The boy and girl in a hay field, run Trip run

Well I have been here 4 weeks now and things have been good. I will say in all honesty that I am a little lonely I miss my family very much but the animals and I have settled in nicely. This past week I settled on a builder and if all goes well they should start on the house by the end of August and it hopefully it will be done by November. The house is going to be a log home and quite small about 700sf but it is in my budget and it should be very comfortable.

Living in the mountains is a bit different than living on the beach. I have acclimated very quickly to the temperature, this morning when I woke up I was hot, the temperature in the camper was 70 degrees and I was very uncomfortable. I very much like the upper 50’s and 60’s. The hilly ground has caused my glutes (butt) to hurt. Walking on uneven ground uses muscles differently than on flat land, I expected my leg muscles to feel the burn but not the glutes. It’s a lot dryer here which is nice for me but it has been hard on my girl dog. I had to take her to the vet, it seems she has environmental allergies and the dry air has caused her to have dry skin, so now she is on a steroid, an antibiotic and an eye ointment she will be starting on fish oil tomorrow. The girl dog has also developed an attraction for wild animal poo. She has had more baths this past 4 weeks than she normally has all summer. The boy dog is doing just fine he does like to sit on the hill side and howl but.. if he’s happy. The cat is keeping busy being a cat.

I will be heading to PA the end of this week for the yearly friends and family party at my cousin’s house. It should be fun.

Well I have been here in Willis for a little over 2 weeks now and I think I have finally settled in. now admittedly living in a 19ft camper makes it hard to really settle in but the things that make a house a home are here for me. I have a bed & bath, a place to eat, a DVD player and a Wii. the dogs and cat have settled nicely. trip the girl dog is loving the 4 1/2 acer yard so much that I had to increase the amount of food I feed her. She seems a little disappointed over the fence I had installed this past week by Tracy Blevins of Beaver Creek Fencing but I love it. gravel was delivered this past week boy does that help keep the mud down, of course I did not mention that I needed it spread so I will have to drive the Jeep because the Nissan cant get through the rock. Shortts Excvating are the folks I had deliver the rock and they are going to send some one to spread it as soon as possible. They are also the ones who cleared the building site and I think they do great work. Still working on getting a house built, ... it will happen.

I'm heading back to the beach tomorrow to pick up a load of stuff. Its a quick trip down and back. My #3 son want's to come up. He will follow me up and then drive back to the beach by himself.

great view except for the mud

Paradise comes with a price which in my case is mud and lots of it. Mud is something I have had very little experience with in the past 27 years but in the last week I have had more than I want. Other than the mud and the mess the that comes from it I am very happy to be here. the weather is great and I am enjoying daily walks and visiting friends. Friday after going to a friends house for a cook out I went to my first July 4th celebration in Floyd and had a great time.

This next week I will be working on getting a house built. I think this will prove to be quite a task, we shall see what is to come....

Well I’m here in the mountains and I must say the beginning of this adventure has been an adventure. My house at the beach closed last Friday as scheduled and believe me I hope I never sell another home. I was a wreck. What were the appraiser, inspector and surveyor going to say? What unreasonable requests/demands were the buyers going to make? How am I going to pack the house in 30 days and where am I going to put all the stuff? Well I did it and it has taken me 3 days to recover from the move.

All my sons helped me prepare for the move but #3 son was the only one who could help me move. He drove my car, the car that was wrecked in May up while I drove the Jeep pulling a fully loaded trailer. We got up here Friday night right after a storm so we were welcomed by a beautiful mist covered mountain view and red mud. Mud, 2 dogs, a cat a fully loaded trailer and two very tired people make for a very messy 19ft camper, my home for a while.

We had to head back to the beach Saturday morning because my son had to be at work Sunday. So we got up early and braved the Saturday traffic to the beach. It only took about 15minutes to get over the bridge to the beach, a 5 minute trip normally and while traffic was heavy it was steady. My son helped me load the trailer I then took him to his dads house so he could go on line and load my Wii with some games (I’m a Mario & Zelda girl) I then headed to the other storage room to finish filling up the trailer. With the trailer full I went to #2 sons house took a shower, went to the kids dads house collected my Wii and headed back to the mountains. How convenient that #1 son was in a sailboat race and #2 son was helping a friend in a surf competition when I need brute strength for a move.

I was surprised how depressing the trip back was. It was on that trip that the move and all that it entails hit me. I have left my home of 27 years, my family and friends and am moving to a place that I have only visited. Tears welled up and WHAT HAVE I DONE screamed in my head. I was stressed and tired, the weather sucked and everything was a mess my out look was grim.

Sunday was not much better. I had gotten back to the mountains at 2am and was up by 7am. A look at the sky was all I needed to see that rain was again on the way so I quickly unpacked the trailer and headed to Galax for a phone jack and groceries. By the time I got back to the camper, put everything away and connected my phone the rain came and I exhausted and again close to tears decided to take a short nap. It was 4pm and I just wanted a 20minute rest. When I woke up at 8pm I felt better. Fixed some dinner played some games and went back to bed around 11pm.

Monday was a much better day. The day started clear and bright, I had slept well for the first time in weeks and with out the use of Ambien. It is amazing how much better the world looks after a good night sleep. I went to a friend’s house and did a few loads of laundry came back to the camper and enjoyed the afternoon rain.

Today is starting out beautifully. The temperature is cool the air is crisp and view is great. I have no doubt that I will miss my family and friends and yes even the beach from time to time but I also do not doubt that this is the right move for me. I don’t know if I will be here forever but today I am glad to be here.

Well its less than 12 hours until my house closing and I am bushed. Above is a photo I took this morning. My last sunrise on the Atlantic for a little while. I stayed talking for about an hour to a tourist I guess starting tomorrow I'll be a tourist also. Well I'm off to bed tomorrow comes early.

It is less than 2 weeks from the closing date on the house sale and boy do I feel over whelmed. I have been in this house for almost 10 years and have accumulated a lot of stuff. I have had to rent two storage units to hold my things. I have gotten rid of a ton of stuff but just cant let some of my momentous go. Many years ago I heard a George Carlin skit that dealt with the American need to collect stuff and as I look at my different piles, the keep pile the sell pile and the toss pile I have to smile just a little because he was right; stuff does start to add up.

One of the hardest things for me in this move is leaving my kids. as aggravating as they might be I do enjoy their company so #3 son and I set up a web cam. its not as good a being there but it is nice to see their faces and talk real time. It kinda has a Jetsons feel to it.

Today is graduation day!!! Son #3 is graduating from high school I am sooo proud of him. I just can’t say that enough! Tonight is his night the whole family is going to celebrate his success with what else; food family and friends!!

He plans on going to collage and getting a degree in computer engineering. He really wants to write gaming programs but right or wrong I have convinced him that a degree in engineering would be a good fall back.

I know I have said this before but I love this time of year on the Outer Banks. I spent the whole morning in the yard tending my plants. One thing I will sorely miss in the mountains is the early growing season. I picked my first batch of green beans and tomatoes are growing on the plants I have in hanging baskets.

Yesterday was the home inspection. The inspector was here for 3 hours. I was at work and to tell you the truth I did not want to be here. I don’t think there is anything wrong with this house but I have heard horror stories of inspectors finding things wrong that cost thousands of dollars to fix. I guess that’s why people hire them. I know I would not buy a house with out an inspection!!

Cheese and crackers my stomach cant take much more of this!!!

We had a great Memorial Day here on the Outer Banks. You could not have asked for better weather it was the best. The traffic was horrible but what do you expect.

Things for me are moving right along. I have a contract on the house of course there are a bunch of contingencies so anything can happen. I’m going to putts along doing a little packing here and there until after the home inspection I think the last two weeks are going to be killer but what ever; I’m looking forward to starting a new chapter in my life.

#3 son graduates from hight school June 6^th I’m so proud of him I could just bust !!!!

Well it happened a lot sooner than I thought it would but my house has sold; now the ink is barely dry and there still has to be a house inspection and all the other stuff that goes into buying a house but baring any unforeseen happenings I will be moving “for good” the end of June.

How strange; I’m a little scared but very excited. I know I will miss my family and friends and my god this has been my home for 27 years but I am…. happy.

Whoh!! Stop this train and let me off!! I can’t believe it’s the middle of May already! I have been getting ready to move to the mountains for at lest the summer. I had my land up there cleared a bit more and my camper moved back to the building site. Yep I’m going to spend the summer (8 weeks) in camper with at least 1 dog and a cat. I am planning on taking a travel nursing job. It’s a way for me to afford having 2 residences. The paper work for that job is unreal and I had to get 3 shots and have some lab work done. It will be worth it I know it!!

While I was up there last weekend my #3 son was in another auto accident. Seems a lady talking on her cell phone did not notice her light had turned red and smashed into my son, the car was totaled. He had minor injuries and I think he will be OK but now I have to deal with the insurance company. Today the boy and I are going on an all day mystery tour in search of a car. Yippy kiya!

What more could happen in my already confusing and complicated world… the house could sell. There is a nibble. It would be a good thing but right now it would also be a head ache.

Things here on the Outer Banks could not be better. The weather has been to die for. #2 son says the surf has been great. My #1 son is away right now he is on the ground crew for one of the boats in the Tybee 500 catamaran sail boat race and is loving life.

Well gotta go. Looks like its going to be a good weekend.

Spring in Willis with freshly stocked streams, apple blossoms and cool fresh air

I just got back from the Virginia mountains. Spent 4 days up there while a big "hole" was dug on my land where the new house is going to be some day. Its a real shocker to see a beautiful piece of real estate get a gash taken out of it but I did not want to build on the ridge line so I had to clear from the hill side. If all goes according to plan the top of the roof will sit under the ridge line and hopefully blend in. We shall see, after all "the best laid plans of mice and men" don't always go as planed.

Weather up there and here at the beach has been a bit wet. I keep saying that we need the rain but I also need to get rid of the ants in my front yard and that will take a dry, calm day.

It has been so long since I last wrote in my blog. The past month has gone by so fast and I can’t really even say what I have been up to. I listed my house with a realtor the first of April and have been trying to keep it really clean that stops now, I’m over house work. My hat goes off to those people who can keep their house looking like a “Better Homes and Garden” magazine spread I’m not worrying about it any more all I’m going to do is try and keep the dog hair under control and make the beds. I’ll clean the bathrooms on the days the house shows!!

The yard and garden are both pretty looking good. I’m having some problems with ants, it seems they want to take over my front yard but I’m taking care of that hea hea hea. I planted green beans and they are up. I put some tomatoes and a few green pepper plants in yesterday. The flowers I transplanted last fall from a friends garden are doing well. We have had beneficial rain so all the world out side my window is green. As I sit writing this I see robins and finches in the trees their songs a pleasure to my ears. I love this time of year on the Outer Banks.

I was in Fort Myers Beach Florida last week. I spent my time there just really relaxing. Other than occasionally going out for a meal all I did was walk to the bay in the morning the ocean in the evening, ride my bike and kayak. The company was great I stayed at a friend’s beach house. She stays in the apartment under the house and lets friends and family have the up stairs. Who could ask for more?; a nice place to stay good friends to visit with and privacy.

I’m heading up to the mountains this weekend the excavator is coming and hopefully the land will be cleared and the septic will be put in. This moving to the mountains is going to take a little longer than I had hoped but It will happen.

Spring is happening on the Outer Banks. With every breeze this oak loses more of last years leaves, a sure sign of the spring to come. In the next week or so this tree will be full of buds and by next month it will be covered in light green new growth.

My niece and her kids came down for the day. the weather here on the island was warm with what seemed like light winds so we went on over to the beach. Well it was quite a bit cooler and much windier but the kids had a great time .

Next weekend is Easter and the beginning of the summer season. Easter comes very early this year and for the first time I see businesses that are not opening for Easter. I cant blame them; things slow right back down after the Easter week, weekends tend to stay good as long as the weather is good. Traffic seems to have picked up a little and since houses are not selling and construction is way down a lot of folks are looking forward to the traffic and hoping for a good season.

I am so over this! Last month I went to Las Vegas and while I was there I saw “Menopause the Musical” and one of the main themes was hot flashes. Well folks ever since I have been home I have been flashing. We are not talking little personal summers, these are events where people look at me rise an eye brow or two and say “you seem to be a little red in the face”. It is said god is a fair and just being but from my point of view as a woman I don’t think so! The sex hormone god gave women causes them endure a “monthly visitor”, child birth and menopause. Men on the other hand get a hairy body(that they are not expected to shave), a deep voice and a desire to play paint ball…… Oh.. I forgot when they get older they also get an enlarged prostate that restricts the flow of pee….. never mind I’ll keep the hot flashes.

I took a quick trip up to the mountains this week. I Left my house here on the beach at 5am Thursday so that I could meet with a few excavators that afternoon. The meetings went too well; now I have to choose between two very nice and capable men. I think I will be going with the one with the bigger equipment. I have some rock that has to be moved and he can do it one way or the other. The other guy is “almost” sure he can do it and unfortunately I can’t afford to “try and see”. My gut says he can do it my pocket book says don’t take the chance I can’t afford to pay twice.

While I was up there I took a ride into Floyd and took care of some other “house” business and then went on ahead and introduced myself to Doug Thompson of http://www.blueridgemuse.com/. I have been visiting his blog for a few years now. He has a photo shop and show room in the Village Green in down town Floyd. Mr. Thompson is a very nice soft spoken man not at all as scary as his writing makes him seem be. He has an obvious love for his wife Amy and her work; she is also a photographer. He seems to appreciate the other photographers and artist in the area giving me the names and shop locations of a few of them. I will be sure to check them out next time I’m in town.

I left for home this morning (Friday) at around 6:30am. I have so much to do here that I had to come home. Of course the weather here on the beach has been just great. I hope it holds up for the “Kelly’s St Patrick’s day parade” this Sunday. It’s the largest St. Patrick’s parade in North Carolina and it happens rain or shine the Sunday before St Patrick’s Day every year. A few folks I know will be enjoying a picnic while they watch the parade. Around here its just as much fun to watch the spectators as it is to watch the participants. This is one of those bring the kids, bring the dogs, come as you are or get dressed up kind of events. This is a good site for up coming Outer Banks events http://www.outerbanks.org/

I let the dogs sleep on my bed last night, something I seldom ever do, but I have been neglecting them as of late so I acquiesced to their whines and let them on the bed. It was a fitful night, I’m not use to sharing my bed, which convinced me that if I am ever fortunate enough to find the perfect man I’m gonna have to get a bigger bed.

This morning I also woke up to the first day of daylight savings time, an interesting twist on time suggested by Ben Franklin in the 1700's and first introduced to the American people in 1918 as a way to increase leisure time and maybe save a little energy. I had not reset the clocks last night so this morning I have been quietly turning clocks ahead. Some of the energy stealing gadgets I have, you know the ones with the little green lights that are always on using a trickle of power all the time, had already changed their time. I know I should unplug or at least connect all these devises to power strips that can be easily turned off but the DVD recorder has to be reprogrammed every time it’s unplugged and I’ve gotten use to the convenience of just picking up a remote and just turning one of the gadgets on from any where in the room, in other words I’m lazy. With the ever increasing cost of energy I need to get un-lazy; I’ll put that on my list.

Another thing I woke up to today was a change in the weather. We have had GREAT weather here on the Banks. Mild temperatures and just the right amount of rain, I had to cut my grass last week and will need to cut it again soon. Yesterday nature let us know that a change was in the air. We had torrential rain followed by a fierce wind and sound side flooding. This morning the wind has let down a bit but the temperature has dropped. I don’t think I will be outside much today. It is only beginning March and this change in weather happens every year. That slap in the face by nature that says "get real it’s not spring yet! Did you not listen to that Pennsylvania ground hog? You have a ways to go before spring!" When I let the dogs out this morning all I could say was burrrr.

Well time to go. I don’t know what I’m gonna do today but I gotta go do it.

There was a little problem starting the plane then...... a little problem landing but we got home safe!

The Grand Canon from the Colorado River

Ok I like Star Trek...... alot

Mom & Elvis

I don’t know where this month has gone. In less than 15 minutes from now it will be March 1^st. It has been a busy February for me. Most of it has been spent getting my house ready to sell. I put a FSBO sign on the front lawn on the 23^rd.

I did get away this month to Las Vegas and I must say that I had a pretty good time. My mother, sister-n-law and I went together. My sister-n-law and I went the Grand Canon on one of the tours that let you fly in on a plane, take a helicopter down to the bottom and then take a short boat trip along the Colorado river. I had a blast. The day would have been perfect if it had not been for the “precautionary landing” we made on the way back to Vegas. We were not sure if the landing gear was down and locked. Oops. Of course while I was in Vegas I could not resist getting my picture taken with a Klingon at the Star Trek Experience and mom got her photo taken with Elvis.

Well gotta go the house is going to be shown tomorrow and I have been cleaning all day. I’m beat and want to say hi to my bed

Folks its February 6^th, 8:00 in the morning and I am wearing a tank top, shorts and flip flops. It is 65 degrees out side right now and it is forecast to reach 73 degrees today. Yesterday we broke the record with 72 degrees. I don’t like being hot but I have been able to get a lot of yard work done and that’s a good thing.

My boys have been enjoying the surf, #2 son was out early yesterday and has gone out again today. Wet suite or not you would not get me out in the ocean in February but those surf Nazis will go out anytime the weather and surf are good.

Tomorrow we will be back to seasonable weather with temperatures in the 50’s.

Well back to work