Catching up

 Dear friends,

I've had the hardest time posting lately, in fact, these spring pictures were taken three or four days ago and you know how spring colors change every day.

Thank goodness for spring! and didn't it arrive at just the right time?

We are staying home except for going to the grocery store or to pick up prescriptions, and speaking of prescriptions, my doctor has prescribed 600mg Ibuprofen, three times a day, for my sciatic nerve pain. The Ibuprofen has helped so much! The MRI has been postponed until things settle down a bit. 

Back to more pleasant things...

Springtime! Once things start turning green I can't bear to mow, or to cut down even the tiniest weed...

 well, not until it gets too snaky looking to walk barefoot...

there's little violets and blue bells mixed in all this grass and weeds.

It's surprising that we have any flowers left with all the wind lately! Four days straight last week the winds blew at 25mph.

Then yesterday we had a thunderstorm with winds that actually blew half the tin roof off the chicken house. The giant snowball bush took a beating too, littering the ground with big white balls.

I'm thinking the cut-over, and no longer having a windbreak is causing a lot of this wind problem. Darn it!

Anyhow...

around the porch the ferns are beginning to leaf out and azaleas beginning to bloom...

the wild azalea too...

and up to the garden, around the playhouse...

the red honeysuckle vine, intertwined with the chocolate vine...I love it!

Potted plants are being brought from the greenhouse, along with pots that were tucked away under the leaves in a corner of the teeny tiny garden during the cold days of winter... 

I do love bringing everything out again...and never did get around to making myself a cup of tea inside the playhouse...on the teeny tiny cook stove...hopefully, there is still time. Pretty slow-going with back problems, and there is still a little garden to be planted.

Way too many words and pictures here, but I do have a bit of good news about the "cut-over"...


Saturday morning, very early, a white van and trailer pulled over along the path. Six men got out, each one with two large canvas bags strapped to their back; the bags were filled with small pine trees.

Here's how they looked...

must have been terribly tiring. These men walked rather fast and every three wide steps would dig a shovel into the ground, drop in a young pine tree, and move on...covering this 100 acres.

Pines grow fast. Hope we are still around to see them half grown anyway.

Forgive me please for making this post too long. I will leave you with this spoiled kitty cat...

he was expecting me to scratch his fat belly, not take his picture.

Love,
Henny

Thankful for Spring

I didn't know you could read the comments on your blog post and not publish them. I've noticed that being done lately on a couple of blogs. Such a dummy I am. I embarrass myself. Dumb, that's the very reason the look of my blog never changes. :(

anyhow...have you ever tried dying a basket? Well, we did yesterday and look how much richer and darker and prettier this basket looks...

I bought this large African Market Basket for $3.99 in a thrift store a few months ago...

I fell in love with the basket, but the pale green and purple colors looked awful in our living room, so...

I pulled out the big No. 2 tub from under the shed and brought it up to the porch...added three big buckets of hot tap water, a cup of vinegar and a full bottle of Rit Dye; dark brown.

baskets drying overnight

It was quite fun, dipping and turning the basket and watching the colors change to this... 

You know friends, like most everyone else, we are trying to stay home and be content during these trying times. Sure makes you appreciate the coming of spring even more, doesn't it?

and it looks like once again the snowball bush will be absolutely beautiful...

how can one little limb hold so many big snowballs and especially after all of them are fully opened?

I'll be taking another picture when the snowballs are snow white.

and the chocolate vine (Akebia) too, smells delicious and is covered in tiny little blossoms...

that are so sweetly scented, it is almost breathtaking

and one more spring surprise...

one of the pear trees in the front yard did bloom, in spite of the weird winter weather and ...

is now covered in tiny pears. Simply can't believe it. The splotchy leaves are from a sprinkle of rain drops, just enough to splatter the pollen.

I'm sure hoping to plant a little garden this spring...but, since getting the steroid injection in my spine, for back pain, on March 25th, have suffered with severe sciatic nerve pain from the injection site on my left side, down through my foot.  

On my follow up visit, the doctor suggested another MRI and another injection, which probably will not happen now because of COVID-19. Not sure I want another injection! I have stopped taking arthritis medication and put myself on Advil, 2 pills every 8 hours. Got to do something and it is helping. 

Thank you for listening, again! I'll leave you with big ole sweet Smokey...

stretched out on the new coffee table, the very place Poppy said kitty cats should not be. Smokey is the most lovable cat. Hugging him almost takes my pain away. 

Love,
Henny

Decorating the living room

Hey, I thought the sun was supposed to shine today. Well, it's not! In fact, it's very cloudy and dreary again, and COLD. I got up this morning feeling half way happy and now it's cloudy and dreary again, and COLD! Call me Charlie Brown.

I need the sun to help counteract this depressing Coronavirus scare. I need the sun to keep me outside and out of refrigerator. 

Anyhow, think I told you we've been changing the living room around a bit, and wouldn't you know it, not one good "before" picture can I find.  Anyhow...

Here's the new bookcase and Poppy's new gun cabinet. What a difference these two pieces have made.

You see, this was the old 7' high gun cabinet from the 1970's. It was a corner cabinet without a cornet to sit in, and took up lots of our walking space.

in fact, this is the wall where the old gun cabinet used to sit. We now have two wall lamps, a picture, and of course...a deer head.

and now there's room to walk between the chair and the wall, and get to the back door.

Next was this big oversize cabinet...

we used for a bookcase.

and now...

our new smaller bookcase.

Also taking up lots of floor space was the old sewing machine...

there was no room anywhere else in the house but here, for this big antique machine to sit.  I kinda liked it here with an old embroidered dresser scarf and an old lamp, but Poppy said he had always hated it here. So now...

we have matching end tables. Yep, there's one on the other end of the couch too, and a Dumperoo.  We had to buy a small rug to cover up four deep rusty holes from the wheels on the old sewing machine. Guess it came from shampooing the carpet and moving the machine back before the carpet was completely dry. :(

This next piece, the giant coffee table, well, we both had heart strings attached to this piece...

this huge coffee table. Poppy built this table himself, with wood pieces a friend gave him, also back in the 1970's. This table was almost as long as the sofa...

So we searched and searched for another coffee table. I was cooking supper one night when Poppy appeared. "Mel", he said, "I have found the one! You've got to come and see". It was online...

"Oh wow", I said, "It's perfect". Legs made of logs and tile inlay on top..."deer" tile inlay on top!!

turns out, this table was two inches shorter than what was advertised. Maybe a little too small but we're keeping it. Need to center it more and find another large basket in the right color...and move the rooster pillow. 

We also added a wall lamp on the wall behind the sofa. We moved out four table lamps from this one room. "four"!

this is it so far. Are you completely overwhelmed?

Trouble is...now we need a new sofa and chair, and trouble is...not just any sofa and chair will do! We want a big soft set made from real cowhides, creamy and rich in color. We keep looking online. There are some beauties out there but expensive! 

This old leather set we bought in 1991 or 1992. It has been through a lot, but we have sure enjoyed it. Oh my gosh! Go online to Adobe Interiors to see the furniture of my dreams.

I need to end this and get busy! Sorry for going on and on. Sure appreciate your visiting though!

Love,
Henny

Mossy Green

Here's the moss covered tree ...

that grows along the path at the back of the chicken lot...just down hill from our little moss covered pet cemetery...

we walk this way most every morning. Green moss covers lots of areas around here due to the acid soil and wet weather. What a wet winter this has been.

 Sorry Eli, just stopped to take a picture.

See how wet everything is? We need a week or two of nothing but bright sunshine.

Here's the sun shining through the trees. No wonder Poppy and Eli stopped to sit.

Friends, would you believe that acres and acres of trees are still being cut, out this way. It is unbelievable! All day long, five days a week we can hear the buzz of saw blades on those big machines, taking down trees, and logging trucks going up and down the road. 

It's looking like our little patch of woods may be all that's left when the loggers finish.

And did you know that in order to get the pines and hardwoods, the loggers cut down everything in their path...like the eastern red cedars...

and the beautiful holly trees...

and leave them on the ground to rot. Around here, the woods here are full of cedars and hollies. It's sickening!

The sun came out this afternoon and the temperature climbed to 74 degrees. No complaints here! 

We sat on the front porch while Eli and Smokey enjoyed the sun. Actually, Eli was sleeping before Smokey pounced on his head.

and silly Dumperoo...

said he's afraid to come all the way out.

well, maybe this far, if no one is watching.
and little Weetie...

This is her favorite spot in the sun.

Gosh, I get started and don't know when to stop. Guess this just about covers it.

Hope to be back soon.

Love,
Henny

Mostly Birdhouses

Didn't mean to stay away so long. Have had several things going on...

Back pain, for one. Went in last Tuesday for another injection. Thank goodness for medication to take away pain so I can move about, and keep working...I am so looking forward to planting a little garden this spring. 

Do you see Smokey...

That's him sitting on a stump, looking out across the cut-over. Would love to know what he is thinking. Probably like myself, wishing we had the trees back. 

Yesterday was sunny and 58 degrees...a beautiful day!

Such strange weather we've had this winter. It's either been warm and raining, or freezing cold, windy, and sunny. This has been the WINDIEST winter ever!

Anyhow, a good day to clean out and repair all the many birdhouses scattered about...

the squirrels have been chewing on this one.

This one is my favorite. Looks like a rustic little house I might want to live in. Looks like there might be a wood stove inside.

or maybe this one Poppy built many years ago...

This one has five apartments!

and looking through the trees, way up to the teeny tiny garden is another big one...

and the little red Adirondack chair house...

we moved from the front porch. Maybe a little Wren will find it here.

Little wrens build in the most unusual places. I remember being with Aunt Berlie one summer day. We were going out to hang clothes on the line but discovered a Wren had built her nest inside the clothespin bag that was hanging on the back porch.

Aunt Berlie had one of those old green wringer type washing machines. It sat on the back porch too along with a tub or two. She would let me catch the clothes as they came through the wringer.

Anyhow...

The little house on the cedar tree was occupied last year by a family of flying squirrels. We never saw them during the day but at night, with a flashlight, could find them on the suet cakes.

This one needed a new bottom. Didn't cover all the birdhouses. Seems like there are a dozen scattered about.

Oh, let me tell you...when we first went outside it was still a little chilly. I was working on a panel in the greenhouse that the high winds had blown loose when Poppy walked up. "Have you been inside the greenhouse", I asked, motioning to him to come inside...

The little milk house heater was on. It was cozy and warm inside, and smelled good from the candle on the shelf. Poppy's response...his exact words..."damn Mel, when did you do all this? We could sleep out here". 

I offered him a cup of tea. He laughed. "Will you ever grow up", he asked. 

 "Nope! Have no plans to any time soon".

So, since there is no roof over what I've been calling my "playhouse"...

this will now be the "potting area" and the teeny tiny greenhouse, the "playhouse". 

Didn't mean to go on and on, and gosh! so many pictures. I'll understand if you checked out a while back. 

Seriously, thank you for visiting. :)

Love,
Henny