It's Really Getting Colorful Here.

Happy Halloween.  No kids in my neighborhood so we are not at the door at all in the evening.  More time for me to read and be on this computer.

I stood in my yard and out on my deck to take photos of my immediate surroundings for us here.  It is all my property you that see here.  Just not usable except by the eyes to enjoy the beauty of the woods in all seasons.  :-)

The last two nights when I have gotten into bed, Katie gets up usually just to be a roosting ornament for maybe ten minutes.  The past two nights as I said a sentence ago, she has immediately laid her sweet head onto my cheek and closed her eyes and drifted off. So we are cheek to cheek and trust me, it is TICKLY! Long whiskers, while folded back against her little soft cheek are still there like nylon threads to tickle my skin.  Do I ask her to move?  Of course not.  When I am anxious after 15 or so minutes to turn out the light and turn over and sleep I have to just stand being still.  I have Katie up there, snoozing along, face to face.  I reached over last night to turn off the light and she slept on.  That is a first!  Lights out usually  mean "So long, I'm outta here!" but not this time.  I finally wriggled enough to rouse her and she left. WHEW!

Here's my view at my home.  As for the deck (you will see the privacy fence on the deck) that is attached to the house and is mine as is the house you will see in one of the pics.

Red Oak starting to turn

Poplar, Oak and Hickory Trees on my property.

On the deck here at my house which is a 1 floor home but all homes are built on the hills surrounding us all. So it looks like a 2 story house sorta.

One corner of the fenced in yard. We fenced for the kids. Property keeps on going on down the hills. 

My deck is on the left. Our fencing is there for the kids when they were little.

OH MY WORD!

OH MY WORD!  We went over the border on NC into SC to get gasoline about 35 cents less expensive than in Charlotte.  Only takes a few minutes we are that close.  While there (SC) after getting gas, we went Young's Plantation shop and I bought, among other things a terribly expensive jar (about a pint size) of cherry butter.  The consistency is a bit thicker than apple butter but smooth just like apple better and has texture too as does apple butter---  and the contents are just cherries, pectin, vanilla, spices and cane sugar.  OH MY WORD!  I thought I had had good food before but that cherry butter takes the cake.  Best stuff ever!  Had I known how delicious it is, I would have bought three jars and broke the bank happily.  OH!  DEE-LISH-US!

I just had two pieces of toast spread with real butter and cherry butter.  Be still my heart.

I had a wonderful time.  I got something for my eldest son for Christmas while there.  Also in the news so to speak, I sent to the U.K. to a craftswoman who does knitted crafts and she knitted a Katie Mini-Me.  It got here while I was gone of course.   Here it is.

There is even a modicum of a half mustache as Katie indeed has and a bit of white under the chin too plus her luxurious bib.

Look at the sign in a restaurant we were at last evening!!  LOVED it.

 We went out to have supper last night as you can see from the picture above and as my son had a coupon we had at first decided on a place he had not yet been to. On arrival to that restaurant,  we stepped inside.   The coupon was for 5 chicken strips..size unknown.  I asked the person at the counter what sides came with it.  Would you believe this?  Raw celery (well, yes, of course raw.) and raw carrots.  That was it. Not cooked.  Raw.  We both asked was there anything else--- and there wasn't.  She said if you don't want them, we can leave them off...(in all seriousness she said that) I said well, that wouldn't leave much would it?  And I'd be paying for them too as that food..the 5 unknown size chicken strips and the couple of raw vegetables were eight dollars.  We left.  We went to the really great BBQ restaurant whose sign I have posted here.

Look at the lady and gentleman here I saw in my favorite consignment shop in Charlotte...I am crazy about these critters but I didn't buy any.  Wanted to, but no place to put them.

See you soon.  Boy am I sleepy, and the cat is clinging like a piece of fluff to  a static charged piece of cloth.

xox

Over the Mountains and Through the Woods (to my son's house, I go)

I am headed off to see my son over the mountains.  It's a good time before I get very busy again here in a few weeks.  I'm looking forward to it.  Just got some gas (almost forgot for the first time ever!)  I know there are gas stations everywhere along the route but I don't like stopping except at the border of TN and NC so as to use the little girl's room.  Then, it's non stop the rest of the way.

Someone here who is small, will miss me terribly.  So it's good to be gone though she would not agree with that.  Being here every night for a long time doesn't prepare her for being alone at night as well as in the say.  But she will have an excellent pet sitter.  Who LIKES her.  (and Katie like her as well).

I have most things packed.  Just an overnight change of clothes really as I will be home mid afternoon Sunday.  Plus all my vitamins and minerals that I take.  I take my own vitamins and mineral mixture meaning no one a day for me.   There's a reason.

Now.  If I know what's good for me I will go into the living room in her recliner and park it.  That way she can sleep on me.  I owe it to her as I had one of my infrequent nightmares and I was hollering' up a storm during the night.."Get Away"! and "HELP" were the words of shouting choice and I heard 11 pounds of sweetness hit the floor!  She came back later. (some woman of all things was trying to get me.  She got thru my locked door and was leaning over me when I started shouting. I hate bad dreams.

OK.  Off to do my recliner duty.

See you when I get back from my son's place.  Oh, and that is a cone flower with a bee of course in the header  I took it last summer.

Here is What my Youngest Said About my Perceived Problem w/ Google.

Please read it here.  I am busy eating Humble Pie.

http://katieisabella.blogspot.com

Google Problems Here With my Handheld Devices...

Guys,  not sure what I am going to do.   Lately, when I read your blogs on either the iPhone or the iPad, and I go to comment, a window comes up and tries to force me into signing up and into "everything Google". I do NOT want Google+.  I do not want Google Chrome.  I do NOT want ANY of the games, pictures etc etc and other services Google has with the sole exception of Blogger.  It says "sign in to everything Google and then you can go to Blogger".

I do NOT like being strong-armed into something I-DO-NOT-WANT.  I have a Mac.  An iMac for the big computer.  I have everything else Mac as well..phone and tablet.  I LOVE Safari for my browser and I have no desire for their Chrome.

I want to be wrong.  Tell me I am wrong and I will be tickled to the ends of the earth.  My human brovver is here and he selected "sign in with another account" and as soon as Mom did, there went that window again, not permitting her to go on without signing up for all the services.

If Google forces me while on my regular computer than Katie, Admiral and I will all have to go away and that makes us very sad.  Why will we go away?  Because Google is, right now at this time the single most invasive user of your private information in the cyber world.  NORMAL cyber world, not the N*S*A.   Face Book ain't no bowl o' kibble either but Google and their strong armed maneuvers..takes the cake.  Again, if I have misunderstood or if I am wrong, I apologize for the rant and I will jump for joy to be wrong.  I'll eat a whole truckload of humble pie.

October Blue Skies

I had the pleasure of meeting a blogger from Katie Isabella's blog.  Her blog is called Random Felines and she is an angel who rescues cats and kittens, traps them if needed, has them neutered or spayed and then tames them so they can be adopted.  Takes in the bottle babies and feeds them every four hours.  Just whatever is needed.  She is a good steward to animals and that includes dogs as well.  After she stopped here for a few hours she went on to Nashville (I always want to spell it Gnashville) to pick up a Spaniel and deliver him somewhere.  An angel.

Today is a holiday so I didn't get a few things done.  One is a flu shot.  They were short handed so I will go in the morning before 11.  I usually swell up at the injections site and it itches but that is a lot better than the flu.

Hope all is well with each and all of you.  That will never change.  You are all like family even though it is a cyber family.

Terry..a RedNeck Room meeting would be the most fun in the world.  I would LOVE that!!! Can you imagine?  All my Wisconsin girls (you and family) (Mariodacat too)  and a few others who are as crazy as we all are..just heaven on earth and noisy too!  Can't beat that with a stick!  Just think!  We'd be thrown out! What fun!!  Let's mix the Party affiliations too. Hey...talk about lively! <3

xoxox

Sunny Sunday

Another beautiful October day.  I just deleted two paragraphs as they were a recitation of why September and October, although beautiful are not "good" months for me.  Who needs to read that, I finally asked myself.

I have lost the urge to go out and take pictures I might say here.  Too much else on my mind really to give any thought to the pleasure of roaming with the camera.  I hope that comes back to me.  Maybe when pressures and other matters ease, I can.  It really doesn't matter as no one knows whether I do or don't.  :-)  as it's not like a job after all.

I have the pleasure of meeting a blogger tomorrow who will be coming here to meet me and Katie Isabella as she heads back to her own home in Ohio.  Her parents are living in the big city just a few miles from me.  Makes it an easy hop over to say hello. I am looking forward to it.

Almost met another dear blogger when she was on her way back home to MD. from FL.  However, my son got married about the time she would have been here.  Wait..it was Christi's shower I had to go to.  That's what it was.  Close..almost got to meet her and her two kitties who travel with her.

xox

This was taken a few miles away.

Wednesday Notes on Tuesday

It has been a busy stressful week and will only build more from here with necessary things to do.  But it's better to be here to do these things than not be able to.  That's called looking for the bright side.

I had several calls last night.  Both calls were unexpected but very nice.  One was from a local friend here and one from New Zealand, from a man I consider one with my sons as they are all in the exact same age group..  I thoroughly enjoyed them both.  Today, I headed off to that  local friends home and had lunch there and some good conversation.  She came over here later and helped me with a vexing window lock problem.  I have those new windows that open inward so that you can clean them but most are very hard to get locked again.  That isn't good for obvious reasons including letting in cold or heat and noise.

Hey, remind me to not get those delicious buttery flavored Club crackers ever again.  I LOVE those things which explains why I only get them once in a decade usually.  They are so good if my belly could hold them, I'd eat them all at once.

Today was one of those days October is famous for.  Blue blue, just deep blue sky, with a smattering of white puffy clouds.  Temps rose from 47 this morning to a balmy 80 this mid afternoon.  Gorgeous day.  I was grateful for it.

We almost won that football game in OT.  I am proud of how far the Vols have come.  Just missed it.  Just as lost, yes, but that was a well fought battle on our side this time.  The guys are starting to change the culture from where it was to what it needs to be.

Katie is asleep in her thick plushy bed and snoring.  Loudly.

xox

Football and Home Made Soup Day!

Oh the house smells so good.  I am making home made vegetable beef soup.  It may need another hour...maybe.  The potatoes are still a bit firm and so are the carrots.

Today, my Vols will likely get a booty kickin' by the Bulldogs.  We will be outclassed by the 4 major SEC schools again.  BUT: next year and each following we will be better.  We have an excellent coach and although I like the boys personally, both QB's are no better than one of anyone's sons out there tossing a football.  It;s a shame but that's what we have and it's causing a great deal of trouble for us.  Plus we have many true freshman playing who don't have experience in collegiate football.  Especially not a high powered SEC set of games.  We are in the SEC after all, and we have a very tough schedule.

Recruiting went very well by Coach Jones so we have hope for a bit better next year until we are full power again as we were a few years back.

Just checking in.  I wish I could serve you some soup because if I say so myself..it will be delicious!

Katie's favorite brother will be here tomorrow after church.  That will please her so much.  (it will ME, too.)

So here is Katie again in her cheerleader outfit.  She wishes..she hopes..she cheers.