March Madness at Home

The sun is shining. The sky is bright and beautiful. Birds singing and trees budding and greening up. What could be better? One of my hobbies to looking at houses on Zillow. I get ideas for interiors or tweaking my deck or greenhouse area, even bird feeders. Of course, I also think 'what if...,' but there is nothing in the country that could meet my needs any better than what I have here at home. I have a little acreage, plenty of wildlife, one neighbor that's kin to me and another that I've known since we were in diapers. We don't flood, comparitively speaking. My yard gets full of water sometimes, but not like real floods in other parts of the country. We don't really get tornados. Storms that come up from the south seem to go around us and storms from up north often stop right before they get to my house. I feel like ground zero in protected planet! Yes, my place is pretty nice.

We have Pepper the cat that thinks she's a dog, which has come in handy with our little Riley we adopted in November. I sometimes thinks he misses being part of a real pack. You recall he came from a hoarder house with multiple animals. In fact, four of them were released to the Currituck Humane Society at the same time. Danny is now his pack, and Pepper the cat is his sidekick. I'm left to be the audience. We just bought the talking buttons and have begun to teach him how to use them. He's a tough nut to crack though. This may be a year-long task! He doesn't want to use his paws to push the buttons, so we're now trying to go for a nose job on a sticky-note to get him started. So far the only one that's trained to use the buttons is Danny!

Since January Laurie and I have been going to a nursing home every other Tuesday to sing with residents. We're having a fabulous time singing with the "Melody Makers."  The group is growing with every visit and I'm surprised to find that a lot of residents used to be in church choirs. They've expressed over and over just how much they've missed singing and really appreciate us coming over. We've made song books with words for them and I take a laptop to play the music. We sing church hymns, choruses and even a some contemporaries as well as a little Elvis and '60s radio rock that everyone grew up with. Mostly women attend, but a few men also show up, some quite regularly. I take a photo each time and use my recordings to match names with faces. About once a month we go at night along with Hollie and our husbands to do devotions and sing while we listen as residents share their stories and experiences. It's all very uplifting to know that I'm part of something so simple that means so much to so many.

We are patiently waiting for the tree people to come take out some of our demented cedar trees. They have been overtaken by wisteria and especially over winter you could see right through the trees. It's really very sad. I look around while riding down the road and see lots of wisteria blooming now and realize that people don't see it's taking over and killing the trees.

Crocheting is still part of most of my days. After Christmas I donated about 25 hats to the homeless. With our crazy weather it's never too late for a winter hat, right?! I continue to make blankets for the nursing home too. I'm currently making one in pink, cream, and purple with main colors in 3 rows of single crochet followed by 1 row of reverse double crochet. The small divider rows in purple are just 2 rows of single crochet. It's turning out prettier than it sounds.

The gaps in routine are filled with weekly chiropractor visits to straighten out my screw-ups, like using a shovel last week. Ugh! We don't get to eat out much anymore. Riley bit through the metal crate while we were at church a couple of weeks ago and it was all we could do to get back before he got his head stuck. I think we both flashed back to our golden retriever Willie who did that and almost died before we could get him to an emergency vet. Luckily, there was no repeat event. Danny repaired the cage but Riley's separation anxiety is preventing us from leaving him alone very long. It's a good thing he can go inside at the chiropractor's office! We've just bought new calming chews to try. The perscription we have says to give 1-2 hours beforehand, but I think we need to give 6-8 hours ahead of us leaving. Usually he's not calm until long after we're home again and then he's like comatose for hours. We really hate giving him anything, but I'd like to go out to eat in a restaurant again! Maybe over summer things will get better. One can only hope!

Fresh Start

 It's a new year already! Where does the time go? I guess I'm about half busy most of the time. I still do genealogy and have been working on "dead end" family lines for myself and Danny as well as doing another case for the lawyer and researching paternal lines for a friend and a cousin. I've almost got a stack of crochet  hats to take to the homeless shelter. I prefer waiting until after Christmas to take mine, knowing a lot of people take stuff earlier. I made more blankets for the nursing home too. For pure delight I read historical romance books while getting my miles in using the bike.

Our Thanksgiving was small with just us and my brother and his wife over for lunch. We had originally made reservations for Swan Terrace at CBN, but at almost the last minute we discovered that Publix had a complete turkey dinner available for the price of just 1 CBN ticket. We added a few things like corn pudding and more desserts and ended up with a terrific Thanksgiving dinner. The vote afterwards was a unanimous Yes, we would do it again.

We also had a wonderful Christmas this year. Both my girls came home with their husbands. We ate out, we ate in, we played computer games and watched TV together. One visited her inlaws and both visited their dad. We shortened the Christmas tree for our animals' sake which was fine since we don't do gifts anymore.

With our new dog, Riley, I've definitely gotten more exercise.  Luckily, Danny deals with taking him out at night. He's come a long way already. Now he let's us know when he needs to go out so we rarely have an accident in the house unless he gets too excited with a visitor. He knows commands for sit, leave it, wait, and backup already, although we're always in training and reminding him. He's learning we won't abandon him and is doing well in the car crate. I can trust him not to go into the woods alone (again) so as we head to the house I release his leash and enjoy watching him make mad dash circles around me. He has great curiosity about everything so much that we think his previous hoarder owner didn't allow him outside much. He and the cat love to play together each morning. If he loses her during hide and seek he checks every possible location for her. The house is no longer the quiet somber place it was after losing our other two dogs.

I am no longer in that music band. My friend and I quit recently after much discussion. Neither of us wanted to go back after the holiday and we both felt like we should be using our skills to sing about Jesus. Instead, the band only wanted to do 60s and 70s hits. It also didn't seem to be going anywhere after all that practice. She'd been with them almost a year and still they had never gotten to perform anywhere. I'd been going since May. Although I enjoyed singing, especially with my friend, it was no longer good there since they added another singer so in a sense we were starting over with new harmonies. We were good at doing the music. The third wheel wasn't helping much. Lately we've been discussing starting a choir at the nursing home. I had a choir at the assisted living facility I work at years ago. The people don't expect perfection like the band wanted to be. The residents expect time well spent to make the long lonely days better. We can do that and are looking forward to it.

I'd thought all my body parts would play nice now that I've had 12 surgeries. But my shoulders are getting worse. They crunch noisily and hurt when I put weight on them, like rolling over in bed. So I have an appointment with a surgeon to see what he thinks. Hopefully a few shots will be all that's necessary.

Really Riley

The house was just too quiet after the passing of our 2nd dog in 5 months. Cats, while good pets, are a poor substitute since they are pretty much self-sufficient and sleep all the time. So we started watching petfinder, and visited SPCA, but unless you want some variation of a pit bull or chihuahua or need a cat of any size the selection is limited. When friends shared a post with me about four little terriers that came from a  flea-infested hoarder situation, we had to check it out. Two were already taken, one was a bit wild and crazy, but this one took to us instantly.

We welcomed Riley to our home.

They said he's about 2-years-old, but we think younger. We had lucked out with our previous two who were potty and crate trained. No such luck this time. Of course the first thing he did on arrival was start peeing. They had him scheduled for neutering a month later,but who wants their home marked for a month? He was fixed 2 days after adoption. An added bummer was that some of the meds for pain made him sick. Great (not). We survived though.

He was totally my dog in the beginning, but has now bonded with Danny, which was our plan all along. He's smart and quick to learn. No more accidents. The pills are done. He gets along with the no-longer-feral cat, Pepper. Riley loves to be close to his people and we are definitely his people, especially at night when he sleeps up tight against us.

  

Because he's a people kind of guy, we're still working on crate skills though. He cries so bad when we put him up. We set up a camera to watch him for 15-45 minutes at a time. We just don't want him to tear up his feet or mouth trying to bite his way out. Danny's even gone in the cage with him to make it feel less threatening. But we know it's gonna take some time. Hopefully he'll be ok soon because we have to go somewhere that he can't go in the next couple of weeks.

The house is no longer quiet. We like it. Thanksgiving should be different this year. We have much to be thankful for, including little Riley.

Copy and Paste

This is a bad rerun.

Just two posts ago I reflected on our having lost beloved Abby, our 14 year old rescue terrier mix. It was very hard on her companion, Toby. At 12 years old, he'd been with her for 11 years. He was so lost without her. We sometimes called him Moses because he would move so slowly, so sad and lonely.

I hope he's not sad and lonely anymore. Last Friday, early in the morning Toby died. We are still stunned.

We took him to the vet in late August. Everything looked good, no physical problems. We expected him to be with us for a couple more years. But over the last few weeks I'd begun to notice a random quivering in his back legs when he'd stand too long or put all this weight on them (as when he'd put his front feet on Danny's chair for a little me-time). It didn't last long. Danny never could see it because he was always looking at the front end. Every now and then I'd say we probably ought to take him to the vet again, but we had dropped our former vet after Abby passed and Toby's last visit was truly the last visit. 

Last week it the shaking got worse. He'd been a pretty finicky eater, especially after Abby left, but that too became worse for the last couple of days.

Last Thursday afternoon we decided to take him to the emergency hospital. Because emergencies coming in take presidence we ended up being there for 4 hours. When we left about 9:30pm Toby walked to the car. We had to wait 2 hours before we could give him any pills or food. Since he wasn't eating we had to crush them into a slurry of dog food and use a syringe to get the meds in him.

Danny laid with him on the floor outside the open door of his cage. Toby was diagnoised with a high fever, infection and enlarged spleen. About 4:30am Toby decided to move to our bathroom. We thought it must be cooler in there for him. I went back to the bed and Danny laid on the floor, rubbing little Toby. A few minutes later Danny came and told me that Toby was gone. Our hearts broke.

We are struggling with losing our two best little buddies within 5 months of each other. We got Abby in 2011 and Toby in 2013. That's a really long time. We just didn't see losing Toby now. He was getting us through losing Abby. .

The hospital had wanted to keep him a few days but the costs were outrageous. We'd brought him through other sick times with success and fully believed this would be another such moment. Now, for whatever reason, I'm glad he was home with us. He wasn't alone when it happened. He had family with him.

We are shattered. The house is so quiet. We get up and don't have to take anyone outside. No one needs feeding or grooming. We don't have to look behind our chairs to see who is laying there. It's odd to see the large size cage that held 2 little ones instead of 1 large big one it was designed for gone now. We called it their apartment. No one waits for us at the front door when we walk to the mailbox.

I feel like I'm waiting for something to happen and there's nothing TO happen. It's all done. It's over. I'm just waiting for the sorrow to lift a little so we can begin to live again. I don't doubt that we'll eventually get another companion. There are plenty of those little fur babies needing good homes. That may take a while or it may be soon. I'm sure God will let us know when it's the right time.

I should mention that we do still have the (formerly) feral cat. Knowing Abby was getting up in age and it would only be a matter of time we kept Pepper after someone dropped her out so she would be a buddy for Toby after Abby passed. Pepper absolutely adored Toby and stuck to his side even when he didn't want her there. Her vet even said she thinks she's a dog. She misses Toby very much. Every morning when I let her in she bee-lines to where the cage used to be, to check if Toby is back. Pepper is just not the same as having our Abby and Toby around. But we'll continue to keep her. It's only fair. Who knows? Maybe some day she'll be a bit friendlier. She's already gravitating to Danny somewhat.

Just writing this helps me. Thanks for listening.

The Mid-Summer ReView

It's been 2 months since my last post. But life goes on. It's been especially tough for Toby who lost his best friend, but that stray cat we took in a year ago has become exactly what we had hoped - a companion to ease his way. Pepper adores Toby, but Toby has his limits some days. Cats like to head bump each other; Toby, not so much, however he tolerates it more than I would have expected. When in the house she uses his old dog bed that's on top of his crate. We've actually reached the point where we'll leave her inside the house with him when we're gone. We never go for more than a couple of hours and they just sleep, knowing they are there for each other and not alone. I don't know what we'll do if we ever decide to go on a much needed vacation! We could take him with us, but not her.. But we recently ran into an old friend of Danny's that does pet sitting in your home. It may become our best option. I'll wait to dwell on that when I actually see 'Vacation' on my calendar ;)

A few months ago a friend invited me to join a singing group with the goal of singing rock and roll songs at nursing homes. We have a variety of songs including "Wild Horses," "The Rose," "Dust in the Wind," and "Proud Mary." We have two awesome guitar players making the music and Laurie has the best voice and I add harmony on a lot of the songs. It's been ever so much fun and we hope to jog some old memories for the nursing home residents we meet.

The weather has been hot and crazy here. Even the animals don't want to go outside! The humidity is so thick it's like walking through thick soup! Our garden has suffered terribly with the tomatoes waving their rolled up leaves in the wind. The peppers look bedraggled and thin, but the okra is bearing a small crop for Danny so he's happy. We tried weaving bamboo poles to hold up the tomatoes but after awaking one morning to the weaves settled to the bottom of the verticals we pulled them up and just readd uprights as needed. 

The figs apparently love this weather because we have a bumper crop

As for the few flowers I tried to have for the first time in years the dried up $1.98 Impatien I got at HD exploded with a little care.

Danny has just recently gone on his tangent and started making apple pies again. He said this one was ugly. My grandmother always said ugly cakes tasted the best (even as she threw a lot of them into the woods before we could stop her). I'm sure that adage also applies to apple pies so if it's ugly it tastes awesome! 

For a long time we tried to go to a church that was simply too far away to work for us. It checked so many boxes for us... it was small and they used King James Version Bibles to teach from. Ever since we were invited to attend over a year ago that church was on my mind every day and even in the middle of the night simply because I saw it as an opportunity to participate. I'm a doer, not a perpetual visitor. I want to serve. Occassionally, I sang with my friend and the choir several times, but things never quite worked out the way it was supposed to. Twice I was supposed to play the piano for their services and twice something beyond my control happened to prevent it. When this happened the second time I recognized that this church wasn't where we were supposed to be and suddenly God gave me peace of mind; all the mental ponderings I'd been experiencing stopped. We're not quite ready to try another church right now and will go back to our Sunday 'home prayer meeting.'

We had new windows put into the guest house as well as a new U-shaped window air conditioner which was promptly under a recall the same week we bought it. We got the fix-it kit and it's been a champ ever since!. When my FL kids came a few weeks later they were thrilled with the quietness in the building from the windows and AC. It was great having M & R here after all the sadness we've been through over Abby. We went out for a "cheap steak" night, at a local restaurant that has steak happy hour with 2-for-1 pricing. It was too hot to do much outside so we binged on Oak Island, trying to get them caught up since they don't have access to earlier episodes. I think we've created a new tradition of going to 3 Amigos for lunch before the kids back home. It was one last party for the road, as it were!

No more bears lately, but we've had plenty of deer running through the yard as well as a flock of young turkeys making the rounds, picking up bugs for breakfast.

In case you thought I was kidding about it being hot here:

The End Came Too Quickly

Last Saturday our little Abby succumbed to her liver disease. We have been so sad this past week, with bouts of tears scattered throughout the long days. Toby, her partner, still seems to be lost without her. Many was the time they would walk in tandem, turning around in sync to see if we were following. On the last night her health deteriorated quickly. Danny spent the night on the floor with her, gently stroking her to keep her calm. 

It's strange to think that at 5pm the previous evening she was walking around, stiff with arthritis and bumping into things due to her confusion. By 5am the next morning she was unresponsive except for intermittent crying, and we called the emergency hospital at Court House to do what had to be done. It was so hard to say good-bye. By 10am she was buried with her favorite bed, blanket, scarf, and name tag. 

Abby was smart and cute and devoted to all of us. Coming from a puppy mill near Charlottesville and transferred to the Virginia Beach SPCA she was the only one who looked us in the eye on the day we stopped by to 'just take a look.' Little did we know we weren't just looking. She chose us. She came to us with a fear of women (possibly from a female puppy mill owner) and especially hands. So, she was always partial to Danny from that first meeting.

He has taken this very hard.

We are now focused on Toby. He's not eating well and looks so sad all the time. He came from Alabama with a military family and when they had to transfer, they had to get rid of the last dog they'd gotten. We saw their ad on Craigs List and took Abby to see him. He was the first one she'd liked after we had previously gone as far as Manteo to find her a companion. She chose him and they were perfect for each other.

Last year someone dropped off Pepper, our undesired cat. She fell in love with Toby, and we figured she might be a good companion for him after Abby left us. We were right. They are together much of the time. But I dare say, at this point in time, she is still a poor substitute for Toby's long-time friend Abby, even if she is a necessary one. But she keeps trying.

We're glad we kept her.

I recently told Danny, "You know we're going to be left with a cat that we never wanted to start with?" But that's how life sometimes works. We reckon God had a hand in all of this because we sure didn't. And you can't go against God, right?!

The First Three Months

Before I could get my thoughts together to add a new post, I got sick. It wasn't until the water tasted like crap and my fever wouldn't let go that my daughter suggested it might be Covid. I had an old test kit here and Dr. Google showed that using one would have a higher risk for false negative, but that false positives are usually accurate. After my positive I called my doctor. At this point, I'm just trying to get through. I get so tired so fast. I just hope that part doesn't linger. The beginning was a struggle since I was about 2 days behind Danny's bout. Luckily before we got worse we were able to make a pot of chicken soup and that got us through for a few days when no one felt like moving.

In January things were pretty blah. Cold and wet, even snowy, left little to do. Danny and I started doing morning devotionals in January, reading from a Dr. Charles Stanley book each day followed by prayer for family, friends and country. It's a very positive experience for us to do together. We also watch sermons on Sundays.

In February it was my birthday, yeah! Not that anyone like to get a year older. We went to our favorite celebration station, The Butcher's Son, for my birthday dinner. The waiter actually sang to me and brought a little something with a candle in it.

Also in February, we had all the water pipes under the house replaced. The water was so much better than from the 34 year old metal pipes! (That's why crappy tasting water was a red flag for my sickness). I also did another genealogical research job for the lawyer. Unfortunately I could not find dates of death for the subject, but rather showed the man was still living two days prior to my release of information.

I got a new fitness watch at the end of February, motivated by the fact that I can make money just by walking. So far so good. The kids turned me on to MyFitnessPal and that's another dimension to help me focus. I'm losing weight and walking every day, even through my illness (but it takes way longer to accomplish).

In March we found out sweet Abby, who is now 15-16 has liver issues. Danny's been making the dogs' food for a while now as we were trying to figure out what was going on with each of them. We thought Toby had eaten a gumball, but gastro diet food seemed to straighten him out. The vet gave Abby some meds. She's perky, if not very bossy, wanting to be fed and go to bed at certain times come hell or high water. I swear she can tell time!

In March my Florida kids arrived to help celebrate Uncle's birthday (they couldn't leave work in Feb). So we had an even bigger event at the celebration station steak house once again. Also during the month, we visited another local church a couple of weeks. I was surprised to see so many people from my old church attending there! What's up with that?!

Coming in April we hope to have the RV gone to its new home. A young family needed an RV and we just happened to have one to let go. God is working this one out in barter.

I'm currently crocheting a new blanket but even that is tiring me out. Good thing there's no deadline! I read when I can, watch TV some, walk a lot, and pray all the time. I'm enjoying watching new leaves come out on the trees, filling in the woods behind my house. The woods' border of various flowers is just icing on the cake. Who could ask for more.

Family, Friends and Home Life of 2024

Happy New Year! I feel good about the coming year, don't you? My last year was pretty good. I finished up all my therapy and both knees are holding up nicely. I don't anticipate more surgeries for a while, if ever. I am still a bit limited in some movement, like getting down on the floor on my knees, but I'm not to bothered by it.

I enjoyed watching the seasons change. My entire back yard is still filled with Autumn leaves. I can see more of the amazingly beautiful sunsets now. They are totally hidden by the trees in the summer months.

The 3-month holiday season has just finished. We haven't had trick-or-treaters since we built the house in 1991, so we didn't miss anything there. Thanksgiving was held next door and was very small with just six of us.  While the FL kids were here for Thanksgiving they helped us get rid of the huge scrap wood pile that evolved after we redid our deck in 2023. It was almost as tall as I am, but it's all gone now! They hauled multiple loads to the dump and we burned the small stuff in the 'crematorium.' 

Christmas was at our house again this year. It's just easier to do it here when the kids come. This year it lasted for two weeks because the girls came in at different times. My Georgia kids came in for a week starting the Thursday before Christmas. They left the Friday after Christmas and a couple of days later my Florida kids arrived for a week. They left the Saturday after New Year's Day. It's always a great time when they all come home, but it does seems like a storm has blown over when everyone is gone again. Ahh... the peace and quiet is a pleasant change. We don't do presents any longer. Back in the old days, getting gifts was a once a year event. Most people just get what they want when they want it these days. So, I had a hankering for a hand-held chainsaw. I showed Danny a cheap-o and kinda knew he'd take over from there on the research. We ended up with a Ryobi with a 6 inch blade. It works so nice on our pruning needs!

Shortly before Christmas I reached out to some of my cousins and passed along some of the vintage quilts I had inherited. These cousins were all descendants of the same women who made them between 1830s and 1890s. I was nice to also visit with some of them that I hadn't seen in a long time.

Also before Christmas I attended my first Tea Party at a local church with my wonderful friends. It was really cool. I even won a raffle prize. I really do love being among people who love God.

Our journey to a new church home is still going. We had a bitter taste in our mouths from previous church experiences, but I refuse to let Satan win by keeping us out of church forever. Meanwhile, we read our Bibles daily and watch various sermons media and TV on Sundays when we don't attend a church. We pray for God's guidance as to where He wants us and we covet the prayers of others for us.

Our home downsizing has continued throughout the year. We're now getting to more of the 'small stuff' like what lives in your back closet and attic. Some of these things that haven't seen daylight in decades. On some I have to psych myself up to let go and send them to new homes via the local thrift store.  I got rid of some kids' blocks right before Christmas. I had a bunch of stuff I'd saved for my grandchildren, but alas, we never got to that milestone. My dolls are next as is all the record albums I haven't played in 30 years. Meanwhile, it seems that my yard is getting fuller. Danny recently bought a(nother) boat trailer that lives here. It was a I-gotta-have-this purchase. It's not just a little trailer, it's for the sailboat so it's fairly large. I try not to say anything, but I sure do think it LOL! I hope the sailboat goes away one of these days and takes the trail with it! We are currently updating the RV and hopefully that gets a new home this year too. I'd like to see a few cars leave as well but I'm not holding my breath.

Kitty Pepper has made herself at home, spending her days indoors with the rest of us and sleeping in the garage at night. I made the mistake of letting her inside early this morning when I couldn't sleep. I though she'd just eat her breakfast and sleep near my desk while I worked on my computer. But no, she cried the entire time because her fella, Toby was still asleep in the dog cage with little Abby. They get up at 6:50am when Abby (the queen) decides it's time. As soon he came out today, Pepper was happy again and never whined again all day! Needless to say, she won't be coming in early again.

I have finally finished doing my own personal genealogy research. I have pulled together all the ancestor reports, photos and resource documents into something I am proud to pass on. I have been working on this since the late 1960s. I had a great start because of all the family heirlooms of furniture and other items, letters, and tin-type pictures that my grandmother had. I was lucky that I was able to ask my grandmother many questions that most people don't even think of asking until their loved one is gone.

Late last night we discovered a broken pipe in the garage spewing water everywhere. So, today we have no water until the plumber arrives after lunch. I know we'd already planned to replace all the pipes in the house later this year. I guess this one just couldn't wait. At least it didn't break while everyone was here!

The Summer Gist

 I knew it had been a while since my last post, had no idea it had been so many months! Wow, let me think what's been going on.

Danny finished working on an old friend's boat. He's been decluttering his shop too. A massive job if you ask me.

We've been going to the chiropractors every 2 weeks to keep ourselves moving. Danny had to go back to the pain management doc in July but seems to be better these days. We try to pace ourselves :)

There was a black snake on the front porch. I can't believe I let him talk me into just watching it slither off. Yes, I know they're the good snakes, but they need to keep off the porch. Recently we were moving pine straw around some flower beds and I looked at the previous one we'd just finished in time to see a Red Belly slinking off. Gosh! I wonder where he was while we were working there!!?

Pepper, our new cat, was cured of ear mites and was fixed just in the nick of time. She had 5 little embryos inside her. Luckily without a heartbeat yet. So they are gone. She's gradually working her way into the house, but so far likes her garage domain best.

I've had another one of those annual coughs from hell all summer. That has really been a bummer and has made me fear I'd never be able to sing again. But finally I'm seeing days without coughing and now have hope to warble like a songbird again soon.

We've been visiting various churches but so far seem to enjoy TV sermons the most (probably because we go out for breakfast beforehand). Still, we both feel the need to find a real church home again. We have one we visit often, but for some reason it just doesn't seem to tick all the boxes for us. So, we keep an open mind and keep visiting around. (I do miss my old church a lot and often have dreams of being there).

 Our garden did great and is now beginning to fade as the leaves on some trees begin to turn yellow. 

I think we had the biggest tomatoes we've ever grown this year.

We've had lots of visitors over the summer: turkeys, deer, even rabbits. And let's not forget that big ol' bear we had earlier! The craziest visit was a recent exploration of our deck by a groundhog! Can you believe it? Up on the deck!!!

In addition to my genealogy projects I've also been working on making my hats for the homeless again. I usually donate about 60 at a time so I have to start early to have them ready by December. I'm thinking it's going to be a tough winter based on the berries coming up on my holly bushes. I'm about a third of the way through so far.

That's about the gist of things right now. Danny was delayed by the boat to get the new island painted but it's happening very soon (or so I've been told). Surely it'll be done in time for Christmas though ;)

Crazy Month

 What a crazy month I've had! I recently found two new relatives through Ancestry DNA. That's been a lot of fun, researching and confirming data. One is in Rocky Mount and the other in Oklahoma City. Wow! Who knew?!

We finally got all our garden boxes planted. It's our first time trying Super Bush tomatoes and they are doing even better than the Celebrity tomatoes. I put orange and red marigolds between the plants to keep the bugs down. When we planted we turned the traditional ice-cream cone shaped cages upside down. That was mainly to keep our new cat Pepper from thinking she had giant litter boxes. It worked. An added plus is that the legs that usually go in the ground are sticking up and the dragonflies love perching on them. We have a lot of dragonflies around now to keep the mosquito and fly populations down.

All of our okra plants are doing well, now. It seemed touch-and-go for a while. You-know-who decided they might not make it so he bought six more plants even knowing the crisis was averted. I told Danny this morning that I have spied a 1-inch baby okra coming along already! The peppers and Swiss Chard is doing well as are the tons of basil we have all over the place. I seriously doubt we'll be doing seeds again.

My miniature rose was starting to look a bit bedraggled in the pot so I separated the four plants and put them in a pot outside. Lo, and behold they are all getting ready to bloom again, even the two that I thought for sure were goners!

This past week we tried our hand at making just one square tomato cage. The wire is thin and has 2x3 inch holes, which I figure we can cut some to make bigger. The jury is still out on this experiment. I feel kind of bad since we had to buy a 50-foot roll of wire. But that was all they had. Oh well. I'll use some to corral my gladiolas!

Pepper the cat is still in residence. We had friends reach out to see if we could find her a home but came up empty. Both the dogs are ok with her now so I guess she's a keeper.

Danny's latest project is transforming a big old desk we thrifted into our new upcoming kitchen island. He's finished chopping it up. Last week we bought a dark brown butcher block top for it and selected a sage green to go with our main kitchen counters and tile backsplash.

And our biggest crazy surprise this past month was seeing this fellow in our back yard one morning.

We kept the dogs on leashes for a while and took all the bird feeders down, but things have pretty much gone back to normal now. I mean, it's only been once in over 30 years. Years ago Daddy had one go in his shop and snag all the cookies and snacks he had on his golf cart. Occasionally we see the bear out in the fields. I've always looked for him in the yard but never thought I'd really see him here. Boy, was I wrong! We still keep an eye out for him though. Guess that'll never go away now ;)