FRENCH BROAD FROZEN????????

Early start to a busy day,as a light drizzle was falling outside I let the dogs out and checked on the cattle. Back inside I lifted weights and then started baking cakes. I ate a cup of dry cheerios and drank a cup of tea while I baked,yeah,that kind of day!
I agreed to do a TV interview with the local weather girl today after lunch so I need to speed things along this morning.
I did another quick search for some snow pictures from years ago. She is doing a story on this winter's weather and how it compares to winters more than 30 or so years ago. Luckily when I was a young girl 10-11 years old I made scrap books out of news paper clippings of those days and I still have them. More of that old clutter,haha!!!! Anyway they really came in handy for this story because she has been told that there was a time when it was so cold the French Broad River froze over,but she couldn't find any information on it. The French Broad River is a prominent landmark in Western North Carolina.Named by the early settlers because it was a "broad" that actually ran away from the ocean,northwest into what was then French Territory. The headwaters of the French Broad spill from a 50 foot waterfall in Transylvania County called Court House Falls. This river runs through several counties in Western NC and is a very large river so it is hard to imagine it being frozen completely over but these pictures are the evidence the weather girl was looking for form the winter of '65-'66,wish I hadn't cut the dates off !
We talked and they took pictures for almost 2 hours.
Her article will air hopefully on the last day of winter next week,maybe I can figure out how to link you to it,should be an interesting story.
When they left I decided to unpack my new camera,I played with it a while until the storms and pouring rains came and ran all the birds away. We had a period of very hard rain and thunder and lightning,a spring storm already!! Thankfully it passed quickly and didn't cause a flood, not yet anyway!! Although it didn't pass fast enough to avoid a huge multi vehicle wreck on the interstate just south of our place.These 2 trucks along with 3 cars and a moving truck all were involved in this heavy rain caused wreck,blocking the interstate for hours this afternoon.Glad I was home!!
We did our chores in a muddy,drizzly mess this afternoon. Daughter did her baking,we had sub-way again for supper and then headed to finish work at church.
I iced cakes,wrapped and labeled them,then finished a red riding hood doll order I have.
Whew!! My back hurts,wonder why????
Thank you Lord for the strength You give me everyday,I know nothing I do would be possible without You beside me. Glory to Your name!
Good Night and God Bless.

NEW CAMERA

Surprisingly we are still fairly dry this morning,while walking down to open the lower pasture gate it looked only like it might have been a heavy dew. The clouds are still dark and thick so the rains may still be on their way,but it looks like we may have escaped the heaviest part,thankfully because the ground is still very saturated from melting snow.
Had a new visitor at the feeders this morning,I saw him while eating breakfast,but when I came back with my camera he had flown away. He was a Brown Headed Cowbird,here is a file photo of exactly what he looked like...very handsome if I do say so. These birds don't make their own nest,they just lay eggs in other birds nest but because they hatch up to 10 days earlier than most other birds,we can only hope that the other eggs get a good head start! Imagine the mama birds confusion and sadness if she thought only 1 of her eggs hatched!


I did catch this little beauty with my camera this morning,sorry about the blurry picture.Maybe this won't happen again as I'll explain later in my post! Anyway this is a White-Throated Sparrow,note the yellow patches above the eyes. These are the sweetest singers of all the sparrows. Welcome to my dining area little white-throat and I'll be looking forward to your sweet song.


Wouldn't you know as soon as I started out on my errands the rain also decided to start coming down. I had some Avon deliveries to go along with the regular errands,so I slushed through the rain all afternoon,at least I had plenty of company. My last stop was the most favorite of the day.
I have spent several hours lately reviewing cameras on-line to decide which would suit me.
It was hard to decide,there are so many choices and brands to choose from. I narrowed it down to a Canon brand,then to a couple choices, I found several good deals on-line,but was hesitant to order on-line,being a novice at using one of these camera's,what if I got something I didn't like??
So I checked out Sams Club camera area today,found a very helpful lady working there and after much comparing and discussion,I bought this outfit for less than anything I saw on-line. The 75-300 lens is exactly what I wanted and was having a hard time finding available in stores. Now to figure out how to work it!!!!!!! When my kids were young I had a big 35mm camera with a 300mm lens and took classes to learn how to use it manually and became a pretty good photographer,but since that has been about 25 years ago I doubt if that knowledge even if I could remember it would help me now!
Guess the camera will be a project for another day,as I didn't get home until after 5 and it's chore time,supper time and church work night,oh well!
Tomorrow's another day!!
Saying a prayer for daughter's "little sister" tonight as she is having some issues.
Good Night and God Bless.

REFLECTION

This morning broke dreary but dry,unlike what I expected after hearing the forecast last night.
After letting the dogs out and re-filling all the bird feeders I did my weight lifting and ate breakfast.
I was in a food fixing mood this morning so I made a big bowl of cherry jello with mandarin orange slices in it and a bowl of chicken salad for lunch.
#1 son is picking up g-son from pre-school and bringing him here for the afternoon.
After lunch I took g-son and made that business trip I missed yesterday,so I can mark 1 thing of my list for this week. On our way home I picked up my Avon and g-son went to sleep as usual.
After I carried everything inside I took a coffee break and looked up some more info on owner financing,now I'm even more confused!!!
Talked to the insurance company twice today,at least they are going to carry the insurance for the rest of the term on the in-laws old house,it was just lucky that I happened to know the lady that handled the account or I have a feeling we would be looking for new insurance. It's mind boggling what all happens when there is an estate to deal with after death.And the part that really boggles me is that banks and insurance companies have some one watching the obituaries in the paper everyday,wow that is not a job I would want! I'm glad now that my mother agreed to sign everything over to us kids before she died,it sure made it easy!My dad actually had the property divided his way before he died which was several years before my mother and he let every one know what his plans were so soon after his death she signed over all the property as he wanted it. I didn't realize until now what a great thing that was for him to have done. Even though my in-laws had a will, the probate of the estate has to take place,giving creditors a chance to file against the estate. The cost of all this is going to be significant, but there is no way I could have dealt with all this without help.
While g-son slept I bagged my Avon orders and stamped my books along with packaging orders to ship. I have things done this week so I can get to town early in the morning and have the afternoon to maybe start cleaning my shop if the rain holds off.
An evening of reflection.......................................











God is so good! Good Night and God Bless.

SHELL FLOWERS, SPRING FLOWERS

Getting an earlier start this morning to try to get ready for Daylight Saving Time this weekend,yuck. I'm not a fan of the time changes,I think they should leave it alone!
I like odd things,or maybe not odd things,but normal things made out of odd things! Anyway on my shopping trip last week I noticed a little pitcher with some simple iris in it,as I got closer I realized the iris were made from oyster shells,naturally it came home with me. I always say,I'll make some of these but rarely ever do,so I won't even say that and maybe I will make some. I'm sure I'll be collecting oyster shells when we go to the beach this year,anyway.
After yoga and breakfast I did some much needed paperwork,had a business trip planned for late morning but that got lost in the shuffle of hay being delivered along with 2 loads of stone to put in my steps when we get them made. As I walked down from the barn after helping unload the hay,I spotted the first wild flowers of spring, this Creeping Charlie which is an invasive weed around here,but like a lot of other weeds,the blooms are pretty and especially when they are the first color of spring! Creeping Charlie gets its name from the way it sends shoots creeping out across the ground rooting and spreading.
My afternoon was filled with laundry and housework,for some reason I am really tired out today,hmmm.
When hubbie came home we went up to a friends barn to pick up a few more bales of hay.I was actually supposed to be in the back of the truck stacking the bales as he dropped them down,I just got a little behind!!! We are hoping if the weather isn't to bad we now have enough hay to last the winter.
As the days get longer it is nice to be able to have time in the evenings to do some things before it gets dark. Next week we will have a lot of time in the evenings,too much actually!!
After supper I did some paperwork and rested,hoping tomorrow I'll have my energy level back up. Today has been a beautiful spring like day,64 degrees,the warmest day since last November 15th is what they said on the news tonight. As the clouds made for a pretty sunset this evening they are a sure sign that the rain is supposed to move in over night and last for several days,oh well, the sunshine was nice while it lasted!
Praising God for the blessings He pours out on me every day. Good Night and God Bless.

WOMEN ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE HONORED TODAY

HAPPY WOMEN'S DAY !!!!!!!
MAKE YOUR DAY COUNT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Another beautiful day, almost 60 degrees and sunny. Hubbie is off today so he finally got the outside of our sunroom that has been waiting for paint since the middle of December done. The temperature has to be so high to paint and of course it can't be raining or snowing so this is the first opportunity he has had to get it done.
While he worked on this I sent in my Avon order,which was a nice one for a change so I have met my goal for Presidents Club for the next year.
I also searched for more papers as today is the day to work on closing out some of the in-laws estate accounts.
#1 son brought g-son by for lunch and then picked him up before we left to meet up with bro-in-law at 1:30.
The in-laws believed in being very diverse so we have about 6 places to deal with today.
Things went pretty smooth with only a glitch at 1 place which can be taken in a different direction if necessary, but I think the main glitch was that the guy we were dealing with thought he might have to stay a little past 5 to get us what we needed and he wasn't willing to do that.
It was after 6:00 when we finally finished and parted ways with bro-in-law. We stopped at sub-way for our supper,you can't beat the $5 sub deal there right now.
As if right on cue when we picked up our mail there was the first medical bill that will need to be payed out of the estate. I'll be glad when all this is in the past and I can look back on it.
I have been shopping for a new camera online tonight and I am surprised at the price difference for the exact same camera at different stores. On-line Walmart a little over $700 and at Best Buy the same is over $1,000! So I guess I'll go to Best Buy and check it out and then order it online, ship to store at Walmart.
Tomorrow will be another busy day,hoping to be able to get outside and feel the warm sunshine before the rain moves back in on Wednesday.
My brain is tired from this day and I am ready to call it a day.
Thanking God for the ability to keep track of everything and the knowledge to sort it all out.
Good Night and God Bless.

NEVER BE ANOTHER BERNIE!

God graced us with a really beautiful Lord's Day today. Pastor is preaching through the book of Romans ,today's sermon was very uplifting.
After lunch we went outside to enjoy this gorgeous day, #2 son was missing from lunch because he and a friend are golfing.G-son took a ride in his jeep,he is getting a little more comfortable driving it,but still forgets to turn the steering wheel.Bernie was brave enough to go along for a ride. I told my hubbie,there'll never be another dog like Bernie, he rides in wagons or whatever is moving and doesn't jump out.
Daughter built our first fire in our fire pit and we relaxed around it just enjoying the warm sunshine and listening to the singing birds. Spring is going to be so much nicer this year after the long winter we've had. I think I've taken for granted the mild winters we've had and haven't appreciated the spring months in the past but I don't think anyone around here will not notice spring when it finally gets here to stay this year. Today's weather is a tease for what is to come and I'm sure we've not seen the last of old man winter yet,don't let your guard down!!
Walked this evening for a while and the longer days are sure nice. Just after a couple days of warmer temps and sunshine have almost made the snow in the shade of our pasture history,with only a few spots of the white stuff left. The pic on the left was taken Friday the one on the right today,what a difference,I even walked in my tennis shoes today,yeah,yeah!!!!!
Taking today to just be thankful for all my blessings and resting. Good Night and god Bless.

A VISIT FROM THE GOVERNOR

Up and out early to market,feels almost normal today,didn't even need a heavy jacket. Shortly after I got set up a man with a big camera came in and then another man with another big camera came in,we were all looking at each other,"like okay who made this big news"????
The manager ask them what they were there for,they looked surprised,"didn't you all know the governor was coming here today?" "Well of course, we just asked to see if you knew!!!"
At about 11:30 sure enough Governor Beverly Perdue and a large entourage surrounding her came through the door. And the first thing she bought was one of my little jean aprons for her 3 year old grand daughter. I was flattered......we talked about the joys of grandparenting.She asked me to get my picture with her and my apron. She impressed me as just a normal grandmother and seemed to be really down to earth. She is the first governor to visit our market,we've had senators and congressmen but this is a first for a governor. I'm glad she spends time in the mountain end of our state.
Market was okay today,worked on finishing a 3-way doll that I have an order for and had a lot of time to chat with my neighbors between customers!
Came home to a very nice afternoon,#2 son called and thought 1 of the neighbors calves was in our pasture but it turned out to be one of ours that had gotten separated from the rest of the herd. I walked after we got this settled and spent some time watching mallards on our farm pond.They always nest and raise some little ones every year. The little female appeared to be looking for a nesting place this afternoon while her man ran interference for her,swimming to the other side of the pond to get the attention of me and the dogs. The dogs fell for it but I stayed put and she swam really close to where I was standing. I tried to tell her she better put that nest on the high bank side of the pond so it won't wash away in a flood,I hope she was listening!!
It felt so good to be walking with just a jacket on instead of my insulated coveralls,although I still had to wear boots instead of tennis shoes,but I'll take that! The sun felt warm on my face as I walked and there seemed to be an audible sigh in the air as if all nature was relaxing it's stiff winter posture and was hesitantly beginning to loosen up for a welcome spring revival.
The cattle were searching for any green shoot that might poke its head through the un-snow covered ground. Annie seemed to be intent on reinserting the fact that she was the boss around here even when challenged by an animal about 6 times her size.
Hubbie and his brother spent the entire day painting the in-laws old house,he got home after 6:00. After supper my cousin Mike came by and visited while daughter and I sorted through old photos.I need some old snow pics for an interview with the local weather gal next week. I did not realize I had so many old pictures,I surely need to do something to get all these organized.
After Mike left we watched UNC/Duke b-ball game or at least started to watch it,we're UNC fans so we couldn't watch much of it!!!!!!!! All I've got to say is wait till next year!!!!
This has been another blessed day for me, I thank the Lord for giving me such simple pleasures and the time and wisdom to enjoy them. Good Night and God Bless.