Happy Halloween! Happy Birthday, BBIL Freddie!

Days Gone By in Pictures

Back of Pumpkin Mug Rug

Pumpkin Mug Rug

My friend, Flannie's, birthday Owl that I made

Beautiful Bluebird

Foster Son, Mr. Smudges---Bayley just isn't sure about sharing

Mr. Smudges, the sweetest little Poodle EVER

My friend, Flannie, clogging at Festival

Friday and Today---Brilliant

These pictures are what we had on Thursday.  It was awesome!  We had rain on and off all day.  A perfect day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rain--Glorious Rain

It's raining here at Ships Landing this morning.  We even had a thunderstorm and a short gully-washer of a downpour.  I reveled in the sounds, while Marlee shivered and quaked at my feet.  Poor little girl is so  dreadfully afraid of storms---wind and rain send her running for cover, while Bayley and I want to head out into it, well, at least onto the porch.  We haven't had hardly a thimble-ful of rain in so long, months, so I'm doing a happy dance that my plants and trees are finally  getting a decent drink.

I've lit some candles, have a fresh cup of coffee in hand, and my mind is darting around amongst so many ideas of what to do with this day, stretched before me like a blank canvas, that I find myself caught up in fighting the mental battle of doing some of what 'needs' to be done--sorting through piles of paper on the island, moving stacks from one spot to another, carrying out boxes that have been left setting by the door, clearing clutter from the kitchen counters, etc, YUK!   :(, OR JUST CLIMBING OVER THE PILES AND going on into my sewing room to play with snips and pieces of fabrics in Autumn's magnificent colors, wiling away the hours trying to make pumpkin-shaped coasters, and Halloween coasters using hexagon shapes, and Bayley and Marlee really need a little quilt each for the cold weather that's already hinting that it will soon be visiting for an extended stay.   

October...

"October is the year at rich maturity, a happy woman arrayed in festival dress and ready for a dance with a giant come down from the hills attired in a red, red shirt, buckskin pants and moccasins beaded with frost.  October is a brisk wind in the treetops, a whisper among crisp leaves, a breath of apple cider, a gleam from a jack-o'-lantern, and the echo of laughter under a full moon.  October is bright as a bittersweet berry."  Hal Borland

I just couldn't help myself---I had to share it.  LOL  I swiped it from my niece.  :D

Days of September

 September has gone sailing by like a kite in a strong wind.  I can hardly believe that today is the 19th of September.  I started the month by going to Hillsville, VA, to my sister, Nita's, house for Flea Market Weekend.  I left home with plans to be gone close to a week.  That week grew into 10 days!  I caught (unwillingly, I might add) the mother of all Upper Respiratory Infections.  I simply didn't feel like driving back home, and although Randy offered every day to come and get me, I decided to take advantage of the time with my sister and stay until I felt like I had enough energy to drive myself back home.  I've been home over a week now, have just taken the last antibiotic this morning, and still haven't kicked this mess yet.  I still have July wallhangings on the walls, for Pete's sake!  I did make a commitment to clear off our island, which is where all of our lives' detritus ends up.  I've mostly accomplished that chore, at least, and have a Fall tablerunner there with the sweetest pumpkin teapot that my friend, Flannie, brought to me last Friday.  It is adorable and I LOVE it!!  :D

The pups came home from my sister's with their own issues.  Bayley had been throwing up blood again last week, so my vet talked to vets at University of TN and developed a plan of tests to try and determine what is going on with him.  They are both finishing up a round of dewormers, then comes blood tests for a whole host of things, including Addison's disease as well as allergies.  They are as precious as ever, albeit a bit of a challenge.  :/

Randy is doing well.  He's been just busy enough to keep him from falling into the doldrums.  He did fully realize the old adage "absence makes the heart grow fonder" LOL.  He was more than ready for me to bring my eccentricities and come home.  :D

Marlee found her a spot to 'rest her eyes' while at Nita's

The skies were glorious in Hillsville, VA

Nita's Beauty Berry bush

The remnants of the Full Harvest Moon

Cottoneaster bush

Cottoneaster berries

I'm itching to pull out lots of Fall clutter, and spend some time in the sewing 'stewdio'.  Fall is upon us; I am more than ready for the cooler temps and slower pace of Autumn and Winter.  My OCD kicks in with Autumn and I want to make everything I see in Fall colors---pumpkins, leaves, Mums, you name it and I want to make it in fabric.  :D  Hopefully, I'll soon be over the crud and can get on with my playing---like kids in piles of leaves, kicking through them, tossing them up into the air to flutter down like confetti...

Hurricane Irene

I'm holding everyone on the Eastern Coast close to my heart.  Please be as safe as you can be.

Crocheted wool yarn chair pad

I now have four of these wool yarn pads for my bar stools

I had just about given up on the Monarch butterfly coming to visit me this Summer

Beautiful beautiful Monarch

Daddy Bluebird feeding on mealworms

Marlee is doing her early morning stretching

I was the 'photographer' at the finish of this ride for my seester, Carolina (21 mile ride) and my BIL Freddie (62 mile ride)    :D

Sug finishing up 21 mile ride

Freddie finishing up 62 mile ride

Meant to post this sooner---look how the leaves are already starting to turn

This little Crepe Myrtle has outdone itself with blooms this Summer

Isn't he the sweetest??  Kingbird? or Phoebe?

It's a mystery from the compost pile---is it a watermelon? or a HUGE Squash???

Butterfly Bush and Crepe Myrtle

So much fun Crocheteing wool chair pads