Population 22
My Uncle Ivet, my mama's brother, was my hero, or my second daddy, depending on which day you asked me about him. He was a teddy bear, towering over me and his Norwegian wife, Sophia, and his hugs enveloped me so that I couldn't breath. I loved them and as I climbed up the steps from the basement to his living room, I would barely get in the door until he had his arms wrapped around me. The Logan family never said the "I love you" phrase or held much affinity toward public displays of affection, so I craved this moment.
He was what you would call today, a picker. He had every do-dad imaginable. Those 'do-dads' weren't just small either. They were bird houses, cars, even mountains. He told me of one auction where he purchased land in North Georgia, a mountain, an entire mountain. Crazy, I thought. Then he told me of his dream to build an underground house on the side of his mountain. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer - heaven in his eyes. Then, he told me he had never seen it, but he was certain it was a good deal. He died still believing in that deal and wishing for his underground house.
Lost without him, his wife sold most of the mountain, but gave me a lot as a gift. He would want you to have it, she told me. He knew the mountain girl that lived within me, and she would be always be at home here. This would be my resting place. Whenever time came.
Time has come. It's time to change the possum hollow sign to population 22. Not sure the time frame, but everyone has to start somewhere. Today, we start with a dream, a goal, and the dream of Ivet pushing me and this mountain girl to make my mountain retreat a reality.
Original Post | December 3, 2013
Writer’s Note | It’s May, 2023, almost 10 years following this photo. The Possum Hollow sign fell from its hanger, and no longer welcomes visitors to Penland Road. The population has not increased by much, if any, and our home build is underway. Ivet’s Vista is almost complete, and we’re hoping that, by the end of summer, we’ll be having coffee on the deck.
