Oh The Irony Of This Photo...

A canine tethered to a fire hydrant...

Please, somebody handcuff me to the Cappuccino machine at Starbucks!

I Ate A Bean And I Liked It...

Deep fried string beans to be exact!

And of all places, my experience was in the cafeteria of the newly constructed Chatham County Hospital. No, I'm not in the hospital. I was there for a Business After Hours event held through our local chamber of commerce - the hospital was this months host.

Of course I was leery about eating "hospital food". I mean, we ALL know the reputation there. But then I remembered...wait, I live in the south! I think it'll be worth the risk!

And like Paula Deen says, "In the south, if we deep fry it and put butter on it, you can eat anything!"


Amen sista'! Amen!

We Have Lift Off!

I think all would agree that our maiden book club meeting was a success! There were 9 lovely ladies in attendance! I think that's a GREAT turnout!

We chatted about our likes and dislikes when it comes to books, agreed on what we didn't want to read as a group (can we say "romance novels") and put some guidelines in place so we, hopefully, won't be all over the board.

Here's our first selection..."Water for Elephants"

*Be careful book club members if you link to the site above. It includes VERY detailed info on the book and it may just spoil it for you!

We're allowing ourselves about a month for each read.

Excuse me while I grab my second cuppa', my favorite blanket and, oh yeah, a fat cat!

Everyone Loves A Parade

Due to the poor weather the weekend of March 14th, like most all of the parades around town, the Raleigh St. Patrick's Day Parade was rescheduled and took place this past Saturday.

What a great way for three buds to spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

Here we are...that's Linda on the left, me in the middle and Cathy on the right.



There were bagpipe players/performers...


Unknowing spectators (what is it about parades and sporting events that make us, well, weird?)

People of all ages enjoying a ride in the caboose...


Very large Irish Wolfhounds wearing teeny, tiny hats...

River dancers in the making...

And men falling from that unmistakable Carolina blue sky (now that was something to see!).

Believe me when I tell you, you don't need to be Irish to enjoy a good St. Patty's Day Parade!!

Central NC's Version of American Idol (?)

Do you think you can live somewhere and discover everything about your town, city, county, state? I'm telling you this for free, people, this place is like a treasure hunt!

Completely by accident I learned of the annual Fiddler's Convention that's held in North Moore County every year on the second Saturday in March. This year marked the 74th year for the competition. As luck would have it, my folks were in town that weekend and my dad is a HUGE bluegrass/country music fan. So, I made plans for us to cut our workday short last Saturday and head out to Robbins, NC to catch this "show". I always have a fear of the unkown, especially when I'm involving other people. This occassion was no different. During the drive to the North Moore High School where the event was to be held, I kept saying, "now, I've never been here before and I have no idea what to expect". "Don't worry about it - no problem" was their response. As we drove deeper into Chatham County and eventually through Lee County where the houses became further and further apart and we were miles from any intersection or place of business, my mom quietly asks from the back seat, "what do people DO out here?"

This is how they roll...

This little bitty is THREE YEARS OLD people! 3!

And see the little one there in the middle? Yep, mmm hmmm...she had her own back up band!

How brave is this child? Just her and her guitarist.

And this little girl? You're right, that's a "fiddle" under her arm. Not only did she sing but she "fiddled", too! About 6 years old...

Picture John & June Cash 50 years ago and you have this fine couple. They treated us to "I'm Goin' to Jackson"... where's the car? I'll go with you!

If I were as tech-savy as I think I am, I would have recorded these guys. The guy in the blue shirt did the best job on an Elvis song with the jirations of the legs and hips included!

And I'm guessing that a Fiddlers' Convention is not complete without cloggers.

"Nothing beats a trial but a failure." "You don't know unless you try." I'm not going to worry about venturing out here anymore. I have YET to be disappointed in anything I've tried or experienced in this place I call home.

My heart was warmed last Saturday night because it was reaffirmed to me that there's goodness and hope in this world. These musicians ranged in age from 3 years old to 92 years old, the majority of whom where high school and college age kids. God bless the parents and grandparents of these kids for instilling such good morals and values in their children. I heard "yes ma'am, thank you sir and I appreciate that" countless times. And I saw lots of hugging going on; hugging between the parents and the kids but, more importantly, the kids hugging each other.

Camo baseball caps and Skoal can rings in their back pockets...and the love of family, traditional bluegrass gospel music and God in their hearts.

Come visit me, won't you? My little corner of the world and I will show you an awfully good, clean time...

Have I told you lately, North Carolina, that I love you?

My Husband And I Had An Audience Last Night...

We ran a new route last night and apparently were the talk of the meadow! Some gave in to their curiosity and cautiously approached the fence. Most turned and ran to a safe distance where they looked back over their shoulders 'cause they couldn't resist the urge to see just what we were all about.

I think they're thinking, "why are those humans voluntarily running down the road - there's nothing chasing them...stupid humans!" ...(sometimes I think the very same thing...)

We're Cookin' With Gas

I think it's official...a little gathering of lovely ladies in Bear Creek, NC equals a circle of newly-made friends sharing their love of books!

My new blog buddy Karen and I will be hosting our first meeting next Wednesday where we hope to all get to know one another and lay a plan, albeit a flexible one, on how we'd like to pursue this new adventure!

Wish us luck and stay tuned for pics and critiques!

Books & Bovine

I've told you about the great area I live in and all there is to do within an hour of my house. I've also shared with you the perks of being a radio advertising sales rep. The two compliment one another perfectly!

Wednesday was my newly scheduled "weekly day out of the office/work on the road" day (we've had a change in station managers and, well, new procedures have ensued and that's okay by me). On my list of places to visit this week was Galloway Ridge. This life care retirement community sits on the grounds of Fearrington Village.


Trust me when I tell you... Fearrington Village is worth the trip.


First, you'll find my favorite independent book seller McIntyre's Fine Books. I could easily spend an entire day here...especially if it were a little dreary, maybe rainy or chilly enough for a fire...yeah...right there in one of those wing back chairs. I wonder if they'd mind if I wore my jammies? And the best thing about this tiny retailer is the staff. There are only 4 full time employees; extremely well-read employees. And they are always willing to share their opinions with you on their latest reads. Another great quality in the staff is that each one has different favorite genres of books so you can always find someone who's read what your inquiring about. The more I look at this picture and spend time in the bookstore, the more I'm considering foregoing my dining room and instead creating my own library...


And here is where the bovine portion of my post title comes into play. The cattle on Fearrington Farm are Belted Galloways...aka "the Oreo cows". They are a rare breed of Scottish beef cattle that were introduced to the US in the 1950's. Their sole purpose at Fearrington is to meet and greet and make you look twice. I have to admit, when I moved here 7 years ago and Mike and I passed them grazing in the front field I turned to my husband and said, "Um...did you notice anything different about those heifers?"


I could go on and on about Fearrington Village but I'll leave a little to your imagination (and your search browser here).

Oh, and one more treat you won't want to miss...


The Tennessee Fainting Goats. Be very careful not to startle them...

This little life of mine...is really rather entertaining!

*All photos courtesy of www.fearrington.com.

"We Had A Run In With The Law..."

"Call me when you can and I'll give you the details."

Believe me, that's not the voice mail message you want to hear on your telephone from your son or daughter. But that's exactly what I listened to on my cell phone after school Tuesday night.

I immediately returned Brandi's call only to get HER voice mail, on which I left a rather panicky message..."are bondsmen listed in the yellow pages? Call me back ASAP!"

It wasn't until yesterday morning that Bran and I connected and I got the full story. It seems that one of my "grand-cats" got a little out of control during her check-up and went Commando on Brandi's hand! (I should remind you that, fortunately, Bran works for a veterinarian and, up until Tuesday, had a great relationship with the doctor!). The bites were enough cause for concern that Dr. Jones sent Bran to have a Tetanus shot and, well, called the Animal Control office to "report the incident".

Later that same evening there was a knock at the door... and two "official-looking officers of animal law" stood ready to "take a report".

After documenting the "incident", the officials agreed that Free's sentence would be 10 days of house arrest (like she's a flight risk - pa-leeeze! Did they confiscate her passport, too?)...

I'm still wondering if the feds make an "ankle bracelet" small enough for a feline!

Can we say "jail bird"?

You're still Nan's fave, Free!!

Really ABC? Really?

I admit it, I'm a fan. I have been since the first muscle was pulled. But Season 8 is tarnishing my opinion and last night's kick off had me disinterested to the point I was washing the dinner dishes instead.

I can overlook the scantily-clad women. What I can't overlook is the glorification, promotion and possibly the enormous sum of money these individuals will gain who live, well, a rather...promiscuous life.


It's been written about Steve-O that he is "habitually naked" and "self-destructive" (and, if he hasn't already, will soon "celebrate" one year of sobriety...now for that he should be commended). He was the host of a reality show that I'm not even comfortable mentioning here...

And ABC invited "Lil' Kim", a "raunchy rapper" and former prison inmate, who had the gall to give a "shout out" to her girls in the pen...


And to top off the season of "stars", we have Holly Madison, a Playboy Bunny (and Hugh's fav I've heard).

Really ABC? Really?

This show COULD be decent entertainment when there's SO little to chose from. But not at this rate. What a complete disappointment last night.

The only saving grace is Shawn Johnson. I just hope her mom is within eyesight during every practice, rehearsal and performance and is the bane of ABC's existence when it comes to choosing this girl's costumes. Although, now that I'm writing this, I'd call into question mom's judgment on allowing her 17 year old to be part of such a questionable line up in the first place...

I think I'll just go play with the dog and not worry about it so much. Better yet, how 'bout I just turn off the boob tube?!

Oh No He Didn't...

Oh yes he did...

Maybe my dad should get out more often.

Mmm...on second thought, maybe not.

It's How We Roll

We take a break after the first of the year and then, starting in March, our calendar at Antioch Christian Church starts to fill up again.

We kicked off the year yesterday by hosting our annual "Pig Pickin'" I won't go into details, just remember, I live in the south where we have five seasons a year - the fifth being huntin' season...

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day - sunny and 78 degrees. This is primarily "the man's" event. They start cooking around 7:00 AM with supper about 5:00, when everyone else shows up with the "sides".

And while the guys pull, chop and season the pork...

...the rest of us wait

A School Girl's Update

Remember when I mentioned starting the CNA program at Central Carolina Community College here? Well, I finally snapped a photo or two of the class "involved" in a lab.

Working on blood pressure skills...

Taking advantage of some extra book time...

Gotta' get that cuff in just the right spot...

And the instructor...Mr. Sandy Muse

I'm happy to report that the class has warmed up to Sandy nicely. And while I still don't agree with his teaching method, he is easy to follow, receptive to all questions - not making you feel like you've asked a "stupid" one and genuinely wants us all to "get it" and succeed. I appreciate those qualities in a teacher... toothless or not.

A Boy And His Dog

(Michael & Sadie 3-09)

"She is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are her life, her love, her leader. She will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of her heart. You owe it to her to be worthy of such devotion." - Unknown