WHO ARE WE AS AMERICANS?

At the end of the day, the debate wasn't just about the men on the stage. It was about us. It was about our politics, or lack thereof. We aren’t listening to each other. We are polarized. We believe that if I’m right, then you must be wrong. We lack empathy. We are more selfish than we used to be. The roots of this division have existed beneath our feet for some time, but they have grown rapidly in the past four years. And now our democracy and the integrity of our election are on the line in a way they never have been before. Is that what we want? Is that who we want to be?

This quote from Maria Shriver, one of my favorite journalists, is from today's Sunday Paper which comes to my Inbox every Sunday. 

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On a more pleasant subject.

Fall has come to our mountains and I plan to get outside today to enjoy the cool sunny weather.

Recently as I drove home from a nearby town I found beauty in a misty overcast day.

The above was taken from the lookout at Brasstown Valley Resort in Georgia looking at North Carolina mountains were I live. Just before this was taken, I tried to capture a flock of wild turkeys on the side of the road, but photo did not come out.

Soon my house will be engulfed with fall color. Trees surround me and most are hardwoods that produce reds, yellows and gold colors in autumn. So much depends on what kind of summer we had, how much rain we have had or how dry it is now. Leaf peepers swarm to the mountains this time of year, and sometimes they leave disappointed because the trees didn't cooperate.

Barry and I used to schedule our vacations in the fall when we could spend a week somewhere in the southeast Appalachians - North Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia or Kentucky. My memories of those fabulous times accompanied by Gay and Stu bring me to tears at times, but also make me smile with joy. I had no idea that I would one day live in this beautiful country. But Barry and my brother, Hal, made it happen in 1995. 

This is one of my favorite views of Lake Chatuge which lies partly in Georgia and partly in North Carolina. It is a large lake that also attracts tourists to this area. Real estate companies are very busy  with people buying vacation homes and many moving here to live full time.

Locals worry that the tourists, from large cities, will bring in COVID-19, although the businesses that are open need the income brought in by the strangers. A local hotel was rented for a couple of months by a media group making a film or TV show. That was helpful to the N. Georgia town at the south end of Lake Chatuge.

As my husband used to say as he sat on our deck enjoying the view of Brasstown Bald and Lake Chatuge, "Why do you want to go anywhere? We have it all right here."

Yes, Barry. I can't complain about staying home. We do have it all right here.

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