Happy Snow-loween!

We are used to snow here in the mountains of West Virginia, but not usually on Halloween.  Yesterday there were about 17,000 people without electric in Preston County.  Today there are about 16,000.  I am one of  the lucky 1000!  Today, after cutting up a big branch that fell down right between the car and the power lines (Thank you, God.), we ran a few errands and I took a few pictures.

Can you see how that branch fell right between 

the power lines and the back of the car?

Blessing.

My job was to move them after they were cut...

and take pictures!  A nice man with another

chain saw stopped to help, too.

Blessing.

This one fell in the backyard...2 feet from the roof.

Blessing.

At the end of our street.

In the school parking lot.  

The Do Not Enter sign may not be necessary.

Another unnecessary Do Not Enter sign.

Lots of poor broken trees.

But these pines standing tall.

Blessing.

After the tour of town, we headed out to check on

the house at Shangri La Ti Da.

Hmmmm.  This is usually 2 lanes 

without tree bridges.

Ducks taking a bath...yes, ducks taking a bath.

Blessing.

For me and them, I suppose.

Time to turn around.  This bridge was too low.

Now on the other end of the road to Shangri La Ti Da.

Yes, two ways in.

Blessing.

Still not two lanes.

Still with tree bridges.

A safe and beautiful drive even in the storm.

Blessing.

And then we decided to drive up the mountain to see 

what we could see...sort of like the bear in the song.

A little more snow...fluffier, deeper.

Passable road.

Blessing.

I showed you this view not long ago...resplendent 

in all its Fall finery.

Now in its Winter wonderfulness.

Blessing.

My favorite apple tree.  

There.  Just there, through

season after season.

Blessing.

And this little store is one of the reasons 

I love living here.

Not a light on, but someone came out.

I said, "Oh, are you open?"

She said, "Yes.  We don't have electric,

but we're open.  People need stuff."

Yesterday on Facebook there was this story:

Dollar General allowing people in to shop as long as you have cash and patiently wait in line since items had to be added up the old fashion way....by hand!! Manager there to direct people with his flashlight!!!

Thanks, Laurie Thompson for sharing.

Another reason I love living here...even during a blizzard

spawned by a hurricane on Halloween!

Blessing.

We take so much for granted...hot water, hot food, warm house, mobility....yet even when we don't have those things...if we look, we can find the blessings still.

Look What I Made!

When I retired I had visions of living the crafting life....somehow living gets in the way of that life, but I have been a little crafty lately...aside from the inukshuks!
Getting ready for a little holiday show/sale with our local Arts Preston group.

Really, I should do it more because when I am creating I am happy.  I am lost in the process.  It's a good thing...a joy full thing.

I love how the ideas just pop up and ask to be created.  I have a flock of owl ornaments living in my head right now.  The whole process is just interesting to me.  Not in any I need to figure it out sort of way, just a marvel in the moments sort of way.

So, here are the holiday offerings so far:

Tiny snowflake...1.5 inches square.  

I love making these.

Here's an example of the process I love.

This guy was, in my mind, going to be

a snowman...right up until I started sewing

and he wanted to be a snow owl instead.

I think he will be titled, 

"Whoooo, Baby, It's Cold Outside"

I saw something similar to this one done

all in paper and decided it would do 

nicely in felt, too.

Now, I want a plain pine tree with snow falling

all upon it with a dark, night sky.

Let it snow.

Let it snow.

Let it snow.

A lot!

And then another one wants to say

Let it snow.

Let it snow.

Let is snow.

Or not!

And the last picture in that one would be a little 

snowgirl in a bikini!

My sweet friend, Rachel, drew these angels for years.

Felt on canvas...painted canvas....and buttons.

Idea started from a Pinterest pin.  See?  

Sometimes they do get used!

I do, however, have the worst habit of

taking an idea and twisting it just a bit...

to make it mine.

To make it woolie.

11x14 canvas

If you haven't seen it on Pinterest, here's a quick

how-to.  Put stickers on the canvas.  

Paint over the stickers.

Take stickers off.

It's not perfect, but I like it for a first try.

I think I want to try turning kids art into woolies...any thoughts?

Big Mountaineer Craft Show this weekend.  Love to go see what hands can make....
Happy Weekend!   Our last one before the predicted 'Frankenstorm' coming this week.  Mix Hurricane Sandy with an arctic blast....we'll see.

Bigger Better Inukshuk

I went back to the river today with my friend, Stevie.  Isn't it amazing how often we take the treasures we live with for granted.  We both confessed that we could count on one hand the number of times we had been on the river...

Again it was peaceful and beautiful.  I really could get lost in the sound of the water and the quiet of the world.

We ate a picnic lunch and climbed on the rocks.  Then, I built a bigger, better inukshuk.  The other one had already been dismantled.

Here he is:

Can you see the face?

I really wanted a Sharpie to add some details.

So, how did these hugenormous rocks get here?  Were they uncovered by the river or were they pushed up from below?  And the time it took to smooth them into the shapes that made my inukshuk.  If you notice from the last post almost all the leaves are gone.

So much balancing...one on another.

Stevie found this rock with ferns and sea shells....

adds to the interest of the whole rock thingy.

Looking back on the walk out.

Through the branches.

Way down there!

And this is witch hazel.  Stevie just taught me about witch hazel.  It blooms two times each year, spring and fall.  Wonder where it got such an interesting name?  Isn't it used in home remedies?  For something?  Is it and essential oil, Rachel?

Tomorrow I have some pictures of Whimsical Woolies to show you!  Oh, yeah.

River Canyon:BIG Rocks

Another amazingly beautiful day here.  Some years by this time we have already had a big snow.  And I'm good with that, too.  But for now, it is still autumn in all the best ways.   (Did I really just start one sentence with And followed by one started with But? - Sorry English teachers and writers.)

I decided to take my Bible outside to study today and ended up down by the river...pause while I sing the song  :D...It is a very old river and it is one of the few that flows north.  It is a white water rafting river in the spring and kayaks play on it often.  It is called the Cheat and it from time to time rages uncontrollably.   Today, however, it is low and slow and gurgly...shining in the sun.

Have a look.

Walk down from the road to the river.

It was so hard coming back up that there

was no time for photos!

Calm water about 3 feet deep.  I'm on a big rock.

Fish.

Fish.

Me on the rock and in the water...you know?  

Reflectively speaking.

I want to go over to that biggest rock in the center.

Oh, look.  Here I am.

Are these some big rocks, or what?

On the way, I stopped to build an Appalachian Inukshuk.

Looks pretty impressive until you see the size of 

the rocks all around.

Slight change of prespective.

Rock chair.  I can see Natives all over this.

The big rock.  But no other big rocks quite close enough.

But, oh.  Look at this pretty read tree branch.

Oh, a whole tree...growing out of the rocks.

That kind of determination is kind of

like magic to me.

Big rocks tumbled about.  After the last big flood I remember 

that the first white water raft trips were like going 

down a new river because the rocks had been retumbled.

This is what was between me and the rock I wanted to be on.

In the old days I might have just jumped it...but with 

age comes....ummmm, wisdom?  

Another tiny determined plant.

And one last view of the Appalachian Inukshuk before 

I clawed my way back up to the car.

I loved sitting out there in the middle of the river on the rocks and reading the Word of God.  Just doesn't get much better than that.  Now, to carry that peace out to my part of the world.  The people  I can touch...who are in need of peace...much peace.   

Maybe I will show you the river again in the spring......whooooosh!