I Love My Doors

Last week I started working on the iron cattail door that opens to our bedroom.  Just a little paste wax brightens it and protects it.

I planted this little red azalea in the fall, it is starting to bloom.

Also unearthing the stone path that is hidden under ivy and periwinkle.

You can see the difference with the paste wax rub.

View from the bedroom.  Wisteria is everywhere!

Spring in the mountains, looking through white dogwoods.

View from the kitchen onto the courtyard.

Azaleas in bloom!

My azalea garden in the front yard with the Japanese kerria I brought from Georgia.  

The white azaleas are about to burst!

Down off the driveway right off the road I discovered stone stairs and a stone retaining wall.

I started to unearth the stairs that were covered in ivy as is everything on this property.  These stairs lead to where Suzie Wong, Daddy Pops and Bamboo are laid to rest.  We will make this our little cemetery and are going to put a cairn on each grave to mark it.

Evidently, the gardens extended all the way down here as I found a hose hook-up.  They had to have full-time gardeners because this is a LOT for one gardener to handle!

This is the pile of wisteria vines that I removed from the Pearl Viburnum that is right next to the dog cemetery.  I removed them a few months ago and will burn all this in the fireplace next winter. I continue to work on the bushes down here to remove vines to see what I find!

The Pearl is beautiful and doing so much better with my care, I only wish it were up at the house so I could enjoy it more.

In rescue this week, I sent out over 100 magnets that I made and ordered online to thank all of our donors for their support of Luna and her pups.  I raised close to $3,000 for Luna and then with Pan's vet emergency from aspiration pneumonia last week I had to raise another $1650 and people sent gifts of puppy pads, bags of food, toys and checks.  I felt it necessary to thank each person individually, but now that they are receiving their magnets, everyone is writing me, so now I have 100 responses to reply to UGH!!

Our save this week was Onyx, a Belgian German Shepherd that was at my friend Debra's shelter and we got her all the way to my rescue friend in Lancaster, PA!!  We had three, 19 year old girls at the boathouse this week for spring break, have another renter Thursday, then Friday a couple from Ohio is coming for Easter.  Bob will be in Atlanta for a concert, so I will be in the garden all weekend!!

The Wood Shed

Took a while to find someone to split all the trees that were taken down on Thanksgiving day, of course, the guys that took them down and were supposed to come back never would, what else is new!

We made it through this winter with just all the scraps that came down from the one storm, so this will be for next year, and the next year and . . . 

Bit by bit Bob is hauling it to the wood shed and stacking it.

A wren was driving me crazy wanting to put her nest in my watering can over by the breezeway, so I placed it here and she went for it!

Three eggs last I looked.

Little Lady Bug, deaf and partially blind, 14 or 15 years old came to me from Kentucky and stayed for the week.  My friend Dione in Charlotte took her to Drums, PA to my friend Marcia to live out the rest of her life with eight other seniors. 

I really wanted to keep this one, but knew her new home was a better situation, but hope to see her in May when I make the trip up.

She was so tiny, only weighing 30 lbs.

Still blooming!

Princess gets tired watching me work in the yard.  It's crunch time in the garden, so much to do to prepare for seeds, cleanup from the winter, trimming, you name it.  I have to get back to painting and finishing my potting shed, staining the bathroom floor, cleaning all the windows, ugh.  I need to work hard in the yard this month to increase my stamina with some hikes coming up and kayaking the canal to see the lilies. 

The first hike will be the Bluff Mountain Bogs with the Nature Conservancy.  Three mile hike straight up, with bogs at the top of the mountain, a rare thing!

The lilies at Lansford Canal State Park, Class II kayaking.  Lots of great things coming up, Mud Creek Yard Sale, Greenworks Garden Tour in Kenilworth, hikes, trip to PA for wedding, the list goes on! 

A Visit with Tracy & Luna

Last Friday Bob and I went to visit Luna and Tracy and the kids and the puppies!

Little porkers are doing great.  Luna has been ill ever since giving birth.  Tracy took her to the emergency vet day after we were there for chronic diarrhea and also found out from bloodwork she has a tick borne disease which can't be treated until pups are weaned.

PANDORA!

Bob holding Phoebe.  They have matching outfits!

Luna is still afraid of strangers, but I finally am this close to her, so I had to get a pet in!  She is so tiny. Out on the median she looked a lot bigger lol!

How many kids can fit in the puppy pen?  I've got to hand it to Tracy, six kids with disabilities, five of her own chows, one foster chow who may also be pregnant, Luna and three puppies and a lot of big fish aquariums, I don't know how she does it all.

I will be bringing these cuties up to NJ in May when I come for the wedding!

Scrappy, one of Tracy's chows, and Lacy in the background, another one of Tracy's chows.

Bob petting Maggie, another one of Tracy's chows.

Candy who we got out of MS, we think she may be pregnant and will know on Tuesday.

Alyson, Katie and little Pan.

Friday was the big spring church sale, but Sarah let me in early on Monday so I could get pick of the goods!  This Mid Century lamp was only $3 and weighed 11 lbs. and 36 inches tall!  I've already sold it on Ebay for $83.  It's going to CA!  

A Peruvian alpaca blanket, just like the sweater I got when I went to Peru!  Same llamas!!

So much for my gardening break from rescue.  How my name gets to people, I just don't know, but got a call on this senior girl in KY who was left at an abandoned house.  She is a horrible matted mess.

Whoever found her cut a lot off and got her to a vet where she's been staying since last week.  I was to drive to Asheville today to meet the other driver bringing her down, but the lady's 16 year old dog had a stroke and she had to let him go, so we are trying again tomorrow.

She is only 30 lbs.  Of course, I knew who to call, my friend Marcia in Drums, PA, who is going to adopt her.  I will have her until next week and get her on transport north with my friend Dione.  Her new name is Lady Bug!

I love spring!

From This . . .To This!

Running on I-95 and living in the median

Watching her cross traffic on I-95 to the woods and back again UGH!

Then her capture on 2/26 at 4:00 AM!!

To having three puppies just 72 hours later!!  

Aly and Luna have formed a special bond, so Tracy is going to adopt Luna so they can stay together!

Pandora, Phoebe and Pan.

A very nice gift from "Santa Paws" an anonymous donor!

The last two months took a toll on my immune system.  Weeks of doing all-nighters, which at my age is not possible without pots of coffee and bottles of Mountain Dew, being out of town in a crappy hotel, setting up traps in the rain and cold. Once I got home, I found out my neighbors had been sick for weeks, so I took them a pot of chicken soup, and I evidently picked up what they had. Two weeks later I am back on my feet and now ready to go meet Luna!  She has her own FB page "Luna's Chow Village" with 200 followers, the gifts and checks keep coming.  So many worried and cared about Luna.  Many times I was ready to throw in the towel, and almost did on the 26th, but good thing I didn't, we didn't know she was about to give birth!