Goodbye my lovely tree ......

I received the Norfolk Island Pine in the above picture years ago. The bank purchased one for each employee's desk as decoration for Christmas. When I got it, it was less than a foot tall. I brought mine home, watered it once a week and moved it to bigger pots as it grew. I would take it out to the deck in the spring and bring it back inside in the fall.



When it became too large for the house, I would move it inside the garage for the winter. Hubby would complain every spring and fall when he had to haul the heavy tree and pot through the back door. Last year it was a real struggle getting it inside and it was almost too tall for the garage. I measured it this fall and it was close to 10 feet tall.

I knew it had outgrown our garage as well as the house. I hated to leave it outside and have the cold temperatures of winter kill it. I decided to put it on Freecycle and offer it for free to someone who had room to winter it inside. A kind lady in town came by the other day to pick it up. I will miss my tree and I wish it well.

Perhaps I'll purchase a small one this Christmas and start the process again.

What the Kitties have been up to .....

Maggie May has been keeping me company while I'm on the computer. She loves to mess with the touch screen and make me fuss. After awhile that gets boring, so she settles in for a nice nap.



Mazie Grace has been spending much more time inside since the weather has gotten cooler. She gets her hunting done, then comes inside and settles in front of the TV for a long nap. She pushes those silly decorations Mom put up out of her way.



Little Mollie Ann loves to curl up on anything soft and take long naps. She's a sound sleeper and it's hard to wake her up once she's asleep. (She snores loudly too.)

As you can see, the kitties have not been very busy, in fact they have been quite lazy. They must take after me.

Sandy was kind to us ......

We were very lucky and had no damage from Hurricane Sandy. There was heavy rain to the east of us, snow to the west of us, and rain and wind to the north of us. We got two inches of rain over two days and had moderate winds that just blew leaves off the trees. My heart goes out to all those who lost property and electricity during the storm. I was prepared with fresh batteries in the lanterns and plenty of food that didn't require cooking, but our lights didn't even flicker. I'm truly lucky to live in a region that does not flood and seldom has snow. I will keep those less fortunate in my thoughts and will donate what I can to the Red Cross.

The kale in my garden square is growing and will be big enough to pick soon. I love kale, so I'm looking forward to a big pot of greens. The last several nights have been in the lower 40s and upper 30s. I don't like it when I have to keep my windows closed and bundle up to go outside. The kitties have been staying inside more since it has gotten cooler. They've decided they want to snuggle.

My phone has been ringing all day long with political calls. I will be so glad when the election is over!

Our fall ride .....

The first of this week was simply beautiful - sunny, warm, and dry. We decided Tuesday morning to take a ride toward Charlottesville to view the fall leaves. I also wanted to get some apples, so our first stop was the Carter Mountain Orchard and Vineyards. It sits on top of a mountain and has wonderful views.



They had all types of apples, pumpkins, and gourds for sale as well as some delicious apple cider. The orchard also has peach trees and grapes that are used in local wines



After loading up with apples we drove down the mountain and stopped at Michie's Tavern.



We visited the old mill



and toured the old shops and buildings on the property.



Next we decided to tour Ash Lawn-Highland, the home of James Monroe which was only a few miles away.



Our tour guide was an actor by profession and gave us a very entertaining and informative tour. The trees in the parking lot were gorgeous so I had to get a picture of them.



By this time we were getting hungry, so we headed on home stopping at Lumpkins in Scottsville for a delicious lunch.

We had an enjoyable day and got to view many colorful leaves.

Enough is enough ........

Since I live in Virginia, which is considered one of the battleground states in the upcoming election, I have been inundated with political ads, flyers, and phone calls. I counted the ads on a local TV station during one hour this evening. There were a total of 22 ads! That is overkill. I can't believe that there are many truly undecided voters who will be swayed by these ads. Many of the ads are filled with half truths, words taken out of context, and downright lies. I watched the debates and they were full of talking points and promises, but very few explanations of how the promises would be met.

I consider myself to be well informed on politics. I try to consider both sides of any issue and form my opinions based on my core beliefs. I worry that there are many voters who form their opinions based on the misleading and false ads that they are subjected to every time they turn on the TV.

Many people are very passionate when it comes to their political choices. Its fine to support your candidate, but some people have gone to extremes in attacking the opposition and anyone who supports the other party. Facebook is full of nasty comments and personal attacks. I try not to discuss politics with people who are so passionate, since my view is usually opposite of theirs.

It will be a relief when the election is over. Go to the polls and vote for your candidate on election day.

Willie ......

I live outside a small rural Virginia town. Not much ever happens here. We don't even have a proper grocery store. If Dollar General doesn't carry what you want, you drive over ten miles to another town. My home town has gone the way of so many small towns in America. I can remember when I was in school, main street would be a bustling place on Friday afternoons. There were several grocery stores, a couple of drugstores, hardware stores, clothing stores, a 5 and 10, an appliance store, a furniture store, and several car dealers. Today main street is almost empty. People go out of town to shop and for entertainment.

Tomorrow night, people will be coming to our town. Willie Nelson will be giving a concert at Hooper Park. He is a legend in country music. I may not be a huge country music fan, but I can't pass up the opportunity to see him in person. This sleepy little town will be bustling again at least for a night.

Under the dome .......

There must be a dome that covers my little section of the world. It lets in sunlight and heat, but prevents rain from entering. It rains to the west of us, to the north of us, to the east of us, and to the south of us. We see lightning and hear thunder in the distance, but not a drop of rain will fall on us. When we have drought conditions, I'm afraid to use my well for watering outside. As a result my garden has dried up, the yard is covered with dust instead of grass, and several of my shrubs have died.



I was a bit concerned about the trees we had planted on 125 acres in an adjacent county, so we checked on them today. Evidently that area had gotten more rain since things were greener and the trees seemed fine. They must not be under the dome. See my little pine trees in the picture above.

Summer is going by so fast. School will be starting in a few weeks. We haven't been anywhere on vacation yet this year. We've been relaxing either in the backyard pool or inside in the AC. This week we've been watching the Olympics. Have any of you been following the games?