Lovely Cool Weather

Dewey likes Shushi :)

This is a REALLLY nice Largemouth Bass

My very first (scratchy Yuk) poncho :)

My sweet Badger

I think we splattered the camera with water when playing with that big Bass cuz it looks like 'ghostie orbs' in this picture :D Oh man, yesterday was just a perfect day for being outside!! Overcast, in the 70s all day, I actually got outside and dug in the dirt. I was amazed that I was able to actually use my shovel! I haven't been able to even hammer that thing in the ground since early this year due to the amazing 'red clay concrete' that I call dirt here. :) Ever tried digging in clay pottery? :D I even went for a walk, something I keep trying to get back into the daily habit of. I did take some 'birds and blooms' shots but I'll save those for another day. This time, I've posted the photos that I referenced in my last post, with the exception for the one of my Badger. Unfortunately, Badger's having some new problems, and I'm really afraid they're neurological. He has this tiny little twitch to his head. You think he's going to shake his ears, you know, that thing that dogs do? But then it's like just a tiny little abbreviated twitch. Occasionally it will travel down his whole body. It's there one second and gone the next. When he first developed it I couldn't decide if I was actually seeing it, if you know what I mean. But sure enough, he has something going on...and he's wobbly in the hindquarters again, so I've started him on pred for that. You don't even want to know what kind of mood I've been in for the last couple of days over him. He's got an appt with the vet on Thursday a.m. for cleaning his teeth that's been scheduled for a while. I did call the vet yesterday and filled her in on how he's been, so he's still going in Thursday a.m. and maybe I'll find out something about what his problem is.

Thunder and Lightning, Oh My!

I thought I was dreaming a wonderful dream---only I hadn't gone to sleep yet!! And poor Badger was having kaniption fits. My poor little fella HATES storms---and his Momma loves them!! :) And the rain came--- along with the wind and a fantastic light and sound show. I actually got to fall asleep listening to the rain beat against the windows and running down the downspout. It was absolutely heavenly. I can't even remember the last date we had rain. I know it's been several weeks, and then it was only a one-day event. It's been so dry we will take all we can get, tho...and yet we feel for those we've had way more than their share of rain and flooding. And Ike is on his way bringing more wet to those southern states. I can only hope that some of it will make its way up here. I've been out sorting and pulling some weeds. :) I have no flowerbeds---only weedbeds---with an abundance and quite a variety of weeds, so I seized the moment and decided to sort out a few of those. ;) I have been doing some beginner's knitting...made a simple poncho and some two-stick booties :D. I also made a small appliqued Halloween banner. I need to take a picture of it. It isn't quilted yet (of course not!) but it won't take long to give it some blanket stitches and simple quilt stitches. :) I'm really in the mood to cut and sew some fabric. I love love love Autumn and I want to make one of everything I see that has pumpkins and apples and crows and leaves and scarecrows and fodder shocks and and and --well, I guess you get that picture, huh? ROFL--all of those scrumptious colors of Fall. :D I always go into nesting mode when the season is changing to Fall (now if these darn 90 deg temps would just scoot on out of here I could fire up the stove!! ;D). I've started some sourdough bread starter again, I even made a fresh apple cake recently. I've been making pizza dough for homemade pizzas, and I found me a recipe for biscuits baked in a cast iron skillet. I canned 16 quarts and 16 pints of tomatoes week before last, and I'm ready to start using them in soups and stews and spaghetti sauce. :) The Tennessee Valley Authority, that controls our lake level, has left our lake up at a level that we can actually leave our boat in for some Fall fishing, and we've gone out the last several evenings to fish and soak in this lovely scenery. Randy has caught several largemouth bass each time we've been out, and one of them was a whopper. I'm trying to add a picture of it but blogger is being stubborn about it. I even caught a largemouth but he was only about 14". :) We always release them back into the lake, but one of these days we're going to keep some and have a fish fry. And as always, I'm still feeding and watching the hummingbirds (they're thinning out, I know they've already started their long journey) and my goldfinches and bluebirds. Will have to do photos another time---blogger just refuses to upload them. :/

Changing Seasons

There's a hint of Autumn in the breeze flowing off of our small mountain range behind the house. And as I have my daily reading from Hal Borland's Sundial of the Seasons with my morning coffee, there is a tinge of excitement for the delightful Fall days ahead, even as there are feelings of sadness... nostalgia... a sense of how quickly time is passing... run quick, seize that moment, that feeling of childish delight, bask in the sunshine and run barefoot in the grass... because how quickly it all can change---the Seasons, right along with your feelings---and your life---from one minute to the next. Doc McConnell, my dear 'Social Director' Hannah Rose's dad, slipped away to another place where there are always gentle breezes and just the right amount of sunshine on his shoulders, where the hours that he can spend doing his storytelling are as long, and the audience as varied, as he could ever want. He was a giant within his own right, and will be so sadly missed by soooo many people...and he has left Hannah and Maggie and Guerry (his wife) to continue on with his storytelling legacy. And in the blink of an eye, one heartbeat to the next, the slightest of breathes...Seasons change...life changes. So dance as if no one is watching...and dear dear Hannah, always remember "always blessings...never losses". "Step right up and hear the famous Doc and see his medicine show..."

Working for a Living

well, maybe not for a living, but for the first time in about 6 years, I spent the better part of last week in an office. Man, am I out of the habit or what!! Just filled in so they could go on a vacation, and all I had to do was show up, answer the phones, tell everyone who called or popped in to call/come back next week, and get caught up on my blog-reading. ;) Totally exhausted me! :D Seriously tho, it was good for me to brush up my rusty telephone skills and just having to roll out of the bed and be somewhere at a certain time. On Friday, my DH sent me flowers! Wasn't that the sweetest thing! I do love getting flowers and it's been a long time. I told him I may just have to go back to work in order to receive flowers more often. ;) The weather has been beautiful the last couple of days!! In the mid and upper 80s, low humidity...just gorgeous...with just a hint, in the mornings, of Fall which is just around the corner. On Friday, I did so wish I had taken my camera with me to work. The sky was breathtaking! The clouds were flung in artistic style against the most vivid blue sky. It was really one of those rare 'blue and green' days. Soooo vivid and beautiful! I have really let the weeds take over my flowerbeds while we were in the midst of those high-humidity-90-deg.-heat days. If this coolness holds, and we were to get a shower or two (which are NOT in the forecast), I really have to move my carcass out there and do some weeding. I know there are some blooms out there SOMEWHERE---I just can't see them for the forest, ummm, weeds! :) I have been knitting. Have made some washcloths, have two shawls in the works, and another shawl that I want to start. I also started a shoulder bag in wool for felting yesterday. I really was a slug yesterday...so many chores waiting for me, and I had absolutely no energy to deal with any of them. Maybe today, right? :) Thank you so much for all of your sweet comments about Barbara. The world is a different place now for us Graham girls. For 52 years there were the '6 Graham girls'---now there are only 5 of us on this plane. I can't begrudge Barbara leaving us first, tho....she had a rough life, and I do so hope that she is happy, and free, and one of those butterflies flitting, floating, from flower to flower. We love you, Barbara, our dear 'seester'!

My sister, Barbara, died at Noon today. I will be away for a few days. Thank you so much for your kind words and friendship. It means more to me than you will ever know.

The Drought

It seems I've been in a drought here in NE TN. Actually, we have had some rain, but word-wise, I really do seem to be bereft of words these days. Our computer has been repaired and is working much better now. Some friends in Rogersville recommended this young man to work on it, and oh how lucky we feel to have found Adam. He's our computer guru now. :) It's been a couple of busy weeks, fun, but busy and for someone who's thyroid is off again, quite exhausting. But the major block I'm facing right now is that my sister, Barbara, who hasn't been well for a long time, took a major turn for the worse over the weekend and we were preparing to say goodbye. They have her stabilized now. That heightened degree of panic and grief strangles. At the same time, I have a nephew who has been in intensive care for a couple of weeks now. What should have been a fairly routine and non-life-threatening surgical procedure (my understanding of it anyway) has turned into a true nightmare for my family. I just found out that they airlifted him from a local hospital to University of Virginia Medical Center. My updates with family members has been "it doesn't look good" for almost two weeks now, but it seems that he has worsened. I know that all of us face, sooner or later, that crippling state of fear and helplessness. As if all of the above isn't enough, I didn't share with you that one of my brothers-in-law died the latter part of May. You know, sometimes this business of LIVING and of DYING can be all-consuming.

Computer Woes and Some Major Fun

Just wanted to let everyone know that we are having some rather major computer difficulties right now, and I probably won't be on it much for a while (no surprise there....this woman just falls off the face of the earth for months at a time anyway LOL). Well, anyway, the computer bit the dust (completely, I thought) day before yesterday. So we got the name of someone who was able to come and check things out for us last night. Lord, the boy was here for 2 and half hours. I was sure the computer was toast. However, he said we have a major lack of capacity for what we are doing (and want to do) on this computer. So he cleared out lots of stuff and got us back up and running---for a while---with cautions to only have ONE window open at any given time. ONE? ONLY ONE? This to a girl that has at least 6 going at all times if she's on here; well, I do have to have a constant check of the weather, and of course, CNN, and of course, my favorite blogs, which usually lead me to NEW blogs....so you get the picture of my bottom tray on the computer, right? :) So the best solution for me is for me to just stay gone until we have this issue resolved. You see, day before yesterday I had gone out and picked up two 1-gig flash drives to move my photos onto. I just happened to have filled those two puppies up, thought, hmmm, 1 gig wasn't NEARLY as much space as I thought, so I went online and ordered each of us a Portable External Hard Drive with LOTS of space. It was at this crucial juncture that the computer completely moaned, groaned, and ground to a screeching halt, saying NO MORE, LADY, I'M DONE!! *Feverishly rubbing my brow cause I KNOW my DH is going to THINK (note here, NOT say LOL) that 'she's torn something up again'. ROFL Now, he swears he does not think that, but.....well, I still have my suspicions. *grins* Sooooo, this wonderful computer fella says to call him when my HUGE gigabyte PEHDs arrrive and he will come back and install some more ram on this thing, and transfer a bunch of stuff for us, etc. *HUGE Sighs and grunts of gratitude here for that young man!!!) We received notice this afternoon that the PEHDs have been shipped. Yeee Haaa!! Now, I have spent this day with my delightful Hannah and Maggie. They took me to Bulls Gap, TN, to the Amish (or is it Mennonite?) store there called "Yoders". Oh. MY. Goodness!! Did I love that store or WHAT!!! Sug, I have bread to share with you! :) THEN, Hannah says, hey Ange, do you want to go to the quilt shop that's here???? HELLOOOOO??? Quilt Shop? You bet, sistah, drive on, James!!! :) Wonderful, that's what my Hannah is!!! She really is the most wonderful chosen family one could have!!! We signed up for a seasonal banner class for August 12 to make the most darling October banner! CAN NOT WAIT!!! (And Hannah thinks she's not a 'quilter'....ah hmmm, she may not be YET ;) Then back to Hannah's house for some bread, butter, and knitting. Pam, another new friend, called and we told her to come on over, so we spent a bit of time with her, then Pam and I bailed out of there (I started this day with Hannah at 10:20 a.m. and left there at 5:10ish) in time for Hannah to scoot on up the road to Kingsport for a Pampered Chef meeting. (I did request that Hannah Rose bottle some of that energy that woman has and share it with me!!!) I had a WONDERFUL day! Thank you bushels, Hannah Rose and Maggie Mae! And it was all pleasure getting to see you again, Pam! Until Friday (knittin' class *grins*).....

YaYas Running Around

Momma and Baby Bambii

I started yesterday morning off by leaving home at 8:45 a.m. to meet a friend who was taking me to the local quilt guild. It was my first trip there, and they were having a special meeting as well as a Funky Chicken wallhanging class after the meeting. I didn't stay for the class...had other plans already made and laid. It was a fun bunch of women in that guild, and I think I may go again. :) Met Hannah Rose and Maggie Mae at Noon and headed off to Jubilee Gallery for lunch and meeting of new friends, Pam and Maryanne, and a surprise in the shape and look of my seester, Sug! :D We did make merry for several hours at the restaurant, then some of us parted ways, and Hannah, Maggie and I followed Pam up to her house, as she had so graciously invited us to see where she lived so that I could come and pick blackberries to my heart's content. :) Thank you so much, Pam, for your generous invitation! :) I didn't get home until around 4:30 p.m. It was a lovely, lovely YaYa Sisterhood kinda day, and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Pam and Maryanne, and spending time with sweet Hannah Rose and Maggie Mae (Maggie is Hannah's 12 year old daughter, BTW), and I always love being with my seester. Of course, I had to include some Bounty from Nature's Landing.

FINALLY! A STORM DOOR

Oh. my. goodness! I've had this new storm door since my birthday!!! Yes!! That would be since February 26! And it was installed for me TODAY!! Do I love it, or what!!! :D But I REALLY felt bad for the guys that put it up for me. The fella that poured our concrete last Summer came by the other day. I casually asked if he knew of anyone that would put up a storm door for me. He called last night to tell me he couldn't pour concrete today, so he and his son would come over the install the door. He said "it shouldn't take too long"----yeah, right, FAMOUS LAST WORDS! ROFL He may NEVER come back to Ships Landing EVER again for ANYTHING! ROFL They were here by 9:15 a.m. and didn't leave until 2:15 this afternoon. I really really felt bad about how long it took for them to get the door installed. Poor fella, he said he didn't even know they made them that you had to actually BUILD the door before you could hang it. But they did get it up....and they did an absolutely wonderful job of it!! I will forever be indebted and grateful to Dennis and Eddie.

Happy 4th of July

Hope everyone has a safe and absolutely wonderful 4th of July....lots of hotdogs, hamburgers, potato salad, baked beans, watermelon.......yum! :D

RAIN!

We FINALLY got RAIN on Saturday! Oh my goodness, I was beside myself, I was so excited! Yesterday was a BEAUTIFUL day, and I spent it with Sug and Freddie (my seester and BIL) at their place in the country. We had a lovely day together. :)

Now I'm looking forward to slightly cooler temps that we're being promised for this week so I can avail myself of the first photo. ;D

Hot, Humid June--Where is Spring?

Yucca plant in bloom

No cooking, no sewing, no porch-sitting-----tooooo HOT!!! One wonders how these little baby Swallows can stand the heat in those birdhouses!!! Now, our own resident Kermit has the right idea--- he's spending his days under the cool shade of the coleus leaves (of little plants that are awaiting a permanent home, either in the ground or in a pot).

Hope everyone is staying cool in this August heat we're having in early June! I'm sending envious thoughts to my friends in Wisconsin and those other northern states that are getting all of the rain. You have too much....we have too little. *sigh* It's dry as a dustbowl here! :/