Thank U (Revised)

I would just like to extend my gratitude and respect to all the servicemen and women of our country, past and present. May we all remember that this is a day for more than cooking out and going to the beach. My family served mostly in WWII and Korea. One of my uncles won the Bronze Star. All of them were fortunate enough to come home. I am very proud of all of them.

The construction job that I am most proud of working on was our state Memorial for our fallen soldiers from all wars. God help us to never have to build any more.

Edit: I have been reminded by a reader that Memorial Day is for fallen soldiers only (which I knew but just didn't word it in a very clear way), they put it much better: Although every day is a good day to say thank you to those who have and who are serving in our nation's armed forces, please let's remember that Memorial Day is the day designated to remember and honor our nations *war dead* and should not be confused with Veterans Day. This extra special class of veteran deserves their special day of remembrance and our gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice. Please, let's not dilute the meaning of Memorial Day.
I apologize for not being more specific in my wording or any perceived disrespect. I would never knowingly slight any serviceman the respect they are due.

*Alanis Morisette

Hold What You've Got

Weeelllllll, all I can say about yesterday is, dang. I think I've just lost my desire to even try to describe such events anymore. I'll just say this: ladies, and guys too really, if you have found a good partner, one that reciprocates your love. One that shares your beliefs and doesn't ridicule or put down your achievements. One that asks you how your day was and actually listens and doesn't ask you 5 minutes later the same question because they were not even paying attention. Then go find that person NOW and tell them you love them. Heck, go find them now and show them how much they mean to you. And don't give me that crap about 'well, the neighbors might see or he's out in the barn shoveling poop...whine, whine.' Especially if he's out in the barn shoveling poop! Go get 'em! 'Cause I'll tell you what, you're damn lucky and if that person ups and leaves one day because you sat on your ass and ignored them, you're gonna be hurting.
Let me give you just a little insight into what's out there in the world although I'm sure you are smart enough to suspect such stuff.. And you know, I've thought many times maybe I'm just being too picky. I'm expecting too much out of someone. I've berated myself for years for not being good enough, smart enough, considerate enough and yah, yah, yah, yah. Hey, I know I'm not perfect and have always tried not to judge people by their profession, origin or past mistakes. I've made plenty and continue to. But I don't think this is asking too much. These are Annie's Rules For Dating: and again, these are for dating, not necessarily if you've been with each other for a long time.

1. Don't show up at my house drunk. I think that's all I need to say about that.
2. Don't come to my house and proceed to get drunk unless that was our express plan. Although I must say, that really isn't going to be a likely possibility.
3. If we are going out, don't show up at my house in dirty clothes. Take a freakin' bath and put on clean clothes. Some damn deodorant would be nice too.
4. Do not talk ugly about your mother. aahah! I don't give a shit; don't do it.
5. Do not, as a way of asking me out for the first time, invite yourself over to eat a dinner that I have bought and cooked and then to have sex with me. I know that this is a shock but my joy in life is not to serve you.
6. If you are over the age of 18, ok, I'm gonna be nice about this one, 21; don't defer all issues of your life to what your mother wants, down to whether you should wear a long or short sleeve shirt out because you're not sure about the weather.
7. Do not tell me that if you take me out on one date that I 'owe' you sex and then, when I tell you to go scratch, try to be nice to me for the next couple of weeks in hopes I'll change my mind. Because, you see, I can still remember what you said 2 weeks ago, dumbass.
8. Don't try to piss down my back and tell me it's raining. i.e. "oh, I'm listed on this site as a Morman, lawyer, alien, whatever but I'm not really. It's just to meet people." WTF? Or, "oh, I own, free and clear, a bunch of beautiful land in a stunning environment but I'm thinking of selling it and moving to some remote location." Ya, and I'm Queen Elizabeth.
9. Don't call me up an hour before you want to go out. I will be busy. I have to give my cat a bath or something.
10. Don't call me up and say you wished we could go out but you can't afford it, you're way behind etc etc. and then in the next sentence, tell me all about how you just got back from Bike Week in Panama City.
11. Do not contact me unless you are completely, totally divorced. I don't care if you have signed the papers or what. I want to see that last signature from the judge.
12. If we go out, do not talk on your cell phone for half of the date.
13. In the same line of thought, don't ask me a question only to start talking about your opinion of it because you really only want to hear yourself talk anyway.
14. If you do not call me for weeks at a time, I will get the impression that you are not interested, so don't be surprised when I say, 'who is this?'
15. Do not tell me if I had my nose fixed I could be really pretty. If you catch me in the wrong mood, your nose is gonna need fixing.

And I could go on but this is becoming depressing. Also, don't give me any lip about well, it's those hooligans you work with (blue-collar) guys and all that. Naw, uh-uh, many of these words and worse proceeded from the lips of white-collar fellows. Now, excuse me while I go fix myself something to eat...and give Grendal a bath.

Shelter From The Storm

I don't care much for Dylan's music but his songs do have good titles usually. I awoke early this morning to a steady, hard rain. You know the kind that falls relentlessly straight down. No wind, just a very occasional distance flash of lightning and even that so far off that the rumbling is very faint. Usually overcome by the strumming of the drops on the metal roof anyway. The sound is somewhat muffled in the bedroom, as I have an attic over that area of the house, but it's still a soft roar. It's been cool enough this spring to keep the windows open at night and I could feel the slight chill coming off the rain. That's what I love so much about this house. It's openness let's you feel so close to nature, yet keeps you sheltered and snug at the same time. I don't see how people can stand to live sequestered in the caves many of them have built. So cluttered and full that you can barely get to the windows even. Much less open them. Seems the older I get the more physical and mental freedom I yearn for.

So, I've been working on the clerestory area after work some. We've had little afternoon thunderstorms pop up several days this week so I have worked on some other stuff too, where I was sheltered from the rain. I'm not sure you can even tell what this photo is but it's the new soffit material I finally put up on the side clerestory eaves. Looks much better now. Still got to order a little more trim. I just get so much on my mind during the week I forget.
Seems it will be raining much of this weekend so i don't know how much I'll get to do on the house. Well, I have several very overdue inside projects I need to complete so maybe it's a good thing.

The native hydrangeas are blooming here. I am abundantly blessed with these things around the house but I love them and am grateful for their beauty. I am trying to transplant enough that my drive is somewhat lined with them. And the deer don't like them! These can get quite large; some of them 7 feet tall or more.

Well, that's about the extent of my news for today. I might have a date tonight but I'm having trouble being extremely hopeful about this one. Oh, I'll enjoy it but just not sure how good of a match this one is. It will be nice to get out and do something at any rate.


*Bob Dylan

Whatcha' Say?

Well. I am discouraged somewhat. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, that my bright and sunny disposition could have dimmed somewhat but I have begun to fear that my social graces are fading faster than Joan Rivers latest face lift. I am apparently becoming an inexorable bitch and I really don't mean to. A few weeks ago (before I posted about the house) the BFA emailed with the usual chitchat and then asked me what I had spent on the house to date. I thought it was an odd question but I replied that I really hadn't figured it up at the time. If he would give me a little while I could tell him but in the meantime, could I ask why he wanted to know? I mean, it's my house, I didn't think that was a bad thing to ask. So, he never replied and now won't speak to me.
Then last week Cat Daddy called me and said some very ugly and inappropriate things to me. He has been laid off for a couple of months and isn't taking it well to say the least. I told him to go get fucked, and not in the good way. So, he's not speaking to me but that was my intention.
Then last week also, the assendofasuperintendent, excuse me, the assistant superintendent on the job started screaming and cursing at me because I was being cautious about rigging some 20 foot steel columns we were taking down. I have a slight aversion to getting myself killed, silly me! This ass chewing did not strike me well, so I proceeded to cuss him until a fly wouldn't light on him. I really don't like to get that upset and it's generally not a good policy to curse at your boss, however, he has been really nice to me ever since.
So, I feel like a pariah. I hate to sound like I'm trying to be pathetic but I don't really have another ear to chew on. What do ya'll do when you get down? Does your spouse help cheer you up? Am I being unreasonable?
Maybe I'm losing it. Hell, maybe I never had it! But I see no point in taking shit off people. I think I have had to work so hard, for so long, so aggressively to prove myself that I have become like a little wolverine that runs around bristling and snapping at the least provocation. And not that I wasn't somewhat provoked, but still. I think one of the reasons I would like to have a man around is just so I could practice being lady like. That sounds stupid doesn't it? Now, I'm afraid I would just end up biting him. And not in a good way.

Oh Well, Okay

World Of Hurt

I have to laugh sometimes when I think about some of the comments you guys leave, complimenting me on my carpenter abilities and such. My ability to construct all these things by my little self. Now, I'm not making fun or mocking anything you say and it's not that I don't truly appreciate such kind words; I really do. What I mean is, ya'll just can't see what a complete goober I am sometimes. If any of you could ever be here while I'm working.....you might end up thinking, 'lord, it's a wonder that woman can walk and talk at the same time' or 'how did she ever do this without cutting her head off!?' Well, actually, if you've been reading my blog for any amount of time, I'm sure you are quite aware of what a freakin' goober I am!
Let me explain what I mean. I was up on the clerestory section yesterday doing a little caulking where I had run that siding. Now, on that end I have had trouble with wasps wanting to build in the wall. I have killed literally hundreds of wasps over the months there but I believed I had gotten them all. So, I'm up there caulking away, and mind you, I have to stand right on the edge of the roof to get to that side, when I feel something scurry down my neck. Now, in my flurry of activity, I had forgotten that i had tucked my carpenter's pencil up in my ball cap and that might be what had slipped down and I now felt on my neck. No, all I could remember is that the wasps might not be gone, in fact, I had seen a couple, so that is what I instantly determined was on my neck. I'm not sure what exactly happened next. All I remember is terror, ducking and slapping and a sudden pain across the bridge of my nose! What had I done!? I looked down and caulk and blood were going everywhere and in that same instance the phone started ringing. Well, the hell with that, I wasn't going to try to answer it, I had to find out why I was bleeding! I finally got the caulk stopped and eventually determined that I had hit myself in the face with the caulking gun, cutting myself across the bridge of my nose. As if my face doesn't look bad enough, I have to keep bashing myself there! I was greatly relieved when I woke up this morning and did not have a black eye from it. Now, I just have to think up some good story to tell the guys when they inevitably ask why a have this cut across my snozz. What do you think? grizzly bear? bar fight?

On a good note though I harvested some raspberries!!! It was just a few but I've never been able to get them to grow before, much less make fruit! They were SO good! I have 4 plants in right now and thought I would plant grapes the rest of the way across the back of the garden but I may have to buy some more raspberries! Yummmm!

And my blueberries are making fruit too!! They are actually doing better than the raspberries. I only have two of these. I cleaned up in the garden some and did some major mulching on what little I have planted.
I continued to work on the clerestory area, putting the soffit material up on the side overhangs that never got put up and the other set of corner boards. That's been pretty easy, other than being super hot up there. So, maybe it won't be too long before I will be completely finished with the siding.
Yea, and I still hear ya'll snickering about my nose!.... I know! I was making mad, passionate love to some good-looking man when he suddenly lost his footing......

*Drive By Truckers

D'ya Know What I Mean?

Did anybody ever watch 'Frasier' when it was on? That was one of my favorite shows; I thought it was hilarious and unfortunately, one of the last intelligent and truly witty shows on TV. Anyway, I remember this one episode where Frasier meets and starts dating this artist who paints dead rats and makes pillows with human hair. She's nutty as a fruitcake and they have nothing in common, because he's such a tight-ass stuffed shirt, but they have fun and lots of sex. He eventually starts to feel bad about this because he is of the mind that such a relationship isn't right and she's so weird maybe she really needs therapy and she'll be hurt when they inevitably break up etc. etc etc. So, he goes over to her apartment to break up and finds she has just cut all her hair off to make a pillow, because the 'urge and feelings' just moved her and she starts howling at the moon and all this. Of course, Frasier freaks out because she's acting so bizarre and he just can't get with it. She's all feeling and intuition and symbolism and he is trying to analyze the crap out of the whole deal and force her to act rational. So, he explains all this to her, expecting her to be crushed, but she finally makes him realize she is just a free-spirited person enjoying the moment of whatever happens. She enjoys seeing the symbolism in things and just going with her gut feelings, whatever they are. He finally realizes that people all have different natures and should work with those accordingly and sometimes it's okay to act a little crazy. He then starts howling at the moon with her and so on...........
I thought it was a really good episode. And when stuff happens in my life that seems a little nutty, I always think about it.
AAAWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!


*Oasis

Down In The Valley

Since I put up the satellite view of my little valley, I thought I'd put up this view of the bigger valley in which my little one resides. This is the view of one of the ways I can come home. I have always thought it was quite picturesque. Of course, you can click on the pic to enlarge it and it will give you a much better sense of what it's like. The sun sets at the end there also and it's always really pretty. Other than this is in a damn cookie-cutter subdivision, it's a nice place.
We are at the very tippy end of the Appalachian Mountain chain and it gets noticeably flatter as you go south from here. I have always loved the blueness of distant mountains.

Not a lot going on now except for work, at work. I hope to get back up on the roof here at home soon though.
Oh, my mugs made it to the show in Kentucky and all sold before the show even opened due to two sneaky, sweet readers of mine that live up there. I had called the gallery to confirm the mugs had arrived and she said 'yes, they've all sold!' I thought she was mistaken about who she was talking to but she wasn't. I was very happy. You can go to this link to see a little about the show and if you are in the area, please drop by. Not for my sake but it just looks like a great exhibit. Thanks again to Page for inviting me to participate. I have the best readers in the world!!!

Little Things

Yeah, I know, it doesn't look like much but this was something of a pain to do, so I was pleased that I did finish this side yesterday. It wasn't as bad as I had imagined, I only cut one board wrong, but trying to hold myself on that slick roof and it being so near the edge and nail that stuff off etc. was kinda tricky. But it's done! Yea!
I did also manage to scrounge up a little more trim so I have all four of the sills and under pieces on all the windows and the corner boards up. Now, I just need to get a little more to do the sides and header pieces. If the rain holds off I am going to try to start running the siding across the front maybe. But I also need to mow the yard; it's getting a little high even for me. And I wanted to get the Bobcat in the garden and do a little leveling and clearing for path preparation. I also have some squash and pepper plants that need setting out and some cantaloupe. Oh!! I almost forgot to tell ya'll... the other day I went by the local lumber/ garden center to buy some bags of soil amendments. Hey, don't scoff! My soil is so bad and I need it fixed faster than I can produce compost, with just me and no animals, so I buy some bagged soil to mix in. Anyway, one bag was unusually heavy, even for me, and as I was loading it into my truck, an older man came up and said "may I help you with that?" And I let him!! Uh-huh, how 'bout that? Maybe I can be salvaged.

The other day FloridaCracker asked me about my new little toy here and I had meant to show it anyway. I bought this little Troy Built cultivator a few weeks ago and so far I like it pretty good. Now, as I had told FC, I had tilled my garden for the past 3 years with a Troy Built Horse; one of those big rear-tine tillers, so the soil was pretty loose anyways. That and it being mostly sand makes it easy to dig. I just needed something at this point to dig a little and mix in compost and amendments and for that I think it does pretty good. It digs like hell and isn't stopped by rocks but if you were breaking new soil I don't believe this would be the thing. One other thing is that it doesn't move forward very well, it just digs itself down in a hole. I find that the best way to go and have it dig deep is to back up with it. It's pretty easy to start and you can buy an electric, push button start for it if you want. It also comes with edger attachments.

Alright, time to get to work. It is so lovely and cool here today. We have actually had a spring this year! It's amazing. Seems the past several years we just go straight from winter to summer, with spring lasting maybe a week! I haven't even used air-conditioning yet but that may change soon. Ya'll have a good weekend; what's left of it!


*Good Charlotte

Go On Girl

I've been trying to get back to working on the house, so I ran what little trim I had left of the clerestory windows. I have SO got to finish the exterior. I'm going to try to get the corner boards put up this weekend and at least run the siding down on this end. I ran out of trim for the other two windows and will have to order more.

I have been reserving afternoons for gardening. My strawberries produced better this year but they are still not doing great. My tomatoes seem to be doing really well so far though.
The gravel is referred to as 89-10. It is a very fine crushed limestone, you can get it in grey or light brown, and when it gets wet it compacts very hard. It's great for walks and such. I did put a weed barrier down underneath, as you can see, just for the heck of it. We had some extra from work but it was not enough to finish this path after I filled in a few potholes in the drive so I guess I'll just order a small load and have it delivered to the house.

My plan is to run this gravel walkway all around the perimeter of the garden, having fruiting plants on the outside edge and the veggies on the inside. I just put in 2 blueberry bushes there on the near left.

Does anyone know what this plant is? I have this one growing near he house and it seems to be the only one around. And this one flower seems to be the only on the bush. It's very pretty.

So, I hope to have much progress made over the weekend and be able to show ya'll something new. I know it's been a while since I have posted much on the house and ya'll are probably tired of my ramblings and other psycho babble.

Follow Me Home

A while back Florida Cracker had asked me about the lay of my land and such and so I have been trying to get some images together that would show the basics. Now, I have some survey drawings that I want to do some sketching on to show the house and spring locations and garden and such but I'm having trouble coming up with enough time to mess with that right now. So, for now, you get this image from Google Earth. It was taken right after the land had been cleared for the house but before much of any construction. You can see the little yellow stick pin is the general location of the house. I own roughly 19 acres and the majority of my land is to the right of the house. Waaay to the right you see some clearing; that is a small subdivision that my land borders on. Waaay up at the top is a small brown rectangle; that is part of Fred's land. The winding path off to the left and up is my driveway.
You can't really tell, but this whole area is basically a valley with my land ranging from flatland with two creeks to steep, rocky hillsides. I wouldn't really say mountainsides but it is fairly high if you go up to the highest point of my land. You can see over into the next valley anyway.

So, as you can see, I am fairly secluded. I like it that way myself but it seems to bother some people. Many wonder if I am afraid to stay back here by myself and such. Well, no; I've been on my own so long I guess I have gotten used to it. Plus, Smith and Wesson keep me company and I have no qualms about using them. Most people out this way realize it is a very bad idea to drive down a road in the country that you cannot see the end of. Good way to get your head blown off. So, I rarely get anybody back here I don't know.
I am very protective of my land and really don't go around telling people a lot of what I have. There's lots of men these days that would like to get their hands on a bunch of land and a woman to wait on them to boot. Fred is afraid that I'm going to let some guy marry me and then he'll take my land. I've been around way too long and seen too much for that crap. Even if the Switchman himself came to me on bended knee, professing his undying love and devotion and begging my hand in marriage, even that man would sign a helluva pre-nup. My Mama didn't raise no fool.
In fact, I've become so disgruntled and fed up with sissy and insincere men of late that I have recently realized that that long, winding driveway would be a good way to weed them out. Sort of like a gauntlet. I'm still working out the details but it involves incendiary, flying snapping turtles and man-eating attack goats. Of course, I have to make sure and not get the fainting goats. I don't think having the whole herd pass out and go belly up would strike the level of fear that I would be hoping for.

You've Got A Friend

Sorry I've been a little lax on posting lately. I just am having trouble coming up complete enough thoughts to make a decent post or coming up with enough time to write it!
So, Friday was my birthday and I had just been bumbling through the week because usually for me, birthdays are not much of a day for excitement. I usually spend it by myself or ask a friend to go out to eat with me because I don't want to stay the evening alone. Anyway, this birthday turned out a bit better than many in the past few years. I got home from work Thursday and saw a package by the gate. I knew I had not ordered anything and couldn't believe that anyone else would have sent me something. I mean, I usually get a card from my Mom but that's about it, so unless Grendal had figured out how to order stuff online I figured it was something put there by mistake.
Turns out this little critter was inside and it was meant for me!! Isn't that the coolest thing you have ever seen. It is the beautiful work of one of my long time readers, Page Candler. You can view more of her work here. If you have the means to collect such art I believe you would be delighted with the craftsmanship and beauty of her work. She had told me a while back that she wanted to send me something that was just really me! What's funny, is that the guys would tell you that 'hands on the hips' pose is me down to a T! Especially when I get aggravated at them about something. And the way some of them skirt around me, you'd think I really did have big fangs like that. Now, the neat part is that Page didn't know it was my birthday and had actually had this guy sitting in a box for some time. I just love it and he occupies a place of honor on my shelf in the living room. I want to tell you that all of you wonderful readers, whether you've ever commented or not, help me a lot sometimes. The fact that you all are interested in what I do and all my craziness helps me to think maybe I'm not so bad after all. I am considered very odd or even kind of an outcast by many that know me in real life, even my family, and your friendship really gives me a feeling of belonging somewhere.
So, I went to work Friday in a good mood and all the guys had birthday wishes for me and one of the sweeties even bought me a king size chocolate bar! They know me pretty well. I won't say which one it was because if the others find out they'll have a fit and really rag me about it. LOL!
Then, after work I talked Allen into taking me to a Mexican restaurant and proceeded to stuff myself and get tanked on margaritas. It was a lot of fun and we went to a book store. Maybe not what my dream birthday would be but hey, it was a good time.


*James Taylor

Mother And Child Reunion

I was sort of surprised to see that I had not posted since Monday. Time kinda got away from me I guess. I've been busy cleaning up around the place and gardening a little. Anyway, I'm in a bit of a hurry this morning but wanted to wish all the mothers out there a happy day. You've got far more guts than me! I'm off to visit my own mother and see if she wants to go out to eat or whatever.
I do want to expound on this topic if I have time when I get back. Being a child-free woman for so long has made for some interesting situations in my life. Hope everyone has a great day and all the mothers receive the love you deserve.


*Paul Simon

Feelin' Alright

Success!!!
And again!!!! Happy, happy, happy!!


*Joe Cocker

Moment Of Clarity

This weekend turned out be be a very relaxing and introspective one. It didn't start particularly well, as I was feeling kinda crappy Friday evening but I woke up Saturday with a better attitude.

Me and Grendal just contemplated the intricacies of life and the ever-changing flow of human relationships. Well, I think Grendal was mostly contemplating which bugs to eat but anyway...you get the idea. In between such philosophical endeavors I did a little gardening, fired a bunch of mugs for the show I've been invited to and did a little house cleaning.

This is a view from standing next to the house, which would be on the right. Of course, that is the parking area on the left and further down on that side, my pathetic garden. I have finally come up with a great master plan for the layout and formal construction of the garden though so maybe I'll post about that soon. Further down the drive you can see where it bears off to the right. That goes back down the valley to provide access to the power lines and areas where I hope to build a tractor shed and such.

This is a close up of the flower bed you see on the right, just past the Bobcat. Things are beginning to bloom; it's looking really pretty. I have almost filled this bed up. I have bought a few plants but am trying to use a lot of native stuff and just transplant it over here. All of the natives just go bonkers when you give them a real bed with good soil to grow in and the deer are less likely to eat them.

The sage is blooming as is the catmint. I am also trying to cultivate a fair number of medicinal and/or culinary plants. I found out this winter that sage makes a really good cough suppressant tea. Doesn't taste real good but it's ok. Most of the weekend was cloudy and slightly windy but it wasn't gloomy, even with the lack of sunshine. In fact, it was quite peaceful and calming. The rain has set in now and I am listening to it on the metal roof. It will lull me to sleep tonight as I also have the windows open and a wonderful cool breeze is wafting through the house. I just put fresh, bamboo/cotton sheets on the bed and will soon be snuggled down and hopefully resting well. Only one thing lacking but I'll let you decide what that is....heehee, you all know what I'm thinking.


*Jay-Z

It's Now Or Never

Caretake this moment.
Immerse yourself in its particulars.
Respond to this person, this challenge, this deed.

Quit the evasions.
Stop giving yourself needless trouble.
It is time to really live; to fully inhabit the situation you happen to
be in now.
You are not some disinterested bystander.
Exert yourself.

Respect your partnership with providence.
Ask yourself often, How may I perform this particular deed
such that it would be consistent with and acceptable to the divine will?
Heed the answer and get to work.

When your doors are shut and your room is dark you are not alone.
The will of nature is within you as your natural genius is within.
Listen to its importunings.
Follow its directives.

As concerns the art of living, the material is your own life.
No great thing is created suddenly.
There must be time.

Give your best and always be kind.

~ Epictetus ~

I posted this for myself as much as anyone. Forgive me for giving you another's words once again but my own seem stupid and clumsy of late.
My heart has been bothering me some this past week and it has occurred to me that when it skips and stumbles in it's rhythm, I also begin to stumble. I lose my stride and start to doubt things and people. Myself. I get a little scared and very tired. All the more reason to remember that last line.


*Elvis Presley