Orchids make me smile

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Sunrise is quite pretty when the day is expected to be nasty. This was taken a couple of days ago, when our last bout of 'precipitation' was forecast. There have been alot....

The cold and wind outside has me reading more, and cleaning more. I also enjoy my orchids when the weather is so awful outside, these sunny dancing ladies always make me smile.

This bromeliad used to grace my front porch in the Florida Keys. I brought it north with me, and it never has bloomed once in the four+ years we have been here...until now !

Evidently I have found the right light and the right company for this guy.He likes the dancing ladies and he loves the sun...

I have been anxious... for my sister-in-law and her surgery and for my brother Clay and his surgery, which they both came through quite well; anxious with the weather,which is holding up the re-planting of the trees they cut down, and concerned about the land that the company hasn't been able to be back to repair ; anxious with the work situation for my husband (or lack there-of); distraught with Bobs work truck needing such costly repairs; worried, because he has a bad tooth and we can't afford the money to fix it ; stressed with my Mother and all that goes with caring for her on a daily basis...tie in the mini horse that keeps escaping, and the cold that keeps us from being able to re-fence the area properly..

etc.

etc.

etc.

I have been trying to keep positive..Spring is coming, Spring is coming..

And I know it is, I know also that things could be so much worse,

but I am a worrier, and a doer, and when I can't 'do', its not good...I worry.

So for my friends and my dogs and my orchids that keep me smiling,Thank you...

Better blogs to follow...IN THE SPRING!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Smiling..............................

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Caine's birthday, parents married

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Saturday was Caines 2nd birthday.

He's really into Elmo now, so since I am housebound between a cold, and caring for Mom and the weather, Grandpa went shopping and picked out this talking and singing 'Karaoke' Elmo.

It makes a lot of noise, I suspect Grandpa chose it on purpose.

It was a hit.He loved the Elmo and he and I played all afternoon. He rode his wonderhorse and I dragged him around in a box. He is such a joy.

For some reason all the pictures won't come up, so at least I have this one.

It has been an eventful week. As we made plans for Caines parents, John and Michele to get married in May, they surprised us and told us they went on Friday the 12th to the courthouse in Bedford and got married. Her Mom and step-Dad and Johns Mom and his step-Dad went as well as they were already down for Caines birthday.They didn't call to ask us up, because they knew Bob was working and we had Mom here....The party to celebrate their wedding will still be in May.

The horses keep escaping, they have gotten out 3 times and had to be chased down and drug back, but today, on Valentines Day, Bob and I spent the morning re-fencing and hot-wiring them in. They had been trapped for the last 2 days in a small enclosure, so when we let them into the bigger area, they all bucked and rolled and then tried the fence, getting zapped pretty good. Belle also found out the fence is hot.

I am looking forward to Spring.

Happy Valentines Day to all. Funny I used to look forward to it, but it seems the older I get, the more I realize its just another day with alot of sales hype to buy cards and flowers and candy.

The candy is fattening the flowers die and the cards get tossed.

Valentines day is a feeling, and it can be every day. Getting the horses fenced in right was a good way to celebrate, and when I feel better, I will run the dogs and enjoy the woods...

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February 6th, 2010

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Snow pictures on Bobs birthday...

My 'Harry Lauder's Walking Stick' tree...

The Deodar Cedar...drooped and behind pine boughs on ground.

This cedar really snapped, I heard it from the bedroom,yesterday.

Sammy Cedar lost one of his eyes.

Looking back towards the house from our noon walk to mail.


The sun came out late day, but the brief warm sun wasn't enough to start a melt. It has turned cold with the suns setting and I think we may have an icy morning tomorrow. Far cry from last February. I guess we were due, but I miss the Keys, my friends,the pool, the canal and my hot tub...

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Ferradiddledumday,January away!

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Last day of January, 2010. It's been a busy month. We recovered from the late December snow storm, only to have this one hit January 29th, late night.. I can hardly wait for February!

Bob did get this 7ft blade just in time to plow this storm. He was out on Friday to get a start and then finished today. What a great tool!


The creek was really pretty, I ran alone with Belle,as Penny didn't like running in the deep snow. Belle will get on my machine with me, and its a good thing because I wouldn't have gotten up the steeper hills without her added weight in the back!

Bob finished shoveling the back deck late day, and the sun brought it up to about 34 degrees, enough to have him work in his tee shirt !

Tonight the moon is full and the stars are bright..cold and clear.

On the 26th of January, my neighbor Melissa and her daughter Sam, who is featured with 3 other kids in a picture on the back of my friend Becky Mushko's new book, 'Ferradiddledumday', went to the debut of the book at the Library in Rocky Mount, Virginia.
Becky and Bruce Rae, the artist who did the sketches in the book, are shown below doing a skit based on the book.



The room was packed, a really good turn out, with alot of kids.
Ferradiddledumday is a fairy tale based on the Rumplestiltskin tale that I grew up with, but this one is an Appalachian version, complete with the lore and the animals that are here in the Appalachian Mountains. Becky grew up here in SW Virginia, and her accent really set the tale of Gillie, the girl who spins hay into gold. Bruce Rae played her Pa, and also the funny little man, Ferradiddledumday. Bruce is quite the ham! It was a fun night, and both Bruce and Becky did a great job. I was watching Sam's face as the skit unfolded, and she was mesmerized. It was delightful, and I was laughing out loud.


This is Becky and Bruce with Hunter Brown and Samantha Newcomb, who are 2 of the children on the back cover of the book..

This month has ended and next month is my grandson Caines 2nd birthday on the 13th, and my husbands 51st on the 6th. (Sam's birthday is also the 6th).I will make sure my grandson has a copy of Ferradidledumday to keep throughout his lifetime. I think it's important for him to know about this area where he was born, and to learn about its diverse culture, its flora and fauna, and its history.

Ferradiddledumday will teach him and entertain him..

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