New Project

Remember the arbor and swing?   The one Joel is eventually going to build for me?   Well, I'd also like one more project for the back yard.   At our old house, I had plenty of room for my orchids, but at this house, there are precious few places where they can survive.   Joel had the idea that we could hang orchids in the shade of the tree in our back yard and we'd be able to view the orchids from inside the breakfast room!   I love that idea!   

Meanwhile, Jeremy's welding equipment is slowly taking over the garage.  Joel had built a heavy duty workbench years ago and it was getting ruined with all the welding, etc. The guys hauled it out to the "orchid house" and I started to transform it into what I thought would work as a potting bench.

First I killed the grass in the 11'X22' area and had crushed seashell spread 3" thick to create a "floor".   The potting bench was put under Jeremy's window and the legs painted white.

 



Then I went to a guy who bends galvanized steel for air conditioner companies and had him make a cover for the top and one to hide the ugly shelf below.   Joel and Jeremy had to elevate the bench on cement blocks to bring it up to the right height for me. 

 

 

Doesn't look so bad now, does it?  A quick trip to Joann's to pick up some bins (for storing the potting soil and my garden gloves) was all I needed to complete the function of my new treasure.   I love it! 

 

 



Not bad,
Debbie

Dog Days of Summer

We've all heard that phrase, right?   Well, since Molly came to live with us, it has taken on a whole new meaning......

Before Molly came into our lives, Winston would pretty much just lay around the house sleeping.   He'd bark at the occasional leaf that blew past the french doors by the pool or carry on because a lizard had dared to scuttle too close to the house.   Yup!   He was a real guard dog.   Ha!   Now he and Molly run and play until they both collapse and take nice, long naps together.   Yippee!   They usually end up in my sewing room and take up valuable floor space while I work in there.   Oh, well, at least I know where they both are! 

Molly sleeps a while, then she crawls to another cozy spot on the rug and plops down and snoozes for another hour.   Then, she repeats this process again till she has slept 2-3 hours.  Bless her scruffy little heart!

Finally getting some sewing done,

Debbie

Rainbows

A couple of weeks ago, I stepped outside to walk Joel to the car as he went off to work and when I looked up in the sky this double rainbow was right there in front of us!   I hurried back inside to get my camera before it went away and I managed to click off a few shots.   Have you ever seen a double rainbow?   I haven't!  

These shots were taken looking west over the Gulf after an early morning shower while the sun was rising behind my back.    How pretty!   My friend, Barb, told me that she has seen an upside down rainbow!   I've never heard of such a thing but would love to see one.  Now, the scientific side of me is trying to figure out how that occurs.......ouch!   It's too early on a Monday morning to do that without cappuccino....giggle....

Debbie

End of Summer

Tell me it isn't so!   How can it be the end of summer already?   Two of my grandkids started back to school last Monday and the other two start tomorrow.   It just doesn't seem right.....my internal calendar says summer lasts from June until Labor Day.   The day after Labor Day was always the first day of school when we were kids and it feels "off" to me when the kids start back to school in August.

Of course, summer lasts until December in Florida......at least temperature and sunny weather-wise!   Here are some beach pics to remind us of summer all year long.   Hope you enjoy them.

This pic was taken as a storm was coming in off the Gulf of Mexico at Indian Rocks Beach.

Yummy, beachy, sink-my-toes-in-the-sand colors......can you feel the breeze and taste the salty tang in the air?

Are these birds sandpipers, terns, or something else?   I don't know.....I just call all little brown, white and grey birds that scavenge thru the surf sandpipers.   And I 've been trying to capture them with my camera for decades!    Hmmmmm, I think I need a bigger lens, a tripod and a lot more patience.   Maybe next year.  LOL

Wouldn't you love to grab a good book and sit on a beachside screen porch and watch this storm blow in over the water?   We all need to have our fantasies, don't we?   That's how I'd like to mark the end of summer.   How about you?

Just Chillin',

Debbie

Mountain "High"

I love the mountains.....especially the Appalachian mountains.   My childhood home was nestled near the base of one of the Blue Ridge mountains in Pennsylvania and I spent many happy hours roaming the woods as a kid.  That is probably what started a lifelong love affair with the cool, green lushness of the mountains.   Not to mention that now that I live in Florida, the idea of spending some of the long hot days of summer in a cool mountain retreat is sooooo seductive.

With that thought in mind, my husband and I planned a week long trip to the mountains of North Carolina an hour north of Asheville.   We were fortunate enough to stay at his boss's cabin at 4400' above sea level, high on a mountaintop with gorgeous long range views.  What a treat!

Twilight looking out over the valley.

How's this for a view from the kitchen?  I'd love to be in one of those rocking chairs right now!

This was an early morning sunrise with mist hanging over the valley.  Breathtaking!

Watching a storm blow across the mountains called for a hot cup of coffee and a good book.

Yup, I think I could go back there......someday.   It's too bad Florida doesn't have any mountains.    If it did, I don't think I'd ever leave the state!
Deb

Meet Miss Molly

We have a new family member and her name is Molly.   Joel came up with the name and it seems to fit her.   Molly is a Cavachon.....daddy is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel and mommy is a Bichon.

Jeremy's dog, Winston, was not so sure about this little fluff ball invading his territory.

"Hmmmmm, maybe she's not so bad after all!"

When we picked her up in north Georgia from the breeder she was just 5 lbs.   We really had to watch where we were walking so we wouldn't step on her.

As my family can attest, I am not the dog person in our family.  But, Molly is MY dog.........I just can't resist her fluffy cuteness!   Getting up several times a night to take her out has been a challenge.  (It's amazing how you can forget about that part of having a puppy!)

 Jeremy even enjoyed playing with Molly.....she kept kissing his face and biting his hair!

Whew!   Asleep, finally...........

Maybe now we can all catch up on our ZZZZZZ's,
Debbie

Some Day....

My birthday is just before Christmas.....two days before, in fact.   Joel and I saw a pic on the front cover of a do-it-yourself magazine at Lowe's and he said he'd build "that arbor over the swing" for my birthday.   So, we picked up the monstrously heavy 6"X6" posts and other wood, screws, and hardware to build "the arbor over the swing".

It's August!   Just sayin'.......it's August!   And my arbor is still not up.  Oh, my guys finally dug the holes and installed the heavy 6"X6" posts, but that is as far as they have gotten.   So, some day, perhaps before my next birthday, my swing will be up off the ground and the plants I bought to climb the arbor can go in the ground.

Some day......hey!   A girl can dream, can't she?
Deb