Trimming the trees!

Labor on Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T08:45:00.009-04:00

Our rental lift

Dragging tree limbs out of the way with the JD Tractor.

Beepa and Kaki (note Kaki's shorts she borrowed from Daddy to cover her dress while going up in the lift)

We rented a lift to get tree limbs

trimmed around the yard.

And had alot of help getting the job done.

On Dan's day off he visited a local coal mine and brought me this lighthouse carved out of coal.

We found this box turtle in the road.

Our box turtle.

After three years we were finally able to get some tree trimming done around the property. Someone had to lift Danny up in the air!

Dan on a practice run

Charlotte (our niece form CA) with a power tool?

Before and after

Us Lately

2011-07-17T06:28:00.013-04:00

Tubing down the Dan River
Ask Dan what got sunburned?

The girls with their Dad on Fathers Day!

Gardens Cool stairs built into the stone wall. To keep the animals out of the gardens.

The view from Dan's Dozer!

Mom and Dad's new house. All the other photos were boring!Hee Hee

Our veggie garden

Dan's 50th Birthday gifts from his sister.

Do I see a safety pattern here!

Our canning operation

Beets

Working on the lattice for the deck

Relaxing with my dog Abby

Took a drive on the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Rhodies were just starting to bloom.

Well the summer has brought with it humidity. Yug!

But still getting projects done.

Finishing the deck skirting and adding some rails.

Got a veggie garden in this year and already harvesting tomatoes

and squash. Teresa made salsa and I have been freezeing squash. Got our

pickled beets done and doing our famous dill pickles today.

Maybe cut down a few trees too.

Cortney and Kathy are one step closer with their wedding plans.

And Dan and I are praying for continued work in the future.

Had to make a trip to Whinchester VA. to say good bye to a friend.

We were having lunch at the Shenondoa Musuem and walked their gardens. Very pretty.

Dan turned 50 this year and he got his JD Tractor he's a happy man!>

2011-06-12T06:09:00.003-04:00

As this is my favorite way of communicating

I thought its only fitting that we share our

good news with pictures.

On their recent trip to San Fransisco

Cortney Mosholder and Jerry McGovern got engaged.

Jerry talked with Danny just before they left on their trip

And while they were there Jerry popped the question.

Giving Cortney this beautful antique ring.

And Kathy's Maid Of Honor

Megan came down for a week long visit.

They had a great time together.

We are so very proud and happy for our girls.

Wish you all a Happy Fathers Day.

Takeing out the old to make the new

2011-04-24T09:21:00.015-04:00

This is the way we bought it.
March got us started on demoWith the help of Jason and Kathy and Beepa and Teresa we got most of the ole deck
out in one morning and to the dump.

We as assistant supervisors asked alot of questions.

Got Teresa on the demo detail with Toby's help.

Got the floor joists in in no time.

Saw Supervisor

Got the frame work for the new addition.

Then came the floor joists

for the additionTook a break from the deck to visit Kathy's wedding site at

Sarah Duke gardens

Cortney and her man Jerry

Best Friends

taking a break from the deck with K and C

Supervisors

Getting back to work

Connie and Jerry helped too.

All done Yeah Hoo!

Look how big it is!

Ginormous

Spring is here!!! Hee Hee

2011-03-06T05:45:00.006-05:00

Well the last item on our house inspection is getting fixed.

You know before you buy your house, you get a house inspection.

Well replacing the deck was highly suggested.

We just finally got a jump start on it this spring.

Dan loves the demo part.

The new size??, HUGE is one word.

As you all know the wedding will be fast approaching

and with lots of house guests coming for the

month of April we need the extra space and work staff help Hee Hee

(How else can it get built)

Bye bye old deck We'll keep all of you updated with the progress.

As you may recall @ Liz's visit in Aug 2010, we were painting this blue bird house.

Well seeing as it has been a tough year for my bird house man he was finally able to make me four more for the collection. Can't wait to get them up in the yard.

These two are going to NH.

One year smoke free and we are so proud of Dan!!!!

We got a cake and had a cook out to celebrate.

He kept a unopened pack in his truck for emergencies but

he threw it out yesterday never having opened it.Jason did the art work~

And to celebrate we got him THIS!

( Well his ole truck was having issues and gaining too many miles)

But if I was RICH he would have gotten this as a gift!

because he deserves it!

Good Job Honey!!!

I also wanted to add the many benefits Dan has found since quiting smoking

1. He looks 10 years younger :) Does that make me a cougar:0

2. His food tastes have grown greatly.

3. His is not out of breath like before. (Before what???...)

4. He doesn't taste like a ash tray. ( Oh that's on my list:)

He's a richer man $$$ money wise too!

Well as some of you know it's been a year of loss for our family.

A dear Uncle in VT and now two special Aunts. One in NY and in FL.

Our hearts go out to our extended families for the comfort they will need for the times ahead.

Love the time you are able to spend with each other.

2011-01-30T06:20:00.006-05:00

We made a quick trip to FL. to pick Beepa from Dan's sister.

Our first critter in Florida.

Say 'Armadillo'We had a little time so we visited our first FL lighthouse.

The old growth oaks are just breath taking

with tiny ferns and mosses

growing along the branches

These 5 gal. buckets were filled with kerosene or whale oil

and carried up to the lens three times a day.

The view looking down.

Dan didn't enjoy this view very much.

Note him hugging the wall that was not a good climb for him.

The other light station stairs

This was our first stop at the

St. Augustine Light Station.

So beautiful. And at the top you can see for miles.

You can climb all the way to the top.

The light house keepers had to paint the towers

twice a year due to the sand and wind

blasting the exterior every day.

This is Pounce De Leon Light Station

(Mosquito Coast Light Station)

Just south of Daytona Beach.

We climbed to the top of this one too.

Mary's front door classic Floridian

My dearest friend from high school.

My Home Ec teacher Mary!

A quick sunset shot at the VILLAGES!

Kare Bear at the orange grove stand.

We stocked up on yummy tangerines and grapefruit.

CJ the newest child to K and C's house.

Yaya playing with the new puppy.

K and Beepa waiting for Danny home cooked breakfast.

Just a touch of spring:)

Really SNOW again!

We can't show you Kathy's dress,

but we can show the bridesmaid dresses.

Yes it a differant color.

Light sage green

Very pretty with less wrinkles.

Kathy and Jason

2010-12-26T08:07:00.004-05:00

Some times life works out the way you pray for.

Who knew that my two best employees

at Belknap would tie the knot some day.

I DID !

Boston showing his Mommy his Christmas present.

Beepa arriving from across the river and

through the dell with her Christmas cookies.

Danny enjoying his tractor and his Pepsi.

Macy Santa in our 5 inches of Christmas snow!

Yes Christmas night brought 5 inches of white stuff

but by Friday we'll be back in the 60's .

Congrats to Jason and Kathy!

2010-12-25T13:02:00.005-05:00

As many of you already know

our Christmas has been

very exciting.

The Tractor got to push it's first snow

Cortney moved back home

Oh yea.....

KATHY AND JASON ARE ENGAGED!This is Teresa's first Santa on a gourd.
Danny was taken outside
and Jason asked for Kathy's hand in marrage
His reply was ....
Of course!

Beautiful heirloom ring from Jason's
Grandmother
Dorothy

Karen - hint, hint I'd love some more Jelly in Jan!!!!

Corntey's favorite movie star.

Our Christmas tree 2010

Cortney snacking Hee Hee

Merry Christmas to all and to all were is this snow coming from?

Danny changing jobs?

2010-10-03T06:15:00.006-04:00

I just picked up the limbs. He He

This is our neighbors stuff I'm standing next too.

Our tree is right on the property line.

Had alot of dead limbs in this old oak.

So with the help of our neighbors climbing gear...

Dan got up and started cutting.

Next we'll get the big swing up.

I've always wanted a BIG swing Hee Hee

Kathy and Jason MOVE OUT!

2010-10-03T06:02:00.003-04:00

It's official they are in their own place.

Beepa came to help empty boxes
Danny and Kathy got to work hanging photos.
And "Daddy can yuo fix this" stuff.Jason got the better end of the deal he had to work.

This was day two. And most of it was Kathy's LoL

2010-09-09T15:36:00.007-04:00

Got me a mustache:) This is beautiful! Alot of weddings take place here.
OH YEA THE SWIMMING IS GREAT!

Just trying out the temp.Oh Man it's way warmer that NH

This trip we headed to Wilmington and the Carolina Beach.

The water is in the 80's so great to swim in. We had a blast.

This 450 year old oak is in the Airlie Gardens

Just huge!

Both sides of the lake had swans.

They had a butterfly house too.

This sculpture is made out of Glass bottles. Imagine how much wine this took:)

We soon found out that Wilmington is the third largest filming city in the USA. Just behind LA and NY

We hopped on the horse drawn trolley to see more historic homes.

Next trip we'll try the steamboat .

Boston just looking beautiful.

2010-08-16T09:01:00.007-04:00

Here I am with all my years of wisdom etched on my face!

And gray hair to help round off the look! Cupcake pies!

Crafty day #2

More pic's of our vacation.Beepa and Kathy

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

Cortney home:)

Liz relaxing Kniting!

Jackson' wake up song for his birthday.

2010-08-13T06:47:00.009-04:00

Going Emerald mining was on Liz's bucket list

so day one of vacation started out

"Mining for Emeralds"

It was super hot so Liz had to cool off and clean off.

First we went mining to cross it off her list!Creeking!

Slushing! Liz got obsessed and couldn't stop
Jack and Dru bought bucket and got the best stones!

Uncle Debbie didn't want to go but ended up haveing a great time.

FROGS! BUGS!

Painting bird houses! Very serious work.

We had to get Liz and the boys out to Duke Gardens and the Science Museum. It was hot but we toughed it out and had a good time.

Jack in the bamboo forest.

SISTERS!

Got Liz out to the tobacco farm

And couldn't get her off the tractor. Then we had to get manicures and pedicures

Week one more to come!

2010-07-04T05:48:00.015-04:00

One of the many spring/summer jobs this year was to repaint the fire area funiture. So before

After

Couldn't have a Father's Day with out a long awaited gift like this! Happy Fathers Day Danny!

Some planting projects got underway and as you can see got out of control!! Hee Hee

We got planters for the entrance on the driveway and filled them with flowers.We repainted the house numbers and reroofed the mail box covers and Tada! We've had these mailbox covers for 30 years but never had a mailbox till now!
Then added some crape myrtles along the side of the driveway to replace the three trees that had insect damage.
Dan and Jason work very hard as the picture never lies!

Dan got to work up in Maine for a month. While up there he took in the sites and met some new co-workers. Being men they toured the man work sites on their weekends off and he wanted to share them with all of you.

One of Dan 's co-workers, Brian
, is standing next to a D-10 Cat Bulldozer (Man-power) Dan prefers the D-6. Below are pic's of the work site for the windmill project up on Kibby Mountain. The wind turbins are huge and I hope the picutes help you see our tax dollars at work. Ha Ha

This crane is 310' high. Over four stories high.

These are the bases for the towers that hold the blades. The towers are bolted to these bases that are pinned 40' into the ledge.
.

These mamouth blades turn out massive amounts of electricity

The towers with the blades attached stand 380' high

They had to build over 30 MILES of road for the manpower and equipment to get into the mountains of Kibby Mountain in Maine.
Well as we enter year three on the farm, it just wouldn't be complete without getting Danny his long awaited John Deere Tractor. His eyes glassed over while driving by the dealer in town, but I resisted by sitting in the truck, then I got out but I resisted and stood behind the fence. Then he asked me if I,d like to give it a spin. I knew at that moment that it would be going home with us. Hee Hee

2010-05-30T17:06:00.004-04:00

Well our Windows Vista has been to the computer hospital. And it seems that I can't rearrange these photos.
The story of this yard improvement is this is a covered bridge that Beepa gave us for our yard . It was built over 30 years ago by a gentleman selling his wood crafts along the Kangamangus Highway in NH. After years of wind and weather the cedar shingles
were rotting so I got new shakes and reroofed the covered bridge myself. Teresa and Jason helped too. I got to use Danny's nail gun (I love it). And the cats have a new perch.

2010-05-23T13:18:00.006-04:00

Well Jason parents got down to NC for a week long visit.

We really enjoyed their stay. Mom and Dad got to come over from AZ and stayed a week.

While Dad was here he and I tackled enlarging the pantry doorway from a single door.

Before

After

Relocating the header support beam.

Widening the door frame.
Painting the trim. Note the new pull out drawers in the center of the shelves

(Long story short, Deb got the shelves on sale

and never measured the approx width of the new opening for bi fold door,

So to use them up we improvised and installed them anyway)

They work :)

And hanging the new bi-fold doors!

Just love it.

It may not look like much to you guys but it's a huge improvment for the cooks in this family!

Dan's job has assigned him temperaryly in Bangor, ME for about one month.

Then his next job is closer to home.

Kathy is coming home tonight from ME from a week long vacation for a friends wedding.

And Cortney turns 23.

Happy Birthday Bear!

2010-04-08T19:18:00.015-04:00

For our anniversary Danny and I went to the Grandover Resort and had a fabulous weekend. We have been married 30 years. Got a couples massage.

Ordered dinner in bed.

Had breakfast by the pool.

And had drinks by the fire.

The weekend before we got to go to the BILTMORE ESTATE.

As always the garden are beautiful.

Got the gang in a photo.

Saw this and thought of you Prissy,

this was for you
D & D 30 years:)

Love is in the air!
Tom turkeys getting their groove on.

And the tornado warning just keep on coming.

The girls have decided that ice and snow may not be so bad after all.

Got the agave's potted in the well and the viola's are in full bloom.

Kaki working hard?
Happy Spring
This shot is of an Albino moose that was sent to us by way of Calif.
Got the bulbs in for free. Just wait till they bloom!

2010-03-14T10:08:00.009-04:00

Well with the Christmas gift card I received from my work Danny and I went to the ocean. And a national treasure it is with it's open seashore and amazing views. We are lighthouse fans and got to see three. Bodie Lighthouse was just having the final scaffolding installed.

It will be undergoing a 18 month restoration.

It was still an amazing sight even with it's iron lung. Cape Hatteras light house was beautiful.

There had just been a heavy rain storm
and a hugh puddle was giving me this fantastic reflection.

The natural landscape was so pretty and

the history surrounding this stretch of land is fascinating.

The ocean was rough but Dan and I still drove on the beach.

This light house is called Currituck Lighthouse.
It's located on the northern tip of the outer banks.
Our Spring has sprung and the daffodils are just about to open. The girls(Beepa,Kathy,Teresa and Deb) are making a trip to Biltmore Estates on the 20th thanks in part to some great day passes that came in the mail. Jason's folks are coming for a visit at Easter and everyone is healthy. Hope you are all in good shape too. Love Deb and Dan

How much did we pay too move away from this?

2010-02-05T05:32:00.004-05:00

Too Much!!!

This was the most in 40 years some old timers said.

And we broke our only shovel.

The other 27 shovels for snow we gave away in NH.

It took Beepa two hour to locate another showel and the old buck had to search the back fourty to find it!

Even Katie was pissed to have been woken up for it.

Well to beat our winter blues I had the bright idea to paint the master bedroom.

Thank goodness T was home to help me. Hee Hee
So from ho hum white we painted the trim and wall.
Dan is back home getting ready to start back to work with his old company. And very happy I might add. (Even more happy his not plowing this anymore!)
Before and AFTER

Life on the Farm

2010-01-23T15:28:00.008-05:00

Well Lola moved back home with her Mommy Cortney.

Got crazy with building a new cat scratch post.!!

What do you think. Jason and I went to town and

things got a little out of control.

But for $10 bucks we love it.

Then we got it in the house and the cats loved it more.

Beepa just got back home from a week long visit

to See K & C in Florida. She and Aunt Elaine had a really good time.

Been a sad start to the new year, as my favorite uncle passed away in Nov. and a very good friend of mine passed away over the summer. A good friend of our family also passed away on my birthday and I will miss him very much. With life there also comes death. As sad as it make life living it is inevitable. Hope you are all loving one another alot.
Dan has gotten a new job in Western Virginia after getting layed off at Christmas. He still has to be away from home during the week, but this full house has kept my days busy.
Hugs to you all.

Love Deb and Dan

Our winter!

2009-12-11T18:07:00.007-05:00

Just some fall leaves

The view up to our house from the swing.

Always wanted a swing and we have just the perfect limb on this beech tree. Christmas Lights at Tanglewood.

Well our Christmas card photo came out pretty but I put a differant one on the blog for all of you. The temp on Thanksgiving was about 68 degrees. NICE!!Jason and Kathy's Christmas Photo

Our three beautiful daughters.

More Christmas to follow!

Had a baby it's a boy.

2009-09-29T11:38:00.006-04:00

Jason has made the big move!

Kathy's boyfriend has finally gotten down to NC.

And just got a interview lined up for Friday . Good luck Jason.

He's camping out in the craft room for now.

And we're happy to have him here.

Next came the new toilet for the powder room.

From 70's green to water efficent white.

Our latest painting project.

Gourds

Then after our NH visit, my sister gave me the beginnings of a great crafty idea.

Making a mirror out of a old window fram.

Do you like it?

On the wall - pretty!

Cleaning the house for Gramma's and Grandpa's visit! Talk soon.

2009-08-25T06:34:00.009-04:00

Well a funny thing happened while Dan was walking the dogs. He was stung by a yellow jacket and nearly died.You know those crazy little things you get from our ancestors. Well Dan's father was highly allergic to bee stings and Danny hasn't been stung in years. Well he did the man thing and was trying to protect the women folk from the nest that Abby found and went to spray it. Abby had about 7-8 bees stinging her. So he got the can of bug spray and went in ...

He didn't even get within 30 feet of the nest and a bee came right for him and stung him twice in the head. Well he was reluctant to tell the wife of his poor judgement but came to tell me anyway. Within 2.5 min I had him at the ER and he was into severe anaphalactic shock while we were crossing the door way. The ER Doc had him rebounding within 40 min. and we got to come 5 hours later with steroids, benedril and three new epi pens. It has taken Dan a few days to realize he almost died. And today I'm happy to say he is alive and let ME go spray the new nest he found (or should I say the skunks dug up) He had to stand on the porch which was hard for the bug killer of the family but he did it.

Now on to the funniest visit of the year. Cuz Ray is 90 and still traveling so he called for us to come down for a visit at his daughters home. WHAT a GREAT PLACE. as these pic tell you they are avid collectors of cool stuff.This mannequin is my favorite.

Cuz P has an artistic side and this mannequin is just the tip of the ice berg.

They worked for a gentleman who ran a auction house for years. And found they liked bidding on the interesting things that others wouldn't. It fills the attic and house, the extra storage unit and the yard. From fiber glass banana boats to the Hugh dice collection. We had a great visit with all the new family we met.

This girl peacock was hand raised by P and S. She very protective. when not approached right she will dent your car doors and peck tour toes.

This guy I know you have see in the star wars movie.

I had to get a photo in just for you P of this amazing little dispencer tucked in the corner.

Our extended family. This was a home that all of you would love to walk through. And a group of people you would fall in love with.

Oh Dan is going back to work. Yah hoo!!!

SURPRISE!!!

2009-08-20T18:01:00.020-04:00

Well we sure pulled a fast one on the Hathaway Clan. Dan and I told every one that a trip north would not be financially feasible this year as we were waiting for a phone call to get Dan back to work. A surprise party was in the works to celebrate our parents 75 years on this earth. So after many lies(O Lord please forgive us) we drove north and they got the surprise of their lives. US!

We started out at K & C house and did the " I don't have this in NC" list. Christmas Tree Shop, L.L Bean and Tortilla Flats will never be the same. K drove me all over NH in the Mustang convertable and C kidnapped Dan for the day visiting job sites and old friends.

Thank you for a wonderful time.

We are so proud of these kids.
And we got to spend time with family visiting from NY.

Saturday came and so did the family's

Don't worry this bottle was empty! Hee Hee

We drank and ate and gathered eggs. We cried and laughed and took alot of pic's.

Lake Winni:)

Maine:)

FRIENDS:)

And while out at Salmon Falls we got a big hug from Pattie from the Ol' Speedway. Kisses

HOME ! !:)

Thank you everyone we love you all so very much. Our trip home to NH was perfect!

2009-07-29T09:21:00.035-04:00

Our Latest Adventures... We revisit the Life Science Museum with Kathy, Teresa and Danny.

More new butterflies.

And new animals

This is the red wolf.
How a tornado works at the museum.

Dan can talk to the animals..

This one gave him the "one eye".

Then we took Kathy to Duke Gardens.

It was raining a little but it was a great day.

We finally got Kathy over to her Wisteria gazebo at the Gardens.

We have been hiking alot and found this great place.

We think this is a good sitting spot. OR is it a snake in the ground?

As the masons were building a stone dam the Penn's had them build this picnic area above the stone dam. They came here often during the summer to have parties and picnics.

Here is the dam, a pump fed the irrigation system for the estate gardens.
Another view of the pond on the hiking trail this leads to the stone dam on the property.

We call this scary bark face dude.

Dan at a local pond during our hike.

This is the "Brunswick Stew" cooking area on the Chinqua Penn Estate. They had to bring a cooking pot in by railcar just to get it on the fire pit.

Well good times all around...

Danny is layed off temperrally. He's got resume's every where so we're hoping for work. I'm still working part time ... during the slow summer time here. Fall it will pick back up. Teresa is living with us full time and hunting for a job too. Kathy has taken the big step and purchased a new car this past weekend. She is very happy.

At the time of this writing we are the kennel to six cats and three dogs. One man and four women... Poor Danny! With all these animals we vacume alot. Beepa has been kidnapped by her sister and is traveling around the state of NY visiting family. Cuz Jo had a family picnic on Sunday. She, Beepa, gets home on Saturday. Well ta ta for now from my redneck swimming pool. Love Deb

GrandFather Mountain

2009-06-21T13:14:00.019-04:00

Dan and I went on an adventure. We ended up at Grandfather Mountain near Blowing Rock, NC. The dogs did great until we got to the suspension bridge and Abby put her brakes on. Dan stayed on the starting end and I went across by myself. This suspenion bridge spans a gorge in between the two peaks of Grandfather mountain. Very cool until the wind picks up.

Some nice folks took my picture.

We stopped at Blowing Rock and let the dogs walk some.

Nice view. As big a view as Grand Canyon!!!

Blue Atlas Cedar. At my work.

Kathy out walking her cat"Cali"

That's just funny to me

Hey Liz this is my "Martha Moment"

Sedum in old wooden crates

And here's Cortney trying to walk her cat"Lola"
Some of my container creations at work Our beautiful Daughters.

Kisses and Hugs Deb and Dan

Our newest updates

2009-06-14T06:27:00.024-04:00

OUR ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY !

JUNE 2, 2008

JUNE 2 , 2009Well it's been one year and we still love it. As you can see the vast improvements we've made and with very little effort.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO US!
The opening picture is a photo of 4 kitttens Kathy rescued from a client. Any one want a pretty kitty?

When Gramma come she always brings her jewelry so it's like Christmas. Every one got something. Even Dan got a new belt buckle from Grampa.

Dan's present.

Boston is our bug terminator. Here he is on patrol.

Of course watching this in person is alot funnier.

Well thing got buzing when Mom and Dad got here in May. I know it June already but time flies...

Dad helped me get started on revamping the old well cover. We removed the cover and cleaned it up to find a very well made well house. So after disscusing our options I asked Santa for a pergola for the vines to grow upon, and I got my wish.

Before

During

After

So the two climbing roses and Fall flowering clematis and Swamp Jasmine all are happy and doing very well. Danny is thinking about caping the well head and making a fountain out of the well house. More to follow. While Gramma and Grampa were visiting we got to the farmer's market and piged out on strawberries and froze a ton for the future. Got some great wine and enjoyed the fire pit. We rescreened Beepa's porch and added new lattice.She also repainted her house over the last three weeks. It took a while due to the rain we've been getting.

I got a biopsy of the thyroid and found out I have Old Lady Goirter.( Not a medical term.)Well I am 50. Nothing to it just getting old.

Cort had her 22 birthday. And went to the beach with her friends for the day. Beepa and Dan rented a Bobcat got some grading done and spread some more stone around her house and along the driveway. All that work!

We were very tired.

Got to go on a new "Benture" Love you Guys blog again soon Love Deb and Dan

2009-05-18T07:22:00.001-04:00

2009-05-18T06:30:00.018-04:00

Spring has sprung a month before we're use to.

I know you have all been so patient waiting for the latest installment of life on the farm. Since I started working I'm workingfrom 8:00 am till 6:00 - 6:30 pm, get home, eat , feed and walk the dogs,and fall into bed. No time to blog.Weekends are spent with Dan and then the cycle starts all over again. Our Busy season is quickly coming to a slow down. Due to the hot summer season gardeners don't plant much in June, July and August. (Except for Beepa and I, we're from NH)

Karen and Connie stopped by and got to tour Chinqua-Penn LOVED IT . They stayed long enough to visit with Uncle Larry and Aunt Shirley from NY. They stayed a few days too. Larry even got the lights to work on Beepa's front porch. (He screwed in the light bulbs!Hee Hee) We didn't think of that)

I got new glasses ...BEFORE

AFTER

Now I got some time off for MOM and Dad's visit? Looks like a nap to me! Ha Ha

I know how much you all like seeing the beauty we gained by giving up our NH home.

So I'll take you on our spring time tour of Bi- Centennial Gardens.

Here is a touch of our spring time beauty

Still enjoying our new digs more to follow. This year got away from us. We wanted to host a southern Memorial Day Bash and we will by gum. So Mark your calendar for 2010 Memorial Day Bash on the Hill southern style.

2009-04-04T16:40:00.022-04:00

Well so much has been going on .

I'm sorry for slacking in my blog duties.

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY baby sister!!

Next HAPPY ANNIVEARSARY Honey!!! 29 wonderful years!

Thanks for the dimond earrings :)

My first photo is for Michael. The beautiful job he did on the drywall.

Beepa's new bathroom

Our first trip with the house guests was to my store. We picked up Aunt Elaine at the airport and went to my place of work.They loved it.

The next day we packed the car and headed to the BILTMORE ESTATE.

We have Uncle Dave , Aunt Sylvane, Cuz Tim, two of his four Jon Paul and Katherine, Beepa and Aunt Elaine. The rain was pretty steady so we did the house tour first. And got our wine tasting in.

The second day the rain was a light mist so we walked the gardens.

Passion flower vine.

Beepa and I in the conservatory.

This is the spring garden. Forthia and flowering quince line the garden path. Eastern Redbud and Tulip trees were also in flower.

Then we headed to THE FARM on the estate. This all of us on the farm wagon. Please note our cool farm hats!

We got home and the next day we drove to Old Salem Museum. Friday the rain washed out the trip to the zoo. As a thank you the gang out beepa and I thank you gifts. Beepa got "Pelican Pete" to go with her "Captian Jack". I got a beautiful cutting board for the cheese and wine we drank.

Sat. we cut the lawn and played kick ball. It was a great time.

Work has been keeping me busy and I have to soak my feet at night so I can't type much. Hee Hee Love you guys Thanks for the great vacation.

2009-03-15T17:35:00.020-04:00

This is Beepa's new sofa.

This is the women folk in our "Snuggies" It was our goffy gift to each other. Hee Hee And yes you really can talk on the phone and stay warm. HEE HEEOur cat found this baby squirrel and the neighbor boy is taking care of it.

Kathy at her first day of work. She has to dress like a big girl.

Me in my work clothes. And this is my front store design.

It will change as new plants come into flower.

Becky loves the water running on her.

Well the weekend started out well with the finishing touches going on the ceiling in Beepa' new downstairs bathroom. Thank goodness we have no pictuers of me as this was my job and the Texture paint in a can just rained down on me and 7 cans later it looks good but I looked like a blizzard hit me.

Then Beepa' asked Dan to check out the upstairs noise because Becky the cat kept staring at the ceiling . So Dan went in the attic and found...

The Squirrel Hole

So as Dan was fixing the hole she (the squirrel) tried coming in the hole. Dan screamed and we banged to the wall and she jumped off the second story out side wall and ran away. Much to Danny's relief. Danny made Kathy crawl into the attic to help him, WHY Kathy Asked because Cortney crawled into the crawl space last weekend to help me fix the out side faucet. it's your turn.. Hee Hee I think he just likes to torture them.

She was a trooper and drilled and screwed (as much as Danny would allow) So we got the hole covered but our work is not done as we will have to replace the electrical cord the squirrel nawed.

The view from Beepa's windows of our back door. Well that all the fun we've been having. Blog you soon Love Debbie

Adult Snow Day

2009-03-02T08:55:00.013-05:00

Well it's now official Danny has a third love. Number 1 is ME! Of course you all knew that. Number 2 is our new home.(He's so proud of our farm) But number 3 I can't compete with it's his GPS on his Dozer. It's all hooked up and he is in hog heaven. He wanted ya'll to get a close up look at his new toy., (can you see Dan in the seat of his Dozer below) Look closer!

I can't make heads or tails of it but he loves it.

Macy and Abby thought they were helping by getting under the map. We're trying to organize a trip east to the ocean or west to Biltmore in March. That's right Aunt Elaine is BACK! She and Aunt Sylvan and Uncle Dave are coming the end of March. Cuz Tim, their son, is retiring from military service and after the ceremony they are traveling south to visit us.

Michael the drywall guru. Got right to work on Saturday drywalling Beepa's new shower insert. Now all that's left is paint. Great work Michael. Danny was the stand by assistant.
Which was fine with him as he doen't like drywalling and Michael is super good at it.

Well Kathy and I got up this morning with good work ethics. It was after all our first day on the job. Got dressed, cleaned off the snow and scraped off the windshields. Why ever were you scraping off snow in NC Debbie. Well this was the first snow storm with a significant amount of accumulation in 6 years. But it turned out to be our first Adult Snow Day!!!! We got our phone calls not to come to work due to too much snow.

TOO MUCH SNOW WE"RE FROM NH!

This is nothing you wimps! So we got out of our pretty garments and tugged on the snow gear and played in the snow...

Our Boston looks more like a polar bear.

Front driveway

Beepa's front door

I GOT A JOB!!!

2009-02-26T09:48:00.003-05:00

Hurrah for me.!!!

One resume and three days later I'm the Perennial manager for the local Garden center. Salary is almost the same as I was making in NH for BLC. It a family run garden center with a very big wholesale side for area lanscapers and builders. So I can design and sell and budget and be creative in the retail side too. No fresh flowers but silk and dry arrangements. As well as Christmas wreaths and greens. Something differant every day and no grunt work. With part time hours J/J/A and Jan and Feb. Perfect for me and Dan. No Sundays and just a few Sat during the busy season. I'll take pictures and post them this coming week. . or check out the web site below:) http://www.aaplants.com/

Renovations here we come again

2009-02-24T09:26:00.022-05:00

From looking at this picture you can see how hard it was getting in and out of this shower with out knocking into the toilet. So Kathy, Beepa and I consulted a plumber and started the demo on this project. The plumber had to work on re rooting the drain and re worked the water lines to keep them from freezing.(Yes the previous owners had the water lines on the outside walls) But in two days their plumbing job was completed.

With Dan's help we had to demo, rebuild shower support wall, drywall and paint.

So while Danny was home he and I built the stud wall for the end of the shower wall to hold the drywall. Michael is our expert drywall guy. So he and Teresa are going to help with the drywall and then we can paint. This is Supervisior Beepa inspecting our work.

So this is before

And this is after

So my next project was a refinishing job. Kathy, Beepa and I found this very cool antique and consignment shop in Greensboro. They had room after room of stuff. The chairs we found in the back of the shop on a very high shelf. The first table we found was round but after a second look we didn't like it as much. So we hunted around the shop and found this one, it needed some TLC but we know how to love thanks to Grampa Ken and his antique refinishing knowledge he passed down to me.The chairs just needed a sanding and a coat of poly then new fabric on the seat cushions. But the finish on the table was peeling in different spots. So I stripped off the ole finish, sanded and stained the table. Then gave it 2 coats of poly and I love the finish.
No comments on my messy craft room, please! It's nice just to have a place to work finally.

The table had an extra wide leaf so we can seat 8-10 people around for big meals.

The chairs are sooooooo comfy. So this is the table from my parents and this is the new one.
Love a round table.
Well I've got my resume out their so I'll be working soon. Kathy starts her training on Monday and the weather is slowly warming back up. Talk to me soon. Love Deb

Our Trip to the Zoo and more!!!

2009-02-16T09:57:00.029-05:00

Dan on his Dozer. He got this photo taken with his new camera . He wanted to show you guys his job sites and equipment.

After football we ate Pizza on the porch (72 degrees)

Beepa got a new computer desk. So Kathy and I put it together for her.

Becky wanted to help too.

And help some more .
Got it done. It only took three hours. Now if we could get more memory for the hard drive!
Boston and Abby just like the sun. Boston doesn't like the mower running tho.
Friday we headed to the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro.

These are our pic's fron the Zoo

WOW Hot stuff baby!!

The prehistoric babies.

C'zar the Elephant

The tropical birds.

Flaming flamingos!!!

The gang heading into Africa through the black bambo forest.

Beepa with a prickally boyfriend.

Cortney and Laura from NH on the buffalo.

The Otter

Beepa and Kathy and Debbie praying with the mantis.

The sea lions were great fun.

Do all animals like hanging out their goods????

The bear at the zoo...

the horse next door...?
Just be warned that the next picture will need some parental explaining. (Prissy this one I captured on film just for you)

Even Abby has to get into the act.

Those silly animals!

Having family near...

2009-02-09T06:49:00.015-05:00

Our weekend was full of guests.

While Beepa was away in FL visiting family we had a house full of family.

Teresa and Michael got here on Saturday. Danny and I got to work on finishing the roof on our lean to.
It's half way covered. The weather was 67 degrees and awsome.
Who is that? Our Sunday guests.

Who is this you ask. It's Cortney's BOYFRIEND Brandon.

Not only does he have musical

talents he's a good kisser too.Now don't get to crazy. She can defend herself if Brandon gets out of hand. He taught her how to shoot this shotgun.(Does that make' er one of them?)

And Cortney got her snow too. It's turning out to be a banner year for "Bear"

After a huge Sunday breakfast we ran the dogs outside in the 70 dergee sunshine and played football. A few people ran into our rolling plains and fell on their butts. The previous owners had a big garden and left the furrows to turn to grass. After football we ate pizza on the porch and retired to watch a movie. It was a great day.

BEST NEWS TO DATE

KATHY GOT A JOB TODAY!!!!!

YEAH YOU GO GIRL!!!

SHE'S NOT LOST ANY MORE!

Winter Projects

2009-01-30T18:38:00.014-05:00

Well look at me I did learn by watching my Dad.

And watching Danny too.

My talent for wood work is very basic so don't put in any orders. I layed out the basic form on the concrete.

Yes I was working outside, in 54 degree weather in January,

building a book case for my craft and garden books.

It will be installed in the craft room.

Had to reduce, reuse and recycle.

The plywood was left over from another project and the smaller wood came from wooden pallets the the stone was delivered on.

Hey it 's just a shelf for books.

And here they are after Kathy helped me paint them.

I screwed them up against the wall.

Not bad for a girl!!!Then with my electric skills I installed the old kitchen hanging light, painted it white and hung crystals off it to give it that fancy touch it went into the blue room.

Well I'm makeing next years presents and got these pinecone wreathes all finished.

This is a craft handed down to me from Beepa.

She taught me this when Dan and I lived on the farm.

Some of the pine cones came from an outing that Beepa and Ken

took me on to Lake Tarlton in Warren , NH. And some other pine cones the girls might remember I had them help me yank them off a pine tree on the state office property in NH.

The wreaths have to dry out for a few days then I trim a few tips off the longer pine cones around the edges to make the wreath more compact.

I cook them in the oven to melt down the pine pitch. That's me busy, busy, busy
so I don't give in to the winter blues (or menopause).

Just us enjoying life.

2009-01-18T06:51:00.013-05:00

Macy the "cat"

Danny loving his new CAT fleece.

Our home :)

Kathy and her man Jason

Kathy our middle daughter

Our neice Steph and the new puppy "Boston"

New Years Eve fire.
Cortney our youngest daughter and Teresa with her husband Michael.

My oldest daughter Teresa.

Our neighbors horse.
Have a happy day!

Winter projects

2009-01-14T16:52:00.011-05:00

Well Christmas Eve started out expensive. Our condenser died on the ac/heat pump. So to save on the energy bills Dan and I updated our unit and got a Trane. This is the crew tearing out the old... And this is the new one. Isn't it shiny and pretty.(This was my real sports car)Then With Kathy' s help we started painting the many rooms in this house.

This is the office before...
And here it is today after.Our laundry room got a makeover too and I went soft light blue.Prissy note the shirt Kaki is wearing. Hee Hee

Then I thought about the good times we've had with Mary Kay makeovers.

So and had our new lady Irish come over and we played dress-up.

Kaki looks smokin'

And Beepa is on a man hunt.
Loved hearing from everyone about my hot fake sports car.

Had a few people fooled,but I won't mention any name s(Prissy)

New Years weekend

2009-01-04T16:17:00.008-05:00

Well selling the house in NH really paid off. Danny was able to buy me the sports car of my dreams. This Shelby will need a car port right away.

We got the weekends started with Karen and Connie and the twins Steve and Steph stopping by for a couple of days . Got the wine flowing around the fire and had a hang over on Sunday just in time for my birthday. 50th...

Oh yea Drew and Priscilla... we found the Piggly Wiggly!

Steph is in college in MA. And enjoying the fun part of higher education. Scoccer is still her love.

Steve is majoring in business and he likes the fun in college more also.

Boston is growing like a weed and so damn cute.

Got my birthday off with a new car and a weekend getaway to a B&B at the coast.

The kids were all here and made dinner and gave me lots of love. Also got the inside scoop on Disney for ADULTS. Here we come

Oh yea did I metion that the car Danny gave me is a Shelby Cobra....

Our Christmas!

2008-12-27T06:14:00.022-05:00

Christmas day was warm and beautiful.From the front porch you can see the entire front yard and these bathing beauties.

Kaki getting some sun on her tummy.

7:30 am we got started on our presents in our Christmas jammies

This was Christmas Eve at T & M's house. These are the ribbonettes waving in that famous Queen Anne style.

Our three grown women.

Oh boy are they a H generation or what.

Four M generations.

Boston couldn't understand the peanut butter and jelly dance.

T & M at their tree

The three Christmas elves

The three Mrs. Clauses

Cortney's gift to T & M was to continue the blue spruce tree Christmas tree lights at their new house.

One of the funniest parts of our day was looking out our window and seeing our neighbor plowing up his garden on Dec 25th
Kathy's Christmas flowers from Jason.

From our house to yours

MERRY CHRISTMAS:)

Hope your Christmas was just as fun.

Love D&D

Our viewing of the lights

2008-12-23T16:47:00.008-05:00

They had light displays that took an hour to drive through and see

Just hugh

Our latest company

2008-12-22T15:39:00.004-05:00

Cuz Ray from Tenn. got here on Sunday.

He and Beepa went through old family photo's to figure out who is who.We had the best time with Ray and his Daughter Priscilla.

Planning a visit over to her house in January.
Kathy just had to show off the warm temps we had on Friday. (68 degrees)While everyone was getting bombed with snow over the weekend, she was wearing her sleeveless shirt and flip flops.
December 19th 2008

2008-12-19T05:42:00.016-05:00

Well Boston is adjusting fairly well to life in a house full of women. But his bladder has some issues. As I'm not getting much sleep due to the puppy Kathy gave me the night off last night. But her patience ran thin when he had his second "accident".

So back he came to meThursday was Christmas Cookie making day.

This family tradition dates back to 4 or more generations.

This rolling pin was Beepa's mother. Fourth generation cookie master.

Kathy is trained by the do joe Christmas cookie master Beepa!

A little wine while you work is a good thing.

NAUGHTY

NICE (Hee Hee)

Caught in the act

Now we let the icing dry over night

Do Joe Christmas Cookie Master Beepa has wild Beckie Two socks, who has recently gotten her tubes removed, living in this do joe so to save the cookies from destruction we had to let them dry in the guest room and shut the doors.

We are getting company this Sunday as Beepa's cuz Ray from Tenn. is visiting with his daughter. And we have the famous Christmas cookies baked and frosted for all to enjoy.

With Christmas just next week and shopping all done I have time to thank you for being my friend, my sister. my brother, my parents and loving me just the way I am. So many blessing we received this past year that I don't even need a present under the tree. (that's not true I love presents)

Merry Christmas everyone.

Merry Christmas to Us!

2008-12-15T15:03:00.010-05:00

Well the farm animals just seem to be growing.

Cali

Kathy and her dog(cat) Cali!

T& M 's "lily"

Abby helping me blog

Meet "Boston" the newest member of our family. Boston comes from a breeder in Gate City Virginia. He is a" Westie" and about 4 months old. Danny, Beepa and I picked him out on Sunday morning and we were able to get a quick visit with his Cuz Jan in Church Hill. Next time we want to visit longer.

With all these animals who needs grandchildren!!!

T and M have Lily and Katie - cats

Toby - dog

Beepa has Willie and Becky two socks - cats

We have Abbie and Boston - dogs

Cali, Olive and Macy Gray - cats

Cortney Pineapple has Lola - cat.

Oh don't forget our part time horses.

We wish you a Merry Christmas...

2008-12-08T18:15:00.016-05:00

Our early departure from NH did not make D and J very happy. Hee Hee

Our trip home was fun "Cali" Kaki's new kitten was stretching her legs and made the trip just fine.

Kaki and I got back on Friday morning and haven't stopped yet.

Finished decorating the house, got the Christmas tree and put the ornaments on it .

Man, Christmas is just around the corner.

Got the lawn mowed for the end of the season

and cleaning the last of the fall leaves (in Dec) Hee Hee

Just a touch of the south we found on a road trip

(a tobacco barn scaled down to a little church)

to a touch of the north

New Hampshire boarder town

Covered Bridge
Well I'll talk more later.

Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T07:17:00.016-05:00

Let's get it started.

Teresa and Beepa

Cortney and Lyndi

More pic's of the snow

Ask me what I'm thankful for and that is the easiest question to answer.

Family!

My sister Jackie and her family came south for Thanksgiving week and we had a great time.

Between the history museums and crafting we filled the week with fun and food.

Just before they got in on Saturday Beepa returned from her visit to Florida with Karen and Connie. The pictures she brought back shows their beautiful winter home and pool.

I'll figure out how to scan them when I get back.

Dan got the driveway done with a new layer of gravel.

And started chipping our huge pile of trees.

Now I'm off to NH to gather the rest of our children.

Just a parting thought.. As you can see from our lives we don't waste time as it is so fragile. Live life to the fullest because you never know when your last breath will take you away to your next adventure.

Why didn't we move further south?

2008-11-21T06:31:00.004-05:00

Yeah, I thought we were getting far enough away down here but... NOT FAR ENOUGH! I woke up this morning to a two hour delay on the news. SNOW SNOW SNOW and it was sticking around. I think it was almost an inch but to has started melting. I hope I can get day time photos for you all. Hee Hee

Guests are coming from every where!

2008-11-20T10:23:00.015-05:00

Updated the 78's light myself. Next I'm making a new light fixture for the blue room. I know Dan says the same thing" No more HGTV for you!!!"

Well Karen and Connie stopped by on their way to FL. and saw the houses and stole Beepa.

She is spending the week with them as they move into their winter home.

We had to do a little reorganizing as her Cuz Ray from Tenn was do for a visit on Sunday.

But he'll hit us in Dec.

Jackie and Cory are coming Sat to spend the week with us at

D&D's B&B

I also wanted to show you this years fall colors week by week.

Our colors start around the end of Oct. Beginning of Nov.

And believe it or not it's still warm enough that I have a few more roses budding.

The sun is reaching the living room windows now and it's so nice.

With cleaning the house and remaking beds I have been pretty busy.

This week I have also been making holiday goodies like candied pecans and banana bread.

This weekend will be carrot cake, brownies, pecan pies and spare ribs.

I have finally gotten good at cooking ribs and they are to die for.

With this coming week will come Michael and Teresa and Cortney for Thanksgiving and as always good times. Jackie has some crafty things she wants to make and we are hooking Cory up with historic sites to visit. Joey will get a chance to visit his BF for a few days too.

And Prissy my office at home is set up just like the old desk at BLC . I look out my bay window and watch the horses instead of that motley crew of ours. Hee Hee.

This was the guest room in the beginningNow it's done ( I think):) :)

Well I am traveling up to NH to help Kathy drive south after the Thanksgiving weekend. My trip will be just one day as we will be heading out ASAP. So for family and friends I didn't get to see this trip... sorry hit you next time.

XXXOOO

We will be posting alot more when I return.

From our house to yours have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

It's been quite on the farm!

2008-11-14T16:21:00.017-05:00

Well my super star husband got published this quarter in the company magizine. And I qoute" Key people on the 2-lane acess road to this landfill site are Blah, blah, and Dan _ dozer operator"

Well our horse lady Kim has gotten two new horses for us to pet and feed carrots too. This is me trying not to get Zapped by the electric fence! Beepa and I have been cooking for Dan and shopping for Christmas presents this past week.

We finshed off the week by holding our own" crafty day".

As you can see all the pets want to have some fun which made crafting very hard because we had to find alot of the fruit I was using all over the floor. Then Abbie had to chase the cat thru the middle of Beepa's lap. I know you slow poke's are saying "Debbie it's too early to be doing that" But with my "work' schedule I have found the time to enjoy this activity NOW!!!

Besides when I craft i dismember old decorations and put on up dated holiday goodies.

This year I went "Williamsburg" with alot of fruit.

Do You Like?

These are home made gifts to my family with wood stoves.

Wax covered pine cones for fire starters. Shhh... they are a suprise.

And after many years I am able to have little candles in each window.

Like we did in Vermont.

My christmas cactuses can't even wait for Thanksgiving.

They went crazy with blooms this year.

I even got the Orchids to send out blooms... Now that is super exciting for me!
Teresa, Micheal and Cortney all got to come over on Sunday and we got alot of laughes in.

Before and After our 6 month review!

2008-11-08T10:28:00.010-05:00

You never realize how much your property changes until you see before and after photos. And this being our first southern season (for me in 30 + years) it takes on a whole new look.

Front entrance - Before

Front Entrance - AFTER
Second Well and back walkway to Beepa's house - Before

After :)

Back walkway looking at our house - Before

After

Our house in June - Before

Our House - After

and After

What could be next on our list?

Our Peak Season here in the south!

2008-11-06T17:20:00.010-05:00

I want you to vote:

Picture #1Or picture #2

Email me your favorite.

Bicentennial Gardens in Greensboro November 6th and the roses are still blooming.
This Japanese Maple holds a wonderful red .
Grasses hold a special place in my landscape designs and these give me more ideas.

And Ginkgo trees are so beautiful.

Now the view from my yard.

Yes I took this picture November 6 th my azaleas are flowering.

Our southern Beech Tree in the side yard.

The colors are just poping.

There is a certian amount of pain before beauty. Hee Hee

Wish you were here. Love you

Old Salem Museum and Gardens

2008-11-03T08:34:00.017-05:00

My best foliage photo to date.

Our prettiest red tree picture.

As much as I can remember this village was started by a Protestant Moravian religious group they prospered due in part by opening their trades of the village to the public. It has survived since the 1700's. The town of Winston -Salem has grown up around it. And a very forward thinking man Frank Horton and his antique collecting mother started a museum called the Mesda,with their collection of furniture and wood working details from the homes in the south. They would copy or remove architecture from homes that were being tore down and started making a museum with the rooms inside it. Furnish the rooms with period furniture and wallpaper and rugs. The village has live tradesmen and women at different homes showing the trade to the public.

This home was built in the 1700's

This house was the bakers home and shop.

This was the photographers wok shop.

The coal burning stove was very interesting and the women scolded Danny for touching it. She's piecing together a quilt.

The garden s are worth visiting again.

Main Street in the fall.

This was the gun smith.

This Dan and the girls in the tavern kitchensThis hottie worked in the wood working shop. on the table he is carving a plaque for the gun and a spot for the powder horn. Again those ladies find the beer in the tavern basement.

Danny always seems to find a way to get me in the hay loft. Hee Hee

Our day was fantastic and the weather 72. For Nov. can you believe it.!!!!

A Quick update

2008-11-02T10:32:00.006-05:00

Well the weather today is going to be in the low 70's. The Aunties and Dan and I are going to a living history museum in Winston-Salem today See you all later.

The front door - BEFORE
AFTER
Some fall color in Greensboro

A working grist mill in Stokesville

The Aunties getting pumpkins.

Me - trick or treating over to Beepa' s house. We got 0 trick or treaters. Michael and I decided to have our own party next year. And invite all of you!

Don't mind the scary head with the glowing eyes!

Best surprise yet!

2008-10-30T11:00:00.009-04:00

Well long time no see but a great surprise. Danny's cuz Dave and his wife Joy surprised us with a visit. We figured that the last time we saw each other was when Ronnie and I traveled with Ken and Shirley to Rochester back 26 years ago. Their youngest son is attending Duke and they called to say hey. So we said come on over and sit a spell.This is me Lumberjack Debbie. I split all the wood in the wagon behind me and some more after that. Yea Me!!!

Then I got this craft idea from a magazine and said "I can do that." And I did! Junk found in the woods(no surprise) two chimney liners. So I washed the outside applied mastic and colored glass and did a art project for the garden.Not bad for a old lady!That right an old lady! Guess what came in the mail. They can't think I'm old enough yet?

This is my latest achievement. I have installed electric lighting! Yea Me again!!! I removed the 1978 florescent light over the bathroom mirror and installed this myself! Yes , I have not burned the house down!

And Elaine is arriving on Saturday. We have found a Museum like the one in NY. Very hands on and people at each house with 1700- 1800 style clothes and trades. I'll get more out on the blog after this weekend.

2008-10-23T18:07:00.014-04:00

Now earlier in the summer you saw us sitting on this butterfly at the museum in Durham. Well Beepa and I found them to buy for a paltry $2,000.00.

I had that money in my other pair of pants (Hee Hee)

Beepa hit this rock with her car and broke it.

"Split Rock"Now this is tricky but I had a .......

Pic's of the blue ridge mountains

Funny Story: One of the things I miss most about NH was the ability to Drive an hour to the ocean, Drive an hour to the mountains, Drive an hour to the lake, drive an hour to the city of Boston.

So after hearing about Grandfather Mountain and buying a Garmin, Beepa and I said" lets drive over and see this beautiful natural site on our own." Well three hours later we arrived. Yes it was beautiful but hurricane force winds kept us off the top. Oh and time constraints kept us on the go to turn around and head home. Because we thought it was an hour away and we left the dogs home.

It was a quick visit and definitely worth going back another day (and stay over night).

So here is Grandfather Mountain. Trick or Treat or as they do in the south Trunk or Treat.Now to explain here in the south they park their cars at the churches. Open their trunks , decorate them and then trick or treat from the car trunk!( Different and they say"safer")

Sad Day !I miss NH's good old fashion night of scarring!

We'll just keep a photo journal on the changing season.

Our house is tucked into the oaks. This is our huge front lawn.

Nice place to have a party!

Well on a sad note, we lost our best friend of 13 years. Our cocker spaniel "Toby" had to be put to sleep this week. He was very sick and hung in there for the move south. He loved the "don't need a leash" code we started to live by. But he got sick again and it was time to let him go. We miss him so much but we didn't want him suffering anymore. Just thought you all might want to know about it.

The Farm is growing!

2008-10-18T14:28:00.020-04:00

Well I read Teresa's blog and realized that this BLOG thing has given us a chance to back track and show you all what our last 28 years of marriage has been like.

This was the earliest nice cute costumes then it just went down hill from there.
So here are our photos from Halloweens past. Our good neighbors Lisa and her family came over in the early years to help scare the kids.
Yup! That's the middle daughter Kathy in the coffin!
Me looking my scariest. Nice hair!

The hair just got bigger and uglier every year.
Then we started hidding and getting more blood.

The killer dental nurse! Very me can you guess who I take after(Gramma Helen)

Then I found New England photos and wanted you to see both states through my eyes!

This is a pig fence .When there was quiet time on the plantations in winter, slave owners sent the slaves up into the mountains to build stone walls to keep the wild pigs from coming down and distroying the crops.

These are the Blue Ridge Mountains

The pull off vistas are amazing!

Quiet location on the Biltmore Estate.

Waterfall on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Fall at it's best

Now compare those colors to New England

Gilmanton, NH

Road to Bahre Property in Alton, NH

Our Southern Fall

2008-10-15T21:41:00.004-04:00

Some body pinch me it's 84 degrees today! This can't be real but yes it is ,the south is beautiful! Beepa and I are working hard on our gardens. I've moved 7-8 shrubs this week and gotten alot of the dirt into my new rock gardens at the front of the house. She has been clearing out more of the scrub brush behind her house and is saving the bees nest. She really wants to save them .

Aunt Elaine is coming back for a revisit before her coupons expire. Lucky us she chose NC again. I'll get more photos this weekend as we are hoping to visit a place up north called Grandfather Mountain. The colors are at peak. We'll see what they call peak here in the south. Hee Hee because we all know what peak really is after living in New England!!!

Phase Two!

2008-10-09T08:17:00.014-04:00

Well now that the wine is finished off, and the fire is done burning,

and the eating and painting is consumed.
Oh lets not forget the dice game "BONES"The serious work has gotten done.

I finished the stone walls today.

Next is installing the brown dirt(that's extra $) for the new plantings!!!

Got the stone walls done!

2008-10-08T13:28:00.006-04:00

My Mommy and Daddy

Visitors to NC

2008-10-04T06:27:00.017-04:00

Well where do I begin?

The Aunties drinking tea by the patio.

Aunt Dot and Uncle Bob arrived Thursday.Uncle Bob? or a Sun Goddess? you decide.

(Note the angle of his sexy leg) such grace!
The fire got started around 3:30 pm and the last one in was around 12:00am

Just a look at our new walkways

Front walkway before

After

Back walkway before

After

We took a trip over to Cortney's and Teresa's on Thursday

This is Cortney's new Kitty "Lola"

She was rescued and she's about a year and a half old.

This is Cortney's apartment

Grampa relaxing on the deck

Then we took Gramma and Grampa to the Plantation.Well after the tour we found the wine tasting room.

Which led to "wine tasting"

Which led to wine buying.
Which led to napping. Hee Hee

Finished product...Beepa's patio, Snake resistant!

2008-09-30T15:33:00.009-04:00

So in the beginning we had this wooden deck . The previous owners added the cement all around. Which invited the snakes to have a safe haven at night and a warm hotel during the day.

Well the snakes couldn't stay and the hardscape junk that had accumulated from all around the property had to find a new home so we broke it up and threw in in the pit of despair.

So we riped out the wooden decking and filled it with the junk.

Then they pour out the cement and bring it up to the existing level of the old cement. Note the ditch insert at Beepa's door at right , because the slope of the cement was off. We had them install a ditch at the door for rain. Andrew you would be proud that was my landscape idea! Danny also added a plug that runs from the house to the little garden under the cement so Beepa can plug in her fountain.Next they allow the cement to harden for about an hour Then they throw down colorant and "release". This "release"powder is the main color and also acts like flour to keep the cement from sticking to the rubber stamp. They tamp the desired imprint from the stamp into the wet cement. They have about 5 rubber stamps and Beepa chose the flagstone texture. They added a touch of red to the top of the concrete to highlight the color of her house. Then the main color is thrown on top. She went with the gray colors.
Then they lets it sit overnight . The next day they pressure wash the colorant off the surface to get the desired colors. My walkways are colored more in the tan and red colors to match the brick on the house. And it has the cobble stone look we liked(reminds us of NE) Next the cement is allowed to dry for about an hour and the sealant is applied.

Then you have a new dancing patio for years to come.

The next phase of construction...

2008-09-29T18:48:00.007-04:00

Abbie getting a free ride Our cat Olive

A work in progress.

We removed the Azalea's from the front porch and the walkway is poured.

The rock wall is going in next.

These are the rocks Beepa and I went shopping for.

She fell in love with a bigger rock and she calls it her butt rock.This rock will fit your butt perfectly. So come on down and sit a spell!Beepa was thinking long and hard about this rock. For one thing we never thought we'd be shopping for rocks like rich people on HGTV Hee Hee

Then we thought hey why not get some boulders for hard scape interest. Then she saw the butt rock and had to have it.

Tomorrow I'll have the finished concrete walkway photos.

Oh yea Dan and I moved up in technology and went digital. Our new camera is great!

New walkways

2008-09-29T18:34:00.005-04:00

This is the form that the concrete will get poured into. Back walkwayThese are the new concrete stamps for our walkway (we picked cobble)

This is the colored tinting agent they spread on top of the concrete. Then they tamp down the impression from the rubber stamp.

This is day two unfinished walkway. Tomorrow it will look alot different.

Our house and back yard!

2008-09-23T20:25:00.004-04:00

2008-09-22T19:47:00.001-04:00

Don't forget Macy!

Man I can't get my blog updated fast enough!

2008-09-22T12:58:00.011-04:00

Teresa beat us to the punch ...again. Our news is pretty much the same as hers.

Beepa and I have been burning up the roads between here and Greensboro. Last week was spent traveling down to find fun shops and interesting "go back too again " stores. We went on a mission to find pots for the side of her house to add more color and found this black cat (it has the same sour puss as Willie) Hee Hee

Then we went car browsing and found this Malibu and talked on Tuesday, brought it home for a overnight test drive Friday, and Danny test drove it Saturday. Michael got us some facts off the Internet to go back and negotiate with, and saved Beepa 1,500.00 off the price. Good job Michael.

Becky is growing like a weed. This square collapsible toy is probably her favorite.

Beepa and I are standing in the once wooden deck. We got all the garbage pavers, brick and other stuff from around the yard and started filling in the sub floor. Stamped cement is going in it's place. That should start on Tuesday.

Michael needed his barber to give him a buzz cut.

We were able to finally wear long pants on Saturday. I haven't had the A/C on all week.

Got another variety of snake today. How's this one?:

Black Rat Snake

Abby saw it first and almost got bit but it is NON venomous

Thank you Jesus!!!!

I don't know if a told you all about Abbie's vet stay . Ya! it seems she has been biting off more than her innards could pass and had several bone chips in her intestines that were not passing out (if you get my drift) several enema's later that day at the vets office and she was feeling much better, but her one eye was sore. Ha Ha

We are so proud of our NH family friends Jon and Lisa Chodakowski. Their oldest child had a baby boy over the weekend, Congrats Grumpy and Gigi!!

Other news ...Aunt Dot and Uncle Bob are going to try to squeeze in a visit in a couple of weeks, weather permitting. Gramma and Grampa are coming in a couple of weeks too. And guess who can't get enough of NC? That's right, Aunt Elaine is coming back before her bonus points expire.

Well Beepa and I are trying to get finishing touches done on the farm before these newest guest arrive. Next is the new walkway photos... stay tuned.

24 HOURS can make such a differance!

2008-09-11T17:11:00.027-04:00

This is a good view of the towering oaks in our yard. Our house is the big one in the back and the house to the right is Beepa's screen porch. This our first day at the new house .

We are waiting at the front of Beepa's house for the POD to arrive.

Note the shrubs at Beepa's front screen porch.

With in a week of signing we dug them all out because they smelled like cat piss:)

The second photo is the new landscape.

Hosta and ferns which love the shade.

We are looking for some astilbe to install next.

This is the thing they called a carport.

The termites loved it more than we did.
The rusty metal roofing had to go.
This was the first construction job at the new homestead.

I love working with this guy!
He lets me run the power tools.
Now that is a real man!!

The roof is gone. Now we just need to chainsaw these telephone poles off.

The cable man came the next day to bury Beep's cable with a ditch witch and he was kind enough to use his ditch witch to help me remove the telephone poles buried in the ground in cement footings.

Who every said honey isn't the sweetest thing!!!:)
During....

The building went up so much faster thanks to Michael and Teresa on this HOT day of work.

Dan and I went to work on the rafters. Then installed a smoky roofing panel that lets in just the right amount of light.

Check out those sexy gams!!

Beepa's new carport! Hand made by Deb, Dan, Teresa, Michael and Beepa!!

After a fun shopping trip into Greensboro, Beepa and I found this hand painted dresser in a antique shop. The colors on the dresser are a perfect match to the wall color and it was so cute we couldn't pass it up (the price was to good to pass up either)

This is the finished product. The blue cottage room.

This quilt has a special history to it.

The backing for the quilt came from my Grandmother Belle.

On the farm in NY she and Grandpa had dairy cows. To filter the milk after each milking they used flannel squares to filter any debris from the milking parlor into the milk cans for town. She saved these squares and years later, after I got married, she found out I was learning to quilt from my mother-in-law. (Beepa)

She gave them to me. And that started me on my journey to complete

"Grandma's Flower Garden "

patch work quilt. I had enough square patches to size up a twin size quilt. So this quilt will rest in her honor at the foot of the full size rope bed Aunt Ceil handed down me and my Mom when I first set it up in LA. It has stayed with me since I was 13 years old waiting for just the right time and just the right place.

I am so proud of it.

Thanks Aunt Ceil I hope I did you proud.

Well tomorrow Beepa signs on the house in NH.

It will be official at 3:30 pm. Pray all goes well.

We plan on celebrating and Wish to thank all of you who helped us get to this very special moment in time .

***We love you and Thank you from the bottom of our hearts***

XXXOOO

Beepa, Debbie and Danny:)

Fall in NC

2008-09-03T11:14:00.001-04:00

Much bigger than NH houseMore sight seeing in NC
Me looking at you!

I'll get photos of our fall and compare notes from NH!

Just us - inviting you!

Well with the hurricanes are coming fast and the guest are coming even faster. I have to get my butt off the tractor and start cleaning house. Beepa just had her cuz and family come over from Tenn. for the day and visit. Cuz Winnie and Fred and Janet. Janet lives about 3 hours from us and is about our age. We had a great time. And we reminded them that Memorial Day weekend we are hoping to host the Memorial Day Bash here in NC.

That's right it's long over due and our yard is perfect for camping, RV's and PARTYING. So mark you calendar for 2009.

Friends

2008-08-30T07:37:00.001-04:00

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?

2008-08-29T12:43:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-29T12:05:00.001-04:00

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!!

2008-08-29T07:23:00.000-04:00

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

2008-08-28T11:20:00.000-04:00

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

2008-08-20T13:12:00.001-04:00

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

2008-08-19T20:30:00.000-04:00

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

2008-08-19T20:24:00.000-04:00

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

This just gets better and better.

Eeek!

2008-08-19T20:17:00.000-04:00

The biggest spider yet!

Yes Cortney, your arm pits are Hairy!