Feb 8 - March 3, 2012

Gylls, Mom, Jerry

Still with Mom in Fort Lauderdale. She's not doing well and most of our time is spent back and forth to doctor visits.

Feburary 7th, 2012

I don't think it's snowed yet at home but I'll post this pic from last year anyway 'cause I'm homesick.

I'm still in Florida with Mom, she hasn't been feeling too well so I'm not sure when I'll be headed back.

January 13th, 2012

Hope everyone had a great Christmas & New Year!
I'm still in Florida with Mom, weather is great here but I'm kinda missing the Arkansas winter! Not much going on except doctors visits & mom hasn't been feeling too well.

December 6th - 15th, 2011

My big project this time home has been to get my driveway fixed. The first section of my drive is an easement through my neighbors property and thanks to his having loggers come in and then his "fix-it" projects, in the last 3 years I've gone from having a great drive to one that was barely passable.

After lots of headache, a lawyer, and most of my savings - Mission accomplished!

Heading out this sunday to go back to Mom's for awhile......trying to get packed up and organized!

Nov 3rd - December 5th, 2011

 Fall view from the back deck

I've been home for the last month, hard to believe! I've been trying to get caught up and organized (as usual). Weather has been mostly chilly and windy or raining. Haven't spent much time enjoying the deck but I love it anyway!

 Monique, Roy and Brandi came up for Thanksgiving and brought me this cool chiminea for the deck as a Christmas gift. That helps!

Brandi

We tried to get a little hunting done but the deer and weather wouldn't cooperate. It was fun anway.

Sept 13th - Nov 3rd 2011

Left home on Sept 13th for Florida with a short stop in Louisiana to pick up a few things for Mom and do a little visiting. On the way there Monique called and told me Roy had had a stroke so I spent the couple of days there in the hospital with them. Roy doing well, I headed out to Florida.

Time in Florida was pretty quiet except for a 5 day stay in the hospital when Mom came down with an infection.

Left for home on Nov 1st and arrived here Nov 3rd.

June 14 - Sept 13

Planned on spending a few weeks at home then returning to Florida but had issues to tend to and ended up staying home till Sept 13. I managed to get one of my wish list projects done - a back deck!

My beloved Aunt Tut passed away on August 20th. She'll be greatly missed.

May 2nd - June 12

In Florida May 2 - June 12. Spent a week in the Keys, it was great!

April 12-30

Spent April 12th -30th at home. Three weeks of storms! Ugh! The last 2 days were nice and I busted my butt to do spring clean-up before I left again. Deer were happy I was here to fill the feeder.

March 14th - April 12th, 2011

I spent 4 weeks with Mom in Ft. Lauderdale. Mostly quiet time except a trip to Mayo Clinic March 28th-30th.
Mayo wants her to restart treatment so I'll be going back in a couple of weeks.
My grandmother (Lena Leger) died on April 5th at the age of 98. I wasn't able to drive to Louisiana in time for the funeral so when Mom flew out I headed home.

March 13th, 2011

If you haven't heard from me it's because my internet is broken and I couldn't get it repaired before I left. Nobody can get in.

My driveway is dug up while my neighbor removes the culverts and is installing a bridge -

I've been getting in the back way through his yard but last week I busted a tire on the rocks. Ugh!

Anyway, hopefully it'll be finished before I return home. I'm in Florida for a few weeks with Mom - and high speed internet!

March 4th, 2011

I finally finished up my Middle Woods project! (Except for hauling the firewood up to the woodshed, ha). This chore has been OBSESSING me and I was determined to finish it even if it killed me! Weather never seemed to cooperate when I had time, and when the weather was right, I didn't have time. Anyway.............Whew!

Found these old pics of what the Middle Woods looked like six years ago..............

OMG!

Yuck!

February 23rd, 2011

The weather's been warm! I've been spending my time cleaning and organizing the shop and cleaning up the middle woods. Two projects that never seem to get finished. The plan for the middle woods is for it to eventually be an extention of the backyard all the way down to the garden.

February 12th, 2011

This past week we've had THE most snow (10 inches) and THE coldest temps (0 degrees, 2 nights in a row) in the six and a half years I've lived here. Up till now, the coldest was 7 degrees and the most snow at one time was 8 inches.

It's beautiful out but me and Tux are getting cabin fever!

Starting now, we'll be thawing out. Temps in the 50s today and 60s (!!!) for the next two weeks. Lots to do outside and I can't wait to get started.

Feburary 5th, 2011

Sheesh. Have to look at my calendar to see what I've been up to since last post.

Had snow, then snow melted and some nice outside work days, more snow, snow.....tried to get down to Louisiana for Beetle's funeral (Jan 26) but had to wait on weather. Left home on January 29th, got stuck in Westlake for most of the time due to bad weather and finally gave up and came home the 3rd to get out before the ICE (!) hit Louisiana. Got home and the house warmed up just in time for more snow here. About 4" since thursday.

January 12th, 2011

Nothing exciting going on. It's COLD. 9 degrees last night and tonight it'll be 6! We won't be above freezing till the weekend. I'm spending my time hauling wood in and keeping the woodstove fired up. And catching up on indoor chores. (And wasting time on the internet. Ha.)

January 10th, 2011

First snow last night! Tux and I took a hike this morning...........

Lil Orphan at the corn feeder.

Look at all the deer tracks!

Trail to the back woods.

Looks COLD in the deer stand.

January 5th, 2011

Way late on this post!
Christmas in Louisiana was nice but too many people to visit and not enough time. Saw a lot of people but as usual forgot to take pictures most of the time. The only reason I have a few is I gave Alex (Eric's grandaughter, Brandi's daughter) my camera at the Christmas Eve party. Here's one of me with Eric, his kids, and one grandbaby -

Aubrey, Ashley, Lil Eric, Me, Eric, Brandi

As nice as it was to see everyone, I was glad to get home and start catching up. I'm soooo behind on projects.

January 1st, 2011

When you're lonely, I wish you Love!

When you're down, I wish you Joy!

When you're troubled, I wish you Peace!

When things seem empty, I wish you Hope!

Have a Happy New Year!"

- Anonymous

Wednesday December 22nd, 2010

Santa Tux

Grandma gave Tux a red sweater and Santa hat for Christmas. Too Cute. We're heading out in the morning to Louisiana for some Christmas visiting and hunting.

Merry Christmas All!

December 21st, 2010

Nothing exciting to write about so here's a couple of pics I've been wanting to post....

I took this picture a little over a year ago. It's unusual to see such a tiny fawn all alone. I was wondering if he'd make it all by himself, poor baby.

Well, here's what he looks like now. He's still hanging around. I call him Lil Orphan.

Finally got my new pipes in the pumphouse wrapped in heat tape and insulated. Of COURSE when I was "almost" done, one of the pipes came apart and I got soaked from head to toe. Had to take everything back off, dry it all, fix the pipe, and start over. LOL.

December 13th - 18th 2010

I came home on the 13th, on the 14th I had the closing on my new land (!!!). With the new 33 acres - I now own 40 acres!

In the picture below, the red box is the 7 acres I already had, the green box is the new 33.........

After that excitement I came down with a virus and haven't done anything AT ALL the rest of the week.

Haven't even seen any deer lately but the wild turkeys have been coming right up to the house.........

26 hens were in this flock.

December 1st - 12th 2010

This is what my new well looks like. All of the piping runs underground to my pumphouse and connects to the electric and plumbing there. SO glad I didn't have to redo all of that! Ignore the huge pile of shale I need to clean up. Ugh.

I was thinking of going to Louisiana for a pre-Christmas visit when my cousin Ann called to tell me my favorite Aunt "Tut" was in the hospital, so I went down.

Tut and John

The news was bad. Tut has pancreatic cancer.
Prayers appreciated.

November 2010

November was also busy.
Had to find out what was wrong with my well, it turned out I had only 26 gallons of water with a half-gallon a minute return rate. In other words, I had to drill a new well. That took most of the month, off and on. Finally got the new (440 feet deep!) well online December 4th.

Meanwhile, rifle deer season opened on the 13th. Eric came up for the hunt and shot a nice 7 point opening morning -


I shot a 6 point that afternoon -


Spent the next several days cleaning, boning, and putting up deer meat. Also making my skull mounts. Finished that then shot this 8 point.

I've had enough deer stuff! It's hard work and I'm out of shape!

Barely finished all that and my Thanksgiving company came up for 6 days. Monique, Roy, Brandi and Eric. Brandi & Eric hunted but didn't see anything. Had lots of fun, food, and drinks. Of course I forgot to take pictures!

The last two days of the month I RESTED. Whew.

October 2010

October was busy! Arrived home on the 5th. Besides trying to get settled and caught up after 8 months, I've had lots of company. Guess everyone missed me, lol.

Eric came up for a bow hunt the first weekend, the following weekend I went to Louisiana for the opening of deer season there. That was also my birthday and Eric gave me a Game Cam. It's SO cool to see what comes to my feeder at night!

The next weekend Monique and Brandi came up for a visit. Brandi discovered my new crossbow, I taught her to shoot it and she hunted the whole time. Saw lots of deer (and turkey!) but none close enough to shoot.

Also exciting in October, we're in severe drought and my well is going dry! More on that next post.......

Feburary - September 2010

Believe it or not my New Years resolution last year was to keep up better with my blog and my email. See how well that worked out!

At the beginning of February I went back to Florida for Jack's memorial service. He wanted his ashes scattered at sea. It was a beautiful ceremony with friends and family........

Gerald, Mom, Me, Tom (Jack's son), Paula,

Julie (Tom's wife, in front)

I planned on staying in Florida with Mom for a couple of weeks, then returning home. Before I left Mom started feeling bad so I ended up bringing her to the ER to find out what was wrong.

Turned out she had a rare form of cancer (peritonial). The good news was it was treatable with 6 months of chemo and an operation. She wanted treatment at Mayo clinic in Jacksonville so I went home to close up my house, my brother Gerald found an apartment there that would accept pets, so Tux and I went to live in Ponte Vedra Beach (just south of Jacksonville).

September 30th Mom was given the all clear. Whew!

October 1st I moved her back to Ft Lauderdale, my sister came down to stay with her for a few weeks and I left for home on October 4th.

Tuesday January 5th

I woke up to SNOW yesterday. First I've seen this year. Pretty, but brrrrrrrr.

Nothing exciting going on. Trying to get my place back to normal, catching up on bills and housework, mail, etc.


AND hauling lots of wood to keep the woodstove going. Frigid outside but toasty warm in here!