LIFE'S BETTER IN THE MOUNTAINS

Saturday, January 26, 2019

Lucy and Rocks

It may seem quite strange to some that we would actually order boulders and have them delivered to our woods.  But that is exactly what we did the first summer in our mountain home.  Why?  Quite simple.  We love big rocks.  And while our property has its share of lovely trees and a creek, we had no really large rocks.  So we ordered some.

Our neighbors came over to see what the digger was doing.  They were a bit surprised to find it was unloading big rocks and placing them strategically on our property.


The first rock to come down the hill

We had six large rocks placed and we still love them.  Both of the dogs seemed to like them as well.  Ellie would often stand on top of the largest one.  But Lucy liked the flatter one best.

Poor thing, she woke up limping this morning.  She seems to have slipped and "sprained" her hip so she is reluctant to totally bear weight on her right rear leg.  She is already on a Cox inhibitor for her arthritis so we dare not give her anything additional.  We are hopeful this will resolve and she seems comfortable otherwise.  If not, we will visit the veterinarian to see if there is something further we might do to help the healing.  We do have a sling to help her into and out of the SUV and we have brought that inside in case we need to assist her,  Please keep your fingers crossed that it is nothing serious.


A younger Lucy on the flattest rock.


Our granddaughter Violet likes sweats.  Notice that the sleeves of the sweatshirt must be rolled up so the legs will fit all the way down her long legs.  She has a college student "nanny" who comes several times a week to provide some respite for her stay-at-home-dad.  Here the two of them seem to be having a fun conversation which Violet finds amusing.

No hard rock band on this outfit.  Just love.

It has been a strange week both in news and in weather.  I won't comment further than to sympathize with our Milwaukee daughter and the others suffering the same cold temperatures.  The city is in the midst of a dreaded winter vortex with really cold subzero weather for the foreseeable future.  She has the right clothing for it, but it's still awful to head out to work when the temperature is minus sixteen.

Today's quote comes from Dr. Seuss:

"The sun did not shine.
It was too wet to play.
So we sat in the house,
All that cold wet, wet day."

I hope those in the frigid areas are indeed staying inside on this cold weekend.  And for so many of them, I am so glad you will be going to work and finally getting paid next week.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK, EVERYONE
GIVE THANKS FOR ALL YOU HAVE



11 comments:

Tara said...

I feel for your daughter! I've been in -10 and that was bad enough.

Love the picture of Lucy on the rock -- in her younger days. I'm so sorry she's limping about right now. Getting old (for humans and dogs) can be a real bummer when the body fails.

I, too, love large rocks. They give definition and focal points to a landscape. Did you neighbors think you were a tad crazy? Some people put in swimming poos....

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

We didn't have any rocks around our home on the VA eastern shore and now in New England we have plenty of them. Hope that Lucy will be feeling better with some rest. Getting old is a downer no matter if your human or animal. I tried not aging, but it didn't work :-) Violet is indeed loved many times over. Our snow and cold temps have improved in that most of the snow is gone and it's now tolerable temps.

Barbara Rogers said...

Yes, I'm thinking of your little furry pal, and sending virtual healing energies her way. (Who knows, but any form of good wishes might help.) She is beautiful sitting on the large rock. I think the communities which have "entrance rocks" placed with beautiful plants must also bring them in from someplace else. On a nearby highway is a rock dealership, but mainly just paving stones. I dare say it would be fun to have rocks to sell!

Busy Bee Suz said...

The phrase "I like big rocks, and I cannot lie" comes to mind. Sending good thoughts Lucy's way; hopefully, her discomfort is temporary.
Ask Violet to let me know what it's like to have long legs. :)
I can't imagine the cold temps of Milwaukee....it's been cold/gray/drizzly here all day (in the '50s) and it's not horrible, because I know it will pass soon. I don't know that I'd be a happy person in a real winter climate.

Nance said...

When we took out our backyard and made it an entirely landscaped garden, we brought in lots of rocks of varying sizes and shapes. I love the look of them. Fingers crossed for Lucy!

Arkansas Patti said...

Sure hope Lucy is feeling much better soon. Know she is in the best of hands. I love big rocks also, wish I had some. They add character and interest to a landscape. All the rocks on this property could be lifted with two hands at most and ate up the lawnmower. This is called Stone County for a good reason.

Anonymous said...

Hope Lucy is feeling better and whatever aches and pains she has are not serious. Violet is adorable in her LOVE sweats. Hope the weather changes soon for everyone suffering through this polar vortex.

KB said...

I love your boulders!!! If we didn't already have lots, I'd do the same thing. I sure do hope that Lucy is healing on her own. Sending her POTP.

Violet looks like she is so much fun!!! She must be a very happy little girl.

Vicki Lane said...

She just gets cuter and cuter! And like KB Bear, if we didn't have lots of terrific rocks, I'd be getting some. We all love them.

troutbirder said...

Rock have a special aura all their own. Both sons "picked" lime stone rock out of our neighbors cornfield for early summer jobs. and then. and then People from the Twin Cities driving by the piles would stop by an ask if they were for sale to local amazement. Our farmer friend called it "double cropping"...:)

NCmountainwoman said...

Thanks for your comments, everyone.

Tara - The neighbors were a bit surprised but all of them love the big rocks. I don't know of anyone who has an outdoor pool around here. There are a couple of "mansions" with indoor ones and the pool at our club is heated.

Beatrice - I suspect you got smacked again with the Polar Vortex. Stay warm.

Barbara - Interestingly enough, our rocks came from Tennessee. We also have a lot of places that sell rocks. One of them says, "dirt cheap."

Suz - At least your lovely daughters did get the long legs even if they passed you by.

Nance - I also love the landscaped rock gardens.

Patti - We were amazed at the number of rocks in WI. Then we learned they were washed down by the glaciers so none of them were very large at all.

Robin - Yes, the weekend break can't come too soon for most areas.

KB - Yes, Violet is indeed a happy little girl, in a good mood most of the time. Lucy definitely needs the POTP. Thanks.

Vicki - Yes, we do love rocks.

Troutbirder - What a win-win situation. I love it.