Recycling 101

Remember last February when we had the ice storm, and 2 trees landed on our roof.

Well, 

this guitar body is made from the Hackberry tree.

Jerry was going to make a piece of  lumber, 2x8 or something, to use in building.

When he sawed it, the grain just popped out.

So instead he glued up and cut out this blank

The center piece is Walnut. 

The Neck doesn't have

a finish on it yet.

but here it is.

Note the pencils and pens,

those are my spacers so I can move the body around

as I put the finish on the parts.

2014 Christmas Play

Our new minister and his wife, Brother and Sister Ellis,  have jumped in with both feet, and got together a Christmas Program with all the  children participating.  

They have only been with us about 6 weeks, but they convinced all the kids to do their part, and everyone showed up.

Top Left: Joseph aka JD.  One of the lambs,   Joseph, Mary, the Angels angel on left is known as Skylar, (standing) more lambs, a donkey, and some of the shepards.

Mary playing bashful.
Later in the kitchen, as we were getting things together, and that is one of the shepards, aka known as Stephen.
Then all the participants as they gathered, waiting for the call to start the play.

DIANNA'S WINGS by Cindy Loven

This isn't my regular review.  I was asked by a friend of mine, Cindy Loven, if I would review her first book, Dianna's Wings, The parables of Trevor Turtle.  It is a wonderful story of how Dianna, a Dragonfly, wants wings like a butterfly, not thinking hers are pretty at all.  Trevor Turtle tries to show her that she is beautiful just the way she is.

If you have children or grandchildren of preschool age, up to about 6, I'm sure you will find yourself reading this book many times.

I was given a digital copy of this book by the author, no other compensation was given.  All opinion expressed here are my own, and I highly recommend this book to anyone with young children.

Whooo Hoooo Cindy, Love you, and I love Trevor and Dianna.

Aucton Finds and other stuff

The drive we took on Saturday, aren't the colors bright.

I love these old rock houses, 

this one is still being lived in, and has a new roof. 

Nothing like snapping photos 

going down the road at 55 miles an hour. This is pretty shot but the day was cloudy so the colors don't show as well as I would have liked.

Tile tile and more tile, I got a full box of this white tile, a full box of the black to match it, 

5 boxes of this tile, all sealed, it is a 1"x1" tile put together into a 1 ft x 2 ft sheet.off white and I suspect it is all the same.

Then there is at least 2 boxes of this 2"x2" tile, which is gray speckled polished tile.

I'm thinking cabinet top, in my bathroom, it is in 1 ft x 2 ft sheets.

My $10 sewing machine and cabinet.. and I think the thing setting on top of it, is a bed tray or lap desk, top is missing but that is ok.
I love the pattern of the grain on the sewing machine cabinet.

And then there is Booger, looking out between the blinds.  He had his paw on them, holding them open, until I got the camera ready to snap the picture...

and then there is the bucket I just had to have, at the auction.  It is cute, I think.

THE RIVER by Beverly Lewis

Bethany House
Publishing
314 pages

The River is a gripping novel of an Amish family, reeling from the loss of their 3 daughters, one drowning the River, and the other two to the world.  Tilly is married and has twin daughters that have never met her parents, and Ruth is still unmarried after having a bad experience with her Amish beau before she left home.

When the father becomes ill, Tilly and Ruth agree to come home to help celebrate their parents' anniversary, and hope to help convince their father to have the pacemaker put in, that the doctor says he needs to survive.  They also feel the need to deal with the death of their young sister, Anna, who both feel guilty because they felt they hadn't done enough.

I've never read a Beverly Lewis story that I didn't like, and her books get better every time she writes a new one.   I give this book 5 stars for the twists and turns that she has managed to work into the story, without making it seem contrived.

I was given a copy of this book to read and review by Bethany House.  I was given no other compensation, and am not required to give a favorable review.
All opinions expressed here are my own.

Special Prayer Request for a dear friend

Last night, I received an email from a dear friend in California.  I won't give her name, because her family hasn't all been notified of her condition just yet.  Any way, she's been in the hospital for about 3 weeks, got the results as small cell cancer, and she has trouble swallowing, so they descovered that she has a tumor that has encircled her escophagus  (hope you can figure it out, I'm still asleep) and she also has COPD.
This lady is one of the sweetest people I know, she'd help you any way she could.    I'm asking for lots of healing prayers for her, and I hope God hears every one and touches her with his healing touch.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate all my friends in Blogland.

Danny Wooten

Here is the drawing that daughter in law did of Joel Weeks

Joseph Brown

She left the chair off, to keep it from distracting from the picture

Another Mountain Trip

My favorite sister in law, Betty,

(she is my only sis in law) 

and her son's mother in law, Sue, came down from Missouri for a school reunion.

None of the rest of the family was available to visit,

 so we made the trip to Petit Jean Mountain to show off our local beauty. 

Here is the Legend of Petit Jean, and the name of the mountain's origin. Hopefully, you can enlarge the photo enough to read the Legend.

Standing on the bluffs and looking north, this is the
Arkansas River and farmland along it's banks.

We got buzzed by a small plane.

Just a small rock, near bluff's edge.

Looking down from Stouts Point, to the road curving through the valley, heading to the mountain.

It was a bit hazy so the forest isn't really good and clear.

Another lookout point, as you get ready to go down the other side of the mountain.  This is one of my favorite spots, 

the Bald Eagles use this area during February to catch the winds off the bluffs and soar across the treetops, it is amazing to see them.

We are standing on one side of the cliffs, and this is looking across to another point, about 1/3 mile away.

Fountains at the resting point where we got out and walked around, 

Sister in law in red, and her friend... and yes, I intentionally got them

with water spouting out of their heads.

I live in the valley to the east of the mountain, it has been our home for about 36 years.  In fact, I was born about 2 miles from where we are now living.

So you could say I know the area pretty well.

I got a chance yesterday, to give several people 

some of the history, and actually met some almost former neighbors, who now reside in KC Missouri.

There was a group at the Museum, where the water fountains are,

that was in for a huge family reunion.  2 of the men were standing in the shade while the rest were inside looking at the old cars.

They spoke when we walked by, so we stopped and spoke, and went on our way up to the building. It was pretty crowded with the reunion crowd, so sil decided to skip that for this trip.

On our way back, we spoke to the men, again.  As I started walking back to the car, a lightbulb went off in my head, the name on the shirts was one that I recognised.  So I turned around and walked back, and asked them if the family they were part of, had lived in the northern part of the county. Yes, I said then we probably grew up neighbors, as I was from about 3 miles north of that community.  Their eyes lit up, that I remembered their surname, from 55 years ago,  and we had a nice chat about that area.  One of them asked me to tell his son how to get there, it had been many years since they'd been to this area.  We all left smiling, and I hope they enjoyed the trip down memory lane.

Settle down with a drink and some dramomine

 Monday night, he was scared to death of the cats.

Petey is our granddog, and daughter and grandson drove to Mobile Alabama for vacation, so Petey stayed here.

 Monday night, he was scared to death of the cats, who have no clue what a dog is, think they are just strange cats.

Bubba kept trying to play, and Petey would have no part in that.  I finally put the cats in their bedroom, so he could calm down

Tuesday by noon, he'd decided that if they kept a bit of distance, he could sit in the floor. 

By Tuesday night, he decided that Bubba  was tolerable, and they

could get a bit closer.

Soon we were playing chase in and around the old chair.

Now we can actually touch, without being scared to death,

where did he go, he was right there.

Oh, there he is, I'll hide.

off we go again.

Meanwhile

 back at

 the 

ranch.

Booger wants to know what the heck is so interesting about playing with

that long haired cat.

He only wanted to comb his tail with his

front paws, and give him

a bath.

Photobombing 101

I found a vase that I really liked, the colors are stunning, and I had to bring it home.

I promised my friends that I'd do a couple of photos of it, so they could either laugh at my taste, or OOOOH and AAAH

along with me.  

So off I go to a flat surface, that none of the family 

will show up and bother me,

the washer. 

I fixed a 'curtain' behind the vase

and reached for my camera...

First shot, 

Bubba says Hi.

OK so now you get the idea, Bubba has no intention of

leaving the room.

May be getting sleepy

No, just licking his chops.

Ok now, Bubba, it's time for you

to move along

and let 

me 

finish my 

photo shoot.

Thanks Bubba, now I'll hide the vase

so you can't knock it over.

I love these colors, now to find a spot that it can sit

for awhile.

WOMAN OF COURAGE by Wanda E Brunstetter

When Amanda Pearson's fiance tells her on the eve of their wedding day, that he no longer wishes to marry her, but is in love with her best friend, instead, she decides to travel to  the northwest to a Quaker mission set up by some people she knows, and work teaching the Native Americans about God.  Her father sells their home, and goew with her, hiring a guide to show them the way.  Little did they know how dangerous and hard travel would be, and how many heartaches would hit so close together.  Surrounded by an unfriendly war party, Amanda grabs her father's Bible, which had fallen out of her pack, and suddenly the war party started backing away.
Gravely ill, she is found by Buck McFadden, son of a white man, and Two Feathers, a Nez Perce` woman.  He took her to his friend's cabin, where Jim's wife who was the daughter of a Medicine Man took care of her, until she was well.  Then she asks him to either guide her, or find her a guide, to go on to the northwest.



I'd give this book 5 stars.  Ms Brunstetter has managed to compine action, descriptions of beautiful scenery, courage, and romance, along with a Christian story.  

I was given a copy of this book to read and give an honest review.  No other compensation was given.  All opinions expressed here are my own.

A scenic drive, over the mountain and through the woods,

but not to grandmother's house. 

 Well, I they are grandparents,

 but not related to us in any way.

We'd promised to deliver 2 guitars to their new owners

this afternoon.  The way to get there was across 

Petit Jean Mountain.  

A pleasant drive most days, but

today

Just as we topped the mountain, and leveled off,

this is what happened.  

It downpoured all the way across the top, until just before we started down the back side

Here is the overlook, and as you can see, everything was wet and the clouds were beginning to break up.  I wanted to stop, but it was still sprinkling...Maybe on the way back...

I took some photos of some curvy roads, and some mini hills, that if you drive fast, you're tummy will drop, but some didn't turn out so great.

On the way back, it was sunny, and 
most of the road was dry

Here is the site of the old CC camp that was on the mountain. 

Daddy tore one of them down, for the lumber, when they were 

being removed, after the park became a state park.

Hoped for a better shot of the state park sign.

A short of the Arkansas river, as we come down 

on our side of the mountain.

And a shot of the another location, as we were heading 

this direction.

And then,

Some color in our yard.

Thank you for taking the tour with me,

I tried to get a shot of the old buggy, but

it didn't turn out so great.

Stop Thief!!!!!!!

Skylar and Stephen spent all day Friday and 

until about 12:30pm on Saturday with us.

Skylar brought a couple of her 

small dolls

 and a thief stole them.

Here is Bubba, discovering 

dollies

He's checking her out

trying to decide what he is going to do with her.

He know's he's been caught, 

Trying to hide dolly

until Skylar forgets

about it, and moves on.

She got my camera, and 

saved the evidence

of his doll playing.