Hot Air Balloon Festival Again

I liked this one for Memorial Day !

A couple of the pilots

Blowing it up!

I know!!  I can't believe that I got to go to the Hot Air Balloon Festival this year.  I missed it last year since I was in Florida to surprise Shell for her birthday.  I think it's my favorite festival around here.  I love watching them blow the balloons up and all the pretty colors they are.  There is a craft show in one area and our " iron works" neighbors are always there.  We hadn't seen them in awhile so we got caught up on things besides buying a new sign for Brambly Pines.  After visiting, Chuck and I walked over to the field where they were blowing up the balloons.  Chuck carried my fold up chair so I could rest when I needed too.  After walking across the field and taking pictures of all of the balloons, I needed a small rest before heading back to the explorer.  Chuck put my chair right next to one of the balloons.  It was like being in a movie or a book...looking up into the sky and seeing all the colors and magical balloons.  I kept thinking how lucky I was to sit in such a pretty setting.  I hated to get up and leave such a pretty place, but it was time to walk across the field and parking lot again.  We had a laugh on the walk back.  One of the balloons had taken off and ended up landing in the parking lot.  It was a wonder it didn't come down on a car or someone.  Then, when we got to the craft show area again, there was the Pepsi balloon with in just a few feet from Dave and Melanie's iron works booth.  We may not have been able to stay until after dark to see the balloon glow ( where they all light up the balloons at one time) but I felt really lucky that I did so well to walk so far to be among the balloons after having my surgery just 1 1 /2 weeks ago.  We stopped in town for dinner and as soon as we got home, I was laying on the couch and didn't even stay awake an hour.   Chuck woke me up and I went to bed and slept the whole night.  All that walking was good for me.  This morning, I even feel better than I have.  Will take it easy today though and will enjoy all my pretty balloon pictures.

Wild Flowers

Remember when Chuck planted the two bags of wild flower seeds down by the fire pit area and I picked pretty flowers for my table all summer long, last year?  Well, guess what!!  Beautiful yellow cosmos and some kind of pretty blue flowers all came up again this year.  The first trip down to the garden last week, I turned the corner to the fire pit area and said " WOW!"  Such a pretty, bright yellow spot.  I sure hope they last a long time because it's one of my favorite places to walk to now.

My Walks Around the Yard

Each day I have been taking my daily walks around the yard.  Each day, I've been able to walk farther.  I think I'm on my way to recovery, for sure.  The problem is going to be that I feel really good and will forget that I can't bend over, squat, pull on anything  or pick up anything that is heavy.  The thing that I miss the most that I can't do, is water my plants with the hose...too much tugging.  Mean while, I'm enjoying all my pretty flowers as I take my daily walks.  I feel so lucky that I am able to grow so many different things that I couldn't grow in Florida.  It makes working in the yard fun!

Another Surprise!

As I was out on my daily walk around the yard, Chuck was watering and I had just finished tending to the climbing roses ...dead heading them. I heard someone coming up the drive way.  Of course I was still in my night gown and panicked.  There was no way I could run to the front yard so just stopped to see who it was coming to the house.  It was a delivery van for one of the local florists in Moulton.  The lady got out and asked if I was Barbara Peterson and then she told Chuck that we had a beautiful place here.  At first she was afraid to drive back here...ha.  If you have never been to Brambly Pines before, you never know what to expect, I guess.  The lady handed Chuck the most beautiful bouquet of flowers ever!!!  I grabbed the card and read that they were from everyone in my book club.  They were my first friends in Alabama, three years ago. The sweetest ladies that you would ever want for your friends.  I feel so lucky to been able to move here and live the life I have now...even with the unexpected hard knocks that life gives you sometimes.

Among the Living

All my get well cards!

Flowers from sweet Andrea

Star of Bethlehem 

BFF quilt!!!

One of the " friends sayings"  

I'm BAAAAACK!!  I'm among the living again.  It was touch and go there for awhile.  The surgery and the stay in the hospital was rough, along with the first couple of days at home but then things started turning around.  The Dr told me that walking could be the best thing so I walked around the house, holding onto the walls and then I tried my strength with walking around the yard, holding onto Chuck of course.  As of yesterday, I was able to walk down to the garden and back without having to hold on.  Chuck says it's only about 1/8 of a mile down and back but it sure does feel like it's 8 miles all of a sudden.  I had a Drs. appointment six days after the surgery and she told me that I didn't look like I just had major surgery less than a week ago.  Well, that was because I had washed my hair and had make up on again...ha.  She said that my incisions ( all four of them) looked really good and everything seems to be in place where needed.  She didn't need to see me for another five weeks.
   It was so heart warming to find out how many wonderful friends that I have.  ...even before I had the surgery, Andrea brought me a pot of beautiful flowers.  One's I had never seen before.  They're called "Star of Bethlehem".  I'm hoping that I can plant them in my flower bed and I will be able to enjoy them again next Spring.  The evening that I got home from the hospital, here comes Andrea with enough food for dinner for the next two nights.  We didn't have to worry about dinner the next night either, because here came the BNOE with dinner and a little vase of pretty flowers.  I've had so many pretty "get well" cards, emails and phone calls.  I've never had so many friends in my life.  It really does help the hurt to go away when you have so many people that care about you.  When we moved, I left my BFF ( no it doesn't stand for best friend forever) in Florida.  We keep in touch so we are still very much involved with each other's lives.  When Elaine/Fred came up a couple weeks before my surgery, they brought me a present from Debbie and the instructions were not to open it until the day I came home from the hospital.  It was inside a beautiful lavender/blue fabric pillowcase.  I think I was home about an hour and settled in on the couch, when I had Chuck get my present.  When I opened it, I felt like I could  cry!  It was the most beautiful little quilt I've ever seen! It was all in my pretty lavender and blue colors with flowers in each block.  Half of the flowers had " friend sayings" in the middle of them.  All along the border was a stitched vine and little "yo yo" flowers and the date and BFF with Debbie's name.  I have been covering up with it every day as I lay on the couch to rest.  Every day, I think it's one of my most favorite things that I own.  I will cherish it forever!!!!  I want to thank everyone who has showed me that they care about me by their cards, emails and phone calls.  It has taught me a lesson on just how much it means for you to take the time to send someone a card or make a phone call.  I certainly will be sending more cards and checking up on people who need the love and support when they are hurting.

A Small Break

Just thought I'd let ya know that there might be a small break in my posting to the blog for a little while.  I'm having major surgery this coming week and I'm not sure how long I'll be down and out.  I should be up and moving around in a week or so but there won't be anything to post about for awhile.  I'm not suppose to use my core muscles for about three months.  I KNOW!!  It's going to be a very long three months.  Summer usually flies by and I will be doing things around here before I know it.  That's what I keep telling myself...ha.  So, don't forget about the blog.  Check in every once in awhile.  Just maybe there will be something to post about.  Seeeeee ya in the funny papers.

Mr Red Breasted Grosbeak

Remember how excited I was to have a pair of new birds come to Brambly Pines the other day?  Well, guess what!!!  Yesterday I looked out the kitchen window at the big feeder and there were THREE males and at least two females out there.  The word is out over in North Georgia that Brambly Pines is the place to come vacation. There is non stop food for 24/7.  We feel so lucky to have the new birds come see us.