Happy New Year !!!!

Sending everyone wishes for a Happy New Year! May your New Year be filled with love, happiness, and peace.

Hubby and I will celebrate at home. He will probably be asleep by the time the ball falls in Times Square. I will watch it on TV - if I can stay awake that long.

I'm hoping I can do a better job of blogging in the New Year. If I made New Year's resolutions that would be at the top of my list. Since I quit making resolutions years ago, I'll just promise to try.

Merry Christmas!

Sending wishes for a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

A new Norfolk Island Pine .....

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only two and a half weeks away. I was just getting used to the idea of fall. Luckily, I don't do that much for the Holidays so I'm not stressing out over everything that hasn't been done. I put up a few outside decorations earlier in the week and will probably decorate inside (except for the tree) this weekend. I usually wait until the middle of the month to put up the tree since it tends to be in the way.



I did get a small Norfolk Island Pine to take the place of the giant I gave away. It's only about a foot tall, so I should be able to move it around easily. I wonder how many years it will be before it becomes too large for the house.

We've finally gotten most of the leaves up. I think one more day of raking should be it until time for spring clean-up. We have gotten extremely dry. We only had 1/10 inch of rain in the whole month of November. So far this month we've had less than 1/10 inch. I have some daffodil bulbs that need to be planted, but the ground is so hard I can't dig the holes to plant them. Will it be OK to plant them later?

The clothes basket is overflowing, so I'd better get some in the washer. Housework is never done.

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?

Wildflowers .........

The other afternoon, I walked through the fields behind my house. Hubby had cut a path with the lawnmower so I could walk without becoming covered with ticks and chiggers.





The wildflowers were blooming. They may be weeds, but they are colorful and pretty weeds and made my walk more enjoyable.

Garden update ......

Thought I'd give you an update on my little garden. We got a nice rain Monday, so everything is looking so much better than it did.



In the front are onions - red, yellow, and white. Next we have three cucumber plants, then 3 zuchinni squash and 3 yellow squash. The cucumbers and squash are blooming and we have a couple of zuchinni that are ready to be picked.




Look closely and you can see a zuchinni.



This is the other square. We have green peppers in front, then cherry tomatoes, and regular tomatoes in the rear (Better Boy and Early Girl). We've gotten about 6 tomatoes so far off these plants. I had tomato sandwiches with them. Yum...



This tomato should be ready in a few days. The tomatoes have been small so far, but they've been blemish free.

My first tomato this year .......

I picked my first tomato this afternoon. I ate it before I had a chance to take a picture, but here is a picture of two more I will be picking soon. They are on a potted plant on my deck.



The tomatoes in my little garden are still green, but I will have plenty to eat once they ripen. I have both regular tomatoes and cherry tomatoes.



I love tomatoes fresh from the garden. I can taste those juicy tomato sandwiches already. Now, if we could just get a little rain they should continue growing.

The gathering ..........

Today was hot (in the 90s) and it was one of those humid Virginia afternoons. It felt like July instead of May.



The local girls spent the afternoon at the corner. This is where they like to congregate, relaxing in the shade and catching any breeze that happens by. I'm sure they catch up on the latest gossip and tell some tall tales.



I like the lady with white on her face. She was curious as to what I was doing and watched me carefully. I think she wanted to be sure I got her picture.

Flowers for Leontien ........

Love and hugs to Leontien. To learn more go to -

Earth day .........

Today is Earth Day. If everyone would just do a little extra for the environment today, it would make a difference. For those of you who hated to see my trees cut down, as you can see in this picture, there are still plenty of trees left. Besides, five years ago we planted 56,000 pines on our land. I love nature and wildlife and support conservation.



We are getting a welcome steady rain today. Our ground had gotten very dry and I have had to water my garden every night. My squash and cucumbers have come up, but this rain should make them grow. My azaleas are all blooming and are so pretty. We looked into getting azaleas to plant by the fence. They were $20.00 each and we wanted 20 of them - a bit more than I want to spend right now. We're hoping we can find some cheaper plants. We got the grass seed down, so hopefully we'll soon have grass out there.



An azalea by my deck.



One of my roses.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Tree work ...........

About 35 years ago, not long after the house was built, we got a handful of pine seedlings from a friend who worked for the forestry department. We stuck them in the ground out by the road. Surprisingly they survived and grew. The picture above shows how large they had gotten.

Hubby decided he wanted to get them all cut down. Grass wouldn't grow under the trees and they dropped pine cones and pine needles all over the side front yard. The roots from those nearest the driveway were pushing up and cracking the asphalt. So, we contacted our tree service and had them come in, cut them down, clean up, and grind down the stumps.



The business is a husband and wife team. He did most of the work up in the bucket, while she fed branches in the chipper and cut up larger pieces with a chain saw.





Looks different with the trees gone. We put down lime and fertilizer this afternoon, then sowed grass seed. It has gotten very dry, but we are hoping for some rain tomorrow. We're thinking about planting azaleas on the other side of the fence.

Remember me? .........

It's been so long since I've posted, you've probably forgotten all about me. Well, I'm still around and I'm doing fine. I've just been busy with all sorts of projects. When I haven't been busy, I've been lazy. My old computer was giving me all sorts of problems and it discouraged me from trying to post. After much thought and research, I ordered a new HP Touchmart 610. It came Tuesday, so I've been transferring files and getting everything set up on it. I love the sharp, bright picture on the 23" screen and the Beats Audio is awesome. The only thing that I'm finding a problem is the touch screen. When Maggie gets on the computer desk her tail tends to rub against the screen and she creates, moves, and deletes all sorts of things.

Spring arrived early this year. I've gotten my garden planted - tomatoes, green peppers, lettuce, radishes, watermelon, cantaloupe, onions, cucumbers, zuchinni squash, and yellow crookneck squash. We got several loads of manure from the farm next door and worked it in the soil earlier, so I hope the garden does well. It's already gotten very dry here and I'm having to water every night. I've also planted bunches of flowers but still have more to do.

We had the inside of the house painted in February, so I had quite a mess for awhile. It looks great and I'm glad to have it done. The guy who did the painting is a perfectionist. He was slow, but everything was perfect when he finished. We just finished having trees cut. I will post about that soon. Now, I'm going to read blogs and comment since I have a computer that doesn't freeze on me.

Our first snow this winter ........

Hi everyone! I'm still here! I've been reading your blogs, but haven't been posting or commenting lately. Other things always seem to take up my time. I've been fine. Hubby quit his part time job the first of the year, so he is around 24/7. We've been taking day trips and doing things together.

Week before last we had the inside of the house painted. I'm still trying to get things put back in the proper place. I have six boxes sitting in the garage that I need to find a home for. When you have to pull everything out of closets and rooms, it makes you realize that you have way too much stuff. I have vowed to simplify - to get rid of everything that we don't need or use. Wish me luck!

We got our first snow of the season yesterday. It was so pretty this morning when we got up. Of course it has been melting quickly and should be gone by tomorrow. We're suppose to have temperatures in the mid 70s by Thursday - winter won't be here long.

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

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.