The Sun.The Moon.Cats don't care.

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Is the sun the first thing we see in a day, or the moon ?

Like a beginning to an end, here is our old cat door being cut away to make room for the new 'dog' door. In the beginning there were cats. Dogs ,once they came, had to ask to go out or in, and cats being what they are, could do whatever they chose..in or out at whim. Then Belle, one of our Australian Shepherds, decided not to be out, and fit her 45 lb. body through the cat door...(after tearing out the plastic flap closure.) We couldn't beleive she did it, so Bob fixed the flap and we left her out the next day. When I came home, Belle was in and Penny was out...the flap was gone again.
So now the cats have a HUGE cat door that the dogs can fit through, and won't unless we are there to tell them to go through the hole....Hence the difference between cats and dogs.


Days end today showed a great sunset with a big orange sun and pink sky over our neighbors new 'shed'. Note the dogs running ahead. We jumped 5 deer so I turned right and went towards the old wooden barn...
...and took another sunset shot of Turkeycock Mountain in the background of what I call the 'flying nun' shed on my neighbors land..come on pine trees...grow back quickly!

Looking in the other direction at our house, was the moon through the branches of the old oaks.

So I went to the 3 acre field for a clearer shot...And I realized the sky was pink around the edges and the moon was rising up full...Looks like it could be a sunrise, with the moon going down. But it's not, and therein lies my origional question...

Do we see the sun or the moon first in a day?

Quarrie, one of our 5 cats, could care less. If it's daylight he catches birds..

if it's moonlight he catches mice and other small furry rodent-type critters..with luck he won't bring them in the dog...I mean , cat door.

And the garden is at its end...

Or is this the beginning of the spring garden ?

The circle has no beginning and no end...

and cats still don't care.

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November Promise

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Can they get any fatter ? My minis look like furry kegs with legs ! They are eagerly awaiting the re-fencing of the greener pasture, the last of the fields.

November is a funny month here in Southern Virginia. Some things are still in bloom, and some are just starting to bloom, like this winter camelia. The flowers remind me of wild roses.

This giant sunflower made it through last nights frost, it was 25 on the porch this morning, but the sun warmed quickly and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue.

This is a picture of the new power lines that are running near our property. This view is from West Vaco looking toward Penhook. It is amazing how quickly the cut went through. No lines are visible yet.

The creek is low now, and some spots looks like a stream of leaves. This big Beech is hanging on to the ever decreasing bank. Each spring the creek swells up and debrie tears down the bank and washes away the soil that the trees hold to. Every year another big tree lays down its fight for footing. I'm afraid this guy isn't too long for the upright world.

November and all the Fall months are the best for me. Some say its morbid, everything is dying. I say its a preparation for life. The leaves come down and supply the soil with cover and food. The flowers die off leaving seeds for the animals and beginnings for new growth in the Spring. The snow will blanket and provide for a rich new start.

I love fall, it's colorful and it smells earthy and rich, and it has promise for a new beginning.
How can promise be morbid ?

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Bright and Sunny

Tomorrow is November 1st, which makes this Halloween...the folliage here is hanging on, although the colors are nowhere near what New England has. Below is a picture of Merry Meeting lake in New Durham N.H. , framed in sugar maples.

Below is a picture I took on the Parkway last weekend, pretty and the sky was that azure blue I remember from the North.There is still quite a bit of green, but today that color is draining away fast. Bob and I just ran the dogs, and it is 70 degrees, sunny and very bright, but that winter sun is starting to thicken, and look more like butterscotch than the summer dazzling white heat. The woods were soft and fragrant with all the downed leaves, and the visibility in the woods is better daily. Today there were several nuthatches playing in the trees. Bob had just come back from getting the tank filled with gas that serves the fireplace, and I have moved my computer to my desk in the fireplce room anticipating a nice warm fire while I play on my computer. The room it was in gets quite cold, which suits Bob well while he watches tv. Now he can turn up the sound, and I won't have to use ear-phones trying not to hear the terrible noises that come from the movies he likes to watch. You know, the ones filled with sounds of moans and beatings and sirens and screams. I hate those movies, but he eats 'em up, so my love....have at it ! Iris will be stretched on the rug near the fire and I will be near enough to feel its warmth.

Here is a picture of the darlings in our classroom, that take up my life now.

They are holding up a picture of my friend, Brian Duffy, who is an astronaut. So nice of him to send these for the kids, they were tickled..

Life is very different now that I am back to work full time. The weekends are packed with all I can stuff into them...cleaning and laundry and shopping and such. Saturday Bob and I went to breakfast, then shopped around in Martinsville...Goodwill, the JC Penney outlet, Walmart and a shoe store to get Bob some much needed sneaks.
Saturday night I tackled my closet, getting out the summer and putting in the winter, started laundry and we made a trash run. Today I vacumned and moved the computer, washed some throw rugs and got all my plants in and cut back and hung around various spots. Bob has been busy mowing and fixing things for me..( the honey-do list).

Now its dinner and then clean-up, getting clothes and lunches ready for tomorrow.

A fresh start for a new month..

We are invited to friends Ruth and Bob Eaken at the lake for Thanksgiving, and I think Bob's Mom will come for the week as she usually does. Bob's brother is at loose ends again, and may show up as well.
The kids are due here for a long weekend of the 12th, but they may be moving back in this area, so thats not a given...

The weeks fly by when you work a schedule all week long, and it is getting a rythmn worked out so the machine runs smoothly. As soon as you think that is accomplished, something happens to throw it all off!

There's one bright spot coming up...elections will be done and the ads and phone calls will stop !!!

Now that's a sunny thought !!

Surprises!

I haven't blogged in an age...but I have been busy !

Started back to work in August as a Para-professional working with a 4 year old who's physically challenged...he has CP.

Bob and I went to Baltimore the end of September for his Moms 75th surprise birthday on this paddle boat. Good time...and yes she was really surprised!

We also went to Bobs 24th annual surfishing tournament in Ocean City M.D., and this year we took the dogs with us.They were awesome ! Behaved really well ! Surprised me, for country dogs to adapt well to hotels and elevators !

The weather was beautiful and they caught a ton of fish, ended up 7th in the tournament!

I wouldn't hesitate to brings the dogs on any trip now.
I think they still like the creek better for drinking and swimming!