See you soon!

The farmland is heavenly and the rain on the tin roof sings a beautiful lullaby to a tired soul.  It is a place where stars are not muted by street lights, the only bouncer needed is a cat named Moses and if you look close enough, you can see a deep South version of Middle Earth's Tree Beard.  It made me long for the time when my hometown wasn't filled with me first attitudes, road rage and the aroma of asphalt.  It was a reminder that to find true peace, we need only to simplify.

Chloe Tuttle, the innkeeper, is one of the most delightful people we've met in a long time.  She seems to have boundless energy and a joyous sense of humor.  You can see what I mean if you take a peek at Chloe's blog.  

And now it's time for the embarrassing incident report:

Yes, it is yet more proof that I am my mother's daughter!  Robert and I were taking a stroll around the farm so he could take pictures.  We stoped so he could get a picture of the Southern Tree Beards.  We all know that, if I stand still for more than a minute, I fall over.  So, I decided to lean on the fence.  I heard a "this is gonna hurt" crackling sound.  The next thing I knew, I was yelling "Oh Shit" with my body folded in half over the remnants of the lovely white fence.  A few of the other guests were peering out their room windows...I just know it!!!  Nothing like being the day's entertainment.

I had only met this woman a few hours earlier.  How in the hell am I going to tell her I broke her fence??  Embarrassed but knowing I had no choice,  we found Chloe and I told her I fell through the fence. It was at this point I knew she had to be a long lost family member.  She looked at us and said...

"It's not supposed to be THAT rotten!"

These words were priceless and worth every embarrassing detail. 

We went the next day and bought the wood to repair the fence.  Peep got to play pick-up truck and Robert and I got to play Tom Sawyer.  It's the simple things that bring the biggest smiles.

We had a wonderful time there and hope to return sometime soon.  If you visit Big Mill, and I hope you do, remember to simplify and don't pass up the chance to taste Chloe's prize winning strawberry jam! 

No phony Paula Dean crap will be accepted!  While I don't dislike Paula, I have heard her talk in a normal tone and the display you get on Food Network isn't it.  My mother watched her on a talk show a few months ago and, when she caught herself not being quite Southern enough, she said "y'all" for no apparent reason.   To all who don't know...we don't all talk like that!  There is such a thing as a beautiful Southern drawl.

 Please don't accuse me of being anti-North.  I am married to a wonderful man from New Jersey and wouldn't have it any other way.   I know what a knish is and I love them.  My husband has taught me the difference between real Italian food and psuedo Italian.  He's shown me the joys of Rut's Hut and a great diner.  He's taught me not to wander around New York looking up (it's hard to do because the buildings are beautiful) and not to be offended when no one smiles at me.  Not everyone up North is loud and abrasive and if they are, it isn't personal.  They have lovely neighborhoods and great neighbors (not everyone lives in the city).  There's something to be said for being able to get whatever you want at almost any hour.  And last but not least...there are Yankee REDNECKS!  I've seen them!

Although he's from Jersey, he understands I like my tea sweet, my tomatoes home grown, my potato salad with mustard and my green beans cooked.  I'm happy to share it with you you but if you don't like it, don't tell me how it's "supposed" to be cooked. He knows what grits are and he likes them.  He accepts that I eat snow cream, I can live without a deli and he surely tires of hearing me say I wish they'd leave the trees alone.

My rant is nothing more that a longing for the things I grew up enjoying.  The beautiful scenery is disappearing as folks sell family farms to real estate developers.  The slow Southern drawl dies away as our home towns become the new places to move for those who think they want to leave the hustle and bustle.  Even my husband said he came down here to get away from all that.  The problem is the hustle and bustle comes with them.   If you move here, remember... just because we don't have what you're used to, it doesn't mean we NEED it!

OK, y'all I'm done now.  Nite!

I wish I could understand why I find vampires so intriguing. People often talk about the romanticism of death but, from my own experience, there is nothing romantic about death. It has a sound, a smell and a visual that is anything but silken and beautiful. It is stomach-churning, painful and greedy. So, it can't be the idea of the walking dead. It must be tied to the extraordinary power and the ability to control another so effortlessly. The fascination could be the fluid motion and the graceful speech that always seems to accompany such characters or maybe it's the idea of being able to exist in so many different lifetimes.

I don't know the reason but I do know that, even as an adult, the stories still fascinate me and this one is certainly no exception.  So far, the first book is my favorite but I still have two to go.  I'm almost afraid to watch the movie because I don't want it to ruin what I've imagined Edward Cullen to be.

I wish I had the skill to produce such a great story.  It would be so much fun!

Meet DUFF

the number one cause of injury, sleeplessness and nervous breakdown in the Menzies household. 

It has been a long while since there has been a 3 month old, floppy-eared ball of fur in this house.  We are most definitely out of practice.  God willing, we won't be out of patience.  On the bright side, he is very loving and a quick learner.  Hopefully this stage won't last too long.  Freckles is running out of fur on the backs of her legs.  Our apologies to Her Royal Highness.  We hope she still loves us.

Say a prayer for us all!  :)

I was on Facebook and found another joy for a creative day. Did you like to color as a kid? Take a look at this...

http://www.womenscoloringbooks.com/Welcome.html

We don't have to stop just because we think we're too old.  This reminded me that my mother used to color some of the most beautiful pictures I'd ever seen.  I can't think of a better stress reliever!

Do something nice for yourself or for someone else and...

Have a great weekend!

Then, of course, there's the one thing that pisses off all the Northerners and Mid-Westerners. YES, the schools close as do most of the businesses. Get over it!

I may not have children but if I did, I certainly wouldn't want them riding on a school bus in the ice and snow.  All those that swear they know how to drive in it DON'T KNOW HOW.

I was reading another blog and a woman from Ohio, who currently resides here, was bitching because everything closed. You got the usual..."We NEVER closed school for snow!" Then it was"YAAAY OHIO" or something like that. All that came to my mind was, if you love Ohio so much, why are you here??? I'm sure they would love to have you back.

I think I'll go put a big bowl outside to catch some snow.  Snow cream has no calories...Heather said so!

I have never been able to pass up the runt of the litter.  Tiny is no exception; that is until my husband reminded me that Freckles, Queen of the Household, would make little Tiny squeak once and then wonder why her new toy was broken. 

*Sigh* but Tiny's soooo cute!