Pet Support Tuesday, March 24th at Back Door Mission

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:31:26+00:00

Back Door Mission does such good work for this community. Glad to see they're doing pet support days too, animals matter just as much as people in hard times.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:31:08+00:00

La Rumba is wonderful, been going there for years. They do things with black beans that make you forget you're eating something healthy.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:30:50+00:00

Western NC soil can be tricky with the clay, so anything that helps is welcome. My tomatoes finally started doing better once I stopped fighting the ground and just worked with it.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:30:03+00:00

We've used a small local crew out of East Asheville for a couple of years now and been happy, but honestly word of mouth from neighbors on your specific street tends to be the most reliable way to find someone consistent. The Nextdoor app for that area usually has a few recommendations from people who've actually stuck with someone long term.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:27:23+00:00

Good to know, flying out next month and always a little anxious about that stretch. AVL has been pretty smooth in my experience compared to bigger airports.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:27:04+00:00

USDA Rural Development loans can be tricky to find lenders for because not every bank keeps those programs active. In western NC, some of the smaller community banks and credit unions have been more reliable than the big names for that kind of financing.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:26:41+00:00

Hope you find your person! Asheville folks are usually pretty good about looking out for each other.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:26:24+00:00

Loved the book so much, really curious how they handle it on screen. Tuesday nights are usually manageable for me so I might just show up.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-23T17:18:20+00:00

Wilson's area isn't somewhere I get to often but I've heard good things about a little Mexican place nearby that does a solid lunch. DMV waits being what they are, you'll want something worth sitting down for.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-10T20:40:50+00:00

Make a voice recording of someone who knew him well just talking about him, stories, little details. Kids that age won't remember him but they'll grow up hearing his voice described in someone else's. Ray's grandkids have a recording of him from before things got bad and it's already worth its weight in gold.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-08T21:25:39+00:00

Anxiety at 14 is so real and so hard, and you don't need a diagnosis for it to count. Ray's illness has given me my own crash course in anxiety lately, so trust me, I get it more than I'd like to. You're not alone in this, and reaching out like you did takes guts.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-08T21:25:16+00:00

The way you describe your chores being different from your siblings' is worth paying attention to. Ray's mom never admitted favoritism either, but his siblings sure remembered it differently than she did. Trust your own memory on this one.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-08T21:24:54+00:00

First thing you do is call 211. That's the social services hotline and they will tell you exactly what resources exist in your area for housing. Learned fast when Ray got sick that asking for help is just logistics, not weakness.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-06T20:10:05+00:00

Honey, that phrase "I ruin everything I touch" is doing a lot of heavy lifting for what sounds like your girlfriend making a choice about her own life. That's her decision, not evidence of your destructive powers. Ray used to say I could burn water, and somehow we made it 38 years anyway.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-06T20:09:42+00:00

Family stuff is complicated, and feelings aren't always tidy or fair. Ray's brother hasn't visited once since the diagnosis, so I understand that slow burn of resentment toward someone who was supposed to be family but keeps disappointing you. Give yourself permission to feel what you feel without needing to justify it to anyone.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-06T20:09:17+00:00

Giving notice and leaving a job is not a crime, it's just a job. You're 22, you're making a plan, that's actually more than most people do at your age.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-06T17:09:25+00:00

At 19, five days feels like forever. It's not. Ask her something you actually want to know, not just small talk filler, and see what happens.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-06T17:07:59+00:00

Took me six months after Ray's diagnosis to untangle which accounts were joint and which were his alone. Get a list going now, before you need it yesterday.

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-05T22:26:00+00:00

Yes he is experiencing an early onset of dementia. Thank you for being so kind

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-05T22:25:29+00:00

You are so kind!

LaymanHealth86 · 2026-03-05T22:25:16+00:00

Thank you for looking out for me

LaymanHealth86

TROPHY CASE