Giving Thanks

The day begins with breakfast, and then running the dogs. Belle blends beautifully with the leaves, and the creek is running with all the rain we have had.But today is sunny and the mercury is creeping up to the mid 60's. Perfect.

Hard to believe that I still have flowers on Thanksgiving day. This is a winter blooming Camellia

and it is loaded with honey bees.
The roses have such pretty new growth..to trim or not to trim...

We headed to the Lake, Smith Mountain Lake, to our friends Ruth and Bob Eaken. They were instrumental in our coming here in the first place, as they are also Keys residents. They have a lovely place right on the water, and the day was picture perfect and so was the food. We were joined by Candy and Tony LaPerna, some other lake friends and long time friends of the Eakens.

Candy broke her foot, and has been hobbling about on cast and crutches, so Ruth opted to host although technically it was Candy's year.

Some Lake 'effects' from the back porch of the Eaken's.

The loons made their appearance and a few fish leaped out and gave the fisherman the raspberry.

You can tell the shadows are long, and the winter sun is low and thick.

The little titmice are quite tame and weren't put off by my presence.

The living room has this awesome view framed by a bank of windows from peak to floor.

The weeping willow holds its golden leaves.


Last minute warming, wine and early Christmas gifts..Candy rests her wounded paw.

Annie, the Eaken's yellow Lab, loved the attention and the company and showed off her toy. Shes very well mannered and a real social girl.

Cheers!

Thank you Ruth and Bob, and Candy and Tony for a lovely Thanksgiving !

Time is flying by,actually.

The frost has come. Mornings are cold and windshields need scraping.

The last of my roses have bloomed and been cut.

The last of the tomatoes are picked and the vines pulled for mulch. Miss them already.

Caines visit last weekend was fun and tiring. He is easily amused at 3 1/2, and he still loves his wonder horse 'Tex'.

Bath time with nice fragrant bubbles and lots of cups and things to pour and repour. He was in bed at about 7:30 and asleep by 8 pm. Worn out from all the fresh air, belly full, warm bath and a sippy cup of milk. Life is good.

Granpa helps get him dressed in the morning..

Riding with Grandma..one of his favorite things to do..

Caine and Pop-pop watching the dogs swim in the little pond...

Helping to get hay down for the horses...could take a long time doing it this way..

Ok, this works much better..pretty heavy for a little guy, but his heart is in it!

A busy weekend, and it sure sped by...

He is growing so fast, and talks so plainly now. Actually is one of his new words he seems to use alot. He picks me flowers and tells me stories and loves his books. Love the little guy.

No Mow

Today Bob mowed for about 5 hours to get the grass laid down for winter. We hope... Not for winter, but for the end of mowing, which is endless!
Caine will be coming to visit this weekend, and although he does love the tractor, he isn't much help with mowing. Its too hard to hold him and mow. He will pick up sticks with Pop-Pop and make more rabbitat..(habitat for the rabbits)
He really loves his tv shows, and thats always a good thing for Grandma, because I'm pooped after a week in Kindergarten, and now with Kris in a wheel chair, things are 3 times harder, and I'm getting older daily!

What we need is Adam, our

great-nephew. He loves to mow and he's old enough now to do it by himself! Actually he has his own business up in Massachusetts, called,"Adam's Lawn Enforcement...In pursuit of keeping your Lawn in Line."

His Great -Grandfather would have been particularly proud of him...I know I am.

But that will have to wait til spring when Adam gets to come visit Auntie and Uncle, and run the 4-wheelers and the tractor. I think Bob will save a few weeks mowing for him when he comes.

Right now I know Bobs' hoping to ,

Mow no mow!!!

An ice storm cometh

Today is October 29th. We awoke today to rain and cold, but by the time breakfast was over we found it had started to clear. We loaded up into Sandy and Drupeys van, and headed for a ride on the Parkway. We traveled our usual route through Ferrum, and over Shooting Creek road and hit the Parkway. In the distance I saw what I thought was snow on the far mountain peaks. As we travelled south...yes south, and climbed up to Rocky Knob, we found ourselves in an icy wonderland !
The sky was brilliant, and it was melting fast with chunks of ice coming down in sporadic spots as we travelled along thinking that the windshield might crack!

Some spots would cloud over and dark freaky clouds would roll over us and then there would come splashes of sun. Very wierd !

The distant mountains were frosted looking, with fields of green in the foreground, then areas of browned grass followed by spurts of color on the trees.

What an odd sight... this went on for miles.

At one point we stopped and used the wayside facilities, and it was blowing and cold. Bob posed in this ice pile that was like huge ice rigatoni pasta. It was loud and we didn't stay out near the trees long for fear of getting impaled!

Sandy was back in the van waving...smart lady.

We had wanted to travel North on the Parkway, but decided to go south and go to Meadows of Dan to the Poor Farmers market to have lunch, but THEY ARE NOT HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE. I was never aware of the places we love to go that I hadn't noticed that Sandy could never go and enjoy with us. Very dissappointed with Meadows of Dan stores. We went past to Nancys Candys, and THEY ARE HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE. Kudos to Nancys Candys, and they got a chunk of our money. We also learned at Rocky Knob ranger station that the Parkway was closed above Roanoke, so we did the right thing by going south.

We headed down 58 until we got to the first place that was accessible to Sandy and that was Wendys. Kudos to all the Wendys and shame on so many places for not making their businesses available to the handicapped people who love to travel and sightsee. For some, vehicle trips are their only way to get to do and see what we take for granted.

The icestorm commeth and its not just weather related. I plan to check every place I go to frequently and make sure that they are handicapped accessible, and if they are not, my business will go elsewhere...after I let them know...and a blog will show which ones you are...

the power of the pen, or computer can be very icy...

In the shadows

This morning I arose early, for whatever reason. Probably because Bob is off fishing, and I am home alone, or maybe because I am still sick. I let the dogs out the back way and walked across the back deck to check on Belle and make sure she didn't 'chase' the horses. She just followed Penny towards the fruit trees out back to do her business, and as my eyes adjusted to the early light I saw my horses lying together under their favorite cedar tree. I looked up toward the rising light and saw the shadowy figure of a deer. They are hard to spot in the shadows, and they know they are. This deer just watched me, and didn't seem put off by the dogs or my presence. In a bit it bent its head to eat more of the sunflower seed that are dropped by birds shaking the feeders. I wished once more that I had a camera capable of taking those type of pictures, but since I don't, I went to the Internet to find something comparable to show just how lovely it was, but nothing compared. I did find these photos, and thought they might be of interest to some readers..
This first one was captured on a wildlife camera at about 1 am, according to the person who posted it. What is hard to explain is the child's image in the photo...
Do you believe in... shadows?

This image is so typical of this area and reminds me of what I see almost daily, although this one was clearly shot in Autumn, if you changed the foliage to the different seasons, I see them all.

This is what you see if you have 'Critter eyes'...that's what I have...I see deer and turkey and coyotes in bits and pieces through the woods and grasses. It's a big asset for hunters to be able to see animals like that, but I don't want to shoot them, except with a camera..

As the sun comes up or goes down, the deer will head to the hollows and then the woods for cover. Bob and I have ridden through our trails with the dogs running ahead of us, and we have seen deer lying down or standing just a few feet from where we pass by. The trick is being able to spot them. They will stay if they are secure in the shadows, knowing that they are hidden, not seen by the intruders.

We all hide in the shadows, watching the world and hoping the intruders will pass on by. My cousin Laura passed away last week. She had cancer. She was only 68. She was a wife/mother/friend and writer. There are so many who will miss her, and think of her as I did this morning while watching that graceful deer in the morning shadows.

But remember, there are also dangers hiding in the shadows. Cancers hide in shadows. Belle,my Aussie dog had a tumor removed last week. The vet called and said it was not malignant.Quarrie,our big grey cat-who-thinks-he's-a-dog,had a tooth removed and the swelling was questionable. It's gone, and he seems fine.

Exhale.

I have a breast exam every year, and I am overdue for one. Today I will make the appointment for my mammogram, and hope that the shadowy images will hide no cancer.

Are you in the clear?

Why did you do that, Penny?

We were really careful for the last week before Belle's surgery, because the tumor had grown so large we were afraid she might tear the transparent ugly thing open when she ran. So she sported a tee shirt and I added these glasses, they went so well with the purple shirt.
She loved them as you can tell.

Today Belle had her tumor removed, and while Penny was "home alone", she redecorated Belle's sleeping kennel !

She tore the bedding to shreds! What was going through that dogs mind? Ok, I made up some answers I think might have come out of her smiling(toothy grin) she had when I exclaimed,

"Penny, what have you done to Belle's kennel???"

"Mom, I was scared and alone so I went searching for Belle where I smelled her, and I dug and dug, but I couldn't find her!"

or

"That bitch went for a ride with Dad and I couldn't go, so I trashed her kennel".
or

"Those cats made an awful mess even though I tryed to stop them."

Belle is home and the D.r removed the large tumor and a small one that had started on her left shoulder. They are sending the mass in for a biopsy. The Dr. suggested this saying it was very 'funky' looking...his words. Apparently there was alot of blood going to it, so he suggested I keep a tee shirt on her tonight and possibly tomorrow...

Poor Belle, she is drugged to the max, and doesn't seem to want to eat, although she drank half a bowl of water down and had a couple of treats.

She's pathetic. I promised her no more t-shirts, and now she has to wear one again. She's such a good girl..

Meanwhile Quarrie, our cat that had surgery last week for swelling and an infected tooth, seems to be doing really great. He eats well and looks like his old self and is fighting more when he is given his 2x daily antibiotic pill.

Belle will have 2 weeks of antibiotics, 3 days of pain pills and then another vet visit to remove the stitches, which I have not even looked at yet...maybe tomorrow I can stand to peek...makes my stomach flip just thinking about it...

Hope these 2 furry critters will heal and that there is no cancer in either one...only time will tell.

Best friends can be costly

Belle's tumor has grown to the point where her Vet is uncomfortable with it, as she must be. It is right between her front legs, so it does not rub when she runs, but we and the Vet are concerned that she may rupture it while running through the woods chasing things. Today I put a t-shirt on her for her run. I just don't want to take a chance since she will be operated on next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, this week has been a bear. I have pink-eye (conjunctivitis) and have to put drops in my eye every 4 hours. I am allergic to sulphur drugs, so the drops aren't what the Dr. wanted to give me, and aren't as strong, hence the longevity of the cure. My little school mate also has it, and I am sure shared with me...
Quarrie had to have surgery this past week..brought him in because his face was swollen and it wasn't getting better after a couple of days...so Tuesday we brought him in, and Wednesday the took his left canine tooth out, and sent him home with 2 weeks of antibiotics and the question of "is it cancer,or infection?" still unsolved. Only time will tell, and of course we are hoping and praying for it not to be cancer, because that would mean the end for our little 'dog/cat' Quarrie. The only thing to do would be to put him through a lot of radiation down somewhere in N.C., and we not only could not afford that, but also, would not put a 10 year old cat through that hell.
So, we wait and hope. ..He does seem much better, and the swelling is down, and he's eating well and happy since he can now go out doors again!



So now we bring Belle in to go under the knife, and hope and pray that goes well...
I put in eye drops, we both get a pill into Quarrie 2 times a day, and I don't know what the surgery for Belle will bring for at home treatment...
I do know one thing, the Vet bills are tough to take right now, but you do what you have to for your best friends....
Will let you all know what happens ...later.

Paw-Paw fruit

Paw-paw...yum...
Becky brought by a few to melissa and she passed a few on to me...
whats a paw-paw you ask?
here's the link....
Check it out Adam...
Asimina...thats the name of it here,technically.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimina

When traveling through the forests...especially by a creek, you can smell the sweet smell of the fallen and ripe paw-paw fruit...the critters love them...
Bob doesn't.
more for me

Lack of blogs

This is Sam and Izzy..

I just haven't been good about blogging and reading all my friends blogs. Sorry about that. Life seems to get in the way sometimes. Bob had to go south to work and that left me to fend for myself and all the furry critters, and do my full time job as a paraprofessional, a word I am having a tough time getting used to. I am what I would have called a Teachers assistant a while back...but I actually work one on one with a handicapped child plus work with a class of Kindergarten kids. At any rate, this old Gal gets pretty pooped out, and I like to sit and play mindless computer games as a release. Mind numbing. I like it. So , lack of blogs.

We finally got a few days of rain, so our grass is greening up, and softening. It was crunchy. But, that means now we have to mow. Ya just can't win....The creek is up enough so the girls can get wet in several spots, so they are very happy again.

Bob and I are settling back into the work week/weekend routine, so this evening we loaded up the pickup with the trash in the bed of it, and the dogs in the back seat and rode to the trash dumpsters and then had a DQ, and took the'scenic' route home..(back roads)...it amounts to about a 5 -8 mile journey, and we counted 23 deer enroute. I just love that! Deer hunting with only our eyes !

Our neighbors went to Hillsville last weekend, but Bob was expected home and I really had no desire to drive down to where they camped (about 1 1/2 hours one way) so I watered and fed their critters along with mine and stayed home for the Labor Day weekend. When they returned their little girl, whos growing up quick, stopped by to get their mail I had collected for them. There's a couple of pictures of her in her get-up in the start of this blog..She's redneck to the bone... with her ever-present-dog...Izzy.I didn't get the picture of how she came down to get the mail dressed like this. She drove her bicycle, with a childs seat ( a real childs seat) the type that is set behind the bicycle seat above the back wheel... and strapped into it , safety harness and all was Izzy, her little dog...That dog lets Sam do anything to her...she even rides on her pony with Sam. Too much !

She is a hoot!

I will try to be better and blog a little more, and check in on all my blog friends who are so creative and well written...I've been missing hearing from all of you!

Visiting New England

~
The trip North started with Clay and Jan, and jumped around from there. Stayed in Massachusetts, NH and Maine visiting friends and family...I wish I had more time to spend with each one of them, but at least I did get to see them this year.

Mom and I at Wolfboro Bay in N.H., where she lives now.

Mom loved Kim's little poodle Roxie, who is also quite elderly. They hit it off!

My nephew and godson Matt is holding his youngst son,Remington. He's a pistol..(punny)

Mark (baby brother), nephew Matt and niece Katie are tubbing it with an adult libation...good time.

Brother John and sis-in-law Bette's pool with Kate's guy Rob ( back of head), Kate with green bottle, Bette with bottle, Laura(Matts wife) and papa John in background with Remington...Kate and Rob's dog 'Clifford' stalks a floating ball..

John and his favorite blonde(his dog Missy)..

Mom loved the large family visit, and Remington kept her entertained..

Matt's son Luke( with cap) has gotten so tall! Going left is John,Clay,Mom,Matt and Jan's legs and arms..

Another pool day is with Adam, my grandnephew in front,left is Emily and in the green tube her twin Ryan(grand niece and nephews), and cousins in their pool.

While staying with John, Keri and Adam some ferral cats took up residence on their porch..here's the Mom nursing one of her brood.

Back with the twins..

This is Ryan Bemis, my grand nephew. His twin Emily , his Mom Donna and I all went to a state park in Stoughton Mass...hiking and enjoying the day.

Here's a rare shot of Donna and the twins..Donna is the photographer and she is usually taking the pictures!!

Back in NH, we took a little time(brother Mark, sis-in-law Michelle and I) to swim in W. Alton at the town beach.. The Mount Washington cruised by..

Brother Clay and I before getting ready to go see Mom again...

Back at the Moore Farm in Alton, some of the 'ladies' are dining in...

Looking down..

Took a 4-wheel ride up top of the Moore farm with Kim's boyfriend Harry and his grandson, Hayden. This is looking down on Kim's place and the farm.

I'm jumping around picture wise..this is Beaver Falls in Colebrook NH, taken while visiting Elsie and Fred with Mark's wife Michelle.

This is Elsie and her hubby Fred, who still enjoy each other after 53 years of marriage! They are playing the 'Wii", bowling which they do every morning and evening to keep active..not bad for 83 and 81 years young!!

Here's Elsie and I...we are old hunting and fishing buddies...

This is the White Mts. in NH, taken on the way up to Colebrook NH with Michelle.

Another visit day with family and Mom...here Kate sits with Mom..she sang to her, and the other 'inmates' as Mom calls them. Mom's still a hoot..

This is my niece Alanna, taken at Clay and Jan's house in Bridgewater Mass.

Here's Jans birthday present ! A gator to bring down to their Virginia house!!

Here are my niece Alyssa and her friend Mandy with Mandy's Dad teaching them to dive in the pool...The tanks were so big and heavy, Alyssa fell right over !

Two divers...on the steps..they had a blast!

Mandy's Dad and Grandma Jan watch intently as the two swim around like minnows...

I had a great visit..spent time with Kim( no pictures of her or my friend Sandy whom I spent an overnight with, nor Brian,nor John and Keri, or Heather! DUH..)

Saw most of my family and some friends and enjoyed the summer weather in NH, Maine and Massachusetts.

I hope I can do it again soon, but this time I wish my hubby could go as well..

missed him alot.