A little post to say, "I am still here!"

 and thankful too considering all the storms yesterday from Tropical Storm Debby! Oh my gosh! Our little Franklin County made the local news big time with three tornado warnings and two of those tornadoes touching down, with damage. One tornado touched down just east of us and the other just west of us and were only five miles apart. Scary! and any of you that have read my blog for any length of time know how afraid I am of storms.

So how about a picture with a little sunshine and shadows...

We were walking Eli and Ellie early one morning. Gosh, looks like early spring. The leaves were still not on the little trees along the cutover. Can you tell which shadow is mine and Ellie's? :) This is a picture I liked and just now getting around to using it.  I've simply got to do better at blogging. 

and another one...

another walk, this time around the pond. Hard to believe our little cabin is hidden behind the trees in the background and hard to believe this is even our little pond. Sometimes pictures show more beauty than what we actually see while walking. Huh? Did that make any sense?? 

and one more picture, saved for this post...

Don't know why I love this picture so much. Maybe the colors, texture, or just sweet Ellie? Anyhow, on to life here on Henny Penny Lane...

Remember the baby chicks I bought at Tractor Supply and brought them home March 16th? Well, those sweet chicks are now hens and have started laying...

Time flies, doesn't it! So, after going through terribly dry weather in May and June, the rains came in July and have been overwhelming. The teeny tiny garden! Too much water causes tomatoes to split and ours did! We enjoyed one big perfect tomato...

The center slice was just under 4" across. Mighty proud of this one! :)

Oh, and back in the winter months I bought tomatoes at Food Lion called "cocktail tomatoes". They were actually sweet and good. So I saved the seeds from one and started them in the greenhouse...

These tomatoes are larger than cherry tomatoes and smaller than regular tomatoes...and are delicious! I will be saving more seeds!

and while bragging on the tomatoes I might as well tell you how good the old timey half runner beans have been...

Thanks again to Shelby for finding a cousin in the family that had saved these seed beans over the years. These were Mama's favorite beans and probably her favorite part of the garden. I always think of mama when picking beans...

A few quotes from mama while helping her pick beans...

"Try not to tear the vines all to pieces, I'd like to get another mess to cook".

"Watch out for old snakes. Shirley saw an old copperhead curled up under a bean vine".

"Lord, Mary said she could sometimes smell an old snake".

Mama was something! I miss her every day. 

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Thank you for looking in. I miss blogging and miss you, dear friends. I've simply got to do better. 

Love, Henny

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

Last post of the year...

Dearest friends,

Hope all of you had the most wonderful Christmas.

Now, I wish you a very Happy New Year! 

I'm telling you, your nice comments and Christmas wishes on my last post made Christmas for me, seriously! Thank you so much. 

I must say, this was the strangest Christmas Holiday ever!  

And I am not complaining. Just thought I would tell you about Christmas Day down here on Henny Penny Lane.

Oh, but first, if you don't mind, look at these pictures...

this was last Friday afternoon as that big cold front, the Bomb Cyclone, I believe they called it, moved through. It's odd how the tree tops looked white...there were wind gusts 40 to 50 mph as the temperature dropped. Strange stuff everywhere!

Folks were warned to stay inside if possible and around here with all the trees...well you should see the yard! Tree limbs, chairs and large pieces of tin blown around...

plus, my big Santa picture blew out of the frame and the swag of greenery, off the door...small stuff, really

So we can forget all that. I decided to make a pot of fudge for Christmas! I started the fudge in the same pot I always use for fudge, but this time it boiled over...I grabbed a bigger pot and transferred the boiling liquid. Along about this same time Poppy yelled something about two charges on the bank statement...grrrrrr

Anyhow, I marched back to the bedroom and jerked open a file drawer, twisting my back...the pain was excruiating. Hobbled back to the kitchen, pulled the boiling fudge off the burner, added butter and vanilla and tried to stir the fudge. Here's how it turned out...

Ruined! Hard as a rock! Anyhow, with an ice pick I got out what I could, put the pot in the sink to soak and went to bed. I didn't sleep much though...had chills...just couldn't get warm. Woke up Saturday, Christmas Eve, sick! 

We cancelled all Christmas plans. By Sunday afternoon, Poppy was running a fever and sick too...so we've been home all week, taking cold medicine and eating chicken soup. Today, Friday, we both are feeling much better. In fact, I've raked leaves most of the day. It felt wonderful!! The yard is looking better too!!

Poppy stayed inside most of the day. He did climb the tree, late afternoon to deer hunt a little. Monday, will end this deer hunting season and I am so thankful!

Smokey found a warm spot in the middle of my sewing...

That old apron in the picture came from an antique shop and is the only comfortable apron I've ever worn. I was tellling that to my friend Carla and she offered to make a pattern from the old apron...which she did. I'm tickled to death and hope to get a few made. Will sure keep you posted. 

Anyhow friends, I wish you all much happiness and good health in the new year...

                            HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

love, Henny

FIVE MINUTE BLIZZARD

Okay, you're going to laugh at my picture, and the tale of the blizzard that hit Henny Penny Lane on Saturday...

but let me explain. It was the weirdest thing! Most of you know how afraid I am of thunderstorms. 

Well, weatherwise, Saturday was very strange..we had rain, we had a little sun, we had wind and we had rolling dark clouds...supposedly it was fairing up and turning cold.

Around 3:30, Poppy looked out across the cutover and said, "Mel, if you're going to feed the bunnies and give the goats hay, you'd better go. The clouds look terrible".

I looked out the front door and said, "nah, those are fairing up clouds. That's what mama always called them".

Anyhow, I got my coat and boots, and bucket of feed. Gave each of the goats hay, pushed the wheelbarrow under the edge of the porch, drew a bucket of water and headed to the bunny lot.

The 10' x 10' bunny lot has a heavy duty canvas roof and also three sides covered with tarps that can be rolled up or let down, depending on the weather. All tarps were down, so the rabbits and I were pretty well enclosed, and unaware of how dark the sky had become...

when suddenly there was a BOOM of THUNDER followed immediately by BLOWING SLEET mixed with snow...my hands trembling, (that was lightning and thunder, mind you!) I grabbed both buckets, somehow managed to close and lock the gate, then tried to run for the house...thinking "DAN, WHERE ARE YOU!!!  SUDDENLY, THERE WAS DAN!! I absolutely could not run! Dan grabbed one of the buckets and my hand, and we ran, him pulling me along, uphill, facing the wind with what felt like shivers of glass hitting us in the face!

I know, this is North Carolina and I've never been through a blizzard in my whole life...but this was really freaky. It lasted about five minutes...long enough for me to grab the camera...

That's the rabbit lot way down past the little red shed. See the canvas top? So now, you all have my permission to laugh. We both laughed when it was over. Poppy saw the streak of lightning just before I heard the boom of thunder...He knew I would be scared to death, so came to rescue me. :) Bless his heart!

Better get going. Andee will be here soon. Nothing makes me any happier than to have a daughter come visit.  

Is that Smokey at the door?

Why yes! My sweetest boy!

Love,

Henny

It's Raining Again

Poppy is working today. I am home alone. 

It's raining, as usual. That's okay but around lunch time friends, the weather people say we could have severe storms. Severe Storms!

Duck number two enjoying the rain

Storms scare me! Those of you who have followed my blog for a while know that. Oh, I've posted a few stories about running from storms. I kept a mental list of places to hide.

. Hospital waiting room
. Library
. Goodwill Store
. Dollar General Store 

The hardest part was timing it right...How to get in the car and get into town and in my safe place before any lightning or thunder arrived. We're about seven miles outside of town.

Felt safest in the hospital waiting room. One time, in Goodwill, I must have looked at every blouse on every rack, while waiting for a storm to pass.

Soggy front yard

The scariest, but funniest, time was when I dashed into the Dollar General store during a storm. Even I laughed, later. My timing was off and I arrived at the store just as the storm hit! I jumped out of my car, and ran for the door through the rain, thunder and lighting. Just as I reached the door, a gush of wind blew both front doors open, and friends, all I could see were colored plastic kiddie pools, beach balls, flip flops, and hula hoops going air born and filling the parking lot. But you know what? Somehow, I made it through all the plastic flying around, the clerks and the customers and found my way to the back of the store. Bet those folks thought I was in a mighty big hurry to shop.

Guineas are terrible at finding a safe place in a storm

Soggy back yard

Ducky Lucky swimming in the muddy water

Daffodils blooming too early

and now they're saying the temperature will drop to 24 degrees early Saturday morning. 

The little pear tree, I was so in hopes would grow a pear this year, is about to bloom. Guess that settles that for another year. 

It is getting close to lunch time now, but I'm staying put! Thank you for listening. Eli and Weetie, and the cats, might need me, so I won't run and hide this time. :) 

Oh, I was looking for pictures earlier and came across one you've just got to see...

This was along about the time little Smokey began trusting us enough to stay. You know, someone had thrown him out and he followed the guineas home. He was alone and hungry for days before finding us.  Eli took little Smokey under his wing. I sure love that little fellow, well, big fellow now.

Thank you so much, well, maybe you're still here. 

Thank you to a new follower too. Hope I haven't scared you away. 

Love,
Henny



 

This came as a surprise!

Sitting out here enjoying the rain and the breeze as hurricane Michael drew closer... 

thinking, this is as bad as it's going to get, so I'll make a little video. Something to blog about...

Well, as it got later and darker, the winds got stronger and louder.

Friends, I know very good and well that the bit of damage we got is nothing compared to the devastation in Florida and even in other parts of North Carolina...

it was just so unexpected...

Around supper time on Thursday, in fact, I was in the middle of cooking supper when the power began going off then coming back on, over and over until finally we had no power at all. Heavy blowing rain, tree limbs, pine boughs, and pine cones began hitting the house and littering the porches and yard.

I've never known Poppy to be as nervous and worried as he was during all this wind. He felt like a tree might hit the house at any moment.

and one did fall! How lucky we are, this tall cedar landed dead center between the house and the shop...

All this happening at the edge of dark made it even scarier. I hate not being able to see what's going on.

We were out first thing the next morning to see how things looked. Lots of new stuff litters the ground, to be sniffed out.

and around the corner, a maple tree split and fell into the pond...

This old tree should have been cut down years ago but was home to a Pileated woodpecker and a nest of baby squirrels, so we left it. :(

looks like Poppy is missing one of his fishing chairs...

That's not an animal in the water, it's the end of a brush Poppy is using to clean the leaves off the drain pipe. 

Come Friday, the early morning sun sure looked pretty.

I have hauled off load after load of sticks and tree branches and pine cones, and haven't even made it to the back yard yet. 

Our good neighbors Kristine and Robert who live, (as our other neighbor Miss Ann says), "down in the bottom," called and said they would like to have the big cedar tree that fell during the storm. Absolutely! You are most welcome to it, we told them! Kristine makes beautiful crafts using only natural things from the woods.  

So Kristine and Robert got here early yesterday and we started hacking away at the big cedar tree...

Robert used the chainsaw

Poppy used the four wheeler to pull some of the big heavy logs. 

Kristine used her very own chain saw with jaws that close around the tree limbs. A much safer saw for women to use. Now, that's what I need! She cut most all the limbs from the big cedar. I forgot to take a picture. But here, she is showing me how the saw works on a smaller tree. 

By the time we got to the bottom of the tree with the root ball still attached, Robert's chainsaw was dull. Probably a good thing as they were tired and needed a break. 

So they left for home with the second truck load of cedar, and will come back later for the rest of the tree. What a big help this was to Poppy and me!

Sweet Weetie watched from her cool bed in the monkey grass.

Well, I've talked your ears off and probably bored you to tears with all the pictures, but maybe you will come back. :)

Love,
Henny