A Lot of Ground to Cover

I've got a lot of ground to cover in this post so let's get going!!

Good news! I spoke with Laura and she is fine with us bringing a bird feeder. Seriously it would be hard for me not to have one in my life and I already know that there are birds in her yard!! Look at this pretty female amongst the fresh spring green leaves.

While I am on the subject of our new landlord, Sunday morning we watched a service from a church in Murphy after finding it on youtube. Look who I found while on the search words Murphy, NC! (hint...her name is Laura) How fun is that? Now our family will know exactly who she is! 

Several more fun things about our time in Murphy, one of which was finding this place on a road that Karen and Jim had taken us when we were visiting in the Fall.

Food was yummy and while cooked in the freight car, it was served inside the adjacent building. Sitting at the bar, we talked to the owner and learned a few things about both Murphy, and her restaurant.

Another day, after having a great bar-b-que lunch downtown, we popped into here:

While I have forgotten her name I have not forgotten the story she told us. Who knows how the subject of professional wrestling came up but it did. Well, but of course we had to mention that our son David has the largest collection of wrestling cards, in, I think, possibly the world. Wouldn't you know it, the lady above went on to tell us how her family owned an arena of sorts in Louisiana that hosted the matches when they came to town. She knew all the old greats including Andre the Giant, one of David's favorites. Small world I tell you, small world.

Showing off the full field of yellow flowers in this post, upon closer inspection there were several different yellow flowers to be found including a personal favorite below.

Hurray for pollinating bees! I have to presume that the wildflowers will be a thing of the past when we arrive in two weeks time. And probably so will these beautiful flowers.

A girl can dream can't she? 

We took a little walk while we were at the cottage and again, the shades of green were noteworthy which sounds like such a formal word to use. Nevertheless, it does describe how I felt about seeing the varitey. 

The driveway to the cottage is the road to the left. Along the main road in, pictured on the bottom right, we saw this,

and this:

Apparently it does get pretty cold sometimes. Fortunately my camera was already in my hand when this happened very quickly.

 According to Laura, deer are plentiful so before long it might just not be noteworthy at all. For now however, it most definitely is exciting!

Because new guests were booked into the cottage we had to find somewhere else to go. But first we stopped by Hank's house and were so pleased to see the progress he is making.

He has very much enjoyed his time in Murphy, having just gone through his first real winter in years. Living in Southern California for thirty plus years will do that to a person. Despite the fact that his pipes froze, he still raved about the experience. It will be so great being able to see him on a more regular basis.

The blooming Peonies alongside his driveway that apparently just popped up unannounced.

In a stroke of extreme luck, a former friend and neighbor at LPV saw a photo I posted on Instagram and got in touch, reminding me of how close we were to their place in Ellijay, GA, about forty miles south of Murphy.  In fact, she suggested we drive there and spend a few nights in their vacant home as they were back in Florida! After much insisting on her part we took her up on the offer and headed SW from Hank's house. The road took us straight to Blue Ridge, an adorable mountain town.

Gosh I love seeing mountains in the distance!! Blame it on Vancouver. Turned me into a mountain lover and that's a fact!

Here's what we did while in Blue Ridge...a very yummy lunch at Harvest on Main,

followed by a visit to the bird feeder store.

Now that was a fun store! We did buy a small bag of bird seed to try out at home. The reception here has been somewhat tepid. :) That said, it is the time of year when birds are visiting feeders less and less because of more available wild food. Lesson over.

Ellijay is another twenty or so miles down the road.

Bill and Fallon visited Ellijay in the Fall and fell in love with the town. On this day, we skipped downtown and went straight to Frank and Lynn's tremendous home. The iPad struggled a bit because it is in the woods, but we made it and were blown away by how wonderful it is.

The truth is that the house was so warm and welcoming, not to mention being on a pond surrounded by woods full of birds, we only went into town once. 

For now we will move on to the here and now although I do plan on revisiting this experience because it was so great. 

No doubt you are nearing the end of your patience with me so let me conclude with a few sewing stories.A blessing in disguise when we moved to Vancouver was that when it came time to sew I discovered that I'd forgotten my regular presser foot. The walking foot that generally is used only for quilting was all that I had for straight stitching. I needed clothes because take a look at this closet on the day we moved in.

Does that look like a year's worth of clothing to you? I thought not. Sewing commenced and by the time we left I'd made about seven blouses, a dress or two, a couple of skirts and a coat. And what I discovered during all of that sewing is that the walking foot was absolutely perfect. Rather than use it only for quilting, when it came time to put pieces of fabric together it worked perfectly. By now you wonder what the heck is a walking foot so here is what it looks like,

and what it does is keep the bottom and top fabric moving in conjunction. Above I am using it for quilting, along with that guide on the left,  however I never take it off anymore so I join seams together using it as well. Another cool sewing gadget that has come to be very popular of late is using these cute little clips instead of pins. Another winner! Another gift from Fallon.

May I presume that you already have guessed that the quilt is completed? Indeed it is, shown below on our bed. Although I have never done anything in red before, I have to say the both of us are looking forward to seeing it in its new home with the lovely red curtains.

In my last post I showed a few things I'd made from the past and if you look pretty closely you will recognize some of that old fabric. While I did have to purchase the flannel and backing fabric all of the rest was gathering dust under the table where I am typing this. That's a big win in my book.

Holy cow, is this really happening??? Eating lunch at our familiar kitchen table we went over the packing list Bruce has put together. It must be happening.

your friend,

Gail

Meanwhile

Before I found Charlotte's Cottage to rent, and we took off to see it in person, lots of other stuff has/had happened that I want to document, so here goes a smorgasbord of images and time frames.

But first let me just say the drought is officially OVER. Rain every day, but mostly in the late afternoon and even overnight. We have been able to play pickleball in the morning, but those who have been waiting all day for work to end so that they can go play, like our son Bill, have been out of luck.

One day in the last month, probably on a Thursday when we have a resting day, Bruce drove us to Oxford, Florida to the Engage Pickleball store. The paddles are made in a building behind the storefront which is nice because there has been some controversy about the quality control of paddles coming in from China. Speaking of which, that is why we went because not only do they sell their first rate paddles there, but also blemished ones at a serious discount. We bought the latter. 

So, why I am mentioning this now? Well, looking through my photo library and seeing this,

I was reminded that when I asked the gentleman what work he did prior to moving to the Villages, he said he was an executive of the Evelyn Wood Institute in Chicago for 28 years. You would have to be of a certain age to remember that name and in truth, while I for sure knew the name, the actual speed reading method was a mystery. Imagine my surprise when I came across this scathing article about a new biography. Let's just say that time has not been kind to the idea. That makes me wonder how the new foreign language lessons by Babbel will be viewed in 25 years time. After all, seems to me that both of these ideas fall under the category of "if it sounds to good to be true, it is to good to be true." 

Before leaving for North Carolina we attended a lovely birthday dinner party for our friend John who turned 80 last month. 

Sitting beside Bruce is Liz whose book launch happened on Bruce's birthday!! Although we were not able to attend due to his birthday dinner, Nancy went and said it was a rousing success with a large crowd!!  What book pray tell? What began as a blog turned into a book! (click on the link friends!)

According to Bruce, John is his church boss when it comes to projects. A fun fact about John is that he was an engineer for Harris Corporation where our father worked as well. Our father commuted to Melbourne for nine years before finally moving our family there. Thus, I graduated Melbourne High school rather than Boone. 

Lighting that clever 80 candle turned out to be a bit harder than it looks. Bruce to the rescue.

I have not mentioned a lot about the upstairs construction, however it has been ongoing. For the most part, now that they are actually in the construction phase rather than demolition, it has been tolerable. That said, a few weeks ago they told Bruce that they needed to acsess their new plumbing location from the ceiling in our bathroom!! Yikes was my reaction. Bruce moved our stuff away from the bathtub.(I am including the photo below because of the weird lighting; after all, this blog began as a photography space so I might just as well act like it sometimes)

This is how it went down.

Or perhaps I should say up? There was talk of leaving a grill over this hole,

however, I was partial to just the ceiling. They did an excellent job repairing it and it is none the worse for wear.  

Every April there is but one iris along the canal that runs behind David and Michelle's place and it brings me joy each and every time that it blooms. 

I am also happy to report that the tiny flowers on our Arctic Snow bushes have begun to appear.

You might recall that not only did they freeze this past winter but Bruce moved them to make way for the patio which is why we are so excited to see these tiny white flowers come again.

A rare otter sighting on the shore of Lake Willisara!! Naturally I was thrilled.

Speaking of our little lake, the water level was getting super low with weird giant aquatic plant roots floating to shore.

While our lake was what we consider low, Lake Davis has been shrinking for months now. Checking up on the cygnets, two of them remain.

With the recent rains, here's hoping it will soon fill back up. Holy cow, I never posted this crazy picture!

It was unclear whether or not she was part of the group of Yale students we met who are conducting a year- long research project at the lake or just someone who likes sitting amongst geese. 

Something new were some lovely sunflowers blooming along the shore, probably from birdseed. 

Have I mentioned the hawk nest here? I think so. At any rate, I could never get a decent shot of the nest activity, oh wait, that's not true at all. Oh well, here goes anyway. I discovered the hatchlings way above my head on a recent walk about.

The calling is what drew my attention. That, or movement, are good indicators about where to look for birds. Try as I might, I can't seem to share a good article with included bird calls from the Washington Post that Matt sent. Relevant to my interest he said. Truer words were never spoken! Actually the claim was that listening to the sound of birds is good for mental health and who am I to argue with that?

While the kitchen at the cottage is fully stocked, I plan to bring a few things with me, including my favorite pan.

The air fryer is coming along too. As to a mixer of some sort, I will have to check with Laura on that. The work on the quilt continues. I can't remember why but I was looking at photos on my phone and came across the year of the quilt, 2016, when I made at least ten of them! Crazy, right? Most all of them were gifts. Not only quilts, but I came across two wallets, along with multiple tote bags, including this one for Jonathan and Alissa.

When I show the finished quilt, you will get why I included this photo. 

Lastly, something I will want to remember is the fun hours we spent at Gregg and Suzanne's spacious home on Lake Conway learning the card game Hand and Foot. It's a super fun version of Canasta, a game that Bruce and I spent countless hours playing when we were young. I would ride the Greyhound bus over from Melbourne and spend the weekend with his family. Canasta was a super fun pastime that we often shared with his Grandma Peck. But I digress. Suzanne showed us her unique way of shuffling the five decks needed.

They fed us, entertained us and allowed us to have the seats facing the lake at sunset...what's not to like?

Now I can rest easier. Lots of things I want to remember are now in print. As to remembering, that is suspect but at the very least, the search bar on this blog will help me find them with a few key words. Over and over through the years that has served us well.

We are counting down the days. 17 days to go.

your friend,

Gail

A Pleasant Surprise

Sometimes it works in my favor having a bad memory. Late this morning I discovered, via my darling husband, that we are taking up our short term residence in Murphy a day earlier than I thought. It came to my attention because our new landlord texted me, inquiring as to whether I was bringing our own sheets as well as the new quilt. Yep, we have found a new occasional reader for this humble blog. Speaking of the quilt, it is coming along nicely. I have worked on it for hours on end and have about half of it quilted. The sandwiching, using 102" flannel went together better than one might expect considering how big this thing is. 90" X 98". That is a lot to sort out. Fortunately, by moving the thrones to other parts of the living room, we were able to put it together. And yes, it takes the two of us! I will show it next time when I hope to have it all done! One reason, aside from wanting something from home, is that it gave me something to occupy my time while waiting for our big adventure. That is working out just as I hoped it would because once you begin sewing straight line after straight line, the hours rush past. 

Returning to our visit to Murphy, a very big feature of the town is that the Hiwassee River runs through town. 

Somewhat quickly I might add. Guess what is adjacent to the river? Oh yes my friends, there is pickleball. 

Not only is there pickleball in this location, but where you see the big welcome sign, that's the gym that Bruce joined already. Not only did he join, but he worked out there as well leaving time for little missy here to see what she could see. And boy did I see a lot of goodness, including beautiful blooming pink Dogwood blossoms. 

wild roses,

a new kind of Magnolia tree to me, maybe somewhat like the ones I saw in Vancouver,

and wildflowers galore.

Oh yes, lest I forget, the early bird gets the worm. We did arrive before other players because, well, that's what we do, get to the courts early!

This my friends, was the real star of the show. 

The yellow was so intense, somewhat like our local yellow Tabebuia trees. I took so many photographs that it is so hard to choose, but having the bright yellow reflection in the water is pretty great. Plus, I imagine by the time we return it will all be gone. But then again, maybe it won't?

The temperature was cool to most folks who looked at me in my skort like I was a crazy person, however,  I was reveling in being cool. Today, after my first game which probably finished around 7:20 because it went 13-11, I was drenched in sweat. While I am on the subject of weather, it seems as if our 5 month long draught is over because we've had multiple days in a row with thunderstorms rolling in around four in the afternoon. I guess it took flirting with 90 degrees to bring them on. 

Yeah, most of the folks wore more clothes than me.

It will take some getting used to not having fences between the courts yet I have no doubt that we are up for the task. Lots of folks who have moved from Florida are in the mix so we will have that in common with some of the players. 

Because all this happened about two weeks ago I am at the mercy of that poor memory I referenced earlier, so let's talk about stuff I do remember and that is the wonderful kitchen in the light and bright living area. 

I brought my computer so that I could figure out how and where I could continue blogging. Turns out the desk in the bedroom will work just fine. In the online photograph I thought the bedroom television might be sitting on the desk, but that was thankfully not the case. Unlike most folks we have never had a television in our bedroom making that a first for us.

My darling husband turned 70 (!!) last week. I cannot tell you how grateful I am that he is healthy and strong. My father died aged 68. There's just no telling when you get older, but from the looks of him, he will be around for a good long while. He received wonderful gifts and more, a birthday dinner, balloons, and cake all of which I will show in my next post, well, what the heck, let me go get that camera and see what I can find. Turns out that it was far too dark in the restaurant, The pictures were rubbish meaning we will have to forget that, but I did find this nice photograph of Patti and Bruce during her birthday delivery. She is such a generous friend.

Also it was fun that both she and Bruce were wearing a similar colored shirt. Look at those white feet on Bruce! I also found this:

Lots of red!

Returning to the past, on the next day, before we began playing, I was mega thrilled to hear and see this Goldfinch in the trees adjacent to the courts.

Seeing a Goldfinch in Orlando is pretty uncommon although not unheard of, but it would be more likely on a feeder. Seeing this in the wild was a fantastic discovery. Moreover. I do see Cedar Waxwings for a few days here in Orlando, but how nice was this to see them in North Carolina?

Lookee here:

The sweet birdie was taken in the yard at Charlotte's Cottage along with this shot of Bruce on the long driveway. You might note he is using a walking stick as it is far steeper than we are accustomed to.Goodness me, there is so much more to share, but not the time to do so tonight.  For now, I will leave you with yet another pleasant surprise...

a field of yellow with a background of mountains. It does not get much better than that!

your friend,

Gail