Hummmmmm.........

....could this possibly be the day we finally get RAIN...??

Nope!!

By the time i got to work the sun was shinning and the heat wave was on again.....

And the day started out with such rain filled clouds on the horizon....

Guess i need to do "that" dance a little while longer.....

Hey...! Mother Nature.......I'm getting tired....

Enjoy

Rain....Rain....

The heat wave is still on and we need RAIN....!!!

(Never thought i'd write that sentence.....)

Everyday....late in the afternoon....it clouds-up....starts to thunder....and i can see the rain on the mountain ridges surrounding the Twelve Acre Wood....

But...so far.....other than a few drops....we've had no RAIN....!

The grass is brown and crispy......the drive is rocky, dry and dusty......we've had the A/C on for a month....the animals are looking for shade.....

Mother Nature could you move that moisture ..... just one mile north.....just for a few days....??!

Enjoy

Sunday.....

..... Can't you just feel and see the peacefulness....??

Enjoy

Question for the Rabbits.......

We have a driveway that is at least 300 yards in length......

You're less than a pound and i drive a big black Ford 4x4....

So ..... why...oh, why.......must you sit in the middle...half way down.....stare at me coming at you....and then break into frantic hopping.... in a zig-zag pattern ......before jumping to into the tall grass at the end of the drive...????

Come on bunnies.........Enquiring minds want to know....

Enjoy

TGIF.......

....and who knew...!!!

Well...Cityboy came home last night with "Root Rot" spray....

So tonight the baby 'maters will get spritzed...and then we'll cross our fingers, pray and hope for the best....

And as Cityboy was leaving the farm store yesterday......the gentleman behind the counter said.........

"Ya know.....if ya put egg shells in the dirt when you plant ....this won't happen....."

So next year.......if i do this again.....(isn't that what i said this year?)

We'll add egg shell to the "things i need" list....

This could cause a problem........i'm allergic to eggs and the male units in my house don't like eggs!!

Does this mean i need to get chickens....!!??

All i wanted was home grown 'Maters......

Enjoy

OMG....Blossom Rot......!!!

AHHHHHHHH....!!!!!

I knew it.....i knew it!!

It was too good to be true..!!

I knew something would go wrong...!

Yesterday morning....... while checking out my "baby 'maters".....

I discovered..... balck....soft....spots on the bottom...!!

When i got to work.... i grilled all the "good old boys" about the plight that had taken over my 'maters.....

Well....i got everything from......blight to fungus to.... i don't know....never happened to me....

ughhhhhhhh!!!

Enter "Goggle".....i goggled it...!!

It's "Blossom Rot"

I need calcium chloride or calcium nitrate.....

Cityboy is rushing to the farm/garden store first thing this AM....

Gott'a save my babies.....!!

I just wanted home-grown 'maters....not a science project...!!

Enjoy

Looks like a hot one.......

Hello....Wednesday..!!

Haven't talked about the weather in a while......cause.....in one word it's been..

BORING!!

Beautiful days ....no rain......no strong winds.....bright and sunny.....

However...!!......temps have been in the high 80"s.....today is predicted to be 88*...!!

Can you say HOT!!

Up here being closer to the sun.......HOT-IS-HOT!!

Now...... i know all you in the flat lands have temps in the 90"s....

Ten degrees difference....??!!

What a great reason to come to the mountains and....

Enjoy

For My Buddy Barbara......

Luna Moth #1 hanging on my front porch Saturday morning

Luna Moth #2....

They were the most perfect ones i've ever seen....

No scars....no tears.....no broken wings....

They disappeared before night fall and

we haven't seen them since...

Hope they're OK....and flitting about in the Twelve Acre Wood...

Enjoy

Question for my brother.......

Would you call this picture......

"Watching the grass grow....??"

I know you haven't seen him in awhile....but.....here is living proof that Dad is alive and well.....and up to his "Old" tricks.....

You know....like telling Mom when the grass needs to be mowed......

Remember....?....remember....???

I know you dooooooo......!!!!!

Enjoy

Another Road Trip........

Yesterday...the male child and i ventured out to the big city of Hickory and beyond....
Riding along on US 321

We checked out the Petco and Pet Smart....

Seems the salt water ecosystem needs more coral.....to give it more color.....hummmmm...

We finally ended at a small fish store call Dav's Fish......in the small town of Maiden...
(please don't ask me for directions)

It took a GPS and an iPod to find the store....

But the male child found what he wanted and that's the name of the game!

Then we ventured back home on US 16.......a straight shoot......no hair pen S-curves......no stop and go traffic......no construction......no quick changes of the speed limit.....no visitors from other areas.....no steep drop offs.......just beautiful homes....farm land.....and a vast array of crops.....

With the Eagles playing on the stereo.......US 16 has now become my travel choice.....

Enjoy

Another Save.....maybe(?)

You know.... when the "Holiday Season" hits and those pots of various colored poinsettia begin to appear on the shelves....?

You know.... your all "in the spirit"...and can't resist buying a least one or two....

They're cheap and look so cute on the table...under the tree...or on the hearth....

You know...... after "the spirit" is gone and the leaves begin to fall off.....you toss it in the trash can....out in the yard.....or out in the field next door....

After all....it was cheap...!

Well......this year i took my $2.50 Wal*Mart poinsettia and trimmed off all the dead leaves .....stuck it in a corner of the dining room and.....i must be honest.....

Forgot about it!!!

.....occasionally ....when i looked at it.....i'd give it a little taste of water......

In my planting frenzy this year ...... i grabbed it ....re potted it in the "good" soil and placed it on the front porch......

Looks like it may survive........Maybe?

Enjoy

Hummmmmm....more Stir Fry......

......this years container garden has become my new "obsession"...!!

I check it everyday for bugs...

water it twice a day....just a sprinkle....don't want to drown it....

feed it ..... with that Miracle Grow stuff every 10 days....

Talk to it....

Turn the containers.....so the whole plant can get sunlight on it's little leaves.....

Make mental plans for adding even more containers next year or ...maybe(?)....raise beds.....!!

Have day dreams about fields of happy veggies and seasonal flowers basking in the sun and waving in the breeze.......ohhhhhh...... :)

Then i'm pulled back to earth when someones ask me....

"Have you killed'um yet??.....

Some times my support group sucks....

Oh Well.....

i love'um anyway!

Enjoy

Almost Wordless Wednesday....

6:45 this AM

Wonder what kind'a day it's gonna be.....!??

Enjoy

It's a tough job.......

But....someones gotta do it.....

Where are those silly "watch dogs"....??

Probably sleeping inside on the bed....!

It's tough being the house "Watch Cat".....!

Oh Well...

Enjoy

Could this be.......

Here's the very first zucchini...!!

My first little baby veggie......so cute....so plump.....

So ready to eat...

Stir-fry...with onions and baby-bella mushrooms....

Yummy.....yummmmy.!

Now here's the "Could this Be"

Could this be consisdered.........

Eating your young...!!??

Enjoy

Just Sitting.....

......CityBoy and i have been doing some early morning front porch sitting.....

With a cup of coffee, the camera and for me....a good book....

These little friends come to join us....

What a way to start the day...!!

Enjoy

What's Happening.......

....well.....the mountains are in full bloom....

....the first garden fresh veggies are being picked for some good home cook'n...

....the weather is beautiful...high 70's and low 60's....with just enough rain....

...the river is above normal depth and running at a gentle rate....great for tubing...!

....the guest cabin has been cleaned and is waiting for you....

Come visit the high country....!!

Enjoy

Told'er........

.....told'er i could use my paw to push the right button....!

Now where's Max...

He's such a hambone.....i'll take his picture....

Max!

Maxxxxxx!!

Quick ...... Smile......before mom comes back!!

Enjoy

BFF's.......

...this is the male child's "yellow gobe" fish and if you look down by his tail you will see the red-n-white claws of the "pistol" shrimp....over the last few weeks they have become.....BFF's!

They are both burrowing critters and once they discovered each other the race was on......they seem to be working together to burrow out a hole that they both can fit into......

Strange little dudes...but....fun to watch!

Wonder how long it will take to dig a hole big enough for both of them.....?

Enjoy

Sorry....Forgot.....

....to post the picture of my zucchini and pepper plant.....

They're growing like gang-busters, too..!!

And so are the hosta's that were buried under allllllllll that snow!!
Re-potted them and they even have blooms on'um........woohoo!!

I think it's the "good" potting soil i used this year.....

Can't be "the thumb!"

Enjoy

Remember.......

...way back on May 10th....we planned the container garden and i didn't give it much hope...due to the lack of the green thumb gene in my DNA....??

Well......look what happened in four short weeks........
The tomatoes have tripled in size....

Way down at the end the zucchini and the pepper plant are growing like crazy.....

Look........a baby zucchini....!

and 'maters.....!!

Something seems to be different this year....!!

I thought that was just fungus on my thumb......
Maybe it's really turning green....
I'll keep you posted!

Enjoy

Shame....shame....

....on Mother Nature......

Once again she's playing tricks on the NC high country..!!

This morning at 6:30AM...the sun was shinning....the wind was just a gentle breeze and the birds were in full voice....

Now look at it!!

Storms clouds on the horizon......wind bending the trees .....rain drops hitting the sidewalks and the birds have gone into hiding!!

Come on old girl!!!

Get it together......we've got a guided canoe trip this afternoon.....!!

Enjoy

Old (?) Friends.......

Did you ever have one of those friends....the kind'a friend ....if you haven't seen or spoken in ....say a year......you can pick up the conversation right where you left off....??

I have one of those kind....and would not trade her for all the lost gold in the Atlantic....

Last night.....after about a year.....we spent an hour and a half on the phone and computer catching-up....!!

As i sat on the front porch....watching the lightening and listening to her read some of her new poems.....i thought to my self ....

"Isn't this Great!!"

She has battled some major health issues and won..!!.....she's back to writing her poetry....!!
We can talk about anything and everything.......depend on each other...no matter how many miles separate us....

We've shared sooo much......jobs......marriages.......motherhood.......sickness.......health......life.....death.....good times .....bad times.....and HOT sauce!!

Thanks for always being there.....MO..!!
Love ya!

Enjoy

Another Critter......

(Thanks Goggle search for Picture)

One of these lovely little critters was sitting by the Ranger Station backdoor this morning.

An Imperial Moth....

...ain't he pretty...?

It's another beautiful day in the high country.....sooooo....i'm taking this afternoon off ...just for me....I'd like to spend the afternoon with Mother Nature....but...i'll probably spent it with Wally*World......the library.....and grocery shopping....cause i gotta work this weekend.... :(

TGIF........and Enjoy

It Might Be Back......

......the quilting mojo...that is...!!

Saturday after i checked the mail and found the table runner from the female child..

Inspiration hit and i finished quilting this table runner for my SIL...now all i have to do is trim and bind ......maybe we'll have a finished piece by this weekend....woohoo!!

Then i can move on to the 2 memory quilts for my co-worker...the squares are almost done and it's a quilt-as-you-go...so shouldn't take me long to finish....

Hey ....there's my pressure- canner.....need to use that , too

Here's one of the two "Quilts For Kids" i need to finish...

This one's sandwiched and penned...just need to quilt...and bind....

Here's the other "Quilts For Kids"....tops done....need to do all the rest ...you know....sandwich...pen...quilt....bind....the usual....

And here's all the wonderful stuff i brought home from the shop hop way-back in March.....gott'a do something with this....!!!

Uck-Oh........i feel the mojo leaving again!!

Enjoy

Ps....female child's table runner was made out of her scrap bag, using her own idea of Stacked Coins......it's now on my table...just hung it on the quilt rack to take pictures.....

Look......look.....

.....what was in the mailbox for me on Saturday....!

A "Mother's Day" gift from the female child.....woohoo!!

I think it's made from a Moda charm pack....Zippity Do-Dah...

and i'm not sure if it's a pattern or her own creation....

but....i don't care about the pattern or the fabric....

She made it for me...!!!....just me!!!

Her Mom ....who taught her the curse of most women early in life...

What ...!!?? ...you don't know about the curse....

Well.....it goes like this....

"May you grow up to have children just like you"

and she did..!!

My job is done!

Thanks sweetheart.......i love it....

Enjoy

Hello.......

....look who showed up at our house yesterday.....

We've seen the little buggers playing in the high grass, rocks and trees....but, never this close to the house....

Misskitty keeps a close watch.....so how did this little guy make it to the front porch...??

Is she falling down on the job or is he a crafty little devil...??!!

I think it's the lure of the "sunflower" seeds that drop out of the bird feeder...

I know it's not the "Beware of the Cat" sign on the gate.....

Enjoy