The House On the Hill

Hi..it's me...Paula!

2010-01-06T15:50:00.000-08:00

My last High School Reunion..The ones who were nice then haven't changed...all still dear friends!

Fall in Upstate New York

2009-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

I have been making Smileboxes to send to friends..thought I would post one on here for everyone who thinks of New York as the Empire State building, subways and museums and Broadway plays.... Upstate is a world apart!

Autumn pond 1

2009-11-14T17:09:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Butterflies and Summer's End

2009-09-12T22:30:00.000-07:00

Well, summer is about over and I never even came back to keep up on the news of the garden..a bit of a disappointment in some ways but all in all, we did manage to grow some tomatoes despite the early blight which destroyed the tomato crop in most home gardens and even some of the larger truck gardens in the area.

We do have some beautiful kale, swiss chard, and a few rutabagas and parsnips still growing, the broccoli was good but about petered out now, the brussel sprouts are gaining and will be ready in a week or two, I will harvest the largest ones first and leave the plants in the ground as they will continue to grow til hard freeze and I get all the cucumbers I can use. We even had some tomatoes to share with the kids, for some reason the small salad varieties did the best this year and we have picked a LOT of them.

Our oldest daughter and I had a wonderful visit to a Butterfly House last month...what a delightful place, can't wait to go back...and next time, I will make sure that the memory stick is in the camera, not here on the desk!

We are getting ready to leave for Rockport next week, what a joy to see our dear friend, Marie, and taste those wonderful breakfasts again. The weather looks as though it will be cool [well almost cold by the middle of the week] but since we always wait until Fall when the main tourist season is over before we go out, we will have to take whatever weather shows up I guess! Will post when we get back.

Time For the Green Life Again

2009-06-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

I can't believe a year has passed since I wrote about our small garden venture. We are back at it this year, having enlarged the garden to a bit more than twice the size of last year's effort.

The weather just won't cooperate with us but "never give up" has always worked in the past and tomorrow [if it doesn't rain tonight] will see the last of the tomatoes planted, maybe a few melons if I can squeeze them in someplace and the bedding plants for my cut flower garden. Then on to the combination pots, a couple of hanging baskets and oh yes...mustn't forget to find a place for the black raspberry plants I bought at a local fresh produce and flower market near here.

We have noticed that every time the economy is bad, the number of gardens rises..many more people trying to grow some of their own food and of course that sometimes costs more than buying it but at least it is fresh and you can pick it when you want it. The best part is knowing what has or hasn't been sprayed , poured or dusted on it, we try to be as organic as possible but the tomatoes need copper to stave off the blight as long as possible and this year we are spraying our old apple trees a few times, hoping for more useable apples in a year or 2.

Last week we drove down into Pa. to decorate graves. My grandparents, great grandparents and some much further back are buried there and it is one of our yearly rituals to load the trunk with flats of annuals, trowels, jugs of water, gloves [which I never wear] and invite any of our daughters who can make it go with us for the trip. This year the older 2 went with us, first to Neuman Cemetery in Great Bend and then over the bridge to Rose Hill in Hallstead.

After the planting, the day goes like this...first to McDonalds to wash up and have breakfast or lunch, depending on the hour we get there. then off to a fantastic little dollar store to pick up a few choice goodies. This year Denise and I bought little garden hooks and tiny humming bird feeders to hang on them [along with other assorted stuff]. Deb bought 3 pair of $12.00 sunglasses for $2.00 each and I bought a few other of odds and ends that I thought I needed.

My Great Grandmother Annie would have loved this day, she never came home from Binghamton with out a shopping bag full of goodies from Woolworth's 5 and 10. Maybe she was with us in spirit that day. I hope so.

Then up the road to Susquehanna Pa. where we always visit 2 neat little shops, one always has historic postcards reproductions, small fireworks, great embellished tee shirts, and lots of different items that one never sees in the big department stores and of course NEVER in WalMart.

I bought some photos of the huge viaduct at Lanesboro, and some of the old Joseph Smith home where Joseph transcribed the Golden Plates from behind a sheet back when he lived in this area. Denise found a package of little night light that must be at least 40 years old..we had that kind when the kids were small and was so delighted to buy them as they reminded her of home.

Then across the street to a small shop that sells all sorts of inexpensive vintage glass, old plates and dolls, a few stuffed toys, books for 50 cents, sometimes vintage clothing and linens, old prints and pictures, one never knows what we will find but there are at least a few "must haves" everytime we go.

Denise bought some tiny pitchers for her collection, Deb found some decorative bottles in little wire frames to hang in her windows [I bought a couple of those altho' my house overflows with "stuff"] and a couple of other goodies [she always finds something unique].

I bought a DVD of a tour of England [PBS] for 50 cents.... Denise found that and found a couple of tours for Deb one of France, the other of Paris..we will take her along next year..lol...

Enough for tonight..hope tomorrow will be good weather so I can plant and plant and plant.....

Stillmeadow

2009-05-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends, today I am adding a few pictures of Stillmeadow, home of one of my favorite authors.

Her books are still in print today and evoke memories of a different time and way of life [and thinking] and if you love the past, you might try reading some of the Stillmeadow books.
Look down on the right to find the album and check back later as I have many pictures to add. I have reread her books so many times, I still find them to be such a joy.
Her cookbooks are great but I love best the story of how she and Jill found the old 17th century house.

2009-01-04T18:52:00.000-08:00

MORE CHRISTMAS in the COUNTRY....2008
Double click to enlarge and scroll to see all.

Country Christmas

2009-01-04T18:42:00.000-08:00

We visited a beautiful old country home today..and while we were there, I took a ton of pictures, in between eating and visiting..too many to show individually on here, but these are for Country Christmas lovers everywhere.
Lots of beautiful chalkware, trees all around the house, decorations from around the USA and Dad, grabbing a quick nap. Double click to enlarge.
Enjoy!

Here We Go Again

2009-01-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

Another year..another list...of things to do, things to hope for and promises to keep, well all I can say is I hope I have more success than I did last year!

Time to declutter and take stock...time to try to keep in touch with distant family, time to start some new plants and hobbies, time to get back to exercise program for my osteoporosis [ugh] , time to do more of the things on last year's list that kinda fell by the wayside...oh well perfection wasn't built in a day.

Perhaps it would be better to think a bit about what I did accomplish in 2008..that should only take about a minute or so. I did get some good pictures, I did do my donations to my favorite charities although I had to cut back on some of them, I did manage not to gain back all the weight I lost year before last and I did keep all of my old pets in reasonably good health for another year. Kept most of my roses alive, ate more broccolli, and changed my Calcium to one that should work with my Nexium. Added more VIT D, walked almost every day in the good weather, had a wonderful week at Cape Ann and made cookie and bread trays for a couple of neighbors who are having a rather bad time right now. Guess that's it for 2008...

Oh...Spruce is the wolf I have adopted from Wolfhaven for the past 3 years..he is a beauty and my donation helps care for him and keep him safe.

More next time.

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T18:47:00.000-08:00

Muffin had an exhausting day! The whole family has finally headed to their homes and now just Norm and I, Tootie and the 4 house cats are left to enjoy the tree lights, the cookie plates and the PEACE and QUIET!!!
Buddy is sleeping over the heat register and April and Lucky are probably in the back room EATING again.
What a lovely Christmas we have had, spoiled somewhat by the fact that our oldest daughter was just too sick with a sinus infection to come over..but never fear, she feels better today and Saturday we will celebrate Christmas all over again.

What's New

2008-12-15T17:39:00.000-08:00

Well, the annual Christmas confusion is upon us again. I am trying to do a little less and enjoy what I am doing a little more. I am nearly done with shopping and even getting caught up with wrapping this year. Have almost all cards mailed out except for those for my wonderful Vet office, the girls at the local bank and the libraries who offer so much pleasure all year around.

Also time to renew my Best Friends, adopt a Big Cat rescue and donate for Spruce, my Wolf Haven friend.

Then something for Smile or Care and one of my Indian Reservation Elders help and I will be done...and totally out of money!

As long as I can give something away, I will always be rich...even though my pocketbook is empty!

My house is full of Christmas and my heart is full of love..can't ask for more than that....

A wonderful Christmas to you all. and "God bless us everyone"

HAPPY ALL HALLOW'S DAY

2008-10-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's a few days early but I am so far behind that Friday will be here before Monday this week, I'm afraid!

I just inadvertently put the Hallowe'en pictures for this page on my old AOL Journal page which is now on Blogspot as "The House on Long Hill" so will see if I can find a few more for this page [there is a link on here for my other blog if you want to go to the other pictures].

Let me see what I can find...well, I'm not too happy with the way these came out..will try to get time for a few more later this week.

We took a short drive today..well 130 miles, and I took some more Fall shots..a few are really nice so will get a some of them later for those of you who aren't lucky enough to have such beautiful Fall color in your area. The leaves are mostly off now except for the Oak trees which are exceptionally lovely this year and the bright yellow Beech leaves which tend to hang on longer.

What happened?

2008-10-20T16:52:00.001-07:00

I have not been able to post to the dashboard

here for almost 2 weeks..ever since I added my AOL Journal with a similar title.

I hope to keep up with both of them and miss adding goodies for the special Friday fun!

We spent several days this past month on taking short day trips to enjoy the gorgeous fall colors. I am a tree hugger/lover and here in the Northeast we have some spectacular days to store up in our minds and pictures to get us through the ugly months of November and March which are usually dull and drizzley..is that a real word?

A couple of pictures from this past week for your enjoyment....one is from my collection of "Old Barns of New York", the other is at Old Ferry's Mansion, which is now a throughbred horse farm where some of the top winning horses of the racing world are at stud. It is a beautiful place and we saw many lovely horses...along with a few hundred geese! They show best if you click to enlarge.

Hope to be back soon with more......

Beautiful Fall in Upstate NY

2008-10-12T17:05:00.000-07:00

Another lovely day...I love Edna St Vincent Millay's line...

"O World, I cannot hold thee close enough"

That says it all for days like today, a perfect day in every way!

Only God Can Make a Tree!

2008-10-12T16:44:00.000-07:00

The trees are glorious right now...even though I had a pile of work waiting at home I couldn't resist a last ride to enjoy them and try to capture some beauty for the long winter days ahead.

Right Around Home

2008-10-12T16:29:00.000-07:00

My husband and I decided to take a ride in our own Chenango County today, the sky was blue, the trees are still beautiful but the leaves are starting to come down much too fast to suit us so we took our water bottles, a few snacks and away we went.

First stop, a tiny old country cemetery where I would love to rest...it is the most peaceful and beautiful cemetery I have ever seen. It is rarely used anymore and sadly neglected by the town, many old Revolutionary and Civil War veterans are buried there so the town did put up a monument to remember those who fought..many of the individual stones are lost or broken so this is better than nothing I guess.

From there, we did a 65 mile round trip and I spent all afternoon jumping in and out of the car,nearly decapitated myself when I heard a loudly barking dog closing rapidly in on my heels and threw myself into the car just as a pickup roared by with a 190# German Shepard hanging out the side window, barking like an attack dog! My neck will never be the same!

A Favorite Old Barn

2008-10-11T18:34:00.000-07:00

I never tire of photographing old barns...they tell a story of a different time and a different life. sadly, they are fast disappearing and many of them are beyond repair. This old beauty has had a side replaced and it looks as though someone loves it enough to keep it from becoming just a pile of old rotten boards. Looks as though it may have been a small horse barn at one time.

Indian Summer

2008-10-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

This has been a wonderful week...threw away money with wild abandon...well, not really but we did splurge on a half-tank full to take a half day trip on a most gorgeous day so I could add to my pictures of old barns and to my newly added interest, old country and small town churches.

Along the way I also managed to get pictures of some rivers, a few still vivid trees and of course the true harbingers of Fall, in Upstate NY, PUMPKINS!

Ready for Fall?

2008-10-01T13:22:00.000-07:00

Well the quick answer is no of course, but as I stop to think about it, I know my body and heart and brain can feel it coming whether I like it or not!

Rather than hate the idea, I will welcome the differences it will make in my life. Since I found out over a month ago that I now have osteporosis, along with several other conditions which old age is wishing upon me , I have to make some changes in my life and lifestyle. I have found a couple of good message boards which I check daily, ordered 3 new books which I feel might be helpful, and went on my annual vacation to Cape Ann, Ma.

A 6 hour ride each way made for a miserable back both ways and some extra soreness the day after both trips but was it worth it?

YOU BET! This year, we took Tootie, our little rescue dog and she had a delightful time and more attention than ever..everyone stopping us to ask ?'s, and admiring her and asking what breed she is so they could get one as cute. She is part poodle, part Yorkie and maybe part something else..anyone's guess is as good as mine!

We covered our usual haunts and retraced our steps back to Old Marblehead..this year was much nicer day than last year and I did get some more gravestone photos from the old Burial Hill Cemetery.

Will write more in a day or two and add more pictures but I have been using my new Food Saver to freeze a few bags of veggies for this winter and need to head for the kitchen to finish up for the day...

See you soon.....

Where Did This Week Go?

2008-08-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

A baby fawn in our meadow, mommy came back and got her shortly after we took the picture. . Oh the joys of country living!!!

Here we are, halfway through August..I am disappointed in our gardens this years, tomotoes just not getting ripe and they are starting to get early blight,,we will spray again in a day or two and give them all another good soaking even though my arms are now longer than my legs from carrying those buckets and watering cans to the two gardens across the road.

We had the best broccoli I have eaten in years tonight, not bitter as most of the broccoli I buy has been for several years now. I think it is one of the older varieties, Green Comet, which is not a commercial variety.

I will have to freeze a little, it is all getting ready at once. After I pick the main heads, we will fertilize with blue water at least twice and then keep watered and the plants will produce enough sprouts for us until hard frosts.

Zucchini has taken over and is the only things that is producing more than we can use, I am busy finding new recipes for at least part of it.

Today and tomorrow the local craft fair is on from 9 to 5 although people will be picking up and leaving early tomorrow if business is slow, and I am sure it will be. The economy is so bad that most people are saving for fuel this Winter rather than buying crafts and artwork. I spent a measley $3.00 for a loaf of the worst tasting zucchini bread I have ever had and a tiny package of homemade fudge for Norm.

Back to my reading for tonight, I bought a new Ann Rule book for a dollar at the library book sale and can't wait to start reading it.

Bye for now....

Friday Show and Tell

2008-08-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

I believe I mentioned somewhere that I am a Christmas nut...so here is just a small sample of some of my Santa and Father Christmas collection ,some of my snowmen and one of my Villages with my "everything tree" beside the antique hutch in the dining room. I have been collecting for over 20 years now and we always have at least 6 or 8 trees, not counting the little "forest trees that are everywhere! If you click on the picture, it will enlarge enough to get a better look.

Only 3 months and it will be time to bring them all out again...Whew!

Friday's Show and Tell

2008-08-08T07:08:00.000-07:00

Thought you might enjoy "Bailey at the Beach" one of my very large collection of Boyds resins. I started collecting over 12 years ago but gave it up several years back after running out of space to display and even to store them. This is a special favorite because I too love building sand castles [and looking for beach glass] when we go to Rockport each year.

Kendall and Keegan

2008-08-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Before Kendall got soaked!

The Staff of Life [so they say]

2008-08-02T10:58:00.000-07:00

Think it is about time I got out one of my 3 bread machines and started making bread at least once a week, I nearly fell over today when 2 6 pks of whole grain English Muffins and 2 loaves of wheat bread totaled over 14.00 DOLLARS!!!
That is downright ridiculous and even though the muffins will last about 10 days, it is still too much, both loaves of bread were on sale, otherwise it would have been about 2.50 more. I have some great bread recipes and there are more links on here but here is one for one and half pound loaves if anyone is looking.

one and one half pound loaf 1 1/2 pound loaf bread machine 163 Recipes Recipezaar

Did great on my other shopping today, fish and meat for the week came to about 10.00 and that will be plenty, I may freeze part of the fish for next week as I found a good buy on salmon and crab cakes.
Spent $5.25 at the produce market for tomatoes, mangos, Vidalia onions, and a lot of bananas.
I still have cherries, blueberries, apples and pears left from last week and can harvest broccoli, cucumbers, zucchini, swiss chard, lettuce and herbs from the garden plus I have a lot of frozen veggies to use up in the freezer.

I just cannot believe the food and gas prices these days..we have cut back on driving about as much as possible and I am using a lot from my food pantry but replacing most things with the same when they are on sale as I fear next year will be much worse.

In the Olden Days

2008-07-31T12:33:00.000-07:00

Came across this old picture of my mom and her cousin Grant, taken ca 1919. How things have changed in the last 90 years...this was a real thrill for Mom who was town girl, no biggie for Grant who owned the pony and lived on the farm.

third garden

2008-07-29T14:38:00.000-07:00

View of the 3rd garden a couple of weeks ago, now half again as full, shoulda made it bigger I guess.

The Third Veggie Spot

2008-07-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

This year we did our gardens a bit differently. First, I did NOT plant anything we probably wouldn't eat. Secondly, I did NOT plant anything I can buy as good or nearly so at the local farm market stand. Thirdly, [is there such a word???] everything we planted is enclosed in some sort of fencing except for a couple of extra broccoli plants in 5 gallon pails that were left from the 3rd garden and some green stuff in the patio planters.. The deer here eat everything they can get to, hence the name of our place, "Deerfields" and we always have a woodchuck or two and whatever rabbits escape the foxes and coyotes.

So far as of July 29, we have picked 1 broccoli , 2 tomatoes, about a dozen cucmbers and 1 zucchini., in addition to several kinds of lettuce, mesculun, basil and parsley. Gardens are late where we live because we still get frosts in June some years.

We used to have gardens 100 feet long and 50 feet wide but now that none of the kids are home, we just plant small gardens altho' with these terrible food prices, I do think next year we will add to the ones we made this year.

Another beautiful day, a new Waterlily opened, I cut back the orange mint and the blue mint that is taking over the kitchen patio garden, and deadheaded roses and marigolds.

Just finished reading Julie Andrew's book "Home"., and hope she writes another one which brings her into the middle and later years of her life. This one was well done, she had a not very nice childhood but turned into a very classy and talented lady...no Hollywood "sleaze" in this biography!

Tomorrow is our wedding anniversary..our kids held a wonderful family Picnic/Party for us on Saturday and they and our in-law kids and grandchildren [and 2 gr grandaughters] are the joy of our lives. We are so blessed to have a family that all love AND like each other and are delightful, kind and caring people that it makes even the tough times all worthwhile!
A toast to my sweetie, the only man I ever I want to be married to.

Froggy By His Pool

2008-07-17T16:29:00.000-07:00

Look in the upper center to see our "Bug Zapper". I used to have water lilies in here, maybe will do it again next year. Still hot and humid and worse is on the way.

Tiny Gardens

2008-07-16T18:57:00.000-07:00

Because our soil is so terrible and so hard to deal with, I have gotten in the habit of making tiny gardens wherever I find a good spot for one. This is one of them near the kitchen patio which is just beginning to look like something, hopefully it will continue to progress as the Summer goes on. It is mostly made up of a couple of inches of soil and mowed down weeds, covered with newspaper and then mulch. The mint just grows and I have used containers planted with geraniums, miniature roses, foliage plants and herbs to fill in. To the right [not shown here] is an old square metal tub, painted blue where our mosquito control lives...his name of course is "Froggy".

The Roses Are Back!

2008-07-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

After all my worry, most of the roses came through our upstate NY winter with only a couple of losses and one of them resulted in my DH's weed whacking it off right to the ground! Above left is Linda Campbell which produces huge masses of gorgeous red blooms in large clusters, on the right is my old fashioned climbing New Dawn which has taken 3 or 4 years to attain this size, it's really too cold on this hill for it but I love it enough to keep trying!

I did lose a couple over the winter but the worst loss was one that lived over until DH decided to help me by weed whacking around the edges of the bed across the road, somehow it just disappeared. He came in and said "I don't think you want to hear this, but I just cut off one of your roses".

Well, I didn't want to hear it but I know he meant well and I have got several that need more sun so I will move one of them over there as the hole has already been dug.

Honestly, since it has the same type leaves as the other 14 in that bed, you would think that he might have noticed that it wasn't quackgrass, dock or burdock but his mind must have been elsewhere. Then the deer browsed off most of the first flush of buds so they are a bit sparse but still beautiful.

I took a few pictures but most of them were disappointing. the New Dawn finally bloomed over the old shed window [a la English Cottage Garden] but some unknown critter turned the foliage into lace curtains, and the rain ruined most of the others.

"Faint heart ne'er won fair lady" and I will keep going with them as well as the other flowers and green stuff as they are such an important part of our little Shangri La.

A Drop of Sunshine

2008-05-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

I think the New Dawn will bloom this year, I pruned it last week and there are several long green canes leafing out!
The yellow rose by the driveway has given up the ghost I think. as did several others, but the ones in the rose bed across the road look as though all but 1 or 2 made it through the -20 cold snap in February.
Hired grandson to come up and do some raking and tomorrow he will do some mowing, looks as though Spring is here at last.

I have been trying to find someway to declutter without parting with much "stuff"...well, sorry to say, after getting rid of old papers [will use for mulch under the shredded bark], taking a few clothes to thrift shop and sending some books to the book sale at our library, there isn't anyway to do it. I am a "get attached person", I'm afraid, although why I am keeping some of my possessions I have yet to figure out!

I have read all of the "DeClutter" books, joined messies at Yahoo,faced my own mortality [and there's a WAKEUP, if there ever was one] and I am still dragging my feet. Think I will pack up a box of good stuff or two and send it to an auction..if I never see it again, I probably won't miss it.

Time to go, kids are coming for afternoon gab, coffee and cake...next week is Mother's Day and that means lots of company and fun.

I found a really cool link today,will try to post it here for everyone to enjoy.

Til next time....

Now that April's here.....

2008-04-06T17:37:00.000-07:00

What a gorgeous day, the first day that the sun shone while the wind was warm, what a delight! A few early tulips are peeking through the still wet ground, the crocus are just starting to open and it looks as though at least half of the roses made it through the winter..the -20 nights did freeze the New Dawn way back AGAIN but I am hoping that the roses will do better this year, I added 4 or 5 new ones late in the Fall, 2 of them had lost their tags so I will have to wait for them to bloom..what fun!

I took a walk, hung out 2 loads of laundry, worked for awhile in the Christmas Tree room [how did I squeeze so much stuff in a room that is only about 12 by 12]? There is still a lot to do in there but the sun is supposed to shine much of the time this week so I have hope of making more progress in my "Clean and De Clutter" mood.

On my rest breaks today, I searched some recipe sites for Irish Soda Bread and an old Beer Bread recipes, and checked on prices on Amazon.com and Alibris.com for a couple of old books I came across while cleaning bookshelves. I have over 4,000 books, I really must stop buying books.

Be back soon!

Night Sky

2008-02-07T11:03:00.000-08:00

Took this just before the county cut down our 120 year old maple to widen our county road. I miss that beautiful old tree and the wonderful shade it gave the house in summer, the gorgeous color it gave in the Fall, and the gallons of sap that we collected in February and March to boil down into maple syrup. After the third winter of having our wall paper fall off the kitchen walls, we just bought maple syrup, it was cheaper than repapering!

Husband has gone to the woods to cut down some trees for next winter's wood supply and I am taking a break from following my daily task of finding something to give or throw away. So far have about 10 or 12 books piled on the kitchen table, 1 box of stale crackers to put in bird feeder cage [after I smear them with peanut butter], and 2 dead houseplants..I gotta pay more attention to my babies!

Started 2 of my Amaryillis Bulbs today and have 2 more to start in a week or two. I kept the one from last year but it has disappeared ,I thought it was in the morning room, but couldn't find it there, I just hope I remembered to bring it in from the patio last fall.

Upward and onward!

paula

New day, new dreams

2008-02-01T10:12:00.000-08:00

Here it is, February already and I have yet to cross off my first week of January scheduled tasks!

I did make a few resolutions this year, pretty much the same as I do every year...lose weight, live more frugally, get clutter under control and blah, blah, blah.

This year, I have added a few and need to remind my self that new habits take constant attention but here they are:

1. Do something special for someone, human or animal to make their life a little happier each day.

2. Do something "green' each day...that means taking one or more of my canvas shopping bags when I shop, turning off an unused light, wearing a sweatsuit and using a throw instead of turning up the heat, carry the scraps to the compost bin instead of throwing them away, reuse paper and plastic bags [they are already here!].

3. Stop complaining about the things I can't control and work more on the things I can do to make a difference.

4. Take better care of myself so I will be less of a burden on others as I age.

5.Hug, and/or kiss someone EVERY single day. That one is a must!

Sounds easy but I need to remind myself that life really is not the past [where I tend to live] or the future which might never be out there, but NOW...carpe' diem...seize the day...that says it all.

Long Time Gone

2007-09-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

After neglecting my Blog for a couple of years I've decided to post again..had a long illness which I won't go into except to say that I'm feeling better and want to make up for lost time [can't ever really DO that!].

Someone new has come to live with us, a sweet little 5 year old lady whose 92 year old owner went into a nursing home. She is 9 # of pleasure..needed a bit of an upgrade on housetraining and a lesson or two on walking on a lead...not a problem for this retired pro Obedience trainer.

What's Happening?

2005-10-22T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here it is, the end of October..and I am still living as though I'm waiting for September. A great little vacation last month, a few days in Cape Ann at a great B and B, plus the first night in a nice little Inn..what a delight to smell that seaweedy, dead fish, tangy aroma of the Atlantic Ocean! I love it and can't wait to get back.

Three days of practically no TV, no newspapers, no worrying how to save the World which is coming apart at least 18 different seams and half of us don't give a damn...then back to the real world..God...I can't stand it.

On a practical note..the price of fuel oil has forced us to use less heat this winter and hate it or not, I will be wearing longjohns this winter again..the last time was when Jimmy Carter was President! Remember how p----d off we all were at him because gas and oil prices soared and now it's deja vue' all over again I guess.

Remember my blog note about Karl Rove sometime back? I am waiting to see if his yes man stooge takes the hit..no, not Bush, the other guy. No..not Cheney either..can't wait to see what next week brings!

Here she is, darn pic didn't upload right!

2005-08-10T12:12:00.000-07:00

Talk about Cute!

2005-07-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

I wish I could have brought her home with us!

But I will go back and see her again. We had goats many years ago and they were delightful. I loved them and found them to be very intelligent, lots of personality and yes "capricious". Each with a definite personality and I made some delicious cheese, butter [which is almost white] and whipped cream for every strawberry shortcake we ate for about 10 years!

First School

2005-07-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

You Can Go Home Again

2005-07-28T17:30:00.000-07:00

I went "home" to NE Pa today. The houses where my grandparents lived which always seemed to be large and full of lots of rooms and attics filled with all sorts of delightful things looked so much smaller than I remembered..the space between them was so much narrower than I remember it and the huge maples between the houses and the sidewalks were cut down years ago when the narrow streets were widened. How well I remember those sidewalks, bumpy and crooked and decorated with blood from my first roller skating and bike riding attempts.

One of the houses, Grandma Nellie's house has been remodelled and shows loving care. Next door, Gr Grandma Annie's house looks a bit worse for wear with peeling paint and the roofing looks to be a candidate for replacement before long. But when I look at those old houses I don't notice much that time has taken a toll...in my mind I still see Grandma Annie's pantry..full of cakes, pies and donuts, or as she called them "fried cakes". waiting to be devoured by the "boarders" who roomed there before WW 2 , and the bay window in the dining room, filled with plants and ferns, lovingly tended and so lovely that passersby used to knock politely and ask to step inside to see them and learn her secrets.

Next door where her son and daughter-in-law resided was only a few steps away and the 2 women managed to get along quite well all things considered. Grandma Nellie's house was always neat and tidy, in her spare time she mowed the lawns in Summer and swept or shovelled snow in the Winter. When that was done, she had plenty of time to bake, read, embroidery or just rock.
I am older now than she was when she died but I can remember as a child admiring her hair which she wore in a bun. On the outside it was just plain old gray, but when she took the hairpins out to brush it, the hair at the back and underneath the gray was the most beautiful shade of chestnut..my baby locks are the same color.

I went by my old school where I learned to read write, clap erasers to get out the chalk dust, recite a large portion of "Hiawatha" and took some pictures there..the only thing missing was the smell of Murphy's Oil soap and that funny smell of old wood and chalk.I remember all 4 of my teachers there with affection, even though Miss Stowell did stand me if front of the room on a Friday afternoon for whispering.

When I told my Mom about it she said "Oh, I thought she made kids stand in the corner for whispering". "Well, she does" was my reply" only today the corners were already full and there were 3 other kids standing up in front". Miss Stowell must have weighed at least 92#, wore a lot of makeup, didn't have a boyfriend and was crabby a lot. But I loved her because she was pretty and and wore beautiful clothes while the first and third grade teachers wore Large xxx for the first grade one and navy or gray Crepe de Chine for the 3rd grade one. Miss Stowell wore flowered dresses and silk stockings every day.
I couldn't understand why my mom just laughed and said "Friday afternoons will do that to a person" instead of bawling me out!

Then on to the town library, about the size of a smallish 2 car garage where I learned about BOOKS...my home library now has more books than that one did then and more than that one does now for that matter. Bless my Mom who took me in for my first Library card and introduced me to the world of knowledge and enjoyment that is the special province of books lovers and readers all around the world!
Then on to a beautiful ride home and a stop at a little farm and some gorgeous Goats.. but more about that next time.

2005-07-25T21:09:00.000-07:00

Leylah's Rose
Springtime

The End of the Line???

2005-07-23T15:37:00.000-07:00

I read this today and wish I could forget about it..but it reflects what I have felt for a long time, the time for fixing this old Planet has about run out..weep for your grandchildren and the great grand kids..looks like that might be the the end of the line. Why won't anyone in power with the power to do something listen???....I think know..... $$$$$$$$.Writing the Planet's Epitaph :: Intervention Magazine :: War, Politics, Culture

Kind Thoughts

2005-07-22T18:15:00.000-07:00

Life is precious, even to a mouse. If you don't believe me, just ask a mouse!

Cute pic

2005-07-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

The House On the Hill: July 2005

2005-07-21T17:37:00.000-07:00

The House On the Hill: July 2005

New Stuff

2005-07-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

Tiny Gardens are my newest love. Our soil is awful, my knees are getting old, and weeds grow better here than anything I've ever planted. But..our old dog exercise pen has been torn down [because Twerpie only goes out on a leash] and so I am converting the concrete pad into an extra patio. Have tons of pots, hanging baskets, a large tub water garden, a new small one in the making and so much color it is unreal. A small table and chairs under a striped umbrella make the perfect spot for early morning coffee and the birds slow down enough help me read the paper. A frog has taken up residence in the bigger pool which explains why the water has been slighty dirty the past few days. I hope the snakes don't find him. Our little frogs last year all disappeared and after I found a snake with a frog halfway down his gullet, I know where my goldfish and frogs have been going. We rescued that frog but about a week later, he went missing and I'm afraid I know where he went.

Strange But True

2005-07-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

This is a story I wrote years ago for one of my AOL homepages. Whether you believe in spirits or not [and I don't know if I do, I kinda doubt the existance] every word of this is true. http://members.aol.com/_ht_a/wetdog4/index.html

2005-07-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Had a horrible experience tonight..darn PC crashed when I was trying to get on here to work on this..took me almost 4 hours to figure out how to fix it so I am too tired to do anything but shut this down and head upstairs to bed! Bought some new plants for my water garden and still have lots of other stuff to plant so must drag myself out of bed early while it is still fairly cool in the AM.

Funny pics

2005-07-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Found this on the WEB..after all of those birthdays in the last 6 weeks, plus a few picnics, I know just how she feels!!!

SAVE THE BIG CATS//// DONATE FREEon Care2

2005-07-18T13:15:00.000-07:00

http://bigcats.care2.com/

This link takes you to one of the greatest sites on the web..it is a special favorite of mine. Great causes, great groups and a chance to help try to fix this old planet! Check out all of the free click sites , petition sites, recipes, photo albums and so much more!

Journals/Getting to know me.

2005-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

http://journals.aol.com/wetdog4/TheHouseontheHilljournalsaolc/

Polical Thoughts

2005-07-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

I am waiting with baited breath to see what the White House will come up with next to keep Karl Rove on the payroll. Even Machiavelli slipped up a time or two!

Susquehanna River In the Spring

2005-07-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our house

2005-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Blogging is new to me so I might start by saying that this is basically a "Practise Blog". I will have to experiment a little but I have wide and varied interests so I will see what I can make happen on here.