Happy Halloween

May your day be filled with ghoulishly sweet treats~Rhonda.

Final Harvest

This weekend my sweet little garden helper and I, gathered the last of
the summer garden's bounty ~

The late crop of raspberries was a nice surprise, although, not all of these luscious little berries will not get the chance to ripen completely....there is a freeze warning for tonight.

I planted my sweet potatoes late this year, so they are small....too small for baking, but just right for roasting! The little orange peppers are supposed to be bell peppers.....hummm, I guess they got crossed with the jalapeno plant, at least they taste sweet :-) I will use the seeds in the dried okra pods for planting next year.
We also collected some green bell peppers to freeze and use through out the winter, and a few green tomatoes that I will pass along to my mother because she enjoys fried green tomatoes and I do not!

I left some of my beans on the vine to dry. I will use these as seeds next Spring.

And a last delicate pink rose bud. I think I will snip it and bring it inside so that its petals don't get burned by the frost.

Today is a stay indoors, puttery kind of day. The temps are in the 40's the wind is whipping around at 20 miles and hour and I am about to start a pot of homemade veggie soup to simmering for supper. By the time my son and hubby get in, the whole house will beckon them to come in from the cold and enjoy the comfort of home:-)

Hope you all have a cozy, puttery day as well~ Rhonda

A thrifting we will go, a thrifting we will go....

...high-ho, the derry-o, a thrifting we will go.



I spent my birthday hopping from one Goodwill/Thrift store to another:-)

It was glorious~ wandering through isles of discarded items. I felt like I was on the Island of Misfit Toys....examining one little quirky treasure after another, each hoping some kind soul will take them home, clean, mend and love them.

I couldn't for the life of me figure out how someone could part with this precious little Homer Laughlin bowl, with its delicate floral bouquet and thin red rim. I gladly laid down the $1.51 required to remove it from the island, and when I got it home I gave it a warm bath and filled it with tart little Winesap apples. I think it is happy atop the linen chest, surrounded by new friends....

One of which is my Little Green Vase. I think the yellow dahlias are perfect for it, don't you agree?

I also purchased a project. You know what I mean.... you've got some decorating desire you've been mulling over in the back of your mind and as the idea begins to take on a definite shape, you start to look for objects to fit the bill. Then one day, it happens, you look around and~ Eureka!~ there it is!! Of course, in its current state is rarely the way you envisioned it, but you say to yourself, "It's PERFECT! All I have to do is....."

Now, sure, I realize you could just go out and by exactly what you are looking for, but, really now, where's the fun in that?

I have been wanting a white distressed farm table and chairs.

Yes, I think this will do nicely:-)

Sooooo, I better finish my second cup of coffee and get to it!

I wish you all a day filled with satisfying projects~Rhonda

Another Year Older....

It's time for cake and candles ~42~ to be exact. Today is my birthday:-)In honor of the occasion, and because I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, I bought myself a little present.....

A beautiful little green vase, handmade by Farmgirl Julie! If you haven't had a chance to view her creations, just click on the link and check them out.

Don't you think it will look perfect filled with yellow dahlias. As soon as it gets light, I think I will go and pick some....

Hope your day feels like a celebration~

Rhonda

Find a Happy Place

When life comes at me full force and one calamity seems to follow on the heels of another, I start to replay the words of wisdom spoken by the animated starfish ~Peach~ from Finding Nemo. As trouble literally came knocking in the form of~DARLA!~ and the world was shaking all around her she cried out,..."Find a happy place, find a happy place, find a HAPPY PLACE!"

This weekend my family and I found a happy place, camping in the great outdoors of one of our lovely State Parks.

While the scenery was definitely serene~

What made the trip all the more special was being able to spend four days of uninterrupted time with the people who I hold most dear.

I am so grateful to belong to a very close knit family. I draw a sense of support and acceptance from them that I find no where else. We wash away the stress of hectic times with the occasional sob session and rounds of laughter that leave or sides aching and our eyes watery.

So while the trip allowed me to "disconnect" and convene with nature, the real source of renewal came from the chance to reconnect with the key parts of my foundation, the ones who have guided me and accompanied me along my path of life, the constant in any uncertainty. The happiest place I know....My Family.

One Down...

Yesterday, Hubby's friend came over and cut the tree out of the chicken run.

Thanks, Mr. Jason!!!

Gratefully, both coops were spared:-))))

All that is left to do now is rebuild the run area.... Sounds simple enough, huh?

Take a deep breath, count my blessings ~including a big "Praise the Lord" for a generous prescription of Naproxen~ and start again.

Hope your next few days are not nearly as physically demanding as mine are going to be;-) Rhonda

"Well, Hell!"

Just what we needed..... another project~

Thankfully, no one was hurt. Just terribly confused! There was loads of excited chatter in the neighborhood....

Newest Hen~ "Goodness gracious me! When that tree came crashing through our roof, I thought the world was coming to an end! Do things like this happen often around here?"

Older/Wiser Hen~ "Well for heaven sakes, no honey! This is the most excitement that has come along since the neighbor's dog came over and tried to convince us to play tag. He chased us all around this coop, why you should have seen us, running around like a bunch of chickens with our heads.....uh, well... you know."

While the two roosters discussed the more practical side of the event....

Henry/Eldest Rooster~ "Sure is a shame about your place. Still, I guess it could have been a lot worse. At least you and the girls are safe. If you need a place to stay during the repairs, our door is always open."

Newest Rooster~ "Well, I certainly do appreciate that. Yeah, we were very lucky. Although, the girls were pretty upset, I did my best to reassure them. Hey, by the way, do you think my home owner's covers this?"

A Trip to Johnny's

Yesterday was a warm soup/stew kind of day....rainy and cool. The kind that makes you crave the comfort of a good steamy bowl lunch, and I was in the mood for brunswick stew. Now once I cooked up my own batch of home-made brunswick and it was quite tasty, but it took me all day to make and I did not have that kind of time, so I hopped in the car and headed to a local favorite.....

The sign really does say it all. On any given day, except Sunday and Monday, you can find people from all over town here during lunch time. They come in their suits and ties, heels and skirts, uniforms, and jeans and boots....quite an ecclectic grouping. All there to enjoy the best BBQ around.

Out back in the smoke house is where all of the Magic happens.....

Yes, you eat it with a plastic spoon right out of a styrofoam container. It ain't fancy (nor is it environmentally friendly), but Lordy Mercy it is GOOD!! I couldn't finish it all, but I certainly gave it my best shot. I left feeling toasty warm and completely satisfied. YUMMMMMY!

On a completely different note~

Miss Sadie got her stitches out. Except for a large scar and the patch of shaved fur, she is looking like her old self again and this morning as I was scratching behind her ears, she was happily trying to catch my hand and nip at my fingers, up to her usual feisty tricks, so she must be feeling much:-) Thanks to all who stopped in to wish her well!

Rainy Morn'

It has been almost a month since the last drop of rain has fallen here, so this morning as the outside world is absorbing every drop......

I sit her contentedly hopping from blog to blog, visiting old friends and making new ones, wrapped in my favorite old sweater as I drink in my own form of sustenance...... Cinnamon flavored Coffee:-)

I hope your day is peaceful and blessed....

Rhonda

Poor Kitty

Before.....

After....
My poor girl, Sadie is recovering from a run-in with a large rogue dog:-(

Hopefully her stitches can be removed tomorrow and the itchy wrap can come off. Then all she will have to do is wait for the fur on her right side to grow back.

Bless her she looks soooo pitiful.

Birthday Boy

Y0u are my Sunshine My precious Sunshine
You make me happy, when skies are greyYou'll never know dear...
how much I love you!
Please don't take my Sunshine away.
Happy 6th Birthday, Sunshine