You're Not The Boss of Me

We love our cat Cinders but sometimes he can be a bit, shall we say "pushy" ? About 4 years ago my sister told me about this cute little black kitten that just showed up on her farm one day. She said "it's the cutest little thing and it loves to hang out with our chickens".
We weren't really planning on another cat, because we already had two.
Our youngest daughter didn't bond very well with the kitten she got when she was a toddler, I'm guessing it probably had something to do with her "loving" it too much every time it was within reach.

I told my girls about the "chicken kitten" knowing that .. A- they'd think it was soooo sweet and B-we would bring it home.
I took the girls down for the annual hayride & chili supper at my sister's farm, with the possibility of bringing home a new addition.
My hubby was totally against this idea, just like he is my constant rearranging of the furniture, but he wasn't with us and how could we say no ?
We walked over to the chicken coop and sure enough there was the sweetest little black kitten ever amongst the chickens.

He just melted our hearts right away !
Once daughter #2 seen that kitten she scooped him up and never put him down.
 He even went on the hayride !
My hubby even fell in love, although he was against it...or so he says.
 Our other 2 cats however were not amused, to this day they just coexist in the same house.
It's not that Cinders isn't a lover, he's just pushy !
He has to be first for everything, food ,water,treats, petting, brushing.
He even has to be first just walking through the house, I feel like I am constantly in a "Cat Parade".

When you try to move him aside he gets a wee bit testy about it.
But the one thing about him that's so amazing, he loves to fetch and volleyball his toy mouse.
This is where he and my hubby have bonded so tightly, they had too since they are out numbered by females.

We love Cinders, even if he thinks he's the boss of this house.

To Flea or Not to Flea ?

Soooo, I had this bright idea last week to gather up all of my older inventory and head on up to the flea market. It's been several years since my last stint and I figured that a little extra cash wouldn't hurt. Once I got all the merchandise loaded, I then had to cram in 2 tables and an EZ-up. Let me tell ya' folks, there's nothing EZ about putting it up. I can get the darned thing all stretched out fine, it's just snapping those upper corner brackets into place that make me crazy ! I also had to gather up bags, a notebook and a calculator...I'm mathematically challenged so don't judge. Get a good night's sleep because if you want a decent spot you'll have to get up before the rooster crows. I think I rolled out of bed around 7:30 am and after all the typical morning hub-bub of getting dressed, make up and coffee making ,it was time to go. Nowadays getting there early isn't a factor, it's trying to find a spot that's not already reserved...REALLY ? Half of those folks don't even show up , how fair is that ? After arriving,searching with bad eyes for an unclaimed spot, and finally setting up, all there was left to do was drink my coffee and wait... Wait for the candle lovers to come rushing my way, over-turning tables and pushing each other out of the way to get their favorite scents from their favorite candle lady and buying hundreds of dollars worth of beautiful hand crafted waxed goods...oh wait, that's just my fantasy ! But instead I waited and waited and waited and zzzzzzzzz.... The entire morning was filled with lookie loos,be backs and guys looking for tools. If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone tell me that "they have so many candles already and they don't know what to do with them", well I wouldn't have to ever do the flea market again...ever ! After 4 hours of fun and folly I decided to pack it up and head home. I didn't quite break the bank but I did manage to sell a few treasures and have a little something for the coin purse.This whole experience has proved to me that trade shows,consignment and wholesale accounts have completely spoiled me rotten.

Lazy Days of Summer ?

Whoever came up with that phrase obviously didn't own a home, let alone have much of a life . I guess if I didn't like to landscape they way I do by rescuing other folks trash from the landfills I could have some lazy days myself. But that's not going to happen anytime soon. I love my garden junk !!! Every spring I will lovingly drag out every issue of Country Living Gardener and peruse each page, making notes of what I would really love to do and what I can afford to do with my yard. Then after painstakingly crossing off all those "extras" , I have a somewhat manageable "to-do" list. I've been blessed with the ability to do a lot of "free-cycling" this year . Bricks and stone from my sister's farm, random places along country roads and huge stones & gravel from a lovely neighbor. This year I have finally tackled the yard directly in front of my porch. Once upon a time there was a large maple tree, green grass & lots of overgrown post-war shrubs, I suppose lovingly planted by the former owner & most likely war bride of her day. Fast forward to 1998...the poor tree was dead and barely clinging to life, but it's roots were costing us a fortune in drain cleaning service calls. I think the fairies who once lived there packed up and headed for better living quarters because my daughter could never seem to find them. Once the tree was removed (thank you AEP man) we were faced with another challenge...removal of the shrubs. If you have ever had to deal with these puppies, you know it ain't no picnic. So with the help of my husband,a neighbor,a large chain and a pickup truck they were swiftly dealt with. Yay a blank canvas..not quite, first I had to kill all of the grass. With the help of some super duper fast acting Roundup, the job was complete. You should've seen the look on people's faces when they passed by our home...Priceless ! After several years of small raised beds, yards and yards of mulch & weed fabric and an ever changing stage of cast away treasures from someone else's home I do believe I have finally created a garden setting worthy of a country magazine photo shoot,even if it's just a small one .