GARDEN PLANTING, and 2002 DECADE MEMORIES

I can't believe today is the last day of April !!!  Where did this month go , I will admit though that this month didn't seem to disappear as quickly as last month did.
As I did chores and ate breakfast  the sun got hotter quickly and at 10am when hubbie and I left to run errands in town before picking up g-son it was 75 degrees,whew, it's still April .
We voted today and then made a feed store stop and a grocery store stop on the way to get g-son.
After lunch we headed up to the garden. We wanted to get our first summer planting started.
We sat out all our plants and planted the first  succession planting of beans, yellow squash and cucumbers as well as some acorn squash and other squash I had gotten which I don't remember what they look like.
G-son had the watering job.

He thought Pawpaw's job looked a lot more exciting than his ,but quickly changed his mind about that.

He went back to making mud pies after only a few steps !!!
We all got a little sunburned today in the hot  sunshine but we got the job done.
I moved chickens around today.
These are the first hatch of the season plus the Americana's and Rhode island red pullets I bought.
Today was their first day out in the big lot but they hung close together in this one corner most of the day.

After cleaning and re-bedding the large box they were in, I moved these Production Reds that I bought for the white Silkies who didn't have any of their eggs hatch.

G-son left to go to his karate class and I went back to cleaning chicken houses while Hubbie did fence mending.
I de-winterized all the houses and cleaned them all out and put new shavings inside. I moved another setting Silkie into a house of her own.
By the time I finished all this my back was screaming. I came inside and had a salad for supper with some fresh radishs and onions for the first garden produce of the year.
After delivering a caramel cake I went over to daughter's to feed her dog and let it out as she had to go to Asheville and take her b-friend to the emergency room to see if he is infected with the salmonella virus that is being found there now. He has been sick since eating a fish taco Saturday night.
I made it home just in time to round up all the newly released chicks and get them into their new night house with the Silkies.
As I drove home from daughter's I stopped and took these sunset pics as the clouds start to boil this evening.

 There was some storms and hail in some surrounding counties but we were fortunate to stay calm this evening.
Since this is the last day of April I need to finish up the decade pictures. In 2002 we were busy with daughter's activities. She had been recruited to join a local championship AAU basketball team. They won the state tournament so they earned a trip to the national AAU championships in Dallas,Texas.
This is the team with members from several different counties here in WNC, daughter is #10.

 The state tournament was on the same weekend as daughter's junior/senior prom. So she played in Friday night's game and Saturday morning's game,then we drove the 3 hour drive from Thomasville,NC home so she could go to the prom with her then boyfriend who was a senior.

A beautician friend of mine met us when we got home and put her hair up for her.

The prom was held at Highland Lake Inn and this is the Highland Lake waterfall. It was a perfect back drop for their pictures.
We drove back to Thomasville early Sunday morning and she didn't miss a game.Whew, all the traveling we used to do taking the kids to ball tournaments. I'm thankful that gas wasn't at the price it is now or it would have been a huge hardship.

I am looking forward to a hot bath and a good night's sleep after this day of hard work.
On this last day of April I accomplished the remainder of my April goals.
My May goals are:  Get a physical from my OB,  see the eye doctor for new glasses, get more sewing done, get the #2 planting in the garden done, loose weight .
I have had a very productive spring , getting most of my spring jobs done early with the summer like weather we have had.
Thanking God for my blessings of the past month and looking forward to what He has for me in May.
Good Night and God Bless.

WONDERFUL AFTERNOON WITH LITTLE VISITORS

Church was nice today saw some old friends back from their Florida hibernation.
We had a small lunch bunch today in more ways than one. #1 son and d-in-love where the only adults who made it today but d-in-love brought a couple on her friends children over to play with g-son because her friend and her husband are not feeling well today. So we had 3 little ones running around the house instead of 1 . #2 son was golfing in SC and daughter was at the wedding shower of one of her friends.
After we ate they all wanted to check out the outside toys.

Girls first !!!!
She loved the slide but  after just a couple slides the boys were off to more interesting things.
Like climbing this tree that g-son calls his"jungle tree".

As she continued to love sliding on the slide......

The boys plotted their next adventure..... everyone knows it's not cool to look at the person with the camera !!!

They had a fun afternoon together. These guys will both go to the same kindergarten in August.They have been friends since before they were able to walk.

After they left hubbie and I took a walk in the bottom pasture discussing the pros and cons of leasing this part of the farm.
It's hard to imagine all this nice green grass being killed with soybeans drilled into rows in it.

Although as pretty as this is it can also be just as ugly when floods come and tear fences down and trap cattle on small islands waiting to be rescued. What to do, what to do ???
This is old Snowball enjoying the shade of the creek bank trees.

 I spotted this Pileated Woodpecker searching for insects in this old dead tree stump.

No decisions were reached on our walk !!! We will bathe that decision in prayer tonight.

The sky clouded up this evening after a very nice , warm 81 degree  day.
We spent the evening in our rocking chairs on the front porch ending a wonderful Sunday the way a Sunday should end !!
Giving all my burdens to God tonight as His shoulders are much wider than mine.
Good Night and God Bless.

BUSY DAY AND 1992 DECADE PICS

Market day started off busy even before I got to the market. Today is called "operation in as much" in the life of NC baptist churches. It is a day set aside for helping the community specifically this year with handicap ramp construction among other special projects that request came to the church for help with. Hubbie and #1 son are involved with this and as soon as my van was loaded hubbie took off to join son who was waiting at church. They were going with the sod farmer neighbor to do a job at the local elementary school which required a skid steer operator(#1 son) .
Daughter met me at market to help unload and get set up then she went to pick up g-son while d-in-love had a wedding to photograph today,whew!!!  We are a busy family!!!
G-son and daughter stopped at Yogurt World and brought me my yogurt lunch,yummy .
Market was fairly busy until lunch time and then it was like a ghost town. We had a fair day and I'm thankful for that.
Daughter and g-son walked down the street to a produce stand and got us some fresh corn and green beans for lunch tomorrow.
After we loaded they left for her house so g-son could play with her dog Tipper and I came home.
After unloading I had a snack and then rested until hubbie got home.
We have a decision to make now with our bottom pasture, as the sod farmer neighbor wants to rent it to plant soybeans in. It would mean keeping the cattle in the upper pastures where we would have to water them. It will be a decision that will require much thought !
#1 son and g-son came for supper tonight as we grilled our last fresh frozen shrimp from our last fall beach trip to go with some baked potatoes.
It has been a nice warm sunny day. This evening is a typical summer like evening with all the frogs chirping and unfortunately the mesquitos are hungry after a long winter's nap !!
In April of 1992 we were busy as well. Even though Easter was in April that year I found no Easter pictures. I think the kids all thought they were too old for egg hunting.
Instead there was fishing with Papa JB ( hubbie's father).
This is #1 son proudly showing off the fish he caught.

We had a lot of cattle in those years and some of the cutest calves were white faces.

This is our barn in that year. We have since added another shed on the near side.

When I look at these old pictures I am amazed at how the landscape around our farm has changed .
The 2 small trees behind #1 son and papa are now huge.
I found a new toy on the internet tonight, picmonkey.com , a free photo editing site. I have tried some others but this one I like best.
This is some pics of my Iris blooms that I took this week before the hail.
This is the original photo.

This is my picmonkey version.

Here are a couple more I "fixed" on picmonkey, I replaced the original ones before I thought about keeping them to compare.

I love playing around with my pics for special effects !
I love God for giving me such beautiful subjects for my photos and am very thankful tonight for a wonderful day filled with heavenly blessings.
Good Night and God Bless.

SURVEYING THE HAIL DAMAGE

Clouds were still hanging around this morning as I finished chores and took my camera on a walk to survey the hail damage. I feel we were very fortunate compared to some of the surrounding areas as our damage was minimal.
Plums on the ground and I'm sure the fruits that are still on the trees have damage .

The back lawn is a sea of purple Cottonwood blossoms.

And this Snowball bush is no longer loaded with blossoms.

This patch of Lambs Ear was totally flat last night but has purked back up with just some small tears in some leaves.

Our early garden is struggling along with only a few holes in leaves after the cold snap earlier in the week.

Some of the areas close to us got much bigger hail stones and have serious damage so I'll take our damage anyday !
I picked up g-son and came home for lunch. He started a new Lincoln Log construction project while I baked 6 caramel,4 coconut ,2 pound and 1 wine cake.
While the cakes were still in the ovens I had to admire the construction and he was proud to show it off.

His pre-school took a trip to the aquarium to see all the different fish today and he was excited to name all the different fish on the chart they gave him. He is getting so smart and all grown up !
I cleaned house this afternoon after his mom came after him. I realized this new arrangement for cleaning house won't work. This is too much to do all in one day so next week it's a different schedule.
Hubbie came home and I helped him unstop one of our gutters that ran over yesterday. I guess some birds had tried to build a nest in it.
After chores I rested a little while before I started icing cakes.
Grateful to God for the blessings I received today and for His graciousness everyday.
Good Night and God Bless.

STORMS,STORMS AND HAIL STORMS

WHEW!!!!  What a day !!!!
When I woke up this morning and looked out the window in the bedroom I saw a cloudy but calm sky.
After getting dressed and starting to wrap some cakes frosted late last night I heard the deputies on the scanner talking about some bad weather on the way. I flipped the kitchen TV on to the radar station and saw a line of reds and yellows headed over the mountain toward us.
I quickly hurried outside and finished chores just as big raindrops started to fall.
I could hear thunder in the distance getting closer with each bolt of lightening. The weatherman said the storms were moving about 60mph.
I wasn't going anywhere until this bad boy passed to the south.

An unusual route for a storm to reach us through. If storms come across the mountains heading south they usually break up, but these were holding together well.
My 4-legged kids were scared and shaking so badly that I couldn't bring myself to leave until the storms passed and they calmed down. I was about an hour late getting to market but no one had been in there either in the stormy weather.
I had a decent day after the skies cleared,thank you Lord.
As it neared closing time another dark cloud lurked on the horizon. I ran weekly errands and picked up baking supplies on the way home and out ran the rain until my last stop and it poured .
I made it home and between showers unloaded and got things put away.
After a quick snack I did chores early before heading over to daughter's house for a Beauticontrol spa party.
Shortly after I got there the storms started, we watched the lightening streaking to the ground for much of the evening.

 I was impressed with the product line of skin care in this presentation so I'm hoping to look 20 years younger shortly after my products arrive and I start using them,hahahaha!!
We were told to come with washed faces prepared to be pampered. After cleansing,toning and putting the lotion containing "alpha hydroxy" in them on,my face feels much smoother and looks shiny. All their products are free from perfume and have a nice natural scent.
Avon used to have a face cream that I used with the alpha hydroxy but they don't carry that cream anymore. These products were along the same price as Avon products.
 They also have a line of all natural mineral make up and one of daughter's friends is going to host a make-up party that I'll attend later this month.
As I started home the lightening and thunder were getting closer and I was hoping to beat it home.
Well I ran right into the storm but couldn't hear the thunder because of the marble size hail that was pounding my van. I'll have to check tomorrow to see if I have any damage,at times I actually thought the windshield would break. There was no place to pull over so I slowly drove through it.
Sadly there is a large strawberry farm in the vicinity of  where I ran through the worst of the hail.
When I got home hubbie said we had it here at the farm also.

It will be interesting in the morning to survey the damage.
I'll be glad for this day to come to an end.
Tonight is foggy but the storms have all moved out of the area at least for the night.
God is in control and I can rest in peace as I trust in Him.
Good Night and God Bless.

SUNSHINE IS BACK AT LEAST FOR A WHILE !

Today began and ended with rain showers but in the middle we had a nice warm 73 degrees,mostly sunny day.
After chores this morning I walked for the first time in several days.  I checked on mama Robin and found her vigilantly setting on her nest of eggs. Things look refreshed after the early morning rain shower I heard before daylight this morning.

These huge Hosta leaves were soaking up the moisture from the rain drops.
In spite of the cold and cloudy conditions of the last days I found my first rose of the season today. This vine is at the entrance to the downstairs apartment.

Actually there were a couple of these beautiful fragrant blooms open today.
As I walked by the hen lot these 3 were in a corner of the lot having their own little "hen party"

I finished the morning out in the kitchen baking 6 caramel, 1coconut,1chocolate,2 pound and 2 wine cakes.
After lunch I had to spend some time outside as my body was yearning for the warm sunshine.
I pulled weeds out of all the gravel patios and then moved all the plants back outside,hopefully they can stay out there now !
I re- planted the Geraniums that I pulled up last fall . One of them didn't make it,I'm thinking it probably was the candy striped one that I liked best but it was a hybrid.
As I worked I watched the sky fill with clouds and the winds picked up again driving me inside. I cleaned up the furniture from the auction and made photos to get ready to advertise it.
I did evening chores just before the rain started and then iced cakes.
Hubbie and I watched Survivor on TV and then I did weekly paperwork and payed bills.
Daughter brought her baked goods over tonight because she has to go into work early in the morning.
At 11:00 tonight it is still 59 degrees,what a difference a day makes !!
Grateful for the blessings God gave me today and thankful for the beautiful world He created.
Good Night and God Bless.

HAPPY BIG 30 TO D-IN-LOVE

As I turned the alarm off a gust of wind rattled the window above my bed. How long is this wind going to keep this up I wondered as I rolled over to stretch my body to get ready to meet the day.
At least the temperature didn't get below freezing last night. When hubbie got up to go to work at 5am it was 37 and at 8 am it is 43 so thank you Lord the flowers and fruit are spared.
The sun is shining so it is a little more tolerable today outside than yesterday.
I left to pick up g-son early today to stop by Aldi and Sav Mor to get baking supplies. When I arrived to get g-son he was having a fun time playing with his friends so I waited for all the other parents and grandparents to get there so the kids could all leave together.
We came home and had just finished lunch when d-in-love came to pick him up. She is the big 30 today !
Happy 30th birthday !!!

After they went home I did laundry and packaged an e-bay sale. I took it to the post office and stopped at the fresh meat market on the way home to pick up some fresh beef since my freezer is all defrosted and cleaned out.
I'm bored with my regular routine so I'm putting off house cleaning until Friday so the house will hopefully still be clean when everyone comes for Sunday lunch.
I am also considering joining Weight Watchers online to see if that will help me shed some more pounds. After losing about 5 lbs on the method recommended by the doc I have stalled as I always do.
I am determined to lose this extra weight.
After chores and a light supper I listed another item on e-bay. This vintage collectors plate from the land of the Ozarks was in one of the boxes.

I don't know how old it is but it was made in the USA. Maybe this will jog some past trip memories for someone!
I also got out a very old doll but I couldn't find anyone like it anywhere on the internet tonight so I'm taking it with me Thursday and see if I can find someone who can tell me something about it.
Maybe its my ticket to retirement,hahahahaha !!!!
 The temperature reached 60 degrees today but with the wind still whipping around it was not a good day to be outside for any length of time. I worked on repairing a couple of my wind damaged bird feeders this evening.
Tonight is only a mid 40's night so this cold spell is coming to an end and hopefully it is the last one of the season.
Grateful to God tonight for the blessings of the day and look forward to the blessings of tomorrow.
Good Night and God Bless.

C-C-C-COLD DAY AND 1982 APRIL MEMORIES

BRRRR!!!!! 38 degrees at 8 am makes snuggling under the warm covers hard to give up this morning.
Feeling sorry for all the animals braving these winds today,bless their little furry and feathered hearts !
Extra rations all around hoping to reduce the severe shock that the cold brings compared to the 70 and 80 degree days we've had lately.
Hubbie is determined to mow the lawn on his day off today but he will wait until after lunch in hopes the sun will come out.
We picked up g-son from pre-school and came home to eat left overs.
This is something you don't see often, not your normal grass mowing attire !!!

Except when the chill factor is 36 degrees !!!!

G-son and I spent the afternoon inside out of the wind and cold playing with Lincoln logs and eating M&M cookies.
Man what a lazy afternoon for me! It's too windy and cold outside and I just can't get in the mood to do anything inside today so I'm relaxing catching up on my magazine reading watching g-son play.
After he left for karate lessons I went outside to give the chickens an extra snack and then did some bird watching while watching the news.
I watched this little Wren feverishly feeding her brood all evening.

 As the wind blew this gourd from side to side she had to hang on to keep from getting thrown off each time she brought a worm or bug to her babies.
Never believe that paint scares birds off. When I first hung this gourd I was afraid I would have no takers but there has been birds in this both years in the spring and in winter they use it at night to get out of the cold.
After chores and a light supper I went through some old recipes for new ideas.
When I went through decade pics I found no 1972 April pics but in April 1982 I was the mama of a six month old and Easter was in April so you know there were pictures. Here's little fat cheeks with his first Easter egg basket.

He also liked suckers !!!!

Later in the month here we are sitting on the front porch of our first home.

I cannot believe some days that it has been over 30 years since this picture. But then I look in the mirror,haha !!!!!

The wind is still blowing tonight but not as hard as last night so maybe the electric service is safe. At 11:00 it is 46 degrees with a chill factor well below freezing if you are outside tonight.
Thankful on nights like these that I have a warm home and that God is watching over me as I sleep.
Good Night and God Bless.

BLACKBERRY WINTER IS HERE, BRRR !!!!

Church was uplifting this morning. I am so thankful that I stepped back from my job at church that was putting me in direct and constant conflict with the other church that meets in our sanctuary. Now I can concentrate on God's word and give my full attention to His callings.
We had Thanksgiving in April for lunch today as I cooked the turkey that I found buried in the bottom of the freezer last week and made all the fixins that go with it. Everyone made it to lunch and all seemed to enjoy it very much.
After lunch everyone scattered in their own activities for the afternoon and I was left alone in the house which was nice for a relaxing afternoon.
The weather is taking a nasty turn with winds whipping around blowing in a cold system that is bringing more freezing temperatures.
Hubbie and I went to pick out a new microwave this evening as our old one bit the dust yesterday with a firey flash.
We met some old friends in Sam's Club and had a nice long visit putting us home at chore time.
As I shut the chickens up this evening I looked up at all the tall pine trees waving to and fro and said a prayer for  protection of the chickens and everyone else that might be in harms way tonight as the winds really are blowing hard.
It is already snowing in some of the higher mountains of NC and as this storm moves northward it is going to surely be wintery.

Yes this is truly the snowfall predictions for these cities through April 24.
 Talk about contrast !!  This is a map of the record breaking high temperatures in the southwest.

The temperature here tonight at 11:00 is 40 with a chill factor of 32. And the winds are howling.
I hope mother nature isn't reconsidering the mild winter she gave us !!!
Putting everything is God's hands tonight and going to bed to peaceful rest.
Good Night and God Bless.

BUSY MARKET DAY AND A 1962 MEMORY

Another cloudy morning as I headed out early to finish chores and get to market on time.
There were more people milling around the market aisles today than there have been in a long time. Sales reflected more shoppers as my sales today were good for a change.  An old friend that lost her father the first of March came by and we chatted for awhile, she lives in Fla., her dad lived here.  Several mutual friends came by to pick up cakes and the visits were nice. Also had a nice visit with my cook book writing friend who used to run one of the restaurants that buy my cakes. She is looking to get a space in the Curb Market.

Good luck Laurie !!

I had ideas to head straight home after market to get some work done on a new flower bed before the rain started but as I got to the edge of town the rain started to fall. So I just happened to be almost to a Goodwill store that I love to look around in so I stopped in. I found these 2 plates I fell in love with for my rooster decorated kitchen and also picked up some nice photo albums for really cheap.

 They are Metlock Poppytrail green rooster pattern and I'm sure they are worth more than the 50 cents each I paid and will look great in my kitchen. Although I can honestly say I'm glad there was only the 2 plates for I have no need for another entire set of dishes and these just called my name !!!!
As I drove home the rain stopped as quickly as it began and after hubbie and I unloaded the van I went to work on the new flower bed. The chickens enjoyed the weeds and wild strawberry vines that I pulled out. I planted the yellow rose I bought at the flea market and the blue hydrangea I got on sale at Tractor Supply which Annie promptly sat on and broke but maybe it will come out from what is left. She just thought she was helping spread the mulch !!!
Everyone was doing yard work ,#2 son was mowing and weed eating, #1 son and g-son came by to pull up some ivy we have growing everywhere up here to get started on a bank at his house. Hubbie offered to cook a pot of spaghetti for everyone's supper so we all had a nice visit after all the hard work. #2 son got a haircut while he was here and searched the computer for new house for sale listings.
The rain passed us by today and now the ssssssnow word is back in the forecast for Monday !!!
I did the evening chores and relaxed for the evening.
I went through my pictures searching for April decade pics and found some early ones of  me and my brothers in 1962.
My baby brother was born April 3rd and he was celebrating his 1st birthday in 1962 in this photo.

I must have had something in my eye,haha ???!!!!!

Thanking God tonight for a wonderful day filled with special friends and family.
Good Night and God Bless.

BLACKBERRY WINTER ON THE WAY !!!

UH-OH !!!

These blooms make most folks around these parts catch a quick breath when they first pop out.

Blackberry blossoms mean blackberry winter !!!  And wouldn't you know right on cue another cold snap is headed our way.

After the last cold snap which was Dogwood winter and Easter cold spell rolled into one and doubly damaging, wiping out at least 2/3 of our county's apple crop.
At our place the really cold temps spared most of our fruit, now I hope this next cold spell will see fit to do the same !!
We still have plums.

Peaches...

Pears.....

Blueberries...

Grapes....

And Figs even with some frost damage to the top leaves.

 Our apples also took a hit from the last cold spell, they are  planted on a lower level than these other trees and that evidently made a huge difference.
The clouds hung thick again today but no rain came yet.
I spent the morning after chores  on a walk checking out the fruit and taking these photos.
It was cool enough for a  jacket with a light breeze and no sun.
Back inside I baked 6 caramel and 1 chocolate cake for market tomorrow before lunch.
As I thought of what to do after lunch it seemed that this week for some reason especially has gone quickly by me. It seems like it was only yesterday that daughter and I were bidding at last Saturday's auction. Time sure flies sometimes more than others it seems for me.
I finished my pillows this afternoon and got them all stuffed and priced to fill some of the empty spaces on my market table.
These were made from the eyelet fabric I bought at the Flea market last week.

These are some pillow panels that I had packed away in my shop.

As I got out my cord foot for my machine it brought back memories of my "home sewing" days when the kids were small. I had my commercial machine in our bedroom back then and after the kids were in bed I would sew together pillows. Some weeks I made over 500 pillows, then they had to be turned which provided the kids with some income. At that time there were several home sew opportunities in the county but those are long gone today. At different times I worked for 4 different business's. It was a wonderful way to supplement our farm income for me. Slowly these business's closed up shop with the opening of 2 local small sewing manufactures,one which specificly makes pillows !

I sat out in the sunroom for a while before chore time and listened to the news of the coming rain for tomorrow and the cold front for the first of the week,uhhh!!
After a salad for supper I iced the caramel and chocolate cakes. Daughter brought some blackberry bread over to sell tomorrow.
She has been putting apple cider vinegar on her poison ivy and it is getting better. She has it all over one side of her face and now on her eye brow, if it gets closer to her eye she is going to have to go to the doctor.
I am ready for a good hot soak in the tub tonight.
Grateful to God for a wonderful day and the blessings He showers down.
Good Night and God Bless.