Welcome to Liberty Retreat!

Isn't he adorable feeding the birds?

Our first Peach blossom, and the tree is loaded with buds! I tied some tensil around it so no one drives up through and runs it over, especially in the dark. It gets really dark in the country, but the stars are bountiful.

The sky was truly blue today

Florida Fall

A Lovely Fall Day

Say so long to our Redneck Riveera Cottage

We cleaned out the little trailer this weekend since the guy who came to cut the last tree down is taking it off our hands. It's still viable with a little more TLC than we care to put into it since we are putting everything into the house. It served us well the last 4 years. I'm ready to see it go so I can plant some trees which will be coming in the next couple of weeks from the Arbor Day Foundation.

Bye little home...I hope you make your new occupant comfy and get him out of the tool shed. Giving - 'Tis the season right? I thought so too!

After the trees were down, I walked out to see the carnage and when I turned back to the house I was faced with this scene. Wash on the line, crap in the yard...we thought it ironic. It looks a little better now that I've been out raking and picking up the stuff. Sonny will have to move the wood piled there before the termites decide it belongs to them.

Pests and new pets

Bad dog! Newman hasn't been very good this week
Mom is mad at him for scratching her and pulling
her into the dirt twice! Strong little fella.

This little fella is Darkling.

He showed up all beat up.

Skinny and scratched from head to toe.

We fed him and talked him into hanging around.

He brought friends... hmmmm.

Time to move the shower

Since the permanant power is going in soon, we have to move the outdoor shower and the little crate shed we have that is in the way of the trucks.
We decided to move the shower closer to the house and thinking of attaching it temp to the house lines. But til then, I'm clearing a spot and getting rid of that wicked vine that grows everywhere here... it has thorns! Then we can move the shower over. Thankfully Dad and I made it so it can come apart easily... gotta love screws!
I will take a pic before its down and then again when its been moved.

Oreo taste good!

Our Oreo girl on her way to market....

We did good growing our Oreo girl. I fried up some pork chops and couldn't get my fill of the stuff! Nice fat lined chops, an inch thick with great flavor!

Remember when she was just this little?

It is truly breathtaking!

Destin Florida

Movin' In!

Yes, you read that right, we are moving in the furniture...time to make a home out of this house!

Good News! We passed our Inspection!

We got our C/O today- the Certifiacte of Occupancy! We passed! We are legal! All the GFI's worked, the smoke detectors worked and he loved the porch. Now the power company can drag out their poles and their cool machines and chew up some plants to bring us power!

It's so exciting!

DOING THE HAPPY DANCE

IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA :)

Woowhoo, we got the porch done!

The east side porch enclosure finished. The west side is soon to follow.
We really like the enclosure, it adds to the stature of the house and gives us more living space. Once we get it screened in, the cats will be in heaven! I'm thinking of putting my studio on this end since it has wonderful morning light by the time I get my day started, which in case you don't know me very well, isn't until 10am. It takes me a bit to get around in the mornings.

Plants I gathered to make new starts already adorn the porch. We are thinking of of making flower boxes along the exterior of the porch with trailing plants and flowers and probably some herbs and a few veggies here and there. Personally I can already invision Moonflowers glowing brightly in the night.
It will look really nice once we get it screened. Next we will have to work on the underpinning of the house. We have a few ideas in mind, just haven't decided exactly what we will use. We are open to ideas if you want to throw a few our way. I'm considering sheet metal, individual slates to simulate louvers, solid panels, or rock.

Charla helped me out and painted the last of the posts.
Brian helped Sonny get ready to install the panels.
You can tell from the look he is about to say something sarcastic.
Our Comedy Club hard at work on the last of the porch on the east side.
Our club patrons who stopped in to watch the show.

Flowers

Purple passion plant I brought up from Orlando.
The 4'oclocks my seed I brought from my Orlando plants.


Two roses on the same bush show how this rose changes every day.





The last one is Lantana I got at 50% off from Lowes last summer which I keep making new plants from.

Newman being a good boy on the porch. We are working on his social skills and training. He is so like his mom. Fast learner and very protective.

Brutus and Spike watching Sonny make their dinner. We had to add wire to the top of the cage because Spike can jump over the 6' fence. As it is, he is tearing up the additional top fencing.

Porch Project- the end of another day

I painted today on all the panels that Sonny cut yesterday afternoon. I managed to get halfway around the side and all of the front panels painted. We still have trim boards to cut and then we can get it all put together. We should get it mostly finished tomorrow.

This is the inside porch view. I haven't painted the insides yet. I want to get the exterior done first. BY the time I get them all done on the outside, it may be a bit cooler too.


The east side of the house and porch. After we screen it in, the cats will be moving out to sit around outside which I know they will enjoy. It will probably be the area I use as my studio.

Porch enclosure project

Our project begins.

Changes in the works

We had the inspector out to check our progress and he gave us a few items to work on.

One was finishing out the deck. Seems, if its over 30" from the ground, you have to have a rail and 4" posts. Well, we really did not like that idea nor wanted that look and we certainly didn't want to do it more than once, so we bit the bullet and decided to start on building it out with the design we had in mind and get it done so we could get our final inspection the next time he comes out.

You won't be able to fall off or through, unless you're one of those who sit on the rail. Then if you fall off, its your own fault.

This is the porch as it was before we started last week.

The stuff on the porch will be going to the barn soon. Before one of those hurricanes come this way.

Never a dull moment around here.