Boxes, Boxes, Everywhere
We found this note on the table of the new Maine house:
There are boxes everywhere, stacked to the ceiling and filling the rooms. Now begins the long process of cleaning, unpacking, and figuring out how our lives will fit into this house. In essence, we will set to work making this house a home. My computer is still packed up and thus I can’t download the photos from my camera yet. Tomorrow we’re off to the Common Ground Fair!
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The Best Laid Plans
Yesterday, we were all packed up and ready to go and we had one BIG problem – there was no sign of our cat Dexter. We’ve been keeping him inside during the night just so this wouldn’t happen. Yesterday, he spent part of the day inside and then wanted out in the afternoon. He usually doesn’t wander far, so I let him out – BIG mistake. We had dinner with some friends and when we got home he was nowhere to be found.
A friend said she stopped by at 9:15 and he was on the front porch in his kennel sleeping. When we got home at 9:45 we couldn’t find him. Then I started getting nervous that we wouldn’t be able to find him the next morning.
Usually, he’s waiting at the front door with the feral cat when we get up in the morning. He wasn’t there. We waited around for a bit and finally it was decided that Mr Chiots would hit the road in the truck and I’d catch up later if/when Dexter showed up.
My neighbor and I decided that we’d wait until 2 and if he hadn’t showed up by then we’d spend the night here and plan on leaving in the morning. He was a no-show by 2.
So there I sat, in an empty house, with a few other cats in the house, the feral cat yowling while locked in a bedroom, and no sign of Dexter. There has been one other time that Dexter didn’t show up one day, the next day he appears limping from an injury. I’m fully aware of the fact that outdoor cats lead generally short lives and can meet their end. It’s a dangerous world out there, but they also experience life in a way that an indoor cat couldn’t.
We love our Dexter so much, to the point that we tried to make him an exclusively indoor cat for a while and he would have none of it. Dexter was super laid back about everything but spending too much time indoors.
All the neighbors were on lookout, some of them offering to keep him until we could get back to get him (don’t you just love great neighbors?). I went to bed on Wed night with a knot in the pit of my stomach. The feral cat woke me up at 4 am yowling in her room. When I looked outside, there was Dexter on the front porch, just like every other day. Guess he got his dates mixed up and his going away party with his friends went a little long! So my neighbor and I hit the road on Thursday morning, hoping to meet up with Mr Chiots at the new place in Maine. I’m so relieved I have all four cats in tow, guess all the howling won’t be so bad…
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Book Review: The Unfinished Garden
When asked to review of a new novel, I accepted the challenge. I’m not really much of a novel reader, generally I prefer something I can glean information from or biographies. Novels should appear on my list more often and what a better way for it to happen.
The Unfinished Garden arrived at the perfect time, just after we finished our upstairs project. I had no mental capacity for learning much of anything and needed something that wasn’t tedious to read. One afternoon, I sat down with a cup of coffee and settled in for some much needed reading time.
This novel has a gardening theme woven throughout seem more engaging to me, being a gardener myself. The author is an avid gardener and you can really tell. I e-mailed Barbara Claypole White and asked d for a few photos of her garden to share with you. She happily obliged and even sent along this lovely image of her mom’s garden over in England. All the rest of the garden photos in this post are of her garden.
I have to admit that I was a bit nervous that this was going to be a cheesy romance novel, which are on the way bottom of my reading list, in fast they never make it on the list. I nervously cracked the book bracing myself for the worst. The book was finished in just a few sittings, generally the mark of a good book. If I find myself wanting to continue reading way past my bedtime, it’s an engaging story.
This story intrigued me for a few reasons. One being that the main character is a widow. I have a very dear friend who lost her husband after only a few years of marriage at a young age. She definitely came to mind often while reading this book.
I won’t be telling you all about the book here, I am the type of person who doesn’t like to read descriptions before cracking the cover of a book. I like to fully discover the story without any preconceived notions about the book.
I will tell you, if you enjoy a good novel and enjoy gardening, I think you’ll find this book engaging.
Now that I have read the book, I no longer need my copy. If you’d like to find a copy of this book in your mailbox, comment below and I’ll choose a winner next week. Winner chosen. Kimberly who said: “I would love to read the book – it sounds wonderful! What lovely pictures of the garden!” As an added bonus, I’m sending this book along to Barabara Claypole-White the author, she’s going to sign it and send it along to you Kimberly. Enjoy!
What’s your favorite kind of book to read?
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Hitting the Road
This morning we were up early and ready to hit the road. Mr Chiots is driving the big moving truck towing the MINI behind. I’m following in our other car with all four cats and Heather, one of our neighbors.
No doubt it’s going to be a LONG day, but we have walkie talkies so we can chat and audio books to listen to. On the recommenation of a friend, Bossypants on the iPod as is Travels with Charley in Search of America (my favorite all time listening material for traveling).
If you’d like to keep up with our trip and the adventures that follow in upcoming days, I’ll be posting to the Chiot’s Run facebook page when I can throughout the day!
Do you like road trips?
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Garden Tour: The Pond
A few years ago we put in a small garden pond. We’d been wanting a water feature for quite a while. When my parents put in a larger pond, they passed their small pond along to us. Mr Chiots dug the hole, we added water and fish, planted a few plants, and we had a pond garden.
Now that this garden has been around for a few years, it’s starting to look really nice. Our fish have sized up and are actually a good size. We don’t feed them or anything, they get enough food with what grows in the pond.
This little pond provides valuable wildlife habitat in our garden. We’ve had toads use it for breeding, birds use it for drinking, and we now have a few water insects as well. It also provides a nice watering hole for the Chiots and the outdoor cats.
The pond is located in a part of the garden that gets afternoon shade. It’s overshadowed slightly by a mature dogwood tree. It’s surrounded by goatsbeard, Japanese Hakone grass, hosts, various low growing sedum, peppermint, creeping thyme, and a boxwood. I also have a beautiful waterlily that blooms during the early summer.
The pond has proven to be a valuable addition to our garden. Since we put it in we have noticed an even greater number of insects and animals in the garden, particularly amphibians. I’d highly recommend adding a small water feature to your garden.
Do you have a water feature in your garden?
Chiot’s Run Garden Tour
The Middle Garden
The Side Garden
The Front Hillside Garden
Mr Chiot’s Mailbox Garden
Garden Tour: The Front Garden
