Ghost!!!!! or Not!!!!



Lady outside the museum



Soldier in his uniform...on the right

I don't believe in ghost...do you?  I have seen all kinds of shows on TV where the people spend the night in so called haunted places and they come up with pictures of ghosts and all.  They are fun to watch.  Well, the funny character who owned the Civil War Museum had these so called ghost finders come and look for ghosts.  There are tons of Civil War books out there claiming the ghosts of that time.  I even have one.  A book, not a ghost, even though sometimes we think Mom has been in the house because a light is on and we didn't turn it on or something else weird has happened.  Oh, yeah!  I said I don't believe in ghosts.  I forgot.  Any ways, there are two or three pictures of these so called ghosts that these people took, the night they were there to look for Civil War ghosts.  There is a ridge out front of the Bed and Breakfast where it was said that a bunch of soldiers where buried.  The man said they had experts come to confirm the notion.  They brought all kinds of things to test the soil and even brought cadaver dogs in. They confirmed it, even though there wouldn't be any bones left from that long ago. 

It sure was an interesting day and we only set out to go find some apples.  Ya never know what we will end up doing in a day around here. 

Bed and Breakfast



150 year old carriages



Front of the B n B



Back of the B n B



Dinning room made from the dog trot





Living room



One of the upstairs bedrooms

Not only did the man own the fun Civil War Museum, he owned a log cabin Bed and Breakfast.  He gave us a tour.  He had taken the whole thing apart to move it to his land and then put it all back together again.  He said he numbered all the parts with a magic marker....ha.  I tell ya!..he was a character!!  He pointed out the Bed and Breakfast sign over one of the doors where it said " you make both".  He said he puts all the food for breakfast in the refrigerator and you make your own.  You also make your own bed.  It was really cute inside and would be really fun to stay there one winter night so you could use the huge fire place.  

Married Trees



Chuck looking at the married trees



It was a short hike, but a pretty one.  There were signs where the soldiers had their gun pits.  It was really neat to think, while we were walking that the Civil War was actually fought right there.  When the guy who told us to go find the "married trees" I thought he was talking about some trees where the people got married during the war or something....ha.  It was two trees that had grown together.  Pretty neat to see. 

Civil War Museum



Toilet saddles



Chuck checking out the old guns



On the way home from the apple orchard, we decided to stop at the Civil War museum that we have passed the sign for at least 100 times.  It is owned by this man who moved from ...get this!...Lakeland Florida, thirty years ago.  (he said he has never been back and plans to never go... that he doesn't miss it at all.) This guy was a real character!!  He told us all about everything in the museum and insisted that we touch things and play with the guns.  He put hats on Chuck and I and handed us each a gun so he could take pictures of us.  I have to admit, he made the museum fun.  He had a row of saddles that were used by the soldiers.  He called them " toilet saddles".  They had holes in the front of them so the soldiers didn't have to get off their horses to relieve themselves.  The poor horses...ha!  After telling us all about everything in the museum, he told us to walk down the road and take the path down by the stream.  There were markers where the fighting had been.  So, off we went for our little hike. 

It's Apple Time!!

It's "apple time" again.  Time to go to the orchard and get enough apples to make my annual batch of apple butter and have some to eat.  I love that crisp, crunchy sweet, sometimes sour apple!!  You can't get those in the stores.  There is one thing I hate.  A mushy apple!  I love seeing the apples on the trees.  Having grown up with oranges and grapefruit on trees in my yard, they do nothing for me, but to see pretty apples just hanging on the branches, makes me want to pick them. We went to Steele's Orchard this year.  The lady was super sweet.  She peeled and cut up just about every kind of apple they had, so we could taste them all.  We ended up getting a bag of "granny smiths" for the apple butter and a kind that I had never heard of... "Mutsu".  They are crunchy and sweet. I can't wait to have the smell of apple butter cooking in my kitchen.  I just love Fall with the changing of the leaves, the cooler weather and that it's "apple time"!  

Lazy Kitties



Annabelle on her quilt



Marmalade claims the chase



George in his kitty house

It was a beautiful Fall afternoon and all the kitties were enjoying their cat naps in the nice cool weather.  Annabelle thinks that I put the quilt on the porch bed just for her to sleep on.  If there is a quilt laying around, a cat will find it, believe me.  Marmalade has claimed all the chases in the whole house.  I have to put towels down on them all so he doesn't get them dirty.  Even though he's an indoor kitty, he sure does get dirty for some reason.  Of course he lives on the screen porch when he can so I guess he's getting dirty from the floor out there.  You know it's cool outside, when Fat George gets in his house for a nap.  I keep telling him how lucky he is that he picked us to adopt.  What other stray kitty has a warm, insulated house with a fleece blanket to keep him warm. Not to mention the hand warmers I put in his house for him to lay on in the cold winter.  He gets fed twice a day and gets rocked by me in the porch rocking chairs.  Spoiled rotten much? Yep!!!  All our kitties are!

Not So Odd Chairs

We've been collecting odd chairs for the back porch table, but they ended up not being so odd after all.  We found two that matched and two that are the same style.  We were just lucky in finding them one at a time.  It didn't take me to long to get them painted in the signature color...blue!  They turned out pretty and gives the back porch some color. 

A Surprise Visit!



A Guten Appetit  Dinner





Enjoying the fire pit for the first time.



George the Amish!



A nice dinner out at the local steakhouse.



A walk to the garden





Getting ready to leave :-(



A wave good bye.



We got a phone call Wed. afternoon.  It was Christina and George.  They were in Tennessee, on their way home from a short stay in the mountains of North Carolina.  They wanted to know if they should take I75 home or to come over and see us for a couple of days.  Well, you know that answer to that question!  So, on Thursday afternoon, they drove up our drive way for a short stay. Christina had been here summer before last but this was George's first time to Brambly Pines.  Now, he will know what things look like, when we talk about it all and he reads the blog.  We had a very nice visit, walking around the land and showing George our little hometown, Moulton.  We went out to dinner at the steakhouse and enjoyed our first fire in the fire pit.  Before we knew it, it was time for them to load up the car, wash the windshield and head for home.  It's a long, tiring drive to Florida, so they did it in two days.  I was so glad to get the phone call last night that they were home safe and sound but so, so glad that they came! 

Welcome!

When we were cleaning an area of the barn, I came across this sign that I had made ( for free) last year and decided it needed to be in the median of the drive way, so people would see it as they drove up to the house.  It took a walk to the mailbox to figure out where I wanted to put it though.  I tried several spots along the drive way but just didn't like it there. The last spot I tried, I liked.  So, if you come for a visit, make sure you look in the median as you drive up to the house!  

A Little of Fall



My pumpkin, I grew!!



I LOVE Fall!!!!  The nice cool weather, the colors of the trees, the using of the fire pit and the changing out your closet. After a long hot summer and working in the yard and garden, it's time to put everything to bed for the winter.  When you store your winter clothes in the basement for the summer, it's so much fun to dig them out and arrange them in your closet.  You forget what you have and it's like getting all new clothes.  It's so much fun living where there are four seasons.