The Storm Damage

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We just felt the edge of Hurricane Sandy and it was pretty awful so I really feel for the people on the East coast.

The winds were really scary Monday night and I went to bed thankful that I hadn't lost power.  However, I woke up to a cold house and when I looked out my bedroom window, I didn't see the usual big tall pine tree that shades the front of my house.  I knew that wasn't good!

See the majestic pine in my header to the right of my front door.

It's now on the ground.  It will forever change the balanced look of the front of my house.

The tree fell on power lines which is probably why my road lost power.  It shorted out a transformer.

Men in this orange truck were cutting the branches to loosen the lines.

My house got colder and colder as the day went on.

Monk thought it was just fine.

But Rocky needed a blanket.

I just wore my outside clothes!

After dark, without power, there's not much to do!

So I started a nice fire in the fireplace and made my bed in front of it about 9pm!

There were five big trucks in front of my house working from 6:30 till midnight.  They had to put up a new pole and completely rewire a transformer I guess.  They had huge lights out there.

I fell asleep for a short time and woke up at 12:30 when the lights came on.  Yippee!!!

Well, the yucky part of the rest of my story is that my cellar flooded!!  There was about 2-3 inches of water.  Just enough to ruin things in boxes that were sitting on the floor.

As soon as the power came on the sump pump started and took the water away but you are left with a mess.

I spent the day cleaning, throwing things away and bleaching.

I'll be doing the same tomorrow.

At least I'm warm.

After my insurance company sees my damage I have to hire a tree company to take my big beautiful pine tree away and clean things up.

I hope you are all safe.

Shirley

Leaves and Fall Tables

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The Beautiful Colors of Fall

The leaves have begun to fall like rain.

But one thing to be thankful for is that we are having "Indian Summer". 

It's been close to 70-75 degrees this week.  I think it's supposed to reach 80 tomorrow!

However . . . . by Sunday it will be a high of 48.  Phooey

Martha says, "There's acorns falling on my head!!!!!

First Fall Tablescape

I got out some fall looking dishes and saw these cute pumpkins at the grocery store.

The little wreaths are from Walmart.

The dishes are originally from Pier One but I got a great deal on the whole set plus salad plates at (of course) GoodWill!

(Sorry I should've taken the attractive air conditioner out first!!!)

I'm linking up with:

Between Naps On The Porch

for "Tablescape Thursday"

http://betweennapsontheporch.net/

Enjoy the Fall everyone.

Shirley

I Hate To Be Cold!

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What could be worse than to come home from the barn last night to a cold house!  I realized right away that my boiler was not working!!!  Things always seem to go amuck on the weekends!

I called my plumber and got no answer (OH NO!!), so I left my distraught message.  One of my greatest fear living in this house is having the heat go out when it's cold and losing electrical power!

Luckily my electric was OK.  Because my electric blanket last night saved me!!

My plumber called first thing this morning and was here by 10am.

It seems that my tank must have been empty yesterday when my delivery of oil came thus pushing all the gunk in the bottom of the tank to the filter and clogging it.

After fixing all that and numerous tries, IT STARTED UP!!

Thank the Lord!

I had started a roaring fire but for that to help in a cold house you have to be sitting in front of it!!

But it at least makes you feel like you're doing something to survive!  After all it was only in the 50's!

: ))

So I'm a freeze baby!

It's toasty warm in my house now and I'm happy  : ))

Shirley

The Tree House

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My sister has been visiting me for two weeks.

We ate out, shopped and various other things.  She's not a huge horse lover like me so we didn't go out to the barn too much. 

Last weekend we went to visit my son and wife, Linda and my grandkids.

I wanted to see the tree house my son has been building.

I have to say that this was my idea that I put in his head.  A few months back I told him that he had the perfect tree in his back yard to build a treehouse around!

I'm so happy it stuck because the kids LOVE it and it's not even done yet.

These aren't the greatest pictures but I will take more when he finishes.  (That may be next year though depending on our weather!)

 Carl, my son says this is only the first addition.  He is going to build a second level that will have a roof on it like a little room over 1/4 of it.

Fun!!!!

Here's Ava showing me all her animals.  She's like her Nanna!

Little Jack is in the animal container  : ))

Jack fell fast asleep next to me after playing all day.

Yesterday I drove my sister halfway back to Erie where we meet up with Bob, her husband at the Waffle house and we had breakfast.  Then he takes her the rest of the way home.

He's going to come up this fall and build me my chicken tractor.

(He can't come at the same time because they have a little Pekinese dog that doesn't like to be away from home or away from them!  So one of them stays home with doggy!)

Can you say "spoiled"!!!

Sorry Sue!

Shirley

Beautiful Fall

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I'm linking up with Pink Saturday for her Fall pictures.

http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/

Across my road the trees are just glowing in the evening.

Sorry I couldn't erase that line across the road!  It's very distracting, I know.  But ever since I got Lion on my Mac, my old Photoshop Elements won't work.

I made the barn cats little insulated snuggle crate bed for when it gets real cold.

(They won't come into the house.  They've always been barn cats)

I tried different ways to cut the doorway but a simple utility knife sharp blade worked best!

Here's the inside, all insulated and with straw and fleece to keep them warm.

Pepsi was the first to try it out.  She's such a smart little girl.

Shirley

Rocky

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I love Rocky so much.  He is getting older now and has all the signs.  He sleeps so much and has had two seizures.  He is the last living thing that my husband and I shared.  He was his hunting bird dog. 

He didn't go hunting last year with my husband's friends as he just wasn't up to it so that part of his life is over.  He was a wonderful bird dog from good blood lines.

Even as a pup he was really my dog, he related best to me but Jack was certainly proud of his hunter.

I pray and hope that God lets me have him for a few more years.

There are still times he runs around and looks like a youngster but most of the time he rests.

Monk has been a good addition to his life and is company for him when I'm gone away for the day.  (Even though they both sleep a lot!)

I love you Rocky.

Shirley

Reconfiguration

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I had to reconfigure the shape of the extra chicken run.  The round shape was much too hard to put a top on.

So my sister and I struggled again with this flimsy "dog fencing".  This is as good a long rectangle as we could make because of the tree roots there.  It has to be there right now because I've got to be able to open their run door and let them run into the added one.

We put this plastic orange stuff on to keep out the hawks and to keep my new barn cats from climbing the tree and jumping in "chicken heaven"!!  They are only out there when I'm around as this is far from predator proof.  It is just to suffice till my brother-in-law helps me build a movable chicken tractor.

Shirley

A Great Tribute

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It's unbelievable to me that it's been a year today that Steve Jobs died.

Here is a special tribute.

This is for all us Apple people.

http://www.apple.com/

(Click the back button to return here.)

Shirley

Chicken Run

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I've been trying to think how I could make a chicken tractor by myself so that my girls can be moved about the yard and hunt and scratch on something other than gravel and sand.

The problem is, that I have a small Honda and can't get the lumber I would need home from the store and I won't pay the horrible prices they charge for delivery!!

So I've made a makeshift pen out of a flimsy dog containment fence (that cost too much for how unsteady it is!), so they have somewhere else to go once in awhile but I have to be out with them.

Here is their regular run.

This is the added space that doubles the run area.  I did put a netting top on so the hawks can't get in but this would be such a pain to move every week or so!

I really need a chicken tractor with wheels that is light enough for me to move around.

They're expensive to buy ready made and fairly cheap to build yourself.

I'm hoping my brother-in-law would like a project!!

Here's an example of what I was thinking of.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chicken-tractor-forager

Here's my chicken garden.  The nasturtiums have taken over now but they are so pretty and chickies really like them

This is how far Monk has ventured to the front of the house.  Since he is trained to the Invisible Fence he stays in the backyard even though he could go out in the front and around the house.  He goes this far and peeks around the corner but then comes back  : ))

He started on his allergy shots yesterday with no bad reaction.  He has terrible skin allergies and hot spots.  Poor Monk, he's been through so much.

Have a good day everyone.

Shirley