Ground hog day

  The ground hogs think we will have an early spring but I disagree. We have been about a month behind since last fall. I figure that we will have winter until sometime in April. Just been such a mild winter and I've enjoyed it. Having a cold front coming in with a lot of wind is reminding everyone that it is still on the calendar.
  We had a really nice weekend with a visit from my sister and brother in law. He came up to help Tim with work on the tractor. They couldn't find the right part though so we are still broke down. Maybe this weekend.....Then on Sunday our son was able to come by for a nice long visit. A little catch up was great!
  I was able to catch the horses all taking their nap at the same time! Doesn't happen very often that someone doesn't stay "on watch".
 

Here's George and Hannah sharing a crate for their evening nap.

  One of the family's nephews by choice has had a heart attack! He has had a stent put in the completely blocked artery and rooted the other. No damage to heart thank goodness. Good grief, he and his family have been through so much the past few years and now this. I'm sure they will get through this too but it just doesn't seem fair. 

   My great nephew is out of the hospital and has returned to work from a partially collapsed lung! No injury or accident, just spontaneous crap! Life never ceases to amaze me! 

 This is for my sister...she can make her husband crazy when she tells him she has a new idea! haha He just loves her redneck hillbilly ways. She does enjoy teasing him. 

 You all have a diamond day! 

  

October is almost over

and it still feels like summer. It's wonderful but weird. Guess I should check for drafts more often. Just published another draft I did not finish but hit it anyway.
  The fall weather has finally arrived. I had to put a jacket on to do chores this a.m. and did a little cleaning in the shop with a flannel shirt on and long pants. What a horrid mess it is out there. Looks like a hoarder lives there. Of course there was two complete households moved here over 10 years ago along with a lot of stuff from a third household! So much crap and other stuff. I'm determined to get it cleaned and organized again. I say again because I have cleaned it several times over the years. It just gets away from me and others haha. I will have quite a collection of tools when I am done. Years ago I told Tim that from then on when I had to clean up tools laying around that they would become mine. I have several tool boxes now. Gonna add to that number again.

  I heard from one of my son's half sisters this a.m. on fb chat. She's a sweet thing with a five yr old son that is sure a cutie. I think Glenda Kay did very well by her from what I can tell. It was nice of her to take the time and say hi.

  "A" came up yesterday so I could help with some computer troubles. He had called on Friday afternoon to make it sure we would be home. It took several hours and the dang thing never actually finished doing what we were trying to do. They left here with comps in hand and still going. He is supposed to update me this a.m.. may or may not have to finish the help by way of telephone. Oh, was able to find a home for a couple of my extra houseplants too! One of my big ones and one of my African violets. Also a start of my jade plant. It was just some trimmings. A few years ago I split one of the philodendrons into 3. Now I have one, my sister another and her best friend has the third.

This was taken before I split it up. I have had this plant for 35 years! I am always surprised that it has survived so much neglect. For many years it died back each winter due to the lack of light and water but the last few I have been able to do better with the poor thing. lol 

  It's really foggy this morning. Can hardly see across the road. It's the first day of November now. But the sun will shine today and life is good. Hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween last night or whenever they celebrated. We do not ever have trick or treaters as we have always lived in the country. I do miss seeing the kids. Our local square decided last year to stop their tradition of a parade and distributing candy for the county kids. I did notice in the local paper that a handful of folks on the square were still going to give out candy. Hope it was successful.

End of January 2016!

  Well, seems the time got away from me, as always. Some of it is actually there is nothing new or different going on......that's most of it when push comes to shove.

  My wonderful honey had these delivered on my birthday: 62 of them !

  I don't remember if I ever mentioned the fact that after 37 years I cut all my hair off. I really liked it short but I just didn't feel comfortable with it. Don't mean literally comfortable because it was great...never in the dishwater, not under me or my honey while sleeping or blowing in my face during outside chores but just don't have the face for a "boy cut"...haha   I am growing it back out. Haven't cut it in almost a year except to try and catch up the layers. Gonna take FOREVER! 

Here's a few pictures from the last few months:

  

  still have grass in November! 

Last of the hollyhocks first wk of Nov

waiting on one of those birds to come down a little closer

Sheba likes to "hide" under the houseplant. Crazy thing.

     My braided redbud trees. It's about 3 years old now. It's fun watching it grow.  I braided three seedlings together coming up through the bricks.

 
   The winter has been really mild and I've enjoyed that immensely. The older I get the less I like to doing chores in the winter time. Too dang much trouble bundling up! Today it's 51* and sunny! I had a visiting cat this afternoon! A very handsome looking Siamese mix came calling on my back porch! My neutered male was not a happy guy. I tried to scare him away and that took some doing. He did make out to the edge of the yard but on this side of the fence... dang it. The dog didn't even scare it away. I don't want my dogs to get a hold of it (don't want them killing anything besides varmints) and don't want my poor George to get beat up.

  I have added two borders to a quilt top that my aunt made and gave me. It will be a large king by the time I'm done with it. Maybe Tim and I will have enough to cover us after the dogs take their share! I'm anxious to get it ready to quilt. Hand quilting is relaxing for me. Almost as much as basket making.

  Guess I better quit. Have a diamond day!

It's fall!

  How does the time go by so quickly? A few things have changed around here. Tim has a new job. One he's been been trying to get for awhile. A driving job again but not over the road. We didn't want to do that at this point in our lives. When we were young it was fine. Anyway....now the job is two things he has always made fun of. JB  and chicken haulers. So he's drives for JB and contracts to live haul chickens for George's ....ha! It's working out great so far. Good wages and day shift for the most part. It is flexible so the start times vary from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m....throws my day to day schedule into a spiral but what the heck. I've not got anything else to do. He is really enjoying it. He is at work within 3-4 minutes from leaving! First time that has ever happened. We have always lived in the country and he had to commute for at least half an hour and up to 2 hrs 15 min. . It is really nice.
  Just found another old post that was sitting in drafts. Hit publish after glancing at it. Probably repeating myself. Some days are stones. lol

The heat is on......

beginning week two three of high temps and high humidity. Whew! Trying to get yard work done in this heat is tough on an old lady. Can work a couple of hours very early in the morning and then I'm done. That's okay. I'm grateful that I can do that.
  Got the back yard mowed this morning and the rest of the chores done and back in the house by 9 a.m... a little worried about Buck's feet. Goodness, poor old fella has had a couple of cracks in the front hooves and now they have worn off and they seem so short. They don't seem to be bothering him at all but wow! they look so short. He is such a sweety.
  Continued from over a month ago. Just found this in my drafts. 8-28-2015

  I'd like to say that I've been too busy to post but I'd be lying. Just haven't had anything to say. Trying to keep ahead of the yard in between the rain and the heat. Tim changing jobs and the stress that crap brings to my head haha.....I am so relieved that he is no longer having to breathe that toxic air 10-12 hours a day! Back to where he wants to be- driving. This flexible swing shift is kinda weird after 13 years of getting up at 3:30-4:00 a.m. . now it's different every day. One day he has to be there at noon, another day 1 and then this morning it was 6:30! It's now 9 pm and he isn't back yet. Go truckers! lol He may have to work tomorrow (Sat) which is unusual for them to run a weekend shift. It could be so much worse. Could be that he had to go back over the road. I'm tickled to death we were able to hold out til he could get this job.

End of the month.....how can that be?

    My goodness how time flies...that's what "they" always say. Well, it does fly by way too quickly the older you get. Not enough hours in the day to get it all done since it takes us old folks so long to get stuff done!

 This is not a 6 legged, 2tailed dog. Hannah is hiding behind Sam. 

 Sun coming up. So beautiful out there. 

 Had enough plums to make a small batch of jelly! 

 Wind knocked my calla lily over but it still looks so neat. 

 Our first full size hazelnut! Not very many at all but it's a start. 

  It is already 7:30 and I've not gotten a thing done except eat breakfast and answer a few emails and spent about 15 minutes on fb. Have plums to pick, horses to water and one to feed among other things. I'd like to start on a sewing project but not sure if that will happen. Guess I'd better get after it. You all have a diamond day!  

It's summertime and the living is easy........

  90* with a heat* at our house this afternoon. Whew! Sure hope our weather station is off somehow. lol Thank goodness for the wind blowing. At least it gives the impression of being tolerable out there. I mowed the front yard at 7:00 this a.m. and trimmed the trees in the back after that. Back in the house by 8:45. Mowed the back yesterday morning the same way.

  My hens and chicks are completely bloomed now. Really interesting "flower". Oh, oh.....the stupid Japanese beetles are back for their annual raid on my yard. Have already started on my grapevines. Poor things will probably never have a grape. 

  Tim got the faucet dug up and luckily it was only needing an adjustment! Didn't even have to dig it completely out. Haven't put the dirt back yet. Waiting to make sure it will hold up before burying it again. Using the yard faucet for now with the garden hose. No problem in the summer time. 

  Had a nice visit with my sister this a.m. too. Hope they get a handle on her health troubles soon. Hope she has less pain soon as possible. At least she has more energy! Yay! Wish I did. Been up since 3:30 and can hardly stay awake......been 12 hours. Seems I was able to stay up longer than that a few years back. 

  Having trouble uploading photos. Was going to share my lilies. Maybe tomorrow. There are a lot of them blooming now. Not quite all of them. Looks pretty. 

  Gotta go. You all have a diamond day!