Pink Saturday

For my contribution to Pink Saturday, I thought I would share some of the pink Christmas ornaments that are on display at our Hallmark store.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Barbie. Shoe-sational is so stylish!

Here is another Barbie in her Preferably Pink outfit.

This is China Rose , the 22nd of the Rosemary's Angels series.

Madame Alexander's Wreath of Holiday Wishes is the 14th of her series.

How about A Sugar Plumped Fairy?

Or a Teen Queen?


Proceeds from the sale of Angel of Strength helps to benefit the Susan Komen fund for breast cancer.


This is Precious Beauty, the fourth in the Angel series.

But my favorite has to be Ralphie's Pink Nightmare from The Christmas Story.

Visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for more Pink Saturday.

This Week at Applejack Lane

This has been a busy week at Applejack Lane. Last Friday, June 26, David's company nTELOS flew him to San Francisco for a seven day Cisco Convention. He enjoyed seeing new sites and participating in Cisco's 20th anniversary celebration which included concerts, carnival rides, and fabulous foods. He did have to attend classes, but he said on the whole they were very enjoyable. He learned a few new things, interacted with other businesses like his, and would definitely do this again if the company paid for it!

With Dave in San Francisco, Timmy and Burt came out to Applejack Lane for their vacation.














Murphy was banished for his sake to the outside.

It was quite a week carting the dogs to Dave's house during the day and back to Applejack Lane at nights. Plus, somebody got fleas! After numerous flea baths, the scratching subsided. Of course, Timmy had to wear a red bandanna handkerchief around his middle one night so that he would not dig himself to death. The pooches were a little traumatized with Dave not being around. But, Tim and Burt did have some nice walks on country roads to help expend some of their energy and enable them to sleep well. On Friday, off to Doggystyles they went to see their friend Ann who massaged and groomed them beautifully for Dave's homecoming.

With Timmy and Burt back home on Friday, Team Cathy arrived Friday afternoon to celebrate Cathy's birthday and visit for the 4th of July. Murphy was able to come back into the house because he and Kahlo are friends. We had chicken and vegetable kabobs cooked on the grill along with pasta salad, and fresh corn on the cob. Kahlo decided to rescue the cobs that Guy threw over the fence and eat them later that evening-that's six whole cobs! You can see him here checking out a few extra chicken kabobs.

Instead of an ice cream cake this year, we resorted to more health conscious fare with a July 4th concoction of blueberries, strawberries, angel food cake, sugar free pudding, and light whipped cream.

Amy thought the Pepperidge Farm chocolate pirouettes weren't so bad either.

Cathy unwrapped a package or two...

and dazzled us with her fashion style.


Since the store was absolutely dead on Saturday, we decided to close and headed out to a new winery in the Fishersville area-Barren Ridge Vineyards.

This is a lovely facility which was transformed from an old apple packing shed by the present owners.

The covered balcony and patio area is set with tables and chairs overlooking the beautiful vineyard and countryside of Augusta County.


The patio is even equipped with an outdoor fireplace so that the winery could be used in the early spring to late autumn for a variety of activities and entertaining. There have even been wedding receptions here.


We tasted about seven of their wines. I recommend anyone visiting in the area to stop by for a free tasting. You can taste five more for a $5.00 charge, but we thought seven tastings were enough. I was getting a little woozy at this point anyway.


By Sunday, we were all pooped. Even Kahlo seems to have lost a lot of his zip. It was rainy and a little on the cool side which made for a lazy day.

By 11:00 A.M., Team Cathy was packed and ready to return to Richmond. I was whipped, too, after a week at work, caring for Timmy and Burt, preparing for company, and cooking over the weekend.

So, I decided to make myself a wine spritzer or two and just relax for the rest of the day here at Applejack Lane. Come on back for another visit!

Let's Celebrate Cathy!

It's getting close to the 4th of July, and that can only mean one thing-it's time for Cathy's birthday! Cathy was born on on July 2 which also happened to be the birthday of Baba, her grandmother. Hopefully, she and Kahlo will be able to drive in from Richmond to celebrate the festivities with us during the long weekend.
Cathy has lived in Richmond for the past four years and shares a row house with her college friend Amy. She works for the United States Geological Survey and is on the road much of the week traveling to various sites over the state to monitor water quality. She has goals of attending graduate school very soon to further her career. When she is not working, she enjoys running. Last November she completed the Richmond Half Marathon with plans this year of entering the Richmond Marathon. She has started training for this event with runs of 8 to 10 miles. She has a dog-Mr. Kahlo-who is a wonderful companion for her. She has trained him well. He is a welcome visitor to Applejack Lane anytime.

Cathy enjoys adventure. When she gets the opportunity she loves to visit new places. She has traveled west to Utah and Colorado, Minnesota, Washington, and south to Florida plus many more states. One of her favorite trips was to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. When she travels, Kahlo gets to have a vacation here. She likes to visit NOVA to have the opportunity to visit museums and attend cultural events with her friends. Cathy recently started a supper club with some of her friends in Richmond who enjoy eating new and different cuisines or entertaining at one an other's homes about once a month. She is thinking about inviting her friends here to enjoy Autumn in the Valley during October. She says that in order to live life to the fullest, one must experience all that one can.


So here's to Cathy on her birthday on July 2. We hope to see her very soon, and she is ready to attack a new birthday cake!

Happy Birthday!!!

Happy Birthday, Tom!

This week, we want to give a special birthday salute to our nephew-in-law (if there is such a term) to Tom. He is married to our niece Beth and lives in Crozet. Tom is a real special guy to our family. He enjoys golfing, gardening, and being Stuart's dad as you can see in these pictures.

He likes to hear Stuart read and helps Stuart ride his tricycle in the neighborhood. They work and play together in the yard of their new home where Tom has spent countless hours landscaping. Sometimes, Tom takes Stuart golfing at Old Trail. It's nice for Stuart to have a dad like Tom. Although he is a graduate of JMU, he is a big supporter of UVA sports especially football and basketball.

We are very lucky to have Tom as a part of our clan. So, in addition to wishing him a happy birthday on June 25, we also want to wish him a very happy Father's Day!



See you later, fellows!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

A Birdbath Metamorphosis

A few weeks ago, I made a special trip to Harrisonburg to Harper's Lawn Ornaments hoping to find a special treasure. I found just that-a birdbath shaped like an apple leaf to put in the flower beds at Applejack Lane.

But I need to back track a little in my story.

Meet Dwayne. Dwayne is a designer (he doesn't like to be called one, but he is) at Driver Brothers, a landscape center in Staunton. He was one of my sixth grade students a few years back and I recently caught up with him at the landscape center. He does some fabulous things with plants. I fell head over heals in love with a little succulent arrangement he planted in a broken birdbath.


This arrangement is absolutely stunning. I bet there are more comments about this one piece in the center than any other. And it is Dwayne's work! So I asked him just how he did it so I could make my version.

Start with a birdbath.


Add some pebbles for drainage.


Add a layer of soil.



Add some plants. I used Hens and Chicks in the center. Then, I planted Czar's Gold Sedum at the top and finished with a Tri-color Sedum at the point.



All the starter nasturtiums had been sold at the garden center so I bought a packet of seeds to add for some summer color. These are Nasturtium Alaska. I only had to add a few, and the rest I planted in my perennial bed.



Add a little water and a pinch of patience. Voila! I have very my very own succulent birdbath at Applejack Lane! It's not as grand as Dwayne's, but I am in awe of his work and the inspiration he gave me to try to create one for myself.



Be sure to visit Between Naps on the Porch hosted by Susan to visit other participants in Metamorphosis Monday.

Golf, Golf, and More Golf

This weekend was a marathon golf weekend at the Waynesboro Country Club with the Member-Member Tournament. The best part about the weekend for me was that I did not have to cook Friday, Saturday, or Sunday because the spouses were included in some very nice social events at the club all three evenings. We even met some very nice young people who have a new restaurant in Charlottesville that we must patronize very soon.

Buddy and Kenny won the overall gross in the tournament. That means they get a lot of money to spend at the club's pro shop.

Buzz won something-I'm not sure what. He can send me a note to clarify his winning. But, I heard rumors that there is a part for him in Buddy's new plumbing commercial. It will be an advertisement on how not to install a commode. Kenny is all excited that he might get a bit part in the upcoming ad.


Guy and Bryan won the second flight second gross. According to Guy, Bryan did not help at all. He was too busy scrutinizing the cart girls. He was AWOL during the social events. On another note, Billy Ray at BR549 won the closest to the pin at No. 14 on Sunday. Billy Ray was also AWOL for the social events which was a shame. Billy Ray is usually very social.

Here are the happy golfers-Buddy, Buzz, Kenny, and Guy-before leaving for the evening. Uh, oh. Buzz stole Buddy's trophy. You've got to watch that Buzz.



Guy gives the thumbs up that everything is right again. For these fellows, another round of golf begins on Wednesday. Do any of them ever work?

Where, O Where?

Where, oh where can my Velcro be?

Oh where, oh where can he be?

With his hair cut short, and his tail cut long,

Oh where, oh where can he be?

Velcro Kitty is among the missing. He hasn't been seen for about a week. If you see Velcro, tell him he needs to come home. Mr. Murph misses him. So do I.