Bookcase With Books, At Last!

Here is the newly painted wall, ready for the new piece of furniture. (It is a prettier green than it shows on my monitor.)

I took this picture through the window as B was preparing to bring the “big boy” inside. Without the shelves, it was do-able for the two of us.

Once inside, B mounted it to the wall studs for safety reasons.

As a footnote, there was not a spare half inch between the  fruit-picking ladder and the end of the wall! It fit perfectly.

I added the brackets and shelves.

The first books in were those of my mom and dad.

We are happy with it.

The Bookcase, In Work

A while back, we found and ordered an unfinished solid wood bookcase that I hope will be large enough to have all of our books together.

B sanded it, stained it and applied polyurethane in the garage.

Meanwhile, we observed a couple of curious visitors. This little brown moth in the corner had perfect camouflage, don’t you think? ( I am puzzled as to why the light made the stain look so much darker on the left. It is not so in other light.)

 

Another morning, there was this little spring peeper peeping.

 

It has a bit of a wood grain, too.

Enjoy it while you can, guys. When it comes inside, you have to stay out.

I’ll Taste Your Slice of Paradise

We had such a wonderful trip to see our sisters. At my sister’s in Atlanta, the crabapple tree had carpeted the front walk and steps with pink petals.

The window sills were sprinkled to match.

There was a lovely courtyard in the back with beautiful plantings.

Even better, there was lots of glass on that side of the house for enjoying the view that includes deer, grey squirrels, chipmunks and a large variety of songbirds that come to the bird feeders. In one morning we saw, wrens, chickadees, titmice, blue jays, bluebirds, cardinals, goldfinches, juncos, and probably others that I am not remembering.

We also got to take a look at our niece's yard. She generously shared plants with us that we do not see in Tallahassee gardens.  Time will tell, if they are not suited for here. This lovely little bulb that we think is a wood hyacinth was shared with us in both blue and white. They were naturalized throughout their woodsy backyard.

We also got some red columbine and some large purple irises and some lamb’s ear. It is all in the ground. As I said, time will tell.

Mailbox Monday: En Espanol

Sort of.

It says on top: ‘ME CASA SU CASA”

Red Top Mountain State Park

On the way to my sister’s in Atlanta, we stopped and toured through Red Top Mountain State Park. It is just north of Atlanta, but we had never been there before. You enter by driving a long bridge over Lake Altoona, a manmade lake created by the Altoona Dam on the Chattahoochee River.

These pictures were taken while standing in campsites.

Not a bad view from any of them. The place was all but deserted on this chilly Thursday afternoon.

Sadly, the lodge has closed as a funding cutback. The cabins were closed for remodeling but are expected to reopen in April. The bathrooms need remodeling, but were functional.

It is such a lovely place though that we would like to come back and tent camp.

Some North Alabama Flora

Here is a sampling of the flowers on the trip to Alabama.

Flowering quince, full of bees that were much too busy to cooperate for pictures.

Some kind of wild violet that does not grow in our area.

Buckeye---patiently waiting for hummingbirds to arrive.

Because spring was just getting started up there, there were many bulbs blooming, as well as  crabapples, forsythia, redbud and the wisteria was simply out of control (in a beautiful way!)

Gorham’s Bluff, Alabama

While wandering Sand Mountain, we went to Gorham’s Bluff. Again as with High Falls, this place is remote! You have to be going intentionally ---and it sure helps to know how to get there, as signage is limited. But once you are there, you know why people make the effort: the view! As well as the cooler temperatures when it is much warmer at the lower elevations.

All of the ground below that is not covered in water, is covered in large trees. We are looking at the top of the canopy below.

High above the Tennessee River is a newish, planned community of houses, sitting compactly on the bluff. They are charming little places that resemble those found at Seaside along the Florida panhandle coast: pastel clapboard affairs with tin roofs and tidy gardens tucked behind picket fences. We saw only two people when we were there. Of course, it was misting rain, but still the place gave the appearance of vacancy.

This lovely inn is the focal point of the community.

There are only a few rooms to let, but there are cottages in the community available. They reportedly have a first class chef in the inn and serve fabulous meals. It is a popular wedding venue.

This charming little structure is perched on the very edge of the bluff.

This helps to give you a better sense of the proportions.

Again, the view is spectacular! (And we were there on an overcast day.)

So glad to have seen it!