We have arrived

This is the view of from our mountain.
Right from the Sewanee overlook.













We drove for 3 days, 12 and 14 hour days.
Everyone did well, except for my husband's back.
The bird loved the journey. He chirped often and enjoyed the constant attention.
Daisy was excellent traveler. I put her doggie bed in a large wooden wine crate and she was happy with her space. Sierra, the cat slept all the way in her crate. She had the hardest time.
Cats hate change. She is still hiding in our bedroom, but is using her box and eating.

It was long but an easy journey. It is so nice to have our small cottage waiting here for us.
Our belongings are still on the road. We are both taking the next week off, to adjust to our new home.

Daisy Mae says good- bye 

Last day in garden

Yes, this is the last day in my garden, excuse me, his garden....
I used the over- head system to water this morning...All those hoses have been packed away.

The movers come tomorrow....We hit the road Wednesday....I am truly looking forward to all of it.

When I arrive at Red Oak Hollow I will post again. I may start a fresh blog...in a year once our home is built we will have a guest home. I will take a year to tantalize everyone and pehaps someday you can come for a visit.

Happy Trails to us.....till we meet again

Visitors let me know if you want to keep in touch

I have received more comments and emails than I ever wished for.
The nicest people leave the nicest remarks. I am thankful and delighted.
Each time some one leaves me a comment, it feels like Christmas and the Thumbalina doll is really under the tree.

Let me know how to contact you . Leave me an email, with your email address. Anonymous doesn't work cause I can't reply to your email.

Packing my blues away

I keep packing and I am still at 80% done.
It's more stuff than my eye could see.
15 years of stuff. I found some great stuff though, that I forgot I had.
I have some old posters of clowns and wine.
I going to learn about them, so I can sell them.

On this system, I am on dial up now, so it takes longer to post.
DSL cancelled my service on the day I asked them to cancel it for the day I move.
They can't change it, so I'm SOL for the week.
I will try to post some new pics soon.
I took some great ones.

I am collecting seeds for Red Oak Hollow. I am lucky because my spring flowers are passing and they are giving me a little bit of themselves to carry on in Tennessee.

My husband had his Tractor delivered. He is in man toy heaven.

I've been down

Yikes, I've been down with computer problems.
I hate DSL.
I am back to dial up, because they disconnected me early.
Their mistake and they can't fix it in time before my move.
I'll try to keep posting, but I may not till after the move.

Dragonfly on the fly 

His commute

My husband's commute

Can't take the commute any longer. Today was un-bearable. I start out on the back road down the mountain and not a mile in a deer runs in front of the car. To make it worse about a half mile later a Bluebird attempts to smash my windshield (he flew off so I think he managed). Goin' on about a mile and a half later, two turkey hens just walk across the road right in the middle with their six chicks in tow refusing to let me pass. Finally, to top it off, six cars passed going the other direction by the time I made it the first 15 miles. I just cannot bear it any more.

Even my husband is getting into my blogging....

The Best Memories we leave behind

Rusty and Molly at our camping spot

This photo was on one of old disposable cameras. My husband shot the rest of the roll and had it developed and just sent the photo's to me. This shot is a wonderful gift. I took the photo. I don't remember taking it, but I know I did because my dogs always responded to me.

The photo is at least two years old. Rusty passed away in July of 2003 and Molly in May of 2004. Our Shelties were great dogs and they loved each other dearly.
They loved our camping trips up to the High Sierras. We had one spot that we returned to each year. We went for 15 years. Rusty and Molly are buried there, side by side. They have a good view overlooking their favorite little lake. Good- bye, good doggies, good -bye.

24 inches ....Really...

Catfish from Red Oak Hollow pond

We all have our reasons for our desires......My husband's desires have been fulfilled.
He just wants to go fishing in his pond, when he wants to....
The catfish and bass are the extras; extra fun in catching them, extra bragging rights when they are this big, extra free protein in his diet.

His life is already de-stressed. He hasn't found a doctor yet. He is waiting for me to get there to set us up, with all life's particulars. He hasn't found a doctor, because he hasn't gotten stressed or sick. Tennessee is already working out for him. My husband's answer for "Why? "

The Closer , the better to see you my dear

Memorable lines from little Red Riding Hood....

Just popped into my mind , the scariest lines from my chidhood reading..

Now I can't seem to get enough close ups of flowers.
This simple mum shows off it tubular petals.
I have the mums right next tot the fish pond

The house is now his!. I signed the papers yesterday, he signs tommorrow.
I move in two weeks. The closer it gets the better it feels.
It still surprises me that when I tell people that I am moving to Tennessee, they say WHY?
They are not asking why, they are just saying WHY?
Californians are suppose to be the most liberal folks around, but they are very narrow in their outlook on life.

I have too many stories to tell on how rude some folks have been to me, when I have told them about our plans. It shows me that they are living life with blinders on.
I had someone say to me on Sunday," I guess it's good, that there are other parts of the country that people want to live."

Willie the Clown wins a Tony....

I am so proud of him....I knew Bill Irwin as Willie the Clown circa 1977.
I took clown class from him and loved the Pickle Family Circus shows and Bill's Vaudeville shows, one man shows....He is really a gifted and wondefully warm man.

A few months ago,Public TV had an hour special on him,(yes, he is that interesting) and I got his email and just wrote him and he responded.

I am so happy for him. I can't wait till I go to New York this September.
I have to see the show...... The following is from an email from his fan club, I just got this morning....

Bill Irwin has been awarded the Tony as Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play for his work in 'Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'.This is his first Tony Award as an actor. Bill was previously nominated for his work as an actor, choreographer and director for
LARGELY/NEW YORK in 1989. He and David Shiner together received a
special Tony Award for a Live Theatrical Presentation in 1999 for FOOL
MOON.

Play the Name Game

I came across some web gardening fun.
Go to : www.sunfarm.com and try your luck at naming new plants.
Hellebores to be exact. They are hell bent on Hellebores and they cultivate new species and need to come up with new names.
The prize is a four inch pot of the plant you named.
I entered four times. Can't tell you my names, becasue I want to win.

Better than a glass of orange juice

How Orange is orange?

I like brights! They sock it to you!
It has more kick than a large glass of Vitamin C.

They can be a little difficult to work into a bouquet.
I made a great bouquet the other day with this orange lily and red roses and lemon verbena.
I will post of photo of that bouquet soon. It is quite striking sitting on our mantle.

Somebody asked me if I will continue to post at my new home in Sewanee.
Oh yes! I caught the shutterbug. It really makes me happy to take these tight closeups of my garden. I wish I could go thru life and see everything this close and intriguing.

I will have 30 acres to take close-ups of. I will have a whole new landscape to plant. I can't wait to have the space to really make mistakes.

Geranium rustler

Pelargonium, common geranium

I am plant rustler. It is highly encouranged in most gardening circles. It's a snip here and a snip there, run home put it in water and see if roots.

Rustling encourages me to walk the dog. If I know I can snip and be home within 10 minutes, I feel like an accomplished multi-- tasker. Years ago, when this garden first started and I use to walk our shelties, with clippers in my pockets. Clean fast snips!

At least ten years ago, I snipped these pretty white and pink outlined geraniums. Can't even remember when and where. I also snipped some basic all pink and all orange geraniums from some large bushes that were really neglected a few blocks away. I figured if they grow with neglect, I could do that. Those plants cover a long stretch of crappy soil along a portion of our fence. Geraniums like poor dirt; like dogs like decomposing fish guts. They revel in what others abhor. Perfect synergy.

Duck family moves in .....

Duck Party at Red Oak Hollow

My husband is sending me photos of Red Oak Hollow. He is getting pretty familiar with the duck family that resides on our pond. I wonder if Daisy Mae will consider them friend or foe?

Daisy in the Primrose

Miss Daisy Mae pinked out

Is is only me that thinks Miss Daisy Mae should have her own Calendar in 2006?

The nicest words I ever heard.....

Morning Glory: Star of the Garden

"Wisteria, I really enjoy your pictures and commentary about your little corner of the world. Your words are just as lovely as your pictures. If you should ever happen to write a gardening essay book (which I would encourage you to do) I think you would have a bestseller!!!" Cathleen

These kinds words left on my blog, made me feel just like this flower. I can't express it better than posting this photo.

Now, if you ever plan to plant Ipomoea acuminata, more commonly know as
Blue Dawn Perennial Morning Glory make sure that you love it.
It will take over your fences and your neighbor fences. It will jump across the garden and you will find it co- mingling with honeysuckle and trumpetvine. It will snake up trees and entangle it self and bring the branches of the plum tree down, so the squirrels will have a better chance of feasting on the fruit. Blue Dawn may make you say "OH Heavens, what have I planted.!"

It is fast growing, as fast as my DSL was suppose to be; 15 -30 feet in a season. The bright blue flowers fade to pink and are more interesting as they age, just like us gals.

CorkBoard Legacy

Thinking of them

I always saved the plastic photos that came with my roses, along with the metal i.d. badges.
The metal badges, I left on the roses. I thought if I cleared off the green house cork board and made a nicer presentation, it could be a help for the next gardener. He will be on a first name basis with the roses.

June 1st and my countdown begins

Twenty days to go....so much packing....so many things...I can handle it.. Yeah.. I think I can.....