of morning glories and glorious mornings!

Morning Glories on a Glorious Morning!

AUTUMN HAS FINALLY ARRIVED here on Sand Mountain.  With temps hanging in the upper 90's until late September, we began to think it would never happen.  But the last couple of mornings have given us hope that our October will, indeed, be the blessing we looked forward to.

With the air crisp and the sun bright, Handsome Hubby and I enjoyed a 3-hour outing Saturday morning that was what I call a 'happy moment'.  A very happy moment.  With GPS in tow, we set out for Crow Mountain Apple Orchard, on the top of (what else?)  Crow Mountain.  The trip there was, in itself, a fabulous adventure!  Thinking we were traveling up the predictable 4-lane state highway out of Scottsboro, we were surprised when "American Jill" (the voice du jour on our trusty Garmin) instructed us to turn left at an unexpected and unmarked road only a mile out of town.  But, deciding we were meant to do so, we followed her instructions.  What we found along the way can only be described as 'mountain chic art' - which I promise I will blog about next week.  But for now, let me say that these words of warning from the Orchard's website are the God's honest truth:  Word to the Wise: Unless your vehicle is hinged in the middle, and you enjoy steep, narrow, hairpin curves, you don't want to come up to Crow Mountain on Route 39 out of Fackler.



Betty, the newer of our two Ford Explorers was the mode of transportation for the morning, and about halfway up Route 39 we were wishing for Flo, our ever-dependable 2000 model equipped with 4-wheel drive.  I've never, NEVER been on a mountain road like Route 39.  I swear it was about 10 feet wide, and the grade seemed like a 75 degree climb with turns so tight we felt that the front end of the car was leaving the roadway before the back end could complete the curve.  And steep drop-offs on both sides of the road - oh, and no guardrails, of course.  Our rear tires actually spun several times as we tried to navigate the steep, sharp trail to the top of the mountain.  Laughing all the way, we were at once delighted and relieved NOT to see another vehicle until we reached the top of the mountain and level, wider roadways.  Thankful, too, to arrive safely, as cell phone service was non-existant during the adventure.

Oh to the orchard.  Greeted by masses of morning glories growing wild along the fences at the entrance, I knew this was going to be good!  It got better when I spotted the three large dogs sleeping in the middle of the gravel parking lot - totally oblivious to the cars coming and going around them, and obviously not interested in their role as official orchard greeters.  They never moved . . . through cars, conversations, pictures being snapped . . . they never moved.  We went into the store . . . we came out an hour later . . . they never moved!  They knew how to spend a Saturday morning!  'Loved them!

Rich was the first to spot the large crates filled to the brim with apples waiting for attention outside the back of the store.  He pointed out a crate of his favorite Fuji apples and I could see that he wanted to literally dive in and swim in that crate of goodness!

Stepping into the 'store', I was enveloped in the sweet scent of fresh apples, and it felt like heaven!  To the far left I spotted  the "Buy Fresh Buy Local" sign, and wanted to take it home.  I thought it was beautiful. To the far right, what looked like thousands of apples were being prepared and bagged, while to the near right, three smiling ladies were happily answering questions and offering up samples of a multitude of varieties of apples to a waiting crowd.  (yes, 'crowd'.  Even though the orchard is quite remote,  it was a busy place that morning - even before a busload of senior citizens from an Albertville church found their way there!)  Bags of apples with ridiculously cheap prices (seriously - 4lbs for $2.50!) were colorfully displayed on crude wooden stands, and a card table held jugs of apple cider and tiny cups for sampling.  I was delighted!



When it was our turn to step up to the counter, we had already nabbed a medium bag of Fuji for Rich, a small bag of Jonathan for me, and a bag of Golden Delicious for decorating, along with two (one for now and one to freeze for later) jugs of cider (the best I've ever had, by the way!).  Next to the cash register were baskets of a strange fruit that I'd not seen, but which would soon become my new obsession.  'Shaped like an apple, with an outer covering more like a pear, it is an Asian Pear.  Cross between an apple and a pear, it's the most wonderful thing I've tasted in a while.  So a basket of those came home with us as well.

Handsome Hubby and our Orchard Bounty!  We'll be back!

Deciding not to attempt the return trip down Route 39, we took a right turn out of the orchard and headed for home a different way.   After a few miles and realizing we had no idea where we were, I expanded the map on the Garmin screen and discovered it was no help at all because everything was absolutely jumbled!  It showed Fort Payne west of Guntersville, Cullman north of Huntsville, and Huntsville east of Lookout Mountain!  So we embraced the opportunity to just follow and see where we ended up, and luckily, after about 20 miles of beautiful mountain scenery, Garmin righted itself and led us back to Scottsboro and on to Rainsville and home.  What a glorious morning!

Ribbon fries, snow cones and downtown fun

 (From Wikipedia - "In the late 1880s, Fort Payne experienced explosive growth as investors and workers from New England and the North flooded into the region to exploit coal and iron deposits discovered a few years earlier. This period is called the "Boom Days", or simply as the "Boom". Many of the notable and historic buildings in Fort Payne date from this period of economic growth, including the state's oldest standing theater, the Fort Payne Opera House; the former factory of the Hardware Manufacturing Company (today known as the W.B. Davis Mill Building, and home to an antiques mall and deli), and the Fort Payne Depot Museum, formerly the passenger station for the present-day Norfolk Southern Railway. Today it serves as a museum of local history.^[4]"   

^{So today we took advantage of the beautiful weather and local entertainment and immersed ourselves in Fort Payne's annual "Boom Days" festival.  Good times!  Started at the home of Anne Hamilton, a local artist whose  "Grand Ol' Lady" Victorian home was transformed into a gallery for members of the Northeast Alabama Arts Council.  Lovely meeting her and enjoying the works of these talented artists.  Streets of downtown were blocked off for dozens of vendors, with great music of all kinds (bluegrass, rock, country,, gospel) being performed on 5 different stages, punctuated by the "clip-clop" of a beautiful horse-drawn carriage carrying festival goers from one end of downtown to the other.  Art show in the park, along with classic cars, dog agility demonstrations and pet parade; civil war re-enactors and hoop-skirted belles dancing the Virginia Reel to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home.  Crispy ribbon fries, sweet/tart fresh-squeezed lemonade,sugary funnel cakes, and the best strawberry daquiri snow cone(s) I've ever had!  (yes, I had two of them!)  Enjoyed stopping by the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce to meet and chat with Carol Beddingfield, the Chamber Director.  A fun Saturday morning outing!  By all accounts, a great success - congratulations organizers and volunteers!} 

Ribbon fries - cut from a fresh potato using a drill to turn the blade!

Handsome hubby!

More countertop magic

Quick post, because some people ask me about the granite look-alike that I've done on countertops.  Here's an example from my Florida house (click to enlarge for detail):

Two words that changed my life. Changed. My. Life.

Continuing my ramblings about our ongoing kitchen facelift (see previous post, 9/7), I tackled the kitchen island countertop this weekend. My vision was faux carrera marble. Grabbed my paints, sponges, and brushes on Friday and went to work. Within an hour I had a near-perfect (IMHO) carrera marble look-alike, and I stood back pretty pleased with my first attempt at this technique. Then came the nightmare. My topcoat would not go on smoothly. No matter what I did, I had bubbles and gaffs that just were totally unacceptable.

I sanded, I used different brushes, I used a new can of topcoat, I cussed and I prayed. Nothing worked. As I went to bed, dejected, last night, I decided today to sand it down and repaint it completely and try again.

I think the DIY gods (and goddesses) were just in need of a good laugh this weekend, and used my frustration as cheap entertainment. But thankfully the really slutty DIY goddess - you know, the one with the bed hair, bad nail polish, and painted on jeans - whispered in my ear, "Honey, you know it works better if it's a little wet." Shocked at her innuendo in the middle of my dilemma, I scolded her for her vulgarity. Popping her gum and placing her hand on her outswung hip she smirked, "wet sanding, you moron!" I glanced down at the emery paper in my hand and saw printed there: "wet or dry". I swear, in that moment the seas parted and the choir began to sing! I ran for my spray bottle, spritzed down a corner of the countertop and began using that emery paper for all it was worth. Within seconds, the boo-boos and scabs literally melted away! A couple of hours later that countertop was smooth as glass and my feet haven't touched the ground since!

So, without further ado, here's the before as the previous owners had it (pics taken on first visit to property with realtor) and lots of afters of the Miller kitchen facelift!

Dining before

Navy blue and uninspiring (IMHO!)

AND NOW!  I am faux, faux proud!  Recap:  Changed finish on existing island light, changed finish on estate sale chandelier, painted shades on both fixtures, changed wall color from navy to soft gray, new rug under table, recovered chairs and barstools, New sink, new faucet, new matte black finish on perimeter countertops and faux carrera marble on island!

Faux marble on island! (click to enlarge for detail)

Better than before?

Dining after!

 . . . and now I rest - for a few minutes!  Next project!

Kitchen Facelift

Finally tackled a project that was actually at the top of my to-do list when we moved here . . . the kitchen.  When we found it, it had nice cabinets, good appliances, an acceptable tile floor, but navy blue walls!!!!  Just not my style. 

So, a couple of weeks ago I said "Hail and Farewell, Navy" and bathed the room in my favorite soft gray.  That light fixture got a great new look, too, as did a formerly-brass fixture (found at a local estate sale).  The facelift has begun!

Then I gave my old dining room chairs a flirty facelift of their own with new seat cushions and flippy skirts, made from painters' drop cloths.  Love painters' drop cloths!!!  (In this photo, you can see a bit of the great new rug I got for under the table, too!)

Never one to leave perfectly good laminate countertops alone (an oxymoron - yes, I think so!), last Thursday I grabbed my paint roller and "Iron Ore" from Sherwin Williams and went to work.  Because we had a brand new sink, still in the box, that we brought with us from Florida, it seemed like the perfect time to try out a dark countertop against the rich brown of the cabinets.  (I love the look of a charcoal gray suit with rich brown leather shoes - that was my vision here)  Anyway, I think it turned out pretty alright!  After 5 days of no sink and unusable countertops, we have arrived at this stage of the kitchen facelift.

What's left?  Island paradise, I hope!  I'm giving the kitchen island a faux-marble treatment - Carrera, to be specific.  I'll be eager to post pictures, I hope - meaning that I am optimistic that after doing faux countertop treatments in 5 houses, I should be able to accomplish this with acceptable results!  More posts on this one later!

Carolyn

I met her only months ago.  She was the first face we saw each time we went there . . . always offering a warm, friendly greeting in the midst of her busy day.  It was her smile that instantly put us at ease and helped stave off the fear and dread of going there so often.  I wonder if she knew what a difference she made.  I should have told her.

I liked her.  She was lovely and gentle, intelligent and interesting.  I hoped we could be friends outside the medical environment where we met.  I wonder if she knew . . . I should have told her.

Two Fridays ago we had a lively conversation, ending with her saying we'd handle the scheduling of Mom's appointment the following Monday.  But when I returned, her chair was empty . . ." back pain", they said.

A few days later, chair still empty, they said "Birmingham hospital".  The next time we saw her empty chair, they said "not doing well".

Yesterday we learned that her chair would be forever empty.  But just two weeks ago  we laughed and exchanged stories of childhood.  I am heartbroken.  I appreciated her.  I wonder if she knew.  I should have told her.

Worshipful . . .

There are places . . . special, magical, spiritual, emotional . . . places that speak to your heart. . . places where you are closer to what is real . . . sacred places.  Why I am fortunate enough to experience such a place 'right in my own backyard' is a mystery, but I am incredibly grateful.  Here . . . see if you feel it too . . . it's worshipful.