Cloudy Saturday

Gonna try again to upload some photos. Hope it works. Want to share a piece I found with you all:

Great Spirit may we walk in Beauty.
May Beauty be above us so that we dream of Beauty.
May Beauty be in front of us so that we are led by Beauty.
May Beauty be to the left of us so that we may receive Beauty.
May Beauty be to the right of so that we may give out Beauty.
May Beauty be behind us so that those who come after us may see Beauty.
May Beauty be inside us so that we might become Beauty.
Great Spirit, may we walk in Beauty.

Rain soon I hope.

Sunny Thursday

We are having an early spring heat wave - it is very dry. Pollen is very thick in the area. Last eve as the wind picked up, I could see clouds of pollen blowing across with the high peaks of the mountains in the back ground. I had my lawn mowed last night, all 1.6 acres of it. I wonder what that will cost. I have a push mower which is in the shop since it has not been used for 5 years. I also have my own weed wacker which will help cut the cost. I found some darling little blue violets growing in the lawn so I moved them to one of the flower beds. I have been taking plants from everyone who offers to put in my gardens. Funny story: I was out picking up fallen branches from three locust trees in the front yard when I noticed the mulch was cracked and bulging up. I began to dig, went to the house got the scissors, cut a hole in the landscape cloth and viola' - there were all the lilies trying to come up to reach the light. They were quite pale but have since turned bright green after being freed from their prison. I can't imagine why the landscapers would do that. My lilacs are almost in blossom. Everything is happening all at once, therefore the heavy pollen. The bloom is frantic. I am used to a long slow spring awakening and blooming, this is quite different.

Sebastian had a bath yesterday since he crawled under the MH to help me get the bird's nests off the frame. We did that three days ago. I just looked a few minutes ago and guess what? They are back. I want them to go elsewhere. I hope to take the coach out for a trip in a few weeks.

I will try to post a picture or two but bear with me. I don't know if this will work. Speaking of bear - I named my baking business (ha, ha, as if it is a business yet), Mama Bear Bakes. My daughter thought I should call it, The Artful Baker and showcase some of my art work.

Here goes--

More later,
Donna

Day before Tax deadline day

Hello everyone! Thanks for sticking with me. I am still on a friend's computer. I did buy a new lap top but Verizon mixed up the shipment of my Air Card so I don't have any internet service at my house. I waited 'til the last minute to do my taxes because I wanted to do them on my own computer but that was not to be. I just finished a minute ago and filed.

I am settled in my little house. The birds are feeding at my dad's old feeders. The birds don't care though. There are many different kinds, mostly small but I do have some cardinals, doves, blackbirds, grackles and crows that come to feed. I love the finches, nuthatches, woodpeckers and chickadees. Sebastian seems to like being at home. He will now sleep in another room during the day where he can't keep his eye on me. That is certainly a sign that he is comfortable. I just had him groomed. He looked like a polar bear and was actually too warm now that the weather is more spring-like. He needed that coat though when the thermometer dropped to 9 degrees a few times.

I have been baking lots of goodies, testing my old recipes. I hope to go to some of the farmer's mkts to sell them as soon as they open. In the meantime, I am out looking for a job. The motorhome, dear Bearfoot, is for sale. I wish I could handle both house and RV financially but I cannot do so. The end of an adventure. Now we begin another one.

I am living in the middle of rural America - farming still prevails here albiet struggle. But I have started a series of paintings that I am calling The Barnyard Series. I have much material in my area, sheep, cows, horses, burros, llamas and chickens to name a few.

Hopefully the next time I post, I will be online from my home and can post some photos. I know you have missed them as I have missed sharing them with you.

Be well and keep smiling,
Donna and Sebastian

Monday

You will all be please (I think) to hear that I just ordered a new Dell Lap Top. My old Dell is a fire hazard. It is so hot underneath that it burns my hand. It is about to melt down. The new one should be here in about a week. I will set it up, do my income taxes and then hopefully get back to some normal schedule. I am going to bite the bullet and buy the Verizon wireless card. It requires a two year contract and that is what has promoted my hesitancy. Time Warner cable is here in the area but doesn't come all the way down my road.

I have felt very disconnected from friends and web sites. Since being on the road, I have relied on the net for many things. I don't get paper statements on anything either.

We had 8" of snow two or three days ago. It has settled and melted a bit but today we had sleet and freezing rain. I didn't walk today due to the yucky weather. I have been trying to walk the 2 1/2 miles up Shine Hill and back. It is a great walk with steep hills. I have enjoyed seeing the birds and Pussy Willows in bloom. Today was just too difficult for me. I went to Glens Falls to do some errands then came home so I could hop up to Pete's to use the computer.

I have been feeding the birds using two of my Dad's old birdfeeders that have been terrorized by squirrels in the past. I have many birds now. Even an Eastern Blue bird. I put up a new blue bird house hoping to lure him to stay. I have been seeing Mute Swans, Snow Geese and Can. Geese all setting down here to rest before going on north.

Been baking cookies, pies and making sweet milk donuts. I have to get back in practice so I can sell them at the Farmers Mkt locally. Been sending cookies and donuts to friends and my grandson at Tech.

We are cozy and comfortable in our little house. We just wish it would warm up and that the sun would shine more often. Still can't post photos but will soon - I have so many to share with you all.

Hugs to all,
Donna

St. Patrick's Day 08

It has been awhile dear readers. So sorry to be out of the communication loop. I just have not been able to find any wireless or even a modem. Tonight I am at Pete's using his pc. I had to make some changes to his preferences to enable this post. I hope he doesn't mind. Tomorrow, I will start making calls regarding wireless internet service as well as TV. I don't have tv or wi fi. Talk about feeling cut off.

We arrived at my house on Friday the 14th, my dad's former birthday. We drove 400 miles from Gettysburg, PA on the worst roads you can imagine. We shook, rattled and bumped for the entire trip. I had decided to stay low and cross on I 78 to I 287, then north to I87 which is the NY Thruway. The toll was $20 but I felt the road would be smoother. Not so! It was just as rough as the other roads and just as heavily traveled by trucks. Diesel fuel was over $4.00 per gal. Luckily, Bearfoot is not as heavy a drinker as some. It felt mighty good to pull into my driveway off Shine Hill.

Since then, I have been pulling stuff out of the coach, trying to find places to put things and resting up. I had serious road weariness. Today, I took the coach back down the Northway to AlpinHaus for a State inspection and had it winterized. Last night the temps dropped to 19 degrees. Bearfoot didn't freeze since I had the gas furnace running but the cost of propane and the worry involved was too much to continue for a long period of time. I went out to start the generator this morning and it wouldn't start. That worried me since I don't know how old my batteries are. I didn't dare start the diesel engine for fear of running the batteries completely dead. I neglected to plug in the engine block heater last night and didn't plug in the battery charger either. I am not used to this extreme weather. I called my son Matt and he said it would start, not to worry. I had him stay on the line as I turned the key on and waited for the all clear to start light. It was a tense few moments but blessed Bearfoot started right up. After about 10 mins. more in the bright sunshine, the generator started too.

I have many many pictures to share with you all. Unfortunately I cannot download them until I have my own computer. I may take my card out and have a cd made. I took many pictures in the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. What a place! A fantasy biosphere. Plus I have more pics of Pete and I roaming the honky tonk's in Nashville and a video in Tootsie's Blue Orchid Saloon. We really did have a good time. Gettysburg was interesting to see through Pete's eyes since he had never been there and knew very little about the battle.

One thing I know - I don't like winter camping.

Bashey seems to have adjusted and readjusted as only he can do to his new life in a house. He cannot climb up on my bed anymore. He is stiffer and there isn't any place to get a running start. I have solved his problem by putting a chair at the foot of the bed. He jumps up to the chair and then to the bed. He acts highly insulted that he has come to this place in his life. What he doesn't understand is that my bed is very high one. A short person might need a step stool too.

We shared corned beef and cabbage yesterday with some of Pete's family in the true Irish tradition. Also attended a benefit Italian dinner for a young woman with breast cancer. There were over 500 people packed into the firehouse. What a great meal they put on. Nice to see people helping others.

Welcome to our new governor! The old ways are crumbling on many levels and the new ones are appearing. Blessed Be.

Sunday night in Nashville

We had a great day yesterday just wandering around Broadway and 2nd Street downtown Nashville - in and out of honky tonk bars where young musicians come to practice their art in front of appreciative audiences. We visited the Wild Horse Cafe, Roberts bar and Tootsies plus a few others. I have some great video taken in Tootsie's of the band playing some Elvis music. My video is a bit jerky because I was keeping time with the music.

Today is Sunday, bright and sunny. Snow is just about melted now. We did laundry which had accumulated for almost a week. After lunch, we drove over to the Opryland hotel. I have many pictures but don't dare put them on this computer until I remove some of the others. I am afraid it will finally crash. I walked through the portico doors and the lobby - there in front of me was an arboratum the likes of which I have never seen. Exotic lush plants, flowers, waterfalls even a river with a tour boat. It is a huge biosphere. If you have been there, you know. If you haven't, I don't think my description will do it justice. But I will post some photos in the future. We wandered all through the 2000 room hotel biosphere then spent sometime enjoying a fancy coffee in the rotating Cascade garden bar. Just incredible!

We stopped at Bass Pro shops on the way back. Huge and elaborate too. Tomorrow, we will drive to Sevierville near Maryville, TN to visit with my friend, Marte for an overnight before going over the Smokeys to VA Tech where we will connect with my grandson Travis.

More to come -

Sunday morning

Here are the photos I promised from my last posting: Will try to post again today to tell you about our big snow storm and freezing temps. Also want to show you pics of our escapade downtown honky tonk Nashville. Note the black fungus on the trees from the continuous yeasty air at the Jack Daniels Distillery in Lynchburg, TN