Fireplaces

 

Fireplaces!! Who doesn't love them?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've already posted a pic or two of my fireplace, so I wanted to share three of my favs from Pinterest! What a wonderful site to skim for hours or on a quick lunch break.

See ya' soon!

I'm back, but He's Not

Our ole' boy Jack never returned. That means I'm back, but he's not. Poor fella'. It's been over a year now; I'm so sad about it...I still find myself scanning the woods and listening for his bark from time to time. I pray he's found a loving home or passed away without suffering. I can't accept the fact that he might be hungry or neglected.

I've been gone from blogging over the last year, so I look forward to catching you up on all that's been going on around the cabin!

Thanks for tuning in!

See you soon!

Jack Still Missing

I'm VERY sad to report that "Jack, the Mountain Dog," has been missing over 6 weeks now. We've advertised with the pound, lost and found pets, the newspaper, the internet, etc...

Tragic! He lost his original human mom in December, so we were his newly adoptive parents. We "knew" Jack because we were neighbors prior to his adoption. 

We think he may have been "dog-napped." My prayer is that he is happy and well cared for if he is with another family.

He's arthritic. Requires special padding for his bed to due stiff bones. He likes particular treats. Things like that!

So, our hearts are heavy...Here is one final pic of our sweet boy!

We really miss you buddy!

Snowpocalypse

See these pics? This is about what our little cabin in the woods looked like last week! We were very thankful NOT to have lost electricity though! We received about 11.5" in our area, but with snow drifts, some of the depth was as much as 18 and 20". Talk about an arctic vortex! 

I was able to cook homemade vegetable-beef soup on the wood stove...We had a beef brisket from the crock-pot, or slow cooker as they're now called. We had hot dogs with homemade coleslaw and chili one afternoon (that's a Southern thing - coleslaw on the dawgs'). I can't forget the chili beans with sour cream and toppings.

Maybe all we did was eat during our snowpocalypse?! There's just something about winter that helps me to pack on the pounds!

But, surviving the snowpocalypse was actually a blessing -- we had food, we were together, we were warm. And Jack the mountain dog was with us too. He enjoyed his long naps by the window!

I hope you were safe in your neck of the woods...

Until next time! 

Polar Vortex

Whew...it's been cold lately! I guess the entire country is feeling the result of the "arctic freeze" also known as the Polar Vortex. I admit, I wasn't familiar with that term until recently. But, I tell ya', our neck of the woods has been coooooollddddd! 

Hubby went to the cabin to drain the water pipes today - they've frozen twice already! With more extreme temps on the way this week, he decided to be on the safe side. We're trying to avoid busted pipes!

In the meantime, I will dream of comfortably cool nights by the fire pit!

Until next time...

Sad Mountain News

Well...There is very sad news on the mountain. The mountain dog's human family has suffered a tremendous loss. Jack's owner - his human mom - has passed away unexpectedly. We are just heart broken to learn of this, even though we did not know her very well. Her husband is grieving deeply. Naturally, our hearts and prayers go out to him. 

He asked us to take over Jack's care. To adopt him. With his hours at work and time away from him - he was concerned that Jack wouldn't be properly attended to. We were humbled by this kind offer! 

His prior owner is a very nice man. And he doesn't mind that we re-named his dog. You may recall that his real name is Cosmo...but to us he's Jack. The dog doesn't seem to mind either. So, we'll stick with his pet name. 

We've let Jack (sporadically)  inside at night (to sleep) the last few weeks - extreme temperatures in our area have given way to temps of 3 and 5 degrees! For our neck of the woods, it's extremely cold! 

He's done well...and oddly enough to my human bones, he's ready to go outside about 5:00 a.m. and he'll "do his business" and sleep on the grass with no hesitation! I guess it's born into his Husky roots! 

See ya'll soon! 

Big Burn

If you've been reading my Carolina Cabin blog, then you might think we're obsessed with fires or something! LOL

I promise you - we aren't - but it's a necessity around this neck of the woods on occasion.

We're finished with our "big burns" for the year, but I imagine as we clear more land in the spring, we'll have more to come.

This picture gives you a sneak peek of the porch addition too.

I must admit, although we live in a small city (convenience is amazing!!) I do love our little hideaway...fires and all.

Until next time...

Burning Brush

This is what we do in the countryside - our backside of the mountain...We burn brush, fallen trees, non-toxic debris, and unusable timber. (This may be unfamiliar to you if you live in the city, but in the country, we're used to it. No permits required!)

I admit the height of the flames made me nervous for several minutes!

But it all ended well - mission accomplished - and we are on the way to clearing a path to one of our barns.

Until next time...

Thanksgiving and Jack

Happy Thanksgiving to you! I like the pic I posted with this particular post -- a word of action!

We're going to spread our holiday season over two days of family time and eating...will try to post pics of "Cabin Food" next week!

In the meantime, I wanted to tell you Jack's real name...drum roll please...................

...........................................................................


His name is Cosmo!

Haha! Love it! I would have never guessed it! We also learned he is 10 years old...I'm looking forward to riding the golf cart over to visit him this weekend. (Perhaps I'll slip him a bite of turkey!)  His parents are keeping him close to home these days. Can't say I blame them...He's a great companion.

 

Wood Stove

Gotta' have a wood stove at a cabin, right?! We found one at a really good deal, and I'm excited to say we've been burning wood pretty regularly!

Hope that you're staying warm on these cold November nights!

( I haven't forgotten about posting a new pic of "Jack" the dog...I will tell you his REAL name soon...)


Until next time!

Dutch Cat & Jack the Dog

This was our cabin kitty, named Dutch...although we called him "Coochie." He was really my mother-in-law's cat, but we would visit with him each time we visited the cabin.

He was a sweetheart. We don't know what happened to him -- our fear is the nearby coyotes may have gotten him. Their cries and howls can be heard most every evening. We're hoping an animal lover scooped him up, and took him home. He is/was a great companion. Friendly. Loved to sleep on your lap type kitty.

On a postive note - our buddy "Jack" the mountain dog has been located after several weeks! He is okay! I'll tell you his REAL name next post...We're so excited that he's alive and well ~ AND we know his name now! Yay! (It's amazing what a difference our pets make in a home, isn't it!?)

From our little cabin in the woods...

Have a great day!

Happy Veteran's Day

This is what we're singing around our neck of the woods today...Happy Veteran's Day!

My Country ‘Tis of Thee

My country tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died!
Land of the Pilgrim's pride!
From every mountain side,
Let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture fills
Like that above.

A Little Cabin Food

We still have a few fresh tomatoes that our neighbors have given us…love fresh tomatoes from the vine during the summer!

One of our favorite ways to eat them is scrambled into an omelet. I add a little heavy cream to 3 eggs, freshly cracked pepper, and then whatever items I have on hand. Add a little butter to a hot skillet, and your meal is done in less than 5 minutes usually.

In this photo, I’ve used the last of our tomatoes and diced onion. A little cheese adds a nice touch too!

Omelets are GOOD cabin food.

Fire pits

One of our favorite cabin things to do is build a fire and sit around it with friends and family...

Now that cold November nights are here, I'm sure we'll be getting plenty of fire wood ready! I've noticed that all of the blooms are gone. The greens and reds from plants have been replaced by the the gold and crimson leaves blowing in the wind. There's something special about fall time in the Carolina's! You won't find a prettier view anywhere on this side of the States.

I've missed seeing the "mountaind dog" Jack...We haven't seen him in a few weeks. I'll keep you posted on where he's been. I'm hoping he's on vacation, but will come bounding up the hill soon. We miss seeing that 4-legged fellow!

See ya'll soon.

Porch Life

One great thing about having an outdoor space, is being able to enjoy it with our 4 - legged family members, 2 -legged family members, and friends...And this time of year is especially enjoyable! I love decorating the front porch - having a porch is almost a mandatory "southern" thing, even though it is cliche!  These mums were a gift; as well as the galvanized tub the fern is sitting in. I love them!

We have a 2 -seater bench on the front porch which makes for a great view, and an enjoyable atmosphere.

Full Moon & Apple Cake

Wanted you to see what a full moon over Hanging Rock State Park looks like from our little neck of the woods...Sorry for the haziness of the photo. I love the evening time - dusk - don't you? I think it lends itself to a magical part of the day, for lack of a better word. The crickets chirp a little more loudly. The creek seems livelier - brighter with the melody of frogs and water hitting the rocks. A woodpecker and owl are often heard in the distant horizon.

 

This probably doesn't look too appetizing, but it was very tasty! It is a treat like this, that I love to bake and sit outside to enjoy. Cake is just often better when it comes hot from the oven! A cup of coffee for hubby. A hot tea or cold tea for myself. This is an apple cake (minus any icing) made with freshly chopped Blue Ridge Mountain Gala apples and applesauce for a lower-fat, more diabetic friendly dessert. (It also makes the house smell divine!) Yummy!


From our little cabin in the woods...Have a great day!

Dogs and Cabins

This is our buddy, Jack. His name isn't really Jack. We don't know his real name...He lives in the cabin across the woods from us! I wanted him to be the first person/thing you met at the cabin since he adds a lot of fun and love to our lives. I hope his owners don't mind the treats he receives at our little cabin in the woods!

More stories about Jack and our times at the little cabin that God gave us.

Here's a sneak peek at the porch we've been working on...

From the cabin in our world...Have a great day!