Wednesday, March 25, 2020

Did someone say Hodgepodge?



YES THEY DID!
And it looks like our friend Joyce is back at it!

Linking up with the Hodgepodge was a fun way of meeting many sweet blogging friends
and also, I have to admit, being accountable to posting on a regular basis as well.
Then Terri, our friend from Florida followed along with the Wednesday Medley
and she had a way of always keeping me on my toes...and accountable.
~
Life changes, our responsibilities change and sometimes life just gets crazy!
Thank you, Joyce...I know your world has changed a whole lot too!
So things here have calmed down a bit (they have?) and I was thrilled to hear the news!
~
Here in Haywood Hollow, it has literally turned green overnight.
The winter rains, which have never stopped, I'm now calling spring rains...
...it's much more pleasing to the ear, don't you think?
(shhhh...don't tell anyone but it's supposed to be dry and 80 degrees by Thursday.)

So here are just a few shots of my new views before we get started...



Ahhh...as I sit here now writing this post, window open, I hear the creek in the distance.



See our little camper in the distance?



Found this deflated Valentine balloon and although I was really glad that someone was going to love his Dearest Patricia forever, it still kinda made me sad that her balloon got away from her. 💏


The entry into the "Enchanted Forest"...


This purple dead nettle is growing as thick as carpet everywhere you look.
It seems to be a pretty amazing plant so I think I'll go rub it all over me...maybe even eat some.
It may be the answer to all my health issues, who knows?
This carpenter bee sure like it.


Our humble abode.



Okay...enough, enough...I know.
~
So now let's get on with the Hodgepodge.
Just copy and paste Joyce's questions from her blog to yours, answer them, and link back to her post!

1. Howdy Hodgepodgers. It's kind of fun to be back, isn't it?  Last time we met was September, 2018. Tell me something big-important-happy-or sad that's happened in your life since that date. Just one thing. We don't know how long this current isolation situation is going to last and we might need to dole out our news bit by bit.

Oh, this is big-important AND happy news! Most of you know this is huge for us....we have retired and relocated to Tennessee. We left North Carolina on October 5, 2019 and have been living in our cozy (did I say small?) RV, basically camping out in our son, Adam's driveway until a little over a week ago when we were finally able to move down the mountain and onto our property and the building site. So much more on the horizon but that's all fodder for future posts. Construction should begin whenever we see the heavy equipment arrive in early April...but, well...you know...

2. Might as well get this out of the way early on...COVID-19. On a scale of 1-5 how serious are you about keeping your distance? Explain. fyi-I didn't create the scale but have seen it several places online. Also fyi-we won't only have virus related questions each week, but for this first one it feels right.

1-Not at all, living normally

2-Cautious but still going out

3-Going out as needed, mostly home or working from home, still seeing friends/family

4-Extremely limited, only going out when unavoidable, minimal contact with people

5-Full lockdown, no one in or out

I have to admit at first that the media was just doing what they do best, hyping things up. I had already decided from the start that I refused to live in fear but then I guess I realized as it was spreading so fast, I needed to rethink it a bit. I think the clincher was when Adam's office suggest  he work from home so as not to be exposed and bring it home to me and my compromised immune system. Let's just say I went from #1 to a #4. Good thing for me, I really don't feel confined since we are out in the middle of nowhere with plenty of room to roam. We have been practicing social distancing between our two households for the most part and we do plan to grill some burgers and dogs here at our place in the next day or two...and eat outside. The rest of the family has been homebound for days with limit trips for food and supplies.

3. Raise your hand if you think you might run out of steam in the cooking department before it's all said and done? What's something delicious you've cooked or eaten in your own kitchen in the past week?

I think we will get by just fine, however long it goes on. We have only gotten some drive-thru food a couple of times since this thing began. I am actually having fun experimenting cooking in a small space. 😏 I made spaghetti a couple of nights ago (yes, I do think I like cooking with gas) and gluten-free pancakes with turkey sausage this morning. The RV also has an outside kitchen and Jim has done some grilling...steaks last week!

4. What's a television show or movie you've seen recently (it could be an oldie) that you really liked?

Hmmm...I'm not watching much TV since we can only pull in four channels until we get set up with one of those 150 mile antennas. We do have access to Netflix and Hulu via my internet hotspot. When we were parked up in the driveway, we were able to pull in quite a few channels with the RV antenna and we had access to MeTV, MyTV, Antenna TV and major news outlets. Now, back to your specific question...Jim and I both have enjoyed getting reacquainted with Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, Hazel, Father Knows Best, among others. Currently we can't get any of them....WAAHHH!

5. Share something funny you've seen or heard this week.



 How would you caption this??

6. Insert your own random thought here

Not really my own random thought...a friend of mine shared this on her Facebook page yesterday. Dear Lord Jesus, please let this be so...and preaching to the choir here.


 So before I go, let me share a little sumpin sumpin I put together to spring up the place a bit.
Don't look too awful close at those high dollar Walmart flowers!  


And didn't Adam do a great job on those stairs?


May you all stay safe and healthy, dear friends...
...sending my love and prayers.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Moving Day, Take Two

Yes, it's me and I haven't posted to my blog in over a month.
Not much going on to report...
...until this happened over this past weekend.


I was beginning to think this day would never come. (well...not really)



We've been here in Tennessee since October 6, and we thought it would take a just a few weeks
to temporarily camp out in Adam's yard and be down the hill in a couple months, maximum.



Well, I won't even go there because y'all know the story and that's not the point of this post...
...it would be like beating a dead horse....and have I mentioned the rain?
Thought so.



So last week we actually had several days of dry weather in a row,
just what we needed to get "the man" out there with the loads of churt and his heavy equipment...
...a pad for our "pad" in other words. 😉


And here it is, all level and perfect waiting for the arrival of our "pad".


Anyway, miracle of all miracles, this past weekend it finally happened!
I mean, it probably wasn't a true miracle...but yeah, maybe it was.









We had one window of opportunity on Saturday because the rain was to return by that evening.


But we made it....HALLELUJAH!!


And now that we're here, I've been as busy as a li'l ol' bee...
...unpacking boxes that I really couldn't unpack before, finding a place for everything,
and putting everything in its place.
That's another post entirely. 😊
~
And now that I'm pretty much confined from going to public places due to...well...you know,
(and in the words of Forrest Gump, “that’s all I’m gonna say ‘bout that”)
I've got plenty of safe places to roam, birds that wake me up every morning,
and something beautiful to open my windows to everyday...even if it's still raining most of the time.

Do I sound like a happy camper?
I guess that's because I am...but most of all, God is GOOD!


Until next time, friends.

Love,