Friends

I have been sitting here in my office. (I have a separate room for that) :)

And I have been asking myself how many friends do I have. And I know what your thinking

- Man she has alot of time on her hands -

not really but I received a wonderful e-mail from a very close friend and I wanted this person to know publicly what it meant to me.

Few people have stuck over the years. There are my girl friends down south who never fail to brighten my day. My husband who's been my bestest friend for over 30 years (yes he was my friend before we got married) There are my sisters who are just like girlfriends. And there are friends who I have met over the years and kept in contact with.

And then there are those other friends who silently enter your life when your not looking. Who listen to you and give you that kick in the ass advice that no one else will. I have a friend like that and I would never tell them that I love them but I hope they know that no matter what, I will kick them in the ass right back. Because it's nice to be totally honest with another human being and know you can say what ever you need to say to them and know they won't stop talking to you. I've had friends like that in the past and they didn't like the honesty and stopped the talking. If honesty was only viewed differently it could be such a cleansing. When I was getting ready to move south I continued working and at work I became the honest speaking person I was always afraid to be . It felt so good to speak my mind or say what I truly felt. If you can speak your mind freely and not say hurtful things it can be so rewarding.

Boohoo sob sob sob

Enough with the crying

Thanks for counting me, one of your friends!

What have you been doing Debbie?

My heirloom quilt I've been working on for over 25 years.

You know you all have something like this in your own closets.

Well I'm almost done !!!

It's taken me along time each hexagon was cut, stitched and quilted by hand!

Master bedroom... where all the magic happens

Very beautiful women in NC ... Hiking very outdoorsy!

Dan catching fresh water crawdads!

Got the spare bedroom painted and color coordinated. (Hope that is spelled right)

Just getting it done here in NC.

Our North Carolina

This is just one of the state forests we've hiked

Rustic and beautiful old wagon

These are the flower heads on the tobacco plants.

They must get removed by hand so as not to turn the tobacco bitter.

The tobacco leaves are cut and bundled and hung on long sticks, the sicks are then hung in the barn. On the floor of the barn a oven style baking hump (it looks like a over sized speed bump) it is loaded with fire wood and must continually burn for about two weeks to dry out the tobacco leaves.

Tobacco Barn

Below note the deep rows ... that's to keep the roots from sitting in the wet clay during heavy rains. These are tobacco plants just before harvest. The process is very long, the plants must dry in tobacco barns for two week then get moved into a regular tobacco shed to get remoisturized for two - three weeks ,then they get removed and packed in large barrels for shipping or they get taken to market in large open baskets to the auction houses in Reidsville. Or sometimes they would have been beaten with sugar cane or hickory sticks until very fine , rolled and smoked.

Macy looking for a boy friend.. You have a nice face!

Twice bitten but not out yet...

Our rose garden

I think we have a third!!

Yep! After a $90 dollar Vet bill and a swollen leg and sore joints it was determined that Willie has used up 3 more lives. We have not located where this new snake may be lurking but believe me Beepa will find it. We think that Momma snake must have enjoyed the quiet solitude and garbage that the previous owner left behind and made a home for her babies here. But on the up side we didn't have our driveway wash away . (good luck T & M) Rest easy Beepa will hunt those rascally varmints down to save her Willie. Stay close for the ending...

This just in

Well did you ever.. yes the first big rain. Man, my dogs are not liking peeing in a down pour. 8.5 inches in 4 hours. But just think if that was snow.... but it's not so we are moving on. Got two bedrooms painted and accessorized. Now I'm finishing my 27 year old craft project "Grandma's flower garden" patch work quilt. Yes I've been working on this since we lived on the dairy farm in Bradford, Vt. And now that we have enough bedrooms and a theme for each, this is going in the cottage style blue room. Photos to come.
Beepa has gotten a firm offer on the NH house and we are just getting all the paper work finished. Hoping to sign after Labor Day. Keep us in your prayers.

This is one of three photos I framed and put up in our bedroom. I love these shots.

This is for you Priscilla... get it pussytoes!!!

This is a vista worth savoring, where is my wine and cheese Gaston?

Pineapple plant just hanging out and looking beautiful.

This is but a taste of the house warming gift that we received from my Mom and Dad.

Jackson and Perkins just makes the garden sing.

More life on the farm

Abby just couldn't stand by and watch me have all the fun.

Dan relaxing with the other men folk in the clan

(Abby is here by special invitation)

We got dressed in our 'bestest' colors for the butterflies

Butterfly kisses from us to ya'll...

Liz's Visit ... The End

Well, visits are always too short. You want to show them a good time and let them see you are happy, and see all the exciting new things you have found. But then the plane that is taking them home arrives all too soon and they are gone again.
I sit here and cry, I have to let her go home to her family (but she's my family too, I say) It hurts to watch her back as she steps farther and farther away. Through the door toward the plane that flies her back to her safe place. Home.

Life takes us on many different journeys. Whether it's a choice you make on a job or whether you move to a new state, It's all a gamble. But I wouldn't change a thing. We rolled the dice and have gained so much coming here. We can call this home...

More bugs

These bugs are just incredible. In size and in shape.

This just gets better and better.

Eeek!

The biggest spider yet!

Yes Cortney, your arm pits are Hairy!

Liz's Visit...so far

Day 2 :

Liz and Debbie at the Butterfly house.

At the Museum of Life and Sciences in Durham.

Who knew that science could be so interesting? This pitcher plant catches all the flying bugs in the butterfly pavilion at the Life and Science Museum.

Poison dart frog! The picture doesn't do his coloring justice.

My worst nightmare, cockroaches (dinosaurs!!!)

Plumeria, very pretty!

Look, its Beepa and on her shirt is an Owl Butterfly, just released!!

She's pretty isn't she.

This would be the second copperhead snake we have caught out in Beepa's garden.

Oh My God we have another one!

What I have gottin done

Well for starters I continue to answer long distance questions for the children. Dog sick! Kitten has diarrhea! I think I broke my leg going upstairs? And the cat getting bit by a snake and the husband looking for new snakes. My time is well spent. I've become very domestic and made several pillows, sewing by hand I might add (Danny wouldn't let me bring my sewing machine).

The family dogs have become so well adjusted that they no longer need to be on a leash and we don't need to build a fence. Our pear tree will be ripe when Liz comes for her visit. And Mom and Dad are arriving in Sept. Sister Jackie will be coming for Thanksgiving and Michael and I are drawing straws on who will host which holiday. Hoping to hit the Butterfly conservatory while Liz is visiting and hopefully we can manage a girl sleepover at Teresa and Michael's house.

Well I need to get the upstairs cleaned up for all these guests. Man I guess I should wash those sheets too. Kisses Deb

Death of a viper!!!

Well it all true what they say about danger in them thar hills! We caught the copper head (with our bare hands) not really with a hoe, anyway. After confirming with our neighbor that it was and is POISONOUS and realizing that it had bit Beepa's cat, Willy, therefore using up several of Willy's lives. Dan and Deb cut it's head clean off and ate it for supper...No that was in Deliverance..We threw it in the woods. Man you people will believe anything.

My days are getting brighter, LIZ IS COMING IN 10 DAYS. But who's counting. I am!!
Teresa is now 27 and I refuse to get any older.
That's it.
I mean it.
STOP IT.
I'm not kidding.

Chimney residents

The mommy swifts are feeding these babies every 1/2 hour to 15 minutes, and the babies are getting really loud! Almost to the point that they are louder than the TV.

Deb spent the week cleaning the house and fireplace. Yes, the dead squirrel that the previous homeowners left behind has been removed from the fireplace. Now we just have to figure out how to get the chimney swifts out of the chimney and cap it before any body else gets inside

Dan's New Work Toy

Dan's brand new D6T LGP DOZER. Oh man i'm getting hot just thinking about him behind the controls. OHHHH!Dan is working with 75% construction workers from Maine. So he feels right at home. They get back to their hotels and one of the guys cracks a beer and starts his grill. Dan wants his steak every once in a while.