The Mistwalker

The fog covered the hillsides this morning, rendering layers of trees invisible with a misty blanket of gray. A cool breeze brought a welcome hint of autumn, along with the distant squawk of a crow.

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of a stunning buck on the back ridge with a nice set of antlers. He had disappeared into the mist before I could reach the camera. I waited hoping he'd return and take the same trail back up the hill but he didn't. Instead, this doe appeared shortly thereafter. I was lucky to snap a quick pic of her.

Feeling Better Today

Thanks to all your good wishes, and getting that poison medication out of my system, I'm feeling better today than I have in awhile. I've managed to get the housework and laundry done, the bills paid and the grocery list and meal menus for two weeks finished. I'm pacing myself and going slow.

I've just completed reading 2012: War for Souls by Whitley Strieber.
It has to be one of the most scary books I've ever read. It was so good, I couldn't put it down! Pick it up if you like a good creepy fiction novel.

My next book is Praying for Sleep by Jeffrey Deaver. He wrote the book called The Bone Collector, in which they made a movie of starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. I've become a huge fan of Deaver because he knows how to keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is the last of the summer garden goodies.

We shared some tomatoes with Ray's dad and he said they were the best he'd had all season. It seems his didn't do all that well this year. I was glad we had enough to share and that he liked them so much. I'll be putting straw around them next year to keep that nasty wilt from getting to them. We were lucky it didn't hit us until later in the growing season. I may invest in a soaker hose next year. That should help.

The morning glories have done well this year.

I love that color. We planted some blue ones along with these, but the kittens trampled them before they could make it to the trellis. Oh well, there's always next year.

Harvest Moon

There was a beautiful harvest moon last night.
Ray took this shot for us.

Wasn't it beautiful!

As I was heading up to the garden a few minutes ago, I spied this little guy running across the deck.

He was so quick, I barely got this pic of him.

The butternut squash continues to bloom and grow.

I've been collecting recipes and look forward to harvesting them. Thing is, the vines will have to die first or the squash will not cure to last all winter. We're going to store them in the spring house. They will stay cool in there.

I can't make as many trips to the garden like I used to. The emphysema has gotten worse and so the doctor is trying a new medication this time. I hope it's better than the last one I tried. It made me worse. I just took my second dose so we'll see. I'll try to post as often as I can, but with the computer on the second floor, some days it's just too big of a journey to make it upstairs.

From Where I Sit

This week and weekend has been bittersweet.

Friday afternoon the church decided to chop down their beautiful sweetgum tree in order to build a new fellowship hall. I can't begin to share how much that disturbed me and Mister. That tree was a haven for birds, a filter from the glare of the morning sun and a safety net for Mister when the roaming neighborhood dogs would chase after him.


That tree saved him many times, but now it's gone.


I watched it fall in one large piece and then cringed as they sawed each limb and finally it's trunk. Years of growth and shade gone in a matter of minutes. It hurt me a lot to see such a useful, vibrant and lovely thing destroyed for the benefit of a few.

The good news was that I got to see my sister Tracy and brother in law Greg saturday. They live on the other side of the state and I haven't seen them in two years. We had a nice visit and they brought birthday presents from themselves and my other sister Kelly. We talked alot and had a nice lunch before they headed back home.

I want to thank Rosemi from Women of God for her Sunshine Award.
I'd like to pass this award on to those blogs who have brought sunshine into my life as well.
They are:

Mad chickens and ducks

grumpy-grandma

Robin's Roost

Sharon's Knitting and Other Stuff



Thank you Rosemi!

Feeling Better Now

I'm sorry it's taken so long to post again. I've been pretty sick but feeling better now. That fall hurt me more than I thought and some new medicine made me worse than I had been feeling. It takes time to realize just what's causing you to feel so bad. One thing I've learned is to read all the side effects before you take any medication so you can recognize them when they happen. I waited two weeks before discovering the new medication had increased my blood pressure, caused horrible headaches, dry mouth, and caused a nasty sinus infection. Pretty nasty huh. Well, I called the doctor and he agreed that it wasn't the medication for me. I'm becoming more alert and stronger than I have been so thankfully, I'm on the mend.

A Cooling Shower

It sure has been a scorching week thus far here in Hitchins. The kittens are all hiding in dark places under the shed while the other five are napping inside on the sofa and in their baskets. I think before winter sets in, I'm going to have to invest in more baskets. These cats love curling up in them for a nice long snooze.

As soon as Ray got home, the storm hit. It was one of those fast moving systems that blows the rain sideways and in sheets. It wasn't very loud and the lightening wasn't bad either, but it cooled the air down quite a bit. At least you can breathe now without feeling as though your lungs are drying out. As soon as it passed the kittens came down to the porch for their evening meal of meat and cereal.

Abby has grown accustomed to being in a cage out on the patio table. She's always been an inside cat and isn't used to roaming free. So for her safety, we let her enjoy the outside in a cage large enough for her to stretch out in with a bowl of water and frequent checks to see if she needs in to potty. She will stand by the door and meow until I give in and let her go out when she wants to. On these really hot days, I've had to stay strong and make her stay indoors under the air conditioning. She just loves being outside and on this day she had a visitor.

I Just Did It Again!

I fell down those same stairs again just a few minutes ago. I wasn't holding onto the railing with both hands and taking my time as I normally have been since the last fall the 4th of July weekend. I was after Bella for chasing Abby all over the house.

This time I landed on my left hip right along the rim of the stair. It's really starting to smart too but I can walk, so it's not broken. Got a feeling I am gonna have a nice bruise by the end of the day. I was wearing socks too so I don't know what it is about those carpeted stairs that is causing my feet to slip out from under me now. I didn't have any problems last year. If anyone has any ideas on how to safeguard these stairs, please let me know.

A Nice Surprise!

Ray surprised me yesterday with a brand new, portable, Maytag dishwasher!


Although my capable hands have now been replaced, this is one time I'm thrilled to step aside. My hands get so dry and chapped during the winter months, it's going to be so nice not to have to deal with that anymore.

It ran like a dream last night and the dishes were sparkling. The cats are adjusting to the new sound in the house now too. The warmth of the drying cycle was something they seemed to enjoy once the cycle stopped though. It has a working surface so it doubles as an island now too.

Ray got hugs, kisses and a few tears of joy for his wonderful gift. I told him we could consider it a birthday present, but he said it was a gift given "just because".
He's quite a guy.

A Happy Trio

I was lucky enough to get this pic of Penny's kittens on the side porch this morning.



There's another gray one somewhere, but I haven't seen it in awhile now. I hope it's OK.

The neighbors have added a new dog to their host of animals and all it does is bark at me and our cats. I hope it hasn't hurt that kitten. Whenever I think things like that, they all usually show up waiting for supper.