Comminity Rock Pile

 Who would've guessed Tropical Storm Ophelia was headed straight for North Carolina! "Not I, said the Little Red Hen".

Winds were terrible Friday night and all day Saturday. No damage here but man, the yard and porches were simply littered in dead tree limbs and green leaves.

Guess I'll wear out another wheelbarrow cleaning up the mess...

This was the first of many loads...Poppy carried the bigger pieces away by hand...The joy of living in the woods. :)

Anyhow, about that community rock pile...

Actually, my friend Carla's husband drives a dump truck. Occasionally he brings a load of not so perfect gravel to be spread on the dirt road. Turns out this load had too many big chunks of cement...

so the rock pile, once much bigger, keeps disappearing. Folks slipping in and carting off enough to repair holes in their driveways and such...

so I'm thinking to myself, why not slip over and cart off my own few loads of gravel...maybe build something pretty...

Not even one car passed by and caught me loading up my little pink wheelbarrow.   :) But I have an advantage...see the grey showing under that center board, right side, on the gate? That's the rock pile...just a stone's throw away. 

I built a little patio, joining the greenhouse and playhouse even extending  into a little entrance way...

I kinda like it, do you? Is there anything any more fun than building something pretty?

Remember the old green tub, part of an old fashioned wringer washing machine? Holds the potting soil...

well, it was sitting atop an old rotten pallet about to fall in...what to do? plus I needed it to be a little higher...so off to my stash of wood pieces, bricks, and cinderblocks. 

Perfect! There leaning against an old saw horse...a big, brand new, wooden pallet my neighbot Windy had given me about a year ago. Headed back up to the garden for a saw and the wheelbarrow.

Whew! quite a haul from down near pond! Anyhow, stacked there is the pallet sawed in half...and...

my new, sturdier, taller, easier to reach table! Actually, to me it doesn't look as pretty as the old dark pallet but in time this too will weather and age. And now I see part of the problem...I forgot to spread out the runners on the chocolate vine. That would sorta cover the new boards...

Boy I can sure go on and on, can't I. Bet you've all ssigned off. Anyhow, if not, thank you for visiting. Sure appreciate you all.

Love, Henny

On the 1st day of September...

a cold front came through tricking us into thinking Fall had arrived.

I rushed out and gathered all the pink and white Spring dishes from the old cupboard, fixed a dishpan full of warm soapy water, pulled out the Old English furniture polish and went to work.

What a dirty dusty mess covered the old cupboard! Henny Penny Lane is dirt, you know. It has been hot and dry and the cloud of dust kicked up behind going and coming cars, drifts and settles on the everything on the teeny tiny porch. 

I pulled out a few "almost Fall" looking things...

We had three wonderfully cooler days and nights, even turned the air conditioner off and slept with the windows open. Been a few months since we could enjoy cool night air and hear the frogs down at the pond. Sleep was good.

Rarely do I pick flowers for a vase except for Goldenrods in the Fall and Goldenrods are not in full bloom yet. There are masses of these plants with tiny little flowers growing along the path...so I gathered a few. 

Sorry for posting three pictures of the cupboard. Would delete one, but that would throw all different font sizes into my post and that drives me crazy! :(   Same with the picture below, It is not worth posting. 

Anyhow, still spending time in the sewing room...

working mostly on bags and bonnets. Can't believe I haven't been to the farmer's market since I started making bags. That's just like me! :(  Guess I need to get up from here and go take a picture to show you. Be right back...

Well, here are a few... Have 3 more bags in the sewing room and 2 more cut out ready to sew...

It's kinda fun using this low hanging limb on the old snowball bush for picture taking. Maybe I should try bonnets and aprons here too. Log homes are dark. I've just discovered how much better the natural light makes things look. 

Don't tell anyone there's a big sweet kitty cat that hangs out in my sewing room...

No way could I ever advertise, "made in a pet free home"...

Good thing Smokey doesn't bother things...like the pin cushion. Sweet Dumperoo, (we miss you so much), would have, with his teeth,  pulled every pin and needle from that pin cushion.

Guess I've gone on long enough. Hate to wear out my welcome.  Forgot to mention above that the hot weather came back with a vengeance. Temps in the high 90s and Wednesday was 102 out here in the country.

Here's a neat sunset picture I took looking up the road toward the garden...

and I thank you very much for stopping by, dear friends.

Love, Henny

Can you believe!! Someone must have heard me talking and for meaness threw some large font words into my post! :)

 

Hello Dear friends...

You know what? As usual lately, I was about ready to end my blog but checked in and saw all the comments from all my best friends and even noticed a new follower. How could I say goodbye! You make me happy! Thank you!

Saturday was an extra special day. Got to see both my daughters...

Andee was home from West Virginia so the three of us met in Wake Forest. Guess you know that's Andee on the left and Lynn on the right. 

We don't get to see enough of each other and when we are together the days go by way too fast. 

In other news, I've been wanting to make something new and different to sell at craft shows and the farmer's market. What do you think about Boho Bags?? 

Most fun is picking colors for the lining.

Not sure Bonnets, Aprons, and Boho Bags go together. :) Actually, this is my favorite type bag to carry...lightweight and will stay put on your shoulder. Have made only three so far. 

Speaking of bags, I was in the check-out line at Walmart. When I reached in my bag to get my checkbook, the man in line behind me said, "you're the only woman I've seen who carries a lightweight pocketbook. My wife's pocketbook is so big and heavy, she could kill someone with it".  Actually, the bag I carry is a little smaller than these I'm making. Would love to find a pattern like mine.

Anyhow, it's August! Not my favorite month for sure. It was 98 hot and sticky degrees here today. No fun being outside. I've always preached, once the Fourth of July is past, also is passed the fun of spring and summer, and I start looking forward to fall. 

Miss Ellie says it feels good to just stay inside on the raggedy old, pieced together, couch...

Ellie seems to feel good again, almost back to her old self. It has taken some time to get her medications just right with this Addison's Disease. We have to go in for bloodwork every few weeks. She is such a sweetie pie.

Eli appreciates being inside too on these hot humid days...

in his very own chair, I might add :( One of these days we may get a new living room suite. He's our big boy...our guard dog. 

Are you feeding the hummingbirds this summer?

We have two feeders up, one at the kitchen window and one at a living room window. It is amazing how much sugar water these tiny birds drink. I boil sugar water every single day and fill both feeders every single day! It's almost a full time job but worth the trouble. :)

Started this post last night...so I will end here this morning. Today is line dancing day...Yay!! 

Someone had asked if I ever got my cowboy boots from Amazon...well, yes, but they didn't fit just right so I returned them. I did buy myself a pair, locally, and danced in them before the summer got so hot. Will take some dancing pictures soon. :)

Love, Henny

Get well soon, Diane

 

Well, it's not a pick-up truck load...

 like some folks I know bring in daily from their garden...

Actually, I just think the colors are very pretty, well, and I appreciate the vegetables too, but it's certainly not the best garden I've ever grown. 

You may remember the year I went to the garden and was greeted by the giant sunflower with a pretty face looking down at me...

A closer looks showed it was just the bees, and I thought my sunflower had come to life...

Oh, and one of my favorite oddities in the teeny tiny garden was the leek that grew and grew and attached itself to my heart...

and I was there in the garden when the beautiful leek removed it's night cap, revealing a head full of tiny flowers. I've tried since then to grow another leek but with no luck.

Anyhow, I was up bright and early yesterday morning and on my way to the farmer's market. 

The fact that the weather is so very hot these days worried me a little, but I carried a small cooler filled with crushed ice.  There was an amazing breeze all day that blew through the big open doors, making the day seem much cooler that it actually was...

Not a good picture and my table looked better from the front. Just wanted to show you a little of the building, it's huge. Big enough for ten or more vendors on each side and behind each vendor is a large roll-up door. Lucky me, when I look out here's my view...

A small but beautiful garden, maintained by the Master Gardners at the market. Didn't make much Saturday, but had fun. Oh, look at this sweet lady trying on one of my bonnets...

The farmer in the green shirt came by my table, picked up a bonnet and asked, "mind if I let someone try this on"? She looks adorable, doesn't she. She bought a bonnet and apron from me the first time I was a vendor there. 

Good grief! 9:15 already! Poppy will be headed to bed soon. Guess I need to get up from here. I will leave you with Mokey again...

Yeah, he asked if I thought he would be a good ornament for the bird bath. :(

Thank you for visiting, oh, and thank you for the nice comments on my last post. Once again, I meant to get back and reply to each one. Time flies!

Love, Henny

Still Blogging from North Carolina

Hello dearest friends,

We haven't completely given up on the idea of moving to beautiful West Virginia...I just may be too busy to pack up right now and move :)

Been terribly busy in the teeny tiny sewing room...

Did I mentioned before how well the old fashioned bonnets are selling at the market? It is quite amazing. So, I sew for a couple hours most nights, making more bonnets.

I have added a new style bonnet...

This style has a ruffle in back and along the bottom of the bonnet brim. Inside is made the same as my other pattern...

Anyhow, for 32 years I've had an old blue bonnet hanging in my sewing room for decoration. It was a gift from my mother when we moved into our log cabin. 

Mama knew this elderly lady down home in Moore County, who made old fashioned bonnets and sold them for $5.00. (Funny, now I am that elderly lady making old fashioned bonnets.) Time sure flies.

So, one night in the sewing room the old bonnet caught my eye. Oh my gosh! Could I take that bonnet apart and make a pattern? I did! It worked! Here's another one...

Wait, I'm not done in the sewing room just yet...

No wonder 'cat food' is always at the top of the grocery lists. Yes, I mean you, Mokey!

Mokey and the bonnets...

Rare for me not to boast and brag and post pictures of the teeny tiny garden, round this time of the year, but you know what...

it's just not doing so good. Looks like the sunflowers may bloom soon. Looking forward to that. I took this picture of the garden while walking Eli and Ellie early one morning this week. 

Made several pictures on that walk...telling myself that I need to remember the joy felt when we finally got our little piece of land paid for and our dream home built...a little log cabin deep in the woods.

 Ellie and I lagged way behind that morning.

We looked up at the tall trees...

and into the dark woods where there is a little water hole...

Okay, I've probably way overstayed my visit. 

Oh, would you believe I am still line dancing. Yep, I've stuck with it and now can keep in step with the others...well, most of the time. That one hour, one day a week sure is fun. Actually, I have been staying over and trying a dance or two with the advanced class. Not quite there yet though. I've just got to get some pictures of us elderly dancing ladies to show you. 

Well, I will say goodbye for now. Thank you for looking in. Be back soon, hopefully.

Love, Henny

Been three weeks!

I've been dying to tell you about the beautiful wedding and our trip to West Virginia but here's the problem...

Up until a few months ago I was still using a little flip phone...as mama used to say, "my little cell telephone", and counting on my little $99.00 Kodak camera for pictures. Well, our phone company informed us we needed to upgrade, get a new phone, they said, for free! I chose an iPhone. So what little I know about using this new phone my daughter Andee taught me before they packed up and moved to West Virginia! Yep, they have bought a home in beautiful West Virginia.

So, more of my problem...my little camera finally wore out so I've been taking pictures with my iPhone. It takes great pictures but the pictures will not load onto my computer. Message says "no pictures or videos to download". Anyhow, sending one at the time to my email seems to work so here goes...

Madison and Hunter were married June 17th...

Probably told you this before but Hunter is seven feet tall. He and his Dad, who is his best friend and was Best Man at the wedding chose to wear their boots. Both are big hunters. It was really neat. My Granddaughter Madison was such a beautiful bride. 

My other sweet lovely granddaughter Michaela was a bridesmaid, third from the left, and the pretty bridesmaid second from the right is Megan, Todd's son Ryan's wife.

Ten beautiful bridesmaids and ten handsome groomsmen. The handsome guy, second from the left is Todd's son Ryan.

The wedding was held in an old barn in the beautiful country side near Harper's Ferry.

I absolutely love this picture of  Andee helping Madison with her dress. It looks so old fashioned...

Ok, promise, I am about done. Got to show Madison and her Dad...

Well just a bit more. Daughter Lynn and her fiance Jason were there...

Jason is an amazing guy. He is a musician, teaches guitar, a great photographer, and a computer whiz, well both he and Lynn...if only I could borrow them for a while. Anyhow, Jason took a picture of Poppy and me and Andee and Todd standing around at the wedding. Look what he did with that picture...

It's hilarious! We have really gotten some laughs from this. We look professional, don't we?

Poppy and I did fall in love with West Virginia. We came home and started checking out small farms for sale. If only we could pack up this place and the thirty three years of hard work and carry it with us. Fun to dream but guess we will be staying here. 

Thank you for your kindness, for looking at the wedding pictures. Aren't weddings special. Sigh

Hopefully I will be back...got garden pictures and a baby turkey to show you. I've been babysitting while my friend Carla is on vacation. 

Love, Henny