My Country Life

"Rudy" July 1995 - December 26, 2012 Rudy came to live with me way back in November 1995. I had been living at 110 Lamont for about a year, and my first kitty, Cindy had recently died. I missed her terribly so I attended a local pet adoption in search of a new cat. I came home with two male kittens, Rudy and  Teddie .  Teddie passed away  over three years ago. Rudy seemed sad after his companion died, but he kept on going. Over time, he bonded more with Melvin whom he had always viewed as inferior. Eventually, he seemed to enjoy being an "only cat." He made a few trips with me to the cabin, and this picture was taken on his very first trip in June 2010. He liked it here at the cabin, but he hated being crated for the trip so I only brought him a few times.

Wishing you peace, love, and joy at Christmastime. And always. ~Pat and Melvin~

My main project for this trip was to install shelves in the shed and get it organized.  Until now it was just a blank space where I had been storing tools, my CrossFit gear, and other stuff that doesn't belong in a living space. I spent about $100 on materials which included 12 MDF boards from Home Depot, brackets for mounting, and screws. The result is what you see here.  I'm pleased.

White Oak at the Cabin picture taken 11/4/12 I have decided to move to the cabin for a while. When I lost my job back in June, I immediately took comfort in the knowledge that I could move here if I needed to. I'm grateful that I spent the last year getting it livable. Owning this place free and clear of any mortgage has allowed me to think about how I really want to spend my life. I wasn't forced to FIND A JOB - any job - just to pay the mortgage and the VISA bill.

I drove over to the Comer Farmers' Market this morning.  Now this is my idea of a farmers' market. Locals selling their own homegrown, handmade stuff -- vegetables, bedding plants, soap, natural cleaners, jewelry, honey, beeswax candles, and baked goods.

I'm spending a few days at the cabin to get it put back together after months of construction. Yesterday stepdad-Lamar installed my new stove. Isn't it cute? My sister, Jolyn spent the afternoon cleaning and unpacking the kitchen while Mama supervised and drank coffee. I plan to install open-shelving above the cabinets. This will be a simple, low-cost solution that I hope to have done before fall.

Things have been happening recently at the cabin. I now have indoor plumbing!  Running water, a kitchen sink AND a bathroom sink, a toilet, and a shower. The plumber finished up this past Thursday. Yes, my country life is taking shape.

Range and cabinets were delivered today.  I must have prayed for patience because I am getting lots of opportunities to practice it lately.  The counter top which I ordered nearly four weeks ago was due after "two or three weeks." At the end of three weeks I called to check the status, only to learn it had never been ordered.  Argh! Supposedly, it has now been ordered, and there's a rush on it.

My new old floors were worth the wait! The floors are FINALLY installed. I chose reclaimed antique heart pine, sourced by a company in Florida. I feel like they looked out for me, waiting to deliver until they had wood of the premium quality that I paid for. But the wait was long and sometimes taxed my patience. When I ordered in late January, they estimated three to four weeks until delivery.  In the end, I waited a long seven weeks.

Lenten Rose Blossom (Helleborus orietalis)  Yesterday was a beautiful day. It started out a little overcast, but by afternoon the sun was shining and the temperature was spring-like. Perfect for a walk in the woods. I drove over to check on the cabin and pay a visit to LaMama. (That's my mama and stepdad, Lamar. I refer to them collectively as LaMama.) The cabin sits on ten acres that adjoin their property on the back. You can walk through the woods, down the hill, across the creek and back up the hill to get from their house to the cabin.

Longleaf Forest Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge photograph by Jack Culpepper I finally made a decision on flooring for the cabin. Last week I placed an order with Goodwin Heart Pine Company for antique longleaf pine flooring. Longleaf Pine once covered the southeastern United States, but it was harvested to near extinction during the building boom of the late 1800's and early 1900's.  Only a small percentage of original longleaf remains, and for the most part, it's not planted anymore because of the slow growth rate.  It might take 100 years to get a mature longleaf and no one has time for that anymore. The slow growth is also what produces the highly sought after, beautiful, tight grained heart pine.