LEAP YEAR WEDNESDAY A STORMY ONE

 Did you know that long ago in about the 5th century the tradition was started that on February 29th, women were allowed to pursue men ???
HAPPY LEAP YEAR WEDNESDAY !  WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH YOUR EXTRA DAY THIS YEAR ????

 A cloudy morning but still really warm, 53 degrees at 9 am. After chores and breakfast I went over to my friends beauty salon to get my hair trimmed. My hair grows really fast and it was getting to a not very manageable length.
She is going through a tough time right now,facing having to put her dad in hospice care from the hospital where he is in renal failure and his heart is failing him. I know what she is going through and will be praying for acceptance for her and her family.
Back home I  changed out my month end furniture covers and also decided to put away all the winter decorations. I guess I'm giving up on winter this year ! In their place now are blooms of daffodils and forsythia with some tulips and pussy willow mixed in.
Our area is under a tornado watch today from a storm system that is moving across the country. In the mid west several deadly tornadoes have killed 12 people and some towns look like disaster areas.

I'm glad I have no where to go this afternoon and can stay inside and do housework.
The afternoon was calm with only gentle winds and even some peeks of sunshine but with the temperature reaching 70 degrees it was the recipe for severe storms. Lucky for us the front slowed down and won't get here until after dark tonight so the temperature will be cooler,hopefully avoiding anything severe.
After chores,supper , weekly paperwork and exercise hubbie and I watched the UNC/Maryland b-ball game flipping back and forth to Survivor in the second half. UNC won big and only have one more regular season game to go.
 Tonight we had some thunder and lightening but thankfully the storm split and the more severe wind and rain went north and south of our area leaving us with only a narrow band passing through.

My prayers go out tonight to the folks who suffered damages with these storms as they tracked all the way across the country.
I had to comfort Bernie tonight as he is really  scared by thunder and lightening. He was leisurely lounging in one of the doggy beds in the living room when the first flash of lightening and clap of thunder happened.

He quickly wanted to be under the blanket on the couch and to be held until the storm passed by. He is the second dog we have had that is so afraid of storms. We used to have a little Shitzu mix that would absolutely go bonkers during a storm.
On the other hand Dolly pays no attention what so ever to the storms. I've always wondered what makes some dogs so scared and some not at all.
Thankfully it is all quiet tonight and we will be able to sleep peaceably without any bad weather.
God is a gracious and loving God all the time and I'm thanking Him tonight for my blessings.
Good Night and God Bless.

PLUM TREES STARTING TO BLOOM

Another beautiful morning greeted me this morning as I did the morning chores. As I peeked in at the new mama and baby chicks I noticed she had added another one over night.
After a quick breakfast I headed out for a long walk in this warm spring like weather. There is a lot of green showing on these plum trees.

A closer look revealed this first bloom in February ????

As I walked in the lower pasture these Mallard ducks looked beautiful with their bright colored feathers reflecting the bright sunshine.

I also noticed this block of post in the neighbor's what used to be a sod field.

You can see the creek bank at the bottom of the photo so these are definitely in the flood plain.
It will be interesting to see what goes with these post.

As I headed back inside to begin Tuesday's laundry and housework I  was sorry I hadn't put in a load of sheets so that I could have gotten them hung out on the line to dry.
I picked up g-son at pre-school and we came home for lunch. He was extra hungry today and ate pizza and mac and cheese for lunch.
I worked to finish my housework by 2:00 so I could go outside and get a good dose of Vitamin D. The doctor told me yesterday that my Vitamin D level was a little low so today would be a great day to get some extra.
I got to sit out in the sun off and on for almost an hour while getting g-son 2 waffles with syrup and then checking on my chicks amid taking a load of laundry out of the dryer along with a couple other request from g-son.
G-son came outside for a while and played with Annie and rode his bike.
When hubbie got home from work all 3 of us sat out in the patio and enjoyed the end of the nice day as the clouds rolled in.
#1 son came to pick up g-son and I did chores before having a turkey breast sandwich for supper.
After our exercises I worked on my blog book while hubbie watched TV.
I got another month done tonight so I'm already to October 1,2011.
It is 54 degrees tonight at 11:00 after a high today of 68.
This is leap year so there is another day of February before we see how March decides to come in this year.
Grateful tonight for God's never ending  love and the blessings He gives me each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

GETTING THE " ALL IS GOOD" FROM THE DOCTOR

Up early doing chores before I leave for the doctor's office.  Got up today with a sore aching back from lifting things I shouldn't have yesterday.
Things went well at the doctor with my yearly physical. I was declared very healthy for a women of my age !!  We talked about how I should loose a few pounds and after I told her what my daily calorie intake was she said I needed to eat more and more often to see if that would kick up my metabolism. I also need to get a couple more test done to be sure about everything.
I got home in  plenty time to go with hubbie to pick up g-son. We made our weekly stops at Sam's Club and Ingles.  I bought several healthy things to eat my small meals from.
At home on this beautiful day hubbie and I decided to work outside doing some pruning.

I did the Butterfly bushes and other things close to the house while hubbie did all our muscadine grape vines.
He also cleaned up a plant bed next to the grape vines with the help of g-son.

They were taking up the tomato cages from last year.

They also took up the rabbit guard around the bed until we can get the leaves blown out of the bed.

What a good little helper !!
After all this work we all took a much needed break , hubbie and I in the rocking chairs on the porch to watch the sun go down and g-son in his play house getting re-aquainted with some outgrown toys.

After his dad picked him up it was chore time. My black silkie so far has 4 chicks with 2 eggs still under her.

I am always amazed at how natural mothering comes to these first time mama hens. The little yellow chick hatched out during the day today as it wasn't there this morning. Hopefully the other 2 eggs will hatch over night or tomorrow before she abandons them to give full care to the new little wandering chicks.

After a salad and steak supper I did exercises and finished another month in my blog book.

Getting an earlier bedtime as I am tired tonight and I know my back will be hurting again in the morning.
Thanking God tonight for a good report from the doctor this morning and so grateful for the health he blesses me with.
Good Night and God Bless.

A SUNNY SUNDAY FILLED WITH GOD'S BLESSINGS

Chores, church and then a spaghetti lunch for everyone today.  All were present plus daughter's b-friend so we had a house full.
After a short visit everyone went their own way and Hubbie and I unloaded all the shelves and storage boxes from my stand at the Curb Market that we brought home last week so they can seal the concrete floor.  I went though each box and threw away things I don't need anymore and then we cleaned all the shelves and re-loaded all of it back into his truck. Hopefully they will get the floors done this week but I'm expecting more like next week. Maybe we won't need the truck before then.
The sun is shining today with  a temperature in the low 50's and no wind for the first day in a while so it feels pretty nice.
My little black silkie hen's chicks are beginning to hatch today,so far this evening she has 3 little black and yellow chicks with 3 more eggs to go.
I downloaded the last six months of last year on to the book smart program to begin work on my next book.  I worked all through the covers and the first month this evening. At this rate this book won't take near as long as some of the others. This new computer speeds things up considerably.
Going for an early bedtime tonight to get an early start in the morning with a 9:30 doctor's appointment in Asheville.
Praying for God's grace in the coming days and thanking Him for the blessings of recent days for all of my family.
Good Night and God Bless

2002 FEBRUARY DECADE PICTURES

A change in the temperatures for sure this morning as I was breaking a thin skim of ice from the water buckets.
Market was okay today ,at least a little better than last week.
After market I picked up the last order of photo prints to catch up my photo project,came home unloaded the van and put them in the albums.  All finished and really proud of how it all turned out, making it so easy to find the photos of any time period in a second.
Hubbie and I both spent a cool Saturday evening relaxing. We watched a UNC/Virginia b-ball game which UNC won just barely and our country music Saturday night shows we always watch.
It has been a sunny day but only 42 degrees so it was a good day to spend inside.
With the photo project done I am moving on to my blog book now to catch up with that and whew then I'll really be satisfied with my winter time progress this year.
 Tonight I need to finish the February decade pics with 2002.  If you follow my blog you know that a couple days ago in 1992 there were pictures of my young boys basketball team.
In 2002 these pictures of the pay-off for all those many days and nights in the gym for #2 son who choose a career in Basketball and won a college scholarship for his dedication.
After visiting many college campuses around in several different states he settled on Montreat college which was about 45 minutes from home.

We got to see a lot of his games at home and even took some road trips to Tennessee and Kentucky on Saturdays to see him play.

He was voted National Freshman of the year in the NAIA division of colleges that year.
Unfortunately due to that college dropping the major he had chosen in college and some coaching changes over the summer that would be his last year of basketball. After the first semester he transferred to a local community college to finish his sophomore year and then transferred to Western Carolina University for the remainder of his college on scholastic scholarships.
I was kind of glad to see him get out of basketball because of how rough it has gotten at the college level. The system has made it a dog eat dog, win at any cost game because if you are a coach and you don't win you are replaced. So they pull out all the stops, dirty tricks and meanness that it might take to win.

That February 2002 we had several snows.
This is #2 son's chevy camero that he worked several summers to buy covered in snow.

And this is my taurus station wagon and daughter's taurus,( her first car).

 A picture of our back yard before all the bird feeders took over out there.

 

I love taking snow pictures anytime we have the white stuff on the ground I'm snapping away and it is interesting to see the changes in our yard over the years.

Unfortunately there won't be any snow pics for this February. I can't believe we are ending the month with not so much as a dusting of snow and for that matter not much cold weather at all.

March can still deliver a powerfull winter punch but usually any snows we get in March are gone by the next day,so I guess we'll see what March 2012 brings.

Nothing exciting going on around here tonight so it is off to an early bedtime for me.

Thanking God for the gracious blessings of today.

Good Night and God Bless.

ALL KINDS OF WEATHER IN ONE DAY !!!

Yuck !! I woke up this morning with a really bad case of heartburn. How can you wake up with heartburn? Did I get up and eat something I shouldn't have in my sleep last night ?
As I did morning chores and marveled at what a beautiful day it is I wished I felt like taking a long walk this morning but I didn't.
I didn't feel like any breakfast either but made myself eat a plain waffle thinking maybe that would help and it did a little.
I made the best of the morning by baking a few cakes for tomorrow before lunch.
After a chicken soup lunch I felt better but now it is cloudy outside and we are under a tornado warning for the afternoon. The wind is really starting to whip around and the rain is beginning.
After catching up a few loose ends of little task I've been needing to do I took time to enjoy the silence of the house and relax.
After the rain stopped I bird watched,I have been trying to get a photo of a large ,I think hawk, that  lights in a tree at the edge of the lawn each afternoon about the same time. He watches the smaller birds at the feeders and then flies away. I missed getting a pic of him again today as he flew before I got him in focus. I would love to see what kind of hawk he is.
I did get a pic of this guy that I have seen a couple times before but missed a photo of him.

Meet Hairy , when I first saw him I thought it was one of the many Downy woodpeckers that frequent the suet cakes. But after a closer look I noticed the noticeably longer beak and his larger size.
A little later one of the Downy's made a visit to the feeder.

 I was hoping they would decide to get on either side of the feeder for a better comparison. These birds are identically marked except for a few minor differences that may or may not be there.

I didn't  feel like any supper tonight so I iced cakes early and then sat in our bedroom listening to all the peeper frogs while hubbie was in the living room watching a truck race on TV.
Everything is early this year, the peepers are not usually out in February and may be wishing they weren't out by morning when with the winds and temperatures in the 20's it is going to feel like low teens outside.
Hubbie came in today and said there was our first Garter snake of the season killed on the pavement in front of our mailbox today. In February ???????
The strange weather was a little of everything today, with morning sun and a temperature of 70, wind,clouds and rain moved in around noon and the temperature started to drop after a short light rain fall ended mid afternoon and now tonight the wind is howling with a temperature of  36 at 11:00 and snow showers are a possibility overnight in some places.
We were under a tornado watch for most of the day but were not one of the unlucky ones to actually get one. A couple tornadoes touched down in S.C. this evening doing some bad damage.
The exiting clouds made for a nice colorful sunset this evening.

I was a little late getting this picture as I was attending to Bernie who is a sick puppy tonight and we can't figure out why. Hopefully he will be better in the morning. I followed him around to watch when he went to the bathroom to check for blood and thankfully there wasn't any.
I have both he and Dolly on a strict healthy diet but he must have picked something up outside.
Right now he is sleeping soundly so hopefully that means he's stopped hurting.
I'm listening to the news as I blog and then I'm off to bath and bed ,hoping for a better beginning also for myself tomorrow morning.
God is a wonderful caring God who is always at our side if we only take the time to recognize Him.
Good Night and God Bless.

LINCOLN LOG CONSTRUCTION

WOW !!! After about 2/10th inch of rain last night this morning feels as if spring is here already.
By the time I finished chores ,had a quick breakfast and headed out to make a cake delivery it was 58 degrees at 10:00.
I did my regular weekly errands while I was in town,picked up g-son and made 3 Avon stops on the way home much to his dismay !!
By the time we got here and lunch was offered he ate like a little starved piglet. So much so that I peeked into his lunch box to see if he had eaten his snack and found out why he was so hungry. He hadn't eaten any of his snack.
The sun is bright and the temperature is in the low 70's this afternoon but the wind will definitely blow your hat off out there. I sat outside for a little while but when the clouds drifted over the sun it got cool in the wind so I came inside and watched the Lincoln Log construction in my living room.

He is beginning to be very creative and I was impressed at the things he managed to build all by himself.

When Pawpaw got home they built this cabin that was pictured on the back of the box.

D-in-love and #1 son came to get him before chore time this evening. #1 son has another job interview Monday. Maybe this is the one God wants him to have.
After chores I changed the burned out light bulb in the setting silkie's box. Luckily it picked last night to burn out before the chicks hatch. Saturday will be the 21st day of setting for this first of the season hatch.
I worked on my photo project while watching the Duke/ Florida b-ball game,Duke won.
I can't believe how close I am to having this project done !
Things have been really quiet around here today and tonight.
The weather is still weird with the temperature of 61 degrees at 11:00 tonight. I just hope it cools down enough to defuse the strong storms that are headed our way with a cold front.
Praising God tonight for the perfect creations He graces us with each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

TAXES DONE !!!! 1992 YOUTH B-BALL CHAMPS

HALLELUJAH , HALLELUJAH !!!!!!   TAXES   ARE DONE  !!!!!

Today has been another of those boring routine days that ended with me feeling a great feeling of accomplishment.
With no g-son today I got all the chores and housework done by early afternoon and dove into the tax mess of papers.
Before they were done I had a much bigger mess of papers believe me but its done and everything is now filed away. YeeHaw !!!
I finished just in time for evening chores and when I went outside I was surprised by how hard the wind was blowing and I hadn't even noticed.
I had a salad supper and did a shortened exercise routine tonight before I did our weekly paperwork and payed the bills,yuck !!
#1 son called and asked if I would pick up g-son tomorrow while I was in town then #2 son called and asked Hubbie to cut his hair tonight.
As I type this at 10:00 tonight the temperature is still 54 degrees after a high today of 63 but neither feel very comfortable with the high wind and now it is raining out there also.
Back in February 1992 both #1 and #2 son were playing on the same recreation league basketball team.
They were both good players and all the boys on their team were good players also as attested to them winning the tournament that year.
This is the picture that came out in the local paper....

Hubbie was one of the coaches for the team that year.
This is a better picture of the team with their trophies....

#1 son is on your far right and #2 son is on your far left and hubbie is in the Carolina sweatshirt.  Those were some good memories !!!!
Every Saturday starting in December and ending the end of February we were in a gym somewhere watching these little guys learn the game of basketball.
#1 son chose not to continue a basketball career in school but #2 son earned a college scholarship to play at college level.
If I had a dime for every minute my buns sat on gym bleachers somewhere I'd be a very rich lady right now !!!!
But in many ways I am much richer for those experiences and would not trade a minute of them for anything else.
Thankful for the rich blessings God has bestowed on me through the years.
Good Night and God Bless.

LAUNDRY, HOUSEWORK AND TAXES MAKE FOR A BORING DAY

It is a cool morning, 32 degrees at chore time. I walked all bundled up as I needed the fresh air to clear my mind this morning.
I had a couple errands to run in town when I picked g-son up so I left early headed that way. Got a call from d-in-love saying the heat was broken at church and she was leaving early and would pick him up and spend the afternoon with him.
I did my errands and came home to have lunch and then tackle weekly laundry and housework.
With the house quiet I also tackled our taxes.

Doing taxes online is a lot easier but I still have to gather all my receipts and crunch the numbers.

Amidst a jumble of forms and figures I think I'm ready to go with the online program.
Don't you wish this was real ?????

I could use about 4 of these forms. After all sometimes when I go into the store and buy dog food I feel like I actually do spend as much on them as I did my kids !!!

My day was pretty boring today with all this inside work. The sun battled clouds all day in temperatures that struggled to reach 50 .
Tomorrow is supposed to be another stay at home day all day as other g-ma is supposed to get g-son so hopefully I can finish the taxes.
My goals in March this year are to finish my photo project and sew my craft inventory back into the black.
All this brain work has left  me gasping for relaxation tonight.
And I'm reminded by this sign what really matters.

Good Night and God Bless.

WHEW !!! GOT A LOT DONE TODAY !!!

UUUUHHHHH!!!!!!  G-son was here very early this morning and I needed to get up also to get an early start on a busy day. While hubbie took him to pre-school I finished morning chores. Breakfast time wasn't needed because hubs and I both headed over to the new doctor's office to have blood drawn for our upcoming physicals.
By the time we drove to Asheville and waited our turns for the needle, my head was starting to throb.
We left the office and stopped at the first fast food breakfast place we came to which was Bojangles.
As I ate my biscuit and inhaled my decaf coffee I felt me head throbs subside thankfully.
The nurse that stuck us was very good and I felt very little pain with all the times she added a new vial to be filled.
We then headed out to accomplish another joint task we've been putting off. Our cell phones were due for upgrades so we got that done also before we picked up g-son.
G-son wasn't hungry for pizza today so we just picked up a few things we were out of there and headed home were he wanted mac and cheese for lunch.
The weather is nice today with lots of sunshine but cool temperatures still not out of the 40's around here today.
Stuck inside we thought it would be a good time for doggy haircuts. Hubbie and I groomed and bathed both Bernie and Dolly. Bernie's hair had gotten very long and he is shivering tonight with the change. I would take a photo but he is already buried under the covers in bed with hubbie.
Hubbie went out to work on a wood pile this afternoon and g-son and I went outside for a few minutes before we decided it was a little too chilly.

 Annie didn't want g-son to go inside........

Until she got her hug for the day.

Boys and dogs there's just something special between them.

#2 son came up to hubbie's shop this evening to replace the broken part on his emergency brake and had to get hubbie to help get the parts back into place.
#1 son came after g-son just before chore time this evening.
I had cream of wheat for supper and then hubbie and I did our exercises. I also got all the photos I picked up today in the albums. I can see the light at the end of this project now and am anxious to get this finished and move on to my blog book catching up.
I almost missed the radiant sunset this evening.

Something happened early this morning in Buncombe county that is on my mind tonight. About 3am this morning a 17 year old young man was being chased by deputies for a traffic violation,( no one has ever said what that was).  When he stopped, he abruptly put his pick-up truck in reverse and back into the deputy's car.  He was promptly shot at point blank range 6 times !
Normally I am on the side of law enforcement but with the details of this chase coming out I'm not sure they acted professionally this time. The young man who was shot was deaf, therefore could not hear anything that was going on and the deputy knew this from an earlier encounter with this same  young man, this doesn't mean he should not have stopped for the blue lights but he was also unarmed,and I feel like the deputies would have known this from the earlier encounter !!  Why he backed into the patrol car no one knows but I really believe there could have been a better solution than pumping 6 bullets into the young man. Fortunately he survived the ordeal and is in the hospital.
I'm just praying for all involved in this unfortunate series of event.

 Just doesn't look bad enough to kill someone over !!! Sorry !!!

God is so good to me and I am so grateful each day for His love and blessings. May He be with this young man tonight and his devastated family and also the deputy who fired the shots as all involved need God's intervention.
Good Night and God Bless.

RELAXING ,WATCHING THE SNOW FLAKES FALL

The rain was still light this morning as I went through chores before church.  Church was good ,as our associate pastor did the sermon again since our pastor is still on missions in the middle east.
D-in-love has talked to him several times this week on her smart phone through his hotel's WiFi. I was surprised to learn how technologically advanced they are in these countries. From what you see on the news it looks like there would be nothing but dirt huts and dire need over there. As our mission team has discovered there is definitely a dire need for the love of God in these countries.
It had started raining hard by the time we left church and the air was definitely colder.
Everyone made it to lunch of roast beef, mashed potatoes, green beans and corn with the new recipe for slaw that hubbie found. All of this meal came from our summer garden except the cabbage for the slaw and the beef.
I am scanning seed catalogs to get this year's seed order in early.
After everyone left hubbie and I relaxed and watched the rain turn to big fluffy flakes of snow this afternoon for a little while.

However our snowfall didn't amount to anything with the ground so wet and the temperature in the mid 30's. But it was pretty to watch  falling.
I saw this  picture on a local media site this afternoon and thought you might enjoy the humor in it.

Hahahahaha!!!!!!

I checked the rain gauge while out doing evening chores and found 4/10ths inch of rain in it which surprised me,I didn't think it had rained that much.
After exercising tonight hubbie and I have spent a relaxing evening which felt good after this stressful week.
During his sermon this morning pastor talked about letting our light shine for Jesus. I strive each day to do just that and have humble gratefulness for the blessings He gives me each day  as I continue to see the good things that so outweigh the bad.
Good Night and God Bless.

STORMS A COMIN' AND ME IN 1982

Up early,getting ready for market, daughter brought her things by on her way to coach a youth b-ball game at 9:00.
Market was extremely slow today. Can't blame it on the beautiful weather,sunny with 57 degrees was perfect getting out weather.
Actually this was the slowest day I've had this year I think.
I had plenty to do anyway,even worked up a sweat in the warm sweater I chose to wear today because I thought I would be sitting waiting on customers. Instead I shifted into clean out gear to get ready for the upcoming floor refinishing that is going to happen the first week on March in the market. Hubbie and I decided this morning before he left that he would bring the truck back at 1:00 and we would load all the shelves and storage bins from around my tables. We had been planning on doing this next Saturday but were afraid to wait due to something might happen with the weather or something else.
I didn't realize how much stuff I had out there until I started packing it up in the storage bins and some boxes I had,whew !!!!  I was not dressed for this kind of work today but it got done. Hubbie's truck was full and I had some things in my van. We left the load in his truck and covered it with a tarp until next week when I go through it.
I had a late lunch and took it easy while hubbie pruned some of our muscadine grapes this afternoon.
I watched a UNC/Clemson b-ball game, which UNC won.
#2 son brought his jeep up to hubbie's shop this evening and they took his console out to see what was broken with his emergency brake. They found it wasn't the brake cable as he had been told and only a bracket that hooks the cable up. He will have to order it Monday. No one stocks the newer jeep parts but jeep dealers !!
I did the evening chores and battened everything down for the upcoming weather we are supposed to get.
It is raining tonight and we are supposed to get over an inch before it ends tomorrow.

 With this system moving north east we are going to get slammed tonight with heavy rain.
Then to make things really interesting the high temperature for tomorrow will be in the low 40's and will occur early in the morning. With the temp dropping steadily though the day snow is supposed to begin and they keep upping the accumulation we are to expect.

It all depends on the track of the storm.This is the most popular predicted track but I guess we'll know for sure which track it takes when it is over!
Looks like we are in for a nasty Sunday and a good one to just spend inside relaxing and doing what we are suppose to do on Sunday, nothing !!

Here is another weather map photo of the  storms heading our way for the next 24-36 hours.

 Winter might rear her head again tomorrow night right on cue as a gentleman complained this morning as he passed through market about not having any winter this year. I silently thought to myself " we definitely still have time for a winter,sir".
At least the rest of the week looks pretty good until next Saturday, brrrrr!!!!!!

While Hubbie watched the first race of the season tonight I worked on my photo project getting all the prints I had made last week in albums . After I get all these prints made and in proper order I intend maybe next winter to go through and  make notes on the backs of them in case they get taken out of the albums over time.

To continue with February decade photos I found this one of me and #1 son in February 1982. He was 4 months old.

 As I listen to the rain outside I say a little pray for all who are out in this mess over the next couple days.
Looking back though the photos I was organizing tonight and when I look at the older decade photos I humbly thank God for the goodness he has blessed me with through the years and continues to do so each day.
Good Night and God Bless.

TRUE NEED OR SCAM DIFFICULT TO JUDGE ANYMORE

The skies were clearing early this morning for a very nice sunny 61 degree day.
I finished chores and took my walk earlier so I could get started on my today's things to do list.
As I walked by #2 son's house I was greeted with this questioning look from granddog Flash.

I was imagining him saying "what are you doing here? I'm taking care of things around here !"
Finished with my walk and hurrying around getting things ready to head to town to do some errands before I picked g-son up and wouldn't you know it, murphy's law struck again.
As I printed a label for an Avon package the door bell rang.  As I turned the corner to see who was there through the french doors I saw a man standing there with Annie nipping at his hands as he tried to pet her.
I had not heard her bark or heard a car come into the drive so as I cracked the door to asked what he wanted I looked for a car and saw none.
He said he was on foot !  I could tell right away that he had a speech handicap and his feet were turned almost directly out to the sides. I asked him how he got to this area, but didn't get an answer, he was into his magazine subscription selling pitch. He showed me a piece of paper to justify what he was doing. I asked if I could take it  inside to show to my husband and came in and scanned it on my computer. This is the paper....

When I handed the paper back to the man and told him I wasn't interested he got really huffy and stomped off. As I watched him get back on the highway I called the Sheriff's office and gave them the information off the paper  to verify it.
Shortly a deputy was in the yard wanting a description. She said they did verify that this company was dropping off handicapped people in neighborhoods to solicit magazine subscriptions. The deputy didn't think this was a good idea and especially with the break ins we've had in our area she feared for this man's life. In this day and time I cannot believe any organization would be sending people door to door selling anything. There are so many warnings about scams and about giving anyone money that comes to your door that you don't know I find it hard to believe that they would have any success.
The deputy  left and I don't know if she found him or not but another home just up the road from us that is used for a summer home had suspicious activity around it.
Anyway all this morning activity played havoc with my scheduled task again today.
I only got one stop made before it was time to pick g-son up and then he had to go with me to do the rest.
We got home over an hour later than expected and I had cakes to bake. While he ate his lunch I snacked while baking 16 layers and 2 pound cakes.
I hated to waste such a lovely day inside but by the time I got to sit outside for a few minutes the sun was low in the sky and the air was getting a chill. G-son stayed inside working in his activity book I had gotten him. He loves to work through mazes and match puzzles.
His dad came to get him just before chore time.
I skipped the exercises tonight and went straight to icing duties to try to get an earlier bed time.
I feel kind of washed out tonight for some reason, not as if I did a lot of physical work today but this mental stress is working on all of us right now and I know of no way to cure it except just give it time.
I trust God to take care of me and my family at times like these.
Good Night and God Bless.

MORE TAXES UHHHHH !!!!!!

Today was one of those well planned days that never work !!!!
Starting off with waking up about 30 minutes later than usual. Went through the chores with nothing unusual except the misty rain that was falling.  Didn't feel like walking in the rain so I thought I would get a head start with errands this morning ,not !!   I had to package an Avon order to be mailed to Florida and just as I got it all taped and printed label attached the customer called and said to hold it until tomorrow because she wasn't there yet and wanted to be sure of the address.  I hung up and started out the door and the phone rang again, this time another Avon customer giving an order.
By this time I looked at the clock and decided not to do the Avon deliveries I had planned for today because the school where they were would be on lunch break by the time I got there.
I did accomplish at least some of the things I had on my today's to do list before getting home to have a late lunch.
I cleaned the floors and swept off all the porches after the light rain stopped this afternoon.
With daughter's taxes finished yesterday today was #2 son's turn. I was still working on his when hubbie came home from work.
Now only mine and hubbies' is left,uhhhhh !!!! That's the one I hate because it is a more complicated than son's or daughter's. But I do have a week and a half to get them done to stay on my February tax month schedule.
Even with no quite snow days this winter I have got more project work done than usual. Now I think about all the things that need pruning and other clean up work that needs to be done outside.
With the weather looking like it does for the next week I should have plenty opportunity to get it done.

Tonight after a salad supper and exercises hubbie and I watched Swamp People on TV and then I watched part of the Duke/ NCState b-ball game which Duke won.
As the clouds cleared this evening there was a beautiful sunset over the mountains.

 God wonderfully blesses us with the beauty of His creations each day .
Good Night and God Bless.