We are headed to a country Fair today! I am excited as I haven't been to a fair in at least 10 years.  I was the 4-H leader for our little town and they used to compete at the local county Fair each year.  The kids learned a lot, and the prize money would pay for their rides on Children's Day and by volunteering at the 4-H building, we were given passes to get into the Fair.  I always liked the animals and the craft displays. 

Ed goes to Virginia next week, so I'll have time to get some craft work done.  It's a good thing since my crafting partner found us a consignment shop to show our wares in.

The Addiction:

An addiction is all consuming.  It makes you plan your whole day around it...you have to make sure you have your drug of choice, you have to plan and take time to use that drug. You need to find a space for "it".

My Addiction is smoking, and it is a giant time suck....you have to have equipment, money and space for it.  You time your day around a "smoke break" (or 40)...it stinks, it's messy, it's unhealthy...but you always think "do I have enough to get by for the next day".  Then there are the non-smokers to think about and the fact that you are ruining your health.

I have quit before, when my kids were little.  A hypnotist came to town and we went.  I worked for 10 years...until I met and fell in love with a smoker.  5 moved and two step children later, I was smoking along with him.   I quit when Sam was pregnant with Evan, but when she went into labor, I picked up a pack of smokes and puffed a trail outside the hospital waiting for her to deliver.   I quit again when we put our house on the market...I wanted a new start, better health and I needed to not stink up the house while we were selling it.  Unfortunetely, the day we moved, Ed ticked me off big time and left his smokes in the truck when I took off....seemed like a good idea at the time.  However, as an offering to the Godess, I decided to quit again on September 1st.   There is another guy in town (my friends Dad) who wants to go with me to the hypnotist, so I'll at least have company.

Now, the count down is on and it makes me nervous....it makes me "panic smoke", lol.  I have done this before and it's not so bad, but I find myself puffing frantically and worrying.  I will use my Wii Fit and suck on lollipops and be fine.  My house will look better and smell batter and I will feel a ton better.  I won't have to worry about finding a place to smoke, buying smokes, making time to smoke...but still, the thought of giving them up makes me panic.

Addictions of any kind, SUCK !

Have a great day!

I went to two places today that were just down the street from each other and found absolute disappointment in both places. I found a beautiful store that was basically a consignment shop for local artists and craftsmen. It was lovely, well laid out and the man was both helpful and friendly. Unfortunetely, he is going out of business. Just down the street I went into the healthfood store...after walking right by it. The had no "healthfood store smell", no bulk herbs, no loose herbs, no granola (except for a few prepackaged boxes of granola cereal), it wasdirty and the help was ...um, UN helpful. Unfortunetely, they are not going out of business. I guess I will be ordering my herbs on line. Ah well...I woke up from a nap having a horrible nightmare. I was having the biggest arguement ever with Ed. It's probably a side affect of going off the meds. I'm hoping some cleaning therapy will help. lol

Have a great day tommorrow.

I am still tired...I decided to drop my anti-depressants, and the withdrawals has me a wee bit cranky. I don' need no stinkin' antidepressants!

We have had enough rain to start a "Noah's Ark" rumor around hear...each day it's dreary with scattered showers and in the afternoon and evening we get thunderstorms.  I was able to go out this morning and weed for a bit, thinking I'd pick beans and chamomille this afternoon...BUT we got hit again with thunderstorms.  I think by the time I can actually pick my beans I'll have some that are trying to become baseball bats.

Our phone got fried in last nights thunderstorm, so no when people call, we can't hear hardly over the static and then the call is disconnected.  Go figure.  At some point, we are supposed to get a service man out, but without the phone we had to request it over the internet and it's vague as to when he will be out to fix the problem.

My friends and family are having financial horrors and I feel like giving the universe a "bah- humbug".

Hugs to all

I finally did my first full picking of beans...I got about 11-12 pints.  I got 9 canned, have one in the fridge and we ate the other with our own new potatoes! Yum!

We have had unbelievable storms rolling through each day, so it's been hard to tend to the garden.  I will try and get out there and get somethings done today.

We have daughter Jen coming for her first visit to this home later this week, and she is bringing her boyfriend with her for us to meet....kind of a "meet the parents" visit.  lol   She tries to never let us meet her boyfriends, so we know this one is serious.  He seems like a really nice guy from what we have heard.   Hope he likes us!

Have a great week ahead everyone!

Nature is abundant this year...does that mean a hard winter ahead?  We were walking in the woods to check out a couple of trees that Rob had cut and we startled a whole family of either quail or partridge...I had no idea they were there in the back, just inside the wood line!  Rob has found some red spotted newts and will take one home with him...apparently they have a 20 year life span! 

The garden is doing it's thing...I have baby summer squash,baby cukes and baby beans...looks like a bumper crop.  I have a dilema with my raspberries...the grass has grown back around them, so I have to figure out how to fix that.   I planted a few more beans in a space vacated by broccoli, and replanted radishes and spinach. 

I'm having a great herb harvest, and finally all the "Wave" petunias I planted are starting to run, so they and the marigolds have filled in my "mound" in the center of the cottage garden...the new shed/garage is up and has a space on the side for yet another garden bed....nothing is ready for division, so I guess I'll be getting a few more plants (oh darn!)

More wood is in the woodshed, still not enough for the winter, but we are where we were when we moved in, so that's enough until January or February.  I'm already starting a list of what to plant next year and where...I'mso please with how things have grown here!

The basement remains an issue, but since Ed has decided to make the basement his workshop and the sun room my craft space, I no longer have to worry about getting it perfectly organized...just finding stuff isstill an issue.  I have no idea how long it will take to get things moved around or whipped into shape.  He needs to run electricity to the sun room and since it involved crawling into a small space under it, he puts it off as long as he can.  Ed's schedule is crazy at work and will continue to be crazy until the ship is launched, so no telling what will happen.  Once the ground freezes, work on the sunroom will probably come to a halt.

I've noticed several people commenting on how fast the summer is going by...I thought the spring would never  move forward, but now, it seems like the days  fly by !   I haven't been this busy in the summer for a long time,but jeez! This is rediculous!

We took a hike to a local spot called "Tannery Falls" yesterday.  I am amazed that it's not a more publicized spot.  The falls were amazing to see!

Have a great day!