I love this picture.  

 

This is my friend, Sheri.  She has a friend, Sandy who has a sheep farm outside Charlotte.  They have a Great Pyrenees, and cows too.  Sounds like a fun friend to go visit in the spring, or anytime when the lambs are born.  

 

Sandy's Sheep, Sheri's baby.  I think you should raise sheep, Sheri.  You look like a natural lamb momma.

 

HAPPY TIMES!!!

 

Nancy gave me this puzzle last week.  It was in 1000 pieces.  I started putting it together on Saturday, and was finished by Thursday.  I love puzzles:  Crosswords, Sudoku, jigsaws, all kinds.  This one was so fun, and beautiful.  All the butterflies are numbered, and named scientifically.

 

I sent Nancy a picture when I started, and a couple progress pictures.  She is doing a 1500 piece puzzle of birds.  The center one is a peacock with about 50 "eyes."  This winter we are going to swap puzzles.  She'll get the butterflies and I'll get the birds.  Hey, as Momma would say, "It keeps us out of the pool hall."  

 

I did make one BIG mistake, though.  I started putting it together on the living room table, which stands 16 inches off the floor.  By the time I realized my error, it was too late to move it to a higher table.  So every piece was added by bending over.  AAK!!!  I surely won't make THAT mistake again.  

 

Next time I will monopolize the dining room table for however long it takes.  

 

HAPPY DAYS!!!

 

 

 

Happy hour on the porch with Henry and Tere is fun.  We sit at opposite ends of the porch and solve the problems of the world.  It takes HOURS!!!!  The hummingbirds are right there in front of us.  They buzz in and out at warp speed.  

 

I love this picture.  I set my phone camera to the Live option, and took a few pix as they flew in and out.  Then I could watch them again in motion and pick out the best shot.  

 

Thanks, friends for entertaining us this weekend.

 

HAPPY BIRDING!!!

 

A couple years ago, Jon turned 70.  We had a three day birthday bash.  It was tremendous fun!!!  Over 50 guests in all came to celebrate the BIG day.  I had to spread it out over the three day weekend to have enough room to put all our friends.  Everybody chose their own day to attend.  It worked beautifully.

 

We celebrated like kids, with 3 cakes and 3 different homemade ice creams, and presents.  Everybody had fun!!

 

Not to hog the gift-giving prize, but.....when he came home with this yellow Jeep to take me for a ride, I said YES!!! Let's buy it and call it your birthday present.  It has been so much fun every summer since.  Remember that old joke:  How can you tell a happy motorcyclist?  By the bugs on his teeth.  Well, that's how happy this Jeep makes us.  Whenever we drive it, we're grinning from ear to ear.  

 

Today is his birthday, and the Jeep is still the present.  ;D   If you happen to see him on a walk or in the Jeep, be sure to wave.

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JON.

 

Here's Tere having fun in the lake.  

 

 

And me wishing I was on the boat.  Captain Roger tied this life ring to the boat so I could feel secure in all that water.  

 

I did get to tell my college swimming stories, though:  I took Beginning Swimming three times.  I got an A all three times, because I showed up and got in the pool, but I could not bring myself to get in the deep water (10 feet.) And the one time the instructor made me, I had to be rescued from the bottom of the pool!!!  They called me "Brick."  Hahaha.  It's funny, NOW!  (I guess.)  I'm just not a fan of deep water........still.

 

HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

 

 

 

Here's a better picture of the falls.  We could've gone swimming here, but it just looked too slippery to me.  So we just hung out and took a bunch of pictures. 

 

 

Old snag, still standing.

 

Such a beautiful place.  After that, we got back on the boat and went to the smallest beach.

 

 

See it there?  We waded in and floated around a while.  Nice to be in the cool water.  Jon took some pix there, but I'm not sure I'm ready to show those.  

 

HAPPY TRAVELS!!!

 

 

 

We went out on Lake Appalachia yesterday with our friends to celebrate Tere's birthday.  She's 29, wink, wink!!!  She signed up for a 3 hour tour, complete with boat captain, Roger.  He and his wife own The WagonMaster Adventure Ranch, in Murphy.  It's off 294, past the Fields of the Wood.  What a fun place.  Oh, wait...

 

http://wagonmasterranchresort.com/  You can go look for yourself.  Cool place to take your grandchildren and visitors.  We had a great time.

 

We floated on the lake in a pontoon boat, short hike up to this waterfall, and even went swimming at the smallest beach in the world.  Can't wait to do that again.  

 

Thanks for including us in your big adventure.  ❤️❤️❤️

 

 

 

My girlfriend in Virginia sent me this gorgeous picture of her gorgeous Mountain Laurels blooming.  As you can see, they are in their element:  under tall trees, part sun/part shade.  And apparently the deer don't eat them.  They have as many deer as we do.  
 

OK. Mountain Laurel, Kalmia latifolia.  Don't laugh, but I remember that name from Horticulture school, c.1973.  Hahaha!  According to one of my field guides, they grow 3 - 15 feet high, and bloom mid-May into July.   But I'm guessing these are close to 20 feet tall and are blooming NOW!  
 

FYI. This is just one glimpse into her backyard.  It is FULL of Mountain Laurel.  Thanks, Linda, for sharing with all of us.  These are beautiful.  Ours will be blooming soon.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

BOY!!!  What some people will do to feed the birds!!  

 

This is my friend, Nick.  He is standing in the windowsill, about second story level, filling the bird feeders.  The feeders hang outside this window, too high off the ground to fill from below, without a ladder.  So he opens the window, and stands IN THE WINDOWSILL!!!!!  

 

We have spent many hours sitting here watching the birds on these feeders.  It was Momma's favorite room in the house; she could sit there all day watching the cardinals and titmice and other birds coming and going. We've seen woodpeckers, an owl, and lots of other feathered friends.

 

See the canister of birdseed on the table?  Nick calls those "birdseed silos."  My friend, the wordsmith.

 

Did I mention that he is a senior citizen?  Old enough to know better, but still young enough to not care!!  Gotta feed the birds!!!      and the squirrels!  ;P

 

HAPPY BIRDING!!!

 

 

 

I couldn't help myself!!!  I had to take this picture.  I think it was in August of this year....but...

 

We were walking the loop, and saw Mark out working in his yard, sweating up a storm.  Even his sweat shows that it all comes from the HEART!!!!!  And he is ALL heart!!!

 

Thanks, Mark, for being such a good sport!!!!

 

Hey, Linda, this is our friend, Mark.  Cute, huh?  Told ya.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!!