Sweet Virginia Breeze

Winter boredom ............

2012-01-20T09:18:00.004-05:00

We've been snuggled up inside since the weather turned cooler. Even the kitties don't want to go out. They keep an eye on their yard by lounging in front of the window.

We are suffering from winter boredom. Every so often I pull out my long 'To Do' list, look it over, sigh, and put it back. I just can't get motivated to do anything other than eat, read, and sleep.

Actually, we've had a very mild winter so far. No snow, no sleet, and very few days below freezing. We've even had several days warm enough to open the windows and fill the house with fresh air.

I'm anxiously awaiting spring.

2011 - The Christmas that wasn't .................

2011-12-30T18:56:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Christmas. We didn't have Christmas this year. Last Friday, I got a headache, sore neck, and started running a fever. Hubby was already suffering from a sore throat, cough, and stuffed up head. I called my brother and told him we were postponing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals. I didn't want to infect him with whatever germs we had. I put the oysters and turkey in the freezer and went to bed.

I stayed in bed from Friday afternoon until Wednesday, only getting up every so often to stumble to the kitchen for a glass of ice water and some Advil. Hubby was stretched out on the sofa, coughing his head off and trying to handle the cats on his own. (Not an easy job if you don't feel well.)

I wasn't feeling better and couldn't get my fever down, so I told Hubby we were going to the doctor Wednesday. He went first and was diagnosed with a virus and was given two prescriptions. He has bronchitis and any type of lung infection hits him hard. I went next and was told I have viral meningitis. I was told to take Advil and Tylenol every three hours to get the fever down and that I should be better by the first of the week. My throat was beginning to get sore, which meant I was trying to come down with the virus Hubby has. The doctor gave me a prescription to take for it now before it gets too bad.

So, we had no Christmas meals or celebrations. We didn't even have any gifts to open. I had ordered a watch for Hubby from a local jewelers and it didn't come before Christmas. They called Tuesday and said it was in. I haven't been out to pick it up. Hubby gave me a Kindle which I have been using for several weeks. I never did go out to get the kitties anything for their stocking.

Actually, missing Christmas didn't bother me. I don't have big expectations for holidays. I've learned if you don't expect anything, then whatever you get is a pleasant surprise. We are so lucky when compared to some people in the world.

Will try to visit everyone's blog and comment soon. I still have a headache and can't sit up for too long.

Santa Claus is coming to town ...........

2011-12-20T09:54:00.002-05:00

Christmas prep .............

2011-12-14T19:55:00.003-05:00

Have you missed me? I haven't been around much lately. No special reason for my absence, I've just been busy with normal life stuff. I can't believe that it's the middle of December already. I think it would feel more like Christmas if it were colder. I still have roses blooming, my herbs in pots are thriving, and we're still having to cut grass.

My Christmas preparations are almost complete. Our Christmases are low key and quiet - no frantic shopping and gift buying, no big parties or entertaining, and very little baking or candy making. I will put up my tree either tomorrow or Friday. I have Hubby's gift on order from our local jewelers and the kitties have a new scratcher and catnip. I've already gotten my gift - a Kindle to go along with my Nook.

The amarylis I got earlier at Walmart now has four blooms and looks very festive.

I don't think Maggie May feels well. She usually spends all day outside and has to be forced back in at night. She hasn't wanted to go out for two days now. She goes in the bedroom and sleeps on the far side of the bed all day. Right now she is curled up in front of me watching me type this post. She has been eating a little so I'm not too concerned. I'll keep an eye on her.

After Thanksgiving ............

2011-11-27T17:39:00.004-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday. As usual, we stayed at home. I cooked a turkey with all the side dishes. My brother was our only guest, so the three of us ended up stuffing ourselves. Most of the leftovers are gone now, so I plan on making a big pot of soup tomorrow.

Did you check out all the sales? You couldn't pay me to go shopping on Black Friday. There's absolutely nothing I need or want enough to put up with the crowds. I don't do much Christmas shopping anyway. I've ordered Hubby a watch from a local jewelers and will find a small gift for my brother. That is all the shopping I plan on doing.

My brother eats supper with us several times a week. Mollie Ann has fallen in love with his lap. As soon as he sits down, she jumps up and settles down. She doesn't move until he gets up to go home. I've tried to talk him into adopting her, but he already has one cat.

Is that a picture of pure relaxation or what?

We've been busy getting up leaves in the yard. They seem to fall faster than we can get them up. With 2 acres of yard we don't try to rake except where the leaf vacuum doesn't go. We have an abundance of acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, and sweet gum balls this year. Hope that doesn't mean we will have a bad winter.

Relief ............

2011-11-14T18:42:00.003-05:00

....................... Miss Mollie Ann .......................

Thanks everyone for the tips on self treatment of Plantar Fasciitis. I've been doing exercises every day to stretch my calf and foot muscles. They do seem to help.

Last week I went to Walmart looking for some type of insoles to put in my shoes to give my feet extra support. I noticed they had one of the Dr. Scholl's Foot Mapping Kiosks that I had seen advertised on TV. I decided to give it a try, since I had no clue as to what type of insoles to buy. You take your shoes off and stand on the base, lifting first one foot, then the other. It measures the amount of pressure being exerted by the different areas of your foot and recommends the best custon fit orthonics for you. I found out that I have a very high arch and was recommended the CF130 inserts. They have a system that stabalizes and supports your arch.

They were almost $50.00, but I was willing to try anything that would give me some relief. While the package promised immediate and all-day comfort, I was just hoping for less pain. I put them in my shoes as soon as I got home, and I was amazed at how comfortable they were. My feet no longer hurt with each step! They did provide immediate and all day comfort!

When I took my shoes off that night and put on my slippers without the inserts, each step I took was painful again. I plan on buying a second set so I can put them in my slippers. I don't know if they work as well for other people, but they definitely get my recommendation. I have happy feet again!

I have received no compensation from Dr. Scholl's for my comments.

Colorful leaves ..........

2011-11-09T23:38:00.002-05:00

Our leaves have been pretty the past week, but are browning quickly. We're having cool nights and warm days. I worked today on cleaning out some of my flowers and hope to clean up my garden squares tomorrow. I have a few tomatoes left, but they are small and green, so will probably be hurt by frost before they ripen. I did pick a bunch of green peppers today.

I've been suffering with aching feet for the last month or so. I have self diagnosed myself as having plantar fasciitis and have decided that I need to go shopping for shoes with good arch support and cushioning. I've reached the age where comfort becomes more important than fashion in footwear. I haven't been able to use the treadmill or walk as much as I'd like because my feet hurt.

Fall flowers .....

2011-10-24T21:26:00.003-04:00

The leaves are just beginning to turn here in Central Virginia. Since I don't have any colorful leaf photos to share, I thought I'd share some colorful fall flower photos.

A fall drive ........

2011-10-19T10:12:00.002-04:00

Monday was sunny and warm, a perfect day for a drive. We decided to head north toward Sperryville. We stopped for breakfast near Mineral, which was the epicenter of the east coast earthquake. A lot of houses had chimney damage and some buildings had damage to brick facades. We didn't feel any tremors while we were there, although the news said this morning that there was another aftershock last night.

(I apologize for the poor photos. It's hard to take a picture while riding in the car at 50 mph. Hubby isn't one to stop in the middle of the road so I can take a picture.)

When we arrived in Sperryville we stopped at an antique store we like to visit. We were disappointed in what they had to offer, so we didn't stay long. Our next stop was a stand selling apples, cider, honey, jellies and jams. We got a basket of apples, two jugs of cider, and a jar of damson jelly. I love damson jelly and preserves. After stopping at a few other shops along the road, we entered Shenandoah National Park and got on Skyline Drive heading South.

The day was sunny, but it was a bit hazy in the distance. The trees have turned up on the mountain and are beginning to turn in the valley.

We didn't continue south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, but got off near Charlottesville and headed home. It was a very pretty drive and an enjoyable outing.

While we were gone, the tree service had come and taken down our tree. I was disappointed that I hadn't been at home to watch. The tree was really, really tall and I wanted to watch as they cut it in sections from the top with the bucket truck.

This is all that is left of the tree.

Blogger's block?

2011-10-13T20:48:00.003-04:00

It's been ages since I updated my blog. I don't have any excuse other than every time I think about posting, my mind becomes a blank. Is there such a thing as blogger's block?

Things have been quiet and uneventful around here. We are still waiting for the tree service to take down the tree damaged by the hurricane. They dropped off a trailer and a bobcat Tuesday, so maybe they'll get to work soon.

Our trees are just beginning to turn. I'm hoping we can take a day trip to the mountains the first of the week. I want to get some delicious Virginia apples.

My mind is totally blank again. Just wanted to let you know that I'm still here and all is well.

My porch .......

2011-09-23T17:05:00.002-04:00

The porch at my front door embarasses me. No matter how often I sweep and clean it off, I never know what may be lurking there. I'd hate for company to accidently step in some of the strange things I find. Yesterday morning there was the back half of a rabbit deposited on the mat. Later in the day I found the innards of some unknown animal. Then this morning I look out and Mazie Grace had a rat that she was tossing around and playing with.

Mollie Ann was very interested in what was going on. I think she wanted to play too.

Once Mazie Grace starts to eat, I have to leave for awhile, since I can't stand to watch her. Five minutes later the porch was clear once again.

A visit from Arthur Ritis ............

2011-09-12T17:42:00.003-04:00

Mollie Ann's new favorite place

I haven't been around lately. Mr. Arthur Ritis paid me a visit and settled in for an extended stay in my neck, shoulders, and back. I was too uncomfortable to sit at the computer and was in too foul a mood to converse by any means with other people. I believe the worst is over with and hopefully I will be back to normal soon. Needless to say, I haven't been doing much other than trying to find a position that was bearable. I don't know of anything special that brought the flare-up on. Every so often it just decides to act up for awhile.

We are in the process of closing the pool for the summer. The weather report is calling for cool temperatures this weekend. Even though the days have been hot and humid, the nights have been cool. It's perfect weather for sleeping with the windows open.

We easily got the yard cleaned up after the hurricane and were thankful that we had no damage. A couple of days later a huge limb on a tall oak tree in the back yard broke off. We will have to get a tree service to come in and take it down as it is too high up for hubby to reach. While they are here we're getting the whole tree cut down. As you can see in the bottom picture, it is leaning out over the yard and will fall sooner or later taking the electric wires down with it. I'm surprised the whole tree didn't come down.

I apologize for not commenting on your blogs lately. I'm off now to catch up on everyone.

Irene cleanup ...........

2011-08-31T22:48:00.002-04:00

We've been busy the last few days cleaning up after Irene. We were very lucky. We had no major wind damage, no flooding, and we had electricity except for two hours on Saturday. Our yard was covered in sticks, leaves, and branches. Our neighbors lost a tree and several large limbs, but all we had was small stuff. We went over the yard with the bagger on the mower and got up most of the debris. I raked up the rest.

The pool was full of leaves and I spent a couple of afternoons getting it cleaned out. It won't be long before it will be time to close it for the winter. I hope we have a few more hot days so we can enjoy the water a bit longer.

We seemed to be just on the edge of the strong winds. Just thirty miles to the east of us there was extensive tree damage and even a death from a tree which fell on a house. There are still many areas without electricity. Luckily, we are not in an area that floods.

We have much to be thankful for. I hope everyone was as lucky as we were. The east coast had a rough week - first an earthquake, then a hurricane. This week the weather has been beautiful.

Patty cake ..............

2011-08-28T16:24:00.003-04:00

A whole lot of shaking going on .......

2011-08-23T16:13:00.003-04:00

We had an earthquake this afternoon around 1:50. It was a 5.8 magnitude quake, the stongest in central Virginia history. The epicenter was near Mineral, Virginia which is about 50 miles north of us.

Hubby had been cutting grass and was sitting in the garage resting. I had just taken clothes off the line and had come in the garage when we heard a rumble and things began to shake. We both realized it was an earthquake right away. Things on the shelves in the garage were rattling and at one point the house began to creak and groan. I stood there fascinated by the shaking and noise, then calmly walked outside and looked around. The only damage I've been able to find is that a thermometer was knocked off a tree in the yard.

I came inside and turned on the TV. I wasn't sure if there would be any reports on our local TV stations. I was totally surprised when I heard that it had been felt all along the east coast and that it was news on all the major stations as well as MSNBC and CNN.

Earthquakes are not all that rare in our area, but they are usually so weak that unless you are paying attention you don't even know they happened. We did have one in 2003 that felt as strong as this one.

Now our attention will be on hurricane Irene which will arrive this weekend. I plan on going to the store tomorrow and stocking up on water and batteries. I'm hoping it stays far enough off shore that we do not get stong winds, but close enough so we get rain. It's still too early to tell what her path will be.

Bears and snakes and cougars ..........

2011-08-21T21:38:00.003-04:00

I have been reading our local weekly paper. A neighbor of mine reported seeing a black bear with two cubs near the barn behind her house. In recent years there have been more and more bear sightings in my area as they move east out of the mountains. I haven't seen one yet and hope I don't run up on momma bear and her cubs.

I also read about a guy who worked with Hubby being bit on the hand by a copperhead snake. His hand was swollen to almost twice its normal size and he had to spend two nights in the hospital. I've killed two copperheads in my yard this summer. Black snakes I can tolerate, but not copperheads.

Then, there have been more cougar sightings in the area. The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries keeps declaring that we do not have cougars here. Since so many people have seen the cougars, they finally conceded that someone must have let them loose. I wouldn't want to come face to face with a cougar while going for a walk, and I do worry about my cats being supper for one.

I never considered that I was living in the wilds, but I may have to reconsider.

Smokey .........

2011-08-15T16:56:00.002-04:00

It finally cooled off a bit at the end of the week. I had plans to get outside and catch up on some of the long neglected yard work. However, we were under a blanket of smoke on Friday and Saturday. People were warned to stay inside since the air quality was so bad. There is a huge fire in the Dismal Sawmp. Wind currents were bringing the smoke this way. Also, a large cut over piece of land was being burned on the other side of town and we were getting smoke from it. I tried to do some things outside but the smoke burned my eyes and throat so I gave up and stayed inside. I did get outside today and got all the shrubs in front of the house pruned. They have been growing like weeds this summer. I was beginning to worry that the house would be completely hidden by bushes.

Maggie May has an appointment at the vet tomorrow morning for her rabies shot. It should be interesting getting her in the carrier. She runs in the opposite direction every time she sees it. For some unknown reason, she has decided that she wants to stay in the house all day. Not too long ago it was almost impossible to get her inside. Maybe she is smart enough to know that Mollie Ann comes in the house when she goes outside and she doesn't want Mollie in her house. Sometimes they are hard to figure.

I'm still on my reading binge. I need cut back on the reading and spend some time crossing things off my long, long "To Do List". I also need to start walking again. I just gave up completely during all the hot weather and I can tell that I haven't been exercising.

Hope you have a nice week.

Bits and pieces .............

2011-08-08T19:30:00.003-04:00

Summer is going by much too fast! Our local schools open next Monday. It seems like they open earlier every year. When I was young, we always went back on the Monday after Labor Day. Of course, that was back in the olden days.

This has been an extremely hot summer. We've spent lots of time in the pool trying to cool off. After several 100+ days the water was so warm it wasn't at all refreshing. That's when we retreated to the air conditioning and hibernated inside.

I've been on a reading binge. My Nook, which now has 305 books, has had a workout. My favorite so far this summer is "The Mill River Recluse" by Darcie Chan. It is a beautifully written and engrossing novel. This is Mrs. Chan's first novel and I'm anxiously awaiting more from this talented new author. The book is only $.99 and can be purchased for your Nook or your Kindle. It is well worth the price.

The three M's - Maggie May, Mazie Grace, and Mollie Ann - have been very, very lazy cats during all this hot weather. They stretch out in the coolest spot they can find and refuse to move.

A week ago we moved the rest of my brother's things from New Jersey to Virginia. We got up at 4 AM on Saturday morning and headed north. We got to Cherry Hill around 11 AM, rented a UHaul trailer, loaded his furniture, and began the trip back south. We got caught up in a traffic jam caused by a ball game near Washington DC. Then the interior light on the truck came on and we couldn't get it to turn off. For some reason the trailer was causing a short or something in the electrical system. We were fooling with the lights and missed our turn off 95 and ended up having to go through downtown Richmond. It was 11 PM when we got back home. That was a long and tiring day. It took us all day Sunday to recover.

The monster plant has not strangled anyone yet. I did move it to the guestroom so the cats wouldn't chew on it and get poisoned. It still looks the same.

116 .........

2011-07-22T19:24:00.002-04:00

That was our heat index awhile ago. The actual temperature was 102. The humidity has been very oppressive the last few days. The air is so laden with moisture, it's like living inside a cloud - a 102 degree cloud. We were in the pool earlier, but the water is too warm to be really refreshing, so we came back inside with the AC. I brought all three cats inside this afternoon and put them in separate rooms so they wouldn't fight. The heat is dangerous for animals as well as people.

Hope everyone is managing to stay cool.

The monster plant ............

2011-07-18T21:20:00.003-04:00

Several months ago I bought this Sago Palm to put on my coffee table. It gets plenty of light where it sits and once a week I spray it off in the sink. Not long ago, shoots began to grow from the top. They grew and they grew and they are still growing. Does anyone know what they are? They seem awful long to become new leaves. I looked up Sago Palm flowers and these are not flowers. I told Hubby he should not turn his back to this plant when he takes a nap on the sofa. It may reach over and grab him. It is rather sinister looking - like something out of a horror movie.

I've been a bad blogger ......

2011-07-15T20:25:00.003-04:00

I've been terribly neglectful of my blog. I have no excuse other than laziness and procrastination. I also want to apologize for my lack of comments on your blogs. I do read your blog posts every day, however.

I've been enjoying summer. Since we got the pool in operation, I've spent almost every afternoon in the water. We had several days near 100 degrees with high humidity. One afternoon the heat index was 112 - that is almost unbearable. The last few days have been simply gorgeous with lower temperatures and lower humidity. Temperatures will be up near 100 by the end of next week, however.

We've been getting tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. I love fresh summer vegetables. I wish we had planted a larger garden so I had extra to can and freeze. We used to have a larger garden at the back of the yard but the deer would invade it every night and munch on everything, so we gave up and went with the garden squares closer to the house.

Mazie Grace brought a mouse into the house the other morning and let it go. It ran under the china cabinet in the diningroom She sat for awhile, waiting for it to come out, then got bored and went in the other room for a nap. Mollie Ann sat on the scratching box in front of the china cabinet and watched for awhile, then she fell asleep. I have lazy cats. Hubby went to the hardware store and get a mousetrap and we caught the mouse. Why do we have cats?

Mollie Ann waiting for the mouse to run to her.

At last ......

2011-07-07T18:48:00.004-04:00

We finally got our pool in full operation today after six weeks of trying to get it fixed. When we removed the cover this spring, the water was green with algae. Last fall we purchased a new cover which was suppose to allow water through so we wouldn't have to add so much water in the spring. We didn't need to add water, but the cover let dirt and algae into the pool along with the water. It was a mess. Needless to say, we threw away the cover and ordered the type we had been using. Before, when we took the cover off, the water would be crystal clear.

We tried filtering the water for a few days with little results. We decided the best thing to do was to drain the green water out of the pool and replace it with fresh clean water. We have a well and it would be impossible to fill the pool from our well. We had to purchase water. When we checked with our pool supply store, we found out that water for the pool would cost us an outrageous amount. After discussing it, we decided to have the liner replaced while the pool was empty and before paying so much to fill it. With our luck the liner would have gotten a hole as soon as we paid all that money for water and we would end up paying twice.

We finally got them out here the first of June. They put the new liner in and used two big milk trucks of water to fill the pool. The next morning the water level had dropped about six inches. We called the pool company back. They discovered a hole in the new liner. They put a patch on the liner and said they would order a new one. By then the water level was down at least a foot and was below the skimmer. They rigged up a hose that allowed us to run the filter but not skim the water surface.

For a month we got promises that they were coming back with the replacement liner. They had more excuses for why they couldn't come. The pool was no longer leaking and we could get in the water. Of course it was over a foot low and since we couldn't skim it, the surface was always covered with bugs, etc. Not the best situation.

Finally this morning they came. We now have a new liner, new hoses, and a pool full of clean water. Time for a pool party.

My garden ...........

2011-06-22T23:48:00.002-04:00

I'm finally posting pictures of my garden. We are getting squash, cucumbers, radishes, and lettuce. I've had a few small tomatoes ripen, but they have had dry rot on the bottom and were not usable. We had a big chef salad for supper using bounty from the garden. Ummm good!

We're having another hot week with temperatures in the 90s. It's midnight and my thermometer says it's still 79 degrees outside. We've been getting smoke the last couple of nights from a forest fire near Wilmington, North Carolina. Some people actually woke up thinking their houses were on fire and called the fire department.

A relaxing water fountain .........

2011-06-17T20:07:00.004-04:00

We got a water fountain this spring and set it beside the deck. It is so relaxing to sit and listen to the water as it falls from one level to the other. I can close my eyes and imagine that I am a child again, spending my summer afternoons at the creek. I've spent more time than I should lately sitting on the deck and reading to the sound of the water.

I've gotten the house back in order. I still need to do some deep cleaning, but I'm putting that off for now. We need to get the rest of the rooms painted. One thing leads to another.

We're beginning to get zuchinni and cucumbers from the garden. We have little green tomatoes that won't be ripe any time soon. Nothing is better than a ripe, juicy tomato straight from the garden. Umm, Umm. I can hardly wait.

Remodeling is complete ........

2011-06-09T21:40:00.004-04:00

The remodeling of my kitchen and bathrooms is complete! They came today and completed all the finishing details. I'm very pleased with the job they did. I've gotten things pretty much back in place. I still need to do some cleaning, wash windows, etc. It's a real pleasure to have my house back in order. Here are some before and after pictures.

Kitchen before ...

Kitchen after ...

Bathrooms before ...

Bathrooms after ...

Now I've got to concentrate on getting the pool straight. The story of our problems with it will have to wait for another day.

The hummingbirds are here .......

2011-06-05T19:57:00.003-04:00

A large flock of hummingbirds arrived a few days ago. It sounds like a swarm of bees when I go in the back yard where the feeder is. I had to fill this feeder twice today and it's almost empty again. They certainly are hungry little things.

I love to watch them as they fight for the feeder. Usually there is one really mean fellow that chases the others away. For such small birds they can be very noisy and very pushy. They will get right in my face when I add food to the feeder.

These birds will spend the summer here and have their babies. I have tried to find one of their nests, but have been unable to locate one. I think they are fascinating.

Making progress ..........

2011-06-02T20:35:00.002-04:00

We are still in the middle of remodeling. Lots of progress has been made, but things are still a mess. The painters came today and began preparing the walls. Once the pantry is painted, I will be able to move all my food from boxes in the garage to shelves in the pantry. The refrigerator should be able to go back in place as soon as the wall is painted behind it and the trim installed. I'll post some pictures soon.

I finally got the results of my stress test. Everything was normal. When I had my annual physical last month, my blood pressure was slightly elevated. The nurse practitioner gave me a prescription for what she described as a baby dose of blood pressure medicine. I asked if there were any side effects and she assured me that I shouldn't have any problems. Well, evidently the blood pressure medicine was causing all my problems - palpitations, dizziness, weakness, muscle pain, and stomach pain. Once the doctor changed my medicine I felt fine. Sometimes medicine causes more problems than it solves.

I will leave you with a photo of Mollie Ann. She looks like a little angel in this picture, but don't be deceived - she can be a little terror.

Slow progress .........

2011-05-23T17:07:00.002-04:00

Things are still in a complete mess around here. I went for the stress test Friday, but have not gotten any results. The technician who performed the test told me to contact my doctor today for the results. I called my doctor's office awhile ago and they haven't gotten anything yet. However, I am feeling much better.

I was hoping my kitchen counters and floor would be installed today, but the countertops were not ready and they didn't pick up the tile. So, they demolished my bathroom instead. Now my whole house is in disarray.

Not much progress has been made in the kitchen. The dishwasher was installed, but I still have no water or countertops.

All my dishes and food are still in boxes in the garage along with the boxes that the contractor brought. It's a major job to try to find anything in this mess.

This is my bathroom as they left it this afternoon. We are now without a tub or shower.

All the stuff from the bathroom is in the study. I have to squeeze by boxes to get to the computer desk.

The half bath actually has a working toilet and the only running water in the house. I still can't put anything back in place since they still have work to do.

All the half bath contents are filling up my quest room.

I keep telling myself that it will be nice when it is done and that I won't ever have to go through this again (I hope). I'm basically a neatness freak, so it's hard to just sit and look at the mess. I'm hoping I will get countertops tomorrow and at least a tub.

Life is hectic ........

2011-05-17T20:25:00.002-04:00

I'm way behind on blog reading along with everything else. Please excuse me - I will try to catch up in the next few days.

We were told that the contractors would begin on our kitchen and bath remodel last Thursday. We spent several days moving everything out of the kitchen to the garage and out of the half bath to the guestroom. It's hard to believe that all that stuff came out of my kitchen and half bath. Wednesday they called and said they were finishing a large project in Maryland and it would be Monday before they could begin. That was OK, it just meant we had to live out of boxes over the weekend. At least we had all the furniture in place and the appliances were working.

They arrived Monday morning and moved my dining room furniture to the living room so they could move the refrigerator and stove to the diningroom. They then proceeded to tear out cabinets and floor. I was not feeling well, so I sat in the corner of the living room and watched TV. I had been feeling weak for several days. As the day went on, I began feeling worse. I had pain in my shoulder, back, and stomach and felt weaker. After the workers left at 3:00 I told Hubby that I thought I should go to the doctor.

The doctor did an EKG and immediately called an ambulance to take me to the hospital. I was in the emergency room for several hours while they ran tests. The tests results were normal, but since there was some abnormality to the EKG, they wanted to keep me overnight to do a stress test today. I was not very happy, since the last time I was in the hospital I was a third grader with a broken leg. However, I was a good patient and did as I was told. I must say I was totally bored with lying in bed and watching TV.

They finally came around noon today to take me for the stress test. They took my blood pressure while prepping me for the test. It was too high and they couldn't proceed. So, I was taken back to my room and a test was scheduled for tomorrow. Several hours later the doctor came in to tell me that the insurance company said I couldn't spend the night in the hospital. Evidently I wasn't sick enough. He rescheduled the stress test for Friday and sent me home with a prescription. I am so glad I got to come home. I think I would have gone crazy if I'd had to lie there for another day.

I got home tonight to a total mess. It will be awhile before things get back to normal. Poor Maggie May was so scared last night she wouldn't come in the house. Hubby said he finally got hold of her around 1 AM and brought her inside, but she was so upset he had to let her out at 2 AM. Mollie Ann and Mazie Grace are not as upset, but they still don't like the mess.

Below is a picture showing my kitchen as it looks tonight. They got my microwave installed today and pushed the stove back in place so we could use it. The only problem is I can't find a thing in all those boxes in the garage. We had TV dinners for supper.

A new refrigerator .........

2011-05-07T19:46:00.003-04:00

Last Tuesday evening I noticed that the Diet Coke I took out of the refrigerator was not very cold. By the next day it was obvious that the refrigerator was warmer than normal. I put a thermometer on the top shelf and it registered almost 65 degrees. There was no cool air going into the refrigerator. I checked the freezer section and it was cooling properly, but the ice maker had quit working.

When planning our kitchen remodel, we had decided to keep the refrigerator. The only thing broken on it at that time was the water dispenser and I could manage without that. Well, fate had other plans. We had to throw out almost everything in the refrigerator and go to the local appliance store. Their repairman advised us to buy a new one rather than try to repair the one we had. Seems like modern refrigerators are only expected to work for 12 to 15 years and ours was close to the 15 year mark. I can remember when they would last 30 years or more. Guess that is the advantage of modern technology.

I've been wanting one of the french door refrigerators with the bottom freezer. The store only had the model I liked in stainless steel. I know stainless steel is suppose to be the popular finish, but I like white. It is easier to clean and doesn't show fingerprints and smudges. They had to get a white one shipped from Maryland to Richmond. They picked it up Friday and installed it that afternoon.

The contractors plan to start on my kitchen and bathrooms next week - possibly Thursday. Since we planned on replacing the dishwasher and installing an over the stove microwave, we purchased all three items at the same time. I really do like my new refrigerator. It has lots of shelf space and I like the way the shelves and bins are arranged.

I'm trying to collect boxes to pack up everything in my cabinets and pantry. We'll move it all to the garage while the remodeling is taking place. I have a busy week ahead.

May flowers ........

2011-05-03T21:07:00.004-04:00

Thought I'd share a few pictures of flowers in my yard with you tonight.

The azaleas are past their prime. I never did get outside to take pictures when they were at their prettiest.

The bleeding heart always do well. Notice the bee.

A pot of purple flowers.

I still have six planters I need to buy plants for. I planted two large pots with wave petunias today. Monday I planted vinca around the lamp post in front of the house. We're suppose to get rain after midnight. We need the rain since the ground is beginning to get dry again. My poor fingernails have taken a beaten the last few days, but I do love to get my hands in the dirt. Will post pictures of the garden soon.

I've had a cold .............

2011-05-01T22:08:00.003-04:00

It's been awhile since I posted. I haven't replaced the part on my internet equipment, but it seems to be working better - at least right now. Perhaps the wind moved the dish just a little, so that it gets better reception.

Hubby was complaining several weeks ago about allergies. He was sniffling, sneezing, and coughing. About ten days ago I started with the same symptoms. I have never had allergies, so I knew that we both had old fashioned head colds. It had been over ten years since I'd had a cold so my immunity was nonexistent. I had forgotten how miserable a head cold could make you feel - sore throat, runny nose, stuffed up sinus, itchy eyes and throat, no sense of taste or smell, and a general feeling of weakness. Finally after ten days I'm feeling much better. Hubby still has a cough, but my cold never went to my chest, so I should be like new in a day or so.

We've been busy getting the garden planted. The cats think the garden squares are great litter boxes and have covered up three of my squash plants. I'll have to do some replanting. The lettuce and radishes I planted earlier are doing very well. I'll take pictures soon.

We've been lucky as far as storms and tornados are concerned. Most of the storms have been just to the west of us. A tornado was reported in Farmville, but we didn't even get rain here. It's just tragic the damage made by storms throughout the South. I feel for all those people who have been affected.

Our cabinets have been ordered and should be here around the 10th. I think I finally picked out all the tile, faucets, etc. I want. I changed my mind numerous times and finally got tired of looking at all that stuff, so I turned in my list to the contractor.

Will try to take some yard and garden pictures soon.

Internet connection troubles ........

2011-04-22T19:04:00.002-04:00

I hope I can keep my internet connection long enough to get this posted to my blog. I've been having problems with my Hughesnet equipment, causing my connection to come and go. The repair men told me months ago that a certain part was going. The part costs about $200.00, so they were going to try to find a used one that worked for me. I have been putting off getting it fixed, hoping they would find the part. Well, it looks like I'll have to call them next week. It's become impossible to do anything when I lose the connection every minute or so.

I apologize for not commenting on your blogs, but I have been trying to read your posts when I can. I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter and hopefully I will be back soon with a properly operating internet connection.

All About Me, A-Z

2011-04-11T21:59:00.004-04:00

Lynilu over at Never Ending Journey posted this meme. I thought I would give it a try ...

A. Age: 64
B. Bed: queen
C. Chore you dislike: Cleaning the bathroom
D. Dogs: None at the present, but I'm still missing my black lab
E. Essential start of your day: Moving slowly for the first half an hour
F. Favorite color: Red
G. Gold or silver: Silver
H. Height: Almost 5'8"
I. Instruments you play: None
J. Job title: Retiree
K. Kids: None (by choice)
L. Live: Southside Virginia
M. Mom's name: Gertrude
N. Nicknames: Claibie
O. Overnight hospital stays: Once in 3rd grade with a broken leg
P. Pet peeves: impatient people
Q. Quote from a movie: Don't have one
R. Righty or lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: One brother and one sister - lost two sisters
T. Time you wake up: Between 7 and 8
U. Underwear: Yes
V. Vegetables you don't like: Okra
W. What makes you run late: Nothing - I'm always early
X. X-rays you've had: Dental x-rays and x-ray of leg
Y. Yummy food you make: fried oysters
Z. Zoo animal favorites: Any and all animals

If you'd like to join in, post a comment with a link to your blog.

Before pictures of the kitchen ..........

2011-04-09T17:08:00.002-04:00

Here are some before pictures of my kitchen. As you can see it is a small galley style. The door is to my pantry which has shelves on both sides and holds my trash can, the kitty litter box, and kitty food dishes. The cabinets are the orignal ones from 1975 when the house was built.

My dishwasher is leaking, so I will replace it.

The stove and refrigerator will stay. We will get a new microwave installed over the stove.

My new cabinets have been ordered. They will be white painted maple and will be arranged the same as the old ones. I've decided on silestone for the countertops but have not chosen the color. I know granite is very popular now, but silestone is less trouble to maintain and is very durable.

Below on the right is a sample of the tile I'm considering for the floor. On the left is a sample of the tile I'm considering for the backsplash. I'm having a hard time visualizing what it will look like. I'm wondering if it will be too dark or too busy for such a small room.

I also need to choose a new faucet and a new pendant light for over the sink. Decisions ... decisions ... I'm not good at making decisions.

Getting ready to update .........

2011-04-01T21:40:00.002-04:00

I think I lost my blogging muse. Everytime I've attempted to do a post, my mind has gone blank. I lead a very quiet life, so I don't have exciting things to write about. I will try to do better.

It has gotten cold and damp again. I want those 70 degree days back. I still haven't planted any garden. I hope I can get some lettuce, carrots, and onions planted next week. I'm also anxious to get flowers planted in my pots and all my lawn furniture out and set up.

I started to do spring cleaning, but stopped. We are going to get the kitchen and both bathrooms updated, so there's no point in doing any cleaning until they are finished. We originally had plans to add on to the house when Hubby retired. We wanted to enlarge the kitchen, add a sunroom, enlarge the bathrooms and bedroom, and turn the garage into a family room. Since the economy has been weak and we've had to pay a small fortune every month for health insurance, we decided we would just fix up what we have. My house is only a little over 1000 sq. feet. Since it's just Hubby and I, we can manage with the space we have.

I've been trying to decide on cabinets, countertops, backsplashes, tile, light fixtures, etc. I've never been good at making decisions - I tend to change my mind quite often. Of course, Hubby is not much help. We're going to Lowes tomorrow and look at faucets and tile. Anyone have any advice or suggestions?

My brother has finally decided to retire at the end of April and will be moving back to Virginia. So I only have a few more weeks to take care of his house and feed his cat. It will be nice having him close by.

Yard work and other stuff .......

2011-03-23T22:48:00.003-04:00

We've been busy with normal stuff. I spent several days raking the yard. I wanted to get up sticks, leaves, and pine cones before we cut the grass for the first time. Hubby got out on the mower this afternoon, so the grass cutting season has officially begun. I've fertilized and worked my garden squares. I hope I can plant lettuce and radishes soon. It's been so nice being able to get outside and work again. I've been walking to my Dad's house in the afternoon when I go to feed the cat and get the mail. It's just over a mile round trip, so it's a nice walk.

I've been reading every chance I get. I've read a few of the classics and several purely entertaining books. I've got almost 100 books on my Nook, so I've still got plenty to read.

Like many people, I've been closely following the news from Japan and Libya. My heart goes out to all the people who are affected by these tragedies. I have a lot of admiration for the Japanese people for the way they have conducted themselves during their whole ordeal.

I will close with a couple of pictures of Mollie Ann.

I want to go outside and play.

I know that ball is in here somewhere!

Do you remember ...........

2011-03-09T23:36:00.003-05:00

the Mickey Mouse Club?

American Bandstand?

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and the Lone Ranger?

playing hopscotch on the sidewalk?

going barefoot?

playing softball in a field?

catching fireflies?

going to drive-in movies?

penny loafers?

riding your bike?

playing with paper dolls?

going to the store with a nickle and getting a hand full of candy?

the whole family playing Monopoly together?

cooling off in the creek on a hot summer afternoon?

making homemade ice cream?

picking wild flowers for your Mother?

dancing in the rain?

If you remember any of these, then like me you grew up in a time different from today. It was a time when children had simple, clean fun. They felt safe to roam the neighborhood and could play outside after dark. There was no stress - life was fun. Parents were obeyed (usually), and elders were respected. It was a good time to grow up.

What memories do you have of your childhood?

It's beginning to look like spring ..........

2011-03-07T17:42:00.002-05:00

It was a long winter, but spring is finally on the way. Hooray!!!

The trees are beginning to bud

and spring flowers are blooming.

We made it through another long, cold, and snowy winter.

The Classics ..........

2011-03-01T19:18:00.003-05:00

Years ago when I was in school, we had to read some of the classics in English Literature class. At the time, I wasn't able to enjoy the books since we had to dissect, analyze, and discuss them. I wasn't reading them for enjoyment, I was reading them because I had to. We only read a few of the classics. We were given brief summaries of the majority of them, and were made to memorize the titles and authors.

When I had time to read for pleasure, I would choose titles off the bestseller lists. My grandmother was a voracious reader and loved mysteries. I would sit with her on the screened-in porch on summer afternoons and read her Ellery Queen Mystery Magazines and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazines. From her I developed a love of mysteries and thrillers. Over the years I have continued to choose popular fiction, mysteries, and thrillers as my reading material.

While looking for books to download to my Nook, I came across a series of books that are collections of the classics. Most of the books contain 50 separate books which are of a certain genre or follow a certain theme. I have downloaded several of these books such as "50 Classic American Authors", "50 Classic Romances", and "50 Classic English Authors". These collections contain many of the books that I am familiar with by name and author, but that I have never read. It is my goal this year ro read a classic for each modern day book I read.

Have you read many of the classics? If so, did you enjoy them and which were your favorites.

Playing and cleaning ..........

2011-02-20T18:41:00.003-05:00

I just realized I haven't posted in two weeks. My apologies. We've been busy playing with our toys and having fun. I've read several books on my Nook and Mollie Ann has spread her toys throughout the house.

Our weather has improved and it feels like spring is not far away. We actually had temperatures in the mid 70s the other day. The warmer weather has energized me and I've been doing some cleaning. It's so nice to be able to put sheets and quilts on the line to dry in the fresh breeze.

I've even gotten outside to work in the yard and garden a few times. Most things are still brown and dead looking, but if you look closely you can see some signs of new life.

Spring is on it's way.

Back home .......

2011-02-07T17:54:00.004-05:00

I got back home late last night. My sister and I took a trip to High Point, North Carolina last week. My youngest nephew is a sophomore at High Point University. Last weekend was their winter family weekend event. My brother-in-law is a minister, so Sundays are his main workday and he was unable to attend. Sis asked if I'd go with her. She wanted to check out some of the many furniture outlets in High Point while we were there. We saw some nice furniture, but didn't buy anything. It was fun to look though.

The University provided lots of entertainment for the weekend. We went to a concert by Eddie From Ohio on Friday. I had never heard of them, but they put on a good show. The group is from Virginia and consists of four members (I don't know where Ohio in their name came from). Their music is part country, part folk.

Saturday afternoon we attended a beautiful choral concert put on by The University Singers, Chapel Choir, and Chamber Singers. My nephew sang with the Chamber Singers. He is a talented singer and will be singing with his group at Carnegie Hall in March.

On Saturday evening we attended a magic show put on by Ryan Oakes. We were sitting in the second row and had a good view of the stage and what he was doing, but were unable to determine how he did the tricks.

The weather was cold and damp most of the time. I took a few pictures yesterday before we left. High Point University is a fast growing school and has a beautiful campus.

The University Center

Nido R. Qubein School of Communication

Plato S Wilson School of Commerce (Notice the statues on the benches)

There are many water features surrounded by green areas through out the campus.

These 16 foot rocking chairs are called the Dream Big Chairs. They encourage the students to have big dreams and to set high goals.

Lifelike statues of famous people can be found on benches all over campus. Here Thomas Jefferson takes a break to read.

Mark Twain enjoys a pipe while relaxing

You can join Gandhi on his bench.

If you are ever in High Point, take a quick tour of the campus. You will be impressed.

Monster storm ..........

2011-02-01T22:23:00.002-05:00

I've been watching the weather reports on TV. Seems like almost one third of the US is getting a huge snow or sleet storm. Winter just won't quit this year. Record snow fall, gale force winds, and dangerous ice is being predicted for various areas.

So how is my weather? We had sun today with temperatures in the 50s. Rain is predicted for tonight with temperatures in the mid 40s. Tomorrow, the temperature is suppose to get up near 70! How did we get so lucky? The only problem is that tomorrow the groundhog will probably see his shadow here in Southside Virginia. I'm hoping for an early spring, not six more weeks of winter.

Last Saturday was my birthday - my 64th. It was a very quiet and routine day. I had to remind Hubby that it was my birthday. He responded that he thought it was Sunday instead of Saturday. Sunday morning I got a card from him with a cash gift. It's a good thing I don't expect him to be a romantic. If I hadn't practically demanded a card, I wouldn't have gotten a thing. But in all fairness, I usually don't make a big fuss over his birthday.

If you're in the path of this storm, stay warm and safe. And remember, spring will get here - eventually.

Another winter storm ............

2011-01-27T19:16:00.003-05:00

Much of the Northeast got slammed with another big snowstorm last night. This winter has been brutal for a lot of people. We got a little snow mixed in with rain yesterday afternoon, but it was melting almost as fast as it fell. This was my front yard when I got up this morning.

You really can't see the snow. It showed up a little better in the backyard.

You can see a little dusting way back in the corner of the yard. Also you can see a little on the pool cover. How I wish it was hot enough to be in that pool with the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing. I'd be floating around with a cool drink in my hand and some good music in the background. There would be thick, juicy steaks on the grill along with corn on the cob. Homemade ice cream would be in the freezer. Oh, excuse me, I was daydreaming ... back to winter and snow.

We have been lucky this winter compared to some of you folks. We've only had 2.5 inches of snow since the first of the year and a total of only 10.5 inches for the whole winter. We seem to live just to the south and east of most of the storms. I'm not complaining. If I see snow once during the winter that's enough for me.

Mollie Ann has completely recovered and is back to her usual pushy, demanding self. Mazie Grace is still not eating in the house, but I found the remains of two moles, a bird, and one unidentifiable creature in the yard. She has been busy hunting her own food. She has always preferred prey to manufactured food.

I've been trying to make myself get off my butt and do something. I did clean out kitchen cabinets yesterday. I should get some paperwork together for the tax returns, but I'm going to grab my Nook and my blanket and relax for the rest of the evening. There's always tomorrow .....

The winter blahs .........

2011-01-25T20:03:00.002-05:00

I have the winter blahs. I have no energy. I think of things I need to do or want to do, but I don't seem to accomplish anything. I'm not depressed. In fact, I'm quite happy sitting under a throw reading or watching TV. It's just too cold to go outside or to go anywhere. I've even been neglectful in reading blogs.(I did try to catch up on posts tonight.) Maybe I'm hibernating.

I will be glad to see some warmer weather. I think a few warm, sunny days will energize me. This has been a long and cold winter.

Two of my babies are not feeling well. Mollie Ann has been throwing up all day. Maybe she ate something she shouldn't have. I'm keeping an eye on her. Mazie Grace seems to feel fine, but she hasn't eaten much the last few days. Do cats get the stomach flu? Maggie May is 100% as usual. She is stretched out in front of the computer monitor and her paw is resting on the keyboard as I type.

My afternoon walk ...................

2011-01-19T19:53:00.006-05:00

We finally had a beautiful day. I just had to get out of the house this afternoon, so I grabbed my camera and took a walk. Below are some of the old barns and buildings I encountered during my walk.

This old barn is across the side road from my house. I expect to see it tumble down any day. My neighbor's horses go inside for shelter and I fear for their safety if we have a bad storm.

This old building was our barn when I was little. I can remember going in with Dad when he milked the cow. He tried to teach me how to milk, but I never was very good at it. The cow didn't like my touch, so she would get restless. I would get scared when she started moving around. I think the only thing holding the building up is the woood stacked in the side.

This is the old chicken house at my Dad's. We used to have chickens that roosted inside at night. While I was still rather young, we stopped keeping chickens and Dad turned this into his shop. We still call it the chicken house.

Much better ..............

2011-01-14T23:16:00.004-05:00

I am feeling much better now. The pain in my back has finally eased. For those of you who were concerned I was taking too much medication, I appreciate your warnings. Several years ago my doctor prescribed two Celebrex a day. Knowing the dangers and side effects, I have been taking only one a day. During this flare up, I would take one Aleve or one Tylenol in the morning and my usual Celebrex at night. As soon as my back was feeling better, I went back to only the Celebrex. I do not like to take medicine and avoid it whenever possible. I wish I could manage with no medication for my arthritis, but that just isn't possible. It may be time to switch to another type of NSAID.

We are still having cold weather. The ice from the first of the week is sticking around in shady areas. I'm tired of winter and cold weather. At least we haven't had the amount of snow other areas of the country have gotten. I am so ready for spring. I want to get out and work in my garden and yard.

Hubby is working tonight. They keep putting him on the 11 PM to 7 AM shift. I think they prefer having a man working that time of night. He got paid for the first time today. His check was only one tenth of what he used to make, but he gets to put the whole check in his pocket to spend as he chooses.

I still haven't ordered a new computer. I did go on the HP site and customized a HP Elite 460z series computer with all the features I want. Since I did that, this computer has not shut down on me again. Of course, I'm being very gentle with it. I want to get as much use as I can out of it before it goes completely. I've backed up everything and have my laptop to use when this one dies.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Snow and aches .........

2011-01-09T13:49:00.006-05:00

We got snow again yesterday - about 2 inches. It was almost gone by yesterday afternoon, but then the temperature dropped and the wind picked up, making for a frigid night.

It has been too cold to venture outside, even for those with fur coats.

Hubby has completed his first week at his part-time job. He worked thursday, friday, and saturday nights from 11 PM to 7 AM. So far, he is satisfied with the job. He was offered another job thursday night. A local tire store went under and was bought out by another local man with money. He told Hubby he needed someone to manage it for him and offered the job to him. It would be full time and would have benefits, but Hubby doesn't want to work full time. All he wants is something to fill some free time and to make a little extra spending money.

I've been suffering with arthritis the last couple of weeks. I don't know what has caused it to act up. I usually have more trouble with it in the spring and fall as the seasons change. I take Celebrex daily and have taken it for years, but it's not doing the job. I've been taking Tylenol Arthritis and Aleve along with the Celebrex and I still hurt. It's mainly in my neck, shoulders, and back. I've tried heating pads and they don't help either. Guess I just have to tough it out until it decides to improve. I've had arthritis since I was in my early twenties, so I'm used to it.

Our weather forecast is for more snow Monday evening. I've got a big pot of soup on the stove, but I do need to go to the store for cat food. I don't want to be snowed in with three hungry cats. That could be dangerous!

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

Back to work ...........

2011-01-03T17:24:00.003-05:00

Unfortunately, my self declared vacation is over. It was back to the daily grind this morning. I got out the duster, furniture polish, vacuum, and mop and tried to put the house in order. I've got the last load of clothes in the dryer and the house is presentable, so I decided to sit down and make a long overdue blog post.

Did you make any New Year's resolutions? Are you trying to exercise more or lose those extra pounds you gained over the holidays? I haven't made any resolutions. I have lots of room for improvement, but I learned years ago that I end up feeling guilty and like a failure when I break my resolutions. So rather than specific resolutions, I just vow to do better.

Hubby went back to work today, too. He got a job as part time cashier at our local FasMart - a convenience store. Since the weather has gotten cold, he has been bored with sitting around the house watching TV. This will give him something to do, get him out of the house, and give him some extra spending money. It will be different from what he was doing as an electric coop lineman. I'm anxious to see if he's going to like it.

My computer is still limping along. I got the most important information backed up to flash drives or transferred to my laptop. I will probably get a new desktop as soon as I decide what I want. I've always had a Compaq and my laptop is a HP, so I'm looking at HPs.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T19:11:00.004-05:00

Wishing everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year! If you plan on being out tonight, please be safe!

I'm still being lazy, but will be back at my desk after New Year's Day.

A Christmas snow ..............

2010-12-29T19:38:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone had a safe and joyous Christmas. My Christmas was relaxing and enjoyable. We had our traditional fried oysters on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning the kitties got their gifts. They had lots of fun with their new toys after indulging in some of their new catnip. My cousin and her husband visited at my brother's in the early afternoon. I left hubby at home with directions to get the turkey in the oven while I joined them. We had our Christmas dinner that evening. There were only three of us, so we had lots of food to eat and we all stuffed ourselves.

It began to snow here Christmas afternoon and snowed on through Sunday morning. I measured almost 4 inches on my deck when it stopped. We were lucky that we only got the edge of the storm. I felt sorry for those who were stranded by the snow, but it was so pretty coming down and really made it look like Christmas. Almost all of our snow has melted now and the prediction is for warmer temperatures this weekend.

My computer is in the process of dying, so I've been trying to back up everything and transfer files to my laptop. Other than working on that, I've been lazy since Christmas. Hubby got me a Nook, so I've been curled up under my throw reading. I'm a little over halfway through House Rules by Jodi Picoult and have several more books ready to read. I promise to work on all those items on my To Do list after the first of the year. I've declared this week a vacation.

Happy Holidays ............

2010-12-24T15:00:00.003-05:00

Wishing each and every one of you a Joyous Holiday Season filled with love, peace, and special times with family and friends.

Mary, Hubby, and the 3 Kitties (Maggie, Mazie, and Mollie)

Christmas Greetings from the M's - Maggie, Mazie, & Mollie .....

2010-12-20T19:15:00.006-05:00

Mommy is real busy so she told us to do a bloggy post. Here is what we gots to say ......

This is Maggie May speakin'. I'm real excited about Santa Claws comin'. I have only one wish this year. I want someone to take away that gray and white cat who came here a few months ago. Mommy and Daddy call it Mollie Ann - I call it Intruder and I hate it. I been tryin' to kill it. but Mommy and Daddy keeps us apart so I can't git to it. Please just make it go find it's own home 'cause this is my place - I was here first. Does anyone want a gray and white cat? I'll give you one for Christmas.
Luv,
Maggie May

This is Mazie Grace wishin' you a Merry Christmas! I've been a good girl this year. I worked real hard keepin' all the mice, rats, and moles away. I been huntin' every night - that's why I sleeps all day. My wish for Christmas is some peace and quiet - please make my sisters stop fightin'. I can't get my beauty sleeps with all the hissin' goin' on round here. Santa Claws can bring me some cheese 'cause I loves cheese. I hope Santa brings you something nice. I can save you a big fat mousey if you want.
Kisses,
Mazie Grace

Merry Christmas from Mollie Ann! I am so thankful this year that I found me a new home. I have lots of food and treats, a warm bed, and lovin' and pettin', from Mommy and Daddy. My new sister Maggie May wants me to go away and tries to kill me, but I'm not goin' nowhere. I'm stayin' right here. I want Santa to brings me some new toys. I have a basket full, but I wants some more. I want some food too 'cause I loves to eat. I hope you get all your Christmas wishes!
Love,
Mollie Ann

It's beginning to look like Christmas .....

2010-12-17T18:34:00.002-05:00

The tree is up and decorated.

My collection of Santas are lined up under the tree awaiting the gifts.

Signs of Christmas are showing up all over the house.

Snow has decorated the window boxes on the porch.

Yes, it's really beginning to look like Christmas at our house. It's even beginning to smell like Christmas. I spent the day in the kitchen baking cookies and making candy. We're going to put on at least 10 pounds each if we eat all these goodies.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day.

An uneventful week ..........

2010-12-12T18:05:00.003-05:00

Seems like I've been busy, but I haven't accomplished a thing of interest. I got my Christmas cards done today and actually took them out in the cold rain and put them in the mail. I've begun my decorating, but still have the tree and a few other things to do. I'll have pictures when it is done. I've started some baking, but still have more to do. Do you notice a pattern here? I've started Christmas preparations but need to get busy and finish what I've started.

I did get to the hairdresser last week. I had decided to stop coloring my hair and embrace the natural gray. Well, my hair isn't a pretty shade of gray - it's a mousey, steel grey mixed with brown. It looked so bad I had to get it colored again. It's now back to it's natural dark brown. Tuesday I have an appointment to get my eyes checked. I will need to get new glasses. My lenses are so scratched I can hardly see through them. I'm trying to decide what type of frames I want to get. I hate making decisions.

I'm sure everyone is busy with Christmas preparations and festivities. Have a good week!

Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus .......

2010-12-05T19:40:00.003-05:00

My Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus began blooming around Thanksgiving and will probably bloom up until Christmas. I think it was suppose to be a Christmas cactus, but it's always a bit early so I call it a Thanksgiving/Christmas cactus. I keep it in the guestroom which has south and west facing windows. All of my plants thrive in that room.

We had a light dusting of snow last night. It wasn't enough to cover the ground, but it was so pretty coming down. It made me suddenly realize that winter has arrived. I need to get outside and winterize a few things, but it was too cold and too windy today - maybe tomorrow.

I haven't gotten any more sorting out done at my Dad's house. I think the clothes were one of the major clutter areas. I will probably leave most things for my brother to take care of. He was back in New Jersey last week, so I was cat sitting. Sandy (the cat) was lonely, so I sat and brushed him each time I went to feed him.

I'm hoping I can get some of my Christmas decorations up next week. I also want to do a little baking.

Cleaning out the clutter ...........

2010-12-01T19:13:00.004-05:00

I've been busy the last week trying to clean out junk at my Dad's. My brother is gradually moving his stuff into the house, so we have to get rid of the clutter to make room. My parents lived in that house for 65 years, so things have been accumulating for that long. My Dad didn't believe in throwing anything away. He believed it might come in handy one day or he might be able to fix it. Mom would try to clean out closets and Dad would rescue his things and put them back.

Then, as Mom got older, she didn't feel like going through and cleaning things out. I would offer to help, but she didn't want the confusion or mess involved. As a result, things kept piling up. Mom often told us she was going to come back as a ghost and laugh at us when we had to clean everything out. I wonder if she did. I listened, but didn't hear her laughing.

My sister came and got most of the valuable family antiques. Some have been in the family for hundreds of years. She has the only children in the family, so everything will eventually go to her two boys. Most of the usable and non-junk items will stay there for my brother to use.

We spent most of our time cleaning out old clothes in closets. We had cleaned out Mom's clothes after she passed away, so all we had to deal with were Dad's. I bet my Dad never threw away any clothes. Some of the suits must have been fifty years old. He had farm work clothes that wouldn't even make decent rags, they were so worn. I know we took at least twenty bags to the dumpster. We still have a pile to take to Goodwill.

While going through closets, we found a box of old curtains that I remember being at the windows when I was little. We also found a doll that I remember. There is a box of letters that my brother and I wrote to Mom and Dad when we were in college. When I get a chance I'm going to read them. I'm sure as we go through other things, we will find lots of memories.

Tomatoes for Thanksgiving ........

2010-11-23T19:43:00.003-05:00

We finally pulled up all the tomato vines today. They were full of little green tomatoes, but only a few were getting ripe. I did manage to get several fresh garden tomatoes for our Thanksgiving dinner. Don't they look yummy? One year I saved some of the green tomatoes, wrapped them in newspaper and stored them in a cool place. That year we had garden tomatoes for Christmas. They weren't as good as summer tomatoes, but were better than store bought tomatoes in the winter.

My brother will be back in Virginia tomorrow night. I've had cat sitting duty this week while he was gone. We'll have turkey and all the side dishes Thanksgiving Day. There will only be three of us, so we will have to do a lot of eating. I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving!

Chicken manure .......

2010-11-21T18:20:00.005-05:00

Not far from my house is a farm that raises chickens for Tyson. Big trucks carrying food, etc. are constantly turning the corner in front of my house. Then every so often they transport chickens out, and these huge trucks piled high with crates stuffed full of chickens goes by. I can't stand to watch those trucks because I feel so sorry for the poor chickens. In hot weather, it looks like at least half of them are already dead by the time they get to my house. Just looking at those trucks will make you think twice before buying Tyson chicken at the grocery.

About four weeks ago my neighbor who owns the field right in front of my house decided to fertilize his fields using manure from the chicken houses. If you've never had the misfortune to smell chicken manure in large quantities, let me assure you that it is not a pleasant odor. The manure they spread was very, very dry and must have been powder-like in consistency. There were large clouds of manure coming out of the back of the truck spreading it. Some of these clouds headed directly toward my house. I immediately made sure all windows were tightly closed on the house and on the vehicles. I watched as a fine dust of manure mixed with feathers settled on everything outside.

Luckily, the wind shifted after awhile and blew the clouds in the other direction. It was a bit smelly outside for a few days, but after we had a rain the odor was gone. Just one of the joys of living in the country.

Fall leaves ..........

2010-11-19T17:58:00.003-05:00

Our leaves are falling fast. They cover the yard and the roads. They blow around in little whirlwinds and crunch under feet. They get tracked into the house and litter the floor of the car. Hubby has been busy running the leaf vacuum over the yard, but he can't keep up with them. Here are some pictures I took earlier this week.

This is the side of our front yard.

This is the side of our back yard.

View across the field on the other side of the house.

This is the red maple in our front yard. It was planted over an old well and fell below ground when the well caved in. It gradually grew out of its hole and now looks like a bush rather than a tree.

Thank-you ...........

2010-11-13T19:30:00.003-05:00

I would like to thank each of you for your kind words and expressions of sympathy on the passing of my Dad. I have really been touched by the kindness of the blogging community. You are a great group of people and I'm honored to know you.

I'm looking forward to things getting back to normal. It must be a sign of getting older when you crave routine and boredom. We went over the yard with the leaf vacuum for the first time this week. The leaves were falling as fast as we were getting them up. Our trees have turned and are very colorful. I must get out and take some pictures before the color fades.

The cats still hate each other. I'm beginning to think they will never get along. I've quit trying to keep the peace. They'll have to sort things out themselves. I'm taking care of my Dad's cat Sandy while my brother is in New Jersey. My brother will be moving back here to my Dad's house over the next couple of months, so the days he's in New Jersey, I will be a cat sitter. Luckily Sandy can stay at home and I won't have to introduce another cat to my three.

Hope you all have a beautiful Sunday.

Back again .........

2010-11-08T19:44:00.004-05:00

First, I want to thank each of you for your thoughts and prayers for my Dad. He passed away around 4:00 Saturday morning. I'm glad his suffering is over and that he is at peace. He lived a good, long life (96 years). He wanted to be at home and I'm thankful that we were able to keep him there until the end. We had services for him this afternoon. My brother-in-law played the guitar, and he and my nephew sang a beautiful hymm. My cousin, who has been farming Dad's land since Dad sold his cows, is being deployed to Afghanistan this week and couldn't attend the funeral. He wrote a touching rememberance of Dad that his son read. It was truly a celebration of his life.

We don't usually have many visitors, but over the weekend there were lots of people going in and out. Maggie May is terribly upset over all the strange people smells in her house. She never has been a friendly cat - usually hiding under the bed when someone comes and staying there for at least an hour after they leave. She had been crying and pacing the floor all night, until I finally calmed her down a few minutes ago. Mazie Grace is out and about on her nightly hunting expedition. Last night was very productive - she had a squirrel and a bird for breakfast this morning. Mollie Ann is in the garage curled up on the rocking chair, resting after filling her fat belly.

Our weather has been sunny but cool. It finally feels like fall. We haven't had a frost around my house yet, so my flowers are still blooming. The tomato plants look better than they did all summer, and I have lots of little green tomatoes that will probably never ripen. We will have to start getting up leaves before long - they are falling fast. I haven't gotten used to the idea of fall yet, and before long Christmas will be here. Seems the older I get, the faster time flies.

I'm off to catch up on your blogs - if I don't fall asleep first.

Please vote ............

2010-11-01T18:42:00.003-04:00

Tomorrow is election day. I hope everyone regardless of party gets out and votes for the candidate of their choice. Voting is a right and an obligation.

I haven't seen the little black dog again. I hope he found his way home. Our next dog will find us one of these days. If one doesn't show up at our door, we'll visit the local SPCA.

The cats are not getting along any better, but they do try to avoid each other. Maggie May is the main instigator of trouble. She is very jealous and has quite a temper. Hubby was petting Mazie Grace the other afternoon, while Maggie was sitting close by watching his every move. He was ignoring Maggie, so I told him he should pet her too. When he tried, Maggie hissed and growled at him and tried to nip his hand. A few minutes later, she jumped on his foot and tried to bite him. She wouldn't let him touch her until several hours later when all seemed to be forgotten and forgiven. Maggie thinks she is the top cat in this household.

I may not get to update my blog for awhile. My Dad is not doing well, so I've been spending most of my time trying to care for him. He is refusing to eat or drink anything, so we have to continually force liquids into him. I'm afraid he won't be with us much longer, so I want to spend as much time as possible with him.

Dog gone and snake here ...........

2010-10-23T17:27:00.004-04:00

The little dog has disappeared. I walked over the field this morning and didn't see it. Evidently it got its strength back , and decided to try and make it back home. I hope it gets to its destination okay. At least it knows where to go if it ever needs food again. I'm going to keep an eye out for it.

I must admit, I'm a bit disappointed. I was getting excited about having a dog again. I just need to be patient. One day a dog will show up that needs a home and it will decide to stay. Until then, you will have to put up with posts about cats.

Or maybe you would prefer to hear about snakes.

I almost stepped on this fella in the front yard yesterday afternoon. If you're not freaked out by snakes, look closely at his midsection. You can see a bulge, which I'm sure was his supper (probably a mole from the front yard.) I watched him as he made his way toward the house, up onto the front porch, and then into a crack in the siding around one on the porch posts. It got really cold last night, so he was looking for a protected place to hibernate and digest his catch. This is a black snake.

Black snakes are not poisonous and are beneficial for keeping mice and rats away. I've also heard that they will keep copperhead snakes away. Copperheads are poisonous. I almost stepped on one at my garage door last week and had Hubby kill it. I don't want to step on one of those by accident! So, little black snake be useful and chase all those copperheads away. If you do, you may hibernate in my porch post.

Now that I've scared you with snake stories, I will wish you a great weekend.

Not about cats, about a dog ..........

2010-10-22T16:45:00.003-04:00

For those of you who are tired of hearing about my cats, today I will post about a dog. This is a young dog - still just a puppy. It is very, very thin and very, very hungry. It is hard for it to stand or walk (I think it must have been hit by a car.) It had made a bed in the field beside my house and was curled up - hungry, sore, and alone. Around noon today Hubby saw it and asked me if that was Maggie over by the fence. I could tell it was too big, so I walked out to check and found this sweet little dog.

I talked softly to it and tried to check it's condition without scaring it. It would stand and put a little weight on the hurt leg, so I hope that means nothing is broken, just bruised and sore. I got several hamburger buns and fed it. It gobbled them down quickly. I went to town this afternoon and got a bag of Puppy Chow and have fed it two bowls and took it a bucket of water. It has perked up and is beginning to think I can be trusted.

I haven't checked to see if it is a he or a she - that's why it is an it. I'll let it rest tonight and will check first thing in the morning to see if it is still there. I'm sure it will be and I'm sure we now have a dog. Neither Hubby nor I can ignore a hungry and homeless animal.

I'm sure this is the dog we are meant to have. When we lost Black Jack in January 2006 and Charlie in August 2007, we both wanted another dog.

Black Jack and Charlie - December 2005

We have never had a puppy since all our dogs were strays - both Black Jack and Charlie were almost grown when they found us. We considered getting a puppy from the SPCA, but I just had a feeling that we were suppose to wait for a homeless dog to find us. Black Jack was special to me and I have wanted another black lab mix. Well, it looks like this little dog meets all our wants - it's homeless, it found us, it's a black lab mix, and while not a puppy it is still a youngster.

Guess my blog readers will have to suffer through posts about cats and dogs now. I just pray that no more homeless critters are sent my way - three cats and a dog are plenty, thank-you.

Fall and Mollie update ........

2010-10-21T20:41:00.003-04:00

It's really beginning to feel like fall. Have you noticed how much shorter the days are? I have to round up Maggie and get her inside so much earlier now. The nights have gotten cool, forcing me to shut the windows after supper. I haven't turned on the heat yet, but according to the weather report, I may have to tomorrow night. Our trees are just beginning to turn. The hickory and some maples are showing color. The woods are still mostly green now, but before long, they will be full of color. Halloween decorations are showing up everywhere. Pumpkins and mums are on porches. Fall is a pretty time of the year. If it didn't lead into winter, I might enjoy it more.

Mollie Ann is no longer an outsider. She has forced her way into our home and refuses to be intimidated by the other cats. She has decided that the garage is her territory. She sleeps on the rocker which gives her a good view of the food dish. Poor Mazie Grace is scared of Mollie and won't go in the garage to eat any more. We have to feed her in the house. Maggie will still hiss at her, but will usually walk away when Mollie refuses to back off.

Mollie has gotten so fat. I have never seen a cat eat as much as she does. She will eat a whole larger can of food, follow it with a dish of dry food, and be looking for more. I believe she is almost as heavy as Maggie May.

Hubby and I have been lazy lately. I have begun to get out winter clothes and put away summer clothes - a job I hate. I wish I had a big closet, so I didn't have to do this twice a year.

What's been going on ........

2010-10-13T17:26:00.005-04:00

Nothing exciting going on here.

We decided it was time to cut down our over grown shrubs.

We took two huge trailer loads to the landfill.

Then, we planted new shrubs that hopefully will never get that big.

I made a larger shelter for Mollie Ann and put it on the far side of the shed. No one has used it. Mazie and Mollie both use the smaller one I have on the deck. I may move it closer to the house. I put insulation in this one using rigid foam insulation so it will be cozy when it gets cold.

We just finished staining the deck and pool deck again. We put a thick coat on this time, so I hope it will last several years.

We've been picking up walnuts every other day. The black walnut tree is full again this year. They are very destructive to lawn mower blades, so we have to get them up.

And, I've been busy trying to keep the peace with these three females. We haven't had any bad fights yet - just lots of hissing and growling. I think they are beginning to accept the existence of the others. All three are in this picture. It's the first time the three of them have been in close proximity. You can just see my tomato plants in this picture. I'm still getting a few small tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes. It won't be long before I'll clean out the garden beds.

As you can see, we've been busy, but not with fun or exciting activities.

Computer problems and cat shuffling ......

2010-10-02T21:33:00.007-04:00

I use HughesNet to access the internet. I have a dish similar to our DirecTV dish on the roof and receive signals from a satellite. Wednesday night I lost my internet connection. It is very rare for me to lose the satellite signal, but since we were having heavy rains moving into the region, I thought that was the cause. I tried several times thursday to get online and still had no luck. Of course, we were in the middle of our heavy rains, so even though I was beginning to go into withdrawal, I assumed everything would be operational as soon as the rain departed.

Friday morning I awoke to clearing skies, so I sat down at the computer to check my email and blogs. I still couldn't get online! Now I was really getting a bit anxious and was feeling online withdrawal. I called the local firm that originally installed my dish to report that I was having problems. They came out that afternoon and had me online in no time. The cover to the receiver on the dish was cracked and water had gotten inside, so they replaced the cover. I have now caught up on my email and blogs. Life is back to normal.

We are still shuffling cats around in order to prevent fights. The nights that it was raining, we kept Maggie May and Mazie Grace in the house so Mollie Ann could stay in the garage. I got Hubby to buy a larger tote and some sheets of foam insulation to make another shelter to put behind the shed. Directions for the shelter are here. We'll keep the smaller one on the deck since Mazie Grace likes to sleep in it. Maggie May is still determined to kill Mollie Ann. That seems to be her major goal these days. She sits on the deck watching and waiting for her to come. I have to bring her in the house so Mollie Ann can come up to eat every evening. It keeps me busy trying to keep the peace around here with three female cats.

Shelter .........

2010-09-28T19:59:00.003-04:00

We finally got some much needed rain yesterday. It was a real treat. It's been a long time since we had a cool, wet day. We're hoping for some more tomorrow.

I did worry about little Mollie Ann, however, since she has been living in the wooded area beside the house. I had seen instructions for a simple shelter for feral cats in a recent issue of the Humane Society's magazine All Animals. I had an old storage tote that I wasn't using, so Hubby and I cut a door in the side, put an old towel in it, and set it on the deck. We may move it behind the shed so it will be closer to where Mollie Ann stays during the day.

I don't think Mollie Ann has used her shelter yet. Mazie Grace discovered it this afternoon and she spent all afternoon sleeping in it. That's her in the picture. At least I know that one of the cats will use it.

Fall ????

2010-09-24T20:11:00.003-04:00

Yesterday 95 degrees
Today 97 degrees
Tomorrow 96 degrees

And some say global warming does not exist ........

Monticello again ..........

2010-09-23T19:21:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, we decided to take another trip to Monticello. We wanted to tour the upstairs rooms that just opened to the public this year. I left my camera in the car because I knew that pictures were not allowed in the downstairs rooms. However, they did allow pictures to be taken upstairs. Next time we go, I will know to take my camera.

To reach the second floor, you must go up narrow, steep, winding stairs. The rooms are unfurnished, except for alcove beds. These rooms were used by family members and guests. The third floor, also reached by narrow, steep stairs, contains the rotunda. I thought this was the prettiest room in the house, however, it was never used for anything except storage.

After leaving Monticello, we stopped at the Kluge Estate Winery for a bottle of their wine. It was an enjoyable morning outing.

Mollie Ann is doing fine. I take her back to the vet tomorrow afternoon to have the stitches taken out. We let her out of the garage Sunday morning, since she was getting very restless and had torn up the window blinds. :-( She still stays gone all day and comes up to the house at dark for her supper. Mazie Grace seems to be accepting her presence, although she is not happy about it. Maggie May is the aggressive one. She acts like she wants to inflict pain on her.

Back from the vet .......

2010-09-18T20:09:00.003-04:00

Mollie Ann had her operation yesterday. When I brought her home, I put her in the garage so she could recover. She ate a whole can of food, drank some water, found and used the litter box, then claimed the rocker as a bed. She has been completely satisfied out there all day and has made no attempt to escape. I think she feels very safe and secure. The other cats haven't been allowed in the garage, since I don't think Mollie Ann needs to be in a cat fight right now.

Doesn't she look comfortable?

My brother is at my Dad's for the weekend which means that the nurses aides are not there. We have been busy with his care. He cannot stand at all now, so we have to lift him when moving from the bed to the wheelchair and to his recliner. I have much admiration for nurses and those who care for people - I could never do it.

Mollie Ann update ..........

2010-09-16T17:28:00.004-04:00

I have been so tied up with issues concerning my Dad and life in general, that I have totally neglected blogging. Sometimes you have to deal with the most important things first. I'm hoping that things will settle down now and I can get back to my usual routines.

All of you who were betting on Mollie Ann becoming a member of the household are winners. When she comes to the deck tonight around dark, I will put her in the garage. Then in the morning she will go to the vet to be spayed and to get a rabies shot. I haven't found anyone who will claim to be her owner. I don't know where she goes during the day, but every night around 8 PM she comes across the back yard and up on the deck for her supper and for water. She is always gone by daylight.

After a little effort, I convinced her that I was not a danger. Once she allowed me to touch her, she was overjoyed to be held and petted. She was someone's pet and is used to being held. She even got in my lap last night and went to sleep.

Of course. Maggie May and Mazie Grace are not very happy that she invades their area. In fact, Mazie Grace watches for her at night and tries to chase her away. So far, we've only had some hissing and growling - no physical fights. I'm sure with time they will accept her presence - or at least I hope they will.

We are still getting summer weather. It's been in the upper 80s or 90s - today was 93. We haven't gotten any rain since August 19th, so it is terribly dry. Some areas have limited the use of water since the reservoirs are so low. Our water comes from a well, so we are being careful with our water use too.

I'm off to get Mollie in the garage and then catch up on a week's worth of blog posts .....

Meet Mollie Ann ...............

2010-09-09T20:41:00.003-04:00

This is Mollie Ann. I don't know if she is merely a visitor or if she has moved in. Maggie May and Mazie Grace keep telling her to go away - that this is their home and she should go find her own place to live. Hubby says she belongs to someone and is just coming by to get food. He's thinking about the $500. plus vet bill for spaying, shots, etc. we had for Mazie Grace when she showed up. I think she is so sweet and I want to adopt her. Time will tell.......

Our nightly visitor .............

2010-09-04T21:38:00.002-04:00

Several weeks ago, I caught a glimpse of a strange cat several times when I went outside. Once I saw Mazie Grace chasing it across the back yard. Then I started to notice that occasionally all the dry cat food that I would put in the garage for Mazie Grace would disappear if we left the door open after dark. Hubby and I both came to the conclusion that this might be another homeless cat dropped off beside the road by a heartless and cruel person.

We started putting a bowl of dry food beside a bucket of water on the deck every night. I would watch at the window. Every night as soon as it gets dark, she comes up and eats her food and drinks some water. She seems to stay around the deck all night. I don't know where she hides during the day. If she sees any movement at the window she will run off, so she is very scared. I can't get a good look at her, but she appears to be gray and white.

I've got to try to gain her trust so I can get my hands on her. If she is not pregnant already, I need to get her to the vet quickly. Of course, Maggie May and Mazie Grace are not very happy that this stranger is coming around their house.

I cannot understand people who will take a cat or dog they no longer want and drop it off beside the road - left alone to hunt for food or starve. All of our pets except Maggie May have been throw aways that we have taken in. They all have been sweet and loving animals. Looks like we may have cat number three.

Hurricane clouds ..........

2010-09-02T18:05:00.003-04:00

Around 7 AM this morning, we began to see some of the outer bands of clouds from hurricane Earl. Other than clouds, we're not suppose to see any effects from the hurricane. It will remain off the coast of Virginia. I hope the damage along the coast will be minimal.

The Sweetest Thing ...........

2010-08-30T16:42:00.005-04:00

I have a new favorite music group - J J Grey & Mofro. I had never heard of them until recently when they released a new album called Georgia Warhorse. I previewed the album and immediately fell in love with their music. I would describe it as funky, bluesy, swamp rock. It's the kind of music that makes you get up and groove to the beat. It reminds me of the music I listened to years ago.

The band originated in northern Florida in the Jacksonville area. Grey grew up on a farm near the swamps. His music reflects his childhood and his love of the land and nature. He isn't into the LA, New York, or Nashville music scene. He writes his songs on the front porch of his farm and records at a small, local studio.

Listen to one of his songs. I bet you can't sit still!
It's "The Sweetest Thing".

My absence .............

2010-08-28T19:05:00.004-04:00

I have been absent from blogland for the last week or so. My Dad became ill and I had to have the ambulance take him to the hospital. Between visiting him every day, taking care of his cat and things at his house, and keeping things going here, I haven't had time to post or to visit blogs. I got him back home last night. He is better, but still weak. We tried to get him out of bed this afternoon, but he was unable to stand. I'm hoping he'll get stronger now that he is at home.

We're having some wonderful weather. The nights are cool and perfect for sleeping with the windows open. The days have been in the upper 80s and lower 90s - perfect late summer temperatures. I would like to keep this weather year round. Maggie May and Mazie Grace have been enjoying the cooler evenings by chasing each other all over the back yard. I wish I had their energy!

I'm off to check your blogs.

Mazie Grace’s new place to sleep ………..

2010-08-19T23:50:00.001-04:00

Can you see Mazie Grace in this picture? I looked all over the house for her yesterday, and finally found her in the guest room hiding in the bookcase. My cats can find some weird places to sleep.

We’ve had two days of wonderful rain for a total of 3.1 inches. We really needed the rain after our two dry months.

The White Knight ..........

2010-08-17T21:01:00.002-04:00

I'm still trying to get a good picture of the albino deer. He only comes out when it's almost dark, and I'm not a photographer. You can see him a bit better in this picture.

Scratching .........

2010-08-16T19:43:00.004-04:00

I'm sitting here - scratching. We have a path that goes through the three fields behind our house and out to the road. I told Hubby yesterday that I wanted to go for a walk through the fields, but the grass had grown up on the path and I was afraid of ticks. He got on the mower and began to cut the path. Since he was kind enough to stop what he was doing and mow the path for me. I decided that I should pick up the sticks and branches that were in the way. Somehow I cut my finger on one of the branches, so I came back to the house to wash it off and apply a bandaid. While looking at my hand, I noticed a small black speck on my thumb that was moving - a Tick! I quickly checked my feet and legs - lots of tiny black moving specks. I was covered with ticks! I quickly got in the shower and scrubbed and scrubbed. I got rid of most of them, but I have several bites that I've been scratching all day. I hate those tiny ticks. They are so hard to see and they seem to attack by the hundreds.

I'm one of those people that attracts all sorts of biting insects. If there is a mosquito within a mile, it's going to find me. All sizes of ticks will seek me out. Hubby and I can sit by the pool in the evening and the bugs will swarm around me and totally ignore him. I guess this is the price I pay for being so sweet. Yes. I do have some bug repellant. It's sitting in the garage beside the sunscreen. I never remember to use either one.

Anyone have any favorite methods for getting rid of those little ticks once they get all over you?

Little Hummies ...................

2010-08-09T19:37:00.006-04:00

We started out this year with only a few hummingbirds. I put out one feeder so those that were here could eat. I didn''t want to attract any more, because I was afraid the cats would catch them. Surprisingly, Maggie May and Mazie Grace don't pay any attention to them. Maybe they move too fast, or maybe they are so small it isn't worth the effort to try to catch them.

Our few have multiplied over the summer and we now have a bunch of the little birds. I love to sit and watch their antics. They can be very loud for such little things - chittering back and forth. They can also be very mean. I have a male who will not allow any other hummingbirds to get close to the feeder. He will viciously attack any that come near.

When I take the feeder down to refill, they wait impatiently for me to put it back. Several will get right in my face and fuss at me if I'm too slow. They can put on quite a show.

We had a couple of good rains last week. Some areas had violent storms with lightning and wind damage. We were lucky since we didn't get the strong winds. Our parched, brown landscape turned green and lush in a matter of days. We've actually had grass to cut. It perked up my garden, but also made my tomatoes crack. The cucumbers are producing a second crop, but the squash are beyond hope.

The heat is still with us. Both June and July were the hottest on record for this area. August is continuing the trend. We've been spending our time either in the AC or in the pool. We have several day trips we want to take, but it's been too hot. They will have to wait for cooler weather.

Birthdays and laptop ...............

2010-08-02T19:41:00.006-04:00

I'm still here ... just been too busy to post. We've been going through a spell of things breaking down or not working correctly. The DirecTV antenna malfunctioned causing Hubby to go into acute TV withdawal. We got that fixed quickly after numerous phone calls. My washer doesn't want to drain water after the wash cycle. I'll probably look for a new washer and dryer since the ones I have are almost 15 years old. Our bathroom sink stopper wouldn't work - Hubby fixed that this morning. The kitchen drain at my Dad's is stopped up - I'm working on that by using Drano. The bathroom light at his house will not turn off and we haven't figured out how to fix that yet. We did buy a new stove to replace the one with the oven that wouldn't cut off.

My computer has also been cranky lately and has been freezing up more than usual. I've been wanting a new laptop that I could take out to the pool deck so I decided it was time to order one. I got a HP Pavilion dv6-3020. It was delivered Saturday night. I've been working on getting it set up. I finally got my printer to work with it just a few minutes ago. Right now I am creating my recovery discs. This laptop is so different from my desktop. It's going to take me awhile to learn how to do things. I don't have anyone to help me so I have to learn by trial and error (with a lot of error).

We had a birthday party for my Dad yesterday. He turned 96 on Saturday. We had close family for a meal followed by birthday cake. He enjoyed having everyone together and being the center of attention. I forgot to take my camera so I didn't get any pictures. My Dad always said he planned on living to 100 - he only has four more years to go.

Not much happening .......

2010-07-24T20:42:00.006-04:00

I don't have any excuse for not posting sooner other than nothing has been going on. It's just been too hot to do anything - 100 Thursday, 102 yesterday, 106 today, and a forecast of the same tomorrow. Anyone who doubts that global warming exists should come spend a week in Southside Virginia. I don't remember ever having a summer this hot.

The days have been too hot to go in the pool. I had planned on swimming tonight, but I checked the water temperature and it is 88. I don't find water that warm to be refreshing, so I'll stay inside in the air conditioning.

We did get some rain - Hooray! We had a nice shower last week and a brief shower earlier this week. It helped to green up the lawn. I'm still watering the garden every day. I have some nice cherry tomatoes and every so often I'll get a squash or cucumber. The regular tomatoes are still a disappointment - almost every one has dry rot.

I got my hair cut Tuesday. I was way overdue for a cut. I had been letting it grow so I could pull it back in a ponytail when it was hot or when I went in the pool. It had gotten longer than I have ever worn my hair. She cut off 4 to 6 inches and it is still shoulder length. I can still get it in a ponytail - a short one. I'm not very talented at fixing my hair, so I need a style that is wash and wear. So far, I'm satisfied with this cut.

Like I said - not much happening here.

More Luray Caverns .........

2010-07-15T18:37:00.006-04:00

More pictures from our trip to Luray Caverns.

More beautiful rock formations. There are giant pillars and massive and fantastic forms, many adorned with patterns. There are crystal fountains, cascades, and magical and mythical looking formations. If you look hard enough, you will find all sorts of hidden designs and forms

This is called Fried Eggs. It looks like someone broke several eggs on the rock.

This is a picture taken in the Cathedral which contains the Great Stalacpipe Organ. It is the world's largest musical instrument. Stalactites covering 3 1/2 acres of the surrounding caverns produce tones when electronically tapped by rubber tipped mallets. You get to hear a song played on the organ, which is quite beautiful.

After touring the caverns, we got a quick snack for lunch, then visited the Car and Carriage Caravan Museum. Hubby was very interested in all the old cars and carriages on display. There were cars, carriages, coaches, and costumes dating from 1725 to 1941. Some of the highlights were a 1840 Conestoga Wagon, a 1908 Baker Electric, a 1913 Stanley Steamer, and Rudolph Valenino's 1925 Rolls Royce.

Luray Caverns .............

2010-07-15T17:53:00.005-04:00

Yesterday we decided to tour Luray Caverns. They are located in the town of Luray, which is in the Shenandoah Valley in the northern part of Virginia. Both Hubby and I had visited them on school trips in elementary school, but had not been back since. I'm glad we decided to go. It was the perfect way to spend a hot afternoon - in a cool cavern viewing some majestic rock formations. If you have never been, it is well worth your time.

This is called the Double Column. It is 47 feet tall and is composed of both stalactites and stalagmites. The area it is in is called Giant's Hall. The ceiling is over 60 feet in height.

In this picture you can see some of the formations that are called totem poles. I thought they looked like carvings made in wood. If you looked closely, you could see all types of shapes in the rocks.

I love these formations that look like fringe or draperies. It takes about 120 years to form one cubic inch. It's hard to comprehend how many years it has taken for these caverns to form.

There are different colors in the rock. Some are white and almost translucent and some have more of a yellow or gold cast. It depends on what impurites from the soil have seeped down.

This is called Dream Lake. The bottom of the photo is a reflection in the water of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling. The water is not deep, only 18 to 20 inches at it's deepest point.

Keeping cool ........

2010-07-13T20:09:00.003-04:00

It's been so hot lately, it's taken all our energy to keep cool. We've been hanging out by the pool ......

Or else, finding cool spots in the shade to stretch out.

Hope everyone is doing the same. We will update soon...

I think I live in an oven ........

2010-07-06T20:26:00.002-04:00

..... at least it feels like I do. Will this heat ever give way to temperatures in the lower 90s? It seems like almost every day is over 100 degrees. Many parts of the country are sweltering under record temperatures. I really feel for those who can not tolerate high temperatures. I like hot weather and I'm comfortable until the mercury goes above 90. No matter how hot I get, I can usually find a way to cool off. I've been eating lots of ice cream cones, drinking large glasses of iced tea, and spending time in the pool. I do worry about Maggie May and Mazie Grace being outside during the hottest part of the day. I try to make them stay inside, but they want to go out. I guess they find some shady place to stretch out. I keep water in a bowl on the deck for them.

It's been too hot for Hubby and I to tackle any projects around the house. We try to get everything important done by 10 AM. After that we do no more than necessary. I have gotten a few regular tomatoes from the garden and I'm beginning to get some cherry tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes are really pretty and have a good flavor. I like them in salads and also just pop them in my mouth for a delicious snack. We keep watering the garden every morning and every night. It's enough to just keep it alive.

I haven't been able to exercise lately. My treadmill is in the garage where there is no air conditioning. It's been too hot to get out there and walk. I can tell that I haven't been exercising. My joints are stiffer and I don't have as much energy. I really should come up with some exercises I can do inside.

I guess I've complained enough about the weather. I shouldn't complain since I prefer this to very cold weather any day. I'll be wishing for days like this next winter.

Big shoppers ...........

2010-07-01T21:34:00.004-04:00

We finally got some relief from the heat yesterday. Hubby and I decided to take advantage of the pretty day by taking a quick trip to Prime Outlets in Williamsburg. If you've never been there, it has over 120 designer and brand name outlet stores. It's a shopper's paradise.

We stopped for breakfast along the way and got there around 10:30 AM. We walked and looked until almost 2 PM. The only purchase we made was a cheese slicer for $8.00. The one I had broke several months ago and I missed having one. I saw lots of nice things, but nothing I really wanted. When I have too many things to look at, I get overwhelmed and nothing really jumps out and says "Buy Me". We were hungry, so we left the outet mall and stopped to eat before coming back home.

I used to love to shop and would always find loads of stuff I wanted. The trunk of my car would be full after a trip to the mall. Since I've gotten older, my wants are not as great. I don't make impulse buys. If I see something I think I want or need, I won't purchase it then. I will wait and if I still want it a week later, then I will buy it. That little trick has saved me a lot of money. I also do a lot of shopping on the internet. I can search for the specific item I want and compare prices at different merchants - all while comfortable in my pj's.

Are you a shopper?

Heat ...................

2010-06-29T18:36:00.005-04:00

My grass has turned brown.

My squash and cucumbers are gone.

I like hot weather, but this is going a bit too far. Every day for the last 10 days has been in the upper 90s. Four of those days were over 100 - we had 3 days at 102 and 1 day at 101. I usually avoid turning on my air conditioner, but it has been running constantly except for the early morning. I turn it off and open the windows when I get up, but by 10 AM I have to turn it back on. The days that were over 100 were just too hot to even go in the pool. The pool water temperature is up to 85, so the water is not that refreshing - more like a tepid bath. We're suppose to get some much needed relief tomorrow.

We had a very brief shower last night - the first rain we've had in three weeks. I'm afraid it was too little and too late for my garden. I got one tomato from the garden on June 17th. Since then every one of the tomatoes has had dry rot. The squash and cucumbers are gone and the green peppers look sickly. I've been watering almost every night, but it hasn't been enough. Maybe next year I can have a good garden.

Between the heat draining all my energy and being busy with repairs to my Dad's two John Deere lawn tractors and John Deere Gator, I have gotten behind on reading blogs. I apologize for my lack of comments. I'm hoping I can get caught up later tonight.

An update ...............

2010-06-22T09:49:00.003-04:00

I've been neglecting my blog. Hubby and I have been busy washing the siding on the house and trying to clean out the garage. The siding is done, but we've only made a dent in the garage. I'm almost at the point where rather than going through things, I'm tempted to just take it all to the dumpster. It's amazing how much stuff one can accumulate. While going through the bottom cabinets, I discovered that a mouse had invaded the area and had made a mess. You would think that the cats would keep them away. Then again, it could be a mouse they caught, brought into the garage to play with, and let loose.

It's much too hot to work in the garage today. I just checked our forecast. It's suppose to be 97 today, 99 tomorrow, and 102 Thursday. With our high humidity, those temperatures are almost unbearable. We've only had 4/10 of an inch of rain so far this month. The lack of rain and the heat have turned the grass brown, wilted all my flowers, and just about ruined the garden. All the pretty green tomatoes I had are getting dry rot, the cucumbers and squash are not filling out, and some of the plants are dying. I've tried to water the flowers and garden, but it's just not the same as a good rain. Seems like this happens every year.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable Father's Day weekend. My brother came home for the weekend from New Jersey on Friday. Saturday, my cousin and her husband visited at my Dad's. We had an enjoyable time remembering the summers we spent together as children. Sunday, my sister and brother-in-law were here from Charlottesville. It was nice that my brother, my sister, and I got to spend Father's Day with my Dad. He'll be 96 next month, so we won't get to celebrate with him many more times.

I haven't seen the skunks for a few days. I heard a gun shot across the road the other morning. I'm afraid my neighbor may have decided he didn't want skunks around. I don't know how anyone could shoot such cute little creatures. Maggie May is now fascinated by a snake that keeps sticking his head out from a crack between my front porch and steps. She has no fear.

An almost ripe tomato .............

2010-06-15T23:00:00.002-04:00

I have one tomato that is turning from green to red. It should be ready to pick in a few days. It's small, but doesn't have any blemishes. There are lots of green tomatoes on the vines. We need rain to fill them out and make them juicy.

Maggie got skunked ............

2010-06-14T16:46:00.004-04:00

I knew it would happen! This morning I had the windows open and caught a brief odor of skunk. I went out in the back yard and called Maggie, but didn't see her. I could still smell skunk, however, and was silently praying that it wasn't Maggie that tangled with the skunk. I went back inside and happened to see Maggie on the front porch. When I opened the front door, it hit me in the face - SKUNK! Poor Maggie's left eye was shut and the left side of her face and left paw were wet. She wanted inside, but of course I said No! and quickly shut the door in her face.

I called the Vet's office to see if they had anything I could use on her. They gave me a recipe using hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish detergent. You are suppose to bath them in this solution. Yeah, right! I had no idea we would be able to give Maggie a bath, but I called Hubby, who was in Richmond, and told him to pick up some hydrogen peroxide on his way home.

Maggie sat at the door begging to come in for awhile, then stretched out on the porch and sulked. Just before Hubby got home, she disappeared. I think she went under the deck. She finally came out a little while ago. The odor didn't seem as bad, but we mixed up a batch of anti-skunk solution. Hubby held her and I tried to wipe her face and paw with the solution. She wasn't too happy about the process and put up a big fight, so I only got in a few wipes before Hubby had to let her go. The odor that is left will just have to wear off.

Aren't you glad odors don't travel through the computer? She's still outside, but I will have to bring her inside before dark. I can't smell skunk right now, but I'm sure she will deposit the odor around the house when she comes in. Just one of the joys of having pets in the country.

Skunks and rain .............

2010-06-13T19:32:00.004-04:00

We've had all sorts of animals in our yard - deer, rabbits, possum, raccoons, snakes, huge turtles, all kinds of birds, etc. Now we have a skunk family that has been traveling across our yard every evening. Mama skunk has two babies that run along behind her. They really are cute, but I've been keeping my distance. I'm sure Mama skunk would get upset if anyone came near her babies. So far, the cats have not seen them. I'm hoping Maggie May doesn't catch sight of them and decide she is going to chase them out of the yard like she chases dogs. That could be disasterous. Maybe I should stockpile tomato juice.

The last two days have been very HOT and very HUMID. Yesterday was 96 and this afternoon was 98. We spent yesterday afternoon in the pool, but today we retreated inside to the air conditioning. I think we are suppose to have one more very hot day before it cools down to the upper 80s. We had a very brief shower last night and got all of one tenth of an inch of rain. I think that evaporated into steam as soon as the rain stopped. I'm still doing my rain dance.

Deer and kitties ....................

2010-06-10T10:28:00.006-04:00

I hadn't seen the albino deer lately, so I was hoping nothing had happened to him. Last night I looked out the kitchen window around 8:30 and saw him in the field beside the house. He later came up in the yard with his three friends and they chased each other around the back yard. I was relieved to know that he was okay. I wish I could get a better picture, but it's always too dark when he gets closer to the house. I'll keep trying.

We have been a lazy bunch lately. Mazie Grace has been sticking close to home since her week away. This is how she spends her days. Every once in awhile she'll get up and turn around, but that's the extent of her activity. She'll go out at night for a couple of hours and then she's ready to come back in. I think she gained a huge appreciation of home while held captive somewhere else.

Maggie May thinks she is the queen of the neighborhood. She loves to chase any dogs who happen to invade her yard. I just hope she doesn't pick on the wrong dog one day. She caught a bird last week and was so happy and proud of herself. She's been trying to get one for months. She would spend hours stalking and lying in wait for one.

I have been even lazier than the cats. My left shoulder and neck have been hurting nonstop for the last four or five days - my arthritis is acting up. I can ignore it for awhile, but then I get really aggravated by it. I think it may be a little better today. The garden is wilted and turning yellow in places. I've been watering, but we need a good soaking rain. We've been eating squash, cucumbers, and onions. The tomatoes are still green and aren't growing very fast - they need water now to make big juicy tomatoes. I'll keep trying my rain dance.

My tomatoes ............

2010-06-04T18:05:00.003-04:00

My husband picked up this hanging tomato kit at Lowes this spring. I had my doubts as to how well it would do, but I was willing to give it a try. So far, it is still alive and growing and has a few blooms on the upper plant. The reddish pots on the deck have cherry tomato plants in them.

These are the tomato plants in my garden square. Since we have had plenty of rain so far this year, they have grown and gotten really thick. I probably planted them too close together, but it doesn't seem to have stunted their growth. They are full of blooms and little green tomatoes.

Here are some of my little tomatoes. It will be awhile before I'll be able to eat tomato sandwiches for lunch. My mouth is watering just thinking about them.

Squash ..........

2010-06-01T20:21:00.004-04:00

We had squash from the garden for supper tonight. The fried squash and onions were delicious! I've got some little cucumbers on the vine that I'm anxious to harvest, and some little green tomatoes. The garden was wilted this afternoon from our heat. We just had a very brief shower, which I hope perks it up.

Hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend. We stayed at home and worked around the house and yard. We got the pool up and running, all the grass cut and trimmed, all the vehicles washed, and the house cleaned. Today we visited a few antique shops. We rarely buy anything - we just enjoy looking.

It is still very humid and very warm. Seems like there are scattered thunderstorms every night. We've gotten very little rain from them - usually just a sprinkle. Maggie May hides under the chair when she hears thunder, but it doesn't seem to bother Mazie Grace. I'm going to get some Aconite, an herb recommended by Sweetflutterbys3, that is suppose to calm pets. I will use it when we have bad storms and when I have to take them to the vet.

Thunderstorms ..........

2010-05-25T19:19:00.003-04:00

We've been busy with various chores this week. We had a bad thunderstorm Sunday night with lots of lightning. I was standing just outside the back door calling Maggie May, who had retreated under the deck to get away from the rain, when lightning struck really close by. It blew the phone box, which was about six feet from me, off the back of the house and into the yard. I think I actually felt heat from the strike. It burned up our microwave, tripped several breakers, and burned up a night light in my bathroom. Poor Maggie May didn't come out from under the deck until a couple of hours later. My Dad had damage at his house also. His phone still hasn't been fixed. It broke his washer and damaged the lights in his bathroom. I'm still trying to get everything repaired. At least Hubby was at home. Before he retired he would always be gone during storms and I would have to handle things on my own.

The good thing about our thunderstorms is that they have put much needed water into my pool. We took the cover off Sunday in anticipation of the rain. We still need about 3 inches of water, which we will probably have to get from the well. It just takes awhile to run that much water into the pool, since I don't like to run water from the well for too long at a time. I'll turn the hose on for 30 minutes, then off for an hour and back on for 30 minutes. Can't wait for it to get hot so I can spend the afternoons in the pool.

The garden is still growing fast. We've been eating radishes and lettuce. I have lots of blooms on the squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I hope we will have squash by the first of the week. We just need a few sunny days.

Hubby has been retired for twelve days. He is thoroughly enjoying retirement. However, I have found it very difficult to find the time to do things that I need to do. We are either going somewhere or he is getting me to help him with his projects. I get so much more done when I have routines to follow and we haven't had any routines lately. I guess it will work out with time.

The garden after 2 days of rain ..........

2010-05-18T22:51:00.004-04:00

It hasn't rained today, but it's been very cloudy and cool. I had to turn the heat on for awhile earlier this evening to take the chill off the house. I went out this afternoon and took the pictures above so you could see how much the garden has grown since Sunday afternoon. You can't tell from the pictures but the squash have the beginnings of blooms and the tomatoes have tiny blooms. We should have some good eating if it doesn't get too dry.

The garden ...........

2010-05-17T23:08:00.004-04:00

The tomatoes ...

The squash and cucumbers ...

I looked out at the garden this afternoon and it looks like it has grown several more inches since I took these pictures Sunday. We are getting a nice soaking rain.