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

Five Little Bonnets lined up in a Row...

 Sounds like there should be a nursery rhyme in there somewhere, doesn't it? 

Somehow all this reminded me of mama and how she loved the old nursery rhymes. A few years before she passed away, we found a pretty Mother Goose book in a thrift store. Mama bought it. We sure enjoyed looking at the pictures and reading the nursery rhymes. 

My silly blog, as a matter fact, was kinda fashioned after the old nursery rhymes. (some of us never get past the age of 10, you know).  :)

I remember when my daughter Lynn was setting up my blog she called and asked, "mama, what do you want on your blog...how do you want it to look?" "Well", I said, "a few nursery rhymes, some hens and baby chicks, and maybe a rooster". "What name do you want to go by", Lynn asked. "Ummm, how about Henny Penny".  So now you know. :)

My blog really needs updating but I can't seem to get anything to work and Lynn is way too busy to bother with trivial things such as this. 

I still haven't taken a picture of the garden, except this from our early morning walk...Poppy is in there somewhere. We were walking Eli and Ellie.

Well, I started this post a week ago then got busy with the garden and cleaning up the yard. 

I carried all the bonnets and aprons to the farmer's market again last Saturday...and guess what! Sold four more bonnets. What a surprise. I mean who would have thought that old fashioned bonnets would sell? Maybe more folks, like me, are longing for the simpler times, the good old days.

Poppy and I leave early tomorrow morning for West Virginia. Our granddaughter Madison is getting married on Saturday. Hang on, let's see if I can find a picture...

well, here they are...this picture was taken just a few months ago...her handsome fiance' is seven feet tall and just graduated from dental school. Madison is into her first year of teaching physics and chemistry...

Gosh, Poppy and I never, never, go anywhere. Do you reckon we will even know how to act?

Guess I had better get busy. Still got all the animals to worry about. Plan to leave them all with plenty of food and water for the weekend, plus a neighbor will stop in morning and night. Eli and Ellie will be boarding at a nice new kennel about a 15 minute drive from here. They tell us that Great Pyrenees are well cared for there. We will sure miss them.

Will leave you with a little humming bird picture...Poppy thinks is really neat. It's the shadow...

Thank you friends for stopping by. I loved your comments on my last post. Can't believe, even another follower. Sure appreciate you all. 

Love, Henny

Yearly Porch Cleaning...

and it's that time again! Sometimes here under all the trees, seems like the pollen will never end! What a green dusty mess the back porch was, so on a warm sunny day last week I went to work with a mop and bucket of warm soapy water...and of course the water hose.

far from perfect, but here's our clean porch...chairs fit to sit in again...

Oops! Just realized I took the picture before putting the clean tablecloth back on the table. The old porch floor needs another coat of paint...maybe one day.  

and, the other end of the porch...

Well, the porch doesn't look as pretty as I would like but most of the dirt and dust is gone.

So yesterday I went to work on our little front porch...dragging furniture around while mopping and scrubbing and rinsing away a year's worth of dirt...

and here's the other end of the teeny tiny porch...

My favorite thing about the little front porch is the old cupboard. You can barely see it over to the right in the first picture. I've told the story a hundred times, but the cupboard was a gift from my cousin Patty...

Anyhow, I've taken out all the fall dishes and stuff and added spring dishes...

I had to rake and scrape to gather the right dishes. My next trip to the thrift store I hope to find a pretty flowered pitcher and a few more things. 

Patty and I were texting about the new spring look and she suggested moving the candle to the side instead of in the center...so I did.  Poppy must have thought it looked off balance and centered it again. :(  

Anyhow, decorating the old cupboard added joy to the scrubbing of the front porch.

Better get busy. I'll be doing the farmer's market tomorrow. I have finished three aprons and 4 bonnets this week. Want to show you this cute one with the flowers and bees and butterflies...

and a couple of lavender bonnets...(pardon the messy bed)

Sewing is messy work.  :)   Thank you so much dear friends, and a new follower. Oh my. Thank you!

Love, Henny

Another first!

There's lettuce growing in the teeny tiny garden...

Lettuce fit for picking and eating! I'm pretty tickled about that. 

Have I told you about the farmer's market?

Well you see, wishing for a little extra spending money and seeing all the sunbonnets and aprons I've sewn, hanging around decorating my little sewing room, I decided to call our county extention office. What a sweet lady I spoke with..."honey, she said, we would love to have you"!

"Spring Fling" , opening of the markets, begins May 5th, so I packed up and was there at 7:00 am.  Can't see my table in this picture, but here's half the market...

My bonnets and aprons were a big hit, who would have thought! My first sale was to this lady who was a vendor there selling beef from her ranch.

She wore the bonnet and apron all day and had it on again last Saturday.

Anyhow, you have got to see this! Talk about luck! I've been raking and scraping for fabric to sew with and said to Poppy, "with the money I made at the market, I'm going to Walmart tomorrow and buy a few pieces of fabric"! 

And so I did...

Every piece I picked up, the clerk scanned and said, "oh, this is on sale for $1.00 a yard"! Be still my heart!  Here's my messy little sewing room with my new fabric folded under two new bonnets...

Right now I'm working on three bonnets and two aprons. Pieces stacked on the right of the sewing machine need stitching. I then move it to the little table on the left for pressing. Kind of a one man assembly line. :) Works good for me. 

S

and...

So, I am all excited and into sewing again...what with a stack of new fabrics and a place to sell what I make. 

Okay, I'm sure you have heard enough. Thank you for listening and oh my goodness, new followers! Who would have thought! Thank you so much!

Will say goodbye for now and leave you with a picture of Randall Rabbit, visiting with me in his home...

Love, Henny

Not once, since February 2013

until now, have I gone a whole month without publishing a blog post. Feels like starting all over. 

So here's our little ole log cabin, not quite as deep in the woods as it once was...

down Henny Penny Lane where the two, not very bright, Guineas guard the place and compete with Eli and Ellie as to who can bark or scream the longest and loudest warning alarm for every thing that moves...

and the chickens, well we're down to one big feeling rooster and six humble hens and getting a few eggs every day...

The playhouse still stands but needs a good cleaning, especially the rusty contents of the "Old Motor Grader Road" museum...

and back in March I started vegetable seeds in the teeny tiny greenhouse that actually germinated and thrived and are now planted in the teeny tiny garden. Sorry I don't have a picture of the garden yet, duh, how slack of me. I will be back with one.

Can you believe single garden plants, even at Walmart this spring are close to $5.00 a piece! I had to start seed. Could not afford to spend that much on plants. Remember back when you could buy a six pack of vegetable plants for 3.99?? Boy have things changed!

Oh, I do have a picture of the rose bush Andee gave me for Mother's Day three years ago. It grows in a pot inside the garden gate. It bloomed beautifully this Mother's Day...

Doing fine also are Rosie the goat, Miss Ducky, and Randall Rabbit. Guess my best news today is to tell you that our sweet Ellie is doing well. We still have vet appointments with blood work and pills to take twice a day but she is like her old self again, maybe even better...

Here are Eli and Ellie early this morning...

Of course, that's Eli in 'his' chair and Ellie on the old couch.

So if I still have a few friends out there, thank you for looking in. Oh my gosh! Smokey will never forgive me. I've forgotten him. Let me find a picture to add before he reads this post...

Here he is! He says there's plenty of room for both of us at the sewing machine. :(  He's my boy!

Love, Henny

Not just Ellie,

But Poppy and I too, felt better after reading all your "get well" wishes. Thank you very much...

Ellie is doing great and almost back to her old self. She just may eat us out of house and home before the doctors get her medications adjusted. She is on Prednisone and Fludrocort. It's the Prednisone! Dr. Davidson said Yes, Ellie has one goal right now and that is to find food. We think she has gained back the weight she lost and maybe a little extra. She goes back for more bloodwork on Monday. 

Ellie was showered with attention last week at the vet's office. It was her first visit back for bloodwork after being hospitalized. Most of the staff came out to greet her with hugs and kisses and were pleased to see Ellie looking much better. 

I hate to say anything but it's that time of the year again..."the snowball bush"!! When all the green blooms first came out Poppy said, Mel you've got to take a picture...

So many snowballs, the limbs will never support them, said Poppy.

So now they're turning white, but still not fully opened and no broken limbs, yet...

Seems the warmer weather is finally here to stay and it feels wonderful. 

Miss Ducky hasn't been back on her nest since losing her two precious eggs but enjoys swimming on the pond these warm days...

and our early morning walk down Henny Penny Lane one day last week. The sky and clouds were just so pretty, to me anyhow...I could feel spring...

even looking out across the old cutover was pretty...

some mornings everything just feels beautiful, doesn't it?

Guess that about it for now. Mostly just wanted to say, "thank you friends"! 

Love, Henny