New Appliances

Finally! I got my new washer hooked up today thanks to my great neighbors. They had to come over to help me get it into the house. I had to run a metal dryer vent under the house, as the plastic one I had can't be used with the new dryer. What a creepy job going under my house. I had my neighbors stand outside the opening while I was under there...just as a security measure. It's just so creepy under there and there is no way to get out fast. I hate bumping into snake skins; I'd rather see a live snake.

Here is my new washer and dryer...nothing fancy but they will get the job done!


The opening to the crawl space...


Going in...


Under the house - yuk!



The new vent...



Speaking of snakes, I was very sad to discover that I had created a death trap for my friends, the black snakes, behind the barn. There was an old piece of deer netting tangled behind some boards under some honeysuckle. I knew I had smelled a dead critter and suspected it was a black snake but couldn't find it. Well, something caught my eye day before yesterday and upon examination I found not one, but three large snakes, all dead. Poor things were trying to make their way inside the barn where I welcome them for keeping copperheads away and taking care of some of the million tiny field mice in there.

I had the very unpleasant task of cleaning up the tangled netting and snakes, but managed to take care of it by holding my breath a lot and getting it all stuffed into a big plastic bag. I'll seal it up really well and take it to the dump tomorrow so nothing else gets tangled. This is the fourth incident I've had with snakes getting tangled in the netting, so I won't be using anymore of it.

I'm exhausted but home today taking care of some minor repairs around the house, thanks to Blair. She ripped off part of the molding and new tiles in my recently repaired laundry room. Plus, she ripped off part of the molding in the master bedroom, so I'll have to fix that before next week too. My mom and sis are coming for a visit and this is giving me the incentive to finally get those things taken care of. Plus, I want to finish the Penn State wall hanging so I can give it to my vet tomorrow.

Try to stay cool - it's an impossibility here these days!!!

Friday Night Sew In and An Evening Visitor

I'm posting my Sew In picture a little early. I actually finished the embroidery last night and won't have a chance to work on it again till at least Sunday. Now I just have to add the borders and sew it together. I've got the hardest part finished.

I think I'm going to make the borders blue with white squares in each corner and put a blue paw print in each of them. Then I think I'll just stipple quilt it.



I had the sweetest little visitor last evening. Just as I was closing the barn, I noticed a box turtle. How in the world she got into the pasture is beyond me because she's larger than the spaces in the fence. I was concerned that the chickens and geese would torment her so I carried her out of the pasture in the direction she was headed. Before I took her all the way over there, I gave her a very ripe banana that was destined for the compost bin, and also a little drink of water. She was very thirsty!


It's important to know that if you ever stop to help a turtle across a road to always put them in the direction they were headed. Several times I've passed a turtle on the road only to take the next exit, turn around and then head back up the road till I spot it. Then I'll put it in my car and drive up to the next exit and loop back to the oppossite side of the highway where it was headed.

If you don't do this, they will only try to cross the road again and probably get squished. I'm sad every time I see a squished turtle and always try to stop if at all possible.

It's been another scorcher here today and some of the customers at Lowes are so rude. I don't know if it's the heat or what. A lot of the customers are very nice though and for the most part I enjoy ringing them up. I especially like all the military that come through - Fort Bragg is just down the road about 30 minutes.

I bought my new washer tonight and have wrestled the old one out into the driveway. The new one is setting on my patio waiting for my neighbors to help me get it into place - hopefully tomorrow before I go back to Lowes.

I hope you have a nice day tomorrow. I can't wait to get home already and I haven't even left yet!

TTFN!

She Came, She Saw, She Conquered!

Meet Ronnie, the yellow jacket destroyer!




Here she is all suited up and ready to go!


First she sprayed some aerosol stuff


Then she used a puffer and dusted the nest and bees really well. Boy, were they angry!




It only took her a few minutes to do what she needed to. She told me to stay away from the patio for a couple of days.

And if that wasn't enough excitement, my dryer died! Fortunately, I had enough cash saved from house cleaning and working for Gail to buy the cheapest one at Lowes. My washer and dryer are over 20 years old and I knew they wouldn't last much longer. I just told Gail yesterday while cleaning her house that my washer wasn't far behind and low and behold, it croaked last night with a load of dog towels in it. It looks like there is mud in it and the agitator won't work. Since it's $80 just to have a guy come and look at it, I'll figure out a way to buy a new washer as well. Goodness knows with a house full of critters that I can't be without a washer and dryer!!

I'm glad I know how to handle money as well as I do. I've been out of work for 16 months and have still managed to pay for an expesive air conditioner repair last summer, a major car maintenance bill and new tires, go to a quilt show and have some fun, and now buy two new appliances. Of course, I had to take some money from my retirement funds for little Princess' surgery so I can't count that one.

I am a survivor and should be more proud of myself for what I continue to do without a permanent, full time position.

It is blistering hot here today and Alissa is with me. We are going to paint some concrete stepping stones - in the house of course. We're not going out for anything today!!

Have a great day everybody!

Former Foster Critters

I was looking for an especially pretty picture of my Princess to put on my sidebar and came across several of my former foster critters. I've got tons of Princess pics, but they weren't taken with a digital camera. Once I ever get my scanner connected to the 'puter, I'll be able to share all kinds of pictures with you.

The hound in this picture is Chance. He's an American Foxhound and was my last foster dog. He was found starving in the mountains. His front teeth were ground down to nubs, probably from chewing on a chain link dog pen.

Chance really didn't want to do anything but eat and sleep and could care less about the other dogs and cats. If he saw a deer outside, he'd go beserk though. He went through training and became a certified therapy dog and is now living happily ever after!!


Leo was my last foster kitty and he and Topaz were best buds. He was another cat that my friend, Gail, trapped at the shopping center where her shop is. He was incredibly beautiful and I wanted to keep him but didn't. His coat was as soft as a bunny! He was adopted through Marley's Cat Tales.


This is Jade, a beautiful American Staffordshire. He belonged to a friend's daughter but wasn't getting the exercise he needed so I brought him home with me. He got adopted almost immediately by a couple who adored him.





This is a poor dog I found chained to a tree, starving and with a bloody tail. I couldn't keep her and took her to my vet to be euthanized, but one of the technicians took her in as a foster. She has been named Lola and is still looking for a perfect home. I don't have an updated picture, but I can tell you she is unrecognizable now!!!



There was a story on the news yesterday about the Durham SPCA, which has more than 100 cats in their care now and the number is rising daily. They are only equipped to take care of about 60 cats and are now making the difficult decision of which innocent kitties will be euthanized. PLEASE spay/neuter your pet and encourage others to do so as well!!!. Pet overpopulation is a problem that can be prevented. I know it's expensive, but there are several programs to assist with the cost.

I hope you all have a good day today :)

Garden Friends

I love these little guys - anole lizards. They are all around the house and are so pretty when they turn green. It's tough to get pictures of them though, as they run when they see me. I was able to snap this little guy while he was still brown. He's on one of my porch posts that needs replacing (pressure treated lumber that rotted!!).



I was sad to discover that the beautiful mockingbird eggs have been abandoned. I've got resident mockingbirds, so not sure what happened. I want so badly to blow out these lovely eggs but don't know if they are partially formed or what.



I've also got an abandoned wren nest with three eggs next to my patio. They have definitely partially formed because I can see a dark spot through the shells, which would be the eye of the baby bird. Likely dingbat Zoe killed the mama :(

But, I did discover another nest - one I've never had in the yard before. Do you see mama woodthrush?





If I get an opportunity, I'm going to take some pictures of her eggs and babies when they hatch. The nest is up a little high for me though and I don't want to upset her.

My Princess insists on being by my side at all times, even outside in the horrible heat. Flies pestered her all day and she was hot but would bark and bark when I put her inside. So as not to upset her, I let her stay with me all day. We didn't come in till after 8 o'clock last night. Poor baby is exhausted and stiff; her arthritis is really showing these days. (I know just how she feels!)


Bee update: I was able to destroy the yellow jacket nest by the driveway, since there wasn't a lot of foliage around it. I used two cans of Spectracide wasp and hornet spray and bombarded them. They are gone! But the other nest on the patio will be taken care of by an exterminator next Wednesday. She'll have to wear a bee suit and will be here at 7:30 a.m. before the little buggers start buzzing around. I'll try to get some pictures, from a safe distance of course.

A special thanks to Marnie who figured out what my picture loading issues were. Somehow my loading preferences changed and I just didn't think to check them. Thanks, Marnie!!

It's going to be another horribly humid and hot day here today. I'm so thankful for air conditioners!!! Have a good day everybody!

Another Wierd Bird Encounter...and Bees!

Did I mention last week that I heard what sounded like a baby bird in the garage? That prompted me to clean out the garage on my day off last week and I never did find it. So...I thought it must have been outside. Well I found it yesterday. It was all tangled up in a vine near the eave of the garage and had died. It was a little fledgling finch and I felt horrible. If only I had looked outside. Poor little baby.

I've been working hard on the yards trying to make them look as tidy as I want them to look. I don't know why I try because I'll never accomplish it - not with this much to take care of. Still, I worked outside all day Tuesday in 98 degree heat and got a lot done. I broke down (finally) and bought several bags of nice, dark mulch and got most of one bed done. What a difference it makes! I bought enough to finish the rest of this bed.



I'm very pleased with my crepe myrtle. I planted it two years ago (?) and it's grown really fast just like I had hoped. The sunflower was planted by a kind bird.

This is my chaste tree, which has also gotten really big.




Here are a few of my daylillies. I have quite a few varieties, most of which I brought with me when I moved 10 years ago.






Note the outline of each petal with the burgundy color!




And this is my cart of begonias that sits to the right of the stairs going up my front porch. It's never looked as good as it does right now :)


I've been paying close attention to the bees. I've got tons of bumbles and I'm happy to report that I've also got several honeybees. There must be a hive somewhere nearby in the woods because they are always toward the back of my property.

I've gotten stung twice this week - two days in a row - by yellow jackets. I hate those things. They are down right MEAN! While watering, I discovered the hard way that there is a nest in one of the planters on the patio. I was watering and thought there was a horse fly buzzing around my head when all of a sudden there were several. One little b-----d landed right on my chest and stung me! They chased me in the house and were pounding on the storm door!

The night before that, I got a nasty sting near my waist while watering the bed next to the driveway. The venom from that creature has drifted across half my stomach and itches beyond bellief. I've been taking Benadryl and other antihistamines and it's easing up a bit, but I wake up several times a night scratching like crazy. Needless to say, I've called a professional exterminator who will be coming tomorrow to assess and destroy (I hope).

Once again my pictures are squished. Sharon, I tried loading the pics first but that didn't make a difference. I think I'll switch to the "new and improved" blogger editor for my next post. Hope I don't mess things up too much.

I Can't Stop!

Gardening, that is. I've been a gardener since I was little...love to plant and tend to my gardens. I've certainly created a monster here, but it is so pretty. The plants will all be fried in a few weeks due to the heat of summer, but I'm sure enjoying the fruits of my labor these days.

I've been using Liquid Fence to keep the deer off my hydrangeas and daylillies and it seems to be working really well, with a few exceptions. A lot of my daylillies have had their buds nipped off, so I won't be seeing them bloom this year.



And darned if they didn't eat two of my tomato plants! Last year, I only got two little tomatoes from four plants!



I've been steadily working on my All Dressed Up quilt blocks. I'm able to get one block appliqued each lunch/dinner break. I can't stand just sitting listening to other employees talk trash. At least this way, I feel like I'm using my time being productive with something I enjoy. It feeds my soul.



I've also started the thank you gift for my wonderful vet; this is as far as I've gotten. I cut the blue banner a tiny bit too short and will patch it up tonight or tomorrow. Then the hard part begins - making the lion's head.



I cleaned out my nasty garage while I was off and uncovered a little fountain I bought years ago. I thought the pump had died, but low and behold, it still works so I hooked it up and am now enjoing it on my front porch. I love the sound of trickling water.



I don't know why my words are squished against the pictures; everything is spaced correctly in my post. Oh well!

Standing on my feet in one spot for hours on end is already starting to bother my lower back. I bought some new (and better quality) tennis shoes with more support to try to help my feet more too. They work us crazy hours. I worked eight days in a row and then off for a couple. Now back today and I don't know what my schedule is for the coming days, but will find out soon enough. It's hard on the poor dogs when I'm gone from 1 - 11 p.m. but they are going to have to deal, just like me.

Gotta run...lots to do before heading to Lowes!

Freshly Mown

With all the rain we've been having the last couple of weeks, it's been hard to keep up with the mowing. I did get my front yard mowed last evening after work. Even though it's nothing more than field grass, it looks pretty right after I mow it. It's nice to look through pictures of my property and watch it go from an empty field to this.



My hydrangeas look better than they have in years :)







I have the prettiest bee balm this year and the bumble bees love it. I haven't seen a single honeybee anywhere on my property. The other night there was a documentary on PBS and they said that 90-95% of all wild honeybees have been wiped out. If we see any, they are likely from a farmer's hive somewhere.



A little while ago while watching a movie I rented, I saw a doe walk right by the window. I wish I had my camera ready because right by her heels was a tiny fawn - the first one I've seen of the season. It was so incredibly precious trotting along with her...a little unsure of its steps. I doubt it weighed 15 pounds! What a precious site it was to me.

Memorial Day Post

"I am proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!"

These are the beginning words from the famous song by Lee Greenwood - a song that gives me goose bumps every time I hear it.

I'm very patriotic and have a small flag hanging from my passenger visor in the car. I also have two small flags at the beinning of my driveway, which stay up all year long. My big flag got ripped over the winter and I haven't been able to replace it yet, but will in the near future. I love our flag and what it stands for and honor the men and women who fight or have fought to keep our freedom.

Seems like peoples from every country are struggling with horrible issues, us included, but I know the United States of America will always be a great country because of the people who are willing to serve and sacrifice for our ideals.

God bless them all. I thank them when I see somebody in uniform. Get some weird looks back sometimes, but I want them to know.

A Fairy Garden and A Frugal Tip

I wish I was clever enough to think of some words that begin with the letter F to begin this post...but my creativity lies in other areas. :)

I've been wanting to make a fairy garden with Alissa for a long time. Well a week or so ago, we finally got to make one. I already had this hose tub ($18 from WalMart) that I used to have a little water feature in. The seal wouldn't stay in place and the water kept draining out so I drilled holes in the bottom of it and turned it into a planter. I got several little plants the last day I was working at Big Bloomers (Gail's nursery) and Alissa and Laura just happened to be at the house when I got home, so we all three got to help create this cute garden. The little birdhouse was $1 from Michaels and I used the spray paint left over from Laura's glass bird feeder, which coordinated with the foxglove perfectly.




We made the fairies a little pond out of a sunken baby food jar; Alissa put the blue stone in it to make it show up a little better. I made the little arbour out of some twigs and placed it over the stone pathway. They even have a stone patio area!

We had fun making a little world for some lucky fairies. I haven't seen them but surely a couple have set up housekeeping. We're going to make some more later on. The patio is now a shady area perfect for some magical beings to live.

Now on to the frugal tip. I spend a lot of time cleaning...mostly the floors. Rarely do I miss a day of running the vacuum cleaner, especially in the kitchen. I used to "mop" the floor with an old towel on my hands and knees but that about killed my knees, so I broke down and bought a Clorox mop. I really like it - it's quick and easy to use, but I hate buying those boxes of "mops". I try to stay away from using disposable stuff, but sometimes you can't get away from them.

Well, I kept thinking about what I could use instead of the disposable things and came across these dishrags at WalMart. I think they were $5 for the package of four, so I kept two and gave the other two to Laura.


I want to tell you that these things work GREAT! They are thicker than the disposable things and they do a much better job of cleaning. Plus, you just toss them in the washer with your laundry and use them again and again!

Note the handy twist tie keeping the little squirter in place? I can jerry-rig about anything if necessary!

Well, I've ridden my bicycle for an hour this morning and mowed the field and two side areas of the property. The floors have been cleaned (toilets and sinks can wait) so now I'm headed to my sewing machine. I've started that special thank you wall hanging for my wonderful vet, plus I just had a super idea while mowing (heat does stranges things to me). I can't wait to get started on it.

I'll leave you with pictures of my Princess' neck. The first picture is when the bandage came off 10 days after her surgery. The second is today - all healed and waiting for her pretty white hair to grow back in. She's doing super!

Friday Night Sew In

Hi folks!

I've been stitching in between doing a lot of yard work the last few weeks. I finally finished the 2nd Catalicious block and still need to get busy with block #3.


Last night I worked on my latest project - the All Dressed Up quilt by Freda's Hive. I purchased this pattern last year and have been wanting to get started on it ever since. It's a nice project to work on when I have time or feel like stitching something a little different. I'll post updates as my work progresses on it.


I hope you are all having a nice weekend. It's been a hot day here and Gail doesn't use A/C much in their home, so I did some sweating while cleaning. Maybe I lost a few ounces :) She gave me starts of a few plants from her yard, so I had to rush home and plant them. I've already had my dinner, shower and am in my pj's listening the A Prairie Home Companion before my BritComs start at 8. Tomorrow is all mine and I've got tons of cleaning, sewing and yard work to get done. There just aren't enough hours in a day!!

Now to fix a nice glass of delicious iced tea (my favorite refrshment) and some stitching while listening to, and watching my favorite night of entertainment!

TTFN

Catching Up

Yay! I've got my trusty computer back with all the software I need. Now I can post some pictures I've been taking for the last few weeks and haven't been able to share.

First, this one is gross but really funny. I baked a pizza in the oven for supper a while back and burned it a little. I ate what I could and put the rest out on the front porch, intending to throw it in the trash. As usual, I got busy with things and forgot about it. By the time I remembered to toss it in the trash, it was dark. What a silly sight to see all the little slugs having their very own pizza party on my porch!

I wasn't going to mess with the plate - slugs gross me out! So, I left it where it was and went on to bed. The next morning there was nothing on the plate. I don't know what critter visits at night, but it had a pizza party too...probably a racoon or possum.

Next up, look what I have in my little Japanese maple tree...a mocking bird nest complete with three sweet eggs. Aren't they pretty?!?


I've been riding my bicycle - not every day as I wanted to, but frequently and for at least 30 minutes...usually longer. I've also been taking magnesium citrate and between the two changes, am feeling better physically. I've even lost almost five pounds, which I'm very happy about! I've lost some of my appetite and just don't feel like eating. This seems to happen to me periodically and I am always glad when it does.

I've got more catching up to do with you, but need to get a few things done around here before it gets too late. I will post more tomorrow evening.

TTFN!

Starting All Over

Hi everybody,

I hope all of you are well and having a good start to summer, even though it's still technically spring. It sure has felt like summer here with the heat and complete lack of rain. Thank goodness we finally had rain yesterday and it will continue today!

Now for some positive news! As of late this week, I will be an employee of Lowes Home Improvement! I interviewed last Thursday for an entry level cashier position and got it. The pay is very low, but the important thing is that I will have insurance after 90 days - just in the nick of time since my COBRA is ending the end of July. I'll only be without insurance for a couple of weeks and then Lowes benefits kick in.

The pay isn't something that will make my house payment, so I will be dependent on drawing from my retirement funds. I'll never recover the money but am thankful that I gave till it hurt for so many years. I have access to enough funds to last me through this year if I'm very careful. Surely the economy will be better by then!

I'm encouraged because I was told that the store is making some changes (they couldn't go into details) and that I will be moved into a position that is a better fit for my background. Now that I have a job of my own at a place that I'm comfortable in, it's easy to pretend that life is normal again.

With this change in my life, my attitude has already changed for the better. I have already started taking better care of myself and my health. I bought a bicycle Saturday and have enjoyed riding it for the last two days. I started a log with my weight and how many miles I ride and am looking forward to seeing some good results. Yesterday, I rode for six miles and I feel a new sense of determination that I haven't had in a very long time.

My computer is in the hospital being repaired by a friend. I don't know what happened but I lost MS Outlook....all my contacts and more importantly, my job search records for the last 16 months. I sure hope he can restore all my records. In the mean time, I'm using my little Netbook and since it doesn't have Kodak software on it, I can't share pics. I have lots to catch up on and will post pictures as soon as I get the computer back home though.

I hope you all have a good day today and be thankful for what you have!

TTFN