Grace Life and the Nesbitts

Joe and Jean Nesbitt are now Descipleship Counselors with GraceLife Intl. They have worked long and hard to become qualified to help others seeking Christian counseling. We have known Joe for years and he spent some of those years learning, reading, practicing, understanding, enriching his beliefs and faith in God. He married Jean a couple of years ago. She is an excellent counselor and between the two of them, they now serve together in Asheville NC. They are gracious and kind to be with. Jean reminds me so of our new Duchess of Cambridge, Kate, who has a warm smile and a gentle way of reaching out to people.

When we were in NC recently, Joe and Jean were not. We attended the wedding of our Grandson Kolby to his lovely new wife Kirstie. A very nice wedding and reception where we were also able to see many friends and family and meet new family members!

We miss Joe and Jean. We are warmed by their faith.

Grace Always, Donna

http://www.gracelifeinternational.com/counseling.htm

Of late I am plagued with tears for two reasons. This is one reason. The other is my PTSD, but that is another story.

I had a cat named Buddy Boy who used to live with my neighbors Joe and Karen but moved to the barn when Joe let several cats outside. He became a somewhat feral cat. Every night for several years, I would meet Buddy Boy (my name for him; he was originally named Charlie) on our front porch and feed him, and teach him with great patience, chatter, and some chicken, that it was okay to be touched by me. After about a year we were close enough that I no longer had to wait for him to show up but could instead call him and he would typically show up within minutes, often waiting by the barn ready to sprint at hearing “Buddy Boy!” Buddy Boy and I would sit together, watch stars, see the planes go overhead, listen for coyotes, and even talk about family, friends, politics and the mysteries of life! He was a great listener. Eventually he would sit in my lap on the rocking chair. I built a shelter of chairs and blankets to keep him warm on our porch if he decided to spend the night on our porch. I brought him in once in a while, but it would terrify him and these events were brief. He adopted another cat, a kitten, and guided that kitten in hunting, hiding, and meeting me and Patrick and Ashley and Kolby. His name became Little Guy and we were fortunate to find him a home in NC as he was able to be an indoor cat. But not so with Buddy Boy. Inside still panicked him after three years!

Our dear friend, Karen, agreed to take three of our cats when we moved to Florida. She took Mitzi and Mary Ann (the twins) and they stayed in her home a while, then Mitzi moved to the barn. Buddy Boy stayed in a while, then he moved to the barn. Karen feeds the barn cats, thank goodness, but she says she has not seen Buddy Boy since he went out. This broke my heart, which was already riddled with sorrow.

We moved to Florida and are now living in our new home with two of our cats, Callie and Kitty Karen. Holly and Gracie remain with Joe and Melanie and primarily live outdoors by choice. Callie and Karen live indoors. Uncle Tom now lives with us, with his cat Molly who has never been an outside cat. She is about 10 and has adapted beautifully. Of course, Molly has known Pat and me and Skipper from our many visits to see Tom and Dorothy in Virginia over the last three years. Dorothy passed away last year.

In the last week or so, I find my thoughts are focused on Buddy Boy often and suddenly. I do not know why since I tend to be one who pushes sorrow away from my heart so I can move on and come back to deal with it in solemn moments by myself. I have not been able to understand why this is happening recently so often. Two nights ago I had a dream in which I saw Buddy Boy sitting on a table in our bedroom doorway. He looked wonderful. He was watching me so lovingly. He looked solid, not like a spirit. I immediately opened my eyes, but the doorway was empty of table or cat.

I talked with Ruth yesterday and she has heard no word about Buddy Boy from Karen, but Karen will be in NC and she will check for me.

Since he is a now feral cat with barn feedings, I will not know if he was just stopping by in spirit to say hello and to let me know he is okay, or stopping by in spirit to let me know he has passed on and to say goodbye. I cry as I write this. I love you Buddy Boy, so much! Love, “Mama”

Orangutan Walk and Pants on the Ground

In the last couple of weeks I have been experiencing a seriously strained hip muscle which causes me to favor my right side. In the morning now, I can walk like a human; in the late afternoon, I am imitating more of an orangutan walk -- or so I joke.

While driving Ashley to school on a recent morning during which my leg and hip were bothering me considerably, I noticed, really noticed, for the first time the walk of a young man wearing low riding, wide leg shorts. The type of pants that became famous or perhaps infamous when American Idol's search for talent presented General Larry Platt and his popular and memorable rap ditty called Pants on the Ground. This rendition tells the story of a young man "looking like a fool with his pants on the ground!" Larry Platt says he sung it because he felt the younger generation was not honoring the sacrifices made by the civil rights movement per CBS Entertainment News in January of 2010.

This young man was walking with his legs wide apart to keep the sagging pants from falling to his knees and beyond! This caused me to wonder if this type of wide-stance walking for the sake of vanity will cause him medical issues in older life due to what must be some strain on muscles not previously required for the simple act of walking down a concrete path or sidewalk. Hummm?

As babies, we walked with our legs wide apart for balance until we improved our technique with lots of practice and lots of plopping down hard in our diapers to the ground or floor.

Dublin Georgia's mayor announced recently that he would sign an ordinance fining violators $25 for their first offense of extreme low riding pants and too revealing underwear or skin, followed by $200 fine for additional offenses. Now he has, indeed, signed this law that states anyone wearing pants or skirts more than 3" below the tops of their hips and exposing skin or underwear will be cited. There are definitely critics of this new law that the Mayor favored on the grounds of showing respect for one another. No mention of medical impact of this practice long term in the ordinance article.

Anyway, let the young man dress the way he wants. As he ages, he will likely change his style and his gait and avoid lasting effects.

In the meantime, my orangutan walk is worrisome to me as it is causing my thigh to hurt from the straining of different muscles. But! But, it is improving and I will not suffer lasting gait effects from this injury.

Let's Walk on!!

Friday the 13th

We are in our new home and still unpacking.  But, we are enjoying it all too.  Except perhaps for this past Friday the 13th.  Murphy's Law was in full effect in our world!

When I took Ashley to school, a bicyclist turned right in front of us.  We stopped in time, but I was not happy about this.  That was #1.  #2 was a squirrel did the same thing.  Again, we were able to get around the squirrel and he survived - he was soooo lucky.  #3 arrived when I stopped at Ashley's house and we went in and then I took her, Gandalf, and Skipper to drop her off at school.  All going well.  Since I was only going to Melbourne once that day, I drove back to her dad's to drop off Gandalf.  That is when #4 struck - my keys to get into the house were in the house!  Drat.  And I did not have Gandalf's meds despite my now driving to our house with both dogs.  Gandalf loved this as he got to spend the whole day in Grammy & Grandad Daycare.  All this occurred in about an hour.  Still had not connected it was Friday the 13th.

Onward to home events.  Pat and I decided to put up our first Hunter 5-Minute Stratford fan.  Along came #5, an appropriate number considering this was the "5-Minute Fan"    The "red" wire which was never ever mentioned in the Hunter instructions defied us.  We got the wires together and turned it on...SPARKS!  Quickly turned off.  Charred spot on metal plate.  Drat, double drat, that mysterious red wire.  To the web for info on this.  Others had encountered the same problem and gave options.   After fooling with this for about 2 hours (for a 5-minute fan), we gave up for the day but not before dropping a screw from the fan directly into the fan!  Oh well. 

The rest of the day was, in general, non-Murphys's Law.

Saturday morning Pat got the fan up and the fan and the light work great.  We love it!  Thank God it was now Saturday the 14th!

Heritage High School

Ashley will be attending Heritage High School in Palm Bay next year in one of Florida's Choice programs. Heritage is fairly new, having its first senior class this coming year. Ashley was accepted to Heritage's dual programs - Cambridge AICE and Sports Medicine. No small accomplishment. Her equivalent 5/5 FCAT testing and her 4.0 GPA earned her the privilege. The coming year will be exciting for her and I am sure we will have many posts on this blog regarding Heritage. For now, let me share a bit about Heritage.

These are pictures of this $80 million school that is at least partially funded by the Florida Lottery program and which is built on a 65-acre campus and comprised of 10 buildings. In the Cambridge AICE Program Ashley will be part of a "cohort," a partnership of the students and teachers knitted tightly together  for the core classes in an academy setting with courses that will ultimately apply as college credits.  Many of her teachers will have their Masters' Degrees. Part of her graduation requirements are 75 hours of volunteer service and this also applies to her earning the Bright Futures Scholarship funded by the Lottery.  Since Ashley is considering being a doctor, the school will work with her to find some volunteer work in the medical field if possible.  Nice.  She will also be touring medical schools in Florida on special Sports Medicine field trips.  And she will be certified as a National First Responder if she chooses to do this.   

The school colors are Blue/Black/White with the mascot being a Panther.  This school adjoins Three Forks Marsh and she is likely to find deer, boar, coyote, alligator and possibly a real panther crossing its grounds from time to time!  Patrick and I live on the other side of the school and we have been told many times that we will on occasion find wild animals crossing our neighborhood too. 

It is all very exciting.  Be sure to watch the video at the top.  It is 9 minutes, but shows a lot about the school when it was being built and planned for its first year.

Go, Ashley, Go!

Winds

Caren and I were chatting about the wind here in Melbourne today.  She, through my looking at things in Florida with such newness and wonder, remarked on how often it IS breezy or windy on the Space Coast.  Somehow, for her it had become the norm and somewhat taken for granted or overlooked.  For Caren, Patrick and I it is wonderful.  Gone are the blustery and bitter winds of the winters and early springs  in North Carolina now replaced with Florida breezes.  March is no longer the, too often, cold and extremely windy month.  March is now the pleasantly breezy and gusty month.  How delightful this is. 

                                                                             Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair.

--Kahlil Gibran

 

 

Picture from
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1978848/posts#comment

 



Strawberry Festival

Last weekend we went to the Strawberry Festival (YUM!) at Wickham Park. Caren and Roger, Pat and me. Nice. Chocolate and White Chocolate-covered Strawberries. Pancakes with Strawberries and Whipped Cream. Funnel Cake. Sodas. Dunkin Donut Coffee...and much more. Music by various groups. A kid's amusement area -complete with a Swamper Stomper!

Fun and tasty.

Erna Nixon Park's Moonlight Stroll



Erna Nixon Nature Room



Last Saturday our whole Space Coast family went to Erna Nixon Park's Moonlight Stroll along the boardwalks in the 52 acre wildlife center.  Musician's played in the concession pavillion and along the boardwalk itself.  Christmas lights lit the way for a while and then it was the stars and moonlight solely along the trail.  Lovely.  One of the musical groups was the Stone Family Band - parents and children who were all singers and played various instruments.  Lovely.  It was cool - 56 degrees, but no wind, so it was refreshing.

A very exciting happening at the Moonlight Stroll was the display of multiple sized telescopes in one area presented by the The Brevard Astronomical Society for stargazing and sky watching.  Everyone could look through any of them and we did!  Fascinating.  We could see nebulas, the dark and the light halves of the moon, and many stars.  The moon was hypnotic in its clarity and size within two of the telescopes.

Magical Evening with Family! 



Parkside West home is nearly ready!

We will soon have a new address - Neveah Avenue.  Neveah is one of the variations of spelling Heaven backwards.  Nice.  We think Skipper already recognizes that he will live here and he certainly knows the route out Malabar Road in Palm Bay.  As you can see, our home has come a long ways since the trusses were going up...and even more since this picture was taken.

The house has been painted inside and the tile is laid down.  Granite goes in next week.  All the cabinets are in.

I have seen a fish in the pond out back. About 8 inches or so and spotted.  Don't know what it is but there are lots of fish from what the neighbors tell us.  We have already met several neighbors and aren't even living there yet.  This is so exciting.  More to come from Parkside West. 

Turkey Creek Sanctuary

Today is Super Bowl Sunday and it is also the day we discovered Turkey Creek Sanctuary.  Melanie and Joseph, Ashley, Patrick and I meandered over a mile through the boardwalks, sand paths, and by the overlooks.  Very nice.  Took lots of pictures - some of them are in this slideshow. Do turn on the music at the left bottom of the slideshow frame. Enjoy!

Turkey Creek Sanctuary - free slideshow

Florida's Schools of Choice

Florida's school system is broad based. In NC we went from grade school to middle school to high school with no expectation of going another path. In Florida there are multiple education paths. Parents and students select the schools they are interested in (if they want a school other than the ones in their district).

Ashley originally was going to Central Middle, but the area was redistricted and suddenly she and many others found themselves scheduled for different schools, in her case she was assigned to Stone Middle. Then the choices began within Stone. She was placed in the Honors program, but found it to be less challenging and less orderly than schools in NC. So, she applied for the Choice Program of science, math, and technology at Stone Middle for her second semester, and she was accepted. More challenges, some new faces, some old faces.

The real "fun" begins right now as Ashley is exploring her high school Choice programs. She has the option of Palm Bay HS's Choice program which centers on technology, science and math. This is the next step if she stays in the educational path of Stone to Palm Bay.

And West Shore HS, one of the nation's 50 top high schools...this would be the toughest to get into simply because they have limited openings in Freshman HS which are accessed through the 1) credentialing application and 2) lottery program. She has applied; her credentials are great. There will need to be available openings and then her name must be picked in the lottery portion.

She will also apply elsewhere and we are all looking at the various Choice HS offerings this week...at several schools. This will be interesting. Right now it seems overwhelming a bit, but as we learn more, clarity sparkles!

She will do well in whichever program she selects. Ashley is a disciplined student and very bright. We asked her how she felt about having to, yet again, meet and make new school friends. She is up to the task and the myriad of possibilities. You go, girl!

A Maze of Trusses

The trusses are going up. It is a sunny day and a warm, but windy day...and this is reflected in the light and shadows across the wooden structure. Lovely.

And they are starting to frame rooms, adding tubs and the shower, and using the crane to lift it all into place.

Interesting.

Skipper, who is anxious to go home, seems to be learning that this is home. He is always excited to arrive at Parkside West, as are we.

Fire near Construction Site

Palm Bay FL has been having a rash of brush fires, some by nature, some by arson. When we were at the property last week, I took this cellphone picture of the huge brown and red cloud formed by one of these marshland fires. 13,000 acres have burned. It is under control and last night we had a thunderstorm which hopefully drenched some of the fire in the muck under the marsh.

That is Patrick standing by the foundation, observing both it and the cloud of smoke.

Christmas Tree for our C-Dory

Oh, Christmas tree! 

So sweet.

A gift from Janice and her son Kevin, new Florida friends

who live near the marina in Sebastian Florida.

Thank you!

Cats on the Boat

Holly Dove is snoozing on the shelf in the berth of the boat!  Kitty Karen is in the main cabin. Karen loves it; Holly tolerates it.  Both are leash/harness trained for walking and traveling.  Both quiet when they travel, but again Holly tolerates.  Karen wants in the car, on the boat, whatever...as long as Patrick is there with her.  Holly is quite amazing with the leash - she will walk me quite a bit (so far they walk us and we don't walk them).  Holly and Karen love to be in the C-Dory's cockpit at night to watch the creatures in the dark.  They particularly like the birds and the catfish.  We feed the catfish dog food crunchies and these fish make a great display to behold of splashing, bobbing, swallowing, and shoving each other.  Our animals also love to watch the big birds and the dolphins, both of which make great splashes and rolls as they fish and frolic.  Interesting times.  Quite a journey for all of us.

FROSTY MORN IN FLORIDA

This is the floating dock leading to our boat at Sebastian Inlet Marina.  Normally it is clear and white.  On this day in December it was frosty.  Amazing.  Skipper and I left footprints in the frost down the middle of the dock.  Crisp, clear footprints.  My cellphone attempted to capture the morning.  It couldn't capture the 27 degrees nor the wind.  We have been snowed upon in the boat, been through gale force winds on the boat, been hit with Florida's Love Bugs, but never encountered Florida frost before!  However, with our heated cabin we were very cozy in the boat.  Compared to the snowy north, we are blessed with only frost.

Groundbreaking...

            This weekend we met with Darlene Salmon to take pictures of our "lot" on which our new home is to be built.  Joe and Melanie, Ashley, Patrick and I attended.

This is the retention pond behind our land.  It is down right now as the area is very dry.  Tomorrow is going to get to 28 degrees at night, but right now it is sunny and 70!




And these are the homes to the right.  I believe the woman in the first house (on right in pic) is "Brenda" but I will need to re-meet her personally soon to get better acquainted.

The very first piece of equipment that mowed the lot. 

There will be more equipment by 21st Dec at latest. 

And this is Darlene and Ashley, finding bits of the earth for our "lot" box. 

The "lot" box! Nifty!!

Thanks everyone!

.  We hope and trust our new home will be a sweet and safe haven for us all. 

Halloween and Orbs

Joe and Melanie went to St. Augustine, Florida around the time of Halloween.  They hoped for a bit of history and got more than they bargained for when they snapped this photo in the cemetery with their digital camera.  What a great, and scary, picture of a "ghost" traveling around in an orb.  Nifty!  And a bit scary!  This is the enlarged orb from the top of the photo.   

Parkside West

Florida's Family Welcome...and a Couple of Noted Oddities

We are here in Florida.  Seems so strange.  Caren and Roger, Joe, Melanie and Ashley, James and Christine and the boys have been so welcoming and we are grateful for them.  Ashley is doing fantastically and is beyond thrilled we are here too. 

Florida is flat so many houses are built on mounds with drainage lakes and canals designed to help manage the impact of hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions.  None so far for us.  We have been in 20-30 mph winds, but even "on the hill" in NC we experienced 45-60 mph winds occasionally.  So, we are taking it all in stride at this point. 

There are small oddities here...to us.  For example, there are "fake" birds as exterior decor in some ponds.   This picture is the one at the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Melbourne.  Can you tell which birds are real and which are "fake"?





Another odd observation is that two gas stations on the same corner will have dramatically different pricing.  If you saw a station advertising their gas for $2.69 a gallon and the opposite one is priced at $2.78, which would you choose?  To me, if they have 87 octane at each, it is a no brainer.  Here I come, $2.69 gas station!


Swimming seems to be confined mainly to the ocean (very nice), swimming pools and springs.  The ponds are more likely to have water amoebas, or amoeba Naegleria fowleri, in the sediments which can enter your body through your nose and, in rare cases, kill you if you don't recognize the severe headache or stiff neck symptoms in time.  Early antibiotics evidently stop these amoebas in their tracks!  We do need to get Skipper a vaccination for this.  He is NOT allowed in the water at this point.

Flinching...a common body language oddity especially among the senior citizens.  Many older people flinch when they see dogs as they evidently fear being toppled or lovingly licked!  These flinching people can also be found cowarding at the ends of grocery aisles - preparing themselves for the onslaught of a runaway shopping cart or a crazy cart driver.  Fraility seems to be the root of this common issue in Florida.  Do I see this oddity in my future?  I hope not as I love animals and shopping!

Perhaps one of the most interesting oddities to those of us who still have cellphone area code 828 is that the area code for this part of Florida (maybe all of Florida for all I know) is 321.  Like in 3-2-1 blastoff !!!  Good going, Space Coast!

Farewell to Fairwinds

Our major possessions are now in Orlando at the ABF facility in storage.  The crew that packed up the truck for us was great.  The four of them packed the trailer tight, securely, and with amazing strength.   It was sad seeing the ABF truck move down Nesbitt Drive.  Wish this pic was better but the afternoon sun was reflecting off my cellphone.  Oh, well.


We slept on the boat two nights before we left (no furniture in the house!) and had the cats with us.  Kitty Karen somehow foresaw our move and she planted herself on the boat even before we moved to it.  Callie, however, had to be put on the boat to sleep with us and she did sleep like a baby each night in the boat.  When we woke up one morning we saw this magnificent cobweb near the boat:


Our farewells were sad, but cherished.  Pat and I mustered our grit, er determination, as we just didn't want to shed tears anymore.  We look at this change as a grand adventure and realize that God has placed this change upon our hearts for good reason.  We will eventually learn why it has become so important for us to move away.  In His own good time, we will realize His intent, we are sure, and we will continue to do good works always.

We thank Joe Nesbitt and Karen Curtis for inviting us to live next to them on this farm.  We have been truly blessed to have built and lived at Fairwinds.  It is one of the most beautiful places on earth to us.

We thank Joe and his wife Jean for their kindnesses and friendship.  Joe and Pat are close, very close, and love each other very much. 

We thank Dianne Simpson for pushing us so much to get the packing done - when we were pooped, she prodded us on.  She was and is an amazing woman.  She is my best friend and I miss her dearly every day.  As she says, when you know you can see each other any day, you don't always need to; but when you know you can't, it is so sad.  The distance separating all of us is about 10 hours or 600 miles.  A side note:  Dianne gave us the Avatar DVD before we moved.  So thrilled!  Finally got to see it...think we are the last persons on earth to see it!  Now I really want it to come out again in 3D at the movies. 

I didn't get to say goodbye to Chuck Carland, but saw him before the actual moving day.  Chuck is forever on the phone but never fails to throw up his hand in a friendly and warm greeting.  A good man.  By the way, the picture to the left is our dog Skipper and Chuck's dog Sugar on one of their final rounds of the property!

Ruth Woodard has not been up to speed since we left.  She has had surgery and is slowly getting better.  I so wish I was there to spend some time with her, but I do call her regularly to check in!

Uncle Tom Evans can hardly wait till we get to Virginia to further work on his move to Florida.  He will be living with us and we are all looking forward to that day.

Leia, Steve and Nathan Cator and Kayla Barlett are still living in Enka but we will see them from time to time and the internet makes being close, even when far away, more possible than I could have ever imagined.  We miss them. 

We miss Kolby who is at ASU, and his mom Alicia.  Kolby is attaining his certification in scuba diving at  AppState through the PADI Open Water Diver course and will be taking the final test in a cold, cold quarry.  Here we are in Florida with warm water.  What is wrong with this picture?  I'm sure he will ace the course despite the cold.  Alicia will be coming down to Florida in the last couple of weeks in October - in time for Halloween.

We love our NC friends and family.  We miss you dearly.

So, our life's journey has taken a sharp turn, but our life together continues to be a rich blessing.

I will be moving the blog on to our Florida "Following Seas" part of the saga.  We have been here about a month now and are getting our footing and finding our way around better.  Each day is filled with new happenings and thanks to Joe, Melanie and Ashley, and Caren and Roger we are homeless temporarily but well loved as we go from one place to another.  Thanks everyone in NC for all your caring; and thanks everyone in FL for your love.

See you on the blog again soon.  Love you all, Donna and Patrick

PS:  A special thanks to Candy Whitt, our realtor for her fine work with us.  And well wishes to Caleb in his new home, our forever cherished "Fairwinds."

The Essence of Ruth Woodard

"We cannot tell the exact moment a friendship is formed; as in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses, there is at last one that makes the heart run over.” Author Unknown

Ruth, Patrick and I have become very good friends. She calls me Donna. She still calls my husband "Mr. Cator." Patrick and I both love her dearly and cherish our personal friendship.

Ruth reflects the very heart and spirit of Western North Carolina to me. She is hard working, independent and strong in both resolve and affection. With her husband Walter she raised a large family of five children. For more than 40 years Ruth and Walter together worked this farm, and an earlier farm, for BF and Emily Nesbitt and their family.

She still lives on this fine land in her home filled with many collections gathered over her 70+ years. Walter presented his dear wife with cherished cuckoo clocks throughout their long life together. Her home is immaculate, cheery and welcoming with its sweet sounds of chimes, birds, and cuckoos. Thanks to the Nesbitt family, her home on the Nesbitt farm will always be hers until she crosses over to God's homeland. Ruth's home feels loving and safe. She is kind woman, a good woman. I respect her. I will miss seeing her greatly...but will talk with her often.

We have had many cats here and now Ruth has several cats. She wanted none. Her husband had his cat Jasper, and now she does, and they have become close companions. Three cats who took up residence in the Nesbitt barn, roamed to our house and hers. I kept one, Buddy Boy (formerly known as Charlie) who I would call and he would come. I would say “kiss” and he would tip his forehead for me to kiss him. Soooo cute; soooo sweet; soooo missed. After three years of many evening hours spent with this very intelligent cat, I adored him! He now has a new home with a barn in South Carolina and has his choice of living in the house and/or barn.  He is living with Karen Curtis, who once owned him. I am so relieved. The loss of Buddy Boy has resulted in many tears for me. There is nothing I could do to keep him.  We are moving where there are many small lots but no acreage and no barn and we still have 4 house cats and a house dog! Ruth has the other two barn cats, Wilma and Simon. Wilma is skittery, but appreciates the care provided her by Ruth. Simon is now best buddies with Jasper. Ruth and Wilma have one other cat that hangs out with Wilma a lot, one with white paws who is named Boo-Boo.  So interesting that Ruth calls this cat Boo-Boo as we have a cat named Callie Boo-Boo that we normally just call Callie.  Ruth and I now have cats with the same name!  Good.  Ruth enjoys her cats!

She had by-pass surgery sometime back and I tease her by saying, "Is your heart still beating?"  She always smiles.  When we are in agreement on some issue, she will laugh and say "Well, ain't that the truth!"  Special words with special meaning for us both.  Nice. 

Life is so transitional. Two years ago I was content; now we are in packing upheaval, to say the least. This unexpected journey through life has brought Ruth and I closer together. She is there for me and has been a good friend to me, in good and bad times.  I have been able to count on her, as has she been able to count on Patrick and me, as well as her family, the Nesbitts, and Chuck Carland who operates the dairy.  With all the losses I have endured in recent times, I can now much more fully relate to her loss of Walter and understand on a much deeper level the impact the loss of my mother to cancer had on my father many years ago.   She has helped me to deal with loss and grief and I thank her.  And, yes, we help each other to be upbeat on our individual life journeys!  I believe in lots of sharing and laughing as does she...it grounds our mutual trust and contentment with one another.

She has always been important to the Nesbitt family. Now she has become and always will be important to us.  Thank you, Ruth, for being you, for being a very good friend and for your love.

Butterflies and Birds

I just did some weeding.  Weeds are so easy to pull after a good rainstorm.  So Skipper and I strolled and pulled, and laid the pulled weeds on the ground where we will mow them into pieces to fertilize the earth.  As we strolled, the birds were chirping and singing and butterflies and bees abounded.  A hummingbird went to the red caps on the ladder we use to access the roof when needed.  Quickly he/she realized this was not an edible red plant and sped off to find the begonias, passionate in their redness, and attractive to this hummingbird.  Starlings are often here in droves and sometimes in little numbers only...such as three or four at a time.  This wee visit of Starlings is the order of today's afternoon.  An early rising owl could be heard hooting from high in a tree.  A woodpecker tapped a tree and then tried to peck the gutter.  Bad move...went back to the tree.  We have had yellow birds, bluebirds, bluejays, orioles, robins, a white bird with a ring around its neck (can't remember the color of the ring feathers but this was a very friendly bird.)  Had a peacock on the roof one time, to the delight of our grandchildren.  We missed it as we were in Virginia visiting Uncle Tom.  There are birds that have music in their sounds, as well as the crows that "caw" and the buzzards and hawks that cruise the skies.  Robins come early.  Canadian Geese fly over late in the season.  Often I am mesmerized by how much the birds on this mountain sound like the birds on our boat when we are at the coast.  When here, bird sounds make me think of the coast; when at the coast, I am sure bird sounds will have me thinking of here.

Not to be outdone by the birds, butterflies abound - and the white ones we find love to flit and drink from any purplish-colored plants.  The multicolored butterflies seem to enjoy any flower.  The bees tend to mass around flowing shrubs on a regular basis, but do not sting.  Good.

And Praying Mantis have taken up residence in our front yard gardens for several years now.  Ruth Woodard, our dear neighbor, told us they are a protected species.  We now go out of our way to provide them the best care we can, even when they clamp down upon our fingers ready to fight!  Did you know that mantis molt?  We just learned this recently when we found a molted skin.  Ruth showed us their winter eggs and we are careful not to disturb them ever.  Each Mantis is a mighty warrior who looks us straight in the eyes...and we yield!

Nature is a blessing here at Fairwinds.  Protect the plantlife and the wildlife. Be lifted in spirit by their sweet sounds.

PS:  See the webpage that has the story of this praying mantis picture:
http://collabowiki.wikispaces.com/Cool+Science+Pics!

Lightning Bugs and Fireworks Light Up Our Summer Sky

Several things enjoyed on America's 4th of Julys:

1)  Our 3 acres are covered  with glittering, flickering lightning bugs, by the thousands.  This glowing in the dark spectacular begins in June and lasts into or beyond July.  Many are in the front yard and gardens and thousands blink on and off and on again in the back acres.

2)  We watch fireworks from our house or our sidewalk and even through our bedroom windows upstairs as we enjoy HDTV fireworks in Washington, DC!  We watch fireworks sparkle  in the distance from Fletcher, and the South from Hendersonville, and the North from, I guess, Lake Julian in Skyland.   We hear their sounds lightly in the distance. We see them reach for the sky, twinkle in myriads of colors, and spectacularly fizzle to the ground.  Amazing.

3)  Seeing the bioluminescence of the many, many lightning bugs and the sparkles and arrays of the fireworks at the same time is truly breathtaking and moving.

Patriotic and spectacular views.  We, as Americans,  must never compromise or give up our freedoms and our constitution...and always let the few fireflies we capture fly free too.

                                                                                   Photo from: http://serenityknitters.blogspot.com/

Seeds from Thomas Jefferson's Monticello Estate

Thomas Jefferson's estate, Monticello in Virginia, includes shrubbery exactly like the three smaller bushes along the porch rail in this picture.  Exactly!?  Yes, they were raised from the seed of Jefferson's shrubs.  The seed was found during a visit while roaming the grounds, scooped up, planted and "OOO EEE OOO-AH-AH TING TANG WALLA-WALLA BING-BANG," new offspring in NC from Monticello.

  Thank you dear Thomas and BF for raising these shrubs.  

All things "cow"

When we moved to Mills River we knew we were moving to a cherished farmland and dairy area of Western North Carolina. They even make cheese in Mills River! This has always been the town to live in. When people ask, "Where do you live" and you tell them, "Mills River" they brighten and elaborate on what a great area to live in!

Many people said we would be collecting farm memorabilia, such as all things "cow" but we just never did. When I saw this wallpaper border for the workhorse area of the house (laundry area, lavatory, deep sink, etc.) it became our first "cow" memorabilia.

Gladly welcomed! Moo!

June Gardens

June gardens and views - Slideshow

Huge Office!

Our office is a major room for us.  We do volunteer work here, create, invest, write, play games, ebay, craigslist, etc., etc.  A very important place where we spend many hours with breathtaking views out every window.  Nice.