1972 BASKETBALL MEMORIES

As the weather warms with each day it is beginning to feel spring like again.  After chores I took my added territory walk again today and found all was well along the way.
By the time I took a couple Avon orders it was time to pick up g-son from pre-school.
We ate lunch and then we went outside to enjoy the beautiful day. My housework can wait until tomorrow afternoon when it is raining !
D-in-love came to pick him up early this afternoon. Thankfully there was no more robbery questions today so maybe he is getting past that.
Since he left early and I had some alone time I did daughter's taxes and sent them in for her. She was happy with her refunds so I guess I did a good job !!
After a salad supper I tackled weekly paperwork and then exercised while I watched Survivor on TV.
Afterwards I watched the 2nd half of the UNC/Miami b-ball game which UNC won.
The temperature got up to 62 degrees today with a full day of sunshine and tonight it is still 44 at 11:30 with rain predicted to start before morning.
To continue with my February decade photos tonight I don't have any for February 1962 but in February 1972 I had just finished my senior season of basketball and we were very good winning our conference.
This is the photo that was in the newspaper.

I am the captain on the right holding the trophy.
These are some very special memories for me. I enjoyed playing basketball very much back then.
When my painful joints keep me up at night sometimes I wonder if it was worth it and the answer is always yes. And who knows I may have had the joint pain without all the bumps and bruises from playing ball.
I am still working on my photo project but am making quick headway into it.
Thanking God tonight for the blessings of the day and asking for His grace in my struggles to be the person He wants me to be.
Good Night and God Bless.

VALENTINES DAY FUN LOST IN YESTERDAY 'S QUESTIONS

HAPPY  VALENTINES  DAY  !!!!!
Today started out sunny with a few clouds floating by as I went through chores and started on my morning walk.

My walk got longer today as now I am walking an old path across #1 son's and my oldest brother's property so I can keep an eye out for any signs of trespassers around their houses.
Another item that the thieves took from son's home yesterday was g-son's piggy bank. Luckily it had been emptied recently so the thieves probably got a surprise after lugging the heavy metal bank around.
GRRRRR!!!! I still just get so mad when I think about the robbery.
I picked g-son up at pre-school where he had had a valentine party and had all sorts of goodies in a bag. But instead of being excited about his valentine goodies when he got in the van all he said was "why did someone rob our house?"   I am having a hard time praying for those thieves as I am supposed to do in my Christian faith.
G-son and I made a stop a Walmart for some things and I told him to pick himself out a valentine toy which perked him up and I didn't hear anymore about robbers today.
All afternoon I took regular walks outside to listen and look around.
I did get my laundry done along with today's quota of house cleaning so it was a good day.
I have taxes staring me in the face and have got to get busy on them tomorrow in order to keep my February schedule.
D-in-love came after g-son tonight and he was ready to go home so that was good. Oh to be as resiliant as a child !!!
As I did chores this evening I looked over our winter garden and our greens haven't taken this extended cold weather spell very well.

At least today the temperature got to  47 and tonight at 11:00 it is still 31 so maybe this Kale and Collard greens will perk back up.
I got back to my exercises tonight and then worked some on my photo project. My mind is usually to scattered to work on taxes at night.
I am blogging earlier and am going to get in bed earlier to catch up on last night's lost sleep.
I am so glad I can give my troubled heart to God. He has a grand plan and this is all part of it even though sometimes we think He leaves us that will never be the case.
Good Night and God Bless.

MAD, MAD, MAD SO MAD TONIGHT

My day has been pretty normal. Started with chores, a morning walk, picking up g-son, doing some shopping, playing with g-son while hubbie made a doctor visit and then cut up some more wood from fallen trees.
I am not concentrating on my day at all tonight.
I'm mad as h*** tonight and I don't ever say cuss words , or well ,almost never. Unless something happens like did today to my #1 son.
This is the son that for the last 20 months has been in and out of hospitals with a leg injury. He and his wife have struggled to make ends meet with the help of family and church family all along.
And today SOME CRIMINAL (for lack of the word I would like to use) broke into their home while they were both at work !
The thieves popped the sliding glass door from it's track and sat it inside against the dining room table.
Luckily we think the thieves were scared off by hubbie and g-son when they went to feed hubbie's beagles. The beagle lot is on the hill above son's house and g-son who walks home that way sometimes went running down the hill toward his house and hubbie shouted loudly for him to come back.
The deputies that came to investigate the break-in thought this shouting probably scared the thieves off with very little. They only got d-in-love's jewelery box which did contain a couple things that were worth a small amount that had been given to her years ago but that so far is all that is missing.
Unfortunately and very often the case the damage to their house will cost a lot more than what was stolen.
The sliding glass door will have to be replaced and the laundry room door which was also bent up before they realized there was a cabinet in front of it will also have to be replaced.
But the worst thing is the feelings #1 son and d-in-love are going through tonight. I've been there and there is no way to explain the violated feeling that overtakes you when you know someone has searched through clothing drawers and all your house and you don't know who they are.
I remember the feeling from when my house was broken into when I was single and living alone. You just want to curl up and run home to mom and dad's safe place, but as my dad told me that night, that would declare them the winner, some stranger would have defeated you in every way if you give in to that run and hide desire. I stuck it out and slept alone in my house that same night and so will #1 son's family tonight. It takes more than a miserable thief for any of us to declare defeat.
As I brought g-son back to my house to feed him supper tonight it was hard to calmly and sensitively answer his questions about who and why someone would break into their house.
He was with  his dad as they discovered the break-in when they went in the front door of their home and saw the sliding glass door sitting in the dining room. Thankfully they did not walk in on the perpetrator.
He wanted to know what criminals were and why they didn't like them. I hope he understands that this wasn't personal against them and the thief probably didn't even know them.
Hubbie helped get the door back up tonight to keep out the cold. The glass wasn't even broken in the door and it went back into the track with a couple screws holding it so it will keep out the cold.
They will get with their insurance agent tomorrow and began the process to repair their home and their spirits.
God will be with them each step of the way because He never brings us to anything that He doesn't help us through.
Asking for prayers to be lifted for them tonight as this just makes their  struggle a little steeper.
God and the good will prevail !!!
Good Night and God Bless.

FRIGID SUNDAY A GOOD RESTING DAY

Woke very thankful this morning to still have our electric. So many of our neighbors are in the cold darkness this morning. The thermometer read 13 degrees as we headed out to do chores today.
At church today our young associate pastor did the service as our regular pastor is on a mission trip to the middle east with 5 other members of our church.
The associate pastor did a wonderful job and we enjoyed his sermon from Luke very much.
We had a full house at lunch with daughter's b-friend also here. We had made a large crock pot full of chili, a cake of cornbread and a large greek salad. It was almost all eaten so that was good and today was a perfect day for chili with the high temperature just barely above freezing.
After everyone left Hubbie and I spent the cold afternoon quietly, I sat out in the sunroom and read and Hubbie snoozed in the recliner in front of the TV.
I had to go out a couple times to replace ice with water for the chickens.
This was a routine sight all around here this evening as they called in power crews from SC to help get power back on quickly to everyone, a lot of trees fell last night in the wind.

We all thanked God for our good fortune in keeping our power through all the wind.
We have a lot of limbs around but nothing hit a power line thankfully.
After chores tonight we continued our lazy Sunday and I truly felt like I had a day of rest tonight as I lazed on the couch with my 4-legged kids and watched the flames in the wood stove.
Just so grateful to God tonight for the warm comfort of home and of a loving family and friends.
Good Night and God Bless.

A BLAST OF WINTER WEATHER

BRRRRR!!!!!!! Winter has finally made an appearance in these mountains !!!

Blowing snow was blinding at times this morning between breaks of sunshine.
Hubbie and I headed out to market with little expectation of any business but hoping the orders would at least get picked up.
After we got set up hubbie left to pick up animal feed on his way home.
When I was doing chores early this morning the temperature was 35 degrees and now  at 10:00 it is 30 and dropping. With the sunny breaks between snow showers market was better than I expected and the breaks also brought relief for me as I remembered a day not too many years back that I almost didn't make it home from market during a snowstorm.
To stay busy and keep my mind off the snow I made 8 towel angels today.

I sold out of these before Christmas so I needed to get some more on display.
Daughter and b-friend came by market about 1:30  to pick up a cake for her house warming party  tonight so since there were no customers in the market at that time they helped me load my van. I left to stop by the grocery store for some things I forgot for lunch tomorrow and by Walgreens to pick up some more prints I had made.
When I got home the snow started again and now I can relax and enjoy the beauty of it.

The view from here is a bit snowy this evening !!
I refilled all the bird feeders as they were very busy all evening.

It is 20 degrees at 4:00 and dropping faster now as the sun is going down. I hope they all get their bellies full before dark !!
Hubbie built a fire in the upstairs stove as well as the downstairs one tonight and we are snug and warm. I feel for the animals and birds outside and for the people that have no warm place to go tonight may the warmth of God's love keep them warm tonight.
The wind is blowing very hard and the chill factor is below zero.

I have caught up with my printing on my photo project so now I get a break until I can get more printed.  We have watched a little TV tonight but there isn't really anything on that interest me.
With wind gust around 40mph it sounds like it is blowing everything away outside tonight. I just pray that we keep our electric through this cold night.
Praying for all who are cold tonight may God bless them with warmth as He has me and my family.
Good Night and God Bless.

BUDS !! ARE THEY OUT TO FAR OR NOT ????

This is the kind of morning you just want to snuggle down under the covers and wait for the sun !
The air is heavy with moisture and it is eriely quite with a "snow is coming" feel to the air this morning.
I spent almost an hour getting the ice out of the chicken waterers that I forgot to empty last night.
The light bulb is keeping the setting Silkie snug in her nesting box but everyone else is going to have a chill starting today.
As I walked this morning I noticed all my fruit trees and bushes with buds turning green and starting to open. I wonder what will happen to all these.....

These are buds on my plum trees,it is no surprise that these guys get killed back in the cold as they are the earliest fruits we have. We had a bumper crop last season and the trees are full of buds again this year.

Next is the peach tree buds....

And like the plums the trees are full of buds..

Annie was helping me check out the trees.
When I passed the pear trees I was surprised at how large these buds are already as these are a late fruit...

And even the blueberry bushes are starting to open.

With temperatures dropping into the mid teens predicted for at least 3 nights and day time highs only in the 30's it will be interesting to see what happens to these fruits. And on yea !!, it's only mid February !!!!
Some of the farmers around here say things will be okay because they aren't that far along. I'm no expert and I really haven't payed much attention to how the buds look at this time in a regular year. That's why this year will be a learning one for me.
It felt good to get back inside this morning and get the ovens fired up for cake baking duty. I have several Valentine orders for tomorrow. I made 22 layers, 4 pound cakes and 2 wine cakes finishing just before lunch.
After lunch I tackled my paperwork shifting. With the year 2000 papers shredded, I put 2010 papers in that box and stored it away. Replacing 2010 papers in the file with 2011 papers, thus getting my file drawer ready for this years filing.  I moved my picture files into their proper place. I'm caught up with all the prints I have,up thru October 2009. I am picking up more prints tomorrow at Walgreens.
This had been a good day to tie up a bunch of loose ends.
At chore time this evening I needed a heavy coat for the first time in a while. Everything got a little extra food this evening to help with the cold night.
It isn't that it is any colder than it should be but like the buds on these trees I think the animals have let their cold weather guards down.
Hopefully we won't get any of the snow that is predicted in the higher elevations tonight and tomorrow. I need to deliver my cake orders and daughter is having a house warming party tomorrow night at her house.
I started icing cakes early tonight and it was a good thing as I discovered I was short on powdered sugar and had to send hubbie to Ingles again tonight. I'm glad we only live about 2 miles from the store.
I finished icing caramel,coconut and chocolate cakes and got things ready for market.
Grateful to God tonight for the blessings of the day.
Good Night and God Bless.

  

COLD FORECAST , WARM MEMORIES , GOOD NEWS FOR SON

Nice and cool this morning as I did the chores. After breakfast I decided to go on to town instead of on my morning walk.
I ran all the regular errands with a couple extra stops here and there. Picked up some 100 watt light bulbs to help give my little setting Silkie some help keeping her eggs warm this weekend.
Some of the coldest weather of the season is headed our way even with snow in the forecast for Saturday.

Now this looks like winter for the first time this year !!!!  But is sure is going to hurt !!!!
Unfortunately a lot of budding and blossoming plants are going to lose their flowers and fruits this week-end.
I made it home about 1:00, unloaded  and had lunch. I picked up the photos from the old camera's that I found and one of them was definitely worth having them developed. It is some pics of g-son when he was just a baby starting to eat and looking cute as a bug in a rug.
   Here are some of the pics .

Daughter doing the duty !!!

His first "green" tractor !!

Cutest fireman I know !!!

Bernie keeping a close watch !!

He loved that bouncy swing !!

It seems impossible that this is now the same baby with that same dog still keeping a close watch !!

Wow where has the time gone ??
At least I've had some wonderful memories to keep me warm on this cold night.
I put the light in the Silkie house this evening after chores not thinking  she would need it tonight but I just went up and turned it on as it is already 30 degrees at 11:00.
After exercising tonight I had to make a quick trip to Ingles for some more baking supplies when a late order came in during my exercise time.
I do not like driving at night especially on this little narrow road I live on. It is only 1 mile to the 4-lane highway and I hold my breath each time I meet a car. Anyway I made it there and back without any mishaps. Hubbie will usually go for me and he offered tonight but I know he had a hard day at work and had stayed up late watching the ball game last night so I didn't want him to have to get out of the recliner so it all worked out.
On the news from #1 son's disability hearing in Federal court today the news is good!  The judge after only hearing about 1/2 of what he went through said he could have 9 months back pay of disability. He doesn't know exactly how much that will be just yet and he has to give the lawyer 25% of whatever it is but anything will help them out right now. We are all so thankful that God saw fit to allow this to go through.
Daughter came by tonight and she said the young couple she knows who lived in the house behind hers and got foreclosed on had been there the past 3 days with a u-haul getting all their things out of the house. She talked to him this afternoon when he came to borrow some water and he told her they have to have everything off the property tomorrow or they will lose it.
It is so sad to see the foreclosure of so many young families homes. This couple have 3 small kids and don't know what they are going to do.
Well this has been a long blog post when I really had nothing to say when I first started. That's what I love about blogging.
Thankful to God tonight for what He has blessed us with today and looking forward to serving Him tomorrow in any way that I can.
Good Night and God Bless.