New Digs

Hello dear blogger pals.  It has been a whirlwind, let me tell you. 

From June 25 to July 26, we went under contract on a new house, negotiated the sale of our old house, closed on the purchase of the new place, packed up our 15 years of accumulation and MOVED 450 miles.

Needless to say, this has consumed all our time and energy. 

Somehow, the pile of boxes doesn't look so big in this picture.  Maybe that's because we were busy unpacking the ones in the kitchen at the time. 

On Friday we finally got all the boxes out of the living room and got the furniture arranged.  My great niece and her family were stopping in for a short visit yesterday, so it was a great incentive to get it done.  

I know that as time goes by I will be rearranging things all over the house.  I haven't even begun the process of putting the downstairs half of the house in order.  

My stepdaughter and her husband (who helped us move) started the repainting project down there but just didn't have time to finish it before they had to leave.  Hubby will be finishing it up this week. 

When the company was here, I snared the two young men to move some of the furniture around downstairs and give me a head start when I finally get to the unpacking down there. 

I'm sitting on my front porch right now listening to the raindrops dripping from the many trees nearby.  The clouds are forming, changing and disappearing over the mountains in a never ending dance.  Try as I might, I haven't gotten a good shot of the view.   Yet. 

cloud/fog layer in the distance

There are tons of ruby-throated hummingbirds coming to the feeders.  The other small birds are around but haven't quite gotten used to the feeders yet.  The prior owners left in October for the winter and due to circumstances, never came back, so the birds have to learn the routine again.

I have longed to live with hardwood trees, rolling hills and four seasons for nearly twenty years.  Even when we built the house in Florida, it was a stopgap measure until a later date  Then, when the agreed upon date came and went, health issues for hubby cropped up and delayed the move for a few more years.  Finally, it was just time to do it or forever relinquish that dream.  I couldn't give it up, so here we are.  

I sure hope all of you are having a wonderful summer.

Y'all take care 

Don't I Wish!!!!

No, that's not a picture of my front porch on the title, but a girl can dream can't she??? I'd take everything on that porch, given the opportunity. The photo is about half of the front porch of a bed and breakfast/antique shop that I discovered some time ago. I can imagine the changes I'd make to that house to meet my wishes, but it wouldn't take a whole lot. Most would be inside because I love the outside as it is, down to the rusted galvanized tin roof!!! I live in a run of the mill brick ranch house with a hipped roof, and nary a porch to be seen, only a small front stoop. I keep dreaming about the entire B & B and its style, but it won't ever happen unless we win the lottery. And, you can't win if you don't play. We keep forgetting the lottery exists unless we see a billboard advertising some whopping amount. Even then, there would be a MAJOR discussion with Hubby. He likes more modern things.

The only porch I have is my garden house/shed and I love it.

We have coffee out there, or lunch, or take a break from working, or a glass of wine or a beer, or just hang out. There's double doors on the left end for access and a ramp to put the garden tractor inside. When I'm on the porch it seems like I'm on the back forty, but I'm really only about 80 feet from the house.

We had an unusually cold and long winter (at least for us) and I lost most of the plants from the porch even though they got put inside when we expected a freeae. I've started some new geraniums but they aren't blooming yet. The ivy topiary on the table is tiny but will fill in.

Summer time is here!!! Supposed to be in the mid 90's here today again. This hot sultry weather is why we get the heck out of dodge in the summer. I grew up near here in an old house in the country that didn't have air conditioning. The only heat was either fireplace or propane heaters. School didn't have AC either. Makes me wonder how we lived that way, but everybody around us did the same. AC was a rich person's luxury at that time and we sure didn't qualify!!! 'Course, I realize I've become a wimp, too!!!

We're off on vacation Wednesday. We have a new granddaughter that is 3 weeks old that we want to see. I finished her quilt.

It may not be considered "girly" enough, but I think it's adorable, even if I did make it. I also have the top finished for another quilt. Don't know when it will be done. It's all brightly colored hearts on a white background. I've not learned how to quilt using my machine. I've always sent them out to a long armer for quilting but she couldn't get to it in time. That ought to be a lesson to me that I really should try to learn how to machine quilt for myself. Would save me a lot of money, that's for certain. Long arm quilters don't work cheap!! div>

Isn't it always the way??? Hubby was going to mow the lawn before we left and the lawn mower is on the fritz!!!!! Can't engage the blade. It worked fine a week or so ago when he used it last. Hope its nothing major and can be remedied easy enough by our handy-dandy helper who will come over tomorrow to check it out. The local lawn mower shop could pick it up tomorrow but would be three or four weeks before they'd get it back to us!! Have you ever heard of such? If they are that busy -- hire some more help!!!!

Y'all take care.