Rut roh

So now I have a snaggle toothed redneck laptop. What next?!

Update...what the heck happened to the rest of my message???  This was my first iPhone post.  Note to self:  scale down the photo when I have a message with it.  Sigh.  The learning curve with both the laptop AND the new phone. 

Anyway, Dell Dude got the new hard drive installed yesterday, and in the process his big fingers knocked off the F4 button, so he'll be back to fix it.  And anything else that needs fixin.  My BFF in India will be calling me at 2:30 today to finish setting it up and to make sure this hd works.  If it doesn't, Dell gets to send me a whole new computer.  Period.  I'm not installing any more software until I know everything works properly.  The end.  I'm tired of this story.

On a happy note, two girly deer were in the front yard for a few minutes just now, enjoying breakfast.  I tried a quick phone photo of one of the girls, but then they were gone.  Lo and behold, I just looked up and a 4-6 point buck was walking across the driveway!  No photo op as he didn't stay around long, especially when granddog got wind of him, bless his little heart.  Sit. Stay.

That's life in rainy Paradise on the last day in November.  Where'd the year go?!

I feel like a redneck...

The kids and BFF Joy came over last night to help us get rid of some leftovers.  So how come my two refrigerators are still full?  Sheesh.

I boiled the turkey carcass yesterday afternoon and made a batch of yummy smelling soup for today, but then realized--where am I gonna put this big pot?  There is no room in the either fridge.

The light in my brain turned on--I know!  I checked the thermometer and it showed it was 36 outside, so I put the pot on the back deck.  Boy, do I feel like a redneck, using the outside as an open fridge, but I am living in Mayberry, right?  This is redneck country!

Missy decided to play it safe and kept out of the way of the wild Indians last night.  Smart girl that Missy is.  She is enjoying her new perch.

It's a new week.  Enjoy your Monday, y'all!

Lazy Sunday in Paradise

All the ‘mob intimacy’ here last night was wonderful, but I am dragging today, much deserved.  And did I take one photo of the buffet table?  Of course not, I was too busy…but Haley did, so y’all go look right here and salivate just a little.

Our day began with getting the ham and turkey in the smoker at o’dark thirty when it was about 26 outside.  They both smoked to perfection.  Note to self:  get a smaller turkey next year…and cook less food!  We have enough leftovers to feed a small army again today.  Small army in the form of kids and grandkids will be arriving later to help consume all that good stuff.

 

So while I am inside in the kitchen, Dick is outside working on the zip line, replacing his original one and moving the destination to a different tree.  Whatever.  Then comes the keg test.  Check.  Successful.  Next, Dick tried it…so I heard AFTER the fact.  Successful.  Good.  I’m too young to be a widow.

And then Jason had to give it a try, but Dick first gave me a shout out so that I could snap a photo as he went whizzing by.  Sorry it is a bit blurry, but he couldn’t exactly stop to pose for me. 

He made it safely across the cove to the end, and was none the worse for wear.  That dark spot is Dick waiting for Jason’s arrival.  The other dark spot is Jason still on the line. 

See, there is hardly any water in our cove, but that is normal for this time of the year, so it is OK.  It would still be wet and cold if anyone fell in it.  No thank you!

Boys and their toys and their adventures!  What’s next?

Life is good…and we count our blessings!

Gobble, gobble, wobble…

So the ham and turkey are outside cooking in the smoker.  The ham goes on the top rack, and the juices continually baste the bird.  Help me Rhonda, that is quite a combination that Dick discovered quite by accident.  That bird winds up being so moist and tender that we almost don’t want to bother eating the ham…but we do.  And declare them both GOOD.

Here is a list of what is expected on the menu later today:

stuffing, gravy
cranberry relish
corn pudding
Vidalia onion casserole
glazed carrots and parsnips
sweet potato casserole
mashed potatoes
steamed broccoli
marinated Roma tomatoes
zucchini with Parmesan cheese
rolls, butter
pumpkin cheesecake
pecan pie
apple pound cake

Hmm, what am I leaving out???  Oh yes, cranberry nut bread.  I think this is enough to make us all wobble just a bit when we are done!  And tomorrow?  Those bones will be turned into turkey soup.  Yeah, baby…love that!

Check out dyerdining for some of the above recipes…if you are interested.  That site is continually updated as Haley and I go through our recipe files, so go visit any time, and be surprised at what you might find.  Yumm…

Life is definitely GOOD, y’all!

Black Friday? Nope, not here!

It's more like Gray Friday--overcast, NO shopping, well, except for one last trip to the grocery store, but that doesn't count as 'real' shopping.

My Blackberry died during the process of installing the software on the new puter:(  More on that another day.  Got an iPhone 4, so now I have to go through all that setting up, and the learning curve.  Sheesh.  I don't have time for that right now.

So today is also T minus 1 for our Thanksgiving Day, which is why I need to go finish up at the market and come back home to peel, pare and chop.  We expect around 20 for dinner tomorrow.  We're having some good stuff!  Stop by if you are in the neighborhood.  There's always room for one or two more folks around our table.

Happy Friday, y'all!  Life is good...gotta run meet the stained glass lady at church.  A new panel is getting installed.  Woohoo!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

"Thanksgiving is an emotional holiday. People travel thousands of miles to be with the people they only see once a year. And then discover, once a year is way too often." - Johnny Carson

"Thanksgiving dinner takes 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-time takes 12 minutes. This is not coincidence." - Emma Bombeck

"God gave us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends." - Ethel Watts Mumford

"Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it."  ~William Arthur Ward

May you join me in giving THANKS for all our blessings on this special day.

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob, Hallelujah Chorus - Must See!

This will put some HAPPY in your day for sure!

I am thankful for eyes to see, and ears to hear...for family, friends and our freedom.

Today involves only a little prep work in the kitchen.  We will actually celebrate our Thanksgiving Day on Saturday. It's a movable feast in our busy world, so Friday and Saturday will both be mighty busy.  And no, I am not partaking of "Black Friday."  No thank you!

Do you have a particular Thanksgiving tradition in your household?  What are you cooking?

Charleston and flying

Sarge was having a high flying adventure in my dreams this morning.  I don’t know what we were in or where we were, but Sarge was busy doing some fancy maneuvering to get away from someone hot on our tail.  Dick was in the R seat navigating, and I was in the backseat helping to look for our annoying traffic.  (That was where I sat on the flight to/from Charleston, so that part was very accurate.)  We safely landed; Sarge was having a fine time; all was well, and then I woke up.  That Sarge fella sure gets around…and always manages to have fun.

Do y’all dream in color?  I always do.  I read somewhere that only about a quarter of the folks dream in color.  Interesting.

So the Griswolds thoroughly enjoyed Charleston and want to go back.  We parked at the Battery and walked toward town, enjoying seeing splendid architecture all along the route.  Many of these homes have three different types of columns on their homes…making use of ionic, Doric and Corinthian styles, one type per level.  Just because they can, I guess.

I happened to look north and spied the most famous smokestack in the world, which we discovered was the Carnival Fantasy docked right there in downtown Charleston.  Folks could just walk off the ship and visit the old slave market (no slaves were SOLD there—it was used by the slaves to sell their wares and is still a neat market today).

 

Vendors sell a variety of items, especially the Sweet Grass baskets that are well known in Charleston.  Beautiful, but pricey.  I managed to resist buying one.  Faith found some interesting gift items, and Dick bought a new leather wallet to replace the one that went through the washing machine…unsuccessfully.

A visit to Charleston isn’t complete without a carriage ride.  We learned lots of history from our (retired teacher) guide, and saw many beautiful buildings with all manner of architectural details. We saw lots of gas lights still functioning with gas.  Many of them have been converted to electric lights, but not all.

 

 

And of course the very expensive Rainbow Row homes are a must see…

 

 

 

Did you know that Charleston suffered a serious earthquake?  Many buildings had to have earthquake cables installed to stabilize the structure.  Those end caps are decorative on this building…some are left plain ole end caps…but there is a cable  that goes from wall to wall with a turn buckle inside to tighten it.  A few buildings just run the cables outside, which isn’t quite so attractive.

And ole Dan did a fine job of pulling us all around downtown:

Lunch followed, with a coloring contest between Dick and Haley, and even a few games of tic tac toe.  Both children were good sports.

 

 

 

And we had to at least go SEE the beach and let Haley get her feet wet and collect a few shells.  There weren’t many folks out actually IN the water.  Even Charleston gets chilly in late November.

 

 

And then we had to go get cleaned up and ready for the party.  More to follow…

Fable of the Porcupine

It was the coldest winter ever.  Many animals died because of  the cold.  The porcupines, realizing the situation, decided to group  together.  This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills  of each one wounded their closest companions even though they gave off  heat to each other.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves  one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen.  So they had
to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or
disappear from the Earth.  Wisely, they decided to go back to being  together.  This way they learned to live with the little wounds that were  caused by the close relationship with their companion, but the most important part of it, was the heat that came from the others.  This way they were able to survive.

Moral of the story:   The best relationship is not the one that
brings together perfect people, but the best is when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others, and can admire the other person's good qualities.

Modern Moral of the story..........LEARN TO LOVE THE PRICKS IN
YOUR LIFE!

Where's Cinderella?

Dick and I were sitting on the Custom House steps, waiting on our personal chauffeur, when this little number rolled by us.

We found lots of interesting sights here in Charleston. The anniversary party was a big surprise to Sharon. It was great seeing lotsa long-time friends and remembering when. Photos later.

We are all having a lazy morning, then will head to the airport and home. I hope Missy didn't have her own party while we were away. Did I hide the catnip?

Goodbye, Charleston. We shall return.
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Fantasy!

Look what we found in Charleston! I'm ready for another cruise.

Wonderful weather. WYWH, y'all!
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Law of Physical Surfaces

Law of Physical Surfaces - The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor, are directly correlated to the newness & cost of the carpet or rug.

We don’t anticipate a bad landing of any sort later today in this baby.  The expanded Travelingbells are taking off on a weekend adventure!

True story.  In talking with Haley on the phone last night, she told me that she had already heard from her principal that Dad and I are flying to Charleston today (she knew we were going, just wasn’t sure whether it was a drive or a flight). 

Brian, Faith and Haley (yes, that is her name and it is spelled correctly) are going with us!  Our young passenger is very excited about the trip, so word has definitely spread all around school.  I am giving up my right seat so that Brian can fly this trip and get a little more 182 experience under his belt.  I only yield that seat to another pilot.  Safety first!  Always.  Plus, Brian is already a good pilot.

There is an anniversary celebration for some friends tomorrow, so this will be another chapter of good memories, happening in a beautiful city that is right on the water.

Life doesn’t get much better than that, y’all!  

So how are YOU spending your weekend?

Law of Gravity

Law of Gravity - Any tool, nut, bolt, screw, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner.

Likewise, wrinkles and rear ends will be 2” lower this year than last.  Gravity is not kind to the human body…but at least it keeps us grounded and not floating around.

I am still floating between two computers.  That is so not fun, but I shall conquer.  Yes I will.

Waking up at o’dark thirty this morning now is presenting me with a wee blessing.  I see pink streaks arriving in the sky…a rare sight, since I am more of a sunset kinda gal.

Hello, fresh new day.  Welcome!

Variation Law

Happiness is…a wee boy, a big truck, and a bigger tire:

Hey, Grumps…need any help?

Before we know it, Doodlebug will be big enough to drive this thing!

Boys (of all sizes) and their toys!

Variation Law - If you change lines (or traffic lanes), the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time).

Dick experienced some of that on the drive home from Phoenix. I’m so glad he is home.  Safely.  Life is good!

Law of the Result

Law of the Result - When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will.

Conversely, when you expect a new machine to work perfectly right out of the box, it won’t. 

I spent over two hours with my new BFF in India, Srinath, a 24 year-old who is in the department that only works on my particular type of laptop, the XPS series.  The laptop works fine, that’s not the problem…but Microsoft Outlook would not open.  I paid for the full version so that I could specifically get Outlook. 

My new best friend got permission from me to take over my computer through an internet connection.  It was funny watching the screen do all its antics without me being at the controls!  He uninstalled MS Office, cleaned up the computer, then reinstalled MS Office, but that dang program still wouldn’t cooperate.  It finally worked, but we couldn’t get it to register properly.

By that time, it was the end of his shift, and it was bedtime for me anyway, so we both quit.  He promises to call me this afternoon when he gets to work…and promises we will get everything to work correctly.  I am not adding any more programs to the system until it does.

So today I am back on the old laptop…and life goes on.  Today is another day.  The end.

Law of Mechanical Repair

This little number arrived late Saturday while I was off scrapping at Haley’s House:

That would be the same Saturday of the progressive dinner and the bazillion things that were going on.  I didn’t get to even open up the box till after church yesterday…ta dah:

So of course after getting it turned on and initialized, I discovered that it requires DVDs or an 8 gig flash drive in order to first back up the operating system.  DO THAT FIRST.  No, I can’t put the info onto my external hard drive.  I tried that route.  It is either the flash drive (I have one but don’t want to use it for that) or DVDs (they will store easier and not get lost).  Since I don’t have enough of those, this means a trip to “the Walmart” this morning before I can (should) proceed.  Bugger.

Law of Mechanical Repair - After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch, and you'll have to pee.

Or you’ll have to go to town for another part.

Happy Monday, y’all!

Oliver’s Law of Public Speaking

Oliver's Law of Public Speaking - A closed mouth gathers no feet.

A very cranky old woman was arrested for shoplifting at a grocery store.  She gave everyone a hard time, from the store manager to the security guard to the arresting officer who took her away, complaining and criticizing throughout the process.

When she appeared before the judge, the judge asked what she had stolen from the store.  The lady defiantly replied, "Just a stupid can of peaches."

The judge then asked why she had done it.  She replied, "I was hungry and forgot to bring any cash to the store."

The judge asked how many peaches were in the can.  She replied, "Nine, but what do you care about that?"

The judge patiently said, "Well, ma'am, because I'm going to give you nine days in jail -- one day for each peach."  As the judge was about to drop his gavel, the lady's long suffering husband raised his hand and asked if he might speak.

The judge said, "Yes, what do you have to add?"

The husband said, "Your Honor, she also stole a can of peas."

Share a smile with someone today.  I just did.

Peachy day in Paradise

Busy day ahead here in the TB household.  Haley is doing a fabulous workshop at her house at 1p, so I’ll be there to scrap and play, along with several scrappin’  friends.

I’ll have to hurry home to pick up Dick so that we can go to the first house of a BSP progressive dinner.  The first house location is in town, and there, we will be served appetizers.  The main course will be served here (north of town), so I’ve got to get Dick to help me set up an extra table or two this morning, and get him to blow leaves off the deck.  We may actually need our outdoor heater tonight.  We’ll see.  It’s there if we need it.

And then the fun really begins.  At the next house, not too far from us, we will enjoy dessert and coffee while participating in our annual ‘vacation’ auction.  No, we don’t auction off a trip.  What we auction off are gifts that we purchase when we travel (it can be some exotic location, like Podunk, for instance).  We bring them wrapped, so that no one knows what is inside or who brought it, just the origin of the purchase.  The guys go nutz bidding against each other, all in good fun, since the money goes into our treasury…and then it gets given away to the local community.  Fun and worthwhile.  And always good food!

Happy, happy birthday to BFF Joan!  We’ll miss you and Dan tonight.

Whatever you do, enjoy your Saturday, y’all.  Life is good!

Law of Close Encounters

Law of Close Encounters - The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with.

Well, I met lots of 'kin' down in SW Georgia at my aunt's funeral.  They all cleaned up pretty good, and I don't think anyone was embarrassed to be seen with each other:)  Aunt Nene led quite the adventurous life and had written down lots of stuff for the preacher to pick and choose from to speak about her at her service.  Well, it was all so interesting that the preacher read the whole dang thing!  Pat promises to get me a copy of it, because I learned that my own father almost died as a baby, and I never knew that.  Nor lots of other stuff.

And now there are only a few around of that generation who can supply any history.  I asked Aunt Rebecca the middle name of my paternal grandfather, and she knew!  No one else did, and I could never find it confirmed anywhere, so I will take this as gospel.  And...this is major...I got to see the graves of my grandparents and great grandparents!  Of course I took photos, and of every headstone that I thought might be a relative, so I have a bit of work cut out to get all this info checked and double checked.

I think it is important that we not lose our links with our past.  And it is helpful also to have FULL names.  That middle initial on my grandfather's grave did not help much, other than to confirm that he did indeed have a middle name.

What are you doing to preserve your family history?

Thank you, Veterans!

A huge THANK YOU to all our men and women who have served in our Armed Forces to defend our red, white and blue...as well as THANKS to those who are currently making sacrifices and serving now.

Freedom is never free.  God bless the USA!

A sweet goodbye

 

My 99 year old aunt died Monday.  She was a remarkable woman, who  enjoyed life to the fullest.  She was my father’s sister, and now there is only one sibling out of the ten left. 

Today, I am heading to South Georgia, where I will go visit  Aunt Eloise in a nursing home.  She won’t know me any more, but that is OK.  I sure know and love her. 

And then tonight there will be a visitation for this special lady, shown above at her 99th birthday party this past July, with the Celebration of Life being conducted tomorrow.

It will be a happy/sad occasion when we see long-time friends and family, reminisce about the past, and promise not to wait so long to see each other again.  Then life gets in the way, and everyone gets too busy, until the next time one of our members is lost to us.  And then we gather again.

Thanks for all the ‘apple salads’ you made this young gal when we came visiting.  You always made me feel special and loved. 

Rest in peace, Aunt Nene.  I love you, and miss you already.

Tuesday in Mayberry

Let me tell you, those ribs were good, good last night, and super easy.  Yes they were...but after smelling them cooking all day, I sorta didn't want any when it was finally time to eat.  I think next time I'll let them cook out on the deck.  I'll post the recipe on dyerdining when I get done here...and before I go empty the dishwasher.  I was mighty tired by bedtime last night, after being on my feet all day, so I didn't get that chore done.  I'm glad there was no deadline and no time clocks to punch.  Today is another day and another chance to finish what didn't get finished.  And then there is also tomorrow!

I feel sooo sorry for my fave Carnival cruise director John Heald.  There was a fire in the aft engine onboard the Carnival Splendor yesterday as they were en route from CA down to Mexico.  Everyone is OK, well, except for the idiots who will complain about everything.  They are never OK.  Carnival is compensating everyone quite handsomely, but still...John will be putting up with a lot of crappola from some, no doubt!

Right now as I type I am catching glimpses of Amy and Jason putzing in their front yard, with two happy boys playing.  There is only a small gap between the house and the trees, but it affords me a small window of opportunity to see my sweet neighbors enjoying life, and it puts a smile on my face.  I am mighty blessed.

Life is good!

Law of Random Numbers

Law of Random Numbers - If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal & someone always answers.

This is a true story, once upon a time, long before caller ID was invented:

“Hi, may I speak with Jim M.?”

I laugh.  “No, I’m sorry you have the wrong number, but Jim’s number is …”  Only in Mayberry can this happen:)

This pot of wonderfulness is smelling mighty good.  Actually, I have TWO pots slow cooking for tonight’s dinner for a NUMBER of folks.  All the kids, tall and short,  and our park managers will be here for dinner.  The kids are junior park owners, so they need to be onboard, hearing about plans for the (their) future, right?  Our managers do a fine job, so it is always good to hear from them and learn about our park from their particular perspective.  Win/win, and good food!  Can’t beat that combination.

This is Joan’s rib recipe from another long-time family friend Lois, so I’ll certainly post it here:   Dyer Dining  on Haley’s food blog, started as a way to keep track of her recipes.  I asked if I could join her blog so that I could post some of mine, so check it out…or not.  We are actually only posting recipes that are ‘tried and true,’ so it will be constantly updated with some really good stuff!

Life is an echo; what you send out comes back. ~ Chinese Proverb

Scooby Doo and Daphne, too

Who are these strange folks???  Nice ‘do,’ Jason.  And Amy with red hair?  Sure hope that rinse comes out:)  Looking for (the real) you!  I’m sure y’all had fun at the Halloween party.

Unkka Brian and Faith wound up with the kiddies last night, brave folks, so I’ll get them another time.

Friends Gene and Janelee posed a few questions that I’ll try to answer:

Gene:  How do you know when a man has too much time on his hands?

When a man sits around idle (and annoying his spouse), which rarely happens with this man.

Janelee:  What do you do when the same man ends up in the drink?

Watch him get wet and swim to shore.

Joint question:  How would you preach a funeral for a woman who was killed by a flying beer keg?

Haha…good one and easily answered.  Gene, you would do a MAHVELOUS job of preaching that one for me, if death had happened in that fashion.  I would be honored for you to have that eventual job, but no time soon.  Plus, you’re the priest whose known me the longest.  On second thought… :)

You two do need to come to Mayberry.  It’s been too long since we’ve seen ya!!!

We have 27 outside and frost on the ground, but at least it is sunny and will climb up to the high 40s.  It’s time to drag out the coats and gloves.

Happy Sunday, y’all.  Life is chilly but good!

Daylight savings time explained…and other stuff…

Baby, it’s cold outside!  And we had sleet here in the No. GA Alps yesterday, while some also found Dick in Atlanta.  What’s up with that already???  And it is anticipated that we’ll get down to 28 in the morning.  Yikes…I am not ready for winter.  No sirree.  I don’t want to see Old Man Winter until maybe, December 1.  That is soon enough for my blood, I can tell you.

BFF Joan and I had a good time doing some retail therapy yesterday.  We each found stuff we needed (Christmas gifts), and stuff we wanted (I bought just a few beads)…wait, those beads can be filed under Christmas gifts, come to think of it!  Or maybe birthday gifts.  Anyway, we also got just normal stuff that are always needed for a household.  Speaking of, I need to work on my list and go to the grocery store.

Dinner with friends tonight, then some grand kids here for an overnight visit.  Love it!

Life is good!  Don’t forget to ‘fall back’ tonight, y’all.

Friday fun…

See that single leafless tree way up on the hill next to the shop?  With two guys working up there next to it…

They are hooking up a zip line!  And it goes through that gap in the trees over there on the R, and then goes all the way down the hill, across the cove, and winds up here:

That tree is even further than where our house is sitting.  I am standing on the edge of our deck, watching Dick hook up a connector to that tree, which is the end of the zip line.  I suggested that they make another zip line to go back across the cove to our side.  Maybe that’ll be next, after this one is perfected.

So Jason had to leave and go get some ‘real’ work done, while Dick tinkered and tightened the line.  Little did I know he was about to test the line.  See that driveway up in the first photo.  I’ll wait while you go take another look. 

With camera in hand and prayers for a safe flight, I position myself midway up the hill while Dick took off on the maiden zip.  He was going so fast, that my photo did not have Dick in it, just a shot of the zip line.  He was also going so fast that he bailed at the last moment and landed flat on his back in order to avoid hitting the destination tree…wise choice.  He goes back to adjust the tension on the line.  I think this stage is called Trial and Error, but at least there was no visit to the ER.

I had to go into town later, so I was innocently heading up the driveway, and just happened to glance to my L and saw Dick frantically waving his hands at me to STOP!!!….just as a huge beer keg was flying down the zip line.  I slammed on the brakes.  The line holding the keg was too long, or there was too much weight on it or something, but the keg dragged the ground and stopped, before it could mate with my car.

Can you imagine that if it had hit my car how I would have explained to our insurance agent how a flying beer keg damaged my car?  Oh really???

Back to the drawing board.  Again.  So nexty Dick moved the beginning zip point to the tree to the R of our driveway, out of harm’s way and any delivery truck coming or going.  Whew.

 

 

 

 

Of course there had to be another weight test from this new, shorter location, so off Dick flies:

Then he is hanging over the water down there between two trees:

No, do not look at that ugly gas tank.  If Dick doesn’t quit playing and bury that tank soon, there may be more than one item to bury in that hole, bless his heart. 

So now the big boys have decided the line needs just a bit more tweaking, so I imagine this will get done, and they’ll be out playing again this weekend.  And that ugly gas tank will still be sitting right where it is.

Farewell, Fall!

Golf course at Brasstown Valley Resort just a couple of weeks ago…

BVR grounds…always colorful…

Fireplace inside the Resort…just waiting for all the beautiful Christmas decorations that will soon adorn this area.

Colorful trees on the grounds of Young Harris College.  No more.  These leaves are probably now all on the ground after the latest rain.  Farewell.  Goodbye. 

Our leaves sadly never entirely peaked this year.  It was a very strange fall, and now the leaves are falling, and temps are dropping. 

Such is life here in Paradise.  But…stay tuned for a fun project that is still just a bit up in the air…

4 things you can’t recover

I know---3 cuties, not 4---I just like seeing these sweeties, so there you go. And they certainly are irreplacable!

So here is a pearl of wisdom for a Wednesday, or any ole day:

4 Things You Can't Recover
The stone after it's thrown; the word after it's said; 
the occasion after it's missed; 
and time after it's gone.


So make the most of your hump day, people.  Today is all we have.  Life is good, y’all!

Vote, voTE, VOTE !

We may not like any of the candidates; we might only like SOME of them.  However, voting is important.  If you don’t cast your ballot, you cannot complain.

Make your voice HEARD.  It’s time to clean the House and the Senate, and only by voting can this happen.  Many of them pretty much STINK.   We can perhaps dream of the day when politicians will actually consider what is best for our country, rather than what is best for their personal interests and party politics.  We can see NOvember from our house.

Life is still good, here in the land of the brave and the free, y’all!

Will smile for chocolate!

 

We had some special munchkins visit us on Halloween, all looking for chocolate.  Imagine that.

Chocolate, they got!  And loved.  And they also found some eyeball bouncy balls (gross!).  And hand sanitizer to ward off germs.  And more chocolate…

 

 

One cute hippie chick and sister chocoholic!

 

 

 

 

 

And two silly boys, ready to speed away…

 

Candy corn is now available at Grammie’s house!  And maybe just a little more chocolate:)  Dark chocolate is a de-stresser, which that means it is good for you, so that is your medical tip of the day.

Life is sweet, y’all!