Our boys work hard for these Jerseys! Last year as an Arcadia Knight!!

Woohoooo, Number 62!

My BFF's and I at Octoberfest at Tanglewood Park... Fun Times!

Bees & Butterflies

"Be not an abomination to the Bees and Butterflies and then your garden shall know the enchantment that long ago the poets and minstrels spoke." ~ Old Moss Woman

Have you ever heard a bird tell the dogs to "Get Down"? or Sing in perfect imitation of a tea kettle? Or fake you out by sounding like the bell to the front door? This is JD :) He is a lunatic who fancies himself King of our home! He's handicapable... and it takes him a long time to trust someone... but once he does, you are his peanut fetching and headscratching slave forever. Lucky me, huh?

Newspaper, Anyone? Introducing Sugar! The very sweet but silliest pup in the neighborhood! Her Basset brothers keep her in line but seem resentful of her long legs and need for speed!

Christening the Fire Pit

For a few years now,I've been bugging my husband for a fire pit. Every time I woul ask, he would reply with a "No", and makes some sort of noise about the probability of me using it on the deck and burning down our house. This time I used a different approach. I told him that I am going out to buy a fire pit, and told him he was welcome to come along and help pick it out. I don't know if it was the different approach or if he was tired of my pestering but isn't it pretty? Our bff's came over last night and we had dinner and a fire and a really enjoyable evening :)

And this is Bobo....

Who started out as Kitty-Wan-Kenobi... which proved to difficult for our little one to say..... He is our resident fetch type dog wannabe, homework helper, little people collector, bathwater and bubbles tester, foot warmer and Christmas Tree climber. He is the most laid back sort of dude! Sugar (our black lab whom you've yet to meet) chases him relentlessy but he's very proud of the fact that he is yet to be caught. His twin sister Chloe is around here somewhere. I'm sure she'll be making an appearance soon!

Meet Buster & Reagan!

Hand raised from birth, they are sweet as can possibly be... if too soft and fluffy and cute for words happens to be your thing......

Brotherly Love

Sent from Cathy's iPhone

Our Darby

This is Darby. We adopted him from Carolina Basset Hound Rescue! His foster parents had snuggled him and loved on him so very much that I suspect he might have had a few separation issues.... See for yourself!~ He would not even play on the deck for a moment so I could pick up his toys! By the way.... Basset Rescues Rock! If you visit www.cbhr.com or www.barcse.org or www.dailydrool.com you could give a furever home to a sweet basset hound of your own! Or respond here and I will hook you up with a rescue in your area! But he won't be as cute as my Darby.... Just Sayin'! And if you happen to notice a pattern of a certain someone asking for Bassets for Birthdays,and encouraging rescue, your suspicions might just be correct! :)

Inspirational!~

Today, like millions of other Americans, I went to work.  I didn't build a skyscraper, I didn't write a proposal to save an endangered species, and  I didn't drive a bus or fly a plane, or write a crucial bill that would some day become a law.

However, I did spend time with some very important people.

I read a story to an attorney,
I sang the alphabet with a Supreme Court Justice.
I ate lunch with a pastor,
and patted the back of an engineer until he fell asleep.
I taught a policeman how to tie his shoes,
and introduced an astronaut to the color red.

Tomorrow, who knows whom I'll meet,
but one thing is for sure.....

They will be very IMPORTANT,
For they are our precious children,
and the hope of our very future.

     ~~~author unknown

Over Run By Fur & Feathers

We are currently foodslaves to 3 dogs, 3 cats, a cockatiel, a cockatoo, and 2 chinchillas!~  I will introduce them individually.....

This is Mo'Glee!  My first basset and my 40th birthday present, our smushy faced king of the house!

Doesn't it look like he is laughing in this photo?

This made me smile this morning...

Is this not the best football play ever?

Our Handsome Boys

Let me introduce our boys.  Tyler is 21 and a Junior at WCU.  Walker is 11 and is in 6th grade at NDMS.  My parent's horse, Tubby, is in the middle :)

Why Rocks?

It came about quite innocently....

our gargantuan rock collection. In 1992, we visited my parents in Waretown, New Jersey. In my efforts occupy our cute as could possibly be, about to turn 1 year old son Tyler, I took his  (then) chubby little hand in mine and we wandered down the road, marvelling at the sea gulls, the waves and the beautiful boats. On this particular excursion we were even formally escorted by George, the orange marmalade kitty who had recently adopted my parents :-) We stopped to enjoy the view of the bay and spied a small playground near the water's edge. I pushed Tyler on those swings for what seemed like forever, enjoying his laughter, while George did figure 8's around my legs. We only used the swings, as the sliding board was much too hot from the sun. We decided to keep a memento of our afternoon by choosing 2 small rocks, (one for each hand), from the pile of rocks and grasses that divided the playground from the road. These rocks stayed clutched in each of Tyler's hands for the rest of the day. They remained in the cup holder of his stroller for the remainder of our visit and they resided on the dashboard of our little red truck from that day on.

As years rolled by, we chose a special rock or stone on every single walk we ever took. Which is compounded by the fact that my husband Ted's parents lived back a long stone laneway. And also that my grandparents lived in the middle of 2 long and winding lanes. And that this child loved to choose stones from the neighbors landscaping! And from in front of the shrubbery of the local department stores! And ummm you get the picture.

In 2001 we were blessed with another son. When he first traveled to my parents in New Jersey, he was too young to be interested in rock collecting. His big brother collected shells as well as rocks that year. The next time we visited my parents it was at their new 111 acre farm in Appomattox, Virginia. Where a long and winding lane, covered in white rocks, leads up to their horse barn and their work shop and their home.... I often took Walker for a stroll to see the horses or the dogs, or the chickens and.... You get the picture....

I have shown such joy and have been so suitably impressed by every new rock discovery for so very long.... Walker loves his rocks and crystal and gem collections. As fate would have it, Walker enjoys bringing stones home from every excursion even more than Tyler did! As a matter of fact, our family even formally went rock and gem mining while on vacation a few years ago! And when we collected rocks at my parents a just few years ago, we were again favored with attention from who else but George!  (Sweet George's spirit lives on as guardian of the farm and all who enter there).

I have now been a mother of boys for over 21 years.  That being said... There are rocks in my pockets, rocks in my purses, rocks in my flower beds, rocks in my my night stand drawers, rocks in all sorts of vases and jars, in dishes, in cupboards, on the piano, the desks and the windowsills and even places where only the delicate crystal should be. There are rocks on bathroom sinks and in velvet bags from museum field trips and they magically appear in the dryer every single time I open the door... and I might even say that my husband would imply there are rocks in my head... ummm scratch that.... He wouldn't imply.... He would outright say it.

Oh, Walker..... why is your back pack so heavy?? You get the picture.....

Hello & Welcome!~

Hello & Welcome.  I am initially creating this blog as an assignment for class, so please bear with me as I am learning as I go!~  I will soon post the story of how this blog has earned it's peculiar name.  Hope you enjoy!