Yesterday I had 4 cubic yards of compost delivered! So happy!!!!!
Just hours later, torrential rain and tornado warnings, not happy !!!!
Covered it with plastic and rocks, and today it seems to have come through it all okay. Now to start hauling it to the front yard where I am building beds for my annual cutting garden.
Found these amazing concrete blocks that you slide your boards into to create beds in any shape, length or height.
All the local nurseries have been open and packed with plants for weeks, and now that my dirt is here I can begin to get them planted.
Last week my whole week was spent saving six young chows that had lived outside in a pen their whole life, a year and four months and the owner wanted them all gone asap. Since they were in NC, it fell on me to coordinate rescues, adopters, transport and the rest. A LOT of work, but worth it! This is Bandit, a shy male.
This is Bear, the smart and outgoing male.
This is Willow, a cream female.
Tina is a black female.
This is Nola, cream female, the most frightened of the dogs, and not feeling well.
I placed Bear and Bandit with Heart Rescue Group of NY. They are with a foster in NC getting their medical attention and grooming. Bear had a fish hook stuck in his skin under all his matted fur.
Willow went directly to an adopter in NC through Pet Adoption League of NY. You can always find her in front of a tv, she is mesmerized. These dogs have never been inside a house. She has a sister chow named Peanut.
Nola went on transport to Chap's Chow Rescue in Atlanta. The trip was hard on her, she was not feeling well and missed her brothers and sisters, but has adapted in the past few days and will be going to an adopter in GA soon. A lady named DeAndree had been writing me for the past few months. I was trying to find a pair of siblings for her to adopt, and since she was in NC, I asked her to go meet all the dogs before they went to rescue and she adopted Tina and Whitney, the sisters. I don't have Whitney's photo above, she is the whitest of the female chows. DeAndree's sons love the dogs and all is going great! DeAndree is an Army vet tech who has a big farm, so these dogs will be well taken care of.
The minute I could sit back and relax, someone in NC contacted me about this dog, not a chow, but a senior needing out of shelter ASAP, they were ready to kill her. I got to work, she got out the next day and is in a home and being taken care of. Her name is Easton (we initially thought she was a he). I suggested Sheena Easton, but I think I was dating myself. Easton it is!
Then comes the weekend and it's time for all the bamboo lovers to arrive. This weekend was Atena de Jong and her husband whose name I can't pronounce. We talked plants and they stayed the afternoon and are coming back again this weekend.
Atena brought her machete, I was amazed at how well it took off the side branches, so getting one of those this weekend! Just like Bob to stand and watch the woman do all the work!! LOL
They just moved to Asheville from the Netherlands and will never go back, which surprised me because all I see of the Netherlands would make me want to move there. They are such a nice couple. Told me about a nursery to go to that I had not heard of. I gave her hellebores and the Mexican hydrangeas, and this weekend they are bringing me banana plants. I think we have made some new friends!
One evening this week Mindy called and asked if I would like to go house hunting with her and Adrian who is a realtor. Mindy has four flip houses right now and looking for more. So many moving here from NY and IL. Someone from IL pulled up while we were looking. I don't know how all these people are finding this small town, but if it makes real estate prices go up, fine with me!
This how was a total re-do. A lot of rotted wood, smelled of mold inside, lots of water damage. I didn't get to go to the small country church they found and 13 acres of land with an old house on top of a mountain with 360 views. I'll have to check those out on my own. I love looking at real estate.
This light was in the kitchen, and I want it!!
I wrote the listing agent asking her to contact the owner to see if I can buy it. Probably won't happen, but worth the try.
Not the best photo, but the land is beautiful with a couple of small waterfalls and rhododendron everywhere!
Very strange fireplace. Mindy wants the iron screen. We'd have fun stripping the items out of this place!
So this week I hope to get some things done outside and inside. It's 80 degrees today, too hot too soon, and everything is starting to bloom!
Bob came home with a gift of socks for me the other night, and it must have been an omen because this is what I found in my bird feeding area the next morning.
At least he didn't steal any of the feeders, but the metal hanger for one is missing, and I still can't find it. UGH!!!
One evening Mindy & Shahab came over to deliver my goat's milk. Jasper, Mindy's son, has soccer practice twice a week at the stables near my house, so they will be coming to hang at my house more often. I couldn't wait to show them the bamboo forest. They are my first guests to walk it!
I explained to Shahab there were areas so thick that Bob and I could not get to the stream on the other side, so that made him even more determined to get there! He's way ahead of us.
Lots of bear scat throughout.
Fox hole?
Well, with a little work, we made it to the stream! We walked the stream bed to get to my pasture and went back the easy way. Next week Shahab wants to bring his new battery operated chain saw and start cutting a path. That will be sweet!!!!
I was contacted this week by a lady needing to find rescue or homes for six abandoned chows in NC. So working hard on getting these youngsters into homes which will take the bulk of my week.
Lots of storms and tornado warnings today, hope the power stays on. Looks like spring is being ushered in!
I can't believe it's been two weeks since we lost our sweet Panda at age 12. We fought a tough battle, but it was not meant to be. There's a big hole in our pack, I feel it and the dogs feel it, but it will get easier with time. I am so happy I was able to get this photo from the shelter when we adopted Panda at 12 weeks old. He is the runt in the back, always had the same frightened look on his face. His brother Gus on the left passed just six months prior, so Panda did good. I stayed in touch with Karen, Gus's mom, for the past 12 years and we would share photos and stories of the brothers. We lost track of the one on the right. They were labeled "choodles" because of their curly fur, which they eventually grew out of, but unfortunately they did not grow out of the disease they both had, DM, which is like ALS in humans. I grew very close to Panda because of his illness and the care he needed, then he developed diabetes on top of that and in the end an infection and fever got the best of him.
This is his brother Gus. He lived the good life with two other dogs on a lake in Georgia. The brothers are now together once again.
Panda in his prime. A gorgeous cream chow. He loved his Geisha, and grieved deeply when he lost his best friend Bamboo. He loved food, walks and naps. No dog will ever replace him.
On a happier note, the following week Lord Roman turned 15! Born 3/3/06. His Princess will be 14 in just a few months.
His birthday treat is junk food, a plate of hot dogs, which he was supposed to share with Princess and Geisha, but gobbled them up during the photo shoot!
Aside from arthritis, he is a healthy chow that should have a few more years! Most of my chows live to be 17 and Bamboo was 18 1/2. Homemade food, no stress, fresh air and no shots or chemicals is what I attribute to long lives. Roman is in no hurry to leave, which is a good thing!
So with the warm weather I am keeping my mind occupied by doing yard work from sun up to sundown, working in the bamboo forest and still having people come for bamboo. This Sunday a lady named Faith came to get bamboo, which was hysterical as she came in a Kia. We didn't get much in there, but I sent her home with some plants and had a nice visit. We both love plants and nature. She just moved here from Florida and said it was the best day she had since last March. (that's sad lol) Yesterday the hummingbird banders were to come and band my hummers who stayed all winter. They believe I have a Rufous and Allens and said they would be leaving soon to the Pacific Northwest. They didn't make it and that is scheduled for another day. Life goes on.
