Spooky........

.........glow-in the dark animal eyes.......

Happy Halloween!!

Watch out for low flying brooms........

TGIF......

....another.......ho-hum........so-so........week up here in the high country....

Weather was great.....family was all talking to each other.....job was.....well......there....

The season is slowing down for the year....only one more month before i'm off for the winter.....

I've been storing quilt kits and fabric like a frantic squirrel and praying i have enough to last me thru the winter...

Also, storing up on PB&J, bread, t-paper, canned and frozen foods......but...fabric...........ahhh......FABRIC.....can't get enough!!


In a side note about yesterdays post.......it was just a "what if" conversation.......none of us even buy lottery tickets.......well.......once in a great while......if it gets over $200 million!!

Enjoy

Thankful Thursday.....

We had an interesting discussion yesterday ......

"Would you change if you won the lottery?"

The general answer around the group was ......naww.....i won't change!

But....then ......

Well... i'll pay off the house, the cars, the credit cards.....

I'd set up trust funds for the kids.....

I'd like to travel ..... so maybe i'll buy an RV....

I won't quit my job....after all i'm only part time now!

Maybe add an addition to the house....we could use another quest suite.....

How about a donation?....well....sure i'd give something......

all these things are life changing for you and others......

soo...would you change...? Of course you would....

Would life be easier or would you just have a different set of issues?!

More things to ponder......

Some days I've thankful we live paycheck-to-paycheck!!

Wordless Wednesday......

....rain......rain and more rain......

Time Flys......

....remember this sweet little tree...the one we found when the western side of the land was cleared....the one i wanted to put a park bench under.....

Well......look at it now!

It's still a sweet little thing......but....the rain and winds of the last few weeks has stripped it "nikked"

It looks chilly and unprepared for the coming winter...

I know they make coat trees......but.....do they make tree coats??

Enjoy

Failed Attempt......

Several weeks ago the male child and i had this wonderful idea to make candied apples with the skin removed.......sound good?

He peeled......i cooked the candy sauce......he dropped bits of the candy sauce into water, checking to make sure we had it "just" right......i held the pot.....he dipped.....

Easy!......Fun!

What we didn't count on was the "juice"!!

When hot candy is placed on naked apples.......the juice inside rushes to the surface...

And what your left with is cold, skinless apples .... sitting in a diluted cinnamon flavored bath!

But.....here's where we failed!!!....

We threw them away......we should have cut them up....placed them in the dehydrator and made dried candy apple slices.......

The shame.....our creativity had taken a nose-dive......

Maybe next time.....

And ohhhh yah.......there will be a next time!!!

Enjoy

Mountain Diva......

....."I'm ready for my close-up....Mr. DeMill".....

Enjoy

The Wind.......

.......eeeeeee....GAD!!....the wind!!

Had to take down the flagpole yesterday afternoon and by 7PM we were taking down the wind chimes!!.....gusts up to 60mph......that's almost hurricane force!!

The wind howled and screamed alllll night....

I now understand why those pioneer women..... stuck on the great plains..... killed their families and blamed it on the wind!

When the moaning noises coming out of the fireplaces woke me at 3AM.....added to the facts that Max...all 15 pounds of him was hogging the bed and had CityBoy sleeping cross-ways into my space , Mia was sleeping on my favorite pillow, the cat was meowing at the door to go out into the nastiness and maybe take a trip to the Land of Oz...... i was ready to do some damage!

Moved Max...moved CityBoy.....let the cat out and fought Mia for my pillow...then tryed to return to that really good RIM sleep......Well....i sort'a got there, before the alarm went off.....announcing ..."Get Up ....you have to work this weekend!!"

Like i said.....i now understand.....

Enjoy

SkyWatch........

Cruising thru Bloggerville this past week.....i ran across many blogs that post a Friday SkyWatch...

The most beautiful pictures of clouds, sunrises, sunsets or just clear blue skys.......

Sooooooo........since we've just had a ho-hum week here in the little cabin in the high country.....i'm posting a not so ho-hum picture of the sky from the front porch......

Enjoy

~~~~~~~~

ps....picture taken yesterday......today is nasty, rainy, windy, sun up ther somewhere......

Grrrr......

......dawg-gone laptop computers with wireless connections!!!

I'm sure the male child can pass his magic hands over the keyboard and it will work once again......However.....at 6:15 this AM...i just could not wake him......it's the Mommy in me!

Anyhoooooo.......Thanks Ranger Tracy for today's picture....and the use of the parks computer.....the write my daily dribble!

Up date on long -arm machine.......

inspectors came yesterday to have a look at the house....all paper work is in......just waiting on refinance check........hurry!!!.....hurry!!!......i'm having a hard time waiting!!!

Show me the money!!!!

Enjoy

Wordless Wednesday.........

Not...!!

Just a few words to let you know......i made it to the bank in time......no bank fees!!

And another picture from the male child...

Enjoy

Ohhhhh....Help Me Rhonda!!!

Don't ya just loooovveee cyber-banking!!!

Our new payroll system insist that we all have direct deposit.......i have no problem with this have been doing it for years.......


Then tell me why....yesterday i received a paper check in the US mail???!!!

This was suppose to be in the bank Friday.......!!

I've paid the remaining credit card bills....the phone bill.....the propane bill....bought groceries......had my hair done........all of which i paid either on-line or hand delivered a check over the weekend.....

Now i find out there is NO money in the bank ....because.....you didn't direct deposit, the deposit....which you insisted was the ONLY system!!!

I'll be at the bank at 9AM with savings book in hand ...to try and stop the national debit of bank fees...that are probably stacking up as i write this......

Then like Max i just may pass out....

I looovvvee cyber-banking!!.......:(

Enjoy

Monday.....again?

Poor Miss Kitty.....this early morning frost is getting in the way of..."the Mouseing"...and she is not a happy camper!!

Read another great church marquee on the way to work ....

A Family Alter

Alters a Family

Love this one.....a lot can be said in a few words......

Get out there and make it a great Monday!

Enjoy

Mom...where it it....??!!

....the weather guru said ..."Snow".....Mom....where is it? You know how much we love to play in...."Snow!"

Welll........guys we had a few little flurries, but.....nothing stuck and the wind picked up and melted what little hit the ground........ahhhhh .... sorry......

Mia and Max were disappointed.....me, too.....

Enjoy

It's on the way................

....this is what my neck of the woods looks like this AM......

However ...there is more fog and nastiness than snow at this point.......soooo.....Mom and i are venturing out to the library, hair appointments and of course......the weekly visit to the Wal-Marts......

City Boy just got a call from the VFW and he's going to a funeral, to support a veteran that has no family in the area ......

Looks like the whole family will be pulling on the long johns today......

Enjoy

TGIF........

A little history....i usually download my daily picture before i leave for work and then add the text after i get to which ever park i'm scheduled to work at that day.......Got it??....OK....

When i snatched this guy out of cyberspace this AM....little did i know how appropriate his little face and hair-do was going to be .......

We had a "fungus amougus" this morning.......computers were all doing strange things...each one had a different problem.......so we scanned.....rebooted.....defraged......updated......downloaded.....cursed....and kicked......from 8:30 till noon

Now all seems to be functioning......but......it's early(?) in the work day and we're ready to go home........it was a "I want my Mommy day!"

Enjoy

Fall'n Fast...............

The last few days have brought fog, cold temps, rain and wind........which means the leaves are falling at an alarming rate.......!!

The roads are covered and......believe it or not.....wet leaves can be as slippery as ice!
Fish-tailed out of the park office driveway yesterday......not a fun thing when your on the side of a mountain.......

Be careful.......enjoy the remaining days of Fall.....it's fading fast!!

Say it ain't sooo......

....the clouds have moved in.....the raindrops are falling and so are the temps....

when i cracked open the eyes this AM the outside temp was 50*......OK

...by the time i left the house...the temp was down to 48*.......

Here's the big decision......turn on the heat or not......??!!

Put it to a vote among the breathing bodies in the house.....dogs voted ...yes.......cat voted no......male child voted.....i don't care......i abstained......

Two dogs.....two votes for yes!!

I flipped the switch!!

Enjoy

Yikes.....!!

Poor little wind chime.....:(

According to the local weather guru...Ray's Weather....we should be getting a little of this cold white stuff late Saturday night......!!

It will probably melt before it hits the ground....but....the higher elevations are on alert!!

Well....... Rain, Sleet or Snow.....i guess it's time to find the long underwear.....

Enjoy

Saturday's Loot.......

......These are my treasures from the rummage sale at one of the Fall Festivals on Saturday....

The blue and cream plate is a little bit larger than a dinner plate....will make a perfect serving platter for the three of us and only cost me $.50.......But ......The pillow!!

It is a hand made cathedral window pattern......you can't see all the tiny little hand-stitches!!

I picked it up and carried it around for several minutes, before i dared to look at the piece tag!!

Holding my breath ..... with a rapidly beating heart....i slowly flipped over the little white tag....

.....(gulp)....$.75....!!

Whoa Baby!! Come to Mama!!

You're going home with me......no longer will you live in a cold, dark, church basement.......

I'm putting you in my child size rocking chair.....with your own baby quilt to snuggle....and maybe a little stuffed bunny to keep you company.....

Mama loves you!!

Enjoy

Is this Peak....??

Driving around the country-side yesterday......i snapped a few pictures of the fall color.....is this peak?.....Don't think so.....still a lot of green out there....

This is the view from the ridge above our houses.....the red and green roofs center of the pix is us!!.....that's our view....Phillips Gap!!

To the east of the front porch...

Down the mountain and around the corner......

To the west of the front porch.....

Little retirement farm around the corner, down the mountain and pass the second curve.....they raise hay......hay for feed.....not the other kind!!
Wellllllll......maybe the other kind.....don't really know them ....! We just wave!

Anyway........there is still lots of green leaves out there.....so i think we have a couple more weeks to enjoy the beautiful fall color!!

Enjoy Sunday

They're back................!!

Yep!....those alien straw people are back!!

This is the one that appeared in my front yard several days ago.....

I'm referring to him as the "Wal-Mountain Greeter"

Get it.......??....heh....heh.....heh

(click on picture to see faces of the crowd)

Then the rest of the "Wal-Mountain Crowd" seems to be having a grand ole time on Mom's front porch.........wonder if she's serving cookies and cider??

Today is Fall Festival Day....there must be one hundred and forty-two of the little suckers going on today.....just kidding about the 142.....but....there are quite a few......

Friend Chris, Mom and i are going the make a hit-and-run at as many as we can , before it rains or is time for Mom's hair appointment.....

Which ever comes first!!

"Shop till ya drop!"...is the battle cry for the day!!

Enjoy

What is it.........

.......it's de-lightful........it's de-lovely.........
....it's de-gourd!!!

Found this little gem in the 3 for $1.00 gourd pile at the Pumpkin Lady's..........

It looks like a swan to me.......how 'bout you?.......does it look like swan?

Is there a way to preserve these gourds? I'd like to keep this one for a long time...

fits right in with the wacky.....hand-me down decor of the cabin.

Enjoy

ps..............Thanks Hollie for the Zombie Chicken Award.....

Welcome Home.......

....We've looked....then researched....then wanted ...... you for months!!

Finally ...... yesterday......the big brown truck arrived and there you were!!

In the words of Carrie Bradshaw...from Sex in the City....."Hello Lover!!"

Can't wait to name you and use you!!

Bring on those bargain boxes CityBoy!!

Enjoy

Hello!.....

....it's me...........the elusive ground hog............

Either i'm getting slower or the humans are getting faster with the camera.....

This is the large driveway drain that i like to hide in............my den is over in the tall weeds to the west......i think they got this picture the day they had "the land cleared" and passed over my home with THAT machine!!

The humans are trying to find something that i like to eat.....so far the cucumbers have been the best.....followed by the spaghetti squash......but.........don't tell them..i want to keep'um guessing!

Ooooppps!......here came the beagles.......gott'a go!

Enjoy

Not much better......

Yep!!.....today's forecast is not much better than yesterday.......still overcast.....damp......dismal......cold.....

however......there seems to be more color on the trees.......

Today is pumpkins and straw bales day.......

Mom and i are gonn'a load up at the feed store and then the "Pumpkin Lady's"......she sells them in her front yard .....on the honor system........just put your money in the box nailed to the tree.......only in northwest NC....could not do that in FL!!!....you'd come home and find the tree missing.....!

Then it's rush home to decorate the front yards.......out come the scarecrows.......the gourds........the flowers.......the ribbons.......the black cats........

Gosh..... i hope the wind doesn't blow them away this year!!!

Enjoy

Monday......

A view of last nights moon.....

....it's Monday again......ugh......my favorite(?) day of the week....!?

This one is over-cast, damp and dismal.......a good day for staying home and reading that new Patricia Cromwell novel......

However.....City Boy is also home today and has a list of errands....including the Wal Marts.......feed store.......grocery store.......finding a pressure cooker.....etc.....etc......

Maybe i can read between stores and dodging the raindrops........

Enjoy

Hairy Babies.....

Mountain Diva
Shaggy Raggy Boy
Anti-Social Kitty

Just three of the male child's new pictures....

Enjoy your Sunday!

Color.....

....well...there's a little bit showing up on the hardwoods behind the house....
Color this year was off to a fast start...some leaves began as early as September 1st....
Now they seem to have slowed down.....

Old timers say.....it's because of all the rain we've had in the last few weeks....

but....the experts say...mid-October we should have peak color !!

I think..mid to late October...but....what do I know...

I'm a Florida girl transplanted to the mountains!!

Enjoy

A little......

......Halloween some'n......some'n....
Finished the wall hanging yesterday.......and had to get it up ASAP...

Just what i needed to get me in the holiday mood.....

Here's the back.....always show the back......i really like the little flying ghost and grinning pumpkins ....... and yep!......i used the quilt as you go method...

Hope your day is bright and sunny.....ours is cloudy, dismal, cool....with a cold front on the way......and i'm back at work!!

Gonn'a be a fun day.....

Enjoy

A different view.......

...well......this is obviously a "Opppps" picture!

But for some reason it speaks to me....maybe it's the wood grain or the play of sunshine on the wood or the nail holes........whatever..... had to share........

Now....here are a few things i haven't told you this week.....

#1......i've been home the last three days with a rip-roaring sinus infection.....feeling somewhat better and if the dizzies stop, i'll go back to work tomorrow.....dizziness and mountain roads just don't mix well......

#2.....We have refinanced the cabin....got a great deal.....more than a percentage point less and enough money to buy that long-arm machine.........more on that when we buy and receive it......next couple of months......having a hard time waiting!!!

#3......Today City Boy and i have been married 33 years..........when i look back.....all i can say is....."Time flys when your having fun!"......And "fun" it's been every crazy minute of it!

Time to take some more Rx's........and eat....for some reason....when i'm not feeling well i forget to eat!!

Enjoy