Monday, Monday...

Good Morning!

This is how my morning started...


just after I poured my first cup of coffee 
I had the absolute joy 
of  cleaning my bathroom.  
When I flushed the toilet after my morning constitution...
oh my,
the water just kept rising and rising till....
the floor was covered 
with 
my "morning constitution"


Not a great way to start the day!


I guess I will have an all around cleaning day.


Better make some...


Bathtub Scrub

 and


AAP Cleaner
(Almost All Purpose)

So after my morning "JOY"


To say the very least...
I wasn't in such a great mood.

I feel a little silly getting so ruffled about this...
especially when I know so many people who lost everything in the hurricane.


But, when you talk to folks from Hatteras Island 
you won't hear them 
feeling sorry for themselves.
No, 
you hear 
how blessed they are
 to live in such a wonderful community.
A community where they look out for one another 
and help their neighbors.


I guess that is why this
 fence thing...
has been grating on my last nerve.


Grant and Michael Davenport 
don't give a hoot about being a good neighbor 
or being part of a community.


Grrrrrr...
So I went out to start taking some pictures of the infamous




Fence

When this fence went down Bill was out of town...
if he had been here he probably would have been out there to fix it right away.
Like he did for the last two storms.


But, he wasn't, 
I was here alone with our 11 year old daughter 
to weather the storm 
and hold down the fort.
Literally!


The last storm the fence was just leaning...
this time
the 4x4 posts were snapped at the base.


I had to beg him not to fix it when he came home.
It is about PRINCIPAL right?
Not to mention expensive.
This fence belongs to Davco 
and it is their responsibility to fix it.



And why would they if we keep doing it for them 
FOR FREE?

I know that we put the back fence up 
and when we did I said ...
"I'd rather be happy then right"


This is different...
there was a fence in the back, 
it just didn't give us any privacy.




What happened to ...


Good Fences make Good Neighbors





We have lived in our home for 15 years 
and we have seen several bussiness in this building come and go 
and by far 
Davco Electric, Inc.
is the WORST neighbor of ALL!


Actually the other neighbors were pretty friendly!


As are the other neighbors surrounding us.
Most of them know us,
we look out for each other's property
they have watched Mary grow up 
they even stop to buy lemon-aid from her lemon-aid stands.
Most of them are regular Girl Scout Cookie customers.


They know the animals by name ...
well most of them any way,
we stopped naming the chickens.




But these guys...


Bad Neighbors!

Never once have they smiled or waved to even acknowledge us...
it's been this way since day one.


I guess the NEXT time I see someone trying to break into one of their work vans I will just let them.


I won't... 
but I ought to!

Back Yard

Seriously?

This part of the fence was only partially down after the hurricane.
However, shortly after the hurricane a nor'easter came through and took it the rest of the way down.


Twisted Willow

Save My Tree

 Look at my poor baby ... leaning over.


Uggggh...


This fella started as a cutting from sista Robin's
Tree 
and it has weathered a lot. 
(just like us, huh Robin?)


Thankfully, my wonderful husband 
and daughter 
put these posts up to to get the fence off my 
"Twisted Willow".
The fence was laying on top of it.


Even if we do want to move ...


This is 
my HOME

my yard...

my neighborhood.

I want my outdoor living room back!

This may just be where they work 

Monday - Friday

8am till 5pm

but this is where I live.

I was here years before they moved into the neighborhood and probably after they are gone.

Maybe Grant and Michael 

would like me to "occupy" their homes, yards or neighborhoods 

and be disrespectful to their family.

Their parents must be proud!

Is this how you treat people in Creswell?

I have tried to talk with them...

I guess now it is time to 

take it to the town.

Ok...

enough Davco bashing...

So even though my morning started out with

S#!T

it did turn around.

While I was out and about taking pictures of the fence

I decide to take a few more pictures...

I came across this

December Rose

So, see... 

my bleep does smell like roses!

This bush is chock full of beautiful orange rose hips.

Vitamin C Tea for me!

But for now...

it is 

Another Pot of Jo

I need help getting my To-Do List knocked out.

Yikes!

My home and my work space tend to mirror how I am feeling.
Hmmmm...
wonder how my creative side is doing?


Squares for Lessons

I love the barter system!

Except I think I bit off more than I can chew on this trade.

Cutting up this bag of old cloths is more time consuming than I thought it would be 

even with my handy dandy rotary cutters.

It's all good though, I will get it done eventually.

I will just keep chipping away at it a couple hours a day till it is done.

Meanwhile ...

Back at the Ranch

I started this scarf last summer and was almost finished too...

but, I ran out of the yellow cotton yarn.

Dang!

I looked everywhere too.

In the local knitting shops and online.

I even thought I found a match and ordered it.

Nope... not even close!

So, I pulled the whole scarf apart and started over.

GO KEYDETS!

After all that, 

I sure hope Hoppi will even wear it.

I have come to a place where I don't believe in going crazy trying to give gifts to everyone for Christmas.  I try to do it all year long.  

I think we should give randomly because we are thinking of someone...

not because you think you 

"SHOULD"

However, I do like to give Christmas presents to Mary and the nieces and nephews.

But, I was really hoping to get this scarf finished for Football Season.

Oh, well...

Maybe I'll get it done before the end of Basketball season.

Remember these

...they needed some minor alterations?

Not anymore!

Look at these faces...

How could you not love them?

Thing 1

Hat Eater Roscoe

and 
Thing 2

Hat eater Lexi

I'll tell you ...

When someone, 

(Bill)

argues NOT to put them in their kennels while we are at a horse show and you come home and half your house is eaten!

Ughhhhh!

Guess who sleeps in the dog kennel?

Yep, Bill!

So, he brings me a ...

Peace Offering

It's about time

but better late than never.

Now, maybe someone can walk in the house with out being clobbered 

by two knee high horses.

Now, maybe I can own a pair of pants with an inseam.

Now, maybe we can have left-over London Broil.

Now maybe I can make something and it will stay in one piece.

Now maybe we humans 

 will be more responsible pet owners.

Now for a little perspective.

I wouldn't be able to even bring you this rant

if not for 

a wonderful Christmas present. 

Clarity 

The other night at basketball practice,

I was talking to some friends when one told me she read my blog faithfully. 

Then Susan asked why had I not blogged lately.

I told her that I was having trouble finding motivation 

and then there was this 

small issue 

of being 

photographically challenged.

No working camera 

or phone.

Ashley said she had a camera for me...

I started welling up right there in the gym.

Not only can I have my 

outlet,

my Blog

but now I can take pictures of the items I have to put on my Etsy shop.

Maybe even in time for a Christmas sale of two?

When she said she had a camera for me

I had no idea she meant one as nice as this one.

I looked it up online...

and 

this is not a cheap camera.

She could have sold this on ebay

and made some money.

But, no!

God blesses us with his grace through each other!