I'm happy to report that all (6) puppies were adopted out to wonderful famlies. The little guy went to our cousins family just down the road so we get to see him whenever we want. Oh they named him "Guiness" cause he has all the Guiness colors, black with a bit of tan and white foam. The little girl went to our next door neighbors house so we get to see "Allison Rose " aka Allie. It was soo much fun and a ton of extra work, and we cant wait to do it again. Now back to full blown Spring.

I cant believe how long its been since I blogged. It's been so wild around here since the puppies. This weekend we lose (3) of the little guys to very good homes. I cant wait!!!!  Now back to the garden. Which has hit so early this year. Everything is blooming at once. I wont have any azaelas or tulips left by Easter.

The Piedmont azalea outside ouw bedroom window. Soooo fragrant.

Every year I am amazed by this Lady Banks rose on the side porch. I love the contrast of the pale yellow against the "Oakton" green. If only it were fragrant, it would be perfect.

I'll end this post with a pix of Lillie playing with her pups. We take them out to the side yard to play 3 or 4 times a day. We let them run and play (free range) till they all fall down. Oh Springtime, green grass , puppies, flowers and chores. I wouldnt change a thing. Well maybe if I win the 500 and something million, tonight. I need to go by my (2) tickets.

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Feb. is a busy month. We have had such a warm Winter so far, that everything is at least (2) weeks early. It's time to prune the roses. I took a rose pruning class several years ago and learned the proper way to prune my little beauties. These are my tools. I sharpened my Felco #2's, gathered my leather gauntlet gloves and rubbing alchol to clean my shears between bushes. (Not in the pix, a bottle of waterproof wood glue)

In our Italian garden, we plant an antique shrub rose in between (2) treeform roses. I have planted peonies around the tree roses. I start by pruning out all the dead branches, and than cut back by 1/3rd. I cut out all the oldest canes to let the young and viggerous canes to take over.

I put a dab of wood glue on all the cuts on canes that are bigger than a pencil. All this work will pay off come May. I cant wait.

New babies at Oakton.

Lillie's puppies came (6) days ahead of schedule. I think they came early cause we took her up to the Mtns. with us the weekend before. We drove on a lot of gravel roads. Anyway, she had (4) boys and (3) girls. There were (2) runts. We lost one of the runts on the second night. She died in our hands. Lillie had rejected the (2) little ones. After a trip to the Vet., we had to tube feed every (2) hours and stimulate the bathroom tasks. As those who know me know, I'm very squimish. The remaining little guy started at 160 grams and is now at 208. Lillie is now taking care of the little guy and he has been accepted back into the fold. He has such a will to live. We found him cold and stiff twice in those first couple of days. It was very remeniscent of having a new born.

We raise Border Collies. I always grew up with dogs. All male, no females. When we moved to Oakton(10 years ago this Feb. 13th) we told the kids that we could either go to the beach for Spring break or adopt a puppy. They unamously voted for a puppy. We named her "Spring break Baby of Oakton" She was a black and white ,female, Border Collie. Right after we adopted her, all (3) children got invited to the beach with other families. Will and I were stuck with the new puppy. We had a blast. Baby had (3) litters and was hit and killed in our front yard after her 3rd litter. We were devistated. After a mourning period, we were ready to adopt another female. We found Lillie Belle on puppy finder.com. She will be (6) in Feb. and is pregnant with her 2nd litter. She is due on Feb 14th, Valentines day and our 25th anniversary. I'll keep you posted.

I dont think I've said enough about our "girls". We've had them for over a year now and can't imagine life without them. We are down to (5) now(we started out with (10)) We will get (5) more in the Spring. They are so funny to watch. They all have names, Henny, Shiela, Lucy, Gertrude and Carmelina. We are getting (3-4) eggs every day.

Most of the eggs are brown. Carmelina used to lay blue eggs but stopped. She is very stuborn.

Now that all the Christmas is finally put up for another year, I can focus on winter projects. January and February are the ideal months. The garden is put to bed and the house needs some attention. On the list for this winter...Refinish the heart pine floor in the kitchen. The pine we used was too soft so I plan on stripping it and putting on a penetrating sealer that will make it harder. The stone floor in the kitchen needs to be stripped and re sealed as well. I am also going to patch all the pealing plaster in the front rooms. I have finally decided on fabric for the curtains in the master bdrm. and cant wait to see them up.

I better get off the computer and get to work. I'll keep you updated as I progress.

This past weekend I got a space at Scotts Antique show that I shared with a college buddy from Vidalia Ga. She is a fabulous jewelry designer that sells primarily on etsy under" For  Giving  Works Jewelry" check out her site.
Scotts is a once/month show in two huge bldg's just South of the Atlanta airport. I usually get a booth at least twice/year to unload some of the many treasures I collect at yard sales and estate sales throughout the year.
My Grandparents were Antique dealers in Connecticut and I used to go all over New England with them in the summer.
It's in my blood.

I just love the smells, the bartering, the dickering and the ultimate phrase "I'll take it". I had a great time catching up with my friend and meeting new friends in our booth mates all around.

Now that I've created some room, it's time to start hitting some more sales

Now that I'm takeing down the decorations for another year, I've finally had a chance to show you the finished product of (3) weeks work.

T

Today I'm continuing to take down Christmas. I'm down to the last room, the den/sittin room with the main Christmas tree. I got a little side tracked and cleared out the cabinet above the guest bdrm. bathroom. Let me back up.... Next weekend, I have rented a space at Scotts Antique Market. A once / month show in Atlanta. I have been getting things together to sell. We found some amazing things stored in the space above the bathroom. Life magazines from 1936-1941.The ad's are fantastic. Old chocolate boxes full of old strands of beads, lots of family photos, old check stubs and world war 2 letters. I'm keeping anything personal pertaining to the family and selling the rest. Some of the cool Life magazine issues are.... a 1938 Joe Di Maggio issue, Katherine Hepburn, Brittan enters WW2, a very young Queen Elizabeth, Erol Flynn, Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers, Winston Churchill andWallace Simpson and the Duke of Windsor. What fun. My college buddy is coming from Vidalia, Ga. to share my booth with her amazing jewlery. I cant wait. Tomorrow, off to Athens, Ga. to see my Daughters exibit in an art show.