Jane is Back and Oh Yes, the First Hurricane of the Season

First off, Happy Birthday to Scott and Dad!  And in honor of their birthday (not really) we had our first hurricane of the season and Jane flying back all at the same time.  What could go wrong??

Our first plan was that Amy would drive her car and I would drive Jane's care to the airport in Raleigh.  Then we could socially distance from Jane and convoy to get her back to Elon.

We kept an eye on the weather reports and it looked like it was going to be ok.  However, we did not check Atlanta.  Atlanta had one of the first bad cells sitting on top of it so Jane's plane got diverted to Panama City.

I didn't know Panama City had an airport.  Jane says it is an INTERNATIONAL Airport!!!!! It had 5 gates.  Who knew?

Anyway, she missed her flight to RDU.  So when she finally got to Atlanta, they put her on a plane to Greensboro.  Which is closer to Elon.

So the decision was made that we would take her car to Elon and her roomie, India would pick her up at Greensboro.

We started out in the rain.  A bunch of power trucks were going the opposite way to the coast.  A big thanks to them!!!!

We got to Elon and met India and left immediately to go back to Hillsborough to get home before it got dark.

Apparently we dodged a bullet and got 2 inches of rain and very little wind.  YIPPEE!!!!!

The coast got hammered with 342,000 people losing power.

Jane's hard case suitcase didn't make the trip to Greensboro.   It was delivered to our house.   At 2:30am.  According to the RING doorbell, the delivery guy lugged it up the steps, opened the gate, placed the suitcase up against the house and then took a photo of it.  Then he replaced the gate and left.  

Without a yip from the dogs.  Who bark AT EVERYTHING during the day!!!!

Jane came over this morning to get her suitcase and her stuff.

I think Jane needs a bigger car. 

Happy August!!!!

Love,

Leslie

Comet Viewing

Amy had been up and out the past couple of nights looking at the comet Neowise:

She uses her binnoculars and says it is very clear.  She also watched the Space Station fly over.  She is now jonesing for a telescope.

The tomatoes have started coming in:

And my summer vacation in the back yard is very nice.

Hope everyone is staying safe and not buying into the hype to go out.  We had a brief thought about going to a SeaGrass pottery event and....... bailed.  I cannot go anywhere with people.  Mask up!

Love Leslie

Happy 4th of July!

Last night, Amy and I watched "Hamilton" and thought it was brilliant, wonderful and every other accolade we could think of.

I am sure we will watch it again....and again......

All ready for the festivities ~ even though they will be quiet and small.

I went swimming today.

Hilarious

Just got a late call that the Iredell building was broken into so I went out to help Jim:

The door on the right is completely bashed in.  The breaker inner evidently got in, bushed down all the doors and got nothing because there is no money kept in the building.  However, Awakenings camera got a good photo of the guyl.

We went over to our neighbors for a small cookout ~ homemade watermelon margeritas, hot dogs, corn on the cob, delicious cole slaw, cup cakes, watermelon.........I am definitely not staying up to see the lunar eclipse or any fireworks on television.

Here is baby Elliot with Rhonda:

Happy 4th of July!!!!!

Love,

Leslie

What to Do.......

At work yesterday, one of the tenants came in and he is the father of 4 kids.  He said that they now were in the end of the first two weeks of summer vacation (and all the time safe distancing since March) and, quite honestly, everyone was bored.

I gave him two ideas that came from our neighbor Rhonda.  She took Elliot and Alexa to the zoo in Ashboro and it was fabulous.  You have to arrange for an appointment and go at your time.  You have to follow the directions thru the zoo and there are no inside exhibits open.  But the outside was great:

Alexa and Elliot

I think the Polar Bear looks like Bennett

And the other idea was to drive out to Fearington Village (other side of Chapel Hill) and take a picnic and go see the Oreo cows and goats.  Who wouldn't like to do that

I have a list of things to do today.  Water, which I did.  Trim, vacuum, move an adjuca plant, and change the tablecloth in the dining room.  I wonder if I will get it all done.

And our neighbor, Desiree, gave us this sign.   It is in the front yard.

Have a wonderful day and be safe!!!
Love,
Leslie

PS  ~  in my obviously COVID insanity, please add clean bird cage, polish silver and move plants around to "redecorate".  

Hello from Social Distancing

We are now cruising into July ~ the rain has stopped and the temperature has moved into hot and sweaty.  

Amy and I continue to curtail 99% of what we ever used to do.  Amy goes to the barn and occasionally the drug store and occasionally Weaver Street Market.  I go to work and wear a mask and use hand sanitizer every time I touch anything.  I will go to the grocery about twice a week and the drug store less.  We do carry out sometimes.  And that is our life outside of our back porch and back yard.

Our neighbor, Rhonda, is in our bubble.  She will come over to our house and the back porch.  I have had dinner in her back yard.  We are really isolative.

Jane's roomate, India, was brought back to school last Friday and they asked to stop at our house.  Amy got the message and said "I will ask the gatekeeper".  Well, I said alright and then worried.  I decided to have barbeque and serve it out on the back porch with paper plates, plastic utensils and paper napkins with a trash can on the porch to put everything. (Thank you Mary Discher for that idea!)  But on Friday morning India texted us to say they were not coming.  They were getting a late start.  I am a horrible person, but I was glad.  I love India's family but I really did not want to open the house to other people.

I see people everywhere with no masks.  And Durham really never closed ~ Jim closed the building and people come to the front door to talk to the cell phone repair company and the CBD company.   The mail man doesn't wear a mask.  Last Friday, the city of Raleigh announced that if a person was outside their home, they needed to wear a mask.  I am waiting for Durham to go that way.  The numbers for COVID keep going up.  I wonder what is going to happen.

My new normal

My summer vacation spot.

My summer vacation cocktail spot

Stay safe!!!!
Love,
Leslie

Finished With the Major Planting

It is alot of work but Amy and I finished the major planting in the front yard.  We planted more Coreopsis and a pretty mounding grandcover that has spires of pink flowers (Guara.)

Amy keeps saying she wants more "cowbells" ~ 

 It is hard to see here, at this moment ~ but we put ajuca along the front edge of the mulch, then a row of Graceful Pink Guara ~ all ground covers.  Then the drift roses, soft holly, shasta daisys, blackeyed susans, coreopsis, bee balm.....hopefully we will see some color this year, but lots of color next year.

I could have sworn this Crepe Myrtle was hot pink....

A different kind of Black Eyed Susan

Hydrangeas

Our yard looks so nice ~ and our neighborhood yard guy, Noah, was very appreciative of NOT having to go up and down the hill to cut the front yard!!!!!

Everyone loves Noah

Torii sent this to me ~ only in Maryland!!!

Much love,
Leslie

Celebrate June

Happy June everyone!  I cannot believe that it is the 12th already!  I had a wonderful birthday ~ we (Amy and I and our friend Rhonda) had carryout Chinese and I made strawberry shortcake.  Delicious and fun.

We had a MAJOR rain event last night and thank goodness our new front yard stayed in place!!!! Supposedly 6 inches of rain fell in a couple of hours and it was torrential.  I took a photo of our back yard:

There was quite a bit of standing water, but the french drains worked and this morning the ground was wet but not soggy.

It was very hot last weekend and Amy brought out the new dog pool, which really works for humans.  It was really nice to paddle our feet in the cool water and the dogs love it!  Loki would not get in.  Blue thinks he is a fish and Gypsy likes to jump in and out.

Amy put together the newest Adirondack chair ~ she said it was incredibly difficult and the instructions were not helpful at all.  I love the chair!

Check out the quilt that Rhonda made for me!  She says it is her first ever Traditional style quilt ~ I love it.

Amy and I planted more plants in the front yard ~ we were visited by deer over night and evidently we are offering a smorgasborg.  We will plant the rest tomorrow morning and I will send pictures.

Check out the cocoon on my Shasta Daisy

First Golden Cherry tomatoes have appeared

Mango Italian ice

There was a guy with a little cart across the street from where I work ~ he has never been there before and he was selling what he called "Cocolina's".  I got Mango ~ it was delicious.

I hope everyone is safe and healthy and wearing masks!!!!!!!! 

Love,
Leslie