Rain, glorious rain!

There's been a lot of rain here the last few days. Not scary thundering rain, just a nice soft steady downpour that soaks everything, leaving it all fresh and new after. I love the rain! I love the sound of rain, the smell of rain, the feel of it on my face, as long as I can come inside, dry off and curl up in my big wingback and feel cozy after. I love sleeping in on rainy mornings! But yesterday my alarm went off at 7:00 because I had a dental appointment. What an awful way to lose a good rainy morning! Coupled with the idea of driving on the interstate in the rain, this wasn't looking like a good way to start the day.

There wasn't a lot of traffic, the office was easy to find, and the staff was very nice and helpful.
We grabbed a late breakfast and shopped the post season sales a bit since we were right there at the mall. Found a couple of things for the new grandbaby, pants for Laura, an organic cotton top for Sara, and 2 tops for me! I never find anything! MissusSmartPants would be proud!

We got back in time for Laura's piano lesson, a trip to the yarn shop and the library and finally back home sweet home to my big wingback chair, and a James Garner movie. I think I love James Garner almost as much as I love rain. Always have.

Turned out to be a really nice day after all.

Shopping

A while back we spotted this neat looking consigment shop on a back street we rarely travel. Since then we have run by several times while we were out, but they were always closed.

Last week while running errands, we finally managed to get there about 15 minutes before it closed.

What a treasure! The sweetest older couple was in charge that day.

And we found:

A real Seth Thomas metronome for Laura. She'd been using a small purple plastic one that just did not work. What an improvement!

This great old Italian embroidered tablecloth and matching napkins in perfect condition. Smaller than the one I have and white instead of Ecru.

And last but far from least, the white cow creamer! My grandmother had one when I was small and it always fascinated me (doesn't take much). Her's was standing and more delicate, but I like this one and I think it looks nice with my china.

We also found a nice piece of Aida and a yard of muslin for 75 cents!

Good shop!

Walking

At Ivyhaus, we walked down the driveway to the mailbox (about a quarter of a mile),across the bridge, up the hill to the church, back down the hill, around the neighborhood, and back home. About a mile and a half. We rarely met a car, occasionally a neighbor. Only the fresh mountain air, a view of the mountains, and that wonderful bubbling creek that flows to the Little Tennessee River. This was routine nearly every day, sometimes twice a day, for several years and we loved it. It was idyllic, peaceful, refreshing. As much as I loved Ivyhaus, this walk is the only thing I've really grieved over. But, life marches on and so must I. (giggle)

It's different living in town. My goal is to find pleasant places to walk that will get me back on track. I need to walk at least 20 minutes a day, 3 days a week.

We've ventured out from time to time for festivals downtown, the gelato store or just around the neighborhood. It's fairly quiet, but a lot more traffic. The old houses and their gardens are wonderful. The shops are great.

Today Sara and I walked to the farmer's market for apple butter and came back with apple butter, honey crisp apples, and sunflowers.

I love sunflowers! Got to plant some in our yard! And lavender!

Seasons

I planted an herb garden and hens and chicks. I made a bed of daffodils, purple iris, and bachelor buttons by the carport and edged it with stones from the property. We planted more roses and lemon thyme by the greenhouse, a gorgeous fuschia butterfly bush, and a wisteria by the carport.


Sara planted a garden under her window and vegetables in containers by the walkways. She planted floxglove, columbine, geraniums, anemones, coral bells and heirloom bleeding hearts.

We raised puppies, and bunnies, and chickens, and Dan the 4H lamb.

We were visited by neighboring cats, dogs, horses, little gray foxes, a BIG raccoon, and occasionally a black bear that thankfully only wanted the chicken food and a tin of cookies left in the carport. Oh, and a darling baby fawn that took refuge in Sara's garden. (I have a picture of that fawn somewhere. The darling fella on the right is my grandson.)











There were lots of family celebrations and picnics.

There were happy times, and funny times, and sad times.
We made many, many memories there.

Seasons came and went,and my babies were grown,

and it was time to move on
to another season in our lives and another great old house.

And slowly.......

Very slowly,

Very, very, slowly....

I did say slowly.........

I need to write a lot here so that the depressing photo below is not the first thing people see when they get here.

So, what shall we talk about? The weather, children, grandchildren, gardening, good books we've read lately, current craft projects. our pets, new recipes, good movies, decorating ideas, remodeling projects.

OK,
Here we go............

This

Became this

And this

(catch the expression on Laura's face)

Became this


(we sponged the brick with white paint later and it looked much better)
And this

Became this.

She seems happier with her surroundings here.

(Capture the concept of slowly here; this is the same child that was standing by the turquoise mantle.)

The Snow Melted.....

And we still loved it

maybe even more....

As we found it

We found the house just after the Blizzard of '93. After a 2 year search, we finally found THE house. When we got out of our car on our first visit, we sank ankle deep in snow, and as we walked the around the back of the property, the snow became knee deep. It was beautiful!

It was so quiet and serene, all we heard was the creek bubbling gently.

As we walked around to the front of the house and down the circular drive, there were deer tracks in the snow. They had not been there just a minutes earlier when we got out of our car.

We were sold!

Well here we are....

Actually we're not ..... not at Ivyhaus.

Ivyhaus was (and still is) one of the neatest little 60's cottage in the Smoky Mountains. It's small, but full of character. When we bought the house in 1993 the appraiser said it was a great house with lots of potential that just needed a lot of loving care. We agreed, and for 15 years we poured love into that little house.

Inside there were built-in bookshelves, beautiful red oak flooring, a fireplace with a mantel fashioned by a man who used to design china patterns for one of the large china companies.
Floor to ceiling windows. Lots of windows.

Outside there was a verde gris rooster weathervane on the garage, a small greenhouse attached to the garage, a small red barn, huge rhododendrons, laurels, ancient boxwoods (the kind with blue berries) a gorgeous hot pink peony, an equally gorgeous pale pink climbing rose, purple iris and the largest ferns I've ever seen. A creek!!! A bubbling, tumbling creek with a couple of small waterfalls and trails beside that creek thru the laurels that towered over your head. And English ivy filling the huge windowboxes in front and curling around the windows in the keeping room.

We loved it! And it was the perfect place to raise small children, and puppies, and bunnies, and chickens, and a lamb named Dan.

Coming soon!

Coming soon I'm dancing as fast as I can