Ravenwood Cottage

Answered Prayers...

While I haven’t been attending my old church in many years, my Home Teacher and Visiting Teacher have faithfully kept in touch with me. I just sort of got out of the habit of attending church when I worked nights & weekends at Hospital for over 20 years. My Home Teacher, Greg W. brought the ward missionaries on his recent visit. Two delightful young men, one from North Carolina and the other from Salt Lake City. They confided they were required to perform 4 hours of Compassionate Service each week as part of their mission goals.

These young men wanted me to ‘allow’ them to come and work in my yard so that they could receive a blessing by rendering service. Oh how guilty I felt at first that my yard looked so in need of attention! I just can’t physically do as much as I used to...and I find I just don’t have the desire to do as much either. I began to make excuses as to my tardiness in completing weeded and digging up unwanted vegetation in hopes of dissuading them in coming. Then I remembered my passionate prayers tearfully offered so many times during the past year...”Dear God, please send me the help I need taking care of this place, help that I can afford and someone not difficult to deal with”; (as Handyman’s drinking habits became). In the end I humbly accepted the generous offer of assistance.

This week the young men came and used the weed eater to mow down the shoulder tall weeds around the garden shed & in the garden spot I used last year. Not to be seen as lazy, I worked along side them pulling out grass that had crept into the blackberry vine area. The 3 of us worked for about 3 hours and I was amazed how much they accomplished! Oh how much better things looked. They had hauled construction debris from the garden shed up to the burn pile, began a recycle pile for discarded items and carried several wheelbarrows full of branches to the burn pile as well. As they cheerfully put the tools away they thanked me for allowing them to serve and asked if they could come back and work again...I was brought to tears. I am so grateful for their help.

Just goes to show...prayers do get answered.

July Wrap-Up

My dear friend and workman, Woody, came today and repaired the well fittings which had cracked and spewed water everywhere in the well house when I turned the pump on. I could not even use the well water on the garden this year due to the pipe breaks, what a mess. He is going to wrap the pipes with heat tape which should prevent this from reoccurring again.

I don’t have any recent scrapbook layouts to share...the last few challenges in the Have More Fun class have not appealed to me. But I did get 3 pages kitted up to work on at Monday crop nights. I just need to add the journaling and I will post them to share.

Stacy Julian is teaching about Photo Album Scrapbooking next week and I am wondering if I will be able to come up with enough photos on a specific subject to incorporate into this technique. One of my fellow students at Big Picture Scrapbooking has posted a nice selection of pages utilizing this technique and I think it would work well for the many travel photos Beth has. I must show her this ladies’ blog. Take a look at her Photo Album Scrapbooking. Neat Idea!

Country Living in the Big City

Thirty Pounds and counting...

How lovely, Mom has just brought me a steaming cup of cocoa while I am working on the posts for my blog. I had a cold salad for lunch and felt ‘right chilled’ afterwards. Mother has finally finished shelling and picking through the pecans that my grand daughter picked up in our Garden. I have vacuumed pack 30 pounds. We still have nuts falling and will need to process them as well. Mother certainly has worked hard preparing them for me to vacuum pack.

Dear Fritz loves pecans! If Mom drops a piece on the floor he retrieves it so quickly and munches it with delight. He will stand at Mothers’ side and beg for a nut till those little skinny legs quiver with exhaustion. He just doesn’t understand that too many pecans would upset his tummy. He is such a sweet fellow, despite that fact that he does continue to bark at inappropriate times. We have tried several methods to dissuade him from barking, squirting him with a water bottle and attaching his walking leash to his collar. This action does make him feel naughty and he will lie down at Mother’s side quietly.

Update on Garden Shed...

Woody and his crew have made great progress on updating the Garden shed. The new Hardee siding is installed and a small entrance cover hung. A new light fixture will be at the entrance so I can see when darkness falls. The old damaged sheet rock has been removed and hauled to the dump. New soffits and bracing in the peaks installed. It is looking so much better! I am down to the wire however to have the job finished and the items sitting under heavy duty tarps place back inside the building before bad weather sets it.

Although we may not have as much rain this winter as we usually enjoy. Forecasts are for a dryer than normal winter. This spells real doom for the Southern states. I have talked with Woody about hooking the Cottage up to my well in the near future. I feel if I don’t, I may regret it.
The morning glories I planted around the pole beans this summer weren’t able to grow due to the lushness of the bean plants. Since they have died, the morning glories are spectacular!
Everyday I have as many blooms as you see in this photo I took. Never have I seen such blue or so many blossoms. I will surely plant these fellows again.

That Darn Mower!!!

A busy week again...tried to catch up on my ironing as I knew I would not feel like standing for long periods post surgery. I also needed to wash and freshen up my fall to winter wardrobe.

On Wednesday, October 17th I decided that this would be a good day to attempt to continue mowing the fields and yard. It is still somewhat overgrown due to the continuous break down of the lawn mower all summer. I was thrilled to get the large meadow almost done when...that darn mower!! I had a flat tire and as I slowly rolled back towards the garden shed, the wheel rolled up into a ball and nearly came off the rim! Gurrr!! “I am so sick of having problems with this mower”, I shouted to myself. I had to wait several days till Beth could get a chance to come over and show me how to get the darn tire off. I have never done that before...although it looks like I soon shall be well versed in caring for a mower.
I took the flat tire to the tire store and as the gentleman was assessing it to see if it was in good enough condition for repairing, even I could tell that the tire was dry rotted. I concluded that if one tire was dry rotted then probably the other one was as well.
“Please order me two new tires, Sir”, I said while thinking to myself, “You won't trip me up again with worn out and flat tires you old mower”.
Several days later the tires were home and I proudly mounted them, all by myself and prepared to start the mower and continue my mowing. The engine cranked just fine...I engaged the gas pedal....no movement. I checked to be sure no hand break was on...no movement. “Oh, no” I loudly moaned, “What now”???
Luckily Woody and crew were working at the shed and came to my rescue. Evidently Beth and I had lost the tiny square bar that fits onto the shaft of the wheel and allows the wheel to engage and turn. Neither of us even knew of the existence of such a thing!
Several more days pass before I got the piece needed to fix the problem. Ha, I bought 4 of them so that if one ever gets lost again, I am prepared!! Finally, I am able to mow again!

October 4th Posting...

Will try to do another ‘catch-up’ dear readers as the days just continue to whiz by so quickly that I blink and a fortnight has passed. Activities continue at a hectic pace here at the Cottage and what I would give for a quite morning to eat breakfast and just go back to bed!! Ah well, at least progress is occurring.

I don’t think I have posted a photo of my downstairs bedroom since I cleaned and set up the antique spindle bed I am now using. The bed appears to be made of walnut and is in lovely condition. I gave it a good scrub with soap, water and added a small dash of bleach to disinfect it; then worked in a coat of French wax and finished off with hand polishing. The wood shines nicely now and is so smooth to the touch. I have had difficulty becoming accustomed to sleeping in this bed and downstairs in general. Ms. Olivia, the cat, has attempted to buddy up with me for several nights and repeatedly awakened me. A quick toss off to the floor and she has learned that Momma doesn’t care for a bed buddy. The color of the bedroom walls is called Lantern Gold by Porter Paint Company. The longer I look at it the better I like it. It is a mid-range tone with lots of umber added to the yellow. I like to think that it is the color of light one might see if gazing at and antique gas street light in London through glass dimmed with soot from many years, a warm and cozy yellow.

I am still transporting boxes, stacks of books, and bags of needlework projects from the old Studio upstairs. I am quite appalled at how much I have accumulated over the years now that the supplies are confined to one area and not dotted all over the Cottage. It has been somewhat like Christmas, finding things I had forgotten or rediscovering a ‘work in progress’ I really wanted to finish. I suppose my prayers at night must be amended to ask that I live long enough to use up the things in my stash. Surely...Ha Ha...I will have no need to buy anything else!! Note how Fritz and Olivia want to 'help' me organize.

Dear Mother, knowing how many things I have on my plate already, thoughtfully engaged a painter to paint the back hallway and guest bath area. I honestly wanted to do it, but the day is not long enough nor my stamina great enough to do all that I want to accomplish. The painter is doing an excellent job. His work reflects our wish for a quality job not a hasty one. I confess as the walls are finished I am beginning to entertain thoughts of what mirror could hang here and don’t I have a picture that would be stunning positioned on that wall. Soon, Darlene, soon.

My carpenter friend, Woody, and crew have returned for several days of exterior work on the Garden shed again. The siding is on, new windows installed and a 48 inch door added to the rear of the building so that I can drive my riding mower inside for safe keeping. I do hope he can soon come and finish the electrical wiring so that drywall can go up and I can replace all the contents of the shed before winter. Our region is still in desperate need for rain. The Atlanta water supply is dwindling severely and authorities declare that all that remains is a 3 month supply for the region. The Atlanta area has had only ½ the average amount of rainfall that we usually receive. I am so grateful I have my deep drilled well as a back up water supply.

Thanks Be That Tomorrow is Sunday!!

Another frenetic Saturday for me. I expected workmen today so I was up, dressed and fed by 8:00 am. Woody and his crew rolled up to continue working on the remodel of the garden shed. Today they began running the Hardee Board siding on the exterior of the building.

A bit later the gentleman who had installed our gutters came with two Latino workers and they began digging the trenches to lay corrugated piping to direct rain water away from the house. The ground must have been soft as the digging seemed to go quickly for them. The pipes were installed, covered with dirt, smoothed, grass seed sown and straw sprinkled on. A good watering in and the job was done; no more mini pond-like areas near the foundation of the Cottage. Mother padded around supervising the efforts to be sure the job was done properly. I am so grateful that she doesn’t mind wrangling with workmen if need be. I usually just fix the mess as best I can when they are gone and say nothing...which I know is wrong on my part, but it is hard for me to criticize.

When Mother could not get online this morning I began a session with the computer trying to ascertain what was wrong...until I picked up the phone to call for assistance with the problem. No dial tone. I did not think any of our phone lines were buried underground and I guess when the workmen were digging the trenches a line was severed. Rats, no one will be coming until Monday to repair the problem so we are without a computer or phone till then. Maybe I can actually get a little rest!! Hee Hee.

I gathered up all the recyclables and newspapers and took them to the collection point. Next I stopped by the post office to mail a letter for Mother. Then my activities took me to Office Depot where I found the re-fills for our calendars for 2008 and some other office supplies needed to outfit the Craft room. I picked up a few more rollers for the painter and spied some onions plants in the garden area of Home Depot. Next I went to the dreaded Wally World on a Saturday morning...what was I thinking!! Stocked up on long term items and purchased milk and bananas...it has become a joke at the Cottage that when I ask Mom what she wants from the store, her reply is always, “Milk and bananas.” She eats cereal with bananas ever morning.

It was nearly 2 pm by the time I got home, unloaded and stowed away our provisions. I ate a quick salad for lunch while watching Mission Organization on HGTV and then did a bit of housework. I still need to run out to the video store to return several DVD’s rented. Maybe with the phone out of order tomorrow will be a quite day with few demands on me or Mom, a day for lounging and rest.

Repairs on the Garden Shed Resume...

Woody and his crew of three came early today, Friday, September 21st to work on the Garden shed. Handyman had sort of left it in a mess and all of my shelves and items in storage have been sitting in the back of the shed area covered in huge tarps. I really need to get these things out of the weather before winter. Thankfully my dear friend, Woody, is squeezing me in between another major construction job he has. How grateful I am for good friends!

The youngest man made quick work of tearing out the damaged wall board from the interior of the building and piling it up to be hauled away. Termite damage and obsolete wall openings were repaired and studded in and sheathing applied. Pop, pop, pop was the sound of the hammers as heavy waterproof felt was applied to the exterior and new openings created for the addition of windows to let natural light in. The poor dears had to use the weed whacker to knock down the tall grass around the shed to be able to get close enough to the foundation to work. Thank goodness the mower is home again and I can resume mowing. I don’t know how I shall get it back under control, but will do my best.

Sunday, September 23rd I began sorting through boxes of brads, buttons, eyelets, charms and other small scrapbook embellishments which had been stored in multi locations. Now I have all of one type of item in one place so I can see what supplies I do own. Idea books grouped together, adhesives in one drawer...I could go on and on. How nice it will be to isolate each type of supply where things won’t be jumbled together.

Later that afternoon Beth came over and we retired to the Living Room and spent the evening chatting and stitching on our needlework for several hours. Playing the good hostess, I served crisp mozzarella cheese sticks with Marinara dipping sauce and icy Pina’ Colada’s for light refreshment. Beth and I are looking forward to long evenings by the fire soon. I made a mental note to give the lounge a good clean-up in the next few days to ready it for our winter evening stitching marathons.

Monday, September 24th I had an appointment with my Internist for a routine check up. I also brought a pre-op order from Dr. Spivey, in Vidalia, for blood work and an EKG.
Dr. Hall is so nice, he really treats one as a person and doesn’t rush in and out, but allows time for a visit to ‘know’ his patients on a personal level, as people and not just another set of symptoms to treat. I am so grateful to have him as my Doctor.

It makes for an interesting tidbit to share how I was able to become a patient of his. In the last months of my deceased spouse’s life, Dr. Hall supervised his care. He was tender, friendly and most of all honest with Bill and me about his prognosis. When the time came and Bill went into Hospice, Dr. Hall saw to it that Bill was always comfortable and pain free. He didn’t ‘just give’ up on treating Bill, rather he saw to it that life prolonging treatments of little benefit weren’t done. This allowed Bill to die with dignity and not stretch out his life until he was no longer who he was to the family. This impressed me no little amount, as a nurse I was grateful for his honesty and it gave Bill and I courage to face what must pass.

Several months after Bill’s death I knew I was getting to the age where I really needed a stable relationship with a physician in case something should happen to me and a doctor to “see me out”, as Mother so aptly phrases it. I called his office for a routine physical and the scheduling nurse said that Dr. Hall was not accepting new patients. For a moment I was very disappointed. Then I bravely interjected, “Dr. Hall cared for my husband until he died recently. Doesn’t that open up an empty spot that I might fill?”
“One moment, please. I’ll check with Dr. Hall on your request.”
I knew that my comments might have seemed forward or grasping, but I really needed a physician I could count on to be there for me. When the nurse returned she reported that Dr. Hall would be delighted to take me on as his ward and she promptly arranged for a visit. Dr. Hall was also willing to see Mother when she relocated down here and she adores him. I am so blessed to have the services of such a kind man to care for Mother and me.

Slow and Steady Progress...

Another busy week here at the Cottage, Mother is a very good coordinator and has scheduled many needed repairs and updates to the Cottage this week. I have been used to postponing things due to time and money constraints, how nice it is to see ‘real’ needs being fulfilled.

Mother engaged a painter to decorate the back entrance hall. It certainly was difficult for us to decide on a color choice, but we both finally agreed on our selection of Porter Paint White Gold for above the bead board and Willow Gold semi-gloss for the trim and bead board. These colors have just a hint of umber and green in them and look warm and welcoming in our back hallway. Doors and moldings will have a coat of White Umber which looks just like marshmallow crème, so smooth and glossy white. Mother’s only instruction to the painter was that he takes his time, as we desired quality work not speed. This area is essentially new construction so requires additional prep work as well as the finish paint.

So off I went Tuesday, September 18th to the local paint store and purchased gallons and gallons of paint. The hallway is approximately 30 feet in total. Next I stopped and bought dog food for Fritz from the Vet’s office. Fritz has a sensitive stomach and we have to watch what he eats or he will be sick, poor dear. I ordered an extra case of food scheduled for delivery next week as I know I need to stock up on as many staples as possible for my recovery period when it will be difficult for me to get out.

I am still working on transporting all my needlework and scrapbooking supplies down and into my new Craft room. Every trip up the stairs I bring down an armful of things. I have posted photos of the wall of shelves and basket drawers that will define the scrapbook area. It seems to me that the way the organizers do on Mission Organization is to set aside one wall or area for “one” purpose alone. So I won’t mix sewing supplies with scrapbook things and hopefully there will be room for everything. Honestly, I don’t know how I accumulated so much!! But I guess when you buy a bit here and a bit there over years...it does mount up. I should much more like to see albums filled with photos, journaling, and artistic embellishments than have great quantities of supplies just sitting gathering dust. And I have dreams of the hallway walls being covered with framed samplers and other counted thread designs rather that linen and graphs stored in every nook and cranny. Live in hope, as Mom says.

The broken water pump has now been repaired on the washing machine, but the machine doesn’t wring the laundry as dry as it had previously, so I guess we are in for further diagnostics or a trip to purchase a new one. Why does it seem that everything breaks down at the same time?

What a chaotic morning Thursday, Sept 20th was; the clang of the ladder being positioned in the hallway, sanding of the walls, woodwork and exterior porch railings for painting, dust flying everywhere in the Cottage rooms and the sickly sweet smell of paint. Yuck, but it must be done.

We also were blessed with the stump grinding man and helper arriving. “Yip, Yip, Yip”,
barked Fritz as they pulled their heavy equipment into the yard. The grinder soon made short work of the enormous stump left from taking down the old oak tree, but what lovely mulch I shall have for the garden. The man also ground up 64 other small to medium stumps that Handyman had left during clearing overgrown areas last fall. Progress!!

Water Run-Off Problems Solved!!

This week the workmen came and put on the ‘never clean again’ gutters, the brand we decided on were the Gutter Helmet brand. The Cottage has really needed gutters for many years. In the past, when I had a downpour the water running off the roof sections onto the deck area looks like I have my own mini Niagara Falls! I have had to replace the sub floor in the back entrance due to water running in under the door! Needless to say I am thrilled to have this problem solved.
A group of 8 workmen fabricated the gutters on site. My job was a bit more involved that an average one as there was so many turns and angles whilst traveling around the gazebo on the front porch. The color Mom and I chose blended in with the house color near perfectly. We were delighted, the Cottage is looking quite elegant if I do say so myself.
Mother and I anxiously awaited our first shower after the installation was complete and were like excited children running from window to door to see the rivulets streaming out of the downspouts and onto the soil. Mom immediately decided that trenches would need to be dug and flexible piping installed to direct the run off far away from the Cottage’s foundation.