A Conversation with Elizabeth
1998
Appalachians in Montgomery

From:          Elizabeth  
To:            LMixson@PEC.com
Sent:          Monday, April 6, 1998 12:19 PM
Subject:       Appalachians in Montgomery

I have been on the go since first thing this morning with one research request after another, but that's my job.  It's just been so slow for a while that when the norm returns it feels strange.

I felt as if I had a productive weekend, but in small ways.  I began tackling some of the mess in my apt. I have several repairs to be done, but until I get the place cleaned up, I'm reluctant to have the maint. man come in. Part of the problem is that when I moved into the apt. I moved out of a much larger place, and I've never quite found a spot for some my things.  Also, after my father died my brother sent me a large number of boxes of my grandmother's and father's things, and I haven't quite been able to assimilate that stuff into what I already have. 
Also, at my last place I had a full sized connected storage room.  It was supposed to be a laundry, but since I didn't have a washer-dryer, I stored stuff in there.
Thinking of the storage room, I associated to "bike" because I stored an old bike I had in there.  Then I remembered that I wanted to ask you whether you ever have "repetitive dreams."  By that I mean dreams that are the same over and over, or if not the same, have the same "theme" or "contents" to them.  Last night I had one which I recall having had before.  In the dream I am biking.  I bike somewhere which is quite a distance.  Then, I want to return.  However, it seems to be getting late in the day.  There are several roads leading out of the town, and I don't know for sure which one is "correct."  I want to save time by asking versus just experimenting to see which one leads the right way. 
However, when I start "asking" I can't get a clear answer, for one reason or another.  Interestingly, as I write about the dream, it seems that there would be "anxiety" attached to it.  However, in the dream, I am not anxious, nor do I experience the dream as disturbing." 
I didn't go to the movie as planned, but I did go to Jasmine Gardens, however I went in the afternoon and did not stay until "moonlight."  I was TOTALLY surprised by the road out there, which is only about 15-20 minutes at most from where I live.  The Gardens and the road are actually part of the Southern most tip of the Appalachians.  I knew they came into Alabama, but I didn't know they came this close to me.  One part of the drive has an area actually called "Blue Ridge."  It was absolutely gorgeous.  One thing I dislike so much about Montgomery is the flat, treeless character of much of the city.  What a refreshing change to be on "Jasmine Hill Drive."  If I ever had "money" and stayed here, I would look for a place there. Ironically though, there were some people in trailers along the way.  I imagine they have been there for years and years.  But a few clicks down there would be a 300,000 home-castle.
The gardens are quite unusual.  I don't know if you remember, but the Olympic Torch came throught Alabama and Jasmine Gardens played a central role.  The reason is that it is actually a garden themed around Greece. 
The couple who built the gardens, which are quite extensive, collected many Greek statues, life-size replicas (the discus thrower, etc,as well as authentic Greek art works, and incorporated them into a vast outdoor garden.  There is also a life size replica of an ancient Greek temple.
The azaleas were probably about a day or two past prime, because they were full blossom with just a little bit of hardly noticable wilt, so I am glad I decided to go when I did.  Next year I will go just a little earlier.  I don't know if I saw the cherries or not.  I couldn't find anyone to ask.  The one thing I didn't like was, unlike an arboretum, nothing was labelled.  I saw lots of interesting plants, but I had not idea what a lot of them were.  Do cherries have clusters of flowers hanging all together?  I saw several trees like that, which I couldn't identify.
How was the festival?  It turned so cold here, I had to put the heater on during part of the weekend, and I wondered if it got cold for your outing. 
I visited that Jung site again, but much of the material had been pulled off because of "copyright."  I'm glad I caught it before it left.  I wondered when I printed out some of the pages because they were verbatim out of the book.
I was sort of slovenly about doing law school studies, but I really needed the break.  Much of my work on my apt. though was knowing that when summer semester comes with three courses, not two as now, my living environment has to be more functional.
One more thing before I go.  Not too long back AL's gov. was removed from office on a severe ethical violation.  He was forced to pay a fine, etc. and put on parole.  He didn't pay and didn't pay and stayed in violation of the court.  Now, after several years, he suddenly paid his fine, and then the Parole Board met and ABSOLUTELY pardoned him. So what does he do?  He files to run in this year's governor's race, which he is doing.  Last week he was a felon.  Alabama, only here.    Elizabeth

End of Day