Cranberry Bog

A true treat for the nature enthusiast is a trip to the Cranberry Bog located in Buckeye Lake which I was provided the pleasure of exploring a couple of weekends ago. Free to visit but a permit is required to do so normally. However, once a year a pre-planned trip is available through the Department of Natural Resources.

This "island" is a BOG comprised not of dirt but sphagnum moss. Being so unique as to the be the only know occurrence in which the lake surrounds the Bog instead of the bog surrounding the lake. "Our" bog is home to some very interesting vegetation including of course the Large Cranberry which does produce the edible berry with a very short harvest period.




Present and growing on the island naturally are the Northern Pitcher Plant.


The Calopogon Orchid as well as the Rose Pogonia Orchid (2 very RARE orchids).














The Cinnamon Fern (below left) as well as the Royal Fern (below right).


















Indigenous UNFORTUNATELY to the island is also the Poison Sumac (shown below)! Growing abundantly in tree form it is the most poisonous of the woody plants and should be avoided at all costs.

Kingwood Center

Located in Mansfield are the beautiful Lush gardens of Kingwood Estates. A once private garden that is now enjoyed by the public. Featured are the beautiful flowering Dogwoods lining the main walkway to the Mansion that was the home of Mr. & Mrs. Charles Kelley King.


Well know for their beautiful displays of Tulips in the Spring and Poinsettias in the Winter it becomes easy to miss the extensive Tropical Greenhouse garden. The cost of admission is a modest $5 per car and makes for a pleasant family activity.
















These gardens can be enjoyed from the various benches throughout the park or quietly around the clear blue pond with the Mallards and Peacocks.

Fantastic Mansfield Carousel

Mansfield’s carousel is one of 16 active carousels in Ohio and features 52 animal figures. Each of the pieces are hand carved and/or painted just up the road from the Carousel by Carousel Works. Carousel Works is the world's largest manufacturer of wooden carousels and they design & paint in the style of G. A. Dentzel, one of the most revered carvers of the early 1900s. What a treasure it is to find something affordable for the family to enjoy with such dedication of so many craftsmen to carry on the fine skills of the artists before our time.

A Child at heart can never be to old to enjoy a Carousel ride, especially on a bunny OF COURSE. :-)

Westeria- a powerful force

In the yard at "HOME" is a powerful force. One that has proven Nature will always prevail and find a way to survive. This BEAUTIFUL Vine has proven to Grandmother, Grandfather, Neighbors and Mother that NOTHING will ever take it out or remove it from it's home! It has been "dug" out, chopped down and poisoned! Yet today MY beautiful Westeria, which in its glory days was home to Cecropia Moths measuring the width of my Grandfather hand and larger, still blooms profusely at "HOME" for a short time in late May with such fragrance it's unmistakable for anything else.

the Missing Link...

Scott returning to work has been a blessing and means I can get back to "normal". But "catching" up is the hard part! Finances, well I won't even go there; lol. But, bunny activity, website updating and what I've been up to seems like it will take forever to get everything back to "normal". Stay tuned.... over the next couple of weeks I'll be getting seriously busy and updating my blog, website and activities I've been participating in. It's sure to bring laughter and tears to you.

GLITCH- the newest addition

Hand-feeding our newest Baby will provide the best bond for her with us. Glitch is a 9 week old weaning baby Cockatiel.
Scott has already spoiled her!! She loves showers daily and he is all but to happy to let her perch on his hand while she does so. When he comes home from work he MUST speak to her, I am beginning to think she is training him instead of the other way around... :-)

By the way... YES, she was the 'Teil spoken about at the Canton show this past weekend.

Tulips at Mom's gardens

So gone are the Tulips that ushered in Spring. But the bright colors will stay forever in our hearts.
The Parrots is Mom's favorite... seen here with a Hosta background...




Also, not to be outdone of course is her Lilac Bush; which, by the way bunnies CAN eat, although I'm not sure I want to tell Mom that...LOL














Personally, I'm rather fond of the this lone red and yellow guy with cinnamon ferns being his background.





As always a dazzling display from her bleeding hearts was to be held.

Short & Fragrant

My FAVORITE flower is so fragrant but small. It only blooms the end of April and first part of May then is gone. Lily-of-the-Valley... This has been growing along Mom's drive for MANY, MANY years. Planted by my Grandfather it brings so much joy to my heart each year.

Gone are the Guineas

Hard as it may have been to say goodbye it was a necessity. With Hubby apparently being very allergic to them the last left on Sunday. I hope Freedom can enjoy his new life.....

The ENDING School Year

"It matters not what possessions are had nor amount of money in ones accounts IF one makes a single difference in the life of a child."

This is the one thing that seems to keep my hopes up as I struggle with each child through the battles of school and success. It paid off just a little this year. Last night we attended the "Appreciation banquet and Awards dinner" held for the Students of Holy Trinity Virtual Learning Center and School. I was over-whelmed into tears when Patrick received the "STUDENT OF THE YEAR" for being the most improved student last night!! What a joy it brought to my heart and it makes all those stepping stones and battles seem a little easier to reach!

Reunited after 7 yrs. & 5 Mths.

The reward for my beautiful Grandma (Ella Belle) arrived last Friday, April 9th as Grandpa arrived to pick her up. The love and dedication to each other and GOD always provided well for them both. Grandma always volunteered and she worked much harder than the younger adults and teens around her. She was an firm believer in "work keeps me young" and discipline as necessary, to get her point across. 92 years old (she would have been 93 in 1 month) Grandma was solely committed for 65 of those earthly bound years to my Grandpa. They now watch over their earth bound family and friends waiting to join life end and journey as a family for the cycle never ends.


This photo of Ella Belle and Ray Leddy was taken in 1982. Twenty years prior to his calling home.






Photo on the right; Grandma, Dad and I at our last family reunion shared together. July 2008












Grandma was always ready to lend her ear and never once did she hesitate to give her opinion. The photo on the left is of Grandma and Dad taken in July 2008.






No, Grandma wasn't in this one. Pictured to the right is Mom, Dad and I taken also July 2008. Mom (OH) and Dad (FL) have been divorced for 36 years but they still love each other just from a safe distance. When Dad "comes home" I am his designated driver as available, the rest of the time it's all Mom.





Obituary for Grandma is available here:

http://www.webfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=302093&fh_id=10525

48 hours & HE is recovering

It's been a long while since I've entered anything in my blog. Been busy knitting and I'll share that soon as well. BUT this motivated me first and foremost to write and share once again.

I've told this story to some BUT not all...

48 hours . . .

That is how long it has been since a very special puppy was unfortunately and unexpectedly bitten by another "family" members canine. Chrysler is a 5 + month old male Chihuahua that we have had since the 27th of November when he was only 7 weeks old. We've watched him and Porschea (our initially reluctant 1 yr. old female Chihuahua) grow into a comical pair. However, that all was endangered Saturday (3/6) as the family began to enjoy a rather late evening supper. We are not exactly sure what the cause of the "attack" was. Food? Unknown "rough" play? Or just being in the wrong place at the right time. BUT our supper was abruptly interrupted and our sweet dreams were immediately delayed by the excruciating cries of our puppy for what seemed like an eternity. What I observed other family members may wish to deny. But the offending canine (regardless of the feelings of her owners) has now been "ordered" by myself and Scott out of the home permanently.

A very special friend Lisa, was all but yanked in to assist in the emergency as she arrived several minutes after the "attack" occurred. All she was anticipating was a simple "drop off" of a couple of French Angora from a pick up earlier that day that I'd been eagerly anticipating the arrival of. Boy... I'm sure she KNOW's I'm crazy now; by the way I was dressed and responding to the emergency. Yet in my eyes, SHE (and 2 other very special people that come to mind right now whom I've been privileged enough to call friends and have met just this last year) CAN FIX EVERYTHING! Don't get me wrong my hubby Scott is strong in more ways emotionally than I'll ever be. He can think in an emergency unlike me when it comes to this amount of blood being lost especially when it's my animals. He did well. And it's Thanks to his calm response along with Lisa's suggestions and interventions that I can say Chrysler might just make it out of this OK.

Today Chrysler is beginning to "come around". He ate hard food (the same he was on prior to the attack); OH! what a glorious moment that was for me! He even wanted to "play" with Miss Porschea, but Scott and I are attempting to protect him as much as we can. His energy and spunk have not quite returned but it is slowly for now he appears to remain somewhat weak. Alot was put into immediate perspective for me Saturday night. Fear which I have not experienced in a very long time became so heart wrenchingly real again! Seeing this little guy collapse on the floor was more than I could handle and I ran (like a coward) out the front door trying to find strength to face what I was afraid of (what I at that point was sure of). However through my Mom talking to me on my cell phone as I paced up and down the sidewalks I was reminded by her of his unwavering love and where I had and needed to be! By Chrysler's side, not allowing DEATH to swiftly and unjustly take him, but giving as much to him as he had already to me and my family!

48 1/2 hours after the attack I now am a hovering worry wart. LOL Even nagging Scott each morning to check on our "baby" (we kennel at night or when we leave the home for his safety as well as our peace of mind). Eagerly now I'm anticipating (hoping and praying) that Chrysler will be OK and a part of our lives for at least another 10+ years!

Soon all that will remain is a scar for him and a memory for us. You can see in this picture where the injury is now how very bad this was and could have been. (The yellow stuff is septic powder which is 1 of a couple of utilized methods of blood control at the time of injury that we used.) Pressure, ice and "New Skin" plus alot of encouragement & believing in Him were also used.

PS: I BELIEVE in the Miracle of ACID PACK! ; ^ ) and the Blessings of the MAN "upstairs"!

(All these photos were just taken about an hour and a half ago of this entry time.)

SOooooo Where ya been?!

I bet everyone has started to wonder just where I've slipped off to (oh, lol...knitting humor). It's been crazy (like always) around here. I've been knitting (as always when my stress begins to soar). A few small projects... washcloths and a hat. I've been working on a scarf that is pretty but technique & challenge wise boring so I tend to switch back and forth. Traditionally I work a project till finished or I'm in need of more material though. I've even started a sweater (my first one) that I'm working a little here and there on. (I can't share it's colors since it is planned for a friend, once I finish and she receives it I can. Maybe privately but just not here yet,LOL) So for those of you wondering just what in the world has happened to that "Nutty Buckeye Rabbitry" Tina... here are a few of my projects completed and in progress so far this year.

The washcloths are a fun and easy to complete distraction yet every once in a while an easy to complete challenge is in order... so comes this hat. This was completed in (if I remember right) 3 or 4 days. I'm after the perfect hat pattern for a Christmas gift for my daughter (who has been beggin' for a hat now for 2 years) and may have just found it (just not in these colors). Cables and bobbles, Oh MY!

I'm still working on the scarf. I only have about 30 more rows to go for the 5 remaining inches. I'll be glad to get that off my needles. But I've yet to take a photo of that. Now you already know the sweater must remain a secret BUT my next projects are WOW! Intense and somewhat complicated. I'm hoping to AMAZE my Mom this year with a dual color doily (she loves those things) but I want to make sure I'm ready for this feat. So hence the following projects to get my feet wet and see if I'm ready and able to justly compare to my loving Grandmothers' legacy.

I've completed my first star on size 1 dps with a #10 thread. I was skeptical if I would have the patience for these. YET, I quickly discovered this is an obsession to complete these and not for just anyone. My first one took just a day (with all the interruptions that are ever present in my home). To give a size reference I've placed a regular brush next to it in the photo to the right. This one has the beads being attached after it is completed.

My 2nd star(below) is more of a challenge (and still on the needles) as I'm working with metallic DMC thread on (darn it, no bamboo right now; my preferred needles of course are bamboo) metal size 1 dps. At the top is the first (unfinished) point. The beads for this star are strung at the beginning of the project and knit in during the instructions. Metal thread on metal needles makes this star a interesting challenge as the fiber does not "glide" as easily as what I'm accustomed to.

Stay tuned I'm on a roll tonight... Yippee................................... well, OK. Maybe tomorrow. ;-}

These TWINS Rock!

WOW!! I can not get over how close these 2 boys are in body. I'm so glad that there are judges and breeders that have Wayyyyyyy more experience than I 'cause I just can not make up my mind who is better they are so close. It's apparent that Judges are also divided since one judge will often choose one buck then another will choose the twin. I can't wait till Thursday when the BEST will make her determination,lol. For now see if you can tell....

Introducing newly taken photos today of EDEN...

And now Harley....

Family, party and tears.

Ahhhhhhh Christmas time. The one time of the year I have a license to make my Mom cry. It's like a goal of mine.... a happy proud cry though. We had a blast during our little Christmas celebration in the basement. Mom works so hard to make it comfortable. It always feels like home no matter what. This house has been a part of our family since the 1940's. First being Grandma's and now it's been Mom's. It took me a long time to call it Mom's, IT was always Grandma's house for the longest time after she passed and Mom took it. But now after many years (although Grandma's ashes are still in the basement) it's Mom's house. So we celebrate life and family together in a magical setting that only my Mom could pull off in a basement.

Here you see Aunt Gail tickled over her Mobious. She loved the colors and texture. Greens ARE her FAVORITE colors.

Even my daughter... is not difficult to get. Although we were kept apart for 15 years I got her right off the bat! We are so much alike it is scary!

We had a really great time... the kids all had fun and the adults did too!

Knit-a-rama

That's what was going on the last week and a half as I scurried to finish all of my project and just in the "nick of time"! Can not tell you right now who gets what but this will give you a quick glance at my time...

This project finally was finished after many obstacles of trying to get enough yarn to finish it when all the stores had pulled their stock!

Here you see the "Cabled slippers". I didn't like the finished back of the pattern so I modified these a little. Off the feet they look a little "weird" but on they really are nice.

Finally the Moebius is the last bit that I have completed this far. Below you will see Andi modeling it for me.