DOG ATTACK

I am writing this blog on Thursday again and back dating it.
It was a very stressful morning that started before I even had a chance to eat my breakfast yesterday.
Just as I drove up from taking g-son to school and got out of my van I heard all my dogs barking their heads off. I went to the back yard and saw a couple of my nephew's black angus calves in our pasture. I went inside to get my boots on and when I came back outside I heard dogs down with the cattle. As I started down the driveway there was a black cow outside the fence who had jumped out and she was in the process of jumping back in, thus tearing the fence down in two places !
Now I could hear a calf in dire distress. I started calling to get some help as quickly as I could. Thankfully Rebecca was also watching all this commotion and had already called Aaron who thankfully was not far away. Just as he arrived we saw three Pit Bull dogs taking the yearling calf under the water of the pond. He grabbed a pistol and fired in the air to scare the dogs and they turned the calf loose.
My nephew and his dad arrived on the scene and emptied a couple guns at the fleeing dogs but didn't kill any of them.
I brought little Evy back to the house so I could eat some breakfast and so Rebecca could help corral all the cows and calves to check them out and see how badly the attacked calf was injured.
When Rebecca came in after a couple hours of tangling with the cattle she said the calf was hurt  pretty badly as one of the dogs had hold of it's mouth and tore the upper lip. The vet was called and it was given a shot of antibiotics to fight off infection.
The sherrif was also called but said there was nothing they could do with the dogs except fine the owners since they didn't kill the calf.
This scares the heck out of me to be living this close to these vicious dogs. Watching this scenario unfold was like watching a show on a nature channel of wild hungry wolves stalking, separating and killing their prey. Only difference is these dogs are not hungry they are just killers. If they are brave enough to attack this 400-500 pound calf I can only imagine what else they might decide to kill in the future !!!
The deputy did tell all of us to be on the look-out and we were absolutely in our rights to shoot to kill these dogs if they come back on our properties. Getting the taste of blood like they did I am sure they will be back the first chance they get. The neighbors have fences to keep them in but evidently let them out to roam and terrorize the neighbor hood. Hubbie and I have raised cattle for 30 years with nothing like this ever happening  around this area.
This all concluded about 2:00 and then I had to start my baking for the day.
I baked 44 layers for 18 caramel, and 4 chocolate cakes plus a pound and a blackberry wine cake finishing just in time to start icing all these.
G-son who I had picked up at noon was a little angel all afternoon offering help where he could and just being good as gold through this hectic afternoon.
I did our weekly paperwork,payed bills and did evening chores in between my icings.
By the time midnight rolled around my back was hurting and I was so tired I forgot to even wash my eggs to get them ready for market.
I slept fitfully as the terrified bawls of that calf kept running through my mind.
Saying a prayer for all involved this morning that no more damage was done and hopefully the calf will recover.
Also praying for one of the owners of two of these dogs as she is getting ready to welcome a new grand baby into her home where these dogs stay.

God Bless.

MORE RAIN ON A TUESDAY WORK DAY

After dropping g-son at school this morning I headed for a quick stop at Walmart for an extra gallon of milk and some baking supplies for some extra cake orders that have been called in this week.
The morning is very foggy so we can mark down another heavy snow for this winter !!!
Finished with chores and breakfast I started laundry and then cleaned the bathrooms, all the glass in the house and dusted the basement and cleaned the bathroom down there.
Only 2 loads of laundry this week as our summer clothes are much smaller than  cooler weather clothing.
I picked up g-son from school and hurried home to get him lunch. He was in a mellow mood today and just wanted to sit in the recliner and watch TV or lay in the floor wrapped in a blanket and watch.
Yesterday was such an active day I guess he needs to recover.
While he did his thing I went down to my sewing shop and gathered all the things needed for a sinus hot pack order I have for Saturday. These smell so good when I mix all the herbs and oils in with the rice with my bare hands. I love how my hands smell for hours !!
I mix some of my freshly dried oregano and thyme with rosemary and tea tree oil with the rice to create a very sinus clearing aroma when heated. I usually also add some freshly dried basil but this customer doesn't like the smell of basil so I leave it out of her order.

Since the hotpacks themselves are not washable I also sell them with a small case to use them in that is washable.
Here is the finished product, packaged and ready for sale.

When #1 son came in to see if g-son wanted to go with him to pick up his camera he has set up at his deer hunting stand I happened to look out the front window and see an unusually large branch in this azalea bush. Turns out it isn't a branch at all but a large blacksnake. Son took the broom out there to flip it from the bush.

We don't usually kill these guys but with this one so close to the house and knowing that he was probably trying to sneak up on one of my little feathered friends he did loose his life today.

He was about three feet long, big enough to eat eggs or small birds for sure.
Oh well you know it has been a boring day when a snake makes the biggest news of the day !!!
After dealing with this guy g-son decided to stay with me while his dad tracked down in the woods.
His mom came and picked him up after she finished some shopping.
Hubbie came in from work and went out to school to help daughter finish the painting job in her classroom. I can't believe there is only a week and a half until school starts back.  I bet there are a bunch of kids out there that can't believe it either,haha !!!
After  chores I relaxed for a nice restful evening. We had a rainy morning, adding another 1/2 inch of rain to our totals, then the sun battled clouds all afternoon finally winning out just about time to sink below the horizon, sigh !!!
Grateful for a loving Lord who loves YOU AND ME  SO MUCH  !!!
Good Night and God Bless.

G-SON HAS PLAYMATE FOR THE DAY

Hubbie is back on his Monday's off starting today so he got up and took g-son to his discovery workshop at school.
After chores and breakfast we both worked outside all morning. He weedeated and I pulled weeds from around the house and cleaned and swept off all the porches and patios. I sweated gallons out in the muggy heat.
I went and picked up g-son and his friend Nic that is staying with me today while his g-ma is out of town. Today I had two ravenously hungry boys.

After lunch while they played and watched TV in the air-conditioned house hubbie and I sweated outside moving an old sandbox that g-son doesn't play in anymore from the back yard.
We will use it as a raised bed in another location next spring.
Hubbie jumped on the lawn mower to try and beat the storm that looks like it is coming. He almost got our entire lawn finished before the wind,thunder and lightening moved in and he had to head for the shed.
Thankfully we missed the worst of the storm which hit the Mills River area of the county really hard. They surely didn't need any more rain either as they have had over 60 inches so far this year.
We only got 1/2 inch this afternoon before the storm passed on to the north and east of us.
The boys were very good all day and didn't have even one argument.

These two have been friends since they were born. They are only a little over a month different in age and have a lot in common, like super heroes !!!!
While the storm passed #1 son came home and stayed so g-son could stay and play until Nic's mom came after him.
Hubbie and I did the evening chores and had a light supper. I worked on getting the last pictures I had printed into albums tonight and now I'm ready for June and July to be printed.
Thankful tonight that we were spared the storms today and asking God's grace for tomorrow in all that I do.
Good Night and God Bless.

WONDERFUL SUNDAY

A nice Sunday morning greeted me as I did chores and had breakfast out in the sunroom while watching the dogs and chickens lanquish in the much appreciated warm sunshine.
I had to run to Ingles for some spaghetti sauce we forgot last night before church.
Our associate pastor preached again today as the senior pastor is sick today. He did a very good job.
After church the estate sale was calling our name so after I came home and put a spaghetti squash in the oven to cook while we were gone Rebecca picked d-in-love and I up and we met daughter and her b-friend Matt at the sale. Of course we all found things we couldn't live without and even little Evy got a new dresser for her room that the guys had to be called in to haul home.
I got a couple things that I could use. This rug was just to good of a deal to pass up at $10 and it is washable.

This door hanger came home with me also. I can put seasonal flowers in it.

I also got a brand new weed slinger and found a set of spring form baking pans for $2.
We were all starved by the time we got home for a lunch of spaghetti where hubbie and #2 son were waiting.
After lunch daughter,b-friend Matt and hubbie went to do more painting in her classroom.
D-in-love and g-son went to a friends house to swim in their indoor pool, #2 son went home to rest, Aaron and Rebecca took Evy home for a nap, and #1 son took his Escape to have the battery checked because he had to  be jumped off again today, leaving me and the 4-legged kids here all alone.
The thunder and lightening started and a light sprinkle of rain made for a good afternoon of relaxing in the sunroom.
After evening feeding time for the animals was finished I downloaded June and July photos onto my Walgreens site.
Grateful for the blessing of a full house today and wonderful family and friends to laugh and  talk with. Praying a special prayer tonight on Aaron and Rebecca' s behave as they wait to get a price on a piece of property they would like to buy.
Good Night and God Bless.

STORMY SATURDAY

Woke by the ringing phone at 6:30 this morning as daughter brought her blackberries and baked goods by on her way to take the volleyball team to King's Mountain,NC for a tournament.
Hubbie is going to sell for her today.
She is now officially the JV volley ball coach and assistant varsity coach as the girl who was helping with this took another job in another county last week. She had rather just coach basketball but most of the same girls play volleyball so she has always helped out some. Now it will be full time coaching for her from July until March,whew !!
Hubbie and I got to market a bit early and one of the neighbor's helped get us both set up. The high humidity of the morning is making us all sweat early today. I knew we would have some really bad storms and I was right as shortly after hubbie ran down to Hot Dog World for our lunch the storm started. Terrible lightening and thunder with pouring rain.

As you can see by this picture my van and hubbie's truck were some of the lone vehicles in the lot after the rains started. In town when it rains very hard it doesn't take long to turn the asphalt parking lots into lakes. We had to wade through the water to get loaded,we got soaked.

Thankfully as we got closer to home to rains slacked and it didn't look like it rained that hard here but it did leave  1/3rd  of an inch in the rain gauge.

It was a relaxing rainy afternoon for us and I thought it would be a good day of reflection to catch up my decade pics.
I didn't find any August 1963 pictures. I had just turned 9 years old on July 31 and started 4th grade in that August. I had a teacher named Mrs. Edna Pryor who was one of my cousins. I don't remember too much about school back then so it must have been okay !!
In August 1973 I didn't find any photos either. I had just turned 19 that July and  had just taken a job at Ball Brothers inspecting glass jars. I worked swing shifts and worked through all weekends. I stayed in this job for 6 years before the shift work caught up with me and had to get a daytime job.
I still lived at home with my parents at that time.
Fast forward the next 10 years to August 1983 and there were plenty of pictures !!! At 29 years old I had been married almost 4 years and had 2 little boys, ages 22 months and 5 months of age.
We loved camping at the lake and hubbie's brother's family routinely went with us on our weekend trips. Niece Holly brought her best friend along on the trips.

 Niece Holly with #2 son.

Nephew Aaron and #1 son.

 Hubbie and #2 son and that sweet smile he had.

 #1 son and nephew had a lot of fun together on these trips.

 All three of the older cousins under the watchful eye of sis-in-law  Sandy. It was nice of Holly to let #1 son ride her pink hot wheel while she scooted along on his little bee !!!

Brother-in-law Marty takes his turn watching the kids.

 In that year August wasn't all fun and games as we were building our first home. #2 son spent many hours in this bouncy seat and a wind-up swing we had while hubbie and I did all the inside work on the house.

 Hubbie holds both boys in front of the house. We didn't have a deck yet so we couldn't use this door.

 My aunt and uncle from Michigan payed us a visit that month and uncle Bob helped on the house while he was here. This is my mom and her sister Aunt Carol together in front of her house.

 Life was busy back then but like I've said before seemed much simpler.
The sun finally peeked out here around 4:30 this afternoon to steam things up for sure in the 83 degree temp.
After chores and having some fresh greasy beans and okra for supper hubbie and I  went to Sam's Club. While we were in there the rain started again and poured with thunder and lightening very close over head.
We only live a couple miles from Sam's so we figured we were getting our soaker for the day.
We finished our shopping about the same time as the rain slacked so we didn't get too wet getting to the car and when we got home it had only rained about another 1/2 inch more.
I sat out in the sunroom with my 4-legged kids and listened to the raindrops on the metal roof while darkness took over.
A nice relaxing way to end another busy week.
Thanking God for being beside me today and giving me strength.
Good Night and God Bless.

CLASSROOM CLEANING DAY

Sunshine this morning but the clouds are already building all around the horizon. G-son was here at 7:00 and doesn't have his "Discovery workshop" as all schools are closed on Fridays for the summer.
Hubbie has a yearly check-up appointment this morning with our doc in Asheville at 9:30 so g-son and I did a few catch-up task this morning. One of g-son's favorite jobs is re-filling the toilet paper holders in the bathrooms. We make a game of it with me at the bottom of the stairs in the basement where all our supplies are stored and g-son at the top of the stairs. I throw the rolls up and he catches each one and runs it into the bathrooms to fill the extra roll holders. He laughs the whole time we are doing this.
I baked 18 caramel, 5 chocolate and 2 blackberry wine cakes before lunchtime. Hubbie had to stop and have lunch on the way home as he had fasted for bloodwork and was starving by the time he got out of the doctor's office.
While my last cakes were in the ovens I took time to finish these 5 baby pillows that have been waiting by my sewing machine.

We all three headed out to the high school to help daughter clean and paint her classroom. While hubbie and she painted g-son and me went through all the drawers in the 2 desk she has. The teacher who left had been there for over 10 years so she accumulated a lot of "stuff" .
G-son was such a good helper especially when we got to open the next drawer and discover what was in it !!
After about 3 hours of work we had her things all assembled and on a shelf so she can see what she has and what supplies she needs before school starts in a couple weeks. Her and hubbie got 2 of her walls finished. It is going to look really good when they get finished with a dark purple accent wall and 3 white walls.
G-son and I came home to eat supper long before the painters finished their work. His mom and dad both had errands to run today so he and I had  supper then he had caramel icing for a nice dessert while I iced cakes.
After his dad picked g-son up and hubbie came home we did chores in a sprinkle of rain. Earlier we heard thunder but the hard rains must of went around us today thankfully.
I spent the evening icing more caramel and chocolate cakes and getting ready for market.
Grateful to God for the many blessings of the day.
Good Night and God Bless.

BUSY MARKET DAY AND #1 BUYS #2'S HOUSE

Thankfully only an additional 1/2" of rain overnight and it looks clearer this morning although the fog is hanging onto the mountains all around.
After getting g-son into school I hurried home to get ready for market. I actually got there a few minutes early.
I had a pretty good day and took several orders for Saturday. The dark clouds moved in but no rain came from them thankfully.
I ran all my regular errands and picked up baking supplies on the way home. Made it home around 4:30 and hubbie helped me unload and get things put away.
We took a nice rest and watched the news on TV before heading out to do the chores.
#1 son called and said they closed on #2 son's house this afternoon without a hitch. I am so happy for them. I have not said anything about this deal on my blog just in case that might jinx the deal.
When #2 son decided to move out of his house on the property we gave him about a year and a half ago #1 son and d-in-love talked about buying it but couldn't at that time because they were still dealing with son's injury and both had just started new jobs.
  Late this past spring they decided to look into getting a loan and were surprised by the ease they had at getting a loan to buy the house. As of today this is #1 son's families new house. Hubbie and I are thrilled that they want to stay on the family land and raise their kids here.

Aaron and Rebecca who are renting the house are going to switch and move into #1 son's double wide until they can get a farm place of their own. This is an old pic, now there is a nice large deck on the front of the double wide.

They have a place in mind already so thankfully this will work out for everyone involved.
I see much more moving in our future !!!
#2 son is now house-less and has met with a couple contractors about getting a house built on the lot of land he bought a couple months ago.
This evening has been a nice restful one before a busy Friday.
In my decade photos I found these "unknown" photos in my albums for this month.Love that old car in the background of this one !

 The name on the back of this man's photo is George M. Turner but I have no idea who that is or why his pic is in my old family album.

 Tonight I am very thankful for the blessing of having my children close and that things have worked out for both son's with the sale and purchase of the house.  Thanking God tonight for all my blessings.
Good Night and God Bless.