Sunshine In Winter

When we have sunshine and sixty degrees in February, we must go out and enjoy every moment of it.

We stopped to snap some photos in Blountville, which is a small nearby historic town.

I am wearing ankle jeans and a red military-inspired blouse from Chico's. The French Connection black blazer is from Saks Off 5th. The calf hair ankle boots are also from Saks Off 5th. The Michael Kors bag is from T.J.Maxx.

Animal Print Boots

I've been ordering and sending back animal print boots for about six months. This is the fourth pair. As Goldilocks said, "These are just right."

I wore these calf hair ankle boots from Saks Off 5th with black jeans from Chico's and a cream color blouse and Chico's. The minus the leather jacket is from Express.

I started out with the collar of the blouse over the jacket's collar, but each time I moved, it slipped back underneath. I will wear the blouse alone with jeans in the future.

The oversized woven black clutch is also from Saks Off 5th. 

After Work Gathering

On Thursday evening, some of our friends gathered for drinks at the Johnson City Country Club.

I wore black jeans, a three-quarter sleeve white tee, and a wide silver cuff from Chico's. The white jacket is from Express. The animal print shoes are from Nordstrom. The woven leather belt is by Michael Kors from T.J.Maxx. The necklace is one of my own designs.

My shoes are by Louise et Cie. An idea for a flat style is below.

Lazy Saturday

We don't always have a variety of activities and events planned for the day.

Occasionally I just want to rest and read on the weekend. So Mr. Mickey honors my need for quiet and lets the day unfold at my pace.

With nothing more than a trip to the grocery store planned, we had time to stop along the way at the Mountain Home VA to enjoy the beauty of the grounds this September day.

I have been fascinated with this beautiful rock formation under massive trees since childhood. Did water or wind form the patterns carved into their surfaces? My mind completes the picture with a prehistoric sea that raged across this land during a long-ago time when the earth was young.

This was the perfect day for Mr. Mickey to practice his photography skills. We both want very much to give you a glimpse of the beautiful area and the life we are so fortunate to share.

I wore old jeans and a white tank top from Chico's. The fabulous burnout white tunic is from Cali and York. The animal print platform shoes are by Vince Camuto from Nordstrom a couple of years ago.

I think we found where all the Canadian geese in the area meet for lunch!

Our day of leisure included a light dinner of the interesting things we found at Earth Fare and Fresh Market. We enjoy trying new foods and wines, so we chose two small loaves of bread, three different kinds of cheese, and the 2014 limited release Apothoic Dark wine for our adventurous meal today. The grapes are the variety "Cotton Candy." The cheeses included Beemster premium Dutch tangy, St. André triple cream French, and a spicy pepper gouda. One bread had garlic and olive oil with cheeses, the other included sundried tomatoes and cheeses. There were also oil-cured olives and regular black olives, and nuts with light sea salt. 

The wine glasses bring back memories of a trip to the Banner Elk winery a few summers ago.

For dessert, we shared a small piece of Black Forest Napoleon served on tiny antique saucers.

It feeds my soul to sit under a tree and enjoy the quiet of a beautiful late summer afternoon.

The River Valley

On Sundays, we leave behind our schedules and hectic lives to do something very peaceful or nothing at all. On this Sunday, we took a drive down to the river valley. 

Our earlier plans of taking a drive up on the Blue Ridge Parkway yesterday were abandoned because of fog, which lasted until late in the morning. Instead, we drove down to the Nolichucky River Valley, as seen below from the Appalachian Trail.

(Photo from Wikipedia.)

This rich and verdant agricultural valley is where a lot of our local produce is grown. It is a summer tradition to drive down to the river to buy local fresh vegetables and fruit. 

On this day, we found lots of pumpkins at our favorite vegetable stand, along with tomatoes, plants, tree bark birdhouses, and other local crafts. 

I am wearing a Chico's jacket, necklace, tank, and khaki jeans. The Vince Camuto animal print flats are from Nordstrom.