GETTING READY FOR THE COLD

Up to a regular morning of chores, breakfast , walking video, Bible reading and then housework today. It is 42 degrees at noon today for the warmest temperature for several days if the weather folks are right.
Re had a doctor's appointment at noon today so little EL had lunch with me and then we played until mom got back. No new news about baby ,still just a waiting game.
I did more house cleaning after they left to go take naps and then I treated myself to my yearly trip to Bath and Body Works semi annual sale. I tried to hurry as fast as I could in there. I love their lotions and room fragrances but all the inter-mingled scents give me migraine headaches quickly.
I left there and checked in JC Pennys and TJ Maxx for a dark brown dress jacket or sweater but didn't find one. I didn't feel like walking all the way to Belk's while I was fighting a migraine so I came home and laid down on the couch awhile and closed my eyes hoping the fragrance free air at home would keep me from getting a full blown migraine and it worked thankfully.
They gave me a coupon to go online and get some things at a still more 20% discount with free shipping so that is what I did tonight to finish my shopping from there.
After chores this evening I gleaned some in the garden to get a jump on the cold weather that is coming.  Even the Kale and Turnips can't take the single digit temps that are coming tomorrow.

I am going to freeze the Kale and put the Turnips in the basement to keep where it is cooler. I will gather another basket of Kale tomorrow during the day before it gets to the killing cold point.
The chickens enjoyed the turnip tops this evening for a delicious extra snack before their roosting time.
I ate supper and then crashed back on the couch as I still don't feel up to par so I am going to relax for the evening and watch TV.
Thankful that I didn't get a full blown headache today.
Grateful for all the blessings of this day and praying for all the people and animals that have to be out in the cold for the next couple days and nights.
Good Night and God Bless.

BERNIE TO THE VET

After chores I called the vet's office while hubbie and I ate breakfast. Bernie coughed alot again last night and he is sounding very congested in his lungs.
They gave me a 11:30 appointment so we had time to run some errands before we went.
We went to Southern States to pick up chicken feed and then to Belks to check out their sales. Hubbie found a couple new dress shirts and I found a pair of boots like I have been wanting but the sales were still not the low prices they usually have so I am waiting for the 85% off racks !!
We came home with just enough time to put things away and get Bernie.
Poor Bernie hates the vet's office and shook violently the whole time we were there.

Good news I guess from the vet. After an x-ray of his windpipe and heart they saw nothing wrong, but we still have a coughing dog so he prescribed him some people medicine. Lomotil which for us is an anti-diarrea drug but he said in dogs it seems to quiet a cough very well.  It is the first in a long line of meds he said we could try.
The drugist looked surprised when we told her it was for a dog !! ??
We got home at 12:30 so that wasn't bad at all. I hate going to the vet because it seems every time I go there is an animal there that is hurt or really sick and it makes me so sad to see that. Today was no different as we sat in the waiting room a man came in the door carrying a beagle completely covered except for blood streaked feet and legs and said it was attacked in his yard by a Pit Bull. There was a deputy sheriff following him back to the operating room.
Fortunately this man came out when we were waiting to pay and I asked how the dog was and he said they thought she was going to be okay after sewing up 20+ puncture wounds all over her body. I was glad we saw him before we left and got the news.
While we ate lunch #2 son , who is off this week on a week of his vacation for this year , came by to borrow some yard work tools and a wheel barrow. He is going to work on re-landscaping his yard.
I followed him back home to bring some of the flowers and plants home he was digging up. I brought them home and we planted them in the garden until warmer weather. I don't know what some of them are.
Hubbie spent the afternoon changing the transmission filter and fluid in daughter' s jeep, she is still trying to decide on selling it or not.
I did three loads of laundry , glad to be in the warm house. The temperature outside is 42 but with the wind it feels much colder.
This winter storm that is bringing us our coldest weather of the season and more than a foot of snow in the nothern states has a name today, Gorgon .

When Wednesday rolls around for us the jet steam will be all the way south into northern Florida and in the early morning Thursday they are predicting -20 degree chill factors here with around 5 degrees and  high winds.
There was another beautiful sunset today.

Almost waited to late to get a pic tonight.
Hubbie and I watched a UNC/ Notre Dame game tonight which ND won by one point,boo !!
Grateful to God tonight for the love He shows all His children.
Good Night and God Bless.

BLESSED SUNDAY

Annie's face sums up this nasty morning well. She looks rained on and miserable like everything else outside this morning. As I opened the hen house doors they looked at me as if to ask if I really expected them to come out ??
The creek was running almost bank full from the additional 1 3/4 inches of rain we received overnight.

It was misting rain as we went into church but had stopped when we came out. We celebrated the Lord's Supper today during our service.
We had a big spaghetti lunch and everyone made it today.  After we ate everyone had a nice visit before going off on their own Sunday afternoon ventures.
Re looks pretty miserable , I think the baby is about ready to make his entrance !!
Talked to a friend, Georgia , this afternoon about her fainting episode that left her with a fractured sinus cavity, a broken tooth and a badly cut lip that required plastic surgery.  She thinks her low blood pressure made her faint so she has to be more careful, especially early in the mornings.
I took some time to relax and watch the birds in my back yard this afternoon.

After chores this evening I relaxed with my 4-legged kids awhile.
There was a beautiful sunset this evening as the clouds blew away in the breezy wind that is blowing in some winter weather for us. Today's temperatures have us spoiled as they were in the upper 50's.
Tonight's predicted 29 degrees is going to be a severe shock for everything outside in the still damp foggy conditions.

As I looked to the eastern sky I saw this almost full golden moon making it's way up into the night sky.

By the time I came inside and got my big camera some of the clouds had lifted and the moon was higher in the sky.

I was trying different settings on my camera to get the best effect.
Grateful to God tonight for another blessed Sunday and praying that I glorify His name in all that I do.
Good Night and God Bless.

FIRST MARKET DAY OF 2015 A RAINY ONE

Another of many rainy mornings it seems has spilled over into our new year. I slipped and sloshed through chores and got the van loaded for market.
Market was slow as expected but I am thankful for the things I did sell.  My closest neighbor Steve Presley called and asked for prayers for his family as his wife, Lynn's father has been admitted to Hospice with only days to live.
Only a few sellers braved the nasty weather today and very few customers. I was glad to see 2:00 come around so I could get loaded , make one stop at Aldi and get home to a dry warm house.
The rain has continued pretty much all day with temps in the mid to upper 40's but the air had a definite chilly feel this evening.
After hubbie helped me unload we had a late lunch and then I got my laptop back out and fixed it with the help of my desktop.
On the last market day before Christmas when I tried to use the laptop at market I couldn't get any browser to work and it kept trying to tell me that my internet explorer browser was out of date. I had never heard of this so I just shut the laptop off meaning to talk to daughter about it over the holidays but forgot.  So today at market when I turned the laptop on I had a new home page which said TROVI , it had a search bar and looked alot like  google  or yahoo.  When I tried to search it wouldn't go to any of the webpages I typed in but had a mind of its own going to advertising sites.
Also the internet explorer icon was gone from my task bar completely and when I tried to use my google chrome browser the Trovi page would come back up. I also got a notification that my Norton anti virus was turned off.   I shut the laptop off and brought it home.
I turned the laptop and my desktop on and looked up trovi on the desktop. Turns out is is a bad thing, a malware virus that hitch hikes on your browsers.  
I looked up the directions to get it off the laptop and they worked although under my programs list I had to guess by the date when installed what program it might be as it was not listed under the trovi name.  I just went through and uninstalled all programs that had been installed on that day before Christmas when I started having problems.   Yea !!!   for me I fixed the problem and also found out how to turn my Norton back on, still have no idea how it got switched off  or if it was really off ???
Daughter called and I told her what happened, she had never heard of trovi and said she couldn't believe a virus could actually turn the Norton off so I have no idea what went on.
At evening chore time I emptied 3/4 inch of rain from the gauge with the heaviest rain yet to come in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
After this rain passes by winter weather is going to make a very chilling appearance about mid week with single digit overnight temps for at least one night and below freezing during the day.

Well I guess after all it is January !!!!
Hubbie and I watched some of the NFL playoff game between Carolina Panthers and the Arizona Cardinals that d-in-love and her dad are at today.  I thought I saw her in the crowd but when I asked her what color her jacket was I knew it wasn't her.   Carolina won the game so she and her dad were happy.
After that game and a little country music show time we watched the UNC/ Clemson basketball game which UNC won so we were happy !!!!   A good day for the Carolina teams !!
It is 10:30 and as I sit here and yawn I am reminded of my inability to go to sleep quickly last night  with my stuffy nose.  My nose feels better tonight so I am headed to bed for a catch up night of peaceful sleep.
I was reminded tonight as I listened to the news of the power of our Heavenly Father as they told the story of a plane crash in Kentucky that claimed the lives of a mother, father, daughter and cousin when the plane, having engine trouble crashed into a remote wooded area. Miraculously there was one lone survivor of the horrendous crash,  the 7 year old daughter of the deceased couple,who walked at least a 1/4 mile in the dark, barefooted, through the dense woods to the only house that was within miles of the crash site.  After opening the door to a bloody, crying little 7 year old girl who immediately told the couple that lived there that her mom and dad were dead in the plane crash , this couple was completely astonished and said it was nothing short of a miracle that  this little girl walked that far under those conditions and how in the world did she happen to go in the direction of their house ??.
  I know how she did it and God must have a special plan for this little girl is all I have to say !!!.

Tonight I am thankful for the reminder of the power and love of our Heavenly Father and of the blessings of this day.
Good Night and God Bless.

MID-WIFERY AND 1955 DECADE PICS

A cold 30 degree morning with cloudy skies greeted us this morning as g-son arrived at 8:00 to stay while his mom went to the doctor.
He brought his mom's I-pad so we hardly knew he was here except for the 2 waffles he had for breakfast.
After chores and breakfast hubbie took my van to have it inspected so I can get my new tag.
G-son and I hung out here until his mom got home around 10:00.
I baked a coconut cake  and a chocolate pound cake to fill orders tomorrow. I suspect market will be a ghost town with the forecasted cold rain.
I am going to have an across the board price raise on all my baked goods. This is the first price raise I have had in years but with the cost of all my ingredients going up more and more and now an egg shortage predicted I had to raise the prices.
I ran across a note to myself that ask for information for a local historian book author about the mid-wifery practice of my great grandmother in this county.  Terry Ruscin has already written a couple books about the history of Henderson county and he is working on another one. I spent some time going through all my old pics and info and found some interesting facts about Susan Pryor's mid wife practices. She was a very sought after mid-wife in a three county area. She never lost a mother or a baby in her entire years of practice. She even delivered a set of triplets, although she sent quickly for a doctor when she realized there were three babies , the doctor didn't get there until she had all the babies delivered and doing well. A man from Buncombe county came all the way to get her to be with his wife and offered to pay her twice what her normal fee of $2 was to go with him. He also insisted she raise her fees for everyone to $4.

Maybe Terry can look farther into her life and find some more info, I'm sure he has more ways to get info than I do.
Anyway while I was searching for that info I went through all my pics for my January 2015 decade photos.  January was a calm month usually and not many years had pics dated January.
In 1955 , however my favorite aunt got a new puppy named Duke for Christmas of that year so there was something else to photograph as well as me ! This is my favorite Aunt Hattie Holmes (my mom's sister) with Duke.

This is another sister, my aunt Mary Ruff with Duke.

This is my Aunt Hattie and Uncle Anderson Holmes

And of course when the camera came out there was always pictures of me as the only niece.

I spent the entire afternoon in reminiscing mode and it was nice.  I wonder what life was like back even in the mid 50's as I grew up and especially in the late 1800's and early 1900's when my great grandmother was walking or horseback riding around the counties delivering babies. This also brought to my attention the fact that my dad was 20 years old when my great grandmother died so he must have known all about her and I never ask him anything about her . Then on the other hand I don't remember my dad ever even taking about his mother.  He talked a lot about his dad and brothers and sisters.
Each time I dig into family history I usually have more new questions than I find answers.
It's made for a good rainy day activity anyway.
Hubbie got the new grill put together that we bought on black Friday and then he helped Aa put up some gate post across the road.
He doesn't mind the nasty cool weather and if he stays inside he just sleeps in the recliner. I can always find something inside that needs doing.
After chores tonight #2 son came by to help eat up yesterday's left overs.
I iced the coconut cake and got things ready for market. The first market day for me in 2015 will be a cold rainy one it looks like.  I did get an order for 6 caramel cakes to be delivered next Thursday afternoon to a customer from Greenville, SC so that will make a good payday for next week.
Getting to bed earlier tonight for an earlier wake up time.
Grateful to God for all the times He blesses me without me deserving that blessing.   Thankful to have a wonderful understanding Heavenly Father.
Good Night and God Bless.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2015 !!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Our new year started out cold with 25 degrees as I broke thick ice on all the animal water dishes.
After breakfast hubbie and I started cooking our traditional New year's lunch of ham, black-eyed peas, collard greens and corn bread.

We also fixed some creamed corn and mashed potatoes for the folks who don't like peas or collards And I fixed some Apple Crumble for dessert and daughter brought vanilla ice cream to go with it to make it even more delicious. This was my first recipe try from our new church cook book and it was a good one.
Our lunch bunch consisted of   #2 son, daughter, her boyfriend, Josh, Aa, Re and little EL. We all ate till we were over stuffed with the food for a successful, healthy,lucky and wealthy new year.
After everyone left hubbie and I cleaned up the kitchen and sat around all afternoon fighting sleep. Neither of us got much sleep last night as Bernie had a coughing fit that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. We can not figure out why he is having these at night. He doesn't cough during the day hardly at all but when we go to bed some nights he acts like he gets something in his throat.
If he keeps having these I am going to record him one night and then take him and the recording to the vet to see what they think is causing it.
After chores El came to stay while her mom went to the grocery store for supplies in case the baby makes his appearance sooner than expected.
It is a cold cloudy evening after a nice 50 degree sunny day.  Rain is moving in tonight and lasting several days so I will be back in the slippery mud.
2015 is coming in pretty calmly with a wet January beginning but with mild temperatures for our area.

 I am blogging earlier tonight so we can get into bed earlier and see if that makes a difference in Bernie.
I hope all my friends in blogger land had a wonderful first day of 2015 and I hope the new year brings happiness and all your wishes come true.
Grateful to God for a great first day of the new year surrounded by friends and family with good food on our plates and a love for our Savior.
Good Night , God Bless and Happy New Year.

2014 RECAP

Wow !  What a beautiful final sunrise of 2014 !!!

A friend of mine took this photo early this morning before I ventured out in the mid 20's temperatures.
By the time I got out on my walk the sun had risen and the fleeting clouds had turned white.

After chores and breakfast I tried to take a walk in the nice sunshine but realized the cold 30 degree windy temps called for another inside walking video !!
I started cleaning house early and after 3 loads of Christmas throws, table cloths and placemats and moving all the furniture to vacuum under it and replacing all the rugs with regular ones about 4:30 I was finally ready for a cup of tea and a short rest break.
I discovered some very sore muscles from the day's activities after sitting for only about 15 minutes !
Hubbie got off work a little early for the holidays and we did chores a little early since the temperature is dropping quickly this evening. After only reaching a high of 40 degrees it is already 34 by 5:00.
The sunset was also strikingly beautiful on this last day of the year.

Hubbie and I spent this last evening of the year relaxing in front of the TV, which I hardly ever do but it felt good to snuggle with my two 4-legged kids on this cold evening.

The last day of 2014 ?  That still doesn't seem possible to me that this day is already here.
This has been a good year for me and my family, we have been blessed countless times and are forever grateful to God for these blessings.
To re-cap the year in short form starting with a record breaking cold January, here we go.
#2 son closed on his newest home on the 3rd day of this month.  The tree cutting crews moved in to clear the right of way for the new bridge on the road by our farm to begin months of work.  We saw and felt the first 0 and below temperatures we have had in several years this month. Snow fell on the 29th and the cold continued so it hung around for several days of sledding fun.  On a sad note for the month one of hubbie's first cousin's husbands ,Wesley Medlin, died.

February.......The ground hog predicted 6 more weeks of winter weather on the 2nd day of the month and he would be right. We had more cold temps and another big snowfall on the 13th of the month providing more no school days and sledding fun. Sadly the cold claimed the life of our old milk cow, Snowball.   We had a really bad scare as Re was in an automobile accident, was hit head on , totaling her SUV but luckily for her and little EL, who was with her they only received cuts and bruises.
To show the changing February weather by the 19th on the month we had our first terrible thunder and lightening storm and tornado warning for the area. I got my first smart phone as my contract ended and the I-phone 4 was free with the next years contract.  The second month in this year also ended with a funeral as a long time friend and Curb Market vendor, Dorothy Barnwell, died peacefully at home while watching TV.

March..........Started out like it always does with the celebration of #2 son's birthday, he turned 31 years young this year, daughter turned  29 on the 26th and little EL turned 1 on the 31st.  We had snow fall on the 7th and again on the 25th.March lived up to it's windy reputation and we finally got some early gardening done at the end of the month.

April.........My 2 day Curb Market weeks began with the first of the month.I had my yearly physical and I decided to go on the doctor's weight loss management plan. Spring came in with rain, snow and freezing temperatures and turned our early garden into a bucket garden ! We celebrated Easter on the 20th with a wonderful church service and lunch. D-in-law turned 32 on the 24th.

May.........May was a pretty calm month, we got our summer garden planted as we enjoyed the bounty of the early spring garden. I had a wonderful Mother's day . I planted flowers all around the yard and got some really interesting ones with a trip to the Garden Jubilee downtown. Re discovers she is pregnant with #2 .

June.......Old Timey day at the Curb Market is always on the first Saturday of this month.  We also made a trip to the Pickens flea market.  First grade ended for g-son and he began a fun summer with a trip to the church E-camps with has dad and his aunt T as they were chaperones. He also went to Cub Scout daycamp for the first time.  Hubbie enjoyed a great father's day and his 59th birthday this month. Bernie one of our little 4-legged kids had to spend a night in the hospital very sick after licking some tomato spray from the leaves.

July........This month began a very busy canning and preserving season for us as Re, daughter and I spent countless hours in my kitchen with canners on the stove full of green beans, tomatoes, salsa, spaghetti sauce and pepper relish.  We had a great family get-together to celebrate independence day.
They closed the road while they replaced the old bridge which led to more than a month of extensive detours for all of us to get anywhere.  The girls surprised me with an early birthday gift of my first ever professional pedicure before we headed off on our beach vacation.  Ocean Isle was our vacation destination this year for the last week in the month. I turned 60 years old on the last day of the month while we were at the beach.

August........After we got back home from the beach it was back to my kitchen for more canning and we added grape juice and jelly from a bumper crop of grapes from the vines in our yard. I met my weight loss goal about mid month and feel so much more energetic. Thankfully the bridge was completed and the road re-opened without the final layer of payment before school started back.
D-in-love started a new job at the elementary school where g-son goes, she is the new receptionist after the lady that has been there since my kids went there retired. Sadly for her and #1 son she also discovered she had a false pregnancy this month.
I had a yearly visit from my newly found cousins from Texas and Ohio and the Apple festival was in town at the end of this month.

September.......Daughter's volleyball season started and I attended as many games as I could along with Re, El and d-in-love. There was more grapes and apples so jelly making continued as well as dehydrating some of the end of garden vegetables.  They finished the final layer of pavement and paved our driveway so the road is officially completed.

October......An early freeze warning on the 4th of the month.  We are pleased with our new neighbors as Aa and Re closed on the property across the road from our farm.  We made another trip to the Pickens flea market as well as attended the annual draw down athletic fundraiser at the high school daughter teaches at.  We had our first flood since the new higher bridge on the 14th. Unfortunately it flooded overnight so we couldn't really see what the water did.
We celebrated 2 birthdays on the 16th of the month as #1 son turned 33 and g-son turned 8 years old on the same day.Daughter stayed busy all month with volleyball play-offs as her team went to the fourth round before losing. She had one afternoon off before basketball practice started.
Hubbie and I voted early in the elections at the end of the month.

November.......A snowy first day of November broke records to start a month long cold spell that would leave this November as the coldest on record to date. We had a late inside trunk or treat on the evening of that first snowy day and the attendance was super surprising.  Hubbie and I made a shopping trip to Ikea to get a new extendable dining room table.  I helped daughter car shop and she finally decided on an Acura ISL over Thanksgiving break for the first new car she had ever owned.
Thanksgiving was great with the family all here this year and we met daughter's new boyfriend for the first time.  Curb Market celebrated our Old Timey Christmas on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and we decorated the church in our Hanging of the Greens service on the Sunday night after Thanksgiving.  Basketball games started for daughter and #2 son's busy Christmas season at the Post Office began.

December........To off set the cold November, December was an unseasonable warm month. I had a very busy baking month as I had several large cake orders and had a hard time finding time to get all my decorations up.  On the 10th we had some snowflakes blowing around but that was it for winter weather for the entire month.  We attended all the school and church Christmas programs to help get in the Christmas spirit. Hubbie and I celebrated our 35th anniversary on the 21st with a Pandora bracelet he bought for me.  Christmas was a great time for all with extended family celebrations as well as our Christmas Eve celebration. Thankfully everyone stayed well this year all through all the activities.
A sad note to end this month was the loss of another friend and market vendor Eunice Lyda.

This is the snow cover for the entire country on this last day of 2014.

As I sit here typing and listening to the New Years Eve celebrations gearing up on TV I am thinking back over the last year and all the wonderful times I have had , all the laughs,all the happy and all the sad times, I realize the happy times far out weigh the sad times and like always I am so thankful to my Heavenly Father who is always there for me.
I don't do resolutions, instead I make pledges to God that I will be more thankful and faithful in the coming year as I view each day as a gift and pray each night that I may find a new way tomorrow to glorify the name of Jesus Christ , my Lord and Savior.
Good Night, God Bless and Happy New Year !!!!