Up at the farm today. Beautiful windy day. Pretty dreary when we came in last night, though. In between important college football games, ( carolina vs nc state) and doing a little fishing, we took a nice drive up Bill's Creek rd. The leaves are pretty spectacular, even if they may be considered past peak. We drove past Cedar Creek up into Buncombe county, up to Gateway Mountain. Still a lot of bargains to be had since the real estate market tumbled in 08. Looks like many developers are just walking away. Oh well, we are not looking to buy, we are happy in Shingle Hollow!
Took some pictures of horses on our road. Tried to get the resident groundhog, boy is he chunky, to pose for a picture but he was not interested. He went back under the old house.
Have been perusing Pinterest looking for Thanksgiving crafts for the kids. Looks like we may make leafy placemats .
I am very excited to be visiting Christmas decorated Biltmore House this week with a large bunch of students. As always, living the life of Riley...
Dominic and James
sweet cousins
Saturday, November 2, 2013
Friday, October 11, 2013
Cannot believe it is the end of the summer in a few weeks. Have not "blogged" in a year!
We are still working on the chinking of the old house from the Arrowood family who settled in the area around 1790's. They had moved down from the Maryland area. It is a very large family in the Rutherfordton area. Our little log house dates from around the 1870's and the family who built it are descended from Drearie Searcy Arrowood, I think. The family who sold the property were the Hills.
Last year we welcomed numbers 6 and 7 grandchildren, James Petros Sarantopoulos and Keegan Lyla Fahy. This year Austin James Fahy arrived, in fact, just last month. Kent is in 5th grade, Dominic in 3rd, and Zoe and Xavi started kindergarten this year. Getting smarter everyday!
My mother moved in with us in late June. She is 86, very active, still traveling yearly. We had a large two story addition built onto our house in Weddington. A story in itself.....She has the first floor part and I got the 2nd story part. My part is not completely finished, little things needing to be done, but it is my "bat cave" , as the grands call it. Art and craft studio for me and play area for the little ones. I am still decorating and organizing, but can't wait to start painting again. Watercolor. And back to sewing again, and of course my other crafting projects.
Work continues on the orchard. In fact Jim and I worked on it last month. And we both got "chiggers"! Yecch! The various apple trees have done ok without a lot of assistance, but now it is time to pay more attention. The deer and marauding goats have done some damage, but I am not really interested in fencing yet.
We spent Labor Day at the farm with Dominic, Xavi, Zoe and Lily. And of course, my mother, Betty (Oma). It was a little loud at times but a lot of fun.
We look forward to the Autumn Season in our little corner of The Blue Ridge mountains....and of course, living the life of Riley....
We are still working on the chinking of the old house from the Arrowood family who settled in the area around 1790's. They had moved down from the Maryland area. It is a very large family in the Rutherfordton area. Our little log house dates from around the 1870's and the family who built it are descended from Drearie Searcy Arrowood, I think. The family who sold the property were the Hills.
Last year we welcomed numbers 6 and 7 grandchildren, James Petros Sarantopoulos and Keegan Lyla Fahy. This year Austin James Fahy arrived, in fact, just last month. Kent is in 5th grade, Dominic in 3rd, and Zoe and Xavi started kindergarten this year. Getting smarter everyday!
My mother moved in with us in late June. She is 86, very active, still traveling yearly. We had a large two story addition built onto our house in Weddington. A story in itself.....She has the first floor part and I got the 2nd story part. My part is not completely finished, little things needing to be done, but it is my "bat cave" , as the grands call it. Art and craft studio for me and play area for the little ones. I am still decorating and organizing, but can't wait to start painting again. Watercolor. And back to sewing again, and of course my other crafting projects.
Work continues on the orchard. In fact Jim and I worked on it last month. And we both got "chiggers"! Yecch! The various apple trees have done ok without a lot of assistance, but now it is time to pay more attention. The deer and marauding goats have done some damage, but I am not really interested in fencing yet.
We spent Labor Day at the farm with Dominic, Xavi, Zoe and Lily. And of course, my mother, Betty (Oma). It was a little loud at times but a lot of fun.
We look forward to the Autumn Season in our little corner of The Blue Ridge mountains....and of course, living the life of Riley....
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
busy summer
It has been a very busy summer. Jim and I went
up to New York to visit friends after July 4th and had a wonderful time in the great Adirondack Park.
Jeffrey and Lea Ann Rosenthal have a great cabin overlooking Sacandaga Lake in Mayfield,NY. We
had such a great couple of days there, we stayed at the Melody Lodge in Speculator and then went to the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. And of course we got up to the race track in Saratoga after stopping in to see Cathy and Rich Bennice, Jim's sister and her husband and were able to meet their new granddaughter Isabella, what a cutie !
Our art contest "Art in the Holler" is taking place at the Lake Lure Arts and Crafts Festival on Oct. 20, 2012. We will be awarding our prizes at 2 pm that day. Look for the big tent and our sign.
The Festival has sent out applications out to the elementary schools and middle schools in Rutherford County. The applications have all the pertinent information on them. Deadline for contest is October 12, and there is a drop off place at the Lake Lure Outreach office on Hwy 64/74.
We hope we will have as many entrees as we did last year. There will be 3 (1st) prizes of $25 Walmart giftcards, 3 (2nd) prizes of $10 Walmart giftcards, and 3 (3rd) prizes of assorted art supplies.
We are looking forward to seeing the beautiful entrees. Last year it was such a sight to have them posted all around the small smoking barn.
The Festival has sent out applications out to the elementary schools and middle schools in Rutherford County. The applications have all the pertinent information on them. Deadline for contest is October 12, and there is a drop off place at the Lake Lure Outreach office on Hwy 64/74.
We hope we will have as many entrees as we did last year. There will be 3 (1st) prizes of $25 Walmart giftcards, 3 (2nd) prizes of $10 Walmart giftcards, and 3 (3rd) prizes of assorted art supplies.
We are looking forward to seeing the beautiful entrees. Last year it was such a sight to have them posted all around the small smoking barn.
Monday, July 9, 2012
we could use a little rain....
We have lived in Weddington, NC for the past 24 years and always, and I mean always, miss the pop up thunderstorms. My daughter Morgan lives 5 miles away in Waxhaw and my mother lives in Indian Trail, they get all the rain. Now I am not looking for any trouble from the rain gods, don't want storm damage (last week in a small shower we had dime sized hail) but for goodness sake, who put the umbrella over Weddington? I can remember when the kids were younger and we belonged to a swim club maybe 3 miles away and they would call and say "come pick us up, it's pouring out and they have closed the pool", and I would say, "no way!"
We were up to the farm last weekend and it looked like there was alot of damage along 64/74 from a freak storm in the last few days. At the farm there was water in our blue bucket on the deck (our scientific instrument in rain gauging) and everything looked ok, but the pond had not moved up the shoreline. Every year Jim worried about our little leaks and our little springs. This year I think he has finally understood what the farmer who sold it had told us in the beginning back in August of 2005. He said "it goes up and down every year, some years it stays up longer". The pond was built in the early 70's by Manuel and his father, King Logan Hill. We worry constantly about the trees on the dam, (never, never let trees grow on your dam) but they have been there for almost as long as the dam. They are huge pine trees and they creak and moan every time the wind blows hard. Quite eerie. Someday, (when we win the lottery) we will have the shoreline across redug and use that dirt for a new dam. $$$$ our money pit. At least the fish are happy, and Jim is happy fishing and watching our fish grow. (catch and release of course)
John and Morgan came up with their 3 and Kate brought the boys up this last weekend. The cousins had a wonderful time, playing in the sprinkler, chasing each other about, occasionally with a dustup. ( what do you expect when you play super heroes?) John and Jim worked on the driveway, the dam and just about anything Jim could think of with his new toy, a professional weed and stick whacker...
Kate and I painted on our little canvases. Dominic painted a beautiful deer with an owl in the background. The littler ones painted on whatever paper I could find.
I can't wait til Jim is able to help me chop down all the jungle items in the front and meadow. We really cleaned it out in late April, but it's back..... The front meadow by the smoke house is just beautiful with black eyed Susans, chock full of them. The orchard is growing little by little. I don't think the goats or deer have been by in a while. Small trees can really suffer from those munchers.
I will try and post a picture/video of the cousins dancing to Lady GaGa on the deck. It was a hoot.
Living the life of Riley.....
We were up to the farm last weekend and it looked like there was alot of damage along 64/74 from a freak storm in the last few days. At the farm there was water in our blue bucket on the deck (our scientific instrument in rain gauging) and everything looked ok, but the pond had not moved up the shoreline. Every year Jim worried about our little leaks and our little springs. This year I think he has finally understood what the farmer who sold it had told us in the beginning back in August of 2005. He said "it goes up and down every year, some years it stays up longer". The pond was built in the early 70's by Manuel and his father, King Logan Hill. We worry constantly about the trees on the dam, (never, never let trees grow on your dam) but they have been there for almost as long as the dam. They are huge pine trees and they creak and moan every time the wind blows hard. Quite eerie. Someday, (when we win the lottery) we will have the shoreline across redug and use that dirt for a new dam. $$$$ our money pit. At least the fish are happy, and Jim is happy fishing and watching our fish grow. (catch and release of course)
John and Morgan came up with their 3 and Kate brought the boys up this last weekend. The cousins had a wonderful time, playing in the sprinkler, chasing each other about, occasionally with a dustup. ( what do you expect when you play super heroes?) John and Jim worked on the driveway, the dam and just about anything Jim could think of with his new toy, a professional weed and stick whacker...
Kate and I painted on our little canvases. Dominic painted a beautiful deer with an owl in the background. The littler ones painted on whatever paper I could find.
I can't wait til Jim is able to help me chop down all the jungle items in the front and meadow. We really cleaned it out in late April, but it's back..... The front meadow by the smoke house is just beautiful with black eyed Susans, chock full of them. The orchard is growing little by little. I don't think the goats or deer have been by in a while. Small trees can really suffer from those munchers.
I will try and post a picture/video of the cousins dancing to Lady GaGa on the deck. It was a hoot.
Living the life of Riley.....
Monday, June 25, 2012
another fun weekend
Kathy and George Garner came for a relaxing weekend with their labs, Dora and Daisy. The dogs did not even have to be on the invisible fence collars, they were so good. We just sat around talking and eating and walking on down to the pond to have the 3 labs swim and watch Jim do a little fishing. He is becoming a fanatic! He loves seeing how big our little bass have become, and the grass carp are humongous. We watched the catfish swim around and make circles in the mud for spawning beds from the upper deck. I meant to get a close up picture of the circles, they are very interesting.
Jim and George went up to Randy's place in Old Fort to get the bench we had drawn up designs for. (on the back of a napkin, no less) Randy did a pretty good job interpreting the chicken scratch design. I will try to load a picture of it on this blog page. I forget from time to time how all this technology works.....We'll run up to the Black Mountain festival in August to see him again. Jim said he has made a really neat fire truck.
The meadow around the old smokehouse is just beautiful with black-eyed Susan's and rudbeckias. (Probably the same kind, but some of the flower heads are very large, almost 4.5" inches across.) The meadow over the septic field is not quite as pretty. We hope to cut that all back again in a few weeks, (didn't we just do that 2 monthes ago?) The glads were up though and they still put on a good show. The knockout roses are not as happy as they should be. And the butterfly bush by the deck is a good 14' tall with gigantic blooms. You would think that I nuked it with fertilizer, but I did not.
At home in Weddington, the vegetable garden is going strong. I was pretty late putting most in because I was traveling. But the first set of corn already has tassles. I have gotten a lot of green peppers, some delicious banana peppers, and I picked my first yellow squash today. We got almost 1.5" of rain yesterday and I have vowed not to be a slave to watering the gardens. Mulch, mulch and mulch.
Lots of tadpoles in the new ponds, but there must have been a hawk attack on a mockingbird. Lots and lots of feathers, no carcass. Still have my 53 fish going strong. I think I am going to get a heron decoy from The Pond Store in the next few weeks, I am a little worried about future visits. George and Kathy were saying they had lost all their fish, and they had real koi. George said every year by Thanksgiving they would have had a visit from one of the herons on our lakes. I have seen a heron by my little pond at least 3 times and it has been in early winter. Last time was when he/she put a hole in my little pond liner and took 2 small koi. The rest of my fish are just Walmart brand goldfish. Some are orange, some are spotted and some are just plain green. Oh well, living the life of Riley.....
Jim and George went up to Randy's place in Old Fort to get the bench we had drawn up designs for. (on the back of a napkin, no less) Randy did a pretty good job interpreting the chicken scratch design. I will try to load a picture of it on this blog page. I forget from time to time how all this technology works.....We'll run up to the Black Mountain festival in August to see him again. Jim said he has made a really neat fire truck.
The meadow around the old smokehouse is just beautiful with black-eyed Susan's and rudbeckias. (Probably the same kind, but some of the flower heads are very large, almost 4.5" inches across.) The meadow over the septic field is not quite as pretty. We hope to cut that all back again in a few weeks, (didn't we just do that 2 monthes ago?) The glads were up though and they still put on a good show. The knockout roses are not as happy as they should be. And the butterfly bush by the deck is a good 14' tall with gigantic blooms. You would think that I nuked it with fertilizer, but I did not.
At home in Weddington, the vegetable garden is going strong. I was pretty late putting most in because I was traveling. But the first set of corn already has tassles. I have gotten a lot of green peppers, some delicious banana peppers, and I picked my first yellow squash today. We got almost 1.5" of rain yesterday and I have vowed not to be a slave to watering the gardens. Mulch, mulch and mulch.
Lots of tadpoles in the new ponds, but there must have been a hawk attack on a mockingbird. Lots and lots of feathers, no carcass. Still have my 53 fish going strong. I think I am going to get a heron decoy from The Pond Store in the next few weeks, I am a little worried about future visits. George and Kathy were saying they had lost all their fish, and they had real koi. George said every year by Thanksgiving they would have had a visit from one of the herons on our lakes. I have seen a heron by my little pond at least 3 times and it has been in early winter. Last time was when he/she put a hole in my little pond liner and took 2 small koi. The rest of my fish are just Walmart brand goldfish. Some are orange, some are spotted and some are just plain green. Oh well, living the life of Riley.....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)