Deer

My trail camera captured this image a few nights ago.  

That a pretty big deer there in the Rose Field.  I see evidence of light deer damage on my roses from time to time, but it is rarely anything really terrible.  To be safe, though, I plan to protect my newly planted baby roses with little wire cages till spring.

"Hart" is an old English word for deer.  It's no surprise, therefore, to see deer in a place named Hartwood ... though I see WAY more deer in neighboring subdivisions than I do here in our country setting.

If Dogs Could Talk

In this scene from earlier this morning, it seems as if Ruby and Winnie are saying ...

Dear Mom,

You have been working a lot in the garden and in the basement this week.  We want to remind you that it is important for you to take time to snuggle with us, too.

Love,
Ruby and Winnie

Oh, Deer.

There are advantages to spending early mornings in the garden.  It's cooler in the morning, and I can sometimes catch a glimpse of some of the wildlife that shares the property with us.  

I saw this fawn today, sniffing around a tree in our back field.  It was about the same size as Ruby.

I was down-wind from it, and being very quiet as I slipped my phone out of my pocket and snapped this photo.  The scene was quickly disrupted when I sneezed and the little fawn bolted, its white tail raised in alarm, and it dashed toward the safety of our tree line.

Three Quick Snaps Tell a Story

A few minutes ago, as I was sitting here on a bar stool, at the peninsula counter between the kitchen and the dining room, I noticed some movement.  It was Maggie, being silly, biting and kicking a dog toy that Ruby dropped there earlier this morning.  I picked up my iPad, which was sitting on the counter next to me, to photograph and document the silliness.

must . kill . this

Ruby, who was in the other room, must have noticed what Maggie was doing at about the same time as I did.  Almost as soon as I snapped that first photo, nosy Ruby was in here checking to see what was going on. 

"Exactly what are you doing with my toy?"

It only took that quick look for Ruby to be satisfied that this was not something where she could participate, and she returned to the family room.  Ruby's interruption broke the spell, and Maggie acted as if nothing had happened ... and she quickly settled in to take a little nap, using the toy as a pillow.

z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z

Milestones

During November, while I was in the middle of my month-long series of posts about Mr. Rogers, two significant things happened here at the blog:

My one-thousandth post, and ...

This blog's SIXTH anniversary!

These rose-print Converse sneakers are my most recent favorites!

I am amazed, sometimes, to think that I have kept at this for so long.  Six years worth of gardens and projects, ups and downs, thoughts and dreams ... six years is a LONG time in blog years.

Ruby waiting patiently at the foot of the stairs, which don't look like this at all now that I have reassembled the railing.

NYC at Christmas.

You have been right here with me, helping to celebrate the arrivals of new family members and we have mourned some losses (both of humans and critters).

Spending time with the grandkids.

Ruby arrived in 2012, and Winnie has been here for almost a year.

Alice and Dorothy arrived in 2010, and my sweet Daniel left in 2013.

I think about how many people I have come to know and love through this little slice of cyberspace.  Some of you live nearby and have become real life, in-person friends.  Others live too far away, continents away in some cases, but the relationships with these folks are just as rewarding.

Making pendant lights for the renovation of The Shack.

Mystery rose that was given to me by a dear friend.

Along the way, I hope that you have learned a few things.  Whether it was general subjects like how to use tools, refinish and paint furniture, plant and care for roses, fun places to go on vacation, or something specific like how to break the news to your husband that you adopted a geriatric Chihuahua without asking him first, I've covered it.  

Chalk paint projects.

Adding walk-in closets to our master bedroom.

Winnie has changed so much since she arrived here!

I'm not a professional blogger, one that's driven by stats and page views, sponsors and ads, or contract commitments.  What you see here is real life and what I'm doing and thinking, as lived by me and the rest of the crew here at Hartwood Manor ... our little corner of rural countryside with the suburbs fast approaching ... this place that I am blessed to live and where I call HOME!

Hartwood Manor ... my largest renovation project ever.

Thank you for spending part of your day here, whether you are a regular reader, a newcomer, or you visit only from time to time, if you speak up and comment or read and move on without leaving a trace.  We are all given the same 24 hours to use each day ... I am grateful that you choose to share part of your time with me.

Thirty Days of Mr. Rogers ... Day Seven

Mr. Rogers said, "There is no 'should' or 'should not' when it comes to having feelings.  They're part of who we are and their origins are beyond our control.  When we believe that, we may find it easier to make constructive choices about what to do with those feelings."

We never have to worry about someone being near our house without us knowing about it.

Nothing gets past Winnie (and Ruby, too).

"Whatever we choose to imagine can be as private as we want it to be.  Nobody knows what you're thinking or feeling unless you share it."

As soon as a car pulls into the driveway, or someone walks onto our porch, the barking starts.

"How many times have you noticed that it's the little quiet moments in the midst of life that seem to give the rest extra-special meaning?"

In Winnie's case, we think that sometimes she forgets what she's barking about and keeps at it WAY longer than appears to be necessary.

Me:  Little things and quiet moments.  I strive to notice and appreciate these every day, instead of rushing through and missing something that could turn out to be special.  This series of Winnie photos is a good example.  Dog barking ... a multiple-times-per-day occurrence at this house, easily ignored.  Taking time to really watch and document the process?  Just another one of the little things, something that could easily have gone unnoticed, that gave a boost to my day.  I hope this makes you smile, too.

(The pattern for Winnie's knitted sweater is HERE.)

************
During the month of November, I plan to share wisdom from Mr. Rogers with you each day (from the book "The World According to Mr. Rogers") ... Mr. Rogers's words accompanied by everyday images from life here at Hartwood Manor ... this place that I am blessed to call HOME.

M. I. A.

I've been absent from here for almost two weeks.  It's all been good ... working on stuff and getting things done. 

Grab a beverage of your choice and settle in, while I tell you about some of the things that have happened here in Hartwood during the past two weeks.

1.  Early fall is time to harvest the grapes in the vineyard next door at Hartwood Winery.  Friends of the winery gathered when the time is right, and we spent two days laughing and picking grapes ... Chambourcin red grapes on Saturday two weeks ago and Seyval white grapes last Saturday.

Morning sun shining through the Seyval grapes.

The Chambourcin vines were loaded with fruit!

2.  On the suggestion of a friend, I downloaded the Purina Cat Fishing app to my iPad ... it's a video game for cats.  Dorothy loves it to the point of obsession, and she will sometimes go over to the iPad and stare at it to let me know that she wants to play.  Her high score so far is 580.

3.  I tried a new flower in my garden ... fall-blooming giant Colchicum.  They are blooming right now in a part of a new garden by the driveway that I'm working on.  Colchicum produces foliage in the spring that dies down in the summer, and sends up flowers without leaves in the fall.

4.  After a lull during the summer, Greyhounds Rock Fredericksburg is back to working our booth selling dog-related wares at events and raising money for canine cancer research.  My main responsibility in this is MAKING a lot of the merchandise that we sell.  I restocked our inventory of martingale collars, added a new design to our hand-painted leather wine glass lanyards, and made some new Tiny Dog Totes,  I am pleased to say that sales have been brisk!

Martingale collars.

Hand-painted leather wine glass lanyards.

Tiny Dog Totes ... like the one that I use to carry Winnie when we are out and about.

As I started making the totes last week, my sewing machine's pedal died ... it's probably a broken wire.  Thank goodness I have a vintage machine on hand, which worked flawlessly!

You can see how I found this beautiful White machine in THIS post from 2012.

4.  We have a large wild Persimmon tree in the back corner of our pasture.  It's not the kind of Persimmon that is good for cooking or eating.  The fruit is too small and full of huge seeds, and it never really gets sweet enough for humans to enjoy.  The tree is loaded with fruit this year ... more than I have ever seen on it before.

I set up my game camera in this spot last week, to see what kind of critters come to feast on fruit as it falls.  With this bounty available as bait, I hope to get some good images.  So far, there has only been one opossum show up in the photos.

Persimmon-eating 'Possum.

5.  We have a new vehicle parked in front of our house ... our Deputy Daughter's patrol car.  She graduated from the Academy in May, and finished her field training last month.  We are so proud of her!

6.  With the digging and destruction of replacing our water main behind us, I have begun to lay out the new shade garden in our backyard by the deck.  It's going to be a simple affair, with Hellebores, Hostas, and other easy-care shade-loving plants ... it is designed to cut down on mowing and give something nice to look at in this area.  

7.  What I have mostly been doing is enjoying the lovely fall weather, getting out often with the dogs.  We walk the property to give Ruby and Winnie some exercise and a taste of life in the country, and to try to keep Winnie's weight in check.  (Now that she's healthy, she's starting to get a little heavier than she should be.)

Ruby loves to roll in the grass.

Winnie found a small pile of wild animal poop to sniff ... eewwww.

Winnie has had enough and is trying to head for the house.

8.  My birthday was last week, and husband's birthday is at the end of the month.  Our daughter came up with the most wonderful idea for a combo birthday gift for us.  Inside of a beautiful rhinestone gift box (that she made), underneath a handful of silver jewels, was a slip of paper that detailed flight arrangements for our middle daughter to fly from Montana to spend a week with us!

This was my reaction ... I still get teary just thinking about it.  Happy tears.

Finishing up ... here are some gratuitous Winnie images for you, because she's so darned cute!

As you see, stuff here was normal.  I kept to my usual pace of making and doing things.  In addition to all of this, I took time to watch football, visit with friends, go on a garden tour ... I just didn't take time to come here and share stuff as it was happening. 

I hope all of you are doing well and enjoying whatever happens in your neck of the woods in fall.  (Tell me about it in the comments, if you are so inclined.)

Hey, Connie, Where Have You Been?

Been going places and working on stuff.

Here is a sampling of what's been going on ...

1.  We spent a day with friends at the Virginia Scottish Games.

National Anthem to officially open the games.

Tossing the caber.

There was a Wounded Warrior competition.

Listened to music from Rathskelter, one of my new favorite bands.

2.  Went to the NASCAR race in Richmond with my oldest daughter.  She manages an auto shop, and one of her vendors gave her race tickets, pit passes, and corporate hospitality admission.  We had so much fun!

The crowd on Pit Road before the race.

We were two of Federated's 1500 guests and were treated to food and drink and door prizes and (best of all) air conditioning!

Pre-race activities included a parachutist with the American flag.

After the sun set, the sky was beautiful.

I love NASCAR!

3.  I have begun the next stage of work on the renovation of our building that we call The Shack.  The first thing will be to rework the north wall.  (Need to catch up on this project, click HERE.)

One more coat of varnish on this window and I will be finished restoring the two picture windows that I bought at Lucketts in May.

I have had these doors forever.  The bottom of one of them is damaged beyond saving, and I am hoping to cut them off and turn them into clerestory windows.

Scraping and sanding and varnish have brought out so much of the character in the wood of these old doors.

4.  I have a plumber and two helpers here today replacing our water main.  We have had two leaks in the line within the past eighteen months, and we feel that it's prudent to go ahead and spend the $$ to put in a new line.  

They had to dig a big hole in the basement to expose where the line enters the house.

Jack-hammered the concrete pad and began digging the trench for the new line by hand.

Progress at the end of Day One.

Day Two (today) will go faster because the backhoe is digging in open ground and is making good progress so far.

Now you know what's been going on around here.  What sort of things are you working on?