The Neighborhood

In our Florida neighborhood,

everything looked the same,

as we lived in a cookie-cutter development.

It was great to be able to walk or bike

nearly every day of the year because of the climate,

but I didn't find it very motivating.

 One thing I was hoping for when we moved,

was a place to do my daily walk that would inspire me.

 Guess what?  

I got it.

This road takes me across the street

into a neighborhood that is both unique and captivating.

One of the first homes I pass on my hike

is actually the type of house we are looking for

in our search for a new homestead.

We just love that Southern front porch. 

This home helps me to keep that vision in sight,

reaffirming that we will find our desired digs.

 In Florida, most trees stay green year-round.

It's almost shocking to see so many bare trees.

Against the blue sky, they are quite striking.

And the nature lover in me gets a kick

out of seeing where the birds have made their nests.

Imagine the view from way up there!

 Around every corner, something new is discovered.

Each home in this neighborhood is unlike any other,

and it is oh-so refreshing to see how folks have put

their individual stamp on their homesteads. 

Some have docks behind their  homes

which lead out to the many waterways here.

A few have gardens with amazing features,

like this friendly dinosaur who protects the premises.

Every day that I am able to stroll through the community is a blessing.

It gives me time to think, time to plan,

and time to just be.

I am reminded that 

the possibilities for our future are open wide.

Thanks for coming with me on this hike.

Wishing you a joyous day!

In this series:

The Sale and the Big Move

We Made It

The House

Impromptu Feeder

We used to feed the birds daily in our garden in Central Florida.

Since moving to North Carolina, we see a lot of our feathered friends

on the property and throughout the neighborhood.

I wanted to get back into the habit of providing a bit for them.

Along with birds, there are a ton of squirrels in the side yard of this rental house.

I've been placing peanuts at the base of some trees for them both.

This tree seemed like a good place to hang a feeder,

as it might keep the squirrels out with its gnarly, pointed branches.

Sometimes the birds end up with very little,

as squirrels can be mighty greedy when it comes to birdseed.

We plan to go thrifting soon, 

so maybe I can come up with a cake pan

or something similar to use.

For now, I simply fashioned a feeder 

out of the plastic insert from C's cookie package.

Some string from the birdseed package 

keeps it suspended on the branches.

A few holes were slit in the bottom, 

to allow for drainage should we get rain or snow.

So far, I recognize only the cardinals, 

so I'll need to learn more about the local bird population. 

It's been fun to watch the birds enjoying their surroundings.

Somehow, it makes it feel more like home.

Going Local-New Library

I've decided to start this new series.

As we are new to the area,

we will have a lot of discovering to do about resources.

We'll add to this series as we get to know more about our community.

I'd been jonesing for some good books.

Fortunately, there is a library about 10 minutes from our rental house 
here in Central North Carolina.

Score!

The Sherrills Ford library branch is easy to find
and centrally located. 
The address is  9154 Sherrills Ford Road
and their phone number is (828) 466-6827.

This library is LEED certified,
which means that it is energy efficient.
It's also a handsome building.
Using local building materials, installing native landscaping,
and using sensors that automatically turn lights off in unused rooms
are some of the ways in which the library saves energy and keeps costs down. 
You can watch a video about the process here.

 The woods make a beautiful backdrop
as you head back to your vehicle.

I love that Veterans get preferential parking spaces. 
These spots are also reserved for electric cars.

A new library is so exciting and full of possibilities! 
This branch replaces the previous one
at a nearby location that had served the community 
for almost 40 years!

Books, books, books! 
There are books, videos, music C/Ds
and a bank of computers for patrons to utilize.

 The children's section is expansive.
What kid wouldn't want to explore this massive space?
It's wonderful how inviting the library is for children.
What better way to get them hooked on books for a lifetime?

 Don't you love those fun seats around the table in the foreground?
I bet they are great for all the squirmers out there (including me).
I think I'm gettin' the itch to do another random act of kindness
where we place crisp dollar bills in childrens' books.
It is SO fun!

A large conference room is available for classes and workshops. 
A full working kitchen is available in this area.

Books for sale were very reasonably priced.
Wouldn't it be great to stock up on these
and donate them to kids during the holidays?

This library will be getting a lot of use from us
while we are living in this town.
So comforting to know that a whole host of books
are awaiting us in this beautiful building.

On the way home, I ran into this.
A bad accident was blocking the only road to our house.
Being new to the area, I wasn't sure how to get back another way.
Wouldn't you know,
I went to call Big K (my personal GPS),
and my phone wasn't working.
I sat for a while, quite content with my big bag of fresh library books,
but then was asked to turn around and get off the road.
Reluctantly, I drove to the fire station
(literally down the street the other direction),
and one of the firefighters was kind enough to direct me to my destination.
(We brought them an apple pie the next day to show our appreciation.) 

I think I'm gonna like it here.

The Magic of Snow

The last time I saw snow was in my 20's.

On vacation in California, we happened upon it

and took full advantage of playing in it.

I remember thinking as a kid how magical it seemed.

Growing up in Illinois, I saw mountains of it every winter.

Then we moved to Florida,

and that was the end of my love affair with the perplexing precipitation.

Or so I thought.

This past weekend marked the first full week living in North Carolina.

And the onset of our first winter storm.

It got downright frigid,

with temperatures in our area dipping into the single digits.

With it, came about 8 inches of snow.

It was amazingly beautiful.

Although our garden gnome didn't quite know what to make of it,
I was absolutely transfixed.

The blanket of snow that covered the grounds

created a sense of tranquility and wonder within myself.
What an astonishing transformation!

Our two Elements, Ginger and Kale,

have never seen the likes of this before.

Slow in starting, they were not likely a fan of the drop in temperatures.

An unexpected and outstanding activity was tracking these footprints near the house.
Each day, I would trek outside to see what critters may have been visiting overnight.
Absolutely fascinating!

Here's my boot print next to a set of tracks.
I think it's a bunny, by the way the tracks are laid out.
What do you think? 

I wasn't expecting this overwhelming sense of peace.
It somehow feels right.
There is no doubt in my mind that we are following our path
by living a more seasonal life.
We made it through our first snowstorm a week after landing here.
I'd say we've been initiated!

Of course, it was too tempting to build a snowman,
so we fashioned ours with a little twist.
An homage to the life we left behind,
while embracing our new lifestyle.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,
wherever you are!