It is hard to stay upbeat when one is living with uncertainty. We made the decision to leave Virginia and buy a house with our daughter and son-in-law. I posted about the purchase of the house in Connecticut in March. We are planning to have so much fun! Next thing to do was start moving and list our Virginia house with a realtor. On the first trip north with the UHaul Mr. B injured his leg on the truck step and required 35 stitches. After two months his leg has healed!
In the meantime we accepted an offer on our house. The would-be-buyers have been very demanding and keep threatening to back out every time they can. We have agreed to all their demands and now one more thing has come up. This is so very stressful. No plans can be made and we sit here awaiting developments. This is after already postponing our move for the two month healing time.
My craft room has been packed and moved. Half the kitchen is moved. We are having to eat our popcorn out of pots because the bowls are gone. I had to mix a cake by hand and bake it in a broiler pan because I moved all my equipment, never dreaming I would be here in VA so long.
I have nothing to do every day but lie in the hammock and read. That may sound good to you but after two months even that gets old! I'm reading a book and a half a day! The stories are starting to blend together. It is too hot to take more than short walks.
I'm eager to start decorating the house in Connecticut. All four children will be home for Christmas and I want it to be perfect. After this small Virginia cottage we will have all the space we need in the new 4200 sq ft house.
And all my surplus furniture (yes there is lots!) is in the garage in Connecticut. Some of the boxes in the garage have been packed since we left Cooperstown, NY fourteen years ago! Haven't had space for it all since then. Cooperstown was also a 4200 sq ft house. When we closed our two furniture stores there was furniture left over. And the ironic thing? The new house has lots of windows, walls of closets and very little wall space for furniture placement. I love furniture and now have room for very little of it. And I have to clear the garage for use before the snow falls!
Mr. B and I have tried to just enjoy this quiet time. But now my patience has run out.
This is a picture of Paws, one of our four cats. Added to all the other worries is that my daughter has seen a fox or coyote in the yard several times in the afternoon. I'm afraid to let the cats out in the yard when we move but they are used to being outside. What to do? I'm wondering what kind of fence could keep cats in.
It seems like I'm just one big worry these days! Trying hard to keep my sense of humor but failing some days.
Every time I walk out the back door I think I can't find anything to photograph. I have been over this territory a thousand times. And yet, I do find something special like the sun highlighting this fern frond, or the large spider on a leaf.
There were a few of these flowers along my lane and this decomposing mushroom in my front yard. So I will keep going out with my camera in the territory around my house. You never know what you will find.I am joining Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and some fantastic photographs.
This is my cat Paws, named by my children because he has extra toes which make his front paws look like catchers' mitts. To say he is quirky is an understatement. He is the only one of my four cats who likes to lie on this too-small table for extra attention.
He really like it best when Mr. B puts his hand on the table to act as a pillow. He makes that table look pretty comfy, doesn't he?
You can see how much in the woods we live. This shot is of the back of our house.
Doesn't the house look inviting at twilight with the light beckoning? We added the boardwalk so we could go from the driveway into the kitchen and not have any stairs. It's a nice place to stand, lean on the railing and watch the wildlife.
The other side of the house faces the front yard. Check out the sidebar (Our Cottage in the Woods) for a picture from the front. Looking at these pictures, the right end is all glass and faces the lake. That is where the hammock (see my header) hangs on the porch and is the place to be on a lazy summer day with the ceiling fan stirring up a breeze. I must have read a thousand books while lying in that hammock. You can see the hammock through the glass. That is how Mr. B keeps track and knows when I need a snack or a glass of lemonade or another book.Usually there are several cats sharing the porch. I've had a hummingbird buzz my head, a bird light on the end of the hammock and a squirrel stand on the railing two feet away and study me. 
On July 4th, we stood on the porch and watched the fireworks display over the lake. We had to look through the trees but we could even see the reflections in the water.
Please join Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.
Here is my offering for this Monday. This butterfly posed so nicely for me that I was able to shoot many photos. You'll be seeing more of him/her in other posts. I love the way his shadow shows through the leaf! Just click on the photo for a closer look.
This yellow begonia is my favorite flower of the summer. It is blooming in a planter on the railing of my deck. It survived being dug up twice by the resident raccoon.
Since I have not been very happy with my other mosaics made with Picasa, I put this one together by layering these photos onto a background in Photoshop Elements.
This is my entry for Macro Flowers Saturday. I took the photo this spring as I was walking around Gordonsville, Virginia. 
I love the way this blossom seems to be in the spotlight. You can see the texture of the petals and the shadow of the flower center. Click on the picture to see a real close up.
Does anyone else have a favorite stump? This is very near the end of my back walk at the edge of the woods. I first noticed it last summer when it was this brilliant shade of orange.
Here it is during the winter. The orange is not quite as bright. 
Here is the stump this summer. Notice how the color has changed and there is now some green on it. And a Virginia Creeper has taken hold.
I'm joining Claudia at Dipity Road for Finding Beauty Friday. Beauty can be found in some unusual places, even an old stump.
There are so many wonderful blogs. I especially enjoy the ones that feature photography. Many of you know about Mary Carroll's Little Red House and her Monday Mosaics. Mary has another blog named In a Soft Light which is full of lovely photographs. She mentioned Shadowhouse Creations which features a lot of textures which are available for download. I decided to try using one of the textures and here is my result. I'm sure there are better ways to use these textures. I will keep experimenting.
One day recently Mr. B and I had a picnic across the street from our house. The creek is surrounded by community property where it flows into the lake so feels almost like our front yard. We sat at a picnic table in the shade and just enjoyed the day. The boats in the slips were bobbing in the current, fish were jumping and a cardinal was singing. Two ducks swam up the creek, got out and groomed themselves, had a flurry with three other ducks and then they all headed down the creek and into the lake. 
Luckily I had my camera with me. I'm joining Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.
The woods are only a step away from my back door as you can see by the photo in the sidebar, "Our Cottage in the Woods." So I walk into the woods often to take pictures. When I snapped these I stood very still and watched a bird land right above me. Of course I took his photo and he is in the collage on the right. A friend of mine identified him as a yellow billed cuckoo, a bird I had never seen.
The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states that he is a very shy bird that is heard more than seen. You can even listen to his call at this web site. It was quite exciting for me to realize I had actually photographed a bird I had never seen before now. And this was sooooo close to my back door!
I am joining Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Join us and view all the lovely mosaics!
I am enjoying taking pictures of flowers. These are in the planter on the rail of my deck. The raccoon completely dug up this planter and I had to start over. Aren't they a lovely color?
I'm joining Claudia for Finding Beauty Friday.
My favorite breakfast is not gourmet fare but it tastes just as good. It's a pork chop biscuit from Hardee's, without the gravy. Doesn't this biscuit look good?
The pork chop is tender and has lots of pepper on it. Yummy!
The sad thing is I am moving to Connecticut where there are no Hardee's!
Just out my back door on the deck railing, this begonia greeted me cheerfully this morning. It survived two attempts by the wildlife, either raccoons or squirrels, to dig it up and is thriving. The first picture is natural.
On this second picture I used a watercolor filter. It does look a little like a painting. Mr. B always likes the natural ones best, but I have fun adding filters.
There was a squirrel on the railing and I took some shots of him. I must have 500 cute squirrel pictures. I can't resist them!
