM and I hugged our goodbyes, I got in the car, plugged in my phone, dropped the top and away we went, and by we, me and Black Betty, the beetle bug!

Something PSM and I do when we drive, we go until we’re at about half a tank, pull off the road, fill up, take care of business, maybe get a drink, and generally get the wiggles out, then back on the road, it makes the trip easier and you get to move around a bit.

It was great, it was about 77 degrees out most of the drive, I had the top down, sometimes listening to a podcast, sometimes blasting my music and dancing down the highway, what could be better! Don’t get too jealous, as soon as I got close to West Virginia, the temperature dropped, and quickly. It went from 77 to 65, then 60 in a flash, I got to West Virginia, pulled in for gas, and all of a sudden, it was 55! So…top back up and back on the road.

I drove through 7 states total, Georgia > South Carolina > North Carolina > Virginia > West Virginia > Maryland > Pennsylvania. By the time I got home…it was somewhere between 25 and 30 degrees, see…told you not to get jealous! One of the things I love about using Google Maps is when you cross a state line you get the pop up “Welcome to…” and whatever icon would represent that state. My phone did something funky just as I was crossing the border into Pennsylvania, hence, no Welcome to… oh well…

I pulled into the driveway about 1030p, it was clear, thanks to PSM who spent FOUR hours on Sunday breaking through the ice and snow, THANK YOU! I made it into the barn, unloaded my bags, headed into the house and got attacked by puppy love, not a bad way to be!

I can drive for a long time as long as it’s daylight, I’m ok at night, but if it’s been a super long drive, that last hour can be tough. Sometimes I pull into rest areas and service stations a little more often, but I make it to my destination.

Overall, not a bad day, I know it took closer to 11 hours total driving, but it wasn’t bad. Come on, what could be bad with a convertible and manual transmission?! Come with me next time, we’ll drop the top, blast the tunes and say wheeeeee!

{February 11, 2024} It was a long long long day! Goodbye, hello, goodbye, hello.

It was a good day, but a long one! Mostly a long drive.

I got up, said goodbye to JCT, JT, mom, and Oscar, the pug. Oh, I haven’t told you about Oscar yet, have I?! I didn’t tell you about the other four legged fur babies I got to hang out with this week, I didn’t! Tomorrow it is!

Well, back to today! I got up, said my goodbyes, and was on my way, I had a long drive back to PA today! I let PSM and dad know I was on the road, and I let MM know as well, I was going to have a stop in North Carolina to see him on my way in about four hours! Score! Podcast on, butt warmer on, let’s go!

If I were to drive straight, from JCT’s house, it’s 10 hours 58 minutes. Was I going to go straight home? Nope, the drive time is the same, but the time I’m on the road, not so much! I left about 840a, I would have been home before 9p, that would be loverly. I’ve done 12 hour drives, no problem, especially if it’s light out. I drove from St Louis to Denver a few times, about 12 hours, leave at 8a, especially gaining 2 hours, get there about 7p, it was great. This was not that!

I started my drive with a stop at Starbucks, drove to meet MM at a place called the Famous Toastery, not far from MM in South Carolina. We had a great visit and a good meal. I met him about 12p, told you, just about 4 hours, I left him close to 2p, a little later than I wanted, but we were having such a good time!

Goodbye hugs, we could have talked all day, I love that about my friends! Stopped for gas before I got on the highway and I was off! I listened to a podcast, then another, and another, let’s just say I pod-casted until I got home! I stop about every half tank, that gets me a good ways, I get to get out of the car, stretch my legs, fill up, bio-break, maybe get a snack, it helps the time go. Sometimes, a stop at a rest stop, same except for the gas, of course!

Oh! One of the things that I love, when I’m driving and using Google Maps, each time I cross a state line, it pops up a Welcome To! I’ll grab a few pics for you next time! I crossed from GA to South Carolina to North Carolina to Virginia to West Virginia to Maryland to Pennsylvnia. I could be going out of order, I have no sense of direction, ask anyone! But I know I was in those states! HA HA

It was raining on and off all day, so no top down, boo. I talked to a few people, but mostly it was me, podcasts, the road, and Annie, my beetle bug. My one stop for food was at a Taco Bell, I love running for the border! The thing I love about Taco Bell is that I can eat there! The rice and beans are vegan! Wah to the hoo! I ordered a black bean crunch wrap, but I ordered it fresco, which means no meat. Not sure what happened between me placing the order, I saw it on the screen, and actually making it. I got a little way down the road and two bites in when I realized this was a beef crunch wrap, no bueno! I can tell you, I haven’t had beef in over 25 years, no matter what I’ve tried throughout the years, this was not one of them and I did not have a good reaction! I turned around and went back, they made me a new crunch wrap, but it took a long time for my body to get over that one, it wasn’t fun.

On the road again, got to get back on the road again. By now, it was definitely full dark, but I’m still doing alright, it was about 730pm. I was back on the highway and moving along, doing great until about 930p and the day was starting to catch up with me. I pulled into a Love’s Travel Stop, it’s a gas station, truck stop, travel stop, they have showers for truck drivers, well, anyone who wants to pay for one, food, beverages, car supplies, and there’s usually some fast food restaurant attached. The restrooms are clean, it’s bright, and I even signed up for a Love’s card finally, I’ll at least get a discount on gas from now on and points to boot!

I had about an hour to go! Back on the road, and I can do it! PSM called about 1015p and I was just getting off the road, almost home! Wahoo! I pulled into the barn about 1030p, unloaded my laptop bag and my duffle and headed into the house to be greeted by the pitter patter of a Ruby and a Bee! I dropped my stuff, immediate bio-break, I felt bad for the dogs, they were trying to get in there with me! Came out, got covered in kisses and nuzzles, then came up for air, said hello to PSM, grabbed the dogs and took them upstairs for a cuddle.

PSM came up about 30 minutes later, not sure if I was awake or not! Put the pups in the crate for the night, I managed to get in my jammies and I don’t know if I’m sleep writing to you now!

A great trip, but I’m beat! Good n…..zzzzzzz

{April 8, 2021} I just realized…it felt a little like date night. Now I’m smiling.

PSM was a bit under the weather today, he’s fine, just one of those days. I told you about the storms we’ve been having, Mother Nature doing something to his sinuses, go figure. That being said, he’s been resting and after I took the pups for their evening walk, we were trying to decide what to do for dinner.

Then the conversation begins, you know…”What do you want to do?” “I don’t know, what do you want to do?” “Oh, anything.” “Really?” “Sure”. Lies! lol “How about xyz?” “No, not in the mood for that.” “How about zyx?” “Nope, not in the mood for that.” I know, I know, you’v never experienced that, we’re the only ones! ha ha

“Comfort food!” perfect, what does that mean? To me, comfort food, especially after being sick, was always from Steak n’ Shake: Grilled Cheese, Cheese Fries, and a Cherry Coke no ice in their fabulous plastic to-go cup [MUST be a soda fountain drink!]. Everything on that list is a killer for me, but oh so comforting when it’s going in! sigh… Growing up, my mom would make us noodles with creme cheese. And not just any noodles, maybe it’s my own recollection, but it was the wide kosher egg noodles, with the creme cheese melted and smooth, I even make it for myself every so often, in fact I did a few weeks ago, vegan creme cheese! I don’t have a death wish! And with a touch of salt, wow! Enough about that!

For PSM, comfort food is breakfast. We have eggs and cheese, but nothing else for a good breakfast, which involves eggs, toast, and pancakes, some other stuff would be bonus. And who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? That was a favorite of ours growing up and it felt like that was a Wednesday meal quite often. Those were some of the fun times when my dad would cook, he can cook a mean breakfast!

We tried to order from a restaurant to deliver, all good, then…message from Grub Hub, the order was cancelled, what? Ok, let’s go out. We jumped in the truck and discussed where to go and ended up at…Waffle House! Or, as we would sometimes affectionately call it in Georgia, the awful waffle! I have never turned down Waffle House and the fact that they are all over St Louis, happy am I!

We picked the Waffle House that was next to the hotel we stayed at when we were house hunting back in 2019, so I have an affection for that one. Aside from the three people working there, just us…was that a sign? The food was good, as always, but the service was a wee bit…let’s just say, I don’t think the waiter had worked there very long.

Decaf coffee for PSM seemed to be a challenge and oh brother, I ordered hot tea. Yes, hot tea. Hot water, tea bag, some sugar. His first question…do you want ice for the tea? Huh? In my hot tea? Next question…do you want sweet or unsweet, as he is in front of the two iced tea dispensers…HOT TEA! We laughed about it, but, c’mon! Then, PSM told me they had to call someone to figure out how to make hot tea. Huh?

Let’s order…One All-Star Breakfast, hold the waffle, that means, for those of you not in the know, hold off making the waffle until we’re ready, that way it comes hot and fresh and doesn’t get soggy. It also means, don’t make it the second you drop our food off, give us a few to get there! Eggs, toast, grits for me, bacon on his plate, thank you!

One thing I can tell you, aside from the service on occasion, the food at Waffle House almost never disappoints. I don’t think I’ve ever had a bad meal there and that’s saying something. I used to go to Waffle House almost every weekend I lived in Georgia. It’s a staple and they’re on every block! The eggs were cooked perfectly, the grits were yummy and I didn’t put sugar in until I was about three quarters done with it, that is saying something. I will say, hash browns are always hit or miss, but what can I say, I like them done and crispy! Food, check!

We talked, caught up on our day, laughed, joked, and had a really good time, despite that fact that PSM was under the weather. As I sit here telling you about it, it was like an impromptu mid-week date night and I’m really glad we decided to go out, it felt nice. I like having a permanent date for everything, but this was a date with my fella, I had a good time. I might be blushing.

I hope he calls me for another date.

{April 6, 2021} Spring…PLEASE STOP…

kickin’ my arse!

First…there were the itchy eyes, I told you about that a few weeks ago, fear not…itchy eyes have not left me, they are both itchy, wet and dry, how about them apples!, but now…flowers are in bloom…looks beautiful…but…now add runny nose and sneezing! Seriously? Spring, Mother Nature, haven’t you done enough? Ha ha, couldn’t you have just made the flowers bloom…without the side effects?

I take my Flonase, every day, all year long, to be exact. That seems to help when it’s not Spring! I don’t remember if Summer is the same, I can’t think right now! And the worst part, all the sneezing wipes me out! I am exhausted! There are some days I have to take a nap in the middle of the day, I can’t see straight! Now, don’t get me wrong, I do love a good nap, just not when I have to work!

Before you ask, I have taken or tried many allergy medications, but…they all make me drowsy! Even the ones that are not supposed to. Being immune to medication is not a super power! ha ha. The other day, just to function, I took a Dayquil, just to stop my poor nose from running. It’s getting sore from the overuse of very soft tissues! I think I went through a box in two days! really?!

Honestly friends, I love Spring. I really do, even though I am speaking out right now, begging for relief. Now, when I was a kid, I didn’t have seasonal allergies, I didn’t know how lucky I was! When I moved to Georgia I was told…if you don’t have allergies when you move there, you will! And I was so lucky for year, but sure enough, in my 15th year or so…achoo! What?! And they haven’t left. When I moved to Colorado…not sure what magic there was, no allergies!

Ok, I’m done. This too shall pass, right? Yup, Fall is just around the corner! I can feel it!

{March 22, 2021} It’s really nice having nice neighbors

We moved into our neighborhood in November 2019, that was just long enough to meet our next door neighbors, and one couple down the street, and that was really it, and then…Covid shut everything down. Since we’ve lived here, we started meeting a few more people, or at least waving to them, then…April of last year, we adopted Bee and Ruby, and it’s amazing how many more people you meet when you have dogs.

I remember one of my first apartments when I lived in Atlanta, I moved in with someone who had a dog, Casey, a too smart for her own good Australian Shepard. My roommate started dating someone shortly after I moved in, so it was just me and the dog. We would go out every day for doggie happy hour, everyone would bring their dogs out to the big field out back, near the vollyball court, or what we sometimes referred to as the cat box…Everyone would let their dogs off leash and we would watch them have a great time. The funny thing is…we didn’t really know each other’s names, we knew the dogs names, and isn’t that what really matters? ha ha

Well, that’s what’s happening here, we’ve met so many more of our neighbors because they are out walking with their dogs and they know our dogs. I know I remember almost everyone’s name because I remember their dog’s name. And the same thing for them to me. Funny thing happened the other day…I was in the grocery store and I saw a neighbor without her dog and had to do a squinted look to think about who she was for a moment, kind of like when you’re a kid and see your teacher out of school!

It really is a nice feeling, seeing someone, saying hello, catching up, in your own neighborhood. I had that in my last house in Georgia, I didn’t have a dog, but I lived there for about 11 years, it was bound to happen. We had that a little in Hawai’i, people knew Molly, the four legged one, they liked saying hello to her. But here, I realized it this morning as we were walking the girls, and then tonight as I was getting the mail and one of my neighbors said hello and my name, but I didn’t see her in the dark!

Won’t you be my neighbor?

{March 8, 2021} It’s Spring alright…Achoooo

I know, it’s not actually the first day of Spring, that would be March 20th of this year, which is only a few weeks away, but…my allergies have kicked in and they are already kickin’ my arse!

I have been scratching my eyes like crazy today, my nose won’t stop running, if you see it, please catch it! When my eyes get like this, I can’t focus, it makes me incredibly sleepy and groggy. I actually had to close my eyes for 30 minutes earlier today! Oh brother!

I didn’t have allergies growing up, just smoke. Then…I moved to Georgia…someone told me that if you don’t have allergies, after you move to Georgia, you will! It didn’t happen to me for at least 10+ years, then all of a sudden, I’m allergic to everything and every spring…I had a mantra…I hate Spring. I know, hate is a strong word, I have said it a million times, but oh brother, I mean it! I even use Flonase every day, when it gets like this, it doesn’t matter! I used to user bioAllers Outdoor Allergy, it was dissolvable and I took it every four hours. It was crazy, it literally was like clockwork, if I went over four hours, I was sneezing. Eventually, it didn’t work very well, so I stopped. I’ve taken Zyrtec, that tends to make me sleepy, so does Claritin, even though they are both supposed to be non-drowsy.

When I moved to Colorado, wow! No allergic reactions to anything, except smoke, wow! It was crazy…I’d visit the Northeast and as soon as the plane doors would open…sniffle, achoo. Oh well, when I moved to Boston, hello, then Hawai’i, no different, now Missouri, it is what it is. Usually it only lasts this bad a few weeks, then it tapers off to manageable annoyance, then…in no time, it will be Autumn! Ha ha!

I remember last year, when the mask mandates came down, it was Spring and I was walking through the grocery store sneezing, and I would say loud enough for the people around me to hear “I loathe Spring!” That was all I could think to do to let folks know it was allergies and not anything else! Geesh…

I’m glad you can’t see me right now, my eyes are red and puffy, itchy and I can’t stop sniffling! I was so happy the snow melted…until now!

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