The Ocean calls my name. Along with London, Oregon, Maine and Sanibel Island.

We were traveling for a few weeks. We went to the East coast of Florida. We set up a lawn service to keep my Mother's house in Interlachen neat and mowed.  We talked to Palatka flooring and got an estimate on new flooring.  We had a nice dinner with my son and his wife.  We visited with my daughter.  And then we drove over to the west coast of Florida and visited my other son in Pensacola. It was wonderful to see my granddaughter Felicity after a year away. My son Robert said he wants to bring her up here to the mountains in November and see some snow.  So, I guess our trip back to Florida this winter will have to wait until his November visit. 

That is Felicity and son Robert at their home.   After visiting Pensacola we then stopped in Panama City Beach Florida and looked at a few houses for sale.  Then we camped on the beach.   I do love the ocean but I miss the mountains when not here.   I came home to a very weedy garden.  My tomatoes have still not ripened to red.  We have apparently had too much rain here in North Carolina.  We are having our kitchen painted this week.  I invision eating take out for a few days. Not going to cook around a painter.  This is about all the latest news. Sorry I have been absent but it was wonderful to get away on vacation.   Here are a few pictures at the beach. 

Tomatoes, Peppers, Yellow Squash, Asparagus, Oh my.

We are now into Summer.  And it's still raining more than not.  My vegetable garden never dries out. Now rain is essential to growing things. But sunshine is also needed. I have to pick the yellow squash quickly because the ground is so wet that the squash will rot where it lies.   My asparagus will not produce this year.  And I need to purchase a cultivator to keep the weeds down between the plants.

Yesterday our construction crew had almost finished painting all our outdoor decks and then the rain
started.  They had to stop.  And one deck may need to be repainted as it did not have a chance to dry.
It's really hard to get anything done in a very rainy summer. I am beginning to feel like we live in Washington or Oregon on the west coast.  The unusual rain we had all winter (we are now 17 inches above normal for rainfall so far this year)  That is a lot.

I had my hair cut on Saturday and colored.  They never cut my hair like I ask them to.  I asked for layered on top of my head and bangs.  I have a scar on my forehead from an old surgery I would like
covered.  She cut my hair exactly like the lady did last year.  Except she did add a bit of layering on the
sides.  The best thing she did was low lighted my white hair.  So now my hair looks more like it used to
look.  Except not as much varied streaks. But the sun will take care of that.  My hair always gets more
blonde streaks in the summer.

I am thinking I might like to purchase a miniature horse when we stop traveling and for a companion a miniature donkey.  http://www.circlevilleacres.com/salebarn.html

They seem really popular.  Ralph has one more week of recovery from his gall bladder surgery and then we can head to Florida to see the granddaughter.  It has been more than a year.  She does not even look the same.  We must get a winter place closer to our son.  She is my last grandchild and she will be five years old this October.  I am missing it all.  They grow up so fast.

My best friend Helen since I was age 11 stopped in for a visit on their way to Boone North Carolina to visit her partners sister. And then they are going up to New York to an English Country Dance meet up in the Adirondack Mountains of New York.  She and Ed love English Country Dancing. I tried it once with Helen but I just felt self conscious.  Helen said that as I learned the steps I would not feel that way. And there is also the fact that my husband would never participate.  Which would make me partnerless.


I just purchased new yarn for a knitting project and new craft supplies to do some crafting with my granddaughter.  At only age four she loves crafting things.  I am trying so hard to spend less time on the internet and more time doing constructive things.  With visitors stopping in, I am more appreciative of my gorgeous views.  I have taken them for granted.  It is a beautiful place to live.  Every morning the mountains look different.  It's like living by the sea.   Both dogs are doing very well. And we are getting all of our outdoors renovated.  They pressure washed the garage, the house and peak of the roof. It all looks so clean and beautiful.  And just two more decks to paint and we are done.  Now we just need a gardener because I just can't trim all these hedges.  Hope everyone is having a bit of summer and not all rain.  Will try to update my blog more often.  This was my hair before the haircut.  A bit long.

Shine your light Every chance you get.

Songwriters: SCOTT, STEPHEN H. / DP,

[Chorus] 
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. 
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. 
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine. 
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 

I'm gonna take this light around the world and I'm gonna 
Let it shine. 
I'm gonna take this light around the world and I'm gonna 
Let it shine. 
I'm gonna take this light around the world and I'm gonna 

Let it shine. 
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 

[Chorus] 

I won't let anyone blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine. 
I won't let anyone blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine. 
I won't let anyone blow it out, I'm gonna let it shine. 
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine. 

[Chorus] 

Every day, every day, I'm going to let my little light 
Shine.

Spring is a tail end of a Bunny Rabbit.

Well.....  It is now June.  I don't know where the time goes. The older we get the faster it flies. Maggie
Smith said it well on Sixty Minutes just now. She said, "The thing about aging is, "You are having breakfast every half hour."  She said, "I don't know why things have to go so fast." And it does.  I don't know if that is an optical allusion. But when you are little, time drags.  When you past 50, time flies by.
And you wish it would slow down.  Maggie Smith will be in a new movie directed by Dustin Hoffman, called, Quartet. I must see that.  It's a comedy.

We should have been down in Florida by now fixing up our Mother's home to live in this winter. We have decided after this past winter, that winter up here in Franklin, N.C. is too cold.  But then my husband had an acute gall bladder attack weekend before last. And on last Thursday they removed his
gall bladder.  So until he is recovered and can drive our motor home we are stuck here. I really want to
get back to Florida to see my granddaughter who is just four years old and probably has by now forgotten who I am.

Latest news.  We found a wonderful home for our four chickens.  I will have chickens again later
but it was just too difficult to find caretakers for them.  And I want to travel more. We have plans to
take another trip (this Fall) to Glacier Park in Montana.  We went about two years ago but it was the
end of May and all the passes were blocked with snow.  Other news is I finally have a vegetable garden
and asparagus are coming up.  Also beets, squash, tomatoes and peppers.  Our weather was very cold this spring.  We had such late freezes in May that I had to keep covering up my vegetables in the garden.  I am also hoping for a trip with my daughter to Paris and London.  Her dream is to see Paris
and I want to go back to London again and see what I missed on the last trip in 2008.  I also have
a friend there in Kent (Broadstairs) that I would love to visit.  This is the latest.  I am thinking about
staying off the internet for the summer. But I think I am so addicted that I will only be able to accomplish that if I go somewhere that has no technology and no internet access.  

We are one.: Welcome to my birthday project...

We are one.: Welcome to my birthday project...: This is "26 ( or limitless ) Acts of Kindness!" Dear beautiful souls: this year, on June 25, I turn 26 years old. And ...

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.