Friday Fragments #290

Alas, we’ve almost made it through the week, because Friday is here!  It’s time to link up a few ‘Friday Fragments’ over at Half-Past Kissin’ Time.  Thanks to Mrs. 4-4-4-4 for hosting!

It’s been ‘one of those weeks’ around here, and it’s left me tired and without much to write.  My thoughts are in fragments, so ‘Friday Fragments’ is the perfect meme today.

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I spent a delightful morning with our next-to-the-youngest grandson, Chase, on Tuesday.  Chase just turned two in December, and is turning out to be quite ‘a character’!  He only likes the show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, which we watched twice, he only likes one of my many books, Five Little Ducks, which we read four times, and he only wanted to hear the song, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, which we played several times. That little guy is a mess, and he reminds me a lot of his daddy when he was little!

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Ed’s had a particularly rough week at work.  You know how it is, when work isn’t going well, you bring the stress home with you.  It’s nothing I can blog about, except to say, I hope things get better soon.  Ed looks tired, and I worry about him.

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I woke up to cold temperatures, again, yesterday morning.  I went outside, under-dressed, and promptly came back inside for more clothing!  It’s even colder today.  It was actually thirty-two degrees, this morning.  I’ll say it, once again, I’d never make it living up north!  I can’t imagine…

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Our son-in-law’s grandmother passed away yesterday, after an extended illness. She and Ed’s mom used to know each other, and I used to enjoy listening to them talk when they’d meet up at granddaughter, Madison’s, birthday parties.  Miss Eloise was a sweet lady, and she will be sadly missed.  I can imagine her and Ed’s mom sitting in Heaven, talking about old times…

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I’m always on the lookout for good books to read, and, last week, during his FF post, lisleman mentioned the book, I Got a Name-The Jim Croce Story.  I went to Amazon, and ordered the book, because I’ve been a fan of Jim Croce, for years.  (Does anyone else out there remember Jim?)  The book arrived a couple of days ago, and I can’t wait to read it!  I’m just finishing up Becoming Sister Wives.  Speaking of Sister Wives, does anybody else out there watch that show?  It’s sort of like a train wreck.  I know I shouldn’t watch, but I just can’t help myself.  Why four women would want to share one man is a mystery to me!

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That’s about all I’ve got for today.  It’s been a slow week here.  Have a great weekend, everyone!

The Wednesday Hodgepodge…

It’s another cold, rainy day here, and the Hodgepodge is a welcomed ‘bright spot’ to my day!  Our hostess, Joyce, has a brand new set of questions, this week, which I’ve answered below.  If you’d like to join in the fun, just click on the button at the top of this post!  I hope you’ll leave a comment!

1. What is something you’ll never forget about the age you are right now?

About this age…

Ed and I are almost at a crossroads in our lives.  Retirement is in his future–somewhere around the corner.

We’ve raised our three children, watched them all marry and make families of their own, and that feels good!

We’ve, also, spent a portion of the past twenty years taking care of, and ultimately burying, each one of our parents.

Now it’s just the two of us, again, but we’re, also, painfully aware that several of our friends have already lost their spouses.

In looking down the road, at the not-so-distant future– it looks a bit scary down there…

2. What’s a household chore you’ve never done? How have you managed that???

I can’t think of a chore inside of the house that I haven’t done, but I’ve only tried mowing the grass once or twice.  I didn’t have a good experience–the steering wheel of the lawn mower came off, which promptly ended my grass mowing efforts!

3. Does nature shape our personalities more than nurture? Explain?

Yes, nature shapes our personalities, to a great extent. I believe the majority of our personality is determined by our heredity, but a portion of it is influenced by our surroundings and our upbringing.  At least, this is what I’ve found to be true in our family.

4. Friday (February 28th) is ‘Something on a Stick Day’…funny because Zoanna over at A Penchant for Pens recently sent me an idea for a question relating to this topic. What’s your favorite food eaten on a stick?

My favorite ‘food on a stick’ is ice cream!  Of course, cotton candy ranks high on my list, too.

5. Which of your five senses do you treasure most, and why?

That’s a tough question, but I’m going to say I treasure my hearing most.  The reason for my choice comes from watching the change in little Alex’s (the deaf child my daughter used to keep) life, once he got his cochlear implants, and was able to hear.  Before the surgery, Alex was unemotional and withdrawn.  Afterward, when he was able to hear sounds and voices,  Alex became a happy, active little boy.

I, also, watched my MIL suddenly lose her ability to hear, due to a stroke, we think.  She was so frustrated and confused–and unable to carry on a conversation with anyone, until she got hearing aids.  It was awful.

Of course, it would be tough being blind, too…

6. What’s the best music, theater, or sporting venue you’ve been to? What made it great?

I’m going to say an Alan Jackson concert, at the Savannah Civic Center, because we had second row seats!  It’s the closest I’ve ever been to a stage.

7. It’s the last week of the month…in five words or less bid adieu to your February.

Good riddance, winter.  Hello, spring!

last year’s spring garden

Random:

Yesterday our temperatures reached near eighty degrees.  Today, the predicted high is in the mid-fifties.  Is that crazy or what?  My laundry will contain long-sleeves and shorts–all in one load!

Meanwhile, I’m dragging 75 various seedlings (tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, cabbage) in and out of the house, until it gets warm enough to plant them in our garden.  Spring, please hurry!

Miscellaneous Monday…

Didn’t I tell you to enjoy your weekend, because Monday would be here before we knew it?  Well, it’s here!!!  Ed’s gone to work, and the house is cool and quiet.  It’s shaping up to be a beautiful day.  The temperature is already 65 degrees, and it isn’t even 9 o’clock yet!

It was a pretty nice weekend, here in our neck of the woods.  It was quiet and slow-paced.  We had some rain, and we had some sunshine–the best of both worlds.  We didn’t have much family time, this weekend, though.  Although the slow pace was nice, I found myself missing the ‘hustle bustle’ of our children and grandchildren.

Believe it or not, Ed was finally able to burn off the field in front of our house!  It rained on Friday, but Saturday morning dawned sunny, with very little breeze blowing.  Perfect conditions for burning!   In case you’re wondering why we burn, it’s to help keep down weeds and undergrowth.

Ed set the fire shortly after lunch, with the help of our son-in-law, Clint.  Meanwhile, I burned some leaves in our backyard, and visited with my daughter.   By the way, it’s legal to burn here, as long as you get a burn permit.  I’m not sure how much our neighbors, to the south, enjoyed the smoke from our efforts though.

In addition to burning off the field, Ed attempted to burn two of the [three] piles of trees that we had cut down last summer.  At first, the trees went up in a blaze of glory, but didn’t come anywhere near close to burning up.  I guess we’ll be having a few more bonfires in our future.

I came close to bringing home some baby chicks, on Saturday morning.  I didn’t realize they’d have chicks in Tractor Supply this early, so it caught me a bit off-guard.  When I finally decided to buy some, I discovered the best of the chicks had already been sold, and only the runts were left.  My soft heart almost made me want to bring home the runts because I felt sorry for them–but I didn’t.  To tell you the truth, I’m a bit torn about getting new chicks.  It’s a bit like deciding whether or not to have another baby!

This weekend, I, also, spent a little time continuing to clean and sort out ‘stuff’ at Ed’s mom’s house.  I have a difficult time making myself go up there, because it really makes me sad to go through her things.  Every time I go, I find some kind of memento that makes me miss my MIL even more. While I was sorting and cleaning, inside, Ed was crawling under the house, in an attempt to fix the previously busted water line.  He found the problem, but didn’t have what he needed to repair it.  Ed later shared with me that he lost his pocket knife while under the house, and had to make a second trip to retrieve it–nearly getting stuck under there!

On that note, I’ll switch gears a bit, and join ‘The Monday Quiz’ over at ActingBalanced.  Thanks to Heather and her husband, Wayne, for hosting this fun meme.

1. February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day – do you like them? What do you pair with Tortilla Chips?

Man, we sure do have some crazy ‘National Days’!  I do like tortilla chips, and I pair them with salsa, taco soup, or, sometimes, with chili.

2. February 26th is Carnival Day (and also Judy from Retired Not Tired’s birthday- coincidence???) What is your favorite carnival ride, game or food?

First of all, Happy Birthday, Judy!

Now, if you’d asked me this question 40 years ago, my answers would have been quite different!  Back then, I would’ve said my favorite ride was the roller coaster, or something equally as wild and crazy.  These days, my favorite ride would be the Ferris Wheel, or something equally tame.  As for my favorite carnival food, I’ve always loved candy apples, but I don’t eat them anymore, since it’s not worth breaking a tooth over.  Pick Up the Ducks is my favorite carnival game.

3. Nascar has started for another year… albeit in a wet way… are you a fan?

Since I have two sons, I’ve watched several races, over the years, but I’ve never really been a big fan of NASCAR.

4. Other than your blog, do you actively participate in social media?

Yes.  I have Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Have a great Monday!

Friday Fragments…

I can’t believe another week has come and gone!  These days, it feels like someone has pressed the fast-forward button on life.  I wish things would slow down just a bit.

Since I’ve been MIA for most of the week,  I’ll attempt to ‘catch up’ through Friday Fragments.  I’m linking my fragments up with Mrs. 4-4-4-4 over at halfpastkissintime.

Valentine’s Day– What a day that turned out to be!  I made three trips to town before lunch, that day.  Each trip was fifteen miles round trip!  After the second trip, I proceeded into the kitchen, to bake Ed’s Valentine’s Day cake.  It was then I discovered that I was missing a main ingredient for the cake–after I’d just gotten home from the grocery store!  Believe it or not, I managed to make the third trip to town, and had the cake finished before Ed arrived home at four.

Valentine’s Day Cards- When Ed and I exchanged cards, this year, we discovered our cards carried similar messages.  I guess we’ve been living together so long, we’ve begun to have similar thought patterns.

Great Weather- I can’t begin to tell you how beautiful the weather has been, this week!  Warm temperatures (70’s) and lots of sunshine.  Unfortunately, it’s now coming to an end, but I must keep reminding myself it’s still winter.  It’s supposed to rain today, then turn cooler.

Gardening Fever- Nothing brings on ‘gardening fever’ faster than sunshine and 70 degree temperatures!   Ed and I actually planted some onions, Irish potatoes, carrots, and garden peas in our garden, this week.  I have tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, and peppers growing in Styrofoam cups.  They’ll be transplanted after the danger of frost has passed.

Out-of-shape- Ed and I quickly realized how ‘sorry’ we’ve both gotten during the winter.  Our first day of yard work had both of us quickly searching for a place to rest.  Each day has gotten a little better, but we still have a way to go!  Who needs a gym?  Just grab a shovel, rake, or a hoe!  Hopefully, we’ll both be ‘fit as a fiddle’ in another month or so.

Spring Cleaning- Nothing gives me ‘spring cleaning fever’ quicker than sunshine and warm temperatures!  I spent one entire morning doing some spring cleaning, this week.  I sat on the floor and actually cleaned around the handles of the dresser with Q tips!  How crazy is that?!  It’s amazing how much dust I collected, but nobody will ever know, except me.

Fugitives- One of the two men who escaped from our county jail, a month ago, was captured this week, but the other still remains at large.  He’s the same guy who committed several robberies, and caused that massive man hunt, a year ago, in my neck of the woods.  I think we should start calling this guy ‘Houdini’!   Houdini’s buddy was caught in Texas, and we live in southeastern Georgia.  Now there’s a $2500 reward for information leading to the capture of ‘Houdini’.

Got eggs?- The spring-like temperatures and warmer days have spurred ‘the girls’ to increase their egg production again.  They’ve been on a winter hiatus, producing only one egg a day.  I actually had to buy eggs to make Ed’s Valentine’s Day cake!  I can’t complain though, since those five hens have produced almost 2000 eggs, in less than two years.  Our son, Brad, sent me this cartoon the other day:

And I think I’ll end this session of Friday Fragments on that note!   Have a great weekend, everybody.  It’ll be Monday, again, before we know it…

Dropping In For The Hodgepodge…

Z

I haven’t been on the computer very much lately, but if anything can get me to fire up the old computer, it’s the Hodgepodge!  I always look forward to Wednesdays.  I enjoy answering [our hostess] Joyce’s thought-provoking questions, then comparing my answers to everyone else’s.  It’s such fun!

Here are this week’s questions:

1. What’s the biggest change since your childhood in the way people think or act?

Today, more people seem to expect everything to be given to them, instead of having to work to earn it, as in the past.  More and more, the thinking seems to be ‘I deserve’ that, so give it to me!   Much of society has a ‘share the wealth’ mentality.

Good manners seem to have been thrown to the way-side, too!  Most people aren’t as courteous and respectful of each other anymore.

These days, God has been taken out of virtually everything,  and many people no longer have a moral compass.  Bad things  are now portrayed in a good way, while things that are wrong are often portrayed in a good light.  Unfortunately, the line between wrong and right has become blurred for much of society.

2. The Olympic Biathlon involves cross-country skiing broken up with either two or four rounds of target shooting. Which part of that would stress you out more? Or would you love them both equally?

Cross country skiing would really stress me out, since I don’t have a clue how to ski, but I know how to shoot at a target, even though I might not hit it!

3. February is National Canned Food Month…what is your most often purchased canned food item? What was in the last can you opened?

Cat and dog food are my most purchased canned food items.  We generally use a can of each kind, every day, to go along with our pets’ dry food.  If we had the money back that I’ve spent on pet food, over the past ten years, Ed could probably afford to retire tomorrow!  As for what was in the last can I opened?  Tuna fish–for me!

4. What river (anywhere in the world) would you most like to cruise?

I don’t really have a preference of a certain river, but I would prefer to cruise on a salt river, rather than on a fresh water river.  I’ve always loved the ocean!

5. It’s the middle of the night and you can’t sleep…what do you do? Count sheep? Toss and turn? Watch television? Or do you get up and do something productive?

It’s funny you should ask…  This has been happening to me, frequently.  I go to bed, and sleep like a baby, but then I’ll wake up about 3:30 a.m.!  I’ll get up, go to the bathroom, then go back to bed and proceed to have a ‘hot flash’.  From that point on, I usually end up tossing and turning  until I fall back asleep–which is usually just before it’s time to get up.  Sometimes, I’ll watch (or listen to) television, but not often.

6. How important is keeping your cool?

To me, keeping my cool is very important because when I lose my cool, I become stressed.  When I become stressed, I usually end up getting sick, in some way.  I’ve, also, learned [over time] that it’s easier to  just keep my cool rather than to have to smooth things over, once I’ve lost my cool.  I’ve mellowed a lot in my older years, thank goodness.

7. I’ve got white stuff on the brain so why not run with it? White lie, wave the white flag, white knuckle it, white wash a situation, or white as a sheet…which phrase could most recently apply to your own life in some way?

White knuckling it–we’ve been watching a lot of the Winter Olympics, lately!   It’s amazing (and crazy) what some athletes are doing these days!

Random:

Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging, and that’s what’s happened to me, lately.  First of all, the Olympics have been going on, and I’ve been watching them almost every night.  (Oh, the thrills and spills!)  Then  we celebrated Valentine’s Day, celebrated our daughter-in-law’s  birthday, did some shopping, and a little yard work over the weekend.

The weather here has been absolutely beautiful for the past three days, so Ed and I spent some time working in our garden, too!  It’s been sunny, with temperatures in the low 70’s.  Quite a change from last week, when we were in the midst of an ice storm!

After a three-day weekend, Ed went back to work on Tuesday, and I did some babysitting with grandson, Chase.  I haven’t had much time for blogging, until today!

A Few Friday Fragments…

Here I am, at the end of another week, winding down with a few Friday Fragments, and linking them up with Mrs. 4444.  What a week it’s turned out to be!  Cold, wet, and just generally NASTY, but the sun is shining today!!!

The snow and ice missed us, thank goodness, but our neighbors, just a few miles to the north, really got hammered with ice!  Trees fell, power lines came down, and it’s just been a mess there.  Many folks still don’t have their power back yet.  I’m thinking a back up generator might be a good future investment!

I missed the Beatles special, on Sunday night, but managed to catch the encore performance, on Wednesday night.  I’m glad I did.  I was simply amazed at all of the ‘senior citizens’ who were rockin’ and rollin’ the night away during the performances!  I don’t mean to be ugly here, but age has been a lot more kind to some than others.  Just sayin’…  I nearly fell out of my chair when, at one point, Yoko Ono got up to dance.  (I think she nearly fell out of her chair, too!)  I was amazed at Ringo’s stamina, jumping up and down and all around during the last number of the show.  Wow, I’ll have some of what he’s been having, please!

I’m afraid I’ve been somewhat of a couch potato, this week.  When it’s cold and raining, it’s hard to get motivated to do much of anything.  Thank goodness for laptop computers, is all I can say!  Unlimited entertainment at the fingertips.

It was a good week in the kitchen.  I didn’t need to cook all week, but I did–once.  I gave in and made chili for supper on Wednesday.  It was barely above freezing all day, and I felt the need for something to warm the cockles of my heart.  The chili did the trick!

Ed bought me an Eastern Redbud tree a couple of weeks ago.  He said it would be my early Valentine’s Day gift, and I was happy with that.  Then on Thursday, he surprised me with a bouquet of flowers, too!  He said he felt like the tree wasn’t romantic enough.  Gee, I love that guy!

I’m hoping my new glasses will be in sometime today.  I’m tired of seeing everything with blurred vision!  You can bet I’ll keep up with this pair of glasses, for sure!  I still wonder where in the heck my old glasses went, and can’t help but wonder how long it will be before they turn up.

That’s about it for me today.  I have another post up at MIMI’s MINI TALES.  If anyone’s interested in checking it out, just click  on the title.  Mimi could use a little blog love.

Have a great weekend.  Oh, and have a Happy Valentine’s Day, too!

Here’s a little something for ya’!

Thursday’s Thoughts ~ The Buck Stove

our daughter, Brandy, in front of the Buck Stove cir. 1982

Our state (Georgia) is in the midst of a winter storm.  Some folks are stuck in their homes, many without power. Waking up in a warm house, when the temperatures are freezing outside makes me extremely thankful!   However, in times like these, I can’t help but remember our old ‘Buck Stove’…

In 1978, six years after purchasing our mobile home, Ed built a large addition onto it.  By then, we’d outgrown our living space, but couldn’t really afford to build a house. We more than doubled our living space, which was nice, because we were expecting our first child.  The problem was, our mobile home heating system wasn’t large enough to heat the extra living space.  We were forced to find an additional heating source.

Ed’s parents gave us an old propane heater, and we picked up a second propane heater from somewhere else.  The first winter we heated with those heaters, we almost went broke buying propane, plus we didn’t stay very warm either!  It quickly became obvious, we needed to find a different heating source.

Before the next winter, Ed bought a wood-burning heater, known as the ‘Buck Stove’.  Buck Stoves were a fairly new concept, back then.  It proved to be one of the best purchases we ever made, as it saved us a ton of money in heating costs!  Ed’s daddy had lots of pine trees growing on his land, and back then, people were always giving wood away, if we’d go cut it up.

One down-side of heating with the Buck Stove (in addition to dealing with dust and ashes), was trying to keep the fire going around the clock!  Most of the time, the fire would have gone out by early morning.  We usually woke up to a somewhat cool house each morning.  Ed’s job was to get the fire re-started when he got up, so the house would be warm for the rest of us when we got up.

Another down-side of heating with the Buck Stove was trying to regulate the heat output.  The stove was equipped with a thermostat and a fan, which had three different speeds.  The hotter the fire got, the harder the fan would blow.  Ed was sometimes notorious for building fires so hot, sometimes we’d have to open the windows and doors!

Ed got his ability to build ‘hot fires’ honest.  One time, when Ed and I had been out-of-town, my father-in-law went to our house to build a fire in the Buck Stove, so we wouldn’t have to come home to a cold house.  He built a fire so hot, it actually made the stove-pipe glow red!  It burned every bit of the paint off of the pipe, too.  Honestly, it’s a wonder our house didn’t catch on fire!

The up-sides of having a Buck Stove were the low cost of heating, and being able to sit and enjoy the fire.  The stove came with glass inserts on its doors, but the doors were removable, as well. Sometimes we’d remove the doors and roast hot dogs or marshmallows in the fire!  The children loved doing that.

Our Buck Stove saved us, once, during ‘The Storm of the Century”.  We were without power for quite a while, and boy, was it cold!  We put a sheet up over the open doorway to the dining room, and huddled inside of the living room, beside the Buck Stove.  The wind was blowing so hard outside, that the sheet covering the dining room door was actually blowing!  The Buck Stove fan couldn’t blow out any heat, since there was no power, but we were warmed from the heat of the fire.  I was able to warm our lunch on the top of the Buck Stove, too.

Eventually, Ed and I were able to add a central heat and air unit to our old house.  By then, we’d had our Buck Stove for twenty years!  I was tired of the ashes and dust, and wanted to use that corner of our living room for other things. Reluctantly, Ed eventually agreed to sell the heater, but says he hasn’t been truly warm since!  To tell you the truth, on days like today, I wouldn’t mind having the old Buck Stove back either.

Stay warm!

A ‘Sweetheart’ of a Hodgepodge…

1.What makes love last?

I give all of the credit to God, for making love last, because He blessed me with a spouse who has always been very easy to love!  Still,  keeping love alive takes some work. Selflessness, the ability to overlook each other’s shortcomings, forgiveness, and a firm commitment to each other are a must.

2. The Beatles made their US debut fifty years ago this week. Are you a fan? If so, what’s your favorite Beatles tune?

Yes, I’ve been a Beatles fan ever since they made their debut on the Ed Sullivan Show.  I especially love their early music, but don’t care for their later music quite as much.  My favorite two favorite Beatles tunes are:

P.S. I Love You

and

If I Fell In Love With You

3. Valentine’s Day-your thoughts? Do you celebrate in any way? Do anything special for the people you love? Expect anything special from the people who love you?

Valentine’s Day has become over commercialized, just like everything else.  Ed and I don’t ‘celebrate’,  as in ‘go out’, but we do exchange cards.  Ed always gives me flowers, candy, or some other gift on or around Valentine’s Day.  The past few years, I’ve baked him a heart-shaped German Chocolate cake because that’s his favorite dessert.

In years past, I’d buy each of our three children a box of candy or a stuffed animal for Valentine’s Day.  These days, it’s our grandchildren who get the gifts!

As for receiving gifts from people who love us, Ed and I have been the recipients of several hand-crafted Valentine’s Day cards or  hand-made gifts from our grandchildren.  Those are always special, and I currently have a couple of those things on display.

4. Steak or burger…you have to choose. Now that that’s settled, how do you like it?

Steak! Cooked well-done, with some ketchup or A-1 steak sauce to go along with it!

5. The Hodgepodge lands on the birthdate (February 12th) of Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States of America. Lincoln is quoted as saying,‘Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character give him power.‘  Do you agree? Why or why not?

I agree with Lincoln’s statement.  For some reason, power tends to ‘go to a person’s head’, and often leads to corruption.  Case in point: Lawyers and politicians!

6. Honest Abe’s image is featured on the US penny (1 cent coin) so I’m wondering…what do you do with your pennies (or your country’s equivalent)?  It’s been suggested the US stop making the penny, and two bills have been introduced proposing just that, but neither were approved. What say you?

I usually spend my pennies, while Ed, on the other hand, saves his.  Much to my dismay, we have several large jugs, filled with pennies, sitting around our house!  Jugs of pennies aren’t worth much, and they take up a lot of space.  They, also, collect dust.

As for getting rid of the penny, well, for sure, we can’t buy anything with a penny anymore!  However, if they stop making pennies, the government will just round the sales tax up to a dime on the dollar, so we’ll end up paying even more taxes!  Let’s just keep the penny.  I think we’re taxed enough!

7.  Do you think pop culture deserves serious study?

No, not really.  I don’t think pop culture really matters in the overall, big scheme of life. That time and money could be better spent!

Random:

Sadly, I’ve neglected my sister blog, “Mimi’s Mini Tales” for far too long.  I’ve finally gotten myself together, and written a ‘catch up’ post over there.

They say, a picture is worth a thousand words, so I captured some grandchildren highlights, of the past ten months, in pictures.  Here they are, if anyone is interested:

A Simple Woman’s Daybook Post…

FOR TODAY

Outside my window…

It is dark , cloudy, and beginning to sprinkle rain (again!)  On one side of the house, I can see the Dogwood  and the Eastern Redbud trees that Ed planted, on Saturday.  On the other side of the house, I can see ‘my girls’ (aka the hens) busily scratching and searching for food.  Several cats are gathered beside the back door, as well.  The Japanese Magnolia is just beginning to bloom.

I am thinking…

about how everybody in our household is getting old–including our pets!  Both of our dogs will turn ten this year, as well as the majority of our twelve cats.  Our two oldest cats are ages  twelve and thirteen!  Throw in the parakeet who is nine, and we’re a household of ‘oldies but goodies’!

 

I am thankful…

for a wonderful husband and provider, three healthy children, (who’ve grown up to be loving spouses and parents), four healthy grandchildren, a warm/cool house to live in (that’s paid for), plenty of food to eat, and, that my chronic health issues have settled down, somewhat, at least for the moment.

 

In the kitchen…

the refrigerator is filled with left-overs from Sunday’s family lunch.  There’s roast beef, fried chicken, macaroni & cheese, green beans, and more.  I shouldn’t  have to cook again until Thursday!

I am wearing…

a blue flowered nightgown, which is too big for me.  I’ve dropped a size, but am still wearing many of my old things, for now.

I am creating…

nothing at the moment, but a few days ago,  I stained a couple of sun catchers (for Easter) to hang on my year ’round tree.

I am going…

to lose my mind if winter doesn’t hurry up and get over!  We are under a “winter weather watch” again because we may get some sleet tomorrow.  Yesterday the temperatures were in the 70’s.  Today the temperatures are in the 40’s.  Only in the south!

I am wondering…

if the summer is going to be extremely hot, since the winter has been unusually cold.

I am reading…

‘Service:  A Navy SEAL at War’ by Marcus Luttrell

and

The Duck Commander Family:  How Faith, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty by Willie and Korie Robertson

Both books are autobiographies, and are very good.  ‘Service’ is the follow up book to ‘Lone Survivor’, while ‘The Duck Commander Family’ is son, Willie’s, account of growing up in the Robertson family.

I am hoping…

to hear, soon, from the carpenter who’s supposed to be doing the renovations on our front porch!  I’m ready to get the project underway.

 

I am looking forward to…

getting some new baby chicks in the spring.  They’re so precious and cute.

I am learning

 to be a lot more patient than I used to be.  I suppose this comes with age, since we do things a lot slower, now!

Around the house…

a few things need to be put away, especially in the pool room.  The pool room is our ‘catch all’ room.  It’s the home for Ed’s pool table–and everything from canned vegetables (stored underneath the table) to grandchildren’s toys.  There’s also a computer, a treadmill, a stereo, a futon, a cedar chest, and a baby swing in there, too!  Yeah, it’s a bit crowded.

I am pondering…

what changes the year 2014 might bring.  Ed will turn 65, this year, and I’ll turn 60.  Milestone birthdays for us both.

A favorite quote for today…

(in honor of Valentine’s Day)

  “All you need is love, but a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.”  Charles Schulz  

One of my favorite things…

is planting seeds, and watching them grow.  I’m currently growing some seedlings that will be transplanted into our garden in about six weeks.

A few plans for the rest of the week:

I’m supposed to babysit grandson, Chase, on Thursday morning, while his mom attends brother, Caden’s Valentine’s Day party, then I plan to bake Ed’s Valentine’s Day cake on Friday.

A peek into my day…

I begin my day by feeding all of our animals.  First, come the chickens, then the cats and dogs.  It takes twenty minutes to get everybody fed, and the chicken house swept out.  Afterward, I’ll eat breakfast, then usually spend the next couple of hours blogging, after first putting some laundry on to wash.  Eventually,  I’ll do my household chores, and cook supper.

From my photo files…

That’s  me, yesterday, holding one of our turnips from the garden!  

Thanks to Peggy for hosting The Simple Woman’s Daybook.

Just Me On Monday (again)…

I’m sitting here blogging, as I watch the sun beginning to rise in the eastern sky. I feel blessed to begin my week in such a relaxing way. For the moment, life is good.

This past weekend was like so many others, lately. Saturday began with rain–again! Since Ed couldn’t get outside to do anything else, he spent the morning preparing and filing our income taxes. Joy, joy! For the first time, ever, I convinced Ed to file electronically.  He wasn’t so sure about that! The rain finally subsided, around lunch time, and we were able to spend a couple of hours outside, in the sunshine, before dark.

On Friday afternoon, I’d gone back to town and purchased two small trees for our yard.  Ed planted those trees for me on Saturday afternoon.  Lately, nothing seems to come easy, so of course, the original spot I’d picked out for the first tree, had a stump in the middle of it! (the top of the stump had been ground off, so we couldn’t see it anymore)  Finally, after a couple of hours of searching and thinking, Ed and I settled on two different spots for our new trees and got them planted!  After all of that, I sure hope our trees survive.

Sunday was devoted to family.  I put on my ‘big girl panties’ and got in the kitchen and cooked lunch for the entire family!  I don’t do this often, anymore, so it was an adventure to pull it all together!  As always, it was good to have everyone (all twelve of us) together under our roof, once again.  As time goes on, these moments are becoming rarer, therefore, they are becoming even more treasured.

We were all reminded of just how fragile life is on Friday, when the husband of one of Ed’s cousins drove up to the pumps of our community gas station, exited his truck, then collapsed on the concrete.  He suffered a massive stroke, and died a short time later.  You just never know…  Live for today, people, ’cause there may not be a tomorrow!

On that somber note, I’ll switch to “The Monday Quiz”, hosted by Wayne and Heather over at Acting Balanced.  As always, thanks to them for hosting this fun Monday meme.

Here are the questions, along with my answers:

1. February 10th is Clean Out Your Computer Day! It’s a day to logically review, and delete old files and programs. Will you be taking part?

No.  Rarely do I ever delete anything.  That’s why I always choose a computer with a huge hard drive.

2. February is also National Grapefruit Month – are you a grapefruit lover? Recipes?

No grapefruit for me!  I can’t stand the stuff.

3. Are you watching the Olympics? What events hold your interest or are you just ignoring the whole thing?

Yes, I have been watching some of the Olympics, but not all of them.  The figure skating is my favorite event (in all categories), but I’ve enjoyed watching some of the snowboarding and skiing, as well.  As usual, I don’t always agree with some of the Olympic judges’ scores 😦

4. Valentine’s Day is Friday – are you planning to celebrate?

I’ll bake Ed a heart-shaped German Chocolate cake, and have it ready when he gets home from work.  Other than that, we don’t have any plans, at the moment.  We’ll probably just relax and spend the evening at home.  That’s what we do best 🙂

Epilogue:  I’m a bit late in finishing and posting this. After five days of looking,  I never did find my eyeglasses, so I had to stop blogging and make a trip to my optometrist’s office.  New frames have been picked out, glasses ordered.  I nearly died when I found out the price!  Let’s just say, I’ll need a ‘tracking device’ attached to them, ’cause I certainly can’t afford to lose another pair!

My question:  Have you ever lost anything valuable?

Have a great Monday!