Author: Ledfutt

Living on an island was a life long dream of mine. In 2012 I moved to Roatan and lived there for 4 months, went back to the US, packed up our belongings and sold our house. In Oct of 2013 we moved there permanently. Our house was completed in July of 2014 and we moved in. After 6+ years, I was ready to go back to the US. I made the move in Dec of 2019 and my husband came a year later. Here we are in Arizona, waiting for our island house to sell so we can sell this place and move on. I guess I'm more like a traveling mermaid.

Here I go again

10/19/2025 It seems the older I get, the more I move. For 45 years I lived in the Williamsport area, then the moving began. Eighteen years in WA, 7 years on Roatan, 1.5 years in AZ, 2 years in Kentucky, 2 years in North Carolina and, here I am, back in Kentucky again. I am currently looking for a house in Washington state. However, WA is a very expensive state and the home prices are insane, not to mention many places have ridiculous land leases or HOA fees. I find it absolutely crazy that people pay 500+ for an HOA that does nothing but keep the streets cleared if it snows. Granted, some have community pools, golf, and a marina, all things that don’t interest me. It seems too much like throwing money away. So, the hunt has been very slow and frustrating.

I got the ball rolling, preparing to move, on July 31st, using the same realtor that I bought the house from in 2023. I had never met him because I bought the house sight unseen; I had never been to Goldsboro, NC. I have to say it was a great house in a fantastic neighborhood. Two years alone there and I never once felt unsafe. Aside from living in Kentucky, it was the quietest place I’ve ever lived, except for the F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jets that screamed overhead. I feel lucky I was in the flight path, (Seymour Johnson AFB) FREEDOM! I also saw KC 46’s most every day, sometimes 3 at a time. They’re mid-air refuelers. Other than that, it was so quiet.

Jesse, the realtor, came out so he could see what we’ve done to the house and so we could meet. He said it would be an easy sell, he had a smaller house listed just down the street. Bill and Dash came August 23rd. He did some stuff around here that needed to be done. They did photos on August 28th, Jesse got my place listed on August 30th and on the 31st we found out that we had a showing the next day at 9AM. It was a virtual showing, the buyers were out of state. Later that evening we got a full price offer. We had a showing the next day with another party and the first people came back with a higher deposit and we accepted. It was a whirlwind. [Our house in AZ sold before it was even listed and then the NC place sold to the first people. Crazy, and we can’t sell this albatross in Kentucky.]

The buyers had some inspections done on the house. The guy who did the inside/outside just nitpicked at things that were cosmetic. We pretty much shot them down on everything; a few things Bill did fix. They had the crawl space inspected, and they wanted the septic inspected and pumped. When they came to do the septic I saw the guys out digging by my pool so I ran out quick and asked what they were doing. They said they were inspecting the septic. I said, but the septic is over there in the far corner of the yard. He said nope, it’s here and your pool is on it. I almost had a heart attack right there on the spot. I ran inside and got the map from Wayne County environmental that showed the septic in a completely different place. When we got the permit for the pool we had to get the septic layout and send it to the permit people. They OK’D where the pool was going to be. They OK’D it sitting on top of the septic because the info the county had was incorrect. The septic guy said their maps are never right. I was an absolute basket case. The pool needed to be moved at least six inches for the inspection. I drained all 6000 gallons from the pool. My realtor came out once it was drained and we moved the pool back so he could dig it up so it could be inspected.

I had to pull all the metal out that took me two days to put in last summer.

The septic was fine, the pool did no damage and the buyers do not plan on moving it.

The move from North Carolina was a lot of work. I sold so much stuff to make the move easier. I sold my kitchen table and stools and buffet, my living room couch, my Bowflex, my outdoor patio furniture, my tractor, 2 large shelf units, 2 twin beds with mattresses and a lot of other small stuff. There was nowhere to eat, nowhere to sit. I bought 14 storage boxes from Lowes and had a ton of boxes from the liquor store. I packed and packed and had it all stacked and organized in the garage by the time Bill came.

My kitchen was in a state of pandemonium.

Luckily it’s not a huge kitchen, it could have been much worse.

I stacked my artwork in the yard the day of packing because it was being transported in Bill’s truck that was being towed by the U-haul.

It’s a weird feeling leaving somewhere I enjoyed living.

Ace, my neighbor’s dog. I wish I could have taken him, he is the sweetest dog and has a terrible life. Nobody pays any attention to him, it’s heartbreaking.

My boys have a love-hate relationship with him. The dog trainer said it’s the fence.

Bill came back on Sept 27th, and I had 95% of the stuff packed by then. He did a few things that the buyers requested we fix, then we rented a U-Haul truck and started loading it.

I’ll miss this place and the neighborhood.

This was before we threw two queen mattresses on top of Bill’s truck. Once they were tied down we were on our way.

On the morning of October 2nd, our neighbors helped us load the mattresses and we haphazardly threw stuff in the moving truck, got the dogs loaded and we were off at 9:30 AM. It’s a LOOONNGG drive, I hate it. The dogs were so good, not a peep. Once we got to Burkesville I put the windows down and let them figure out where we were. I know they realized it long before we turned up the driveway.

We walk the driveway several times a day. Bill finally had time to mow the upper field, so we’re up there walking a few times a day.

Before he got the upper field mowed I was walking the boys in town at a park by the ball fields. It’s right along the Cumberland River, nice spot but they prefer to be off leash.

This is up on the hill, we call it the dog park. Bill mows around trees and makes paths for us to walk.

So, here we are again. I packed wisely, using a few storage crates for stuff I knew I would need. The rest of the stuff is still boxed in the shop and I am NOT getting into any of it. I don’t have the mental energy for that right now. When I find a place in WA, we will ship my car and all my stuff and the boys and I will fly. There is no way I can make that drive alone with the two dogs, I’m too old for that crap. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that something pops up that is exactly what I want. With Trace there, I can recruit him to go look at a place for me. I trust his judgment; he can look at a place and know whether I would live there or not. Meanwhile, we’re going to get the inside of this place painted and make it look a little more desirable in the hopes someone will buy it. Fingers crossed.

What does the fox say?

05/22/2025 I blinked, and it was summer. Seriously, it has been in the 90s here, and it’s not even June! I’m trying not to use the A/C, but when it’s 86 inside, there isn’t another option.

I started planting my garden early, so early that my plants went through a few frosts and an insane hailstorm. My hosta finally has enough new leaves that I could cut the hail-damaged ones off. Add to that the ridiculous amount of rain we’ve had, and I am very fortunate that they are still thriving. I just had my fourth salad from my garden. I’d forgotten how delicious fresh lettuce is.

It hailed so hard, look at the gutter with what came off the roof. — Look at the hail that came out of the downspout.

I ordered what I read to be 2200 lettuce seeds. Yep. 22,000 lettuce seeds. Missed that zero. 10 varieties, 2200 of each.

I enlarged my garden at the end of last year’s growing season. This spring I had to buy plants and get some decent soil in that area. Once that was taken care of, I started going to different plant nurseries. I am shocked at the price of flowers, absolutely insane. When all was said and done, I planted 90-something plants in the ground and parsley, rosemary, basil, chives and a variety of lettuce in containers and raised beds. My neighbor just gave me some banana pepper plants too. It’s only May and I’m tired of watering daily. Well, I did have about a 2-week break because it rained several inches a few times.

Mostly new and they’ve since doubled in size.

Twenty-six bags of mulch total. Loaded onto the Lowe’s cart, then into my car, then into the garage then into a wheelbarrow.

Just a few of the bags of manure, compost and soil.

Sometimes I wonder why I do this to myself, then remember, I enjoy gardening. I love seeing my flowers bloom, even though I get tired of watering them.

I had to move the wind spinner; I feared it would chop my head off if I got too close. That thing really gets spinning.

My friend from Washington and her husband came to visit April 27th. They were going to Nashville and wanted to visit me before they went there. Tammy and Ryan came to Roatan and twice to AZ to visit. I was so excited to see them. We did nothing but sit around and talk and kill carpenter bees that were eating my porch from the inside out. We sat on the porch for hours at night. One night it was after midnight and I was falling asleep. I went to bed and they stayed up. Next morning Tammy asked if the neighbors across the field had peacocks. I said nope, never heard one here and I know what they sound like. They were convinced it was a peacock they heard. That day I walked the boys across the field and came across this.

This is what they heard, a turkey being killed by a coyote. The coyote even pooped right there. The wing was 18″ long at least.

One day Ryan decided we should get my pool up and running so he and Tammy and I took the cover off. It was crystal clear, thanks to the Winter Pill I used last Oct when I closed it. Ryan carried the filter out and hooked it up, we got the steps in and the dogs were both in the pool in a heartbeat.

I had decided that I needed to have my porch fixed. The floor boards were rotted and the steps were falling apart, not to mention there was lattice on the bottom and bunnies were living under it. Then Barrio would catch and kill the bunnies, not cool. I planned to not screen it in, screens are a pain to keep clean.

It was in terrible shape. This is Bill on the roof back in October trying to patch it because it leaked. The gutter seam was right above the door and it leaked.

I had someone come and tear it off and put a new floor and roof on it, new support beams, gutter, and new steps and skirting. Then Bill came to finish it.

He arrived late the same day that Tammy and Ryan left. AND, he brought his new dog.

Dash is an 8 month old German Shepherd. Dad is German, Mom is Australian. She looks like Dad.

Barrio and Max were NOT HAPPY. First of all, Bill coming meant Daddy Highway. No more Daddy Highway, but now puppy Dash. They hid for the first three days, wanted nothing to do with her, and she wanted to play.

And, LUCKY me. She went into heat while here. The vet wanted her to have a heat before spaying. The boys are both fixed and had no interest in her. Diapers were a real pain in the butt.

I actually felt sorry for Dash, she was in a new environment, with 2 dogs who wouldn’t go near her and she goes into heat. All those hormones swirling, she was really good despite her predicament. Just a word about dog diapers. They are worthless UNLESS they have some type of suspenders. Just saying.

Bill got the sides up on the porch and trimmed it out. THEN I decided I wanted to screen it in because the fly issue was more than I could handle. He had to remove the trim so we could put screen up. I ordered the screen from Lowe’s, and it was a day late being delivered. We got half the screen done one day and finished the next. Then we hung the door and Bill built a screened box for the area above the door. The damn carpenter bees were still getting in so Bill spray foamed the openings in the metal roof.

All I could see was this ugly weedy grass and dirt from the area that was covered by the previous steps.

I decided I wanted to put stone down in this area. I gathered all the cardboard I could find and covered the ground, and Bill went to get a yard of stone. About 3/4 of the way through the stone, we realized it wasn’t enough, so he got another half yard. What a difference.

No more mess from weed whacking around the porch.

I might add some pavers between the house and the pool.

After a week Max was tolerating Dash, Barrio wasn’t thrilled but he did stay in the same room instead of hiding.

Can’t forget these, My sweet friend Olivia sent these to me for no reason at all and they were delicious. 25 bite-sized cupcakes (I already inhaled 2). They are from @bakedbymelissa.

I saw this on the main road in my hood the other day. Copperhead. I was freaked out.

The boys and I were on the way to the dump when I passed a turtle on the road. I stopped to move it to the other side but when I got to the turtle, I saw it was a snapper. Yep. Not moving that thing.

It’s like the wild kingdom here. This is a yellow-bellied turtle laying eggs in the field.

I decided to get more spray foam and close every opening that a fly or bee could use to enter my porch. In the process I got the spray foam in my hair. It DOES NOT WASH OUT. I tried Goo Gone, Dawn and nail polish remover. I ended up cutting it out. Never again.

Needless to say, my porch is totally bug-free. It feels twice as big as it was, must be the lighter wood. The boys and I are out there ALL the time. Bill was here for 2 weeks and was anxious to leave. I worked his BUTT off. And then some. He hung a new light fixture in the laundry room, I broke the one that was there and was without one for 3 months. He also hung a new fandolier above the kitchen table.

Great breeze when sitting at the table and not enough to affect the gas flame if I’m using the stove.

He also put a new filter and holding tank on the RO system and pressure-washed the driveway, walk, and gutters. (Just noticed we forgot one) And finished the porch.

It’s looking great and it’s very early in the season.

Next up is the kitchen. That needs a major overhaul. I’m going to call around and get some estimates on painting my cupboards, that’s a time-consuming job for someone who doesn’t do it for a living. We’ll go from there, but I doubt it will be this summer, possibly a fall project.

Today, when we walked the field, both dogs took off running after a fox. I yelled and Max stopped, one more yell and Barrio was at the trees and still running. Third yell, he finally stopped before going into the woods. He got his butt chewed out for not listening to me. The rest of the walk he was invisibly tethered to my left heel. I’ve seen several foxes this spring; they are so cute, however, I prefer them alive and not killed by Barrio.

I’m sorry this is so darn long, I just never feel like blogging, so I have to spew up all these words and photos at once. I’ll try to be better. That’s a vacant promise if I ever heard one.

Later…

A remembrance of Highway

04/11/2025 I saw Highway get hit by a truck while I was living on Roatan on Jan. 19, 2013. I stopped and picked him up, he was howling, obviously in pain. I got in touch with a “vet” on the island who met us at his office. I didn’t know then that the “vet” was not a good vet. He sewed him up, gave him some shots and we were on our way. I took him back to the condo I was living in for 4 months.

My cat was very unhappy. He was so hungry, all he wanted to do was eat. I nursed him back to health as best I could.

I was assisting him walking while he still had stitches.

A week or so later I found Dr Calderon, another vet, a wonderful man. He was our vet from that point on. Highway grew like a weed, he chased the cat relentlessly and she hated him. He napped in an extra kitty litter box by day and slept in a large birdcage by my bed at night.

Chance came to visit and we took Highway to West Bay Beach after his leg was healed. He wasn’t too sure he liked it.

I found the little surfboard in the bushes at the condo.

Chance was Highway’s first buddy. He was wild and crazy as a pup.

Bill came while Chance was still here. He came to get me back home with a cat and now a dog. He flew Highway with him and I had Emmy with me. When we got back to Seattle we had a long drive home. Once we got home we introduced Highway to our other dog Dooce.

This was the night we got home. Poor Dooce.

They eventually bonded and she was his mentor.

I may have rescued him but he was clearly Bill’s dog. Bill let him get away with stuff that I never would have.

I was cleaning out my car, and he was quite happy to just sit there.

That summer we were packing to move to Roatan. We sold our house in August and moved into an apartment in October. On Oct 26 we rented a van and drove with 2 dogs, a cat, their crates, 5 checked bags and 3 carry-ons to Seattle. We took a red eye to Atlanta and from there onto the island.

We rented a house right by our future house. It was so convenient. The dogs had a big yard to play and it was all fenced in.

We took Highway and Dooce to Parrot Tree to swim.

Dooce wasn’t having it and Highway was a little excited.

We finally moved into our own house, it was so nice to be somewhere final. The dogs were adjusting. We had taken another dog from friends who left the island, Lucky. He was a good dog, he and Highway got along well.

They were pretty much the same size dogs.

Dooce died 11/29/2014. We were devastated. We never figured out what happened to her, she got sick and was gone in a week. Highway missed her. Then in Dec of that year, I got Lola. She adored Highway and he loved her right back.

All was well on the dog front. In March of 2015 I found Frito at a schoolyard with a compound fracture, brought her home, had her leg amputated and a month after the surgery she blessed us with 7 pups. Lucky didn’t like the pups so he went to live with friends. Lola was obsessed with the pups, so much so that she and Frito had terrible fights. We had to keep them separated.

Frito went to live in the US with my friend Teri. Frito passed on 10/18/2023. Four of the pups found homes and we kept 3. I brought the 3 boys back when I moved to AZ. Bill brought Highway a year after I moved back and Lola went to live with Dr Mariela. She is doing well and is treated like a princess. Bill, the 3 boys and Highway and I were all in AZ.

AZ when we were moving out in August of 2021, headed for Kentucky.

Always right in the middle of whatever is being done.

Bill drove the RV with Highway and Gringo and I drove my car with Max and Barrio. We did a leisurely 5 days drive to Kentucky, to 31 acres of land we had never seen. I had never set foot in Ky before we crossed the state line.

This is what I saw when we stopped for gas. Gringo and Highway

Gringo and Highway at a rest area during the drive

We lived in the RV for 7 LOOOONG months. Bill got really sick after Christmas and was hospitalized for 3 weeks. I was in the RV with four dogs, no heat and no running water. After 3 nights in a motel I found a fishing cabin to rent in the middle of nowhere.

It was there that Highway started getting sick. We saw the local vet, he referred us to the vet in Glasgow. They were at a loss and referred us to a vet in Louisville. They did x-rays and bloodwork, put him on different meds to try, nothing was really working. The one sinus was all messed up. They thought he may have inhaled something that was lodged in there but, nope. They suggested a CAT scan so we did that. The best they could figure was a bacteria. He was put on meds forever. He had a few episodes after but nothing serious.

This is after he got really sick the first time.

Axel and Highway. Highway never met a person he didn’t like.

Highway and Gringo. We lost Gringo to cancer 12/22/2022.

When Bill moved me here Highway got sick again and had to go to a vet here. Other than that he was ok, aside from his hip that we couldn’t get fixed in the states because of his extremely high WBC. Our local vet in KY says the bacteria they found at Metropolitan Animal Hosp was one he had never heard of. He believes this bacteria lies dormant in Highway’s lungs and then for whatever reason the pustules rupture, releasing the bacteria and causing him distress. Bill said he was fine until the night before last when he couldn’t breathe, he was taking 60 breaths a minute. Bill took him to the local vet who sent him to Glasgow. They did X-rays and bloodwork but came up with nothing. The vet told Bill that this might do him in. It did. He passed at 1:30 this morning. He just went quietly in his sleep.

RIP Highway, aka Lizard Lips, Idiot and Doofus. Say hi to Frito, Dooce and Gringo. You were so loved.

It’s been a minute

02/26/2025 I’m alive and well. The boys and I have had a rather boring winter so far. Trace came to visit for a long weekend. I picked him up at RDU (Raleigh Durham) about an hour away. I was so excited to see him. We didn’t do too much while he was here, we went out to eat a few times and really just hung out here with the pups.

He’s certainly tall and I’ve obviously gotten shorter.

He had an early morning flight which meant we would have had to leave at 4 to get him to RDU on time. I get so stressed worrying about getting up and getting to the airport on time that I got him a room and took him up the night before. He was able to get a good night’s sleep and was only a few minutes from the airport. It worked out, but I cried when I left him.

A week after he left my friend Terry (whom I met on Roatan and now lives there) came to visit. I picked her up at RDU also. We just hung out, did some shopping, went out to eat, and walked the Reedy Branch Trail with the dogs. I had walked the trail once before and have walked it several times since. It’s 1.5 miles each way and meanders through the woods. It’s really nice, the dogs like the different smells. My only complaint is there are no bathrooms and I always have to pee. One sunny day the boys and I walked almost to the other end and I really had to go, so I took them in the woods with me and peed. Luckily I didn’t pee on my leggings. I felt like a new woman afterward. We had a nice walk back to the car and afterward, we went to Burger King for hamburgers. I told someone I knew that I peed in the woods and they were horrified. She said, “You didn’t” like it’s not allowed.

The first time we walked the trail I parked next to this car, the lashes actually stuck out.

One of the reasons I bought this house (sight unseen) was because of the huge field behind it. One of the times I spoke with the guy who hunts he said it would always be farmland and he would always hunt on it. Come to find out, he didn’t even own the land, and the guy who does sold it. They are going to build homes. All the more reason for me to leave NC. Since deer season is over the boys and I are in the field several times a day. It’s a great place to walk, they can be off-leash and I get more exercise walking on uneven ground. Normally I don’t walk them in the woods, I’m afraid of copperheads (there is a stream) and rattlers, but with the snow and the ground frozen, we went into the woods. Being in the woods makes me happy. That was one thing I loved about Kentucky, all the woods. Guess I never really was a city girl.

Christmas came and went without much fanfare. I went to my friends home for dinner on Christmas day and when I got home, I started taking the tree down!

Fake gifts. The tree looked bare with nothing under it.

My collection of colored bottle brush trees

I always enjoy the Christmas tree and I always enjoy taking it down!

We had a few inches of snow towards the end of January. I had just joined the Y so I could go to dance/exercise classes. I went on a Tuesday and it was fun. Then the Y closed due to 2 inches of snow. Remember, this is eastern NC, snow is foreign here. They reopened on Friday so I went again and wow, what a workout. Then Saturday morning I woke up feeling a sickness coming on. I have gone 4 years without getting a cold or the flu. I do not get flu shots, they’re poison, and I’ve never had a COVID shot. I’ve not been sick once. But I was getting a cold and was not happy. I know being around all those people in the nasty germ-filled Y is why I got sick. It’s not that I live in a bubble and have no resistance, it was a germy place. I decided that I was done with the Y. I’m not really into being around a lot of people anyhow, I’m much more of a homebody and would rather be with my dogs than other people. I’ve ramped up my walking, hitting 10K+ steps a day, I exercise 3 days a week on the Bowflex and I’ve really put an emphasis on eating clean and loading up with the supplements and vitamins. I feel good, especially for being 3/4 of a century old. I haven’t had any alcohol since my birthday (Jan 3), (I was a one drink limit drinker to begin with) I only drink tea and water. I can honestly say I feel better than I have in a few years. I have a lot of energy, I’m rarely too tired and I’m sleeping 7-8 hours most every night. My only complaint is that Max full on ran into me the other day, my fault, I didn’t move fast enough. Max is built like a battering ram and he rammed my knee. It’s ok, I think. I’m still walking so we’ll go with it’s good.

The first romp of the day in the fresh snow, the sun wasn’t up yet.

Barrio. Hard to tell they’re brothers. The snow is frozen solid.

Last week we had snow that was mostly sleet and then it got below freezing. The boys and I walked the field, they were running and sliding on the ice. I had to dig my boot heels in to stay upright, it was difficult walking.

The guy surveying told me that more than likely this stand of trees circles a burial ground. I haven’t seen him since to ask him more about it. I’ve searched all over for signs but have no clue what I’m looking for.

These trees have Turkey Tail shrooms growing on them

Found this in the woods, not a deer jaw, not quite sure what it is. This is the third partial jaw that I’ve found.

My friend Terry (who came to visit) sent me this for my birthday. It looks so real!

I have to keep draining water off the pool cover so I bought this cheap pump and it works great. I use the broom to push the pump into the deep water.

In my effort to be healthy, I’ve upped the dogs diet too. I mix a dozen eggs and cook them in muffin pans. They get half of one every night. Along with Zucchini, Cabbage, carrots, peppers and sometimes romaine lettuce.

This is my salad bowl, it’s a mixing bowl.

It’s romaine, carrots, cukes, peppers, onions, kalamatas, apples, dates and chicken. It takes me about thirty minutes to finish it.

My romaine got fried last year. I bought two of these from Amazon. They have big wheels and are good-sized. They were pretty easy to assemble. I can now roll my stuff out of the sun.

The boys and I went to Wilson NC the other day to get strawberries. They’re greenhouse-grown and much better than what I can get in the store now.

This is their dinner. They eat well. Eggs, Zucchini, blueberries, strawberries and meat.

I feel bad for the deer. There were 14 yesterday morning. Humans are destroying their habitat.

I’m grateful that winter has passed. We had some mornings in the teens. The boys and I walked around 7 every morning, no matter how cold it was. Once January rolled around and deer season was over, most mornings were spent in the field and woods. Today it’s 75 but it was 35 this morning. I’ll take the sunshine any day! I’m so anxious to garden. I cut my 3 crepe myrtles back this week. It’s a real pain because I have to bag everything and take it to the landfill. Sometimes the branches are so thick I don’t have the strength to just chop with my big loppers. I have to angle my body so that I can put one of the handles against my shoulder for leverage. It’s kind of tricky, especially standing on a step stool to reach the high ones. They’re done.

A friend from high school still lives in PA., we chat often. She has M.S. and is using a walker. She fell two days in a row and was unable to get up from the floor. She had to call the Paramedics to come help her get back on her feet. I feel so bad for her, I just can’t imagine. I wish I lived closer so I could help her.

I almost started to complain about how hard and exhausting it is to cut back the crepe myrtles, or weed whack, or plant… but then I realized, that instead of complaining about having to do it, I should be grateful that I’m still ABLE to do it. I have done some hard, “needing muscle” jobs here. I am so thankful that my body has held up well enough to accomplish what is needed. I’ll happily go to bed physically exhausted.

And last but not least, my neighbors on one side have been really nice. He bought me a big Petunia for Mothers’ Day and she gave me her pepper plant and a lavender. I bake and share with them (or else I’ll eat it all). For Christmas she bought me this wind spinner. Today I was able to get it sturdily in the ground and assembled. It’s in a great spot, it gets all the wind.

It’s nice to have nice neighbors. Makes having someone next door so much easier.

Signing off for this one, time to feed the boys.

XO thanks for reading.

Define Old.

10/26/2024 It was 11 years ago today that we arrived on Roatan with 2 dogs and a cat. Eleven years, it seems like it was a lifetime ago. So much has happened since then. I honestly thought that was my last move. I guess the joke was on me. In Dec of 2019 I moved to Arizona, in August of 2021 we moved to Kentucky and in August of 2023 I moved to North Carolina. Am I here permanently? No. No, I’m not. I hope the final move will be back to the Pacific Northwest.

It is still summer here, with temperatures in the high 70s—today, it hit 81. We’ve only had a few cold nights; in fact, I had a fan in the bedroom window the past few nights. It’s great weather, I’ll take it while it lasts. I think Max wonders why he can’t jump in the pool.

Bill decided to visit to do a few things, like put water seal tape on the roof seams where it leaks on the porch. The whole porch needs redone but that’s for another time. The boys and I live on the porch.

He got that done and also poured concrete at the edge of the garage. He did the other side last year due to water drainage.

This is what he did earlier to the side by the walk. Man, I need to pressure wash again.

This is what it looked like. I had a large plant sitting on each side of the garage.

He dug it out and formed it. However, he forgot to bring his concrete tools so he made do with what he had.

It turned out OK for not having tools. There are fire ant nests all along the edge on the left. I hate those things.

My friend who I worked with in PA now lives 30 minutes away. She invited me to see Motown at a theater in Goldsboro. We went out for dinner before. The show was OK, kind of humorous to be honest. They did Jump, which is not Motown but David Lee Roth and Van Halen. Then they did some Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson, neither of whom are “Motown.” They didn’t suck but it’s totally not what we thought it would be.

We closed the pool on Oct. 6, which was a sad day. I floated for about an hour before I was ready to get out and shut it down.

When we put the pool up we/I never did anything around the bottom of the pool. I couldn’t mow or weed whack there for fear of hitting the pool. I decided to get a 6″ high aluminum border for around the bottom. It was currently weeds and I was tired of looking at them. While Bill was here he started to do the metal border. It required digging a trench to put it in then using a board and a mallet and pounding it into the dirt.

You can see in this pic that there is nothing around the edge where it meets the ground. It looked bad.

However, Bill got partway around the pool and I wasn’t liking what he was doing. I think either he didn’t want to do it or, I don’t know. I told him to stop, and I would finish it. In this photo I was pulling out what he had previously pounded into the ground and starting over, about 1/5 of the way around the pool. It was really difficult to get the metal out of the ground.

I finally got it out and started digging a new ditch for it to go into. It was slow going and really hard on my poor hands. I was using the tool on the far right of the pic to dig. I found if I wet the soil it was easier.

Margy came over while I was cutting cardboard. She ran home quick, changed her clothes and grabbed some more cardboard and helped me finish this.

I went to Lowe’s and bought 10 bags of rubber mulch. I then sprayed any weeds that were left with weed killer and covered that all with cardboard. I wet the cardboard and flattened it down then dumped the rubber mulch on it. What a difference. Only 3 back-breaking days but it’s done.

It’s so peaceful here with no houses or roads behind us. I pretty much don’t like neighbors so this is the best spot in a neighborhood for someone like me.

Soybeans, the whole field behind me is soybeans.

The crazies. These two are such good dogs.

My garden ended with a pile of dirt with white stones in it. I hated it. I started picking the white stones out and putting them in the wheelbarrow. Then I took them around the fence and dumped them. There were already white stones around the A/C unit.

I raked and picked and raked and picked some more.

With most of the rocks out of there, I then decided to make the flower bed bigger. Just what I need, more flowers.

You can see where it used to be by the dark mulch. I only had to buy 3 more stones.

I think I ended up moving the rocks a few times. There were also more white rocks to remove.

While Bill was here we got a half yard of topsoil. Topsoil here is really sand with a little dirt in it. Notice my yard? It’s not really grass, more a grouping of different weeds.

In spring I’ll get some manure, peat moss and a few bags of soil raked into this before I plant.

Nothing fancy but Bill cut a timber to hold the stones in around the A/C unit on each side. Once it rains and the dirt gets washed down in it will look better. And the stones are not all over the yard anymore.

My neighbor messaged me that she had a turtle in her yard. I said, cool. She responded, can you come move it? I said sure.

I’m not sure how she got in their yard but she was desperately trying to get under the fence and back into the field. Joyce opened the gate and I picked her up and set her on the other side of it. She took off into the field. It was a yellow-bellied slider and I’m pretty sure it was the same one that attacked (J/K) Barrio and that we saw digging a hole for eggs.

It’s dinner time for the boys and then we’re going for a walk.

I was hoping it had cooled down some, but we just got back from a walk and I’m sweaty again. Damn humidity.

In other great news, Trace is coming for a quick visit in Nov. He has to go to Mississippi for work and then will fly to Raleigh and spend 3 full days here. Just me and the baby. I think it will be the first time in 25 years that we have been together alone. My friend Terry, who now lives on Roatan, is coming to the states to get some stuff done and is planning a visit here too. I love having things to look forward to.

I’ll end it with this.

Our island home is for sale again. The people are going back to Texas after 3 years.

And, riddle me this…..They’re poisoning us with sugar and all the dyes and chemicals in our food.

In two months Christmas will be over. I know, I’m just a harbinger of joy.

It’s a dogs’ world.

08/23/2024 I feel fall in the air but I’m not ready to say goodbye to summer just yet. I’m still using my pool, it’s crystal clear and just a little bit chilly, it feels good. Both of the boys were swimming today.

We still walk every morning, this morning I had to wear a long-sleeved shirt at 7 AM, it was chilly. I went to town to run errands later, and it was warm enough for a tank top again.

I was walking the boys in the field every afternoon but stopped once the planted crop (soybean) got tall. Recently, a few times the afternoon was cooler so we would walk despite the soybeans. We can’t go the whole way around the field but we can get a good half-mile jaunt in. One day it was much hotter than I realized (99) and Max was dragging on the way back. Once we got behind the neighbor’s house he took off running, through our gate, up the deck steps, and splash. He was in the pool. Barrio was right behind him. They usually do a circle and get out. Not this time, Max swam around for a little bit. I really love watching them swim and knowing that it is something they know feels good.

And, it’s now Sept. 4. I passed the one year in NC on August 27th. I arrived bruised and battle-weary but, it all worked out. Bruised because the night before we drove to NC, I slipped getting in the shower and did a number on my poor body. Actually, I am very lucky. That fall, as bad as it was, could have been much worse. And weary because the supposed 9-hour drive turned into 15 hours, with 3 dogs. I slept on the floor when we got here, I was so tired.

The boys and I are in a routine and we very rarely stray from it. As soon as I get up, I get dressed, take them to potty and then we walk. Depending on the time we walk, I either see not a soul or everyone. I’ve been walking so long that everyone waves to me. In fact, I switched internet companies. I had TMobile for almost a year and my speeds were less than 8 MBPS, I couldn’t stand it. I made an appointment at Spectrum to see what they offered. The lady called my name and I went up to her station to talk to her. The first thing she said was, “You’re the lady who walks the 2 dogs every morning.” HUH?? Turns out she lives in my neighborhood. Now, both she and her hubby are waving to me. And, my internet speed is now 115MBPS. What a difference.

Barrio is having some issues. He’s totally infatuated with me. Well, they both are, but he’s worse. After dinner, when I finally sit down to read or watch TV, Barrio stares at me, for several hours. It’s very disconcerting. If I go to the kitchen to refill my water bottle, he follows me, even though he can still see me from where he is. I am not exaggerating when I say he does this for hours, he really does. When I was still in KY and Barrio had attacked Max twice, our vet gave me Prozac to hopefully calm him down. He has not shown any aggression towards Max for a long time, but I still had the Prozac. I slipped one into some yogurt with his dinner and by the time I sat down to relax he was passed out. I decided to not give it nightly because I don’t want to sedate him, that’s not cool. I have used it once in 5 nights and he isn’t staring anymore. Maybe one night made him realize I was not that interesting. We’ll see.

Poor guy. I feel sorry for him. I’m his whole world.

We’ve had some rain which means the grass grows insanely fast. I find myself mowing every week, front and back. Then I have to rake it all up. I have almost 3/4 of an acre, that’s a lot of grass to rake. If I don’t rake it, the grass accumulates and bogs the mower down. I really don’t mind, it’s good exercise.

As I said before, we’re still swimming. Max is usually the first one in.

The pool turned green when Hurricane Debby passed by. It took me two weeks to get the pool cleared up again.

The chaise is really for me but I don’t have the heart to make them move.

I threw Zinnia seeds in a circular flower bed. I didn’t think they would grow out of control but boy did they. I’m still picking bouquets every few days, there are so many flowers.

I really enjoy the pop of color in the house. I plan to give them support next year before they get too tall.

The flowers out front are taking over. This was a few weeks ago.

Everything is still flowering. My Mexican Petunia (purple flowers) are about 6′ tall and have fallen over. I tried to tie them up but they are too heavy.

I prop the screen door open because if I don’t I spend all day opening the door for the boys.

This was fun to put together. This will be a great help to me while doing some landscaping this winter around the pool and out front. Lots to do when it’s cooler out.

I really don’t have any great news. I’ve become a voracious reader again, I always have a book in my hand. I read in the pool and on the deck all summer long. I’m currently reading Golden Girl, by Elin Hildebrand. It’s set in Nantucket. I just started watching a show on Netflix called The Perfect Couple. It takes place in Nantucket and is written by Elin also.

And I’m outta here. Happy Fall everyone. Hopefully, at some point, I’ll have something interesting to post about.

The boys of summer

June 3, 2024. It’s June already, almost half a year gone, and in a few short months it will be a year for the boys and me in North Carolina. The older I get, the faster the time slips away.

We’ve been very busy this last month, weeding, mowing, weed whacking, and watering. It’s a good thing I enjoy being outside. I have neighbors on both sides of me that I rarely see outside. I’ve added a few flowers to my main flower bed and completely filled the 2′ wide bed between the house and the sidewalk. That might be my favorite flower bed.

I think I’m going to paint that drain extension black. It bugs me.

Most of these were $2.00 flowers from Walmart.

I love the variety of colors and textures with these plants.

Originally the crepe myrtle had white stones around them, I got as many out as possible and filled it with mulch. It looks much better.

These Asiatic lilies were gorgeous, too bad they only bloom once.

This is my Romaine. I’m sad to say I threw it all out. The sun was brutal and scorched it.

These are cosmos and zinnias that I planted from seed.

These are out of control. Zinnia and Cosmos

My neighbor’s husband bought me this petunia for Mothers’ Day. I thought that was so sweet of him.

I laid this hand trowel on the steps and somehow it got wedged between the boards. It remained there until Bill came and removed the step to get it out.

We came across this turtle three times on our field walks. It’s a Yellow Bellied slider and it’s a momma because we saw her laying eggs.

Bill and Highway came on May 16th. He brought a new 18X48 above-ground pool. Our neighbors in KY ended up with two pools and she gave us one. Absolutely amazing, and it saved me from buying one. Thank you Judy!!!

I tried to do the right thing and follow the rules by applying for permits. It’s done nothing but bite me in the butt. Never again will I apply for a permit. It’s nonsense, and the employees in that department are not very functional.

The first thing we did for the pool was measure a 20′ circle. Then we had to remove the turf from the circle. Bill rented a machine that peeled the turf up, but we still had to remove it all from inside the circle.

We were in the midst of removing the turf to outside the circle when my friend Margy showed up with boots and gloves. She came to help. We got all the dirt out, leveled the circle area and then we had to throw all the turf in the truck so we could take it to the dump. The three of us loaded all of that in the truck, it was a hot dirty sweaty job.

Bill’s truck was full. He and I took it to the dump the next day. It weighed a ton and we had to unload it by hand. And it was HOT.

Once that was done we laid the ground tarp and a thick blanket-like cover for under the pool.

The blanket for under the pool and Highway, the idiot.

We then started setting up the pool. Once it was set up, we began to fill it. I had previously called the water company and told them what I was doing. They said, fine, no problem. I was mowing the grass and Bill came out and said I had to look at the water. It was no longer clear, it was rust-colored. I called the water company and they said the lines probably needed to be flushed. They came right away to do that.

We waited until the next day to continue filling the pool. The water was clear. We were both busy and not checking the water. It got awful again, filled with rust. By that time it was almost filled.

We ended up emptying the pool and starting over. There was still some sediment but by shocking and continuous vacuuming, we got it looking pretty good.

This is what was left after we emptied the pool. By this time the boys knew what was happening and were anxious to swim.

Bill had been working on the deck the whole time, even though we didn’t have the permit. Screw them. It’s a small deck but it’s big enough for what I need. We had to place it where it is because of the septic and the drain field, there’s not a lot of extra room.

Starting the deck. Bill had to dig holes to concrete the posts in. This left a LOT of dirt under the deck.

The backyard was a construction zone. Today, 6/4, it’s all cleaned up again.

I’m so happy to have a pool for the boys and me. We will use it a lot this summer.

Once we put the steps together, we called the boys up. They both jumped right in the pool.

We have nothing but a field and woods behind and the neighbors aren’t very close. It’s certainly not Kentucky but it’s still pretty private. The house you see in this photo belongs to people who do not go outside except to their car or to mow the grass.

Max jumps in the pool, gets out and turns right around and jumps in again. He does this several times in a row. I think he likes jumping in. All 3 of them have been using the pool often. We had to put a gate that could lock at the bottom of the steps, it will be useful to keep the boys from jumping in at their 9PM potty time.

Everything looked great, except under the deck. It was dirt and the dogs kept going under there. I got the brainstorm to put artificial turf under it. I got it as level as I could, sprayed it with weed killer, laid cardboard, then weed barrier, then the turf. It’s like a doggie playground. I’m quite pleased with the way it turned out.

They love it if I’m under there with them.

It will certainly cut down on the dirty dog situation. I can vacuum it too!

Bill was planning to leave for Kentucky tomorrow but the inspector, who I was told would be here today, said our name wasn’t on the list of inspections. They better come tomorrow. Funny thing, I asked a few neighbors with a pool and deck and they said they never got a permit. I guess I’m the idiot.

If you’re looking for me in the next few months, look no further than my backyard.

Have a super summer everyone!

I’m still here.

04/03/2024 It’s sure been a while. I’m adjusting to living where pollen rules the world. I’ve never seen pollen like this before. Miraculously, my allergies are not affected by it, but I’m in the minority.

Bill and Highway were here in the middle of March for 2 weeks. The first time I took Highway out to the fields to walk he was gagging and reverse sneezing so much that I took him back to the house. I started him on allergy meds and they helped him a lot. His one nostril is totally clogged and he blows out big snots. It’s really gross.

Bill’s visit was to do a few little things and to redo the guest bath. It was the original vanity and the floor was original too and it was horrible. Bill has never done LVP before so it was a learning curve but he figured it out.

During. There was some rot around the edge of the tub and around the toilet that had to be fixed.

I love it now! New vanity, mirror, lights, hooks and towel bars. We still plan to redo the fiberglass in both showers at some point.

I’m just a little OCD and I had to paint the silver rim on the bottom of the trash can gold.

He also installed a new fan in the master bedroom. The original one was in there and still running but man, it was ugly.

Last year I hired a guy to come every 2 weeks and mow. It was $55/ visit. I decided I wanted to do it myself. The yard is over 1/2 acre, which isn’t a huge deal breaker for a push mower, except when it’s 98 degrees and 147 % humidity. I bought a riding mower, an electric weedeater and a shop vac that is also a blower. I’m all set.

Before I bought the mower, I was complaining to my neighbor Joyce that I couldn’t find the dog poop because my grass was too long. She had her husband come mow it for me. I made them a pan of lasagna for mowing. She said he really really liked it. I’m happy I can mow when I want to.

I had a guy come and dig out some old boxwood in the front garden and then Bill cleaned it up some more. I was itching to plant. We got 2 yards of compost and spread that while he was here but the 2+ yards of mulch didn’t get spread. I bought 20 plants and dug holes for all of them. My friend Margy came and helped me. We planted everything. And then we mulched. At least a dozen loads of mulch were put in the wheelbarrow and then spread. It was back-breaking work, especially for an old lady like me. I was D E A D that evening. After I showered I could hardly move. I’m going to put the mulch on thicker this weekend.

This is before we weeded and spread the compost. We took as many white stones out as we could. That’s a ton of fun.

The green tarp still has mulch that I need to spread the next few days before all the grass, I mean weeds, are killed.

It looks so much better. There is an area between the sidewalk and the house, 2′ wide where I plan to plant some phlox, thyme, sweet woodruff (if I can find it), and some sedums. Pics next blog.

As I said, the pollen was next level. It took me most of one afternoon to scrub the back porch. I got it all cleaned up and spent Sunday reading out there.

The porch is in bad shape and will be replaced at some point.

These clowns love it, as long as I am out there.

I turned my firepit into a flower garden. It’s filled with seeds. There is also a wooden box with a dozen Romaine plants in it.

This definitely isn’t where I want to stay forever but it was a good choice as far as neighborhoods go. It’s quiet, the houses aren’t very close and there is nobody behind me, it’s all fields. The dogs and I take advantage of having that. They love their afternoon walks.

I’ve watched some good movies and series lately. Poor Things was great, so was Boys in the Boat. The Tourist, season 1 was excellent. Season 2, not so much. True Detective season 1 and 4, are really good. I just finished Apples Never Fall. That was a great series.

I really don’t have much else to rattle on about so I’m going to wrap this up and go watch Oppenheimer.

Enjoy this wonderful weather. XO

It’s a One Day More year

02/02/2024 It’s February. For some reason, January seemed like it had 83 days. Bill and Highway left on the sixth of January, he had a Dr appt that he wanted to get back for. The KY realtor called me before he left and they wanted to do aerial photos so he also needed to cut all the grass before they took pics. Of course, soon after the grass was cut, it snowed. They still haven’t done the drone photos.

We didn’t get any snow here, but it was bitter cold for a week, in the 20’s and we had a really nasty windstorm. I don’t have anything laying around outside except my big garbage can. The wind was starting to get strong when I went out to get the mail. The garbage can was lying in the driveway instead of tucked along the house. I put it in the garage. The wind was really howling that night, many people in the county lost power, signs were blown over and some other random things, but all was good here. When the boys and I went out to walk the next morning I noticed the neighbors’ trampoline was gone. Parts of it were laying on the road. I picked the metal pieces up and laid them by their driveway. It wasn’t until we started out for our walk again that I noticed the trampoline.

OMG, the trampoline.

After my neighbor got home from work she and ?? removed the tramp. I posted the photo on IG and my friend said trampolines are the state bird of Alabama. Seriously, I wish I had seen it in flight.

The master bedroom floor and the master bathroom are done, for now. There is still some trim work to do in the bathroom and the bedroom needs to be painted and a new ceiling fan. I wanted a different light for above the tub, something with some ambiance. Originally there was a can light above where the tub is. I bought a light on a whim from Amazon and what a whim it was!

No more nasty dirty carpeting! I love the easy-to-clean LVP floor.

This tub is huge. My legs are long and I can completely stretch out with about a foot to spare.

It’s not very easy to get in or out of, maybe if I was 45 years younger.

So much better than before. I just bought the art pieces at an antique store.

The new vanity gives us a little extra room, the other one was huge and OLD!!

I seriously LOVE this light. I had to hire someone to install it because Bill was gone when it came and I certainly couldn’t wait. I thought it would cast a shadow but didn’t realize it would be this cool.

Needless to say, I love the bathroom. We still need to get new doors for the shower but that’s not a big deal.

I have been walking the boys in the field daily, usually in the afternoon because I figure the coyotes are sleeping then. I have found some interesting things in the fields by the woods. I would really like to walk the dogs in the woods but there is so much trash, broken glass, and metal. Bill said probably snakes too, so we stay in the field.

Big fungus, I believe a type of Turkey Tail.

These are from the sweet gum tree. They’re sharp but really cool.

From the far side of the field towards the house.

Over the weekend we woke to a really misty morning. I got the dogs ready and we walked before the mist was gone. Whenever I see mist it reminds me of the movie, American Werewolf in London.

These are my 3 Crepe Myrtle trees. I don’t think they’ve ever been pruned. I watched some YouTube videos and got to work.

They’re pretty bare. I hope I didn’t Unalive them. I can’t get the top branches. I don’t want to get on a full-sized ladder and use the loppers because I use my body as leverage. I have to put one handle against my shoulder and pull the other handle with both hands. A ladder would be dangerous. I did what I could with a step stool.

I determined I couldn’t finish the Crepe Myrtles so I decided to work on my raised bed. Not really raised, it may have been a firepit.

Earlier I had cleaned it out. Today I laid cardboard down and emptied 160#’s of soil and compost in there. I’m ready to plant. Except, it’s still February.

The boys and I are going to be checking out a few different dog trainers. I want to work on recall so they listen better and I’m able to take them to more places together. They also need better dog socialization skills. A small pup got away from its owner and ran out to see them. First off, they almost knocked me over with their leashes and they were terrified of this pup. This needs to change. Someone is coming here on Wednesday and then the following Monday I’m taking them to a place an hour away for an evaluation. They really listen pretty well for having only me train them, but they can do better. I can do better also, in learning how best to handle them. We’re a work in progress.

I’ve found some interesting shows lately. I watched Candy and Love and Death. They’re based on the same true story, one with Jessica Biel and the other with Elizabeth Olsen. I liked Elizabeth better. I also watched Fool Me Once, True Detective, the first 2 episodes of Expats, Griselda, and The Postcard Killings. I just read that Northern Exposure is now on Prime. That was such a great show, I can’t wait to watch it.

Tomorrow is a day out, Margy and I go to lunch on Saturdays. I’m looking forward to a meal out and maybe a little shopping too! In another week or so we’re going to Raleigh. I need to make a Costco and a Trader Joe’s run. An hour isn’t too far to drive for that!

Max just told me that it’s close to his dinner time! He’s pushy like that. Happy February everyone!

A new year, a new you.

12/29/2023 It’s almost a new year and with that comes another trip around the sun for me. Birthdays, it’s a love-hate relationship. I hate growing older but I prefer it to the alternative. That was my fathers’ outlook on aging. And as always, he was correct.

I’m grateful for my health and grateful that I am still active. I strive daily to keep moving. That’s not to say I don’t have downtime and often covet those afternoon snoozes, because I do. All I have to say to the boys is, let’s take a nap. They’re on the bed waiting for me. But on the flip side, if I walk into the laundry room, they’re waiting to get their leashes for a walk. Speaking of walking, we average 3.5 miles a day, we walk twice a day, every day. When it was warmer weather but not dreadfully hot, we were walking three times a day. I have been doing this daily since January of 2020. The only break I had was 3 weeks with my ankle surgery. My low average is 25 miles a week. 25 X 52 = 1300/year x 4 years is 5200 miles of walking. Why am I not thinner?

FB just reminded me that it was 4 years ago Dec 28th that I left Roatan to move back to the US. Four years and three states later, here I am.

Bill moved me here and went back to KY on Sept 10th. He came back here on Dec 9th with the idiot Highway. He has been working on the house. I bought all new blinds, a garbage disposal, new flooring for the master bedroom and bathroom, new quarter round for the floors with the new LVP, a new double sink vanity with 2 new black faucets, a new toilet and a new freestanding bathtub with a black freestanding faucet. So far the master bedroom and closet have new flooring. The guy I hired was referred by my neighbor. I am not a fan of his so far and if he doesn’t show up tomorrow, I will be much less of a fan. UGH.

The horribly dated jetted tub. It’s getting torn out along with the ugly tile. I don’t always keep my stool in there.

The vanity is so old, I got a nice dark wood one to replace this. The cabinet on the wall is already at Goodwill.

The flooring will match the LVP in the bedroom, the halls and the living room.

We also plan to redo the guest bath, and the floors in both extra bedrooms and the kitchen. The kitchen will be a huge redo.

The high overhang will go away as will the tile backsplash. I have a new sink and countertop picked out. I haven’t even looked for tile.

I also plan to paint the cupboards and possibly put down a tile floor. Trace is really good at laying tile and he wants to do a cool floor in here.

Dec. 21st was a hard day for me. It was a year that we put Gringo down. I’m not sure I’ll ever get over that. These two, I don’t know what I would do without them. I swear they don’t know they’re dogs. They’re looking out the bedroom window waiting for the dog next door to come out.

Barrio is a nervous guy. He carries these toys around for what seems like hours.

Max is just cool and handsome and really bossy.

I drug my Christmas tree downstairs and put it up before Thanksgiving. I honestly think it was the prettiest Christmas tree I’ve ever had. I took it down today (12/29).

I lost momentum. It sat like this for over a week., stool, tree skirt and boxes everywhere. You can see the lights are only partially on the tree too.

I found some tree decorations I kind of forgot about and stuck them in the tree. It was beautiful.

I’m really happy I hung on to the funky decoration things. I’m usually the kind of person who tosses stuff and then regrets my hasty actions.

This alcove above the fireplace has no function. Prior owners had their TV up here. (We’re going to move my TV up here and rearrange the living room). I might not like it. Eventually, the fireplace will get new tile too.

I bought a few sets of bottle brush trees at Target and did a little lighted forest up here.

I’m really surprised that Max shares the chair with Highway.

The fireplace was hooked up in September but I was too paranoid to turn it on. The morning after Bill and Highway arrived, Bill decided to turn it on **AT 4:30 A FREAKING M**. The fireplace has never been used and there was dust/dirt, shit on the logs. ALL THE SMOKE ALARMS WERE GOING OFF IN THE HOUSE, **AT 4:30AM**. The dogs were freaking out, the loud chirping kills their ears.

It actually took a few more times until we could turn it on without the alarms going off. Now it’s nice to have it because I usually keep the furnace off unless it drops below 40 degrees.

There are huge fields behind our house, surrounded by woods. I could never get out there because the gate was locked and I had no key. Bill cut the lock off one day so I walked the dogs out there. They were so happy, no leashes and deer shit to eat.

They love the woods and fields to run in. We wandered in the woods a little and then walked all around the edge of the field.

The next day Bill and Highway joined us for a walk. Just as we were headed back, a truck came down the path behind our fence and a guy got out. He looked like he was part of the Duck Dynasty. He was not happy that we were out there. He said we were chasing the deer away and he wouldn’t be able to kill one. He said he spends thousands of dollars to hunt back there, he feeds the deer and then hunts them. Isn’t that illegal? He claims the deer wouldn’t come around if they smelled dogs and people. I wanted to tell him that in KY the deer must be stupid because the dogs can chase the deer on a Tuesday morning and the deer are back that afternoon. He must have smarter deer. He asked us to stay out until Jan 1 when the season is over. I apologized and said no problem at all. Whatever….

Bill brought the pressure washer with him and we cleaned the siding that was mildew covered and the screened-in porch. Then Bill dug the pavers out of the garden (previously he cut all the boxwood back to the ground) and I pressure-washed the pavers. Then he placed them back as a border. We’re going to get landscape fabric, cover this mess up, and mulch over it. The boxwood will come back.