Mountain Mama's Point Of View

  Still having issues downloading pictures. Took four tries today and it still dropped some pictures. But I still got some of the ones I wanted. The retaining wall is almost complete! All the blocks are stacked and rebar has been pounded into the ground and cement poured. This wall is very secure. I raked all the leaves on the embankment into the void and we tamped them down along with all the cement bags we used. Then we shoeveled dirt atop the leaves. I estimated 5 40lb. bags of garden soil would fill it. HeWho thought we would need 10 bags. We bought 10 bags and I was right, we only needed 5. Not to worry, I have plans for the extra bags! I dug up the two existing blueberry plants I had planted last year and along with the six I got at my nephew's house, I planted them all. They have been in the ground for about a week now and they would appear to be thriving. Just this morning I planted some strawberries and they are still shocked that I would actually move them! It will take a...

  I must admit that I am not as young as I used to be. That is not so bad, but I no longer have the stamina to get a job done in one day! I get tired and find that extremely annoying. Even worse, is that HeWho used to sit most of the day away seems to have gotten a second wind on life! He has made many, many trips to hardware stores and builder supply stores as he rethinks and adds to his great wall. Now he is working on a second short set of steps up to the parking spot for my car. I tackled the lawn of the She Shed yesterday. For days I have been raking all the leaves into the void behind the retaining wall. A phenominal amount of leaves. HeWho stayed down below and packed them down with a hoe and yesterday the leaves were almost to the top. We started shoveling dirt in and plan to finish it off today with about 10 40lb. bags of garden soil. By tonight my blueberry plants will be in the ground! But first I have an appointment with the cardiologist. Just routine. I hope she does n...

  A picture of my baby girl with her first dog. She was 10 years old and we had her sit down on the couch and close her eyes, then we placed the most adorable Basset Hound puppy in her lap. She burst into tears and said, "I didn't know you loved me this much!" We had family pets all throughout her life, but this dog, that she named Abby, was all hers. She has always loved animals, sometimes having trouble making them bend to her will. Misty, the Siamese cat was not strong willed and ended up wearing Barbie clothes as a kitten, She was always a small cat, maybe the clothes stunted her growth?  She went on to birth many kittens. One male kitten yellow and white, was culled from the litter by Adrienne. He did not possess the gentle nature of Misty. He was named Southy. No one knows why she decided to call him that. She was about 4 then and owned the nick-name "mouth of the south". She was like a news broadcaster of family events to unsuspecting audiences. If you ne...

  Bruno has grown a bit since we last saw him at Christmas. He is sporting his life vest since he is in the pool area. See the shark fin on the back? He is wide through his shoulders and breast and very masculine! He could appear at a poker table with a cigar clamped in the side of his mouth and look right at home. A very handsome dog, indeed! The pool is right inside the front door. Bracingly cold water did not deter me at all! After acclimating myself to the temperature, I floated around and got some sun. Had to remember to take my Vitamin D out of my pill box! It is screened in and very private with high walls. My baby girl is smart! Her house is all her own design and just lovely. I piddled around the yard and had some suggestions about the shrubs and grass. Watering is allowed only once a week ..... nobody told me that! I watered her shrubbery and little tree and they were looking better when I left. We went to Walmart to look at some big pots and plants for the pool area. She...

  Remember when I first posted pictures of my grand-nephews? Seems like yesterday, doesn't it? I thought I was enchanted then, but they are walking and talking now! Always a little shy when time has gone by when they see me, but they warm up quickly. Josiah is sleepy here. He is the calm one, the thinker. Just like his Daddy. But he looks like his Mama. He is tender and cuddly, so sweet. Here's his brother, Jonah. Never thinks ahead, just runs! Too busy to be held and looks just like his Daddy when he was a baby. Takes me back in time to see his face! The best pictures did not load, of course. We had a wonderful day with the babies and the rest of the family. My nephew picked up six blueberry bushes for me and I forgot them, so we had a brief visit on the way home. HeWho drives was chomping at the bits to get going and get home. He totally cut off my baby love fest! I told Josiah that I was going and he shook his sweet head and said "No". Jonah was busy escaping and r...

  Here we go, heading south. Both of us need a break from building retaining walls. We worked in a light drizzle on Wednesday and finished all the cement work on the big wall, as HeWho likes to call it. All the rebar has been cut down to the last tier and the concrete is settling in. While he fussed about with the grinder and the rebar, that required two trips to the hardware store, I eyed the the other pile of cinderblocks that I bought last year. These were a different style and had been the subject of many a sleepless night in my brain. Since they were a lot thinner than the ones we used on the big wall, I didn't want to mix them with the bigger ones. There was yet another style of different thickness and tere are only four that will remain food for thought when insomnia is my bedfellow. There was yet another style that I used to replace the block holding the rock back by the carport, allowing me to use them for the big wall. But the skinniest ones stared back at me, daring me t...

  The nice weather was spent doing outdoor projects. Lots of planting and watering, along with moving cinderblocks, one at a time, uphill. You may recall the new stairway to my She Shed. You can see the naked rockface. I decided we needed a retaining wall. I had seen some cinderblocks on marketplace, several piles for $10.  Close by, so I convinced the sleeping man that we had to get up and be there by 10 am. We loaded the back of the truck twice. I know we could have taken the trailer and done it all in one trip, but I am so glad we didn't. I doubt we could have made it on the narrow twisty road and then backed the trailer in the barn. It was tight with the truck. It was a piece of property that had just sold and the new owner will be building houses on the 11 acres. The barn was in pretty bad shape and I was a little worried about being in it. Looked like a good wind could take it down. While loading the second load of blocks, I found other things that were interesting in th...

  See my She Shed up there? I can now walk out my door and go up the steps with out hiking up the driveway to get there. I will call this the stairway to paradise! I don't know if you can see that it slopes upward the entire way to the shed and I am now convinced I need a boardwalk made from pallets. The slope is easier and it would gradually step up every 4' or so. With that in mind, I am thinking I will need to plant hostas along the way ..... Yay! Finally got some pictures to download! I knew that one day it would happen ....... HeWho decided my scrappy steps up the embankment were not sufficient. He is not one to use whatever he finds available and off he went to the building supply. He bought risers and the necessary boards for steps. He was armed with 2X2's and ready to build the handrails. I stopped him and added the rustic ones I had so carefully scraped the bark from. I like mine. It adds a touch of the rustic. Better view. There is the rail for big people and a ra...

  The weather continues to be nice. It was 60 when I got up this morning. I woke at 8 and realized I had 30 minutes to get to my doctor appointment. I managed to get out the door by 8:12 and was congratulating myself on slipping out quietly and not waking the man in bed ..... You know what they say about the best laid plans? Of course you do. I looked at my car in dismay. It was under the carport and the truck was partially blocking my escape. Not only that, I was going to have to back up the long, long driveway. I can do it, I just do not want to.  Resigned, I climbed in and readjusted to seat and seat belt to my liking. I got around the truck and was on my way up the drive, using the camera, not the mirrors, since they were wonky and not in the right place. Good thing, since I saw the transmission alert out of the corner of my eye. Tempted to ignore it and just go on, I stopped and went in to wake the beast. This was the middle of the night to him!! I hate being late to anyt...