This week has gone by in a flash! Every day has pretty much been the same here in my neck of the woods… Wake up early, and go to the garden. Come in and prepare the vegetables I just picked, and put them into the freezer. Cook supper, eat, then fall into the bed–after shelling a few more peas or beans! Throw in a few loads of laundry among these activities and there you have my last 4 days. I haven’t even taken the time to make my bed the entire week, which is good ’cause it’s made it easier to ‘fall into’ at bedtime.
I did manage to spend a couple of hours with our youngest grandson, Chase, on Tuesday. I kept Chase while his mom took his older brother to the library for a special summer program. Chase is still a little bit too active to sit still for a program. He ‘helped’ me shell some peas 🙂 We also ate some chocolate animal crackers and read a few books.
Between the George Zimmerman trial in Florida, and the Paula Deen fiasco in Georgia, the south has really been dominating the news this week! That ‘special witness’ for the prosecution, in the Zimmerman trial, has been ‘quite interesting’, and probably should be disqualified–but she won’t be. Enough said. As for Paula Deen, it looks like certain people are having a ‘field day’ persecuting the poor woman… It’s become a modern-day ‘witch hunt’ (did anyone watch the interview on the Today Show). Paula actually told the truth in her deposition–which is more than I can say for most of the politicians in Washington–and she apologized…for using “the N word” thirty years ago. I find the whole ordeal ridiculous!
It has rained EVERY DAY this week! Our yard is beginning to look a bit like a jungle. Scott’s Turf Builder + rain = a jungle! Our garden IS a jungle! As I was making my way through the grass, weeds, and vines this morning, I found myself thinking…It takes a REAL WOMAN to walk in this! I kept my eyes on my feet, and kept thinking about that rattle snake my brother-in-law killed a few weeks ago…
I have a pan of corn awaiting my attention, as well as two bowls of shelled peas and beans. I guess that means I should stop blogging and get to work! First I’m going to hop over to Unknown Mami’s place and join in ‘Friday Fragments’! Have a great weekend, everyone.
A few days ago I mentioned that Ed and I did some Father’s Day shopping (for Ed). FINALLY, I have a chance to tell you about our adventure! I’ll go ahead and give you a fair warning-you will probably laugh!
We were looking for two things in particular for Ed–a weed eater and a garden tiller. Ed’s had three (yes, three!) new weed eaters over the past year. After a few months (or even weeks) the stupid things tear up and we always end up returning them to the store! Thank goodness for extended warranties! They just don’t make weed eaters like they used to. Ed returned the third one about three weeks ago, after it stalled while he was trying to cut around some trees.
Anyway, we began our Father’s Day shopping while we were visiting our youngest son, who happens to live in the city now. We were able to look at and compare some weed eaters, but we failed to find any tillers in the city! I guess people who live in suburbia have no need for a garden tiller! We decided to wait and do our shopping a little closer to home.
We actually went shopping on Father’s Day, the second time around. We found a couple of garden tillers–but only a couple. Apparently, the stores had put them on clearance because just three weeks before, there had been a big selection to choose from. Of course, on that particular day, when the selection was so good, Ed was only interested in purchasing a weed eater. Way to go, Ed!
Ed loves a bargain, and even though the two garden tillers were already on sale, he asked the store manager if she’d give him a discount if he purchased both a weed eater and a tiller at the same time. She agreed to give him an extra 5% off. Next came the difficult task of choosing which brand of weed eater to buy.
Ed quickly settled on another weed eater. He chose one of the brands that he hadn’t already tried! Choosing the tiller was a bit more complicated. There were only two tillers to choose from, but one of them had some other attachments with it, while the other did not. The tiller with attachments cost more than the one without, and while Ed hated to spend the extra money, he liked those attachments. Finally the tiller with attachments won out. I left Ed to pay for our purchases while I walked next door to a different store.
Now Ed hates using a credit card, but he carries one in his wallet, in case of an emergency. He also carries what’s called a “Flex Card”, which is a type of card that we use for medical expenses not covered by insurance. Before I left the store, I told Ed to put the purchases on the credit card, and I would pay for them at the end of the month. So Ed’s all excited about spending all this money, and he’s also excited about whether his new tiller is going fit into my PT Cruiser… In his excitement, he pulls out the “Flex Card” instead of the credit card, and swipes it through the store’s machine! The machine says, “Insufficient balance”. Then Ed realizes he’s trying to pay with the Flex Card! A few minutes later, after Ed finally produces the correct card, the purchase is completed.
Ed and the sales clerk decide that the easiest way to make the tiller fit into our car is to take the tiller handle off, so the guy goes to get a tool to remove the handle. It’s during the removal of the handle that Ed discovers he’s just purchased a ‘front tine tiller’, when what he really wanted was a ‘rear tine tiller’! (the tines weren’t on, so it was an easy oversight) So poor Ed has to go back over to the store manager, return the tiller he’s just bought, and buy the other tiller, which is a ‘rear tine tiller’! What a confused mess, and you know what? In all of the confusion of buying, returning, and purchasing the second tiller, the manager neglected to give Ed his 5% discount the second time around! You can bet Ed wasn’t about to go back into the store and complain!!!
Ed got the tiller loaded in the car. Meanwhile, I was in the other store looking and wondering what’s taking him so long!!! Boy did I have some big eyes when he told me all that I’d missed!
So we made it home with the weed eater and the tiller, but was already too late to try out the tiller. The next day, when Ed decides to give the tiller a try, he discovers that it has a flat tire! He has a decision to make. Do we spend twenty dollars in gas to return the tiller to the store where we bought it or do we go and get the flat tire fixed? We chose to get the tire fixed. It cost us ten dollars to get it patched, but that was cheaper than a trip back to the store (and a lot less humiliating!)
Now you know the story of Kathy and Ed’s Excellent shopping adventure! It kind of makes you wonder what we’ll get into next, doesn’t it? I certainly hope the tiller and the weed eater both stay in good working condition for a long, long time–and I’ll bet Ed does, too! By the way, he purchased extended warranties again. I hope we don’t need them!
Welcome back Hodgepodge! It’s great to have you back after last week’s ‘snow day’! Our Hodgepodge Hostess, Joyce, has prepared another great set of questions, so let’s get right to them, shall we?
1. Summertime is a season of reunions, weddings, and other family celebrations and gatherings…are any of the above on your calendar in the next two months?
The only family celebration we have during the next two months is our daughter and son-in-law’s 12th wedding anniversary on July 7th. Our youngest son & his wife just celebrated their 2nd anniversary yesterday! There’s an interesting post about their journey, located HERE.
As for July 4th, we don’t have any plans, yet, but I hope they will include a cookout.
2. June is National Iced Tea Month…are you an iced tea drinker? If so, how do you like yours (sweet, flavored, etc)?
I love sweet iced tea very much, but I’ve had to give it up for health reasons. 😦
3. When were you last nervous? Looking back, was the ‘event’ actually nerve-worthy?
I was nervous last weekend when Ed and I experienced some car trouble on our way home from the beach. It was ‘nerve-worthy’ because it turned out that my car’s brakes desperately needed replacing and we didn’t even know! Four hundred and twenty-five dollars later, the brakes are as good as new!
4. The bristle toothbrush was invented in China on June 26, 1498…not sure how that date was pinned down so precisely but, on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being sick to your stomach and 1 being not at all, how nervous do you feel when you’re headed to the dentist? Do you see your dentist twice a year?
I think I rate “5” on the nervousness scale when it comes to a dental visit. It’s not my favorite thing to do, but it’s not the scariest of things for me either. The thing I dread most is “the shots” before any dental work can be done. Of course, I’m always happy to get shots versus feeling the pain of the procedure! And yes, I do see my dentist twice a year, without fail.
5. What’s making news in your town this week?
Apparently, not very much! Our most recent newspaper was only 12 pages long and these are the actual headlines from the front page: Reidsville All-Stars Win Tournament, Libbie (last name withheld) Retires From Teaching, Garden Club Members Spruce Up Welcome Signs, and Hydrangeas Galore! I guess it was a slow news week.
6. Curtains, drapes, blinds…your window treatment of choice? Are there any bare windows in your house? Is that by choice or because you haven’t gotten around to covering them?
I don’t really have a preference, so we have a mixture of all of the above in our home–drapes in the living room, cafe curtains in the bath, and valances in the bedrooms and kitchen. All of the windows have mini blinds on them, as well. Yes, we do have two bare “picture windows” in our house–one in the kitchen and one in the pool room, and yes, it’s by choice.
7. Summertime is officially here (in the Northern hemisphere anyway)…what one song is a must-have on your summer playlist?
My summertime theme song is “Knee Deep” by the Zac Brown Band.
Here is why:
Random:
The flowers in our vegetable garden are in full bloom. See what I mean?
Today is a very special day within our family. It is the 2nd wedding anniversary of our youngest son, Brad, and his wife, Jennifer! I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown by! So much has happened in their young lives since these two came together as a couple.
The best way to describe the past four years of Brad and Jennifer’s life together is a series of “Ups and Downs”. Everyone has some trials and tribulations at some point during their lifetime, but this couple has already endured a lifetime of those in less than four years! This couple knows, all to well, about the “in sickness and in health” part of their vows. Read on, I’m sure you will agree…
Brad and Jennifer began dating in the fall of 2009. Jennifer earned her nursing degree shortly afterward. It was the best of times!
Then early in 2010, Jennifer’s mom suffered a serious attack, concerning her heart, and spent some time in the hospital. It was the beginning of a series of devastating events.
Shortly afterward, following a routine yearly checkup, Jennifer was diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was the worst of times.
Before Jennifer was able to be referred to North Carolina (we live in GA) to become a candidate for a radical new type of cancer surgery (which only removes the cervix, but leaves everything else intact), Jennifer’s mother died unexpected from the heart issue!
A short while later, Jennifer traveled to North Carolina and had the cancer surgery. Her grandparents, her dad, and Brad accompanied her. Jennifer’s cervix was removed, but her ovaries, tubes, and uterus were left in tact, in hopes she would be able to conceive and carry children in the future. All seemed to be going well.
A few weeks later, Jennifer became very ill with abdominal pain and fever. Jennifer spent some time in the hospital, and ended up having another surgical procedure to drain an internal abscess. Still, some pain persisted following her hospital stay.
Weeks later, Jennifer was faced with more surgery, this time to remove one abscessed ovary and Fallopian tube. I remember wondering if she and Brad would ever be able to have a family. The odds were not in their favor.
Unfortunately, Jennifer wasn’t the only one who experienced health issues during this time in their lives. At one point, Brad became so ill with the flu, that he had to spend several days in ICU!
Believe it or not, somewhere in the midst of all of these ups and downs, Brad and Jennifer managed to plan a wedding and get married–all while paying off numerous medical bills! Then, soon after their marriage, Jennifer’s dog got hit by a car, and was killed.
In November of last year, the couple decided to buy their first home, and move to the city. We hated to see them go, but soon realized that the couple must find their own way in this world. Life goes on, and they’ve been enjoying their new home, and living life in the city.
Three months ago, Brad and Jennifer showed up unexpectedly, one weekend, and announced that they are expecting a baby around November 13! Praise the Lord, miracles do happen! Of course, we were all elated, but our excitement was soon tempered by some possibly devastating news. We already knew this would be a ‘high risk’ pregnancy for Jennifer, but there was more…
During her first routine prenatal visit, Jennifer’s blood work revealed that she is a carrier for the disease, Cystic Fibrosis. This wouldn’t have been much of a problem, except when Brad was tested, he turned out to be a carrier, as well! (There is a family history of CF on our side of the family, but Jennifer doesn’t know of any on hers.) Brad and Jennifer both have the same mutation of the gene that is responsible for the most severe form of the disease! The couple was told that their baby had a 25% chance of having CF, and a 50% chance of inheriting one gene, which would make the baby a carrier, too. This news came early in the pregnancy, and the couple had to wait quite a while before having an amniocentisis to see if their baby was healthy or not.
Thankfully, Jennifer’s pregnancy progressed normally, and when the time was right, an amniocentesis was performed by her perinatologist a few weeks ago. A couple of weeks ago, the results came back, and the couple got their answer.
Praise the Lord, many prayers were answered, and another miracle has happened! The test showed that ‘Baby Bacon” is a healthy baby boy! Not only does he not have CF, he didn’t even inherit the gene that would make him a carrier of the disease! God is so good!
On this happy note, I think, is a good place to end today’s post! Continuing to pray for the safe arrival of “Baby Bacon” on or around November 13.
Today I wish Brad and Jennifer A Very Happy 2nd Wedding Anniversary! May their “Ups” always outnumber their “Downs”, and may God continue to watch over them and bless their family!
It’s another Monday, and I’m still canning vegetables! Peas, beans, tomatoes, and okra are within my sight. Sounds like a fun way to kick off the week, doesn’t it? Before I dive right in with Monday’s chores, I’m taking a few moments to participate in the ‘Monday Quiz’…because that’s what I do on Monday mornings! Thanks to Heather for hosting–even though her ‘honey’ just arrived home, yesterday, from a two-week trip to China! Welcome home to Wayne!
Here are today’s questions:
1. June 26th is Forgiveness Day – will you be participating? Forgiving someone else or asking for forgiveness?
I think Forgiveness Day is a good cause to participate in–and there’s always something to ask forgiveness for!
2. Do you play card games? Which ones are your favorite?
I don’t play cards much anymore, but I used to like “Rummy”, “Crazy Eights”, “Go Fish” and “Old Maid”–and, occasionally, “Five Card Draw”.
3. What is your favorite flavor of Birthday Cake?
Chocolate with whipped frosting.
4. Do you like amusement park rides? What is your favorite? If not, why not?
Yes, I still like amusement park rides, but they don’t like me anymore. I tend to get motion sickness, these days. The last time I tried, (which was about 5 years ago) I could still get by with riding the Ferris Wheel, so it’s my new favorite ride.
My question for you:
5. Have you seen anyone wearing anything “strange” lately?
While out shopping, I saw a rather large woman wearing a nude-colored ‘body shaper camisole’ as a top, recently. It wasn’t a pretty sight! She needed the ‘body shaper’, but she certainly could have used a blouse!
Weekend Wrap Up:Our weekend began with a little family time. Two of our three grown children and their families came over for a Friday evening visit. The evening ended with our daughter-in-law not being able to find her car keys. After spending a good bit of time searching through our house, her husband checked the car and realized she’d locked the keys in the car! Not only had she locked the keys in the car, she’d locked BOTH sets of her keys in the car. Fortunately, our son had his car at our house, too, so they weren’t stranded. On Saturday, Ed showed our son how to break into the locked car. Now our son will be prepared if the keys ever get locked up again!
On Saturday, our day began bright and early, with a trip back to the garden. We picked some peas, some butter peas, and gathered more tomatoes, then some okra… After that, the REAL work began–canning the ripe tomatoes! We spent most of the day shelling peas and canning tomatoes. We finally called it a day around nine that evening.
On Sunday Ed and I took another little trip back to the beach! It wasn’t planned, we just sort of went on a whim. I think sometimes those are the best kind of trips. By now, we’ve got our beach routine down pretty good, so we were loaded, unloaded, and sitting at the beach within two hours of deciding to go! There’s no place I’d rather spend a hot, sultry afternoon… Almost every time we are lounging under our favorite oak tree, enjoying the tropical atmosphere, someone will walk by and remark “You two sure have got it made!” I wonder why they say that…perhaps it’s the smile on my face.
For the second time in a month, Ed and I experienced a little car trouble on our trip home from the beach. Last month, we had some tire trouble, and ended up buying a new set of tires. This time we’re not quite sure what happened, but we think one of the car breaks may have gotten temporarily stuck. I’d noticed the car slightly pulling to the right. Then, on the way home from the beach, the steering wheel suddenly began to shake and vibrate, and we smelled ‘something burning’. We pulled over, Ed checked the wheels out, hit the brakes hard a couple of times, and after that, everything seemed okay again. I’ll be sending my car to the shop this week to have the brakes checked out! If this trend keeps up, we’ll be doing some car shopping sooner than later!
I have more canning to do this week, as well as some housework to do, but I’ve been missing my blog friends. I’ll be doing some visiting and some posting as time permits, this week. Hope to see ya’ soon! Have a great Monday 🙂
Well, here it is the end of yet another week! It seems like the week just got started… I participated in ‘Friday Fragments’ last week, made some new friends, and had a great time, so I’m back again to join the fun. You, too, can join in by clicking the button at the top of this post, and following the rules.
As I mentioned, it seems like it’s been a short week. Vacation weeks are like that, aren’t they? Ed went back to work yesterday. He likes to spread his vacation days out among several weeks, and I sort of like that, too. We both enjoy long weekends!
While Ed was at work yesterday, I was busy picking butter peas. I spent four hours in the garden picking them. Oh my aching back! I’d never make it without my “grasshopper gardening stool”. Ed and I have a matching pair of stools, and we use them a lot for all kinds of chores.
After picking the butter peas, I spent the next four hours shelling them by hand. I got caught up with some of the recorded shows on my DVR, but my thumb was aching by the end of the day!!! I was too tired to blanch the butter peas last night, so they’re in the refrigerator waiting for me this morning. The kitchen counters are lined with tomatoes waiting to be canned, too.
The first of this week it was so dry, Ed and I were dragging the water hose again. Then on Wednesday and Thursday we received 3 1/2 inches of rain! Ed had to wear his boots outside, last night, just to keep his feet dry. There’s more rain in the forecast over the next few days. Too much rain could cut our gardening adventures short!
Ed and I have spent the entire vacation week caring for sick chickens. One of ‘our six girls’ died on Father’s Day, and the rest became very ill. I will dedicate a post to this next week, so I’ll save the details, but I will tell you that it’s been a long week for five remaining hens (and for us).
At the moment, there sure seems to be a lot of serious illness going around, not just with hens, but with people. Within the past few days, I’ve learned a cousin has breast cancer, our son-in-law’s aunt has colon cancer, and Ed’s former co-worker’s husband had a heart attack. I’m praying for healing and speedy recoveries for all of them. None of these people are what I consider ‘old’, because most are younger than me!
Our youngest grandson, Chase, came and stayed with us for about an hour and a half, last night. His older brother was at VBS, and his parents decided to go out for a bite to eat–sans any children. We enjoyed visiting with Chase, and I they enjoyed their alone time. It was a win/win situation for all. Chase came in, looked at the pile of butter peas on the floor, and quickly said, “Beans!” He rarely says much, so I was surprised.
Granddaughter, Madison, came over too, first to read us a book, then to ‘help us babysit’. She’s such a ‘cutie’, at the moment, with all of those missing front teeth! A couple of weeks ago, Madison lost two teeth in one evening, then lost a third one just a couple of days later. Yet another tooth is very loose. At the cost of $5.00 per tooth, the tooth fairy has been really feeling the pinch lately. Grandchildren are the little ‘spices of life’ that keep things interesting for their grandparents 🙂
If I haven’t visited your blog this week, I promise I’ll catch up in the next couple of days. It’s been crazy busy around here this week!
That’s the best of my ‘fragments’ for this week. I hope everyone has a great weekend.
It’s a ‘Snow Day’ at the Wednesday Hodgepodge” today, so I’ll take this opportunity to write about Ed and I spent our 41st anniversary. I know you’re probably curious, aren’t you?
Ed and I began our day at the crack of dawn. These days, we begin every day at the crack of dawn, and our anniversary was certainly no exception!
Ed cooked breakfast for us, we exchanged anniversary cards, then we packed up the car and headed to the beach for the day. Before we left, we walked next door and asked our daughter to take our traditional anniversary photograph. She did. We began this tradition five years ago. I wished we’d thought of it sooner.
We made a stop in town to buy ice, and the automated ice machine took Ed’s dollar, but kept the ice. We made another stop to buy ice at a convenience store, but Ed wouldn’t pay their ridiculous price. Finally, on our third stop, we finally bought a bag of ice! About an hour and forty-five minutes later, Ed and I were sitting under our favorite oak tree, enjoying the cool ocean breeze and the view!
Speaking of the view, we had an unusual view for part of the day. For some reason, two workers decided to trim the palm trees in front of us! Who knew palm trees needed to be trimmed? We didn’t! I couldn’t resist snapping a photograph while they worked. If you have to be outside trimming a tree, this is a great place to be, huh?
Ed and I also discovered a nest of baby birds in the oak tree above our heads, after Ed spotted a broken egg shell on the ground! We watched as mom brought her babies a shrimp that she apparently retrieved from the nearby fishing pier . Who knew that black birds eat raw shrimp?! I didn’t! It turned out to be an informative day.
After Ed and I enjoyed our traditional picnic of a ‘Club Sub’ sandwich, we spent several hours just reminiscing and relaxing. Eventually, we walked through a few of the Village shops. I wanted to find a beach-themed ornament to commemorate our anniversary. I actually found two and bought both because I couldn’t make up my mind which one I liked best! Decisions, decisions.
We decided to make our way back home around 5 p.m., but we stopped half-way home and did a little bit more shopping. Are you ready for this? I bought a beach wagon! I’m already thinking about our next trip, and having an easier way to cart everything down to the beach!
By the time we checked out and loaded up the beach wagon, it was suppertime so we made our way over to Colonel Sanders’ place for our traditional anniversary meal of Kentucky Fried Chicken! We found a booth in the corner, and enjoyed having the entire restaurant to ourselves, believe it or not!
As we enjoyed our meal, we reminisced about our last year’s anniversary meal from KFC. ( Last year, we had to leave Amelia Island to find a KFC, after we discovered the local KFC had closed. When we finally got back to the beach and started to have our picnic beside the ocean, we discovered they’d neglected to give us any eating utensils! We had to pack our food up, go to a convenience store and buy plastic forks. By then it was starting to get dark, so we ended up eating in our hotel room.)
This year’s anniversary meal went smoother, even though the girl at KFC got Ed’s order wrong and gave him ‘original recipe’ instead of ‘extra crispy’! After finishing our meal, we completed our trip, and arrived home with an hour to spare before dark!
That concludes our 41st anniversary celebration recap. It was a fantastic day from beginning to end, but I’m already looking forward to beginning our 42nd year of marriage tomorrow–in the garden picking peas together, at the crack of dawn! The fun just never seems to end 🙂
As of today, my husband, Ed, and I have been husband and wife for forty-one years. It doesn’t seem possible because the years have flown by!
A lot has happened over the years, and the world around us has changed dramatically. When we got married, a loaf of bread cost twenty-five cents!
Ed and I brought three babies into this world and raised them to be responsible adults. Our babies now have babies of their own. Forty-one years ago we didn’t even know if we wanted to have children. My how things have changed!
Ed’s hair has turned gray, and gotten much thinner, while my hair has turned gray and gotten much shorter. I choose to hide my gray, Ed does not. We both have more than our fair share of loose skin and wrinkles. Some days it takes both of us to complete a task because, these days, our minds aren’t what they once were. When we look in the mirror, we see my mother and Ed’s dad looking back at us!
Our memories aren’t as good as they used to be, but we still remember our wedding day, and we still love each other just as much, if not more, than we did back then.
Today, in celebration of our forty-one years of wedded bliss, I’d like to share my ten most memorable moments of our wedding day.
Karen, me, Ed, and Ed’s dad…on June 18, 1972
1. Ed threatened to wear his brown suede Dingo boots to our wedding. I was horrified, and asked his mother to intervene. She did.
2. For some reason, Ed stopped by my parents’ house on our wedding day, and I peeped out of my bedroom window to catch a quick glimpse of him, even though I knew I wasn’t supposed to see him before the wedding. I still feel felt guilty about doing that!
3. I refused to wear a wedding veil or any flowers in my hair. Now that I’m older and have more sense, I regret that decision.
4. The budget for our wedding/reception was $300. (Can you imagine?!) That included my dress, shoes, flowers, and the wedding cake! (My grandmother loaned my parents the money to pay for my wedding.)
5. On the morning of our wedding day, I went out into daddy’s vegetable garden and gathered fresh vegetables to take with us on our honeymoon. I couldn’t wait to cook for Ed! That seems crazy now! We couldn’t get the gas turned on at our house (due to rain), so it was four days later before I cooked. We ate a lot of bologna sandwiches.
6. It rained about two hours before our wedding, then the sun came out. I thought about the old wives’ tale that it’s bad luck for it to rain on your wedding day, how the rain represents the amount of tears you will shed during your marriage. (Not true!) However, every year, during the week of our anniversary, it rains almost every afternoon. We know, because we take our vacation that week every year…
7. I was a nervous wreck over getting the wedding cake to the church and getting it set up! We had to set it up ourselves. The cake had 3 tiers, each of which set up on four pillars. I was so afraid the cake was going to fall over. It didn’t!
8. Someone tampered with Ed’s car, so we couldn’t outrun the people who chased us as we left the reception. The poor car would barely run, and Ed had to stop and fix it. Someone also painted our car all over with white shoe polish–and ruined the paint job on the black racing stripes.
9. Ed and I ate Kentucky Fried Chicken for our first meal as husband and wife. The store manager gave us our food for free when he found out we’d just gotten married. (We’ve eaten there on our anniversary every year since.)
10. Ed carried me up the steps, and into our brand new mobile home on our wedding night, even though I only weighed 30 pounds less than he did. I was impressed! (We spent our honeymoon nestled in our new home because I didn’t want to go anywhere else!)
Last night, while Ed and I were finishing our supper I remarked that forty-one years ago we were sitting in “the red room” , having our rehearsal dinner at Ed’s parents’ house. Then I realized how many guests, who were at our rehearsal dinner, are no longer living…
Ed’s dad, both of my parents, an uncle, the preacher who married us, the piano player, and even a very good friend, who lived with us for a short time, during the early years of our marriage have all passed away during our forty-one years of marriage. What a sobering thought!
On that sobering thought, I’m going to end this post, but I will tell you that Ed and I will be making the most of our 41st anniversary and our time together! He’s off from work, and we’ll be “knee deep in paradise” somewhere–and we might even be reminiscing about old times!
1. June 17th is Eat Your Vegetables Day… do you need a special day to celebrate veggies? Your favorite veg?
No, I certainly don’t need a day to celebrate veggies! I’m living in ‘veggie paradise’ at the moment (or ‘veggie hell’, depending on how I’m feeling) because, at the moment, we have a huge garden filled with all kinds of fresh veggies.
I like almost any kind of vegetable, but fresh corn on the cob is among my favorites! In about two more weeks our corn will be ready for eating, and I’m excited!
2. How did you spend your Father’s Day? Or for those who don’t have Father’s Day on June 16th, what did you do this weekend?
On Saturday, those of us who live on the family farm (Ed and me, our oldest son & family, our daughter & family), went to the city to spend the day with our youngest son, Brad and his wife, Jennifer. Brad grilled hamburgers/hot dogs for us, then we ate lunch and visited for a while. Eventually, everyone (except for Ed and me) went swimming in the pool where Brad and Jennifer live. While the others swam, Ed and I went to Lowes and Home Depot looking for Ed a Father’s Day gift (from me). We were unsuccessful in finding one..
On Father’s Day, we had a little ‘mishap’ concerning one of “the girls” aka, the chickens. That morning, when I went to the coop to feed them and clean out the bottom of their chicken house I found an unpleasant surprise. One of my hens was stretched out in the dirt–dead! Without warning, she just died. Poor Ed had to bury one of “our girls” on Father’s Day. It wasn’t the most pleasant day to begin Father’s Day.
Later, Ed and I went out for a Father’s Day lunch together, then went shopping (again) for his Father’s Day gift (from me). This shopping trip was such an interesting adventure, it deserves its own post later in the week. The good news is we were successful in finding what we were looking for! The interesting part is what happened during the course of the purchase! More details later.
Ed received several Father’s Day gifts and sweet cards from our children later in the afternoon. I think he had a nice Father’s Day weekend.
3. June 18th is National Splurge Day… if you were (are) going to participate what would/will you splurge on?
June 18th is our 41st wedding anniversary, so if I was going to participate, I’d take Ed on a romantic, exotic cruise somewhere! Instead, I’ll probably settle for a day at the beach and be perfectly content.
4. What is the farthest you’ve ever traveled from home?
Memphis, Tennessee to see Elvis’ former home, Graceland.
Weekend Wrap Up:
Before leaving for the trip to visit our son, I blanched and froze several packs of tomatoes, okra and squash early Saturday morning! While I was canning, Ed visited our neighbor, Farmer Danny, and picked a bucket of tomatoes so we’d have enough ripe ones (at one time) to can in the pressure cooker. Ed also sprayed the garden and mowed the grass. Needless to say, we were tired before we ever left home!
Then Ed decided to take an alternate route to our son’s house. We missed our exit and got a bit lost–not once, but twice! We finally made it there–about 30 minutes later than planned. Then, being the ‘old farts’ that we are, we had to leave our son’s house earlier than everyone else, so we could arrive back home before dark, because neither of us can see how to drive at night! We made it home with almost an hour to spare.
I’ve been reading a few ‘Friday Fragments posts’, and today I decided to join in the fun. (Fragments are tidbits of information about my week, that didn’t make it into other posts.) Today’s post is filled with ‘fragments’, so I’ll be linking up with Unknown Mami, where I hope to meet some new friends!
Whew, a heat wave hit us on Wednesday! The temperatures hit the mid-nineties, but the heat index was about 105 degrees! If you’ve ever experienced moist, humid heat, then you know how miserable it feels outside. Thank goodness for air conditioning–and boy was it working overtime!
Snakes alive! Ed’s brother killed a rattlesnake in his yard this week! We share the same patch of woods on the family farm, so I’m feelin’ sort of edgy these days… Where there’s one snake, there’s bound to be more. That made the third rattlesnake killing on the farm in the past ten years.
Ed got his mom safely back to the assisted living home on Wednesday. Everyone at the home was happy to see her come back. Her lost hearing aid never turned up at the hospital, so the hospital has agreed to reimburse her for a replacement. Ed reports that she’s doing better, but was a bit confused yesterday.
I’ve been trying to rest a bit this week before the garden gets going strong again. While I’ve been resting, I’ve pulled up and picked off old green beans and garden peas (for seeds), and I’ve picked and canned a few tomatoes. I also tried battering and freezing sliced squash for frying, for the first time. Next I’ll be chopping onions for the freezer. Now that I’m typing this, it doesn’t sound much like I’m resting much, does it?
I’m currently reading Phil Robertson’s ( of Duck Dynasty fame) book Happy, Happy, Happy. I don’t know when I’ve enjoyed a book more! What a fascinating story Phil tells about his life. It’s an interesting book, and it’s hard to put down.
Praise the Lord, our family received some great news yesterday! The news was a huge relief, and was definitely like the calm after a storm. I won’t tell you the details today, but I will tell you it concerns our grandson who will be born in November. The family will all be celebrating the great news with Brad and Jennifer, this weekend, at their house. More details to follow later…
In case you had any doubt, chicken compost makes great fertilizer! We saved ours all year, and used it as fertilizer for our corn. Here’s a pic of Ed (who’s about 6′ tall) and our granddaughter, Madison, posing in front of our corn… (excuse the fogginess of the camera lens- it was hot outside!)
Ed will be taking a few days off next week. Our wedding anniversary will be on Tuesday, and we’ve always planned our vacation around our anniversary. We’re planning more of a “staycation” this year. Hopefully, our “staycation” will include a little beach time, but it really depends on what’s happening in the garden. For sure, we’ll have to make time to visit a KFC somewhere, so we can continue our 40 year tradition of celebrating our anniversary by eating Kentucky Fried Chicken! (KFC is not on my current diet, but sometimes we just have to make exceptions.)
One last notable fragment here–this is my 1100th post since I started this blog a little over 4 years ago. Each post averages 500 words, so that’s at least 550,000 written words! That’s a lot of words coming from a person who’s always been painfully shy…
That’s it for my first edition of Friday Fragments. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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Reflections...by Kathy 