Well Christmas has come and gone and now we count down to Little Christmas, January 6th. In my house Little Christmas is when we take down the Christmas decorations. I don’t think I will make it till then; I am over Christmas and ready to put this year behind me. This has been a less than great Christmas season for me. It was the first time in many years that I was not with my family, I messed up my Jeep and the nail on my Christmas coffin was the deer I hit on my way home from work early Christmas morning. I wasn’t even driving my own car, it was barrowed…… Ho Ho Ho (ya gotta laugh)

Any way life goes on. 2009 was almost as stressful for me as 1999 (divorce). As I sit here sipping on Corona I find myself looking forward to next year; I have visions of gardens, chain saws and cutting wood, you know all that work that comes with owning a few acres of land. Corona any one?

Well yesterday was interesting.......

I got the Jeep out with the help of my farmer friend and his tractor and was headed on my way to Christansburg when I noticed that the rear end of the Jeep seemed to be pulling. It felt like one of the brakes was sticking. Well I don't mess around with bad breaks (although I did not think that was it, I thought it was something worse) so straight to the shop I went. When the guys got back from lunch up on the rack it went and worse than breaks it turned out to be ; I messed up the differential. Cha-ching

I woke up this morning to a little bit of snow...

I shoveled some of the snow off the deck .....

so the dogs could be comfortable......

Later in the day, after talking to a friend who was cruising around in his Jeep, I decided to take the Jeep out for a spin after all it is a Jeep whats a little snow?
I got stuck at the bottom of my own drive way..
no photo, too embarrassing

The day ended with sun peeking through the clouds.

Tomorrow I will call a few friends and see if they can help me get my Jeep unstuck. I'm also going to order some tire chains!!

Snowy night and it has only just begun!!

weather channel photo

Welp it looks like we have a bit of weather heading our way. it should be an interesting next few days.

On my way to church tonight I noticed that the grocery stores were very busy. I thought about it for a moment, “ah that’s right” I thought “the Christmas parade was canceled last week because of the snow and rescheduled for this week, the parade must be just getting over, no problem it will be cleared out by the time church is over”. At church I asked one of the girls if she had seen the parade today. “The parade is not until tomorrow” she said. “Hummmm” I thought. After church I went to the store to get a rotisserie chicken. A rotisserie chicken will last me just about all week, leg and thigh for two nights, chicken breast sandwich on another, soup and any number of other concoctions for the rest of the week. It’s busy this time of year so the easier the eats the better. Any way the spot that normally holds the chicken was empty and the deli was dark. I actually looked around to see if the chicken had been moved. This had never happened to me. I could always count on rotisserie chicken. “Oh well I thought I’ll go to the other store they will have it for sure.” I get to the other store and no chicken there either. I took a moment and looked around; the bread, milk and other staple were in short supply also. “I guess the stores just reduce their stock this time of year,” I thought to myself “doesn’t make sense to me but…..” I got a gallon of milk paid for it and feeling a bit disappointed got into the jeep. “Damn what am I going to do for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow, I guess I’ll just call Jims and get something to take out” “I really wanted that chicken” “bummer” I got to Jims and picked up my dinner “Were all the stores busy?” the waitress asked “Yea they were” I replied, “I thought it would be” she said ”with the ice storm we might get tomorrow” “damn” I thought “if I had know that I would have stocked up while I was at the store. I think there were a few cans of soup left”

It’s a snowy day here in the woods. The dogs and I took a walk in the snow and I shot a few photos.

The cabin from the road this snowy day

Tried my hand at adjusting a photo. The top one is the original the bottom is the doctored one

I spent Thanksgiving at the beach with my family. It was really nice to see the boys and my mom but I was so busy working on my moms “honey do” list and getting things ready for dinner (cooking it) that I never even went to see the ocean. I am one of the few folks that can take or leave the ocean especially when the weather is inclement, and I think it was kinda cloudy but I was so busy I really can’t remember. Oh well I had a good time with the family and that’s all that matters at Thanksgiving!!

Things here in the mountains are good but wet. This area had been in drought for the last 5 years but this year there has been a reprieve. To me there seems like there has been too much rain but since no water flows into Floyd County and we with wells get our water from deep wells that have to be replenished from above, and those who use gravity and spring water had seen both those sources dry up I guess we can live with a little too much water. We shall see what happens next year.

I have been working on getting things ready for winter. Since I have been home I have been cutting fire wood. I lot of what I have is too long for my stove so I have to cut about 6 inches off the end and then I split that little piece into kindling. I have had a time learning how to use my wood stove. I have only used “home made” stoves in the past and while I had access to a stove my X and I bought years ago it was too big for my space and had its exhaust connection in the back so I had to buy a new one. The only ones I could find to heat my small space (that I could afford) where the kinds with the glass in the front. It is harder for me to get a good fire going. I have learned that I have to start a small fire and then add larger pieces as the fire gets hotter. The wood box is also smaller than I would like so the fire is only good for about 6 hours, which means that unless I get up in the night I will have a cool box in the morning. I miss the home made stove I used last year that thing held a fire for 8 hours easy and longer if I used locus wood. The one I have now is pretty. I find myself watching the flames through the glass and getting very relaxed. There are advantages and disadvantages to every thing.

Today rain or not I have to get under the house and put insulation around all my water pipes. I have known I need to do this for quite a while but I have been putting it off and we have some cold weather on the way so it’s gotta get done. I am also working on the plastic that was put down in the craw space by the builder. It was a half ass job at best. He used 1mil plastic some places and 6 mil other places. I am going to put 6 mil everywhere and use duct tape to seal the seams.

No Buffalo today
The low laying clouds hide the mountain. It makes for a nice temporary change in view.

Winter garden
A hand full of fresh greens makes a nice salad.

What’s a girl to do? I am off for the next 13 days, I wonder if I can keep busy? Yea I think I can find a few things to do. Today it’s kinda dreary but who cares? It’s a good day to read and cook chili. Not cold enough for a fire but you cant have everything.

I have been awake since 4am today. I was so tired last night that I was in bed by 8pm and asleep not long after that. I tried to go back to sleep this morning but for me 8 hours sleep is a lot of sleep so that did not happen. There was a nice side to waking up so early I was able to watch the sun come over the mountain and light up the Buffalo. The sun has not shown its self in 3 days but today promises to be mild and sunny. It will be a good day to be outside but first the inside things must be done and since I have been up since 4 one would think that I should have the inside things done but to tell you the truth I have accomplished nothing. I read for an hour and then I watched a show I taped. I am sitting here writing when I should be doing laundry, working on the dry wall we put up last weekend, sweeping the floor bla bla bla……

Right now I don’t feel like doing anything and you know what after I put that load of laundry in the washer and sweep the floor and get the trash out to the jeep I’m going to just sit down on that couch and read a bid more, of course maybe I will get down to the garden and pick a little broccoli, give the dogs baths, Trip did get into that skunk last week, I need to hang the peg board in the shed. Oh the heck with it where is that book!!!

Yesterday morning I sat down at the table and made a list of what I wanted to get done. I was going to keep it at 3 things but more and more HAVE to get done things came to mind and then to paper. Of the 6 things on that list only 3 got done. I started the list again last night and today there are only 5 items on it………..

I am trying to get my precepting done as an EMT so I spent a few hours down at station 4. This is the sunset view from the parking lot

Ever since I moved into the cabin I have woke up in the morning put my feet on the floor and not stopped until it was time again for bed. Last week while I was on my way back from a, gotta get something so I can do some work on the cabin, trip to Roanoke and flipping through the radio stations looking for an adult alternative radio station, which there isn’t one!!, I came across a motivational speaker who was basically saying that god wants us to have fun and enjoy life. Well he wasn’t teaching hell and damnation or fire and brimstone so I listened. He went on to say that we should simplify our lives and slow down. This caused me to think about my own life at this time.

My #2 son just got back from the Philippines and he commented to me that he loved the way the Philippinoes on the little island he was on always smiled and seemed happy. Other than scooters/motorcycles and cell phones they really did not have much. Back in the states he noticed how no one smiled or seemed happy and were always in a hurry. Their mood just seemed much dimmer to him. He misses the Philippines.

I moved to the mountains to slow down and simplify and I’m not doing that. I am busier than ever. I get so caught up in what I am doing that I miss what is around me. I don't smile that much. Starting today I am going to take a few minutes every morning and relax, drink a cup of Joe and reflect on the day. I have just started my life here I want to enjoy it with a smile on my face. I want the neighbors to wonder “what’s she so happy about?"

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My #1 and #2 sons were up to pick up my #2 sons dog that I had been taking care of while he was in the Philippines so we spent some quality time together yesterday morning shoot’en a shot gun. When you have sons you don’t spend a lot of time playing with dolls, gotta do what the boys like and shooting a gun is kinda fun. I wont kill anything but I do like to target practice.

This was taken last night around 6pm
what a nice fall evening

Friday was my last full time shift at the place I work. I am now back to as needed and I will be working "day" shift, mostly 10am to 10pm. I am so happy to be off nights and to be back to as needed. Of course I'm working full time but I guess thats good. I had hoped to only work a day or so a week this next month but when you are PRN you take the time when you are needed. At the beach I worked as needed for 5 years and never was not needed; we will see how things fare here.

my boys

I cant believe its been two weeks since I was at the beach. I had a great time but it was good to get home. Two weeks ago I was hot the boys were surfing and it felt like summer.

One week ago fall was in the air and today has been a rain day (no photo).

I am sitting inside my sons house here on the Outer Banks, sweating (I don't like hot weather...) I had a few days off and decided to hit the beach. I am enjoying visiting my friends and my mom but I have been so busy that I have not even touched foot on the beach. I haven't seen much of my boys, the surf has been good and what do surfers and sailers choose when the choice is surf or family, not family. Today I am taking "it off" and plan on hitting the beach for a little while this evening. Tomorrow morning I am going to catch the sunrise before I hit the road back home.

I have been to a few restaurants this trip; Striper's in Manteo was good, Colington has a new place called Skeeters that was GREAT! Last night per mom’s request we went to Awful Authors, I have never been all that impressed with them, and I wasn’t last night either, but my mom likes it there so what do ya do. We will all be getting together again tonight for dinner most likely at Tortugas Lye. How do you get a bunch of surfers and sailors to meet up with you, feed them.

Addendum; Tortugas was great!!!

It’s the last day of summer, my mind was thinking that yesterday was but I was corrected so here I sit looking out my windows at the clouds rolling over the top of the Buffalo wondering where the year has gone. Fall is my favorite season. I love the change in the air, the cool crisp mornings and almost blanket needing nights. I love the way the sun reflects on the tree leaves as they change color. I have been told not to expect much in the way of fall colors, we had a wet beginning of summer followed by a very dry mid August and early September and I have been told that that leads to a less than stellar fall show but I don’t care. On the beach we had two seasons summer and winter so any change is nice to me. I will say that fall on the beach is wonderful, just in a different way.

If all goes well I will get back to the beach soon, fall and spring are the best times on the Outer Banks!!

I was not able to plant a garden this spring so I am attempting a small fall garden. I may have planted too late but what the hay. The cabbage and broccoli are doing ok’ish the collards are not, all have been eaten by bugs so I sevens dusted them. I did not want to use the dust but it was that or no hope for cabbage at all. We will see what happens. That is one thing I missed about the beach this year, the early garden, of course by July it was almost too hot so I guess its all relative.

I have come to the conclusion that I like to work I just don’t like going to work and if I had my drothers I’d rather play. I can’t believe Labor Day weekend was last weekend. Time has just flown by. Last Saturday night I was in Floyd with “old” friends meeting new friends, listening to music and having a few beers. 1 week ago today I was at another friends house and again I was meeting new friends and enjoying a pot luck dinner. The food was sooo good. Last Monday, Labor Day I had an awesome 3 course lunch and a bottle and a half of wine with a few friends; we were going to hike up the buffalo before lunch but we decided to walk around my friend’s property instead, left more time to eat. I was going to hang some drywall but after all that playing I was too tired!! Of course having that long week end off means that this week is going to be hell; on Tuesday, off Wednesday, on Thursday off Friday, and so on and so on for 10 days.

I did do a little work I got some plants in the ground a few weeks back. I planted cabbage, broccoli and collards. I may have planted them too late but what the heck we shall see!!

Well off to bed, I'm too old for night shift!

photo from
advocacy.britannica.com/.../coyote005-004.jpg

Around 10pm last night a jet flew low near the Buffalo. Within seconds yips could be heard in the distance and at that sound both my dogs sat up, the girl dog began to howl. There are coyotes around where I live. Someone I know asked me recently if I had noticed the coyotes that were watching me as I was using my weed eater. The answer to that question was no; I would not have been weed eating if I had seen them.

There is a lot of wild life up here. I moved to the country in part to experience nature so when I hear about the occasional bear, or the rattle snake, or the coyote, a hint of concern does cross my mind but I don’t stress over it. I make a lot of noise, and if possible take my dogs, when I walk in the woods. The one time I remember getting “scared” in the woods was when a deer growled at me, a deer! I always thought the scene in “the Simpson’s” of Lisa is strolling through an idyllic wood much like the first part of “Bambi” and then suddenly the deer growl at her was someone’s ideal of funny, I did not realize it was real!

Lets face it the dogs let me “feel” safe but Trip the girl dog is 8 and Zeke the boy is 7 so in the next few years I will have to get another dog. I am thinking about the Great Pyrenees, over a 100lb of guard dog, that if well disciplined and allowed to associate with others, can make a good companion. And from what I hear you can use the fur to make sweaters!! This is just a thought; I won’t even start looking for a new dog until Trip is 10 and if she stays active maybe even longer. I do like the large breeds, and I do want something that can hold its own with the local wild life but it has to be able to be acclimated to people and animals and I don’t really want a hunter. The dog will also have to be a companion. My dogs are a part of the family. So what do I want and need, a big dog that will guard the property, get along well with other animals and people, and be my buddy. I have time to look so today it is the Pyrenees, tomorrow who knows.

Pyrenees Rescue

Oy, oy, oy…. On, off, on off. I can’t take this, I’m too old. Working night shift with an on, off schedule will kill ya, literally. There have been studies that show flipping from one shift to the other is not healthy. To me on again, off again is like shift work. I worked last night but I am off tonight so I feel like I cant sleep all day and "waste" a day off so what do I do? I sleep a few hours then get up and accomplish half of what I could have accomplished on a good night sleep. I cant do this any more…… Shoot me and put me out of my misery (just kidding) but I do have to find me a different job. I'm getting too old for night shift.

It’s been a month since I have posted to my blog. The truth is that I have not “felt” like writing. Things have been very busy and I have just felt like I did not have the time. I have also been a bit down in the dumps. I love my home but other parts of my life are not as I had pictured them and I have allowed these less desirable things take over my thoughts. As I sit here looking out at the Buffalo I can only think how lucky I am; Life has been good to me I have all I need and most of what I want. To allow the few things in my life that I don’t like to take over my happiness is not good. Starting tonight, this very minute I am going to make an effort to get my happy self back out there. This year is winding down and I am not going to allow my memories of it to be bad.

In this past month both my #2 and #3 sons have been up to visit. #2 put up my spiral stair and framed in the loft half wall. Of my 3 sons he is the handy man. He can bang nails and fix a car. #3 is the computer/IT geek and he's good when I need some muscle, I had him moving paving stones and working on my computer. #1 has not made it up yet, I still have hope but he does not normally go any where unless he can sail there. He told me he is looking forward to my fall trip to the Outer Banks. He can’t wait to see me. As you can see I put the boys to work when they come up I do feed them well so it evens out.

Things are moving along on the house. I get a little done every chance I get. This week I had the gutters put in. I was going to buy the stuff and put the gutters up myself but the place I was going to buy them from had a hard time getting the gutter in the color I needed. I finally called a company that installs “seamless” gutters and got a price. That price, materials and installation, was just $7 more than the materials alone were going to cost me. I’m telling you someone or something is looking out for me. I have to stop being impatient, when things “go wrong” for me it usually means I’m going down the wrong path.

Its 11 o’clock at night on my first day living in my new cabin and I am using my DSL hook up!!!!!! I should be excited about having my first dinner here (chicken rice and fresh picked green beans), sleeping in my new bedroom and enjoying my wonderful view but to be flat honest I’m totally excited about the DSL. It’s was great cooking on my new stove and taking a shower in my nice big shower but now I can also watch the Daily Show when ever I want!!

I have so much to do, finish moving out of the house my friend so generously allowed me to use, and it is a MESS I will start that clean up tomorrow. I also have to get this house in order, I have so much to do that that aint gonna happen any time soon. I have had 6 days off and I got a lot done but I’m getting ready to work 5 out of the next 7 days, that doesn’t sound like much but I work 12 hour days, so I wont be able to get a lot done this next week. Oh well I’m in my new home, I have DSL and a phone so all is good!!

I have so much work to do around the house I am living in and the cabin I’m having built that’s its not even funny.

Yesterday my day started early; when I was at the bear & wine fest last Sunday I saw some wood boxes one of the venders had. I asked him what he wanted for them, the price was right, and we arranged for me to pick them up this week so off I went at 8am to pick up boxes. When I got home I unloaded the boxes, dropped the trailer, and went to have a “quick” cup of coffee with friends. I mentioned I needed to go to Lowes for light bulbs and asked them if they wanted to go and off we went to Galax. At Lowes I bought my light bulbs and an under counter trash can holder, (it was on my list of things to get for the cabin) then I made the mistake of letting them take me to the garden center. One of my friends is forever looking for deals and she found one. In the garden center there were these racks of $1 plants. I now have about $25 worth of plants in my yard that were not on the list. On the way home one of the ladies asked if we would mind going to this little restaurant she knew about. Close to that restaurant was this little model home she wanted to look at; the rest of us were game and off we went to Fancy Gap. After lunch we went “a little further” to Canen to check out a vegetable “stand”. By the time I got home it was 5pm but I knew I could go the cabin for a little while soooo...... I fed the horses and the dogs and got ready to head up to the cabin. As I was putting the dogs in the jeep I noticed that I had a flat tire and it was starting to rain. I looked off into the distance at the rain clouds; they did not look too bad so I changed the tire and went up to the cabin. I got home around 8pm. I did a lot yesterday just not the lot I needed to do.

Today I am going to get things done around the house and the cabin, after I go into town and get the tire fixed………

I spent a few hours at the Floyd Fandango Beer & Wine Fest today. I was supposed to spend all that time directing traffic but because of the weather traffic was light and I was able to scout things out. I will say that for the very short time I was there I had a great time. I heard three bands, Robert Jospe & Inner Rhythm Sextet, Blue Mule and my favorite Basshound. I experienced my first wine tasting, I don’t seem to have much of a wine pallet, and checked out some pretty good beer. Of course I got a funnel cake. There were some nice vender's there but because I was pressed for time I could not check them all out. I’m going to do my best to take in a full day next year. Its’ a bit pricey at $30 a person and then you have to pay $5 for a wine or beer glass and then pay a $1 to taste the beer (you get a nice big “sip” for a $1, it seemed worth it to me and the wine is “free”) I feel if you factor in a whole day of music its worth it.

I have been watching these two all morning. The male has been taping on and around the window I took these photo from. He has also been checking out the bird house the two are resting on. The pair have been putting on quite a show, hoping over each other on the power line over head. The male has been ruffling his feathers and chirping. The female just sits there and listens. I don’t know what type of birds these are, anyone know?

The tree my friend has been working on

I have been very fortunate to have met people I consider to be mentors. My first mentor was Mr. Simms. He worked at the Christ Child Center in Tampa Fla and in my short time there he taught me much. Next was Mary, she is still a friend and I have learned much from her in the 28 years I have known her. Recently I have been fortunate to meet another person who has in the short time I’ve known her taught me a lot. Today she taught me how to use a chain saw. My life has not been easy and I have been thrown some big curves but I have also been lucky to have met people that have helped me to make the right choices. Mentors are great I wish everyone had a few.

There is this scene in “National Lampoons Christmas Vacation” where the Chevy Chase character, Clark, after many attempts, finally gets the Christmas lights on his house to light. When he connects those two extension cords a chorus singing halleluiah starts up, his face lights up as bright as the lights on his house and you could see in his face how happy he was. I had that same look and could hear in my mind the choir singing when I rounded that corner and saw a truck and excavator in my drive way. The power company’s contractor was there to hook my cabin up. I now have power to the cabin, all I need is for the electrician to come back and finish his work and I will have lights!! Halleluiah! Halleluiah!

We humans are a strange lot. We allow ourselves to be “ruled over” by the lowliest of rulers. We give to them when we know we will receive nothing in return. They greedily take from us and scold us when we are not quick to give them what they feel is there due. We humans are a strange lot.

The humming bird feeders were empty this afternoon when I got home. I did not know how much noise humming birds made until at the request of my friend, who is graciously allowing me to use her house while mine is being built, asked me to put out the feeders. Humming birds are greedy, bossy and noisy. They are Speedy Gonzalez with wings. They are cool. I like watching them. There is one that seems to know who I am. It will buzz by me turn around and then hover just a few feet from my face. They all seem to know who fills the feeder because when they see me and the feeder is empty they come to the fence sit on it and “yell” at me. I am their servant and they are my masters. I dutifully buy sugar for no other reason than to feed the humming birds. They say the average American eats over 100lb of sugar a year. I wonder how many like me by 10 lb bags of sugar every 2 weeks to feed the birds. I wonder how much folks like me are messing up the statistics.

Dogs, cats and now humming birds what will demand my time and energy next? Are we thinking chickens?

It’s hot here in the mountains so as was sitting under the fan trying to cool down I looked out the window and saw what looked like a dozen hummingbirds at the feeders. I decided to try a few shots and was surprised that I got anything. It was nearing dusk and my camera is not the best so I did not expect much. At first the birds refused to cooperate, I had the door to the porch open and stood there as still as I could with my camera on a tripod. No luck so I decided to hide. I placed a bright red blanket over the door window, adjusted my nifty camera view screen so I could see my subject and waited. I am happy with the results. I cant wait to try this in the daylight.

Good morning campers, long time no write.

It’s promising to be a nice day here in the country. I was awakened at 6:15 this morning to a lighter sky and the singing of birds. It’s all so poetic this being awakened by nature until one takes into account that I worked Wednesday and Thursday from 7 at night to 8 or so in the morning. This schedule made my Friday “day off” just a day to kinda recoup and I had hoped to sleep in today(Saturday). On days when I want to sleep in and I can’t I am reminded of a window commercial that I saw a long time ago where you see this guy sleeping under an open window, there is a gentle breeze, kids are playing, birds are singing and in the distance there is the sound of a lawnmower. It’s just a perfect weekend morning scene. The guy underneath the window sits up, grabs hold of the window and closes it. All becomes quiet and the guy goes back to sleep. I tried that this morning but I had slept over 5 hours yesterday afternoon and I was wide awake at 6...15...in the morning. ugh.

Oh well it’s gonna be a busy day, I might as well start early and it is a very nice morning for the dogs and I to take a walk, then I can hook up the trailer and drop it off at the property for tomorrow, then head up to the grocery store and the feed store before I………..

I was talking to my cousin last night she wants to come down for a week. I told her she is more than welcome but remember there is not a lot “to do” around here, of course that does depend on what you mean by “to do”.

I cant believe how long it has been since I last bloged but.. life has been busy.

Most of my not going to the job hours have been spent at the cabin work site. Things are moving along well (for now) and I try to get every thing I can do done. I keep the work site clean, I salvage wood the builder considers trash and I consider usable (It‘s unbelievable how wasteful building a house can be). I am also trying to get at least some of the property mowable.

You wont believe how many rock there are. In the old days farmers would send their kids into the fields and have them move the rocks. I’m not a farmer, its not the old days and I don’t have any kids with me so this old lady is moving them one by one. The weather here is much cooler than at the beach BUT when you are moving rocks 75-80 degrees feels hot. Now you would think that doing all this work would give one a since of accomplishment but nooooo. When I mowed around the barn I saw how much work needs to be done to the barn. Cleaning up around the cabin I see how much landscaping needs to be done. Every time I get one thing done there is another thing that needs to be done staring me in the face. Its Kinda like that Gicko commercial where the stack of money stares at people symbolizing how much money they can save. Well every time I see something that needs to be done I see a little stack of money that symbolizes how much money I have to spend. I knew that there was a lot to be done and I don’t mind the work. I figure that at about the time my kids decide I need to be in a nursing home I will have the place looking just like I want it to look.

I was looking out what will someday be my bedroom window when I saw this "tree" I have been told it is an azalea. I have been very fortunate to find so many "surprises" on my property

Just a few lilypad flowers in my friends pond

The town of Floyd is trying to build a park so last week they had a benefit concert with four bluegrass bands, the music was good but I think I have had my fill of blue grass for a while

It’s been a while since my last blogg but I have had a lot going on. Between work the cabin and keeping up with friends my days have been full.

First things first, we have been having a LOT of rain, A LOT!... but in a way this is a good thing. The work on the cabin has been great. There is paint on the drywall, the trim is almost done, they are working on the floors right now and the cabinets come in next week. Now I’m not holding my breath that this pace of work will continue but I am hopeful. The weather is supposed to be better next week, we will see if they come back.

I am discovering a disadvantage to living in the country; socializing with friends takes a lot of time. At the beach it takes at the most 15 minutes to get most of my friend’s homes and for the most part I could walk. At the beach having a morning cup of coffee with a friend could be spontaneous here almost everything has to be planed out. I am adjusting but I miss those unplanned morning coffees with friends.

One of these days, when the stars align just right I will be moving into a little 750sf cabin that I am having built. For the past few days I have been sick. The stay in the bed except to do what has to be done sick. The, if I still lived at the beach one of my boys would have had to feed the dogs and wait on me hand and foot, sick. Today I realized one of the disadvantages of a small house; there is no place to hide stuff. I had to wash cloths while I was sick but I did not fold them. They are piled on a bed in the back room. Dishes got put in the dishwasher that I seldom use. Thank goodness the new kitchen will have a dishwasher. The house looks cluttered, not very presentable. I am living in a small house but it is bigger than the cabin is. I can imagine what the cabin would look like after 2 days of me being sick. The moral of this story is that if someone is not family or a really good friend, they can’t come to my house if I’m sick. Period!!

Frost on a Japanese Maple

A friend and I were discussing how nice the weather had been and the planting of summer crops. I was telling her how bummed I was that I had not been able to plant anything. On the beach I would have already planted my tomatoes. In Currituck the farmers would have already planted sweet corn, so that it is ready for the 4<sup>th</sup> of July. I wanted to plant something. Things are different here she informed me, she said that she never planted any summer plants until after her 20<sup>th</sup> of May, when I asked her why she said because that is when the risk of frost is over. Early this morning, on the 19<sup>th</sup> of May we had frost. You see my friend is a master gardener so I guess I should listen to the master gardener, I might learn something.

Ok boys and girls here goes, I don’t go around telling people that I like sci-fi and fantasy but I do. And while Star Trek was not my first sci-fi venture, I was reading Bradbury, Asimov and Norton and watching the Twilight Zone and Astro Boy before I ever watched Star Trek. When Star Trek originally aired my parents had control of the TV, so before it hit syndication I rarely got to watch it, when I was finally able to sit down and watch episode after episode (thanks Cathy for introducing me to the Trek world) I was hooked. While I can’t tell you the name of every episode and I don’t know all the minor characters I can tell you with in 5 seconds what the story line is. I think the Star Trek universe is awesome but for the most part I have not been impressed with the movies until today. Today I saw the new Star Trek movie and it was really good. I was totally impressed. I won’t go into detail about what happens in the movie because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone. The makers of this Star Trek movie came up with a great way to continue the franchise with out having to worry about continuity. I know that sounds negative but its not. I am looking forward to more of these movies. Go Trek.

Oh boy did I meet the right person. I met her last summer out by my mail box and we would talk to each other every once and a while, out by that mail box. We have been promising each other that we would have coffee together “sometime” but it never seemed to happen. Last week we finally exchanged e-mail addresses and yesterday we had coffee at her house. This woman is amazing, she is in her 70’s has chickens, honey bees and a green thumb to die for. She can use a chain saw and just learned how to use a back hoe. I don’t know what I have to offer in this friendship but in just those few hours we spent at her place I learned a lot.

I have been very fortunate in the people I have met here. I have met so many willing teachers, people that answer my questions no matter how “dumb” they might be. I can’t wait to put some of what I am learning to practice. Who knows in 20 years maybe I will be the teacher.

I sent the Arbor Day foundation a donation of $20 a while back. As a gift I was promised 10 trees. Last week I got my “trees”. I had to laugh at the twigs in the bag that counted as trees but c’est la vie, I put them in water when I got them, I just did not have time to plant them but yesterday I put them in pots. I don’t mind that I got twigs for trees after all what do you expect for $20 and it’s for a good cause. It will be interesting to see what happens.

They hung dry wall in the cabin this week. The dry wall gives me a real feel for how things are gonna be. The bath room is going to be TIGHT, TIGHT, TIGHT!

Welp I'm off to the property gotta do some weed eating.

Know how to tell when its gonna rain? Just ask me what day I'm scheduled to be off. It’s been a bit rainy today but that did not stop the dogs and me from taking a walk this morning. I think its funny how people think it’s so quiet in the country. When I take my walk my ears are filled with the sounds of the out doors. Birds, water and the wind along with the rustle of wild life is really quiet noisy. Noise or no there is something to be said for getting outside, I don’t care if you are in the county or the middle of a city, having the sky above your head is up lifting. It allows your soul to be free. Being outside can help clear the mind and walking can relive stress, I know it does for me. Its spring get out side and let your soul be free.

They have stained the cabin and I am happy with the color. I am thinking of painting the doors to match the roof....

I’m sitting here this afternoon listening to the sound of the weather as it rolls in. The sky has darkened and the wind is picking up. I can hear thunder in the distance and the air is noticeably cooler. To me this is so relaxing to the girl dog that is not the case; she is curled at my feet, head up and ears back, to her thunder is a frightening thing, one of the few things that will slow her down and make her willingly heal to me. This weather draws me to sit by the window where I can see the pond. Drops of rain have begun to dance on its surface. With the window slightly ajar I can hear the tin roof sound off as each tiny drop of rain hits it, this noise rises and falls with the passing of rain clouds some times building to and almost deafening crescendo. Outside the grass looks greener in this filtered light and the air smells clean and fresh. Oh what a lovely afternoon.

I can honestly say it has been a busy week. This time last week I was pulling on to the OBX. I spent last weekend visiting with friends and family which translates into eating a lot. I could not have asked for better weather, the weekend was nearly perfect. I needed to get away from here and clear my head and going to the beach did that for me. By Monday I was ready to come home.

And speaking of home…. The boys have been hard at work on the cabin, plumbing and electric are roughed in and inspected, most of the insulation is in and the outside should be stained shortly. It might even be done I worked last night so I haven’t had time to check on progress today. Again I’m not getting my hopes up, this whole project has been stop and go, their going right now but they can stop at any moment!

I woke up this afternoon to some hot temps. Its 80 degrees outside and its supposed to be a warm weekend. There is a high danger of fire warning out right now. The humidity may go down to 20 %, that’s not something I have not seen in forever. Low humidity on the Outer Banks is in the 40% range. This hot weather can go give me the cooler spring temps; I’m glad I changed my mind and installed central air!

peach blossoms; the first to come out on the property

It has been brought to my attention by a few folks that is has been awhile since I have written in my blog. Well I have been in the dumps as of late and have not felt like writing. It is spring and I’m still not in my cabin. I’m still living out of boxes. By now I had hoped to be looking for new furniture and other stuff for the cabin. I haven’t been able to start the garden I had hoped to start this year. I can’t start anything because I can’t protect it from the wild life. I saw a herd of at least 8 deer on my property yesterday. When I’m living there the dogs will discourage the deer (that’s the theory anyway). And to top it all off I’m working at a job I’m not real happy with.

The weather here has been…… wet but is going to be a beautiful spring. Already the grass is coming in and when the sun hits it, it glows an almost neon green. I love the way the clouds seem to roll over the mountains, I love the fresh crisp feel of the morning. I see something new every day; a new bird, animal, plant. I love the wild life. What is bringing me down is the flocken cabin. It’s like a bad pregnancy; No matter how crappy it makes you feel its going to last as long as it lasts and there is nothing you can do about it!! I’m ready for this baby to be born!!!!

If I can get off work for a few days I think I will head on back to the beach just to clear my head. I need a mini vacation!!

This last day of March started out bright and sunny but as the day wore on the clouds and dampness set in. I guess you could say March is going out like a damp lamb. It is hard to believe that we are 90 days into 2009. It has been a bumpy 90 days for the country and gosh only knows what’s going to happen in the next 90 but its spring and anything is possible. Heck there was work done on my cabin today, go figure. With luck the electrician will be there tomorrow and once he is done the insulation can go in. I am trying not to get excited about the cabin but things are starting to move along and it’s hard to keep that “it will be done when it gets done” attitude.

How can I tell its spring? I have 3 main indicators: how much hair do I have to sweep up every day (I have 2 dogs and a cat), how many small animals and birds do I have to rescue from the cat (2 birds so far) and……. how badly do I want to plant something. About 2 weeks or so ago I planted some basil just to have something green around. I told myself that I was going to hold off on the flowers and plants this year but I needed something from the store and saw some pansies and I just could not resist. I did resist the magnolia tree, barely. It was beautiful, but I could not figure where I would put it so now it’s on the sometime in the future list.

I have been paying attention to what is starting to bloom and bud now. Yellow tips and daffodils have bloomed. Willows have tiny green leaves on their branches giving them a green silhouette and many other trees have a slight red tinge to them, an indication that they are getting ready to show their new spring growth. On the bank next to my driveway the previous owner planted many different types of spring flowers. I know she planted daffodils they are every where. There are other things coming up also; I think I see what could be irises but I don’t know. Until I see the flowers I won’t know what gifts the previous owner has left for me. I wonder how much of what I see now will turn out to be weeds. This year is for learning and boy do I have a lot to learn!

I was talking to my #2 son, venting was more like it, when he said to me “things haven’t gone too great for you up there (the Mt’s)” Lets face it, it took longer than I had hoped to find a contractor to build the house and its taking even longer to actually build it. Every thing I have wanted to do has cost a lot more than I had budgeted. Someone burned my barn down and now…. I hate my job. Humm. I will admit that lately I have wondered if I did the right thing in moving up here. I miss my family, I miss my friends and god knows I miss my job. I am not where I wanted to be by now. Things are not going the way I want them to go. So why am I here?

Rounding the corner, just before I turned on to road that leads to my house I saw the Buffalo wrapped in clouds. I saw the first live skunk I have ever seen up here. I saw baby cows jumping and running. When I got on my road I felt at home. A house is just a house, some day it will be finished. A job is just a job I can always find another. I miss my friends but I have been very privileged to meet a lot of very good people up here and the phone and internet allow me to keep in touch with my distant friends. The reason I am up here is because I want to be. Its not heaven but for me it’s close.… kinda.

touch of spring

It was a very pleasant week here in the Mt’s . It felt a lot like spring and I spent as much time as I could outside. I spent a good deal of the day Thursday removing wild roses from around my fruit trees and while that was not all that fun it was “rewarding”. I have been reading the seed/plant catalogs that have been coming my way, and while I don’t plan on doing a lot of planting this year these magazines are giving me some ideals. I won’t get away with out buying something but my goal is not to over buy. I want to live on the property and in the cabin for a little while before I buy that walnut tree that grows 60 feet tall and 40 feet wide.

The cabin roof has been shingled. We will see what gets done next week.

A touch of spring

What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday I was slipping and sliding on my way to work yesterday we reached 73 degrees. In the afternoon I opened up the house to fresh air and sun today I am planning on working in the sunshine and fresh air at the cabin site. March came in like a lion of sorts, we had an intense but brief bout of winter and in less than a week we are having a touch of spring.

This weather and the nature of my job is exposing me to new bugs and I have caught a head cold. Ever since I reached the age of 40 I have been getting colds in the spring and fall. I don’t remember this bi-annual illness thing prior to that age but no cold is going to keep me inside today. I need to be in the great outdoors even if it is only time spent picking up trash from a job site.

The view on my way home today... gotta love it