Thanksgiving Photo

I'm crazy about this cat.  He is cantankerous sometimes, he drives me crazy wanting me to scratch his ears, and Lord knows how many times I have stepped on his tail.  But then he lets me take a photo of him like this ...  

and I remember how sweet he really is.

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving morning before our 25 guest showed up.  He stayed under the bed for most of the festivities, only making one mad dash through the living room as he headed out to his bachelor pad for a call of nature.  He was so stealthy about it, I don't think anyone else noticed.

Sweetvalley In The Fall

Went by Sweetvalley the other day.   It was gorgeous!



Sweetvalley is owned by my little brother.  He used to live there all the time but work took him away.  Now he rents it out to folks who like to get away to quiet places with great views and see nature at it's best. 

He always has a flag flying.  And that big white, round rock in the front yard is an old gris mill stone.  It traveled a long way to get here - all the way from Henderson, Tennessee where our grandparents had a farm.  When John was just a little boy, he would stand on this old stone to get on his horse. 

This is an art print I did of the road in front of his house.  I titled it "Lake Cove" which is the name of the road.  I really love it this time of year with all the leaves on the road.  I like to drive through there with the windows down.  There's just something really neat about driving through all those leaves. 

I like this friendly sign over the front door. 

And this gorgeous wreath.

And the decorated mailbox ... which is a dead give-a-way that my sister,

Anne has been over there decorating.

And I really love the kitchen window.  Don't know why I haven't noticed this before.  Couldn't resist creating another art print - "Sweetvalley Window." 

To learn more about Sweetvalley, go to  http://sweetvalleykentuckylake.com/default.aspx

 



Murphy's Bachelor Pad

Murphy is a pretty lucky cat.  In addition to having the run of the house and a screened in porch, he also has his own private fenced in yard with a cat door so he can come and go as he pleases.

The textured fiberglass steps are one of his favorite features. 

They have a nice rough texture that is especially nice for back scratching.

And head rolling.

This is Murphy's Exorcist impersonation.

It's not a very large yard. 

The see-through fence allows plenty of entertainment.   Murphy can watch for hours - kind of like watching TV.  In addition to human entertainment from across the road, Murphy has many night time visitors -deer, wild turkey, raccoons, opposums, the occasional mole or baby rabbit, lunar moths, and of course neighborhood cats. 

Another favorite feature for Murphy (and for Lee and Eric) is this outdoor sand/litter box and scratching post combination. The landscape timber holding back the sand is Murphy's favorite scratching spot. 

All in all, it's not a bad deal.

Rocky Beach

Two of my nephews were here a few weeks ago - Caleb & Justin. I'm terrible about remembering ages but I think they’re around 3 and 5 - little fellas - and close to the ground. The reason I mention their height is because of Rocky Beach.

This is a close up of what we always called "Rocky Beach."  Can't imagine how we came up with that name.  Do you see anything fascinating there?   Well - neither do I… now.   I think you have to be really short, close to the ground so you can see it better and of course be young and open minded enough to let your imagination run wild.

Here are few other views.
 

 
There’s a beach down that way that has no rocks, just sand. And yes, we always called it “Sandy Beach.”
 
 

 
Another view. I love TVA but hate these big towers they plopped down right in the middle of this beautiful scene. So …. I usually do my magic trick and ….
 
 

 
Poof!!!! The towers are gone!
 
Back to the rocks.
 

 
 
When we were kids, Rocky Beach was where we hung out. Shoes were required, even when we swam. My sister Anne reminded me the other day that we thought if we picked up all the rocks, we would have a sandy beach.  That would have been a lot of work for two little girls.
 
 

 
My grandma lived just up the hill from Rocky Beach. Over the years we hauled several tons of rocks up to her house one bucket at a time because we were always finding fascinating rocks that looked like turtles, or bowls, or birds, or ashtrays, or that had shell patterns imprinted in them, or had holes all the way through them.  These rocks were just too unique and wonderful to leave laying around on the beach to get lost among the other rocks.
 
 

 
Justin and Caleb hauled several buckets of these fascinating rocks over to Gammie Anne’s house the other week.   I wonder where she stashes them?  I wonder what Grandma did with all those rocks we hauled to her house?

November Wall Calendar

I love mums!  And so does my Mother.  Over the years she has collected quite a few in every color imaginable.  This deep rose color is one of my favorites.

To see more mums and other botanicals, please visit my online store here
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A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

What a beautiful weekend!!! 

Fall is in the air and the trees are just starting to get some color!

Anne has started decorating for fall.

But someone forgot to tell the impatiens - it's fall. 

Devil Cat's Morning Routine

Every morning Murphy does this to me. He will also do it to anyone who is visiting our kitchen and is fool hardy enough to fall for his innocent act.  So be warned!

He starts to circle my feet making these sweet little burrrr noises. He gently nudges my ankles as I go about fixing coffee in the kitchen.

He slithers around in a snakelike fashion, always the same move - kind of like a dance routine.

He looks up once or twice, making eye contact to be sure he has my attention. Notice that strange look in his eyes. I know you think it is the flash from the camera bouncing off his eyes but this is also when “Murphy the Devil Cat” starts to appear.  All sweet and innocent you think????

Then he sort of just plops down on my foot. The dance continues. Always the same maneuver. Most cat owners know this maneuver as the “scratch my belly with your foot” maneuver. But Murphy has added a new kick to it.

Be careful. Be very careful!!!! Look a little closer at that innocent face. 
 

Not so innocent looking now, is it? This is “Murphy The Devil Cat.” You have to just walk away. Do not, I repeat DO NOT give in to the urge to scratch his belly with your big toe. If you do he will bite the daylights out of it and while you are howling in pain, jumping around on one foot - he will be dashing around the house, leaping from one piece of furniture to another in pure glee!

That’s how he likes to start his morning.