The End of Summer

Summer here in the mountains is quickly saying good bye! The temps are cooling, the days are getting shorter, and the lush green of summertime is now taking on a golden hue. I'm so excited about the change in seasons! Although I love each season, autumn in the mountains is a glorious thing to behold. It's like living in a rainbow.

Early morning rain just after a summer sunrise.

Watercolor sky

Field of fall wildflowers

The hummers will soon be migrating to warmer climates for the winter. I'll miss their antics around the flowers and feeder!

Unusual cloud formation over the mountain.

Orange zinnia I planted from seed this spring. I have enjoyed them so, and plan on collecting some of the seeds to plant next spring.

Here is a current pic of our cabin. It looks so different than the pic in the header. There is new life, and color, and so much joy in the last year!

Good bye, Summer. See you next year!

Closet Repair

For whatever reason, the loft bedroom closet shelves were ripped out of the wall and left hanging by a thread, and the supports bent. There were two shelves and rods that were left, but one was missing. Luckily, Lowe's had the shelving and rods, and even the same kind of supports. So after measuring, I bought the needed supplies (including anchors and screws) and VOILA!

Loft Bedroom Closet ~ Before

Closet completed!!

Loft Bedroom Closet ~ After!

Here's a pic of the wildflowers along the road to the cabin. So purdy.

And here is the road leading to the cabin. Lush and green with all the recent rain, the drive through the forest is magical, as though the fairy folk should be hiding among the trees.

See those ferns growing along the banks? I am hoping to dig some up and plant them in the yard. Gotta love those free, native plants!!

Drive-able Driveway

After! :)

Being able to drive on the driveway is a great advantage!! 

Yay for getting the new driveway in!

Before :(

After!! :)

As of this Friday, May 25th, we will be able to actually DRIVE on the driveway, which means we can get our appliances in. Woot! Happy 30th Anniversary to us! :)

Mouse War

Did you know mice can squeeze through a hole as small as a dime? Well, I had heard that, but really? Seriously? My dad (God bless him!!) owned a pest control company for about 40 years. He came up to the cabin and showed me where the little devils are coming in. It's the tiniest little bitty crack. He also told me to pack it with steel wool so they can't chew thru it. (Yes, it's now on my list!) But why are they coming in? There has been no food in the cabin for 2 years. One would think that they would go where there is food, but noooo. Maybe it's shelter they want. Too bad for them, because I'm moving IN and they are moving OUT. Trust me, any hole I find is getting packed tight with steel wool. Going on a mouse hunt, I am! This is war.

The neighbors have already warned us that in cool weather the mice will get into the engine of your car, and chew up the wiring. We have been told to buy some rodent repellant and keep it in the car, or risk having to have it re-wired. Destructive little critters, aren't they? The mice. Not the neighbors.

The same neighbors told us that there have been several bear sightings around our street, and once a bear was even seen going down our driveway. We live in the wilderness. You have to expect these things. But I'd rather see a bear than a mouse. I reserve the right to edit this post if I ever actually see a bear, and change my mind.

There are deer, too. Lots of them. Every time we have been to the cabin there have been deer tracks all over the front yard. Deer are so beautiful. I saw a whole herd of them in a pasture last week about 2 miles from the cabin. My hubby hunts them, and loves a good venison steak. We will have some deer heads on the walls, too. Yes, we are rednecks. If I catch another mouse in the traps, I should have it mounted and put it up on the mantle with my hubby's deer heads. Maybe it would help scare all the other mice away. I would consider that a trophy as much as my hubby's deer.

The Wendy House

Look, kids! Your mom is blogging! Woo hoo!

First things first..thank you for visiting! Welcome to my very first blog post! I'm glad you stopped by. Pull up a chair, let me pour you a cup of tea (or whatever. It's virtual so you can have anything you want!), and let's get to know each other.

I'm Gwen, and I live in the Southern part of the US, am married ( nearly 30 years now!), and have 2 grown sons, the oldest of whom is married to our lovely daughter in law.  I love DIY projects, genealogy, gardening, Bible study, and a couple of new ventures. More on that later.

As an American girl of the 60s/70s, I grew up with Disney cartoons~~Snow White, Lady and the Tramp, Cinderella, and Peter Pan. One of my favorites was Peter Pan, mostly because of Wendy and Tinkerbell. Wendy was so motherly and responsible. An admirable quality, in contrast with the mischievous Tink! When Wendy sprained her ankle, the Lost Boys built a small house around her, right where she was! It was for her protection until her ankle healed. Because of this story, a play house became known as a wendy house. Here in the US, we kids didn't call our play house a wendy house, but that's what it's known as in the UK. So, as an admitted Anglophile, I have adopted this name for my little blog.

I love houses. All kinds. From modern Frank Lloyd Wright houses, to Greek Revival mansions, to quirky Victorians, to log cabins. There is beauty in all of them. It would be hard to pick a favorite. And with the current real estate market being what it is, houses are quite a bargain. At least for the time being. Soooo, for the last couple of years, we have been trying to find an affordable (cheap!!) vacation home. There are some incredible foreclosure deals out there, so we took the plunge and offered a contract on one. First was a beach house. Didn't work out because the bank would not negotiate at all. Next was a house on a river. We waited a solid year for the bank to tell us something. Anything. Nothing happened there either. Couple more tries, and no results. Then we found this log cabin in the mountains that we both fell in love with. We offered a contract, and it was immediately accepted. But closing was delayed for eight long months. There was lots of red tape because of it being a foreclosure, and we were discouraged that things were not moving along very quickly. Several times we talked about withdrawing our offer, and finding something else. But we loved it so, and it really was a great deal. Never mind the sorry state it was in after sitting empty for 2 years. We decided to stick it out, and finally, on April 27th, 2012, after eight months and a day, we closed!

Now what have we got ourselves into?? The poor house has been vacant for 2 years. It's overrun with mice. The carpenter bees are making holes everywhere in the eaves. The new master bedroom addition was never finished, and only has the outside walls up. The well water is muddy. The driveway has caved in and needs replacing. But it's got great views of the mountains. The whippoorwills call in the evenings, and the deer play in the front yard. Sigh...so it will take some work, but it will be worth it. At least I hope so!

Welcome, and I hope you come back and visit soon!