A Real Live Christmas Tree!

Last year I saw this faux tree at Lowes and was bound and determined to copy it. I bought the same lights in large and small on sale to prepare for this year.
 

A very simple tree, flocked with pinecones.

It was the perfect year to get a live tree with two young chows that we didn't know how they would react to a tree and supporting a local tree farm since Helene destroyed a lot of the NC tree farms.

They all smelled good and were nice looking trees, was hard to pick the one to take home.

This is the one!

I have bins of pinecones from all over just waiting to be used. I have some really huge ones I collected when out on the NC coast and the Norway Spruce cones I got in Flat Rock.

My tree was not as heavily flocked as the faux one giving it a verdigris patina which I really liked. 

Even sprayed the lights to give it a softer glow as if it had snowed.

Added feather balls, nothing breakable just in case the kids wanted to mess with the tree.

Some faux fur balls, too. I thought the kids might have interest in those, but none whatsoever, so I think next year I can use glass ornaments.

Sparkly deer head tree topper.

                                        Merry Christmas.

First Day Volunteering at Flowering Bridge

My first day as a volunteer at the Flowering Bridge, which is no longer thanks to Hurricane Helene. There are plans to rebuild, it will not be the beautiful bridge it once was, but it will be pedestrian, and there will once again be gardens on it. The bridge above is just the road to Chimney Rock.
 

The lake is still very low after being drained to remove debris. I have to say it is a beautiful backdrop to work in.

You can see where the Flowering Bridge once was in this photo.

A small area of gardens has been started, compost and stones have been brought in. 

Thankfully the gazebo made it through the storm, some plants that were found wait to be planted. 

I didn't get a gardening task, I spent four hours outlining all the little gardens in xmas lights, changing bulbs and trying to make it festive for the community to walk through.

Other volunteers filled the planters in front of the new shed and education building.

Southern Living is donating the plants to restore the gardens.

Such a funny photo, all the gardeners bent over. Yep, that's the position you are in most of the time lol.

With the holidays and winter coming, there may not be a lot of days to plant when the ground gets hard, but that's okay, I have so much to do at home. I will be back soon!!

Bob's 69th Birthday

Bob made it to his 69th birthday despite two mild strokes and a brain aneurysm for which he had surgery, then had complications weeks later hemorrhaging from the nose and rushed to Mission hospital from his office. He still has not found out why his right arm is not working and has upcoming testing and CT scan. Getting old sucks!
 

We decided this year we would skip gifts and celebrate birthdays, anniversary and holidays at really nice restaurants, which means no cooking for me!! Bob's choice was Select in Greer. We had an early dinner so the restaurant was quiet and relaxing and we just about had the waitress to ourselves.

The town was already decorated for Christmas, but the leaves from the ginko trees covered the sidewalks. It was a beautiful warm day.

    A renovated historic building just like Barista Alley across the street that we went to for Easter brunch. That's how we found out about Select.

A huge food and drink menu, so I made sure I knew what I wanted before I got there . . . Bob takes forever making up his mind!

Drinks to start. I had the Morado Margarita and Bob ordered the Corpse Revival (how fitting LOL!) which was not on the menu but was a special drink. I had two margaritas and forgot to snap photos of the food. Oh well, I remember what we had.

Bob had another drink we don't recall the name of, then the pot roast for dinner and  the After Dark dessert. I had the Sinatra for dinner and the Vanilla Creme Brulee for dessert. Very pleasant and relaxing. I have chosen Sophia's in Spartanburg, an Italian bistro that only serves dinner, for my birthday. Aside from the heart attack I get when the bill comes, it's really nice to wine and dine!

Pearson Falls & Glen Reconstruction

To open 2027!  

 https://vimeo.com/1138998730?fl=pl&fe=sh

My neighbors are doing a documentary on Pearson Falls up the road. This is just a small portion, but it looks like it's going to take a long time before it's open again. The road to the falls on our end is still closed a year later. I had thought of joining the Tryon Garden Club to help with the plant restoration, but just filled out my volunteer application to help replant the Flowering Bridge. So much work for so many areas, but with time it will all be back the way it was.

A Tough Summer and a Sad Goodbye

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I sit here today writing a goodbye letter to a friend of 30 years.  We worked together as court stenographers for 20 years and stayed friends when I left the courthouse. Last I talked to Marilyn was the end of May. My two chows had passed, I wanted a place to get away and asked if her condo in Destin was available, but it wasn't. She had been down and out for a while with a leg that was having problems from a fall. She had been to 19 doctors and no one could figure it out. Well, yesterday her daughter Lindsay let us know despite Marilyn's request that no one know, she had ALS and only weeks to live. 
 

I sit here now regretting not going to Portugal with the girls when asked, but Marilyn saw my name in a wall there and sent me this photo. I am so glad she got to travel to so many wonderful places before the illness attacked her. I remember the days at the courthouse when she would be on the phone with her mother who was struck with the same illness and could no longer speak. Marilyn can now no longer speak or stand. If only the good genes could be passed on and not the bad, which I know has Lindsay very worried.

So I sit here tonight writing a letter of memories to Marilyn for Lindsay to read to her remembering some of the fun times we all had. Marilyn was always upbeat and had great colloquial sayings being from West Virginia. I would call her a hillbilly and she would get mad lol. This is a photo from 2011 when the girls stayed a weekend at the boathouse. Marilyn's husband Rick had passed and we were trying to make her feel better. 

I think it helped, she seemed to be having a little fun.  One of the weekends I will remember along with lots of long talks on politics and religion where some of her answers to my questions may have gotten me closer to faith.  I hope that it helps me get to heaven, I know that's where you will be Marilyn and hope to see you again one day.

With her granddaughters just weeks ago and no longer able to sit in a chair. This is a horrible disease, I hope it is not passed onto your daughter or granddaughters, and I am so sorry this happened to such a wonderful lady. We just never know how much time we have left.  We will miss you Marilyn.

Labor Day Weekend

Long holiday weekend means time to accomplish some things around the house. Still power washing, washing windows, trimming bushes, and cutting firewood in preparation of winter to come.
 

The white beauty berry bushes are having a good year.

After 12 years of living here, I finally put on my gloves and started ripping off two layers of heavy metal screening on the sunroom door. 

The beautiful metal scrollwork can now be seen clearly. There is still screening and with the metalwork I have no clue why they would have put up more layers, but it's all gone now.

This is what was on the door. 

Obedient plant in full bloom.

On Saturday we wanted to see the progress in Chimney Rock. Passing Lake Lure was very sad, looks like a war zone and the flowering bridge is now completely gone. Very sad to see.

The entrance to Chimney Rock State Park, one of our favorite places to frequent, we even had our yearly pass, still blocked off. The bridge over the river to get into the park gone and no sign of work being done to rebuild it yet.

Thankful the original historic rock work still there. I was afraid that was all washed away, too.

It's been a year, so much is still in ruin. We finally got our bridge open locally a few weeks ago, they still are cleaning up trees along the roads, but take a drive just 20 minutes west and things haven't changed much.

Sunday, Cherie Hucky's trainer came. A big day!! After three months of separation and working with Persia to overcome her fear, they were going to be introduced. I was very nervous, afraid Hucky might hurt her. He's a bulldozer and she's tiny. 

When Cherie said to drop Hucky's leash my heart was pounding. She was up there waiting though and I think she was ready to meet him face to face.

It couldn't have gone any better! They both like each other, they play all day now and are very tired at the end of the day.  Persia is now coming in and out of the house on her own. We still can't walk toward her and pet her, but she follows us everywhere. 

Everyone says we have made great progress with her in just three months. Eventually we will have to get her used to the car, other people and then maybe we can board them both at Noble and still have that vacation I have planned on for so long.

Another scary step I took was removing the harness and 20 foot lead I've had on Persia for the past three months. I would take it off each night telling her she would sleep and feel much better with her "bra" off LOL. She is totally braless now and seems to like it, can run faster, but is missing that little bit of protection from Hucky's teeth!!

I feed the crows every morning with corn tortillas and peanuts. I have one crow that I talk to and he seems to like it, let's me come very close and listens. Bob found a crow that had passed in the front yard where I feed them. The day before he was sitting on the stump and I could tell he was not well. I believe this is the crow I talked to since I have not seen him since. I will miss him and hope I get another to make friends with. Bob came home with this card, he always finds the perfect cards and I have it next to my espresso maker to remind me of my sweet crow every morning.