2025 a Year in Review, Selling a House and a home without Cats is a sad house indeed

This year was not nearly as stressful as last year but it began with me still managing the property of my father-in-laws home in TN. Luckily it sold in March but the work was just beginning. Bob wanted to go to the home place one more time so we hauled a 93 year old six hours in our little Honda along with a recliner for him to sit in. With the help of our realtor, I had sold his old recliner and many of his items remotely while his house was on the market. Anthony and awesome movers were zooming around his house loading up the U-Haul, cramming in his remaining handmade furniture and belongings and lastly a riding mower. Bob had a workshop in the yard that was full of boards and wood from his 25 years of woodworking. I called it’s Bob’s little Home Depot store – we had to also load this in the U-Haul. They got everything in for the exception of a couch. Anthony drove the U-Haul and I drove Bob back to Charlottesville to get another crew to help unload. 

Most of the year has been spent managing Bob but he is very cooperative and easy going. The caregivers at JABA daycare love him. We finally threw in the towel with home health care, we were managing them. Constant changes of people that we had to re-train and many of them would sit and look at their phones which was truly annoying. Bob is declining but his doctor found a miraculous pain patch that has completely gotten rid of his back pain. He has good days and bad days as far as his comprehension. One night at 3 pm I could not find him. He can not walk up and down stairs without assistance but I thought I heard some noise downstairs – he had managed to walk down our split level stairs and was admiring his handmade furniture in the basement (he had never even been down there). How he did not fall is an absolute mystery. One day you think he can not take another step and the next day he’s solo traversing two flights of stairs. He told us to lock him up at night! The other day we tried to get him to put in his hearing aids and he claimed they were in – we thought he was having a senior moment and Anthony got a flashlight and found a plastic wall anchor in his ear (he had to use tweezers to remove it). We had been letting Bob sort through piles of screws, nails, and anchors to entertain himself as these are things he has spent a lifetime using.

My mother who lives in our own space downstairs turned 90 which is really hard to believe. She is still independent and driving carefully in an area of town that is very familiar to her. Her vision is better than mine so we feel secure with her driving still. 

I did take two trips this year. One with a friend for Historic Garden Week in Williamsburg which was lovely. The other was a trip to a glorious part of Virginia in Bath / Highland County. We stayed in an extremely remote cabin in the woods on a river. I saw a river otter and we walked miles and miles in the mountains and through caves! What a beautiful part of the world.

Several mechanical problems, caused a great deal of stress. Our pool pump died as temperatures increased and of course right when temperatures dropped my office mini split died and so did my office computer. Anthony replaced or repaired all three, we did have to hire a heat and air guy to finish the mini split but things are up and running. 

One of the few jobs that Anthony could not do was paint our house. Unfortunately this was not a stress free job, I had to babysit the painters and they did several things wrong. After years of hopelessly trying to become inspired by colors such as Gray Green and Blue (it was currently yellow) I went bold and chose Lavender. I decided it was a color that would offset my gardens. I love it but now that the leaves have fallen it is a little more bold. Some days it has a gray tone others purple. My neighbors probably think I’m having a mid-life crisis, which I am -- I will be on Medicare next year – I can’t believe it. 

Anthony and I became inspired to build a pantry in our kitchen this Fall with Bob's encouragement. He was very excited about a construction project as this was what he spent his life doing. It turned out to be exactly what our kitchen needed. He also replaced our kitchen window which we could not even open. Thank goodness for Anthony and his skills. 

The saddest news of the year is that all three of our 18 year old cats passed away within months of each other. We adopted each of them when I was the Director of the Humane Society. Spoiled and treasured they all had beautiful happy lives. On a slow and steady decline last year, each with different ailments. It’s was a quiet Christmas without a cat in a bag. It’s truly odd not having animals. It’s a hard pill to swallow.

Another year has passed with me trying to close my deceased friend's estate. Most of the work was handed over last year to my new accountant so early 2026 it will finally end.

I’m hoping that most of the old mechanical equipment and home updates are finished and we can have a somewhat low key 2026. I’m hoping our relatively new roof, water heater, and house paint will out live us.

I'm ending the year with some bad bloodwork results due to my 25 year autoimmune disease. I will be going to a Hematology appointment in January. Fortunately I feel better than I have in years so let's hope it's something simple.

~Rebecca

Historic Garden Week in Virginia begins April 26th, 2025

The 2025 Historic Garden Week in Virginia is April 26 - May 3. Local Garden Clubs throughout Virginia host the annual week long home and garden tours. A nice guidebook is available at select outlets or you can view it online.

I always seek out locations that are more nature centric. Some tours focus more on home interiors but regardless, one is sure to immerse oneself in the lovely Spring gardens along tour routes. This year seems to be loaded with many choices that appeal to me!

Based on my preference to stroll in as many gardens as possible, my top contenders for tour spots this year are: Northern Neck, Chatham Hills / Richmond, Norfolk, Williamsburg, and Middleburg. 

Northern Neck, near to the Chesapeake Bay, is my top pick but it's close to a 3 hour drive for me from Charlottesville so it's a little far but oh so tempting. Situated on the Rappahannock River homes date from 1855 to the 1990's. One property attracts many birds and features a pond. Terms such as lush, expansive, wooded, and natural beauty are used to describe this tour.

Richmond is the closest spot on my list and usually there are 2 separate tours on different days. Especially interesting to me is the neighborhood of Chatham Hills which when originally designed had the landscape services of Charles F. Gillette. The guidebook starts with... "an oasis of manicured gardens, 5.5 acre estate, and describes another property as 1.5 acres of lush landscape". That should do it! A range of different styles of homes in a beautiful part of Richmond. A brick colonial, farmhouse, Greek Revival and Dutch Colonial.

The Norfolk tour is on a waterfront peninsula and included in the tour, if you have not exhausted your senses, is The Norfolk Botanical Gardens which is a real bonus! Renovated mid century dated homes are featured, which is quite appealing to me. One property contains one of the oldest Maple trees in Norfolk. I always enjoy "garden only" tours and on the list is a sedum roof solar home with gardens boasting more than 1,500 native plants.

I'm a bit partial to Williamsburg because when I was googling a Salt Spa popped up in my feed which gave me the great idea to make it an overnight trip doubling up gardens with some additional relaxation. This tour features 13 sites! Quite incredible for a one day tour. I'll need a massage after all that walking. One farm house built in 1775 was relocated to Williamsburg in 1928! Two "garden only" tours are included which is right up my alley. Included in the tour is a colonial Williamsburg guided walking tour featuring 3 homes and 4 garden sites.

Garden guidebook photos make Middleburg look quite lush. One property was included in the Smithsonian's Archives of American Gardens, cataloging more than 140 species of birds! Several water features are mentioned, one being 2 ponds located in a natural area. This tour is a walking tour which is always nice because you park once and don't have to fool with maneuvering to each property.

In my own neck of the woods, I hope to finally see the gardens of Morven in Charlottesville and I just noticed that at the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library on the UVA Campus currently is running an Anne Spencer exhibit. I've been to Anne's home and gardens in Lynchburg several times. On 4/28 Monday from 11 - 3 the UVA President's home gardens (Carr's Hill) will be open which is always pretty in the Spring!

Get out this Spring! 

~Rebecca