Life Moves Forward

We found a good home for my four chickens.  It has become too limiting to raise chickens. We cannot go anywhere but for over night. I still have more traveling to do. Also the snow and sleet this past winter was just too much for me to handle on these hills and caring for chickens in ice and sleet is
very dangerous.  Wayne and Molly who live up in Sylva N.C. were thrilled to receive Buster, Rose
Ruth and Pam.  I sure miss those fresh eggs. I have been buying the organic ones but they are just
not the same. Maybe in the future when we are no longer able to travel I might raise just one chicken.
Four were just too many.  I was throwing away eggs all the time. No one wanted them.  As everyone
around here has chickens.

I am hoping we can go to Glacier International State Park this September. We were there in 2010 but it was in May and most of the fantastic passes were still snowed in.  The ranger said that September is the best time to visit.  That is in Montana almost up near the Canadian border.

I have been so busy with twitter and facebook that I forget about this blog. But I check the stats
and no one even views it anymore. So I may just discontinue it.  I see that most of my other friends who in the beginning blogged have not written in their blogs for over a year.  Except for one or two.
I still read Deeol's blog.

My flowers are all blossoming.  I hope the snow and ice is over with.  We have not been anywhere
since Atlanta in November. Although we did spend the day with my cousin Pam and her grandbaby
Claire.  Now we could visit and stay over night. She lives only 2 1/2 hours away. But having the chickens meant we had to be back home by night fall. It was too restricting.  I miss them but they have a very good new home. Higher in the mountains.  Not much new to tell.  I don't see the ENT
now for another year. Which will be in November.  The mountain view changes every day.  But i miss
the ocean so much.  Now that the well is working. We have decided to stay in Florida for this coming
winter.  We sold one of our homes in Florida, our home. We will go down and live in my mother's home that I inherited until it sells.  Then we will come back here each summer.  This past winter
was not a nice winter.  Too much rain. I don't mind snow in the winter but freezing rain is not pleasant.   Have a nice Sunday.  Tiny is doing very well. 

          

Our baby Tiny.  (our mini dachshund) was in pain over the Christmas Eve holidays.  We found out he has a bulging disc in his neck. So he is on two week crate rest and pain medicine.  I hope this helps him
heal.

The weather this winter up here in the mountains has been rain, sleet, wind, below freezing.  Ugly
Ugly winter.  I plan to go back to Florida next winter.  I came up here for snow in the winter and
have not seen any snow in two winters.  Still hoping for this winter. But so far,  just a lot of cold
rain and sleet.

I have decided that chickens need to hibernate for winter.  Cleaning a chicken pen in sleet is not fun.
But not cleaning it, and slipping in chicken poop is worse.  My chickens love a good peanut party.
They love peanuts, yellow squash, spaghetti noodles, and oatmeal.  I get four eggs every morning.
I only wish we were more than two people.  All I need was one chicken for two people.  You can
tell I was never anywhere near a farm.  I have no idea.

Today some geese flew over our valley. I think they were headed to Florida.  We stayed home for
Christmas dinner as our dog was sick.  We were not able to get him looked at until the day after Christmas so it was a very stressful holiday.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and or
Hanukkah.  And Happy New Year in case I don't get a chance to update before then.

Traveled to Atlanta for Thanksgiving Dinner and "Lived"

Yes, we went to Atlanta to see our son Tom's new house.  It's not a brand new house, but its new to them.  And it needs total renovating.  And my son and his wife Celeste are the perfect people for that job.  One of them should be a contractor and the other an interior designer.  They just take a mess and
make it beautiful.  I love everything about the house except the fact that it is right near the Atlanta
airport.  I don't care for Atlanta.  I guess you have to be young and love to go to concerts and get out
each night and do things. I prefer a good book, the fireplace, and my pj's. 

So, they got this house for steal. It was foreclosed on.  It is 5,000 square feet,  six bedrooms, a library,
a great room, two living rooms, fireplaces in two bedrooms and one in the kitchen, a swimming pool (that is green with algae) a wet bar, two acres and a creek that surrounds the property.  Like I said, just that close airport is a minus for me.  Of course I live right behind an airport runway but it is a small small airport with no commercial jets. They live near an international airport. 

So far, they are living out of the great room that is over the garage. And have started renovating just the first floor.  It is two story.  Has two separate entrances.  You could rent out one half.  They said an
airline pilot owned the place and used it for a crash pad for stewardess's and crew members. It looks
like a crash pad.  They have done all the flooring on the first floor. Put in some gorgeous tile in dining area, entryway and hallways.  Wood in most bedrooms.  New island in kitchen.  All appliances had been removed. (that is what they do in a foreclosure)  They put in new dishwasher, refrigerator, and stove.  They have put up antique light fixtures, one of which Celeste (Tom's wife) found on Craigs
List that came from England.  They have a long way to go.  Might take two years or more to complete this project.  So, two people living in a 5,000 sq feet home.  Plus 4 border collies, and once
in a while an 81 year friend.  They said they will fix it all up. And when the market comes back up for
real estate they will sell it and use the money to invest for retirement.  Hope that works out for them.
I am 66. I doubt I will be around to see that.

I had my 4 year checkup with the ENT here in Franklin.  All my blood work looks fine.  He saw
nothing in my throat to concern him.  But lately I have been a bit dizzy.  Today it has gone away.
Plus my teeth were all hurting. So, it could have just been sinus blockage.  Best news is that I don't have to get checked for a year.  Before it was every six months.  So, that is my latest news. Except
that it is so cold even my wild birds are gone.  I think we will have to spend winters in Florida.
Too cold up here in winter.  My chickens are looking great and still laying more eggs than I can

eat. Just had two eggs for breakfast this morning.  Pictures follow

Chickens should be more like Bears

and hibernate.  You know,  sleep through the winter.  I just came in from the chicken pen just now at 530 pm  Cleaned up the entire fenced in pen, put the manure in compost bin.  Put more hay in their
closed coop and nesting box.  Gave them some halved seedless grapes.  Earlier today I offered them
their first taste of boiled whole sweet potato.  I tasted it.  It was delicious.  They looked at me like I was
crazy.  They kept trying it and spitting it out, like a 6 month old baby saying, Yuck!   Really, they love
white pasta which has little nutrition but spit out sweet potato.  And I did all this in sleeting rain, gust
of wind and freezing cold. My feet and hands are numb.  I think chickens should sleep in the winter.

The Katie Couric show was sooo good with Eben Alexander a neurosurgeon on who was in a coma for seven days.  His brain was literally gone.  Dead.  He should have never woken up and if he did
he would be a vegetable.  Instead he woke up with no damage. While he was in a coma, he said he
went somewhere else.  He met this angel who  had butterfly wings who stayed with him the through
out the entire experience.  He did not know her but he memorized her face.  He was disappointed as
he had been hoping to be greeted by his father who had passed away 4 years ago.  Later he wrote
this book,  Proof of Heaven.  And he found out that the angel he saw was really his dead sister from
his biological family who he had never known existed as he was adopted.  I bought his book in Walmart. I am reading it.  He was a neurosurgeon who believed that when your brain stopped all
thought stopped.  He said he discovered that we are more than our brain or body.  That there is
something/somewhere else.  We are greeted with love.  I have only started the book.  Here is an interview.  

I have started to watch Homeland on Showtime.  It is about spy's with Claire Dane. I am surprised that
I like the show.  I also love this new PBS series called Calling Midwives.  It takes place in an older
England in the 1930's/40's  Nurses in England who delivered babies.  We had company.  My sister in
law and her husband and niece. Wishing we could go back to Florida in the winter.  A few pictures. Me, in laws, husband, niece and Fall color and Dry Falls.

That is about it.  No one ever comments anymore.

Don't watch Dr. Oz

Watching Katie Couric show instead. ps Katie is going to talk to people who have died and come back tomorrow.   Dr. Oz is talking about the silent reflux and esophagus cancer. I swear I was feeling like I couldn't swallow. That is why I can't watch the Dr. Casey shows or Killdare
or whatever.  Or Doogie Howser.  Doctors make the worst patients.  Look at Dr. Oz for example. He was wayyy overdo for his colonoscopy.   But he put it off. And then when he finally did it on air. He was shocked at how bad the drink was the night before. I think all doctors should have to undergo the very tests and prescriptions they advise.  ha ha.  Wouldn't it be a totally different medical world. Really think about it.  Prostrate exams,  history........   No more mamo's.  etc etc.  Should be a hard
fast rule.  What you sow, so you shall reap. 

My son Paul and his wife visited recently.  I think I should have moved to the beach.  I do love looking at the mountains but my kids are too far away.  Today, I let the chickens out. They came
up on the deck while I was waiting for my friend in London to answer me.  And they laid down
on the deck, well nested, squatted, and seemed to be taking a sun bath.  They just cosied up to my
back.  I don't think I can keep them forever. Because the boss wants to travel.  They are like a dog to
me now.  So sweet.  And the way they come running up the hill expecting grapes.  Like a weeble
wobble doll. So funny.

I think if I win the lottery I will buy a Trike. A three wheel Harley.  My son brought his motorcycle.
I can't balance on it.  I need three wheels.  The sun is out and it is so lovely today.  I can hear Ralph on the ride on mower in the backyard.  I can't imagine what he is doing. He already had someone

mow back there.  OH, I see they missed a spot.  I better go make sure his life insurance is paid up.  lol. Ok, a few pics. I only updated for you Ron. And if I win the lottery I will travel on that forever around the world ship and never come home.  Gypsy. 

Fall has officiallly arrived.

I love Fall almost as much as I love Spring and Winter.  Summer is my least favorite time of year. Unless I am living on the ocean or in Maine.  I hate the heat.  Unless my feet are in water.  My chickens are laying 4 eggs per day.  That is 28 eggs per week.  Can I just say, "one chicken would have been enough for a family of two.  So I just gave away a dozen eggs.  And there is no comparison
to store bought eggs and fresh organic eggs. We just got into a co-op and now order organic
laying crumbles with a group.  The feed comes from Virginia.  It took me a bit before I had the courage to eat an over easy egg.  At first I was scrambling them.  Boiling them.  I make a lot of egg
salad.  I heard that in the winter they won't lay eggs.  I hope so. We are overrun with eggs.  One day
I made two pound cakes just to use up 9 eggs.

My chickens love warm oatmeal,  red grapes, spaghetti noodles, yellow squash.  I let them out of their huge yard almost every day to just roam the rest of my front yard. I don't let them in the back yard which is closed off, because one,  we have jungle down the hill and they would get in it and I
would never find them. And two,  that is where I feed the wild birds and I don't want them near that
area.

We have a landscaper coming today to mow our back hill which is overgrown and a jungle.  He looked at my two Japanese maple tree's and said,  All the Japanese maples look like this as they
all got hit by the freeze.  You should have cut off all the dead stuff right after winter.  Now it is too
late.  You will have to wait for next spring.  My son and his wife will be here this weekend for a visit.
And then my husband's sister and husband and daughter will be here the middle of October.  We may have to find a house sitter so we can go back down to Florida and work on the houses down there.  My Mom's house needs new carpet or flooring.

The leaves have not started changing yet.  But soon.  I love when the leaves start turning.  We have
had cool mornings.  One morning we had a frost warning.  I have broccoli that is growing so good.
We never bought a tractor or tiller. so I have no garden plowed.  So I planted my broccoli by
my water faucet.  It is doing good there.  Posting a video of the chickens eating spaghetti noodles. They go crazy for them.  and one of my broccoli and a view of the mountains with a strange white

spot.  Maybe the moon behind clouds. 

Chickens

I have nothing to say really.  I am bored out of my mind being retired.  If it were not for my pet chickens I would go crazy.

So, here is a video of me feeding my chickens red grapes. They love grapes.  Maybe tomorrow I will
have something more to report.  And it is very hot for Sept 1.  And I am not happy about that as I moved here for the cooler summers.  I might as well be in Florida.  At least I would be near the ocean.