Hello there.

I love early morning.
Usually I am up by 5:30 or 6:00.
The cats are waiting to be fed.  Roy wants his tablespoon of cat food that gets his cardiac pills down, and he wants to go out.
By then, my coffee is ready.

I got rid of my Keurig.  I think they are expensive, and I don't like contributing to waste that will never disappear.
I also am not fond of drinking something that is run hot through plastic.  And I think we have become a nation of always wanting the easy way, even if it makes no sense.

I bought this little Melitta, and it makes better coffee than the Keurig, for much less money.

My retail area is the huge front hallway of this house.   It is perfect, I mean really, what else would you do with this space?
This is the only time of day that my woven wearables get any direct sun, and that's just the way I like it.

Do you think it's weird that I wander around my house and take pictures  at the crack of dawn???

I actually started weaving in my nightgown this morning....the light was so enticing.

Walking Roy today, it was so warm, I took my jacket off, and it was perfect, even with short sleeves.
Unbelievable.

I try to walk Roy in the fields, and the woods, away from the road.  You can see my house in the distance.

There are SIX new hens in the hen house.   They are 19 weeks old, and laying already.   But they are a little shell shocked, I guess, because they won't leave the coop.  I am giving them a couple of days to get adjusted, before I throw them outside.  Other than L and my kids, I am going to start charging for eggs........to pay for feed.  They are awesomely fresh and good.

Back at the loom...........

Ugh. FB.

Today I got very annoyed with Facebook.

I responded impulsively to a political post, and went back and forth a couple of times, with an old friend who happens to have a total opposite opinion from mine.

Honestly, I don't ever want to lose REAL friends, that I have had all my life, over FB OR politics.  Good grief.

I got thinking about it on the way to my granddaughter's birthday party today.   I was just about to deactivate my FB account.

I resent the time I spend on it.  It just sucks a part of my day right up.
I am totally annoyed by the dumb, ridiculous political posts that abound.
I hate  the graphic posts about animal abuse.
I am tired of all the shared posts with flowery nonsense.

I tried to figure out what the attraction actually is, and why I bother with it.

And of course, if it sucks up my time, that's my own fault.  But it is so addictive, isn't it?

Then I went through my friend list, and realized that of 190 of them, there are only about 22 of them that I actually see in PERSON, EVER.  And of those 22,  6 of them are family.

Hmm.......so what does that say??

Then I started looking at the plus side.

This morning, I had a great conversation with  an old friend, on FB messages, which would probably not have happened, otherwise.

I also keep in touch with my English relatives on FB, and see pictures of their children.

And I see pictures, daily, of  my own grandchildren, and keep tabs on at least 2 out of three of my daughters.

And yesterday, there was this post, shared by one of my FB friends, about a malnourished dog right in Glens Falls, with the address, and a photo.  FB blew up with comments, and calls to the police, and calls to the local SPCA.  At first they didn't do much, but with the crowd on FB growing, and getting louder and louder, and with ONE brave soul actually driving 20 miles TO THE HOUSE, and KNOCKING ON THE DOOR, and confronting the low life owners, eventually the police did come, and SPCA did come, and the dog was saved.
And now there is a LIST of potential adopters, all waiting to hear, if they can take this dog home.

Sniff.


So FB, as much as you occasionally make me crazy, I guess I'll stick around.  With a little more restraint, and good sense, and my finger on the HIDE button, I'll post pictures of Syd, and Roy, and Miss Puss, and maybe even Jinksie.
I won't rabble rouse, I promise.

Home Sweet Home.

Thank goodness for FaceTime, or I would never have gotten to see my peach.

I'm telling you, there is nothing like being HOME.
NOTHING.

We were gone for a month, and it seemed much longer.
I was ready to come back, cold weather or not.


While Roy is a fantastic traveling companion, he was also very happy to be home.

Back at the loom............sweet relief.

Back to my sewing room......

I split and transplanted several sea onions before I left, and they are all doing fine.
Except that I now have about 8 of them, and I can't seem to give them away.

And I still have two big plants that need to be split.
What in the world am I going to do with them all????

I think I'll just have my favorite snack, plain yogurt, bananas and wheat germ, and ponder the sea onion dilemma.

Did I mention that I am beyond thrilled to be HOME?????

Leaping Lizards.

Here I am on vacay, and poor L is holding the fort.

But it's not all wonderful here.

Today we went for a long walk........

We have walked this path before, and then we saw THIS.
We watched him swim around.   And he looks kind of LARGE.
If we had known there were alligators in this water, we would not have been walking on a path all around the edge of this lake.
Can anyone say change of plans????

The rest of the walk was lovely.
Although a bit nerve wracking, now that we knew.

So enjoy our walk..........and don't lag, if you know what I mean.

This hawk seemed to be enjoying her perch.......

 And then across the water, here comes her partner....

On a mission it seems....

I couldn't zoom in any closer, but I think hawk chicks are in the making by the looks and sounds.

Look close.....this guy is blending in with his background.

This is my favorite shot of the day.

By this time, we had worked up a sweat, time to sit by the pool.

Trippin'

Our rental in Florida......a 7 hour drive from Atlanta.

Lovely neighborhood, quiet.

The house has its own little pool, heated.

 And in the back yard a huge lake, filled with all kinds of birds.

And not far, is the Gulf of Mexico.

 Where there was a lot of fishing going on.

 The marina was busy.

 The beach deserted......

It was very windy, but still 70 degrees, and the sun was incredible.

After a lot of walking and just enjoying the fresh air, the evening was lovely, too.

I may be looking serious here, but trust me, I am having a blast.

Vacay, ya gotta love it.

Facts

Some truths:

A simple cold knocks me flat for 2-3 weeks.  Coughing is not indicated for my neck/head issues.  The relief I feel when it's over is immense.

Sometimes going south to get warmer doesn't work.  Sometimes the cold follows you.  It's best to be happy where you are.

Chicken doors are temperamental.  Fresh eggs are priceless. Having a friend like L who keeps your girls......all of them, chicks and felines.....safe, priceless as well.

Some sweater patterns found on Ravelry are poorly done, or simply  over the top.  Tearing out THREE times is contraindicated in a simple life.  The whole thing needs to be re-thought.  Knit simple, that's my motto.

"Altered books"  is a new medium that is incredibly addictive.  Just what I need.  Who knew retirement could be so much fun?

Oh, I'm sure there is a ton a room for improvement, but the thing with this altered book endeavor is that there are no mistakes.  You either like it, or you don't.

You can say anything to your best friends.  They get it.
"Pulling into the Kroger's parking lot.  Starts to swing into space clearly marked for PREGNANT women.   I tell her:  it's ok, you could probably get away with it.  She calls me a bitch.  We laugh hysterically."    We are that comfortable with each other.  Priceless.

Roy is the best traveling dog on the planet.

And wherever you land, he's happy.

That's the best way to be.