Play

Bella and her new pool

Last night

S1 was sitting in the front yard in a chair when a small owl flew down and sat in the chair next to him. A magic moment.

Whitehall, VA

The other night I looked at S1 and said that I am bored of living here. It seems like I have been to most of the places around here and there is nothing new to see and do.

Of course that cannot be true. There has to be something new or something to revisit with new eyes.

So, I've decided to revisit my corner of the world this summer - and maybe beyond. Of course, this will not be a daily occurance. But I will be trying to remember what it is I like about this place and maybe - if any of you come to visit - you will see some places in this blog that you would like to see in real life.

So, the first is Whitehall, VA.

Why Whitehall? It is a small VA town. And I do mean small - one of those towns that if you blink twice you have missed most of it. However there are older homes to gawk at. A local church with picnic tables outside of it to have a summer picnic at (no signs telling you not to) and absolutely breathtaking views of the mountains.

There are two, yes two, convenience stores there - a short distance apart. I've been in both and am not sure for the reason of two stores.

This is biking country. The roads are hilly but not terribly so and any regular rider should have no problem with the terrain.

I am suffering

from a serious case of couch envy. S1 bought this for his new apartment and had it delivered to our house yesterday to await move-in day. I love the colors. I love the stratigically placed patches on it.

It makes the rest of the room look run down. Tired.

It's time to look at some serious ways of updating but at the same time keeping the costs low.

A fun challenge for the summer.

What Snoopy Does During the Day - according to neighbors

After we leave for work Snoopy is called by Mr. D (who lives across the street) to come over and help with yard work. He plays with Mr. D's granddogs and plays with the toddler grandchild.

Snoopy is always home when I come home from work.

He loves sunshine and is often seen on the road taking a nap while soaking up the warmth.

Playing basketball with the neighbor kids is another past time. According to one child - Snoopy likes to come over and be crazy. (running around in circles very fast).

The rest of the day is spent sitting at the foot of the driveway looking to see who is coming down his street, playing with Bella and Sport and wagging his tail while watching us work in the yard.

A full day indeed.

A sight on my

way home from the library.

Happy Mother's Day

To our moms and the other special women in our lives.

If it were not for Bella

I would miss seeing the moon behind the clouds and hearing the water drip from the maple trees in the dark. (1:30 am)

Bella and I watched Marley and Me last night. She for inspiration of finding new and creative things to do and me because I liked the book.

Bella paid close attention to the eating of the chairs, stealing of clothes and was amazed at how much more dog food Marley got then she gets.

For me the movie was ok. Not as good a movie as book but a cute video to rent.

No, we did not watch the end. The subject matter was just not appropriate.

Some New Plants for the Garden

Heuchera - Marmalade (coral bells)
full sun to part shade
10 in high - 18 inches wide
liked by hummingbirds
can stand up to inclement weather
perennial

Helleborus x hybridus
Flowers late winter and early spring in a rainbow of colors.
Likes shade
Plants form clumps of 12 in to 24 in in a few years.
Height averages 12"

Barrenwort
Part shade to shade
drought tolerant
white blooms in spring
leaves will turn a deep shade of crimson in the fall.
6-8 inches high

Trip to Blacksburg

Yesterday I spent the day in Blacksburg with 2 goals in mind. One was to have lunch with S1 and the other to buy plants from the Horticulture Club plant sale. I remember my Horticulture class with great fondness and like to support such endeavors.

The plants were a bit pricey but I got some interesting ones that I will post later. Lunch with my son consisted of our favorite smoothies. He then took me over to the Architecture building which is so very cool. There was a spot inside about the size of a large gymnasium and it was filled with work spaces and students working on various projects. To be able to have such a wonderfully creative space must be amazing. Then he went to TA his Japanese class and take a test for another one.

Meanwhile I took photos and visited some 2nd hand shops in town. Prices are so much better there. I will post photos from my find later also.

Then I came home. He will home in 12 days. His brother this Friday.

The school year went fast.

While husband was gone to England I got out of the habit of blogging. He took both cameras and I had a very inferior camera that does not take good pictures (our video camera can also take stills - and not good ones). It is not really fun to blog without the photos so that was that.

Now, I could blame my lack of blogging on having a puppy and no sleep. Even though that is true to an extent I find that my blog bores me to tears.

Does anyone else ever get that way? I try to keep it so that no one will ever be offended. If my boss found it she would use it as a sleep aid (ha). And I like it to be safe. But then so many topics not to touch that sometimes I wish that I could.

If anyone is still reading, thoughts?

My brother and his wife are the proud parent of Little Bean (a boy) who was born about 7 am this morning. We look forward to meeting the little sprout :-)!!