Lingering Shade

2012-01-09T19:51:00.000-05:00

How fast a year goes by! On this day a year ago in the Atlanta area we had this much snow

The gazebo collapsed

The trees leaning from the weight of the snow

Bee boxes not put away

The honeybees bundled up against the snow

My daughter and I sledding down the hill

And today we are having rain with strong storms moving in perhaps the next day or so. All across the country a good portion of the states do not have or have not had snow, just rain. What a difference a year makes!
It also means I've turned another year older now, yes, I'm a January baby, and with that I can say where did the years go?

So, as I am listening to the patter of rain on the skylight which can make for a good nights sleep, I also think about the stillness, beauty and quiet the snow can bring. Enjoy your day!

A Happy New Year To You

2011-12-31T21:26:00.000-05:00

Is it that time all ready? Where has the time gone? My life for over the past month has zoomed by. So we just got back in a few minutes ago from having a cook out/New Year get together with the neighbors. We took advantage of the weather being warmer! (Next week it will be cold again) Yes, we can no longer stay up til midnight like we used to when all of us would get together, but a few were still hanging out around the outdoor fire. No dancing this year, man we are getting old!
So to all my fellow bloggers I wish you happiness and most important good health for the coming new year!

A Sunday Drive

2011-11-12T07:45:00.000-05:00

One of the things that I consider important when visiting an area is to see the final resting place of where family is buried. Weird, I know, but I love looking at when someone was born, when they passed on, and anything else the family may have written. This cemetery was almost as pretty as where my German grandparents are buried although this one has a gorgeous view. Here in Middleton, CT you will find my hubby's grandparents buried amongst the hillside along with this very, very, old church.

Some very old grave stones here, but the view is fantastic. His aunt said that a lot of people will come here just to walk. I wish we would have had more time as I definitely would have explored it more. So, next stop was Haddam.

Here is the boat that you can take to do tours on the Connecticut river.

The building there is what was the old opera house.

Doing a turn around I spotted this water fall, and had hubby pull over so that I could get a photo of it.

I don't know why I took this one. I believe it is because the building is so old, and I loved the different colored bricks!

I wish we would have had more time since I would have loved to have eaten at the little restaurant across the street.

This just looked so pretty and peaceful.

I would have enjoyed a picnic lunch here!

I loved this little area! A pond, the split rail fence, the gazebo! This definitely made a nice Sunday drive, and I am hoping that we will be able to explore more next year.

Waiting In Line

2011-11-05T08:07:00.000-04:00

A good seafood restaraunt that was damaged by the hurricane. Unfortunately someone forgot to tell the birds!

Blogger problems

2011-11-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

Is anyone else having problems with posting and uploading photos? I have been going between IE and Firefox. I have so many photos to show you, and blogger is acting up again. Thanks for any help.

Connecticut shore

2011-10-31T21:39:00.000-04:00

Arriving at our destination in Connecticut the first thing I like to do is head for the beach!

Found this cute little stepping stone in a neighbor's yard

Hubby grateful to be standing up rather than the 15 hours of sitting!

Looking out over Long Island Sound and the Atlantic beyond

Really a quaint area, different than the Florida and Carolina beaches that I am use to seeing

I wanted so bad to take this huge driftwood home with me. It could have gone on the roof rack!

Lots of holes, seaweed, etc. on the beaches from Hurricane Irene. They were cleaning the beaches up while we were there

A few shells and small driftwood as I always have to get some from every beach

I did find this really cool piece of driftwood though so it made it home with me!

The beach was just down the street, and then you had the marsh down the opposite side of the street with all the big boats.

We had really good weather the few days we were there; some of the hottest days yet I had packed for a little cooler temps! Never thought that a few weeks later that all through that area they would be dealing with a big storm that left a ton of snow! These days you never know!

A Virginia Sunrise

2011-10-29T08:43:00.000-04:00

This month hubby and I took a very long road trip. It totaled over 2,400 miles so it was quite a trip! We have an uncle and aunt who live up in Connecticut that we were going to visit back in late August/September, but Hurricane Irene took care of that vacation. So when we spoke with them again they asked us for a favor; if we came up could we take them back with us, and then on down to Florida. Both of them had health problems this past summer, and our aunt's heart doctor didn't want her to fly. Being "snowbirds" the Connecticut winters are hard for them to handle these days. So of course we said yes....I've been longing for a road trip for ages!

We stayed over night in Virginia with my cousin. The next morning was oh so cold and foggy, but it made for a beautiful sunrise with the fog in the valley.

This West Virginia rest area was among the prettiest that I have seen! I had to show a couple of photos from it. After West Virginia came Maryland, Pennsylvania (where I saw an Amish horse and buggy going on a road over the interstate, but I was driving so no pic), then to New Jersey, New York, and then Connecticut. Going back we avoided that part of New Jersey and New York as it took us longer going that route. Of course you know how men can be when you say why don't we go this way.......after dealing with that traffic hubby was thankful to avoid it!
I'll have more photos together for more posts soon, but blogger was acting weird last night so I gave up!

Farewell to the roses

2011-10-23T16:53:00.000-04:00

The weather is turning cooler here. For the past few nights we have been in the upper 30's which means pull out the blankets, and get ready to say good-bye to the last of the flowers.
Another month has gone by since I've last blogged, but we have been on the road lately.....up to Connecticut and down to Florida. Mission was accomplished, and I will share photos soon, I promise!
Till then, I wish all of you a happy Sunday!

Georgia GuideStones aka American Stone Hedge

2011-09-18T09:35:00.000-04:00

Back in the early part of the year our next door neighbors family came down for a visit on their way to Florida. We love getting together with them as they are like family to us too. Jan and her 88 year old mother
are always on the go, and they both love to garden which is why I probably have so much fun with them. Plus when they are in town they always cook up a spread. Can you imagine being on vacation and cooking for everyone? They do, and man can they cook! So Jan had read about the Georgia Guide Stones aka American Stone Hedge. I had never heard of it before, the other one yes, but not this one.
It is located in Elberton County, Georgia about 90 miles east of Atlanta. They stand almost 20 feet tall, and were made with local granite. (Speaking of local granite, did you know that Georgia granite was used for a lot of the buildings in Washington, D.C.?) On these "tablets" there are eight languages: English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, and Russian.

Here Jan up north as we affectionately call her (she's from Wisconsin) since our next door neighbor is also named Jan; is pointing to the hole in the center tablet.

If you enlarge this you may be able to read it.

There is also a mystery surrounding the way this was built. The story goes that a man went to the local bank with the proposal of building the stonehedge. He had the money for it, but he wanted all of it to be hush, hush as to his funding it. He swore the banker to secrecy. Although a name was given it is suppose to be a false one. Another curious thing is that there is also a time capsule buried next to the Guide Stones. If you would like to learn more here is a link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georgia_Guidestones that could give you that information.
Even though I have lived in this state for a long time it took an out-of-towner's curiosity for me to see it. Sometimes you never know what you have in your own back yard!

What my summer garden produce looked like

2011-09-16T18:17:00.000-04:00

Here it is

Yes, this is pretty much all I received this year. Sad, I know, tearful, I know. We had such a crazy hot, humid, no rain summer this year. We put together a new garden with several different bed areas in it. Lots of fresh dirt, and I pulled any speck of weed that I found, and kept it watered too. So sad. I planted so many different veggies. That squash which is a Galeux d'Eysines, should have weighed 10-15 pounds, and as you can see it was probably a little bigger than a baseball. It was the only one that survived, and I wish I could say it tasted lovely, however, it was bad on the inside. All the varieties of squash that I planted got tons of blooms yet each one got this strange fungus on it, and then the bloom dropped off. Beans grow great here, no beans. It's enough to make a person cry although the weird thing is you could go down the road a ways where someone had a great garden. Go down another mile or so you would find a garden like mine. Squash and beans always do great here, but definitely not this year.
This has been one of those summers. We had planned a vacation up north to visit family in Connecticut, but Hurricane Irene took care of that vacation. Fortunately the flooding did not reach their house only their street. The heat here in Georgia was not the greatest although I should be thankful that it was not like Texas. We are finally getting some cool weather so I believe it is giving me extra energy to do things again.
So, now that I am feeling better with things I'll be getting back to reading every one's blogs, and posting more than I have this whole summer. Plus I'll show you a few things that I have been doing around the house. I have taken my office apart, painted, re-organized, gotten rid of clutter, etc.. I am also starting a fall garden, let's hope it does better than the summer one! Now let me get this one posted, cook some supper, and then get busy blog reading........I have a lot of catching up to do! If you see 20+comments you know I've been by!

A trip to St. Augustine

2011-08-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

When the girlfriends and I took a short trip to Daytona Beach, Florida back in June we also took a little side trip to St. Augustine, Florida. It is about 40+ or so miles north of Daytona, so when we were rained out I suggested a quick trip there since it looked like they were not going to get any rain. Wrong. Well, we made the most of it even though we did not get to see as much as we wanted.
A little background history on St. Augustine, Florida first thanks to the Wikipedia. It was founded in 1565 by a Spanish explorer and Admiral, and it is the oldest continuously occupied European city and port in the continental US.
So, amidst the thunder and lots of lightening, here are the photos, and since I was dodging lightening so to speak I can't really tell you what all of these places are unless there is a sign in the picture. We plan on making a trip back down there sometime as it is a really cool place to visit with all of the old history associated with it.

I believe this is some sort of school

This is the area where you can walk along the shops in the old town section. Lots of interesting things here.

As we were walking through the old town we could hear the old style blue/jazz music and singing. This restaurant/bar had the music piped outside so you could listen to him sing and play. According to the pizza guy next door the restaurant owner happened upon Charlie Brown playing and singing underneath the big Lions Bridge. The rest is history. He gave Charlie Brown a job playing in his bar, and let me tell you, that man can sing! We could have stayed there for most of the evening!

I love this red fountain!

One of my favorite photos

So, if you ever make it to Florida, and would like to see one of our oldest cities, I would highly recommend St. Augustine. Oh, and one of the best places to eat? Saltwater Cowboy! Down a little road on the edge of a marsh.

Natural Botox & What Not To Do In The Summer

2011-08-08T20:07:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I know it has been a while since I have fallen off the face of blog land yet what a summer this has been, and not in a good way either. Oh, it started out quite nicely. We put raised beds in a new garden area. All of the plants I started from seed were happy (or so I say they were) to have fresh, compost, mulch dirt that we worked so hard on. I have a water faucet right next to the garden so it could be watered every day. I never gave a thought to the extreme heat along with the extreme humidity to just totally make me feel like crying over a plant. Sad, but true.
An escape from the heat resulted in my neighbor girlfriend along with another friend heading down to Daytona Beach, Florida for a short girls trip. No kids, grandkids, husbands, just us girls. It- rained- every- day. Two to three hours of sunshine except for the last day then we had 5 hours of sunshine.
I finally got a laptop although I still like my old hard drive that I use in the office. Put a password on it, thought about writing it down, went to the beach, came back, could not remember my password. Had to get help, boy did I feel stupid!
One thing with this heat though, the grass isn't growing very much. We have only cut our grass about four times so far this summer. So one weekend I decided we were going to get everything trimmed, cut, etc. My uncle and cousin are here from Germany (they are leaving tomorrow after over a month of being here), so I wanted everything to look real nice for them. Our son and son-in-law came to help us with all of the work. I was the one with the wheelbarrow, picking up branches, digging, and so on when I pulled the wheelbarrow back after dumping and it dropped on my big toe. Oh the pain! Black and blue it was and still is, but as I was sitting there on the ground everyone went about their work. Never noticed me.
Hubby was busy cutting grass with the riding lawn mower. After everyone had left hubby comes walking up to me fanning himself with his hat. Boy, it sure is hot out here. Yes, it is. It's extremely hot out here he said. Then I take a good look at him. What in the world happened to your t-shirt?! So the story goes....
Being as it was so hot hubby takes off his t-shirt and tucks it into the back of his shorts. Nothing new, guys normally do that. So as he was riding along he starts smelling smoke. He slows down, looks at the lawn mower, no, no smoke. He keeps going, smoke gets stronger, looks around to the back. Blank, Blank, I'm on fire! From his bumpy ride his t-shirt apparently got too close to the engine!

The front looks just as bad. Motto - Never tuck your t-shirt into the back when riding the lawn mower!
Another weekend we were sitting outside enjoying a cool one under the trees just chatting away, and my actually playing with the new laptop. I had mixed a sprite in with my cool one which can be very refreshing. I had gotten up to do something, came back, picked up my glass, and voila! Instant natural botox! I had not one, but two of our bees swimming around in my drink. One made it into my mouth on the side. More slight pain (not as bad as the wheelbarrow). I can't blame the bees as it has been so hot that they have been going after whatever they can find. Plus, I did the dumb thing, never looked before I took a sip, but I do now! Hubby laughed as he watched one side then the other side slowly swell up. I thought I looked like one of those cartoon characters or hey! even a famous movie star!

What's a girl to do? I know, go to the beauty parlor for a haircut! Here we are, my daughter and I after our haircut which we were very fortunate to get as our hairdresser can be pretty booked up. This photo, by the way, was after my natural botox !

Yes sirree, this has been the summer of what not to do.

Mountain Nursery Color

2011-07-15T20:30:00.000-04:00

I am so envious of all of this color! Nothing is doing well around here this year as we went from a cool, slightly rainy spring to a super, duper, high heat, high humidity, full blast summer. This was my favorite nursery to visit up in the mountains of North Carolina. It is a little pricey, however, all the "rich summer people" as we "locals" call them can afford it. There were a few things that were not too bad in price, and I might pop back in there the next time I go to visit my grandmother. Plus they might have some fall items I can also drool over!

I loved walking around there with my grandmother as we both have a love of flowers, and it was a fun thing to do. Plus I actually ran into someone that works there that I had been in school with a long, long time ago (too many years to say!) so it was great catching up, finding out who she married, how many kids they have, etc.. She loves working there which would be a huge problem for me as I'd want to buy a lot of everything! Now, I guess I'd better go do my evening walk about, sigh........gardening is a long process!

Time to sit

2011-07-08T12:37:00.000-04:00

I know I have been missing for a little while. My grandmother has been in the hospital for the past few weeks, but will be going home today or tomorrow. Company came in from Germany last night although they are staying with my parents. Then I had a quick trip to the beach with the girls, and then we finally finished our pond too.

Lots of photos to show, but very little time to sit down! I'll get busy soon, but I hope all is well with you and that you are having a great summer!

Lavender & Hydrangea

2011-06-16T08:40:00.000-04:00

I got another basket full of lavender this year.

The hydrangeas came from next to my daughter's house up the hill from us. That one did a beautiful job of blooming!

I was thinking of moving my lavender plants closer down the hill to us, but it is hard to find a full day of sunshine with all of the trees. Hubby said I should just leave them, and take cuttings. Has anyone taken a cutting of lavender before and grown it successfully? I still have six original plants that are close to 10 years old. This year since we got quite a bit of honey I am thinking of taking a few jars and making lavender honey! I've never tried it before yet it sounds good!

Small nursery in the mountains

2011-06-10T21:30:00.000-04:00

I went up to the mountains of North Carolina this week as my aunt was in from Raleigh, and I always like to visit with her plus it had been awhile since I've seen my Grandmother. Of course one of the things my Grandmother likes to do is garden so off to the nurseries we went!

This was a smaller nursery, they did have a few nice things plus the man did give me a discount for dahlias (5 packs which we split) since I was buying them for my Grandmother. She loves dahlias, was bound and determined to find some that day even if we had to drive further off the mountain or even to Asheville!

This looks like a bird house water fountain. The purple and yellow flowers with the grasses give it such a tropical look.

Ok, love, love, the color of this double begonia! I don't know why since I have not had that color around in a while, but my Grandmother loved it too. (This came from the first nursery we went to which had a lot more flowers so I'll share in another post.) My aunt purchased the begonia basket for her so now it is hanging on the front porch.
My Grandmother said she really felt loved that day, and enjoyed being spoiled! Of course when I spoke to her this morning she told me that she's planted her dahlias.....have I planted mine? She's one spunky 93 year old!

In the back

2011-06-09T10:29:00.000-04:00

Can you tell that I've been busy?

Hubby built this little lean to on the back of my garden house so I can bring all my purchased plants and dirt there instead of on the carport. I like it much better plus the dog keeps me company while on the look out for squirrels!

I want a new pad

2011-06-02T07:35:00.000-04:00

I want a new pad said the frog. The chickens got a new pad.

Yes, they did. We worked on this for 6 weeks if not more!

I have a pathway going to them.

They have a nice strong fence to keep out the chicken hawks, skunks, etc., plus another run in the back.

When they get used to their new "pad" then I'll let them roam the woods a bit. Plus I am making part of this area my new woodland garden. I have started planting hostas, widow's tears aka spider worts are already there along with naturalized ferns.

Whoopee for the chickens! So where is our new pad?

Ok, ok, little frog, here comes your new pad! I started digging it with a shovel this past weekend until hubby looked at me and said you know I could use the tractor on it! I gave him "the look". Good thing he wasn't close to the water!

Even the new little chicks that the neighbor gave us got in the act by cleaning up the worms!

Our dog thought it was the coolest place to be with this over 94/52grad temperature.

So this is the finished hole. It looks deep, but it really isn't especially since it is built on a slope. The water level will be about the same as the back, and if we want it deeper we will have to add dirt to the back to even out the front. Then we have to "cut" a shelf in for the rocks and liner.

All my plants that I planted will need to be moved, but that's ok since I get to buy a few new ones too! Looks like it will be busy around here!

Singing in the Rain

2011-05-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

Singing in the Rain.....no not me, but isn't this the cutest?! I took this at my grandmother's house last year.

I didn't take any photos yesterday, but this is what it looked like......Rain!

Thank goodness we have finally gotten some rain so it can help my plants as there is nothing as good as rain water.

The above photos were taken last year, and these below are from this year. This is a comfrey plant that I got from a sweet blogging friend Leslie at http://comfreycottages.blogspot.com/

And here are a few others that have been blooming lately

I have been busy outside planting like a mad gardening woman! I have so many things that are coming out of the greenhouse which I hope will make it when planted. So many things can hinder the poor seedlings.
Today we may get a little more rain, but other than that it should be a beautiful weekend. Hope all of you have a great Memorial Day weekend, and a beautiful one!

Backyard Roses

2011-05-19T07:48:00.000-04:00

I love these roses in my backyard.

They are both from my grandmother, the pink one via my mom, and the red one is when my grandmother was pruning so she threw them down the hill. I promptly gathered the clippings up, took them home, and they grew. By the way, the red one is still in the pot from our move 7 years ago! I have got to start taking them out of pots, but they are pretty well rooted by now I would assume. This red one blooms to frost, and I don't know the name of it either.

I am not sure of the name of this pink one. If anyone knows please tell me. It might be Belinda's Dream. This rose blooms basically once, and then it is over. The smell......heavenly!

As you can see it is very tall, and almost makes an arbor. After it blooms I cut it back as it always snags hubby's cap. It does grow excellent from cuttings, I have another one up the hill by my daughter. Oh, it also has lovely rose hips too.

I just love these roses!

Strawberry field

2011-05-17T08:07:00.000-04:00

You don't want to see my strawberry "field" since as of right now it is under cover with grass and weeds! We are moving the garden more downhill so thinking about what is up the hill is well out of sight, out of mind. Then I thought that my strawberries would be coming in next month....well, surprise!
My son-in-law was walking around the back yard when he spotted the strawberries, and he proceeded to pick a whole bucket full. So, I decided to check on them and my lavender which needed to be spruced up a bit mainly getting rid of the grass growing around the lavender plants. I'm thinking of leaving them where they are as they are huge, and have always done well in that spot.

I picked these yesterday, don't they look yummy? There are still more to pick though they are not ripe yet. I guess the grass is hiding them from the birds! So another task to put on my list....to make a new strawberry patch down the hill. Looks like it is going to be a busy season!

Let's share a coke!

2011-05-14T07:52:00.000-04:00

Coca Cola celebrated 125 years a few weeks ago, and it was on our list of places to visit when my cousin's son was here. I just love this picture!

They have so many signs, and it is really a must see if you are in the Atlanta area.

All the different posters from over the years

Now how did that "new girl" get in there?!

A really neat thing is that all the different countries decorated coke bottles to represent their country.

So many vending styles through the years

Of course, I had to take picture of the German one!

I love the lady in red!

After the tour you are able to sample all of the cokes and coke products from around the world. Then we were give a coca cola in a bottle which I think tastes the best! Congratulations coca cola on 125 years!

Check out this rose

2011-05-09T08:35:00.000-04:00

Remember this rose from last year? The one growing in a pot?

This year it is totally covered in blooms, and the smell is heavenly! I believe it has gotten bigger too. It starts blooming in the early spring to the killing frost in December. Its name?......Pearl D'Ore.

Georgia Aquarium

2011-05-04T10:45:00.000-04:00

While my cousin's 16 year old son from Germany was over here visiting us one of the places that we took him was to the Georgia Aquarium in downtown Atlanta. I have been on the go so much while he was here that I have not had very much time to blog let alone get all of my photos together for you to see. So forgive me for not getting them to you sooner, but this entertaining a 16 year old is rough! They do have energy at that age! The Georgia Aquarium has been open for a few years, but this was my first visit too so it was quite enjoyable. So, let the show begin!

My daughter and her hubby

Marcello looking up overhead. All I could say was I hope this is strong enough!

See the gigantic whale to the left of the sting ray? That thing was huge!

The fish here in the front was quite comical looking!

The penguins were Marcello's favorite!

You could actually crawl underneath them and pop up in this little cubicle to take photos!

Oh, how I love sea horses! They are so pretty! I remember wanting to order some from the comic books just so I could have some of my very own. Now that is a long, long, time ago!

The jellyfish all different colors

These had some type of glow light on them

This was interesting. You stood underneath this, and if you look closely you can see where it mimics a wave in the ocean. Pretty cool.

So many pretty colors that you never get to see

Different colored star fish

At the end you were able to touch stingrays and star fish.

If you are ever in the Atlanta area, and want a fun, interesting thing to do, check out the Georgia Aquarium which is suppose to be the largest in the world. Then right next door is the Coca Cola museum. Coca cola got its start here in Atlanta too.
Oh, and just another note to my previous post....Anke and her family came out ok through the tornado outbreak although most of her subdivision was destroyed. We are so thankful that they are safe!
Hope you enjoyed the trip to the Georgia Aquarium!

A prayer for our blogger friends

2011-04-28T21:12:00.000-04:00

Where we live in Georgia we were not as affected by the tornadoes last night as others. They seemed to go a little north and a little south of us although we were under a warning once. Yesterday I was very thankful that my family from Germany were able to get on their flight and head back home before all of this happened.
Last night I remembered that a very sweet blogging friend, Anke from http://cox-himmel.blogspot.com/ lives in Alabama where a lot of the devastation occurred. I sent out an email to her, but as of yet have not heard from her. Please say a little prayer for Anke and her family that all is well with them, and of course prayers to all other families and our special blogging friends.
Take Care,
Ulrike

Purple & White

2011-04-11T20:54:00.002-04:00

Colors that first show up around here in early spring are purple and white. Dogwoods are absolutely beautiful this year. This one is at our neighbor's house.

Can you believe the color on these pansies? If it wasn't for that little speck of purple you would almost think it was black!

I love these little things. These are all the pots I still have to plant that were dug up from up the hill where we first placed them six years ago.

These white irises are so old. There was an old homestead on this land so that is why we have them.

To tell you the truth I have no idea what type of bush this is yet I know the bees like it!

Could not resist throwing in a little pink! These have since gone away.

This is a dogwood growing in the back yard by my daughter. Look how it has a tinge of pink on it.

Well, it does have some white to it! An almond bush, I wished it bloomed longer yet it is very pretty and dainty.

Look at this beautiful wisteria! It has such a lovely smell to it too.

It has been growing up this tree forever!

I hope all of these photos turn out ok. I'm unable to crop them right now since Picasa and blogger are still doing their crazy thing. Everything is much greener now, and the leaves seemed to have magically come out overnight. Of course, the pollen is here too....ah choo!
I have been very busy around here lately as we are expecting company from Germany. Of course along with company it seems that everything wanted to break at once including our well pump. The saying when it rains it pours has been very true here! I apologize for not getting around to blog read lately nor posting that much although it is very frustrating when blogger has its problems. I'll try to get back soon to my blog reading as I do miss seeing what everyone has been up to!

"Late" Spring Flowers

2011-04-07T21:34:00.000-04:00

Late on posting that is. I am so hoping this will work as I tried again earlier, photos there for a few minutes, photos not there, very frustrating. This time I uploaded from my computer directly. Let's hope this works long enough for everyone to see!
Most of these flowers are now gone, a few holding on here and there, but they were lovely to look at during that time. Hubby liked the "flaming" tulip (I believe they call it the parrot) the best. He said it looked from a far as if it was on fire!
If these photos are still here in the morning then I know I'll be able to upload that way.

It is so good to see color again!

Childhood cookies

2011-04-04T15:59:00.004-04:00

Hmmm, what sounds good with a cup of tea? Oooh, I spy MY cookie tin, hubbys is the bigger one as he goes through cookies like its nothing. Of course he will raid mine if his is empty yet mine is not filled too often as I like certain kinds.

Yes! I have some left. Oh boy the memories....you can slowly open up the tin while the aroma drifts out to remind me of my time in Germany as a child when my Opa would take us to the zoo or the fair in Hamburg. Mmmm, peffernusse, my absolute favorite! I bought these back around the holidays at Aldis. I was so excited that they had them. I started loading up my cart with them, six bags in all, and I asked my daughter if she would like some. Of course her answer was yes, so I loaded two more in the cart! That cracked her up, but I do so love them so she had to have her own. The other chocolate stars have the very rich smell of German chocolate, am I making you drool yet? There are a few stars left, everything else is gone.

Oh, oh, and then this past weekend we went with the neighbors and friends from Wisconsin to a farmers market close to Atlanta. It was ok, definitely had a lot of food, but their European section was not want I wanted it to be. They had more Asian food. However, they did have these......

Oh my goodness! We use to go to the German bakery with my Oma or my mom, and they would have the gigantic version of these yet in dark chocolate. So good.....they have a marshmallow center that is totally different from our marshmallows, sort of creamy, not real sweet, but delicious! So on the way back home I did share with the girls in the car, the guys were up front so they missed out, and I did share a few with my daughter. Needless to say this box is now empty due to a certain female who could not just eat one! I did make it last for two days though!
So, this little oinker here needs to get back to cleaning house. Company will be here in two weeks from Germany so I have been busy cleaning, and since it is raining it is the perfect time to get inside work done. When the sun comes out I'll be busy outside which is a good thing too with all of this "fluff" I've been eating!

Extra note. I did this last week when I thought blogger photos were working. Blogger did say that they were having problems with photos, and offered a few options to upload if you were in a hurry. I hope this works this time as I have lots of photos to show.

Blogger photos

2011-03-31T10:38:00.000-04:00

Does anyone know what is going on with blogger photos? I have uploaded three times for my previous post, and another post that I did is now doing the same thing. They upload fine then poof! they disappear! I've done several in advance since I am so busy, but to no avail as no photos. Very frustrating! Any advice/help would be great! It may also just be one of those wait...wait...wait!
P.S. Now I just tried to post this and blogger said sorry we are unable to post this probably due to something that you have done! Arrrrggghhhh!

Dog gone bloomin' happy

2011-03-30T11:08:00.012-04:00

Yes, it has been a little over a week since I've last posted, but a lot has happened around here. Our "baby" you know the one, who showed up on our carport one morning after a big thunder boomer storm, got hurt last week in an accident.

Fortunately all went well, and she was only gone over night with the vet.
Here she is dog gone happy to be back home, and on the mend. We have such a great vet, and she is a firm believer on home is the best medicine! So with some antibiotics and lots of love she has taken off again back to being almost her usual self which we are so thankful for since both of us have gotten quite attached to her. I swear, I boo hooed over her more than I had over our other dogs! I think that it is those big brown eyes that did it!

So of course, she has been spoiled rotten the past week! Ah, what we do for our critters!
We have had a ton of rain around here in the south lately too. So much so that the drought that we were in this year was made up last night, and we are back to normal. I thought that I'd show you a few bloomin' pictures that are putting a smile on my face (along with our "baby").

Spring has definitely shown up with all of its wonderful colors!
P.S. I had to upload the photos again. I hope that they will do ok this time as I don't know what happened the first time.

Bananas and Spring

2011-03-19T09:29:00.000-04:00

I know that you are wondering what do bananas and spring have in common. Well, not much unless you get into a batch of poison ivy/oak or whatever it was!

I have had two relatives tell me to use the inside of the banana peel to wipe on that area, or as usual in my case, a lot of areas! We had spring outside cleaning at my grandmothers house who lives in the mountains of North Carolina last weekend, and the main project was to cut down this old maple tree next to the house which was starting to rot.

Hubby, my dad, and my uncle are standing there, as men usually do, looking at it trying to figure out the best way to lay it down. All the men had the chainsaws, and the women and few children got to carry away the brush, the small limbs, to the burning pile. There is enough firewood in that old maple for about three households! I sure hated to see it go as that is part of my childhood, but I did bring a few pieces home to play with. I have a couple of ideas.
Along with keeping busy with that over the weekend, cleaning outside here too, we also had to put in a new well pump. It seems like everything is breaking lately, and it doesn't care whether there is money or not! The old saying that it goes out faster than it comes in has been true around here lately.
I better get busy now. Several people are coming by today, we had another hive die, and one that looks like it might swarm. Spring is early around these parts, actually it feels more like summer since the temps have been 80 plus which would be 26-28C for you folks across the pond.
Hope all of you have a good weekend! Stay out of the poison ivy, and I'll let you know how the banana peels work!

Time to

2011-03-12T00:08:00.001-05:00

Spring forward! Personally, I'm not a big fan of the time change. It takes me a while to adjust, but adjust we must. So here are a few clock photos taken at the Screen Door in Asheville last year at the wonderful blogger get together.

I'm sure that there will be at least one clock in my house that I'll forget to move forward!

Fences

2011-03-07T20:22:00.000-05:00

An assortment of fences here

A fence that is more protective

A charming little fence just right for the flowers

A fence that zig zags along

A small bamboo style fence

The fence that has a seal of one of our presidents

The fence that says do not climb over

The split rail fence that adds beauty to the scenery

A sweet heart of a fence

What kind of fences have you seen lately?

Rays of Sunshine

2011-03-01T19:59:00.000-05:00

Doesn't the color of spring yellow remind you of spring sunshine?

Like the morning rays of sunshine, that's the color of the first spring yellow, and to me it spells happiness that puts a big smile on my face. Gardening season is about ready to begin!

Indigo Night

2011-02-21T09:37:00.000-05:00

It is not often that one can capture a night sky that presents itself with such a color or at least not one that I have ever seen. Last year when we went to Monticello up in the mountains of Virginia we visited a beer brewery where they also served food. As we walked outside I was so thankful to have my camera with me to capture the sky, the clouds, and to marvel at such a color, so different, not the usual reds, oranges, and pinks.

Indigo Night....don't you agree that's the perfect name for it?!

Moonshadow, moonshadow

2011-02-18T19:52:00.000-05:00

Do you remember that song? I believe Cat Stevens sung it back in the 70's. Well, we have had a very bright, full moon these past few days. The woods are lit up with shadows from the moon shining so brightly, and the critters in the woods are having a ball running here and there. So, when I think of that song I think of this plant except I say

Moonflower, moonflower! Is it not gorgeous? This flower was huge with an extra bonus....the smell was divine....like an exotic perfume that you want to follow. This one vine grew perhaps 10 feet so it showed off a lot of flowers. I took quite a few seeds from it, and I am hoping that they will do well this year. It is one vine that I definitely want to have again even if the flowers do show off at night like the bright moon in the sky!

The Look

2011-02-16T20:50:00.000-05:00

Hey, I know the feeling

Don't mess with me, I'm having a bad hair day!

I love a book store!

2011-02-10T17:07:00.000-05:00

See that chair? It looks like the perfect spot for me! The garden books are close at hand, flowers on the table, the only thing else required would be a good cup of tea!

This was taken last year in Asheville when I met up with fellow bloggers. They had a book store attached to the antique store. Browse a little, read a little, sounds like a good set up to me!

What goes on during a moonlit night

2011-02-04T21:15:00.001-05:00

The moon lies half way hidden by the shadows of the clouds

Slowly coming through

Till its brightness shines through

To light the stillness of the woods

Whoa! she cries as her eyes light up the night as the camera captures Prissy

I'm so shy....

We're not! Woo Hoo.. Party! Where's the food?

What was that?! (Prissy)

Stomp, stomp, stomp Ladies....Here I am (The Buck)

Oh boy food!

Right, and we are suppose to be impressed? (Missy)

He's gone (Prissy)

Good thing too. Leaves more for us Missy says as she eats away

*Flash* Not again cries Prissy. Hey wait a minute (deer in headlight look)....I'm going to be in pictures!

Na na na I'm going to be in pictures!

A pose to the left....which I think is my best side

A pose to the right. I don't look bad here either!

Hey boys! We're getting entertainment tonight too!

Quit the fooling around calls back Missy. We got to get home before morning.

Oh alright, but just ONE more

Smile! You're on woodland camera!

Snow bound bees

2011-02-02T17:15:00.000-05:00

This has been a crazy winter here in the south. I mean as a teenager this was known as Hot 'Lanta! The winters are usually mild around here, don't get me wrong, I love, love seeing snow. I worry about our bees though. I had hubby put bubble wrap on the bee hives along with the usual tar paper he uses back in the late fall when we were getting cold weather. At first he didn't want to, but I'm suspecting after all the protesting he is glad it was done.

This hive did not make it After our close to 70 degrees this past weekend the bees were busy robbing what was left in the hive. That's ok they need it more than we do so they can survive.

These two are part of our newer hives.

This is where we usually sit when the weather is nice to clean out the bee boxes, add new wax, etc. It is much easier doing it here as I swear it feels like they cement the frames together so you really have to scrape to get it clean!

So, after the beautiful weekend we are back to cold winds and rain. I know up north bloggers are laughing as to the winter we have, and believe me right now I feel real sorry for you guys! All that snow through so many states....yet I'll take snow over ice, and ice is what they are predicting in the next day or so. No wonder people are feeling poorly, hot, cold, hot, cold. Though I must say one thing. To those people I saw in the grocery store with tank tops, short shorts, and flips flops....we are not in southern Florida! Weather can change real quick. Can you tell this head cold is making me a little feisty?!!

Rainy Day.... Blues Chickens & Cats

2011-01-31T08:14:00.000-05:00

I've got the suds....Sponge Bob Square Pants Suds. That's what hubby calls it as he should know he had it first. If you have ever seen that cartoon where Sponge Bob gets a cold/virus, and is blowing bubbles that is our household at the moment. Plus it is raining outside which I guess is better than the bad snow/ice that the rest of the country is getting, but it sure can make you feel blue when you got the suds!
So I have not felt much like blogging for a week now. I get onto the computer, stare at it, and then back off again. Do you ever wonder why we do that? Just sit and stare at something? I guess you could call it a mental pause!
Even though today is raining, this past weekend was simply gorgeous! We had almost 70 degree weather, 20C/grad for my European bloggers, which made it oh so nice. My parents came over for a visit on Saturday, and we did spend both days raking, doing yard work, etc.. Hmmmm, I guess that accounts for all the soreness I'm feeling!

The photo above was taken during the Asheville blogger weekend last year so it suits my blue Monday. I guess now I'll go make another cup of tea, my cure all!, I'm debating about exercising this morning, but I still need to walk up the hill to feed the chickens. Sure hope they are not turning blue today too!

Snow Birds

2011-01-23T14:31:00.000-05:00

When everything has turned white, beautiful, and still then this is the time that the colors of the birds show up brilliantly. As I stood outside taking my photos I could actually hear the sound of their wings, and the chirping of happiness with the food that they found.

This is what I call one of the beauties of nature.

Take a Chance

2011-01-21T17:40:00.000-05:00

Yesterday proved to be an interesting day for me. Our friend and next door neighbor asked if I would do something for her. What I asked? She had to go into Atlanta for an appointment, and her husband could not go so would I go along? Hmmmm, so what is this all about?
A little background......she and her husband are musicians, had their own band playing the locals, and they are actually quite good. They don't really do the band thing anymore, but I guess once you have it in your blood you are always tempted to do it again. She plays the drums, keyboard, sings, very talented, and it just so happened that through the grapevine she heard where someone was needing a drummer. Could she come try out? Jolene was super excited about it so......I guess I could tag along.
What I found out was that we went to an actual recording studio! Now there were about 3 or 4 other drummers there too, but what a rush to be able to try out!
Here she is by herself and then with the lead singer. Now as for the name of the band I have no idea, I only know they sing country and western, and are pretty good at it to have recorded a few albums or cd's or whatever they call it these days!

Jolene went around taking these pictures with my camera as hers went dead. Now I don't know everyone on these photos, but I did recognize Lee Greenwood, Billy Ray Cyrus, Elton John!
We don't think that she got the job as there was a very good drummer there, but hey, it was fun! I told her thanks for inviting me along as this was definitely a once in a lifetime thing. Pretty cool!

Young At Heart

2011-01-14T20:16:00.000-05:00

Here in the south we rarely get snow or at least just a tiny bit enough to maybe make a pretty picture. Well, this past week was certainly different! For the first time in over 30 years we got an abundance of snow (here a whopping 6-8"), for the south that is, just in time for me to celebrate another year older. It has been ages since I have been on a sled probably the last time was when I was a child over in Germany, but look at me now!
Woo hoo! My friend and next door neighbor decided to head down the hill with me!

Whoa....going too fast and off to the side we go

What do we do now?

Let's get up and do it again

Whopeeeeee

Then my daughter and I took a turn

One of the neighbor guys went sledding down the road, but it was a long way back!

So they come back to our "mountain"

The dog decided to get in on some of the fun

Hubby waving good-bye

We had a lot of fun, those few days since no one could make it into work. Yet after the snow came the freezing rain/sleet/ice which made everything like a skating rink. It was all beautiful though except for this

My gazebo did not make it. It has gone through a lot all of these years, but this much snow just did it in. We still have quite a bit of snow on the ground and roads around us, but probably not much longer as the weather is warming up so it is starting to melt. What a fun time though, sure did bring back a lot of good memories!

Bat Blankets

2011-01-07T20:35:00.000-05:00

I saw this on the news tonight so I just had to share it with you. As all of you know Australia has been receiving so much rain. A lot of animals are being displaced with the flooding including bats. When people think of bats it is with the thought of vampires, however, bats are so beneficial to our eco system. We love to see the bats fly around here in the summer as we know it means fewer mosquitoes!
When I went on the web to read the full story it is quite interesting. The Australian bat clinic are keeping these baby bat in these blankets hanging on clothes lines, and feeding them until they are able to go out on their own again. So far they have saved 130 of them.
Now I know bats are not the prettiest things, but they look kinda cute here don't they?

If you would like to read more here is the link to it http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/ns/nightly_news/
Nightie night!

When its cold outside

2011-01-05T20:30:00.000-05:00

I dream of this nice beach in southern Florida! The only bad thing is this past late November it got cold down there too.

A little boat bobbin along

Hubby told me to get my camera out for these next shots. He was fascinated with these birds with the orange on them. This was the first time we had ever seen these.

Their eyes must be in the black portion or else they are asleep!

And these are a little different too

Looks like they are lining up on a run way!

A whole mess of the orange ones, and then there is the outsider in the very front

Remember Alfred Hitchcock move The Birds? That is what I felt like when I made a movement and all of them swooped up into the air all around me!

They circled around the water

and came back in for a landing!

Nature provides a lot of entertainment!

What a difference a week makes

2011-01-01T11:15:00.001-05:00

For the first time ever since moving here to the south we had snow on Christmas day. It started snowing Christmas Eve, big huge gorgeous flakes. Now, we did not get as much snow as we did last winter only a few inches, but it was my garden house first snow!

Love the way the snow is on the rock wall.

Here the snow looks like a candle has formed on this candle holder.

No fire in my little fireplace, but still a pretty picture for an area that normally doesn't see snow.
With today being the first day of the new year we are having warm weather with rain and thunderstorms with the possibility of some being severe. Hubby told me I'd better get on and blog before the bad weather hits! I hope all of you have had a wonderful holiday. Hubby is off this time of year so my time has been busy; just not a lot of blogging time. More family time. Now its the new year with another year older coming up way too soon!, but as long as it is a healthy new year with family that is what matters the most.
Wishing all of you the same for a Happy, Healthy, New Year!

Happy New Year !

2011-01-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

Wishing all of my blogger friends a wonderful new year!

A Wonderful Time

2010-12-23T21:18:00.000-05:00

Wishing all my blogger friends Happy Holidays!

Dancing on ice

2010-12-16T20:23:00.000-05:00

It has been way too long since I have blogged. So tonight I have sat myself down in front of this computer to try and do some catch up blogging, and returning emails! We spent some time in Florida helping an uncle and aunt out, and while there the weather got really cold......in Florida! Not to mention how cold it has been here in the south. We also had a tornado go zipping by about 10 miles or so (as the crow flies) away from our house. Getting to the subdivision where the damage was done would take about 15 minutes or so, but thank goodness no one was injured or killed.
Lately it has been, cold, cold, cold! A few snowflakes, rain, snowflakes, and last night quite a bit of ice out on the roads. People spent the night in their cars, and they said even a fire truck that was responding to a wreck got iced in! Winter doesn't even begin till the 21st!

This is my little trough pond as I call it that hubby built for me so I could grow extra pond plants. There is usually water coming out of the top, but not this day. It looks like they are dancing on ice!

Somewhere in there are quite a few large fish. They have managed so far with this crazy weather! That is it for now. I'll try to be back real soon, and I need to catch up on my blog reading too. I've missed you guys!! Hope all of you are staying warm and cozy!

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T08:03:00.000-05:00

I wish all of you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Drawing with #72

2010-11-19T00:08:00.003-05:00

So on Sunday morning while we were all sitting around at the breakfast table with Dr. Hapke (our wonderful host and owner) at the bed and breakfast, hubby asked, what's with all the blue butts? Is it a way of keeping count or tracking them?

Oh no, said Dr. Hapke. That is number 72. Number 72? Yes, she explained it is their way of keeping track of all of the sheep. Hmmmmm, ok, let's hear this story. (Dr. Hapke is an excellent story teller) So, here is the story of #72. Oh #72 was a beauty, such a sweet thing. He would always come up when he was a baby to get something to eat from you or just to be near you. Such a sweetheart! When it was time for market she just could not get rid of #72, well, not yet anyway. So, #72 was going to have the honor of being the head honcho, buck, ram of the place. Oh, what a privilege! Very interesting, but why the blue butts? we asked. To keep track of them. A female will go into heat twice a year. In order to know whether or not a female has been fertilized # 72 is rigged with a strap that goes around him with a crayon latched onto the strap. Blue butts, # 72 has done his deed! Now with sheep being so big and woolly they don't always show that they are pregnant until much later on, and as this is a working farm, you need to know these things! Plus they have to change out the colors every ten days in case the first time was not successful or a new female decided it was time for her painting. Ah, Dr. Hapke told us, # 72 was so excited being the head ram he became an artist. One female was quite the painting . # 72 drew all over her, and went through two crayons in less than a day or so! One of the other guests said well instead of calling him #72 he should be called Leonardo!
Dr. Hapke suggested that we go along with her farmhand to see all of the animals, and so the hunt was on for Leonardo aka #72.
Our wonderful guide took us up the mountainside. I mean we walked, and walked. Now I walk just about every day, but this was a steep walk.

Nearing the top, and jackets are coming off. Oh look! A shed in sight!

Hey, no blue butts here

But the view

She has 70 beautiful acres with this bed and breakfast

Our guide asked us if we wanted to go further up. Higher? we said in unison. A nod of the head. Is Leonardo aka 72 up there? Oh no, he told us, he is down the hill with all the other females.

Back down we go

Ah ha! Familiar sight!

Yet where is #72? Our guide feeds them their breakfast so we can get a closer look

Whoa! There is a red butt!

Ok so now instead of blue crayons we are looking for red. I think I spot him!

There you are you little artist you!

While everyone else was having breakfast

Leonardo aka #72 was trying to decide who he would romance for the day!

That mornings breakfast was much enjoyed, and full of laughter as we learned a lot about farm life and #72. May you have another year at the bed & breakfast # 72!

Blue Butts

2010-11-15T10:35:00.000-05:00

It is a cold, rainy Monday here, and ACK! there is a leak in my skylight overhead of me. Oh boy, something else to fix! Well, back to my story.
Blue butts. Very interesting.

So, how did this come about? A little tidbit hint....#72.

And on this farm there was

2010-11-14T06:56:00.000-05:00

And on the B&B farm there were
Some chickens! With a Cluck Cluck here

There were some ducks! With a quack, quack

There was a turkey! (oooh better run, Thanksgiving is coming up!) Gobble, gobble

There were lots of sheep....baaa baaaa

Lots of cows other than Lolita and family! Moooo Moooo

There were some peacocks Aeeaaah, Aeeaaaah, ok, not so good with the peacock sound!

There were some watch dogs Woof, woof

To watch the sheep and be loved by guests! Woof!

I missed the cats, but they were there too! Meow.......hope you enjoyed the farm animals! Now, Old MacDonald had a farm.......................................
P.S. Mr. Turkey is safe, he is there for looks so he can strut around!

Sweet Lolita

2010-11-10T20:22:00.000-05:00

Back on the farm again aka Oxford Farm B&B. Meet Lolita. She came running down the hill as soon as her name was called!

She is the baby of the special breed kept on the farm.

Dad and mom here although they both have horns.

Here is the helper to the farm who is just the sweetest guy. He does a lot of hard work including take the guests all around showing them the farm animals.

We were given bread so we could spoil Lolita!

Isn't she just the cutest?!

Mom and Dad wondering when Lolita was coming back

The family back together again.

I thought this was so cool. I mean I've never petted a big or in this case little shaggy cow before. Lolita and her parents will have a happy special life here on Oxford Farm.

The Mill and The Barn

2010-11-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

I wanted to show first to you before I forget a few more photos from around Asheville, and then I will get back to our bed & breakfast. On arriving Friday night in Weaverville we were hungry so there was a restaurant right down the road that we decided to try. There are quite a few in the area, but this one of course caught hubby's eye. This is the Weaverville Mill Restaurant. I believe the owners bought it back in the 1980's, and it is at least 100 years old.

I love the old wood on it

Here is the inside where they had a lot of old antiques. I am glad that they kept it original with all the wood as so many people might have painted it which would have made for a lack of "old" atmosphere.

This place was at least 3 or more stories high. They had the grain on top so when you pulled one of these levers out it came down the shoot.

It was a quiet night which we were thankful for yet I've heard the place can get packed during the season.
So the next place is what Penny called the Tobacco barn. Now I can't say for sure that is what this was used for way back when, but if any of you know North Carolina history a lot of tobacco was grown in this state. Now the Tobacco Barn is an antique place, and it was our last stop of the day. I never saw all of it, there was just so much stuff. 70,000 square feet of it! I do want to go back some day, and really look around. Day is right though as it looks like it might take all day!

Here are some of the bloggers resting. I'd be right there with you except I was too busy taking pictures.

Diane here in the foreground with Mary behind her.

Penny our hostess took this photo of Mary and I which is a good thing as I never got one. Mary of a
http://abreathoffreshair-mary.blogspot.com/ has been a wonderful blogging friend since I've been blogging. It was so nice to finally meet her and her husband!

I took a lot of photos that weekend so I will have more to share later on.

Bye for now. See you at the farm!

Life on the Farm

2010-11-06T10:22:00.000-04:00

A bed and breakfast farm that is! When we went to the bloggers brunch in Asheville last month I looked online for a bed and breakfast to stay in. I always enjoy them as I don't have to go very far for breakfast! This one caught my eye. Located in Weaverville, N.C. about 15 miles north of Asheville, not very far from where we would meet up with the other bloggers. The lady that answered the phone was extremely nice as she told me about Oxford Farm. It is a working farm with sheep, cattle, chickens, ducks, turkeys, and peacocks! That did it for me so I made the reservation.

She met us at the gate as it is kept locked until she gives you the key. As we drove up to the house we saw these cows with very long hair! Not the best photo, but I promise I have more.

The peacocks running around

The sheep grazing

And inside the house was the story of how she came to purchase the farm and fixed it up

It was very run down

Yet she did a marvelous job with it. It is pretty inside and out

Every morning we had muffins, coffee, and since she knew I drank tea a pot of tea was waiting for all of us in the living room

Saturday was a very fast pace for us with the bloggers brunch and antique shopping. (Thank you once again Penny!) So on Sunday we were able to get out on the farm, and that was a lot of fun. More in my next post!

For The Birds

2010-11-02T10:33:00.000-04:00

At Penny's house

At the Screen Door

My favorite

We have been loading up the bird feeders around here.....winter's coming!

The Ladies

2010-10-27T20:21:00.000-04:00

When you come across a painting such as this one do you stop and think of what her life might have been like? A simple painting yet she is dressed so elegantly with a flower pinned on her shoulder.

Carefree, walking barefoot

I believe I would call this one....The Look....it definitely seems to have some hidden meaning to it

Oooh, la, la ..I definitely like the one on the left

Somewhere In Time, yes, that is what I thought when I first saw this print. I absolutely love this one, it calls to me, it is what I call My Lady print. I could place myself in this picture sitting there, wondering, dreaming, sigh.

All of the ladies are beautiful, and they were seen in Asheville. The bottom one I purchased at a Goodwill store here locally where she has been waiting for her new home in the garden house where she belongs.

Lights, Camera and.......

2010-10-25T12:26:00.000-04:00

Lights.....I love this one

Camera.....Ha! I caught myself in the mirror taking a photo of something else

And more lights. This one that is hidden behind the bird feeder is made out of burlap

One of the simple carriage light design

Definitely different, might be a good one for outside, almost wind chime looking

For some strange reason I sort of like this one. I'm not sure what the parts came from, but if I remember correctly it had flowers and leaves on it. Probably why I like it!

There were many more lamps made out of different items along with the usual ones. I took these at the Screen Door in Asheville. One weekend I'll have to go back and really look as I was just too busy taking photos!
Side note -- I'm still having problems with blogger so I had to upload these directly from my computer and they have a different system to it too. I'll have to get my act together on this end to get a few more posts up from the Asheville weekend.

Blogger trouble

2010-10-24T14:20:00.003-04:00

I don't know how many of you might be having problems with blogger, but it won't let me upload from Picassa or sometimes even leave comments! I will work on loading photos up from my computer soon, but if any of you know if this is something that I can fix please let me know.
Thanks!!
Ulrike

Asheville, N.C. Blogger Day

2010-10-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

This past Friday hubby and I headed up to the North Carolina mountains to the city of Asheville. It was about a three hour drive for us, and I was so excited to be going. Asheville is a beautiful city, very diverse, lots of artists, beautiful scenery, and a lot of good food. However, even though all of that sounds good we were going to a blogger get together meeting at the home of Penny http://www.lavenderhillstudio.blogspot.com/ and http://www.thecomfortsofhome.blogspot.com/.

So Saturday morning we left our bed & breakfast to head out to her home. When we were all gathered together, and there were quite a few husbands who gathered in their group, Penny took us on a tour of their home that they have been working on for quite a while. If you look at her blog you will see how it all took shape. What a beautiful home they have too.

Even though the whole house is beautiful, I think all of us could agree we would like to have this bathroom!

The dining area waiting for us to have brunch

Penny and Diane posing for a photo

In the back are Melinda, Jennifer, Angie then Diane and myself

Here we are in Penny's studio, you really need to check out that blog, oh my goodness, beautiful work. There is Mary with camera in hand as so many of us were

Now check this out! Why didn't I think of this when I had a bonus room? Look at all of the dishes

I think I positively drooled over the dishes, there were so many of them

Isn't this gorgeous? Love the color

This one is too cute!

Getting us ready for our brunch

Check out this rooster that Penny decoupaged. As she said with the scarf it does look like a French rooster!

Oh, the food!

Ok, girls, we have to get the photo of all of us together. That was the husbands responsibility.
In the back row - Ulrike, Angie, Kim, Mary, Sherri, Jeanne, Melinda
In the front row - Sam, Penny, Rhondi, Diane, Penny (our lovely hostess), Jennifer, Donnie

Getting excited for the day

Ok, lets go get some brunch!

After the food all of us ladies took off to savor Asheville antique shops while the husbands went to lunch, and waited for us to come back. I will show you some of the places that we went later where we bloggers were busy snapping pictures.
It was so nice to meet all of the bloggers especially the ones that I have known for a while. It was a wonderful time, and so great to meet all of you. Penny, my hubby and I thank you and your husband for such a truly lovely day!

Grape color

2010-10-15T08:09:00.000-04:00

While in the beautiful rolling hills of Virginia we visited a winery, and the colors were just beginning to change on the grape vines. I bet they are beautiful now!
So, here's wishing you a beautiful, colorful, and fun filled weekend!!!

Happy Days!!

2010-10-13T08:01:00.000-04:00

If any of you have read my blog for a while you know that last year my daughter almost died from blood clots. Last month she was finally able to get off of blood thinners, and last week she had to go back to the hematologist to have a series of blood work done to make sure that it was not caused by any type of auto immune disease.
Well, the doctor called yesterday and all of her tests came back NORMAL!!!!!!! Oh Happy Days!!! The one thing that she was told was to stay permanently off of birth control pills. I don't think that will be a problem. The sad thing though is that we are hearing of more and more young women having the same thing happen to them, and some are not as fortunate as my daughter. Let's hope that whatever these people are doing with "modern" medicine (don't get me wrong, there are a lot of good things from it) they make sure to change it so that other young women won't die or have to go through a horrible experience.
I am a happy mom!!!!

Monticello Gardens & Life On Mulberry Row

2010-10-10T20:39:00.002-04:00

I took a lot of pictures so with some of them I decided to put into collages. I'm sure the Monticello Gardens are even more beautiful in the summer, but here is a look at them in the fall. I think that you could almost call them the backbone flowers as they survived the heat of the summer and are still blooming!

In this collage you will also see Jefferson's greenhouse that was right next to his library. He test grew seeds from all over the world.

The pink spiked celosia in the bottom right hand corner are the ones I bought.

The photo on the left hand corner is what I believed called red cypress vine. I already have those thanks to a neighbor who brought back seeds from Florida. The hummingbirds love them! Each flower has 4-5 seeds in the pod so I will have quite a few of those seeds! The Josephs coat is the bottom right hand photo, and I loved those so I bought some of those too.

Here is hubby sitting where a huge gigantic tree used to be

You can tell it must have been a monster of a tree!

Now this was interesting. The sign told us how back in those days they used to go fishing and would bring back quite a few fish. Now if any of you like to fish like I do, you know that there are good fishing days, and bad ones! So when they did catch the fish they would bring them back and put them into this pond until they were ready to be on the menu!

I have this vine although mine did not do quite as well. I bought it at the farmers market earlier this year. I should say that I only bought one so mine does not look as thick as the ones shown. I believe they call it a Hyacinth bean vine, but I'm not sure.

Look at the view!

Now I think this is what is called an Italian squash which I had so many of last year!

Using what nature provides

Love the pole idea for the tomatoes

Some red okra, yum, love okra!

The vineyards along with fruit trees lower down

Not sure what the pots were used for

Corkscrew something! Can't remember the name

Tons of lavender

One of the gift shop areas alongside the garden

What a view!

This little gazebo was built to look upon the beautiful view and gardens

As you can see there are rows and rows of veggies

If you click on this photo you can read about Life on Mulberry Row. Jefferson was not fond of slavery, but he did have slaves. He inherited them when he received the land. Of course Jefferson also hired people to teach his slaves various trades. Jefferson was very good to all of his people, and later on gave a lot of them their freedom.

This man was skilled in making nails

This man made baskets

They had just cut down a young sapling that morning. When we spoke with him (he was so informative of everything too) he had peeled the bark off, sliced it into layers, and the next time we came around he had already made a couple of baskets!!

Another good view of how far the gardens go

This man made the buckets

This man said he would have been the special tradesman back in those days. He would teach a special few how to make casings for windows, and all the other different decorative work that was done at the plantation.

Just a few of the seeds that I purchased along with a postcard

Oh, how I would have loved to have seen the leaves with these colors!

One thing that was pointed out to us is that the vegetables and fruits grown at Monticello are shared with the workers of Monticello. I thought that was pretty nice.
All in all this was a very interesting trip with a lot of history. I hope that you enjoyed it!

Monticello

2010-10-05T17:26:00.004-04:00

I had been wanting to visit Monticello since watching a movie a year or so ago on Thomas Jefferson. It is really fascinating to see, and so different probably because Monticello has so much history to it.
Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures of the inside, but I'll try to describe things with the help of the visitors guide.
Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743. He inherited 3,00 acres along the Rivanna River later on having a 5,000 acre holding. He marries Martha Wayles Skelton in 1772, and they only had one child, a daughter. His wife died 10 years later in 1782.
In 1776 he drafted the Declaration of Independence with the famous words that we pretty much all have heard, "all men are created equal" with the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." He served in Congress, did diplomatic service in France for about five years, and also served as vice president under John Adams. In 1801 he was elected to be the third president with being re-elected in 1804. In 1809 he retires to Monticello.
So now I will try to describe some of what we saw along with the history. Monticello sits on top of a mountain with the beautiful valley surrounding it everywhere. Jefferson spent 40 years designing, constructing and remodeling. Monticello was two houses the guide told us. The first was a two story eight room house. After serving in France as the American minister Jefferson came home with all sorts of ideas. He loved the neoclassical homes he had seen so Monticello underwent changes. He created a new second level for bedrooms, and also a dome over the west front. Of course you can imagine the surprise from people then as they had never seen one on an American home before. The details on the mantels, and everywhere are just fascinating!
When you arrive at the front this is what you would see.

Now, the interesting thing about this other than the clock

is this...a weather vane that is connected to the roof top. Rather than in bad weather going out in it to see which way the wind was blowing he just stepped outside the door and looked up! One other interesting thing which was in the hall was a clock that would show the different days of the week with the long pendulum. By the time you got to Thursday it was on the floor so he had a hole cut in it to finish the rest of the days of the week!

When you walk into the hall which is what visitors would see when they visited him (and unless you were on really good terms with him that is where you remained) he had created a museum. It was filled with artwork, bones, horns, and objects from Native Americans which were given to Lewis and Clark when they went on their exhibition. The parlor was the first to have a parquet floor, and the man who did it said he would not do another!! But imagine the work that went into it back then. The parlor was full of portraits of people that Jefferson admired. In the dining room guests would have to serve themselves as Jefferson did not want servants around. There is a rotating panel where food would be placed, and dishes put when the meal was finished. This gave Jefferson time to talk politics if needed.
One interesting thing in the visitors guide talks about Jefferson being accompanied by James Hemings, a slave who was trained as a chef in Paris.
Visitors rarely saw Jefferson's suite as he had to have his privacy. The alcove bed where he slept opened to his study and his bedroom. He also had a library which had over 7,000 books something he said he could never do without. He would translate for fun something from English into 5 different languages!! Thomas Jefferson was also a big believer in people learning which is why he designed and planned the University of Virginia. You can see the University through the woods which they still keep partially cut back for that very reason.
In his study was also a sky light, there were two of them in this house, something that was unheard of back then.
Even though the house was large it was shared with a lot of his family. His daughter moved in with him and she had 11 children. Then if I remember there was a sister and others making the total a little over 40 people who shared this home. And now a few pictures that I took from the outside.
There are two walkways on each side of the house which led to a north and south pavilion.

Here is a sun dial which was used. Jefferson loved instruments. He used them for observing, studying, and recording nature .

In the background of this photo you can see the long walk way to the south pavilion.

Here I am on that beautiful day. Leaves were just starting to change.

Finally, a photo without any people in it!

The north pavilion.

A close up of the dome

Now another interesting part of the history of Monticello. You may have wondered why Jefferson had such long walkways with the pavilions on the end. What he did was place all the working, some living, and storage underneath them and the house. This gave the main house a lovely view of the countryside all around without being obstructed with other buildings.

There were the stables, carriage house, ice house under the north pavilion walkway

The long cellar passage, once again a north and south one with a huge ware room in the middle.

It housed a wine cellar on the north cellar passage

A beer cellar along with more storage on the south cellar passage

On the south pavilion walkway cellar was the kitchen along with the cook's room, slave quarters, smokehouse, and dairy.

As you can see the kitchen was among the best in Virginia. They had French copper cookware to cook with. I love the way the burners are!

I totally enjoyed the house tour and what life was like back in the 1700's/1800's. I hope that I did not bore you too much with the history, but I learned a lot more about the life of this President than I have on any other one. My next posting will be on the outside of Monticello and the gardens. Probably why I enjoyed it so much!!!

Weekend B&B

2010-09-26T17:36:00.000-04:00

Last weekend hubby and I headed up to Virginia as I have been wanting to see Monticello which was President Thomas Jefferson's plantation back in the 1700's. I love bed and breakfast as I get spoiled by having breakfast made for me! Plus a lot of times you get to meet different people, and talk about where they are from. Such as one couple who just got married the previous week when his sister came over from England. They are the lead band singers and they sing Celtic music, and they even have a dancer!!! Here is their website http://www.ionamusic.com/ if you would like to hear the beautiful music they play.
Now to the bed & breakfast. What can I say? It was wonderful! Here are some photos of the farmhouse/bed&breakfast built back in 1848.

Look at those trees lining the side of the house

Who knows where the phone booth came from?! Almost looks like something you would see in England!

A small herb/flower garden with a pool in the back

Not exactly sure what this was used for yet I loved the old bricks!

The rear view

Our room, the linens were heavenly, put you right to sleep!

The table set waiting for its hungry guests!

The lawn chairs where you could plop down if you didn't want to sit on the porch

while watching the bees on the flowers

and if anyone knows what this is please tell me!

The owners, Orquida and Dan Ingraham, are the nicest folks! Orquida came out to greet us when we arrived, and we met Dan later as he was out cutting the grass. Here is a link to their bed & breakfast http://www.aftonmountain.com/ where you can see more photos. We had two wonderful breakfasts and two great nights sleep. If you ever get to Charlottesville, Virginia area I would recommend staying with them although there are so many bed & breakfasts in the area I'm sure they would all be an enjoyable experience! There are so many things to do including visiting wineries which I was surprised at how many there are just in that one area! We had fun! I'll show those photos plus the photos from Monticello in my next post.

Blue Pots

2010-09-21T00:08:00.000-04:00

I love this photo!

When I took this photo I noticed the pots on the ledge. With the flowers cascading down it makes an interesting picture, but add the pots and it is like wow! Then I am wondering.....why do they have them there?!!!

Fall Fruit

2010-09-19T00:08:00.001-04:00

Bet you weren't expecting this!! It looks yummy doesn't it? This was taken a few years back when we were visiting Strasbourg, France.

I think it is amazing how they can make it look so real. I love the acorns and pears!!

Sunflowers

2010-09-17T17:43:00.000-04:00

I've been quite busy lately, and had not realized it had been a while since I've posted. I won't write much today, I'll just leave you with a few photos of sunflowers from the garden. Summer is almost over, and I'll miss these cheery flowers!

Welcome, Wilkommen, Welkom, Accueil, Bienvenida

2010-09-09T08:01:00.000-04:00

To my little garden house/cottage! Pretty small isn't it? I bought this light switch cover a long time ago, last winter I believe, and I guess that is where I got some of my colors from!

A few last minute preparations such as adding some dirt here to the front along with a french drain as when it rains it has washed some of the dirt away.

Hubby loaded some of our good ol' red dirt/clay which will be like cement! Yes, that is our new "foster" dog on the side there. I believe she has found a home now as no one claimed her, and we certainly don't want her put down either.

French drain finished, grass seed added. Let the watering begin!

Ooops! Did I do that?!!!! I had touch up painting to do, but it is now finished.

A side look

View from the front with my (I love!) French doors!!! The color on the doors and windows is called French Country Blue.

The inside. I painted the floor the same color green although it looks much darker here. I had a ton of that paint so I might as well put it to good use since the floor needed painting anyway. Hubby is putting floor molding down too.

Speaking of hubby he's adding (one of many) a decorative item given to me by my next door neighbor. She said she knew it would be perfect for my little house.

Looks good!

My stepson gave this to me. Hubby put it up for me too. This one went on the back where later on I'll have some of my garden stuff.

We got a porch light!

My daughter and I found this at Hobby Lobby. She took french ages ago, so we bought two, one for me, and one for her front door!

When you are further back you could not read it. So hubby suggested just adding a little paint to the words, now you can see it!

So, from this

To this

This past weekend we had really nice cool weather. It got down to 52 degrees/ 12C.
A beautiful night just right for a small fire. It took all summer to get it done, and what a job! Lots of days with aching muscles, paint covered fingers. Even though summer is coming to a close I'll be enjoying it for summers to come! Of course now the real fun begins......the decorating!!!

Beach dreaming

2010-09-04T00:08:00.002-04:00

I'd like to be sitting here

While waiting for the sun to paint the sky

Sighhhhhh

A Year Ago Today

2010-09-01T00:08:00.001-04:00

A year ago today is something that no parent would want to go through. A time when your heart feels like it could stop too.
Last summer my daughter was sick on and off. At first it seemed like it was only a sinus infection which was a possibility, but there was a darker side attacking her. Her chest was hurting, and she was coughing hard. Then it got to the point of having a hard time breathing. At one doctor's office/clinic they took x-rays, and said she had pneumonia. Antibiotics were given which seemed to help. Then it started again. Now they said she had pneumonia in her other lung, and it got worse. More antibiotics. One doctor ran blood tests, and her white cells were going crazy. Then she coughed so hard she cracked ribs. Finally it eased up some with the antibiotics so they took their vacation down to Florida. While down there she said she never felt right, always felt like something was wrong. I too, had a bad feeling, woman's/mommy intuition. The morning when they were coming home she happened to stubble against the bucket of sand she was bringing home. She said it felt like her heart stopped, she turned gray, broke out in a sweat. Yes, she knows now she should have gone straight to the hospital there, but her thought was mom will have to come all the way down here just for a cracked rib. So they drove home, a long car ride home. Everything was so unsure.
We went to another doctor, and this is where she wound up.

The hospital for a whole week, and in ICU for three days. What was it you ask? Something that we would never, ever, in our wildest imagination would have thought of.......Blood clots aka pulmonary embolism. So many of them. The doctor said that perhaps the bucket saved her by making us aware of it. They called her the miracle girl. By all rights she should not have made it, but she did. One that I am thankful for every day for the rest of my life.
Now we are more aware of blood clots. There is a facebook page with it, and I am amazed at how many young people there are who have gone through it too. This is a very, very, scary situation. Not something that you would think could happen to young people, but it does. So now, I'm asking you to be aware of these things that I have read and am passing on to you.
Pain along/or with heat or swelling in the calf or thigh that feels like an ache
Breathing difficulties, shortness of breath, fast breathing, and painful breathing
These are just a few of the symptoms that should be check out asap.
Don't let a doctor say oh it's nothing. It is better to have an ultra sound or cat scan done than to have it ignored. A lot of doctors from what I have read have done that as they think a young patient, no surgery was recently done, they can't have this problem. Wrong, it can affect any age!
As I watched my daughter receive shots in her stomach, iv's, blood thinners being given to her that first week, I was amazed at how strong she was during that time. Me?, I felt like the 90 pound weakling!
So, now a whole year of being on the blood thinner Warfarin aka coumadin has come to an end. She will probably still have some tests done in another month or so for her new doctor to make sure she is as healthy as she can be with damaged lungs.
I must make a note though that a very big suspicion for her blood clots were the birth control pills.
This is not something that I would normally write about, but I believe it is something that everyone should be aware of that it can happen, more often than we know, and yes, to our children. I hope my blogging friends will pass this information on, because I would not wish something like this on my worst enemy.
How is my daughter you ask? Here take a look

Isn't she beautiful? I am a happy mom!!!!

The Greens of Summer

2010-08-29T10:38:00.005-04:00

With a little color thrown in!

Fall is just around the corner!

Update on Garden House

2010-08-26T07:05:00.005-04:00

I thought that before I got started for the day I would give you a quick update on my garden house. I've got the base coat on the outside, and have been playing around with the trim colors.

Hubby has planed the french doors twice already not counting when it was put in. We have had such high humidity this summer that the doors have just swelled.

Shelves are being put inside.

Here you can see that the sheetrock has been put up which is what hubby and I did together. Then I did the taping, sanding, muding, and then I painted everything. We did have our neighbor/painter put a kilz coat on the rafters and windows then I went back and painted all of them. If you notice above the shelves next to the tin we put foam board up. When we first painted the foam board the ink kept bleeding through even with kilz! Finally hubby scrapped the ink part off of the others and it stopped. The foam board was put there since there was a gap between the sheetrock and tin roof which allowed air to escape to the outside or worse the hot air to come in! Hubby put in a ceiling fan for me, and then we have a little window air conditioning unit which he placed in the window. I did not want that yet after working in the house with as hot and humid as it has been it was a lifesaver! I'll take it out later when it cools down, but I was thankful for it with this hot summer!

I am not a big fan of windows like these. They look pretty yet are a pain to clean, and even worse a pain to paint! However, they were free along with the french doors (hubby is so good about finding freebies!). These did have a dark stain on them. It has taken one coat of kilz plus three coats of paint to get them to this stage! And they still need touch ups!!!!! What's worse is I still have to paint the outside! At least on the outside they came with a good coat of light paint on them already.

Hubby put all the vents in. Yesterday I trimmed all the white you see which is where hubby caulked.

I had put the base coat on the outside about a month ago. Then we had rain, and when it wasn't raining the humidity was so high which really isn't good painting weather. This is what I have been working on most of the summer. The garden did not do well at all so I focused my attention on the garden house. Of course this is along with all the usual stuff that needs to be done inside and out. Then we had a surprise waiting for us one Saturday morning. After a storm one Friday night hubby looked outside on the carport and saw this sleeping away!

He came and woke me up and told me there was something outside that I have been wanting. A rug I asked? I've been looking for one for my garden house. No. So I get up to see, and at first I thought it was a deer since all I noticed were the legs, of course I didn't have my contacts or glasses on!!!! Then I saw it was a dog, a big dog. Oh boy, and I was wanting a Benji dog. I've been calling around everywhere, and even had a very nice lady who runs a doggie boarding house plus a shelter for homeless dogs put ads out. So far nothing. We have had a big dog before, a husky, so big dogs are ok. Yet I would rather find its owners although we have the feeling that she was dumped off. It is happening more and more. So for now we are foster parents! which made the very nice lady very happy! Now, she needs her walk which is good as it is getting me active again!! so I better get busy!!!

Middle Age

2010-08-22T17:02:00.002-04:00

"One of the beautiful surprises of middle age is the discovery that mature love is not only richer and deeper, but every bit as breathtaking as it was in the beginning."

Two Mules For 88

2010-08-14T20:29:00.001-04:00

Last weekend we went with our neighbors up to the mountains of North Carolina to visit a friend of theirs whom we have had the pleasure of meeting quite a few times.

The day turned out to be really nice with beautiful blue skies

There is a creek on the property too

Along with some grape vines scattered around

The creek has little shards of rubies and garnets, nothing really big, but hubby got down to start looking for some

I used a pan, and although you really can't see the little rubies as they were just pin dots, it certainly was fun!

Nice thing about a creek you can put a lawn chair in it, plop yourself down, cool your feet, and drink a glass of wine when you are through panning!

Later on our friend told us we could pick as much as we wanted of the blueberries

the pears

and we had a ton of apples that had already fallen to the ground. I brought a huge box home with me

The next morning hubby and I went for a walk

The morning mist was across the mountains

The creek still held its jewels

The mist was slowly burning off, but left the dew on the ground

Poke berries and morning glories along the roadside

A bumble bee busy at work as hubby walked on

The morning light giving an old barn new beauty

It was a little cool that morning and I had to borrow a t-shirt as all I had was a tank top. Next time I'll remember a light jacket. This tree was huge, and is probably at least 100 years old or more.

A valley that seems to go on and on

An old wooden gate to invite you in

The blue of the morning glory as blue as the Carolina skies

A beautiful hydrangea of which I brought several cuttings home

I wish I could have brought this home! He had so many hummingbirds around, but there is a huge lake in the area that crosses two state lines. The hummingbirds always are more abundant around the water.

Such a beautiful area, a nice weekend. Yet I'm sure you are wondering where are the mules? Our friends family has been in this area probably for 80+ years if not more. His grandfather when he was very young bought this land for two mules from the Indians. Two mules for 88 acres. The stories this land could tell, and according to our friend they still have their "pow wows" not too far away from this old homestead. When they are there you can hear their songs and drums as they celebrate the days with the story telling of the past. The sounds carrying through into the evening molding into the valley of their ancestors until the misty morning light shows its face once again.

Butterfly

2010-08-13T00:08:00.006-04:00

Ooooh, someone is another year older today!!! Silke at http://silkepowers.blogspot.com/ !!!! Guess Anne at http://elmilagrostudio.blogspot.com/
got ya on this one!!!
Here's a wish that your day be filled with butterflies that inspire you with all of those wonderful paintings, and of course plenty of kuchen too!!!

Have a wonderful and happy day Silkie!!!!

And They Call It Puppy Love

2010-08-05T00:08:00.000-04:00

Now say it all together.....awwwwww isn't that just the cutest!!!

I took this photo along the river walk in Savannah. There he/she was with its very own little stuffed puppy dog! Now who could resist taking this photo! Too cute!!!!

The Captain

2010-08-04T00:08:00.001-04:00

We had some extra time that day in Savannah so we headed out to Tybee Island for a walk on the beach. Since the kids are all grown we don't go to the beach when it is high season, but a walk on it would have been nice. Forget that! We could not even find a parking space!! So it was time to head home, but wait! My stomach is crying out for more seafood!! I know just the place to go. The Crab Shack on Tybee Island. Talk about yum oh!

The restaurant sits on a marsh area. They had expanded since the last time we were there which had been a while. We opted to sit outside since a good breeze was blowing, and they had the misters on too.

Now I know you are wondering why the title The Captain? Well, here he is Captain Jack!! And Anne, I was thinking of you when I took this one!! Isn't he a handsome devil?!!!

Ah yes, the sand, the salt air, The Seafood!, Captain Jack....I mean Captain Hubby.....beach fever is catching up with me!!

Back in June

2010-08-02T20:08:00.009-04:00

I can't believe I forgot to blog this! I think we were starting work on the garden house so I'll say it has to do with that not old age!! Back in June we made a quick trip to Savannah. Love, love Savannah! We were meeting up with some people so we took a little drive, and wound up on Coffee Bluffs road which gave us this view. Just what I need to look at right now!

We always walk the river walk no matter how many times we've gone.

These stairs are killers for high heels

Hubby enjoying the misters that were up, and I believe they were needed for the month of July!

We stopped at a restaurant to grab a quick snack. Beautiful oak trees out the window

Now that's a lot of wine!

I didn't notice till I posted this that my hair is wind swept even though I pulled it up, and the coat rack behind me looks like I have antlers!!

After our snack we had to walk back up the stairs!

Next time that we go to Savannah I'd like to do a carriage ride, but more so in the evening.

So why did we go? For this! Wild Georgia shrimp!! It was packed heavily with ice thank goodness.

My brother-in-law tells us we can drive a mile down the road to the nearest grocery store to purchase shrimp, but these taste so much better. Besides I get a trip to my favorite city!! Now I better see what other photos I haven't posted!

Flower power

2010-07-30T09:50:00.003-04:00

Just thought that I would share this photo with you that my Aunt sent to me. She is out west now around the Grand Tetons area which is absolutely beautiful. I would love to go out there one day.

Is this not a great advertisement? My Aunt loves flowers just as much as I do so she is always looking for flower power photos! Now I need to get back to work as I have one coat on the garden house, and I took yesterday off from everything. This heat here has become hard to work in! Hope all of you have a good weekend!

Hummingbird visit

2010-07-27T14:08:00.004-04:00

I can't believe a week has gone by since my last post! I was doing so good with my posting and reading. The garden house has sheet rock up now, and I went out and bought the paint for it yesterday. I bought the sample size of the accent colors just in case I didn't like them. So this afternoon I will be sanding the sheet rock, its final sanding, and then I'll paint. My last sanding I forgot to put a cap on to cover my hair. Hubby told me I looked pretty good as a white haired old lady!!!!
My little friend visits every day at the little feeder I have by the kitchen window. This little clip is from last year that I thought that I would share today since I can see them outside my garden house window, but no time to film them! This was actually an accident on filming with my old camera. I had been snapping away so fast that I didn't realize I was filming it!

Fast little thing isn't it? I hope next year it will have a whole flower bed filled with all the flowers it loves!!

Lunchtime!

2010-07-20T13:26:00.002-04:00

I have been working outside all morning in my yard. It's amazing how fast weeds and grass will grow where you don't want them to grow, and we have been so busy with other things that the yard has been put on hold.
So with my tummy growling I came inside to see what I could make. Nothing looked appealing, so I took shrimp out of the freezer for supper. Ohhh...shrimp salad sounds good!

It looked so pretty I had to share! Too bad you can't taste it, because it tastes delicious!! Hmmmm, maybe that will be what I make for supper too. Nothing like wild Georgia shrimp as I finish my last bite while blogging! Now back outside....the jungle is calling!

My basket overflows

2010-07-19T09:29:00.002-04:00

My basket overflows with lavender! I did not think I would be harvesting this much hence the smaller basket!

It smells wonderful.

I have the lavender in my guest bedroom right now as I had to spread it out to dry. I still have some in a huge plastic container from previous years. All you have to do is open it, and the aroma flows out. When my garden house is finished I will be able to put it in there instead of the guest bedroom! (By the way for those of you who are watching the progress....sheet rock is over half way up! I still haven't looked for paint, but as it has been so humid it would not be good painting weather anyway.)
Looking at these photos.......Hmmmm, I guess I better start thinking of ways to use all of this lavender!

I can see clearly now

2010-07-16T08:55:00.003-04:00

Oh, these windows and french doors are soooo dirty! They have been waiting for their new home for quite a few years.

I can see clearly now

The insulation waiting when I took this photo. Now it is up on the walls.

A rear view of the place. We have the vent holes cut in too. The trim still needs to go around the windows and the French doors so either my step son or son-in-law will do that. My step son was the one who installed the windows and doors. We only had 4 windows so we spread them around with the main two over looking the bee hives and what will be a new flower bed.

Here are my French doors! Arent' they pretty?!!!! I'll be heading out to the store to purchase paint as I need to get started on the paint job. I have been so undecided about the color. I really don't want white, nor brown although I have seen some pretty garden houses those colors. I am leaning towards the same color as our house which is sort of a soft pale yellow. The trim is what is throwing me off. Our trim has this deep mustard gold which I love, but I was thinking of something different. I had thought of a French lavender blue, but that may be too much. It might be better used as an accent.

This little one is real excited for his new home! I purchased it at a consignment shop a few months back.

Of course, hubby thought it would look better this way next to a tree!! Men!!

Hopefully by next week I'll be able to show you the paint job although we are suppose to get rain which I won't complain as we do need it. So as the saying goes...better get my rear in gear, and get out there looking at paint!

Sweet tea & corn

2010-07-15T14:43:00.002-04:00

Went to the Farmers Market the other day to pick up a few things since my garden did absolutely nothing this year except for maybe some cucumbers. They say fall planting time is just around the corner so I think I'll have some raised beds made for it.

In the meantime I'll enjoy the glass of sweet tea while shucking corn, in my opinion, nothing tastes better than a tall glass of sweet tea!

A cuppa blue

2010-07-11T13:28:00.002-04:00

Blueberries that is!! I picked these this morning. Our bushes are finally giving a little more, maybe I'll be able to make a blueberry cobbler this year!

Hope you've had a beautiful weekend!

What we did for our holiday

2010-07-07T08:07:00.003-04:00

Have you ever said I need to go back to work just so I can rest? That's the way it was around here! From Friday through Tuesday we were busy at work with the garden house. Come see the progress we have made!

We did part of the rock wall, brought the old patio set up so when we took a break we could sit down. We dug out over a foot and a half of dirt on the left side, and then placed it on the right side to bring it level.

The sun is already creeping up in the sky for another hot day although I must say we had beautiful weather over the weekend waking up in the morning to a 60 degree (15C) temperature.

Blackie checking out the new pad.

The sand being put down and leveled out.

We have had these bricks and rocks for ages. Always thought that when we moved we would make pathways with them. For now they will make a patio and rock wall!

We had all different colors so we mixed it up a bit.

We propped the windows up to see what it will look like.

I have a little path to the side here which we will either use pebbles or boards.

Hubby will be adding the step to the front soon. Being in maintenance he is always measuring things to code. This is the finished left side....(looking from the front)

And here is the right side

I never dreamed that I would have all of this! I was just expecting dirt although I did know that I wanted the rock wall so it would keep dirt from washing down. I wanted that European cottage look! Next will come the windows, French doors, closing up the top along the eaves, and adding the vents. It was a very busy five days, but we did stop to go over to the neighbors for a 4th cookout. Thank goodness for that as I didn't feel like cooking!! Now I better get busy with other outside chores as it is suppose to get extremely hot again!

Blue and Yellow

2010-07-02T00:08:00.001-04:00

I'll be honest, I'm not much of a blue person or pink, but I do have some of it scattered here and there in the house. It is gorgeous and I love to look at it. Outside in the garden is a different story as hydrangeas are one of my favorites, and there are so many pretty pink flowers!! The day I went up to my grandmother's house I took the usual road. However, it has been a while since I have gone up at this time of year. Boy, I never knew what I was missing! I was in a hurry driving up those mountain roads so when I saw this I made a mental note to stop on the way back to take photos. This photo alone is a beautiful sight, and guess what? This place is for sale! Oh to win the lotto!!

A tree lined driveway with beautiful iron gates. (I love taking photos of gates and doors)

The gate has a beautiful design, and check out the rock wall plus the long wooden fence.

Now this is something I had never thought about! I am going to go around and tag all of my yellow daylilies! This looks gorgeous together!!! I do have a blue and yellow quilt in my guest bedroom so why didn't I think of this?!!!!!!

Not only looking at the beauty of this property, and one day I will go back and see if I can check out more of it, but the neighbors have horses!

Is this not pretty? Who knows what is beyond close to the house as this is only at the front gate!!

Someone has to love hydrangeas as much as I do!

Yes, most definitely, I have to find those yellow daylilies! Come to think of it, I'll probably need more hydrangeas too!! A gardeners work is never done.....

Mamma's Got A New Castle

2010-06-30T12:39:00.005-04:00

The foundation is finished with everything leveled out. Several trees had been cut down that were in the way. Now the time had come to move the wooden shed which is now being known as my garden house. My father and hubby built it when we first moved here. Remember when we moved the greenhouse down the hill using the tractor and trailer? That was an experience! This time we were playing it a little bit safer!! A wrecker aka tow truck was called in to do the job! We found a guy who said he had moved buildings before so he came by this morning to take a look to make sure it could be done. After all we live on a hillside or as hubby puts it the top of a little mountain. So the guy had an audience with hubby and son-in-law pitching in to help when needed while my daughter and I stood there and watched.

It took a good 20+ minutes to even get it to this angle.

Finally he had it pulled out of the "hole"

And was able to pull it more onto the flat bed

Even this looked scary to me! Many times my daughter and I were "oh my goodness!"

Power/cable lines were not a problem here at all.

Down the hillside he goes

If you notice in this photo hubby has a stick that he would use to push up the cable lines if needed. The driver was so impressed with it! He told hubby you would not believe how many times he had to climb onto the truck with a broom stick to push wires out of the way. I later on saw hubby strapping it on to the truck for the driver to keep!

Come on back

This part wasn't too bad, however, this was the hillside so it was uneven

Backing up to the foundation blocks and concrete. Hubby had put skids underneath the garden house along with rods a long time ago just for this very reason. It helped the guy lock onto it.

Almost there

Right about here it was sitting crooked, made me nervous! although it was all strapped down safe enough.

Getting ready to lower down

Checking out to make sure it would line up

Using a come along to help wench it in place

Son-in-law got an arm work out with it!

Then hubby worked it

Pull that come along!!!

Almost there....

Finally! Sitting in its new home!!

See my French doors leaning against the tree? I'll have windows too, and later on a porch!

We will be putting rocks underneath and on the side of the hill next to it to make a rock wall so the dirt won't keep washing underneath it. Then will come the painting, closing the inside walls in with a paneling which hubby said is cheaper than sheet rock. After that is all done I can decorate it, move my roses around, add more flowers, goodness so much to do!!
As the driver got it all set into place he looked over at me and said, "Mamma's got a new castle"!
I got a big smile on my face, and said yes she does!!

Grandmother's daylilies

2010-06-24T08:27:00.004-04:00

When I was a child no matter where we were in the states (my dad was military) we would always head to the mountains of North Carolina for a vacation break. In the summer what I always remembered most about my grandmother's garden were the daylilies, and the hydrangeas. All of them beautiful. My grandmother loves her daylilies, and back then when she was much younger (she will be turning 93 this year, Lord willing and the creek don't rise! as Minnie Pearl used to say) and could hike up and down the hill she would plant the whole hillside with daylilies! I can remember tourists stopping to take pictures, and yes, some would even ask if they could purchase some. Of course, my granddaddy would always extend the offer of come and sit for a while! Or even throw out an invite for supper! Those were the days, sigh.....these days my grandmother still grows her daylilies. I took a day off this week from all of my chores around the house including working in my garden to go and visit her and my uncle . As I thought about it those things will still be here, but I'm not sure how much time my grandmother will have left. Of course she was so tickled to see me, I'm the first grandchild out of her 9 children with my father being the oldest. After we ate the lunch I brought up, and had visited a spell, we had to go out to her garden which I am so glad that I brought my camera as everything was in bloom!
I just love the color on this one!

The third one down is just so beautiful in person. It is almost a coppery color!

She has her daylilies among all the other flowers some blooming, some not.

Don't you love this yellow with the other next to it?!

It would be so hard to pick a favorite out of all of these. But wait!! There are more!!! She has a lot of miniatures too! I'll show those on another post along with the rest of her garden.
And you thought I loved daylilies!! As we were looking at them she mentioned that she saw some other ones in the catalog that she was wanting to purchase for next year!! You go grandmother!!!!

A lily a day

2010-06-19T00:08:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that we are coming up to the middle of June. Around here that means lilies, daylilies that is. My grandmother loves daylilies so she has shared with the rest of the family when they need dividing. Of course some of these I have bought too. I wish they bloomed all summer long, but if the plant is big enough you can get quite a few weeks of blooms from it.
A school friend of mine married one of my cousins, and went to my grandmother to gather some flowers for her bouquet. She gathered lots of flowers including the daylilies, but was disappointed when the next day (her wedding day) the flowers were not blooming. I reminded her that's why they call them daylilies!!
So, here are a few that are blooming right now.

Hope you enjoyed a lily a day!

I can finally sit down!

2010-06-14T10:29:00.003-04:00

By that title you would think, boy, you have been really busy! Well, yes and no. Our air conditioner went out two and a half weeks ago. My daughter's last year, and ours this year. Can you see the gray hair that have sprung up overnight?!!!
Fortunately the weather was not too bad, and I would spend most of my time outside working in the garden (which in my case why bother as the weeds/grass have really taken over). I've been a real trooper though! Weeding, planting, etc.. You would think that with all of that I have been getting enough exercise! I have been trying to whittle the "old" waistline down with a exercise cd. Denise Austin is really great, and I wish she would be back on tv as that really makes you exercise, no excuses!! Anyway, I decided I would hop on my old stair stepper (and I do mean old) for a short time. It went great, or so I thought!! Went to the store shopping with my daughter, bent down and could barely get back up! Oh oh! From there it went downhill!! Just trying to sit, oh boy! that was a joke!! So I headed off to the massage lady who said I had just done too much. My body was ok with gardening, weeding, digging, but it did not like the machine so it protested big time! Sigh, I'm getting old....!!! As she put it she knows that for me to tell myself to take a break would be hard to do so she was telling me to take a break!!!
Do you know how hard it is just to do nothing with all the plants crying for my attention?!!

These are just some of the ones that I had bought. My local place had geraniums three 18 packs for $15! Then I went back and they had marked it down to 3-18pk for $10!! Woohoo! I love geraniums as they last all summer long so I could not turn them down. The only thing is that they only had certain colors which seemed to be the case everywhere I went, and nobody had the wax leaf geraniums. Of course hubby looks at me like where in the world are you going to put all of these?!! Course some of them I'll share, some I'll put into the ground which will be a first for me as we have the red clay dirt here, but hey, if they survive I'll be a happy camper.
At least something will be growing! I don't know if it was our crazy spring or what yet it seems the veggie garden is just not doing too much; except for the weeds/grass. If you want grass in a certain spot just try and grow something!
I have forced myself to rest which has been hard. We were wanting to go to Savannah to get some shrimp, and a little break over the weekend. I decided against it which was probably a good thing. I guess I just needed the rest. It would have been nice to be able to sit on this chair and visit, but that crazy nerve just would not let me. I did a lot of walking around, and had to take this photo to show you this rose bush in the backyard.

Look how it made this beautiful cluster! To me it looks like a bridal bouquet!

This rose came about from my grandmother. She was cutting hers back; throwing the trimmings down the hill so I grabbed one. When I got home I just stuck it in the dirt! Never thought it would grow, but it does with wonderful blooms till fall, and yes it does have a wonderful fragrance!
Now for someone who hasn't been on lately I hope I haven't bored you to death! I've been a little chatter box here!!! Guess I better get busy with something else....like buying some groceries!!
Oh, and by the way we have air!! Got it this past Friday all hooked up and running great! Hubby did a terrific job, and it's a good thing since we are having temps in the high 90's to close to 100!!

A white day

2010-06-02T13:23:00.005-04:00

It's bloomin' white around here! Not snow, but flowers!
A yucca type plant

So excited on this one although I'll have to move it later...it is called a waterfall hydrangea since the flowers cascade down

White double petunias with little sprays of white flowers

Don't know the name of this one...if anyone knows?...would love it in the hot pink color!

A white dianthus that came up from scattered seed. Must have been washed away as it is where I would not have planted it, but it's growing!

Ooooh, a magnolia tree

Some blossoms waiting to open

The scent is heavenly like a lemon/lime...just beautiful. Although never touch the flowers as it makes it go from white to brown!!

My hubby's favorite, and a lot of other men say it's their favorite too. The gardenia bushes are coming into bloom by the front porch. Now that's fragrance!

Just a daisy type weed!! With honeybees, if it flowers, it stays!!

Hope you enjoyed my white day!

Partys over, and the winner is

2010-06-01T15:35:00.007-04:00

All my spring cleaning inside is over along with my party. The glasses were sparkling

Plates were being set

The food was made, and gone real fast!!

All the pretty jewelry set out

For everyone to look at

We had fun that day! Isn't it amazing how you do so much, and then poof! it's over!! So my daughter drew a name, and the winner is........Marnie at Lilacs and Roses! Congratulations!! Thanks to everyone who entered, I wish I could give everyone something, but as my daughter said there will be a new catalog next month so I can do it again!

Roses a bloomin

2010-05-26T08:12:00.006-04:00

My roses have started blooming in full force now. Some of them seem a little early, but then I really don't keep a log or anything yet I guess my blog is my log now! Most of my roses are antique roses although I have bought a few hybrids, but the hybrids have to be ones that I just fall in love with as I like non fussy roses!! I don't do anything to my roses except add some compost now and then, no spray unless it is dish soap with hot sauce in it. Since we have honeybees I try to keep everything more natural so we won't poison the honeybees. Quite a few of my roses are still in pots, have been for 5 years! We always thought we would move again, but with the way things are these days...I'm planting like crazy!
Now this is a pretty rose that blooms on and off. I have two as I had bought my mother-in-law one also. I can't remember the name of some of them so if anyone knows please pass the info on!

Prime example of rose in a pot! Hubby had put bricks around so as to keep them warm in the winter. This one is pretty well rooted so I think we will mortar the bricks, cut the pot, and add dirt. Did you notice the little seat to the left? That is a crepe myrtle that hubby had cut down. At the time we had placed a rock with a plant on top, and then it started sending branches up. We prune it every year so the branches give good back support and the rock warms the bottom in the winter!! The rose growing in the pot is called Ispahan, one of my favorites although it only blooms once, but the scent!!! Oh my!

Here is a close up. This year it was totally covered in blooms.

Don't know the name of this one, however, it seems to bloom for most of the summer as looking back on my old house photos I see it blooming.

Gorgeous color on it!

I believe this one is Duchess de Brandt, although not sure.

My favorite! Can you believe this one is in a pot!!! I absolutely adore, love this rose!! The scent is heavenly, it starts blooming in the early spring, and continues until the first deep frost which is usually December here. The name? Pearl D' Ore. Look how huge it is!! I even pruned this one too. Which reminds me I need to get out there and snip some of it off so it will bloom some more although it will keep blooming even if I don't do it.

I have a few more roses to show, but I'll leave them for another day! Now I need to get outside so I can start planting. Hubby said I need to get some things in the dirt before the end of the summer! I have a bad habit of buying then it grows (hubby said he has never seen anything like it!) on the carport till I get around to planting!!! I want to go and buy some more geraniums so I better get busy!!