That was the week that was..

I found 2 pants outfits at Goodwill last week, so  to hide the fact that they are almost identical,

I was told to buy a scarf for them.

(I don't know what is with the darker spots on the green one, they don't show except for the picture)

We went to an auction on Saturday,  So I scavenged through everything and found a box of  scarves.

so I grabbed it when they said any box 

 $2.00

and they are all really nice.  Besides that, there was several 

other things in the box,

including

This purse.

I purchased another box, and it it was 'hats'

here are 6 of the 10 or 15 that were in it.

 and there was a wig that is almost my hair color...

I will wash it and see if I can wear it.

I also got 5 or 6  purses and carryalls.

a half pair of shoes, know any one footed ladies?

And this amber dish was also included in some of my stuff

Does anyone know what it is?

Looks like a large taco boat to me, 

not a chip on it.

I also got a telescope, several bowls and lids, like I need more dishes and pans,

and lots of stuff I haven't even gone through yet.

Just a little trip down Memory Lane

This is Buddy, who has been with us for about 5 years.

He thought he should compute.

This was taken right after he came to live with us, he was 2 at that time.

The princess wasn't happy...

and she escaped to the shop

where poppy was..it was February

and no coat.

The 8 1/2 inch fungi from our yard.

You'll notice there is a piece of candy on it, she was never without 'bites' 

She was about 4 at that time.

The 'Ghost Picture'

This is the Pound Puppy that

seems to have a  spirit that follows and if he isn't treated as he wishes, he

causes strange things to happen.  It was suggested that I get rid of him,

but I refused.

All three of the clowns.

2 seven year old's and a 10 year old, in this picture.

Sky clowning around,

yes, her face is dirty, it usually is.

Jd and his 'baby' who is now a

very large tomcat named

Pink

Moon Shot

that I took one morning

from the front yard.

Sky and Stephen 

their first Easter in their new house.

you can almost see to our house, from this balcony.

Almost our first date,

I think it was about date #3

42 1/2 years ago.

The only one missing that I intended to post was the one of 

Jd feeding oatmeal to Sky, they were probably about 15 months old

and he found Stephen's oatmeal, and he would give Sky a bite, then he would take a bite.

He managed to feed and eat the whole bowl without spilling a bite.

Beautiful Morning

Both my crepe myrtles are blooming this year, at the same time.

  They've never been flush with blooms like some I have seen

and have never bloomed together.

First fungi I've seen, as it has been so dry

This one is nothing  near the 8 1/2 inch ones we usually have.

Poke Berries are bleeding purple right now.

This bush is called a Beautyberry,  it had lovely small spidery blooms in a pale 

lavender a few weeks ago.

Milo that has come up around the bird feeder.

And an old rusty grader blade near the property line

that was here, when we bought the property 33 years ago.

notice the bent and twisted alder that is next to it.

It was very quiet this morning, in all the time I was out, I only saw one

bird, which I startled, or I'd never have spotted him.

And another modification to the homemade bird feeder

it needs a couple of rivets and maybe a new stand, 

to make it good and sturdy.

Will it ever end...?

My best friend called me yesterday morning, she lives about 16 miles north.

She told me that her mother in law was no longer answering the phone,

and she was afraid that the end was near.

She got another call, said I have to take this.

A little later she told me that it was from her husband's father, and they were afraid that 

'Sally' wouldn't last much longer.

By last night she was gone. 

So I guess the answer to my question, is NO it won't ever end.\

I'll try and be more cheery tomorrow.

Rose Colored Memories Day #3

Grandma always loved company, and when any of the out of state family came to visit, she would hostess a big 'potluck dinner'. How she managed to get the word out, with no phone, I don't know.

Everyone showed up, even the neighbors, as she made sure they were invited, whether they knew anyone there or not.  There would be anywhere from 25 to 40 people, at least.

The first of these I remember, they had an outhouse, no indoor plumbing.

Her siblings, grandpa's siblings, all 8 of their surviving children, their children, and grandchildren would show up.

I remember one of these, when I was about 9, I think.  JoAnne, my cousin just younger than me, and I were hungry.  We went to the kitchen to get something to eat, but were told to wait, and let the elder members get their plates first.  Neither of us was too happy about this, and grumbled a little too loudly, and my dad promised a belt when I got home.  He was mad, so I knew that meant a beating, not a spanking.

That is the one and only time I remember anyone speaking up on my behalf.  And I missed out on that belt.

Halloween was a special time, grandma always made popcorn balls.  This was at a time before you had to worry about razor blades or poison in treats.  All our friends loved going there, and the popcorn balls were eaten before we went elsewhere for treats.

Next stop was Uncle Oscar's house, and one year he forgot to buy candy or gum for the kids.  When we got to the door, he explained that he'd been hunting, and hadn't been to the store, so we should go to the store, and tell Mrs. Faye to let us have a piece of candy each, and put it on his ticket.  Now that would be a chance to buy a lot of candy for most kids, and charge it to him.  But no, all 14 of us traipsed up to the counter, and got some 'penny' candy or gum, and she charged it to him.

Guess I better stop for now, and get dressed for Sunday School and Church.

Then after that, we will go to the family visitation for Niece.

Floral arrangements for service for niece..

We received word last night that nephew's wife had passed away.  

She had cancer, so it wasn't unexpected.

I got up this morning and started making floral arrangements, I'd talked to my sister in law, they can't come down, but she said she'd send money to help pay for the arrangement.

Then when Kim heard, she said make one for them, too, 

so she and Julie are splitting the cost.

Hubby kept asking did I have enough flowers to make arrangements, or did I need to make a flying trip to the

Ozark Trade Center 

where I buy my supplies.  

Apparently he hasn't been in the 'flower room' lately.  There is a small 'trail' 

down the middle, with boxes and containers on either side, full of colorful 

flowers.

Day 2 of Rose colored Memories...

Just up the road about 1/10 of a mile or so, lived grandpa's bachelor brother, Uncle Oss, whose name was Oscar.  Story was he was in engaged to a young woman, who jilted him for another, and he just never considered marrying after that.  He owned an old Jeep of the era of WWII, and he would take the old jeep and a trailer and haul us up the mountain to his and grandpa's old place, and to his and grandpa's father's grave.  A few years ago, I was presented Uncle Os's pocket watch, by a relative who never knew him, he said since I had known him, he preferred I have it.  It is an Illinois Watch Company watch, originally gold plated. I'd love to hear it run one of these days.  

I don't remember my grandparents living anywhere except in the old 2 story farmhouse, and how I loved the upstairs.  It was hot up there in the summer, and cold in the winter, but we didn't mind.  My cousins and I would go up there and dig around in the old piano bench, going through the music.  Most of it was from the 40s, songs we'd never heard, but we didn't care.  And grandma kept every card anyone ever sent them, Get Well, Sympathy, Christmas, whatever.  That was another treasure trove that we loved to go through.

She also saved buttons, she had a huge can of buttons of every imaginable shape and size, and those were as good as any computerized game kids have today, for me.
She also had some of my Aunt Jettie's books, so she must have loved to read, just like me.  I hauled a few of them home a couple of times, and mom said they stunk, made me take them back.  I'd love to have those books now, stinking or not.  Aunt Jettie was a teacher, when the schoolhouse caught on fire, she and another girl pushed the piano out of the building to keep it from burning.   Later several tried to move it, and couldn't.

Grandma was about 13 when she 'met' grandpa, he was a few  years older. 

He'd seen her around, and knew she was young, but she had her eyes on him, so she came up near him, and said something.  Grandpa asked her how old she was, and she said 'sixteen', He knew she wasn't near that.

I can still see the grin on his face as he told this story.  Grandma 'set her cap' for grandpa the day she first laid eyes on him, and I don't think she ever really looked at anyone else.  She was about 5 ft tall, and grandpa was at least 6 ft.  He was tall and thin, she was short and not so thin, but I've never known two people who loved each other as much as they did.  Everyone in the community called them Uncle Bill and Aunt Vadie.
He was William Franklin or WF, and grandma was Lavada Evelyne.

They never owned a car, always had someone take them everywhere, or depended on others to bring their groceries.  I never thought of them as poor, but by today's standards, they would have lived on welfare. They did get commodities, have you ever eaten the canned meat, and the government cheese?  It wasn't bad, I'd give anything for a few pounds of that cheese, it was GOOD.

All 8 of the surviving kids helped them out as they were able.  We lived closest so dad or mom usually took them wherever they needed to go.  Once mom stopped for gas, and grandma handed her a dollar to get gas, and asked for a pack of gum out of the change.  She really had no idea how much gas cost, even then.

Grandpa hunted moonshine stills and turned them in, when he was younger. Funny thing, my other grandfather was a moonshiner.  Family story is that he was accused of murder back in the early days, but I've never been able to find any evidence.  A flood in that county destroyed lots of the old records.  Grandpa was a quiet man when it came to family history, and he didn't believe in beating around the bush.

He told what he wanted to say and shut up.
Grandma told the family stories.
She is the one who got me interested in genealogy.
She told me the story of my great great grandfather, and how he was accused of murder, and left Tennessee to come to Arkansas to escape.
hat was in about 1850-51. Would you believe that about 2 years ago, a distant cousin found the archives in TN that proved this story.  Seems there was 2 of them, and one of him, so as he always claimed, it was self defense.



 

This is a quilt top that my great grandmother, Virginia,
made for my grandfather in about 1901 as a wedding quilt.
It's made from home dyed fabric.
It is one of my most prized possessions...

Guess you can tell that my grandparents were some of the most special people in my life.

Those Rose colored Memories of Childhood

I just read a friend's blog, and it brought back so many memories of my childhood, and the time I spent at my Paternal grandparent's home.  

I was named for their daughter who had died at about 22 years old, so I was grandma's favorite grandchild.

I guess that may have made some of the other grands feel a little left out, but since I wasn't anyone else's favorite, I loved it, and still appreciate the love they gave me, unconditionally.

They lived in an old 2 story farmhouse, in the outskirts of a very small community, population 79.

Everyone knew everyone, and their business.

So, If I wanted to walk to the corner about 1/2 mile east, to my friends house, I could go, or the other direction, about 1/4 mile west, to another friends, that was alright too. Just be sure and get permission, and don't be an hour late coming home.

I remember the one and only time that I didn't do what I was supposed to do, go play in the old schoolhouse playground with a friend. She wanted me to go to her house, so I did, and when time was up, and grandmother shouted for me to come home, I wasn't to be found.  Of course, she suspected that I was at Sharon's house, who I was playing with, but that wasn't where I was supposed to be.

She brought a small switch, and I went home quickly.  I think she gave me 3 'licks' but the worst was, I knew she'd tell dad.    And he didn't give 'licks' he used a big belt.

The house had a porch around half of the house, and in the southwest corner was a bunch of small trees, I think they may have been mulberry, they had larger leaves.  We used that area as a play house, every kid in the neighborhood, at one time or another, played there.  On the southeastern side of the steps and the east side of the house, grandpa planted flowers, he was the gardener, and he loved flowers.  He knew the names of every wild and tame flower in the country.  And nothing dared not grow for him.  Some people just have that touch.  He also knew birds, and he'd stand quietly in the hollyhocks and watch the hummingbirds.  I remember once, he caught a small hummingbird in his hands, a Ruby Throat, as I remember, and gently put it in my hands, telling me to be careful, so that I could feel the beat of it's small wings, and see for myself how tiny they were.  I held it just a few seconds, and he told me to open my hands so it could fly.

The porch was a gathering place for anyone who happened to pass by, usually they would stop and visit. 

I doubt those doors were ever locked.

My grandparents were married 71 years grandmother passed just a few days before their anniversary.  When they told grandfather she was gone, he said I'm ready to go too,  and he did, about 2 months later.  She was 86 and he was 94.

I hope you aren't bored, there are no pictures, just in my mind, and I can't share those, though I wish I could.

Across the Wide River by Stephanie Reed

When I opened this book, I could not put it down!  

Lowry Rankin loved Kentucky, and never wanted to leave. But when he saw his black friend, Sherwood, whipped by someone who didn't think that slaves should be taught to read, at almost 9 years old, he decided he didn't like Kentucky anymore, and him and his family moved across into Ohio. Soon he was helping escaped slaves on their way north, to safety. He and his family risked their lives to continue this work for many years.

This is a book that I would recommend to young adults and older adults alike, all who are interested in what life was like in pre Civil War days. I feel, that even though it is labeled as fiction, it is probably very close to the real story, maybe with a little less drama than the real thing.

If you would like to read the first two chapters of Across the Wide River and The Light Across the River for free, you  can do them here: http://bit.ly/rdRKvp 

I received this book to read and review, from Kregel Publishers.  No other compensation for this review was given.  I'm not required to give a postive review, and all opinions expressed here are my own.

All Gave Some, Some Gave All

We had thunderstorms last night, power was out, so I couldn't post and then we left this morning at 6:10am.  

We drove about 130 miles north to an auction, that had several keyboards, and other musical 

'stuff' that dh was interested in, to fill the empty spaces...Being Sarcastic here, in case you didn't catch it....

While waiting for those to come up for bid, he watched machinery sell, and I held a post up in the shed....lol.  

and there is my story for today.

A young man about 23-24 and his father came into the place where I was standing, and I noticed what looked like a pretty new tattoo on his right arm.  Now I'm not a big fan of tattoos, but some are nice.  This one caught my eye, because of the words I could read, and the boots in the center.  He saw me looking, and I told him I was being nosey and trying to ready his tattoo.  

It said 

All Gave Some

Some Gave All.

in memory of 

Clayton D. McGarrah

Turns out it was his youngest brother, 

I told him I was sorry for the  loss of his brother, and said that I appreciated his service to our country.  His father looked up and thanked me. 

When I got home, I started looking for information, since I couldn't remember the last name, and found a site that shows all the Fallen Soldiers from Arkansas since 2003.

http://www.arkansasonline.com/warcasualties/


July 4, 2010

Army Spec. Clayton D. McGarrah, 20, of Harrison. C Company, 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, 4th Brigade Combat Team. Died in Arghandab, Afghanistan, after his unit was hit with an I.E.D., followed by small arms and R.P.G. fire (COMBAT).  

Here is what I found about him.

I wish I could personally thank the families of every one of them.


If you are interested in the list of casualties from your area, do a search.

Simply Cherry Minibites

Saturday, at Wal Mart hubby was looking around in the sweet tooth department, and found

2 bite Mini Cherry 'pies'.  I think there was maybe 10 in the box for  $4.

They don't look like these, they are square shaped crust, with a spoonful of cherry pie filling on top,

and then two sides brought over and pinched together.

So I bought a Jiffy pie crust mix, which makes a double crust,

mixed it up, rolled it out, cut it into about 2.5 inch squares, and dropped the cherry filling on it, pinched it, sprinkled it with sugar, and popped them in the oven. 

It made over 20

Cherry bites....

I'd show you a picture, but.................

Well, actually, there are several left, but mine need a little bit of tweeking

to make them look nice.

 

Today's Recipe Delight

No kids today, Jd went to get new glasses with his stepmother,

and the other 2 are at the other grandparent's house.

Breakfast was a breakfast burrito, homemade of course.

Lunch was something quick,

and when it came time for dinner, neither of us was all that interested in cooking.

so

I decided to make this

Add this

and top with this..

I won't say it was low calorie, but it was 

delicious

Told you in that last post, that I'd find some eye candy.

More Showers and Cooler weather

We got about 3/10 inch of rain, after the 2 inches we had yesterday morning. 
Our temps are down into the 90s which helps bunches, with the air conditioning.  Our house needs more insulation if we are going to deal with those 100+ days.

Yesterday evening, I went to the shop fridge to get a large cantaloupe, it was ruined, checked the gallon of milk, it was ruined.  I ended up cleaning it out, this morning, and found that it was frozen up, so hopefully it will work, once I get all the ice melted that had built up in the drains.  Didn't lose much, but sure hate the thought of my spare fridge being gone.

Julie took a tumble on her steps yesterday morning, and sprained her big toe.  She says it's better today, but she will be off work until Friday, because the doctor told her to keep it elevated.

I know, I know, no pictures...dull and boring, I promise to find some eye candy soon...
J

Rain!! Beautiful Rain!

This has been a very dry summer, so bad,

 along with the heat, 

that my garden just didn't do anything at all.

I gave up watering, and just let it go.

About 2:00AM this morning, Buddy the Doxie decided he wanted out.  

I got up, and when I got to the door, heard the glorious sound of water falling from the sky, hitting leaves and the ground.  Of course Huckleberry didn't want to get wet, and Flash wanted IN, so I wrestled for awhile, before getting back to bed.  About the time I got stretched out, there was a HUGE loud Boom, and Buddy wanted in the bedroom, to be held.

I got up this morning to a rain gauge that read just a smidge over 2 inches, the most rain we've had at one time since early May.

Thank you Lord, for your blessing of the rain.

Tortilla Pan Pizzas

1 flour tortilla either the 8 or 10 inch

grated cheese, whatever you like

either pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce

or Picante sauce

Pepperoni

Ham

sausage

bacon

Hamburger

Chicken

turkey

or whatever meat you like.

(I also like onion and pepper on mine, but the kids aren't too crazy about it)

Heat the griddle or a pan large enough to lay the whole tortilla in.

In a plate, place grated cheese, meat, and sauce on 1/2 of the tortilla, fold in half and lay on the griddle.

Let heat until the cheese has started melting, then flip it over and let it cook another couple of minutes.

Remove from the griddle, and place on a large plate.  Take a pizza cutter and slice into either 3 or 4 pieces.

These are faster than an oven pizza, and don't heat up the house on these hot summer days.

You could also serve these at a get together, just cover them to keep from cooling as you make more.

Thunder Dog by Michael Hingson with Susy Flory (5 STARS)

Instead of this book being about a blind man, it is about an amazing man, who just happens to be blind.



When the first plane hits the World Trade Centers North Tower on 9-11-01, Michael Hingson was on the 78th floor, getting ready for a meeting. The building sways, and then rights itself, but, instead of waiting for someone to tell them to evacuate, he sends the people who have already arrived, out to find the stairways down, while he stays behind with David Frank, trying to shut down the computers to save their information. Then, Michael, Roselle, his guide dog, and David navigate to the center stairwell, and start down the 1463 steps down to the lobby to escape. Keeping a cool head, not getting frustrated, as more people came into the stairwell, and trying to keep others from panic, as it gets hotter, and more crowded.



He depends on Roselle to guide him, knowing she is tired, and thirsty, and needing to slow down, they keep pushing. Making it out of the North Tower, and down the street a short disance before the South Tower sways and falls.



This is an amazing story, much to my surpise, I found that Michael could ride a bicycle, and navigate much better than a lot of sighted people. The saddest part, is that so many people think that being blind means that you can't hear, aren't smart enough to order your own food, and treat you as a second class citizen.



A beautifully written story, about an amazing dog and man.



I recieved this book from Thomas Nelson publishing, through their Bookseeze program, to read and review. No other compensation was received. I am not required to give a positive review.



http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A1024DZV77WZMN/ref=cm_cr_yc_cdp?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview

Our Newest Grandson

I know that I've never mentioned that we were

getting another grandchild,

I was a little unsure as how to announce it.

But since he arrived this morning

I guess it is time to announce his birth.

Meet

Howdy Doody

And

his proud poppa,

Stephen.
I suspect Howdy looks like his
mom

Buddy the wonder dog

had to get into the act,

so we got another picture.

Stephen started in over the weekend,

wanting a dummy,

so his dad told us to order one,

and he would pay the amount that Stephen didn't have

in his pocket. 

It arrived but we didn't tell

Stephen until he got here this morning, but somehow he knew, or suspected

and in the house he came, looking for a box or something.

Raindrops keep fallin!

At 5:30AM, just as I went back to bed, after letting the dogs out, and back in, Buddy started his

howl, then shortly afterward, I heard THUNDER..

At 6:45 when I finally dragged out of bed, it was showering, and we ended up getting 1/2 inch.

It is thundering close by again, and there are a few drops of water falling right now.

Not enough, and too late for the garden, but it is welcome relief for the birds and other animals that are out in this weather

Shorttail, the cat that lost part of his tail, is doing well, it is healing and he actually pays no attention to it, now.  He looks funny, as his tail is a good 2 inches shorter than normal.



The boy who came back from Heaven by Kevin and Alex Malarkey

Just 2 days after the birth of a new baby boy, Kevin Malarkey and 6 year old Alex were in a serious wreck, and everyone believed that Alex had been killed. Kevin blames himself for thinking about bills instead of being careful with his driving.


Alex thought it was his fault, for not telling his dad that he saw a car, before they turned. Alex was in a coma for 7 weeks, and the doctors didn't have a lot of hope for his survival, but many people during that time, told the family that he would survive, that they knew he would

When Alex finally was able to speak, he mentions Angels, and being in Heaven, but he can't tell them some things, that he'd been instructed to keep it secret.

This book is about miracles, family struggles, blessings, and a lot of praying. It is an easy and fast read, but you know from the first that this isn't fiction. I really enjoyed the book, and I'd like to know how Alex is, as time passes.

I received this book from Tynedale House Publishers to read and review. No other compensation was given, I am not required to give a favorable review.

33 years ago today,

At 3:48AM in the morning, my youngest child was born. It was a Wednesday.

I don't have any pictures on this computer, of her at a young age,

but except for the darker hair, she and Kim looked a lot alike.

And were it not for the boy clothes on hubby's son, in his baby pictures,

we'd have a hard time telling any of them apart.

Fast forward 31 years, April 2009

And here we all are, on our 40th anniversary.

Left back, Kim, who is standing on fireplace hearth, David, Hubby's son,

Front left, Julie, me, and Jerry.

Had I known we were doing pictures,

I wouldn't have been wearing red, we had a cookout at Kim's, and it was casual,

so I grabbed the first clean shirt in the closet, lol.